Ardie's Excellent Adventure in Paris

May and June have been busy with visitors here in Paris. Business colleagues as well as my daughter and her friends have stayed with us and I have enjoyed the company. I love to entertain, but our recent visitors weren’t necessarily here to see me.


A few weeks back, my friend, GDAY co-member and fellow mom, sent me a Facebook message asking if she could pop over to Paris during a 2 week mission to London...Bien sur!

After coordinating schedules and travel arrangements, Ardie was on her way. We met up with her at the airport and like any good girl friend, she told me I looked great and noticed that I’ve lost about 20 lbs since leaving the States. And instead of the cheeky kissing, one cheek and then the other, I got a hug...an honest to goodness Groton-Dunstable black bear hug! Plus...she brought me maple syrup. Yum.

We hopped onto the RER and talked mom talk for nearly 45 minute...its a good thing my husband has a crackberry addiction as he had nothing nor the desire to contribute to our conversation.

After checking in with her chums back in London and chatting over foie gras du canard avec canard fume and Cremant du Loire Sparkling Rose’, we dined on my creation of veal smothered in a wine and onion reduction, roasted carrots and potatoes and enjoyed a really good red wine. Next, we headed off into the dusk to enjoy a cool evening stroll. We walked through the Latin Quarter, over to Notre Dame, down onto the Quai and through the back streets of Paris. We admired the architecture in the twilight and we continued to talk about the really important things; graduations, teenaged growing pains, hearth and home.

We continued our promenade late into the cool-ish evening, touring our “neighborhood” around the Pantheon, Sorbonne and Luxembourg. We talked of other sights worth seeing, but Ardie continued to say, “I’m not here to see Paris. I am here to see you.” Insert Smiley Face here!

Returning back to the flat, we settled in for more discussion about our kids and then after and hour or so, we turned in. Morning plan was to get up, take Reilly for a walk and hit the Café Luxembourg for le petit dejeuner. Despite our best intentions of an early rising, we all slept in. It was great...no disaster...no disappointment that we didn’t make use of every available moment to SEE something...it was just fine to BE with someone special.

We dressed and strolled up the street to the gardens, window shopping along the way. We strolled among the Saturday morning crowds; tourists, dog walkers and kids playing soccer, pretending to be their World Cup heroes. We admired the statues and beautiful beds of flowers...things I had been looking at for months looked fresh again as I shared them with my friend.

Ardie often found time to ask me how I was and how this aspect of life or that in Paris was affecting me...I appreciated the chance to say out loud to someone who has known me for a few years now how I was feeling and I never needed to qualify my words...she gets it.

After our morning in the garden, we went to the café. We explained the various preparations of coffee and ordered café crème...my family and I ordered the petit dejeuner Français and Ardie ordered just coffee. I ordered a croissant for her...we had a full afternoon of walking and souvenir shopping planned and if Napoleon taught us anything, it is an army marches on a full stomach! Besides, how can you come to Paris and NOT have a croissant for breakfast. She was pretty happy despite the carbs.

We headed back to the apartment for a bit so Ardie could finish up a few details on a presentation and this gave us a chance to regroup and plan out our afternoon sight-seeing routes. We decided to head over to the Louvre and Tulleries and then stroll down Rue de Rivoli. We passed the sidewalk vendors with their stalls filled with trinkets, posters, and books. There were artists, cranking out watercolor paintings of the local sights. And there were the tourists. I decided then and there we were not tourists...we are resident travelers, indoctrinating a fellow traveler. Ardie truly enjoyed looking at the structure of Paris...noting the passage of time on the buildings and artifices. She was struck by the enormity of the Musee de Louvre and took time to have me read any and all signs/placards/inscriptions, enlightening us to some great fact.



