Saturday 15 December - Opening of tramway 3b and La Rech

Santa comes to the rue de Levis.

The oyster sellers are out in full.

I was up late this morning and didn't get to La Chapelle until 1130 only to find out that the new trams would not start until 1300 or a little after.  I decided to take the metro back the way I had come all across Paris to Porte de Versailles, take tram 3a to Porte d'Ivry and ride the new line north to La Chapelle.

All went well as far as Montparnasse when there was an announcement that we should all leave the train because a passenger had been taken ill. Everyone promptly left the train which took off. Another train arrived 2 minutes later and everyone got on as if nothing had happened. The T3a trams were running over the new section to Porte de Vincennes already.  According to the literature they had started today as well The tram was full and there was two rows of small boys standing up against the glass watching the driver. At Porte de Vincennes the new T3b trams start across the street from the T3a and there is a convenient underpass which is also the entrance to the metro line 1. I arrived at 1315 and no trams were visible. A full one arrived shortly after and this might just have been the first one from Porte de la Chapelle so I might have caught the first one out of Porte de Vincennes. It was very full with many taking advantage of the free travel over the new line. All along the route there were bands and drummers and RATP staff were giving out leaflets and free passes good in zones 1 and 2 for the weekend.  The kids were supplied with plastic wrist bands and key holders.  An 8-year old with his mother excitedly showed me all his goodies - they were going to the Museum of Science and Industry which is on the new line.

Possibly the first tram on line T3b arriving at Porte de Vincennes

There were a lot of people out, many with cameras, to see the new trams on their first day.  But there were also many regular shoppers with their children using the trams as a good substitute for the buses.  Although they were running at 4 - 5 minute intervals all the trams were full and standing and many were left behind at the intermediate stops.  The line runs mostly in the middle of wide streets with much use of grass between the rails and well laid stone at many of the stations.

Entertainment at Porte de la Chapelle

A tram ready to depart Porte de la Chapelles for Porte de Vincennes.  The line of buses on the right provides good connections.

I went through, standing, to Porte de la Chapelle but managed to find a seat there for the return to Porte de Vincennes.  I had planned to stop off on the way back but having scored a seat I decided to stay on all the way back to Porte de la Vincennes.  One of the wheels had a flat.  The RATP has been running tests for several months now and it may be an indication that there are braking problems on some of the severe gradients.  One station is built on a hill and passengers are warned about this. I saw one of the new water fountains commissioned by the city for this tramway.  Several people were clustered around it with curious looks on their faces.  Just below Porte de Bagnolet a cafe has been (re)named "Le Tramway".  The local businesses are very supportive.  Metro line 1 was a quick and easy way to get back to the apartmen changing to line 2 at Etoile.  I rode at the back of one of the automatic trains where you can look back and see the next train coming behind.

  

We used our free RATP passes to get to La Rech, an excellent seafood restaurant by Alain Ducasse in the rue des Ternes.  The meal was faultless.  We started with amuses gueules then sea urchin on grey mullet carpagio.

Risotto with spiny artichoke and some sort of foam

Sea bass with vegetables

An excellent Camembert.

Meringue and hazelnut ice cream with chocolate sauce - vacharin style

 The front is quite unassuming - it being taken up with an oyster bar.

An old school friend, Rob Carter, recommended La Rech.  I always remember Rob as the winger on the rugby team - give him the ball and he would thrust out his chin, shut his eyes and run like h-- for the line.  Now I can also think of Rob as a culinary expert.

Friday December 14 - Tramway Extensions

Much milder today but with lots of rain so a good day to ride the new tramway extensions.

T1 extension at Asnieres Gennevilliers

The new trains on the RER into Gare du Nord are bright and colorful

Another oldie 817072 built 1965-8, this time at Gare du Nord

Extension to T2 at Pont de Bezon

Both lines have been well built with some sections of private right of way, some roadside running and running in the street.  Extensive use has been made of grass within the right of way while stone has been used at the main stations.

Who would have expected a tropical garden in a Metro station - Line 14 at Gare de Lyon. View from the platform.

Thursday 13 December - Water Fountains, Steak and Fries

I went back to Au Pullman to buy the Rivarossi CIWL cars for Martin only to find that two of them had been sold just ten minutes before.  Saint Lazare was its usual busy self complete with old and older locomotives alongside the newer equipment.

