The good Paris, where pedestrians rule

Pedestrians rule in Paris. 

Increasingly so.   A new addition to Parisian pedestrian perks this year is the closing to automobile traffic of the Rue du Commerce on one Saturday per month (except for August, when the city is so calm that this is not necessary).  Yesterday was the day for July.

The ban on autos was from 1PM to 6PM. 

Entrance to the Volontaires métro station on
the Rue de Vaugirard, across from Le Bon Pari.

I'd already walked up to Monoprix to  get (at last!) a supply of V8 juice in the morning.  But I found an excuse to go out in the afternoon, too, to experience the calm.  I bought eggs and Beaufort cheese at the Thomas cheese shop, then took a short walk down to the church at the end of the street.

Even though they could walk in the street, most pedestrians remained on the sidewalk, but they crossed the street anywhere and anytime they wanted, without worrying about being run over by frenzied French drivers.

The main difference that I noticed was the quiet.  The only sound was the soft music of people chatting with one another as they walked along, going from one errand to the next.

I am amazed at how much the noise from engines and wheels on pavement adds to the tension in a city!  With the quiet comes the calm -- including a calming of nerves.

Tom went out a little later, when he finished working, so that he could experience what I had.  He bought a baguette at the bakery, of course.  That's his thing.

Puréed carrot and curry amuse bouche at Le Bon Paris.

In the evening, we took a walk down into the southeastern part of the 15th arrondissement to dine at Le Bon Pari, a highly rated and fairly new restaurant that I found on Lafourchette. 

The place is decorated in a stylish and simple dark gray, yet the food was bursting with color and flavor.  We were warmly greeted and seated at a table right in the front window.  That was a good sign of good things to come.

Beet and Burratina starter course at Le Bon Pari has a flavorful raspberry vinaigrette.

I ordered the beet and Burratina cheese appetizer to share with Tom.  It made our mouths tingle with flavor.  The main courses, lamb shank for Tom and Guinea fowl for me, were delightful.  Tom ordered café gourmand (assortment of tasty small desserts and an espresso) and I, since this is a holiday weekend, ordered an Armagnac.  We could not have had a better holiday eve dinner.

Supreme de pintade (Guinea fowl) on a bed of purréed red cabbage and cream.

This morning I turned on the TV for the first time this summer, so that we can watch the Quatorze Juillet (Bastille Day) military parade.  I have the sound turned off, with the French subtitles on.  What I enjoy most are all the helicopter views of Paris.  Tom liked the tiny robots that put on a show on the cobblestones in front of the VIPs as the parade began. 

According to Madame la Patronne at Le Vieux Pressoir, this is what French people do in the morning of Quatorze Juillet:  watch the parade on TV.  She told us that 20 years ago, and ever since then, that's how we spend this holiday morning.

Lamb shank at Le Bon Pari rests on a disk of savory roasted celery root.

This evening, the Champ de Mars will fill up with tens of thousands of people for the Grand Concert of Paris.  We don't do crowds, so we will watch this on TV.  The concert is spectacular, with guest musicians from all over the world performing with the French national symphony orchestra.

Showy chandelier in a Chinese
takeout on the Rue de Vaugirard,
next to Le Bon Pari.

Then tonight, millions will gather on the Champ de Mars (near us), the Trocadero, and various places along the Seine and elsewhere to watch the most spectacular fireworks show in the world.  We'll also watch that on TV and from our kitchen and bathroom windows.  We'll watch the festive crowds coming and going on the Rue du Commerce from our balcony. 

Then tomorrow, I'll find the video of the concert and fireworks on YouTube, so that I can share that with you, via Facebook and this blog.

Happy Bastille Day!