Europe 2006

Les Bouquinistes

2006-09-26T20:48:00.000-05:00

Our last night in Paris.

We had reservations for Les Bouquinistes – one of Guy Savoy’s restaurants. We had eaten so much during the week we almost decided to not go. But what fun would that be?

We showed up a few minutes late and were seated promptly. This place has very small tables very close together. You get intimate with your neighbors. Like it or not.

We did not order extravagantly this time. (See below). For starters, Doreen has a Fricassee of Escargot (yes, snails) and I had a white bean soup. The soup was thin – not thick, and a rather acidy (not beany) flavor. It was good. We had a regional Languedoc wine from a small vineyard called Clos des Nines. Nice and dry.

For our main course, Doreen had veal roasted with peaches, and I had roast suckling lamb. Mine included a dish dish of shedded lamb with mashed potatoes on top. Sort of a “Shepherd’s Pie” side dish. It was good, but too much.

Doreen ordered a dessert. Something chocolate or other. It did not impress.

We crawled home.

Joël

2006-09-26T20:34:00.000-05:00

Ah, our favorite place to eat in Paris. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. We first ate here back in 2004, and this was a chance to catch up again.

The evening got off a little wrong footed however. We sat ignored at the bar (it is all a big sushi bar type place) for about 20 minutes. We almost got up to leave. This was very uncharacteristic of the other times we had eaten here, however, so we stayed. We were rewarded.

We started off with a couple of coupes of Champagne – a Bruno Paillard brut Première Cuveé. Nice, dry, minerals, yeasty. I love Champagne, and we used this time to try and figure out what to order.

The last time we were here they had the same tasting menu, so we decided to order off the menu itself. This is easier said than done. Not because we couldn’t figure it out, but because there was so much from which to choose. (I can’t find a site with the menu. The official Joel Robuchon site seems to be only in Japanese)

The menu is divided into three parts. “Tastings” which give you a small plate that you can share with one, perhaps. Starters, which are what they seem, and main courses. The tasting menu is comprised of a bunch of small dishes, and that is what we have had before. This time we wanted to try something new so we stepped into the main menu.

Originally I was leaning towards a simple dinner of one starter and a main course. Doreen discouraged that, and we each had a starter and three tastings.

We both started with the gazpacho. One of the best tomato soups that you could imagine – smooth and cool, garnished with tiny basil leaves and balsamic vinegar. With it, I had a glass of Colombette 2004 Chardonnay. This was an interesting choice – a big dry white from Languedoc (yes, that’s right). It was a rich French wine done in sort of a new world way. Some oak, some butter, but not overwhelming. Doreen had a Domaine du Comte Lafon 2004 Macon. This was a more typical Chardonnay from Macon (in Burgundy). Minerals and a very good nose.

From there we split up. I started with Fresh Anchovies a la Marine. They were all lined up like little sailors, with a strip of red pepper between each little fish. On top were the rings of a green onion, arranged just so, from the lower left corner of the fish to the upper right corner, in decreasing diameter. If you like anchovies, this is a treat. The essence of the sea comes through.

Doreen had langoustine in ravioli. ONE langoustine. I had a small taste. It was good. (sorry)

Then we moved onto the next course. I had ordered a Red Mullet a la Facon Colbert. I didn’t know it at the time, but this meant with its head on. Fish cheeks are good. The Rouget (red mullet) is a small, firm white fleshed fish.

Doreen had the Pigeon Supreme. (yes, indeed. Pigeon – done rare). I had a taste and it was wonderful. Earthy flavors that just grabbed you and sucked you into the realm of the pigeon worshippers.

I think that it was with this course that Doreen then switched to red wine. I stayed with White – a JM Boillot Chassagne Montrachet – another white Burgundy. This was dry and with good minerals. Classic Chassagne Montrachet. Doreen had a JM Alquier Faugères from southern France. I only had a sip, but she liked it so much she had a second glass with our last course before dessert:

Suckling pig. We had the same thing. Tender, flavorful, and juicy. A nice final course.

We must have had dessert (it is on the bill, though I barely remember it). A rhubarb compote. With that we Doreen had a Klientzler Muscat, and I had a Cauhapé Jurancon Moelleux. My mind numbs.

