Busy Last Days in Paris

Dear Friends and Family, We have been on the go and, thus, the blogging suffers. It is the same in Paris as it is at home, as the last days dwindle down, the calendar fills up. We met our dear friends, Genévieve and Christian for lunch on Wednesday. We met them at the base of the rue de Mouffetard, the famous market street. We had to meet them, of course, in front of Genévieve’s church of the same name: Saint-Genévueve

From there, we drifted up the street and looked over all the stalls, stopping here and there. Christian is a master at chatting up the local vendors. He is absolutely delightful. We then had a lovely lunch at a little out-of-the-way restaurant, simply called Le RESTO. Christian and Genévieve know more fascinating places to eat. That is the joy of being with the locals. It was a lovely meal, perfectly served and hosted by such pleasant people. We continued up the rue de Mouffetard a bit longer and then jumped in the car and enjoyed a bit of Genévieve’s famous racecar style driving through the streets of Paris and returned to her apartment for a brief rest. Then it was on to an art opening of a friend of hers, Alain Roll. He apparently is quite famous and as his pieces were priced at about 10,000 euros, he must have some sort of reputation. We, however, were less than impressed. I may not know art, but I know what I like. It was a long day as Genévieve dropped us off in our hood for a short walk to our apartment. Thursday it was more of the same. Polley and I started off with a really “Grande Crème before meeting them.

Then is was on to the Marais district of Paris. We met them at the Carnavalet Museum around 3 pm.

This museum is about the history of Paris through art and furnishings. We wandered through it for far too long. As Genévive admitted, by the time we were done, we had “overdosed.” I did managed to capture Christian as he dreamt of being Napolean

And as we wandered the streets, caught Polley and Genévive in front a very fashionable Perfumery

We also stopped for some wine and had the most delightful waiter. When I ordered a beer, I emphasiszed the fact that I wanted just a “petite Biere.” That is what he brought me

This little café was just across the street from the house of Victor Hugo

It was a most attractive and very pricey part of Paris. However, the day was still not over. We went back to Genévive’s apartment for another break and then on to dinner. We went to a place called Chez Trassoudaine. It was marvelous. It is run by two brothers, one on the left is the chef and the other, the host.

Great guys with good English and a real love of America. The one had just gotten back from Utah, Colorado, etc. Has heard many good things about Portland and has put it on his list for next time. The food was wonderful. They import meat from Argentina and it is something very special. However, mostly it was just the personalities of the two fellows. Great guys and a great evening. However, between the museum, the beers, the dinner, including Cassis, wine and Calvados, we were done in. Genévieve poured us into a Metro stop and we fell into bed about 1 am. Exhausted! Yesterday was a break. We wandered a bit in the Montmartre area, but never strayed too far from home. We had a nice meal at a Thai restaurant just around the corner. We have just about had it on French traditional meals. A change was called for and it was most welcomed. At this point, I think I have one more brief blog in me. I keep promising pictures of the apartment. I will get those done and send them on. Besides that, I think I am signing off as we will be home on Tuesday. We see Karl Wetzel and his wife for lunch on Monday. They are in Paris and we are getting together at Le Resto for lunch. Then it will be packing and catching a cab at 7:45 am on Tuesday, 16 Octobre. We are ready for some time in Portland!

Sorry, Tough to Keep Up

Dear Friends and Family, We have arrived in Paris. Sorry for not responding immediately, but, frankly, we are tired. Polley has picked up some sort of sinus infection and has been coughing here brains out each morning. It has been a long trip and getting the energy for our time in Paris seems a challenge. All on our travels to Lyon went smoothly. We stayed right near the train station and caught a cab to the station for our 10 am (Monday) TGV fast train to Paris. Arrived right on time. I will admit that the years are taking their toll as we wheeled and dragged our bags from Coach number 16 all the way to the front of the train; pretty exhausting. We caught a cab and after about half an hour, the cabbie found our place. It is a 4th floor walk up. I will save the visuals for another blog. It is very tiny. We thought our place in Lyon was small and, thus, referred to it as the “Mouse Hole.” This place is even smaller and now have come to realize that Lyon was the “Rat Hole,” and this is the “Mouse Hole.” Actually, Polley refers to it as the “Ass Hole,” but she always did have a way with words! There is a nice restaurant/café right next to our place which sits on a square in the heart of Monmartre. This, in fact, is a view down the street from the café.

