October 20 - Marg's Birthday

This is our last full day in Paris.  It is hard to believe that more than five weeks has gone by since we arrived in France.  We have no regrets though.  We've seen all we wanted to see, done everything we wanted to do and experienced a vacation of a lifetime.

Today is Marg’s birthday.  So she decided that she wanted to go Montmartre to see the artists and have lunch at an outdoor bistro.  Later she wanted to take a stroll underneath the Eiffel Tower.  This would be followed with a nice dinner to complete the day and the trip.

We went to Montmartre by Metro.  It was a little scary because we were given the once over by a gang of thieves / pickpockets.  When three of them followed us from the entrance tunnel to the station platform, we stared at them and they left us alone.  I guess they realized that element of surprise would be lacking and the platform was too crowded to try anything violent.

Crime in Paris is similar to that in most large cities. Violent crime is relatively rare in the city center. Pick pocketing is by far the most significant problem. In addition to purses and wallets, smart phones and small electronic devices are particular targets. In Paris, pickpockets are commonly children under the age of 16 because they are difficult to prosecute. Pickpockets are very active on the rail link from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the city center. You may want to consider using a shuttle service or one of the express buses to central Paris rather than the RER. In addition, passengers are often targeted on Metro Line 1, which traverses the city center from east to west and services many major tourist sites. Schemes to distract and rob victims, such as asking if you would sign a petition or take a survey, are common and change often. A frequent method is for one thief to distract the tourist with questions or disturbances, while an accomplice pickpockets a backpack or a purse. Thieves may time their pickpocket attempts to coincide with the closing of the automatic doors on the metro, leaving the victim trapped on the departing train.

Many thefts also occur at the major department stores where tourists may leave wallets, passports, and credit cards on cashier counters during transactions. Thieves use popular tourist sites and congested areas to mask their activities. The crowded elevators at the Eiffel Tower, escalators at museums such as the Louvre, and the area surrounding Sacré Coeur Basilica in Montmartre are all favored by pickpockets and snatch-and-grab thieves.

The area around the Moulin Rouge, known as Pigalle, requires extra security precautions to avoid becoming a victim. Pigalle is an adult entertainment area known for sex shows, prostitution, and illegal drugs. Unsuspecting tourists have run up exorbitant bar bills and been forced to pay before being permitted to leave. Les Halles and the Bois de Boulogne are other areas in Paris where extra security precautions are warranted after dark.

When you get off the subway at Montmartre, you need to be in good shape.  The elevators are broken so you need to climb about one hundred steps to get out of the station and on to the street.

Artist in Montmartre

It was cold and damp at Montmartre, so eating outside became a non-issue.   So did getting our portraits done.  We hadn't thought about how we would transport the sketch around Paris without it getting torn or wet.

We walked around Montmartre for about an hour, just looking at the art galleries and painters who were braving the elements.  We even passed a fashion photo shoot in one of the small passageways.

We then went to the Opera district for lunch.  We ate the Manior Cafe.  I only mention this because we saw the most disgusting display of hygiene there.  The manager took the bread from the basket of a recently vacated table and put it into the bread basket that would be used at the next available table.  With half of Paris coughing and sneezing this borders on just plain stupid.

Atrium in Galeries Lafayette

After that we walked over to the Galeries Lafayette.  This is a huge mall where every famous designer has their own kiosk.  As you would expect the prices are out of this world.  What makes this so amazing though is when you wonder through the kiosks you enter a spectacular atrium.  The atrium is breathtaking in its beauty.  The roof is a massive blue stained glass piece of art.  Each of the five balconies is surrounded by ornate gold railings.

Atrium in Galeries Lafayette

To conclude the afternoon we strolled down the Champs des Mars and had a wonderful time just relaxing and staring at the Eiffel Tower.  I hope it is still standing when our great grandchildren are old enough to visit.  The Eiffel Tower has that special magic.

For dinner with we were joined by Joan and Rocky at the LeBistrot de Maëlle et Augustin II.  Our wine was from a vineyard near Tournon that we could see from the cruiseship.  It was a Croze-Hermitage from Paul Jaboulet Aîné.  Marg had scallops, with mushrooms and seasonal vegetables cooked in a lavender broth that turned the vegetables purple.  It tasted a lot better than it looked.  I had cod seasoned with fennel, dill and honey and cooked over a white bean paste.  Both meals were really good.  Joan had crispy Duck and Rocky had lamb.  I’m not sure how they would rate their meals.  For dessert Marg had this huge chocolate parfait/pudding/cake.  She didn’t stop smiling the entire time she ate it.

Seafood in a lavender broth