Plus ça change...

 ...plus c'est la même chose" ("The more things change, the more they are the same").  It's a well-worn phrase, but this time around I'm not so confident that it's true.

After a long, two-year absence, here we are back in our favorite city, in our favorite neighborhood, on our favorite rue Montorgeuil. There are always changes each time we return. Changes we notice and adjust to, without feeling anything's really that different.  But here, at the end of 2021, things are different.  The Covid pandemic has hit extra hard. The long months of lockdown played havoc with all the shops, restaurants, markets, and cafés in what is normally a bustling, prosperous neighborhood. Around the corner on the rue Reaumur, two of my favorite dress/accessories boutiques "Cachemire" and "Max Daniel", are shuttered, their spaces up for rent. I will miss their finely-made collections of sweaters, scarves, dresses, skirts, etc.   On the rue Montorgeuil itself, several stores and cafés have not made it, their storefronts boarded up.  Others are either replaced with a new shop, or under new ownerships. The results are mixed.

 

Biggest and worst change, for us, is that our beloved, most favorite café, La Grappe D'Or, has changed ownership. For eleven years, it's been our go-to spot for the perfect café crème, tartine or croissant for breakfast. Or their sandwiches, omelets, plats-du-jour for lunch, along with other delicious, freshly made dishes for supper. The most agreeable staff, who became friends over the years, welcomed us warmly on each of our returns. It was the first place we went to on our arrival. This year was no different. Except the bright red awning, seen above from 2019, is now green, the interior has been "gussied up" with retro white tiling on the walls, the menu is drastically reduced, whilst the prices have risen almost as dramatically.

 

This Croque-Monsieur looked pretty good, but turned out to be quite soggy with no flavor, the salad way over-dressed. And it cost 15 euros, half again as much as it would have cost before.

 

 

Also, to our great sorrow, not one of the original staff remains. Some took retirement, others have moved away. Wherever they are, we hope they have found new and rewarding situations. The new owners apparently "cleaned shop". The new staff are perfectly pleasant, but it's not the same, and we're kind of in mourning for what was! 

 

 

Clearly, we have to find a suitable replacement! High on the list is Les Petit Carreaux, at the very top of the street, just a few steps down from the rue Reaumur. 

 

Not only do they offer "vin chaud" during the cold weather...

 

 

...but they served me a delicious café crème and a tartine for a late breakfast the other day.  And if you sit outside under the heaters, they also offer cosy, red blankets for each customer to keep legs and feet warm!

 

This is a good moment to explain that it is not straightforward to enter a cafe, sit down, and place an order. The first important piece of business at the entrance is to show your "pass sanitaire", a digital record of your vaccinations. We obtained ours easily at a local pharmacy on presentation of our US vaccinations cards and an ID. Once scanned, it lives on your smart phone. As soon as the cafe staff person, or restaurant waiter, or theatre usher has verified your vaccination status, then you are welcomed, and life proceeds as normal. Masks are required in all indoor public spaces (except when eating, of course!). 

Outside, perhaps 60% of people wear masks all the time. Others have them lowered to their necks, ready to raise if needed.  They are "obligatoire" on all public transportation.

 

 

 

So, almost two weeks in, we are learning how to navigate this new world. And to welcome some new shops that have sprung up since our last visit, and that will definitely become favorites.

 

 A Belgian chocolate boutique, right across from the Marché U...

 

 

...its warmly-lit shelves enticing you inside!

 

 And almost at the bottom of the street, a welcome sight indeed: Ladurée, home of the world's greatest...

 

...MACAROONS, has put down roots in the neighborhood with a fairly modest store front, and a line out the door.

 

Happily, some of the more historic businesses have survived. One, Au Rocher de Cancale, has anchored the corner of rue Montorgeuil and rue Greneta for over 200 years.

In the 19th century, it was filled with dandies, writers, theatre and opera-goers, all feasting on oysters, the speciality of the house. A favorite haunt of Balzac, the café is featured in several of his novels.  Lovingly restored about four years ago, the interior is much simpler than in its heyday, but it is still a popular spot to enjoy a coffee and watch the world go by. We're glad to see it continues to thrive.

 

And we were happy to see that at precisely 1:30 pm on Sunday, the Poissonnerie Soguisa, along with their neighbors, the Palais du Fruit and La Boucherie de Montorgeuil, promptly closed their doors, in accordance with the city ordinance for Sunday business hours. After about 30 minutes of sweeping out the floors and gathering up the empty crates and boxes...

 

 

...right on cue, the garbage patrol slowly rolled by, emptying the filled garbage bins, an illuminated sign on top urging "patience" to any cars trying to navigate the street...

...with the sweeper truck bringing up the rear, scooping any residue bits and bobs, and restoring the street to its shiny cleanliness. So, maybe some things don't change!

 

Certainly the windows of the patisserie Collet have continued their tradition of mouth-watering displays of Bûches de Noël...

 

...and Matthew enjoyed his Christmas Day feast of Coquilles St. Jacques at the local brasserie, Au Gallopin, long a favorite with us!

 

Before that, though, we made our way down to the bottom of rue Montorgeuil to attend a free Christmas Day organ recital in the venerable Église St. Eustache, that has held careful watch over the neighborhood since the 17th century.

The soaring columns reach up breathtakingly high!

 

 Dutifully masked, we found seats fairly distant from others and waited for Monsieur Baptiste-Florian Marle Ouvrard to make his way to the organ.

 

With nearly 8,000 pipes, it is considered one of the most prestigious organs in France alongside that of La Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. M. Marle-Ouvrard did not disappoint, presenting works from J.S. Bach, Tchaikovsky, and concluding with a piece by contemporary composer, Pierre Pincemaille, that almost literally "raised the rafters"!

With our ears ringing from the glorious sounds, we made our way up a side aisle to the exit, stopping at this small chapel to notice the many candles lit in memory of loved ones lost during this time. A sobering reminder of the toll Covid has taken around the world.

So, with regrets at some of the changes, but gratitude for the things that have remained the same, we'll continue to enjoy this little corner of the world as safely and completely as we can.

 Happy, Healthy New Year!

À bientôt!

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