Un Ciel a Paris and Musée d'Orsay

Un Ciel a Paris

Woke up to a nice aroma and cozy bed in Un Ciel a Paris, a B&B in Gobelins, in the 13th arrondisement. This is our fourth day in Paris. Gobelins is a nice neighbourhood that is not too near the city centre yet a convenient location as the Metro and bus stops are just 2 min walk. The bedroom and bathroom smell really lovely with an aromatic pouch and glass thingy strategically placed.

Owner, Philippe and Lyne have been living in the same house for more than 20 years but they only recently opened it up as a B&B when Philippe retired. Both are typical Parisians - well-dressed with a penchant for fine food and posh stuff. They have a resort house in Bordeux and love playing golf. Lyne is easily excitable and loves to talk while Philippe exudes a quiet and dignified persona. Yet when they talk to each other, they are just like any typical couple - teasing and sometimes pointing out each other's flaws. Lyne is also a typical woman - she admits that French women love sales and will go crazy to get the best bargains. And we outsiders think that the French will poo-poo at such behaviour.

Unlike the rural area, in Paris city, apartments are expensive, just like Singapore and space is precious. This is the neighbour's courtyard which we could see from our second floor window.


Philippe and Lyne are master decorators. Everything in the house and the rooms look exquisite and appealing.

The breakfast at Un Ciel was also good, although no hot chocolate. But Philippe, who is the default cook, offered eggs with sea salt, so no complaints. Breakfast included cereals (which we ignored), breads, croissant, real French butter, slices of cheese, yoghurt, fruits, tea and coffee with honey, orange juice and Philippe's homemade pastries. Oh, how I love the almond chewy round pastry he made (see picture below). When I didn't see it on the third day, I enquired about it and it appeared again on the fifth day. Lyne and Philippe were nice enough to let me tabao four to eat on the train to London. On the whole, it was a lovely B&B and if I returned to Paris, I would stay there again but maybe in a bigger room (Calisto room).

After 4 days in France, we decided to do our first obligatory tourist thing. So after breakfast, we took a 20 minute walk to the Jardin des Plantes (a public garden) to ride on the Batobus, a boat that takes you to major Paris attractions. We realised that Parisians' perspective on distance is very flawed, or maybe it's just Philippe. To him, everywhere is 10 to 15 minute walk. After the first few walking adventures, we learnt to take his estimation with a huge pinch of salt. Maybe walking is such an enjoyable thing to them that time seems insignificant. That probably also explains why there are no fat people in Paris. I didn't gain any weight although my food intake in Paris and London was colossal. Just wish that Singapore weather is more pleasant for walking.

On board the Batobus eating a nutty chocolate slab we bought from one of the chocolatier in Amboise.

Caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from the boat.

I think we alighted at the Champs-Elysées stop to walk to Musée d'Orsay.

Musée d'Orsay

We forgot to book tickets for Musée d'Orsay in advance and had to queue with hundreds of other tourists and school children to get into the musuem. It wasn't too bad. The waiting took about 45 min. As it was close to 1pm, we went to the museum restaurant to take our lunch first. While I follow the meal-time clock, my hubby follows his body clock. He won't eat his meals until he is hungry. So, he ordered a beef carparcio while I ordered a hearty salmon and scallop fettucini. Food was alright but the deco in the restaurant was amazing.

We didn't reaslise that we were eating underneath a nude sculpture until our meal was over. My hubby thought the ass was quite nice. (?!)

We couldn't take pictures in the museum but the paintings was mainly impressionalist and include the works of Monet, Van Gogh, etc. I thought Musée d'Orsay would be a more interesting and intimate setting than than Louvre.

Anyway, we promised to skype with the princes that day and their bedtime was like 4pm Paris time, so we had to rush back to our B&B. In a way, half the afternoon was lost that day but it was good to see their cute faces and hear their stories. That evening, we visited the Vietnamese restaurant 'Pho 14' along ave de Choisy, Quartier Chinois or Chinatown. It was a 15-min walk from our B&B and was crowded on both days with a good reason - the food was great, especially when you are cold and a little flu-y. A nice change from the western food. I regretted not taking pictures. Well, I guess we were too eager to tuck into the hot steaming noodles and fried rolls that we forgot about taking pictures.