A Therapeutic Ride along the Marne

September 2, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 10 Comments

It’s Black Cat’s last day in Paris before she goes to New York to look for a job. I’m delighted for her, of course, because she’s following her dream, just as I did 38 years ago, but I am very sad to see her go. We’ve decided not to say goodbye at the airport so we part ways in the street. I go back upstairs and try to work. When Jean Michel phones at five to say he’s finished for the day, I suggest we go cycling along the Marne.

The cycle path from Pont de Bry to the old chocolate factory in Champs sur Marne remains our favourite ride and is filled with happy memories of when we lived in Fontenay sous Bois and could easily go there at the end of the day.

And we love stopping off on the way back for a barbecued côte de boeuf at La Pergola.

As it’s the last Friday in August, there is very little traffic so we only take about three-quarters of an hour to get there. We’ve already phoned La Pergola to check they’re open and make sure our côte de boeuf will be ready when we arrive after cycling for an hour along the Marne. The owner recognises knows us as le couple en vélo even if we haven’t been there since last summer.

As soon as we get on our bikes, I start feeling better. It’s a lovely day and the Marne is full of swans. We ride down to the chocolate factory and back to La Pergola. Our favourite table in the garden is waiting for us.

The côte de bœuf arrives and it’s enormous. Since we began intermittent fasting in June , our appetite has diminished somewhat. We manage to finish it anyway particularly as the meat is delicious. Jean Michel even orders tarte tatin for dessert! Fortunately it doesn’t have any cream with it.

It’s completely dark by the time we finish and we still have a 20-minute ride back to the car so we don our headlights and windcheaters and off we go. On the way, we pass the other, more recently opened La Pergola with its bright neon lights. I think it’s an eyesore.

Next morning we’re not even remotely hungry so decide to have a fast day. Today is the first day of Black Cat’s new life! Good luck!

La Pergola, 87, promenade Hermann Régnier, 93460 Gournay Sur Marne, 01 43 05 36 56

Germany

Monday’s Travel Photos – the unexpected in Germany

September 1, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 6 Comments

These are photos of things I saw in Germany that were unexpected. They may not be typical of the country at all but I didn’t see them anywhere else!

Varnished tiles on a little building housing a fountain

We were struck by how many houses and agricultural buildings had solare panels — We were struck by how many houses and agricultural buildings had solar panels

Solar panels on a traditioanl barn in a village — Solar panels on a traditional barn in a village

I had never seen ice-cream cones like these before

We came across this foot as we were cycling along the Danube

This sign means that the car park is reserved for mothers with children

This dog was sitting on the end of a church pew

I was surprised to see this cigarette vendor on a private fence

French language

Friday’s French – special

August 29, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 8 Comments

Special is a very special word and very rarely translated by spécial in French and vice versa. Special est un mot très particulier qu’on traduit rarement par spécial en français et vice versa. Now that’s an easy meaning to translate. What is more difficult in finding an equivalent term when we want to talk about a special day or a special friend.

Huîtres spéciales which we eat every Sunday in season

The Chambers Dictionary gives as synonyms: particular, peculiar, distinctive, exceptional, additional to ordinary, detailed, intimate, designed for a special purpose and confined or mainly applied to a particular subject. So first you’ll have to decide why your day or friend is special. You’d probably talk about une journée exceptionnelle and une amie intime.

A special offer, on the other hand, is quite simply une promotion.

So what does spécial mean? Does it ever have the same meaning in French and English? Yes, in certain cases, it does.

Il a reçu une formation spéciale = He was given special training.

Elle a bénéficié d’une faveur spéciale = She was given a special favour.

Comme il n’y pas de conduite assistée, conduire une voiture ancienne c’est spécial = With no power steering, driving an old car can be challenging.

But spécial can have an entirely different meaning when applied to people. If we were to say elle est vraiment spéciale, I would mean that her mentality or behaviour is not within the norm. She has a strange/bizarre way of acting/looking at things. It is definitely not a compliment!

Spécial can also mean deviant. Il a des moeurs spéciales means that he has certain tendencies not elaborated upon and is a euphemism.

And, of course, huîtres spéciales are those lovely juicy oysters fattened in small numbers in deep oyster parks which have a sort of sweet salty lingering taste called noisette (hazelnut) in French.

Do you have other examples of special and spécial?

