Monthly Archives: December 2011

La Poste at Christmas

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The French Postal Service

Looking around the streets of Paris these days, you may notice the sparkling lights and window displays at the Galeries Lafayette that tell you the holiday season is upon us again. However, advertisements and holiday markets in Paris tend to pop up just a couple of weeks before the 25th, whereas in the states Christmas jingles can be heard long before Thanksgiving.

I am generally relieved by this fact, finding myself pleasantly alone in specialty shops at Gare de l’Est doing my Christmas shopping, but was disappointed when I tried to visit the Christmas markets near Saint-Germain and found them not yet open on December 3rd. Obviously the Champs Elysees, Montmartre and the Tour Eiffel are bustling with Christmas commercialization, but holiday spending in my working class neighborhood in the 10th arrondissement seems pleasantly limited to stopping in at Nicolas to buy bottles of champagne to celebrate.

My gifts now bought and wrapped, cards written, I am almost ready to send everything, but the next step makes me cringe. I must go to La Poste.

Seven years ago in Toulouse was the last time I sent Christmas gifts home to the US from France. I waited in line for half an hour with a single box. When I finally got to the front of the line, I asked to buy packing tape to close up the box. The woman looked at me like I was insane:

“C’est à vous de faire ça avant de venir, Mademoiselle! Ce n’est pas à nous de faire ça.”

Apparently the post office in Toulouse did not sell packing tape.

After a metro ride with my box, receiving suspicious stares that told me it looked like a bomb, I bought some tape from a home furnishing store, taped up the box and returned to the post office, waiting in line for another half an hour before finally shipping the box.

Preparing myself for the worst, I made sure I looked nice before heading to the post office. I knew that if anything could help me get decent service in France, it was being well dressed.

Once there, I got in line and waited. This time I had several boxes to ship, so the pressure was on. I heard people all around sighing with impatience and yelling at one another. The air was thick with irritation. I held my breath. Looking around, I noticed that La Poste had special boxes to ship wine, but after doing a bit of research I found out that the USPS will not accept alcoholic beverages. If they are going bankrupt, they may want to rethink that decision.

When it was finally my turn, I got a middle aged postal worker who turned out to be very helpful. He took me aside, weighed each item separately, and went to get me the pre-paid boxes I needed. It was that easy.

After going home and filling the boxes, I noticed that one was too small, but I had already written on it. Back at the post office however, I magically got the same man again. He exchanged the box anyway, no questions asked. I even got a smile.

Now my Christmas shopping is done, gifts sent, and I can sit back and relax. If there is one thing I learned from this experience, it’s that looking your best improves your chances of getting better service in France, especially if the employee happens to be of the opposite sex.

Bonnes fêtes!

© 2011 Pasa’s Paris

Le Valmy, Your Neighborhood Cafe in the 10th

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Le Valmy on Canal Saint Martin

When the Parisian grey skies and winter rain begin seeping into your skin, look no further than Le Valmy on Canal Saint Martin for a little haven from the storm.

A friendly server greets you as you come in the door, and you’ll find a place at one of the numerous worn wooden tables. The walls are lined with bookshelves and covered with artwork, the bartender is laughing with some locals at the bar, and every table is full of friends chatting over a drink.

You feel instantly among friends, and you could join in with the group at the bar if you wanted to, seriously. It’s that friendly. We sat at the bar once to try the Beaujolais Nouveau and ended up having a long conversation with the bartender about Montana, cowboys and Jack Daniels.

The drink menu is extensive yet inexpensive, with all of your basic aperitifs, beers, wines and digestives, plus an impressive list of infused rums (cinnamon, apple, coffee) and cocktails, including the best gin and tonic we’ve found in Paris. While all of Le Valmy’s prices are reasonable, the cocktails, while typically quite pricey in Paris, are an especially good deal at only 5 to 6 euros each, and well made at that.

