An Urban Escape in Bois De Bologne
In doing Paris research months ago, I got completely intrigued by a day in the Eiffel Tower district and western Paris. We had gone to eat in the Eiffel Tower last year, which was an incredible experience, but it was cold and rainy, and so we didn’t really get to hang out and soak up the Eiffel Tower experience to the fullest. I had built a day, on paper, of trekking around those parts and today was the day.
We had read in the LP guide that a street not far from the Eiffel Tower had food carts and is great for picnics. We took a cab there, which is a great way to get another tour, or perspective, on this amazing city. Although, this particular street, which we walked the entire length of, had not a food cart to be seen. We did happen to be dropped off in front of Square Brignole Galliera, which had beautiful gardens and so we walked around. Again, part of what makes Paris so special, is that wherever you are, you are in eyesight of some totally spectacular building or garden or both, and these gardens are often open to the public. This street was seriously dog shit heaven though. Picking up dog shit is actually something that is covered by tax dollars and so dog owners don’t pick it up very conscientiously and one must be careful where she steps. This particular cultural habit seems to be totally out of keeping with how proper and elegant the French are. I guess they don’t find no-dog shit littered streets to be très importante.
The Brignole Galliera
We switched gears for lunch and decided to walk to a tea house across the Seine. On route, we noticed a statue of a flame and we went to look at it. The metal chains around it to protect it were filled with locks, which are used as symbols of love. Dan noticed pictures of Princess Diana on it. We realized we were standing on top of Tunnel du Pont de l’Alma, which is the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed in 1997. How odd it was, that she was killed, right under what was an already existing memorial honoring the flame of life. And now and forever, the Place de l’Alma, will live on in the name of Princess Diana. At first, we were standing there alone, but over time it got crowded and it was time to move on.
Place de L’Alma Is a Memorial to Princess Diana
We landed at Deux Abelilles, which translates to two bees. This super cute, classical French teahouse is run by a mother and daughter. We got there early and it was completely full by the time we left. It was mostly filled with locals and I can see why it’s a favorite for the French. The mom and daughter run around, busy as bees, and offer friendly service and simply delicious food. The best part was their hot chocolate, which was actually a very thick, drinking chocolate with no sugar and some whipped cream on the side. A find!
Bois de Boulogne is on the western outskirts of Paris. We took a special suburban train that serves the burbs, as the regular metro doesn’t go out that far. Now, this is a huge park. There are parks within parks inside of it. Sections for kids, sections for gardens, sections for eating, sections for outdoor activities. There’s a lot of space, and it is set up so all sorts of segments of society can enjoy it. We walked in and started our adventure at Lake Inferior and rented a canoe.
Most delightful!! It was so peaceful, and we were the only ones out on the lake. I am sure during the summer, many of the hundred canoes would be out there, but one of the benefits of traveling in the shoulder season is having a lake all to yourself. There was only one set of paddles and I was eager to row, so I spent the next 90 minutes gliding us around the lake, admiring the fall colors, and the ducks and birds. It was easy to lose perspective and forget that we were not far from the hubbub of Paris.
While Missing Oregon Autumns, We Were Making Up for It With Paris Autumns
Some Tranquility on Lake Inferior Was Most Welcome
Afterwards, we walked to Le Pavillion des Oiseaux, where the Louis Vuitton building was built, only about a year ago. The building is impressive with its other worldly architecture, designed by Frank Geary, and typifying his nonlinear approach. A very interesting fountain flowed alongside of it and inside a museum was housed, although we didn’t enter – a prospect for another day. Paris being such an old city and having been developed in stages is also part of its appeal. It has structures from the Roman times, medieval times, Renaissance, 1800’s, modern, and times in between as well. So again, we stood here, marveling at what stood before us.
When Frank Geary Meets Louis-Vuitton
From the Louis-Vuitton Museum we headed to Parc et Chateau de Bagatelle, which is a garden that was born out of a bet with Marie Antoinette and the count of Artois, and the Chateau was built for the younger brother of Louis the XVI. It took a while to walk there, in on route, we encountered part of what Bois de Boulogne is famous for, the ladies of the night. Although, we had to conclude that the ladies of the night are present during the day as well. I guess we appeared lost and one of the ladies of the night approached us to give us directions, probably so we would move on and she could get back to work. Although, this led to a discovery that some of the ladies of the day/night, are actually men!
