[Erin]

We will be staying in Paris for a while on our trip and would like a little info. Our hotel is Hotel des Grandes Ecole in the Latin Quarter, it is close to Jardin du Luxembourg, the Pantheon and Sorbonne. I have heard wonderful things!
What can you all tell me about where to buy kitchen linens, Apilco porceline and chocolate. We plan to mainly shop, eat and enjoy the surroundings. I don't want to see Paris from a line. Where is your number one favorite thing to see in Paris and why? If their was one museum you could see, what would it be? Is there still ice skating at the end of February? Last but not least, I am trying to brush up on my french and can't find my old dictionary. Can anyone tell me how to say, "I am allergic to..."?
I am trying to teach my husband some french befoe we go and it is really showing me how rusty I have gotten. We are also studying Czech, and that is down right easy in comparison!

Thanks all in advance!
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[bainst]

Hi,
While I am one of the many the will extoll on the virtures of the Louvre, I disocvered the Musee d'Orsay this May. It is an absolutely beautiful museum that was converted from a train station. It is filled with major Impressionist pieces like Whislter's Portrait of the Artist's Mother, Van Gogh's Self Portrait, and my absolute favorite piece, Renoir's Jeunes filles au piano (Girls at the Piano). My favorite place for chocolate is La Maison du Chocolat. It is located by the Champs-Elysees. Go onto their website: www.lamaisonduchocolat.com , pick the shop that is on rue Francois. It's pricey, but those truffles are worth a second mortgage.

Tamar
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Live as if to die tomorrow. Learn as if to live forever.
Mahatma Gandhi

[Erin]

Thanks, I have heard Musee d'orsay is wonderful. Although I would love to see the Louvre, we are only in Paris for five days and that is a lot of time to commit away from the pastries.
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[David]

I agree with bainst, Erin. The Musee d'Orsay is much more "doable" than the Louvre (but make sure you hit it on your next trip) and the building is wonderful (so is the cafe I might add). I am definitely not a Pompidou Centre fan however, but--well, I guess it just really isn't my kind of art.
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Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

[VictoriaLH]

David I agree with you on Pompidou centre, I think its butt-ugly and the McDonalds, Pizza Pits and KFC's that ring it are just depressing.

For kitchen linens and the like, try the Galleries Lafayette home store, its part of the 3 building complex and the entire store is devoted to home products. One floor is a fabulous food and wine shop.

I also second the La Maison Du Chocolat, they are like fine jewelry stores featuring chocolat!

I love just walking around the islands, especially Ile-St Louis, there are lovely shops and good resaurants there that have reasonable prix fix menus.
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"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!"
-Auntie Mame

[Erin]

I agree with how wonderful La Maison Du Chocolat is, the only thing is that we have a location in NYC in Rockefeller Center. Is their anywhere else?
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[villacollinette]

Erin, my husband has a book called, "Chocolat, le guide" that talks about chocolate all over France. It's a bit old (the price written inside is in francs) but I looked through it for the chocolatiers with the highest rating (four cocoa beans) in Paris. They gave four to La Maison du Chocolat, but also to Michel Chaudun (149 rue de l'Université, in the 7th arrondissement), Christian Constant (37 rue d'Assas, in the 6th) and also to Jean-Paul Hévin (three stores -- 231 rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st, 3 rue Vavin in the 6th, and a shop called Le Petit Boulé at 16 avenue de la Motte-Piquet in the 7th -- the other two are eponymous). I think the Latin Quarter is in the 6th, so most any of those would be pretty accessible.

As far as museums, I would agree with the others who recommended the Musée d'Orsay -- truly gorgeous. And the linens and china in all the big department stores (like Printemps and Samaritaine) are nice.

And the phrase you want is : Je suis allérgique à . . . or J'ai une allérgie à . . . Hope this helps!

[Monica]

Oh, I am so jealous!

The ONE museum that I see every time is the Musee Rodin. The building and grounds, and of course the artwork... ahhhh! It's small enough not to take you more than the few hours you might want to spare - but be aware that it's closed on Mondays. Of course, the selection is more limited to mostly Rodin works and Claudel and little else. But I love it! I also like the Musée de l'Orangerie, but it's been closed for renovations forever, and maybe hasn't re-opened. Since the Louvre is off the list, I would then say the Orsay over the Pompidou like the others.

[Erin]

I do love Rodin, that would be interesting......

Thank you villacollinette for the advisement on chocolat, I will definitely be looking into the places you mentioned.

My next question will be rather vague, but here goes. Is there anything to visit that celebrates Rimbaud? Une Saison En Enfer, is one of my favorites.
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[simona]

