Another Good Day

Today was great. I spent the morning strolling through an outdoor market in the 11th arrondisment/Bastille. It's considered the best one and is only open on Thursday and Sunday mornings. There is so much to see and they sell EVERYTHING from underwear to cookware and all kinds of fresh foods ... even horse meat. It looks different from other meat, kind of bright vibrant red and the texture is different too. For me, the fun thing to do is walk through the whole market and check out all the stalls before I buy anything. After the once around, I head to the best boulanger or patisserie stand for morning breakfast bread to munch on as I shop. Today there were about 1/2 of the stalls that are out on Sunday and only one place to buy breakfast. Luckily it was excellent. Other purchases included a mix of olives and some tapenade (vert/green), a sweater and a scarf both at unbelievably great prices. The artichokes, leeks, fennel, mushrooms (lots of varieties) all looked wonderful as did the meats that were stuffed with cheeses,herbs, etc. and/or wrapped in something else that's yummy. All these things are new for me and I forgot my French recipes at home. I also forgot measuring spoons and cup so I bought them here but they are in liters and grams and I don't usually cook with the items available here so next time I must be sure to include those recipes.

Afterwards I went on a walking tour of the area. It's the happening place to be at night. During the day those streets are deserted. There is this one street that has an international mix, places called Parce Que (Because), Que Pasa (Spanish - What's Happening), Route 66 Cafe (American), Italian gelato, Spanish tapas, Sushi, Thai, Lebanese, Corsican, and a Brazilian clothing store. Quite a mix. The cool part about the walk is that just before it ends, I stop at Le Bar des Soupes (the reason for coming to this area). It's this sweet little place that makes 6 - 8 fresh soups daily. Some of today's choices were carrot, lentil, pea, vegetable, tomato and don't remember the others. You can get the formule which is a bowl of soup, choice of roll, cheese plate (2 kinds with lettuce) or dessert (cake or pudding), carafe of water that is infused with lime and a choice of a glass of wine or expresso. I opted for the Soup Le Marche which turned out to be a puree of vegetables along with a cereal roll, cheese plate (of course) and expresso. It was so good, I bought another soup for dinner later. The weather has been chilly so soup really hits the spot.

Didn't want to drag my purchases around so went back across town with a stop at the grocery store for a few items, then to the bakery for fresh bread to go with my soup. When I returned to the apartment, it was nice and clean (Thursdays the cleaning woman comes in). Looked into how many days I have left and what I still want to do. I have to say, I am always prepared for these trips but this time I prepared nothing, and have learned that it pays to be prepared. Wasted lots of time because there is so much to do it's hard to decide and I end up doing nothing. So I seem to be getting into the groove and my head cold is winding down -- finally.

The late afternoon/early evening was spent at the Arts Decoratif at the Louvre. Going to museums at night is really the best time. No one is there and you don't have to be held up by too many people. I love it. Most of the time I was alone except for a guard here and there. Afterwards I lingered on rue Rivoli before taking the metro back.

Once home, I heated up the soup, took out the tapenade which I discovered has caviar in it, proscuitto, cut up some tomatoes, sliced some bread and warmed a a small round of St. Marcellin cheese to spread on the bread. Opened a chilled bottle of Vouvray that turned out to be dry and fruity -- very nice. The meal, though simple, was delicious. Especially the soup. It was a tomato puree with apples and ricotta. The apples I believe really added to the flavor. You couldn't taste the apples directly, it was more subtle and you wouldn't guess it was apples that gave it that interesting twist.

Next was testing French ingredients and making scones and clotted cream. I can't find baking soda or powder here so I experimented. The clotted cream was fantastic but the scones were undercooked and had a crumbly consistency so it's back to the drawing board for them.

Thought I would be posting everyday since I have a laptop but I've been too busy to sit down to write. And as I mentioned before, don't have the program(s) downloaded so I can include pictures. I could get a CD made of my film card but they are pricey.

Tired and slipping away fast so I'll sign off for now. Bonne Nuit.

A Day at Chateau de Versailles; arrival

This has been my favorite day so far this trip.

My friend Sharon and I made plans to go to the Chateau de Versailles together. We were both a bit hesitant to try taking the train on our own so it was nice we could pair up. At least if we got lost we wouldn't be alone. We met at the metro stop near the train station then headed over to buy our tickets. In our reading materials and through talking to other travelers we learned that they offered a package deal if you took the train -- round trip train ticket and a pass to the chateau allowing you entrance to all of the areas of the estate. It cost a fraction of what you would pay if you took a tour and you were not rushed for time either. We did pretty good buying the tickets. The woman didn't speak English but could tell we did so after she gave us our tickets, she held up a sign in English that told us to proceed downstairs and take any train that had Vick in the name. So we did.

The train ride went by very quickly, maybe only a half hour (the tour bus usually took around an hour or so; Paris traffic). We got off the train (it was the end of the line) and followed Rick Steve's directions. Right out of the station then left at the first block . . . follow the crowd. The street ended right at Chateau de Versailles which was only one block away. How easy was that!

In 1990 we took a taxi there and when we drove down that block, the palace was straight ahead in golden splendor. We all gasped at the beauty of it. Since then I have taken a few tours and it just isn't the same when you pull up from a side street into a parking lot then walk there. So of course I was expecting the big gasp when we approached. Instead, I couldn't see beyond the white pointed tents that lined the street ahead and entrance way. What was going on? They are renovating it back to it's previous design from the 17th century and apparently that means a grand entrance to the gates which are currently under construction. (I would insert a photo here but have discovered that I needed to download the program first. It's sitting at home but I do have the card reader. If I was technically savvy I bet there is a way I can download pictures but don't know what it is.)

So we walked passed all the tents, and painted covers draped over the construction depicting what was to come, then ahead to the black and gold gates. Walking through the gates I feel like I've come to visit a rich friend -- sounds a little crazy I guess. But again something had changed once inside. The spacious entrance way to the chateau was always unobstructed with the exception of a massive statue of King Louis XIV, the Sun King in all his glory on a horse. The open space had been shortened by a wall with statues at each end made of the same material with a small opening that was currently barricaded. Where was Louie?? Was he on the other side? I have always considered him like a familiar friend, welcoming visitors to his humble abode. We entered and I peered out the window to see if the statue was hidden behind the wall. It was nowhere to be found. While going through the security scanner, I asked the guard what happened to him. Oh, he has been sent to Paris for renovations she says with a smile.