Paris

My first visit to Paris was an amazing time! For all of you that have been asking for photos you will find many at the end so scroll onward.

I was a little nervous about going to Paris, (Language barrier mainly), but he prospect of the food excited me. Shelley had not been to Paris either but was quite excited for her first visit. What did we do? I had more foie gras than at any other time in my life and loved every last bit. There was shopping at H & M and Hermés, dining at any and every café, strolling through the touristy areas, meandering though the streets, drinking absinthe, and letting passions and whims be our guide.

My first impressions: everyone smokes, the cars are tiny, and I loved the close integration of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians, and lastly people are up late! (think your 10PM is a Parisian 2AM) And all the Pizza and sushi shops offer delivery via scooter.

One one of our first nights venturing out Shelley and I opted to go in the “up” direction when ever we needed to make a choice. This led us to Sacré Cœur and a beautiful night time vista of the city. There were several hundred people on the steps, chatting, drinking, playing music, painting, or doing whatever came to mind. There was a feeling there that I often associated with the day parties and camp-outs from my time in San Francisco.

Strangely enough we did not encounter any mimes, the closest we found was a greek statue guy who was all to happy to break character to have his photo taken with tourists. We also missed seeing Jim Morrison’s grave. We tried to get to the cemetery on the same day as a trip to Versailles and arrived about 45 minutes after the closing. That’s an adventure that will need wait for another visit. We also did not take a trip down the Siene, enter Notre Dame, the Louvre, venture up the Eiffel Tower, eat frog legs, stop at the Rodin, walk up the hill at Montmartre or a few other touristy things.

I found a new favorite salad, la landaise. It is made with duck, duck, some leafy bits, and topped with foie gras and a fried egg. Best salad ever. Escargot was delicious and the bread and pastries is alone worth the trip. I became a fan of the café créme and the sparking water…(love to order the san peligrino in stead of the perrier) I discovered a few new alcoholic beverages and was reunited with an old love, Coca-Cola (made with sugar and not corn syrup you see).

Mo and Phyllis, who were on extended holiday following spending the last year at university in London, met up with Shelley and I for a day in Paris. It was lots of fun to see them again. They happened to be the last people we spent time with in San Francisco and cavorting with them made Paris feel much more familiar.

The trip ended with a night at the Moulin Rouge. Go if you get the chance. It is umm WOW!

There are lots of specifics of the city that I’ll delve into with future posts.

: Having just taken off from Paris, Charles de Gaul airport, destination Houston Texas

: Waiting for the pilot to take off from Charles de Gaul airport

: If you should ever encounter this tequila flavored malt beverage, don’t.

: In case of airport stress please spend 2€

: The terminal where our plane to Houston Texas waited

: Taxi driver starting the 45€ trip to the airport

: Found at a corner store and quite yummy!

: My new favorite salad – la landaise

: Escargot!!

: Watching from a cafe as a sudden shower sent people scattering

: One of the crazy small cars, Multipla

: As close as I came to Jim Morrison’s Grave, Père Lachaise Cemetery

: A Multipla, one of the rarer small cars in Paris

: Street life in the Montmatre/Pigalle area of Paris

: The Sexodrome in Paris

: Moulin Rouge Performers after the last show

: The crowd outside the Moulin Rouge after the show.

: The line waiting to get into the Moulin Rouge

: Close up of the Front of the Moulin Rouge

: The Vent of the Paris metro stop near the Moulin Rouge

: Lounging and sunbathing along the Seine

: The front of Notre Dame

: First sight of the Moulin Rouge

: The south side of Notre Dame

: Rue-Saint-Denis notorious for prostitutes

: Dinner with Shelley before the Moulin Rouge

: MMM Bordeaux and bacon flavored crackers

: A small hotel hidden in a sort of developed alleyway, Hotel Chopin

: The Opera in Paris

: My end of dining out in paris, 3 crèm brûlée

: A large tulip built out of the wall

: Metrocar, another of the smaller hard to find models

: Tasty wine!

