Escargot! Mumm & Moet’s the Word – Sunday, 2nd May 2010

Last night I ate my dessert from Ladurée and it was so delicious. The texture was light and creamy and it literally melted in my mouth. The sweetness was delicate making it very easy to enjoy. I can’t wait to enjoy my next Ladurée master piece.

This morning I made the short walk down rue de Rivoli, which runs alongside the Louvre, to meet my tour group. As in all cities, there are many homeless in Paris. At night, men sleep out in the open on cardboard with their head in a large cardboard box. To keep warm, they sleep on a metro grate where the warm air blows up from beneath. During the day, they sleep literally anywhere on the footpath, in any pose, including flat on one’s back, arms stretched out to the side and legs splayed out like a frog. It’s a little sad, but sometimes it can look quite funny!!

I’m currently on the bus to Champagne. The tour guides are relaying messages in five different languages including English, French, Portuguese, Mandarin and Japanese. We've just been told to “take the same seat each time we come back to the bus to avoid international conflicts” How hilarious!! It makes me wonder what’s occurred in the past to prompt such a message!

Our first stop was to the G.H.Mumm Champagne House in Reims. Here we learnt about the making of Champagne in this famous Champagne Region. It is a fascinating process, particularly the riddling process which removes the sediment following the double fermentation process. I must admit that I did have some trouble concentrating on what our Mumm guide had to say as we progressed through the Champagne caves due to my eagerness to progress to the Champagne tasting. And once we finally were able to taste the Champagne, I chose the Mumm Cordon Rouge Demi-Sec and it was everything I expected and more. It was so good that I couldn’t help but buy a bottle to bring home with me. It is divine!!

We then went into the town of Reims where we were given a quick tour of the ‘Cathedral of Our Lady of Rheims’ (note this is spelt correctly slightly differing to the town name) which is where all early French Royalty conducted their coronation ceremonies. The Cathedral looks quite similar to Notre Dame in Paris both inside and out with its gothic designs and statues telling similar stories. I believe that it might also be just slightly larger than Notre Dame which may be accredited to its royal significance.

During this part of the tour I met Brian, Danny and Paul, some other Australians on the tour and they kindly invited me to join them for lunch. I graciously accepted and had a really lovely time chatting with them and hearing of their travels. They’d also done the tour of the battlefields and had been at the Menin Gate for the last post on Friday Asha and I were there and at Villers-Bretonneux for ANZAC day. But the highlight of joining these gentlemen for lunch was the opportunity to try escargot. They were all returning to Melbourne on the following day and it was one of the things on their ‘to do’ list. I told them it was on my list as well and with safety in numbers and some champagne courage on our (my) side we all decided to try them. We ordered 12 garlic and herb escargots to share and each had three. To my surprise they were actually quite good and wonderfully cooked. I would liken them to a fresh beautifully cooked garlic prawn. For me, who won’t even eat our Coat of Arms, it felt like quite a personal achievement and one to be proud of! Woo Hoo! For lunch I also enjoyed a Salmon (raw) and shrimp salad. I’m enjoying many fresh salmon salads whilst over here. Its so very flavoursome and fresh.


During our journey to Epernay we passed the small village of Hautvilliers, which was the village of Dom Perignon who created the double fermentation method which results in Champagne. Our next stop was to the home of Dom Perignon and Moet & Chandon. They have some of the largest cellars in France. There, I was also able to smell the Lily of the Valley flowers they had displayed and they smelled exactly as the macaroon, I enjoyed yesterday, tasted! Amazing!!

At Moet & Chandon we basically received a similar tour to the one we’d received at Mumm, except they double the cellar times of their traditional and vintage champagnes. Instead of being cellared for 15 months their traditional champagne is cellared for 3 years, and instead of 3 years their vintage champagne is cellared for 6 – 7 years. Vintage champagne is only produced from a good years quality yield, therefore a vintage champagne is generally not produce every year, but rather every 2 -3 years. Dom Perignon is only produced as a vintage as homage to the creator of Champagne. Therefore now armed with this knowledge, I have a new hero – Dom Perignon!! At the gift shop, I couldn’t afford a Dom bubbly so I bought a Dom Perignon apron instead, but I could afford Moet & Chandon so I also got a bottle of that to bring home!!

When I got home at 7 pm, Asha and I were going to have a picnic on Pont des Arts, however it was raining so we sat on the floor of the apartment and enjoyed our picnic at home with the movies “I love you Man” and Kath & Kim” instead. Our picnic consisted of a baguette, brie and dry sausage (which is like mild salami). Despite drinking Mumm and Moet & Chandon all day we got smashed on a 6 Euro bottle of Demi- Sec Gratien & Meyer Saumur bottle of Champas and it was greache!! WE LOVE PARIS!!

Lily of the Valley and Sweet Decadence - Saturday, 1st May 2010

Today I enjoyed a bit of a sleep in after a restless night of to much bubbly and not enough H2O – all sorted now though!!

