Profiling

A small terrier stands his ground.

Crêpes on a roll

Rolled-up buckwheat crêpe appetizers with different fillings: chorizo, camembert, goat cheese, smoked salmon; tarama dip; chilled brut apple cider from Brittany.

Breizh Café

"La crêpe autrement"

1 rue de l'Odéon 75006

Cool art #2

Palais de Tokyo

13 avenue du Président Wilson 75116

Below: entry to the exhibition is through an enormous doll's house

Cool art #1

Spacious Palais de Tokyo with its eclectic collection of modern art makes a refreshing escape from Paris' current "heat wave" - in quotes because I once lived in Arizona where it gets so hot that skin sticks to the car seat.

Palais de Tokyo

13 avenue du Président Wilson 75116

The baker's bike

Bicycle parked outside a bakery early a.m.

House with heart

Spotted on a side street in the 11th arrondissement.

Lavender season

From fields to markets, right now Provence is brimming with lavender.

PARIS - AIX-EN-PROVENCE (via TGV fast train) 2 hrs 53 mn 

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Can you guess?

A Greek island village? Somewhere off the coast of Sicily?

Neither. It's Cadaqués Spain, Mediterranean fishing village of surrealist Salvador Dalí that I once called home, an hour drive into France.

 Below: nightfall w/view of bay and church; cat relaxes on friends' veranda

Recommended: fly/drive

PARIS - PERPIGNAN (France)
Direct flight (1-hr 30 min) + car rental (1-hr 20 min drive to Cadaqués)

 

PARIS - GIRONA

Direct flight (1-hr 45 min) + car rental (1-hr drive to Cadaqués)


Where to eat:

Compartir
(means "to share" in Spanish - see video in link)
Riera de Sant Vicenç s/n 17488 Cadaqués

 We couldn't get enough of this gem launched by sous chefs of Ferran Adrià of mythic El Bulli (named "best restaurant on the planet" five times) after its closure.

- inventive cocktails / ultra tapas -

(click photos to enlarge)

Just married

Summer sees newlywed couples posing for photos all around the city.

Lane remnant

Besides buildings untold numbers of tiny lanes went the way of the horse-drawn carriage during the 19th century Haussmann Renovation.

Daily breads

Some crunchy reasons to get going in the morning.

Reception

A small wedding party gathers at the foot of a Montmartre stairway.

Sacré blanc!

On the steps of the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur a statue-mime works the crowds.

 

Back to back

This weekend saw two big reasons to celebrate:

1) Bastille Day Saturday July 14th
2) France's exciting Coupe du Monde win on Sunday

Above: café Le Bastille just outside Bastille métro station

Below: in a surge of unbridled patriotism France proudly celebrates winning The World Cup.
Shortly after the game thousands began to stream into the streets

- More photos in upcoming August newsletter -

Beating the heat

Icy drinks in the shade at sophisticated Monsieur Bleu with views of the Eiffel Tower through trees across the river.

Monsieur Bleu

20 avenue de New York 75116

Books and more

The Musée d'Art Naïf at Halle Saint-Pierre always has something unusual, and usually wonderful, going on.

Halle Saint-Pierre

- bookstore / coffee shop / museum -

2 rue Ronsard 75018

Pop-up flea market

A neighborhood street becomes a blocks-long antiques market.

Left turn

The old Left Bank harbors a maze of enticing narrow streets.

New day

France happily wakes up to victory, well on its way to a World Cup win on Sunday. 

Above: the Eiffel Tower quietly holds its own after all-night celebrations

Calm before storm

A pre-game light dinner in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

If the French team wins, the streets will be filled with noise and chaos. If they lose, the streets will be filled with noise and chaos.

Above: San Daniele-draped burratas; grilled Mediterranean veggies; avocado crab; Aperol Spritzes with fresh mint

Le Hibou

16 Carrefour de l'Odéon 75006 

 

 

Almost ready

Since early morning pubs, cafés and restaurants have been setting up for the big match tonight.

Allez les bleus!

The excitement in the city is palpable as France gears up to fight Belgium in tonight's World Cup semi-final game. 

Above: chocolate footballeurs created by Arnaud Larher

Over head

An atrium ceiling of dizzying design.

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Burgundy #6

In the commune of Arcenant small batches of Crème de Cassis are lovingly extracted from cassis, the blackcurrant used for the liqueur staple in every French apéritif cabinet and an integral ingredient of rosé-tinted kirs.

Above: a fine toast after a long day's work; bottling the finished crème de cassis; cassis coulis as a complement to grilled meats; a corner café; a terrace gnosh in a medieval village on the way

 ***

Today winds up our gastronomic visit to Burgundy, and I've but scratched the surface. 

Besides enthusiastic visitors to the blog all week (which kept me posting!) there are those I would like to thank - at farms, bar à vins, châteaux, wine caves and restaurants - who welcomed us as family.

Special thanks to:

Gilles Joannet (top photo)
Artisan Liquoriste
(also makes / sells cherry, peach, apricot and raspberry liqueurs)

rue Basse 21700 Arcenant

Abbaye de la Bussière
21360 La Bussière-sur-Ouche

Recommended:

Le Trou
15 rue Vannerie 21000 Dijon
(apéritif and tasting bar-à-vin located in an atmospheric cave)

Caviste La Fine Heure
34 rue Berbisey 21000 Dijon
(traditional escargots and grilled Charolais steak with Epoisses sauce)

 Michelin-starred Loiseau des Ducs
 Chef Louis Philippe Vigilant - Chief pâtissier Lucille Darosey
3 rue Vauban 21000 Dijon
(gastronomical delights in a beautiful setting)

 L'Aspérule
43 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau 21000 Dijon
(new restaurant of Japanese chef Keigo Kamura formerly of luxury Sofitel Le Faubourg Paris)

La Ferme de Rolle
Hameau de Rolle 21220 Ternant
(in the middle of the countryside; chargrilled meats over a huge open fire; rustic)

    Visit:

Wine caves
Château de Marsannay
2 rue des Vignes 21160 Marsannay-la-Côte
(check first for hours)

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Burgundy #5

Originating in the 16th century from monks in the village of the same name, Epoisses, Burgundy's signature cheese, was a hit at the court of Louis XIV and a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Below: the region's ubiquitous white Charolais cattle, esteemed for their flavorful beef; a chalkboard outside a Paris bistro indicating its tartare de boeuf is Charolais, a measure of highest quality

(click to enlarge)


- Tomorrow: Black gold -