A Few of Many Reasons
The question comes from all angles, not just from the loyal readers of the RC blog. When people hear that we are living here for the first time, or when we are visiting back in the US….comes a very natural follow-up: "What do you guys like so much about Paris?" (or variations such as "What’s your favorite part of living there?" or "What will you miss so much when you come back?")
The question reminds me in particular of the days when I was a humble ice cream truck driver, cruising at a snail’s pace around Seattle neighborhoods on hot summer days (YES, hot days do exist in Seattle) …and no matter where I went, my customers would ask the same question: "Don’t you ever get sick of the music?" – referring of course, to the musical jingle "Bicycle Built for Two" coming from the loudspeaker of my trusty ice cream truck. My answer, in the peak of my wise-ass teenage years, was either a straight-faced, "No, I actually really enjoy it. It’s a timeless classic."…or if I was feeling especially feisty, I would say, "The music I can deal with…but getting that question is really annoying…"
Don’t get me wrong, I know the Paris question has merit – and fair enough, you’d think Shannon and I would have gathered a few canned responses after our two-years experience here. But unfortunately, it’s not that easy. And I think I’ve finally discovered why – and for the loyal reader of RC, I think after 22 blogs you may be starting to see why as well. You see – as much as we like this place for the big-ticket items (Food, Travel, Transportation, etc.) – I’m realizing more and more that the little things are becoming the real answer to that question. Like what? Like when we’re pouring our morning coffee and we catch a pre-sunrise over the city rooftops, highlighted by Saint Sulpice, the Sorbonne, and the Pantheon…
Or on Saturday mornings, when Shannon and I gear up and head to ‘Luco’ (Luxembourg Gardens) for a jog in quite possibly the most beautifully manicured public space on this planet. Yeah I said it! We spend a couple minutes stretching and taking in the seasonal backdrop (in this case, signs are subtly pointing to the fact that it is fall)…
We then set our respective MP3 players to the right inspirational mix…
And proceed to take in sights that make running feel easy. Quaint sides of the gardens, crowded sides, sunny sides, shaded sides, gravel paths, dirt paths, cobblestone, flower patches, fountains, lovers entangled, old men reading the newspaper, tennis players disputing an out of bounds call…you name it, the Luco run has it all! And while I always will have a passion for a late night run solo run, I’ve learned that sharing this particular routine with my petite femme makes the whole experience (including the view) a few notches more magnifique!
Not Your Average Canada Trip (eh?)
And if those are examples of the little items that make life in Paris so grand, the next one is a major one – ‘a whopper’ if you will. That is the simple fact that Paris seems to have a direct flight to practically any city in the world. Heading to Seattle? Direct flight (10 hours). Heading to Singapore? Direct flight (10 hours). Heading to South America? Direct flight (10 hours). In fact, I think I’m getting a tragic false sense of comfort with the fact that I will always be able to reach a destination seamlessly in 10 hours or less. Even worse, due to pure generosity of the Air France policy I’ve now started to expect free champagne to come on that flight. Man…Alaska Airlines is going to hate me.
But I digress – the topic is Canada, which was reached….you guessed it – direct, in 10 hours or less (and a choice of red wines in coach!). I have journeyed to Toronto many a time over the last 2 years for work, to the point where I have started to establish a few consistent routines. I’ll spare you the boring ones (e.g., commutes to the suburbs, where the Microsoft office is located) and tell you about two familiar comforts that are close to my heart. One is the view of the CN tower and Lake Ontario from my harbour front hotel (yes, those wild and crazy Canucks include the extra "u" on purpose) …
And speaking of wild and crazy Toronto natives, the second tradition is being able to spend quality time with good friends Jeremy and Melissa while I’m there. These guys show me great local eateries, their favorite parts of town – and even invite me to their home for the finest home-made espresso in Canada! But this particular October 2008 visit was not your average occasion for Jeremy and Melissa…it was their wedding! Meet the happy couple in a well-deserved photo session….
