Paris Journal 2015 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
Find me on Facebook ←
Previous Next
→ << Back to the beginning
|
I am surprised to learn that the fountain at Place Gaillon was created in 1707. It doesn’t look that old; perhaps that’s because it was reconstructed and modified in 1828. And it has been subsequently restored in 1898, 1900, and 1971. Many hands have participated in its design. Jean Beausire, the architect for Louis XIV, was the original designer, followed by Louis Visconti, architect for Charles X, during the first reconstruction of the ensemble. The central, marble sculpture is attributed to Georges Jacquot (sculptor and engraver, 1794-1874). The latest restoration was overseen by Emmanuel Oberdoerffer, the city’s architect in the early 70s. The statue is troubling for a Sanibelian like me, because it features a young triton (the mythological type, not the sea shell), armed with a trident, attempting to kill a dolphin. The original fountain did not have this disturbing scene, as you can see in this drawing by Auguste Charles Pugin (1769-1832) – engraving by Charles Heath (1785-1848).
The trident has gone missing from the sculpture, but there’s a photo circulating on the internet that shows what it looked like.
The building that hosts the fountain is a stately home built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1646-1708) in 1672 for Nicolas de Fremont (1622-1696), the guardian of the royal treasury. Now it is the site of a restaurant, La Fontaine Gaillon, which is well reviewed on TripAdvisor and Yelp. The restaurant is a bit pricey and out of the way for us, so I doubt that we’ll dine there anytime soon. What a fabulous location this is, however. It would be a heavenly place for dinner after an arduous day of shopping in the Place Vendome (also something we aren’t likely to do). Our dinner last night was not shabby at all, however. We went to Axuria, down on the avenue Felix Faure. We were given a mis en bouche of fish rillettes and thin, crispy toasts. Our starter course was a fresh and delicious crabmeat-and-avocado concoction. As usual, the vegetables that accompanied the main courses were perfect. My duck breast was very good, and Tom’s steak was fine. We shared a soufflé au Grand Marnier for dessert.
Our server was sweet. She recognizes us now, and greets us warmly. We speak French with her, but we heard her use her English with the Asian couple at the table behind us. It was utterly charming. Tom told her, as we were paying our bill, that her English is very good. When it was time to translate veau, she didn’t know the words “veal” or “calf;” she said, “it is like a cow, but not a cow, but something that is young and becoming a cow.” Result? The young Asian man ordered the veal. “Cow,” by the way, is a very difficult word for the French to pronounce correctly. She said it well enough. Good job! |
Monday, August 17, 2015
Notre Dame de Lorette.
Avocado and crab starter course at Axuria.
Duck breast (above), and steak (below).
|
