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Published: September 9th 2012
Ham and chevre Salad
Perfect after all the carbs of EnglandLET THE VACATION BEGIN!!!
SATURDAY -
Getting on the Eurostar was a thrill. Feeling it move was even better, because I knew we would be in Paris in a little over 2 hours. We rolled in about 12:15 PM local time, and made it to the hotel about 2:30 since I had to run a bit of an errand….we got on our cool clothes, because it is really warm here right now, and headed out for a walk around the best city in the world. And, yep, once again all roads lead to Place de La Bastille. Ok, this time it was deliberate. Again, I had to do a bit of an errand getting a chip for my Ipad, and after a good walk of about 2-½ miles we started heading back. We stopped at a brasserie/bar close to the hotel about 4:30 and ate, since we had to be at the Opera Garnier for the opening of Capriccio by Strauss at 7:30 PM. Kevin had a grande charcuterie et fromage mixte (that is pretty much a cheese and meat platter - large) and I had a salad with chevre (goat cheese) and ham. It was perfect for what we
wanted, and what we needed. As usual, the French are so good at making ham and cheese look appetizing!
Off we went to the Opera, which was enjoyable, even though we didn’t understand either the original German, or the French translation. On top of that it was hot - thank God I have taken to carrying a fan - and the man in front of us turned around EVERY TIME I made a sound, such as a sniffle, or opening my fan, or even moving my legs. I took perverse delight when he turned around to glare at me when Kevin started fanning himself. The building itself is beautiful, and it really can’t be described. We both tried taking photos without success, although I took A LOT of the tile work on the floors, which did turn out.
SUNDAY - What does one do on a Sunday in Paris? Why, go to a marche, of course! I had been told about an outdoor market in St Denis, home of the Stade de France, and the Royal Mauseleum in the Basilica there, so after the requisite breakfast of café au lait, croissants and fruit and yogurt, we headed off
Outdoor St Denis Market
Look at the color of those tomatoes! to the market. We had no real idea it was, so we decided to follow the people with rolling carts when getting off the Metro. We were there in no time! We both did a little shopping (can you resist teeshirts at 1 Euro 50) and then went into the covered Food Market, which had the most beautiful tomatoes I have ever seen and the only horsemeat vender in Paris, I believe…After a quick bite of something really good we went into the Basilica to see the crypts of the royals. They had been disassembled, for the most part, during the revolution, but Louis XVIII (the brother of Louis XVI, who was beheaded) gathered everyone together, including his brother and Marie Antoinette. I also knew that the heart of the son of Louis and Marie Antoinette, after it had been found a few years ago, was interred there and I really wanted to see that, as I had read a book on its location and testing through DNA. We were a little intimidated by all the names, people we had heard of but weren’t sure how they fit in to the scheme of things, but using my Ipad we were
Louis XVII heart and monument
Visiting the church and crypt was a thrill for me able to make sense of it all, and learned some French history.
It was too early to go back to the room so we took off to the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter to be precise, to walk so more and find a place to eat. We went and had a look at Notre Dame, which had been scaffolded for cleaning the last time we were here. She looked beautiful…Over to the Left Bank and a good walk.
Usually you can find a good meal for really good prices in the Latin Quarter, and basically tonight was no different. I had a Chevre Chaud Salad (hot goat cheese on a crouton) with Lamb for a main course. It was a pris fixe menu which included dessert so I had Crème Brulee. Kevin had a dozen excargot (with what we now call “Garlic shooters” - the garlic and parsley left in the shell) and Beef Bourginon. He also joined me in the Crème Brulee. Although I would have liked the sugar topping a little thicker, the custard was PARFAIT!!! (perfect…) just the right consistency. We came back to the hotel, to organize about meeting up with Ed and Wendy
Notre Dame
Took this picture holding the camera myself. Hence the weird lip thing. Look at the color of that sky! tomorrow just after noon at Charles DeGaulle.
A fun couple of days in Paris, and I look forward to another couple of days at the end of the trip…
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bvchef
Brendan Vermillion
What a Great Shot
You have some incredible food shots, but this one is the best. Thanks for posting.