Starbucks at L'Opêra and the Paris Skyline without the Eiffel Tower

| That magnificent building of the Belle Epoque: the Palais Garnier opera house. |

England Trip 2015
Wednesday, March 25

This will be another post from memory, as I once again neglected to write in my journal while outside of England. :)

Six years ago when we first came to Paris I had greatly looked forward to seeing the Palais Garnier, the opera building, but we had neglected to look up what was going on at the opera, and – surprise, surprise– there was an opera actually going on, so it was closed. Since we visited on our last day we were forced to forgo the pleasure of a glimpse inside. Which meant that seeing this grandiose building became one of our priorities for the next trip.

And see it we did!

We began our day with the essential visit to a patisserie down the street from our apartment to snap up some of Paris's world-renowned quiche and pastry before hopping on the Metro to emerge on to the street around the corner from the Opera square and begin our search for some reasonably priced coffee.

McDonald's is usually the best bet, but on this occasion we decided on Starbucks, and a particularly elegant Starbucks at that. I have never seen a Starbucks that looked so much like an eighteenth century drawing room! Talk about going for a classy atmosphere. I'm sure the walls and ceilings were originals, which gave it more than a simply elegant appearance, it was another small moment of stepping back into history that seems to appear every other minute when you visit Europe.

Our coffee, very chocolate pastry and coffee eclair.

Starbucks meets the eighteenth century near the Paris Opera.

After a relaxing breakfast, which provided the perfect opportunity to use the free wifi and update Facebook, we strolled off down the street to find the side entrance of the Palais Garnier. It was at last time to tour the most opulent building I had ever yet beheld...

Part of the entrance hall. You can get a sore neck looking up at it all!

On the lower level, ready to begin our excursion.

Lots of red and gold.
That's all you need to make the most opulent theater, ever.

"Duuuuuun, dun, dun, dun, dun, duuun!"
Thankfully, it didn't fall on us, and neither did we meet any singing men wearing masks... ;)

A view from the front balcony to the exceptional Paris architecture.

The most excessive display of splendor in a building already full of it: the Grand Foyer.

Our day at the opera! :)

The Grand Escalier

It was impossible for someone who possesses an imagination, a desire to time travel and a love of historical clothing not to pretend they were a wealthy debutante attending an opera at the Palais Garnier in an elegant gown at the beginning of the twentieth century. (Meaning that I did just that, of course.) ;)

A building like this gives a person such a vivid peak at the past and brings to life scenes from over a century ago. And when that happens you can understand an entire culture to a degree that is impossible without being physically on the spot.

Our next destination was the Musée de Cluny, Paris's museum of the Medieval world that is located in an actual medieval building and filled with a plethora of medieval objects.

Ready to enter the Musee de Cluny.

Medieval combs.

I love to see any artifacts related to clothing, hair and beauty. For me this gives an insight into the daily lives of young women like myself who lived centuries in the past. It's almost a tangible way to connect with them and remember them as real people who actually lived. This is why I took pictures of practically every tapestry in the place – and there were many – since tapestries were often the only sources that depicted women's fashions during the time.

Possibly the most treasured items in the museum are the 'Lady and the Unicorn' tapestries from circa 1500. There are six in all: five representing the five senses and the famously enigmatic sixth that supposedly represents a sixth sense of love and understanding. Each tapestry is the size of a wall, being maybe 10x10 feet, so the display room is quite impressive. (The Lady's clothes are all quite lovely, too.)

The tapestry of the cryptic sixth sense.

Our next destination was the Cathedral of Sacre Couer up through Montmarte. And when I say up, I mean up! We climbed scores and scores of steps, and very steep steps they were, to reach the spot reputed to have the most spectacular view of Paris. The view on the way up was rather less than spectacular, as that particular part of Paris is less than pristine. But the view was quite beautiful. We had the perfect warm light from a dramatically cloudy sky, giving the many white buildings of the city a pleasant glow as the sun began to set.

