Monday in Paris

Monday 14 October:

We slept pretty well eventhough the bed was a large double instead of the US King we were expecting (I did not confirm the measurements-lesson learned!). Husband whipped up some eggs with cheese and toast and Nespresso coffee. He noticed the water didn’t get hot at the kitchen sink and then I found the same thing in the shower. He’s super handy and checked the breakers. The one for the boiler had been turned off. He turned it on. We called the apartment host who said it he would check it out but it would be 2-3 hours before the water was hot. Real life annoyance #2.

We decided to go wander the area in search of some flip flops as husband had forgotten his (we never found any in these pricy stores). This area is just filled with beautiful buildings and it was a great morning to meander. We also enjoyed revisiting some of the places husband received medical treatment the year before (“that’s where I got my blood drawn;” “there’s the doctor’s office;” “they were so nice at that pharmacy when we bought the lovenox”). French health care is great health care!

The apartment host confirmed that the boiler was working. When we returned about 2 hours later, there was hot water. We cleaned up and headed out to Chateau de Malmaison, after refilling our Navigo Decouvertes with the help of a Metro Station attendant (because our American credit cards are signature, not pin). It’s such a great deal for 7 days’ worth of transportation!

The RER to Rueill Mailmaison was easy. Then we took a quick uber ride to the Chateau. We had only two hours to tour it. We saw maybe 5 other people while we were there. Chateau de Malmaison was Josephine Bonaparte’s home. It’s set on very pretty grounds, although most things were wilted/not blooming on this early fall day. They had a special exhibit, Wiley to David, where the artist recreated some of David’s famous paintings to modern times. Very cool. The audio guide was included and quite informative. It was a good place to start our sightseeing. Definitely recommended.

We closed down the Chateau (and laughed at two women who tried to charm the security guard into letting them in, which he did as he let us out). We walked down the street looking for a bar or café for a drink before heading back to Paris. We ended up at Brasserie des Ecus which provided a nice break for a cheese sandwich, beer and wine. The Chateau security guard was there, too. From there we took the bus back to La Defense and RER to Trocadero.

Dinner was at Aux Cocottes on rue Vineuse. It’s a small new restaurant and it wasn’t well patronized. But the server, who speaks fluent Spanish due to her Peruvian heritage, was welcoming, the place was very attractive, and the food was outstanding. We enjoyed our meals, the quick commute back to our apartment, and the views out of its windows.