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September 7th 2010

Published: September 8th 2010

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mr mink

the Eiffel Tower

one of many!

bon jour encore une fois a Paris. I will be brief as it is already 1 AM, and I did not get in until about 12.30 after a metro expedition back from the Eiffel Tower region in the 7eme. I had wondered how full the hotel was as most of the room keys seem to be on their hooks - but realised tonight when only my key, 13, was on the hook that it means that everyone is sensibly OUT (doh!). I walked down there from here, but as I did not leave the hotel until virtually 5 PM, despite having breakfast at 9:30 AM, it was a very slow start to the day. I decided to walk down to get more of a feel for Paris so to speak. Certainly the Blvd's are interesting with their three -- four-storey buildings dare I say it in their typical Parisian style (expert?! - only been here once before in 1983 and that had a very early disaster on the first night with all of my camera gear being stolen from my hotel room). When I saw a couple pointing the long telephoto lens of a Canon in one direction - looked and

on Avenue du Maine

could this be a typical Parisian building?

realised that this was the first time that I had actually seen the Eiffel Tower as I was so shocked by the 1983 experience that virtually all I saw off Paris in four days or so was the indispensable Louvre/Mona Lisa and Versailles. So I did not exactly need any further directions as to which way to head, as I had decided that the Eiffel was to be the destination for the day. The walk that general direction takes you to the Hospital des Invalides, whose gilded dome one can see from some way off (see snappies pictures). Along the way I saw my first Parisian church, that of St Francis Xavier.Then along to the Ecole Militaire opposite the top of the Champs de Mars at the end of which the Eiffel Tower stands. Unfortunately most of this end of the Champs de Mars was barricaded off for some special event - Les Parissiennes? - with illustrations of running women it looks like to me? anyway as it was about 7 PM there seemed to be an awful lot of joggers about.

I finally got to the foot of the Tower and of course the queues for buying tickets

Smokin' Dog cafe

what else will they do to promote smoking??

to go up were relatively lengthy. Almost as lengthy as the price for the lift to the second platform (€8.10) -- I think I will likely take the stairs, being Scrooge, for merely €4.50. Interestingly in French the office or Tower etc is called the Bureau d'Exploitation (?!) - and the sign said that the top platform was closed for reasons of "affluence" (francais for "full") - more like the prices! There were the usual number of souvenir sellers of Eiffel Tower models and so on, almost all of whom were either Indian or mostly African. As I decided I would definitely not be doing it today I just wandered around the base as it grew dark and took lots and lots of photographs (a bit like the Golden Gate Bridge in SF in its iconic-ness).

There is a street close by Rue Montessuy that sounded somewhat of a gourmet street. Unfortunately the Rough Guide recommendation of Au Bon Acceuil, whose prices seemed quite reasonable, was "fully booked" despite the fact it was 8:30 PM and there were at least three tables for two free outside on the footpath. I should have then and there made a reservation for

eglise de St Francis Xavier

another time as it looked/sounded quite good. Instead I ended up at Le Clos des Gourmet on Avenue Rapp (no homies in sight tho!). Here three courses was €35 which was reasonable. However as they did not appear to list a vin de maison it was a genuine vintage half bottle of Sancerre - 2008 Domaine Serge Laloue if you do not mind -- which cost me dearly to the tune of €23, which rather damaged the overall bill. It ended up being a fish night -- entree being Brest sardines marinated and served on toasted bread crusts with a sort of tomato like purée underneath. Then followed a roasted (?) fillet of dorade fish on a bed of cous cous and small chickpeas- served with a bottle of fish reduction type broth which you poured over the bed of cous cous etc. "pour le plaisir" (dessert) on this occasion was a little round of a goat's cheese whose name I forget. It was all nice without being really outstanding and of course the wine price was somewhat of a killer in the overall €60 plus total bill.

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