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Oct. 4 - Departing JFK via American Airlines.
Arrived AAL 7:30 AM.
It took more than an hour in the rain to cab to Paris Marriott Champs Elysées from Charles de Gaulle Airport. The lobby is situated beneath a lovely atrium. Unlike modern Marriotts in the U. S., this one looks very European and doesn’t have a swimming pool. The people at the front desk greeted us warmly and were very nice to us but they couldn’t check us in right away because it was only 10 in the morning, so Nanny and I strolled on the wide sidewalks of the most famous Avenue in the world, the Champs- Élysées. It was only a short few blocks to the Arc de Triomphe and back, giving me a real feeling for what Paris was all about, not the storybook worlds of Madeline, Funny Face or An American in Paris. We arrived back at the hotel and since our room was not ready we decided to have breakfast at the hotel, which happened to be pretty good, with freshly squeezed orange juice, and a busy chef making omelets to order.
The Paris Marriott’s Guest Relations Supervisor, Fabien Villoteau, and the Director of Public Relations, Karen Nabet shook hands with my grandfather and told us that we would be able to go to our room on the early side, 11 a.m. It was a “Deluxe Room,” with two double beds. On the desk was a large platter of fruit with a card from the General Manager, Rupprecht Queitsch, welcoming us to the hotel. My grandparents thought it would be a good idea for me to get an overview of Paris that would not take too much energy since we would all have jet lag. They had taken a bus tour with my brother in London, and thought that a boat ride on the Seine would give me a first taste of Paris. The concierge showed us on the map how to reach the Bateaux Parisiens. It looked like an easy stroll, but in fact it was about a mile away, and took us 45 minutes. Our boarding time was 12:30 p.m., (6:30 a.m. New York time) at a quay in front of the Eiffel Tower. Actually the walk down Avenue Montaigne which intersected with Avenue Georges V, invigorated us, as we crossed the Pont de l’alma to get to Quai Branly at the Port de la Bourdonnais.
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Nanny and I sail by the gorgeous Pont Alexandre III, which connects the Grand Palais on the right bank and Les Invalides on the left bank. The pillars are decorated with gilded bronze Pegasus's and the giant lampposts are adorned with cherubs and nymphs. |
BATEAUX PARISIENS
Port de la Bourdonnais
33 (1) 4699 2582
www.bateauxparisiens.com
Tour Experience    
Lunch 
The boat we were on, Le Diamont, was sleek, modern and glass-topped. We were greeted warmly and directed to a fine table with a large glass expanse for a great view. The guide on the tour spoke in two languages and sang pleasantly toward the end of the one hour tour with some French chansons.
These are the sights we passed during our one-hour excursion:
- The Eiffel Tower
- Les Invalides – The Military Hospital where Napoleon Bonaparte’s tomb is.
- The National Assembly, one of the symbols of the French Republic.
- The D’Orsay Museum which we later visited.
- The Institute of France
- Notre Dame, which we visited.
- The National Library – Built in 1996, it is made up of four towers shaped like open books
- The Hotel de Ville
- La Conciergerie
- The Louvre, which we visited.
- LePalais de Chaillot
- The Statue of Liberty (a smaller version than the one we have on Liberty Island, which the French presented to our country.)
As for the lunch, it was my first experience with French cuisine in France itself, and unfortunately I really didn’t care for the food. It was nicely served, but the entrée, a meat dish, was far from great. I felt for sure that this meal would not be typical of what we would expect on dry land. I must say the service was very attentive and the whole city viewing experience awesome. Going back to the hotel, we did not walk. We took a cab, but found out that cabs in Paris are very difficult to find when you most want them.
We got back to the hotel at 3 p. m. And this time we were exhausted and immediately went to our room where the three of us fell into a deep, three-hour nap. Marriott’s beds are hard, just the way I like it. Nanny and Grandpa Hal told me that when they would arrive in Europe on the first day after a long night’s plane trip, they would immediately nap and sometimes sleep right through to the next morning, without going to a restaurant the first night.
But no, the three of us awoke totally refreshed and strolled to a nearby restaurant.
CHEZ ANDRÉ
12 Rue Marbeuf
Tel: 33 (1) 4720 5957
Food    
Ambience  
Service  
Okay. Let’s forget the Bateaux Parisiens culinary experience, and agree that this was the first real restaurant I experienced in Paris. It’s a tiny bistro, with a red awning outside overhanging all kinds of shellfish on ice. Inside it’s crowded with small tables, but it was fun. The customers were well-dressed since this is an expensive neighborhood. I was famished, so any half way decent meal would have satisfied me, but this was really good. Nanny and I had the beef bourgounogne, while Grandpa was adventurous, with raw oysters on the shell (he claims that the only oysters to compare with Paris Oysters are New Orleans Oysters). No, I didn’t sample one, and I certainly didn’t sample any of the veal kidneys he ordered, with French biere. He says that he always orders the local beer , even though France is much more famous for its wines. Our waitress didn’t speak any English, but she was certainly all business, briskly bringing our dishes and removing them just as briskly. Chez Andre was a great treat to cap my first day in the City of Lights. When we got back to the hotel I made a long distance call to my parents to tell them about the day. Getting a telephone card makes a lot of sense. It’s not expensive (10 Euros - $15) for I believe two or three hours of calling time.
DAY TWO (Friday, Oct. 6)
We had breakfast at a famous restaurant known for its petit dejeuners, a block and a half from our hotel.
LADUREÉ
75 , Avenue des Champs- Élysées
33 (1) 4075 0875
www.laduree.fr
Food  
Ambience 
Service
This restaurant began in 1862 as a pastry shop. There are three other locations, including one in my soon-to-be favorite Paris department store, Printemps. It has a major reputation for its patisseries, macaroons, sweets, pastries and other desserts. We had a pleasant breakfast, with hot chocolate, so rich, I had to add hot water to it. I had a croissant, while Grandpa ordered a white egg omelet and got scrambled egg whites swimming in butter. Ugh. The place was understaffed, with tables next to ours, that should have been cleared of dishes, but weren’t. We’ll give it another try.
From Ladureé , we took our first Metro ride at the Franklin D. Roosevelt station located a block and a half from the hotel with entrances on either side of the Champs- Élysées . Since we had a pass, we inserted our three-day ticket into the slot at the front of the turnstile, and voila! - out it popped at the top of the stile and the doors swung open. We followed the easily understandable sign reading Chateau de Vincennes, which is the last stop on the No. 1 Line. We took the escalator down, boarded a Metro train and went four stops to Louvre Rivoli.
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I. M. Pei’s Pyramid and Winged Victory. |
THE LOUVRE MUSEUM
Between Rue Rivoli and Quai Louvre
www.louvre.fr/llv/commun
    
