As a long time patron of the Marriott and Bonvoy brand we were offered a late check out when we checked in to the Moxy. We were able to access our room until 2:00 on Thursday when we could check our bags until we decided to travel to the Airport to spend the night. With a 10:30 AM departure time, I had pre booked a room at the Airport Novotel, a short walk to the Orly Airport Terminal, for our last night in Paris.
We slept late then returned to the Land and Monkey for a repeat of the previous days breakfast. It was a chilly morning and I regretted not bringing my jacket as we sat in the shade. I had fallen way behind in posting my journal so I spent some time that morning back at the hotel trying to catch up. The issue with my iPhone camera added to my frustration but I did the best I could borrowing pictures on Janet’s phone and capturing images from videos that did not have the problem the photos did. The obvious choice for today’s lunch was to return to nearby Chez Janou which we did. It was mid afternoon and only two parties were in line. The host recognized us from the previous day and remembered my name from the tip I provided the day before, “What has no arms and hangs on a wall…Art”. He laughed and we felt like one of the regulars as we waited. We had hoped to be seated inside and pleased to be escorted to our table past the bar in the dining room. The wait line had grown since we arrived. The host pulled the table out so Janet could take her seat against the wall and I sat across from her. Too early for alcohol, we again ordered the lemonade and a warm goat cheese appetizer to share. It came with the basket of sliced baguettes. Strangely, bread is not automatically served with the wonderful French butter everywhere we ate so I requested it and received two nicely wrapped pats to go with the bread.
We both ordered one of the day’s two specials for the main course. Fresh dorade or mahi mahi as it is also known, served on a bed of peas and fava beans with a Beurre Blanc, a buttery wine sauce. We agreed that the choice was excellent. After ordering and recording the cafe’s iconic Mousse presentation the previous day, we decided to forego it and chose instead to share the Crème Brûlée for dessert. It is a light and creamy custard that is topped with sugar at service and heated with a torch to melt the sugar and form a crispy sweet brown crust. It was light and delicious, the perfect end to a good meal. I had an espresso and Janet a Latte to complete the meal. We paid our tab, left a nice tip and were warmly greeted as we made our way out, by our young female server from the previous days lunch.
We paused outside and each of us posed for pictures in front of the restaurant. In Chez Janou we had finally found that ultimate French Bistro I had been searching for even if we weren’t able to come at night. Anthony Bourdaine once commented that “Even a less than great meal in Paris is a good thing”. So true, but we still needed that ultimate Paris meal that we came for. We had visited all of the wonderful boulangeries and patissieries with amazing baked breads and pastries and the markets with fresh seafood, dazzling fruit and vegetables. Shops specializing in cheeses and chocolates. We were impressed with the food culture but hadn’t really found the bistro or brassiere that we would remember for years to come. Until, at the end of our trip, we found Chez Janou. It had everything a great restaurant needed, bright and beautifully decorated walls with interesting nic nacs everywhere. A well stocked bar with a few stools. There was tight but comfortable seating where you might meet a stranger and see what they had ordered or even make a new friend if only for a few minutes. The clinking of glasses and silverware on plates along with the conversation did not drown out the lively French music played at a level to be enjoyed not annoying. The young servers were casually but neatly dressed and were eager to assist non French speaking patrons and regulars with a smile.
As we stood outside, I reflected back on our heydays at The Ketch, before covid when I would stand at the corner of the bustling bar on a busy Friday night and look through the crowded dining room with the small tables and the bench seating and wooden ladder chairs. Where no one seemed to care if they sat elbow to elbow with the next table laughing and talking with friends or family. It was ok, if the food arrived after thirty minutes, sometimes longer, as long as the drinks were topped and the smiling servers were friendly and attentive, reassuring them that it would be worth the wait, which it was.
I recalled walking through the packed dinning rooms to greet people, many of whom I knew or recognized, our special regulars and there were many. It reminded me of a few times when one of them showed up alone to tell me that their spouse or a friend who they had visited with regularly for many years had passed away. It wasn’t always easy for them to return to the place that had been so special to them, maybe where they met or had that first date. They came to share the loss with me and briefly recall the good times. It was gratifying to offer the comfort and familiarity of the place they had shared so many memories in the past at such a difficult time. They were like family to us.
As our last day was drawing to a close we strolled through the Plac de Vosages, a nice park where several people lingered on benches and young people and lovers sat on the grass talking and enjoying the beautiful weather. We walked down the side of the canal toward the Seine. There were several tents where people lived and slept, many of the tents sat on wooden pallets. This did not seem like a place for street people and drug addicts, few people were to be seen. It could have been that they were working and could only afford this as a place to live in a very expensive city. The canal itself was lined with boats and yachts of all shapes and sizes. Many people live in these ships along the canal and along the Seine as well. As we neared the river a large site seeing boat was in a lock, we weren’t sure if it was rising or falling with water so it could continue on and we didn’t hang around to find out.
We left the river for the last time on the trip. We strolled along the river walk and then walked a few blocks from the river for our evening drinks and to watch the people pass by. We sat across from the busy memorial to the Bastille, a large roundabout intersection filled with rush hour cars, buses and bicycles of all types carrying children and dogs out of the city center. We made our way back to the Moxy, retrieved our bags and ordered an Uber to take us to the Novatel hotel where we checked in to spend the night. It was, surprisingly a very nice hotel. The room was modern and well appointed and the large bed was comfortable. We made our way to the hotel’s restaurant where we had drinks and split a hamburger with fries. The food was very good. We had an early start awaiting the next day so we pre-packed at our room so as not to feel rushed in the morning and turned in for the night.
The next morning we dressed and finished packing. We dropped our key at the desk and exited for the walk to the nearby airport terminal. It was not an easy stroll because we soon came to an overpass walkway where we had to drag our luggage up several sloping steps, across the walkway and back down to the sidewalk. Watching some people with multiple large bags negotiate this obstacle reminded me that packing light was a good thing.
Even though we have always had TSA passes which is designed to expedite security, I am always given extra attention as one of my replaced knees sets off the alarm. Sometimes it is a quick pat down but this time I had to remove my shoes to be scanned, unbuckle my belt, then receive a thorough physical inspection top to bottom, front and back, before I was set free to gather my self and my belongings to proceed to the La Compagnie Lounge. The Lounge was nice and roomy there were comfortable seats and a decent breakfast buffet which we took full advantage of knowing how bad the food would be on board the plane. Before long we proceeded to the gate to board the plane for our eight hour flight to Newark.
I have already booked our next trip to Europe, a Viking River cruise on the Rhine River for next September (have to use up those Viking credits from our abreviated Rhine River cruise). The cruise starts in Avignon in the south of France and ends at Lyon, widely recognized to be the culinary capital of France, maybe even the world. For now we say, Au Revoir!
