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Au Lapin Agile

Au Lapin Agile

Walking toward a museum in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris, we noticed what we thought was a small restaurant. It was right across the street from Clos Montmartre, the vineyard nestled on the hills below the museum.

With the name Au Lapin Agile on the sign, we laughed at the translation. The agile rabbit…cute name.

Continuing on to the Museum of Montmartre, we noticed a painting by Andre Gill, named Au Lapin Agile. Same painting as the restaurant. Okay, time to learn more about this rabbit.

What we thought was a small restaurant is actually Paris’ oldest bar-cabaret and a Montmartre landmark. It’s been here since 1860. When it opened, its name was Au Rendez Vous des Voleurs, or at the rendez-vous of thieves. Apparently, Montmartre was not the best neighborhood at that time. Thieves would have been present.

Then, 20 years later, the name changed to the Cabaret des Assassins. Stories exist as to why the name changed. One says the owner’s son was murdered by a violent gang.

Another name change happened in 1875, as the artist Andre Gill painted a sign featuring a rabbit with a top hat jumping out of a large pan holding a bottle of wine. Supposedly, the painting was commissioned on the request of Madame Sals, the lady and cook of the house. Guess what she was known for?

Her rabbit stews.

The sign was displayed and the residents starting calling the cabaret Gills Rabbit or Le Lapin a Gill in French. This name changed into The Nimble Rabbit. He is, after all, gracefully jumping out of the pan holding the bottle of wine. No spilling or dropping the wine.

And, not landing in a pan of stew. Quite the play on words and on the painting.

Artists came here to discuss their works, debate the meaning of art, soak up the latest vibes, and gain inspiration for their own craft. Picasso, Modigliani, Van Gogh, Utrillo, and others frequented the cabaret.

Famous paintings lined the walls at one time. Some have been moved to art museums around the world. Still others remain.

As for the cabaret, don’t expect a residential version of Moulin Rouge. It’s not that type of cabaret. No tourist entertainment, no can-cans, no scantily clad beautiful women in feathers and diamonds, and no expensive, moderate champagne. This is a small, village house. Not a lot of room inside.

If you like folk music, poetry, and an authentic representation of vintage Montmartre life, this would be the place for you. It’s low key, genuine, full of history, and definitely retro. It’s truly an artistic cabaret.

If You Go: Au Lapin Agile is located at 22 rue des Saules, Paris. Hours are 9 PM to 1 AM, every day except Monday. They do serve Ruinart Champagne.

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Cafe Gourmand…The Best Way to Have Dessert

Desserts…Sure     

A couple of years ago we noticed a trend in Paris and in the Provence area. This trend appeared on menus and on menu boards. It was called Café Gourmand.

What is it?

When you order your Café Gourmand, you receive a coffee and three or four small dessert bites. All are attractive, all are delicious, and you get to taste more than just one dessert. What could be better?

The desserts are usually chosen by the chef and vary from day to day. Some chefs always have their signature item as one of the desserts. It gives chefs the opportunity to showcase their desserts and gives you a party for your final course.

Again…what could be better?

Most times the coffee is espresso and is brought with the desserts. This is different than ordering a specific dessert and then ordering espresso.

This year we ordered Café Gourmand in many restaurants. We were never disappointed and always surprised.

This is a trend I am adopting for my own dinner parties. Can’t wait to start…

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Vacation Rentals…What Do You Want?

A few More Vacation Rental Tips

I know I have posted some tips to think about before you rent a vacation home, apartment, or flat. The following are some tips from readers, from personal experience, and from other travel professionals. They are by no means complete.

If you have tips or suggestions…please send them my way.

