Who's counting now?

As all good women know, one can never have too many wonderful pairs of French shoes.  Now my dear friend, Pat, may have broken the record.  Here she is in the apt displaying her most recent chasseur purchase. 

An undiscovered gem...L'Ebouillante

Marie, one of the local shopkeepers, recommended L'Ebouillante

as a wonderful spot for lunch....what we did not know is that

it is located right behind us on rue des Barres and the Eglise Saint Gervais. 

Of course, we tried it and loved it.  I was not only

taken by the food but also the fabulous shade of blue.

Our apartment tres chic....

Ready for an evening soiree...awaiting the arrival of guests

Pete and Judge Nancy!

Susie and Pat in the fenetre watching for guests Pete and Nancy! 

Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso....The Stein Family at the Grand Palais

We visited the exhibit of Gertrude Stein's family collection.  Gerturde Stein and her two brothers supported the emerging artists, Matisse, Cezanne, and Picasso in the early 1900's.  This collection at the Grand Palais

consisted of early work rarely seen.  Afterwards we were on a

mission to locate Gertrude's famous digs on rue Fleures near

Luxembourg Gardens where many a soiree was held.  

Pere Lachaise on a rainy afternoon

Imagine the three of us ducking into a mausoleum

to keep dry and visit the deceased.

High on a hilltop the views in every direction were stunning. 

The likes of Jim Morrison, Chopin, Edith Piaf and

Amedeo Modigliani all share space here.  

Walking up and down the narrow roadways after the rain was magical.

Cooking class at L'Atelier des Chefs

How excited the three of us, Nancy, Jeanie and I, were to be learning how to prepare:

Noix de Saint-Jacques poelees, puree de panais a la vanille, jus d'agrumes

Dacquoise aux fruits secs, mousseux mascapone et wasabi, tartare de kiwi, caramel clair a la vanille

Pave de boeuf aux poivres rares, salsifis rotis au thym

Minor detail, the class was all in French!

Porte Dauphine metro staion...

After strolling on Avenue Foch in the 16th, we came

upon this incredible station bathed in sunshine.

Tis the season of the bi-valves...fresh huitres

How quickly we devoured these delicacies.....so much so that I forgot to take the photo in advance

so why not a photo of those beautiful shells!!!

The interior of the Le Coupole, constructed in 1927,

where we dined on those luscious huitres.

This time of the year, many restaurants are selling their

huitres on the street so customers can enjoy them at home.  

Oysters come from Normandy and Brittany.

Tour Eiffel from another angle

How fun to stand underneath the Tour Eiffel on another beautiful fall day! 

Market Day....oo la la ... Marche Richard Lenoir and Marche d'Aligre

Cheering on the French rugby team, these market

vendors were more interested in the outcome

of the France-New Zealand 2011 Rugby World Cup. 

Not even their pink mum could pull their team through on this thriller with the final score New Zealand 8-7 France. 

One can never have too many French lucques or picholine olives

....that is what I have always said!

A refined lunch..with some very fun friends!

Meeting Pete and Jean for lunch in the Marais at Claude Colliot was a special treat.  We laughed loud and long enough to completely fulfill

the stereotype of "loud Americans"! 

A return to Dans Les Landes

Trouble brewing as we sat at a communal table enjoying

more of those French Basque tapas. 

Note those wooden shoes again with the chipirones.

Rodin Museum ....in the garden this week and last

Rodin's home viewed from the garden under a stormy sky this week.

Babs and Jackie Harris, our long time friend from the UK and Costa del Sol, enjoy some time together at the cafe in Rodin's Garden. 

Last week Pat and I visited Rodin's Garden and his home

under the most brilliant sunshine. 

I found the comparison of the stormy sky this week and

the brilliant blue sky last week quite stunning. 

Dance Party on Rue Sainte-Bretonnerie

Pat has some mean Motown tunes on her I Pod and we were playing them loud enough so the entire building could enjoy them too!  We are looking forward to hearing some Sam Cooke tonight!

A little bite here, a little bite there....what's a girl to do!

Babs arrived from Charles de Gaulle and we immediately headed for a sidewalk cafe just down from Pat's new digs on Rue du Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie for a little bite....of cafe creme and croissant.

