Take a hike

Wildflowers on the Petite Ceinture

July 13, 2017 – In spite of the slightly rainy weather, we decided to take a hike through nature, along the Petite Ceinture: a long section of what was once a beltway train around Paris.  The train was abandoned years ago, but the tracks and the banks of thick vegetation remained.  Under the green guidance of the Bertrand Delanoe administration, the City of Paris turned this neglected resource into a walker’s wonderland.

A couple beetles doing their thing

The gritty sandy mix used to fill and level the space between and beside the rails blends beautifully with the chunky gravel and stone mix that remains along the tracks.  That sandy mix is easy on feet that grow weary of walking on urban pavement.

To help the environment and to keep maintenance costs down, the gardeners have turned most of the work over to Mother Nature.  The native wildflowers that she fosters there are becoming more beautiful every year that we walk along the Petite Ceinture.  Surely the gardeners must pass through occasionally to remove noxious plants (does poison ivy grow in Paris?), but we’ve never seen them there. 

Like on the Ile aux Cygnes, there is no water supply along the Petite Ceinture, so the wildflowers and other vegetation must be tough; they have to make it on their own.

This year, Queen Ann’s Lace rules the Petite Ceinture, but there are plenty of other wildflowers adding spots of color everywhere.  I particularly love the orange-red poppies.  Can you identify some of the other flowers?

When we reached the end of the trail at the rue Olivier de Serres, we climbed steps to reach the street level.  Where we’d started our walk along the railway, at the foot of the Avenue Felix Faure, we were in former swamp land, so we had to climb a few flights of steps to get up to the trail.  Here, at the end, we were on the land that rises up to become Montparnasse, so we had to climb many steps again to reach the street.  The left bank of Paris seems fairly flat until you experience these steps (as well as those around the Pantheon area in the 5^th arrondissement).

On the rue Olivier de Serres, we located a doorway leading to one of the Russian Orthodox churches that Dimitry Vicheney mentioned in his interview (see yesterday’s journal entry).  Beyond the mysterious doorway were steps leading up to a courtyard, but because all the lettering on the bulletin posted at the door was Russian, we did not feel welcome to visit as we do the other churches in Paris.  Also, a school is associated with the church there, and we did not wish to be a distraction to the kids.  I wonder if the kids speak Russian in that school?  I suppose they do.

Bulletin, all in Russian.

Stairs leading to Russian Orthodox church and school

Continuing our trek down the rue Olivier de Serres, Tom was becoming footsore, so I suggested that we have refreshments at La Source again, at the intersection of the rues Alain Chartier and Vaugirard.  After a café gourmand which included a little ice cream, Tom was renewed and we walked home in the most direct way possible (rue Alain Chartier and rue de Javel to the Place Etienne Pernet and rue du Commerce) because of the rain. 

Axuria's incomparable souffle au Grand Marnier

At home we did the usual: relax while watching the end of the day’s stage of the Tour de France.  Earlier, as we’d started our walk, I’d ducked into Axuria to make a dinner reservation.  So in the evening, we dressed up a little and walked back down the Avenue Felix Faure for a fine dinner at 8.  It was a thick, juicy veal chop for Tom, sea bass with peas and risotto for me, and then soufflé au Grand Marnier for each of us.  That soufflé is heavenly, and it is cooked perfectly every time. 

By the time we walked home, we’d logged almost 25,000 steps for the day. 

The back of the dining room at Axuria.

Sunday dinner at Axuria is tempting.

Tom's veal chop was more like a slice of a roast.

A rainy day with gardens and a roast

July 1, 2017 – The Parc Georges Brassens has a split personality; in the past, we’ve visited mostly the lively western half of the park, which is dominated by a huge pile of boulders where children like to play, as well as some historical remnants of the slaughterhouse that used to be on this site.

This time, we visited the eastern half – a serene place of intimate gardens with stone paths and a stream of water babbling through.  I particularly enjoyed seeing a formal bed of succulent plants, organized in the shape of a heart.  I noted some ideas that I could incorporate in my succulent beds that I’ve just barely started at home (around the base of knarly, big old trees), although I will never go for the formal look that we saw at Georges Brassens.  Still, I admire the park gardeners’ artwork.

Tom walking through the gardens in the eastern half of
the Parc Georges Brassens

Our walk to and from the park focused on big avenues because, once again, the day was punctuated by rainshowers.  The shops on the broad rue Vaugirard and rue de la Convention offered shelter when we needed it.  We stopped at one of the ubiquitous luggage/housewares shops to buy an umbrella for Tom.  He’d been trying to use a broken umbrella from the apartment.  Now he has a nice, black retractable man’s umbrella to complement my floral one.

The succulent garden at Parc Georges Brassens

Flowers in the eastern half of the Parc Georges Brassens

On the way home, we stopped for refreshments at La Source brasserie, situated in the picturesque plaza formed by the intersection of the rue Alain Chartier, rue Vaugirard, and rue de la Convention.  Tom ordered a café gourmand and a dish of ice cream.   I shared the café gourmand’s special treats with him.  It was a fine afternoon snack in lieu of lunch.  I noted that La Source looks like it might be a good spot for a casual dinner sometime.  For example, the awning advertises that La Source serves Mariage Freres tea; that’s a sign that the management there really cares about quality food and drink.

On the way home, we ducked into Pour, a jewelry shop on the rue Vaugirard near the rue de l’Abbe Groult where I buy at least one pair of earrings every year (for the past four years).  This time, with Tom’s help, I picked out three pairs.   Pour has a good and stylish selection of clip-ons, which is what I wear.

View from our table on the terrace of La Source, on rue Alain Chartier

The threat of rain had dissipated, so we walked up the less commercial rue de l’Abbe Groult to go back to our neighborhood.  There, we bought more butter from the Thomas fromagerie and a perfect baguette from the Eric Kayser bakery.

In the late evening, we dined at the Restaurant Stephane Martin, just an 8-minute walk from the apartment.  I’d reserved via lafourchette.com, and we were thus able to get a 30 percent discount on the food (not on beverages). 

We’ve been dining at Restaurant Stephane Martin ever since it opened in 2000.  So many memorable dinners we’ve had there!  The signature dish is a pork roasted and served with red cabbage, slowly cooked in honey and spices.  The cut is huge; almost the same cut as a Boston butt roast – what we use to make pulled pork.  According to the menu, this jarret de porc is a dish to be shared by two people.  However, it could easily serve a family of four or maybe even six.

The Association du Parc Georges Brassens now occupies one of the old
buildings that flank the former entrance to the slaughterhouse grounds.

We were prepared.  After consuming a decent about of the tender, juicy, savory pork and cabbage, Tom surreptitiously spooned the rest into two zippered storage bags, which he then placed into one of my re-usable shopping bags.  I wish doggie bags would become more of a routine practice in France, but that just hasn’t happened yet.  We hate to waste food.

Dessert was a fine apple tart for Tom, and a moelleux au chocolat for me.  The chocolate is from Tanzania, and is super dark and rich. 

Moelleux au chocolat

Tarte fine aux pommes

Stephane Martin is a gifted chef.  I note that he now has achieved the designation of “maître restaurateur.”  He was only 30 when he opened this restaurant; he’s made a real success of it. 

Today is another rainy day, but we’ll go out walking in the afternoon anyway.  Dinner, of course, will be at home – another go-round of tender pork and cabbage and sauce.