We took a turn through the Tulleries, the sculpted gardens across from the Louvre. I explained what Tullerie-toe is...the beige dust coating on one’s shoes from the sandy pathways created by years of people walking on and crushing pebbles and shells. We walked down to Place de la Concorde and then over to the head of Rue de Rivoli. We peeked into designer shops, elegant hotels and restaurants. We gawked at the kitschy gee-gaws in the souvenirs shops. After a time, we popped into a sidewalk café for a mid-afternoon snack...Quiche Lorraine for Ardie and me, a ham and cheese crepe with a side of frites for Emily and Bill. We watched some World Cup on the big screen TV...a unique phenomenon during Coupe de Mondial...all the cafes have mounted a TV on some wall or propped them up on tables so patrons/fans can keep tabs of their favorite teams...makes Super Bowl Sunday seem so small!

After lunch, we found some sweatshirts for her kids and headed back to the flat to rest and freshen up for the piece de resistance of our day...dinner at Le Timbre...our favorite restaurant in Paris.

We dressed for dinner and headed out the door. Arm in arm, Ardie and I talked about home and what I missed. But most of all we just enjoyed walking through the gardens and looking at this amazing oasis in the center of Paris. It started to rain just as we turned the corner toward the restaurant...thus saving Ardie’s pretty silk blouse from spotting. We entered the humble little store front that houses one of the best culinary experiences of my lifetime.

Le Timbre is a diamond in the rough. Chef Chris Wright does amazing things with quality ingredients...in my estimation, his success lies in the fact that her respects the ingredients...the duck tastes like duck should. What he does with les pruneaux is almost too good to be true. This charming little spot seats 24 people at each of the evening’s two seatings...reservations are a must. We settled into to our places, elbow to elbow with fellow diners...but one doesn’t feel cramped, just comfortably intimate with strangers brought together but the common desire to enjoy creative and delicious cuisine.

We started our dinner with some champagne and toasted our good fortune to be visiting with our dear friend. We perused the daily menu as written on the chalkboard...brought to us and the folks next to us...by our very cute (said affectionately) and hard working waitress. She and Chef Chris are solely responsible for the food service from soup to nuts! We chatted a little with the folks next to us about wine selection and amongst ourselves about the French culinary delights. I ordered a 2007 Crozes Hermitage, a lovely, well balanced red that made each of our selections sing. Entrees included such delectable choices as my terrine du maison...an upscale meatloaf with a confit of onions, Ardie’s white asparagus with a sublime butter sauce and I forget what Bill got! Emily had an extraordinary terrine of pork, prunes, bread and apples prepared with a wine reduction...oh, the prunes!

For the “plats” we stuck with the duck...Bill and I had perfectly cooked duck breast and Ardie and Emily enjoyed the duck confit...extraordinary...there was plenty of yummy noises and eye-rolling over the choice fare.

Dessert was included in the fixed price menu and I had the evening’s winner...prunes steeped in a white wine reduction spiced with star anise and cinnamon stick...so simple but so sumptuous...quite sensual actually...the texture and taste brought a tear (or two) to my eye. It was great. And it was equally great to see a fellow foodie I care about enjoy this outstanding meal. She complimented the chef who came out to the tables to say thanks to the patrons. The walk home was leisurely and we basked in the afterglow of great food, wine and company. Twilight...at 10:40pm!!

Sunday morning/Father’s day came quickly and we noshed on local patisseries with our morning coffee. We had a few hours before Ardie had to head to CDG for the return flight to London. We hopped on the #69 bus and headed over to the Eiffel Tower...snapped some photos and finished our whirlwind morning in the Latin Quarter in search of an elusive size 58 driving cap for Ardie’s husband...but we prevailed.

With minutes to spare, we rounded up Ardie’s things and took her down to the RER station that would bring her to the airport...she graciously let us off the hook for the 45 minute train ride each way to and from CDG...but it wasn’t the ride or time involved...it was the saying good-bye. I knew if I got on that train and took her to the airport, I would cry. But racing down to the B line, just as the next train arrived gave us just enough time to smile, say good bye and bear hug one last time; and then she was on board with the warning signal blaring and the train pulling away...it was kinda like ripping a band-aid off...it hurt for a minute but was over....quick...until the blog anyway...smiles and tears as I recount a wonderful visit...and my excellent adventure too.