Paris, Restaurants

Le Comptoir des Petits Champs – a new restaurant experience in the 1st arrondissement in Paris

August 28, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 8 Comments

When Kathy from Femmes Francophiles suggests we have lunch together today, I ask if she can find something close by so I don’t take too much time off work. The downside of being my own boss is that the work doesn’t get done when I’m not there.

Fine and sunny in the Palais Royal gardens

She suggests Le Comptoir des Petits Champs, just down the road from me. All I have to do is walk through the Palais Royal gardens, up rue Vivienne and left into Rue des Petits Champs. I’ve never heard of it, despite the fact that I must have walked past it hundreds of times over the past 7 years! I arrive a little ahead of Kathy around 12.30 and am pleased to see that only a couple of tables are taken. That’s because it’s still August and half of Paris is still off at the beach somewhere.

The friendly waiter takes me to the last of three window tables. I’m amazed to see I can see right through to the Palais Royal. How come I’ve never noticed this restaurant? I later learn that it is voluntarily discreet, to encourage a neighbourhood clientele. I probably shouldn’t even be writing this post …

The interior of Le Comptoir des Petits Champs

I’m given some “reading material” but instead of studying the menu, I look out the window and discover that I have a balcony view of the Gardens and the Grand Véfour, one of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants in the area.

Kathy soon arrives so we look at the menu. At lunchtime, it’s 14 euro for a main course only, 20 for entrée + main or main + dessert and 26 for all three. An entrée or main is 10 euro. At night, it’s 19 euro for a main, 27 for entrée + main or main + dessert and 35 for all three.

I choose sword fish tartare served with sucrine lettuce, croutons and capsicum while Kathy has fresh salmon on a bed of cooked vegetables. We choose a glass of white from the south of France to go with it. It’s not a wine I know so the waitress immediately offers to let me taste first.

We follow with a café gourmand consisting of a mini-financier, a slice of one of the best moelleux au chocolat I’ve had for a long time, a small cream tart and a lemon mousse for me and strawberry mousse for Kathy, because I’m not a strawberry fan. The service throughout is discreet and friendly.

The discreet exterior of Le Comptoir des Petits Champs, with its old TV (and our reflections!)

When we leave, I take a photo of the outside and marvel that I have never noticed it. Kathy did because she was intrigued by the old television set in the window!

Despite the fact that Paris is full of restaurants and there are a lot in our area (1st and 2^nd arrondissements), we don’t often find a new one that we consider it’s worth going back to. Either it’s too expensive or the food isn’t wonderful or the service is not up to scratch. As a result, we have a little handful we return to regularly depending on what we want that particular day.

Le Comptoir des Petits Champs will be joining the list.

Le Comptoir des Petits Champs, 17 Rue des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris, 01 42 96 47 54. Open 7 days a week.

Paris, Photography

Photo of the week: The Sleeping Boatman

August 27, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

I often take photos that simply don’t fit into a post but that I want to share so I thought I might alternate Wednesday’s Bloggers Round-up with Photo of the Week. Those who follow me on Facebook or Instagram may have already seen them.

The photo was taken in the Tuileries Gardens. The same man has been renting boats to children here for many years.

Paris

Berges de la Seine – the floating gardens

August 26, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

After our recent and most enjoyable wander along the Berges de la Seine between the Orsay Museum and Pont Alexandre III, we decide to go in search of the much-vaunted floating gardens on the other side of the bridge at Port du Gros Caillou. It’s a cloudy night and I realise too late that I should have taken the Lumix and not my iPhone which explains the poor quality of the photos.

The Eiffel Tower at sunset seen from Debilly footbridge

We take our favourite n° 72 bus on rue de Rivoli opposite the Louvre and get out at Passerelle Debilly footbridge with its wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower. We walk across towards Quai Branly Museum but there are no signs of any gardens and we can’t even get down to the edge of the river from where we are.

Raised footbridge across to the floating gardens

I try to find some indication of where to go and finally consult Mary Kay’s post on Out and About in Paris, written when the islands were still in the project stage. We’ve come too far. We need to go back to Pont de l’Alma bridge. I was beginning to think we’d come on a wild-goose chase.

The handful of barges containing the gardens look very sad and sorry. As it’s after 6 pm, we can’t access them and the footbridge is raised. Obviously the wonderful weather this summer which has made the other parts of the Berges popular has not helped the gardens. Adequate watering, it seems, has not been scheduled.