We staggared home

Bofinger

2006-09-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

Monday night we had dinner at the Bofinger before we went to the Opera (described below)

The Bofinger is a real treat. It is a real Brasserie. They have a tremendous Choucroute, and it is worth every bite. The building is pure Belle Epoch. The people are part of the evening. This time we called to make reservations early, because we had the Opera tickets. They actually LAUGHED at us for trying to make reservations at 6:30. They said we didn’t need them. (But they asked when we showed up!)

We started off with some wonderful raw oysters. They are expensive by Houston standards, where we are use to $5/doz. These were €17.40 per six (that’s a half dozen to my younger readers). While these really called for a chalky Chablis or even a Champagne, we had a dry Riesling. Not bad!

Then for dinner Doreen had Steak Tartare (“do you know what that is?” They asked when she ordered it) and I hade the Choucroute Paysanne. (I had to get the blood sausage!). It was a wonderful meal. We passed on dessert.

Doreen At Versailles

2006-09-24T11:30:00.000-05:00

We are looking forward to the new movie about Marie Antoinette.

Here is Doreen saying "Let them eat cake!"

2006-09-23T12:43:00.000-05:00

This is the box that has the bee hive in it. That tiny French woman was in there with us. She said that she would protect me from the bees.

A Panorama

2006-09-23T11:16:00.000-05:00

Monet's Water Lilies

2006-09-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

Versailles Panorama

Last Days in Paris

2006-09-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

Went to the Museum Nissim di Camondo. IT was the house of a Jewish guy from Constantinople. His family owned the largest bank in the Ottoman empire. He built this house in 1910. His son was killed in WWI as a pilot, he died in 1935 and gave the house (as a museum, with instructions that nothing should be moved) to the City of Paris. His daughter refused to go in hiding during the occupation. Her kids were transported and killed in Auschwitz in 1943. She was killed in 1945.

We then went to the Parc Monceau for a picnic. This is a very tony neighborhood. We had the left over chicken from the previous night, and a bottle of 2003 Bordeaux. We also had melon and some pears. The birds were waiting and waiting for us to finish, and we had a rat that was looking at us from under a tree.

We then walked to the Arc du Triumph. But the bathrooms were closed so we didn’t walk to the top (the 284 steps had nothing to do with it).

We walked all the way down to the l’Orangerie. That was a very long walk. Those water lilies are very beautiful.

We then walked to the Musee d’Orsay. We didn’t look at too many things. Mostly the Nabis.

Oddly enough, we have boon looking for a Picasso t-shirt since we have been here. They have stopped selling them at the museums, and we have not seen any on the street.

I have three more restaurant notes that I want to post that I have not finished yet, though we are home:

Ze Kitchen Galerie
Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Bookinistas by Guy Savoy.

Our Elevator

2006-09-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

This is a picture inside our elevator. My shoulders touch each side when I am not sideways. Doreen's back touches the back wall and my nose almost touches the door.

I have a big nose, but that is one small elevator.

Paris Notes

2006-09-20T15:11:00.000-05:00

Every guidebook in Paris talks about the Museum Pass. It is a two, four, or six day pass that lets you into a plethora of museums in town. That is good, and can even save you money if you go to a lot of museums. But more importantly, it lets you cut the line.

Most every museum has a special entrance for groups and pass holders. There is almost never a line at these entrances. For example when we visited the l’Orangerie (The little museum with all the Monet water lilies) there was a two hour wait in line. We walked in without so much as a how do you do.

So we bought our pass Monday. The key is to buy the pass at a small museum. We got ours at the Picasso Museum. One of our favorites. There was no line.

Later that afternoon we went to the Louvre to see some of that museum that we rarely visit. It was nice to be in a part of the Louvre that was relatively empty (by the way, I forgot to mention that when we were at Versailles today there were times walking around when we saw not one single person. Amazing)

That evening we ate at Bofinger (more later) and saw the opera. It was Salome, book by Oscar Wilde, music by Richard Strauss. The best thing about the Opera was that it was one act! Oh, and Salome got naked.

Versailles Fountain

2006-09-20T14:41:00.000-05:00

The Frogman of Versailles

Higgely-Piggely Postings

2006-09-20T14:29:00.000-05:00

This is all out of order. More will be coming out of order as well.

