MIRADOUX, HERE I COME!

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July 16 to 17 - Paris - All by myself….Wendy left this morning, so today is my day to sort and organize, and pack and last minute shopping. I have one errand left - to go to E. Dehillerin http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBsQFjAA&url=http%!A(MISSING)%!F(MISSING)%!F(MISSING)www.e-dehillerin.fr%!F(MISSING)&ei=QfbTU7OMG83z8QX7iIHQDQ&usg=AFQjCNF2bvTnmZpFQfpOO57ZhFV-VMAWEA&bvm=bv.71778758,d.dGc&cad=rja , Paris’ best culinary store, near Les Halles. But I recommend you go in with a shopping list…this is no place to just graze. I wanted Canele forms - copper - and knew this would be the place to find them. They were less expensive than Bordeaux. Let’s just hope they work for me. If not, they sure are pretty. E. Dehillerin has the most extensive supply of copper pots and pans and just looking at their website is a treat. Put it high on your list of places to visit in Paris if you like to cook…

[Ok, now let’s be serious as travelers. I was NOT going to schlep my bags all over France for the next 4 days while traveling….I started looking into luggage storage in Paris, preferably at one of the train stations I would be coming in to or going out of on Tuesday. Train stations do not have storage for longer than 36 hours, so I had to find something else. I finally found Blue Marble Storage http://www.bluemarble.org/ParisLuggage.html#Storage a little place over by Les Halles. I delivered my bag, paid for it, and picked it up Tuesday. I did have to pay extra for someone to be there during lunch hour for me to pick up, but it was worth it. Being able to leave my bag some place made the next part of the journey so much easier. Just sayin….]

I was sad to say goodbye to our lovely little apartment on Ile St. Louis, and I want to come back and do it again, albeit in a larger apartment. But AirBnB was wonderful and I recommend them for apartments. It was on to the train to head to Miradoux in Gers, to see a friend we had made years ago through house swaps. Firstly, it was amazing how much the sunflowers had grown in the one week since we had left the area. SO MUCH YELLOW! Jean Clement met me at the train in Agen and we took the ½ hour drive to Miradoux, a wonderful Bastide that was established during the 100 Years War. I was in for three nights, just to do a little relaxing…Dinner tonight was lovely - soup and a lovely salad from items directly from his garden. Dessert was a compote of fruits, also from his garden. It is nice to eat simply but freshly…Off to bed, and relaxation….

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Photos

Street view Ile St Louis
When you come out of our apartment building, this is what you saw - the end of the main street of Ile St Louis. I miss this view....

Kitchen shop
Make a point of finding this shop if you are a kitchen junkie. But make sure you take a list...