Practically deserted area on Berges de la Seine

You can’t eat, drink or take animals onto the gardens. Also there seems to be no shade in the daytime. I wonder exactly what they are for and if anyone uses them between the opening hours of 10 and 6. I’m also not convinced that the view of the Bateaux Mouches opposite is particularly attractive.

We keep walking towards Alexandre III bridge. Initially there isn’t much activity but after a while, we come to a more popular picnic area with vegetation forming a partial screen and little alcoves for the people sitting along the river.

The climbing wall along Berges de la Seine

A climbing wall with a few stray children comes into sight as we get closer to the bridge.

Opposite Faust's near Alexandre III bridge — Opposite Faust’s near Alexandre III bridge

I’m surprised that at 9.15 pm on a Friday night, there isn’t more activity. There are no tables left at Faust’s but fewer people sitting in front. We debate about why. I wonder whether it was the after-work crowd that we saw mid-week. Jean Michel thinks they’ve all gone to the country.

View of Berges de la Seine from the right bank

We walk across the bridge and can see crowds on the opposite bank where the restaurants are. We decide to walk home along the right bank but it’s very dark and not very interesting. We see a few people sitting in the shadows on their barges but that’s about all. Next time we’ll stay on the left bank!

Architecture, Cycling, Hungary, Travel photos

Monday’s Travel Photos – Szentendre, Hungary

August 25, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

Szentendre, pronounced San-ten-dray, is a charming little town on the Danube about twenty kilometers north of Budapest, very popular in summer it seems as it is easy to get there by boat, bus, train or bike, but only crowded between about 10 am and 6 pm. After that, you can wander down the main street and only meet the locals. And we had one of our best dining experiences this summer at Muvesz in the Main Square. The architecture is mainly 18th century baroque and there are no fewer than nine churches!

Blagovestenska Greek Orthodox Church and the Baroque cross erected in 1763 to celebrate the fact that the plague bypassed the town

We often saw these tiled roofs with their unusual dormer window

A local shop where the Hungarian owner was very helpful and friendly despite our lack of a common language

Cycling through the town after 6 pm — Blagovestenska Greek Orthodox Church

Cycling past the colourful merchant houses after 6 pm

The waterfront at Szentendre after the 2013 floods

French language

Friday’s French – consommer

August 22, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

It’s the next day after a wedding. Everyone’s having a late breakfast, including the groom who’s just joined us. The bride is still upstairs in their bedroom. This, of course, wouldn’t have happened in the olden days. They would have already been off on their honeymoon.

“As-tu consommé?” asks one of the guests. “Yes”, he replies, and everyone laughs. I am shocked! Fancy using the term consommer (to consume) in that context. How vulgar can you get. Then I realise that it must mean “consumate” as well.

I might add that it also means to perpetrate a crime …

It’s one of those French verbs that needs a different translation nearly every time in English. You could conceivably say “consume” in English when talking about food or petrol consumption, for example, but it certainly wouldn’t be natural.

On consomme beaucoup de fruits chez nous – we eat a lot of fruit in our family.

Cette machine consomme beaucoup d’eau – this machine uses up a lot of water

Le lot a été consommé par cette opération – the batch was entirely consumed by this operation

In fact, in English, we usually use the word consumption rather than consume, a typical case of a verb being replaced by a noun.

La voiture consomme 8 litres au 100 km – the gas/petrol consumption is 8 litres per 100 k.

La France est le pays où l’on consomme le plus de vin – France is the country with the highest wine consumption.

Another typical example is à consommer de préférence avant le 10/09/2013 – best before 10/09/2013.

On the opposite end of consummating a marriage, you can say la rupture est consommée, meaning the break-up is complete.

Do you have any other examples?

Food, Paris, Restaurants

An Aussie in France at Berges de la Seine

August 22, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 9 Comments

We’re back in Paris with our heads to the grindstone but it promises to be a lovely evening so we have an early dinner at home (very light – it’s a fast day) and set off through the Palais Royal gardens for the new Berges de la Seine area which Jean Michel hasn’t seen yet.

People in the Palais Royal Gardens playing an unknown game

Berge, which has the same origin as “verge” in English, actually means a natural river bank in areas where there are no embankments, but has come to be used in Paris to mean the embankment along the Seine. Up until recently, the berges on both sides of the river were used as an expressway but on 19th June this year, 2.3 km along the left bank between the Orsay Museum and Alma Bridge were officially closed to traffic.

