In Paris during the last weeks of winter, and into early spring the weather is usually pretty gray and threatening to rain at any minute. But, last Saturday was dry and I wanted to run some errands.
The debate is always, drive or ride the train. For me, if I never drove again, that would be alright. That it is necessary to drive everywhere in most of the US is an indication of poor vision and horrible community planning. It also is an indication of our age. As we get older, and can't drive... we will think about alternative methods of getting around.
So, anyway, Pat always wants to drive. Now, it is a 35 minute train ride, with a 10 minute walk on both ends. Or an hour and a half drive. We drove. The other irony of driving is that parking is astronomically expensive in Paris, unless you find a spot on the street, where you risk, no make that guarantee, some kind of minor damage to the car. However, that's very unlikely because finding a spot is next to impossible. We parked in a garage after about a 15 minute search.
The really cool part about the parking garages are the unique and creative use of space. On this Sat. we found a garage that was about 6 floors deep, and held only about 10 cars per floor. Why? because there was a huge elevator in the middle of each floor to take the car up and out of the building. It was old as old, but was really cool. And Pat rode the elevator down to put the suitcase in the trunk so he saw how everything was shoe-horned into their spots.
Then there's the other reason I think it's silly to drive -- you don't ever stay in just one spot in Paris. So, for instance, on this Saturday, we wanted to pick up suitcase that had been repaired, and I wanted to go to Le Grand Epicerie at Bon Marché. Two different parts of town. So... after we parked the car, picked up the empty suitcase, put it in the trunk of the car, and then had lunch "we were free to move about Paris using the Metro." I love it.
The day was actually very nice. Our lunch in the Passage Brady, the mecca for Indian food, was fabulous. Our walk around Paris, seeing Bon Marché and then over to the Sorbonne for TinTin books, was so interesting. It was the first really warm day in a couple of weeks, the spring vacation had just started and there were people every where.
We went to Notre Dame to purchase a medal for a little friend of a friend and on the plaza in front of Notre Dame was about 100 people with signs that said "free hugs." Really, in english and in french, all hugging each other. Kind of crazy, but it is the city of love, after all.
Notre Dame at 5:00 pm was packed and there was a really long line to get in, so we didn't, but we walked around and listened to the jazz, and looked at the amazing architecture. I talked Pat into heading underground to see the archaeological Crypt under the Parvis of Notre Dame. There are Gallo Roman ruins that detail the foundations of the previous tenants of Paris. It was uncovered during excavation for a parking garage. They even found a cool little bronze statue that probably dates to the 2nd or 3rd century.
After strolling around underground for an hour or so, we headed back to St. Michel looking for a Guinness. We ended up at a Canadian Sports Bar that overlooks the Seine, and it was all kind of surreal, so we thought we would head home...
We took the Metro to the car, and pulled out the GPS to help us get out of Paris towards where we knew there was "degustation" for wines (another good reason to take the train). After about 45 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic, and the knowledge that we would miss the wine tasting, we tried turning down a side street --- whoops, not that one, now we have to back out!! --- and after our second attempt found ourselves in the Marais. Sure, the best part of Paris, in my opinion.
Well we needed a parking place...but there it was!!! and it was long enough, and deep enough and conveniently located. Life is Good. We walked around a bit, looking at some amazing Chinese ceremonial masks, and several windows with Paris fashions, and found a little restaurant for dinner. Somewhere along the way we had had café au lait, so I wasn't that hungry, and so I ordered the asparagus appetizer for my dinner. IT WAS AMAZING. There was just a little citrus flavored creamy dressing drizzled over 6 asparagus stalks on a bed of bibb lettuce. There might have been a little shaved hard cheese, too...
Pat's dinner was good he said, roasted chicken, but not as good as the meal he had had at Leba and Dad's the week before. However, we ordered dessert... Just one, to share. Gateaux au Chocolat avec glace(Chocolate cake with ice cream). Now mind you, this was no normal chocolate cake. The icing looked like black fudge and the cake looked like a normal dark chocolate cake --- but when you took a bite, it literally melted in your mouth. I think it was magic.
High on cake, we left the restaurant and headed for the car. It was right where we left it, with nary a scratch, and the ride home was fairly uneventful, and a lot quicker and more comfortable than riding the train home.
