Sumptuously insane by the Seine

It is no secret to anyone that Paris is positively bursting with culture. In fact, culture is it's lifeline..it's blood so to speak.  But Paris also abounds with activities and sights that are far less highbrow and to some, including me, are far more interesting. One should always find the time to explore the less refined, to search out the surprising and bizarre and to experience the local elements of any city.  Often it means just keeping your eyes open or turning left when everyone else is turning right...but one is never disappointed.  A long leisurely stroll along the Seine reveals impossibly small studios boasting petit, beautifully tapestried deer to mind boggling  and stylish art supply shops, every nook and cranny of Paris has something to surprise, something to evoke the imagination.  So it was with some thought of the unusual that I sought out an establishment for the evening's tipple that would promise something different, something a little out of the ordinary. Very few establishments outside of the French Basque country stock Izarra, but that is exactly what was was required to complete a most satisfactory day of exploration.  Izarra is fashioned in Bayonne and like Chartreuse, is available in both yellow and green varieties.  I have chose the Izarra Horia or yellow Izarra this evening for its delicious almond taste.  A mouthful of sunshine and most certainly worth the search and shoe leather.  

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!