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 Grand Damp Evening

August 19, 2016 -- Yesterday was a good day for working at the computers, and it was a good day for the plants on the balcony.  (Tom wrote the study questions for an essay by Sonia Sotomayor, for the 9th edition of the Norton Sampler.)  The drizzly rain was not so conducive for walking, but the evening weather radar looked promising.  I had given too much credence to the weather radar, however; we’d gone out without an umbrella.  We had to pause under awnings several times for several minutes on our long walk to dinner.

Flowers in the Place du Commerce -- the park nearest to our apartment.

No matter. We had plenty of time.  And Tom grabbed a half-broken umbrella out of a waste bin.  We used it for part of the way, then he pitched it into another bin when the rain stopped.  (Yes, he did wash his hands as soon as he arrived at the restaurant!)

When we finally arrived at 68 rue Vasco de Gama, the restaurant had opened and we were warmly greeted by a properly professional and pleasant waiter.

This restaurant, Le Beurre Noisette, had been recommended to us by Abra, the daughter of an old friend and great Floridian who was from Chicago.  Abra now lives with her family in Versailles, but she comes into Paris often enough to be able to make some great recommendations.

This restaurant is one of them – and I mean truly great.  This was our best dinner of the summer so far.

The quiet back dining room of Le Beurre Noisette.

We’d dined there once before (see July 23, 2015).  Once again, the restaurant filled up entirely with French speakers.  We found that to be reassuring, after our visit to Le Florimond.  At Le Beurre Noisette, we were far away from any tourist attraction.  This time, we were seated in the back dining room, which is quieter than the front room.  We had a pleasant little table near a window looking out at the “garden.”  That’s what you get when you reserve well in advance!

For each of us, the dinner began with a savory, cheesy, delicious little homemade biscuit as a mis-en-bouche.  Our usual order of a large bottle of sparkling water arrived as a bottle of water that had been carbonated on site – thus recycling the bottles.  We appreciate this environmentally sound choice, and I must say that the water was especially good, with the finest of bubbles.  (Sodastream bubbles are much coarser.)

For a starter course, we shared a slice of delicious country terrine – a marbré -- with layers of duck and sumptuous foie gras, accompanied by a sweet confiture.  That came with a few slices of toasted bread, but I opted to use a piece of the bread from the basket instead: a very fresh, soft country bread with a thick, crunchy crust. 

The marbré, or terrine, made with foie gras and duck.

We each ordered the confite of lamb shoulder roast, which arrived at the table in a copper casserole dish to be served family style.  Tomatoes, onion, and garlic were roasted with the lamb, and the entire dish took comfort food to a new level.  The soft, deep flavors melded and melted in our mouths – oh, so, so good!

There was too much of this main course, so Tom surreptitiously put much of it into a zippered food storage bag that he had stashed in the inner pocket of his jacket.  It rests in the fridge now, waiting for lunch time.

Le Beurre Noisette is good value, at three courses for 36 euros (a euro costs $1.13 now).  We had one 3-course menu, and then two dishes a la carte.  And of course the 36 euros includes tax and tip.  A glass of wine was 7 euros, and the large bottle of sparkling water was only 3 euros.

We would normally have ordered only one dessert to share, but there were two desserts that we wanted to try.  So Tom ordered the baba au rhum served with St. James rhum agricole from Martinique, and I ordered the brioche perdue with apricot.  This is one of the best baba’s we’ve had in Paris, and the pain perdu was as good as, and maybe better than, the one at O Fil Rouge.  Heavenly.

Tom serves himself some roasted lamb and veggies from the copper pot.

What a dinner!  Fortunately, the walk home was a long one – one that reminds us of just how huge the 15^th arrondissement is.  It is the largest in Paris, if you don’t count the Bois de Boulogne as part of the 16^th.

The 15^th is indisputably the largest arrondissement in terms of population.  Once you’ve walked around the southern reaches of the 15^th, where Le Beurre Noisette is located, or along the Petite Ceinture promenade, and you see all the large residential buildings built from the 1960s to the present, you understand where all those many people live.

Still, there is plenty of old-fashioned charm in these neighborhoods, too.  We were taken by two townhomes next to a restaurant across from Le Beurre Noisette. 

The roasted lamb and veggies on the plate, with some creamy
puréed potatoes that came as a side dish.

Single-family homes like this are rare in Paris, except for the occasional hameau, or little street like Villa Léandre on Montmartre, or the converted workshop that I showed you in this journal on August 17.  (Hameau literally means hamlet, but in Paris, it is a little private lane – often gated – with small homes.)

One of these two townhomes obviously needs work; the other one looks like it has been completely renovated.  Tom admired the hefty wood balcony railing on the renovated home; I thought it was a bit out of scale with the building.  We both would love to see inside.