The Parc de Chateau de Bagatelle
Entering Bagatelle, we first encountered the ornamental gardens, which featured a lot of roses and topiary. It was clearly a garden that receives lots of attention, as it is very well manicured and picturesque. We moved on through other gardens that featured cosmos of all sorts of colors. And then beyond the flower gardens, we entered a zone surrounding the Chateau that focused on food production. There were signs explaining that these are organic gardens. Hanging on the inside of the stone walls, were photographs of food that was turned into art. Scenes of ladybugs that were actually made out of red peppers and currants. I got the sense that this garden is used for teaching, as opposed to purely for production.
Ornamental Gardens Make Way for Agricultural Gardens
We had by this point walked to the western edge of the park and the nearest subway station was on the east side, about a 30 minute walk from the gardens. In the interest of saving time, we decided to rent bicycles instead. We could have biked to the subway station, but at that point, it made sense to take it a bit further and get to the Eiffel Tower. It was rush hour, with lots of cars on the road, zipping around traffic circles and it was an adventure in and of itself, trying to stick together. We arrived at the Eiffel Tower at the perfect time – it was dusk and each hour on the hour, the tower flashes thousands of lights for five minutes. It was more than stunning to ride across the Seine and be greeted with so many dazzling lights and the buzz of all the people and activities. For all of our closures and missed opportunities throughout the trip (if you only have a few days in Paris, please do yourself a favor and avoid a Monday!) – we hit the nail on the head here and took some time to soak it all up.
By Happenstance We Arrived at the Eiffel Tower to See the First of the Hourly Light Shows
Not seeing a station to return our bikes, and hail a cab, we biked home quickly, in an effort to get ready for our last supper and the official finale of the gastronomic tour. When I went to put my bike in the stand, the latching device didn’t go in exactly straight and a red light started blinking and the screen said that the credit card has been charged 150 euros for not returning it correctly. We were pissed. Dan put his bike in, and it latched, but the machine kept saying it didn’t detect a bike. We were doubly pissed. He called the number on the machine and got connected to a real live human. I just couldn’t believe we were eating up almost half an hour, futzing around with improperly working bike returns, on our last night here. The woman on the line stated that she could see our station (each station is assigned a number) and that it was reading that the bikes have not been returned. We continued with the frustration for a bit, but at the end of it, we walked away with two stubs saying a bike was returned. We will keep a watchful eye out to see to see if indeed, 300 euros gets charged.
Moving forward after a quick change of clothes, we got to Dominique Bouchet’s restaurant, in the 8th arrondissement. We would have preferred to have dined at Joël’s as our last supper, but Dominique’s was closed on Sunday’s. Dominique worked under Joël and on his website, Joël gives him a personal endorsement, which he doesn’t do to all his prodigies. So we felt pretty confident the meal would leave us with a new favorite chef.
We were sadly mistaken. The food was acceptable, but nothing special. I would say if it were not a Michelin starred restaurant, it would have been a good meal. But for what we were expecting, it was lacking in creativity and exceptional flavor. The food on his website looks like haute cuisine, but the food at the meal looked like the rustic food that comes out of my kitchen. A really huge disparity, to say the least. After the first dish was served, we both intuitively adjusted expectations and realized that our last supper happened the evening prior. The service was fine, not excellent, but nothing to scoff at.
I asked our waiter, if Dominique was cooking tonight. He told us that he was in Japan, working in his restaurant there. Since so many books and articles had given this restaurant rave reviews, we could only guess that since he is no longer there running the day to day affairs, that quality control has diminished dramatically. At the end of the meal, I think we determined that the service, ambiance and the food was OK for what they were trying to create, but they could and should have tried to create something better.
We Had Some of the Same Dishes at Joël’s – Chestnut Soup, Foie Gras, Durade and a Chocolate Dessert. Compare Pictures from October 18th, and you Will See that Dominique Bouchet Is Not Up to Snuff in the World of Haute Cuisine:
We Rapidly Adjusted Our Expectations for Our Last Supper
On the cab ride home, Dan told the cab driver “Rue de St Beuve” and the cab driver said “oui, oui, Rue de St Beuve.” Success!! We (or Dan) had mastered the art of pronouncing St Beuve!! The rest of the evening was bittersweet, as we packed (in the new, giant suitcase) our souvenirs, laughed and recounted our highlights from our magical wanderings in France.
Statues in Parc de Chateau de Bagatelle