5. Paris--Going Home: Friday and Saturday

Friday.  At 12:00 noon, after packing our bags, we went down to the lobby where the shuttle turned up about twenty minutes earlier than expected.  We climbed right into this mini-van, already containing two of the eventual four extremely courteous Asian men with whom we shared the ride to Charles de Gaulle airport.  Our 4:00PM departure was delayed an hour, and after a 10 1/2 hour direct flight, we landed in San Francisco.  We couldn't get a direct flight from LA, and so going to and from SF to "bookend" our clandestine journey to Paris, was the best strategy we could come up with to get there fast.  

Well, you know what it's like crawling off a plane after 10 1/2 hours.  We got our luggage, staggered out to the hotel shuttle curb, and we were almost too numb to realize that our Marriott Waterfront (Burlingame) shuttle was right there dropping off passengers.  Our weary, jet-lagged thought process was something like “……the sign on the bus says "Marriott Waterfront" .... that's our hotel, isn't it?  Do you suppose we should get on........?.  

Groggily, we got aboard the shuttle, and ten minutes later were delivered to the hotel.  Since we were flying “against” the eastward rotation of the earth, it was still Friday.  Friday night.  We were very weary.  When we walked through the front door, there was raucous shouting from the open TV bar area, like a prize fight was going on--of course it was the SF fans jeering at the Dodgers as the Cardinals beat them in St. Louis.   Now that they are back in LA, too, we are hoping the beleaguered Dodgers will rally also on Monday.

Saturday  The next morning, after 10 hours of sleep, we felt much better.   We walked along the waterfront, admiring the large yellow and white pumpkins which had been arranged outside to decorate the hotel landscape.  Our shuttle took barely 10 minutes to get to SFO.  When Eli heard our Virgin Air flight would be delayed, she lured pup into a Vino Velo wine bar, where she had a “Harvest Flight” of white and rose wines—a total of 3.  Pup opted for a single pouring of a New Zealand Pinot Noir based rose that was exceptionally good.  We ordered 5 pieces of Tuna Tartare—thins slices of Ahi tuna on a bed of finely minced crab on a crisp cracker.   When we finished the wine and food, we strolled back to our gate and discovered the delayed flight had already landed and we were the last to board.  We hat good seats, Eli had a window, so we enjoyed looking at the California terrain as we flew the 1 hour back to Los Angeles.

4. Paris: Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday  By time we woke up (not that late), the weather had changed into drizzle.  We had heard what we thought were harder raindrops during the night.  So, after enjoying morning coffee, we took Citidine’s umbrellas and walked one block to the Breguet-Sabin Metro stop where we caught #5 to Gare Du Nord and walked to the right down Rue Dunkerque until we saw the white cupola of Sacre Coeur peaking (or peeking) from between two tall lines of buildings.  The stairs were crammed with immigrant vendors selling cheap Paris souvenirs, so we skirted along the edge of the hill, climbing steps next to the Funicular.  The concrete stairs were very steep.  

It turns out, after watching “Midnight in Paris” that those are the steps Gil and Adriana descend when he gives his “ode” to Paris.  The one that goes “There’s no place in the universe as great as Paris.  There is nothing happening on Jupiter or Saturn.”  But we didn’t know this yet and we had to stop 3 or 4 times to catch our breath and turn around to stare at the beautiful panorama of Paris stretching out from the vista of Montmartre.  There was a sort of light drizzle all the time.  Once at the top, we edged inside the church. 

Eli on the steps in front of Sacre Coeur

Then we followed signs further up the hill to the Place du Tertre.  We passed 5 or 6 "artists" carrying sketchbooks, who'd render your portrait or caricature if you paid them enough.  As we threaded through knots of tourists massed around the vendor's shops, I knew if we found Rue Rustique, turned right and followed it downhill to Rue Norvins, inevitably we’d get to Rue Lepic and find a good restaurant, which was just the way it happened.  Luck was with us and after walking down slick, wet cobblestone streets that looked exactly like Utrillo paintings, complete with drizzle and rain, we found Restaurant Basilic—a warm, wooden-beamed authentic bistro with a 11.90 Euro Dejeuner menu.  That dejeuner turned out to be the best and least expensive meal we had in Paris.

LT with rillettes de sardines at Basilic

Eli had pork, and I had 3 fine duck legs.  We started out with incredible rillettes de sardines--like a finely minced mousse of sardines on thin slices of baguette.  At a table not far away, father was dining with his 5 year old daughter .  She was like something out of Alice in Wonderland, with long blonde hair and two dolls that she took turns feeding.

