rnakamot

Our last day in St. Remy, Matt and I went back to Joel Durand Chocolaterie. The chocolate man himself was there in the shop, and gave us each a sample of a couple of his famed seasonal chocolates. Vinegar with honey truffle covered in dark chocolate, and dark chocolate with cinnamon. We bought some of his letter chocolates that spelled "Matt Robyn," and said our goodbye. Next, Matt and I visited the must-see still-functioning asylum where Van Gough stayed. It was very interesting and a little creepy, walking through his actual room, and looking out the barred window to the wilting crops in the backyard. Psychiatry has taken off since his time, and doctors back in the day used to treat their patients with shock-therapy, throwing them in a bathtub filled with cold water and covering ... read more

Our second day in St Remy, we walked into town and sat over a long leisurely coffee (I ordered a noisette... a shot of espresso with a shot of milk). Then, we drove an hour to the ancient Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard. It was one of the sites I learned about in my art history classes, so seeing it in person and being able to walk across it was an amazing experience. Matt bought a bottle of red wine from the gift shop, and after viewing the site, sat at one of their tables and had a little picnic. Wine, cheeses, a baguette, and salamis were a perfect end to our sightseeing day. Back in St Remy, we had a wonderful dinner at Bistrot de Decouverte. It was recommended by Chow.com boards, which are always ... read more

After a couple days sightseeing in Nice, we decided we had to go to Monaco. It was a 30 minute train ride, and easy to catch. First we walked up the hill to see the prince's palace, with a spectacular view of the city. Then we hiked down the hill to the main area of Monte Carlo, stopping along the way for a sunset dinner where I finally found my salmon tartare. After dinner, we walked over to the Hotel de Paris and crashed an outdoor party set in the middle of Louis Vuitton and jewelry stores. I think it was sponsored by Bentley, and celebrating an artist who designed the cover of a Monaco magazine. Porsches, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins and Bentleys galore in the roundabout hotel valet parking. The BMWs and Mercedes seemed like the ... read more

The last few days in Paris we spent mostly wandering the city and revisiting some of our favorite spots. Since we'd already been here twice and did all of the "mandatory" touristy stuff, we figured we could take it easy this trip. A few highlights of our last few days there: -Walking around Les Halles and the Pompidou -Getting (and drawing in) really amazing sketchbooks from Charvin, a cool art store from 1830!! -Walking through the bustling Richard Lenoir market. Sadly the amusing juggler/street performer was not there. He balances a goldfish bowl on his head while juggling to music! -Visiting our old apartment on Rue Rosier -Trying different cheeses (I found out I love Beaufort) -Exploring the back side of Montmartre and stumbling upon an excellent bistro there, Au Relais. Matt's roasted duck salad was ... read more

We arrived in Paris in the early morning, and took the metro to the 11th arrondissemont. It was fairly cold, and it took a little while to find our hotel which was hidden on a side street near the Oberkampf stop. Unfortunately, the grumpy hotelier informed us that we weren't able to check into our room until 2 PM (!!!) so we dropped our bags at the front desk and set out in the city of Paris. Our first stop? Walking to the Marais district, our old neighborhood that we lived in and love. Shops and cafes were only starting to open since it was late morning, but we ducked into Bouquet des Archives on rue des archives, our favorite cafe in the neighborhood! We ordered 2 cafe cremes, and Matt got a croque madame which ... read more