We also found a charming little restaurant near our place. It was very French except for a table of about 10 Americans right next to us. Oh, to eavesdrop in any language but your own. Tuesday morning I did get a walk in. Monmartre is very hilly, so I soon realized that my time walking in Puy L’Eveque was actually training for living for a week in the Monmartre and having a fourth floor walk-up. As I headed out to explore, I did find this modest little church in our neighborhood

Opposite the Basilica of Sacre Coeur was this slightly foggy view of the rest of Paris

I headed down the hill to a major thoroughfare and very soon came across the famous Moulin Rouge

I also passed the Cemetery of Monmartre

In all it was a good walk. Following that Polley and I headed for Rue de Rivoli, the famous extended shopping street near the Louvre. In my efforts to travel lightly, I have brought one pair of long pants, which I failed to recognize were beginning to wear through at the knees. Polley felt this would not do for Paris, so we tracked down a new pair. We sat on the sidewalk for a glass of wine before heading back to lunch and a bit of rest. The evening was a simple dinner at the café below us. The weather had been cool, but despite that, we did manage to sit out and have a couple of glasses of wine, some soup and a salad. We were both pretty wiped out upon our return, all of about 100 feet and 54 steps to the fourth floor. I think a bit of the glamor of Paris lost after 9 weeks on the road. A visit to our apartment tomorrow.

Sorry! A Bit Out of Touch

Dear Friends and Family, Apologies to all for being a bit out of touch for the last couple of days. Traveling days are hard. Friday was the last night in Puy L’Eveque. We had a kind of nice night the last evening. We returned to a restaurant we had discovered because another was closed. It is La Vigne Haute (The High Vineyard or something like that). It is in the lovely little village of Castelfranc, about 20 minutes from Ann’s. Sadly, dinner was not quite as good as the first time we tried it, but afterwards we met Ann at our little wine bar, L’Astrolab. We wanted to say goodbye to Charlotte who had been so nice to us for the last 3 weeks. We met Ann there to experience what Charlotte called “A Meter.” This is a ne meter long board with 10 shot glasses all filled with their own personally flavored vodkas. We certainly needed Ann’s Assistance. The vodkas were flavored with things like caramel, nutella, basil, violet, etc. They were surprisingly good. So with a bit of a light head, we sadly bid adieu to Charlotte and Yano her husband. Very nice people and I wish them the best in their new venture. Earlier Friday, we went to the marché at Prayssac, just down the road. Met Ann and some other Brits for coffee before head up to lunch with Michael and Eileen, some very nice English people that Ann had had to dinner earlier in our stay.

The day was positively beautiful and we enjoyed their lovely property, complete with a newly installed fish pond and their own frog

We had a wonderful meal outside and enjoyed the lively conversation, something you always get with Michael and Eileen. Saturday was an even sadder leaving. It is so hard to leave Poujoulou. Ann is such a wonderful hostess and we enjoy the setting and the company. Polley and I were both feeling pangs of regret about going away. However, the train to Paris is awaiting. We drove for quite a long day on Saturday, finally getting to a lovely town, called Le Puy-en-Velay. It is an amazing place in terms of the topography. Great churches and castles on great jutting rock. Unfortunately, it was getting dark and I could not capture the place, but Polley and I agree we must return. After struggling to find the hotel, we briefly unpacked and head to the center of the town for dinner. The square is delightful as you sit there surrounded by these wonderfully painted buildings

Each one is a different color and the shutter and trim are unique to each as well

It was a cloudy, but very mild evening so Polley and I just sat there and closed the café down

Then it was on to dinner at a place recommended by the hotel: À L’Ecu D’Or (names after an ancient gold French coin. It was a cave-like place with these sort of Renaissance murals on the wall of the cave.

