[Idyllchat] Paris question

[GRAYGOOSE at aol.com]

Dear Ethyln and Frank,
 
How lucky you are to be going to Paris! And I am sure you will enjoy the  
area you will be in.
 
We stayed in the Gracieuse in May of 2004 and felt it was in a wonderful  
location. We were about a 45 second walk to the nearest metro station located in  
the Monge square where great markets are held on two mornings of the week. As 
I  recall, thy were Wednesday and Saturday.
 
Before I forget it, don't buy anything you might  need from the big drugstore 
on the Champs Elysees (near Arc de  Triompe. Called Public Drugstore). You 
will be able to get the same thing from  the little drugstore on the corner 
across from the Monge Metro station and it  will be 1/2 to 1/3 what you would be 
pay for in the upscale place. We learned  this the hard way. Also found we 
could get lovely wrapped French soaps here  which we brought home for gifts.
 
Another caveat. If you hear that there will be metro  train strike while you 
are there it usually refers to the RER  trains that run into the suburbs of 
Paris. The city metro system probably is  still running on schedule. Check at 
the metro station for this. We hiked miles  from the apartment thinking every 
moving underground conveyance was striking  before we found out that wasn't the 
case.
 
Rue Mouffatard is a wonderful place to find restaurants, groceries and  
gifts. The daily outdoor vendors that you find on the street to the  left of 
entering onto it from the apartment complex  offer everything from wine to roasted 
chickens. And you can bet the produce is  all fresh.
 
 In this direction we found several good restaurants. One was  "Brasserie 
Moufetard" on the right side of the street on a corner. The other (I  can't find 
the name in my notes) was on the left side. I seem to recall that it  had the 
word "Jardin" in the name but it was easy to find as it had flowers in  the 
window and an indoor garden.
 
Turning right on rue Moufetard walk about two blocks up to rue Pot der Fer,  
a very short street,  where you will find many different ethnic  restaurants. 
We ate at the "La Fontaine" on the corner of rue  Mouf and Pot., "Le Papillote 
Moufetard" on left side on right  side of street near the end and at 
"Restaurant Le Vigneron" a  door or two from the last mentioned place. All were very 
good and in the $50-$75  range for the two of us. Of course, the Euro was only 
$1.207 at that time so I  am sure costs have escalated everywhere since then. 
One of our favorite  finds came on a Saturday evening when we decided, after a 
busy day, to eat early  and retire early. We headed out on the rue Mouf about 
5:30 only to find that  nothing opened until about 7PM. So we kept walking, 
with the map book in hand  that Idyll sent and found on the corner of Ave de 
Gobelins and Blvd. St. Marcel  the "Le Canon des Gobelins", a very nice 
brasserie that served  the best French Onion soup we have ever had in 3 trips to 
Paris! In fact, we  went back a second time just for that. It is on a corner just 
across the street  from a McDonald's. The rest of our evening meals were taken 
in the apartment  thanks to great selections from the vendors on the rue Mouf. 
 
Oh, you might try the grocery store FranPrix just across the street from  the 
back entrance for cheaper wine than you would find at the wine  merchants on 
the street. It is quite drinkable.
 
Another store on the left side of rue Mouf toward the vendors is  "Sous Le 
Soliel". It is a gift shop that specializes in hand  made goods from Provence. I 
bought three sets of matching placemats, napkins,  bread covers and salt and 
pepper shakers for our daughters there. Not too  cheap but something practical 
as a gift that I knew they would use rather  than tuck away in drawer never 
to be seen again.
 
I hope this helps with some of your planning. If you have questions E-Mail  
me. I love dispensing what knowledge I have about places we have visited.
 
Nina Snyder
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