Of course, over the years we know best those parts of the city where the bus (less so the Metro) has taken us easily. So today we returned to the center, back for the first time to Notre Dame on its own island and to the quiet residential island next door, the Isle Saint-Louis.
Even here, on familiar ground, it's about the thrill of discovery, wondering just what we may stumble upon. Today's surprise was a superb yet reasonable lunch in a humble time-forgotten crêperie seating just 16 people .. my ham omelette oozing with emmental and butter, Elsa's buckwheat crêpe Provençal stuffed with crème fraiche, tomatoes and olives, and two espressos. So far so good. Then we noticed "crème salidou," learned it was a buttery carmel sauce from Brittany, and ordered some on a dessert crêpe. Merveilleux! So we bought two jars of the stuff and some regional biscuits, and then did a bit of Christmas shopping. It's hard not to spend $100 per day :-)
About the money. Compared to the old days, it's so much easier to travel from country to country where they now use the Euro. The bills are great because the various denominations are different sizes and colors. (We should do that.) But the coins must have been designed by a US congressional committee. The smallest bill is 5€ so your pocket is always leaden with coins, 2€ and 1€ and smaller. The 2€ and 1€ are silver but they can easily seem the same size. The rest are copper, but the 50 cent coin is larger than a 1€ and you can't see the vague numbers to differentiate it from a 20 or 10 or 5 or 2 or 1. Luckily, nearly everything you buy is priced in even or half Euros so you don't pay with small coins. But they're given as change at the grocery store. So we now have 22 one- and two-cent coins piled here on the desk. Waiters won't even accept them as tips. Our US coins are illogical enough .. think about our big nickel and little dime. But this is silly.
It may be difficult this Christmas weekend to see places that remain on our list: the (click) European House of Photography in the Marais, the old shops on rue Mouffetard, coffee at (click) the Grand Mosque tea room, Rick Steve's popular rue Cler neighborhood, the museum at Jean Nouvel's (click and then play the video) Institute of the Arab World, and of course that giant ferris wheel. But first we have a French-language Christmas play and dinner tomorrow night with our friend Richard, an extravagant Christmas Eve lunch splurge, mass Sunday at (click) Notre Dame, Mozart's (click) Magic Flute Christmas afternoon, and ballet Monday evening at the old (click) Garnier opera house. Lots to do yet!!!
About the money. Compared to the old days, it's so much easier to travel from country to country where they now use the Euro. The bills are great because the various denominations are different sizes and colors. (We should do that.) But the coins must have been designed by a US congressional committee. The smallest bill is 5€ so your pocket is always leaden with coins, 2€ and 1€ and smaller. The 2€ and 1€ are silver but they can easily seem the same size. The rest are copper, but the 50 cent coin is larger than a 1€ and you can't see the vague numbers to differentiate it from a 20 or 10 or 5 or 2 or 1. Luckily, nearly everything you buy is priced in even or half Euros so you don't pay with small coins. But they're given as change at the grocery store. So we now have 22 one- and two-cent coins piled here on the desk. Waiters won't even accept them as tips. Our US coins are illogical enough .. think about our big nickel and little dime. But this is silly.
It may be difficult this Christmas weekend to see places that remain on our list: the (click) European House of Photography in the Marais, the old shops on rue Mouffetard, coffee at (click) the Grand Mosque tea room, Rick Steve's popular rue Cler neighborhood, the museum at Jean Nouvel's (click and then play the video) Institute of the Arab World, and of course that giant ferris wheel. But first we have a French-language Christmas play and dinner tomorrow night with our friend Richard, an extravagant Christmas Eve lunch splurge, mass Sunday at (click) Notre Dame, Mozart's (click) Magic Flute Christmas afternoon, and ballet Monday evening at the old (click) Garnier opera house. Lots to do yet!!!
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