The meal was excellent as we had a potato pate and a main course of potatoes (again), a wonderful roasted red pepper mousse, and a very nice piece of beef. It was a real find. Then it was home to prepare for another day in the car. About 9:30, we left Le Puy-en-Velay and headed for Lyon where we needed to return the car. It was a relatively short trip, just a couple of hours. Of course, as always, the trick was once in the city, finding the hotel. First, we had a detour that threw our original plans out the back window, and then, despite having been there before, maneuvering the endless one-way streets proved a challenge. As my brother would say, “We knew we had the sum-of-bitch surrounded, but couldn’t quite get there. Finally, be ignoring a Do Not Enter sign, we arrived! We dumped off the luggage and I drove another 5 blocks to return the car. There is always a very warm, runny feeling when you have gotten the responsibility of car out of your hands. I will not have to drive myself for the remainder of the trip. Oh, praise the Lord! We had to wait for our room for a couple of hours so we walked down to the train station about 5 blocks away and had a bit of lunch and watched the train station crowd. Always interesting to say the least. Once in the room and a short nap we wanted to bit of dinner. Sunday evenings in France: Good Luck. We wandered and wandered and found nothing open. The French had the big meal in the early afternoon on Sundays and then close down. Thank God for the Muslims! We finally found a little kebab joint and stuffed ourselves with lamb and frites. Back to the hotel to prepare for Paris. It is now about 7 am Monday morning and we are up, of course and getting ready for our 10 am fast train to Paris. More from there.

A Bit of Shopping

Dear Friends and Family, It is Thursday morning, 4 October, and we are beginning to think seriously about moving on. We will leave Puy L’Eveque on Saturday and travel for about 5 hours and spend the night in a little place we passed through on our way to Mende and on the Montpellier, the village of Le Puy-en-Velay. It was a sort of bustling place with the most amazing rock formation. Because of traffic, I was unable to stop and get any pictures, so I thought it might be nice to return. Polley and I are planning to have our hostess, Ann, to dinner at our place tonight. For the last couple of days we have been putting the menu together. Tuesday we went to the amazing chocolate place again, to pick up a few things for the dessert tonight. We also got a couple of things to tide us over until Thursday evening. From there we went on another 25 kilometers or so to the quite sizeable town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot (meaning the town of Villeneuve on the Lot River). We had spent an afternoon their a couple of years ago and liked the feel. We didn’t really do much, but we did sit and watch the lunchtime crowd bustle about and, of course, had a little wine

Tuesday evening we took Ann to one of our favorite restaurants, La Récreation. It is in a tiny little village and sits in the old, abandoned schoolhouse. It is one of those places that you don’t go to every night, but just for special occasions. It is a prix-fixe menu (4 courses) at 35 euros. It is now under new ownership and Polley and I had to confess to each other, that while it is good, it has lost something both in terms of food and atmosphere. It was a bit of a disappointment. Too bad! Wednesday morning we were up bright and early as Ann offered to take us into Cahors, the main town, about 30 kilometers away. It is a charming city and am sorry that we have not given it more attention. There are some wonderful old buildings

That sort of reveal themselves as a kind of surprise as you pass from one narrow alleyway to another

We enjoyed a Grande Crème in a local café and wandered past one of several churches in the town

Polley and Ann did some shopping and Polley got yet another scarf and a very cool wool jacket. Ann bought me a wonderful neon yellow scarf to go with my lime green walking cap. I will try to get a picture in the near future. We found a quite wonderful dog fountain

And an amazing clock

That works on the pin-ball principle. Balls roll down and move along

and become the momentum for the hands of the clock. While it had been cloudy on the drive over, the sun eventually made its way out and we took advantage of that to wander down to the Lot River which runs through the town

After a lovely lunch on the main street, Ann took us by the scenic route home and we were fortunate enough to see one of the grape harvesting machines in action. The vines have been loaded every since we arrived and we kept anticipating the harvest would begin. Yesterday, with warm conditions, it seems to have gotten underway. The tractor pulls the harvesting machine down the vines

And the machine has some sort of soft, combed cylinders that gently shake the grapes from the vine.

It is quite quick and seems very effective. Apparently for some of the higher-end wines, they are still picked by hand. But with the acres and acres of vineyards, that much have been a huge effort that now has given way to a more efficient method. Quite fascinating and we stood and watch this farmer for nearly half an hour as he made his way up one string of vines and down another. It was a long day and Polley and I found ourselves worn out. We did a bit of shopping for tonight’s dinner, grabbed a quick meal at the wine bar and turned in. Just two more days in Puy L’Eveque.

