Just a Lazy Saturday in Paris

When we lived in the United States, Saturday was usually a busy time, especially in the summer. I had a lawn to mow, weeds to pull, and there was always something that needed to be cleaned or fixed or painted... It never stopped.

Life now is quite different. Here's how we spent yesterday:

We woke up at 8:00 AM and just lounged around in bed for about an hour. Then we took an Uber to the 5th arrondissement to check out a market street called Rue Mouffetard.

Rue Mouffetard was an ancient thoroughfare, dating back to the early Romans

The locals do a lot of their shopping on Saturday mornings

The street is lined with vendors and stores selling vegetables, pastries, meat, and more

If you are looking for fresh seafood in France, head to your local poissonnerie

Chickens cooking on a rotisserie, while the fat drips onto golden potatoes. It smells heavenly!

After a bit of exploring we stopped for lunch at a bistro called Le Mouffetard

We relaxed with a couple of beers, then Melanie ordered a steak with garlicky potatoes

I picked out a ham and cheese cassolette 

After lunch we ordered coffees and spent the next several hours just watching the world go by...

On a nearby street there was an open square with some additional tables set up

After lunch we headed back to the apartment and I did a little work on the computer while Melanie played games on her iPad. We were still pretty full from lunch, so instead of getting dinner we took an Uber to the Hard Rock Cafe for some cocktails and snacks. (We shared some spicy chicken wings and a plate of nachos!)

The first Hard Rock Cafe opened in London in 1971. The one in Paris opened exactly twenty years later.

We love love love living in France, but we enjoy going to the Hard Rock because as soon as we walk in the doors, and we hear the music and smell the burgers, we are instantly transported back to the United States... and sometimes it's nice to go home for awhile, you know?

I'm not sure when this picture was taken but we've NEVER seen it this empty

What a great Saturday!

Wow, What a Meal!

After we decided to move to Paris, during those long months when we were getting our house ready to sell and all our papers in order, we tried to learn as much as we could about French customs, the people, and the places we wanted to see.

Noted chef, author, and TV personality, Anthony Bourdain, has appeared in several shows set in Paris and we probably watched each episode three or four times. In one of them he visits a restaurant called "Frenchie", and it's someplace we've been wanting to visit ever since we arrived in France. (It's very popular so you have to book reservations well in advance.)

Last night we finally made our dream come true!

When owner Gregory Marchand was working in London, Jamie Oliver gave him the nickname "Frenchie"

One reason why it's so difficult to score a reservation is that the restaurant is quite small, with no more than about eight tables. The other interesting thing about Frenchie is that they only offer a set menu, and it changes every two weeks. (I teased Melanie that we would probably be eating brains, calf tongue, lamb sweetbreads... she was not amused.)

The food is plated, often with tweezers, behind a bar in the front of the restaurant

Our amuse bouche was maple flavored scones with salted butter

The fresh bread they brought to our table was still hot!

Our first course was an indescribably delicious blend of foie gras, cucumbers, and pickled onions

Course 2 was fresh mushrooms with pureed vegetables, asparagus and a wonderful gnocchi

Delicate fish with cream potatoes, trout eggs, crisps and herbs

Delicately prepared chicken with carrots served three ways

This pre-dessert had avocado ice cream, passion fruit, and a savory crumble. Outstanding!

Our final course had coconut ice cream, mint chocolate mousse ribbons, and white chocolate candies

Every dish offered a unique explosion of perfectly complementing flavors. This was definitely one of the best meals we've had in France.

After a little debate we decided to order the wine pairings and we were so glad we did! More than once the sommelier would bring a wine to our table, then a few minutes later the food would arrive and we'd think, "There is NO WAY these are going to work together." But they were all perfect and it was almost like the wine was changing flavors to match what we were eating!

The dining area was quite small and it was rather noisy, but we wouldn't have changed a thing about our meal at Frenchie. We will definitely be back!

We Spent Last Night in a French castle!

On Wednesday of last week Melanie suddenly said, "We should go somewhere on Saturday and spend the night." That sounded like a pretty good idea to me so we both got on our computers to do some research.

Since it was going to be such a quick trip we decided to stay pretty close to Paris. I was surprised at how many awesome hotels I found, and even more surprised that so many of them still had rooms available. I guess it's not quite tourist season here yet, but the throngs are getting bigger every weekend so I expected more things to be booked.

After about an hour Melanie and I compared the results of our efforts. It wasn't a contest... but she clearly won. My lovely wife discovered a hotel that used to be an honest-to-goodness castle!

 Château Mont-Royal is a French castle in La Chapelle-en-Serval

We wanted to explore the grounds a bit, but it rained all weekend

The castle is pretty modern, by French standards. In the late 1800's a noted composer named Fernand Halphen bought 12 acres of land in the Chantilly forest. The location was covered with ponds and meadows and his vision was to build a wonderful countryside residence on the highest wooded hillock he could find. He and his wife were both enchanted by the breathtaking view.

Halphen contacted architect Guillaume Tronchet, along with some of the best builders in France, to construct a chateau that celebrated music on the inside and hunting, Halphen's other passion, on the outside. Work began in 1907 and the castle was finished in 1911.

As far as transportation, our initial plan was to take an Uber to the train station, then a train to Orry-la-Ville, and finally a cab from there to the Chateau. But we eventually realized that it would be a whole lot easier (and not that much more expensive) to just take an Uber for the entire trip and that's what we did.

We arrived at about 11:00 AM and were delighted to discover that we could head straight up to our room. (Check-in time is normally 3:00 PM.)

Our room was elegant and we loved the curtains on the wall behind the bed

Our balcony looked out over the Chantilly forest

The lobby was beautiful and on either side of the main desk there were two life-sized horse lamps

After a little exploring we headed downstairs to the "Stradivarius" bar and restaurant. This was clearly some kind of parlor/library at some point, and it was easy for us to imagine a room full of men smoking cigars, drinking wine, and sharing their adventures after a long day of hunting.

We arrived a little early, but the room quickly filled with guests

While we sipped our cocktails, the waiter brought out some exotically spiced nuts

There is a formal dining room at the Chateau, and we had dinner reservations, so we ate a very light lunch. The appetizer I ordered was super good!

Mi-cuit duck foie gras with Jurancon wine, caramelized quince, and lemon hazelnut brittle

Back in the room we just relaxed for awhile and listened to the rain. It was so serene, and a few hours later we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

The rain let up long enough for us to enjoy this sunset

That night we ate dinner at a beautiful restaurant called "L'Opera" and we had a terrific multi-course meal! (Unfortunately, it was kind of dark and some of my pictures didn't turn out.)

The restaurant used to be the grand ballroom!

Filet of Simmental beef cooked a la Rossini, with a rich gravy and truffled pureed potatoes

Roast gilthead bream with shellfish sauce, and a selection of winter vegetables in a Marsala wine sauce

We finished our meal with a delicious array of desserts!

How many people can say they spent the night in a castle? Once again, we are incredibly thankful and humbled by all the things we've been able to see and do in our new home. We can't wait for our next adventure.