Yesterday we continued walking around Paris visiting old haunts and enjoying the warm air. We returned to Luxembourg Garden to people watch and located Hotel Pont Royal in St. Germain des Pres where we stayed one time and dined in the adjacent Atelier Joel Robuchon. I was keen to eat there since some of his recipes were included in one of Patricia Wells’ cookbooks we own.
LES HALLES
The Les Halles district is the former site of Paris’ fresh food market. The buildings were demolished in 1973, and today it’s a shopping street with a large underground Westfield Mall. Above ground, at least on Saturday morning, it was a bustling marketplace. Lots of enticing stands selling everything from cheese to charcuterie to hats and produce.
Nearby is the imposing Church of Saint Eustace built between 1532 and 1632. Its exterior is considered Flamboyant Gothic while inside is a mix of Renaissance and classical.
I was impressed with several of the stained glass windows, one with lots of bright reds and another very simple one. And I was awed by the sheer height of the sanctuary and the webbing of the cross pieces.
POMPIDOU CENTRE
No visit to Paris is complete without a stop at the Pompidou Centre, a center for the arts built in 1977. It was audacious for its time, and Renzo Piano was one of the architects.
We quietly saluted Renzo. The Chief Penguin and I were fortunate to get to know him a bit and had the pleasure of dining with him both here in his Paris apartment and at his home in Genoa. He designed the California Academy of Science’s “new” building (2008) in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
We also noted the Alice Neel poster for the featured exhibition. We saw this marvelous exhibit of her paintings in NYC at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
PLACE SAINT-SULPICE
Before dinner, we strolled down along the Seine and then through Place Saint-Sulpice. This square is dominated by the Church of Saint-Sulpice on one side and a massive fountain with lions in the center. The church is only slightly smaller than Notre Dame and is the second largest church in Paris. It was built beginning in 1646.
The square, intended to be a tranquil garden was created in 1754. The fountain was constructed between 1843 and 1848 and includes the figures of four 17th century French religious men, none of whom was made a cardinal.
We arrived during some sort of religious observance in front of the church. A purple-shirted band was playing loudly and women were bobbing and weaving in a dance step. This live performance added color to our Parisian experience.
EATING
For a change of pace, we had a Vietnamese lunch at Hanoi. The Chief Penguin slurped up a big bowl of chicken pho, while I liked my chicken and veggies in satay sauce with rice. We had a basket of little pork and shrimp buns to start.
We dined at La Cuisine de Philippe in the evening. This cozy restaurant was recommended by our trip organizers, and it was excellent with gracious service. Chef Philippe specializes in soufflés and between us, we bookended our meal and sampled four kinds. Each was light and airy.
To begin, I had the Emmental cheese soufflé and CP the soufflé of the day with mushrooms and truffled Tomme cheese. Our main courses were slightly different preparations of cod and dorade. Dessert was the classic Grand Mariner soufflé for him, while I indulged in a dark chocolate one. Tasty all the way around!
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
