Paris in Winter Part Two: A Left Bank Neighborhood Walk

One of the best things to do in Paris is to simply wander the neighborhoods, each of which has its own unique atmosphere and history.  And while there are museums, churches, galleries, and famous sights to see in each neighborhood, there is also joy to be found in skipping all of those in favor of a slow amble, basically aimless, just to get a feel for an area.  And that is pretty much what I did on a day of wandering in Paris.

One of the many bridges across the Seine. This one connects the Île de la Cité with the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank.

On a visit of just a few days there are hard choices to be made. It simply isn’t possible to see all of Paris’s fascinating neighborhoods in a day or two.  On this trip the focus was the Left Bank – the Latin Quarter, St. Germain des Pres, and the area around Rue Cler.

 My day of wandering the Left Bank started near Notre Dame, crossing the Pont au Double to arrive on the Left Bank.   

At the end of the bridge lie the Bouquinistes, the iconic green stalls that line this part of the Seine. They are full of antique books, posters, and souvenirs.  Browsing these stalls feels like time travel, with magazine covers from many years ago and lots of old posters.  A stop at the Bouquinistes is an essential part of any Parisian experience.  

 From the Bouquinistes it is a short walk to Shakespeare and Company, the English language bookstore that has been in this location since 1951.  The shop began at an earlier location in 1919 with a pause only during WWII.  It is a Paris institution, attracting locals and visitors alike. I love the green of the building and matching green of the interesting fountain just in front. Imagine all the famous writers, and all the English language readers, who have passed through those doors! 

From there, a walk through the Latin Quarter evokes the spirit of an older Paris, before the renovations that brought wide boulevards and blocks of stately homes to other parts of the city. There are small cobblestoned alleys filled with cafes and bars, many host students from the nearby Sorbonne. There are markets, shops, and restaurants to be found along the winding streets.  

Passing by the churches and museums, we just strolled, soaking up the atmosphere of a unique neighborhood, visiting a Christmas market, peeking in windows, and stopping for lunch at a small cafe.

 After lunch, more walking. 

At the edge of the Latin Quarter, before entering the St. Germain des Prés district, the wide boulevards reappear near the Place Saint-Michel with its imposing monument. 

Build in 1860, the monument features a sculpture of Saint Michael the Archangel standing triumphantly over the devil.  Below, a fountain with water cascading down several steps to the level of the plaza.  On the day I visited, in mid-December, there was a wonderful Christmas market filling the square.

St. Germain des Prés, view to the magnificent altar

Next up, the St. Germain des Prés neighborhood.  This is a wonderful area to explore with its high-end shops, markets, galleries, and antique stores. This is where the Luxembourg gardens and Le Bon Marche department store are located.  St. Germain des Prés is also home to famous cafes such as Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore, once the haunts of writers and artists. Sip a coffee or a glass of wine outside under the awning and imagine Hemingway or Picasso sitting beside you. But not on this trip - it was much too cold to sit outside!

 The neighborhood gets its name from the Abbey of St. Germain des Prés.  The Abbey is more than 1000 years old.  The exterior is wonderful – with flying buttresses and a medieval bell tower.  And though my goal was to just wander, I couldn’t resist a chance to stop in to the abbey.  The interior seems to be several different churches in one due to many modifications over the years.  The long nave is flanked with arched columns and topped with a blue, star-filled ceiling.   There are sculptures and frescoes, colorful stained-glass windows, a beautiful choir space, side chapels, and candles flickering.  And, on this very cold day, there were grates in the floor blowing warm air into the church.  No surprise, visitors seemed to linger atop those grates!  

 We left the cathedral as the afternoon light was waning and the temperatures falling, the perfect time to hop on the batobus and return to the our hotel, just off Rue Cler. Rue Cler is in the 7th Arrondissement, where the Eiffel Tower is located. 

I love to stay in this part of Paris when I visit for many reasons – seeing the Eiffel tower all lit up at night as I walk through the neighborhood, the fabulous restaurants, cafes, and shops that line Rue Cler and the surrounding streets, the small and charming Hotel Champs du Mars, the graceful architecture of the buildings, and the walkability of the neighborhood. 

 Rue Cler itself is a pedestrian-mostly market street.  There are stalls and shops selling fresh produce and take-away meals, gorgeous French cheeses in all shapes and sizes, flowers, meats, fish, chocolates, pastries, crepes, ethnic foods.  There are also small cafes and restaurants perfect for a morning croissant or a meal.

