Today was the last full day of my European adventure. We slept in and then the three of us went to brunch at La Sardine, which was a short and fresh (read: cold) walk from the apartment. We got there around 11:30am and ordered coffee first. When we asked the one waiter/barista about brunch, he said that we had to wait until noon. So we watched him update the chalkboard menus and prepare. He then put his jacket and motorcycle helmet on. A bit confused but not too fazed by this, he walked outside and then quickly back in to tell us that he was going to go pick up the bread and that when he gets back we could order. I loved this, and even more so watching him roll up with a huge bag of baguettes on his motorcycle. He was nice to look at too.
We then had a really good brunch with œufs, potatoes, coleslaw, and a salad. Unlike brunch in the US, the brunch menu was that, no options. The other ladies had meat that I was able to substitute with roasted peppers. The motorcycle bread was really good as well. We were pleasantly surprised when he brought us pancakes with Canadian maple syrup, supposedly for brunch dessert. I loved the little Duralex water glasses we drank out of, which are apparently very typical French.
Jenna and I said bye to Sophie for the day and headed to Montmartre. We took the funiculaire up to La Basilique du Sacré Cœur, walked around inside, and then soaked in the views of the city from the steps. We walked down the steps and only once we were at the bottom realized that the artists square (Place du Tertre) we wanted to go to was at the same level as the basilica, so we walked back up and got our exercise. Along all the side streets there were lots of tourist shops as well as nicer stores. We hopped in a few on our way back up the hill. At the top we found the square with all of the artists and portraitists. I bought a little painting and Jenna posed for a portrait.
Near the square we rested inside a cafe for a bit - I sipped on champagne and Jenna on hot wine. We then headed back down the hill and picked up some last minute souvenirs. I think we're both pretty happy with our purchases overall.
Our dinner spot was recommended by Darcy and Jeani who liked going there when they studied abroad here in college. Le Refuges de Fondues is known for serving wine in baby bottles. What I didn't expect was having to step over the table to sit down. It's two long lines of tables with no spaces in between, so the person sitting on the bench by the wall literally has to step over boiling pots of fondue and neighbors inches away. At first I thought the waiter was kidding. Sure enough he was not. I made it safely over both times. The food was really good as was the wine. We both bought a baby bottle as a memento. I loved that when you walk in you're told to hang your coat, step over the table (with the waiters helping you), and are asked two questions - red or white? and cheese or meat? We shared a cheese fondue and both had red wine in our baby bottles. It was a really good meal, and we both agreed it best to walk most of the way home afterwards.
We're now packing our things and getting ready for a very early wake-up call. My first flight is at 7:50am to London and I have quite a long layover there before heading back to San Francisco.
Au revoir!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
It's not possible
Jenna and I watched 'Broken English' last night and had a relaxing evening. The movie has a French connection which is partially why we watched it while here. Sophie partied hard with her friends and came home pretty late, so we tried to be quiet when we got up early to hit the city.
We spent most of our day in Musée d'Orsay which is a beautiful space with amazing art. As soon as we walked in I noticed it looked like a train station. Sure enough it used to be one. It reminded me of Union Station in Chicago. So pretty. The impressionist exhibit was exquisite. Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Caillebotte & Cezanne all on one floor. They were represented on other floors too. Lots of Van Gogh, Seurat, and Gauguin throughout as well. There was a Monet that looked like the one Pierce Brosnan steals in 'The Thomas Crowne Affair' which was cool to see. I also loved his women with umbrellas and Les Dindons - a painting of turkeys which seemed like unique subject matter for Monet. There were two artists copying different paintings of Gustave Caillebotte which I enjoyed seeing. The fifth floor of the museum had great views of the city, and at the end of the impressionist exhibit were bean-bag couches to sit on. I sat there for quite a while because my hip has been hurting for the last two days. To the point where I would rush through some of the exhibits and then sit down and rest. I read, people watched, and sketched on a blank page of my novel while Jenna took her time enjoying the art and her audio-guide. One artist who I had never heard of but loved his work was Odilon Redon. I'll keep an eye out for him in the future.
We had our morning coffee in a cafe in the museum, and then lunch at the restaurant - which was fancy and delicious. After enjoying vin blanc, caesar salad, mushroom risotto, and finally the cafe gourmand (the espresso with tiny desserts), we continued our journey through the museum.
