Panda's Nemesis

His name is Fantômette (meaning little ghost), and he tortures Panda with the mere suggestion of his presence.



Because of Fantômette, Panda sprints down the stairs every time we go for a walk, anticipating the opportunity to catch a glimpse of this strange creature. At the end of the walk, as we're about to reenter the courtyard, she pulls and pulls as hard as she can, and every once in a while she's rewarded with the sight of Fantômette scampering across the concrete in search of shelter.

In addition to torturing Panda, Fantômette likes scooters and basking in the sun.



He's nothing but friendly to us, but boy oh boy does he hate Panda, who only wants to be friends. Poor Panda.

The Ride Home

Paris is incredibly bike-friendly, and has been since long before the advent of the Vélib' program, which supplies the bikes I ride. Most major streets have some kind of dedicated bike lane, either within the median, cordoned off by a narrow median on the side, or in a shared bus/bike lane. Rue Beaubourg (leading past the Centre Pompidou and to the Hôtel de Ville) is a fine example of the latter:

Did you notice the green and white cyclist symbol painted on the pavement? Anywhere you see that is where cyclists are supposed to be, both for their safety and for smoother traffic flow. There are also bike-specific signs (same colors) on the side of the road, pointing out the most direct way for cyclists to get to big intersections and landmarks. There are even bike-specific traffic lights at cyclists' eye-level, which unfortunately you can't quite make out in this next video (which also shows off bike lanes within the median of a boulevard):

I travel down this bike lane on my way back home from the Médiathèque Gustav Mahler, one of the libraries I've been working at. While normally, bike-riding itself is entertainment enough (especially when there isn't a dedicated bike lane), the boulevards that run along/through Montmartre offer lots of unusual sights. Here's a short narrated tour:

Do I need to do anything else to convince you that Paris is a great city to see by bike?

Fauchon

Looking to save money in Paris by avoiding expensive restaurants and doing your own shopping? Don't go to Fauchon.

Fauchon is hands-down the most decadent gourmet supermarket in Paris, way more decadent than Le Bon Marché Épicerie. For example: with truffles (the mushroom kind) at 3400 euros per kilo, a 50-gram (1.76 oz.) sliver will still cost you 170 euros. Most everything else is similarly overpriced (although not usually so much per kilo). But the presentation is pretty impressive, at least in the boulangerie/patisserie/boucherie/charcuterie building, which is across the street from the restaurant/wine cellar/chocolaterie/épicerie building (which one of our friends referred to as "sterile").


And although we were too sticker-shocked to try one, their pâtisseries look pretty darn good - even amazing.


I'm not so much trying to tell you not to go to Fauchon - if you feel like splurging, or even if you just want to salivate over/complain about incredibly fancy and high-priced food, you should absolutely check it out. But if you're looking for high-quality, native French delicacies and "luxury" products like foie gras, rillettes, chocolates, and wine, go to any of the neighborhood shops you'll walk by on your way to and from the métro every day. Because out-of-control prices, even for the most delicious gourmet food, can leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

Winter = Architecture Funtimes

Whenever the drab skies and non-stop rain of Parisian winter threaten to bring me down, I go out of my way to find the silver lining in all the gray. One example: with all the leaves off the trees, you get unfettered views of lots of interesting architecture. Which gets you (meaning me) thinking about the two architectural faces of Paris.

The first face is the obvious one: Second Empire, Haussmanian, and belle époque buildings with iron-lattice railings, turrets, and/or a curved slate roof over a uniform concrete façade. There's a typical one-family mansion in the richer areas of the city, and of course Paris is famous for the way its uniformly proportioned boulevards lead the eye towards landmarks.


But there's also a post-war, high-modernist strain in Parisian architecture, especially in the traditionally poorer areas of the city that have seen the least preservation, the most reconstruction, and the most government (rather than private) involvement in architectural decisions. Belleville provides lots of great examples of this second strain, which touches churches (top and bottom left), businesses (top right), and homes (bottom right).


We could argue about how interesting, impressive, useful, or ugly we find these buildings. Some clearly respond to formal and functional requirements better than others. I find the two buildings below to be particularly lacking in foresight, although I have to admit that in a different context, the one on the right could be really cool.


There are also some really great examples of (what I consider) successful contemporary architecture in Belleville. The building below on the left is a day-care/community center, and the one on the right is some kind of insurance company. Both use glass in a way that helps them reflect (and therefore blend in with) the sky. And the insurance building, which anchors the Boulevard de Belleville/Rue de Belleville intersection, still manages to evoke the color of more traditional Parisian buildings. As you walk by, you might not notice that it's brand-spanking new, and that seems to be a cherished principal in Parisian architecture.


Even when you think you've found an exception to Parisian preferences for architecture uniformity and adherence to century-old standards, it turns out you haven't. Consider the Ministry of Culture and Communication, below. The building on the left is a typical, late-19th-century structure that's been covered with a stainless steel screen, which helps unify the building with a 2004 addition (on the right) by Francis Soler.

This daring integration of old and new seems to be Paris's best bet going forward, and I'm hoping the architect designing the building to fill the empty space right across the street from us does something similar!

Not Panda

This dog is not Panda.



