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| barges moored on the Seine |
Our passports needed renewing so a little break in Paris
was required. C’est la vie.
Since the Australian embassy is in the 15th
arrondisement ( near the Eiffel Tower), we decided to stay nearby. We haven’t
been to this part of Paris before, so it was an opportunity to explore. The
area is mostly residential and there are some very attractive apartment
buildings and lots of good shops around rue du Commerce.
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| not as distracting as one would think |
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| view from our window - the tower disappearing into the fog |
Loved our hotel. Not only did we sleep beneath a
canopy picture of the Eiffel Tower, we could also see it from our window. The
hotel has been newly refurbished and is very fresh and cheerful and quiet. The
staff were so friendly they even gave us an upgrade. The tower did totally disappear
in the fog one morning though.
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| can't miss the Australian Embassy |
Passport interview took all of ten minutes and
then we were off to the Grand Palais to see the Gauguin exhibition.
Unfortunately, the building exterior is being refurbished so a bit of a
building site, and the queue for the exhibition was 1 ½ hours, so we gave that
up as a bad idea. Instead went across the street to the Petit Palais and their
permanent collection including classical greek pieces and art of the middle
ages, dutch masters and art nouveau furniture – quite eclectic.
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| Grand Palais, and the statues on the Pont Alexander always glow no matter the weather |
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| a Seine water nymph |
Then off to another place we have always missed
visiting, the Centre Pompidou. Loved the Derain exhibition as I didn’t know
much about his work, but we weren’t impressed with the permanent exhibition of
modern works or the way that much of the work was displayed.
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| there's always a park in Paris |
A short walk from our hotel, we discovered a
wonderful authentic french bistro for dinner. It is over three mezzanine levels
and decorated in a style that we all
expect here.
Lots of vintage french marketing posters and old mirrors beneath a
glass domed roof. The food is simple, typical french dishes served by friendly waiters.
Ours recommended to me the rhum baba for dessert as a specialty of the house. Not
only did he sprinkle the baba with rum at the table, but he also left the
bottle behind so that I could help myself – as if it needed more ! The clientele was
mostly couples and there was that hum of happy customers enjoying the
experience . Highly recommended.
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| at the local shops, you can buy cheese..... |
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| or a harp..... |
On the last day we had brunch at an australian café.
Matthew from Wollongong and his french partner, Tim, serve good coffee ( surprisingly hard to get in France) and
avocado, poached egg and bacon on toasted bread (tartine). They even have
vegemite and make fresh scones !
A little shoe shopping was also included so a
good break all round and another part of
Paris ticked off our list.
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| I do love the colours and style of Paris doors |
Can also recommend the newly upgraded TGV service
(Train à Grande Vitesse) between Paris
and Bordeaux. Two hours and eight minutes city centre to city centre (584 kms).
Such a shame that successive australian governments can’t get their act together and build
this from Brisbane to Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, at least.
Back home to raking and bagging all those leaves that are now falling. Next week's highlight, a trip to the dechetterie. Ah, well.
Bon week-end mes amis
The Petit Palais is one of those 'secrets of Paris' type of places, isn't it? We were first directed there by an ex-colleague who lives in Paris and have visited several times.
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