On Tuesday we visited the new Museum of Decorative Arts. It only opened about a week ago. It has all sorts of interior and fashion stuff inside it. This is one of the places that Doreen had wanted to go since we arrived. All I could think about was how much Charles and Ed would have loved this place.

It is an entire wing of the Louvre, the north wing. Because we had a museum pass, we were able to cut the line. That made it all worthwhile.

There was too much stuff to accurately describe.

We wandered over to St Germain for a nice cheesy lunch, followed by a long walk to the Mephisto store. It is a shoe store. We got lost on our way there once again, but found it anyway.

We each bought a pair of shoes and walked home.

We ate at the Atelier de Joel Robuchon that night. More in a bit.

More Versailles

2006-09-20T14:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok. Due to popular demand, here is a more typical photo of Versailles.

Versailles

2006-09-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

Today we went to Versailles. If you want to see some of the more typical photos, you can click here. But the above picture is a photo of the famous "Carp of Versaille" (carpe du Versailles) which have been kept since Marie Antoinette's time.

She kept them as pets, but when she was seized there in 1789 the masses tried to take them and eat them. A few of her guards who were still loyal spirited the carp away and kept them in bathtubs until the restoration of the monarchy.

The carp pictured above are the direct descendants of those fish.

More interesting than a Hall of Mirrors, I would say.

Ze Kitchen Galerie

2006-09-20T13:48:00.000-05:00

The first night Doreen and I had to ourselves we had dinner reservations at a place recommended by Patricia Wells called Ze Kitchen Galerie. We had spent a hard day at the Marche aux Puces, and were looking forward to ou first fancy meal in Paris.

We love to go to the Marche, which literally translates as “Flea Market”. IT is a long way from the city (take Metro #4 to the Port de Clignancourt and then walk for eternity though the north African t-shirt, belt, and watch vendors until you get there.) We walked for hours looking at geegaws and knickknacks. We ended up buying one of each (one geegaw and one knickknack) they are very beautiful things.

We made it back in time for a short nap, and then walked over to the restaurant. It was not too far from the apartment, and we arrived right on time. Being Americans, we can usually get reservations early. I think that there were for about 7:30.

The service was more French than we are use to in these fancy places. The waiter was nice enough, but stand-offish. We started with a nice coup of pink champagne, and then ordered our meal. I had a ravioli of shrimp and chicken in a galangal juice – a ginger like Asian root. Doreen had a cold soft shell crab with octopus in a spicy red sauce. My dish was wonderful, with a full play of flavors from spicy to sweet. Doreen was less fond of hers.

With the meal we ordered a Cotes du Vivarais, which I was not familiar with until then. It was recommended by the waiter and was a nice compliment to our main course, which was veal cutlets and sweetbreads. There was a spicy peach sauce to accompany the meat, and the wine was nicely acid to cut through the sauce. An excellent choice.

For dessert Doreen had red fruits in a soup bowl. She had ice cream as an accompaniment. I had passion fruit white chocolate soup alongside mango and some sort of a vanilla ice cream. It was great. Doreen liked hers as well.

We walked home trying to think about how we were going to work off the calories.

Pierre Gagnaire (Pt 4)

2006-09-19T08:20:00.000-05:00

We continued to eat, through it was starting to pass all bounds of human endurance.

The next plate was another wild mushroom with chorizo and consume of beef. It covered another dish (literally. The other dish was in the bottom of the bowl. The waiter removed the top part to reveal the bottom) that included mussels and eggplant, with plums and fleur de sel.

We are getting to the end here – the next dish was the only meat dish in the swing. It was veal stuffed with fois, and then gently deep fried.

Finally! We had three sorts of cheese, including a gorgonzola cream and a fresh goat cheese from Burgundy.

But wait, there was more…

The desserts also just kept coming. There were at least nine (!) different desserts. I cannot even begin to say what they were. But they did have a little white chocolate plank with “Happy Anniversary” written in dark chocolate on top. That was nice. We had a Corsican Muscat with the dessert menu – Verre de Muscat to be precise.

Then we staggered home. We did not take the Metro. We did not argue with the cab driver.

