Day 3: Moving to Maison 1400

It's moving day! 

We moved out of our hotel and into the apartment today.  But before we did that, we had a little bit of time--that is, after I was forced to crack the whip on Dean to get him out of the bed at 11:00 (!).  Jet lag still in effect.  So we went for a stroll to hunt down a lunch lead based on the recommendation of the lady at our hotel.  

We found the restaurant she had suggested, but it looked a little too fancy for what we were wanting, so we fumbled around for a minute with our phones and maps.  We'd been standing in front of the Bourse for about 5 minutes trying to make a decision when Dean looked up and said, "How 'bout that place?"  I did my discerning traveler quick-study of the proposed eatery a block away:  looked popular but not crowded, nice windows with baked goods in them, not touristy...we moved in closer.  The menu looked perfect so we stayed.  Lovely place!

 

This was the kind of place I would go every morning if I lived close by.  I had a jambon (ham) & emmenthal cheese tartine with a salade vert and some tea au lait.  Dean had a smoked chicken tartine and salade vert with some coffee.  But guess what?  The coffee and tea came in:  BOWLS.  Like big teacups with no handles.  I never knew to be excited about this, but cupping that bowl of hot tea in both my hands and drinking it was supremely comforting.  I asked Dean to take my picture so I could remember the cozy moment.

 

As I ate my food, it was good, but I kept thinking, "something is missing.”  Contributing to this thought was the fact that in very casual groups on the big community table were several jars of different jams and condiments, and among them something chocolatey called, "Choco." 

Looking at the food I had ordered, I sadly realized I had no use for the Choco.  I had a growing desire to know more about the Choco.  I summoned my courage and French accent to order a croissant.  "Je voudrais un croissant {qwass-ahh}, s'il vous plait?"  

Do you see how this croissant is kind of flat in shape?  We later learned that this is a sign it is an all-butter croissant.  Very good boulangeries will only sell all-butter croissants.  But some lesser boulangeries will offer croissants made with butter substitute, which makes them rounder in the middle.  These are not desirable.  If you get your tummy all the way to Paris, you better make sure you are delighting in the virtues of croissants au beurre.  

Once delivered, some bites of this insanely flaky croissant got a smudge of Choco, some got a smear of apricot preserves, then back to the Choco.  These were not difficult decisions.  

And when I say the croissant was flaky, I mean there was a tiny snow shower of croissant flakes every time I tore a piece off to eat.  It was beautiful.  It was snowing food on my lap, the table, my plate, the floor.  Wait a minute:  SNOW FLAKES.  

Once we finished, we headed over to Galeries Lafayette because I had an errand to run--forgot to pack a belt!  Galeries Lafayette--how to describe this place?  It's like a department store and a Ritz Carlton got married.  Absolutely palatial!  Oh la la!
  

Had a ball walking around their children's section--clothing, toys and books.  All my favorite French characters & labels were there!  Le Petit Prince, Corolle babies, Babar books, Moulin Roty toys, Petit Bateau pajamas in Mamie's size (!), eeeeek!!

 Finally, we completed our shopping and made our way back to the hotel to get our bags and call a taxi for transport to Maison 1400, my home for the coming fortnight.  We arrived and met our landlord, Michael, who was a complete treasure and insisted on having us into his downstairs apartment for coffee and conversation.  It was thrilling to be able to unpack and think, “This is really my home for the next two weeks!!  Can that even be true??"  Let's get comfy and pretend this is really our home.

Maison 1400 is in the 4th arrondissement in the heart of the Marais and is a restored 15th century residence.  Michael was the architect on the redo and said it is probably one of the 5 oldest homes in Paris that is still standing--which means it wasn't demolished by the reconstruction under Haussmann.  As mentioned in the Day 2 post, George Haussmann was a city planner hired by Napoleon III to come in and restructure Paris in the mid 1800s.  He is the reason for Paris's wide, stretching boulevards and impeccable symmetry...and, consequently, the reason for the absence of much of what used to be medieval Paris because much of it was torn down to make for more space at that time.

Our townhouse is an exception to that--timber and plaster ceilings, slanted spiral staircase, absolutely chocked full of refined character.  I was a carnival of internal squealing.

Because of the way the apartment was laid out, we had three bedrooms, each self-contained with its own bathroom and kitchenette and each connected with a spiraling timber staircase.  One of the bedrooms had a large living and kitchen area.  My sister, Amber Beckham, is a professional photographer and she took this collage of photos of those rooms during her stay.

  
I started scoping apartments before I even had my airline ticket booked.  I scrolled til I couldn't scroll no more (!), combing hundreds of apartments available for rent.  When I landed on Maison 1400, my heart did a back flip.  This was the one.  Maison 1400 so far surpassed all of our expectations.  It really felt like home and was so charming, safe and beautiful.  

Dean and I can't help it--we just default to lazy on a vacation.  Even in Paris!  Eventually, after we felt like we'd honored our need for rest in our cozy new space, we made our way to dinner.  

Dinner:  time to hit Lesli's food list again.  Three weeks ago, I tried to get a reservation at Spring with no luck.  But I had heard tales of people showing up when they opened the doors at 7:00 and possibly getting a table downstairs.  I google-translated, practiced my phrasing, gathered my bravery and then gave them my best, "Est-il possible pour deux personnes pour diner sans reservation, s'il vous plait?"  

There was a friendly exchange, a consulation with the computer, concerning facial expressions with some low-level fast talking and finally...an offer to sit at the bar downstairs.  I’m not sure they normally seat people at the bar for dinner so we were thankful.  Two glasses of champagne were presented, consequently clinked and we were settled.  Oui, oui!!  And, as luck would have it, by the time we'd finished our first starters, they'd had a cancellation and could move us to an actual table.  C'est merveilleux!  We are pictured below in the typical traveling couples solo portraits ensemble.  You take one of me.  Now I'll get one of you.    

Spring is a place where you get what you get and you don't pitch a fit, as I am fond of telling my children from time to time.  Chef-chosen menu every night, five courses plus an optional cheese course.  Magnifique!!  My pics weren't amazing because of the lighting, but here was the list of the plates:

Pickled eggplant with ham
Foie gras with figs
Potato, mustard and buckwheat soup
Cabbage, cauliflower and white fish 
Prawn, spring onion, leeks, foie gras sauce
Fried oyster
Veal, hoof & foot, porcini mushroom purée, veal jus
Cacao tart
Chocolat sorbet with rum granita
Lemon something 
Hazelnut something
Choux pastry w coffee cream

Thoroughly enjoyed every bite of every plate even though some of the terms probably would've turned me off if I'd had a choice on a menu.  It was wonderful to try some new things.  And it actually took the stress off of ordering and pronouncing words and deciphering the menu.  We dined downstairs surrounded by old, bumpy stone walls and candlelight.  I didn’t want to leave.    

Once we finished, we walked a mile and a half to the Latin Quarter where I'd found an old cinema called Le Grand Action which sometimes shows old American movies.  The movie playing that night was, "Paper Moon," with Ryan and Tatum O'Neal (father and daughter who play a father and daughter in the movie).

 

It was the original movie with French subtitles.  It was actually made in 1973 (the year we were born) but is a period piece which took place in the 30s, so it's in black and white.  It was so great!  Why have we never seen it before?  Very funny and quick!  It was a soft place to land and let the wine wear off a bit.  

And that's it for today!  My first group of ladies arrives tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited!!  I hope I can sleep tonight!  Bonsoir!!