Still in Love with Paris

Wonderful Parisian architecture 

Bonjour and greetings from Paris!  You might think that having visited Paris as often as we have that we would eventually get tired of it.  But we don’t think that will ever happen.  Anne says just putting her feet on a Paris street makes her absurdly happy.

Our Icelandair Boeing 757

We flew here on Icelandair which was an excellent choice for several reasons.  First of all, we got the cheapest round trip Paris flight we have seen in 10 years.  In addition, the planes were fairly empty so the two of us got to share 3 seats on both legs of the trip – we still didn't get much sleep, but it was much more comfortable to spread out a bit.  Frank had been concerned about our short layover in Reykjavik, but no worries at all.  We were thru Passport Control in less than 10 minutes and waiting at the gate long before boarding.  Another big advantage is that since Iceland is a European Union member, you go thru Passport Control here and don’t have to wait in the much longer line in Paris.

Market street of rue Montorgueil

Once again, we have rented an apartment in Paris.  This one is in an excellent location just north of the Louvre and only minutes away from the market street rue Montorgueil.  Some of you may be familiar with rue Cler, a market street made famous (some would call it “ruined Cler”) by Rick Steves.  Rue Montorgueil is similar with every shop you could want: boulangeries for bread, produce stands, chocolate shops, etc.  The only difference is that rue Montorgueil is filled with local Parisians rather than tourists toting around Rick Steves guidebooks.

Charming courtyard of our apartment "oasis"

Our apartment is also special because it is situated inside a charming courtyard.  All over Paris, you can see large double doors that look like entrances to garages.  Many of these doors, like ours, open into courtyards that create a peaceful oasis within the busy and often times noisy city.

Le Palais du Fruit

We spent our first full day checking out the neighborhood and doing some shopping.  Grocery shopping here in Paris is not the chore that it is at home.  Here we visit tiny shops, each one with a specialty like a fromagerie for cheese or a butcher for meats.  We bought hamburger to make spaghetti bolognese and the butcher ground the beef right in front of us!  We bought our produce at a shop called Le Palais du Fruit (the palace of fruit) where the fruits and vegetables were displayed almost like gems in a fine jewelry store.  To say the French take their food seriously is a huge understatement.

Goofy kitchen pot with an
"Eiffel Tower" handle!

Frank loves to putter in the kitchen, but also to shop for kitchen gadgets that make life in the kitchen easier and more fun. In fact, kitchen supply stores are among his favorites ranking  just below Lowes, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware!  We returned to E. Dehillerin, a renowned kitchen supply store here in Paris, where we visited last year; we were pleased to see that the place has not changed one iota: same staff, same creaky wooden floors, and even the same quirky personnel.  We love it!  We bought a marvelous paring knife (great weight and feel) and vowed to return whenever we are in Paris to buy one of their high quality items.  We also discovered a new kitchen supply store called A. Simon where Frank found some great gadgets.  We cracked up at some of their cookware equipped with handles designed to look like the Eiffel Tower.

La Grand Cerf

Anne was on a special mission to find the “door knob store.”  We located it within a passage called La Grand Cerf.  Passages were an early turn-of-the- 18^th- century attempt to create protected shopping like in a shopping center –  short streets of shops covered by ornate glass roofs.  

Incredible selection of knobs!

The store we were looking for is actually called “Rickshaw” and specializes in imports from India.  The salesman told us they carry the largest supply of door knobs in the world.  In fact, he just received a shipment of 20,000 very colorful knobs, which he claims will only last him about 6 months.  You may be wondering why Anne was so excited about door knobs.  The knobs are created in India according to traditional French designs, and when we get home, Frank will cut down the shaft of the knobs and modify accordingly so we can adapt them on bookshelves and tables around the house, adding that Parisian touch to our décor.

All in all, we had our usual great time wandering around and enjoying the Parisian atmosphere.  Spring has already arrived here, and the flowering trees along with blooming tulips and daffodils are a welcome sight!   

The Head at St. Eustache

We also horsed around in front of the church of St. Eustache near this crazy modern sculpture we called simply,  “The Head.”  It is literally a statue of a round bald head with one hand alongside of it.  We watched a young kid climb up on the statue to perch himself right in the hand.  Frank, never one to miss a photo op, challenged Anne to do the same thing.  Pas de probleme– she got herself up there with no trouble.  Old ladies rule!