the flat i rented is in the 4th arrondissement (or neighborhood) of paris -- the place de la bastille is the centerpiece of my view from the apartment (which is located on the 6th floor, no lift -- built in cardio every day!). incidentally, the 4th arrondissement is also home to the notre dame cathedral -- and i have a plan for the day.
although rick steves' audio tour of the british museum left much to be desired (at least in my opinion), i resolved to give him another chance and attempt his historic paris walk, which included notre dame and surrounding areas (seemed like a match made on the internet, considering my day's plan). and i'm off!
i made it to the cathedral without incident, mesmerized by the sights and sounds of the streets of paris. unlike the cathedrals in london, there is no charge to tour notre dame (at least part of the cathedral - you can pay for a guided tour, which i am guessing includes the towers (and quasimodo!) and to see the treasury). i arrived around noon, just in time to take in a service. afterwards, i used rick as a guide and made my way through the cathedral. massively, enormously, breathtakingly, beautifully impressive.
next stop was to be the deportation memorial, a memorial dedicated to the 200,000 people who were deported from vichy france during the holocaust, but it is closed for renovations until may 2015 (disappointing). i tried to follow rick through isle st. louis and the left bank, but i couldn't find the monuments he was referencing -- a particular restaurant with floor to ceiling windows, for example, was supposed to be on "the corner to my right," even though i followed the street signs pointing towards isle st louis and retraced my steps at least three times (directionally-challenged wins!) ... frustrated, i unplugged rick and figured i'd be brave and just venture on my own.
when i started the rick steves tour, i did not realize a stop at shakespeare and company was on the itinerary. shakespeare and company is the name for two independent bookstores on paris' left bank: the first opened in 1919 and was a gathering place for writers, including ezra pound, ernest hemmingway, f. scott fitzgerald, gertrude stein, and james joyce, in the 1920s (this shop closed in 1940 during the german occupation of paris and never reopened); the second was opened by an american ex-serviceman, george whitman, (no relation to walt) at its current location (37 rue de la bucherie) in 1951 under the name le mistral. in 1964, whitman changed the name of his shop to shakespeare and company with permission from sylvia beach, shakespeare and company's original proprietor. whitman's shakespeare and company was also a gathering place for writers -- allen ginsberg, gregory corso, william s. burroughs, and customers like henry miller, anais nin, and richard wright -- and served as a co-op for transients, who would live at the bookstore and work in the shop in return (the bookstore had13 beds and, according to whitman, more than 40,000 people have slept there over the years). jermey mercer's time was soft there: a paris sojourn at shakespeare and company is a fantastic memoir and the foundation for my desire to visit the shop. and, behold!
since this place is so close to my flat (and i know exactly how to get there), i'll be visiting again. fact. interestingly, before i tuned out rick steves, he mentioned something about the used book sales along the left bank -- used books housed in green (and then i don't remember what he said next) ... but here they are -- these green metal boxes, which are full of used books for sale, line full blocks along the left bank. and when the vendors are present, the boxes are open for business (you can see the business in action in the second picture, sort of). pretty neat.
after my touring, i decided it was time to eat some real food (mashed bananas, yogurt, and hot tea can only take a girl so far, after all). and, although i am in france, my appetite thinks i might be in italy because i couldn't talk it out of stopping for pizza.
le cerise sur la pizza is a small little shop in the saint-paul neighborhood (an 8 minute walk from my flat) -- super cool place, i thought. the menu is in french so i did my best and ordered the belzunce: tomate, mozza, merguez, oignons confits, poivrons. the merguez is the only item that had me a little concerned, simply because i was not entirely sure what i was going to get (i figured it was some sort of sausage based on the little picture next to the menu item, but what kind of sausage?!?). a combination of beef and lamb (and a mix of spices), that's what kind of sausage. i knew when i bit into the first bite i was eating lamb --- and, i kept chewing. it didn't dislike the sausage, but i could only eat several pieces before it became overwhelming (or maybe that's all my inexperienced palate would tolerate). the carmelized onions (oignons confits) and roasted peppers (poivrons): delicious (and the wine was good, too)! all in all, a great dining experience and day of adventure (and i am trying to remember to say bonjour! when i enter and merci! when i leave any place i enter).
looking forward to what tomorrow has to bring ...
Sounds like tou are having a great day. The pizza looks great,you can make it for Dad and me minus the lamb when you return from your travels.
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