For those who follow my blog, you probably know that I love to run when I am travelling in France. I also love wine. So, I decided to combine the two when I was recently in Paris. I had heard about a great wine bar called, “Le Baron Rouge”. It is located just east of the Bastille and one Sunday morning I decided I wanted to visit this place. But, I also wanted to get a short run in. What would I do? Have you heard of the movie, “Run, Lola, Run”? This is my version: “Run Drink Eat Run To Le Baron Rouge”. It’s a unique experience I think everyone should try. Let me explain.
Sunday Run
When I woke up that Sunday morning I ran from my apartment located south of the Seine River in the 5th arrondissement to three markets. The first was only two kilometers away and not a difficult run as one has to keep stopping at traffic lights (aka. “rest time”). It was a cloudy day, around 0 degrees C so it was good for running.
Run To Marché des Enfants Rouge
- small with food stalls. There wasn’t much exciting there but the area was interesting. It had lots of shops and restaurants.
Run To Marché Bastille
- located 1.3 kilometres away
- it is one BIG market with lots of stalls and people. As it is one of Paris’ biggest, it was also very crowded but for good reason.
Run To Marché d’Aligre
- located less than a kilometre away
- a new one on my list and it became my favourite for the day
- there was an organic bakery where I bought my beloved chaussons aux pommes. I figured it was a good place to buy it as there was a line up to get in
Le Baron Rouge
After munching on a chausson aux pommes, I ventured across the street to Le Baron Rouge. It was my “reward” for my little run. Just in front of the wine bar, there were a few tables set up and two staff were preparing plates of oysters and told me that I choose my oysters and then go inside to choose my wine.
It was very amusing to watch the staff shucking the oysters with her contraption. It reminded me of a paper cutter and it did the trick without cutting or stabbing herself. This video will show how fast she was.
Oysters and Wine
I chose some oysters from the list (I am not a connoisseur so I just picked the middle one on the list). I was given a plate with my oysters, bread, butter, and lemon and proceeded inside where I was overwhelmed with hundreds of bottles of wine and casks of wine.
I spoke to the owner who was behind the bar and he recommended a delicious white wine to go with my oysters. I stood at the bar, amongst the crowds (very popular place) and enjoyed my treat for the day, speaking to some other clients. I don’t THINK I got any weird looks as I was in my running gear. I think they just accepted me as another person who loves oysters and wine. I then ran back home.
This was one of my most pleasant runs (exception: Marathon du Medoc——22 wines over 42.2 kilometres) and although you may not want to take up running, I highly suggest you check out Le Baron Rouge for a great experience. By the way, the price for a glass of wine and 5 oysters? 10.5 Euros. Distance run? 8.8 kilometres.
Marché des Enfants Rouge: 39 Rue de Bretagne (3rd arrondissement
Marché Bastille: at Place de la Bastille
Marché d’Aligre: at Place d’Aligre (12th arrondissement)
Le Baron Rouge Paris: 1 rue Theophile Roussel (12th arrondissement)
18 Comments
Susan Reddel
June 27, 2016 at 12:00 pmKudos to you Jan! I pretty sure I would still be there sipping wine and eating and forgetting that I was supposed to be running back. Love your joie de vie!
Jan
June 27, 2016 at 9:24 pmToo funny! If I had had more wine, I definitely would not have run back.
Michele Peterson
June 27, 2016 at 12:40 pmWow, that sounds fantastic – oysters and wine! I’m not so sure about the running part but it would be a great way to keep off the calories!
Jan
June 27, 2016 at 9:23 pmFortunately, there aren’t many calories in oysters! As for the wine…a bit more.
Donna Janke
June 27, 2016 at 1:47 pmI am not a runner, but I would consider walking some of the distance to Le Baron Rouge. Love the stops along the way. An oyster and wine bar as a reward – certainly enticing.
Jan
June 27, 2016 at 9:24 pmThat’s why I love to run….for the rewards!
noel
June 27, 2016 at 1:55 pmOMG, I would love that place and that contraption wow, really cool. What did this cost?
Jan
June 27, 2016 at 9:25 pmOnly 10.5 Euros!
Peta Kaplan
June 27, 2016 at 2:22 pmSuch an unusual yet very fun combination…
Thanks for the good memories. I had my very first oysters ever in Paris at 3 a.m. with everyone in the restaurant watching….!
Love Marche Aligre!
Peta
Jan
June 27, 2016 at 9:26 pmYes, definitely a fun combination. Good for you for having oysters for the first time!
The GypsyNesters
June 28, 2016 at 5:49 pmWow, even I could shuck oysters with a tool like that. Never seen anything like it before.
Jan
June 28, 2016 at 7:55 pmShe was so fast with that device, shucking a ton of oysters in no time!
Irene S. Levine
June 29, 2016 at 7:39 amOysters and wine are the perfect combo!! What fun~
Jan
June 29, 2016 at 9:51 amDefinitely!
alison abbott
July 2, 2016 at 2:08 pmNot sure I could run and then eat, but the oysters and wine-sign me up. You’ve given us some great destinations to enjoy this tasty combo. and kudos to you for burning off the calories before you even arrive at the scene!
Jan
July 2, 2016 at 8:50 pmThanks…..that’s why I run! So I can eat French food!
Vicki Winters
July 2, 2016 at 4:11 pmyou seem to be in your happy place with a glass of wine and some oysters! thanks for sharing all these great restaurants….. Don’t stop running!!!
Jan
July 2, 2016 at 8:51 pmDefinitely in my happy place! I hope to run into my 80’s!