After lunch, we continued to walk in the light rain, down Rue Lepic which takes a crazy 90 degree turn and eventually changes into Rue des Abbesses, and where we later found Les Abbesses Metro.  Before this, we ambled around this wonderful area filled with trendy shops, small eateries, larger restaurants.  Very French-looking.  It took us 3 different Metro lines to get back to Breguet-Sabin—first the #12 down to Concorde, then the #1 eastward to Bastille, then the #5 back up to Brequet Sabin.  But it was worth it to have that walk down Rue Lepic to Les Abbesses.  When we left the metro station, we saw the same woman in the booth who had sold us our 4 metro tickets that morning.

Eli leans on red car.  Basilic is in background
covered with green ivy.

Thursday.  It seemed too cold to rain, so we didn’t bother to take Citadine’s umbrellas.  Big mistake.  We walked down Rue du Chemin Vert, crossed Blvd Beaumarchais, trekked down two blocks of Rue du Pas de la Mule, crossed through Place des Vosges, cut into Hotel Sully, walked down Rue San Antoine until it became Rue de Rivoli, then cut towards the river when we reached Hotel de Ville.  

Josephine Vannier chocolate shop, where bottles, guitars,
everything is made of chocolate.

We walked along Seine embankment, crossed at the pedestrian bridge Pont des Arts where the rails are totally covered with brass locks young couples by, put their initials on and lock onto the railings.  Then we kept walking on the other side of the Seine past the bouquinistes (booksellers) until we reached the Musee D’Orsay.

Impressionist pictures on 5^th floor were glorious, almost too many.  There were four different Monets of the Cathedral at Rouen he painted in the 1890s.  When we left, it was starting to drizzle, but we found the Rue de L’Universite and took it east until we got to St. Germain and walked left.  We had intended to eat at Le Comptoir du Relais in L’Odeon, but it was packed out onto the sidewalk, so we followed Rue Dupuytren up to Rue Monsieur le Prince, and took it two blocks to the left and located Restaurant Polidor, where the protagonist of Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” meets Hemingway. 

LT with beef bourguignon at Polidor's.

Eli lunching at Polidor's

LT in front of the Polidor bar.

The restaurant has been there since 1845 and seems right out of a Balzac novel.  Very authentique!  Even as a “squat” toilet.   Eli had a curry and LT opted for the “boef bourguinon.”  LT thought the gravey was a bit too thick on the beef.  But we enjoyed being out of the rain and inside such a historic restaurant.

LT in front of Polidor's in the rain

Another shot of LT in front of Polidors.

We walked home by retracing our steps to L’Odeon on the Boulevard St. Germain and taking it in a giant arc until it reached the Pont de Sully.  From there, it was easy to cross to the right bank of the Seine and “tack” our way along smaller side-streets, for example, past Bofingers trendy, expensive restaurant, , until we got to the Rue Chemin Vert and were home.  We dined in our Citadine’s room.

3. Paris: Monday and Tuesday

Monday.  After another good night’s sleep in our quiet Citadines’ room, we had another scrambled egg breakfast, to which LT added his fruit yoghurt from the night before.  Then, we got out the door by 10AM .  We walked along the Rue San Antoine, then turned left along some meandering Marais streets and cut across the Seine at the Pont Au Double.  Then we walked along the Seine on the left bank until we got to the Pont Neuf, where we over-optimistically bought 2-day tickets 18 Euros instead of 15 Euros for one day) on a Batobus. 

View from the Batobus

Under blue skies and 75 degree temperatures, we took this boat as it went back “down” the river eastward, past Notre Dame, turning around after the Ile St. Louis, then heading westward again, past the Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Jardin des Tuileries, the Champs Elysses and all the way to the Eiffel Tower.


We got off at the Eiffel Tower,  imagining we could re-locate a nice restaurant we’d visited last time headed for the Rue Cler.  But we couldn’t locate our earlier “find” and instead, walked back down the Rue Cler, turned right  and had lunch at an Italian (!!!) restaurant, "Di Felice" on Rue de Grenelle where the waiter offered us a window seat looking out onto the quiet street.

Our window seat at Di Felice

 It was wonderful.  When we began by ordering an Orvieto, the waiter suggested instead we try a “better” Venmentino from Sardinia, and he gave us a free sample.  We determined that he was right and paid 35 Euros for the Vermintino, instead of 30 for the Orvieto. 

The Vermentino

We started with artichokes stuffed with cheese and bacon, then Eli had penne carbonara and LT had another filet de bar.  LT’s filet came with a finely minced timbale of vegetables, eggplant, zucchini, etc. 