After the museum we wandered south to the Montparnasse neighborhood. We had dinner at a brasserie. I had a pesto pasta and we shared a cheese plate. Yum. We then met up with Sophie on the 56th floor of the Tour Montparnasse which is a high-rise with amazing views. We had to wait 40 minutes but eventually had champagne cocktails overlooking the city with the Eiffel tower in the distance. It was amazing.
Craving something sweet I bought some peanut m&ms and madeleines from the metro vending machine and we're currently enjoying some more champagne in Sophie's apartment. À ta santé!
P.S. 'It's not possible' is a direct translation used often here. Warren shared a story that he was on the train using his cell phone at his seat (which is a no-no) and a woman came up and said "it's not possible" to mean you can't do that. Too funny. So Jenna and I often have been joking that things are "not possible".
We spent most of our day in Musée d'Orsay which is a beautiful space with amazing art. As soon as we walked in I noticed it looked like a train station. Sure enough it used to be one. It reminded me of Union Station in Chicago. So pretty. The impressionist exhibit was exquisite. Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Caillebotte & Cezanne all on one floor. They were represented on other floors too. Lots of Van Gogh, Seurat, and Gauguin throughout as well. There was a Monet that looked like the one Pierce Brosnan steals in 'The Thomas Crowne Affair' which was cool to see. I also loved his women with umbrellas and Les Dindons - a painting of turkeys which seemed like unique subject matter for Monet. There were two artists copying different paintings of Gustave Caillebotte which I enjoyed seeing. The fifth floor of the museum had great views of the city, and at the end of the impressionist exhibit were bean-bag couches to sit on. I sat there for quite a while because my hip has been hurting for the last two days. To the point where I would rush through some of the exhibits and then sit down and rest. I read, people watched, and sketched on a blank page of my novel while Jenna took her time enjoying the art and her audio-guide. One artist who I had never heard of but loved his work was Odilon Redon. I'll keep an eye out for him in the future.
We had our morning coffee in a cafe in the museum, and then lunch at the restaurant - which was fancy and delicious. After enjoying vin blanc, caesar salad, mushroom risotto, and finally the cafe gourmand (the espresso with tiny desserts), we continued our journey through the museum.
After the museum we wandered south to the Montparnasse neighborhood. We had dinner at a brasserie. I had a pesto pasta and we shared a cheese plate. Yum. We then met up with Sophie on the 56th floor of the Tour Montparnasse which is a high-rise with amazing views. We had to wait 40 minutes but eventually had champagne cocktails overlooking the city with the Eiffel tower in the distance. It was amazing.
Craving something sweet I bought some peanut m&ms and madeleines from the metro vending machine and we're currently enjoying some more champagne in Sophie's apartment. À ta santé!
P.S. 'It's not possible' is a direct translation used often here. Warren shared a story that he was on the train using his cell phone at his seat (which is a no-no) and a woman came up and said "it's not possible" to mean you can't do that. Too funny. So Jenna and I often have been joking that things are "not possible".
Friday, November 22, 2013
Skulls, boobies, & lights
This morning Jenna and I got up early and went straight to the Catacombs. On the way we grabbed croissants and 'take away' coffees which they put in little tiny plastic cups. They did give us each an extra cup to line them a bit, but still, it was strange. This is when it's actually nice to see a Starbucks in a foreign country. Although I do appreciate that the French don't eat while walking, driving, or standing around. No go-gurts here.
We learned a lot about the geology and limestone underground before getting to all the bones. I thought the sign at the ticket entrance 'warning: the ossuary tour could make a strong impression on children and people of a nervous disposition' was funny. And it's true, I'm sure it terrifies some people. The old writings above the entrance door to the ossuary reads 'stop! this is the empire of death'.
The skulls and bones were moved starting in 1786 to this location because of unsanitary conditions of the cemeteries. I was impressed by the meticulous and neat stacking of the bones. There were large stone plaques in sections listing which cemetery the bones were from. The skulls (among the other bones) were displayed in lines, hearts, or crosses along the bone-walls. I was kind of surprised that you could just touch them, and run into them (which Jenna almost did). I was saddened to see that jerks wrote 'A+T' on one and someone had the nerve to draw a picture of a penis on someone's skull forehead. Not cool.