That was quite a meal

Pierre Gagnaire (Pt 3)

2006-09-19T03:01:00.000-05:00

And then the meal started coming. Now, THIS was a meal. It was well paced and beautifully presented. The service was impeccable, and almost invisible. Every last detail was well thought out – from how gently the chargers were placed together when removed from the table, to getting new linen napkins about half way through the meal. The wine glasses never came close to being dry, and yet they were never over filled. The Meursault is best if drunk only slightly chilled, so they let it sit on the table for a while, but as it got too warm they placed it in an ice bucket for about 20 minutes.

Chef Gagnaire came by the table to introduce himself. He is a tall, light haired fellow who is younger than I thought he would be (you can see his photo on their website that I linked to below). It was nice to see that the Chef still shows up at the kitchen.

Perhaps because Chef was there, the food was great. As you can see with the linked menu (below) we stated with Shrimp and Squash Blossoms, in a wonderful buttery sauce. The shrimps were small and done perfectly. The squash blossoms were stuffed with hazel nuts (filberts).

Next we had frog legs. But what frog legs! First, there was the painting of the bottom of the bowl with squid ink. Then cabbage soup and sweet cream sauce was poured on top, Brussels Sprout leaves and the braised Frog Legs (Poullette style) gently lowered into the bowl. The combination of the sweet cream, the savory ink, and the earthy frog legs was unbeatable. Combined with a sip of the Mearsault, it was tremendous.

It is hard to describe how good the service really was. The number of plates and pieces of silver we went through was amazing. The number of servers who worked the table was also impressive. And the team work that the table crew had was also surprising. At one point the wine captain delivered one of our courses, as I am sure one of the other waiters was busy. Now, we don’t know if there was fussing going on behind the scenes, but they hid it from us.

After the frogs, we had grilled hake, and crispy cod tripe. Sounds bad – tastes great. I guess texture is always important in food. In this case the flavor and texture combined to make a nice combination.

The oyster course was next. Raw oysters in a spider crab bouillon. It was covered with spinach and caramelized celery, and then draped with transparent ravioli. And transparent it was! It was perfectly clear.

Pan fired wild mushrooms (cèpes) in a beet reduction with spring onions, cucumber, and raisons were next.

There is more, but I want to post this for now. We are off on our morning walk.

Pierre Gagnaire (Pt 2)

2006-09-19T02:09:00.000-05:00

We sat for a minute and the waiter brought us our menus. They were more than menus, they were story books with the history of the restaurant and Chef himself. There were not that many items being offered, but they all looks spectacular. They had a nine course tasting menu (Menu d’Automme) which is what we knew we would order, but we wanted to keep looking for a while anyway.

We ordered a coup of a blanc de blanc vintage champagne (1996) I didn’t write down the name, but you will have to trust me that it was good. Nice nose, good crown, dry with some yeast flavors. A nice way to start the evening.

When the waiter returned, we ordered the tasting menu and asked for the sommelier. We told him that we were going to have the Menu Desgustation, and he suggested a white, since most of the dished were fish. We agreed, and he turned us toward a white Burgundy, in particular a Meursault (which I have been mispronouncing all these years). Interestingly enough, he did not say we should order the most expensive one, and recommended the 2002 Meursault Clos Richemont. A dry wine with a nice strong mineral undertone. It had good acids and a strong finish. It was perfect with the meal. At least about ¾ of the meal (we sort of ran out about six courses in and had to order a split of a St Aubin – a 2004 Frionnes. Not as interesting, but very good as well.)

After we selected our wine, they started bringing our food. It started when we still had our champagne, with an amuse bouche. This was four little bites of food that I cannot rightly recall. (There was too much food to come). I know one was a crunchy ball of a fried bit, another was gelatinous, and a third was a taste of seafood.

Pierre Gagnaire (Pt 1)

2006-09-19T01:15:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons that we decided to stay in Paris as opposed to travel this week is to celebrate our anniversary at a Three Star Michelin restaurant. After much discussion, we decided on Pierre Gagnaire. This is a place that is renowned for its attention to detail and presentation. We did not really know what to expect (we had eaten at a two star restaurant in the past, Les Crayeres, but never a three star) but we were eager to try it.