 Nearby are streets full of elegant apartments with pretty balconies, small churches, shops, and fabulous restaurants.  And, just a short walk away, is the Eiffel Tower, the wonderful park that surrounds it, and a stop for the Batobus on the river. 

 It’s hard to talk about Paris without mentioning the food.  We ate most breakfasts and dinners in the Rue Cler neighborhood.  As we were celebrating my friend’s birthday, we decided to splurge on dinner at the classic restaurant La Fontaine de Mars on nearby Rue Saint-Dominique, between Rue Cler and the Eiffel Tower.  Definitely worth the splurge, everything was wonderful from the red and white checkered table cloths, to the friendly waiters, to a great wine selection, and fabulous food.  My dish of scallops on a bed of leeks with a butter vanilla sauce was spectacular. This was a birthday celebration to remember!   We also found a great wine bistro nearby, La Campanella Brasserie.  Best French Onion Soup ever!

 I am not sure when I will get back to Paris again but I definitely want to plan a return trip. I need a chance to explore the Right Bank neighborhoods. And I definitely need another bowl of onion soup!

Paris in Winter (Part One)

Paris in winter.  Yes, it is cold.  Very cold!  A bit gray.  Sometimes misty and rainy.  But still - it’s Paris and less crowded than in peak season.  And, as the saying goes, Paris is always a good idea! With that in mind, I recently packed my warmest coat, gloves, scarf, hat, even my winter-silk long underwear. Then I grabbed a friend and jumped on a flight from Florence to Paris for a long weekend of fun, French style.

Walking across some of Paris’s ornate bridges was definitely on my must-do list. Here, the view towards the Eiffel Tower from the Pont Alexandre III

With only 3 full days, and a goal to mostly just soak up being in Paris and visit the Christmas markets, my travel companion and I had a short “must-do” list. 

We began each day over a breakfast of croissants or baguettes with jam, along with hot cups of café crème, at one of the cafes near our hotel. Not a bad way to warm up before heading into the brisk air of wintertime Paris.

 A good way to start a visit to Paris is with a boat trip along the Seine on the Batobus.  Not to be confused with the narrated tours and tourist dinners on the Bateau Mouche, the Batobus really is a floating bus with stops near all the major sights in central Paris.  The circuit begins near the Eiffel Tower and stops near the Invalides, Musée d’Orsay, Saint-Germain des Près, the Jardin des Plantes, the Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame, the Louvre, and the Place de la Concorde.   It is a hop-on, hop-off service and an easy way to get around.  Along the route you pass by stunning architecture, famous monuments, houseboats, working boats, and under Paris’s many beautiful bridges.  Doing the full circuit late on a winter afternoon, as the lights slowly come on along the Seine, is a special experience.   And since the temperatures were brutally cold in December, hoping on the warm Batobus allows for views of Paris from the warmth of the boat. 

First stop, the Tuileries Garden.  Created as a private garden by Catherine de’Medici in the 1500’s, today it is an inviting public space.  With its central location, Grade Allée promenade, trees, fountains, benches, and views of the Louvre Palace, it is the place Parisians come to meet friends, stroll, picnic, entertain their children, and paint.  It is also where the huge Ferris wheel, providing views high above the city, is currently located. 

One of many intriguing sculptures in the Tuileries Garden

There were no spring flowers or children’s boats in the round basin of the Tuileries on that cold winter morning.  And yet the park was an still an elegant green space filled with sculptures and long views.  It was a lively spot too – the chairs and benches filled with people despite the chill and the sights, sounds, and delicious scents of the large nearby Christmas market. 

 From the Tuileries Garden it is an easy walk to the Musée d’Orsay, the only museum on our must-do this trip. 

The building itself, a train station in 1900’s Beaux-Arts style, is a marvel.  How amazing it must have been to arrive in Paris to that gorgeous station.  Today, it hosts large numbers of visitors and from the upper stories gives one of my favorite Paris views - looking through the giant clocks out towards the Tuileries Garden.

 The galleries display many different art forms -  sculpture, painting, furniture, photographs.  It is a lot to take in, so we concentrated on the ground floor sculptures and the incomparable collection of Impressionist paintings.   I am always most drawn to the Monet’s, but the rest of the collection, including works by Renoir, Manet, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Cassatt, Degas, are equally fascinating.  