Les filets de bar

After lunch, we walked, walked, walked to another “Midnight in Paris” location, the Rodin Museum, which unfortunately was closed damn it, and then enjoyed walking down the still sunny Rue de Varennes with all the French government ministries and offices and bored but official-looking gendarmes, then past trendy shopping boutiques, on to St. Germain.  When we reached Rue Jacob, we checked out the Hotel Angleterre where we’d stayed with the girls in 2003.  It was now 350 Euros for a double room .  

We continued our endless trek home, past Notre Dame, Bastille, and finally reached our Citadines at cinq heures.  While LT took a nap, Eli went to a nearby Picard (home of frozen French delicacies) and brought back ratatouille, duck parmentier (minced duck topped off with cheesy potatoes) as well as a bottle of Chablis.  Tucked into our beds, we watched “Midnight in Paris” yet again as the evening’s final bit of entertainment

Tuesday.    After Eli whipped up yet another serving of creamy scrambled eggs,  we crossed west on the Rue du Chemin Vert, waited for the green light to venture across Blvd Beaumarchais, then down past the fancy fish and oyster restaurant on the Rue du Pas de la Mule, across the impressive 18^th facades of the Place des Vosges and arrived at the Muse Carnavalet. 

LT poses in front of Proust's bedroom furniture.

LT was determined to see Proust’s bedroom furniture which had been closed during his retirement trip to Paris in 2010.  

It is incredible that the longest and perhaps most famous novel of all time was written in such an unimposing, even unimpressive setting.  

A tiny double bed covered in blue, a modest wooden bureau, a small writing table.  The Muse Carnavalet houses 1000s of items relating to Paris history, so we had quite a good time looking at them, especially the ones related to the French Revolution.

Our next stop was going to be back in the 5^th arrondissement at “Les Pipos” where the owner of the Bistro Aix in San Francisco had recommended we eat.  As we had on Sunday, we crossed at the Sully bridge, then lumbered up Rue Cardinal Lemoine towards the Pantheon, Eli checking menus and three-star hotel prices all along the way.  

After a few false turns, we located the Rue St. Etienne du Mont with the magic “Midnight in Paris” steps, and realized “Les Pipos” was right down the street from the steps.  ("Pipos" are the first year students at the Ecole Polytechnique across the small square.)  If the movie had been shot in the daytime, the restaurant would have been visible down the street behind the 1920 Peugeot. 

LT waves.  That's "Gil" the owner of the Jazz record store half
way up the street to the steps of St. Etienne du Mont.

Our small table.  The yellow 1920 Peugeot follows
the street slightly off to the right.

Woody Allen "thank you" photo in Les Pipos

We sat outside at a too-small 16 inch table viewing the small “place” or square across from the Ecole Polytechnique and chatting with two Frenchmen who were dining right next to us.  One, ironically named “Gil” had a jazz record shop a few doors up from the restaurant, even closer to the  magic steps of the St. Etienne church.   

Eli and LT shared some country pate which came on a rectangular slate with red cabbage, white slightly pickeled cabbage, apple sauce and a large jar of gherkin pickles. 

ET's "perdereau"

Then for the entrée, LT had a manquereau—a small whole fish—and Eli ordered what she thought was going to be duck but turned out to be a small headless pigeon—or perdereau-- which she didn’t like very much.  

LT's tasty "maquereau" or mackerel.

After inspecting the “bird” Eli immediately regretted she had not ordered the 17 Euro fois gras instead.  We had a 23 Euro rose with the meal. 

After lunch we re-climbed the hill to reach the Place de la Contrescarpe, where Hemingway had first lived in Paris.  This is the neighborhood he writes about in A Moveable Feast.   

LT in La Place de Contrescarpe

 Then we happily walked downhill for a change, stopping at a boulangerie to purchase lovely chicken, tomato, lettuce sandwiches on a long baguette and one tarte amandine and one tarte myrtilles (blueberries) and raspberries.  When we finally got back to Citatines, Eli visited the Casino Marche for Pelligrino water, vin, yoghurt, bananas and plums.

Knowing we’d enjoy the sandwiches back in our room, we took an evening stroll at 6PM back to the Place des Vosges, then cutting through the Hotel Sully.

LT on the grounds of the Hotel Sully

After going along the Rue San Antoine we reached the Sully bridge, where two young men took our picture with the sunset silhouette of the city behind us.  

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Then we headed back to our Citadines apartment with the chicken sandwiches and St. Joseph Rhone wine which Eli had purchased. 