Asha and I caught the train to Champs-Elysees to visit some shops and Ladurée. But the shops were closed today due to it being May Day. May Day (La Fete du Muguet and La Fete du Travail) in France is a public holiday to campaign and celebrate workers rights. It is also an occasion to present ‘lily-of-the-valley’ or ‘dog rose’ flowers to loved ones which dates back to King Charles IX of France who introduced this custom in 1561. Small bouquets of Lily of the Valley and Dog Rose were available for sale on almost every street corner and all around Paris people were carrying or wearing small bouquets and giving them to loved ones and friends. It was really lovely.

Fortunately Ladurée was open so we went in for a hot chocolate and some scrambled eggs and bacon – and a dessert.

If you are ever in Paris – a visit to Ladurée is an absolute must – especially the one on Champs-Elysees. There are several around Paris. This one is quite large and absolutely spectacular. Everything about it is so beautiful, right down to every detail. The cakes and macaroons are delightful and so very pretty. It’s amazing. Unfortunately after our scrambled eggs we didn’t have room for dessert but we were determined not to leave empty handed so we both bought an amazing treat from the take away section! Wow and Yum!!

I decided to spend the remainder of the afternoon typing up my journal and relaxing in preparation for going to the Louvre around 6 pm. We walked over there and there were lots of people around, but it was closed and had been closed all day due to May Day celebrations. Never mind, we’ll just go back another day!

Bones of the Long Departed and Bubbly Balanced on a Balloon - Friday, 30th April 2010

This morning Asha and I visited the Catacombes. In 1785 it was decided to solve the hygiene and aesthetic problems posed by Paris’ overflowing cemeteries by exhuming the bones and storing them in the tunnels of three disused quarries.

We entered through a small dark green belle époque style building and descended 130 steps down a small stone spiral staircase, about 20 metres underground. We then walked about 750 metres through small dimly lit winding stone tunnels and after what seemed quite a long distance, arrived at the Ossuary. It was an eerie and strange sight which went on forever! The bones and skulls of approximately 6 million Parisians are neatly packed along each and every wall. It is a very unusual and very out of the ordinary sight to behold! I wasn’t really sure how I felt while I was down there and wouldn’t do it again here. To depart the catacombs we ascended the 83 steps of an even smaller stone spiral staircase and exited out of a very non-descript building in a different part of town. A very unique and unusual part of Paris – which seems to have a bit of everything!!

The remainder of the afternoon was spent just relaxing with a bit of a Nana nap thrown in! I think I might be uber dehydrated because I’m feeling overly fatigued – so am currently trying to drink as much water as possible and rehydrate back to my usually non-stop energetic self. Too much to see and do!

In the evening I went to the Paris Pardis Latin Show. It is in a Theatre built by Gustav Eiffel and is extremely ornate and beautiful. The show was lots of fun. Each of the shows I’ve seen in Paris all have their own special touches and I really enjoyed this one. I was most impressed with the man on the uni-cycle who balanced a bottle of champagne on a balloon on about a 30 cm long round stick he held in his mouth like a straw. He then popped the balloon and caught and balanced the bottle on the stick all while riding the uni-cycle. It was very cool!

I’ve also noticed that Indians love these shows and saw large contingents of them both at the Lido and Paradis Latin. The ladies are dressed in their traditional Saris and the groups look like they have a lot of fun. I think my next overseas trip might need to be back to Fabulous India!

Paris by Night with Fat Tyres - Thursday, 29th April 2010

Today, after very little sleep it was time to take Asha to my favourite Parisian clothing store and perfumery store. It didn’t open until 11 am and we had arrived just after 10 am so we sat at a little café across the road and had a drink and watched the world go by. As we sat, a fire truck arrived at the apartment block across the road. The firemen went upstairs – but there was no sign of smoke etc. Then a second fire truck arrived with a crane ladder which it extended up to the fifth (being the top) floor of the building. Once in position two firemen climbed up, smashed the window and entered the apartment. They then packed up the truck with the ladder and then not too much else seemed to happen. So despite much deliberation between the two of us it was difficult to work out what all the commotion had been about! But it had entertained us for a short while regardless! Then it was time to shop!

In the afternoon I took a look around our local area near the apartment and made some purchases. Surprisingly there is still money left on my cash passport – It’s another Paris miracle!!

At 7 pm I met up with the tour group Fat Tyres at the base of the Eiffel Tower and then embarked on a 4.5 hour Paris City Night bike tour and Seine River Cruise. I have to say that it was excellent and a must if you are in Paris. It was so much fun, especially trying to not be hit by crazy French drivers! And it’s also incredibly liberating to not have to wear a helmet and to feel the wind in your hair.