Below are a few of my favorite Impressionist works (left to right, Country Dance by Renoir, Degas’s Little Dancer, and Field of Poppies by Monet). Enchanting works!

 A visit to Notre Dame was another must. 

Since the horrific fire it is not possible to enter the church or even approach the front doors. The damage to the roof and spire is heartbreaking.  The area surrounding the cathedral is fenced off but along the fence a series of illustrations tell the story of the reconstruction efforts. 

The fence is low enough to allow a good look at what is still a beautiful cathedral and to pick out the gargoyles that still stand watch. 

 One of the best things to do in Paris is to simply wander the neighborhoods.  More about that next week. For now, I leave you with the the best ways to warm up when you think you’ve gotten frostbite from taking your gloves off to use your camera. A stop into a little cafe for a chocolate chaud, a bowl of onion soup, or a glass of good red wine will do the trick.

Inspiration from an Italian Spice Market: Chai

Does anything taste better on a cold winter afternoon than a cup of chai? Hot, peppery, spicy, sweet, milky - it is the perfect winter warm up. Brewed Chai is not a typical offering in Italy, and the available Chai tea bags just don’t approach the taste of the real thing. There was only one solution, I needed to learn to brew it myself !

A trip to an outdoor holiday market in December gave me just the inspiration I needed to work on my chai brewing skills. A big basket of star anise and another of tiny cubes of candied ginger first caught my eye. There were also displays of cinnamon sticks, whole black peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom pods. It was impossible to see all of these spices and not think of chai!

I have experimented with several different ways of brewing chai. I’ve used whole, ground, and crushed spices. I’ve tried making batches of spice mix ahead of time to keep on hand. In the end I have found that the easiest method, and the one that achieves the flavor I crave, is to brew individual small batches of chai using whole spices, pieces of crystallized ginger, and a good strong base of black tea. Whole milk is perfect for chai, though 2% works pretty well too. There are lots of possibilities for sweeteners - I tend to use stevia.

The brewed chai will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, just reheat as needed.

The recipe is flexible. Like more pepper? Just increase the amount to taste. More cinnamon? Throw in another stick. Don’t like cloves? They can be eliminated all together. No cardamom on hand? It will still taste great without it. The ginger, cinnamon, and some black pepper are essentials though. And a good, strong black tea. And while I have tried powdered spices, they just don’t work as well.

As I write this I have a batch brewing and my apartment is filled with the wonderful aroma of chai spices.

Simple Chai Recipe (makes 3 cups)

In a saucepan, cover 3 black tea bags (or an equivalent amount of loose black tea) with 3 cups of boiling water.

Add the following:

3 cinnamon sticks

1 ounce of crystallized ginger, either thin flakes or cut into small bits (note: ginger varies a lot in intensity - this is a starting point, adjust to taste)

3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

12 whole cloves

15 cardamom pods, cracked

4 whole star anise pods

Steep over lowest flame x 45 minutes and then strain to remove the whole spices.

Add sweetener and milk to taste (4 ounces of milk is about right)

Bring to a simmer and enjoy!

A hot cup of chai provides inspiration for writing too!

Wrapping Up 2022 A Year in Pictures

Easter Celebration in Florence. April 2022

I don’t make new year’s resolutions. Probably because they are too easy to make yet too easy to abandon.  I already know that I should exercise more, eat healthier, be more patient, study Italian much harder, work on personal growth, etc, etc.  No once-a-year resolutions required.

 I do however set goals and make plans. In 2022 (hard to think of that as last year yet) one of my goals was to get back to traveling, something I was itching to do after two years of COVID restrictions. 

As a bonus, several friends planned trips to Italy in 2022 and sharing travel with friends as they discover Italy, and as they see just what it is I love about living here, is fun for me.   Looking forward to their trips gave me months of pleasure. And their arrivals in Italy made for lots of fun this past year.

Villa Torregiani, Lucca. April 2022

So, before I move on to my plans for 2023 (you can bet travel is still on the list), I am taking a few moments to think back on this past year - the new places I’ve experienced, the favorite places I have revisited, and the Italian adventures I have shared with friends and family.  It was a great year for Italian adventures and I have some photos to prove it!

Above: A good friend introduced me to Florence’s Iris garden, which sits high above the city and is open for only a few weeks each spring. May 2022

Above: Exploring Liguria, including Camogli and Portovenere with my daughter and 2 oldest grandkids. June 2022.