The underground walking tour was about 45 minutes. Once we resurfaced from the stairs full of sludge we took the metro to meet up with Sophie and see a cabaret! The one we went to (Le Caroussel de Paris) was right down the street from the Moulin Rouge. We had Sophie look the options up for us and this one was the most French, and the least touristy. It was fun. It was us, another small table, and a group of about 60 retired Parisians. Along with the dancing you would expect at a cabaret, there was also a comedian, the host did an Elvis impersonation (dad, you would have liked it), and then there was a very talented man who did shadow puppets on a screen. My favorite was when he was a swan, his head the body, and he (the swan) was cleaning himself and pulling up tufts of his head hair (feathers). Not sure if that makes sense, but it was all very entertaining. Sophie did a great job translating for us during the talk-heavy parts, although some of the humor made her uncomfortable; some of it was apparently pretty racist, macho, and homophobic. The dancing included a French can-can, a rendition of the Chicago movie's 'all that jazz', and a Brazilian samba. We had a four-course lunch (included in the ticket price) before it started. All of the menu options that you select beforehand were meat-heavy, and they were very nice and accommodating for my vegetarian self. We even bought the photo they took at our table with one of the cabaret ladies.
After two bottles of wine and an on-the-house champagne toast we parted ways with Sophie, and Jenna and I headed to La Tour Eiffel. Our goal was to see it during the day and at night, which we were able to do. We watched the lights sparkle at 5pm and at 6pm. We ducked into a cafe to have a coffee and treat during part of the time, as it was really cold out. I must say the lights are a bit too fast, rave-like, and seizure inducing for me. I did love how it looked lit up at night without the sparkling lights, which last about 5 minutes at the top of each hour.
A few tidbits:
1. Before we got to the cabaret Jenna was making fun of me and my goofy self mimicking the automated metro announcements for each stop. I was trying to practice my French pronunciations! Well, post cabaret and a bit tipsy, I apparently embarrassed her and my seatmate who I thought was a woman but it was a man (my peripheral vision deceived me), by singing to her 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?' as that's all I remember from the movie Moulin Rouge. I confirmed what I thought it meant. No wonder I embarrassed the metro buddy to my left, and Jenna. I then told Jenna that we should have a contest of who could make more of a fool of themselves. She didn't even entertain the idea and said 'oh, I would not win'. Ha! I'm proud, I guess?
2. Sophie had dinner plans with friends of friends tonight. Since she only has one apartment key we headed back before she left and are getting takeout from the Vietnamese restaurant across the street, which is apparently the best in this Asian-heavy neighborhood. I 'called it' that Jenna would go downstairs to get the food and I would stay up here, so I could buzz her back in (since we don't have a key). She immediately responded, 'oh I knew that I was already doing that when we made our dinner plan'. Apparently I am a goofball and a princess, all in one. In my defense, I have been responsible for the metro and map navigation, so I consider it my reward. Although I like being in charge of that. :)
We learned a lot about the geology and limestone underground before getting to all the bones. I thought the sign at the ticket entrance 'warning: the ossuary tour could make a strong impression on children and people of a nervous disposition' was funny. And it's true, I'm sure it terrifies some people. The old writings above the entrance door to the ossuary reads 'stop! this is the empire of death'.
The skulls and bones were moved starting in 1786 to this location because of unsanitary conditions of the cemeteries. I was impressed by the meticulous and neat stacking of the bones. There were large stone plaques in sections listing which cemetery the bones were from. The skulls (among the other bones) were displayed in lines, hearts, or crosses along the bone-walls. I was kind of surprised that you could just touch them, and run into them (which Jenna almost did). I was saddened to see that jerks wrote 'A+T' on one and someone had the nerve to draw a picture of a penis on someone's skull forehead. Not cool.
