Back in Paris

 

 

Back in Paris 

and it's been cool and rainy here. 

But nice to get some distance from the ad nauseam of US politics.

I've sent my guy down to the South of France

to help a friend look for real estate investments.

Looking at property is one of his favorite things to do

and they get some fun together which usually means eating much good food.

 I'm making the quiet time into a needed writing and reading retreat. 

Though most of my time has been spent sending out queries, also needed.  

 

 

 

Am including a few photos of one of my favorite buildings in the 15th,

the Art Nouveau gem by Jules Lavirotte built between 1899 and 1901.

I have to make a trip by it on every visit. 

 

 

 

 

 

To see a full blog post and more photos on the building,

click here:

Avenue Rapp

 

Below are a couple of another of his buildings 

just around the corner on Square Rapp.  

 

 

 

 

Nice to be back on this forum after too much time away.

Wishing all a colorful and peaceful fall! 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

La Baguette Machines

My niece sent me this photo from a tiny village

near Bar le Duc in the Meuse area of France. 

It feels like a sign of the times. 

I thought maybe it was due to Covid 

but another friend saw my post about it on Instagram

and sent me this NYTimes article .  

Bakeries in France are closing at a sadly rapid rate

particularly in small villages. 

Young people aren't interested in the work's long hours

and many people are no longer eating as much bread. 

And when the boulangerie closes and people have to go elsewhere to shop for their bread, 

often the butcher (boucherie) or caterer (traiteur) next to them must close as well. 

As much as I hate this change, 

If I was in a hurry and had to drive miles to another village to buy bread

and one of these was within walking distance of my house,

guess where I'd sometimes get my bread. 

But also probably try to make sure I made errands in the next village 

and stopped at their bakery as often as possible. 

So many changes these days.

Another version of the Buy Locally idea. 

Have you shopped at your little neighborhood market lately?! 

(Photo credit: Victoria Delon)

 

Paris Writing Spot... and Reopening

What a difference a few months make! 

Global Pandemic! Civil Rights Movement! Rioting in the streets. 

It's a whole new world. 

And all leading up to the election of our lifetimes. 

Time for a short Paris break! 

It looks like Paris is starting to open up. 

With fewer cases, Macron is easing restrictions on cafes and restaurants,

including travel bans from European countries.

Schools will open next week. 

My last post was a photo of a place I wrote in the Pacific Northwest. 

This photo is a place I've spent time writing in Paris. 

Just across the Champ de Mars from us near the Eiffel Tower,

it's a cafe/resto of the same name,

Le Champ de Mars.

This photo seemed appropriate for the opening of restaurants and bars. 

I also just realized that it was on this date in 2004,

that we began our year off to live in Paris. 

What an adventure that was! 

So the big news from here

is that I am finally querying New York literary agents 

with my novel. Wish me luck!

And in the meantime, during the lock down here, 

I've been taking more online writing classes, journal writing,

more cooking, and thinking about the next book in the series. 

We were supposed to be in Paris (and Greece) this spring

but the pandemic and travel bans put a halt to that. 

So I'm trying to make good use of my time

but oh how I wish I was sitting at a cafe

writing and people watching 

in the City of Light!

Hopefully soon!

Hope you are healthy and well!

It's a painful, excruciating time.

It's a time of loss but also of growth and soul stretching....

which are all painful. 

But good things come from seeds underground. 

May you find exactly what you need.  

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Pour Toi France

Just a quick photo today for Missing Paris Day 

which has been absent for a bit.

This memorial happens to be in the Passy Cemetery 

in the 16th arrondissement but

most little villages in France 

have one of these somewhere along the road 

memorializing the villagers lost to the 

"Great War." 

Most churches in France, 

somewhere within,

have a list of names of the lost souls 

inscribed on its walls

with the dates 1914-1918.

Inevitably, on these walls

we usually find The Chef's family name

often with a slight variation of letters. 

When you see these memorials 

standing alone on the side of the road 

at the entrance to a small village, 

often with a little pot of flowers,

it evokes a sweetness but mostly a sadness. 

Yesterday, July 28th in the year 1914

marked the beginning of "The War to End All Wars."

Would that it were so. 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Grenelle Market in the 15th

I can never get away from Paris 

without taking some photos of our 

fabulous Grenelle Market.

It's our favorite...

partly because it's close to home 

but also because it's large (several blocks long)

and runs under the metro so somewhat protected from the weather. 

And they tend to have a large array of fresh or cooked things to choose from. 

There are always colorful flowers in any season.

Fresh produce and dairy all times of the year

sometimes coming from nearby countries.

And containers filled with plenty of exquisite seafood. 

While I don't do much dairy anymore

I can't miss the cheese when in France. 

It is magnificent

even just to look at. 

I love the Christmas colors of these cheeses 

during the holidays. 