The new at Saint Lazare

The old at Saint Lazaire. 817018, built 1965-68 taking out a commuter train - push pull.

There was an interesting exhibition put on by the City of Paris in the 16th.  We get the impression that the City cares.  They have made water fountains an art form and have special set ups for occasions when large crowds are expected.  All you can expect from the city of Ottawa is bottled water sold at inflated prices.

This type is still being made

 

The walk back towards the Trocadero provided some unfamiliar views of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower.

Monoprix has gone high-tech in its delivery system

We decided to eat dinner at Le Relais de Venise near the Port Maillot.  We have been there many times and enjoyed the salad, steak and fries formula.  Tables are small and people are shoehorned in which gives it a pretty intimate feel.  There is not a great deal of choice.  There is one salad, green leaf with crushed walnuts and sauce.  For the main course there is only a choice of how you want the beef cooked.  The wine list is quite restricted but very good.  Many of the wines are bottled especially for the restaurant.  We had a bottle of St. Emilion, the most expensive on the menu at 18 euros which was very very good indeed.

First timers are surprised that the meal comes in two portions and there are as many fries as you wish.  I have received complaints that I am not showing enough pictures of food in my blog.  Here goes.

Part 1

Part 2

The Vacharin is a construction of layers of meringue and ice cream covered in warm chocolate sauce and with whipped cream on the top

The Relais is a great place for this specialty meal but you are not encouraged to linger.  We were in and out in just over an hour and there were people waiting for tables both inside and outside in the rain.

Wednesday 12 December - Model Shops of Paris

It is a good idea to walk around in the sunlight to help adjust to jet lag.  I had plenty of both today.  I walked along rue de Rome with first the views of the trains running in the trench to and from Gare St. Lazare, then past the musical instrument repair and sales shops.

A big surprise was an old Paris bus which was parked on the street near the Rome metro station on Batignolles at Rome.  It looked to be in good condition.  It had the rear platform by which people entered and left.  An old lady walking by stopped and smiled - she said to me, in French "That brings back a lot of memories".

 An amazing improvement at the Gare St. Lazare is the Vie du Rail shop which sells specialist railway books, dvds etc.  It was previously hidden in the rue de Milan close by.  The last time I was there I couldn't find it.  Railway histories, picture books, gradient profiles, equipment information - it is all there and there is a G scale train running around under the ceiling.

817011 at St. Lazare was built 1965-8 by Alsthom. It is planned to be replaced in the near future.

115062, built 1971-78, at St. Lazare complete with Montmedy blazon

My first stop after the station was Au Pullman on rue d'Amsterdam where I found the Rivarossi cars Martin is looking for.  There are five other model shops close by on rue de Douai which cater to different scales while one handles with bric a brac.

 After a lunch of baguette and cheese (Epoise, Basques and Mimoulette) washed down by a red Cheverny we went for a short walk through the Square des Batignoles and then on to the parc/playground across rue Cardinet.

Christmas is coming - top floor balcony on rue Legendre.

Mary`s picture of a waterborne offensive in the Batignolles

 Dinner this evening was at Le Pet't Canon.  We had a reservation for 1900 but the place filled up from 1930 on.  We had a table by the window where we could watch people walking by, some with Christmas trees and a couple on scooters.  The meal was very good but the portions were very large.
Mary: Pickled herring with potatoes and salad then beef and carrot stew.
Colin: Millefeuille de foie gras then confit de canard with thinly sliced roast potatoes.
50 cl of Chinon (Loire)was a happy choice of wine - full bodied red with lots of flavor but not heavy.
People who come here are very friendly.  An Englishman came in on his own.  He didn't speak much French but very quickly the man next to him was chatting away.  The waiter tried to explain "jarrette" which is Shank.  In the end he put his foot on a chair, raised his trouser leg and pointed to his shank.  At the next table to us were two young women, one was celebrating her 22nd birthday.  The waiter was all over her, probably trying to get her phone number.

December 10-11 Travel to Paris

OC Transpo makes the RER look good.