The underground walking tour was about 45 minutes. Once we resurfaced from the stairs full of sludge we took the metro to meet up with Sophie and see a cabaret! The one we went to (Le Caroussel de Paris) was right down the street from the Moulin Rouge. We had Sophie look the options up for us and this one was the most French, and the least touristy. It was fun. It was us, another small table, and a group of about 60 retired Parisians. Along with the dancing you would expect at a cabaret, there was also a comedian, the host did an Elvis impersonation (dad, you would have liked it), and then there was a very talented man who did shadow puppets on a screen. My favorite was when he was a swan, his head the body, and he (the swan) was cleaning himself and pulling up tufts of his head hair (feathers). Not sure if that makes sense, but it was all very entertaining. Sophie did a great job translating for us during the talk-heavy parts, although some of the humor made her uncomfortable; some of it was apparently pretty racist, macho, and homophobic. The dancing included a French can-can, a rendition of the Chicago movie's 'all that jazz', and a Brazilian samba. We had a four-course lunch (included in the ticket price) before it started. All of the menu options that you select beforehand were meat-heavy, and they were very nice and accommodating for my vegetarian self. We even bought the photo they took at our table with one of the cabaret ladies.
After two bottles of wine and an on-the-house champagne toast we parted ways with Sophie, and Jenna and I headed to La Tour Eiffel. Our goal was to see it during the day and at night, which we were able to do. We watched the lights sparkle at 5pm and at 6pm. We ducked into a cafe to have a coffee and treat during part of the time, as it was really cold out. I must say the lights are a bit too fast, rave-like, and seizure inducing for me. I did love how it looked lit up at night without the sparkling lights, which last about 5 minutes at the top of each hour.
A few tidbits:
1. Before we got to the cabaret Jenna was making fun of me and my goofy self mimicking the automated metro announcements for each stop. I was trying to practice my French pronunciations! Well, post cabaret and a bit tipsy, I apparently embarrassed her and my seatmate who I thought was a woman but it was a man (my peripheral vision deceived me), by singing to her 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?' as that's all I remember from the movie Moulin Rouge. I confirmed what I thought it meant. No wonder I embarrassed the metro buddy to my left, and Jenna. I then told Jenna that we should have a contest of who could make more of a fool of themselves. She didn't even entertain the idea and said 'oh, I would not win'. Ha! I'm proud, I guess?
2. Sophie had dinner plans with friends of friends tonight. Since she only has one apartment key we headed back before she left and are getting takeout from the Vietnamese restaurant across the street, which is apparently the best in this Asian-heavy neighborhood. I 'called it' that Jenna would go downstairs to get the food and I would stay up here, so I could buzz her back in (since we don't have a key). She immediately responded, 'oh I knew that I was already doing that when we made our dinner plan'. Apparently I am a goofball and a princess, all in one. In my defense, I have been responsible for the metro and map navigation, so I consider it my reward. Although I like being in charge of that. :)
Snow = train delay
We had a restful morning on Thursday, packed up our stuff, and headed to the train station for what should have been a 1:20pm train to Paris. When we got there our train wasn't on the departures board. We waited a bit and then got in line to ask about it. No train to Paris. It was cancelled, which seems silly because it must snow all the time. We were put on a local train to Chambery Challes, had a 3 hour layover, and then a fast train (which was 3 more hours) to Paris. The train problem was apparently in between Grenoble and Lyon. So instead of arriving at 4:30pm we arrived at 9:30pm. Knowing we had a long day ahead of us, Jenna went to find some wine near the Grenoble station. She came back with four 37.5cl bottles. We drank two of them. The train stations were super cold, and luckily Jenna noticed the hotel across the street when we got to Chambery Challes, so we hung out in their lobby/bar to wait for our connection.
Once we finally got to Paris we went to Sophie's. She's kindly letting us crash with her in the apartment she is renting for the rest of our stay. Sophie had snacks for us when we arrived and French beer! We had the IPA from Brasserie de la Goutte d'Or (the golden drop) which was great. Sophie (the Parisian) liked it too. Am glad that I've started sort of a trend to try (and enjoy) the local beer here, and stop laughing at it.
Something humorous I forgot to mention in the last post - Warren shared lots of funny stories about living in France, both social and workplace cultural differences. He talked about the complete lack of personal space. I got to experience it firsthand in the art museum in Grenoble. We were in a large room and there was no one around, but the security guard felt the need to get right up in my face. Jenna watched the whole thing. I held my ground but apparently moved my head back slightly. It was intense. He wanted me to put the umbrella in my bag. Oui, sir.
