Embassy Adventures

Soooooooo, first of all the internet connection here at the BW Jardin du Cluny kind of sucks so it's slowing down my blogging. But, I will carry on.
Today was Embassy Day for us. We learned to use the Metro which was pretty easy once we figured out which slot to put the ticket into. We got to the Champs Elysees in good time and used our map to find the embassy. It's located in a prime shopping area next to stores for Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi and other haute couture places. We figured that since we had copies of our passports and could prove we were Canadian it would be a simple process. Were we ever wrong! It was more of an ordeal than getting the original passport. Security rules have changed and we had to fill out numerous forms and go out to find a passport picture place as well. Thanks very much to our neighbours Ken and Lucy and friends Lyndsay and Ben for vouching for us when the consulate people actually called to check our references. On the way to the embassy, we stopped by Notre Dame to see what it looked like before the crowds came. 

Here's our embassy in the high rent district. 

We walked along both sides of the Champs Elysees and it was very ritzy. Lots of expensive clothes and shoes and, much to my surprise, car dealerships! I thought the place below was an embassy or other government place. But no...

It was some kind of Abercrombie and Fitch place. There was a major lineup to get in and A and F guys standing out front. 

This was the first of the fancy cars, a Renault Dezir. So cool. 

Here's an interesting window at the Louis Vuitton store. We saw this girl in a painting in the Orangerie earlier in the day. 

Then we found a Citroen showroom. This is the new GT. I think I own it virtually in my PS3 racing game but it was a real thrill to be this close to it!

On the way home we passed by Notre Dame again and this is how it usually looks. The line of people waiting is very long. 

We also passed by the Hotel de Ville (city hall) and noticed a large crowd. Here's the building and you can see the 3 soldiers in the foreground. We have seen soldiers all around Paris at all hours and they are carrying serious weapons.

The crowd we saw was watching France play basketball at the Olympics. The giant tv has been set up every day.

For dinner we decided that we'd like a change of pace and went to an English pub called the Frog and Princess. It's a microbrewery and I really wanted some good beer in pints. When you go in, they give you a sampler of all of their beers so you can choose. How civilized! Most of the cafes would charge 15 euros for this.

We decided that we'd drink half of each one. This was Marilyn's idea of half. I didn't mind.

Here we see a picture of the Queen in her racing outfit along with Dark de Triomphe and Parislytic pints. I also tried a pint of Inseine. All were good. 

 Dinner was good old English fish and chips and some quesadillas. We were still hungry and also had nachos which I forgot to take a picture of. 

Back To The Latin Quarter

This morning was our last on the River Baroness so we had to say goodbye to our new friends. It's interesting how you can make good friends in 8 days. We were among the last to leave because we weren't flying out. We took a taxi from the quay where the ship was docked into the city. Since it was Sunday morning, there was very little traffic and it was an easy drive. Our new hotel is called the Best Western Jardin du Cluny and it's very centrally located. 

Once we were settled, we went out and explored. We found Rue de Mouffetard which is a really neat pedestrian street that is on a hill and contains a large number of cafes, shops and restaurants.

We were walking along and all of a sudden a dance broke out! Unfortunately, I developed a sudden calf cramp and couldn't participate. Quel dommage! 

We keep hearing musicians as we walk around. Many cafes will have guys out front like this. It reminds me of being in an old movie. 

Our first meal back here was lunch. We've decided to try a few classic French dishes so we went to a cafe while it was raining and had the following.

Marilyn's salad nicoise was composed a little differently than we do it at home and it had anchovies. As you can see though, they are still using sad tomatoes in Paris. Can't wait to get home for mine!

I had the quiche Lorraine which was really good. We actually switched plates after eating half!

We did more sight seeing and went back to the hotel for a bit to rest. We decided on a place for dinner that was recommended by a friend. It's right by the Seine and we weren't disappointed. The place was called Rotisseri du Beaujolais and they featured grilled meats.

Marilyn had coq au vin which came in a cast iron pot.

I had grilled leg of lamb which was different from any lamb I've every had. It looked more like a ham steak but it was very tender and tasted great.

This is my creme brulee which was quite a bit larger than I make at home but, we both agreed it tasted pretty much the same.

Marilyn ordered a degustation dessert! We could have easily shared it, and I actually ended up eating some of it. It had a small creme brulee, chocolate mousse, a floating island and coffee. Good thing we are walking extensively here!

