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There is Only One Paris
Story and photos by Richard Mason
It might have been a scene in a movie, television drama, or even a commercial. Somehow it appears I'm sitting on my couch watching a character, and behind him or her looms the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
There is only one Paris. Places are described as “like Paris” or “just like Paris”, but anyone who has spent even one day in the City of Light has the true knowledge of the place and becomes a keeper of the secret that can be shared only with another who has experienced the reality.
If you have spent two weeks or have made the trip to this city more than once, when you hear a French accent in my country – the United States – you're ready to announce you have been to Paris and where, dear French visitor, are you from?
My obsession to share the knowledge of Paris or to discuss the absolute being of the city begins to operate in peculiar ways, and you might even find yourself rushing to the Google map on the Internet and pulling up a street view of some shop or hotel where you purchased a phone card. You might even want to follow me on Google as I guide you around the local streets of the area around Place Monge.
My favorite neighborhood is near the Place Monge Metro, and it is not named for a monkey as I first thought. Rather, it was named for a great educator and associate of Napoleon. If you Google, you'll see why I love this neighborhood in the fifth arrondissement (zone), and call it my secret home base. First, check out the Hotel Christophe, 17 Rue Lacepede ( www.saint-christophe-hotel.eu). I've been a guest here and really enjoyed the staff, the rooms, and the petit dejeuner (breakfast).
Just around the corner, you'll find a Best Western ( www.bestwestern.com) that might have a lower rate and still enable you to enjoy the neighborhood. Even though this hotel is a United States chain, it is French-operated, and its possible lower rate may help you enjoy the neighborhood even more.
Near the corner of Rue Lacepede and Rue Monge, across from the Christophe's front door, is the Le P'tit Muscadet, a wine bar and café with some very friendly locals, and if you do as I do, try ordering in French. You'll be welcomed and can enjoy a glass of wine for six or seven Euros. It always brings a smile to the most stoic Frenchman when you attempt your French. But if you really don't want to spend your day in a wine bar, check out the boulangerie on the corner with a broad assortment of breads and pastries.
Three days a week, at last report, you can try the farmers market in the public square by the metro entrance across the Rue. In addition to fresh fish and produce, there are stands selling clothing and other items and again a chance to transact your purchases in French. Don't be bashful. You'll be rewarded with more memories when you “put your toes in the water” so to speak.
As you proceed on Rue Lacepede, crossing Monge and leaving the Christophe on your left and the wine bar on our right, you'll be heading sort of northwest, toward the Place de la Contrascarpe. If you pass the Quebec Restaurant, you are on the right track. On your left, you'll find the supermarket called Ed's. It's a big chain in France, and if you, like me, love to tour supermarkets and buy French specialties, try something in a small tin you can take home in your checked luggage. You can purchase a can of snails or a small bottle of four kinds of pepper -- black, red, green, and white-- with a grinder on the top. Another great budget purchase at Ed's that makes a wonderful and practical present is a colorful Ed's shopping bag. Be sure to check current restrictions on carry-home items to make sure your purchases make it to the plane.
But let's get moving. Just a few steps past the Creche Municipale, a city-operated babysitting service, and on your right, you'll come to the Place de Contrascarpe. There's a small circle in the middle of the Place with a fountain, which you armchair travelers can see on your computer screen. Circle the Place with your mouse to La Chope de la Contrascarpe, which features a red awning labeled Delmas. It's to the right of the large clock on a traffic post, and it is here that Ernest Hemingway, who lived around the corne, spent time hanging out to write. It's on the north side of the Place, and you can easily play writer at one of the small tables, while envisioning yourself nursing a glass of rouge, if the sun is not too hot. Waiters in France don't push you out the door, and you'll never hear, “Are you still working on it?”
On the south side of the Place is La Contrascarpe, another pleasant spot to relax and watch Paris pass you by. Both restaurants and three or four smaller places around the Place, including a Haagan Dazs, are usually filled with local residents and students from the nearby colleges. They are good spots to try dishes like Tartare (chopped raw steak) or a Salad Nicoise. And by all means, if it's warm outside, ask for Pastis, which is served in a tall glass with a shot or two of Pernod and a flask of water to turn the clear liquor into a milky licorice-flavored delight. It will set you apart from the tourists when you order this French favorite. Don't be surprised if you are asked in French if you want another. It's such a well-known local drink.
A walk on Rue Mouffetard, begins around the corner. Head north for a block until Mouffetard crosses Thouin and changes its name to Descartes. Then make an about-face and head back south past the Place and down Mouffetard to find a shop, restaurant, or take-out place you may want to poke into. There is even a bowling alley on this 1,800 feet of cobblestone, and there are establishments for every taste, so don't pass up shoe stores or clothing shops. The shopkeepers are friendly, and in my experience, treat even lowly tourists as potential customers. Paris is where you'll see new fashions a season earlier than you will in the United States.
This narrow street dates back to Roman times and was the road south from the center of Paris seven hundred years ago. Enjoy the bright-colored store fronts, all manner of dining places –something for every taste-- from Argentine, Japanese, Lebanese, Turkish, and kebabs -- to French specialties, including crepes and fondue, from every part of France.
This pedestrian street also has a number of dress shops and a couple of small markets. Toward the bottom of the street, the fishmonger and produce shops offer a vibrant display for visitors and locals. Linger to check out the fresh fish and vegetables. Look for items you won't find at home, and again – talk with the sellers. They enjoy mixing it up with potential customers. The French are not as stiff as you might think. They are now proud members of the European Union and are accustomed to dealing with other Europeans. Most likely your “fluffs” in French will be greeted with a smile and maybe a gentle correction. Gone are the days when the simplest mispronunciation was responded to with a shrug and silence.
Once you reach the market site, you'll come upon the current church of Saint Medard, a location which has been the site of churches for five hundred years. If you have time, make a visit.
Take a left on Rue Censier, and you'll return to Rue Monge. It's time to watch for cars and trucks again. This is a major artery, and you are back in the big city, away from the intimate experience that is Mouffetard. But even though Rue Monge is much wider and hectic, there are still many sights. Again, you will see mini-billboards advertising French products and services. You'll see more stores, including a large florist shop on the left, which is a great place to see the latest floral arrangements. French floral shops display designs you'll find months later in United States florists.
Heading back to the area of the hotel where we began, you'll see about six blocks with only a store or two and a mere six or eight businesses, but if you'd like a great pizza along your walk, try La Comidia. Here, I enjoyed a wonderful pie on my last visit in the area.
Once you are closer to the Christophe, you'll come across a local hangout, Tabac LeMonge, at the corner of Rue Larrey, where they sell cigarettes, lottery tickets, and small things like magazines, packaged snacks, and prepared food. On the restaurant side of LeMonge, food is quite good and not too pricey. Here you can partake of sandwiches and simple dishes like French fries and chops.
Now that you find yourself again in LeMonge, one side of which is encompassed by Pierre Alviset College, a drab four-story stone building, you can find magazines, which make great gifts for friends, and you won't need to rush around Charles de Gaulle Airport buying tourist items at high prices to carry home. While on this subject, the French term for poor-quality tourist purchases is “cadeaux”, pronounced “cad-doe". These items include objects of the kind you'd hesitate to show to fellow airline passengers. Look for the word “cadeaux” on the store front only if you've just remembered a trinket you must have for a friend at home.
Of course there is much more to Paris than this little slice of my favorite neighborhood we have just toured via Google. And when you go in person, enjoy every moment you can of this magnificent city, being certain to bring home your own great memories – memories you'll never forget.
© Story and photos by Richard Mason, 2010
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