No surprise that there just happened to be some of the Duke "usual suspects" at the event – also no surprise that these are the same gents that have made significant past appearances on the RC blog. You may remember Eric "Le Tence" Tencer on the left (recall Paris Proposal?), and Eric "Le Spence" Spencer in the middle…
Here we find even more of the crew enjoying the pre-ceremony cocktail hour – starting from left, Philly-native Ian Doherty, Puyallup-native Matt Johannes (hey guys, seriously, no Puyallup jokes, we accept Mattie fully for who he is – a Washington state native), and also the couple that requires no RC re-introduction – Le Tence and La Vievre (normal people call her Gen)…
Simply stated – the event was drop-dead gorgeous. The super-chic, sufficiently-swankified decor (I think they had to raise the ceilings to accommodate the table center pieces) was just the beginning…
Add to the timeless elegance of the surroundings, a rave-like energy on the dance-floor! That is what we call a recipe for success…
Hence the smiles all around from the Duke crowd – found here putting down the late night kobe-beef sliders (a must-do for the modern-day wedding hunger), and grabbing the groom away (white tie) for a snapshot. A crew that will likely not be together until…the next wedding! Congratulations Jeremy & Melissa!
I Hear They Make Decent Wine Down South…Bring It, Bordeaux.
For those of you that someday have the privilege of noticing our deeply fascinating and ever-expanding collection of french wine bottle corks – you may have one of two basic reactions. One normal reaction could be – "wow, that is a lot of corks", in other words, concern. Others may have what I would consider a more welcoming reaction, which would be – "wow, I love Bordeaux too. Shall we prendre un verre? (have a glass)". And that signals a priceless moment of bonding that Bordeaux fans around the world live for. Now, let’s be clear – despite liking french wine a lot, I am certainly no wine buff. After being offered a taste – you won’t hear anything from me like "Very firm on the palette, and the ripe cherry and woody mushrooms are subtle, but ever-present"…I’m not there yet, and doubt I ever will be. Instead, you’ll more likely hear a reaction of "YUM." or perhaps a "NIIIIIIIICE" or maybe even a "That’ll do the trick". But regarding preferences – I’ve found that those words come most times when I’m enjoying the tastes of red wines from Bordeaux, in the Southwest of France. Hardly an original "undiscovered secret", I know…but I can’t help it – I’m a slave to my taste buds.
It was time to pay homage to this land of good tastes. And how convenient! Going along with the whopper reasons of loving life in France, train travel on the high-speed TGV line is another major factor. Substitute the "10 hours via direct flight" to "3 hours via high-speed train" and the rule is basically the same – whether it’s London, Amsterdam, Nice, or yes….Bordeaux, you can be there, almost effortlessly, in 3 hours or less. So here we are, about to board the 5pm train which will have us in the world’s most celebrated wine country by dinner time.
I’m not the kind of guy who memorizes top train speeds, but rest assured this one holds its own. Here we are watching the french countryside blur by, and working up a hunger while doing so….
This store-front in the ‘adorable capital’ of the entire Bordeaux region – Saint-Emilion, was an indication that we had reached the right place. This would not be the last time we would see the two words "Grand Cru" throughout the weekend – a distinction the signifies the highest level of prestige in Bordeaux wines…
This town has it all, and is a must see for anyone who visits the Right Bank of the Bordeaux region. Not only is it a classic country-side village, packed full of charm and cobblestone streets – but naturally, it also has some of the best wine cellars in the world. Don’t be fooled by the sleepy town look in the morning fog – this town is a power player!
And speaking of power players, don’t be fooled either by my wife’s "I’m just here to see the view" look. It’s 9am and this parisienne is ready to start tasting the fruits of the Bordeaux harvest…
Cruising the streets of the petite ville we discovered another tip. If you visit Bordeaux in October you may just be the only ones…All of this is yours alone to appreciate (and trip over, if you are clumsy like me…)
In past blogs, you’ve heard me go on and on about one of our favorite Paris sweets – a little delight in 100s of different flavors, called the macaron. Well apparently Saint-Emilion has their own version of this little delicacy – which has no variety in choices (other than quantity, of course), but an equally as surprising good taste. We picked some up at the local boulangerie to serve as a tasty in-between palette cleanser…
This scene spells trouble. It was time to get down to business. Unfortunately – the rack of wine I’m admiring features the finest Grand Cru Bordeaux selections, which is intimidating enough…but to add to the situation, let’s just say that they were all born before me. Clearly these puppies are built to last…
After that financially damaging trip to the wine vendor, we decided that we should do more looking than buying for the rest of the trip. We headed west past Bordeaux into the Left Bank – where the highest classified 5 wine estates in the region call home, known as "Premier Grand Cru Classe." By name, these are Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau Latour, and the particularly charming estate below – Chateau Margaux. A special ask to the RC readers from your good, partially-frenchie pal – If you have a bottle of one of these in your wine rack, please invite me over, so I can simply admire it.
