Une souris verte

Une souris verte
Qui courait dans l'herbe,
Je l'attrape par la queue
Je la montre à ces messieurs
Ces messieurs me disent
Trempez la dans l'huile
Trempez la dans l'eau,
Ca fera un escargot tout chaud



Here's the English translation of this popular, yet bizarre, children's song:

A green mouse
Which ran in the grass,
I caught it by its tail
I showed it to these men.
The men said:
Dip it in oil,
Dip it in water
It will become an escargot
Nice and warm.

Things we will miss about Paris: Rue Mouffetard

OK, maybe not necessarily the rowdy, crowded Rue Mouffetard, but it's side streets, which still retain the quaint subdued beauty of the 5th arrondisement. Still, it's hard to imagine that only eighty years ago Ernest Hemingway used to race down from his apartment to buy freshly milked goat milk, as the herd walked past his building.

Things we will miss about Paris: nightly walks along the Seine

Kai will also say his daily commute walk along the Seine, but that's a different story.

Things we will miss about Paris: Les Soldes & Paris discount stores

OK. At least I will miss them. French law dictates that stores can only have coordinated sales twice a year for six weeks at a time. It was actually a wonderful way to curb one's shopping enthusiasm and then unleash it that first week (OK, that first month). Lawrens & Co across the street would promptly put up their French pink sign first thing the morning of les soldes season & remind me that it's time to take a walk.

My other research tool was the Chic Shopping blog. Hints and strategies can be found at this link: Paris Sales

Now, since we're on the subject of shopping, I think it's also worthwhile to mention that I will miss the best kept Parisian discount secret (now I can reveal it, since I'm not a regular) - the Montmartre chain of Sympa stores. There's about five or six little shops scattered in the fabric neighborhood right below the Sacre Coeur hill. There you can find crazy bargains - it's where things go after they didn't sell during the soldes, or simply they're things that weren't picked up by retailers. There are two or three shops next to the Anvers metro shop that typically carry one euro Petit Bateau stuff (yes, one euro!). They also have tons of Natalys, Sergent Major, DPAM and other French brands (kids brands) that typically sell for 2 or 3 euros a piece. It's a crazy mishmash, so you can end up with a Petit Bateau coat for your kid for 2 euros or long johns. One of the stores also has incredible deals on very fancy lingerie - again, things that retail well over 50 euros going for 5 or so. But they disappear rather quickly!

The Sympa stores are located along the rue de Steinkerque, a street once notorious for its prostitutes and dance halls. Today, you can rummage through the bargains in these same buildings–under new management, of course!

Imagine the surreal charm of shopping for your “unmentionables” inside the former brothel that Pablo Picasso frequented during his “blue period”! Another Sympa now occupies part of “le bal de l’Elysée Montmartre,” where the famed Can Can star (and famorite muse of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec) La Goulue made her racy debut before defecting to the nearby Moulin Rouge. You can nab your own knickers in the very room where she once flashed hers so fetchingly at the absinthe-quaffing crowds.

Sympa locations:
62, blvd. De Rochechouart, corner of Steinkerque
1 bis, rue de Steinkerque
18, rue d’Orsel, corner of Steinkerque

Days and Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 AM—7 PM

Metro: at Anvers (Pigalle and Abbesses are nearby, too)

Things we will miss about Paris: Market Shopping

So the produce is not exactly from the farm (it all comes from Rungis one way or another), but there seems to be a greater variety and on average slightly better prices, especially for fresh fish. We also loved the flower stand, where at the end of the market day we could get a huge triple bouquet of leftovers for 5 euros...

We usually would go to the closest market to us (Marché Maubert), but once in a while we would hike to the Marché Place d’Aligre, which truly has the best prices in Paris (think 3 mangoes for 1 euro; kilo of Moroccan figs for 1 euro; a bunch of artichokes for 2 etc.)

 

Things we will miss about Paris: Notre Dame

The way it looks at sunrise, sunset and in the mist. We will also miss its gardens with a sandbox under the Japanese cherry trees where Ila learned how to eat sand and the only FREE swing in Paris.

Things we will miss about Paris: Picard

There is something soothing and yet disturbing about Picard. Walls of enormous refrigerators holding rows upon rows of frozen ingredients, prepared meals, frog legs, escargots, sorbets, herbs, truffled potatoes, tarts, macaroons, trout eggs, cheese...one can't stop from wanting to taste everything. Unlike many frozen food lines out there, the Picard frozen foods actually taste as good as they look on the box. That's where the disturbing part comes in. Shopping there becomes a dirty little secret, especially when you have company over for stuffed canette for dinner.

