At breakfast we learned that the choir's flight had been delayed 1.5 hours before leaving O'Hare, and then it took them almost 2 hours to deplane, get their bags, and get through customs at Charles DeGaulle! Then they had a bus tour of the city, followed by a lecture (at which many predictably dozed off -- we have done the same on other trips) and then the group dinner. So we were rarin' to go in comparison to many of them when we boarded the bus this morning.
It is once again windy and cold (low 50s without the wind chill) so layers, hats, and gloves were still required.
First stop: Notre Dame. The last time we were here ('95) there was scaffolding covering part of the building. This time? Same thing! OK....the first incarnation was built in 1163, so we guess ongoing repairs might be the norm. We did manage to get some mostly-scaffold-free pix:
We got some good representative pix inside too:
In '95 we were on our own (and a whole lot younger) so we climbed to the top and outside to see the gargoyles. That was not an option with this group.
Our local guide, Lillian, was terrific. She shared some "Jewish crowd" oriented stories including an explanation of a female statue outside the cathedral who was holding a Torah scroll upside down (and, therefore, conveying an anti-semitic message) and the Archbishop of Paris who died in 2010 and--as a convert from Judaism-- had rabbis and priests at his funeral which included reciting of the Kaddish prayer.
We next walked to the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation. This is dedicated to the 200,000 French citizens who were "deported" by the Germans during WWII. About 70,000 were Jews; the rest were Roma (Gypsies), French Resistance members, homosexuals, and anyone else deemed unfit by the Reich.
The site is actually just beyond Notre Dame, at the end of the Ile de la Cite. Built in 1962, it is full of rough stones (walls and floor), narrow stairways, iron bars, sharp points, and a view to the Seine, so close but unreachable. All this was designed to evoke the suffering and torment that these people had to endure. For all but a lucky few, deportation was a one way ticket.
In one room, the names of some of the many concentration camps are inscribed on the walls. This is to represent the final destinations of these people, as opposed to their individuality (which is often seen in memorials of this type).
Above these, on one side is this:
...which means "200,000 French were exterminated in the Nazi camps". You can see that even the letters are sharp and jagged...reinforcing the pain of these journeys.
On the opposite wall:
"Forgive.....but do not forget".
We, of course, know that Jews in all occupied areas across Europe were forced to wear the Star of David so that they could be easily identified. However, it was not top of mind that these other groups were forced to wear different colored triangle patches for the same reason.
The simulated crypt part of the design was particularly chilling with separate miniature crystal lights for each of the 200,000 souls lost.
Also chilling was the section with urns containing soil and ashes from the camps where French deportees were sent...again in the shape of a triangle.
We next walked a few blocks to the Shoah (Holocaust) Museum. This was built in 2005, reflecting France's long denial (or at least non-recognition) of the part that the Vichy Government played in the atrocities of the war. They finally made that acknowledgement in 1995--we remember nothing about the Holocaust when we visited Paris last. We have been to enough of these museums to know what to expect as far as displays and text. This one completely fit the mold. The Wall of Names, the photos (especially of children) with their birth and death dates, the pictures of skeletal camp survivors. There were several groups of school children touring at the same time. We hope that they understand the lessons and carry these images with them so that such a thing will not happen again.
Something different was the closeted area with all of the ID cards of the Jews--those cards followed individuals wherever they were sent. No ID card, no record. So, for those who escaped, identification later was problematic at best.
That was the end of the tour, as we had to leave time for lunch (of course) in order to get back to the hotel so that the choir (sans spouses!) could have their first rehearsal at the synagogue.
The Shoah museum is in the Marais District, the former Jewish Ghetto (though it was never officially designated as such). So since we were there, we just had to try to eat at L'as du Fallafel, the most famous, bestest fallafel restaurant in Paris. Say what? Yes...fallafel is really huge here now.
