Saturday, September 15, 2012

Last Day in Paris


I saved a few of my favorite places for my last day in Paris.

My first stop was in the Marais at Place des Vosges. the weather was not very nice...cloudy and slightly cool.

So, when I arrived at the beautiful square park at mid-morning, it was quite empty...no kids with nannies, no sun bathers, few people sitting on benches. Still, it's a lovely spot with four identical quadrants, each with a fountain.

I then wandered around the Marais which is the old Jewish quarter of Paris and also has many unique boutiques.


Rue de Rosiers is the main street in the Jewish quarter.

I was surprised to discover that Goldenberg's, the best know Jewish deli, now houses two clothing shops, despite keeping its original signage outside.

Many of the other delis and bakeries were overflowing with customers who lined up all the way out into the street. Looking in some deli display cases, I learned that corned beef is called "pickel" in France.





My lunch plan was tea at the original Mariage Freres tea room in the Marais. Mariage Freres are the oldest tea merchants in France. I'm a fan of their teas and always treat myself to a tea lunch in this shop.

The tea room is elegant, with a table of sweets at one end and a tea bar which looks like their tea shop at the front. It is at the tea bar that all of the hundreds of varieties of tea are stocked, ready to be prepared for tea room customers.


I usually order the Classic Brunch at Mariage Frere, but this time, decided on the Zen Lover.




My choice of tea was a new blend: Jasmine White..very light, with a strong jasmine flavor.

In addition to the tea, the Zen Lover includes scones or muffins, orange juice, chicken breast poached in tea, asparagus, and a dessert choice.

My scones were accompanied two pots of tea-infused fruit jellies and a pot of butter.

On each table there are containers of Matcha Salt and Green Tea Sesame Salt. Of course I tried them both and wanted to buy some Matcha salt to take home...until I discovered that it was 20 euro for the container and decided to pass....but, I'm still thinking about it as I write this blog post on the airplane...missed opportunity.

After my leisurely tea lunch, it was time for more walking and a few more stops on my list of favorites.


I passed the Pompidou Center which houses the Modern Art Museum and France's first free public library.



Next on my route was St. Eustache, one of my favorite churches. I was fortunate to be inside when this Sunday's featured organist was practicing. I and all those inside we're treated to a beautiful organ concert.




Almost behind St. Eustache is E. Dehillerin, the professional cookware shop from which all of my cooking knives and many of my baking and cooking pans come from. Their knives are of such high quality, I am still using some that are 40 years old.

It's always a treat to come here. I first learned of Dehilleran from Julia Child and her early cooking shows on public television. This is where she shopped for cookware.
The stop at E. Dehillerin was pretty much the end of my day's places to go.

But, on my way to the Metro, I walked through another favorite, the gardens and courtyard of the Palais Royal.

There is such a curious contrast between the formal gardens and walkways around them and the fanciful black and white posts in the courtyard.






And so, ended my 2012 visit to France.

Yes, there was one more dinner at Cafe Constant where I had the Artichoke and Mushroom Salad, poached Sea Bream, and a flaky slice of Apple Tart...I'll spare those of you who have been " dining" vicariously with me these past few weeks the photos, mainly because I've not yet uploaded them.

Thanks for traveling with me; it's been fun!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

C'est si bon!
I really enjoyed the tour, albeit vicariously! And you're looking as lovely and lively as ever!

mary ann said...

glorious, thank you!