Two townhomes across from 68 rue Vasco de Gama

Our walk home was up the utterly familiar Avenue Félix Faure, a street graced by many well-tended Haussmannian apartment buildings.  In the fading light, I could see easily into the elegant, lighted entryways for many of the buildings that we passed along the way.  The damp, cool evening air was refreshing, and the sights and sounds of our neighborhood were welcoming. 

The calm of mid-August

August 15, 2016 -- Not long ago, my friend Jean-Paul and I talked about how we like to just walk along through the market under the tracks at the Boulevard de Grenelle.  We usually don’t buy anything; we just walk along and look at all the goods, and all the people.  We’ve never done this together, of course, but separately.  Yet we know we’ve had the same experience, at the same market.

This Wednesday- and Sunday-morning market is one of many scattered throughout Paris, each with its own designated days of the week.  Most are just two days a week, in the morning, until 1PM.  A few are allowed to be open three days per week. Most of the booths sell food – produce, meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, foie gras, etc. – but many sell flowers, watches, shoes, clothing, costume jewelry, and more.

Evening on the balcony.

Tom is usually working on his textbook projects in the morning, but yesterday he opted to join me on my morning market walk.

There were plenty of people there, but not quite the crowds we’ve seen in the past.  And of course some of the market booth spaces were empty; that happens in August, when many vendors take their vacations.

Some of the empty spaces were taken over by oriental rug and furniture vendors.  The finer oriental rugs are like magnets to us, and we resist the urge to look closer.  In recent years, the U.S. has had an embargo against the import of Iranian rugs, and of course, those are often the finest ones on display.  The embargo was lifted this past January or February, as a small part of the landmark nuclear accord with Iran.

So now we COULD buy Iranian rugs, but we just aren’t in acquisitive mode.  As soon as Persian rug dealers notice what our eyes are drawn to, and then when they speak with us and discover that we know many of the names of various designs or the tribes who made them, they zero in on us.  It is hard to extricate oneself from the figurative grip of a good rug salesperson who knows just how addictive the love of Persian rugs can be.

Langoustine starter course at Axuria, on the Avenue Felix Faure.

We did well, taking in the sights yet avoiding the grip yesterday.  When we’d completed our tour of the colorful market, we veered off to the northeast to wander through the peaceful Place Dupleix.  We were surprised to armed soldiers patrolling the far edge of the Place, and we initially assumed that this was because that spot is near the Cuban embassy. 

We entered the middle of the little park and cut through to the other side, directly in front of the Saint Léon church.  Then we saw armed soldiers at the other end of the Place.  Church services were under way.  We concluded that the soldiers were guarding someone or some people in the church, not the Cuban embassy.

Today I see on the Saint Léon web site a notice in bright red, on the home page.  Here’s a translation:

SAFETY AWARENESS!
During the state of emergency, the doors of the main entrance of the church on the Place Dupleix will be closed during the Sunday services.

The Saint Léon church construction began in 1924, and in 1926, it became a parish independent of Saint John the Baptist of Grenelle (the church that is closest to our apartment).  Much of the beautiful Art Deco mosaic tile decoration of the Saint Léon church appears to be from the 1930s. 

We walked back to the apartment to have lunch, a simple salad.  In the evening, I donned a dress, and Tom put on his blazer, then we went for a circuitous hour-long walk that closely matched our wandering through the 15^th arrondissement on our first day in Paris together, back in 1998.

We discovered a FranPrix grocery store that was actually open until 10PM on this holiday weekend Sunday night!  It is at 143 Rue de Lourmel, at the intersection with the rues des Cevennes and Tisserand.  We stopped in to buy two boxes of zippered food storage bags, which we use as our own surreptitious doggy bags.  Tom usually has one in his jacket pocket when we go out in the evening.

Escargots prepared the traditional way, at Axuria.

On that first stroll in 1998, we got lost, but ended up at La Tour Eiffel brasserie in front of the St. John the Baptist church, where we found that we were no longer lost.  This time, we stopped to dine at Axuria, on the avenue Félix Faure, where I’d reserved a table about a week ago.  We could not get lost in the 15^th if we tried now, we know it so well.

I thought that the restaurant might be crowded since there are not many fine restos open in Paris on this mid-August holiday weekend.  (Today is the Catholic Church’s Feast of the Assumption – commemorating the day at the end of her earthly life when the Virgin Mary is taken up into heaven, body and soul.) 

As it turned out, only five tables were occupied as we completed our dinner – two singles, and three couples, including us.

People don’t know what they were missing.  Dinner was delicious, and the service was friendly and professional.  We were seated at a table in the window, right on the sidewalk.  We felt blessed.

Colorful leg of lamb for Sunday dinner at Axuria.

We began with a langoustine starter course.  Three of these tiny lobster tails were wrapped in a fine layer of crispy pastry, and served with a savory aspic topped with caviar.  Tom also ordered nine escargots, served in the traditional butter-parsley-garlic way.