We didn't have as much time as we wanted this visit

to just wander through and people-watch.

We were usually in a hurry and on a mission.

But however you do it, 

it is a gift and a feast 

any way you look at it. 

Hope you enjoyed this Walk in Paris today. 

For more photos of the Grenelle Market,

Click HERE and HERE.

Grenelle Marché

Every Wed and Sun 7am-2pm

Boulevard de Grenelle under the #6 Metro Line

between stops LaMotte Picquet and Dupleix

(All photos copyright: Kirsten Steen

Please do not reproduce)

Restaurants in the 15th Arrondissement

One thing about visiting Paris during the holiday season

is the inevitable restaurant closures in our neighborhood. 

So this visit we returned to a place we haven't been in far too long:

Restaurant de la Tour.

Located close to the Tour Eiffel

(thus the name)

it is owned and run by Chef Cedric Robert

and his wife Carine Robert. 

We went for their lovely New Year's Eve dinner

and to say hello after too long away.

One of my favorite things in Paris is Foie Gras.

I know I shouldn't love it but...

can't help myself. 

We devoured our main courses. 

Not even time for pictures.

And the desserts were as divine as they looked. 

With one of the restaurants we wanted to go being closed,

we finally tried a small bistro close to home for lunch

that we've spent years walking past. 

The Bistro Dupleix is just steps from us

and, while basic traditional French food,

served a perfectly delicious lunch. 

Gotta love the French's idea of a salad,

like this one covered with potatoes, ham, egg and cheese. 

And there's nothing better than sitting and watching 

the French world go by. 

Restaurant de la Tour

6, rue Desaix

75015 Paris

+33 1. 43.06.04.24

Bistro Dupleix

62, Blvd de Grenelle

75015 Paris

+33 1.45.77.24.96

(All Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Eiffel Tower from the Seine

Walking along the Pont de Bir Hakeim (bridge) in Paris 

on the blog today to give you an idea of the neighborhood. 

More night photos!

At not quite the middle of the bridge stands this statue

which I only realized recently was a likeness of Joan of Arc. 

I have a whole new respect! 

The bridge itself runs across the Seine

 from the 15th arrondissement to the 16th,

from the Bir Hakeim metro stop to Passy on the 6 line

which runs over the top of the bridge. 

The statue sits on a small pullout from the bridge

where people often gather to stare at the Eiffel Tower 

and often sip something of their choice

(as evidenced by the empty bottles we frequently find left behind). 

We have on occasion brought guests here

with a bottle of bubbly and glasses

to watch the tower sparkle

as we sparkle. 

(We take our bottle with us!)

From here you can walk along the Seine and the boats

all with a view of the tower. 

I love these boats which are often rented

but I especially love them in the summertime

when people sit out on the decks

in the warm evenings

 sipping wine and eating

while they talk softly and enjoy the view. 

The Pont d'Iena (next bridge over) connects the Eiffel Tower to the Trocadero. 

In the early 1800's, Napoleon wanted a bridge to overlook his Ecole Militaire

(Military School and his offices) located on the other end of the Champ de Mars. 

So from 1808-1814, he had this bridge built and named after

one of his battle victories: The battle of Jena

(apparently the American spelling).

The stairs from the bridge to the river 

are called the Renault Stairs

where James Bond (Roger Moore)

drove a Renault 11 down the stairs in pursuit of an assassin

in the film A View to a Kill.

Christmas in full form 

on the river below the tower. 

I loved the colors here against the fog. 

And the tower doing its sparkly thing.

Hope you've enjoyed this little walk

along a small part of the Seine in Paris. 

Back next time with more of Paris!

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen

Please do not reproduce

Bridge info via: Wiki)

Holidays in Paris

Back to share a few photos of our recent visit to Paris 

over the holidays. 

Above is the department store BHV 

(pronounced Bay-Osh-Vay).

When we lived in Paris for a year,

we rode the metro down here to the Hotel de Ville stop on the 1 line

every single time we needed something for the apartment. 

They have an entire (basement) floor dedicated to hardware and maintenance. 

Now we have a Castorama right in our hood

so when we need something, we only need to walk a couple of blocks. 

Much less expensive too!

For some reason, 

I never truly feel like I've fully arrived in Paris

until I get myself down to the island, 

the place Paris began, 

the oldest section.

And walk in steps others have tread for centuries. 

Pictures are no longer allowed inside 

Shakespeare and Company

so I can only share outdoor photos now

(though I did sneak a few some years back HERE.) 

Loved this quote from Leonard Cohen outside the store. 

And I usually take this pic because I love this shot of Notre Dame 

behind the bicycles that are ALWAYS parked here. 

And of course

the iconic shot of the Eiffel Tower. 

Will be back next time with a few more of the tower

from our bridge on the river. 

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday

and New Year! 

HAPPY 2019!!

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)