A view of Paris from Sacre Couer.

There is Sacre Cour itself, looking like the birthday cake that Hercule Poirot described.

The other side of the city.

As we did, you may wonder where the Eiffel Tower may be. Surely such a famous monument would be immediately visible on the Paris skyline. That is what we thought, and were puzzled when it was nowhere to be seen. After a bit of searching, however, we at last found it, hidden behind some trees.

There's the Tour Eiffel hiding behind the trees on the right.

After our long climb to Sacre Couer we began to long for another bite of Paris's famous cuisine. We therefore pulled out our trusty copy of Rick Steves Paris (just bought in London) to look for a reasonable and delicious restaurant in which to have our last French dinner. We wandered down the steps to the right of the cathedral (if you're facing it) where one recommended place was to be found. Unfortunately, we couldn't seem to find this particular restaurant, but we had passed another pleasant looking place, and, after dawdling outside of it's door for a bit from an uncertainty of its being open, we decided to be daring and step inside.

 

The cheerful exterior of L'Ete en Pente Douce.

We were met by a very pleasant young man, who seemed to be a younger member of the family that owned the restaurant. It was the L'Ete en Pente Douce, a place I would recommend for it's welcoming, relaxed atmosphere, hearty and delicious food and fabulous dessert! Mom began the conversation with a question, "Fermé?" to which he replied, "No, come in!" This was followed by a necessary laugh on Mom's part because it was apparent he recognized us as Americans from Mom's accent. :) (To which I must add that I always think Mom has an excellent French accent! I just suppose that natives can spot a foreigner almost anywhere. Or maybe it was our clothes...)

He found us a lovely corner table and gave us some recommendations for our dinner in English, and explained that most people ate their evening meal rather later than we were currently having ours (which wasn't exactly early). And, sure enough, people began trickling in not too long after that. There were not only people, but a cat who appeared to be a permanent member of the establishment. He seemed to be greatly enjoying himself by wandering all around the restaurant at will, finally settling himself by a lady with whom he already seemed on familiar terms.

My dish was a joint of pork in a lentil and vegetable soup.

And Mom's was a stuffed pepper with salad.

We decided to try something rather unusual for dessert: a pear and chocolate tarte with a (not unusual) cup of coffee. It was delicious! It's hard to go wrong with the chocolate in this town – I think it would even make broccoli taste better. (If you're not partial to broccoli like I am.)

Pear tarte for dessert! And our mirror trick for getting pictures of ourselves together (selfies get a little boring).

On our way to the nearest Metro station we met a nice young couple that we enjoyed talking with as we walked. He was from Algiers and I think she was a native of Paris. 

Our last night in our pleasant apartment was spent in packing up, watching the BBC world news (I think we got addicted to BBC News...) and calling home.

Next stop: Haarlem and The Netherlands!

© 2015 Anna Morton

My first weekend with a few hundred Janeites

Yours truly is off today to attend this year's Jane Austen Society of North America Annual General Meeting, a.k.a. JASNA AGM. It is a weekend where scores of JASNA members gather in one city to hear lots of speakers, attend special presentations, dance at a ball and spend time with all those people who love Jane Austen as much as they do.

This year the AGM is in Louisville, Kentucky and is being hosted by the Greater Louisville Region JASNA group. I wouldn't normally be able to go, but it so happened that this year the Greater Louisville group offered a scholarship to attend. It includes the registration fee and accommodation in the Galt House Hotel where the AGM is being held. The scholarship was offered in honor of Jackie Johnson, who was a dedicated member of the Louisville group for many years and loved Jane Austen, and could be won by entering their essay contest. So after writing and rewriting for at least a week, and waiting to hear who the recipient of the scholarship would be, to my great delight and shock it was me!

Which means that here I am, ready to leave at 11:00 tonight to get to Louisville in the morning for my very first JASNA AGM!