As with most restaurants of this nature, there is a dress code. Doreen, of course, always looks nice for such occasions. I had on a Canelli sport coat and black slacks with a pink tie. We walked out to take the Metro at about 7:30 for an 8:00 reservation. (Getting the reservation was an event in itself. We had to call and fax the place from Houston, and then follow up with e-mails and phone calls to confirm that we had a spot)

As we walked to the Metro amongst the streaming throngs, we decided to take a cab. We had to wait at the cab stand for a couple of minutes, with one cab turning down our fare (“Rue Balzac? Non, non.” With a French finger wag.) We finally got in a cab driven by a Vietnamese fellow.

We got into the cab at the Chatellet, which is very close to our apartment. From here, to get to the restaurant, one needs to drive down the Rue de Rivoli, go around the Place de la Concorde, head straight up t he Champs Elyees.

We didn’t take this direct route (more like Ave Gabriel to Ave Franklin D Roosevelt, to St Honore, to Blvd Hausmann to Rue Balzac.) Because of this circuitous path, Doreen asked the driver why we did not take the Champs Elysees all the way. What a mistake! He fussed and fussed and fussed. He didn’t stop fussing until we got to the restaurant, and then he fussed at the doorman! I didn’t give him a tip.

We entered the restaurant and were greeted by at least three very friendly and Englosh speaking hosts. The place was rather stark, with blond wood and white linens. They lead us to a table in the corner on a raised portion of the room. There were not more than 20 tables – about half of them were full at this time. It was about 8:00 PM. We would be there until about 11:30.

From inside to outside

2006-09-16T10:48:00.000-05:00

A view to the south in the apartment

A view down the street

2006-09-16T10:47:00.000-05:00

Sp with View

2006-09-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

This is a self portrait out our window. Our apartment has a view - this is new for us.

We are on the Place des Innocents, a square that is on the SouthEast corner of Les Halles. A great (though loud) location. The square is always full of people. Mostly disaffected young people. Makes for some interesting late night viewing.

Stopever in Hannover

2006-09-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Doreen's aunt's house in Hannover. She went there last week while I was at work.

Place de Innocents

2006-09-11T23:54:00.000-05:00

This is the little square right outside our front door.

St Eustache

2006-09-11T23:53:00.000-05:00

This is the view out of our apartment. The owners forgot to give us our keys, so we only have one set. Not so bad, though. Doreen just left for Hannover to visit her aunt, cousins, and grandmother.

777

2006-09-11T23:51:00.000-05:00

This is our plane. We sat on the tarmac in Paris for 45 minutes while they tried to find a stairs.

Dopes!

On Flight CO10

2006-09-11T23:50:00.000-05:00

Center row. Our favorite!

On our way again.

2006-09-11T23:46:00.000-05:00

Here we are waiting at the airport. The plane left on time.

Back to Paris

2006-09-09T09:34:00.000-05:00

We are heading back to Paris tomorrow. It will be one week of work for me, one week in Germany for Doreen, and then a week of relaxation for the two of us.

Stay tuned!

2006-06-26T17:26:00.000-05:00

We had a little leftover bread that we took down to St Sulpice to feed the birds. Doreen was mobbed!

It was calm at first

But they just came in waves

That red headed woman was giving us the hairy eyeball

Without Renoir there would be no Picasso

2006-06-26T07:49:00.000-05:00

Several years ago Doreen and I went to a lecture about how Renoir changed the way Picasso painted. Oh sure, we said.

But on this trip, we went to the L'orangerie and the paintings below were hung. (Not in this order, of course)

Makes the relationship obvious, don't you think?

2006-06-25T21:27:00.000-05:00

This is a self portrait as we were waiting for our two hour late flight to leave CDG. We are now home safe and sound.

Celebrity Spotting

2006-06-24T11:49:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago when we were here we spotted Jude Law with his (then) wife. Doreen remarked how interesting it would be if we would see him again.

Today we did. He was wearing a pastel pink linen sport coat, a high quality straw hat, and was not trying to be inconspicuous. I offered to take her picture next to him, but she declined.

Hemingway on the Left Bank.