Les Berges de la Seine are now dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists, with various sporting and cultural installations, river boats and barges, picnic areas, restaurants, bars and gardens along the promenade. And they are packed with people of every age.

Our first stop, after walking across the Solferino footbridge between the Tuileries Gardens and the Orsay Museum, is an enormous green world map. The first time I came, I had Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris take a photo of me standing in Australia.

This time, I want to be an Aussie in France. Jean Michel has to take fourteen photos before I’m satisfied. I may have difficulty making my final choice.

I love the way they’ve used salvaged beams and containers for the installations. Jean Michel is disappointed though. He says it looks cheapskate. But the people using them as picnic tables and seating obviously don’t care. It’s so much more comfortable than sitting on the ground and they can accommodate far more people than a few picnic tables would.

The grey containers can be reserved, free of charge, by the hour, as a place to relax or work in. Quite a few have an Occupé sign but we can’t see anyone inside.

A container that you can book to relax or work in

I note that there are public toilets, but I don’t check them out. No one seems to be queuing though so perhaps there are enough for once. I don’t understand the lack of toilets in this country. Often in a restaurant you find yourself standing in line because there is only one and it has to be shared by men and women.

The "sound shower" under Pont de la Concorde — The “sound shower” under Pont de la Concorde

Further along, under Pont de la Concorde, there is a “sound shower” to connect your mp3 or smart phone via Bluetooth and fill the vault with your own music. It doesn’t seem to have caught on though because the only sound is the humming of human voices and the lapping of the waves as the tourist boats go by.

We walk past the main eating area where containers have been converted into kitchens and bars and see there’s a long queue in front of En attendant Rosa (While Waiting for Rosa). There’s no distinction in the seating between people buying from the stalls and those who have brought their own picnic.

I like the covered deck chair area but it’s chockablock as well.

Having a drink at Faust's with a view of the Alexandre III bridge — Having a drink at Faust’s with a view of the Alexandre III bridge

We come out on the other side of the beautiful Alexandre III bridge and spy the last table at Faust’s. We sip our Coca Zero (remember, it’s a fast day) and watch the sun set peacefully over the Seine.

Full moon over the Seine on the way home

“I’m going to buy one of those flat-bottomed boats so we can glide along the Loire after dinner”, says Jean Michel as we’re walking home with an enormous full moon in front of us. “I’ll make sure it’s big enough for you to have a deck chair so you’ll be comfortable.” I love my husband.

Uncategorized

Stinky Cheese – Provence: Expect the Unexpected – Rambling through Riquewihr and the Alsace Wine Route

August 21, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

I’ve showcased three Australian blogs on this Wednesday’s Bloggers’ Round-up. Susan from Days on the Claise explains about stinky French cheese, while Kathy from Femmes Francophiles recounts a very exciting experience in Provence. Carolyn from Holidays to Europe takes us on a brief tour of the beautiful region of Alsace. Enjoy!

Stinky Cheese

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history and running Loire Valley Time Travel

France is famous for its cheese, and quite a few French cheeses are distinctly aromatic. One of the stinkiest comes from the area between Deauville and Lisieux in Lower Normandy. Simon loves to tell people the story of us spending Christmas in the area and taking a block of the local Pont l’Eveque cheese home on Eurostar.

The other day he announced that the fridge smelled, as if there was stinky cheese in there, but he couldn’t see the source of the aroma and was mystified. Read more

Provence: Expect the Unexpected

by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles, an Australian who has an ongoing passion for France and the French language currently on holiday in Europe

Last week I returned to Catherine’s large home near the village of Sarrians in Provence having spent a week in her Paris apartment. I met Catherine earlier this year to arrange a home exchange in 2014. I consider myself extremely fortunate to house and cat sit for her for her. Catherine picked me up from the very modern Avignon TGV station which reminds me more of an airport than a railway station.

We drove directly to the village of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux where she had an appointment. I was looking forward to exploring the village’s picturesque historic centre. Read more

Rambling through Riquewihr and the Alsace Wine Route

by Holidays to Europe, an Australian based business passionate about sharing their European travel expertise and helping travellers to experience the holiday in Europe they have always dreamed of

Lakes or mountains (and often both) are usually essential reasons that make me fall in love with a town or region and include it on my ‘absolute favourites’ list. On my most recent trip to the UK and Europe, however, two regions without either a significant lake or mountain have knocked me for six and stolen my heart. The first region is the Cotswolds in England and the second, France’s stunning Alsace region. Read more