Le Cloître des Billettes - Paris, April 19, 2023
Today was another glorious sunny day - albeit with a cold wind from time to time.
Jeff loved the sunlight on our courtyard this morning and paused to take a photo.
We set off on another adventure that took us to the Marais district in search of "chestnuts in blossom" as well as a Cloister
The Basie song, April in Paris, has been a recurring theme this week:
I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
Holiday tables under the trees
April in Paris, this is a feeling
That no one can ever reprise
I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris
Whom can I run to
What have you done to my heart
Hence the search for chestnuts in blossom. Alas, however, there were NO chestnuts in blossom adjacent to the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall). Epic fail number one!
All of the photos above are of the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) and the flower gardens that surround it.
Ah well ... off we went to our second adventure - Le Cloître des Billettes
Le Cloître des Billettes is a Lutheran church located at 22 rue des Archives in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. Built as a Catholic church in the 18th century, it adjoins the 15th-century cloister of the Abbey of the Hospitaliers of the Charity of Notre Dame, also known as the Billettes. The 15th-century church was demolished, except for the cloister, and replaced by the new church In 1808, Under Napoleon I, it became a Protestant Lutheran church.
The church is built in the Neoclassical style, while the earlier adjoining cloister is Gothic. The name of the church refers to the monks in the old abbey, who were known as the "Freres Billettes". To identify their order they wore an emblem called a billette.
The most famous feature of the church is the cloister, adjoining the church, dating from the 15th century. It is the only medieval cloister in Paris surviving in its original state.
This is what the building looks like ... EXCEPT that these pictures were taken several years ago. Today, there is a homeless colony living in tents adjacent to the church and hanging out on the steps in front of the red doors. Highly sketchy and not very inviting. We walked all the way around the block in hopes of finding a way into the Cloister but to no avail. Disappointed on both fronts, we decided to seek out an early lunch and then ride the Batobus around the Seine and return to the apartment. |
| Remains of the Lunch |
We chose to share a croque monsieur, which is traditionally made with slices of ham and cheese between slices of pain de mie, white or brown bread with a thin crust. The sandwich is topped with grated cheese and slightly salted and peppered before baking it in an oven or frying it in a pan. It might also be browned by grilling it after it is dipped in a beaten egg. Traditionally Gruyère is used.
I forgot to take a picture before we ate the sandwich, but the photo below is pretty much what it looked like.
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| A traditional Croque Monsieur |
Some sights from our trip back to the apartment ....
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| Pont des Arts |
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| Seine Fire Brigade |
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| A view of the medieval-looking Conciergerie |
The Conciergerie is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which also included the Sainte-Chapelle. Two large medieval halls remain from the royal palace. During the French Revolution, 2,780 prisoners, including Marie-Antoinette, were imprisoned, tried, and sentenced at the Conciergerie, then sent to different sites to be executed by the guillotine. It is now a national monument and museum.
On our way back to the apartment we made a stop at the Monoprix to pick up the fixings for Julia Child's Coc au Vin (chicken with wine). We paused briefly for a rest, sitting on a wall in front of the Monoprix. I looked over to see the diva below posing for several selfies. We both got a bit of a chuckle at the sight.
Tomorrow ... Another Adventure from Quiet Corners of Paris
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