As we enjoyed this beginning, a man in colorful Muslim attire walked past on the sidewalk, wishing us a “bon appetit.”  Tom responded, “merci, monsieur.”

Each of us ordered the tender leg of lamb for the main course, and of course Tom had to have the restaurant’s signature soufflé Grand Marnier for dessert. 

The incomparable soufflé Grand Marnier at Axuria.

That was a wonderful dinner, worthy of the Feast of the Assumption.  Tonight we’ll be dining at a slightly less formal place, Le Cap.  But I’m fairly certain that the food there will be wonderful in Le Cap’s own way.

Three favorites for the flaneurs of the fifteenth

In the past three days, we’ve taken our three favorite long walks in the 15^th, somehow fitting them in between rainstorms.  Each walk is an hour and a half or so of strolling at a medium pace.   Each walk is different from the others.

The avenues walk entails walking down the avenue Felix Faure, across the rue de la Convention, which is called a “rue” (street) but really is more like an avenue, and then up the rue Saint Charles and back home along the avenue Emile Zola.  We meander off the main route to explore anything we happen to see along the way.  This walk covers the south/central/west part of the 15^th arrondissement.

Four musicians from a folk music ensemble crossing the street in front of the Ecole Militaire. They were coming
from the Champ de Mars, where the activities for the La Parisienne race were just beginning.

The next walk takes us up to the northern reaches of the 15^th and into the 7^th.  It includes strolling up either the rue Violet to the Place Dupleix and beyond, or up the rue du Commerce and the avenue de la Motte Picquet to the residential streets that parallel the southwest edge of the Champ de Mars.  Then we cross the Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower, and continue back down either the avenue  de la Bourdonnais or the little residential streets parallel to the northeast edge of the Champ de Mars.  Then it’s back home again on either the Place Dupleix/rue Violet route or the avenue de la Motte Picquet/rue du Commerce route.  We did that walk yesterday.

The third walk goes down the avenue Emile Zola to the rue Linois and the grand Beaugrenelle district, with all its glitz and glass and shopping mall, and then across the Pont de Grenelle to the place where the Statue of Liberty stands, where we turn right and walk down the length of the rustic Allée des Cygnes.  The return trip is just retracing our steps, but it might involve a detour in the mall to shop or to escape inclement weather.

Le Jardin des Enfants shop on the avenue Felix Faure
has everything you need to outfit your favorite small princess.

In the evening, we walk again.  Tonight, it is a half-hour stroll each way to Le Tipaza, our favorite elegant North African restaurant on the rue Saint Charles, in the southern reaches of the 15^th.  Actually, we’ll probably take walk number 1 to go to and from Le Tipaza tonight.

In these walks, we have plenty of elbow room.  We can walk arm in arm, or holding hands.  There is plenty of window shopping and people watching to do.  People around us are generally very polite.

Today was the day for Maria the Cleaning Lady, so we abandoned the apartment to her for a couple hours while we took walk number three and had brunch at Eclectic, the ultra-modern brasserie overlooking the riverfront at the end of the Magnetic section of the Beaugrenelle mall.

We went to Eclectic last Monday, too, and discovered that the croques and fries there are superb.  This time, Tom had the croque madame (with an egg) and I had the croque monsieur (with no egg).  Tom had fries, and I had a fresh green salad with a splash of vinaigrette.   These are the best croques we’ve ever had in Paris.  The cheese in the croques was especially nice.  We aren’t sure how they make this and serve it with either fries or salad for just 12 euros, but they do.

Everything else at Eclectic seems to be a bit overpriced.  But I think it is one of those places you go to for the ambiance.

Flowers on a building near the Champ de Mars.

The elegant interior of Eclectic was designed by a British decorator named Tom Dixon, I’d read.  He did a good job.  The place is brilliantly eclectic and comfortable.  This is Dixon’s first French creation.

A couple named Fabienne and Phillippe Amzalak run Eclectic.  They’re known for running the restaurant called Le Bon and for starting up a place called Ma Cocotte.  

According to the restaurant’s web site, at Eclectic, the couple has made a “union of chic Parisian and eccentric British, paying homage to the 1970s and revising the codes of the brasserie to favor a comfort that is more private.”  I’d say that’s a pretty accurate description!

Croque madame at Eclectic Brasserie.

Dinner last night was in another eclectically decorated restaurant, Axuria, on the avenue Felix Faure. We shared an elegant croustillant de gambas with a delicious lobster mousse in the middle (photo below). 

Then Tom had a small, tender steak (coeur de l'entrecote) and I had a roasted wild duck with rich, smooth polenta.  Both dishes had what seemed like the same dark, rich reduction sauce, and perfectly cooked veggies.  

Tom's steak, veggies, and roasted potatoes at Axuria.

Tom had the classic soufflé Grand Marnier, which I also tasted.

It was a beautiful and delicious dinner, with just the right walk home up the pretty avenue Felix Faure.