There was freezing rain in Ottawa this morning and several flights were cancelled from the airport.  We didn't leave until late afternoon and we found out that the reason for the cancellations was  not connected with the weather but low traffic levels.  The flights were good and on time while all three airports were not crowded.  We finished up being 15 minutes late because we were bussed into the main terminal building.

While en route Paul followed us (AC880) for part of the way on Flight Tracker

 Being already armed with RER tickets to get us into Paris we breezed through the terminal and caught the first train into town.  The sun was shining brightly in a cloudless sky and the grass was green.  This was a stopping train with good views of Le Bourget marshalling yard and La Stade Francais where the rugby internationals take place.  We arrived at platform/track 42 - the highest numbered platform in Gare du Nord is 44 - and walked to La Chapelle to catch the metro M2 to Villiers.  The new metro trains are very smooth and pleasant.

After a few pleasantries with our greeter Lara, we unpacked and went out for lunch at the Bistrot de l'I-D.

The outside eaters asked for the heaters to be turned on.

This is very much a local restaurant.  It was full and people were standing inside waiting for tables.  An old lady was sitting at the same table as last time we were there for lunch.  I expect she is a regular - with a small glass of wine - meeting people.

We started by sharing the Poel de Champignons de Bois then Mary had the Poulet Supreme in a mushroom gravy with Brussels Sprouts while I had the Civet de Sanglier with pasta.  It was all very good - the sauces were excellent and the portions were very large (too large).  With a pichet of Sancerre (in an ice bucket to boot) this made a good start.  There is only one waitress here and she is amazing.  She remembers exactly what everyone is having and knows at what stage each table is.  This is a truly local restaurant that is a lot of fun and serves up lots of very good food at reasonable prices.

Afterwards we bought some supplies at the supermarket.  Not only do they sell wines and spirits but I bought a bottle of Margaux while the selection of whiskeys would shame the LCBO.  I also managed to get my smart phone hooked up to the Bouygues Telecom network without any trouble.

A pretty good start to the holiday.

November 30 Day Trip to Montreal

We decided to see the Impressionist exhibit in Montreal. The regular bus fare is about the same as VIA and the service much more convenient. Incredibly OC Transpo doesn't serve the bus station any more so we had a couple of blocks to walk in -10 weather. Alright for us with no bags but not good with bags or small children.

The bus station was its normal scudzy self but the bus was uncrowded and warm. The driver took tickets and he was assisted by a station man to load the bags. VIA staffing levels are much higher than Greyhound.

We left on time at 0800 without any fuss. Mary and I both had two seats each so we could stretch out, relax, listen to music (Bach Orchestral Suites (Air on a G string) and Violin Concerti) and eat  a drunken sausage in  a tortilla with HP sauce. 

We arrived at the Montreal station at 1006 and were pleasantly surprised to find a completely new building just to the north of the old station.  It has more room and well laid out.  The access to the Metro has too many stairs at present but we were told that they are building a more convenient one.

The Metro to Peel was quick although surprisingly I noticed that the floor of the cars was two inches higher that the platform so disabled access is not good.

The croissants at A.L. Van Houtte were pretty good as was the coffee.  We arrived at the gallery just after it opened at 1100 to find a line up.  Everyone must have had the same idea - get in early.  There were many groups and the Impressionist exhibit was crowded but we went through a couple of times and had the opportunity to see everything.  The pictures were all new to us as they have not been seen in public before but, naturally, there were no new artists.

Tulip Fields

Monet

 

Rouen - unloading lumber

Honfleur

The Snake Charmer

 

I was using my smart phone to take the pictures and it took a while to find out how to shut off the flash.

We took a look at some other exhibits, including several chairs, one being made from corrugated cardboard.

Lunch was at an Italian restaurant, La Capaninna.  They made us welcome and found us a table by the window. Soup and chicken with provolone and a glass of wine. The leisurely service was fine as we had plenty of time.

A visit to an audio store to investigate ear buds for Mary and we walked back to the bus station. They started loading the 1600 bus early.  There was going to be more people than the bus could hold so the driver closed with 13 empty seats and called for a second bus.

The ride home was slower than this morning because of the traffic but by getting off at the very convenient Laurier stop we were back home by 1900. I would prefer to take the train but you can't beat the bus for convenience and price.