Gutters are not for rain they are for dog poo and cigarette butts.
Pavements are not for pedestrians they are actually extra parking spots, particularly for Vespas.
Red lights do not apply to Vespas, bicycles or anyone in a hurry.
There is a solution to the Vespa problem…. (see photo above)
“Open Daily” means open on the days that we are not closed
Pedestrian crossings are only there to test your nerve. You are expected to make eye-contact with the oncoming driver, smile and dare him (or her) to run you down!
Smart cars were invented to address “le parking” problem in Paris.
(see photo below)
Fans of the movie “Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain” (or Amélie for short) will know that many of the exterior shots were filmed in Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement. I arrived early on my second day of exploring the village, so apart from the locals I pretty much had the place to myself. I easily found Amélie’s café Les Deux Moulins, Monsieur Collignon’s greengrocer and her apartment in rue des Trois Frères and then set off to explore the backstreets of Montmartre – movie set, home of the Moulin Rouge and before it became “Bobo” (bourgeois bohemian) and too expensive, home to struggling and successful artists.
My first stop was the Musee de Montmartre, where for reasons unknown, but possibly due to the 8 Euro entrance fee – I had the museum almost to myself. This wonderful museum is built in one of the oldest surviving houses in Montmartre and was home to such artists as Renoir, Raoul Dufy, Suzanne Valadon and her son Maurice Utrillo. The musueum houses beautiful artworks, historical artifacts and an accurate scale model of Montmartre.
Nearby is Clos Montmartre, the last active vineyard inside the Paris city, and an old cabaret venue named Le Lapin Agile, actually a play on words as the artist who painted the sign was André Gill hence ‘Lapin à Gill’.
La Maison Rose, is situated in rue de l’Abreuvoir one of the prettiest streets in Montmartre and it’s a lovely spot to lunch – I had a grilled goats cheese salad and a glass of Bordeaux. Then I meandered my way down the hill through backstreets until I reached the Lamarck-Caulaincourt Metro Station (another Amélie location) and headed back to my hotel to rest my aching feet.
I first visited Caviar Kaspia 19 years ago, and nothing has changed … I blew my budget then and I blew my budget today but it was worth every Euro.
Established in Paris in 1927 by Russian émigré Arcady Fixon, the restaurant and shop has been in its current location at 17 Place Madeleine since 1953. At street level there is a shop selling exceptional caviars, wild salmon, smoked fish and vodkas. (The traditional accompaniment to caviar we are told is frozen white vodka – but we opted for champagne)
Upstairs is an intimate wood panelled restaurant decorated with antique paintings. The waiters all speak English and are happy to help you with your menu selection. I selected the Printemps (Spring) menu for 79 Euros which consisted of – Norwegian Smoked Salmon with blinis and sour cream followed by 30g of Caviar with stuffed baked potato.
It was absolutely delicious, and just the right quantity. Kate had Crab Gazpacho followed by Champagne Risotto with Prawns. The coffee included with my menu selection turned out to be Segafredo (my favourite) and came with a selection of chocolate truffles.
If you are in Paris and don’t mind blowing your budget, drop into Caviar Kaspia mid-morning, and make a booking for lunch. You can then fill in time worshipping nearby at the altars of Ladurée, Maison de la Truffe, Hediardand Fauchon.
Well, I’ve been home now for five weeks but my thoughts regularly return to France, re-living some of the best food moments … and among the highlights of the trip was a stroll down Rue Montorgueil, one of the better permanent street markets in Paris. Located in the Les Halles area few streets away from metro Sentier it is lined with famous restaurants, cafés, bakeries, and fish, cheese, flower and wine shops.
There you will find … L’Escargot established 1875, but sadly closed the day we were there. It appears that the government has enforced a four-month closure due to cocaine-dealing on the premises. It’s worth a look just for the beautiful gold snails climbing its façade. And the snails do look unusually perky … so perhaps there is some truth to the rumour !!
For a sweet treat visit La Maison Stohrer.This famous bakery opened its doors in 1730 and is one of the oldest bakeries in Paris. Or you could try one of Maison Collet’s pink marzipan pigs, filled with a rich chocolate and fruit mixture.
At the southern end is the famed Eglise Sainte-Eustache, one of Paris’ most beautiful religious monuments built between 1532 and 1632. In Chapelle St-Joseph there is a naïve relief showing a procession of market traders, resembling a funeral cortège, leaving the Les Halles food markets for the last time before it relocated to the outskirts of Paris.
Nearby in rue Coquillière isE. Dehillerin the famous cookware shop where I bought an authentic tarte tatin dish (hard to obtain in Australia). I have already cooked my first tart and it was a complete success, with one guest pronouncing that it was “the best dessert she had ever tasted”.
And finally we lunched at Le Cochon à l’Oreille, an historic bistro on rue Montmartre where friendly Mesdames served us with garlic and parsley snails and onion soup. Whilst we sipped our wine we admired the colourful period ceramic tiles and its original 1919 façade now classified as a historic monument. Très atmosphérique.
A Bellingen Diary 