Paris Day 2-3

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Just my luck! I finished typing a huge passage about Paris and lost it all when I submitted it to publish. Here’s a summary. Day 2-3 of Paris continued…On the eve of my second day in Paris I finished my walking tour of Paris at the Hotel de Infediles, an enormous old brick building with a large courtyard and a military museum. The museum seemed more fascinating after I saw the old mini tanks at the corners of the courtyard. These tanks which were designed by the French military gave them a new edge on their competition in WWII. If Ford gets their hands on the blueprints for this, it could become the next Hummer!

After a bit more walking around the Hotel, I hopped on the Metro to go to the restaurant recommended to me by my host, Yudi. It was a bit of a distance, and while on the Metro I wondered if it was going to be worth the commute. Chez Paul turned out to be a great little restaurant. Very French, a bit classy, but very reasonably priced for such amazing cuisine. I ordered a glass of Bordeaux and a Pepper Steak with seasoned scalloped potatoes and French Bread. The whole meal was delectable. The meat was so tender and had just the right amount of spice, plus it was dressed in delicious brown gravy. The garlic and rosemary on the potatoes were a perfect complement to the steak. And the wine, of course, was nothing short of spectacular. While eating, an older man sitting next to me started to converse with me in broken English. At first it was casual conversation, then it turned into him ranting about how much he hated the French government and the current president. He said they’d squandered away too much money and given too many consessions to the rich. Soon after, he asked me if I’d paid for a girl in Paris, and when I said no he offered to show me a “nice place”. I declined, then he said he had a “nice friend” I could meet after my meal. I just sat back and finished my meal. When I finished, he poured a full glass of wine for me from his bottle and asked me again. I suspect he was working for one of the sleazy dance clubs that sucker tourists in and rip them off. I opted for some rest at home instead. When I got back to Yudi’s I found a note that he was out for a movie with his girlfriend, so I walked around and ran into the Moulin Rouge down the street. Great timing too, as they were just starting to let in a mass of people for the night show. It was interesting to see all of the sharp dressed patrons, mostly tourists I imagine, filing in for the show. I asked the door man about tickets for the show and he said the night show was 90 euro and I’d have to make reservations online. For 90 euro I think I’ll pass. I’d rather buy a ticket for RADIOHEAD!! So I wandered into some back streets in search of a shop where I could get some wine. I found a night shop that had a perfectly-sized bottle of Bordeaux which I had him open for me, and I sipped it right from the bottle (In true French style according to my host) around the park. It was a very soft and delicious wine. Shortly after I returned back to Yudi’s and was greated by he and his gf with another bottle of wine J We had a good talk about Paris and listened to some light Jazz before turning in for the night.

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