Our last full day in Paris was a drizzly, and grey day. Tanked up on breakfast, we began the over two-mile walk towards the Eiffel Tower area where I was going to attempt to find one last lunch recommendation, Cafe Constant. The walk took us along Boulevard Saint-Germain and passed the Les Deux Magots, Le Cafe de Flore. Both restaurants are famous for being the haunts of French intellectuals during the post-war years along with writers and patrons including: Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus and Pablo Picasso.

We browsed the restaurant menus along the way to see what lunch hours they kept and if they had a prix fix/menu du jour special. From Boulevard Saint-Germain, we diverted to Rue St. Dominique that begins around the Ecole Militaire (Napoleon’s Tomb). This was the first time we had ever seen Rue St. Dominique (let alone walked through this area) and were astounded by the numbers of really wonderful looking patisseries and small restaurants up and down the length. Cafe Constant was a short two blocks away from the Eiffel Tower. Christian Constant, who owns four restaurants, is reputed to turn out some of the best food in Paris and Cafe Constant was serving lunch today until 2:30 p.m. Alas, the menu du jour was once again not up our alley. That took care of recommendations to celebrate ex-Marine’s 70th birthday and this was getting downright depressing. ex-Marine may get his wish and eat Gyros for dinner.

Eiffel Tower on a November day in Paris
No descriptive paragraphs blithering about the Eiffel Tower. It’s stunning…enough said. Now walking along the curve of the Seine, a big outdoor Photoquai 2009 created by the Musee du Quai Branley and dedicated to non-western photography was taking place. This exhibition takes place every other year from September 22 to November 22, with its mission… to highlight and make known, artists whose work has previously been unexhibited or little known in Europe, to foster exchanges and the exchanging of views on the world. A fun and engrossing exhibit and if we’d hadn’t come this way, never would have known it was taking place. It was serendipity…as described by the Dictionary… an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident… Perfect!

ex-Marine making faces at the Photoqai exhibit along the Seine in Paris
The drizzle had stopped by now and we continued on…

France Rail n’ Drive