Finally, we were on our way back to the hotel. I had looked up locations for the movie Midnight In Paris and the church where the main character meets the taxi was nearby. I had bookmarked it on my phone and it was easy to find. 

Here's Marilyn hoping that the taxi will show up. Notice she's wearing a sweater and looks cold! It was a cool night. 

This is a full shot of the church, called St Etienne du Mont.

Montmartre and Sacre Coeur

Saturday was our last full day on our cruise. It's been a great week and we think we'll definitely do another river cruise. We've met some great people and have totally enjoyed the life on board the ship and the side trips. 
This morning we were off to the Montmartre district to see the Sacre Coeur cathedral. We went by bus to the bottom of the mountain area and then took a goofy little train up to the top. I was somewhat mortified to be traveling through Paris in what looked like a toy train. I imagined people looking at us and shaking their heads as I would do if I saw this sort of transportation! In the end, it got us to the top easily. And it was a major crowd scene at the cathedral. We moved through the church with all the others after being warned not to talk or take pictures. Of course, there were numerous people taking pictures with phones and cameras. It was an odd experience really. It seemed that most people there didn't really appreciate Sacre Coeur for what it was. We got the impression that most people were just there because it was a place to tick off on your list of places to visit. Cynical? Maybe, but that's the way it seems to be. It is a beautiful place with an amazing history and we were happy to have experienced it. 
This was the train we had to take to go up the hill. I think I'd walk next time!

Sacre Coeur is also a major site for the scam artists. We saw the guys selling junk Eiffel  Towers picking up their stuff as police approached. Then we saw the police catch about 8 of the scammers and make them tear up and toss the "surveys" that they use to try to get money from people. I was amazed to see people falling for the scams too. 

Here you can get an idea of how crowded it was at Sacre Coeur. 

We had some time to wander through the area around Sacre Coeur as well. There was an artist section where people were working on paintings, sketches and portraits. Again, it was extremely crowded.

Our last dinner on the River Baroness was not spectacular but it was good. They served entrecote or rib steak as one of the entrees. We were sitting with our friends from Calgary and Midland who were as aware as we were of what made a good steak. We had all had various forms of steak in Paris and knew that this could be a toss of the dice. At the end of the meal we all agreed that the French don't really know what good steak is. They also don't know how to make coffee but that's another story. The steaks tend to be too thin and are often not overly tender. Tonight's were on the thin side and fairly tender. Would I put these steaks on my Weber? No! But, the flavour was good and I did help Marilyn finish hers so that has to say something positive! As a side note, we talked this morning to people who paid 189 euros last night to go to the Moulin Rouge. It was a set menu including steak that was, by all accounts, not edible. But, the show was good...
Bouchee a la Reine - creamy chicken and mushrooms in puff pastry

Grilled black angus rib eye with peppercorn cognac sauce

Pavlova with raspberry sorbet

Choux pastry with hazelnut cream and raspberry coulis

A Visit To Monet's Garden

I had really, really intended to be totally caught up with blog posts by last night. However, after dinner last night, we continued in the lounge as we approached Paris. There were some French musicians and a bit more wine. We watched the Eiffel Tower sparkling with its night lights as we approached the city. We were chatting with some of our new friends from Canada and the States about just about everything. Somehow, I ended up with a tumbler of bourbon. It was really quite good but by the time we got back to our room, my writing skills had disappeared. As a result, I'm still a day behind. 
Way back at the start of today, we boarded bus and headed off to Giverny, the site of Monet's home.This was where he created his gardens and did a lot of his more famous paintings. Luckily, we arrived early and the crowds were slightly lighter than later in the day. It seems that everywhere we go, it's very crowded. We don't love crowds and that's why we tend to head off on our own to explore whenever possible. 
This is Monet's home which is a museum now. It has reproductions of many paintings and is set up as it would have been in his time.

Some of Monet's more well known paintings are of water lilies in the pond.

There was also an incredible range of flowers of all types in the gardens.

Dinner was the Captain's Farewell which was held last night because tonight some people are off the ship for dinner. It starts with assorted speeches and recognition of various crew members. Then we moved to the dining room for the following dinner. 


Smoked salmon rose on a potato pancake with creme fraiche and Keta caviar.

Gratinated baby scallops Britanny style.

Black Angus beef tenderloin with bearnaise sauce and fondante potatoes. 

Broiled halibut with Noilly-Prat sauce and mushroom risotto. 

River Baroness ice cream bombe. Pretty much baked Alaska and very good.

And this was the scene that we saw as we sailed back into Paris late last night.