Silver Anniversary

25 Years of Marital Bliss

Well, there have been some  NON-blissful times, but all-in-all, pretty bliss-y in my opinion. And Werner, perennial optimist that he is, respectfully suggests it has been all bliss and regularly reminds me how lucky we are.  And we are.

We opted out of the traditional German-style Silver Anniversary celebration: a party with sit-down dinner and dancing and toasts and such.  We'd thought of a quiet get-away or a special dinner here in Bremen, but then a few weeks ago, the hubby said out of the blue, I think we should go to Paris for our anniversary.    

I said OK very sweetly , though inside I was jumping up and down!

We got a good deal on Air France direct from Bremen to Paris, found a cute little apartment, booked tickets for a concert and a bike tour.  Otherwise, the plan was to walk and look and enjoy.

Our street.  Charming?  Naturellement! 

We arrived a wee bit earlier than planned and our hosts were still getting new things installed in the apartment, so we left our bags and found a restaurant for a late lunch. It was wonderful - cassoulet for me, linguine with fresh Provençal veggies for Werner (we shared!), stopped at the supermarket for breakfast essentials and got back to find order - and no internet!  That's not good...

It took a little back-and-forth, but we finally got it figured out (two issues:  the router wasn't turned on and the provider and password had changed...). We never did get the TV going, but who needs TV when there's no World Cup or such?  And you're in Paris?

Then we were off to Sainte Chapelle and a string concert.  The venue can't be beat - a 13th century jewel of a building, amazing stained glass, good acoustics.  It was a bit disappointing that some in the audience saw it more as an event to capture on their smartphones rather than enjoy - several had to be reminded by the staff to stop taking photos, stop making videos, and generally disturbing the performance.  Sigh.  I closed my eyes and listened to the music and remembered where I was...

Day two, Saturday, off to the outskirts. But first, a short visit to the local outdoor market.  Do we love an outdoor market?? Yessss!!

 

I seem to have focused on seafood, and in the bottom right is our dinner - freshly made paella.  (It was delicious!)  But the variety of veggies and fruits put our local market to shame.  The tomatoes!!  So many types of zucchini and eggplant! I wanted to have some of all of it!!

We deposited our dinner in the apartment and headed out.  First a short stop at Bastille to check out the Art Market.  Lots of booths with paintings, some sculpture, some photography.  There were some interesting pieces, but we have no more wall space.

On to La Defense.  The  Powers that Be decided sometime ago that, after allowing the multi-maxi-story Montparnasse to be built within the perimeter of Paris, they would not allow any more skyscrapers in Paris proper.  So all the new high-rises are outside the city gates.  It is a whole different world and not at all the Paris that most of us picture in our minds, but nevertheless interesting.

First, there's the overwhelming Grand Arch.  At 35 stories tall, it's not the highest in Paris, but still, going up the glass elevators gives you the impression it's p r e t t y tall.  And it slows down when arriving at its destination, like the gondolas in the Alps.  Makes my tummy tilt a bit.

It was sunny but still a bit hazy.  Nevertheless, there were wonderful views.

 Waaaayy back there is the Arc de Triomphe.

They even have lounge chairs on the roof - a chance to sit in the sun and relax. This was not a pose.

The high rises in the area had shopping malls and such - including a shop that was ONLY Nespresso - walls and walls of coffee capsules, all the coffee machines for sale (not on sale, judging by the prices).  I remain happy with my non-electric drip.

Heading back into town, we stopped and said hello to the Eiffel Tower and once more had a chance to marvel at how friendly the French have become!!  We were looking at the charts at the bus stop, trying to figure if we could take one to where we wanted to go when a 15-or-so-year-old walked up and said Can I help you?  in perfect English - with a smile! He might have been the cutest helper we had, but far from the only one.

A quick peek at the Arc de Triomphe.  Both sites very crowded.

Then we were past hungry and took a side street to find a cute little place - green tomato gazpacho for me and and avocado and goat cheese sandwich for Werner. We shared. :-)

And later we shared the paella - we sure weren't hungry for long.

Sunday was to be the bike tour day, but they cancelled!  Boo!  We were a bit out of sorts about it but decided, Hey, we can bike ourselves! We had already seen lots of bikers and figured, if they can, we can.  And we did!!  

The St. Martin Canal goes through Le Marais, the old Jewish quarter, and was built by Napoleon to bring fresh water to the city.  It's gradually being gentrified, but it's not there yet..