The theme this year is Living in Jane Austen's World, so the speakers' topics include things like the kitchen, farming, aging, embroidery, holidays, economics, theater, gardening, marriage, monarchy, and dozens of others. We have three plenary speakers, including Professor Amanda Vickery who has hosted and researched such documentaries as Pride and Prejudice: Having a Ball and At Home with the Georgians. There are special events such as "Dressing Mr. Darcy" and "Undressing the Historical Lady," a banquet, a ball and even a Regency church service on Sunday morning. There are also dancing, breastknot and tea-making workshops.

The Galt House Hotel

If you're curious, this was the essay question...

"Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park are considered to be "Austen's Problem Novels."  These novels do not generally end up at the top of most Janeite's lists of favorites, and are the works in the Austen canon that literary critics have the most difficulty with as well.  Examine Austen's social commentary behind each story and discuss whether or not she came to any conclusions on the social issues and morals prevalent in her day.  If so, are those same issues relevant today?"

 I decided that this was my opportunity to spend all day every day in Regency clothing, so I of course had to add a few new pieces to my wardrobe. I shall post pictures when I return!

Walking all over Paris in the Rain

| An afternoon in the Latin Quarter. |

I made no journal entry for this day, so I will be doing the best I can from memory. :)

It always seems to be overcast when we go to Paris. Both times we have come here, it didn't rain in England, and then it rained most of the time in France. But it does make for a very poetic, postcard-looking atmosphere - even if your feet get soaking wet and you have to squish all over Paris in the cold and rain. Besides, there is always a delicious pastry awaiting you somewhere! :)

We had breakfast in (of all places) McDonalds. I must explain why, or we will sound like the most unadventurous travelers, ever. We buy our quiche and pastries in a delicious corner pâtisserie, which we happened to have about 100 yards from our apartment, and then take our spoils to a McDonalds, where coffee doesn't cost an arm and a leg. This particular establishment had a lovely view of the Clúny Museum (the museum of Medieval history) and a busy day in the life of a Paris street.

Our frugal but delicious breakfast of quiche and chocolate chip brioche with coffee at McDonald's.

Our view for breakfast.

 We were there because we had planned to visit the museum, but of course it was closed on Mondays, so we decided to visit the Hôtel des Invalides (the military museum, where Napoleon is buried). On the way we passed the Sorbonne University and the post office so Mom could mail her many postcards. (I didn't write a single postcard to anyone until the last day of our entire trip... I confess.)

A very nice couple from the Czech Republic took our picture in that lovely courtyard outside of the Sorbonne. Another sight on the way to the military museum is the Jardin du Luxembourg, which I have wanted to see for a long time, as it is the place where Marius first sees Cosette in the book Lés Miserables. :) It was lovely, even with the rain and the nearly leafless trees. The gravel crunched pleasantly underfoot, and it was enjoyable to view the orderly straight avenues and neat beds of colorful spring flowers.

Luxembourg Gardens tea and coffee house.

Some ancient and medieval queens of French history that graced the Luxembourg Gardens.

The Palais du Luxembourg.

The lovely spring blooms outside of the palace.

Love those avenues.

Continuing our exploration of the Latin Quarter.

St. Michel was another sight we found on our way to the military museum.

Across the street from the military museum is Rodin's house and garden, so we got a view of his 'Thinker'!
(That's his back in the middle, there.)

There is the Hôtel des Invalides in all its glory! We had to walk around the outside of the entire complex because we didn't realize we had passed the entrance at the beginning. When we got to this spot in the photo we couldn't find a way in, even though there were gates everywhere and people inside. At last we found an opening in the gate, but then we couldn't figure out how to actually get in the confounded building! We wandered around looking for entrances, and when we finally went up the steps of the domed building – the obvious place – everyone was leaving and the doors were being shut. It was closed.

