Sunday in Paris, no heat, and English muffins

Nothing much to report other than it was 4°C earlier this morning (39°F) and there was no heat in the building, which means no hot water either. My first thought was to the young couple at the end of my corridor who recently brought home their newborn baby.

In addition to no heat, it’s endlessly gray outside. The good news, though, is that tomorrow and Tuesday are forecast to be brilliantly sunny. I will venture out with my camera tomorrow and, even though the metro lines are still closed (except for the central number one line), stride through the streets of Paris to visit my favorite places. I love it when it’s cold, dry and sunny. Let’s see, there’s the new IKEA store that recently opened on the Place de la Madeleine. There’s the English-language bookstore on the rue de Rivoli (W.H. Smith) that I want to pop into to leaf through the magazines, buy a 2020 calendar, look at the new books, and buy Patti Smith’s memoir, M Train. Years ago, I read her Just Kids and loved it. Directly across the road from W.H. Smith is the Jeu de Paume gallery in the Tuileries Gardens featuring a photo exhibition that I want to see. And, oh, I want to check out a place across town called Un Dimanche à Paris which I hear has the best hot chocolate in town.

I’m on vacation until January 2nd, so it’s important to me to be outside and moving in the sunshine as much as I can. At work, I’m stuck in a hermetic office tower 8 hours a day.

While in the 6th arrondissement, I’ll pop into the photo lab to pick up my vintage Kodachrome slides and then I’ll stride up the boulevard Raspail to the fabulous Bon Marché department store and it’s Food Hall next door. The next time you come to Paris, you must visit these two places, if you haven’t already. C’est un must !

12:30 pm, still no heat and it’s 6°C outside (42°F). However I can hear clanking sounds coming up through the pipes from the basement, so I guess the emergency heating man, called a chauffagiste, is here. Now is a good time to try out a recipe I recently found. For my entire life I’ve been buying store-bought English muffins. And then one day I thought, why not make them myself? Toasted and slathered with butter and jam for my breakfast sounds like an excellent idea. Here’s the recipe below, I’m going to make them right now.

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-english-muffins-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchen-106360

9 thoughts on “Sunday in Paris, no heat, and English muffins

  1. Wet, rainy, cool here in Chicago, too….but, better than are usual snow…we have not had any snow since Halloween…but, it is a sure bet that it is coming…:-(
    Sorry about no heat, but at least the temperature is not sub freezing. Enoy Bon Marche and their Epicerie….always lots of fun…and thanks for the muffin link. I am going to try making a batch once I get over my cold….btw, seems to me we should add a new word to the English Language: Muffing, the process of making English muffins…:-)

    Sherm

    • Well, I picked the wrongest time to make these muffs. It’s now 5:30 pm and the heat has only now just come on, which means the yeast didn’t rise in the muffin mix because it was too cold. Have just put the bowl of batter in the bathroom where it’s warmest, covering it with a dish towel, of course. Hope you have better luck than I.

  2. There is a place in Paris that develops Kodachrome? Or are you making prints from old slides. I miss Kodachrome!

    Enjoy your vacation. Your plans sound wonderful. I love La Grande Epicerie.

    Pamelia

    • Hi Pamelia, this photo lab scans old slides (or negatives) to transform the images into digital version or print photo format. So, no, they don’t develop Kodachrome. I’ll give you the address if you want.

      Just looked at the weather report for tomorrow and it’s confirmed: bright sunshine, cold (6°C), and blue skies all day long. Can’t wait to get outside!

      Cheers.

      • Would love the address of the store that scans old slides. Thanks.

        Enjoy the sunny weather. We are in for some snow and freezing rain. Ugh.

        Best, Pamelia

      • Sure. Here’s the link. The older gentleman is very sweet, the younger blonde woman not so sweet.

        http://arkalab.com/arka-labo-photo-paris/laboratoire-photographique.php

  3. I looove Bon Marche… I would spend hours in the supermarket area alone… beautiful packaging and presentation… hope you have a great day today in the cold and bright sunshine..hope those muffins eventually came up…

    • I know, isn’t it a great place? Very uplifting and très très chic. They have a restaurant on the 2nd floor I’d like to try out. As for the heat in my building, it came on yesterday for about two hours. Then it went off again. This morning (Monday – a beautiful sunny day, but very cold) it’s freezing cold in my apartment. Haven’t finished the final step of the muffins, will do so right now. Have a good day yourself. Cheers.

      • Yikes sorry about the cold apartment- they better sort it out or residents might get ill 🤒

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