Got up late again - wow. Weather was looking iffy. But we got up and went to Chet's favorite boulangerie. The chocolate almond is still totally amazing. The flavor and the texture. We wandered around a bit and made our way to the Jardin du Luxembourg and, although it was cloudy the flowers they had there surrounding the statues and small palace were the best we've seen anywhere. The flowers were combined in many, many waves of color in the style of Penelope Hobhouse. Chet took many photos, and we are hoping for a sunny day there also. We did more aimless walking around, and Lynne found her favorite rose shop and got some rose water to bring home. They have rose petals strewn on the ground outside the shop too. It's pretty cool, on a street between St Severin and the Jardin.
We wandered more (wandering's fun in Paris because you never know what you will find), and we went to the Monoprix on Rue de Rennes, a couple of blocks from our hotel. Chet was searching for cough drops for Lynne (who didn't think she needed any) - well it turns out that you can only get cold remedies in the pharmacies, and none carries the cough drops Chet favors. So we wound up picking up a few other things, like water, apples, tomatoes, and some biscuits. Monoprix is like a half food store (with ten varieties of camembert, for example) and half Target-like. The weather was spotty, so we decided to take a break back at the hotel.
A bit later, we went out again and wandered to our favorite cheese shop, Barthélemy, which we happily call the "fromage doctors" because they all wear white coats and have a very serious demeanor about their cheese. We noted that they were going to be closed for the next two days;l so we HAD to get some. They pepper you with questions like "how soon will you eat this cheese" since they will sell you the properly aged/runniness level, based on that. It's a very rare treat, and we'll be going on a fat-free vegetarian diet once we return home. But for the moment, we were just basking in the scents in the small 12x10 shop where there
were maybe 5 cheese doctors and 10 eager customers who all knew they were somewhat special. If only they could bottle that smell; oh well, you can replicate it by gathering some dirty diapers and old, smelly socks and leaving them in a small hotel room. Odd, though; it really does taste great. We bought some camembert, some chevre, and some bleu d'auvergne. The same cheese doctor helped us as last time (about a year and a half ago), but he did not remember the insult that Chet so carelessly hurled when he suggested that we ask for "cheese with mushrooms". We didn't want to be "banned" from the cheese shop, you know, so proper cheese etiquette was followed. Barthélemy is on Rue de Grenelle by Boulevard Raspail. It's closed Sunday and Monday. Go there if you can.
We forgot to mention that there was a protest of some sort about a block from our hotel, and Chet was suspecting that it was the French protesting the pasteurization of cheese since we saw some of this in the supermarket and were disappointed to see cheese subjected to such treatment! (It robs the flavor.) We asked the hotel guy and he said it was a protest about "whatever it is today"; apparently there are a lot of protests. Chet was disappointed he missed taking some photos of the protest, but we are sure there will be another chance.
A bit later, we went to our favorite restaurant/café for dinner, and we ran into the same very friendly wait person who helped us a year-and-a-half ago, and she remembered us and we remembered her. It was kind of like a reunion of sorts, although not in a big way. The food was great.
We wandered more (wandering's fun in Paris because you never know what you will find), and we went to the Monoprix on Rue de Rennes, a couple of blocks from our hotel. Chet was searching for cough drops for Lynne (who didn't think she needed any) - well it turns out that you can only get cold remedies in the pharmacies, and none carries the cough drops Chet favors. So we wound up picking up a few other things, like water, apples, tomatoes, and some biscuits. Monoprix is like a half food store (with ten varieties of camembert, for example) and half Target-like. The weather was spotty, so we decided to take a break back at the hotel.
A bit later, we went out again and wandered to our favorite cheese shop, Barthélemy, which we happily call the "fromage doctors" because they all wear white coats and have a very serious demeanor about their cheese. We noted that they were going to be closed for the next two days;l so we HAD to get some. They pepper you with questions like "how soon will you eat this cheese" since they will sell you the properly aged/runniness level, based on that. It's a very rare treat, and we'll be going on a fat-free vegetarian diet once we return home. But for the moment, we were just basking in the scents in the small 12x10 shop where there
were maybe 5 cheese doctors and 10 eager customers who all knew they were somewhat special. If only they could bottle that smell; oh well, you can replicate it by gathering some dirty diapers and old, smelly socks and leaving them in a small hotel room. Odd, though; it really does taste great. We bought some camembert, some chevre, and some bleu d'auvergne. The same cheese doctor helped us as last time (about a year and a half ago), but he did not remember the insult that Chet so carelessly hurled when he suggested that we ask for "cheese with mushrooms". We didn't want to be "banned" from the cheese shop, you know, so proper cheese etiquette was followed. Barthélemy is on Rue de Grenelle by Boulevard Raspail. It's closed Sunday and Monday. Go there if you can.We forgot to mention that there was a protest of some sort about a block from our hotel, and Chet was suspecting that it was the French protesting the pasteurization of cheese since we saw some of this in the supermarket and were disappointed to see cheese subjected to such treatment! (It robs the flavor.) We asked the hotel guy and he said it was a protest about "whatever it is today"; apparently there are a lot of protests. Chet was disappointed he missed taking some photos of the protest, but we are sure there will be another chance.
A bit later, we went to our favorite restaurant/café for dinner, and we ran into the same very friendly wait person who helped us a year-and-a-half ago, and she remembered us and we remembered her. It was kind of like a reunion of sorts, although not in a big way. The food was great.
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