« This Napoleon Doesn't Have Much Of A Complex | Main | I Read DUNE While Traveling In Europe. »

June 30, 2004

Rick and Ilsa Can Keep Paris

On our trip, we visited three cities -- Amsterdam, Paris, and Barcelona.

Of the three, Paris is the best known, the most lauded as a "world-class" city.

Visiting there, I couldn't help but have the impression that people "love" Paris because it's "Paris". Of the cities we went to, it resonated least with me. It's the least beautiful, charming, engaging. It's crowded, and filled with people, mostly tourists. I mean, it's not a bad place, but, really, it's not "all that."

We spent a few days there. Some photos:

baguette in front of Sacre Coeur
10 years ago, a I took a picture of myself eating a baguette in front of Sacre Coeur. So, I thought I'd do it again on this trip.

un front of Un Zebre a Montmartre
Our first night, we ate at Un Zebre a Montmartre, a hip little restaurant just down the street from our hotel. Reasonable prices (appetizers were 6 Euros, main courses 11 Euros), and good food.

Hotel Bouquet de Montmartre
We stayed at Hotel Bouquet de Montmartre, in the 18th arrondisement, right at the foot of Montmartre. It's crazy inexpensive (60 Euros a night for a double), well-situated (one block from the Abbesses metro station, a short climb up the hill to Sacre Coeur), and really teeny. The only drawback was that the bars in the neighborhood stayed active until late in the night, which was shameful, since there are a lot of just normal folks trying to lead their lives here, too.

peterme on Pont Neuf
peterme, excited, on Pont Neuf.

IMG_1197
The European Parliament elections (which had the lowest turnout, and was overwhelmingly Euroskeptic) took place during our trip. This poster, on a wall in Paris, has a potent illustration. I really dug it, until I read the smaller type below "MONSTRES." Still, cool drawing.

IMG_1187
Of interest to maybe no one I know other than Courtney and Sharon, on a walk through the 18e, we stumbled through the textile district, which included this store offering 4 floors of product. And it was just one of like three right in this neighborhood, and that doesn't include the innumerable smaller sellers.

IMG_1202
Seen here are THE GATES OF HELL. Like the Van Gogh Museum, the Musee Rodin allows visitors to witness the evolution of a great artist in a beautiful setting. It and the Musee d'Orsay are my only two "must-see" museums in Paris.

Only one other note (this time without photos) -- for dinner one night, my friend Frederic introduced us to Chez Janou, a delightful restaurant near his house. I can recommend the magret du (de?) canard without reservation. They also serve crazy big bowls of chocolate mousse.

Posted by peterme at June 30, 2004 03:25 PM

Comments

If you can't make it to the Musee Rodin you might enjoy the Rodin Sculpture Garden at Stanford's Cantor Art Center, next time you're in Palo Alto. They also have a cast of THE GATES OF HELL.

Posted by: Brad Lauster at June 30, 2004 03:51 PM

It's Magret DE canard.

Nice pics

Pierre

Posted by: Anonymous at July 5, 2004 05:01 AM

Who's the we on the trip

Ya got worms in your pockets?

Posted by: Robi at July 13, 2004 05:42 PM