Out and About in Paris

And this is the post I always do about odds and ends of things we’ve seen in Paris outside our neighborhood. Those little things that are not Post-worthy, but may be of interest to Francophiles. So let’s get started (or “Let’s go!” as the GPS lady always says enthusiastically).

We didn’t go to the Eiffel Tower since we’ve been many times before. But there’s something that takes your breath away every time you round a corner or go up a hill and discover it off in the distance. So I try to take a photo every time I see it.

This beautiful dogwood tree in a downtown area was the first one we have seen. Apparently it fascinated this couple too because she was carefully examining it while he was trying to identify it with the use of his cell phone. Tourists!

This housebarge on the Seine was too long to get in one shot so I took it in 2 pieces. This is obviously the home of a plant lover. Notice all of the plants in the garden on the upper deck (even though the flooring itself looks like artificial turf) and the real grass lawn on the cabin roof. I do want to know what’s in the cabin behind the curtains though. Notice the 2 solar panels with the grass between them on the far left.

Cliff took us to this great restaurant one night (trans: the Pig’s Foot). It’s a really beautiful place with amazing chandeliers that I managed to not get a photo of. And there are also dining rooms on multiple floors above the main level. The restaurant has been here since 1947 and they’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even through the pandemic. Check out our desserts below.

These little piggy meringues arrived at our table while we were waiting for our dessert.

Okay, I have no idea what is going on here. There is no church nearby and it’s a Friday afternoon, Here’s the bride, but where’s the groom? And what are these people fussing over? Why is the blond girl now holding the veil that she was putting on the bride earlier? Why do all of the guys have big cameras?

Traffic! The traffic is incredible. The lanes are marked, sorta, but nobody seems to pay much attention to them. And there’s construction everywhere. It’s kind of like a free-for-all. May the best man win!

These bicycles and motorcycles are traveling in the same lanes with us and they are zipping in and out between cars and each other at break-neck speed. And a helmet? What’s a helmet?

It seems like I’ve seen fewer and fewer gas stations around. In fact I only remember seeing one that was just 2 little gas pumps on the sidewalk next to the street which is normally how you see them. But we were driving along and all of a sudden Cliff zipped down this ramp into an underground gas station. This looks more like our gas stations with multiple pumps and actually there were 2 different brands of gasoline available here. But still no mini-mart.

The Metro station for the Louvre has artwork in it so you can get a sneak peek of the art while you’re waiting for your train, although the Metro comes every 2-4 minutes in the daytime and 6-12 minutes at night so you don’t get *too* much of a peek. Cool!

Of course I never managed to get a photo of Cliff’s cute little red Fiat but it looks a lot like this one only it has a sun roof (this is a Fiat, right?). I like this construction wall behind the cars too. It looks like some kind of plexiglass and it has drawings by school children and that part of it is permanent. But then it’s also been graffitied too. You can decide which is which.

A sunny view of the Arc de Triomphe just as we’re about to go into that mind-boggling roundabout.

Interesting fountain. Moving too fast. Didn’t get the name.

A statue at the little plaza honoring author Marcel Ayme whose nearby home was in the Montmartre area of Paris. The statue is based on Ayme’s short story called “Le Passe-Muraille” (the Passer-Through-Walls) published in 1943 and later made into 2 movies. The statue was made by sculptor and actor Jean Marais.

One evening we went to a little cafe to hear Cliff’s friend play with a jazz group: “A live concert of jazz, soul, and French varieties” as it says on the board. They played (and sang) everything from Cole Porter to salsa music. It was absolutely delightful. Lots of talent among these 4 guys (you can barely see the base player on the right). We had dinner during the show and it was delicious. What a cute little French place and what a fun evening.

Raoul knows his place and looks pretty comfortable in it.

Majestic Sacre Coeur sits high on a hill overlooking a busy neighborhood below.

We met Cliff one day at the Embassy and he gave us a quick tour of his workplace. It’s a stately building in a beautiful area. The U.S.’s Ambassador to France, Denise Campbell Bauer, was out of the building but her secretary allowed us to see her stately office. Of course we had to turn in our cell phones when we entered the building, so the few photos we have are the ones that Cliff was kind enough to take for us.

Well here we are at the end of the trail once again. We’ve managed to pass our Covid tests so we’re ready to hit the road. We’ve had a good time and we hope you’ve enjoyed our trip too. We’re planning a Viking European river cruise for October and we hope you’ll join us. Until next time, au revoir.

Chuck & Joyce