2006-06-24T09:24:00.000-05:00

We were eating at a small fromagerie a couple of days ago when an older (say in her mid 60s, but who’s counting?) woman came out of her apartment and saw us sitting there at a table. She came over and started chatting amiably. Her English was good, and she was quite animated. She asked if we knew Hemingway. I said “John Hemingway? Sure!” She looked at me somewhat in amazement, and then started laughing. She then kissed Doreen on both cheeks, and she then PULLED MY EARS! BOTH of them! She pulled them until they turned red.

Then she left.

2006-06-23T12:13:00.000-05:00

Balzac in his Bathrobe. Lost Illusions is my favorite novel.

2006-06-23T12:09:00.001-05:00

Rodin's House. He was NOT a starving artist!!!

2006-06-23T12:09:00.000-05:00

Doreen in the Rodin Museum gardens. I want a yard like that.

2006-06-23T12:07:00.000-05:00

We ate lunch at a small cafe today. I had the Croque Madam (grilled ham sandwich with a fried egg on top) and Doreen had the French Onion Soup. Quite nice.

2006-06-23T12:05:00.000-05:00

The Eiffel Tower. Contrary to common wisdom, you cannot see the Tower from everywhere in Paris. But you can see it when you get close. Here is a view from the Tuileries.

2006-06-23T09:04:00.000-05:00

New Mephistos. I am wearing Doreen's socks here.

2006-06-21T23:19:00.000-05:00

Champagne grapes (tiny little grapes)

2006-06-21T23:18:00.000-05:00

A typical day at work.

2006-06-21T23:17:00.000-05:00

Leaded panel from the 13th century from inside the St Remy Basilica

2006-06-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

On the train back from Reims

2006-06-19T16:25:00.000-05:00

Chinese Horse Head

2006-06-19T16:24:00.000-05:00

Elgin Marble

2006-06-19T11:18:00.000-05:00

While we were eating at the Fou, this Asian kid who wants to be Michael Jackson sat down at this bench. Then these two painters sat down opposite him. Strange juxtaposition.

2006-06-19T11:16:00.000-05:00

Doreen standing on the balcony of our apartment

2006-06-19T08:39:00.002-05:00

SP by ND

2006-06-19T08:39:00.001-05:00

The Fou on his own

2006-06-19T08:39:00.000-05:00

Doreen with the Fou

Joel Robuchon

2006-06-19T02:18:00.000-05:00

For dinner last night we decided to go to Joel Robuchon again. We had been there two years ago, (scroll down) and decided we liked it so much we decided to eat there again.

We usually don’t eat so early here, but in order to get a seating we left the apartment about 6:30. We arrived about 6:45 after waiting out a brief shower. We waited about ten minutes and were then seated. We had almost the same seats as before, and the same waiter. Some things don’t change so much. An older couple from New York City was seated across the corner from us, and there was an empty seat to my left.

We started out with a wonderful glass of champagne. (I am sorry that I did not write down all the wines or all the food. More in a second about that) The menu (la carte) and the “exploration menu” was put in front of us. When offered a tasting menu we will almost always take it, and we did the same this time. We asked the sommelier to help us with the wines, and we were off.

I won’t be able to remember all the courses, but there was everything from sardines on toast to lobster sashimi. We had sweetbreads as our main meal but also gazpacho. We had two desserts, one was strawberries in a sorbet, the other was a baked chocolate dish with a scoop of mint ice on top. Wonderful.

I mentioned that there was an empty seat next to me when we sat down. It was shortly filled by a fellow. As is usually in such a tight spot, we started talking to him. He was from Savannah – and Doreen lived in Savannah for several years as a child. That was an amazing coincidence.

But wait, there’s more!

He had a digital camera and was taking photos of the food. He offered to send me copies, so I gave him my e-mail address. I started spelling it out and pronouncing it as I do in Houston (pea-yet). He said “That’s not pea-yet, that PATE!” it turns out that he is friends with my cousin Jimmy’s son Jim (who is about 50). He even called him later in the meal and had me talk to him. Now THAT is a coincidence. If I get those photos, I will post the best ones here.