This dog was spotted outside the Musée Bourdelle. We visited this museum last weekend and plan to post about it soon! Stay tuned...

Chocolate Hazelnut Addiction

There's a reason why we did not purchase Nutella until now.

(Thanks for the image, moogs!)

I knew that once the jar was opened, I would not be able to contain myself and would likely start a devastating trend. We're in Paris, after all, and Nutella is as ubiquitous as dog poop and baguettes. I allowed myself several (ok, quite a few) Nutella crepes at various establishments throughout the city, but I never once put a jar in my shopping basket. Until now...

Over the last week, we've managed to use this hazelnut and chocolate marvel in two baked goods: granola bars (adapted from a smitten kitchen recipe) and hamantashen (Happy Purim!).

Yummm... what should we make next? 

Mercredi Mashup

We take lots of photos. Beaucoup, as they say. At last count, our Flickr photostream contained over 6,000 items. Many of these photos appear on this blog. Some go the way of the dinosaur. Still others get set aside, hoping for recognition, holding their breath every time we browse for a blog-worthy photo. This post is dedicated to all the misfit photos out there . . . get ready for a whirlwind tour of photos that have nothing to do with one another, other than the fact that they are random, and we took them.

This Scooby Doo character and van was parked outside the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). Many, many otherwise sane looking adults were waiting to have their picture taken with Scooby. I really don't get this. What's the attraction? Maybe it's a generational thing...

We had a coffee and used the toilet in this bar/restaurant with Katie and Darryl. A rugby game (England? Italy? who? what?) was playing on the telly. The Gaudì-inspired decor was super cool and super trashed. Too bad.

This dog was hanging out around the Jardin de Luxembourg. Thank goodness for that convenient opening.

Street art in Belleville. Awesome.

The latest performance art installation at the Louvre.

Maggie and Louis attempt to create art. Fail.

 

We saw this dog on the street, at night, and had to do a double-take. Doesn't he/she look just like Panda??

Good Eats, Good Prices

We never got around to describing a few of the excellent meals we enjoyed while my mom and Cathy were in town in early January, but hey, better late than never!

L'Astier is a traditional bistrot near Métro Oberkampf in the 11th arrondissement. (Traditional means red-checkered décor and no-frills, über-French food.) We went on a tip from the ever-reliable Jesse's List and were not disappointed. Although all the food was of relatively high quality - at least, what you expect for a 32-euro, 4-course menu - the highlight was definitely the cheese plate.

This plate made the rounds between tables, just like a ceramic vat of smoked herring and large jars of mustard, depending on what you ordered. That's the bistro spirit rearing its noble head - big portions, sharing between tables, take as much as you like! and then pass it on. If we were to go back, we might just get an entrée and the cheese course, which would be good both for our finances and our sense of well-being. Mmm, cheese . . .

Fast Forward a month and a half to Katie and Darryl's visit, when we finally tried out a Belleville restaurant that we've had our eyes on for a few months now. La Bouche is not a bistrot, boasting a keen design sense, a hip graffiti logo, and gastronomically-creative food. For instance, we were offered (quite unexpectedly) two amuses-bouche, just like at Le Cinq. First was orange-zest-infused hummus with bread, and second was a lamb soup with a dash of paprika.

There's also the matter of La Bouche's 28-euro, 3-course menu design. Your choice for entrée included an Andouille-sausage soup and an endive tatin; both were served with a goat-cheese mousse (the white-ish dollop on the left in the soup, and to the right of the green-smothered tatin).

For the plat, both the salmon (Maggie's choice) and the veal (my choice) came with a passion fruit dressing and a side of bacon-enhanced mixed-vegetables.

For the dessert, both the coconut milk/white chocolate soup and pistachio crumble came with citrus fruit kabobs. Unfortunately none of us got the soup, but the restaurant gets extra credit just for the plating of the pistachio crumble.

For the chef, it seemed to be about coming up with constraints - how to connect two dishes with a common element - and reacting creatively. We were impressed. And it's not like they sacrificed taste or presentation for this slightly cerebral conceit. No, La Bouche is the real deal, and thanks to their thoughtfulness, skill, and excellent service, they won over four new devotees who couldn't have been happier with their meal.

L'Astier

44 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud
75011 Paris, France
01 43 57 16 35

La Bouche
1 Rue d'Eupatoria
75020 paris, France
09 53 56 24 14

Autolib', Zipcar of the Future?

Two days ago I described the bike share program I participate in here, Vélib'. In what probably seems like reverse order for car-loving Americans, the success of Vélib' has inspired Paris to undertake a public, Zipcar-like car share program. The new program's name comes directly from Vélib' - it's "Autolib'" - and it's supposed to be launched towards autumn, 2011. Its presence is already beginning to be felt throughout the city, as curb space is made for the (electric!) cars and as signs are erected. We haven't seen any of the cars yet, but hopefully we will soon.

Autolib' will face some competition from the pre-existing, privately-run Mobizen car sharing program. But not too much competition - I've only ever seen one Mobizen car, and Autolib' is planning to spread 3,000 cars around the city.

On the one hand, it's a Mercedes. On the other hand, it's slightly larger than a Smart, and significantly less design-conscious. Here's hoping Autolib' can attract ever larger numbers of car sharers with a ride that is slightly more dope.