A weekend of walking through Paris

Parc Monceau

July 17, 2017 – The lines 6 and 2 of the Paris metro when put together, form a perfect oval around the heart of the city.  Line 6 offers a great view in its southwestern stretch, where it is an elevated train over a part of Paris that was a swamp, a long time ago. 

On Saturday, we took the 6 to Etoile, where we switched to the 2 and disembarked at Monceau, the beautiful park created in 1861 in the northern part of the 8^th arrondissement – one of the chic residential areas of Paris.

After a long, leisurely stroll through the park, which was being heavily appreciated by many families on that gorgeous weekend, we paused to stare at the magnificent mansion just on the edge of the park, at 5 rue Van Dyck.  Where does the money come from to build a house like this?

Peering through the gate at the side of the mansion at 5 rue Van Dyk

In this case, it came from chocolate.  Jean-Antoine Menier, a chocolate maker from the Seine et Marne area, made medications based on chocolate in the 1800s.  In 1836, he created the first chocolate bar (tablette de chocolat).  It was wrapped in yellow paper.

His son, Emile-Justin Menier, took the helm and received a gold medal for “pharmaceutical products” at the Universal Exposition.  Emile successfully expanded the business, buying 1500 hectares in Nicaragua so he could mitigate the fluctuations of the cacao market.  He had a new mill built to modernize his factory in the Seine et Marne area.  The mill was unusual and beautiful:  a metal structure with a multi-color brick exterior, completed in 1872.  By 1876, the factory was producing 7,600 tons of chocolate annually.

The straw gorilla in this flower bed at Parc Monceau is wearing a tank top
that promotes Paris as a site for the 2024 Olympics

From 1872 to 1874, he had his own house built facing the Parc Monceau.  The luxurious carvings on the exterior walls give the home an opulence unmatched by other houses in the neighborhood.  This architectural gem is not open to the public; it is now divided into a few large apartments.

We walked on through the park, exiting at the rue Rembrandt, then descending the hill on rue Courcelles.  We saw that the grand, formerly crumbling church of St. Philippe de Roule is undergoing a massive renovation, including a rebuilding of its roof.  What looks like a Butler building has been constructed over the entire top of the church.  This is quite a production!

We continued our descent to the Champs Elysees along the rue La Boetie.  The crowd along that celebrated avenue was thick.  We somehow made our way across it, and then followed the rue Pierre Charron and avenue George V to the Seine.  We noticed that people have been putting those awful love locks on the chain surrounding the flame sculpture by the Pont de l’Alma – what has become the memorial to Princess Diana.  I do so wish that love lock fad would go away!

Shinto gothic house in the 8th arrondissement.

When we crossed the Seine and were passing by the Russian Orthodox church and cultural center, its bells began to ring.  I didn’t know it had bells!  They aren’t visible.  Perhaps they are in the golden domes?

After a stroll down the avenue Bosquet, we stopped in at the comfortable brasserie La Terrasse for refreshments.  Then it was just a short stroll home.

In the evening, I used lafourchette.com to reserve a table at O Fil Rouge.  There we had a terrific dinner.  The owner recognized us, even though I don’t think we made it there last summer.  I highly recommend this restaurant, located a bit out of the way on the rue St. Charles near the rue Ginoux.

Yesterday we took the line 6 to Denfert Rochereau, the place where you can begin a tour of the Paris catacombs.  Instead, we remained above ground to walk along the beautiful avenue René Coty.  This boulevard is blessed with a shady pedestrian central walkway – a great place to walk on a warm afternoon.

Walking on the avenue Rene Coty

We walked all the way to the Parc Montsouris (“Mouse Mountain”) in the southeastern corner of the 14^th arrondissement.  After we’d toured the park, we walked back up the avenue René Coty, pausing to use one of the brand new Wallace Fountains.  Unlike the old Wallace Fountains which run continuously, the new ones have a button that you push to make the water flow.  Tom discovered that the secret is that you have to push the button really hard to make it work.

A new Wallace Fountain, on the avenue Rene Coty.

We turned toward home on the rue d’Alesia, stopping to visit the church of Saint-Pierre de Montrouge.  The church's architect, Emile Vaudremer, created a simple yet grand church -- one of the first in a style known as Roman Primitive.  Displays in the back of the church indicate that it has a sizeable staff and lots of programs.  This is an active parish.

Church of Saint-Pierre de Montrouge

The rue d'Alesia becomes the rue Vouille and then the rue de la Convention in the 15^th arrondissement.  Right where it becomes rue de la Convention, we stopped at the Tasco brasserie for refreshments.  This included sharing a piece of homemade tiramisu which was very delicious.

From there, we walked up the rue de l’Abbé Groult to our neighborhood where we stopped to buy groceries at the Carrefour City on our street.  I miss the Dia discount grocery that Carrefour City replaced, but I do appreciate Carrefour for being open on Sunday.

Scenes in the Parc Montsouris

In the evening, we dressed up and walked to La Gauloise for a fine steak dinner.  Mostly I eat fish and vegetables for dinner these days; last night was a notable exception.  The beef filet at La Gauloise is reliably tender and perfectly cooked.  It comes with an impossibly large serving of great fries.  I can only eat a small part of that mountain of fries, but Tom really attacked his.  We skipped the starter course and dessert.

What we love about La Gauloise is not just the food; it is the plush ambiance.  We were able to sit at our favorite table, just inside the front window which was open to the terrace.  La Gauloise is convenient, too -- only a ten- minute walk from our apartment.

So ended a weekend of walking – about 20,000 steps each day.