  • Read the reviews before you book. All of them. The good, the bad, and the ugly ones. If you keep seeing the same issue or problem in several reviews, chances are there is a problem or issue. If you only see one person who rants about the place, he or she either had a genuinely bad experience or they just like to complain. Keep reading.
  • Look at the dates of those reviews. If there was a problem three years ago, has the owner addressed that complaint in a more recent post? Are the most current reviews from two years ago? If so, you may want to look at another place with more current reviews.
  • Does the owner or manager speak your language? If you prefer they respond in English, is that one of the languages spoken? Or, are you going to have to rely on your college French to understand what you are renting?
  • Do you have the ability to contact the owner or manager? Both before and once you arrive. By phone or email? Does it say how soon they will respond? What about after you arrive? Will there be someone to talk to if a problem should arise once you unpack your bags?
  • Read the description. If it says two bathrooms, great. Keep reading. Do those bathrooms include toilet, sink, tub, shower, or what? Never assume a bathroom has all the above. We have stayed in generously sized apartments with three or more bedrooms and had only one toilet. We had three showers in separate rooms, but one very small room with a toilet.
  • Check the location before you book. Check street view, Google earth, and map view. You may find out the apartment that looks fantastic inside is located next to an industrial warehouse or a train station. Maybe not what you want. What is located around it? How does the building look on the outside? Is it neat or does it look run down? Is the street filled with bars and nightclubs? If so, your sleeping may be affected.
  • If you want laundry facilities, add that to your filters when looking at places. Many apartments in Europe have one facility which is both a washer and a dryer. You just use the appropriate button. It might be a good idea to take a few laundry pods with you. Be sure to label them and secure them in a resealable plastic bag. Put them in your checked luggage. If you are only carrying on your luggage, be sure to bring powdered pods. Label them well or leave them in their original container. I buy a small package of them so I can leave them sealed in their original bag. There is no doubt what they are if TSA wants to look at them.
  • Many times, apartments do not have bars of soap. Or, they have really tiny ones. If you are there for a longer time, it would be a good idea to bring your own soap. If I stay in a hotel and do not use the multiple bars there, I will toss one in my bag and take it with me when I travel to Europe. I already take my own shampoo, so why not soap?
  • When you return home, be sure to write a review on the site where you booked. Your comments may be what someone else was wondering about.

I will have more suggestions later. Do you have anything to add?

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Colmar VRBO

When traveling and staying in an area for several days, we don’t usually stay in hotels. Instead, we opt for a vacation rental or an Airbnb.

We find we have more options this way. We have the ability to eat in if we want, more room to spread out, and we feel a little less like a tourist who is in town for a day or two. We’ve stayed in everything from a roomy estate to a small apartment.

We’ve had noise that couldn’t be shut out to places with absolute quiet. There have been floors that squeaked if you even thought about stepping on them. We’ve had tiny lifts to the fourth floor and places where we carried our luggage up 79 old, worn, stone steps. There have been views worthy of the best postcards. And, views of a brick wall.

In Colmar, France, we opted to rent a VRBO (vacation rental by owner) in the middle of town.

As usual, we read all the reviews, contacted the owner, and checked out Google street view before we booked. What did we find?

The apartment was exactly as billed. Spacious, more than enough room, great location, and positive interaction with the manager. One problem was rectified as soon as they could. The lift to the fourth floor was not working when we arrived. Four of us carried our luggage up five flights of stairs. The following day it was fixed and made life easier when we carried up some wine we purchased at a local winery.

This apartment was two stories. One bedroom and bath were on the first floor. Two bedrooms and a bathroom were on the second floor. Not a big deal…until you saw the stairs leading to the second floor. This curved staircase with its small steps was only a challenge taking our luggage to the second floor.

Location was great. We were just steps to restaurants, shops, the market, and local life. Our parking garage was only a 10-minute walk.

All in all, a great location and a wonderful apartment in Colmar.

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Eiffel Tower…Did You Know?

Eiffel Tower Facts

  • The Eiffel Tower was first unveiled in 1889 at the Paris World Fair
  • It was considered an eyesore by many important people
  • Some called it a tragic streetlamp that was deformed and ridiculous
  • 130 years later it has become one of the most iconic and recognizable landmarks in the world
  • Over 7 million people visit every year
  • Dubbed the Iron Lady, she has undergone a few face lifts
  • You can buy your ticket online 60 days in advance, so you don’t have to stand in the mile-long, winding ticket line
  • You can buy a ticket only on site if you want to climb the stairs
  • Go to Place de Trocadero on metro lines 6 and 9 to get an amazing view of her hourly night light show
  • The tower is open until 11:45 pm
  • The last lift to the top is at 10:30 pm
  • At night the tower is lit
  • On the hour, every hour, until 1:00 am there is a dazzling light display
  • 20,000 light bulbs, 5,000 per side, sparkle in the night
  • This show only lasts for 5 minutes each hour
  • Restaurants in the Eiffel Tower include 58 Tour Eiffel, 58 meters above ground level
  • Le Jules Verne offers fine dining
  • Engineers built the tower to be wind resistant
  • During a storm she will sway a few inches
  • Summer heat and sun can also maker her swell and grow up to 6 inches
  • She was supposed to be dismantled after 20 years
  • When she was built, she housed a meteorology lab and would be used for scientific experiments in physics, astronomy, wind, aerodynamics, and electric lighting
  • The tower’s ability to be used as a wireless broadcast transmission antenna is what saved it from destruction
  • There are 120 antennas used to broadcast 45 TV channels and 32 radio stations in Paris
  • She has been repainted 18 times…by hand
  • Her first coat of paint was a reddish brown
  • Today her color is bronze
  • About every 7 years a team of 25 painters strip, clean, rust-proof, and repaint the entire tower…by hand
  • The paint job takes about 18 months
  • It takes 60 tons of paint and 1,5000 brushes to finish each job