: Saint Eustache, where part of Da Vinci Code was filmed

: Dinner before the Moulin Rouge

: Stained Glass in Saint Eustache

: The alter in Saint Eustache

: Chairs not pews for parishioners in Saint Eustache

: MEat and cheese plate for lunch

: Clarika – music debut in September

: The Eiffel Tower

: Closed Fallafel Shop

: At the Eiffel Tower

: The floor of Shoes at the Galleries lafayette

: Lots of shoes at the Galleries Lafayette

: Main Sales floor at the Galleries Lafayette

: Eiffel Tower across the Seine

: Shopping at the Galleries Lafayette

: How you move in Paris

: Moving out of a Parisian apartment

: Surprisingly tasty malt beverage

: Fountain at the Touilleries

: Touilleries Fountain

: He was playing Jazz under the bridge that crossed the Siene by the Musée d’Orsay

: The Siene by the Musée d’Orsay

: Croquet Madame for lunch!!!

: Accepting donations for a flat!

: Isis – Musée d’Orsay

: Clock at the top level of the Musée d’Orsay

: Narcisse’s backside at the Musée d’ Orsay

: Party in an apartment

: Side vie of Narcisse at the Musée d’Orsay

: Folies Bergere

: Urban writing in Paris

: Narcisse at Musée d’Orsay

: Drinking champagne in Paris

: Main gallery of the Musée d’Orsay

: Large green recycle bins abounded in Paris

: The Eiffel Tower from the Touilleries

: Delicious wine while dining at Ratatouille

: Shelley at Ratatouille

: Oe of the many shows in Paris

: Brooches and pins for sale

: Touilleris

: Brooches for sale

: The Brooch store

: Looking toward Sacré Cœur from the Musée d’Orsay

: Looking toward Sacré Cœur from the Musée d’Orsay

: Cock at the top of the Musée d’Orsay

: Clock Close up – Musée d’Orsay

: Pub le Klein, hot and unfun

: Loot from my shopping trip at H&M Les Halles

: Mo Phyllis Shelley and Matthew Drink at Pub le Klein

: Another of the yummy put an egg on your sandwich sandwiches :-)

: Rude American tourists in Pub Le Klein

: Shelley vs the Beer

: A hippo statue at the Louvre Metro Stop

: Shopping at Les Halles

: People on the Bruxelles to Paris train

: Shelley on the Thallys trin to Paris from Bruxelles

: Restaurant B4

: Heading to Bruxelles on Thallys

: Wine with dinner at B4

: The tasting menu at B4

: Dinner with Mo Phyllis Shelley and Matthew at B4

: BHV Homme has this amazing plant covered 5 story exterior wall.

: L’Absinthe Café, green fairy hunting

: Snacks at L’Absinthe Café

: Mo waiting for her absinthe

: getting set up to drink absinthe

: Absinthe, worth the wait

: Enjoying absinthe

: Absinthe + Phyllis = fun!

: Shelley loves her some absinthe

: Mo waiting on absinthe

: Absinthe fountain

: Shelley waits for everyone to cross the street

: Phyllis and Mo have the monies

: A nice local cafe in Paris

: A great little cafe in Paris

: Phyllis bought the tie for 20p

: Steps of Sacré Cœur during the day

: Urban Art in Paris

: Urban Art in Paris

: La Toilette

: A vintage metro stop

: Shelley helps Phyllis and Mo buy metro passes

: Taxi driver taking us to find Mo and Phyllis

: Funicularie in Paris

: Steps of Sacré Cœur at night

: Paris cityscape

: Sacré Cœur at night

: The light of the Eiffel Tower from Sacré Cœur

: First dinner in Paris

: Ferris Wheel at the Toulleries

: On the Ferris Wheel

: Looking at the Louvre from the ferris wheel

: Eiffel Tower from the top of the ferris wheel

: Louvre

: Louvre

: Bikes in the community bike rental program

: Arriving in Paris at Gare du Nord

: Eurostar arrives at Gare du Nord, Paris

: Coca-Cola with Sugar FTW!

: On the Eurostar heading to Paris

: Inside the Eurostar heading to Paris from London

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