Europe Trip Continued: Paris Day 4

On Thursday we met with one of Felipe's friends, Hadi, for a drink at La Terrasse (address: 2,place de l'Ecole Militaire in the 7th arrondissement). Hadi had chosen a cafe/restaurant on the corner across from the Ecole Militaire. We did not have much time, as Hadi was just coming off of work, and we were to meet others for dinner. But we had a nice visit, the first visit we've had since my first trip to Paris with Felipe in June 2007.


I just loved the look of the signs on the street corner.


A nice woman from California was sitting next to us reading a book. She offered to take our photo, which we accepted.

Before we had met Hadi, we had some small amount of time to pass. We'd walked down the avenue a short way, and didn't see much of interest. But then there was a very narrow side street that passed between a couple of buildings. We took this to find ourselves on a small cobblestone pedestrian street filled with beautiful shops. I could live on a street like this. Such a stark difference to the areas of NYC that I spend most of my time in.


A bright, fragrant flower shop.


Oh my God, the fromagerie....why oh why can't one of these open on my block!


And of course a small wine shop (right across from the butcher shop - not pictured).


After drinks with Hadi we took the metro to Grands Boulevards to find the restaurant Clementine (address: 5 Rue Saint-Marc, 75002). We had planned to meet two of Felipe's former EY Paris colleagues, Sebastien and David, for dinner there. David chose the restaurant and he chose very well. It was on a very short street, off of the main Boulevard Montmartre, but not too far. We arrived and waited outside a bit, after some minutes deciding to ask within if anyone else had come yet. As it was, Sebastien was waiting at a table upstairs.

The food was fantastic! (it went quite well with the terrific company that we had with David and Sebastien). We each ordered from the menu the entree, the main and a dessert. I started with a tomato mousse with fresh cut tomatoes and a salad. It was delicious! The mousse was so smooth, and a bit tangy. The salad, well - arugula is one of my favorite salad greens!


The main for me was lamb with tarragon sauce, with ratatouille and gratin potatoes. If I could recreate this meal on a weekly basis I would. The tarragon sauce with the lamb was perfect. And the sides were delicious and not so large as to fill you up.


For dessert, well I opted for a cheese plate. Maybe it was inspiration from the fromagerie we'd seen earlier in the day, or maybe it's just that I LOVE cheese. It did not disappoint. Unfortunately I wasn't told exactly which cheeses I was getting. I do know that one was a Camembert, and one of course a blue cheese, and a goat cheese. But there were two I wasn't quite sure of.


We had such a delightful time with Sebastien and David, it was nice to see Sebastien again and to finally meet David for the first time. I look forward to seeing them again on our next trip! maybe at another terrific restaurant.

Stay tuned....I will be finishing my Europe posts by the end of the year. And the next post will begin our Avignon trip!

Europe Continued: Day Three - Food!

Coffee at LaDuree

We started day three by going to have breakfast at Ladurée Bonaparte - home of my favorite pastry ever! Breakfast was a little more involved than we would usually do, but on vacation I was willing to go out on a limb! We each got the typical breakfast - a small plate with assorted small pastries (brioche and croissants) with yummy currant jam, the awesome french butter, cafe au lait, and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Yum!


The restaurant is beautiful, with amazing paintings on the walls.


We really enjoyed the food and picked up some pastries and macarons for later - they have so many delicious flavors to choose from!

(Photo from the Laduree website)

Ladurée Royale
16, rue Royale - 75008 Paris
Tél : +33 1 42 60 21 79

After Laduree we walked around FOREVER! I mean, legs about to fall off walking around. but we had such a nice time walking through the streets, window shopping and enjoying the city in general. While walking along the Seine we passed a building that had a bunch of art propped up against the windows. There was no one in sight, but there was a small stool and a set of paints. We didn't have any cash on us, so we thought we would find a bank and return when the artist returned. Well let's just say that you can see your bank on every other corner, until the moment you need it. We walked for a half an hour through the winding streets before we found the right bank. Then we walked another twenty minutes to get back to where we started!

But it was worth it. By the time we returned, the artist was back, and we purchased two sketches/paintings for Parisian building. I really enjoy picking up something arty while we travel - it's easy to bring back and is a nice souvenir!


After all that walking around we went to Le Grand Epicerie, my favorite grocery store in the whole world! There is nothing not to love about this place!...unfortunately I don't have any photos. Let's just say that it has every grocery product you can imagine, from all over the world. Felipe and I go every time we're in Paris, and shop for fun stuff to bring home and a little bit of food to have a picnic lunch.