We stopped for Ice cream at Berthillon on Ile St-Louis which is evidently ‘to ice cream what Chateau Lafite Rothschild is to wine’. Hmmmm, being a bit of a self professed ice cream connoisseur, I wasn’t that impressed! But perhaps I need to go back for a second visit just to make sure! We were also informed by our guide Andrew that Johnny Depp owns an apartment on Ile St-Louis which is another great reason to frequent the location for the chance of a rare spotting of this fabulous actor!

We continued our ride and stopped on Pont des Arts which is a foot bridge linking the left bank to the right bank alongside the Louvre. It is evidently where Carrie and Big in Sex and the City hook up when they are in Paris. It is also a place where people propose and as part of the proposal they lock a padlock engraved with their names and the date onto the bridge and throw the key into the river. How romantic is that! Evidently it is mostly the tourists, who do it, but I don’t care – it’s still so very romantic. And during the summer month’s throngs of people flock to the bridge in the evenings and set up little picnics all over the bridge. It had the most wonderful atmosphere as we walked our bikes across it! I think Asha and I will partake in a Pont des Arts picnic with some bread, cheese and bubbly very soon!

The river cruise was great at night especially seeing the lights on the Eiffel Tower twinkle at 10 pm and then again at 11 pm! Regardless of how many times I’ve seen it, it still has a magical power to leave in awe of its beauty! It is such a stunning and spectacular sight! To make the cruise even more enjoyable, Andrew brought along wine for all, so as we cruised we socialised with lovely French red wine. It was just perfect!

A City of Beauty and Dancing Queens - Wednesday, 28th April 2010

I spent much of this morning on the Left Bank, specifically the Latin Quarter just looking around and enjoying the cafes.

In the afternoon I revisited Champs-Elysees. It still astounds me how many men, without hesitation, approach you on the street to tell you how beautiful they think you are and then offer to buy you a drink. And when you politely decline, they accept your answer, wish you a lovely day and leave you to be. The cynics can say what they want, but I think it’s lovely and it’s just a shame it doesn’t happen in Australia.

In the evening I went to the Lido on Champs-Elysees, founded at the close of WWII, and saw the famed Bluebell Girls and Lido Boy Dancers. It was a great show with many similarities to Moulin Rouge, but also with very distinct differences. I really enjoyed it.

The show finished at 11.15 pm and one of the waiters had told me about a club close by called Queen. I discovered that it was a Gay club until 11.30 pm at which time it turned into Ladies night. So I went and had a wine and chatted with some locals and other tourists before making my way back to Queen.

Being Ladies night meant that I was able to enter for free (rather than pay the 10 Euros) and inside it was awesome. The clubs in Paris are huge, packed and fantastic, regardless of the day of the week. I think I could easily live here!! So I danced the night away until 3 am then it was good night from me! On my way home I was approached and asked if I wanted some Hashish or Cocaine! What can’t you get here???

Magnificent Rose Windows & Italian Gelato in Paris - Tuesday, 27th April 2010

This morning Asha and I walked down to the Crypte Archeologique which is under the square in front of Notre Dame. It displays in situ the remains of structures built during the Gallo-Roman period dating back to the first Century. It was interesting but not necessarily a definite must see!

I was then left to my own devices and took a wander through Notre Dame. It’s still as beautiful and mind bogglingly huge as ever. The ten metre wide rose windows are always a pretty sight to behold. At one little area I lit candles to honour the memory of some loved ones who have passed and to wish good health and happiness for Pete and Mishka.

My next stop was for a spot of lunch and a tipple of wine at a lovely sun drenched café. Then I was off to buy some macaroons, print tour vouchers at an internet café, buy prints of Paris and then take a break again with two scoops of Amorino Italiano Gelato – Yum!

Then I did some grocery shopping, which of course included a bottle of bubbly! By that time my feet were killing me. I’d worn my beautiful new heals which are fabulously comfortable – just not after 5½ hours of walking and one sixer on the cobbled footpaths! So home, to re-energise, for me.

OMG - I’ve just had one of the macaroons which is a salted Caramel flavour and it is absolutely divine – so yum!!

Encounter with a former Moulin Rouge Performer - Monday, 26th April 2010

This morning Asha and I went shopping at Galleries La Fayette where we met a wonderfully warm and friendly French lady called Veronique. She spoke English very well and actually used to be a dancing girl at the Moulin Rouge. She is very passionate about Paris and France and was very generous with her time to tell us about many wonderful places to visit and activities to consider during our stay in Paris. She was just charming! In the evening I booked lots of fun tours and activities on line. So all in all it was a pretty quite day!

As I type this many men continue to use the cunningly disguised outdoor water closet by the church across the road. Not the prettiest sight in Paris.

In addition, I’ve also noticed that the men who sell bottled water from buckets filled with ice around the Louvre actually store the bottles in storm water drains along our street. They lift up the round storm water coverings and extract their bottles which they hope to sell for the day. So hot tip – best not to buy bottled water from a man selling it out of a bucket of ice whilst in Paris!