Destinations: Paris sabbatical -- a nine-month interlude Destinations: Paris sabbatical -- a nine-month interlude (July 31, 2002)

About the author

Karen Perlroth has lived in Portola Valley with her husband, Dr. Mark Perlroth, since 1967. She is a practitioner of the Mensendieck system of body movement therapy to treat back pain and other disorders, and he is a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine. For nine months, beginning in September 2001, they were on a sabbatical in Paris, in conjunction with Dr. Perlroth's serving as a visiting professor at Marie Curie University School of Medicine in Paris. Ms. Perlroth is a native of the Netherlands, and Dr. Perlroth was born in Turin, Italy.

By Karen Perlroth

Special to the Almanac

Having had two previous sabbatical years in Paris with three children in 1976, and four children in 1984, we had promised each other to go again to this wonderful city sans enfants for another extended period: this time, an academic year -- nine months.

We left on United Airlines on September 15, 2001, the first flight out of San Francisco to Paris after the nightmarish events of September 11. Our flight was full. When our plane landed, everyone clapped. It was an emotional flight.

On September 11, we were supposed to be out of our Portola Valley house at 11 a.m.: we had tenants moving in. This was delayed by a few hours after being awakened by the horrible news from New York City early in the morning.

One of our daughters was living in New York on Greenwich Street, not far from the World Trade Center buildings. It took a long time before we knew that she was all right. (I had been on Flight 93, from Newark to San Francisco, on Saturday, September 9, and remembered the flight staff very well.) Needless to say, it was a very trying few hours at home, dealing with the news and having to pack at the same time.

In Paris, we had rented a small, two-bedroom, two-bath furnished apartment in the 7th arrondissement, very near the Eiffel Tower on the Left Bank. Both of us have a European background and have always loved and appreciated the fact that we have had the opportunity to live abroad occasionally.

It is not an easy thing to do. It takes a lot of planning and a bit of courage. But we had made up our minds early on that it is good to break the routines of our lives. It helps that we speak a moderate amount of French.

Paris, aptly called the City of Light, is still in our minds the most beautiful city in the world. We love its grand boulevards, its magnificent monuments and, above all, its style.

In September, Paris was empty of American tourists. Hotels and restaurants were hurting. Reservations had been canceled. Several of our friends who had originally chosen to come in autumn and stay with us changed their minds and stayed home. We were eagerly reading the International Herald Tribune daily to keep up with all the horrible news. At times we felt a bit lost and out of touch and wondered if we should have stayed home in Portola Valley.

We ventured out in our neighborhood, which is called "chic" by the Parisiens. Since we had a view of the Eiffel Tower from our apartment balcony, we never stopped being in awe of this amazing 1,000-foot-tall monument.

Built 100 years after the revolution in 1889 for the Paris EXPO, it was originally slated to be torn down after the event. Luckily it is still standing, and wherever we find ourselves in Paris, it is easy to make our way home. Particularly at night, beautifully illuminated, it is truly spectacular.

In contrast to many people's forecasts, we have never experienced rudeness from the Parisiens. If you show politeness and genuine interest, people in Paris are generally very helpful. We have established cordial friendships with the local shopkeepers. (There are many good guidebooks available that help you find the right phrases to approach people.)

The French appreciate politeness. They may not show you a great deal of compassion at first, but with a bit of persistence they will start greeting you with a smile. We have established a number of very close friendships with Parisiens and have been invited into their homes.

It goes without saying that in Paris there is too much to do and to see. It is worthwhile to come here and stay a while to get the full experience. Visiting many European countries in one short trip is not advisable. Spending one to two weeks (longer if possible) in Paris is more rewarding and makes for a much less hectic experience then a three to four day stint.

Museums, monuments, concerts, the many restaurants and cafes, walking the small neighborhoods and along the Seine River, are some of the many delights.

A museum tip: go the Tourist Office on the Champs Elysees near the Arc de Triomphe and buy a Paris Museum Pass for a few days (three consecutive days, 26 Euros; five days, 39 Euros; children under 18 are generally free). This allows you to bypass the very long lines at the most popular places, such as the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay.

Our advice is to go to a museum in the morning and, after a nice lunch, walk the city. Meandering streets lead you away from the busy tourist attractions and are lined by tiny shops, street markets, boulangeries (bakeries) with delicious (we mean really delicious) fresh breads baked twice daily and mouth-watering pastries.

There are also the fromageries (cheeses, fresh butter in large blocks, eggs -- including quail) and boucheries (butcher shops with beautifully arrayed cuts of meat, fowl and, in season, fresh game).

We love the area behind the Pantheon (the burial site of Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo and Marie Curie), Rue Mouffetard in particular. Part of this narrow street is closed to car traffic during the day.

Shops are closed in the middle of the day, but are often open after 3:30 until 7:30. This does not apply to the bars or cafes, whose tables -- both indoor and outdoor -- are open throughout the day and into the night. Find out where the daily street markets are. In our neighborhood, Rue St. Dominique and Rue Cler are wonderful visits in the late mornings or late afternoons (Saturdays and Sunday mornings are the best).

The Louvre is, of course, a must, but it's best to go early in the day. The Musee d'Orsay is one of our favorites. This museum is located in a beautifully renovated railway terminal on the left bank of the Seine. It has Europe's greatest collection of Impressionist paintings and excellent temporary exhibits. It is not as overwhelming as the Louvre, and you will spend a good morning or afternoon there.

The Rodin Museum, housed in a building where the sculptor lived and worked, is exquisite and easily visited in a short time, as is the Picasso Museum. When our daughter Nina was 10 years old, she loved going there.