Me and my violet flavored Religieuse.....mmmm.... (no, I didn't just have pastry for lunch, I ate regular food too!)


Felipe and some super yummy green olive tapenade on fresh baked baguette.


After lunch we wandered around a bit more. I suppose when I put it that way it sounds like we had nothing structured to do, but I tell you that we love just having the time to wander and people watch. Towards the late afternoon, before we headed back to Laurence and Sylvain's place we were walking down the street and the sky and buildings caught my eye. I do love Paris!

More posts to come! Again, apologies for the belatedness in my posts!

Europe Continued: Paris Day Two

So when Felipe and I are in Paris, we treat the time as if we lived there (but didn't have to work of course!). We spend the days walking around the parts of the city we love. It could be like the day before when we walked along the Boulevard St. Michel near the Latin Quarter, or along the Seine by the Pont des Artistes. This was a favorite spot for Felipe. He told me about having picnic style lunches with his friends on weekend evenings here, and so we often stop by to sit on the benches and people watch for a while. This visit was not as nice, as it seems that there was all sorts of changes passing on the bridge. People have started placing locks on the railings of the bridge, meant to symbolize their and their partners undying love - but in reality the bridge is entirely covered in locks...it's a bit unsightly and Felipe lamented the new "eyesore". Secondly there were people all over the bridge pushing for you to sign some sort of paper, none of them spoke, they just held out the paper and made a writing motion with a pen, asking in that way for you to sign some sort of petition. I'm not one for signing random things, so we politely declined. Thirdly, there was some guy hustling people playing three card monte (or as I guess the French call it: Les Trois Perdants). It's a public place, so of course the people may do what they please, it was just a bit of a let down from our past visits to the bridge.

We decided instead to relax a bit along the Seine itself, and so enjoyed a bench and watched some boat traffic, and people walking by.




You can see that many of the trees along the Seine have graffiti carved into their bark. I was taking some photos and notice the graffiti on the tree of the first photo in this post. I couldn't help but notice that inside of the heart it appeared that someone had carved a "F + S", maybe it's not that...but "looks like it" is good enough for me! If I ever were to carve my and Felipe's initials inside of a heart on a tree, I suppose I would do it next to the Seine in Paris. However, I'm not one to go carving into tree bark (it feels a bit wrong), so I'll just enjoy that someone else did it for themselves and it worked out for Felipe and I as well :)

Unrelated to this area, but having to do with our walk that day, we passed a little street market and I had to take a photo. I'm not sure the older woman by the butcher quite understood why I was taking a photo....

I would LOVE it if NYC had street markets like this! Sure we have some farmers markets, and a really terrific and large one in Union Square, but they get SO crowded and so cramped full of people that it's not a very pleasant shopping experience, for me at least. These little street markets are all over the place - I've never seen them so packed that you couldn't hardly move.... Well maybe someday we'll live in Paris and I can enjoy shopping at them.

Europe Continued: Paris Day One

Enjoying breakfast on the train.

Felipe and I left Barcelona on Sunday evening. We traveled to Paris via overnight train - a mode of transportation that I think beats everything else. There is something to be said for arriving to the train station easily (no lengthy trip to the airport), no massive lines for checking your bags or security, and your own private little compartment (since we were sleeping we got our own cabin). Perfect! We settled in and watch Hitchcock's North by Northwest, which happens to be a terrific movie for a train! and relaxed. Eventually the attendant comes around and unlocks your bed for you and there you have it. The next morning we woke up when we were nearing Paris and went to the restaurant car to have our breakfast.

We went to Laurence and Sylvain's apartment where we were staying and had a nice lunch with Laurence before heading out to roam the city. Felipe lived in Paris previously, and I've now been there a few times, so many of the main tourist attractions hold less influence over our decisions about where to go. We headed over to the Boulevard St. Germain and the Latin Quarter where Felipe used to live and walked around a bit. On our way back to the apartment we stopped at the Jardin du Luxembourg and enjoyed a quiet walk. The colors were changing in the leaves on the trees and the sky was grey as is typical of Paris in the autumn and winter.

















Later that evening we ate at a nice little restaurant that I can't remember where it is or the name - very unlike me, but was a nice evening with Laurence, Sylvain and our other friend Ruben. Unfortunately the only good photo I got was of the three of them while Sylvain was retrieving the car...so much for him or I being in the photo ;)

Wishing I Could Be There Now....