It would take years to see every exhibition at this world-famous museum. With so many things to see and so little time on our hands, we decided to concentrate on seeing 1) The Mona Lisa 2) Winged Victory and 3) Venus de Milo. Well, the one work we could not avoid seeing was the glass pyramid at the Louvre’s entrance, with its steel tubes and cables, designed and built by the American architect I. M. Pei, which was controversial when it first appeared in 1989 - but which I really liked. It is 69 feet high and 105 wide at the base. It is surrounded by basins, fountains and three smaller pyramids and provides natural light to the Louvre’s three main areas: Denon, Richelieu and Sully. We entered the Sully Wing on the ground floor to Greek Antiquities Salle de la Vénus de Milo where the marble statue of Venus (or Aphrodite) appears. This masterpiece was discovered on the Greek Island of Milos in the Aegean in 1820. My grandfather advised me that it would be a “disarming experience.” Ha, Ha. I thought Will Rogers advice to his niece was much funnier: “See what happens, when you bite your nails?” No one knows who sculpted Venus, but it is believed it was done between 130 and 100 B. C. Another imposing sculpture is the Winged Victory of Samothrace on the stairwell of the first floor. This exceptional monument was unearthed in 1863 island of Samothrace in the northwest Aegean. It depicts the goddess of Victory (Nike, in Greek) a headless winged woman standing on a boat, braced against the strong wind blowing through her garments. It dates back to the Third Century B. C. Also on the first floor in the Denon area is the Mona Lisa, which I believe is the only artwork you are not allowed to photograph, even without flash. (They’re very good about letting you photograph just about everything else). I understand why they have special security, since some terrible person ran a knife through it years ago. It’s pretty small and has a wall all to itself. It is protected with bullet-proof glass. In seeing this rather small painting, I asked myself, why is this such an important work? Part of the reason is it’s like a mystery. And of course Leonardo da Vinci is a very famous painter. Is it because she is such an ordinary looking woman at a time when so many painters concentrated on saints or kings. But as I looked at it from side to side, I saw that her eyes followed mine and she became very human to me. Before the trip I read the fascinating story about placing an infra-red 3-D camera on the painting and discovering that she was wearing a see-through gown made of gauze over her garment, and that evidently indicated that either she was pregnant or a nursing mother. It was painted between 1503 and 1516. The sitter is believed to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine silk merchant.
LE CAFÉ MARLY
Richelieu Wing of The Louvre
93, rue de Rivoli
Paris 75001 France
33 (1) 4926 0660
   