Once we finally got to Paris we went to Sophie's. She's kindly letting us crash with her in the apartment she is renting for the rest of our stay. Sophie had snacks for us when we arrived and French beer! We had the IPA from Brasserie de la Goutte d'Or (the golden drop) which was great. Sophie (the Parisian) liked it too. Am glad that I've started sort of a trend to try (and enjoy) the local beer here, and stop laughing at it.
Something humorous I forgot to mention in the last post - Warren shared lots of funny stories about living in France, both social and workplace cultural differences. He talked about the complete lack of personal space. I got to experience it firsthand in the art museum in Grenoble. We were in a large room and there was no one around, but the security guard felt the need to get right up in my face. Jenna watched the whole thing. I held my ground but apparently moved my head back slightly. It was intense. He wanted me to put the umbrella in my bag. Oui, sir.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
A lack of fireplaces
Yesterday we woke up to snow and sleeting rain. We could see the snow sticking to the trees at the top of La Bastille. Cold but kind of exciting. I imagine it's their first snow of the season. Jenna and I went to a crêperie for brunch and then walked through the Jardin de Ville on the way to the Musée de Grenoble which had lots of nice art to admire. We could also see the snow accumulating on La Bastille when we were in there.
After that museum we crossed the river and went up to the Musée archéologique Grenoble - Saint-Laurent. It was really interesting and had an amazing audio-tour with video projecting on the walls that synced up to the audio. The former St. Laurent church was built on the ruins of a Gallo-Roman necropolis that became an archaeological site in 1983 and a museum in 1986. Definitely worth a visit. And it was free.
On the way back towards the center of town we stopped in another crêperie for dessert. I got a nutella crêpe. Yum.
We then went back to the apartment because we were going to go out to dinner with Jamie and Warren. When we got there Jamie announced that she bought some French beer for me to try. They have been so sweet and very hospitable. And verdict from all was that - it was good! Definitely had a Belgian flavor to it, but the French beer was really tasty. At least that one was (La Goudale). We all shared a big bottle of beer, finished the good chardonnay from the night before, and then headed to a fondue restaurant, A Confesse, where you walk into the restaurant through an old confessional. They had baskets hanging above the tables on a pulley system, where they put the bread to dip into the fondue. We enjoyed two types of cheese fondue and two different bottles of vin rouge. We then wandered back home to find a typical dessert with coffee (cafe gourmand) which is the ends of other desserts. Or at least it used to be, and now I think they actually make it for that reason. Reminds me of the concept of the donut hole. We were too late though, all the places near their apartment that sell them were closed. So we had some ice cream and frozen Reese's peanut butter cups at home and watched Django Unchained. I fell asleep in the middle of it and woke up for the end (we did start it at 11:30pm!). I'll have to watch it again.
Since this is my last post about Grenoble I must say, it is such a nice town and great to be here. Everyone in Paris made fun of the fact that we were coming here, or even asked why we were. I get that it's not a typical tourist destination (unless you ski), but it's been so nice. People need to stop knocking it before they visit.
One thing I've been looking for in every country is a nice big fireplace to sit at with a coffee or glass of wine, and my book. Still haven't found it. When we arrived in Grenoble Jamie and Warren asked us if there is anything we'd like to see or do, and I told them about my quest to find a fireplace. Jamie put the question on her local forum of other expats, and it's apparently become quite the conversation, and they all now want to sit by a fireplace with me. They did find one in a restaurant, but no fire. Maybe the locals don't think it's cold enough yet. Or maybe it's just not common in the places I've been to. I think it should be.
We're heading back to Paris this afternoon.
After that museum we crossed the river and went up to the Musée archéologique Grenoble - Saint-Laurent. It was really interesting and had an amazing audio-tour with video projecting on the walls that synced up to the audio. The former St. Laurent church was built on the ruins of a Gallo-Roman necropolis that became an archaeological site in 1983 and a museum in 1986. Definitely worth a visit. And it was free.
On the way back towards the center of town we stopped in another crêperie for dessert. I got a nutella crêpe. Yum.
