Paris...welcome to the Culture Club!

Bon chic...bon genre!  You just have to love this City of Light and I certainly do.  Just when you think you can't possibly squeeze one more gallery, museum or concept store in, another one virtually opens before your eyes.  What high jinx and larks are to be had in discovering something new...for that is what Paris does best.  It constantly reinvents itself just as it has year after year after year, and it never disappoints.  I chose to stay in the 11th on this visit and I was more than rewarded for the journey a little further out of the hurly-burly than was once considered chic.  It now abounds with great acoustic music venues and wonderful eateries doing the most amazing things with rabbits and ducks...terrines may just become my new passion! But what is most comforting is the friendliness of those who inhabit the 11th.  Make no mistake, it is very local and more than a little grungy, but the city's bourgeois bohemians...or bobos...have brought  a hip coolness to the area. As such, I have certainly had no difficulty in finding a location for this evening's libations and have suitably chosen one of my favourite indulgences to start the evening. Chartreuse! I have always felt an affinity with this wonderful nectar and I have managed to find one of the few establishments that serve what can only be described as a tonic for good health... Elixir végétal de la grande-Chartreuse...over ice of course.  Far too serious to be imbibed unadulterated and really, not recommended.  In this form, it is more like a cordial than a mere liqueur.  Just remember, drink it with your head held high! 

Where I hang up my coat...

I don't often wonder at the glory of a hotel but I must say, after a pleasant evening on, at and in Porto drinking port oh! it is indeed a blessing to have somewhere to luxuriate and put ones feet up.  The perfect place to settle in for a few days and explore the many ante-chambers that line the staircase.  The Grande Hotel de Paris in Porto's city centre, has all the trimmings  of a tarts boudior and the comfort of an old pair of slippers and smoking jacket.  The hotel retains a great deal of its period furnishings and even has a splendid drawing room where an ample and nourishing breakfast is served.  It wears its age well and has a crumpled glory that makes one feel at home.  Glory truly abounds this evening and I have treated myself to a very special Graham's Vintage Port 1963, a superbly balanced blend of fruit, tannin and elegance. I can't say enough about this very special tipple so I will say no more.