Louvre, Paris

A few years ago I had an amazing day strolling around Paris with my son and daughter. We walked the length of the Champs Elysees and marvelled at the paintings in the Louvre.

Coming out it was beginning to get dark and so we found a spot to wait to see the blue laser beam of light from the  top of the Eiffel Tower and the pyramid lit up. A magical end to the day.

A darker side of Paris on the Ile de la Cite

I’d been to Paris lots of times but had never had the opportunity to linger on the islands. On a budget trip with my son and daughter in October 2008, that changed.

My kids were in Paris for the first time and wanted to see the sites but also wanted to get a flavour of the city. We headed to the Ile de la Cite to catch the Sunday morning bird and flowere markets and stroll along with the Parisians. Then a trip to Notre Dame where – thankfully – my son didn’t carry out the promised Hunchback sketch he’d planned! From there, one of the wonderful bakeries provided us with a snack to munch on the banks of the Seine.

We’d planned to stroll over to the Ile St Louis but instead went to visit the Memorial des Martyrsde la Deportation at the end of the island. This is unknown to many visitors, a semi submerged memorial to the thousands of French who were deported to the concentration camps in the east during the Second World War. Outside, a plaque in several languages gives the horrific figures – the numbers of mainly Jewish deportees but also details of the other French citizens who were deported. Descending into the Memorial is a thought provoking experience, quietening even the group of chatty Americans who came behind us.

The Memorial itself is simple – a long darkened corridor lit by tiny lights represents those who died and two corridors off the central entrance area contain soil taken from each of the concentration camops. Poems and comments by some of France’s greatest writers and phiosophers are carved  into the walls along with the inscription in French “Forgive. But never forget”.

We left the Memorial subdued and thinking about the horrors of the past. My children had not been aware of the numbers of French citizens deported during the war and we talked about this for a while before heading for the Ile st Louis.

The bridge had been blocked for a group of jazz musicians and we stopped to listen for  awhile and to lift our spirits then headed on. Happily browsing the boutiques, tasting wonderful hot chocolate and stolling in the sunshine restored the lighter holiday mood and we wandered and wondered at the intricate carvings above doorways and windows.

Having taken photographs of some of the arcitectural features, I was unprepared for the sign above a school doorway. It was a nursery school, in use today, but with a sad past. The sign asked for all to remember the little children from the school who had been deported and again, the message read “Forgive. But never forget”. The shock was immense, disturbing and upsetting for all of us.

Practical information for visiting the site                                                      

Location: Square de l’Ile de France 75004 Paris, France
Tel: 01.46.33.87.56

Opening hours: Open every day except Monday
From 1 October to 31 March: 10 am to 5 pm
From 1 April to 30 September: 10 am to 7 pm

Bouillon Chartier, Paris, France.

End of lunchtime service, sharing out the tips.

good location for lunch after a visit to Montmartre or a bit of shopping

He came rushing out of the revolving door, all Gallic charm and efficiency.

“Vous etes combien?”

Down the line the various groups told the Maitre D how many they had in their party in the hope that they would be wisked away inside to the warmth of the interior.Suddenly he grabbed my wrist and was guiding me towards the door with comments that my son must be fed immediately! (My then teenage son certainly didn’t disagree!)

The first time you go to Chartier in Paris you are hit by a wave of sensation as you go through the door. First it’s the smell of all things good and French. Then its the sound, the babble of voices in discussion over a meal, a mix of mainly French and a sprinkling of other languages, of all ages from aged grandparents to toddlers. And then its the senstion of being in a snowglobe as waiters rush past you, not touching but there and then gone.

My son’s first response was simply “wow!”

We sat down to eat, with water, bread and menus appearing in a whirl in front of us and our order scribbled on the paper cloth. It wasn’t the best meal I’ve eaten in France by a long way but the atmosphere is hard to beat. And it’s one of those places that is a constant, an institution almost. Somewhere that can be relied upon not to change, to be the same today as it was when last visited (although the menu, of course, will change daily depending on the markets best and the season).

My son is a converted fan and wants to visit again. Try it – if it can satisfy his hunger (without breaking the bank) and provide a “wow” in a world full of bland chains it’s worth a try! I’ve been visiting Chartier for years and have suggested it to friends for just as long. It’s not haute cuisine but it is a taste of fin de siecle France and, as such, it makes a visit to Paris complete in my humble opinion.

France

To me France is epitomized by two things, food and history. Which makes it one of my favourite countries visited so far as food and history are two of my passions.

I will post more about these two places once I have figured how to get them where I want them on this blog.

The first photo shows end of service at one of my favourite restaurants in Paris, Chartier. The second shows the Cite of Carcassonne.