Au Revior France

Signing off - 850pm local Paris time,

Farewell 77 Rue Notre Dame du Champs

Well, it's time for home.  Our last day was spent wandering the local streets of St Germain and Montparnasse, with some last minute shopping, coffees and farwell to our local gardens, the Jardin du Luxembourg.

It's Friday afternoon, and the locals are enjoying a game of Petanque.  We had our final coffee on Rue Vavin, purchased some lovely quiches for dinner from the local patiesserie, and just for old times sake, a tarte citron to end our visit.

Yep, we are all packed (PJ's aleady for Mum and Dad) tonight, and I don't mind saying, we are all looking a little weary, sipping our champers from our day trip yesterday.

 

We have sure enjoyed our visit, but looking forward to home and catching up with family and loved ones.

 

Farewell from the Joie de Vivre Jubilee

 

Oh dear - a final departing note - Dad has just cracked it!!!!  Mum is cleaning out the kitchen, and she has just confessed to tipping the last of the Rose down the sink - she didn't think we needed any more wine!!!! There were nearly tears before bedtime xx

 

 

And then there was 3!!!

Farewell to our fellow travellers, but hello to Champagne.............

And so the journey has started to come to and end, with Geoff, Coralie, Dan, Marcia and Hunter all heading for Toronto.  Jon too is homeward bound, so...... then there was three.  And we three were on the road earlier than those catching the planes, off for a day trip to the Champagne region of France. 

On the road at 7am, we first headed for Reims, with it's amazing Cathedral, larger than Notre Dame in Paris, and the centrepiece of this bustling French city.





After a morning coffee & croissant, the bus was on the road again, heading for the vineyards of the champagne region.  The local grape growers either make their own boutique vintage, or in some cases, supply the major champagne houses like Mumm, Moet & Chandon and Veuve Cliquot.  We enjoyed a visit at one of the boutique vineyards, where we met the winemaker and learnt the finer points of champagne production in France.  A great morning, followed by a tasting - which was so good we bought a bottle to have on our last night in Paris.

We then headed to the village of Epernay for lunch, a traditional french meal of Coq a Vin, with some lovely local wines, and salmon for entree - yep, spoilt again, and the pants are definitely getting tighter now!!!

It was then off to Moet and Chandon - the most amazing part were the caves, where the vintages are stored, with 95,000 bottles in one section of caves alone.  At any one time they proudly told us the value of the vintages stored at the Moet and Chandon caves were greater in $ value than the cash in banks in Paris!!!!!

Day Trippin' in Paris

We became official tourists....................

After blending in like locals in our little Mas in Provence and Paris apartments, Wednesday saw us became official tourists, taking part in the honoured tradition of a Seine River Cruise.  Summer had well and truly disappeared today, and we needed to rug up for the adventure. 


It reminded Her Joyceness of a favourite song "how would you like to be, down by the Seine with me, oh what I'd give for a moment or two, under the bridges of Paris with you, you make my dreams come true" - (PS - Mum is singing along as I type this, as we are having a last glass of champagne in Paris, but back to the story).  This is one of our favourite bridges, the Pont Alexandre.

Love me - ahhhh, Oui, J'Adore Paris!!!!!  We cruised along the Seine for over an hour, with lovely views of the many of the 37 bridges in Paris, along with Notre Dame and the mansions of the Ilse de Cite.  After the cruise, we were ready for our afternoon adventure, Monet's Garden.

On route, we then crossed over the Pont Neuf, which has the collection of locks, remembering visitors and lovers from all around the world. 

Fortunately, after a chilly morning, there was a little sun in the afternoon, and hopefully Coralie has captured some amazing pics for future paintings.

 

 

 

 

 

Joie de Vivre Jubilee Dinner - Tour Eiffel Style

A Memorable Night deserves a solo blog.......

So, would it be all that we hoped for - Dinner atop the Tour Eiffel - you bet it was :-)

The weather gods were kind to us later in the afternoon and by the time we arrived at the Tour Eiffel the sun was shining.  The tower in all it's glory awaited our arrival.

 


There is something quiet amazing about seeing this iconic landmark - for the first time, or even as a return visitor. It's a lovely experience, one that touches your heart and on special occasions, can bring a petit tear to the eye.





The sun was out, but it was chilly as we queued for the lift to level 2 - 58 Tour Eiffel.  Glad we booked early (some three months ago) because we got a great table, overlooking the Trocadero, which is a beautiful evening view as the lights of Paris came alive before our eyes.