There are three ways to get around Paris. Walking is still the best (central Paris is amazingly compact for a great capital). Particularly at night it is a wonderfully romantic city. When your feet get tired, take the Metro or the bus. Paris has an excellent public transportation system.

The Metro brings you quickly to your destination, but is underground (we call them the "dungeons"). The bus takes longer, but you see all the sights, the people and get more of the feel and rhythm of the city.

Other favorite sights: Arc de Triomphe -- both day and night (when it is illuminated) -- the view and the little museum on top are not to be missed; the Champs Elysees, of course, always crowded, especially at night; the Notre Dame and the Ste. Chapelle (its stained glassed windows and exquisite evening concerts); Ile St. Louis' best ice cream place in Paris: Berthillon; Napoleon's Tomb underneath its gilded dome and Les Invalides Army Museum; the Catacombs, the Pere Lachaise Cemetery; the Sacre-Coeur church on top of Montmartre, with a splendid view of the city beneath you and Place des Vosges, a small jewel of a park.

A night voyage on one of the sightseeing boats ("Bateaux Mouches") is another must. Go when the city's lights go on, sit outside, feel the breeze and enjoy the ride.

More than anything, walk the city and sit in a sidewalk cafe and feel the hustle and bustle around you. In France we never felt rushed to have to leave our tables.
Spain and Portugal

In October we needed to vacate our apartment for a month while it was being painted. We decided to visit Spain and Portugal; friends from Woodside, Mieke and Luigi Gallo, were building a house in the south of Portugal.

The tourist season was over and we drove without hotel reservations. We could go where we pleased. Meandering south through the Bordeaux wine country (Hostellerie de Plaisance in St. Emilion had great food, and was a great place to stay), we passed through the French Basque countryside and the beautiful Western Pyrenees.

We stayed in the small village Sare (Hotel Arraya), then entered the Spanish Basque hills. Aside from the sight of an occasional menacing bull with wide horns, the countryside was reminiscent of a wilder Switzerland with green pastures, rolling hills and snow-flecked mountains.

Then on to Portugal. We visited and stayed in Cantabria, later in Braganca, then in Cambria, where we stayed in the beautiful Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas (the Duke of Wellington's visit is still remembered).

It was harvest season, and wherever we drove we smelled the wine fermenting. The autumn vineyards colored the hills golden and red everywhere. We had gorgeous sunsets and quiet evenings away from the horrible events. We were in touch with the countryside, the serenity, and the peacefulness, and were grateful for this opportunity to be together away from it all for a while.

Finally back to France through the town of Revel. We stayed in the most delightful family-operated Chateau de Garrevacques in Garrevacques. We were treated like family and had the best homemade foie gras ever (worth visiting: 33-5-63-75-04-54).

Then on to the Dordogne region, where we visited with my family, and then back to Paris through Sancerre, where we purchased some of the region's lovely wine.

The French countryside is spectacular and is worth a visit by car. Always green with rolling hills and farmlands, it is dotted with imposing ruins dating from Roman, medieval or more recent epochs. We made sure to leave the busy autoroutes and find the small country roads -- outlined in green on the Michelin maps -- to explore the real France.

Other trips taken were to Alsace on the German border (Riquewihr, Route du Vin). In Rambach, we found the small Auberge aux Deux Clefs and had an exquisite lunch sitting in its outside patio. We explored the Auvergne, where we stayed with Dutch friends in their old farmhouse. It is deep in the geographic heart of France -- with an active volcano -- and is unspoiled, beautiful and still relatively quiet.
Hungary

We visited Hungary, a "roots" trip to visit Mark's father's home town (Bekescsaba). We were lucky enough to go with Mark's cousin, who grew up in Budapest. Since Hungarian is a language like no other in Europe, it is imperative to go with a friend or guide who speaks Hungarian.

We spent most of the week in Budapest, but felt lucky to visit the cousin's stepfamily, who had a second home on a branch of the Danube River, a quiet and pretty oasis an hour from the capital.

The metro system in Budapest is superb, but again, as a foreigner, one feels quite lost without a native to guide you. We visited the pretty wine country several hours outside of Budapest. We took a three-hour train ride through a mostly flat country to visit Mark's father's hometown.

We had to visit the town's museum archives to track down Mark's family. We were treated kindly and with the help of old street maps and telephone books (the Perlroth telephone number in 1928 was "18") were ultimately able to find the family's neighborhood and visit the cemetery. Then back on the train to Budapest and later back to Paris.
Postscript

We were very lucky with our landlady, Madelyne Byrne. She caters to Americans and is easy to work with. She graduated from the Stanford School of Business 20 years ago and is married to a French cardiac surgeon. She has five apartments for rent in our favorite arrondissement; short or long term with special discounts for long-term rentals. Her Web site: www.parisperfect.com.

Source books on France

** "French or Foe," by Polly Platt (perhaps a bit dated; wonderful overview of cultural differences and possible frictions between the French and their American cousins; best read before AND after your visit).

** "France on the Brink" by Jonathan Yardley (a longish but highly readable book with lots of amusing and not-so-amusing anecdotes by an English journalist married to a French woman about all of France's ills. An antidote to the Peter Mayle books about happiness and trivia in Provence).

** "Karen Brown's France: Charming Bed and Breakfasts" (also available for Spain and Portugal).

** Rick Steeves: Paris (the basics; low-budget opinionated advice).

** Peter Frommer: Paris (small, well-illustrated).

** Guide Michelin (hotels and restaurants for all of France, or you can get one for Paris alone).

** Michelin maps (individual areas and/or all in one book).

** Zagat's Guide to Paris (advice on everything you may want to know, including restaurants).

** James Michener: Iberia (a dated but loving account of Michener's many trips throughout Spain. Studded with history and personal adventures, anecdotes and opinions.)