Possession: Entry Denied
Paris. A dark and stormy afternoon threatened to put a damper on our plans for the day: Notre Dame cathedral, Ste. Chapelle, then a walk to one of the museums nearby.
As we exited the Metro, drizzle became a steady rain. Glad for a respite from the rain, we enjoyed Notre Dame. To think it was all built by hand!
Leaving Notre Dame, we were caught in a downpour. I had hoped to climb the 400 or so stairs to see Paris from the gargoyle’s viewpoint, but it was not to be. Quick, find a dry spot! We jumped over to the Left Bank and spotted a warm little café with a wine bar next door. No question, wine bar. The young owner of both establishments was our host in the wine bar. Julie ordered a warm bowl of filling soup, and I had the plat of the day.
Then I saw it right next to where I sat: a 1996 Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux, Chateau Arnauld Haut-Medoc. Not inexpensive, but we were on vacation, right? We could enjoy it while we’re in Paris, and we don’t have any wines more than 6-7 years from their vintage at home. I decided to go ahead, even though I heard a small voice in the background, urging caution.
Suitably warmed up, dried off and full of lunch, we were off to Ste. Chapelle. Ste. Chapelle is a beautiful old cathedral co-located with the ministry of justice, and the security was pretty impressive, including x-ray of all backpacks and purses. I was sternly turned around at security and told “no entry with liquids”. I told Julie to go ahead, I’d go have a coffee. After the walk of shame backwards through the line, I made my way across the street to the café. Who cares about just another old church? Turned back for possession of a simple bottle of wine.
The rain let up a bit and the cloud deck seemed to be up a bit higher. We thought this would be a perfect opportunity to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, as the line would likely be short.
Come around the corner to this view.
Voila! We walked right up to the entrance to buy tickets. There stood the security guard. “Sorry, you can’t go into the Eiffel tower with a glass container”. You’re kidding, right? No Eiffel Tower due to the possession of a simple glass bottle? Who needs the view of Paris from the tower anyway. We decided to give up on Paris attractions for the remainder of the afternoon and go for a walk.
Later that afternoon we returned to the hotel room to try the wine.
Get your priorities straight, it was worth every inconvenience.
The wine was lovely.
Oh, and we did make it back to the Tower.
This is my entry in our Monthly Wine Writing Challenge, MWWC. The theme is “Possession”. To see all the other entries, go over to My Custard Pie, our host for September.
Share this:
Comments
21 Responses to “Possession: Entry Denied”Trackbacks
Check out what others are saying...-
[…] Possession:Entry Denied by Foodwineclick […]
-
[…] Possession:Entry Denied by Foodwineclick […]
-
[…] Possession:Entry Denied by Foodwineclick […]
foodwineclick 
Did you get back to St. Chapelle?? That’s such an amazing place – I hope you did!
Our museum experience in Paris was a comedy: Ste. Chapelle windows were covered for renovation. The day I went to the Pompidou center was the day they closed 1/2 the entire museum for renovation for two months. Picasso museum renovation has been extended for another year. Sheesh!
My big take away from all this…is Julie now drinking and enjoying REDS?
She’s getting there! Good practice in the Langhe last week. Our tastings started at 10:00 AM. Barolo in the morning.
Beautifully shot!
Thanks! Coming from you, that’s high praise.
very good story! Glad the wine was well worth the troubles!
Thanks! And after being turned away at the Tour Eiffel, I knew I had my entry for MWWC#3.
Love this. You got your priorities right I reckon 🙂 Great story.
I wasn’t at all upset, just made me smile.
Great story. I agree with above that Ste. Chapelle is one of the better churches to visit. Your great photos brought back memories. My extravagant purchase (1990 Nuit St-Georges) was tainted. Glad to hear yours was a success.
And if you ever do convert your wife to drink both red and white, let me in on the secret.
Thanks! Slow and steady for convincing the spouse. First, we found one she likes (Chianti), then we have taken our time and always have white and red available.
Great story! Glad you lived up to your possession and that you didn’t let setbacks spoil a good time in a beautiful city, despite the rain!
Plus, we pledged to return to Paris ASAP.
Fantastic! I am glad you made it back to the Tour! La Chappelle is nice, but I am sure the wine was wonderful!
Thanks! It all depends on what’s important to each of us individually, no?
Yay! Another winer with a penchance for Ste. Chappelle, Le Tour Effeil AND Parisian wine bars! Sante~
Reblogged this on mwwcblog.