Your hotel is in the center of the world Erin!
I don't know if you're in Paris the first time or the 100th time, but I'll tell you what I'll do ( or will be doing probably at the end of January).
The first thing after putting my luggage in the room , I go to the nearest kiosk and buy the equivalent of the Time Out in French , enter the very first nice cafe, order a glass of wine to get in the french mood, put my reading glasses, and begin to work: I browse the list of museums, galleries etc, looking for a special exposition, collection , event etc. There is always something going on, a special collection, something...
Including in the Centre Pompidou where I've seen some extraordinary temporal exhibitions.( I happen to love the building, I saw it being build while I was a student in Paris, many many years ago).
I also would give a good chance, once again, to the Musee Picasso in the Marais. It's the best, and I've seen the one in Barcelona too.
There are also some other small Museums, like Cognacq-Jay, Nissim de Camomdo, Carnavalet, and yes, of course Rodin.
One more I love and it's not well known in the Musee Maillol- fondation Dina Vierny, on 61 rue de Grenelle ( M. Rue di Bac). It's a gem, and just next to it, on the corner of rue de grenell and Blvd. raspail, is one of the best, if not the best Fromagerie ( Cheese Shop) in Paris. I have a special soft spot for this shop and this street as I lived just across in rue de Grenelle 48 for four years. The museum was opened in 1995, and it has a wonderful collection-of modern painters- the private collection of Mrs. Vierny. She was the muse of Maillol, a large , beautiful women, and some of her best friends were Picasso and the likes.
An then you have the market of Mouffetard quite close to your Hotel. I don't know if you are interested in concerts, there are usually good ones in winter, but avoid the ones in the Churches, they are tourists trap.
I won't advise you restaurants, maybe only one, not so much for the food as for the very typical french athmospere: Chartier, just around the corner from Musee Grevin ( Rue Montmartre 11, I think). It's better for lunch as it's very basic simple french food. But the location!! A waste hall with big mirros on the walls, build in 1900 on the occasion of a fair, with busy and bad-mannered waiters in black with long white aprons. You sit where they tell ( yell at)you, paper tablecloth, and then, the addition written on that very paper. Still very authentic, and quite cheap. You can't go wrong with the steal au poivre/frites. For lunch and nostalgia, it's perfect.

No more war, more steak au poivre!

[cris]

"je suis allergique a/aux:..."altough french are getting better about allergy don't expect too much serious feed back from them except may be shellfish ,be safe bring some antihistamine or your regular medecine.
Don't forget to visit dehillerin(see info on this web page),when at dehillerin ask direction for verrie des halles just across the street great china apilco and more...if you have time and money if you are a foodie may be a class at the cordon bleu in the 15th.ifyou read french try librairie gourmande i forgot the adresse but it is nearby your hotel again ask dehillerin.if you get to dehillerin go to lacloche des halle for a glass of loupiac and a plate of assorted cheese with poilane bread.enjoy your trip.

[Erin]

simona,
I like the suggestion of getting into the "french state of mind", we will have to try that! I am getting the feeling that The Pompidou is as contraversial looking building as The EMP in Seattle, (it looks like something out of Willy Wonka). Thanks for the tip about the concerts, it is definitely someting we would be interested in and I would hate to end up in something tailor made for the out of towner.

Cris,
Visiting Dehillerin will be my personal pilgrimage, I can't wait! Thanks for the tips on where to shop. I am definitely a foodie, I am a chef so Paris has been a long time in coming.
Je suis allergique a...........boy is my french rusty if I can't remember that. Thanks, I have a lot of studying to do.
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[villacollinette]

I forgot to mention the Musée Jacquemart-Andre in the 8th -- it's a smallish museum that is completely gorgeous. It was the house of a very rich couple who collected art, and now you can see their collection in their house, which is absolutely sumptuous. It's small enough to be easy managed in a morning or afternoon and really one of my personal favorites in Paris. Quite lovely. Here's a link:

http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/jandre/

Enjoy your trip!

[Erin]

What a beautiful place, I think it has made it to the final round. Thanks for the link!
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[simona]

Of course, Jacquemart Andre, I for got it. It's ages since I visited it, so if I'll get to Paris as planned end of January, I'll return. I plan to go for several days with two friends, on a gastronomic-cultural long weekend ( 6 days!!) - as all of us have been many times in Paris. Winter is the time to sit in famous cafes, preferably on the first floor where the chairs and banquetes are covered in deep-dark brown leather or purple-bordeaux velvet, smoke a cigarette ( thanks G. the french are still human), sip something ( I'm a kir/wine/martini/gin tonic person, no coffe for me), talking about the meaning of life, about the past ( not much future ahead, helas!) , about men( nice to remember the old days...), or sitting alone with a book or a newspaper, and imagining I'm Simone de Beauvoir waiting for Sartre. The Flore and the Deux Magots in St. Germain de Pres could do . I know in summer only tourist sit there, I never will, but in winter, up in the first floor, that's something else. And Paris is all about tradition, I harte those nickel white and black cafes. Too old for that.
And you can sneak in the Macaroons you bought at Pierre Herme on 72 ,Rue Bonaparte or the macaroons bought al Laduree 21,Rue Bonaparte . Or have a sample of both, and compare . I love the cakes of Laduree more but the macaroons of Pierre Herme better: How hard can life be!!!
You can also cross the street and have a look at Cafe Lipp: that's Picasso's preferate place. Not many tourists there, it's expensive. Then' before it's dark, just stop for 2 minutes at Place Furstenberg. It's still enchanting, having survived it's celebrity without a blink.
I could go on, but have to work.
Ah, yes, I'm sorry to be a Trouble- Fete- Daihlerin was the biggest disappointment to me. An old, unorganizes shop, with things I can find here in my little country cheaper and more modern, full of tourists who just carmm the place because it's a tourist must. I do believe there are better places, but... tradition is the word, so who am I to criticize ( I didn't like my Lunch at Chez Pnisse either, but don't kill me... )
Bonne Anee to all the Paris lovers ( about 6 zillions)