We took a welcome break from our walk and sat at a small round table on the terrace of this charming little restaurant. Our waiter was very attentive, doling out crackers and brie cheese, even though we decided to split a club sandwich (delicious) and had hot vanilla chocolate. Most important, the sun broke through as we enjoyed a terrific view of the Pei pyramid.
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Arc du Carrousel is at the entrance to the Tuileries. |
THE TUILERIES GARDENS
Between Rue de Rivoli and Quay des Tuileries
    
After our refreshments, we walked passed the Arc du Carrousel to the beautiful Tuileries Gardens, which extend in a straight line from the Louvre past the Place de Concorde through the Champs- Élysées and ending at the Arc de Triomphe. Like our Central Park, in addition to its formal gardens, it has fountains, statues and a boat basin for children. It has Punch n’ Judy shows, which I missed on this trip. It also has L’Orangerie Musée, which we plan on visiting on Sunday. For now, we will head to the Musée d’Orsay over the Seine on the Pont Royal.
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What a totally fantastic railway station this must have been.
It’s an even better art museum.
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These are my very favorites, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Two Girls at the Piano ”
and Edgar Degas’ “The Dance Class.” |
MUSÉE D’ORSAY
1 rue de Bellechasse
33 (1) 4049 4814
www.musee-orsay.fr
    
What a fantastic museum. And to think at one time it was a railroad station. I first noticed how imposing it was from the Bateaux Parisiens. However once you’re inside it’s breathtaking. Nanny and Grandpa suggested we take the escalator directly to the Upper Level which houses artists representing Impressionism, like Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas, Van Gogh and Cézanne. I really loved their paintings and I was so glad I could take photos of some of my favorites. Other artists are referred to by different labels, (for example, neo-impressionism) but if you don’t mind, I’ll mention a few who I enjoyed as much as the pure Impressionists. For instance, Manet, Bonnard, Vuillard, Gaugin, Toulouse-Lautrec. I also enjoy the pointillists, Seurat and Signac with their thousands of paint dots on their canvases, much like a close-up of a color photograph. I’ve seen a lot of their works in New York. When I got to the Museum Shop I bought a Van Gogh coffee mug for my dad. The only problem I have with Paris, is you simply can’t get a cab when you want it. We waited for what seemed like an eternity at the cab station outside of the d’Orsay. We finally gave up and walked back to the Louvre Metro station and traveled to the FDR station. When we arrived back at the Marriott, Nanny and I decided to go shopping, which of course Grandpa wasn’t interested in. He decided to relax and check his emails (and the NY Mets web site) in the hotel’s business center.
PRINTEMPS DEPARTMENT STORE
64, Boulevard Haussman
33 (1) 4282 5787
   
