Melodie K

Paris travel

Unexpected Paris: Gardens, Art, & Tasty Edibles Galore

Palais-Royal garden with one of its avian residents. one of the fun finds in unexpected Paris.

Nearly all the best things . . . have been unexpected, unplanned by me. ~ Carl Sandburg

The last gold rush began in 1896 when George Cormack went fishing for salmon but found gold nuggets instead. Or so the story goes.

Just like that prospector, you often come upon some of the best things when you’re looking for something else, especially while traveling.

Here are a few “gold nuggets” I stumbled upon in unexpected Paris you might like to find “on purpose:”

Sweet & savory pastries from Francart, one of the fun finds in unexpected Paris.I was on my way to late-night at the Louvre and wanted a little dinner first. So I looked around for a restaurant where I was at the time, on the left bank. I spied this pastry shop across the street and knew “take out” was the way to go. I bought slices of quiche Lorraine and a cake with fruit filling, then hurried across the Seine to a bench in the Tuileries Garden to enjoy them. And at first, I did, taking one, two, then three bites of the most amazing quiche Lorraine I’d ever tasted.

The only problem is the birds caught on and began to gather, eyes fixed on my quiche. The Louvre would have to wait. I packed up my pastry and went home to the studio to eat in peace. That’s how I was able to take this photo of the dessert pastry and what remained of that exquisite quiche.

 Gabrielle Renard and Jean Renoir, 1895; one of the fun finds in unexpected Paris located at Musée de l'Orangerie.The gorgeous collection of Renoir paintings at the Musée de l’Orangerie bowled me over. Especially since I had gone, principally, to see Monet’s Water Lilies (Nymphéas). What do you think about this portrait of Gabrielle Renard and the artist’s infant son, Jean? It’s my favorite of the works on display.

Group of metal musicians in concert at Rueil-Malmaison, one of the fun finds in unexpected Paris.If you like “quirky,” you’ll love this group of metal musicians in the city of Rueil-Malmaison.  You’ll find them performing on the lawn in front of City Hall 24/7. I happened upon them while looking for where to catch the bus back to Paris after a full day of touring the Empress Josephine’s château.

Millie's white chocolate & macadamia nut cookie, one of many fun finds in unexpected Paris.This white chocolate and macadamia nut cookie from Millie’s was SO good! I grabbed it with coffee at the Gare de Lyon metro station while rushing to catch an early morning train to Fontainebleau. And just when I thought I’d end up with no breakfast at all.

What surprising things have you come across in your travels while looking for something else?

Fabulous Steak Frites in Paris: le Relais de l’Entrecôte

Voilà! Fabulous steak frites à table, le Relais de l'Entrecôte.

The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook. ~ Julia Child

When I arrived back in Paris STARVING after a full day at Fontainebleau Chateau, I knew the time to dine at le Relais de l’Entrecôte had come.

The sight of Brasserie Lipp, Café de Flore, and Les Deux Magots – glorious cafés all – called to me as I exited the metro at St-Germain des Prés. It was a Thursday evening, just after 7 pm, and their sidewalk tables were filled with people laughing and raising glasses. But I stayed on course to Rue Saint-Benoit, while images of grilled beef and fried potatoes danced in my head….

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The Eiffel Tower Turns Heads: A Photo Essay

The Eiffel Tower, as viewed from the right bank of the Seine.

The desire to reach for the sky runs very deep in our human psyche. ~ César Pelli

I regard the Eiffel Tower with the same excitement as I once did the Statue of Liberty.

As I, maybe, still do.

You see, I spent half my life in New York City ~ 10 years of it on Staten Island. So I must have cruised by the Statue of Liberty hundreds if not thousands of times when taking the Staten Island Ferry to and from Manhattan.

Yet never once did the sight of the Lady with the Torch fail to trigger a Wow ~ will you look at that? response from me. Seeing her standing watch so proud and tall in New York Harbor has always been a thrill.

Most of all, I remember how it was when I sat on the east side of the ferry. (That’s the side facing Brooklyn, from where you can’t see Lady Liberty at all.) So often, the conversation of the passengers nearby would grow louder and more animated the closer we got to the Statue. 

Then, within minutes, half of them would get up and rush to the other side of the ferry. They were thrilled about seeing the Statue of Liberty up close and I was thrilled for them.

Because I get it: Lady Liberty is a head-turner.

The Eiffel Tower is also a head-turner.

And for almost as many years, the “Iron Lady” of Paris has turned heads, too.

Here below are some photographs from the last time I saw Paris and that city’s iconic tower. In them, I hope to have captured for you some of the grandeur of the Eiffel and its surroundings.

The Eiffel Tower, as viewed from the steps of Trocadéro.

The hilly area known as Trocadéro, on the left bank of the Seine directly across from the tower, is the best place to see this landmark in its entirety from relatively close-up.

The Eiffel Tower as seen from Esplanade du Trocadéro.

So I begin my tour at the Esplanade du Trocadéro, the plaza at the top of the hill. People routinely gather here to meet-up for the evening, skateboard, rollerblade, watch street dancers perform and . . . take photographs.

Posing with the head-turning Paris icon, the Eiffel Tower.

Walk down the steps towards the tower to take in the gardens and sculpture including modernist works L’homme and La femme – or Man and Woman – by Pierre Traverse and Daniel Bacqué, respectively.

 The Eiffel Tower viewed across the Jardins du Trocadéro.

"L'homme" et "La femme." Look toward Trocadéro from the Eiffel Tower ~ and there they are.

Action, movement.

The crowds in and around the Eiffel Tower seem over the top all day long. It’s easy to believe some 7 million people visit each year.

The tower is nicknamed “The Iron Lady” because most of its 10,000 tons are wrought iron. Installed over a century ago as the main exhibit for the 1889 World’s Fair, this Lady shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The Eiffel Tower is, literally, at the center of Parisian life.

Tilting or straight up, the Eiffel Tower has no bad angles.

Sunset.

Café Kleber near Trocadéro is where my companions and I have decided to catch a bite before heading home, so we join the parade crossing back over the Pont d’Iéna (Jena Bridge) and climb the hill towards the Esplanade.

All along the way people are either posing for pictures or aiming cameras and smartphones to take them, just as I’m doing.

Couples hold their cameras out to you and smile, Take our picture, please?

Still more people with cameras jockey for position at the very top, hoping for the perfect shot as darkness falls. They wait and watch for the Iron Lady as she prepares to step out – dressed up in 20,000 light bulbs –  for her nightly show.

The Eiffel Tower in early evening.

What famous landmark is on your “bucket list”?