Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Yesterday in Paris

 

Yesterday as I was leaving for the Piscine 🏊 Saint-Merri at noon, this French tour group was studying the back of my heritage building

Our building was designed by renown 17th century king’s architect Louis le Vau, creator of Chateau Vaux le Vicomte, l’Institut de France, Versailles, and a portion of the Louvre.


Poor Louis looks world-weary after creating all those monuments, even with the help of André Le Nôtre and Charles Le Brun. He was badgered by Colbert for embezzlement of state funds.
Yesterday I discovered the Baroque music of musician Rafael Krux, whose work goes well with 17th century anything. Good for painting teacups ☕️ too.

Meanwhile in the front of our building yesterday someone on the 3rd floor was having furniture cantilevered through their window 🪟Everyday living in Paris is always full of surprises 
Post-pool, ravenous as usual, I saw this lunch line at a Libanaise sandwich shop on rue Saint-Merri. There is always a line so it must be good
I got on line for a felafel, even though I had a steak waiting at home.
The loukoum pistache (Turkish delight) was wonderful 👍 The felafel so-so 🤷‍♀️
I discovered an exquisite quiet park to share my sandwich with a sparrow. Square Roger Priou-Valjean at 10, rue de Figiuer 
Priou-Valjean, is of course a French Resistance Fighter (no relation to Jean Valjean in Les Mis). The park was created in the 1600s but renamed in 1961. FYI this is something the French do all the time - rename parks. Who wouldn’t want a Paris park names in their honor?
The park is just across from the ever wonderful library & exhibition space, Bibliotheque Forney build in 1475 at #1. I would have gone in but it’s closed on Mondays. 
FYI they once made St. James marmelade on the premises.
You can still buy jam here. I’m going to pick up a jar 🫙 next visit 
As a recovering jam addict, I once did an all-jam letter
Paris & France in general is obsessed with
confiture wouldn’t you say? I’ve lost count how many jam/confiture posts I’ve done. 
This is wall-to-wall
 La Chambres au Confitures. They have 4 shops in Paris and different flavors for the 4 seasons.
Ah down the jam rabbit hole…after my so-so sandwich an ice cream seemed de rigueur. Berthillon is always closed on Mondays & Tuesdays.
I stopped at l’Il Flottants, once a dollhouse shop & a penny candy store.
Anyhoo, I felt adventurous & tried a new flavor, Agenaise made from prunes with a touch of Armangac. Not exactly the 1st ice cream flavor that comes to mind on a hot day, but it was fabulous 👍
The French are mad for le pruneau d’Agen. It’s a taste you acquire easily living here. They are full of antioxidants (isn’t everything?) and help with wrinkles!)
The prunes go into a special oven for 15 hrs to roast to absolute lusciousness. 
Then are made into confitures, jus de fruits, Prun'choco, filling for crepes & eau de vie. *FYI with the pit included are considered more tasty and cost more. The same is true for French olives 🫒
Of course there has to be a musée du Pruneau in Lot near Agen in the Sud-Ouest, which I wouldn’t mind visiting.
 🥀 I finally made it home to work on my tea cup’s & the June Paris Letter
*I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every month I send out beautifully illustrated letters that capture the true Parisian experience. Sign up to receive whimsical treasures in your mail.
Thanks for reading PB ❤️
☕️ If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a KO-FI here  ☕️  ❤️ Thank you so much!



37 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:20 AM

    It is awesome that after so many years living in Paris you still can discover little parks, lovely restaurants, snapshots of history everywhere. That is why Paris is so magic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:58 AM

      Great observation!
      Paris has so many corners to discover ☺️
      I looked up from my sandwich & it hit me what a treasure this little park was.
      Everyone runs to hit the ‘high points’ i.e. monuments. When it’s places like this secret park that hold the magic

      Delete
  2. Rafael Krux music was just what I need this morning. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:50 AM

      I found him 🎵 on instagram @rafaelkrux 👏

      Delete
  3. Anonymous7:00 AM

    This post was so full of all your wonderful quirkiness.
    Now I want prune ice cream, and no one in the states has it. Anabel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:30 AM

      Prune with Armagnac from Perigord!
      A very essential Sud-Ouest combination 👍
      Fortunately they both come to Paris in the Fall for LES MARCHES FLOTTANTS DU SUD OUEST
      http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/2019/09/les-marches-flottants-du-sud-ouest-quai.html

      Delete
  4. Bonnie L7:44 AM

    Your building is absolutely beautiful, Carol. Love your posts on your daily adventures. Paris offers endless opportunity for new discovery.