Well, after all ..several hours had passed and we needed to take another little break from all of that "window licking" as the French refer to window shopping.  It is truly amazing what four women can accomplish in such a short time....all in a day's work! 

Luxembourg Gardens.....a first for me!

I am not sure how many times I have been to Paris in my life, but what I do know is that I have never made it to Luxembourg Gardens.  On Sunday afternoon, an incredible sun drenched day,  Pat, Susie and I crossed Pont Louis-Philippe and made our way to the Gardens.  It would be hard to know how many folks of all ages had the same idea.  What an incredible sight! 

You can even catch a glimpse of one of the little sailboats that folks of all ages sail on the large pond. 

We could have stayed all day...we will make a point of that the next time..bringing our books or journals.

Le Grande Epicerie at Le Bon Marche Rive Gauche.....tres chic

We stopped in to check out the sheer beauty of this huge gourmet market which is part of the department store..Le Bon Marche.  I could not resist taking a photo of this talented artist carving these incredible objects d'art out of every fruit and vegetable imaginable.  I was quickly reprimanded by one of the store employees after taking the shot letting me know that photos were not allowed. 

The day following our visit I heard from my friend Tamalpais Roth-McCormick formerly from Jackson Hole, now from Portland, Oregon, that she got her Cloud Cookies into Bon Marche and they will arrive on the shelves mid November.  Cudos to Pai!

Musee du Quai Branly

Designed by architect Jean Nouvel, this museum is a special jewel. 

It houses over 3,500 works of art from Asia, Africa, America, and Oceania

and we virtually had the museum to ourselves with the exception of some Parisien school groups. 

Masks from Papouasie-Nouvelle Guinee

Beautiful pottery part of the Mayan culture in the Yucatan peninsula.

In Perou, Cote Sud, the deceased were buried wrapped in this woven fabric.

Les Fines Gueules..what a restaurant...what a building!

It might be hard to grasp the beauty of this restaurant from one single shot,

however the exterior and interior are only surpassed by the sublime flavors of the tapas menu.

 

My long time friends from Iowa, Peggy and Bob Platner and

Nancy and Gene Wehrheim joined Pat Whitman, partner in crime,

and me, at this fabulous wine bar.

It was pea soup all round either froid or chaud for one and all...the best ever! 

The Grand Finale!!!!

Sunbathing on the Seine

Today was one of those incredible days with clear blue skies

and nary a cloud to be seen.  After several overcast days,

the quais on the river Seine were filled with folks

soaking up the last days of the summer sun on the Ile Saint Louis.

Paris Nuit

After attending an art opening at the American University in Paris,

hosted by Ralph Petty, art professor and artiste,

long time friend of Larry Berlin, we crossed Pont d'Alma and were taken by the incredible beauty of Tour Eiffel at night.

Le Verre Vole on the Canal

We arrived at Le Verre Vole (The Broken Bottle) on

Canal Saint-Martin in the 10th for lunch. 

This luscious Terrine de Campagne was one of the Les Entrees du Moment   We could not resist!

Pat's Salade de Moules du Finistrere Aux Haricots
 (mussel salad with fennel and white beans). Oooh la la!

My Crevettes et Puree aux Celeric

Multi colored bottles in the window.........tres chic!

When we arrived the small dining room was full,

we lingered and were the last ones to leave.

Les Entres du Moment

A short walk across the bridge over the Canal Saint-Martin allowed us to watch a houseboat move through the locks.  

  

Traveling Underground on Line 1

 

This Ukrainian ensemble has greeted us on several occasions each time bringing a  smile to our faces and causing us to take pause...this time at the Bastille station.  I plan to purchase a CD upon our next encounter.   

Speaking of Escargot

We met Ray and Giovanna here at Le Zinc in the 15th for one of their favorites and one of ours....what else but escargot?

Upon Ray's suggestion we walked over to a lovely flower shop across from Le Zinc called Fleurs d'Auteuil and purchased an arrangement of white lillys to take home to the apartment.  Tres bien!

After our lunch of escargot, I was reminded that I had always wanted to go to this little escargot store in the 15th and I thought it might be close by.  Lucky for us we were able to carry on and were able to locate La Maison de L'Esscargot where we purchased some of the loveliest escargot ever to cook at home in the apartment.

.  

Quite proud of our newest purchase!