We had been told that the lines to get in were very long (and they were indeed when we left), but we must have hit it just right, because as we walked up a waiter came out and said "I have a table for 10 and a table for 6 available"! (Perhaps our guides had pulled some strings?) This was not enough for the whole group, but we were lucky enough to be near the front (as always). We had only 30 minutes to eat! It was crazy. But, apparently they are used to this (and they like a quick turn), because our waiter was there and ready to take our order: 10 fallafels (one sans tomate) and 3 orders of fries (another specialty). He was back in a minute to give everyone a large bowl and several napkins; then within another 2 minutes he came back and started handing out these huge fallafel-pita sandwiches, stuffed with red cabbage, eggplant, cucumbers, and sauce.
Quite messy!!!!! But ohhhh sooooo gooooood! Way better than what we get back home.
Despite the grimace, Wayne really is enjoying it!
Then it was back on the bus to the hotel, and rehearsal. Who could sing after a meal like that!!?!
Time passes..............
We had solicited restaurant suggestions from several people. One of the ones we got, that looked very good, was La Regalade. We decided (back in Highland Park) to go even though it was a 30 minute cab ride from the hotel, and made reservations for 7 pm.
Readers of this blog know that we love to eat and have been to many fine restaurants all over the world. But even seasoned travelers like us strike out every now and then. That is part of the adventure! Here is what happened:
We headed out at 6:15....Paris rain and traffic. The ride took about 40 minutes. We walked in to a room that had maybe 10 tables. The wait staff were all eating their dinners, and no one else was there. We did have a 7:00 res; right? One of the waiters came over and we told him so. He said he would go get the chef, who had the reservations book. Say what? After a few minutes the chef came out and indeed confirmed we had a reservation. He sat us at a table, and then brought two glasses of complimentary wine to thank us for our patience (?? uh oh). We checked out the menu and saw that it was a fixed price for 3 courses. Not our favorite arrangement. There were five each of entrees (really appetizers), plats, and desserts. Very exotic stuff like trout tartare with kiwi, grilled octopus with boudin, and pigs head with beets. Wayne did not like any of the appetizers. Meanwhile, 10 minutes had gone by and a) the waiters were still eating, b) no one else had come in. So we started to get a little antsy and wonder if we should leave. More time, few choices, no service, bad vibes. So we got up and said we were leaving. They seemed relieved at this decision! We asked the chef (who was behind the bar!) to call us a taxi. He said his "taxi calling machine was broken"......what in the world!?!?!?! (Benefit of the doubt, there are several Regelades and we probably selected the wrong one!) So we headed out into the rainy night with no idea where we were or where we were going! Of course, the worst time to get a taxi is when it is raining. So after walking several blocks and not finding any suitable looking eatery, we remembered being in Madrid in 2004 in the same situation; what did we do then? Find the Metro! So we walked some more to a main street and sure enough, there was a Metro station. We found where we were on the big Metro map inside, and (luckily) remembered the stop closest to our hotel from our pre-trip research. We paid and got on.....
9 stops, then change at Chatalet, 6 more stops to the George V station. About 50 minutes. By now it was after 8....way late for us for dinner. Just outside the station (it was still raining), was the George V Cafe...one of those big touristy type restaurants. But it was literally any-port-in-a-storm time, so we bit the bullet and went in.
Sometimes you just never know....the food was quite good!
Wendy had salmon crepes, and Wayne had quiche Lorraine (which seemed like a safe bet as we are in France!).
Then the walk back to the hotel. The last time we were here it was June, so walking back in the rain was very romantic. This time it was late and cold and rainy; still romantic, but brrrrrrr.
Wednesday, March 13
Today the group was scheduled to do a Louvre or Musee D'Orsay tour. One of us had seen both, so we chose instead to go to the L'Orangerie and back to the Marais.
On the Metro (so fast, efficient, clean, and easy to get around) and over to the Jardin des Tuileries. This is a large garden (beautiful in the summer but not much to look at now), which is surrounded by several museums. From the esplanade we also got our first look (this trip) at the Eiffel Tower in the distance, and the Luxor Obelisk closer by.