    I understand France’s obsession with confiture…it is delectable! Nothing compares. You have more willpower than I, to wean yourself off of French jam. Never abandon Berthillon ice cream. 🙏🏻

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:41 AM

      Maybe the visit to confiture Christine Ferber in Alsace helped liberate me from my addiction. I ate a lot of jam there.
      This year has been almost jam-free!!
      Kind of a loss really 😳

      Delete
  5. Anonymous9:14 AM

    ... and your light humor tops it all off!!!! Love your little visits, Carol. Thanks so very much - and I refer this to others. We need this gift in these days of horrific news.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous9:18 AM

    Thanks for sharing all the Paris details; such fun. Yesterday I learned about Butte Bergeyre--hidden and somewhat mysterious...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:34 AM

      In the 19th…I may have been taken there by Coco.
      It’s nice to find hidden places close by too.
      And near ice cream when you need it 🍦☺️

      Delete
  7. Anonymous10:35 AM

    Fun post, Carol. I love your everyday adventures. With your artist’s eye you find the most fascinating places. Great inspiration. Dorrance

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:37 AM

      Thank you ☺️
      Kind of about nothing…little wanderings & mini encounters
      Though I don’t recall having these in NYC… 🥐

      Delete
  8. What a wonderful day you had, Bonnie. I love the jam as well and your aquarelle islovely. That ice cream -- an interesting combo! I'm glad it was delish!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous12:30 PM

    Hi, Carol, I’m a francophile and history buff and apologize for butting into your story about Vaux-le-Vicomte. Louis le Vau designed the chateau, but it was Nicolas Fouquet who hired him to do it, and it was HE who was accused of misuse of funds and then imprisoned for the rest of his life. Louis XIV was NOT pleased that Fouquet’s chateau was better than his. He took all the furniture, tapestries and even the orange trees. It’s a fascinating story and I believe a movie was made of it. Love your blogs! Merci beaucoup!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:22 PM

      Yes, The Nicolas Fouquet imprisonment story is much more famous.
      Jean-Babtiste Colbert also went after LeVau, accusing him of overcharging for l’Institute de France.
      You can read all about it here:
      https://www.amazon.fr/Louis-Vau-Mazarins-College-Colberts/dp/0691001863

      Delete
  10. Anonymous1:15 PM

    Yours is one of the first social media accounts I started following and I still enjoy your travels around Paris (and France) so much. H.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous1:56 PM

    Of course i too had to see about Prune and Armagnac ice cream here in the States. I actually make Prunes in Armagnac (alas the prunes are Sunsweet), but i did find Pruneaux d'Agen available, though they are denoyautes. But i did get a pop-up ad for Callisons de Provence at an excruciating price. Have you had them? I'm tempted to buy all the ingredients to make them, since i found a few interesting recettes en francais. I paint-sketched a mug yesterday : three versions, each better than the one before, but each with clear areas of deep need. Today a i tried a luna moth but it was the sorriest luna moth in the history of the world. Thank you for your inspiration! -k.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:48 PM

      Bravo for the Lunar moth 👏 I’ve yet to try any
      Pruneau d’Agen are simply Divine. Go for it. I never heard of making your own but why not.
      I’m feeling like I made a big discovery this week ☺️

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:52 PM

      Regarding Calissons - I find them Very sugary…excessively so. You can’t eat to many.

      Delete
  12. sukicart3:32 PM

    I love finding all those secret little parks, shops and rues in Paris.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:49 PM

      The best aren’t they. Your own kind of Everest without the frostbite.

      Delete
  13. Please keep wandering. I so love the journeys❣️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:50 PM

      Thanks Liane ☺️

      Delete
  14. Does the bent paper behind the tea cup help with not casting shadows or to fill in the light or just to eliminate the distraction of what else may be behind the tea cup and saucer? I LOVE♥ your work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:01 PM

      It was the closest piece of paper I had handy
      White is a better ground for shadows then say wood etc.

      Delete
  15. love knowing the history of your building! I have bought many a dollhouse miniature at l’Il Flottants

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:35 PM

      You have a dollhouse LuLu !

      Delete
  16. Anonymous7:23 PM

    The first French word I taught my grandchildren was con-fit-ure back in 2015 when they were 3 and 5. Last summer we finally came to Paris together. And we hope to return again.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Adrien3:44 AM

    J'adore les pruneaux! That icecream sounds fabulous, yet another raison to move to France 😁

    ReplyDelete
  18. Carolyn Fenton9:12 AM

    I love, love, love La Chambre au Confitures! One of their shops is on Rue des Martyrs, near where we stay.
    My absolute favourite there isn’t actually confiture, but their Poire et Chocolat sauce. It’s completely delicious! I made sure to bring a couple of jars back this year 😋

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:16 PM

      Oooo Thanks for the insight Carolyn,
      I get confused with so many flavors and look-alike jars 😵‍💫
      I end up walking out with zero empty-handed 😳

      Delete
    2. Carolyn Fenton1:19 PM

      We first visited with a ‘pass’ from https://en.le-food-trip.com/
      but they seem more than happy to let you taste loads anyway!

      Delete
  19. Anonymous12:17 PM

    SENSATIONAL PRESENTATION!
    HOW STIMULATING TO GET BACK INTO CAROL’S WORLD!!!
    THANK YOU SO MUCH! LOVE YOUR ADVENTUROUS ATTITUDE AND FOLLOW THROUGH AND YOUR KEEN APPRECIATION FOR PARIS HISTORY, TRADITIONS, AND LIFE! 😊❤❤ CARLA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:19 PM

      Aw Thanks Carla
      France is all about history/histoire
      Th French can not get enough of it. It’s contagious 😷

      Delete
  20. In the last epi of The Paris Agency(love that show) they visited an exquisite apartment on L'Ile :)Thought of you.Loving your teacups..Part of jams charms..the packaging:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:43 PM

      I don’t have Netflix…too distracting. Most places on the île are gorgeous
      Goes with the territory - Hôtel Particulier 🍾

      Delete

Love hearing from you