Last Day

No one is allowed to walk on the grass in any of the parks!!


Another home store in the Marais I was obsessed with



The lovely Metro



They actually tell you how many minutes until the next train. We were pros by the end...


No one on computers, phones or blackberries. Just hanging out or reading.


A carnival in Paris we stumbled on!


At Itieneries restaurant


Their menu for the evening



She wanted hot chocolate every day. Finally we found some. It was amazing





Musee d'Orsay


Tonight we went to our last dinner out. Tomorrow; home. I have to say that I am ready. Only because I have had a five year old with me and she has hit the wall. I could spend another 4 or 5 days here. There are so many things to report about, but we have had very little time in our apartment. Today was the Louvre. Amazing. Of course I only got to see an hour and a half of it due to the little person I was with, but it was massive. Really massive. We got there, and the line was crazy. Crazy like am I ready to wait in line for 2 hours? crazy. But, we read in a paris book that there is another entrance on a street called Rue de Rivoli, and we went for it. We found an automated machine to buy tickets and sailed through; no wait. Our luck has been spectacular here.
Then, tonight we planned a pit stop back at our apartment before heading out to dinner. Since we have arrived a week ago, the front door of the building has been unlocked. The second entrance door has been locked however. But, a couple of days ago apparently a homeless man came in and slept in the foyer, and the tenants locked the door. Now, we have a code to get into the front door, but the recent rains shorted out the code pad and a key is required which we do not have. Of course today is the only day my sister has not brought her Blackberry with us for the day and we get back to the apartment and can't get in (that was my idea...oops). But, our keys had a phone number on it, and we figure that number may be the owner's. She went to find a pay phone while I stood watch in case any tenants came out the front door. Of course the phone only takes phone cards, and that complicated things. Anyway, I just started shaking the door. Really hard, for a long time. I figured maybe someone in the apartment might hear me and get really annoyed. As luck would have it, the lady on the first floor opened her window and started talking to me in perfect english and said "are you the tenants in the rental apartment?" Oh boy, problem solved. We called our land lady for the week and she had no idea what was happening or how to get a key. Our neighbor let us borrow hers while we went to dinner, and all was well. Serious luck!!
I was able to visit the most famous gourmet food store and gourmet kitchen store while on this trip. Neither blew my mind. I wanted it to though. Don't get me wrong; I was very excited. But not in the way that I wanted to blow a couple hundred euros. I was sensible, and only spent about 30 euros in each. I am coming away fom here feeling very very lucky about where I live, the choices I have, and the added comfort that I know how to prepare food on a basic level. I will miss vanilla pot de creme however. It is made by Nestle, and is sold in the grocery stores. It is like a mix between creme brulee and vanilla pudding. I am putting 8 small jars in my suitcase and trying to bring some home. I read on the US customs website that yogurt is usually allowed in, so I am going for it.
Our dinners have been so so. Last night's dinner, we went to a place called Frenchie and met my old college roomate and his wife for dinner. They just happened to be in Paris at the same time and it worked out perfectly. It was a very wonderful evening. We got to catch up, talk in english for a solid two hours and eat food that was some of the best I have ever had.
Appetizer: hand made tortellini stuffed with hand crafted sausage and a cream sauce
Entree: scallops over a white beans
Dessert: vanilla panna cotta with fresh berries
It was not complicated, but it just worked. The acidity was perfectly balanced. Seasoning was spot on, and everything was slightly surprising. The chef came out at the end of the meal it was fun telling him how much we loved our dinner.
The other nights were just ok. Although I did have a grilled watermelon and bacon salad with shaved fennel the other night that I am excited to recreate.
M said tonight she wants to get back home because she misses my cooking (and her daddy). She misses how well I make her rice. Oh well, I will take it.