Le Valmy Drinks Menu

The fare here is simple, high quality, and comes at a fair price. The owner apparently makes a trip to Rungis, the world’s largest and best wholesale food market located just outside of Paris, every day. Like that of a typical brasserie, the menu includes mostly red meats, such as rumsteck, accompanied by thick seasoned fries and salad. You’ll definitely want to order a bottle of Minervois to go with that.

Feel free to soak up the relaxed ambiance and spend the entire evening here like most people do. After dinner, order a coffee or even better, a Baileys, to savor an evening spent among friends.

Le Valmy

145 Quai de Valmy

75010 Paris

http://levalmy.free.fr/

© 2011 Pasa’s Paris

An Alternative Christmas Weekend in Paris

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It’s December, and the urge to “get in the holiday spirit” is contagious. Plus, you’ve got gifts to find. Of course, there are several Christmas markets peppered around Paris, the largest being at La Defense, on the Champs-Elysees and surrounding the Eiffel Tower. Now, if you are into fighting the masses for a bit of sidewalk space and playing tug of war with the last hand-made lavender sachet shaped like a Christmas tree, by all means, these markets what you are looking for. However, if you’d like to take your time and really enjoy experiencing Paris during the holidays, I have a different suggestion. Here, an afternoon of Parisian pleasures in the form of a holiday walk:

Saint-Germain Christmas Market, credit to Lady in London

Start at Boulevard Saint-Germain near the metro stop of this name. Here there is a smaller Christmas market running along the Eglise Saint-Germain-Des-Prés. Decorated stands offer handmade ornaments, jewelry, clothing and of course vin chaud (mulled wine) to warm you up while you listen to the live band playing enthusiastically next to the heavenly smelling crêpe stand.

Walk south on Rue Bonaparte and pass trendy clothing boutiques as well as a Kiehl’s shop where many Parisians are doing their Christmas shopping.

Saint-Sulpice Christmas Market, credit to Annie Mole

Admire Place Saint-Sulpice with its beautiful fountain and church which has been recently renovated. There are Christmas trees and lights around the square, with an enchanting Christmas market sells regional foods as well as artisanal gifts.

 

Continue east on rue Saint-Sulpice until you reach number 21, J.C. Martinez, an antique bookstore specializing in the 16th and 17th century and member of the national association of modern and antique bookstores (SLAM). Here you will find a treasure trove of antique maps of Paris and other cities as well as prints of the countryside, flowers, hunting scenes and various other landscapes. As a special Christmas gift, you can offer someone a 17th century print of their French hometown.

Head north past boulevard Saint-Germain, taking rue Danton up to Place Saint Michel. Walk west along the Quai des Grands Augustins, browsing through the old books of the bouquinistes who have had their stalls along the Seine since the 16th century.

Bistrot des Augustins, credit to Sorties Drouaises

Stop in to the Bistrot des Augustins at 39 Quai des Grands Augustins for a vin chaud where you will be warmly welcomed by a décor of old fashioned posters and Christmas lights. This single room bistro has a small town feeling with casual service and regulars stopping by for a grog (rum toddy), but the lovely view of the Seine through the window will remind you that you are still in Paris.

The Mariage-Freres, credit to Marie Claire Maison

Continue west on the quai and turn left on Rue des Grands Augustins. On this charming, exceedingly Parisian street at number 13 you will find a Mariage-Freres boutique and tea house. Founded in 1854, this special tea makes for wonderful gifts.

 

La Maison Larnicol, credit to Cuilleree Pour Papa

Take rue de l’Eperon south to the Odeon metro. Before hopping on, stop in at la Maison Larnicol 132 Boulevard Saint Germain. Here you will find chocolate sculptures, candies and macarons from the famous Breton chocolatier and pastry chef Georges Larnicol. If you are purchasing a gift, there are pre-packaged boxes of macarons for sale, but if you’d like to pick up some macarons for yourself, you can have an employee hand pick them and put them in a bag for half the price. Our favorite flavors are noix de coco(coconut), caramel, chocolate and framboise (raspberry).