That is one of those moments during a trip when you wish you were back home sitting comfortably in your living room. I wanted to cry. It was worse because I had been checking the time on my phone, and we were supposed to have an hour before it would be closed. But it was then that I realized: Paris is an hour later than London is... It wasn't 4:00, it was 5:00. My phone was in airplane mode, and had therefore not switched over, so we had been operating on a clock that was in the wrong time zone.

I hope you all learn a lesson from that. :)

We found a little restaurant on Rue Cler. Not only was the restaurant itself recommended by Rick Steves, but so was the entire street! It is apparently well known for it's high quality and affordable dining options. And not only was the food delicious, but it was a warm and dry place, which was almost as important at the time as finding a good place to eat. :) If you are ever in Paris and you would like to try it, I would recommend it: Le Petit Cler.

The awning of Le Petit Cler.

Mom having a warming cup of coffee.

Me waiting for our food inside the atmospheric Le Petit Cler.

Again, in Paris, it's about the food.
Here is my omelet.

My mother's steak and potato.
(I had a few bites, too...)

We left the warm and comfortable Le Petit Cler to find another rather famous monument several blocks away...

My feet were well and truly soaked by this time, but a view of the Eiffel Tower in a twilight rain is irresistible. So we braved the chill and the damp and the dark to see that ever iconic sight. And of course it was worth it. It was hard to keep our cameras dry, though, holding a camera in both hands and an umbrella with one, but we managed to capture some memories and keep our cameras in working order.

One plus to your camera getting wet: it makes for some artistic pictures.
It was unforgettable. The Eiffel always is.

© 2015 Anna Morton

Farewell to London, Bonjour from Paris!

| Wandering over to Notre Dame Cathedral on our first night in Paris. |

England 2015 Travel Journal Entry
Monday, March 23

(11:46 AM) London, it's been grand. You showed one of your best sides last at St Pancras Station, making it even harder to leave you. I wasn't sentimental about leaving until this morning. That thought that we plan to come back, and most likely will, softens the blow considerably – but deep down I almost wish I was never leaving.

Leaving London from one of it's grandest stations: St. Pancras International.

The fact that we're coming back to England in a few days softens the blow even more. Really, it feels like we're going on holiday, especially since there are so many Brits traveling with us to Paris. There is an adorable group of ladies in our carriage, probably just older than Mom, who seem to be having the grandest time chatting and enjoying each others' company. One of them came out to the luggage area where we were seated in the poor relation folding seats, having missed our original train because we didn't read the instructions on our ticket that said to check in 30 minutes early, to look for her coffee she'd forgotten about and left out in the luggage rack. Sadly, it was gone, but she seemed quite a cheerful, talkative soul, simply laughing with us about the whole thing.

Making the most of sitting with the luggage.

Now we have normal seats, and they are quite luxurious! I think they are more comfortable than plane seats. They are certainly more commodious than plane seats! A friendly conductor was walking through the train and found us with the luggage, so he asked us if we liked the comfortable new seating area, and Mom just told him we were stowaways, which seemed to amuse him. :) He told us he would check for some empty seats, and after merely a couple of minutes he returned with the good news of two seats for us!

We had planned to leave at 8:30 to catch the Eurostar but somehow we didn't wake up until 8:15, which was the end of that plan. However, despite my minor dissolution into tears, there was no harm done. The lady who got us places on the 11:31 didn't even let us pay for them (again). And on top of that we got to sit and have a coffee from Caffè Nero. :) When will I ever learn not to worry...

I'm always tense when we have to travel anywhere on public transportation. I only sort of relax once we're seated in the vehicle – bus, Tube, train, plane, whatever. But, not only does God say He will protect and care for us, I have seen Him do so countless times.

So, we're under the channel now, presumably. Otherwise it is an unnecessarily long tunnel. At least I won't miss any scenery while I'm journaling.