A Last Easy Weekend in Puy L’Eveque

Dear Friends and Family, This last weekend was very relaxing. We created a kind of routine tht seemed suited to the weather and our desire to luxuriate in Puy L’Eveque for this last weekend before heading back to Lyon and on to Paris. Saturday we spent the day inside mostly as we did get some rain, actually quite hard for a while. It was a very wet walk. Saturday evening we thought we would return to the little bar in Luzech that we had discovered the day Polley had her hair cut. It is about a 30 minute drive. So we headed out only to find it was closed! The French restaurant hours are very strange. Why they were closed on a Saturday night, I an’t imagine. However, we are beginning to notice that many of the French dependent on tourist business are using late September and early October for their vacation. So, that may explain our little bar sitting in darkness. So, we headed back. On our way to Luzech, we had passed a curious little restaurant in the village of Castelfranc. We thought, why not try it. Set in the ground floor living room of a home, I will admit that at first I was a little intimidated. It was quite fancy in a simple sort of way, with only about 6 or 7 tables. It was full, except for one table for two. Perfect. We ordered an appetizer and an entrée to share. Polley had ordered the smoked salmon on toast and I had a filet of duck. This restaurant was a two person operation, Eric and Olga. The special feature of the place was that Eric grilled all the offerings on a briquette barbecue grill set into the fire place right in the dining room. Meanwhile, in the back kitchen, Olga fixes the plates with frites and salad. When the meant is done, Eric carries it back to the kitchen to waiting plates and “Voila!” And the food was fabulous! Polley’s salmon and salad were perfectly flavored as was the duck. But the “Piéce de Resistence,” were the frites. Perhaps the best French fries I have ever eaten. They were season with a fleur de sel and what appeared to be parsley. Amazing. We will return before our time here ends. Following dinner, we went to a kind of grand opening celebration at our little wine bar. It was a private party and they were nice enough to include us. We mostly just sat and watched the activity,

But were very pleased to have made enough of an impression to be a part of late-night, hip French partying. Sunday we returned to Montcuq for the Sunday marché. We just enjoy the atmosphere of this little village. This Sunday a sort of gypsy/busker band came marching through the village, playing music, accordion, saxophone, tuba and drum. It almost appeared that as part of their alternative approach to life, they chose the 4 most annoying instruments. The leader of the pack, as one point, climbed the village “Statue of Libèrté” and did a handstand.

The other members also could do various types of gymnastics

Along with juggling etc. It was great fun and with the sun coming out, we sat in a little sidewalk café for the better part of an hour. Polley also found the perfect scarf for a new outfit. Sunday evening, Ann had us to dinner along with an English couple that we have met before and have enjoyed, Michael and Eileen. They two love to travel and had just returned from Spain. They also caught all of us up on the latest area gossip and had us in stitches over some of the characters in the community. It was after midnight when we brought things to a close. On Monday, in our tradition of trying to visit a few of the local and often overlooked villages, we made our way to Villefranche du Perigord. It is about 25 minutes from us and has a most charming main street. As we came up from the parking lot, we faced the village church

And continued on down the main street to the market square

And on our way back I was taken with this cute little house on the main street

After a little wine at Le Gouter de Charlotte, listening to the most annoying British woman who seemed to be in performance mode at the next table, we escaped for lunch and a bit of a siesta. Wanting to make it a short evening after a busy weekend, we returned to the wine bar for some tapas and caught a lovely sunset

It was a very nice and varied three days, with expectations of some good times in our last week.

A Day Out, Continued

Dear Friends and Family, When I last wrote, I was relating the experiences on our day out last Friday. After touring the Josephine Baker house and having a lovely lunch in the sunshine (amazing how many others chose the shade on such a beautiful day, at a time of the year when sunshine is becoming rarer), we strolled the ground of the Chateau de Milandes. And most surprisingly, we came across some birds of prey, mostly some lovely owls

In addition to this fellow and some others, there was a rare white owl

They were magnificient birds, but the best thing about them was how close up you could get. These birds seemed to enjoy the company of people. So often, the birds at the zoo are tucked in some back corner. Here the cages were relatively small and you could get up close. The most impressive of the birds was the Eagle

There were actually a couple of them and, as you can see, there was no screen between us and the bird. They were, instead, chained. This allowed us to get a nice clear shot of each of them. After some more strolling, we bid adieu to this most wonderful of places.