2006-06-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

SP from under the Tower

2006-06-18T11:20:00.001-05:00

Tour Effiel

2006-06-18T11:20:00.000-05:00

Doreen and Matisse

2006-06-18T11:19:00.001-05:00

More Asian Art

2006-06-18T11:19:00.000-05:00

Doreen with Asian Art

2006-06-18T11:18:00.000-05:00

De Gaul striding with purpose

2006-06-18T11:17:00.001-05:00

More art in the Tuileries. Arc of a Circle.

2006-06-18T11:17:00.000-05:00

Tree of Vowels

2006-06-18T11:16:00.000-05:00

Art in the Tuileries. The tree is bronze.

Walking in Paris

2006-06-18T11:14:00.000-05:00

Today we walked to keep Doreen awake. Our apartment is right next to the St Sulpice church. We got out about 11:00 am and walked over to see some art in the Tuileriers Gardens. (See art above) It was very nice

Then we walked up the Champs Elysees for a while to see how the rich folks live. We were on our way to the Museé Guimet to see all the Asian stuff and walked by the George V hotel (pronounced George Sank) I don’t even want to know how much that costs.

We had a nice sandwich at a sidewalk café near the George V.

The Museé Guimet was nice (see some photos above)

Then we went to the Modern Art Museum. Se snuck in to two exhibits as our museum pass did not let us in. One was a Dan Flavin exhibit.

We then walked to the Palace of Chaillots and looked at the Eiffel Tower.

Then we walked back.

2006-06-18T10:45:00.000-05:00

Typical Left Bank street. Noisy and dark.

2006-06-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

Typical Right Bank street. Claire et Calm

2006-06-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

I am not sure if you can see this, but Doreen is pointing to an area where the text has been chipped off inside of St Sulpice! I guess someone didn't keep up with his tithes.

In Paris Again

2006-06-17T14:38:00.000-05:00

We finally made it to Paris.

I left Vienna this morning at about 10:00, and landed about noon. Doreen landed at about 11:30 and was there to meet me.

We took a taxi to the apartment, and got settled in easily. This place is next door to the once we rented two years ago and stayed only one night. It is in the 6th arrodissment very close to St Sulpice Cathedral (I think it had a bit part in The Da Vinci Code) Mrs Vert was here to meet us, and all is well.

We walked and walked this afternoon to try and keep Doreen awake for a while. We noticed a Marche (Market) down the street and it was a Poetry market! There were poets and publishers selling their chap books. It was fun. We bought a little book.

We then walked into St Sulpice. It has a Meridian line in it – and we will be here for the Solstice! (see this). I will try and get photos of this event, too.

We then wandered about, at a little cheese, drank a little wine, and now we are back.

This promises to be a nice trip.

2006-06-17T14:06:00.000-05:00

Doreen met me in Paris. Here we are in front of a Poet's Market in the St Sulpice Square.

A Viennese Equstrian Statue

2006-06-14T14:16:00.000-05:00

He's no Colleoni!

Horses in Vienna

2006-06-14T13:15:00.000-05:00

Note the 'ear booties'

The Reason for Vienna

2006-06-12T23:22:00.000-05:00

Here is a Photo of our Booth for the EAGE convention.

The Luggage is here!

2006-06-12T08:58:00.000-05:00

Now I just need to get ready for the show...

Some Old Building in Vienna

2006-06-12T08:55:00.000-05:00

A Brutal Viennese Building

2006-06-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

Rathaus

2006-06-12T08:53:00.000-05:00

Some Vienna Views

2006-06-12T08:24:00.000-05:00

Rathaus

A dead day

2006-06-12T08:18:00.000-05:00

I spent today wandering around Wien trying to get my bearings. I took some photos (see above and below) and tried to find the status of my luggage.

I called Air France about noon (12:15, to be exact) and they still had no idea where the bag was. I was able to pry out of the guy that Air France will give me €100 for the first day without my luggage, and €50 per day thereafter. They don’t make it easy, though. They will only reimburse for actual expenses. So I decided to go shopping.

I asked at the front desk and they told me how to get down to a street where all the shops live. It took about ½ hour to get there, but there were indeed plenty of shops. I walked into the first one (Peck & Cloppenburg) and looked around to see if I could find something in my size. (To my legion of fans out there who do not know me personally, this would be a good time to mention that I am 6’6” tall, and 220 lbs of pure fighting muscle. Well, the weight if right if not the consistency. To my metric aficionados that is almost 2m and 100kg.)

