DAY 9 - SAT 3/9 - Vanves & Champs

It's late so here's a quick synopsis of our day:

1) Went to Porte de Vanves Flea Market in the southern part of Paris. Overheard two people talking French and English, so asked them a question and had a long chat with them. It was George who is 84, had to leave the States many years ago and has been living in Paris without any identity papers for about 30 years and lives on his paltry Social Security checks. And it was Christine Brooks who we really connected with, from Pennsylvania, who has been living in Paris for 20 years. We ended up having a cafe with Christine and chatted a long time with her, and she invited us to come with her next week to a special flea market that happens once a year in a nearby town which she will take us to. George was somewhat crazy, but Christine was charming.

Here's Porte de Vanves...

      

That's Christine and George...

2) Off to the Champs Élysées, so much more crowded than we ever remember. 

If you look closely at the top of the Arc de Triomphe you will see some tourists taking in the spectacular view of the scene below.

      

We walked all the way up to the top of the Champs, passed Le Drugstore which is now called Publicis Drugstore and has been upgraded with a Ghery-like facade and has Joel Robuchon's 2-star restaurant on the lower level.

     

3) Then we walked down Avenue George V, one of the 'Park Avenue' areas of Paris where even the air outside smells of perfume, passed the George V Hotel and The Crazy Horse Saloon, and sat in a swanky cafe overlooking the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. Marty had a Citron Presse (almost all pure lemon juice, as his expression shows). Then up Avenue Montaigne past the Plaza Athene Hotel, another fabulous street, and finally back to the Champs Élysées. We then got on a crowded Metro back to our apartment to take a power nap before dinner.

Yikes, that Citron Presse is sour!

4) At 8pm we had a reservation at Bar a Huitres (all seafood all the time) on Blvd. Montparnasse. We ordered the Plateau of Crustations for 1 which was more than enough for 2 to share. It was fun and every table was taken, each ordering these expensive and elaborate platters of seafood.

5) We then walked over to the Select, a famous old Bistro where Hemmingway and the like used to hang put, and shared a profiteroles and cafe noisette. We then started talking to a lovely Danish couple who were smoking an electric cigarette, and we wanted to know more about it. We ended up sharing a table with them and chatting for about an hour. They were so charming and kept insisting that we come and visit them in Copenhagen for a few days during our European stay. That was Lulle and Christain Scheel, she had been an au pair in Darien, Ct, 20 years ago and is now a psychologist specializing in autism, and he is in the pharmaceutical business. We may get together with them tomorrow.

Good night!