I know that I shall return to the States and look into more about Josephine Baker and perhaps get a CD or two. From there, is was back into the car for a short drive the very nice village of Belvès. We got out of the car just took a short walk through the town. It had a lovely church

And a lovely main street that looked down over the valley

From there, just out of the village, we stopped at preserved spinning mill, used up until the 1990s for carding and spinning the wool of the area for blankets, and the stuffing of mattresses. It was fascinating to tour the old factory

Just the ingenuity to arrive at these complex machines that did the work that was for so long done by hand. Currently, there was also a exhibition of fabric designs made from felt. They were absolutely beautiful and took felt to a whole new dimension

So many of them had a wonderful lacey quality that I didn’t realize was even possible

After following the colored footsteps through the factory and the exhibit, we again took advantage of the lovely weather and strolled their garden and wetland preserve.

It was so peaceful and, while it was still relatively new, it had begun to draw birds, butterflies, dragonflies and other native species of the area. A tour of their gift shop and a new wool sweater for me and we headed home, tired, but also enriched by the new discoveries Ann had revealed. It is one of the real joys of coming to Ann’s. She knows every féte, every marché, every restaurant and village. Any time with her is always a peek further into French village life.

A Lovely Day Out

Dear Friends and Family, Not busy and a bit busy, that is life here in Puy L’Eveque. This morning we are actually down to one week here before making our way back to Lyon and on to Paris. Thursday was a kind of quiet day. Ann was out all day and the weather was cool. We did manage a drive back out to Libos where there is a very nice Marché that featured quite a number of clothing vendors. Polley was still looking to increase her inventory of warm clothes as the weather continues to cool here and will, doubtless, be cooler in Paris. Dressing for such different climates (Greece, Crete) and over such a period of time (August-October) proved to be a challenge. Consequently, we packed rather light, concentrating on warm weather gear, feeling that we could pick up some warmer clothing along the way; that is now the focus. So we had a lovely morning in Libos. Polley found a very nice black, wool sweater for 4 euro. She, of course, later discovered that every bargain has its price, because when she wore it that evening, it itched like crazy! She also found another bargain top, although this one required 10 euro. She also got some socks and we bargained for 12 emory boards! Anyway, it was a very nice morning and you do find that you must use your French in the marketplaces and it is good practice. We stopped at a little bistro/brasserie for some wine and I took a photo of this this quirky little fountain, with the figures seemingly ducking to avoid the water.

On our way back home, at Ann’s recommendation, we stopped at this amazing chocolate shop. Very fancy concoctions, along with this chocolate sculpture.

I apparently had underestimated the erotic power of chocolate. We picked up a couple delicacies and retired for lunch and, of course, siesta That evening we retired to our little wine bar to watch the sun set on the River Lot.

Following the wine bar, we tried another Puy L’Eveque restraurant, Le Medievale. It is right on the main street (La Grande Rue). It was a very quiet evening inside. Only another man and Polley and I. The food was good, however. We had a nice salad and shared an entrée of a moroue (a kind of very tender cod) that was swimming in olive oil, along with a side of ratatouille. Very satisfying and not huge portions. We returned home to find the cats making the most of our home

Friday was a day for an outing with Ann. About 9:30 in the morning we headed for the Dordogne region which is just north of Ann. We stopped and had a coffee in a lovely little village and as we drove passed chateau after chateau

before heading to the former home (Chateau de Milandes) of famous chantreuse, Josephine Baker. While I knew the name of Ms. Baker, I didn’t know very much about her. She was born in St. Louis in 1906, but achieved her stardom in France, eventually being a headliner at the Folies de Bergère. She performed for more than 50 years, dying in virtual poverty in 1975, while doing a 50th anniversary tour. It is quite a place.

While the chateau is now privately owned, they have brought back as many souvenirs of the performer as possible. The place was filled with show posters, private correspondences, costumes and other personal belongings that traced to history of this famous performer. Unfortunately, no photographs were allowed, but as we walked through the private quarters, there were recordings of her as a singer and in private interviews. It is a fascinating showplace.

The chateau, as you might expect, sits on beautiful grounds

From which you can see the whole Dordogne valley

And there is a private chapel that is yet to be restored.

It also has a very good café. As the day was beautiful, Ann, Polley and I had a delicious lunch in the gardens

And, of course, no trip to such a place would be complete without browsing the gift shop. With the sun shining I managed to capture Ann and Polley coming out without having spent a euro!

It was a lovely morning and early afternoon.

But it was not the end of the day and I will continue more tomorrow.