And so began the Jubilee Dinner Tour Eiffel style.................... commencing with a complimentary amuse bouche and glass of champagne (and a wee cosmopolitan for Jon, Lou and Geoff).  Cheers & Bon Appetit!!!!

Starter......

Belle gambas snackee, avocat, vinaigrette soja et sesame
Pan fried tiger prawn, avocado, soy and sesame dressing

Entree.......
Noix de Saint-jacques a la plancha, marmelade de carottes a la cardomome, beuree blanc
Seared scallops, carrots and cardamom marmalade, white butter sauce

Main.................
Filet de cnnette rot, pomme de terre croustillantes et cepes, sauce Albufera
Roasted duckling fillet, Anna potatoes and porcini mushrooms, "foie gras" sauce



Dessert.................
Craquant chocolat, creme legere vanillee, framboises fraiches
A chocolate story, with a light vanilla whipped cream and fresh raspberries

 

 

 

 

 

Joyce and Coralie definately won over our flirty french maitre de, and a great night was had by all.  Maybe, just maybe, there may have been some sore heards the next morning.

 

 

 

Rainy Day Days dont get us down in Paris

It had to happen ........................

The beautiful weather had to come to and end, but that's ok - our back up was planned to perfection with a morning at the Musee D'Orsay.  For Coralie, our resident Jubilee painter, this was deemed an official visit to "artist heaven" (a pilgrimage for her of similar proportion to Geoff and mine at Chateauneuf-du-Pape!!! - but eh, for once this story is not about me!!!!)

One challenge for the blog here - no photos allowed at the Musee, which is a complete change from 2007 when Jon and I were here.  To confuse me even further for some reason you can take photos at Louvre, but not D'Orsay - (hhhmmmmm....... another question to ponder, like the illegal lying on the grass in the gardens!!!)  This required considerable discussion over coffee, and coupled with a challenging arrival for Geoff and Coz due to Metro problems, it was almost time for a drink at 10am!!!  I don't mind saying, this threw Geoff into quite the spin - resulting in D'Orsay Incident 119 (for those who know him for the famous Num Fong incident 117) there was a whole incident involving him, a backpack, a camera, and a security guard wanting to take possession of all of the above. 

Given the "Coralie event" in the queue before we got into the Musee, I was really starting to worry about Team Watson.  The Coralie event involved a complicated combination of Coralie, an umbrella, her ring, and somehow the three were caught together.  Geoff was then called upon to assist unwinding the umbrella and ring which couldn't be removed from Coralie's finger - I then became support crew and somehow we became a threesome all attached to the problem umbrella, shuffling along in the queue, giggling like naughty kids, trying to keep the queue moving (and to be honest, not wetting our pants). Lordy, lordy, loo!!!!  We laughed, and laughed and laughed.

Now, back to the days events - if you want to see all the a great collection of impressionist art you will just have to come and visit the Musee D'Orsay yourself, or....... wait for the amazing Coralie to release her own private exhibition (yes, of course I have already nominated myself to be her promoter - Geoff no longer allowed after official blacklisting for camera offence previously aforementioned).



The best I can offer is some clock pictures, my attempt at being creative and working within the boundaries provided by French photography law (blah, blah, ha, ha ......eh, I'm an accountant, not an artist or a comedian, so go easy on me.)



The only thing to do on a rainy afternoon was to find somewhere warm for lunch, and then hit the shops - Coz, Mum, Dad & I headed for Galleries Lafayette.  Now those of you who have been there will understand - it is difficult to describe - one of the most beautiful stores I have ever seen, the architecture inside is amazing, and the view from the designer couture level into the stained glass dome, breathtaking (as the the price tags on some of the items.....) but truly, it is a lovely experience.  I would love to share this with you, but clearly, I was a little distracted and completely forgot to take photos - however I did manage to capture a picture of the store sign & rooftop from the ladies loo!!!!  Why you ask, well that will always be a mystery as I don't know the answer(please tell me you find this as funny as I do - yep, I don't take a photo of the most beautiful store ever, but I do manage to find time to take a snapshot from the loo!!!)

Anywho............. our next event is the Joie de Vivre Jubilee Dinner Paris style, so that requires a whole new blog page.  I promise I will return tomorrow for an update on our last few days.

Morning Update!!!! I have now discovered Dad's photos, and he had the good sense to snap some pics whilst we gals were distracted shopping!!!!

Lazy Monday in Paris - Non!!!!!

Well, so they thought................