This is the most popular of three Printemps stores in Paris. Nanny (and my Dad, by proxy) bought a jacket, sweater, Converse hightops and a Longchamps bag for my sister and me. I just couldn’t decide what to get my mother, but decided there would be plenty of time to visit another store. Getting a cab in front of Printemps, was not only improbable, it was impossible. Nanny was frantic, trying to flag down a cab on one side of the Boulevard Haussman while I tried the other. Seeing her frustration, I said to her, I think the Metro is our best bet, and so I led her right back to the hotel. We went down to the Havre Caumartin station, took the #3 line and in four stops we arrived at the FDR Station, clutching my new clothes and accessories in a couple of Printemps shopping bags. Well, we had plenty of time to shower and relax before our 8:30 p.m. dinner appointment to a restaurant my Aunt Maggie recommended to us, L'Os à Moelle, about a half-hour drive from the hotel. At about 20 hundred hours (8 p.m.) we could hear thunder and it began to rain. Looking out our window, the Champs- Élysées began filling with black parapluies (umbrellas). It seemed to me that getting a cab would be very difficult. My grandfather had asked Mr. Villoteau, why didn’t Marriott have a line-up of taxis at the entrance , as they do in front of the Prague Marriott which they had recently visited. He told them it would not be legal for the cabs to take up such space on the Champs. So they canceled the reservation to the restaurant and we asked the concierge to suggest a nearby restaurant. He suggested a place around the corner from the hotel. We had fold-up umbrellas (my grandparents always take them, and always take a flashlight with them) – but then we learned that the Business Center has giant umbrellas for any guest who cares to have them. I thought that was very cool of the hotel. As the song goes, I Love Paris when it drizzles. That hour or so was the only time that we didn’t have perfect weather on the entire trip.
L’APPART RESTAURANT
9-11, rue du Colisee
33 (1) 5375 4200
www.lappart.com
 
The restaurant was more than adequate, the service a bit slow, but our waitress apologized, which I thought was a nice thing to do. Grandpa returned theDuck breast à l'orange for re-heating. Nanny and I had the grilled fillet of beef and pomme frittes (French fries). The convenience factor was very good, so we had no complaints. By the time we went outside, it stopped raining. I phoned my parents, and so to bed.
DAY THREE (Saturday, Oct. 7)
We woke up to another beautiful day and breakfast at La Duree. I totally wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, so just as I had quality time shopping with Nanny, I went with Grandpa early in the morning, while Nanny vegged out at the Marriott.
EIFFEL TOWER
Champ de Mars
33 (1) 4411 2323
www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/
   
The Eiffel Tower, when it was completed in 1889, was the world’s tallest construction (984 feet). What more can I tell you that you don‘t already know. The Tower’s web site is super, with virtual tours and an amazing night photograph that shows the thousands of sparkles that flash off the tower. We passed it by in a taxi and could not get over it. Even if I had a camera handy, I doubt if we could have captured the night glitter as well. Grandpa tried to get a photo from the French Tourist office and they tried without success to get it from the Eiffel Tower people. But no matter, you can see it beautifully on the web site. The only two things I can tell you about the tower to be on the watch for is, 1) If you take the Metro to the Bi-hakeim station, as the concierge suggested we do … don’t. It’s still another 20 minutes walking distance from the station so I would suggest a cab. But the most important bit of advice is this. Please be sure not to get on the shortest line as we did. When we got there, there was this huge long line. So we decided to get on the shortest line to go only as far as the second level. But we did not know you had to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the first level. The signs did not clearly state, nor did the ticket-taker advise that the sole way you could get to the first and second stage from that entrance were by stairs and that a senior such as my grandfather should have been advised by Security, while they were going through our bags and coats where to find the elevator. Now Hal Drucker is a smart traveler, but he totally believed the first bank of stairs would lead to the lift. I ran ahead while he was chugging along. Meanwhile, he was behind me on the staircase behind a crowd. I kept looking back… even waited for him between stair flights. Then I thought, he must have found an elevator. So as I was waiting on the first “etage” (level) snapping away with my camera at the wonderful sights, Grandpa finally arrived about 10 minutes after I did. Strangely he wasn’t breathing hard, but he said his legs were rubbery, and that he was now confident he could pass his next stress test with flying colors. It is 189 feet until the first level of the Eiffel Tower. This time we found an elevator to take us to ground level. Looking back on the experience, we laughed out loud in the cab ride (yes we lucked out on getting one) all the way back to the hotel. After a brief snack at an okay café, we taxied back to the Tuileries to visit Musee de l’Orangerie which re-opened on May 16, and where a long line awaited us.
MUSÉE DE L’ORANGERIE
Jardin des Tuileries
Opposite Place de Concorde
33 (1) 4477 8007
    
