Monday, May 19, 2025

L’รŽle Saint Berthillon - Ice Cream Sundae

 

It’s Sunday afternoon & sunny ๐ŸŒž An ice cream day.
Therefore le vrai Parisian will be making their ritual trip to rue Saint Louis en l’รŽle
To visit Berthillon, their weekly favorite place of worship.
But there was no red velvet rope yesterday to guide the acolytes ๐Ÿซฃ
Fortunately someone (guy in white pants and hair bun?) came out and created order, lining everyone down one side of the street.
Where they waited in envy and gazed upon those who had received salvation. 
 True mindfulness does not require Eyeballing a raisin ๐Ÿ‡ or an art class.
But there are grave decisions to be made, like whether to get on line or avoid the stress altogether.
These parents are unrelenting to the obvious torment of their child. “No, we don’t have time. Stop whining!”
But this child seems oblivious to the pure bliss her parents are experiencing. Go figure.
Another serious eater deep in mindless bliss
Like the serious, pensive face on a portrait  by Ingres.
Those not in the know (tourists) go to other outlets with shiny green signs (not the classic rusty brown) thinking they are at the correct place.
They study the list of 57+ flavors at leisure and pay a little more for their efforts. 
The price rises as you walk up the island towards Notre Dame topping out at 6€ for a single bol at Cafe Flore en l’รŽle (vs. 3,50€ at the true Berthillon). 
Because I was the youngest and smallest,I was picked to fetch the Sunday family ice cream cones๐Ÿฆ
It was assumed the  server would take pity on me, a shrimp ๐Ÿค born into a family of giants, and dish out bigger portions. They usually did. Go figure. My Mom always ‘trimmed’ my cone anyway to be sure I didn’t drip on myself. Did this happen to you?
I did not stop for an ice cream ๐Ÿฆ I crossed Pont Marie & found my bliss out at the Steeple Chase races at hippodrome d’Auteuil.
It was a perfect sunny day
To sketch ✍️ at the races ๐Ÿ‡๐Ÿ‡๐Ÿ‡

27 comments:

  1. Une petite boule just wouldn't do it for me. Especially after such a long wait and so many great flavors to choose from! Miam! Merci, Carol!

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    1. Anonymous10:09 AM

      I have never gotten a double, much less a triple๐Ÿฆ
      Ways I have become a little ‘Parisian’ living here..?
      I want to just savor one flavor at a time…but then I live around the corner from Berthillon ๐Ÿ˜Š

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  2. Anonymous9:31 AM

    Wonderful! J'aime les glaces Berthillon! Merci!

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    1. Anonymous10:12 AM

      Toute la monde adore ❤️ la Berthillon ๐Ÿฆ

      Delete
  3. Anonymous10:02 AM

    Wonderfully described, charming, lovely post!!

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  4. Oh my, that line! We went by there in February when in was quite cold, thinking we’d have a cone anyway, but it was packed with families and looked like a long wait (just a short line, though), so we went to Amorino instead! After that day Berthillon closed for the rest of the month so we never did get a chance to try it!

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    1. Anonymous11:53 AM

      Dommage Beth! Many others serve BERTHILLON on the island. Usually they post the list. Many are just across the street like La Canelle. Berthillon does take all the holidays and CLOSES all of August!!

      Delete
  5. Anonymous11:54 AM

    I would stand in line for ice cream but not much else. Lynne

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  6. Bonnie L1:16 PM

    One of the few perks in traveling to France off season is no lines at Berthillon! Although, you still need to avoid Sundays. Worth waiting for imho. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Looked like a beautiful day at the races!

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    1. Anonymous1:31 PM

      Hmm..like in the dead of winter? ๐Ÿค”

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  7. I loved this spot! Nice memories here!

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  8. Sukicart3:00 PM

    I love ice cream and Berthillon is good but there are so many others in Paris that are far superior.

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    1. Anonymous4:10 PM

      Names, Suki names ๐Ÿ™

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    2. Anonymous1:23 PM

      Une Glace a Paris, La Bac a Glaces, Martine Lambert, Il Gelato del Marchese, Sucre Glace, Gerard Taurin - just a few of many

      Delete
  9. Dee Ann3:04 PM

    Go back and get a salted caramel for me!!!!

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    1. Anonymous4:09 PM

      That used to be my faborite….now mainly vanilla lr pruneau d’Agen!

      Delete
  10. Anonymous5:41 PM

    In spite of visiting Paris many times I never buy icecream as we have the best in the world in NZ - produced from milk from cows grass fed all year around out in the open air !! Nothing better !! Not as costly and no queue !

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    1. Anonymous8:47 PM

      OK, France is known for its lush green pastures, and this is where the cows graze. The cows feed on natural grass, which is free of harmful chemicals and pesticides.
      Berthillon had long become an institution for its quality of ice creams with various flavors, notably those of seasonal fruits, such as wild strawberries
      The list of flavors is too long to list here, but to give you a small taste, Berthillon's best parfums include: caramel-ginger, spรฉculoos, praline amaretto, pistachio, and (drum roll here…) eight varieties of chocolate!
      Maybe you should give it a whirl? ๐Ÿ˜Š

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:52 PM

      Do you eat cheese when you visit France? Or yogurt?
      Uncooked pressed cow's milk cheeses include Salers, Reblochon, St Nectaire and Tome des Bauges. Comtรฉ, Beauforts Abondance and Gruyรจre are all made from a pressed cooked paste. Indulge in delicious blue cheeses such as Fourme d'Ambert, Bleu de Gex or Bleu d'Auvergne for an exquisite taste experience.

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    3. Anonymous9:12 PM

      Does New Zealand eat the most ice cream?
      New Zealand consumes more ice cream than any other country on Earth, eating 28.4 liters, or 60 pints per person annually. According to a Canstar Blue Report, nearly a third of Kiwis eat ice cream several times a week, while about half eat it multiple times during the month.
      What country has the best ice cream?
      This one may be obvious, as Italy arguably has the best ice cream in the world, in the form of gelato

      Delete
  11. Anonymous7:17 AM

    YOU are a totally inspired artist of horses - thank you for sharing your onsite sketches. And the perfect way to celebrate your birthday too! CM

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  12. Carol, love your posts! and yes, as a child my sisters always "helped" me with my ice cream cones...I wanted the ice cream made into a neat point, guess I wasn't up to that technique yet! Keep up the great work. LOVE

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  13. Anonymous4:40 PM

    The pensive ice cream eater is so lovely and your jump to the Ingres painting was perfect. Were people more beautiful before....?
    Ann

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    1. Anonymous12:22 AM

      Ingres made her face symmetrical = perfect, which no one has ๐Ÿ–ผ️

      Delete
  14. Anonymous5:21 PM

    So lovely to read about your mother's clothing construction. She was amazing! Also, very nice to see pictures of her adorable little girl. Linda

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  15. Anonymous8:05 PM

    Thank you so much for sharing! I'm living vicariously through your amazing experiences :-)

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  16. Anonymous5:44 AM

    While staying on the I’le , I had breakfast at Berthillon on a quiet morning: toast bathed in butter and sugar, coffee with a boule of ice cream…. Morning affogato. It was decadent and so rich the sugar rush remains a great memory of Paris.

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