Below: Ravenna and its spectacular mosaics. October 2022

My wish is that these photos, along with the past year’s blog posts, will inspire our travel goals for 2023.  January can seem like a long and somewhat dreary month after all the excitement of the holidays, that makes it the perfect month for travel planning. Let’s get started!

Sunrise at Agriturismo Cretaiole, Pienza. October 2022. A week long stay at my favorite agriturismo with good friends from New Mexico.

Pontremoli, November 2022.

 Buon Anno !    Happy New Year !    Happy Travel Planning !

Paris at Christmas

One last holiday post – this time from Paris!  

Traditional Yule logs in a Paris Bakery

Paris is magical at any time of year, but especially so during the Christmas season.  There are beautifully decorated shop windows, sparkling lights all around the city, and an abundance of Christmas markets.  Add in the Eiffel Tower, a museum visit, stunning Parisian architecture, and wonderful French delicacies in pastry shops around town and it is all pretty perfect. 

Along with all of that, the air is crisp (well, that is putting it gently – Paris was incredibly cold in December), the early sunset means the lights come on by about 4 pm, and everyone seems to be in a festive, friendly mood.  Street musicians play Christmas music and people dressed up as Santa dance in the streets. Fun!

Vin Chaud (hot mulled wine) at the Christmas market in Place St Michel.

Some seasonal highlights:

The Christmas Markets. 

Visiting the holiday markets was the main reason that my friend and I went to Paris in winter. They did not disappoint!  The biggest
Christmas market is at the Tuileries Garden, along Rue de Rivoli and surrounding the Ferris wheel that takes passengers high above the rooftops of the city.  The market includes a large food court filled with German and French specialties.  Picture roasting sausages, large pretzels, escargot, raclette, vin chaud (hot mulled wine), and steaming cups of hot chocolate. There is a carnival-like atmosphere with lots of rides and games for children, an artisan market with handcrafted items, and Christmas decorations galore.  

 My two favorite markets were both near Notre Dame.  The first is a Parisian institution - Le Marché aux Fleurs (The Flower Market) in Place Louis Lépine.  Open year round as a plant and bird market, in December it adopts a holiday theme. The stalls are filled with gorgeous wreaths, trees large and small, ornaments, candles, and garden items.  This is THE place to get your Parisian Christmas tree and holiday decorations.  It is enchanting and festive and very Parisian.

 The Marché de Noël Notre Dame Market lies just across the Seine in Square Viviani.  This is not the largest holiday market in Paris but it is surely the most beautiful.  Père Noël greets visitors at the entrance to the market which is arranged around a central winter wonderland.  Artisan and regional specialty booths offer beautiful crafts, wonderful scents, classic foods, and lots of opportunity to buy gifts.  This was definitely my favorite Christmas market.

 Shop Windows and Shopping Centers

 The Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is amazing even when not decorated for Christmas.  The 100 year old building is crowned with an ornate stained glass dome and ringed with arched balconies around an open central area.  At the very top is an outdoor viewing platform with spectacular views over Paris.  The building itself is one of Paris’s top attractions. At Christmas it becomes even more incredible. There is a giant Christmas tree rising from the main floor towards the dome.  Throughout the store are holiday themed displays sprinkled among the exclusive brand name merchandise.  It is a unique and very glamorous Christmas experience.

 By contrast, the smaller shops throughout the city have displays that are more restrained but very charming.  This includes the pastry shops with their Buche de Noel (Yule logs), gingerbread cookies, and other delicious looking confections as well as wine shops, and a host of other merchants. 

 The Lights

Christmastime on the Champs-Elysées

It is hard to imagine how Paris, the City of Lights, can shine even brighter. 

And yet, at Christmas, the addition of lights overhead and in trees along famous boulevards adds an extra measure of brightness.  

 My Christmastime visit to Paris was a brief 4 days, just long enough to give me a taste of the holiday season. Walking through a very cold Paris, from one market to the next, past churches, monuments, and beautifully decorated shops, was a joy.  Taking warm-up breaks with a glass of hot chocolate, a coffee, or a glass of wine was a much-appreciated necessity in the frigid weather.  Sampling wintertime dishes (onion soup!) was part of the fun.  And while I am now back at home and ready for my Lucchese Christmas, I very much enjoyed my brief Parisian holiday escape.