Well hello. It's been quite some time since I've posted anything and, I'd like to think, for a somewhat acceptable reason. Between now and my last post I've moved to a new neighbourhood, been to Europe and back, and then made a quick trip down to Nashville. And let me tell you, I've fallen in love. Not with the suited up tattooed gentleman of my dreams, no. With another city. La ville de l'amour, la ville des lumières, where else but la belle Paris.
"Attention, Paris c'est une ville très séduisante," our waiter warned us as we sat down to our first meal in Paris. Be careful, Paris is a very seductive city. We laughed and sipped our Sauvignon Blanc and lit up a couple of Lucky Strikes on the terrace of Le Mondrian, a bistro on Le Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6e arrondissement. My friend and I were visiting for two weeks, and on our first day, so far, we were not too impressed. The city was beautiful, the wine was cheap, but after a 7 hour flight, a train workers' strike, two and a half hours being stuck in traffic and an outrageous cab fare from the airport, it was difficult to believe that here was a city that could lure me away from my own. Oh la la, how very wrong I was.
Le Mondrian was a mere ten minute walk away from our rented apartment in Saint-Germain des Près, a heartbreakingly picturesque neighbourhood with Paris prices to match (meaning, heartbreakingly expensive). But Le Mondrian's prices are fair, and like I said, the wine is cheap, though that is true most everywhere. It became my favorite bistro in Paris during my short visit, not because of the food (which is good, but not impressively so,) but because of the waiters. Before coming to Paris, I had heard nothing but horror stories of brusque Paris waiters, their rudeness, their pretentiousness. I was prepared for the worst (and was proved right, on occasion, elsewhere). But our waiter was charming and helpful, not mocking our Montreal accent enough to be offensive, and giving us the names of good places to go out in the area. I walked away from the meal feeling decidedly warmer towards Paris, and more than ready to discover and devour more.
We went back a few times to Le Mondrian during our stay, but those are different stories, for a different day.
Paris is to be continued...
Le Mondrian
148 Boulevard Saint-Germain
Paris 6e
+33 1 46 33 98 35