Yes...the tower is really much, much taller!
Then into the Musee de l'Orangerie. A section of the museum was conceived and designed by Monet to hold eight huge panels (spread over two oval-shaped rooms) depicting the changing colors of natural light in his garden at Giverny. They represent, in an impressionistic way of course, the passing of the hours from sunrise to sunset. very impressive!
There were also a number of other Impressionist works. A little gem of a museum!
Then back on the Metro and over to the Marais district, to visit the Musee d'art et d'histoire du Judaisme . (Even those of you with little or no French language skills can figure that one out. As Steve Martin once quipped "the French have a different word for almost everything!").
The collection is housed in the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan, a mansion built from 1644 to 1650 for Claude de Mesmes, Comte d'Avaux, who represented Richelieu and Mazarin in the negotiations leading to the Peace of Westphalia (1648).
This is an amazing collection of artifacts, many of which are centuries old. We were marveling at how and where they could have gotten these objects. There were torahs, hagaddahs, ketubas, clothes, tombstones, menorahs, books, and others related to Jewish life and culture.
Tombstones from the 1300s
15th C. book explaining various
portions of the Torah
Interestingly (or curiously) the exhibits stopped in the early 20th century.
A full morning, and with another rehearsal scheduled, we had to fit in an early lunch. We left the museum and headed toward our Metro stop hoping to find a cafe along the way. And we did....the Brasserie Le Drapeau. It looked authentic enough, so why not?
Wayne once again opted for the quiche du jour (ham and potatoes this time!) and Wendy went for the salade Nicoise avec ton (with tuna). Yummy!!!!!
On the way to the Metro, we just had to check out a patisserie or two. The bakers are so kind and accommodating when we say we just want to take a photo but we absolutely couldn't resist purchasing three macarons - pistachio, chocolate, and praline. Super!
More time passes........
Tonight: dinner at d'Chez Eux (roughly means "their house"). Another recommended place that we checked out and made reservations before the trip.
Let's just say up front that this restaurant more than made up for last night's fiasco. No adventure here, just superb fare.
This time a 10 minute cab ride took us there at 7:30. We went in and....uh oh...no one else there again! But the maitre d' was welcoming and sat us at a table overlooking the Musée de l’Armée - Tombeau de Napoléon et Église du Dôme (Museum of the Army, Tomb of Napoleon, and Church of the Dome). Quite picturesque (that's French for "nice to look at").
Apparently the restaurant is known for its charcuterie, and they showed it by bringing a small plate of salumi slices. Spicy, and we are not big sausage fans.
Looking over the menu we found a lot of good choices up and down the page. For firsts, we each decided to get the Chariot de hors d'oeuvres, which is a trolly filled with different dishes that you can select from (or get all of them!); think mezzes in Istanbul or Tel Aviv. Tonight's selections were: crayfish with cocktail sauce, celery root remoulade, beetroot, cauliflower with apples, lentil salad with carrots, marinated artichokes, roasted red and yellow peppers, and squid salad.
We passed on the squid and Wayne nixed the beetroots. Our waiter then carefully arranged several spoonfuls of each on the plate. One plate would have been enough to share!!!!
Then the mains: Wendy had dos de bar de peche , endives braisees, bisque du homard (sea bass with braised endives in a lobster sauce). It was beyond delicieux; delectable and divine.
Wayne went for the filet de boeuf, sauce poivre, pommes de terre grenaille. This was also a lovely presentation and very very tasty.
One of us was too full for dessert. Pity. But he was willing to share a great lemon tarte. They sure know how to do those here-- this one was differently plated from the one just two days ago (was that possible?), but it was every bit as delicious.
Altogether, a stellar meal. And they were more than happy (and able!) to call us a taxi.
Thursday is our last day, and the night of the big concert!! Can't wait.
Love,
w&w.....................…
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