Near Barceloneta Beach and the Olympic Village.

Felipe is returning today from a Business trip in London, and I am looking forward to the long weekend with him. But oh how I wish we could be in Europe right now! Sitting by the beach in Barcelona, walking through la Boqueria, eating some fantastic meal in Paris. I love it in the warmer weather (our last couple of trips were in the fall or very early spring - when it was much cooler and rainy).


At La Boqueria, so beautiful and yummy!!!


Shadows and Arches by the Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

We're traveling to Rio de Janiero for the holidays at the end of the year, and so we may not get to visit Europe again this year - and of course this makes me a little sad! I'll be scouring the travel sites looking for cheaper fares though!!!

I hope that you have something nice planned for the long holiday weekend (if you are living in the United States that is - sorry to anyone reading this who has only a regular weekend!). We'll be going to New Jersey for a wedding on Sunday, and hopefully having a picnic in the park so we can enjoy the weather, which is supposed to be great!

A Drink at Le Dôme Café

Today we had a lovely visit with our friends Laurence, Sylvain and Ruben. Arrived to their apartment around 1pm and enjoyed catching up - next time we come...settlers!

After our afternoon visit we went to Montparnasse, and had a drink at Le Dôme Café. This is one of the original cafés in Montparnasse, opened in 1898. It was the perfect spot to have a drink and sit for a short while before going to dinner.



It had a beautiful interior and was actually pretty quiet (I think there were many people traveling today - so fewer eating out). They had these fantastic mirrors with etchings on them (see below)


I would definitely recommend it for a drink, and from what I gather, it had one Michelin star in the restaurant (separated from the cafe) - so the food should be good as well!

Le Dôme Café
109 bd. Montparnasse, Paris, 75014
+ 33 (0) 1 43 35 25 81
Closest Métro: Vavin

After Le Dôme Café, we met Sebas for dinner at Crêperie de Josselin
. This is a very nice crêperie with a very traditional selection. We each ordered a savory and a sweet crepe, mine being a spinach, cheese, egg and bacon wheat crepe with a dessert of nutella and whipped cream crepe.

Our waiter was a character - gave me a bit of a hard time that I did not finish entirely my savory crepe and saying he wouldn't bring me a second! But it was all in good humor and eventually I got my sweet one! Sorry, no pics...was kind of tired tonight!

Crêperie de Josselin
67, Rue du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris
+33 08 99 237 101

Mmmm....Paris

Felipe and I arrived to Paris on Friday evening, and have been non-stop since then! But oh, the wonderful company (Sebas and Marcos) and the yummy food we've had.

Friday night our friend Sebas, with excellent foresight, booked dinner at Brasserie Lipp in Saint Germain des prés.


I had a super super yummy Poulet formier rôti.


And of course there was dessert. We each ordered one and shared...Chocolate eclair, tart tatin and a mont blanc (kind of like a hazelnut cream - similar to marzipan in texture - over a whipped cream).




It was a delicious dinner, and a highly recommendable restaurant. It was pretty busy, so we were lucky to have had the reservation (but this might have also been because it was the 1st of January).

151 Boulevard St-Germain
75006 Paris
+33-1-45-48-53-91

Yesterday was also a very delicious day....In the morning, we made a special trip to the Champs Élysée to go to Ladurée.

They are well known for their macaroons, but also have an abundance of of wonderful pastries.

The Macaroons...

I got two excellent pastries (unfortunately my camera batteries died just before and so I was forced to photo them on my iPhone - bummer)

The Beautiful box they come in.


mmmm....Blackcurrant-Violet "Religieuse", choux pastry, blackcurrant & violet flavoured confectioner’s custard. Oh man, this was delicious!!! The other is a pistachio Eclair, also fantastic.

I wish I could have tried everything there...so good!

75 Avenue des Champs Elysées
Paris 75008
+33-1-4075-0875

Then lunch...we went to Le Relais de l'Entrecôte. This is a very nice, very simple restaurant. They have one thing on the menu - steak l'Entrecôte (it's a certain cut) with pommes frite (See below). Well in reality, they do have a variety of drinks and desserts, but only one main.

The steak was perfect, the sauce was delicious and the fries excellent. And they bring you seconds! They've just opened a location in New York City, which has received favorable reviews...I may have to go there.

101, boulevard du Montparnasse
Paris 75006
+33 1 46 33 82 82