Paris

I fell in love with Paris all over again as soon as I stepped off the train from London.
First off, the train ride through the chunnel was pretty cool -- it only took 20 minutes
to cross under all that water (over 31 miles!). Those trains sure zip along.

Here are some of the fun sights we saw in Paris as we spent our days shopping and
wandering around taking in the magnificence of the city. I promise the next post
will be more fashion focused and I'll let you in on my fab purchases!



We stayed at the Hotel Luxembourg Observatoire on the left bank near the
Luxembourg gardens where these two photos were taken. It was a really nice
location, right on the RER line with an express train to the airport, and within
walking distance to many interesting sites including the Louvre and AMAZING
shopping! This is the only other place I've seen these crazy looking nobby trees
besides Berkeley. The nobbiness comes from the way they are trimmed each
year.




It rained one of the days we spent in Paris (though it was sunny and dry almost the
whole time we were in London -- crazy eh?). If you look closely you can see the
gargoyles spitting rain water.


The Louvre at night. We didn't manage a trip in as we had serious shopping on
our agenda, but we did wander past several times as it was near our hotel. One of
these days I'm going to finally brave the crowds.





These were all taken at a beautiful open air market on the Rue Mouffetard. The
wares were simply breathtaking, from meat and seafood (what is an oursin by the
way and how do you eat it?), to vegetables, cheeses, wine, and the most amazing
pastries I've ever eaten. Oh baguettes, croissants and tartes how I love thee. If
you're ever in the area I definitely recommend the tarte citron. C'est absolument
parfait! We also enjoyed quite a good confit de canard at a little restaurant near
the market, but how can you go wrong with duck cooked in fat?



Statues taking a little afternoon dip in the fountain.


I spotted these hanging pots outside a cafe near our hotel. I suppose that's a fun
use for your old pots. :) We also enjoyed a very good meal at Willi's Wine Bar, and an
old world experience at La Closerie des Lilas, open since 1847 and complete with
pianist and a very attentive (non-English speaking) waitstaff. It gave me a good
chance to finally try out my rusty French since it seemed that everywhere else we
went everyone spoke English and were quick to whisk out their english menus --
something that bothered me a bit. My goal was to go to a restaurant where they
didn't have an English menu and here I finally succeeded. I would love to spend a few
years in the romance that is Paris, getting to know the city and hopefully getting my
french into a more usable state.