Oh to be in Paris! And now we are!

This will be the first of about three blogs on our 2014 visit to Paris.  We begin with our orientation in the 16th arrondissement and visiting old friends (landmarks) and current friends (people.)  This isn't a typical journal-type blog; we generally eat too much food and drink too much wine at dinner to write about our daily activities.  Also things have gone rather smoothly this trip, so we don't have any humorous yet pathetic tales of Paul and Danice once again overcoming adversity.

We Are Here
It's been a short four years since our last 3 week home exchange to Paris which we loved.  We had found ourselves sighing when we saw pictures or movies set in this beautiful city, so finally we are back.
Early September 26, we arrived on a beautiful day.  We got into our building, up to the 5th floor, abandoned our suitcases and wasted no time getting coffee and croissants on Avenue Paul Doumer, watching the morning street-scene.

Fortified but sleep-deprived and jet lagged, we set out for the essential chores of bringing in the groceries and obtaining a SIM card, and the tougher job of connecting Paul's phone to the Orange network.

 Our exchange home is a spacious, bright apartment in the 16th, the 5th floor of a Hausmann type building, with plumbing that makes deep groaning noises that would frighten small children ("there's a monster under the toilet - I heard him!") , but with modern conveniences and everything works.  There's some interesting art work; Paul discovered he shares an interest in Piranesi with our host.  Here is Danice enjoying a salad and fresh baguette prepared by Paul.

The weather was perfect for our first week, mid 70's F, blue skies.  We explored the western side of Paris first, revisiting the beautiful Musee Marmottan, filled with Monet's and his friend's work, then we set out through the Bois de Bologne to the north in search of a new Frank Gehry designed building for the Louis Vuitton Foundation to house Louis' art collection.  From a distance it looks like a giant ship with billowing sails.

Unfortunately the opening is October 18, a few days after we leave, but we were able to view the building fairly well from outside despite barriers and many security guards.

All Over Paris finding old favorites
Paul was so crazy mad to be out of doors on these perfect days that we walked about 12-15 thousand steps daily (if his pedometer can be believed.) We visited many old Paris friends; good to see they've stuck around in our absence.

Eiffel Tower from Trocadero (over man's shoulder)

Ditto -(over woman's shoulder)

Flash dance with unsuspecting bride and groom at Trocadero

Branley Museum

Tuileries

Tuileries

Notre Dame from Petit Pont 

Seine from Pont des Arts. The graffiti is on boards covering up the wire fence where couples place locks throwing the keys onto the river representing their undying love. The problem is the number of locks puts a strain on the wire fence, causing it to collapse as evidenced below.  The city has put up signs to discourage more locks being placed on any of the wire fences, but there are vendors on bridges selling locks and young love is not to be denied.

Luxembourg Gardens

Impromptu Picnic in Luxembourg Garden

What have they done to the Place de Concord? 

Parc Monceau

Arc de Triomphe

Paul had worried about his bum ankle, but so far so good, and he's nearly unstoppable. Danice had her city and Metro maps ready and was always eager to show him the shortest route home when she was unable to walk much further.  Generally though, a lovely bar serving espresso, beer or wine popped up just when needed.  Paris is great that way.  

Meeting Up With Friends!
We met for Sunday lunch with a friend from Paul's SF Men's Group, Giorgio and his wife Shelly Sorani. We met at the Bastille Market then they took us to a butcher shop with a little restaurant in the 12th serving great meat dishes, Les Provinces.  We were asked to wait and so went around the corner to share a dozen oysters while standing on the sidewalk.  Good thing, as the 15 min. wait turned into almost an hour. We were all eyeing the table for four we thought would be ours, willing the people to leave.  When they finally left, the waiter ushered to the table a group of five that we thought had just arrived.  Giorgio, Shelly and Danice dashed in to protest.  Danice backed off realizing Giorgio and Shelly spoke the language and had it well under control. It was a relief for Danice to find Shelly at least as assertive as she is.  It turned out the other group had waited an hour, and we soon got the next table.  The meat dishes were delicious for carnivores, but not enough veggies for Danice.

Paul found a Paris blog from old friends Shelly and Gene Oreck, and we realized they were living in Paris for a few more months - just off Boulevard Saint Germain on Rue du Dragon.  They graciously invited us to their large friendly apartment for drinks.  They've been living here part of the year for many years since retiring and speak fluent french.  They gave us all kinds of restaurant tips and we compared notes on museum exhibits.
Mostly we enjoy exploring cities like Paris with just one another, but it's a wonderful bonus to meet up with good people you know and enjoy.

This is enough for now.  Our next blog will be about Museums. Maybe another one on restaurants, another favorite pass-time in Paris.