Paris Day One December 2024

Greetings and Happy Holidays from Paris : Salutations et joyeuses fêtes

After a very hectic 6 weeks — NYC for a family event and to speak about my book at Pratt Institute (hosted by the School of Planning, the Art School, and the City of NY Cultural Affairs and Engagement Commission on November 11); 5 days in Mexico City on the annual girls trip, focused this year on Frida Kahlo; New York State (Columbia County) for the burial of my sister-in-law (a « green burial » in Rhinebeck NY; Thanksgiving ; the Book Launch Party in Oakland on December 4 ; and morew— we headed to Paris (and en route to Sofia, Bulgaria) for our pre-scheduled Christmas trip. It was not easy to finish Xmas shopping and packing, but we did it (sort of).

Flight was (fortunately) uneventful, but when we landed, somehow we got on the « all passport » line instead of the line that is for Brits, Americans, Canadians, Mexicans which moves very quickly. Our line was for passport holders from non-EU countries and not the four countried I just mentioned. I guess these other people needed visas or something and woulde re3quire more time. After not making any headway on our line, we decided to go all the way back to the beginning of the process and join that American/Brit, etc. line. Made it through very quickly once we did that. By then we were pretty exhausted and opted for a taxi instead of taking the train which is more our norm.

We arrived on a very grey, drizzly December afternoon. Haviing been to Paris many times, we opted to stay in the 9th arrondissement in Montmartre—an area we have never explored in depth. We’ll stay in Montmartre for four nights and then shift to the Saint Germain area where we have stayed numerous times. Anyway, we are at Hotel Rochechouart which looked better on the website than in person, but i twill be fine and is well located within the heart of the neighborhood. The building is from the 1920s and has a lovely Art Deco facade and an amazing rooftop (which in summer has a pretty buzzing bar) with views of both Sacre Couer and the Eifel Tower in the distance. Staff seems friendly and helpful, although when I asked if we could get BBC or any English news programs on the TV, the woman at the desk said «Perhaps this is a good time to practice your French ! »  My French is at about the first grade level, having taken it in high school for just one year. So, perhaps in a good way, we will not be exposed to any news (other than on the phone) for a few days. Mostly, the problem with the hotel is that the rooms are painted in fairly dark colors and they are a bit dreary. Then again, we have a little terrace with good views. Tomorrow we will explore Montmartre as we « hike » to Sacre Couer through the winding streets of the neighborhood.

The sun broke through the clouds at about 3 :00 and everything seemed to brighten, as people emerged on the streets and later Christmas lights seemed to appear everywhere. We walked to a little bistro-like restuarant called Le Bon Georges, a few blocks from our hotel, for our 10 :00 pm reservation (When in Paris, eat when the Parisiennes eat !) Turned out to be a wonderful restaurant with a lot of locals and a very friendly and accommodating staff. Reading menus in another language is always challenging as they have all these descriptive words that are hard to figure out.

We ordered a really nice Pinotage from South Africa along with two starters : foie gras which came with wonderful toasted fruit breads  (think apricots and raisins and almonds) and a delicate chutney on the side. The portion was huge. Given that it is illegal to sell foie gras in California (or so I believe) we decided to take advantage of the ease of getting it here in France. I don’t have any problem with the ban back home; in fact it made it ever more special to have it here. We followed that with a wonderful dressed green salad topped with (barely) hard-boiled eggs in a homemade mayonnaise.  For the main course we opted for the pork (cochon) which was served in a mustard sauce with tiny lentils. We just couldn’t pass on dessert so we had the famous Paris Brest with almond paste and way too much wonderful cream. (By the way, we almost ordered the duck which sounded great, but the waiter kept reminding us that sometimes you find small pellets in the duck because it is so fresh and the gunshot might still be in the duck.)

We strolled back to the hotel and will call it a night, but first we need to go on line to make our third valiant attmpt to get tickets/reservation to get into Notre Dame. You can only book reservations two days prior to your desired dates and the tickets open up at midnight for the subsequent two days. We had trouble doing this from the states because of the time differences. But now we hop ewe can make it work.

Success !  We have reservations to get inside Notre Dame on Sunday at 2 :00. Not sure how long you’re permitted to stay inside. Guess, since the renovation is so new and its holiday time, lots of people are trying to get inside. It’s free, but you need the reservation or you have to wait in very long lines.

By the waym the photos inclulde Mike looking at the wine « list » which is a giant book ; the view fromn our terrace, Le Bon Georges from the outside and inside, and Sacre Couer from the rooftop of our hotel at about midnight.

All the best— More about Montmartre tomorrow.

Fern