The tastiest dish was not on the menu for me

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Geo: 48.8567, 2.35099

Woke up a little bit bummed out today - I didn't sleep very well, thinking about last night. I guess I was into Naoual a little more than I realized! Oh well, c'est la vie! What better way to get over it than to spend the day in Paris, stuffing my face with pastries? I can think of none!

Over to Rue Montorgueil - I remembered there being a market there two years ago. There was nothing this time - perhaps it only happens on Sundays. I had lunch at a tarte place - salmon, tomato, leeks (very good) and had a chocolate/banana tart for dessert. The crust was just caramelized and the filling was just a tiny bit runny, otherwise it was great. But what was the tastiest dish there? Sarah, the worker - tres jolie! Of course, she had a boyfriend. Zut alors!!!

Back to the hostel for a rest. On the way, I finally tried a beignet - a bit like a cross between a traditional doughnut and a Chinese fried "ghost". A little greasy and filled with pastry cream. Gooooood ... and I also had my first Parisian croissant of the trip. Flaky and light, but not buttery enough.

Off to La Defense - the heart of Parisian business. Check out the pictures for some neat, futuristic architecture. It's a sharp contrast from the traditional Parisian areas - yet it still manages to remain in harmony with the rest of Paris. I sat on the steps of the Grand Arch - it offers a nice elevated vantage point. I sat and thought about nothing in particular; I think I just needed a little break to gather my thoughts.

I took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs-Elysees. I popped into the H&M to look for some clothes. I must have a giant head - I tried on a one-size-fits-all hat and barely got it on. Maybe it's because of the fro. I wanted to walk all the way back to the hostel, but I was too tired and took the metro instead. I rested and then went off to dinner.

Back to the Rue Montorgueil area to check out the options. I settled on a Burgundy restaurant. Had some nice Burgundy wine and ice water - a first for me in Europe (they rarely have ice in restaurants)! And there was butter with the bread! And some of it was toasted! I really shouldn't have been so excited about these things, but they are pretty unusual in Europe. It's a little worrisome, though ... maybe it's a tourist trap!

I started with some Corsican ham - a little like prosciutto, but a lot stronger and saltier. It also had a slightly pungent smell and a smokey flavour. It was good with the dense bread and the really good butter that the restaurant served, but prosciutto is still much tastier.

The main course was a surprisingly large portion of cold foie gras served with salad. The foie gras was very rich - the assorted green salad was a nice complement with its mustard-based dressing. It might have been better with a vinegar-based dressing, but what do I know? You should never second-guess the French when it comes to food!

The foie gras actually ended up being a little TOO rich. There was also a side of frites - very crisp, but lacking salt. Dessert was baba al rum - a sponge cake drenched in VERY strong rum. It was kind of gross, actually. Maybe it would have been better with Jamaican or Caribbean rum?

It was a decent meal, but I have to say my culinary escapades in Paris this time have been fairly disappointing. Last time, every meal was fantastic. Not so, this time. Though I was stuffed, I knew that I had to make up for these disappointing meals - and there was only one way to do this .... gelato!!!

Naoual mentioned that Berthillon ice cream is only for tourists. Amorino is the place to go, apparently. It was pricey at 3 Euros, but it was a much bigger portion than I had yesterday at Berthillon. Mascarpone (similar in flavour to Ricotta gelato) - excellent! Balsamic vinegar - unique, but not so good. I only wanted to try something new. It was raining and I had forgotten my umbrella - I didn't want to risk rain water diluting the gelato's flavour, so I ate it underneath an awning. I hurriedly walked back to the hostel (to get out of the rain) and was off to bed.

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Photos

a
La Defense - the business centre of Paris. Cool architecture.

b
Way off in the distance - you can see the Arc de Triomphe.

c
c

d
Interesting-looking canopy at the base of the Grand Arch.

e
e

f
The Grand Arch.