Paris Journal 2010 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
Photos
and thoughts about Paris
Sign
my guestbook. View
my guestbook. ← Previous Next
→ ← Go
back to the beginning
|
Almost always, Tom and I go out together on our adventures. But occasionally, I go run an errand without him, or he goes exploring a little while I’m writing. He went out the other day and discovered a medieval relic. The historical signs that one sees scattered throughout Paris should be written in the most simple, clearest French. But they are not. So let me translate this one for you. Actually, this one isn’t as bad as many. The convent of the Cordeliers, founded in 1230, grew
thanks to Saint Louis. This Franciscan
community became a famous center of teaching and constructed vast buildings
including a part housing, in 1783, Verniquet and his team of engineers
charged with implementing the Paris plan.
In the Revolution, the convent was eliminated, and the Club of
Cordeliers founded by Camille Desmoulins met there up until its demise in
1794. The church was destroyed in
1795, and the cloister in 1877. The
only remaining part is the medieval refectory, used as a mosaic factory in
1825. In 1826, all the occupants were evacuated for the benefit
of the School of Health. This
remarkable example of an architecture that is now rare, restored by Yves
Boiret, is nevertheless used by the City for expositions. Anxious to show me his discovery, Tom waited patiently while I explored the new tree exhibition in the Orangerie of the Luxembourg Gardens. Then we visited a huge Plane tree behind the Medici Fountain that was mentioned in the exhibit. After that, he took me up through the Carrefour de l’Odéon, down the rue de l’École de Médicin, to the place where the Cordeliers convent once stood, now the home of the Surgical College of the Sorbonne, or the University of Paris. The medieval refectory still looks like a medieval building on the outside, but inside, it is mucked up but is being restored, I think. At least, some kind of work is being done on it. In the same complex is a wonderful garden that I think must be where the cloister once stood. This is very close to the FNAC Digitale store, so after we explored the Surgical College grounds, we went there so I could buy some new earphones that fit my small ears. I found some Koss earphones, just like some I used to have but had worn out. They are wonderful, if a bit expensive. After that, we went home, fortified ourselves, and went out again in the evening, this time to find the Orange boutique on the boulevard Saint Germain so we could determine its open hours. Our cell phone is temporarily dead, and must be recharged. With that mission accomplished, we decided to eat at Le Procope, the other restaurant that purports to be the oldest restaurant in Paris. Tom didn’t remember, but we ate there once quite a few years ago, and we were not impressed. But the place is obviously under new ownership now – a chain called Les Frères Blanc. The resto is all spruced up, but still has reasonable prices. We had to wait for a little while because we didn’t have a reservation, but then we were seated upstairs in the Salon de Frederic Chopin. A nice, very French dining room it was. We both had the special fixed price menu, me at the two-course rate of 22.90, and Tom at the three-course rate of 26 euros. The appetizer was a penne with basil, olives, and pesto salad, and then my main course was a whole trout done meuniere style. I asked for fries instead of the round white potatoes, and was happily accommodated. Tom had an excellent veal sautée, well seasoned and flavored, with shallots, potatoes, and carrots. For dessert, he consumed a crème brulée. The fixed price dinner included a large bottle of Badoit for the two of us. The service took quite a while since the restaurant was packed – mostly with French people. By the time we left, we’d already missed the first set of jazz at Café Laurent, at the Hotel Aubusson nearby. So we went to the Café for the second and third sets. It was fine music, with Christian Brenner on the piano as always, a different bass player and drummer from last time. But I think these were the same bass player and drummer that we heard with Christian the first time we went there. A skinny little balding male vocalist joined them, and he was quite good, but his French accent was stronger when he sang in English than when he spoke English. That was odd. At any rate, we had a very nice time and didn’t arrive at home until after midnight. It then took a while to wind down, so we slept late today and are getting a late start. Sign
my guestbook. View
my guestbook. Note: For addresses & phone numbers of restaurants
in this journal, click here. And here’s the 2009 Paris Journal. |
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Death
is no stranger to those who practice medicine, surgery in particular. Statue at the former Cordeliers convent,
now home to the Sorbonne’s surgical college. |