Back at Citadines after a long day's walking

2. Paris: Saturday and Sunday

Saturday.  It was a 10 hour flight to Paris.  We took off Friday afternoon and arrived on Samedi après-midi.  The food was really quite good for an airline, and one highlight was a chocolate fudgsicle delivered around 6 hours into the trip.  After landing, we took a short shuttle ride to the customs area, picked up our luggage, and then we easily caught the #4 Air France “car” to Gare de Lyon.  From there, we got in a quickly moving line and took a taxi ride costing 10 Euros (it was 7 Euros, but I figures since it was such a short trip, the driver deserved a good tip) to Citidines at #37 Boulevard Richard Lenoir.  This is two blocks north of the large Bastille monument.  I gave the driver the address in French and he understood right away.  The first room they tried to give us was right on the busy street, and when a gendarme siren went by, Eli immediately went downstairs and  got us a quiet room in the back overlooking a small courtyard.  We had a nice sized bedroom, thick curtains to shut out all the light in the night, flat screen TV, small useful kitchenette, a nice table to sit and eat and type at, and a bathroom with tub/shower.  It was our cozy base for 6 nights in Paris.    LT took his customary siesta and Eli went grocery shopping in the neighborhood for eggs, cream, butter. 

At about six, we startd to walk to wine bar Eli had read about in the NY Times, but as we trudged further and further into a seedy area of Rue St. Maur, we grew dispirited.  And when we arrived at the wine bar, we were further depressed because it was small, with no tables or seats empty.  Just a bunch of French-looking guys dressed all in black sitting round with tumblers of red wine in front of them.  So we quickly exited, and walked back towards the Bastille, then down Rue San Antoine to Rue Francois Miron and reached Au Bourguignon du Marais where we’d had a great lunch on the last day of our previous trip in August.  We sat at an outside table and were greeted by the same waitress who’d helped us back in August.  Her English is impeccable.  She explained that the streets are even more crowded with people since its Nuits Blanche, and the museums are open and free all night.  Our table is right on the street.  We start with wonderful escargots in a buttery garlic sauce and then we both have “Filet de bar” grilled sea bass, on a bed of perfectly cooked green beans.  This is accompanied by a bottle of real French Chablis.  LT told the waitress the story of the “slippery, shooting” escargot from LT’s and Eli’s long-ago dinner at La Cremiere in San Francisco back in the 1980s.  We finished with cheese course at a glass of red recommended by our waitress, who remembers us from our August trip and wishes us happy anniversary.  It was getting quite cold when we walked back.  We hooked up the Mac laptop and watched “Midnight in Paris” to help us get to sleep.

Sunday.  Beginning our journey to track down as many “Midnight in Paris” film locations as we can, we plan a trip to St. Etienne du Monte, where Gil Pender gets picked up on the 1920 Peugeot at the start of Midnight in Paris.   First, we start off with a good breakfast of scrambled eggs, Grosvenor-style coffee with crème freshe, and Clementines smuggled in Eli’s suitcase.  It was a bright, blue Sunday,  so warm Eli wished she’d brought shorts. 

There was a long, crowded farmers’ market in process all the way down Blvd Richard Lenoir and we strolled past vegetable displays, long rows of fresh fish, clothes, everything.  









Then when we reached the Bastille, we walked down Rue Henry IV, then crossed the Pont de Sully,

View from Pont de Sully

and climbed uphill first on Rue des Fosses St. Bernard passing the car showrooms, then as the street joined Rue Cardinale Lemoine, changing to bars and cafes.  








Finally just as we were running out of breath, reached the narrow, one-way Rue Clovis and turned right.   We knew we were close but didn’t quite know how to get there, but after a few false turns, we reached the huge, really very much bigger than it needs to be Pantheon, hunted around and finally found the steps where Gil catches his magic taxi on the Rue de la Montaigne St. Genevieve, right across from The Bombardier pub.  

LT on the magic steps of St. Etienne du Mont

Behind me is direction from which 1920 Peugeot arrives.

We took several pictures at this magic spot and noticed that the steps were totally covered with graffiti, which must have been washed off when they made the movie.

We circled the Pantheon and LT realized we were probably very close to the outside location used for “Bricktops” in the movie.   So we  found Rue des Fosses St. Jacques and took it until it turned into Rue Malebranches, where # 17 marks the entrance where Gil, Scott, Zelda, Cole and Linda Porter are dropped off by the magic taxi.  We took some more pictures here.

"Bricktops" is to my left

  There was a Hotel de Senlis located two doors down, and we went inside, attempted to enter into conversation with the attendant and saw one of the second floor rooms—small, but tidy, with a good-looking bathroom.  The whole area is very quiet.  We took a price list.