 At the end of the canal, it merges with other larger canals bordered by parks and apartments and lots of boats.

   OK - get back on the bikes.  We had a voucher for the day, but you only get the first 30 minutes free - with every check out.  So you check in the bike, then get another, and you get another 30 minutes.  I was surprised at how really close everything can be!  We didn't need 30 minutes to get anywhere.  Next stop:  the Botanical Gardens on the Left Bank.

There were lots of dedicated bike paths along the way.  And look at all those leaves on the ground!! Fall is coming...

 It's a big garden, so they have big flowers!

 The designer of the gardens. It was originally a medicinal herb garden for the royalty, but opened to the public in the 17th century - greenhouses, research facilities, a small zoo, a maze.  It's big!

A very unusual and fuzzy sunflower,

and crepe myrtles!  Wow! 

We got some ice cream and sat in the shade and watched the folks go by.  We had to sit in the shade - it was 75° and sunny and felt like 90°.  Hehehehe.

We picked up our bikes again and ran into these folks, a couple of hundred on their roller blades.  I'd rather run around Paris on my two wheels!

After biking back to the apartment, we took a rest!  That's surely one of the best things about having an apartment instead of staying in a hotel - room to relax!

Dinner?  Lamb shank with couscous and a  Salad paysanne - green salad with bacon, pan fries and poached egg.  Yum!  (We shared.)

Monday was Museum day - off to the Centre Georges Pompidou, but first a rapid exit from the bus when I see a kitchen ceramic shop.  Yes! finally, more of the small bowls I have been looking for for eons.  THEN we wandered some back streets to the musem, modern art for Werner.  There's a line!!  But it moved pretty quickly and we head for the Hockney exhibit and take our time.  

I know a couple of his pieces, but much is new and needless to say, not all of it appealing.  But it was good.

There's art outside as well!

The permanent exhibit has some classical modern pieces of course, but it's been almost three hours and it's time to rest our feet and legs.  We'd already spied a restaurant that served savory crêpes, and we were not disappointed!

I had one souvenir - the bowls - but I wanted a new tart pan with a removable bottom.  I suppose I could find one here in Bremen, but it's more fun to get one in Paris!  The BHV department store was nearby and the kitchen department was to die for - I think I could have spent a month in there!  We found not only the perfect tart pan, but a new salad spinner as well.  Cool souvenirs!

At the apartment.  No, I did not wear that outfit in public.

Dinner came from the boulangerie:  individual quiches, and of course a salad. That works!

Day last.  As every morning, some really loud noise wakes us up EARLY.  We've had the garbage truck (6am Saturday), the street cleaner (8am Sunday), the trash pick up (7am Monday) and today, recyclables. 

It's our Anniversary Day - 25 years and counting.  So we have our usual breakfast:  baguette, croissant, marmalade, fruit, cheese, then dress for the occasion and head out.

 It's raining a bit, but it's not bad.  Off - by foot since it is at our back door - to Père Lachaise.

We've not gone far when a sorta crazy guy with bad teeth hurries up, battered notebook in hand, and asks:  Where are you from??? We tell him Germany and he starts to rattle off the names of Germans buried in the cemetery, then some of the other historical and celebrity figures.  He's funny!  I want to know the direction to the tomb of Héloïse and Abélard and he says, Ah, the lovers!!  And looks at us and says Romeo! Juliet!  How funny!!  Then he points us in the right direction.

Wandering off the path is easy here, since so many of the tombs are NOT on the paths, but squeezed helter-skelter everyhere.  Here's a funny:

Yes, those are potatoes.  What?  There were carvings around the base that seemed to indicate he was a pharmacist or scientist, and in fact he was both, plus a nutritionist.  Later we found he is also known as the champion of the potato in France, which until the mid-18th century was considered inedible by the French.  There's even a potato dish named for him.  Can you imagine no potatoes in France?  Not me.

It was to be a low-key day, and we opted for a rather obscure museum, the Musée Carnavalet, focusing on the history of Paris.  But we hadn't researched enough - got there and it is closed till 2019 for renovations!  Oh well -- Place des Voges is close by, the weather is still threatening, there are lots of covered walkways and shops and restaurants there.

We wandered the arcades and checked out the various galleries and then decided on a late lunch to celebrate - and how!  A three course meal with linens and glasses and great company.

 

It was a lovely interlude.

And not the last visit to Paris.