The first couple of folks I talked to did not speak English well enough to help me out, but pointed to someone who would. I tried to find some slacks there, but to no avail. Unlike in the US, where we come in all different ratios, in Austria people are all the same ratio. So in my case, if you have a 36” inseam (as I do) you need to have a 36” waist (which I don’t). I was sent to another store that may have something in my size, but I failed the ratio test there, too. I was able to find a shirt, though. Oh, and I bought some Boss Boxer Briefs after reading this story in Slate.

When I got back, I checked online to see if they had found my bag. (One great thing about the web is the great access you get to information that heretofore had been hidden. All I needed was my claim number and last name and I had the same data that the jokers on the other side were looking at) I still don’t have the bag, though. And I want to take a nap.

We’ll see how long it takes Air France to reimburse me.

One Jivin’ Hotel

2006-06-11T20:59:00.000-05:00

I am staying in the Hotel Rathaus-Wein and Design here in Vienna. When I first heard this is where we would be staying, I thought that it would be one of those old European hotels with small dark rooms with bad showers. But this is one jivin’ place! It was redone a couple of years ago and is nice – quite stark in a way.

The furniture is all very modern and comfortable.

The fixture in the bathroom and brand new and deliver plenty of water.

All the rooms are named after Wine. I am Pinot Noir.

Bad flight and transfer.

2006-06-11T14:55:00.000-05:00

Well, OK. The flight wasn’t really too bad. I had a good seat – emergency exit with no seat in front of me – but it was right near the bathroom. So I didn’t get much sleep (too many people chatting as they stood in about the only open area of the airplane) but I did get to see a TV show called House. It is quite entertaining.

I sat next to a young woman who was going to spend six months in France to help her learn French. Ah the naiveté of youth! The other guy in the row was a fellow getting his MBA from Tulane, and was spending a week in Paris getting schooled by French international companies. If you can’t see the irony in that I don’t need to point it out.

We arrived about a half hour late, and I had to rush across CDG to find my flight to Vienna. This was not really that big a problem (Follow the bouncing geoscientists) until we actually got on the plane (a small 737)

We sat on the Tarmac for about two hours as they repaired a hydraulic brake leak and a “Micromechinical Fault” (The MM fault only took about ten minutes to fix). I slept on the tarmac and on the plane. I think I slept more on this flight than on the transatlantic flight.

But when I got to Vienna, I discovered that my bags did not. Bummer for me as I waited and waited, and then had to wait some more to be told that they would not arrive until tomorrow. Notwithstanding the fact that Air France had a flight leaving Paris at 4:00 PM which would have arrived in Vienna at about 6:00 (about an hour later than I actually got there) my bags were spending the night in Paris. Go figure.

So I am tired and filthy and have no clothes.

Another night in Paradise!

On De Plane

2006-06-11T14:40:00.000-05:00

It turns out that a couple of friends are on the same flight as I am to Paris. Charles and Eddie are on a Museum of Fine Arts of Houston tour of Aix en Provance and Paris. (That is them somewhat fuzzy, in the Presidents Club) When I was standing in line to check in, they were standing right next to me. Photo below.

I am flying to Vienna via Paris, but not on the same ticket. We learned a couple of years ago that it is possible to check a bag through on a different ticket, even if it is not on the same record. The good thing (but an odd thing) is that I have a paper ticket for the second leg of this trip. They were able to use that ticket to get the bag through.

The flight was a bit late leaving, so I will have about an hour to try and check in for my flight to Vienna. I hope that I make it.

Prep Work

2006-06-10T12:46:00.000-05:00

I am just about packed and ready to go. We will leave the house at about 4:00 PM. Though early, that will give me time to make sure that I can get my bag checked through to Vienna. I made the second leg reservations separately than the Houston Paris leg. It was cheaper this way. I just hope I don’t pay the price at CDG tomorrow morning!

I am flying to Vienna via Paris to work at the EAGE (European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers) convention next week. It starts Monday night, and ends Thursday. We then have our Users Group meeting on Friday. On Saturday I fly to Paris to meet my Sweet Ever-Loving.

I will have updates as updates occur.