Around Paris

Friday I spent a lot of time walking. I was up to the task. I went to two museums, walked, had my nails polished went to Monoprix and bought socks and walked some more. Took two metros and returned to my hotel. Using Zagat, Trip Advisor and Google, I found an up-and-coming restaurant called Septime. It is a market week and full of people.  I could only get a reservation if I left earlier than I would I would have liked. I kind of speed walked as much as I am able to speed walk. It was about a 20 minute walk.

Dinner was quite interesting.  There was no choice. What they had was what you got although they carefully asked before if you had any food allergies. The first course was lobster medallion with tomato water, red pepper marinade, raspberries and purple basil. Wonderful. Next course sausage with cepes, trumpets and foot of mouton mushrooms with a sabayon of oysters and apple cider. Pretty good also.  The third course left me a little cool. Poached pollack, scallions, cucumbers, potatoes with black olive paste and nasturtium stems. Very delicate.

I loved the last course. It was guinea fowl with roasted onion, pickled onion, turnip on a paste of almonds and hazelnuts with marjoram. The meat was so tender and the skin so crisp with sea salt which I loved of course.

The cheese which they said was from special purveyors was a disappointment especially since I bought Saint Nectaire last week at the Union Market, and Gruyere which is pretty common was what I got. All in all it was a pretty special dinner.

Saturday was not so successful. I schlepped to a museum where I had never been. It was the Musee Marmottan Monet at the edge of Paris. I finally found it with a note closed for four days for some work.  I was somewhat lost. I found a direct route to the Musee d'Orsay. There was a 30 minutes wait at the least. I was already very tired and decided not to wait. I saw a Batobus kiosk on the Quai and spent the next hour and a half circling Paris on the Seine.  Was restful and scenic although the weather took a downturn.

Returned to the hotel bushed, took a bath and took the metro to Montmartre to have dinner at a friend's sister's house.

It is now Sunday. Spent the morning at a wonderful market near me. Pictures of all to follow.

Judy