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Here is a photograph I took of a single panel of Claude Monet’s “Clouds” – the three connected panels measure about 6 ½ ft by 42 feet. To get a more impressive look at Monet’s Water Lilies murals, (Morning, Clouds, Green Reflections, Setting Sun, Reflections of Trees, The Clear Morning with the Willows, The Morning with the Willows and Two Willows) Click Here
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Lucky us. This museum was closed for six years for renovations to provide natural light for the eight Monet Water Lilies and direct access to the murals from the entry hall, and opened only in May 2006. The Water Lilies could not be removed from the walls where they were installed in 1927, a year after Monet’s death. They had – like – eight of each version with much of the light blocked out by the Guillaume collection of Impressionist art that included works by Cezanne, Renoir, Picasso, Modigliani and Matisse which was directly above them. Construction and demolition had to take place around them. So they removed the entire Guillaume collection of Impressionist art which used to be directly above the Water Lilies, blocking out the natural light. And they placed it one floor below the Water Lilies. Each painting is 6 ½ feet tall. If lined up side by side they would be 298.5 feet in width. Because of our Museum Pass provided by the French Govt. Tourist Office, we were able to enter immediately. What we saw was definitely the museum highlight of the trip for me; the huge awesome murals of the Impressionist Claude Monet’s Water Lilies (Nymphéas) which he began painting in 1885 and turned over to the government in 1918 during World War 1. The Orangery got its name because they grew orange trees in greenhouses as part of the Louvre Palace grounds.
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At the very tip-top of this column is Napoleon dressed like Caesar.
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PLACE VENDÔME AND RUE DE LA PAIX
   
Just opposite L’Orangerie, we checked out the Jue de Paume, which my grandparents said also housed Impressionist paintings. It is now a private gallery for photographers, so we continued down the Rue de Rivoli to Rue de Castigliogne where we turned left and walked to the fabulous Place Vendôme , where the very exclusive Ritz Hotel and some of the finest stores in the world can be found, such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Chanel. The square is surrounded by shops of some of the most famous names in jewelry and fashion, as well as the deluxe Hotel Ritz and Vendome Hotel and it connects to the Rue de la Paix which we followed right to the front of the Opera House. There we made a major discovery. There was a Galleries Lafayette nearby where I checked to see if there were things to buy for my mother. But, no success. We re-traced our steps back to the Rue de Rivoli for some refreshments.
ANGELINA
226 Rue de Rivoli Across from the Louvre
33 (1) 4260 8200
   
This is a “teahouse” that my grandparents always visited when they came to Paris – starting with their first trip to Paris almost 50 years ago. They serve incredible hot chocolate which is more like thick melted chocolate bars than the hot chocolate you drink in the U.S. It has lots of cream and of course a glass of water to help wash it down. And it has yummy fruit tarts. There’s always a line to the streets, but we were able to get in with only a five minute wait, since we got a table for three, while everyone else on line had a table for two. It’s a fun place, but I overheard my Grandfather say that the bill came to $40. When we went outside to get a taxi, the driver opened the window and said don’t even bother, it will take us a half-hour to go up the Champs- Élysées to the hotel, so we took the Metro.
L’OS A MOELLE
3, rue, Vasco de Gama
33 (1) 4557 2727
   