On the way to our apartment in the 6ìeme Arrondissement

(9:00 PM) Well, bonjour from Paris! I think I am enjoying myself much more this time than the first time we came. I feel in much less danger of being lost in an unfamiliar non-English speaking land, where I could easily be confused into a state of collapse. Travel can be challenging enough without a language barrier. It sounds a bit dramatic, I know, but I believe it gets to the root of what would actually happen to me. :)

Now the people and culture seem much less foreign, and more likely to be friendly and try to help you (even when you can remember almost zero French). Basically, I have learned to see them as people – people like me. The gentleman who carried my bag for me down some stairs in the Metro help bring that about, especially when it's added to my experience with people in general.

The Metro certainly takes time to get oriented to (or re-oriented to, in our case), so we walked back and forth, up and down stairs in the Gâre du Nord trying to figure out where we were going. But if you have a map and can trace the Metro line you need to take to the last stop (happily, they are numbered rather than named and each is a different color), then you can get somewhere. Once you figure that out, then you will find the signs with each subsequent stop from your current location.

It felt a bit unreal when a guy got on during our first Metro ride playing a lively French tune on an accordion. I was thinking, "Is this actually happening? Or are we a part of a tourism video?"

Once we surfaced it was easy to find the apartment. We hovered outside for a bit because we were early and we hadn't asked how to actually get in once we arrived. After standing uncertainly for a few minutes we tried the door, then we tried wifi, and then our host herself appeared! That was quite a relief. She felt bad that she was still cleaning, and we felt bad for arriving early, but it all worked out since she was able to finish cleaning while we began our sightseeing and got to get rid of our bags before doing so by leaving them there.

We promptly found a pâtisserie with a delicious-looking quiche lorraine and chocolate éclairs. :) (Just like our first visit!) Then we decided to walk to the Seine to eat them. I love being in a place like Paris or London and being able to say, pretending to be casual, "Why don't we eat our dinner by one of the most famous, iconic and picturesque rivers in the world, and then maybe walk to Notre Dame cathedral and the Left Bank afterwards?"

In France the food is half of the cultural experience.
Here is our quiche that melted in our mouths.

And an éclair du chocolat.

Our view for dinner: the Pont Neuf and Notre Dame.

After dinner we made our way to the "Iles" – also known as Ile-Saint-Louis and Ile-de-la-Cité – to wander their picturesque streets in the twilight of an early Spring evening. There were a few shop windows that glowed in the waning light, filled with decadent and ornamental stationery, toys, food, or, my favorite, chocolate.

A bridge to Paris's Rivre Gauche – aka the Left Bank, the artistic quarter.

A shop window with chocolate!

As we reached the middle of the Ile-Saint-Louis, standing on one of its narrow cobbled streets that has been there for a thousand years, I looked up and asked Mom, "Where did Notre Dame go?" It just seemed very peculiar to be a couple hundred yards away and not be able to see even a spire of that enormous thing. But that happens to us all of the time. We suddenly turn a corner and there is the Eiffel Tower, a ruined cathedral, even the seaside staring us in the face.

The main street down the Ile-de-la-Cité.

There is no mistaking that Gothic architecture of Notre Dame.

It makes a statement.

Pretending to be Parisians. :)

As we reached the front of Notre Dame the sun was completely set and it got rather chilly. So, being tired and cold we headed back to our own neighborhood and the highly recommended Creperie Bretonne. And thank you, Trip Advisor! We got a ham and cheese crepe for dinner, and a chocolate and chantilly (aka whipped cream) crepe for dessert. That was real chocolate, people. Honestly, a dessert cannot have a much higher quality than that crepe. The same goes for the coffee.

I tell you, in Paris, half the pictures involve food. It is the best in the world!

Mom enjoying our peerless coffee.

And me with dessert. :)

The atmosphere was a very traditional French country with a definite Brittany seaside feel. It was quite small, with one stone wall and one half-timbered wall. It was also only a few blocks away from our apartment... :)



© 2015 Anna Morton