If you still haven’t gotten all of your holiday shopping done by now, you’ve at least had some mulled wine, bought a bag of scrumptious macarons, and experienced a dazzling walk around the Latin Quarter in Paris during the holiday season. Pas mal.

© 2011 Pasa’s Paris

 

De l’eau, s’il vous plait!

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Water: decidedly not the drink of the Gauls

“Water is for taking a shower!” my host brother proudly proclaimed, taking a sip of his wine. I had just made the mistake of asking for some during a meal. We were sitting around the dinner table which was set with several different glasses: one for champagne to toast, one for white wine with the appetizer, and another for red wine to accompany the main course. Three glasses for each person, but not one was meant for water. There was no room for that banal liquid at this royal banquet. I drained my champagne glass and tried discreetly to fill it with water while everyone else was focusing on the fois gras.

At a touristy café near the Abbesses metro in Montmartre, my husband and I sat down at a café to have a drink. I ordered a Perrier, he a café. Thirsty after his coffee, he asked for a glass of water. We waited. The waiter did not bring it. I asked for a glass of water. The waiter never came back. I asked a different server, who eventually set down a tiny glass filled a quarter of the way full with dirty liquid. The message seemed to be that either we could buy another bottle of water for four euros, the same price as a beer or a glass of wine, or we could have nothing. Never mind the fact that we had both already purchased drinks.

I admit that in the U.S. I took water for granted. In restaurants in the states, I was used to the waiters coming around to fill your water glass several times during the meal, to the point where you wanted them to go away. If only I had known what a luxury that was. Now I dream about those bountiful pitchers of ice water. When we go out to eat in Paris, I am secretly relieved each time a carafe of water is set down on the table.

When I go to my student’s apartment to tutor her in English, she always asks if I want a coffee. Even when I don’t, she does, and she acts surprised when I ask for water after we have been chatting for an hour and a half.

I understand now that to really integrate into French society, I’ve got to trade my water for wine. They are the same price here, after all, and no one wants to have to use a dirty restaurant bathroom anyway. But after all that beer and wine and coffee and talking and smoking and eating, don’t French people get dehydrated?

© 2011 Pasa’s Paris

 

Candelaria: a Taco Bar in Paris

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Candelaria on rue de Saintonge

I love French cuisine. But after living in a foreign country for a few months, one begins to miss certain foods from home. In my case, it was Mexican.

A friend invited my husband and me to meet her and her boyfriend for lunch at a taco bar called Candelaria. Located on a quaint street in the Marais mixed in with designer boutiques, it was a small space with stark white walls. With just enough room for a bar and one large table, both filled with diners, there was inevitably a line.

We decided it would be worth it to wait for the single table, and this turned out to be true. From the simple slate board menu we picked molé and queso fresco tacos with guacamole and chips, which really hit the spot. On the table were several levels of spicy sauces to choose from, a real treat in a country whose chefs generally shy away from anything piquant. Everything tasted fresh and authentic. To drink, ice cold Coronas for the men and Jarritos mango flavored Mexican sodas for the ladies just like we would drink in California.  Dessert was a divine chocolate brownie made with the unique combination of black beans and jalapeño peppers: rich, spicy and addictive.

After wedging past the people lined up at the bar and opening the door that led to the bathroom, I discovered an entire other room dedicated to Candelaria’s nocturnal identity as a hip cocktail bar. A taco bar with a secret cocktail lounge in back? This place was really starting to remind me of New York.

The waiter had taken our orders in French, although after he heard us speaking in English during the meal he told us that he was from Connecticut. As we were leaving, he offered us a farewell toast of tequila shots. We are definitely going back for the cocktail bar. And maybe another spicy brownie.

 

Candelaria

52 rue de Saintonge

75003 Paris

http://www.candelariaparis.com/

© 2011 Pasa’s Paris