This is the restaurant we tried to get into on Thursday, but couldn’t because of the cab difficulty. This time we had an 8:30 p.m. reservation, which is later than I’m used to. The cab ride was about 25 minutes and I must say, I was famished. We were seated near the window, and the head waiter came to our table with a blackboard. On it was a list of six courses, including dishes - like Grouse, Pigeon and Rabbit. There was nothing on the menu, that I had ever tasted before or would choose to eat as an experiment. The head waiter told us that the prix fixe menu was changed every day… and that there were no substitutes. My grandparents asked the head waiter to please book us at another restaurant in the neighborhood that had some plain meat or chicken dishes. He said politely, that it was Saturday night and that all quality restaurants in the area were fully booked (evidently he must have been asked this question before). At this point they stood and said, can you please get us a taxi to take us back to the hotel? The head waiter excused himself. We thought he was ringing up for a cab but he came back and said, he spoke to the chef who said he would make a pasta dish with white cream sauce and vegetables, if that was acceptable. It was and the dish was good. In fact, I had the carrot soup which was delicious and lots of bread. Grandpa enjoyed his rabbit and Nanny enjoyed her scallops. We thanked everyone for their caring attitude and, so if you do go to L’Os a Moelle, be sure you enjoy the challenge of unusual dishes. It might even be a good idea to have your concierge call ahead to learn what’s on that day’s menu, a prix fixe six-course meal with no choices except dessert.
DAY FOUR (Sunday, Oct. 8)
On this last full day in Paris, we planned on going to Notre Dame and either the Rodin Museum or the Pompideau. We didn’t have time to do both. We took the Metro to Hotel de Ville and walked across the Seine on Pont D’Arcole on the Cité Island. It made sense to visit the Pompideau, which is a short walk from Notre Dame.
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The square in front of the entrance to the cathedral.
(L) The Portal to the Virgin; (C) Portal of the Last Judgment
(R) Portal to St. Anne.
Above the center portal is the Rose Window. |
Hooray, I finally convinced
my grandfather to agree
to be photographed. |
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Inside: celebrating communion. |
CATHÉDRALE NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS
Ile de la Cité
33 (1) 4234 5610
www.cathedraledeparis.com
    
We were fortunate to visit the cathedral during a Mass. It was gorgeous inside. They are very welcoming to tourists while the services are going on. And there’s no charge for entry. Some of the stained glass windows date back to the Middle Ages. The first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1163. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Notre-Dame was the very place to celebrate royal grandeur: some more victories, funeral services, etc. In 1793, when the French revolutionaries stormed the Bastille, they destroyed some of the statues and transformed the cathedral into a “Temple To Reason.” In 1804, the coronation of Napoleon took place. In 1841, because of the popularity of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the next 23 years were spent in restoring the cathedral. Under Charles de Gaulle’s direction, most public buildings were cleaned by sand-blasting centuries of dirt and grime. The cleaning of Notre Dame’s façade took place between 1968 and 1970. It looks as white and clean as a large bar of soap. There are many souvenir shops down the block or two. We stopped into one where we bought T-shirts for my brother and cousins.
CENTRE POMPIDOU
Place Georges Pompidou
19 rue Beaubourg, 4e
33 (1) 4478 1233
  
To see three real time Web Cam Views at the Pompidou, from the roof, its interior and onto its plaza, Click Here
When we arrived at the large plaza at the entrance to the museum, we saw hundreds of young people seated on the cement in conversation, picnicking, sunning and watching all sorts of clown acts and musical groups, tumbling acts and stuff like that. A silver-coated statue winked at me, which really scared me. It was really unusual inside the museum. It looked like it wasn’t done getting built. We had understood that there would be an exhibition of the works of the American artist Rauschenberg, but we were wrong. It hadn’t opened yet. That was to happen two days later. When we were inside, we naturally expected to see artists. None of the permanent collection was on display, and there were only a couple of exhibitions dealing with funky video art that weren’t very inviting. In spite of that, the museum charged the regular admission price. However, I was pleased that I was able to see the incredible modern architecture and to ride the interesting outside escalators. The panoramic views from the sixth floor were terrific. The building was named for Georges Pompidou, who was president of France from 1969 to 1974, and was opened on January 31, 1977.
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View from the top of the Pompidou on the clearest of days.
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RESTAURANT GEORGES
Roof of Centre Pompidou
19, rue Beaubourg, 4e
Telephone : +33 (1) 4478 4799
   
