Saturday
With my days numbered in Paris, I decided to explore a little on a rainy Saturday. I took the #3 Metro to the "sentier" station with 4 cookware stores as my destination. I was elated to see the scene on the right as I emerged from the Metro stairs. The rain had given way to a crisp blue day. Parfait!
The cookware stores allow LCB students a 10% discount with the school ID, so I was armed and ready to buy. 3 of these stores are on Rue Montmartre. My first stop was a no frills but as it turned out, one of my favorite stores called A. Simon . The store was basic, not very big, but had some very nice cookware mostly aimed at baking. I roamed around a bit and finally left empty handed waiting to see all the stores before buying anything.
Next I went to the famous and very touristy La Bovida. I ran into 2 very rude American couples here and cringed at their behavior. If my French was better I would have apologized to the employees. The store is very nice filled with upscale products showcased like a William-Sonoma.
The 3rd on Rue Montmartre was anther touristy store called Mora. Once again nice, lots of glitz and glamour. There was one other store on the same street that I visited but I forget the name. All of these stores were fun to see, but I saved the best for last.
Once again, this relates to Julia Child. Her favorite cookware store when she lived here wasthe venerable E. Dehillerin (E.Dehillerin :COOKWARE - STOCK POT & COOKER - SAUCEPAN - KNIVES - DEHILLERIN) which has been operating since the 1820's. She was a sucker for copper ware and this is where she fed her fetish for anything copper. Often described as "the greatest cookware store in the world", this store is unique in many respects. It displays its goods in a no frills warehouse style fashion with things hanging and piled everywhere in disarray. There are no price tags and the only way to shop is to use their salesmen who walk around with you as you point out the items that you want. If one is interested in cookware, this is a must see when in Paris.
I decided on a quiet night at home with my leftover steak fillets when I received a text from Alan to meet up in St Germain for some oysters and beer with Will, Jennifer, and Kelsey. So, I headed out on a drizzly night. Walking across Pont Neuf to get to Alan's place, I paused to take in the scene below of the Seine and the Eiffel in the background. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am actually living in Paris.
It's oyster season here and Parisans's love and celebrate their oysters in a grand style. Wewalked to a restaurant near Alan's place where we had awful service, but the food was decent. Here is Alan with the fashion queens after dinner en route to an ice cream shop.
Afterward it was off to Jorge and Eduardo's place to their party for one drink. The guys have a cool pad on the top floor of a high rise along the Seine right next to the mini statue of liberty. Both of the guys will continue on after Basic Cuisine for the entire diploma program, so I think many more parties will follow at this apartment.
With my days numbered in Paris, I decided to explore a little on a rainy Saturday. I took the #3 Metro to the "sentier" station with 4 cookware stores as my destination. I was elated to see the scene on the right as I emerged from the Metro stairs. The rain had given way to a crisp blue day. Parfait!
The cookware stores allow LCB students a 10% discount with the school ID, so I was armed and ready to buy. 3 of these stores are on Rue Montmartre. My first stop was a no frills but as it turned out, one of my favorite stores called A. Simon . The store was basic, not very big, but had some very nice cookware mostly aimed at baking. I roamed around a bit and finally left empty handed waiting to see all the stores before buying anything.
Mostly Bakeware, no frills but nicely supplied
Next I went to the famous and very touristy La Bovida. I ran into 2 very rude American couples here and cringed at their behavior. If my French was better I would have apologized to the employees. The store is very nice filled with upscale products showcased like a William-Sonoma.
Once again, this relates to Julia Child. Her favorite cookware store when she lived here wasthe venerable E. Dehillerin (E.Dehillerin :COOKWARE - STOCK POT & COOKER - SAUCEPAN - KNIVES - DEHILLERIN) which has been operating since the 1820's. She was a sucker for copper ware and this is where she fed her fetish for anything copper. Often described as "the greatest cookware store in the world", this store is unique in many respects. It displays its goods in a no frills warehouse style fashion with things hanging and piled everywhere in disarray. There are no price tags and the only way to shop is to use their salesmen who walk around with you as you point out the items that you want. If one is interested in cookware, this is a must see when in Paris.
At the end of the day I left empty handed because with the Dollar/Euro exchange rate I can do much better back home, and the thought of lugging more stuff home is unpleasant. Frankly, I wanted everything and couldn't really choose one small item over another to buy. Hopefully I won't regret it.
After leaving E. Dehillerin, I ran in to a global warming demonstration. I hung around for a while, listened to some French protesting ,and took in some evocative tambourine music. Having gotten my fix, I headed back home.
After leaving E. Dehillerin, I ran in to a global warming demonstration. I hung around for a while, listened to some French protesting ,and took in some evocative tambourine music. Having gotten my fix, I headed back home.
Saturday Night
I decided on a quiet night at home with my leftover steak fillets when I received a text from Alan to meet up in St Germain for some oysters and beer with Will, Jennifer, and Kelsey. So, I headed out on a drizzly night. Walking across Pont Neuf to get to Alan's place, I paused to take in the scene below of the Seine and the Eiffel in the background. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am actually living in Paris.
View Standing on Pont Neuf
It's oyster season here and Parisans's love and celebrate their oysters in a grand style. Wewalked to a restaurant near Alan's place where we had awful service, but the food was decent. Here is Alan with the fashion queens after dinner en route to an ice cream shop.Afterward it was off to Jorge and Eduardo's place to their party for one drink. The guys have a cool pad on the top floor of a high rise along the Seine right next to the mini statue of liberty. Both of the guys will continue on after Basic Cuisine for the entire diploma program, so I think many more parties will follow at this apartment.
Carnage of oysters, prawns, sea urchins,
crabs, and a few other creatures
The Kids
The view from the apartment of Pont Grenelle
and the mini Statue of Liberty
Jennifer and her roommate Nancy
Eduardo and Yolanda
I stuck to my one drink program despite lots of pressure to get "the old guy" to do tequila shots! Been there, done that...not a pretty sight! The party decided to relocate to a bar at which time I chose to part ways with the group. I was running out of steam and could not keep up with the "kids". It was another great weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment