Day 11: Another Christmas Day in Paris

Last year, despite the snowy days leading up to Dec. 25, Christmas Day shone through, bright and sunny.

This year, the weather cooperated yet again with a partly cloudy but dry Christmas Day.

Since most of the shops and restaurants are closed and people are celebrating the holiday with family and friends -- Paris was relatively empty and it was an ideal day to walk and be outdoors.

First stop, at the massive and historic St. Sulpice church for Christmas mass.

The church is one of my favorites - gorgeous interiors, soaring ceilings but not too elaborate stained glass windows. It also has two large murals painted by noted painter Eugene Delacroix, in the St. Agnes Chapel.

St. Sulpice is an active parish and there were many parishioners already seated, waiting for the service to begin.

Another reason I love going to Sunday mass at St. Sulpice -- the church is famous for its pipe organ, one of the best in France.

There is a free organ recital after the 10:30 am mass, every Sunday.

This marvelous instrument dates back to the 1860s and the weekly Sunday performances by the head organist himself, Daniel Roth, are not to be missed.

The music is uplifting, vibrant and transports you up and up -- as it crescendoes throughout the building.

St. Sulpice is walking distance to the Luxembourg gardens, another favorite place to go for a nice and quiet walk.

It may be winter and the trees may have lost all their foliage but it is still a beautifully planned and well laid out park.

Lunchtime finds us at Luxembourg and what better place to have a picnic lunch!

We buy le french hamburger (fish for me!) at a Quick branch across the park.

Quick is a Belgian hamburger chain -- Europe's answer to McDonalds.

We sit across the Medici Fountain -- on these ubiquitous park benches.

Sitting on a park bench in any park or small square in Paris is one of my

favorite things to do!

Pigeons join us to catch some stray french fries and bread crumbs.

We are also joined by this large tabby cat who thinks we have set up

these pigeons so he can have a nice lunch.

He doesn't succeed though and goes away hungry, perhaps to his

old, boring bowl of cat food back home.

Not to worry, this isn't a stray cat as evinced by the blue collar and i.d tag that he wears.

He probably considers Luxembourg Gardens as his happy hunting grounds.

Late in the afternoon, we hie off to another free organ recital, this time at the huge St. Eustache church in the Les Halles area.

The organ at St. Eustache is even bigger than the ones in St. Sulpice and Notre Dame and is the biggest pipe organ in France.

We haven't heard it played yet and a Christmas Day concert is a wonderful chance to do so.

Here is the organ at St. Eustache -- set at the back of the Cathedral.

The church quickly fills up and soon it is standing room only.

We're glad we came early so we get very good seats.

Unlike the organ in St. Sulpice where the organist plays above you, the organ at St. Eustache has been modified to be played at the nave of the church.

This is the master of the organ at St. Eustache, M. Jean Guillol. He also supervised the reconstruction of this organ and has been the master organist since the 1960s.

He plays four pieces for this free 30 minute recital -- taking the organ through its paces, changing the voice and tone with the variety of sounds the organ can play.

The pieces range from a sweeping and traditional fugue by Bach to more light and unfamiliar (at least to me) pieces where the organ sometimes sounds as if it were a hundred tiny bells, all tinkling!

What a great Christmas Day musical gift -- to have heard (again) the uplifting sound of the St. Sulpice organ and to be introduced to this stupendous instrument, the organ at St. Eustache!

After the concert, we walk to the banks of the Seine to catch the bus home -- since it's Christmas Day, there are less buses running and we wait a while for bus 27.

Back at the apartment and time to have a Christmas day dinner! Roast pork with potatoes for Jay and a smoked salmon for me! Brown rice gives dinner that needed touch of home!

It's been a memorable and terrific Christmas day in Paris!

Day 10: An Afternoon at the Opera Garnier

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Henry Miller.

After enjoying the ballet "Oneguine" at the Opera Garnier or the Opera de Paris, I felt as if I had seen ballet for the very first time.

A few months back, I made sure to book tickets to the Opera de Paris, an iconic part of the Paris landscape. I had passed by it many times, always wishing that I could go in and watch a performance and this year, it was one of the many things I crossed off my wish list for Paris.

The Opera de Paris was built in the 1860s for the Paris Opera. It is a beautiful example of the beaux arts style and is credited to the architect Charles Garnier.

Today, it is primarily the home of the Ballet group of the Paris Opera, the newer and bigger Opera Bastille is where most of the musical performances are done.

Inside the 1900 seater opera house I gaze up and marvel at the brilliant chandelier and also the colorful and gorgeous ceiling painted and donated by Marc Chagall.

Seeing the huge chandelier on top of us, I have visions of it crashing down --imagining a scene from the Phantom of the Opera -- which was set in the Opera de Paris.

We are seated on plush, comfortable red velvet chairs, not at all threadbare or worn.

Each chair is positioned so that nothing impedes your vision, not even if the person sitting in front of you is unusually tall.

We have very good seats in the balcony, just three rows behind the orchestra section.

This gives us a great view of the stage.

Behind us are the stalls all the way up to the topmost and highest section. Since we are early, the seats are still empty although 15 minutes before the show begins, the place quickly fills up.

No photography allowed during the show. So just before the show begins, I take a quick snapshot of the orchestra section, which is completely full by this time.

Take note of the trompe d' oeil curtain of the Opera de Paris -- a flat curtain painted with realistic folds. Gold painted statues and trimmings adorn the walls -- it's over the top, opulent and super fabulous. I feel transported back to another era!

What an experience it is to be able to sit here and just bask in my surroundings.

And now, the orchestra starts to play...

The curtain rises -- time to watch the ballet!

Day 9: A Parisian Hair Cut by Willy Leyba, Filipino star in Paris

I had heard that you could get a really good haircut in Paris -- one of the reasons why Parisienes always look so good is that they have such well coiffed hair.

So one of the many things on my wish list was to get my hair cut in Paris.

Since I don't speak any French at all, how could I communicate with a french hairdresser?

I might end up with a horribly avant garde but inappropriate hairstyle!

Then I remembered watching a tv show a few years back about a Filipino who had a salon in one of Paris' toniest arrondissements and who, by dint of hard work and talent, was a hit with the locals.

It would be the best of both worlds -- I could have a Parisian haircut by a fellow Filipino in Paris.

Unfortunately, I couldn't remember his name!

But when I got to Paris, I knew I could ask someone who would absolutely know --

Peter Lauz who owns a Filipino store in Paris and runs a transport service knows everything and everyone -- "tsismoso ako", he loves to say and true enough, when I saw him again and asked him, he said "Willy Leyba is who you are looking for!"

Thank you Peter, my dream of getting a haircut in Paris would finally be fulfilled!

I called Willy's salon for an appointment and he answered the phone himself.

After I explained what I needed, he was able to set me up for an appointment at 2:30 pm.

His salon is in the 16th arrondissement, a very high end area of Paris.

The 16th is close by to Trocadero and is where the Auteuil and Passy areas are, home to diplomatic embassies and expensive residential buildings.

Willy gave me explicit and very easy to follow instructions to get to his salon -- just get off at the Michel Ange Auteuil metro stop and follow the road to Rue Boileau.

True enough, as I turned the corner from Rue Auteuil to Boileau, there it was!

Aside from the attractive and easily recognizable lavender facade, the shop is immaculately clean, well laid out and very stylish.

There are just two stylists -- Willy and another Filipina.

Between them, they do everything -- from acting as receptionist, to shampooing, styling, cutting, coloring -- even sweeping the floors!

When I mentioned this to Willy later, he said that since help was so expensive, you really had to do everything yourself, if you wanted to turn a profit.

I had a little while to wait as Willy was busy with another customer when I arrived.

Time enough to have a "Before" photo snapped!

When my turn finally came, we had a short discussion on what should be done to my hair.

Willy works very fast, to maximize time and turn over.

While I was there, he had a never ending stream of customers with appointments come in.

The salon is open till 8 pm everyday except Sunday and Monday -- when Willy does what he can to relax and catch up with errands.

And here is my "After" photo -- Willy very kindly agreed to pose with me.

He's a wonderful hairdresser -- he gave my hair new body and volume with a shorter layered cut. I really enjoyed my time in his salon!

Willy is a fantastic guy with a heartwarming success story -- he makes you proud to be a Filipino.

Now -- when can I come back for a trim?

Thank you Willy - a bientot!

Day 8: Finds for the Day -- La Rhumerie, Village Voice Bookstore and a new Boulanger at the corner of the street!

What can be more satisfying than breaking away from the familiar and the habitual and making surprisingly pleasant discoveries?

Today, we decided to explore the St Germain de Pres area -- a bit out of our usual haunts. We started at the St Sulpice church -- beautiful and historic and enthralling, even if you haven't read Dan Brown -- and went through the small alleyways, rooting out new sights and new experiences.

By lunchtime we were still in the area and were overwhelmed with the number of small bistros, creperies, traiteurs, brasseries offering all sorts of cuisines.

We passed by the iconic Brasserie Lipp and Les Deux Magots - made famous by Hemingway, James Joyce and all those famous writers and philosophers of that era.

Hmm, interesting maybe but not today.

Behind the St Germain church, we came upon this small but cheerful looking bistro with a very attractive name -- La Rhumerie!

The good thing about wandering into unknown restaurants in Paris is that you'll always know what to expect, by way of menu and prices. By law, restaurants have to post their prices outside the door so you know just what you are getting into.

Almost all small bistros, brasseries and cafes offer formules or prix fixe menus -- one attractive price gets you the meal of the day with a salad thrown in and sometimes, even dessert.

The usual formules range from as low as 9 euros to a high of 17 or 18 euros. Quite reasonable for lunch or dinner.

La Rhumerie is no longer as full, the lunch crowd has thinned out and we snag a nice table right by the window -- where we can people watch and they can watch us as we eat our lunch!

La Rhumerie is modestly sized but cozy and comfortable. As in any bistro of this type, the small tables and chairs are squeezed so close to each other.

The food is caribbean -- from the Antilles. Hence the name "La Rhumerie" -- there are bottles and bottles of rum lining the bar.

Jay ordered a brochette de poulet or chicken kebab and it was accompanied by a large fresh green salad, with avocados and a very tasty avocado dip!

I order the salmon and crab quiche which came with the same heaping mound of green salad. The quiche was very tasty and light -- such a healthy lunch!

It was healthy until I ordered the beer! A chilled glass and a cold bottle of 1664 rounds out my lunch very nicely. No rum for me -- even if the place is called La Rhumerie!

After lunch, we wander around through the side streets of St Germain de Pres and we come upon the Village Voice, an english bookshop, quite a rarity in Paris.

Naturally, I have to go in -- and once I'm inside, well, I have to buy a book.

One of my favorite quotes goes "When I have any money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes".

After spending a day at St Germain de Pres, it's time to go back to the apartment on Rue Berthollet.

We need bread for breakfast tomorrow and this time instead of heading off to our little boulangerie along Rue Mouffetard, I decide to continue this day of exploration and go the opposite direction towards Rue Claude Bernard.

And there, right at the corner of Berthollet and Claude Bernard, just a few paces away from the apartment, I see this cheerfully lit boulanger/patissierre/chocolatier!

Why hadn't I noticed this before?

At the entrance are cakes, tartes and sandwiches -- there are fresh vegetable and fruit salads in small plastic tubs for take away. On the window you can see humongous meringues and pains de chocolat. They even have a chiller for wine, juices and other beverages.

These snack breads are just 1 euro each!

I take my place in the queue and spend my time deciding what to buy -- so many irresistible

pastries and sweets -- I must remember I came in here just to buy a baguette for breakfast tomorrow!

And buy a baguette I did -- but I couldn't stop myself from indulging in a pain de chocolat and two large macarons -- one mocha and one framboise.

They're delicious -- and a sweet ending to a day of new discoveries and wonderful finds!

Day 7 : Crepes Salees for Dinner

How to eat on the cheap in Paris... I would recommend crepes!

We usually think of crepes Suzette -- named after either a French actress or one of Edward V11's young lady friends -- which are sweet crepes or crepes sucrees as the french would call them.

You can't live on sugar alone so how about crepes salees or savory crepes for a really affordable and delicious lunch or dinner in Paris.

Creperies dot Rue Mouffetard, this popular food and market street very near the apartment we stay in. As we make our way down Rue Mouffe, Chez Nicos catches our eye and the smell of crepes cooking wafts across the way.

We order our crepes salees and decide to eat them right there.

Chez Nicos is a small, one man operation -- the open cooking area where the crepes are made is in full view of the 6 seater counter top where we wait for our order.

After 5 minutes -- during which the cook/server/waiter/cashier has also made some crepes sucrees for other buyers, our crepes are ready.

And they're GIGANTIC!

I ordered a vegetable crepe and it comes loaded with fresh roasted eggplants, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and lots and lots of crumbled feta cheese.

Jay ordered a cheese and champignon crepe and the hot cheese has melted into a golden pool.

The crepes used for crepes salees are actually gallettes or thicker crepes made of sturdier and denser buckwheat -- to hold in all those hot and yummy cooked ingredients.

You can see just how big one crepe salee is -- the bottle of Coke light is dwarfed by comparison. My roasted vegetable crepe salee is delicious and much too big to finish in one sitting.

I take half of it home where it will make a nice breakfast for the next morning.

Two tasty meals out of one crepe salee -- not bad at all for 5 euros!

If you put your mind to it, you can eat well -- and cheaply in Paris.

Day 6 : Basilique St Denis - France's Royal Resting Grounds

North of Paris and outside of the city center is the town of Saint Denis where the Basilique St Denis stands.

St. Denis was a bishop of Paris in the third century and legend has it that he was martyred and beheaded (for all the reasons they beheaded martyrs in those days).

But the real marvelous and miraculous part of the legend is that St. Denis may have lost his head BUT he caught it in his hands and headless -- walked with his head all the way to this place -- ten kilometers away, preaching as he went.

That's a bishop for you, never one to miss a chance to do a sermon!

Today St. Denis is always depicted as a headless statue but carrying his head in his hands.

This truly astounding feat has been commemorated by building a basilica on top of the spot where he finally died.

Since the 7th century, this has been the burial place for all of France's kings, queens, princes, princesses -- the royal necropolis.

It is an early and a fine example Gothic architecture. Standing tall and proud in the town square, it sits right beside the municipal hall.

This being the holiday season, a Christmas tree and a small carousel or merry-go-round also decorate the square.

Once inside the church, you get a teaser of what lies in the royal burial grounds -- off to one side of the main nave is a chapel where you see the robes that Marie Antoinette wore before she was beheaded at the guillotine. Made of heavy brocade and be-furred and beaded, it's a wonder she was able to walk at all.

This is a view of the church interior as you enter the massive doors. The necropolis is behind the altar and is accessed via a separate entrance, off to the side of the church.

The funerary statues made of marble are so beautiful -- this one is of Charlemagne.

There are only a handful of the kings of France who are not buried here -- all told there are more than 80 cadaver tombs with these carved marble effigies.

Some of the funerary statues show animals resting at the foot of the effigies. A dog is supposed to symbolize one's guide even in the after life and the lion symbolizes the resurrected Christ -- since baby lions open their eyes only on the third day of life.

In a private chapel are the kneeling statues of King Louis XVI and his more famous better half, Marie Antoinette -- eyes cast modestly downward but wearing a revealing, low cut gown.