It did start that way - a little wander through the streets of St Germain du Pres, which were a little quieter on a Monday morning - I wont go as far as to say it was early, we needed a sleep in (hello!!!! - remember the petit bier we finished the day with yesterday!!!!).  Met Jonny at the Medici fountain, and after a cafe allonge and we were good to go. 

 

A lovely Paris day, so a picnic in the park was just what we needed.  We headed to the Gerard Mulot bakery - some tasty treats and we were off to the Jardin du Luxembourg.  Wandering the gardens, we headed for the sunshine, some relax-a-vous chairs, and all was good.  Well, that was until the Gendarmerie asked us to move off the grass - yep, OFF the grass - so let me just get this right - in France you can ride a motorbike like a maniac with no helmet, smoke you rguts out any street corner or cafe, fabby wine can be bought in any supermarket for under $5 Euro, but visitors who relocate chairs off the pathway and onto the grass is a crime worthy of attention - mmmmmm..............I luv Paris!!!!!

 

Headed to the right bank to some historical galleries , many of them relating back to the early 1800's.  The gorgeous, and best restored of these is the Galleries Vivienne & Colbert - also home to the fabby La Grand Colbert (of Somethings Gotta Give, with Keanu Reaves and Diane Keaton fame).  Next time Jonny!!!!! I am going to hold you to that promise.  A photo opportunity too good to miss, was a wander down memory lane for Her Joyceness, who relived her days as a "Tansey Milkmaid" - Cliff was in a little trouble for suggesting this, but Jon was straight onto it!!!


And then a wander through the beautiful gardens of the Palais Royal, before heading home for a little relax before our dinner out to Le Christine, my favourite restaurant on the left bank.  It was lovely as always, but very different from the traditional french bistro that Jon and I remembered as it had been refurbished.  To my initial horror, I discovered they had removed my favourite Billecart Champage from the menu, but they were saved by a favourite Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Sancere - whew!!!!! that was a close one!!!! The meal was delicious, and it was great to catch up with Geoff and Coz who had spent the day in the Marais with Dan, Marcia & Hunter.

Paris - very Joie de Vivre

The first of the Paris Must do's ..................


A Paris morning would not be complete without Cafe avec Crossaint, and so that was how it started, but we did walk through the Jardin du Luxembourge to get there - another beautiful morning in Paris and the sun was shining.

We headed off to meet Geoff and Coz, and then started our adventure on the Metro, heading for the Arc de Triomphe, and then a wander along the Champs Elyses.  We walked and walked yesterday, hopefully wearing off the piggly-wiggly lunches we have been having.  The big test will happen today when I try to wear the new shorts I bought just before leaving home - if they still fit it may have to be officially ordained at Notre Dame Catherdral this afternoon as a "Joie de Vivre" miracle.

We then headed to book our Wednesday tour for Monet's Garden, a quick lunch, and then off to the Musee du Louvre.  Wow, it never fails to amaze - this was my fourth visit the the Louvre, however I still got to see new things.  Mum and Dad wandered to see a favourite gal, whilst Jon and I did the Napolean apartments.   The lovely bedroom looked very inviting after a long afternoon of wandering the streets (it's even it my favourite colour, blue - it had my name all over it, but for once, I showed restraint and didn't jump up there for a nap.

After a long day of walking, we headed for home through St Germain du Pres.  A little thirsty, Jon took charged and organised a quick beer for us before heading home to our lovely apartment for a quiet evening of blogging.

 

(PS - no, that is not an optical illusion in the photo - it really was as big as my head - Jon declared he had a hangover before he even finished the beer).

So Long, Farwell to Mas la Monaque, but Bonjour Paris

Paris Bound .........................

Farewell to our home for the week, and Big Bertha who took us near and far, traversing the hills and valleys of Provence.

 And all aboard the Gare Lyon express from Avignon TGV.  It was hard to know who was the bigger kid, with Cliff and Hunter playing peek-a-boo between the seats on the train.  Arrived safely into Paris and we all went our separate ways at the train station, off to our new Paris Homes.  Dan, Marcia & Hunter to the Marais, Geoff and Coz to St Germain du Pres, Jon to the Hotel Observatoire, and Mum, Dad and I to our apartment near the Luxembourg Gardens. 

 

A welcome drink and dinner on the Boulevard Montparnasse was the perfect start to our Paris adventure.

 

 

Sorry Mrs Marshall (Jon's Mum) we are leading your boy astray again - promise you will see us look at some Paris landmarks tomorrow!!!