Here are some of our favorites:

Things we will miss about Paris: strolling around the 5th

or the 6th, or 2nd, or 4th...every day offered another walking adventure. And we still didn't manage to get to know all the nooks and crannies or our ancient neighborhood.

 
 

Things we will miss about Paris: picnics at Pont des Arts

OK. So we didn't picnic at the Pont des Arts as often as we talked about it. But when we did, it was always one of those experiences that you regret not doing more frequently.

 
 
 

Things we will miss about Paris: Baguettes (Eric Kayser baguettes, that is)

As time zooms forward I will try to spend the next several days to capture some of the key things that we will miss about living in Paris.

The Kayser baguette quickly became a household staple. Ila was practically raised on them. Between her and Rio it became necessary to get at least two a day - one for snacking on the way home from the bakery, and one for Kai when he got back from work.

Walking Parisienne

Ila managed to start walking just in the nick of time. Now we can honestly say that she took her first steps in Paris.

New Home - Hampstead, London

As some of you know we're unfortunately leaving Paris for London before the summer's end. But, we found a wonderful school for Rio and a new flat in a great neighborhood, facing the Hampstead Heath with its 800 acres of woods, lawns, and ponds. Apparently our new backyard inspired the Chronicles of Narnia.

Here's a little video about our new home:

Report Card

This past week Rio has successfully completed le moyenne section. She started the school year knowing less than twenty words of French and completed the year with pretty much straight A's in the French language!

Rio spent a wonderful yeat at Ecole Sainte Catherine (http://stecathe.ifrance.com/page%20principale.htm). We were so impressed by the school's teachers, curriculum, and especially the school cafeteria (la cantine). Rio, along with the French children, was taught to eat different types of cheese (including blue cheese!), meat dishes, and fish. The French school system extends its curriculum to teach children the value of good quality eating. Youngsters are expected to eat like adults - no reason for them to be on a special junk-food diet. It's something that will stay with Rio her entire life, I hope.

La Piscine

Every Monday morning Rio would wake up at crack of dawn - ok, at 7:30 - and ask "Is today the swimming day?" She would then rush to get dressed and run to school to make sure she's not late for the swimming class.

Nutella!

Oh the anticipation!

The fairy came and entertained. They played the French classic games like Un Deux Trois Soleil, and Mer Terre et Bateau. The fairy did some magic tricks and made lots of money disappear. There was a puppet show with une méchante sorcière. Then the children presented their gifts to the birthday queen. Ila helped out with opening. She liked that part. The cake was triple or quadruple chocolate-chocolate Adagio adorned with raspberries and more chocolate flakes. I think the children approved.






Thank you all for the wonderful gifts! Rio said that it was her best birthday EVER!

Step 2: Rio's birthday fete

Five tutus down. If only a fairy godmother could show up to help out with the rest and the wizard capes!

Step 1: Rio's Birthday fete preparations

1. Book the fairy - DONE!
2. Invite only 10 of Rio's best friends - DONE!

now all we have left to do is to make fairy tutus, wizard capes and magic wands. That's tomorrow's project. And still need to narrow down the cake/ bakery choice - I think I need to research few slices in the next couple of days :)

Rio said that she's so proud of me for organizing her big fairy birthday that she'll love me forever and will clean her room (I noticed that she didn't say forever after that part of the arrangement).

Rue Mouffetard

Today rue Mouffetard was transformed into 1950s Paris (Les Halles market) - courtesy of the new Nora Ephron movie, Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child. The produce prices looked very attractive!

But the elaborate movie set didn't compete with the end of the street action, which included an antique brocante (ie. flea market with overpriced French antiques - things are just not the way they used to be, or maybe it's the US$), a lively dance gathering and at least a solid hour or two of running around the Eglise Saint-Medard playground and mastering the scooter (Opa would be proud).



Eating recommendation: Cave la Bourgogne. Excellent ambiance and reasonably priced, good food. The children's menu alone (around 5 Euros) - seared steak hache and vanilla bean ice cream is worth it. Here's a local review:

Au marché Mouffetard

Une des plus belles façades du quartier avec son style qui balance entre le détaillant à vins et le vieux bistrot de quartier. Son grand bar à zinc, ses colonnades et ses larges baies vitrées lui confèrent un cachet authentique. On appréciera particulièrement la vue sur la très jolie église Saint-Médard, notamment en période estivale depuis la terrasse. Mais le plus important, c'est d'y venir pour un moment détente vin-grignotage. A l'intérieur une ambiance de bistrot classique et animé.

La Rochelle

Patience


To walk on water, or not to walk on water?


A dangerous case of precocious yacht appreciation.