We then went back to the apartment because we were going to go out to dinner with Jamie and Warren. When we got there Jamie announced that she bought some French beer for me to try. They have been so sweet and very hospitable. And verdict from all was that - it was good! Definitely had a Belgian flavor to it, but the French beer was really tasty. At least that one was (La Goudale). We all shared a big bottle of beer, finished the good chardonnay from the night before, and then headed to a fondue restaurant, A Confesse, where you walk into the restaurant through an old confessional. They had baskets hanging above the tables on a pulley system, where they put the bread to dip into the fondue. We enjoyed two types of cheese fondue and two different bottles of vin rouge. We then wandered back home to find a typical dessert with coffee (cafe gourmand) which is the ends of other desserts. Or at least it used to be, and now I think they actually make it for that reason. Reminds me of the concept of the donut hole. We were too late though, all the places near their apartment that sell them were closed. So we had some ice cream and frozen Reese's peanut butter cups at home and watched Django Unchained. I fell asleep in the middle of it and woke up for the end (we did start it at 11:30pm!). I'll have to watch it again.
Since this is my last post about Grenoble I must say, it is such a nice town and great to be here. Everyone in Paris made fun of the fact that we were coming here, or even asked why we were. I get that it's not a typical tourist destination (unless you ski), but it's been so nice. People need to stop knocking it before they visit.
One thing I've been looking for in every country is a nice big fireplace to sit at with a coffee or glass of wine, and my book. Still haven't found it. When we arrived in Grenoble Jamie and Warren asked us if there is anything we'd like to see or do, and I told them about my quest to find a fireplace. Jamie put the question on her local forum of other expats, and it's apparently become quite the conversation, and they all now want to sit by a fireplace with me. They did find one in a restaurant, but no fire. Maybe the locals don't think it's cold enough yet. Or maybe it's just not common in the places I've been to. I think it should be.
We're heading back to Paris this afternoon.
Grenoble
Tuesday we had a leisurely morning, slept in, and then had a walking tour of the old and central part of town by Jamie, Jenna's cousin. We picked up tickets at the tourist office for a few things we wanted to do, and then had a delicious coffee (la russe) in a bowl.
Jenna and I then took the funicular (or téléphérique in French) to the top of La Bastille, a fortress on a hill at the south end of the Chartreuse mountain range. It was so cold and rainy that we didn't enjoy the outdoors much, and went directly into the restaurant to sip on some vin rouge. We could see the city of Grenoble and were purposefully there from daytime to nighttime to enjoy both views. Unfortunately because of the weather we couldn't see any of the mountains in the distance. It's kind of sad being at the foot of the Alps and not being able to see them. Apparently you can even seen Mont Blanc from their balcony on a clear day. Warren (Jamie's husband) showed us some photos they took just a week ago. Breathtaking views that the weather is not allowing us to enjoy.
On the way back down we decided to try a pizza place along the river. Apparently there are a ton, and some of them are just fronts for mafioso activity. Or at least they used to be. We found a legit restaurant and had tasty pizza. But first we stopped in a Cuban bar that was playing Brazilian music. I asked if they had any French beer and the bartender laughed at me. A similar reaction Sophie gave me when I asked her the same question. I know the French aren't known for their beer but I still want to try it! We had a Belgian beer at the bar, and then amazing pizza at a restaurant nearby.
I had been looking for a chardonnay to toast to my mom all day, with no luck. So Jenna messaged Jamie to ask where we could find some, and she put a bottle in the fridge for us. So when Jenna and I got home we all toasted to my mom and her birthday. It was nice, and the wine was really good. My mom would have loved it.
A little while later Jamie gave us options of what we could do (watch a movie, play Just Dance). Just Dance? What's that? I soon found out. So fun. Jenna and I worked up a sweat and off our pizza. Then Jamie and one of her four daughters came and joined in.
Around 10pm we heard a lot of noise from the street, and found out later from Warren that they were celebrating France's qualification into the World Cup.
Jenna and I then took the funicular (or téléphérique in French) to the top of La Bastille, a fortress on a hill at the south end of the Chartreuse mountain range. It was so cold and rainy that we didn't enjoy the outdoors much, and went directly into the restaurant to sip on some vin rouge. We could see the city of Grenoble and were purposefully there from daytime to nighttime to enjoy both views. Unfortunately because of the weather we couldn't see any of the mountains in the distance. It's kind of sad being at the foot of the Alps and not being able to see them. Apparently you can even seen Mont Blanc from their balcony on a clear day. Warren (Jamie's husband) showed us some photos they took just a week ago. Breathtaking views that the weather is not allowing us to enjoy.