On Level 6, Georges has some of the finest panoramic views of Paris. It made our trip to the Pompidou Museum soooo worthwhile, even though nothing was going on there. The design has lots of aluminum and stainless steel. Tables have glass tops, lighted from below, and even the knives and forks are ultra-modern. By the way, toward the end of the trip I began holding my fork and knife like the Europeans, except I held the knife in my left hand and the fork in my right hand. Not only that, you can either sit out in the open sun or protected as we chose to be. I noticed that every waiter or waitress looked college-age and were dressed not casually, but very fashionably and individually, handsome or very pretty. And the food was really good. Nanny and Grandpa Hal again had the club sandwich and I had penne pasta. Delicious! For dessert we shared an apple patisserie, chocolate cake and sorbet. Well, the Pompidou was the final visit of our trip. Back to the hotel for one last try at shopping with Nanny – but, to no avail, while Grandpa Hal spent time clearing his emails . We went for our final shopping on the Champs- Élysées . As we got out of the Metro, we saw a vendor in the street selling “crepes,” the way you see people selling hot dogs or pita in New York. Nanny asked if I‘d like to try one. And I said, sure. The vendor sprinkled some powdered sugar on it. It was luscious. When we returned, Grandpa decided to take a bath, because the Marriott bathtub was so oversized that he decided to relax and soak while doing the Sunday Times crossword puzzle. In Paris, they have these hand held shower sprays that are connected to the faucet. While he was fully dressed, he turned the wrong nozzle and the spray uncoiled and completely soaked him from head to foot. His clothes were so wet, he spent the next half-hour trying to dry his clothes out with a hair dryer. Nanny and I laughed so hard our stomachs hurt. Grandpa pretended to be mad as if it was a sitcom, but he too joined in the laughter. The hair dryer didn't work well, so we had to place his clothes in a couple of plastic bags; we packed our luggage, and then it was on to our final restaurant.
BRASSERIE BALZAR
49, rue des Ecoles 33(1) 4354 1367
brasseriebalzar.com
(15% off with on-line booking)
   
For our last dinner and Paris, I can’t imagine enjoying a restaurant so much. It should be renamed “Class-erie” Balzar. Now be sure to say Balzar to the taxi driver. We said Balzac by mistake, and he drove a couple of miles out of the way. Again, it’s a place my Aunt Maggie recommended to us. She speaks French and spent time here when she was a college student. By this time, I had become so used to good French food, that I ordered such delectable items as French Onion Soup with thick cheese on the top (Gratinee) and even took a taste of a single escargot and sopped up the garlic butter with my bread. I couldn’t resist ordering the Hanger Steak – delicious - and had a couple of juicy bites of my grandmother’s calves liver. The owner of the restaurant was very helpful to us in ordering and I loved the buzzy atmosphere.
DAY FIVE (Monday, Oct. 9)
We were awakened by an automatic phone call at 5:30 a.m. and, except for toothbrushes and such, were already completely packed. At this hour, we had no problem getting a taxi to take us to De Gaulle Airport. The security at the airport was very intense, but once we got through to our gates we had a good deal of time to shop in the tax- free stores. I devoted my time to looking for something for my mother. Finally, I made a decision I should have made days earlier. I bought her a Longchamps bag, a match to the bags I chose for my sister and me at Printemps. On the airplane ride back, between listening to my IPod and working on sudoku games, I smiled to myself, thinking about the wonderful few days in a city I know I will be visiting again and again.
On behalf of Jessica, Alice Drucker and me, I’d like to thank these exceptional organizations for making Jessica’s and our stay in Paris so memorable.
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Hal Drucker
French Government Tourist Office
www.franceguide.com or www.parisinfo.com
For information and brochures: France On Call 514-288-1904
Paris Marriott Hotel Champs- Élysées
Rupprecht Queitsch, General Manager;
Karen Nabet, Director of Public Relations
www.parismarriott.com
Bateaux Parisiens
www.bateauxparisiens.com
Rail Europe
www.raileurope.com
or call 1-888-382-RAIL for reservations |