The marble tombs are wonderful works of art -- some are simple effigies and there are some that are very ornate.

This huge tomb is of Louis XII and his wife, Anne de Bretagne. The couple are depicted both inside, lying down and on top of the tomb, knelt in prayer. In addition, they are surrounded by the 12 apostles and the 4 virtues -- of course to help ensure their heavenly rewards.

After more than an hour in the Basilica, we are surprised to see that it is way past lunchtime.Back outside in the square, we see a typical french brasserie called Le Khedive just outside the church. It looks like a good place to stop and eat before taking the long subway ride back to Paris.

We snag a seat that allows us a view of the Basilica -- outside the window is the smoking section where people brave the chill, happily puffing away.

It may be early afternoon but I'm so ready for a cold glass of 1664 beer -- tomb viewing is thirsty work!

Day 5 : Of Point Zero, a Marche de Noel, hot mulled wine and a Cafe named Panis

It isn't the Eiffel Tower that is my iconic Parisian landmark -- it's the Gothic cathedral

Notre Dame that is my most favorite sight in this beautiful city.

I love to take walks along the area, looking at it from all angles -- from the front where I can see the two towers, to the sides where the gargoyles and chimeras leer down at me, to the back where I can see its flying buttresses.

The detailed carvings on the walls and doors are so intricate and complete -- it's like reading the story of Catholicism just by looking at the Cathedral's exteriors.

This morning, we decided to spend the day -- bitingly cold but sunny - once again walking around the area of Notre Dame.

There were lines of people waiting to get into the Cathedral. Last year, we heard Christmas Day mass here, celebrated by no less than the Archbishop of Paris himself. It was quite an experience.

Many people walk past this marker on the ground in front of Notre Dame's main doors without realizing that this is Point Zero -- all distances in France are measured from this point.

After more than an hour of walking around and enjoying the cold day, we decide it's time for lunch. Right across Notre Dame, at the corner of Quai Montebello is a typical French bistro called Cafe Panis -- it's been there for ages and is probably the most convenient place to sit, have a bite and continue to gaze at the view of the Cathedral.

Cafe Panis, with its enviable location, is really a good choice for a meal -- the food is dependable, servings are generous, prices are reasonable and very surprisingly -- the waiters are all cheerfully friendly.

The interiors are very warm and cozy. Tables are set up very close to each other since space is a premium and it's always full -- both of tourists and locals. If you sit at the bar, you can still order a sandwich -- but the nice thing is that you'll only have to pay 1 euro for your coffee. How cheap is that!

The minute you sit down, the waiter brings a menu AND a small dish of home made potato chips -- gratis! They're thinly sliced, salty and very tasty -- best of all, they're free!

To ward off the chill, we split an order of the classic soupe a la oignon gratinee. It comes piping hot with stringy melted cheese on top of slices of baguette.

Since I am continuing not to eat meat on this trip, I order a croque provencal which is really mozzarella cheese melted on top of tomato slices. It comes with a mountain of frittes and a cold green salad.

After lunch, we see that the little park across, the Square Viviane has a small marche de noel going on. A marche de noel is a Christmas market, set up for the holidays -- they pop up in public squares, street corners, church plazas. They sell food, arts and crafts -- all sorts of things!

Ranging from small ones like this one near the Notre Dame to large scale ones like the marche de Noel lining Champs Elysee where you have more than 150 vendors at one time!

One stall run by two smiling ladies is selling vin chaud or hot mulled wine. I have been seeing this in many other marches across Paris so it's time to give it a try!

Vin chaud is ordinary (some say, cheap) red wine with added sugar, spices and fruit flavors.

It's always served hot or at the very least, warm.

A small plastic cup is 3 euros and after I pay for my vin chaud, it is ladled it out from a soup pot.

I take a sip and it's very good!

Halfway through the cup, a warm glow sets in. It lasts with me throughout the rest of the chilly afternoon, walking by the banks of the Seine!