Paris - Day 5

  Paris, Île-de-France, France
Monday, September 22, 2008

This morning, I woke up with a sore throat, which is typically the beginning of sickness for me.  I got up and downed a glass of orange juice and set off in search of toilet paper.  I had run out of it the day before and had resorted to using paper towels, which isn't so friendly to the derriere.  (Sorry, this is probably TMI).

So, off I went crossing Pont Neuf to the Left Bank where I strode determinedly in the direction of Champion. But first, a quick stop at Le Buci for une café et une croissant et une orange juice, standing up at the counter, bien sur!  We did a lot of this during this trip, in Nice and in Paris, as it is a quick and less expensive way to have breakfast.


Breakfast at Le Buci

I arrived at Champion only to find that it was closed until noon on Mondays.  I wandered the streets searching for an alimentari store or anything that remotely looked like it would carry toilet paper.  No luck.  I did however manage to pick up some throat spray at a pharmacy (after first asking, "Avez vous papier de toilet?"), which helped with the sore throat.

I headed back toward the Seine and found a Citadel where I entered and asked the concierge where the nearest supermarche was located.  He said Champion and I advised him that Champion was ferme until noon. So, he pointed me in the direction of a Franprix on Blvd. St. Michel and even provided me with a map. I never made it to Franprix, as I spotted a Monoprix on my way there. 

After spending half an hour browsing the accessories and cosmetics section, I made my way downstairs and tada! - found the toilet paper aisle.  What a wide variety and most of them in pink!  After making my selection, I grabbed another bottle of orange juice and headed to the checkout counter. 

 

Next stop was across the street to the Musee National de Moyen Age aka the Cluny. At the ticket purchase area, I made a GTD to buy a museum pass (which turned out to be a really bad idea - more on that later). While most people come to the Cluny to view the famous Lady With the Unicorn tapestries, I enjoyed the decapitated heads and headless statutes more.


Heads of Kings?


The Matching Bodies?



A quick stop at the apartment to drop off my purchases and then it was off to meet my friend Linda for lunch in the 7th eme.  I'm not sure what possessed me to not take the Metro.  I had given myself 20 minutes to walk from Ile de la Cite to our meeting point, the Ecole Militaire Metro stop.  I should've given myself 45 minutes. I had worked up quite a sweat by the time I met her, almost an hour late.  I was definitely going to treat her to lunch to make up for my egregious tardiness.

We strolled around for a while looking for a place to eat.  We settled on an unassuming bistro and decided to sit outside.  Linda and her husband moved to Paris from the States a year ago after her husband was transferred for work.  The lucky girl does nothing but take French lessons, play with her cat, and explore Paris.  Unfortunately, I cannot recall what I ate but remember that it was very satisfactory.  During the meal, she started giggling and I looked up to see a large group of people on segways speeding by.  She said they look even funnier at night because they wear glowsticks around their necks.  We parted ways agreeing to meet up for dinner the following night. 

Since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to pay homage to La Tour Eiffel.  She never fails to take my breath away.  As I was crossing the river on my way to the Trocadero, my cell phone rang and it was Jay.  It was 7am in the morning in California and he was getting ready to go back to work.  Hearing his voice made me feel like he was right there with me.


It was time to embark on my passages exploration.  Covered passages or galeries were the predecessor to the modern day shopping mall.  I'd always wanted to explore the remaining passages in Paris, but never had the time.  On the way, I decided it would be a good idea to have ice cream from Berthillion.  I didn't actually go to a Berthilllion, but to one of its many outposts on Ile de la Cite.  My pick was a combo of caramel and pear. DE-LI-CIOUS!!! I had a new favorite Parisian treat.


Yummy!!! 
I headed down Rue St. Denis in search of the Passage du Grand Cerf. There were sex shops galore and dozens of street wear apparel stores, like this one.



The arcade is a well-preserved narrow corridor with wrought-iron arcs framing the ceiling. A cute shop called Pachyderme had its entire inventory on sale 50% off as it was going out of business. I picked up a handmade vanity mirror (that cracked during the journey home) and a couple of cosmetic bags. 


Passage du Grand Cerf


Pachyderme's Going-Out-Of-Business Sale


An interesting building I saw on the way to Galerie Vivienne.

Then it was on to Galerie Vivienne, the quintessential covered passage. I spied another cute boutique chockfull of graphic handbags, chic pencil cases, and whimsical baby toys, among other things.  I picked up a few items to bring home (gnome sticky notes for me and a cherry blossom pencil case for niece).  By then, I was feeling thirsty.  I'd wanted to have refreshment at A Priori The, but they were closing up as I arrived.






I'm a sucker for these types of shops.

After exiting Galerie Vivienne, I wandered around a bit and it wasn't long before I realized I was at the Palais Royal.  Despite this being my fourth time in Paris, this was my first time at the royal palace and I felt as if I had found a hidden treasure.  I'll let these photos do the talking.


Lovers in Love


Naptime




Buren's Columns were closed off to the public and surrounded by several makeshift partitions. Makeshift is probably not the best word to describe them as each partition served as a frame for a square-sized piece of glass. These pieces of glass served as windows into the courtyard and provided one with the opportunity to observe the black and white-striped stumps.







Next on my agenda was some shopping.  By this point, my feet were screaming murder, so I hailed a cab and said to the driver, "Galeries Lafayette, s'il vous plait."  After browsing the handbags, shoes, and clothes departments with no success, I turned my attention to the food hall.  I selected a few treats courtesy of Sadahuru Aoki, an up-and-coming pastry chef.

It was time to head back to Ile de la Cite.  Dinner was at Taverne Henri IV, a favorite haunt of legal eagles.  I ordered a salad and goat cheese tartine, which was gooey and divine.  For dessert, I tried mini baba au rhum, which I didn't particularly enjoy.  No worries - there were Aoki macarons for me to devour.