By now it was late lunch time, so we went back to the Rue St. Jacques and located a nice looking restaurant Au Port du Salut.  It was not crowded and a friendly waiter named Marius who spoke good English, gave us a nice table outside, where LT had big duck breast and Eli opted for the cheese plate.  We shared a good bottle of rose and talked over the days hiking adventures so far.  

The first duck of this Paris trip

After finishing le dejeuner, we drifted downhill on Rue Soufflot, reached the Blvd St. Michel and entered the Luxembourg Gardens.  










There was a large brass orchestra preparing to start its Sunday concert. 

The white-coated brass band in Jardin de Luxembourg.

They all wore long white coats over whatever they were wearing underneath.  The “conductor” turned to the crowed and showed that he was wearing shorts under his coat.   Crowds of people were carrying chairs towards the elevated bandstand.   They played lots of upbeat, dance-like, polka and Russian-sounding tunes.

Eli by the sailing pond in the Jardin de Luxembourg.

Enjoying the sight of all the children playing in the park, we walked to the other side and exited by the gate on Rue de Fleurus.  A group of girl scouts was walking two-by-two down the street under the direction of their leaders, who looked to be in their early twenties.  One of the little girls sold a calendar to Eli for 5 Euros.  





Two blocks down we saw Gertrude Stein’s door #27. 

LT in front of Miss Stein's.

 After taking pictures here, we strolled back through the Latin Quarter, finally located the Hotel Marignan on the Rue Sommerard, near the Cluny museum.   All the occupants looked very young—in their twenties—and we wondered if we’d seem out of place if we tried staying there again.

We headed for Rue de la Harpe, and since our old favorite “Marathon” had its front window closed, we got a lovely outside table across the street at the San Severin restaurant.  For 18.90Euros, Eli had escargots, salmon and a cheese course, while LT chose onion soup, a wonderful lamb shank, and then chocolate mousse for dessert.  All this was washed down with another rose.

LT going after his lamb shank across from St. Severin church

Eli approves of the rose.

On the walk home, we visited Notre Dame, where an early evening sung Mass was in process.  

Once we got to the other side of the Seine, and reached Rue San Antoine, we dropped into a small market for a litre of Pelligrino, some fruit, and some very fine raspberry yoghurt. 

It had been a really long day, and we finished it off by watching “Midnight in Paris,” and congratulating ourselves on having visited 3 of its important locations.

1. Taking off for Paris: LAX to SFO to Paris

Eli and LT do their own version of “Midnight in Paris”

Thursday.  Hillary dropped us off for our 6:30AM Virgin Air flight to San Francisco.   We took the noisy BART to Civic Center, climbed onboard a crowded bus to Union, then caught another bus down Union to Fillmore, and then walked downhill to Cow Hollow Inn., where we would eventually get a great room with view of city.  Since our room wasn’t quite ready, yet, we walked around the corner and had lunch at Pacific Catch.  LT went for grilled salmon salad, while Eli chose wasabi/ahi sandwich on a croissant.  Washed down with a flavorful Poppy Chardonnay.  LT was impressed with the high quality and variety of the lettuce in his salad.  LT took a siesta after lunch, while Eli prowled the shops on Union St.  

At six that evening, we met Eileen for lunch at 6:00PM at Bistro Aix—a fine French restaurant—LT had lamb, Eli had duck and white beans swimming in a rich wine reduction sauce that was so flavorful that she didn’t even offer to share it with LT, Eileen had a salmon risotto.  

LT and Eileen at Bistro Aix

We talked over old times in Culver City with all the celebrations at Grandma Phyllis’ house.  Eileen and Phyllis Ann had some great times together when Eileen would stay there.  When the owner heard we were flying to Paris the next day, he suggested we visit Les Pipos ["pipos" are first year students in the nearby Ecole Polytechnique] in the 5^th arrondissement—a restaurant he’d loved when he went to Paris a few weeks previously.

Friday morning to Saturday, Before our afternoon Air France flight, we took a walk through the Marina and Fort Mason

Eli walking through Fort Mason.  Note LT's shadow

to the waterfront, and ate breakfast at McDonalds, where LT was not impressed with the egg white McMuffin he was served.  
Eli purchased a par of black slacks at a nearby Ross.  Then we walked back to Cow Hollow, and took the slowest taxi ride either of us has ever experienced to Civic Center,  where we caught the BART back to the airport.  In the International terminal, we had lunch at Firewood--Caesar salad with salmon.  Since our suitcases were too heavy, we had to check our luggage, but the very helpful Air France attendant at the desk, speaking in a wonderful, lilting French accent got us seats in the very last row (#53 A & B) of the flight #83 Air France jet.