We get off at Abbesses metro station, it's one of the original ones with the Hector Guamand art nouveau glass canopies over the station entry. We head along rue Lepic, and find a sunny cafe on the corner for breakfast. Sim is very excited as they have soft boiled eggs and toast, she orders 2. I order an assortment of breads and pastries that come with lots of different spreads. True to form I proceed to get hazelnut chocolate spread all over myself. I was furious! The french lady sitting behind us probably thought I had Tourettes from all my cursing and frustration.
After breakfast we wander around the streets of Montmartre, heading up the steps to a small tree filled square. It's very atmospheric, an old man is playing accordion, artists are painting in the market stalls and many people in the cafes and bistros look on, watching it all unfold over their cafe cremes as Parisians do. I remember this place from previous trip but it's much busier today. Lots of old painters are exhibiting work, prepping canvasses and painting new works in the street. Quite a nostalgic and romantic setting really.
We wander over to Sacre Cour. We used our local knowledge from previously and entered from the top on the side, thus avoiding the coloured string hawkers down the bottom who annoyed us last time we came. The view from the top of the the steps captures a great expanse of Paris. It's the highest point in the city. You can see the Eiffel Tower, just, and then it spreads all the way across up to Parc Villette. You really appreciate the impact of Haussmann on the street and urban configuration of Paris from up here. Of course the monumental buildings pierce the milieu of 6-7 storey buildings, notably Notre dame, the Pompidou, the opera house, and the pantheon in the distance.
We head inside Sacre Cour. There's service taking place and we get to experience the sound of the large organ bellowing through the church. It's quite interesting coming back to this church having now the opportunity to compare it to other giant basilicas and churches we've seen. It's more on the smaller side but still very beautiful.
Sims keen to climb to the top although I'm not so keen to climb another dome.
We explore Montmartre some more , reading the many historical plaques that are scattered amongst the streets. They're filled with stories from the past, dropping names like Van Gogh, Toulouse le trec and Renoir, and tell stories of their lives in Montmartre. It's quite interesting again for the sense of nostalgia and the romantic in you.
We head down the hill again, passing the old man still playing accordion and down to boulevard de clichy. The sound of an accordion will forever remind me if Paris. We wander the streets some more without any intention as to where we're heading really so we decide to jump on the metro and head over to boulevard Saint Germain.
We catch the metro all the way to Maubet-Mutualité and start at the institut de monde Arabe end of Blvd St Germain. We pop into the original Dyptique store and check out the fragrances and candles for sim. I check out the fit out in the meanwhile. I love the French shop fitouts. So beautifully detailed and sophisticated. I guess they have that old and classic retail shop feel about them. It's the same feeling you get walking through the Strand in Sydney.
Sim gets a few things and we head up along the boulevard. It's a sunny day today and great to be strolling the streets. We head down rue Severin for a cheap lunch as dinner tonight is gonna be big and expensive. I get a gyro from one of the many kebab stores and sim some frites.
We continue up rue Severin and then back onto Blvd Saint Germain. It's such a pretty street to walk. Lots of shopping, movie theatres, charming bistros, and lush trees. We head up to our hotel in Saint Sulpice, passing so many bistros along the way. It baffles me how these places all seem to be full, and nearly all the time too. It can't be all tourists. Do Parisians work? Surely they are working to pay for their €4.50 coffees?
We pull up some loose chairs in the park and sit near the large fountain which is filled with sail boats. Lots of kids and even some adults are pushing them around with large sticks, nudging them away from the edge of the pond. It's quite cool. The kids seem to be loving it, as the wind has picked up now and the little boats are zipping all over the place.
We chill for a good hour or so doing some journal writing and just relaxing really. It's a nice thing to do.
It's nearing 6 and we head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We're heading to the very classy L'Arpege. Alain Passard, the head chef since it opened 30years ago is meant to be a magician with vegetables. Since 2000 he's been devoted to vegetable menus. I'm excited to try and sim is very excited.
We head out up rue Varenne and arrive slightly early for our 8pm booking. It's a very understated and unassuming interior. It's quiet inside but very warm and cosy. We're seated at our table and shortly after Alain Passard himself comes over for a chat. He welcomes us and asks where were from. Replying, "we're from Sydney in Australia," he says, "we get a lot of Australians, many, many."
We Aussies are a well travelled nation it seems. I guess we get really good holiday leave entitlements.
Alain continues, saying they have a lot of very special things for us tonight, beautiful fish, lobster, vegetables. His manner is very soft and gentle, like an old grandfather, yet you can tell he is somewhat different and creative. Honestly, it's like Willy Wonka is talking to us. Sim, grinning, replies "I'm very much looking forward to the vegetables", "good!" replies Alain, "because we have many, many vegetables from our large garden just outside of Paris"
After some champagne and canapé tartllettes, which we were lucky enough to be served doubles of as the waiter I'm sure delivered it to the wrong table but instead of admitting his mistake he passed it off as intentional and generous. We appreciated the generosity. The vegetable extravaganza then began, starting with a cucumber gazpacho with a quenelle of mustard ice cream. Bizarre but yummy!
Sa
Next is a dish of fresh strawberries served interestingly with Spanish onion, olive oil, chives, salt and Parmesan cheese. It's very fresh. Again odd, but works.
This is followed by a vegetable consommé with 3 delicate raviolis of pea, radish and asparagus.
More dishes follow, as does more beautiful French wines. All in all I think we had 9 or 10 savoury dishes. Although really they were mixtures of savoury, sweet, salty and sour.
One of the great things was that everything was edible. There was one dish with a small flowers on it called Tuborog, honestly they tasted like little petals of garlic. So great!
Dessert starts and the first thing we're offered is an assortment of sweet baked good little morsels, each with something interesting from the garden in or on them. There's a small palmier with rosemary in it, and of course lots of butter, as well as little macron, glazed tarts and caremels.
After this plate we get a Mille fuiele filled with fresh strawberries and berries which is accompanied by a very creamy mint ice cream.
Next up was a classic creme brûlée although the creme was a garlic creme and when torched it gave it a roasted flavour. What an amazing flavour, it tasted just like that soft gooey roasted garlic you have with roast dinners, but as a dessert with caramelised sugar on top. Last was a small mint pudding that was very refreshing.
After nearly 4 hours of wining and dining sim and I were both full to the point of nearly sickly full. Who knew vegetables would do that to you.
What a great night. The service was great, the food was like nothing we've ever had and the wine was delicious. Once in a lifetime experience, at least that's what the bank balance is hoping!!!
There's a funny moment when I go to pay the bill and pull out my credit card. The maitre de is fixing the eftpos machine. Another waiter says the machine is not working at the moment. "Not a problem, I'll just come back tomorrow," I say, and head towards the door. The man laughs and the maitre de, who didn't quite get my Australian humour I feel, replies, "I'm a very fast runner!"
It's midnight and we consider heading out for a stroll up to the Eiffel Tower. It's a 1.5km walk away, but with sims heels, a few drinks under our belt and many, many vegetables in our bellies we give it a miss and head back to the hotel. Wise move it turns out as it was somewhat of a struggle getting home.
What a day, full of French romanticism and topped off with a bit of haute French ritziness. A real highlight.
The sad part is that its €3 paninis and Coke from here on in after this dinner.
mat + sim
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