Location, location, location. You wouldn’t know it from simply looking at the vines – but this is sacred ground for winemakers and aficionados all around the world. A combination of the right weather conditions, the age of the roots, and I suppose some dumb luck have made these vineyards the crème de la crème of the industry. You have to hand it to them, the scenery is pretty easy on the eyes as well…
Getting this close to Grand Cru grapes, I thought I would surely be shocked by a healthy dose of protective 220V electrical current – or minimally be beamed by precision defense lasers. But the roots were as approachable as…most other plants…
In this part of the world, it’s not only about the taste of the product. You don’t appear to achieve top-dog status until you’ve completed your vineyard with a prestigious medieval structure or two – you know, castles, turrets, moats, and the like. In one of my favorite Bordeaux regions, Pessac-Léognan, the highly-regarded Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte had clearly followed this rule of thumb…
You know you have some nice digs when multi-colored autumn ivy is growing perfectly covering the side of your castle, and when they are growing out of wine-barrels it adds a nice touch…
And sure enough, some of these wine-producing castles even offer rooms to weary travelers. This one, called Chateau Cordeillan-Bages in the Left-Bank star town of Pauillac, was an ideal retreat from a tough day of vineyard touring…
It’s a logical combination – the region that serves up the world’s most respected wines, also has a few restaurants that are…well, let’s just say "more than acceptable"…It’s not too often that I get my lovely wife to sport a black dress to dinner, but when I do – I kindly ask her to allow me to document the occasion with a photo (even better if next to the room flowers). If my Photoshop was working, I would have converted these two pictures into a really-nice high-school formal picture. You’ll just have to imagine..
You know you are fine-dining when 1) they ask you if you’d like to take your pre-dinner drinks in "the grand parlor", 2) you are offered 6 different types of butter, and 3) you can’t tell the difference between appetizers and dessert. This, as it turns out – is not a dessert, but just so happens to be a chocolate / fois gras appetizer…
But this was dessert…something that can cause bodily injury if not approached correctly. Mine (in the distance), required me to break a crispy egg-roll-style chocolate eclair into a decadent caramel sauce, using a special karate chop that the servers trained me on…If only they had granted my request for a side of Nutella…
The final night of our excursion we stayed in the heart of Bordeaux, hanging out in a town that I now consider one of the most under-rated french cities of all time. Bordeaux has equally gorgeous architecture and the class of Paris and Lyon – with the public enjoying wide open cobblestone squares…
But also unique and cool ideas not found in the others, like this inch-high water fountain for kids placed alongside the river walkway…No thoughts of winter yet on this sunny and mild October Sunday!
And for the adults, what a better place than the waterfront stretch to bike ride, stroll, or enjoy a weekend jog…We joined them.
And with sights (and tastes!) like this – we may just be finding ourselves hopping the TGV for Bordeaux again. If you feel the same way about this region and their associated products like we do, you certainly won’t have to twist our arm for us to join you…
Family in any Season
You have to hand it to family. They are so interested in seeing our "real" life in Paris, they are willing to sacrifice the reliable good weather and charm of Paris in the Spring / Summer…and make a RC pilgrimage in the off-season (well, either that or they LOVE a good airfare). It doesn’t matter if the rain starts coming down like cats and dogs…or if the tropical plants of Luxembourg are in the greenhouse for the season – these guys are here to see the real-deal!
This October we had the distinct privilege of welcoming Shannon’s Uncle Jack and Aunt Gail – who are pretty-much more French than the inhabitants of RC, due to their extensive travels through France (mostly involving major amounts of hiking). They stopped for a few nights in the big city after spending weeks exploring the mountains in the South. This was especially good training when being forced to take the stairs due to the excruciatingly small person and weight limit of the RC elevator…
And just weeks after her first visit, my newest Facebook friend (and also my mom) popped in on a visit from Germany. I still don’t know if she came more for the world-famous Gerard Mulot desserts, or quality time with her kids…but regardless we were just happy to see her! Keep coming Mom!
Paris – Is Anyone Home? We’ll keep searching for once in a lifetime opportunities and we hope you’ll keep enjoying them! Until then, here are two lone soldiers signing out from another big month in the diverse life of Rue Cassette. Now you go order that turkey and we’ll see you next time!
And before we close…every so often you get a once in a lifetime opportunity, where you catch yourself as the only person in an unbelievably high-traffic zone. Call it the economy…or call it a low-volume October evening. But I’m here to tell you that the concept of riding the Paris Metro completely alone, in a city with over 10 million inhabitants…does happen. It’s another one of those bizarre experiences that…if you put in the time, may just happen to you as well.