On the way back down we decided to try a pizza place along the river. Apparently there are a ton, and some of them are just fronts for mafioso activity. Or at least they used to be. We found a legit restaurant and had tasty pizza. But first we stopped in a Cuban bar that was playing Brazilian music. I asked if they had any French beer and the bartender laughed at me. A similar reaction Sophie gave me when I asked her the same question. I know the French aren't known for their beer but I still want to try it! We had a Belgian beer at the bar, and then amazing pizza at a restaurant nearby.
I had been looking for a chardonnay to toast to my mom all day, with no luck. So Jenna messaged Jamie to ask where we could find some, and she put a bottle in the fridge for us. So when Jenna and I got home we all toasted to my mom and her birthday. It was nice, and the wine was really good. My mom would have loved it.
A little while later Jamie gave us options of what we could do (watch a movie, play Just Dance). Just Dance? What's that? I soon found out. So fun. Jenna and I worked up a sweat and off our pizza. Then Jamie and one of her four daughters came and joined in.
Around 10pm we heard a lot of noise from the street, and found out later from Warren that they were celebrating France's qualification into the World Cup.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Vente en gros
On Monday we walked from our hotel down the Rue de Temple on our way to see St. Chapelle in the daylight to admire the stained glass. We got sidetracked by a store that mainly sold scarves and hats. It was so fun wandering through and picking some out to buy. I did notice the women with huge baskets full of scarves and did think that it looked like they were buying in bulk, and then once I tried to pay I had a sneaking suspicion that it's not a retail store. So I went to the door and sure enough it had a sign on it that said "wholesale only, no retail". Saddened we put our scarves down and walked out, after I briefly confirmed with someone who worked there that we couldn't buy our scarves. Walking down the rest of the street we noticed that every single store had "vente en gros" signs - wholesale only. It was painful since so many of the stores had great things in them, for super cheap.
We then got to St. Chapelle and I noticed the sign that said that certain items would be confiscated and not returned, including my knife. I need to remember to put it in my luggage and not carry it around with me. I think it would be fine in the chapel, but it's next to the hall of justice and other important buildings, which is why there are metal detectors and security to get inside. My dad brought me back the Swiss Army knife during one of his business trips when I was in middle school, so I wasn't about to let them take it from me. So I encouraged Jenna to go in and take some photos for me to see it. I went outside and parked myself on a bench. A few minutes later she showed up, and said she didn't want to go in without me, especially since I'm the stained glass person. Cute. So we'll try to go back there another day.
We then wandered towards Notre Dame, went inside, and then paid to go up to the towers and take some panoramic photos of Paris and the gargoyles.
After an enjoyable lunch across the street from Notre Dame we went to go get some Berthillon ice cream on the Île Saint-Louis, which several people recommended. I got the flavor of the day - tiramisu. It was delicious. On the way there I also found a scarf similar to one I wanted in the wholesale store.
Once we picked up our luggage at the hotel we took the ~3 hour train to Grenoble, where the 1968 Olympics were held, and where Jenna's cousins live.
We then got to St. Chapelle and I noticed the sign that said that certain items would be confiscated and not returned, including my knife. I need to remember to put it in my luggage and not carry it around with me. I think it would be fine in the chapel, but it's next to the hall of justice and other important buildings, which is why there are metal detectors and security to get inside. My dad brought me back the Swiss Army knife during one of his business trips when I was in middle school, so I wasn't about to let them take it from me. So I encouraged Jenna to go in and take some photos for me to see it. I went outside and parked myself on a bench. A few minutes later she showed up, and said she didn't want to go in without me, especially since I'm the stained glass person. Cute. So we'll try to go back there another day.
We then wandered towards Notre Dame, went inside, and then paid to go up to the towers and take some panoramic photos of Paris and the gargoyles.
After an enjoyable lunch across the street from Notre Dame we went to go get some Berthillon ice cream on the Île Saint-Louis, which several people recommended. I got the flavor of the day - tiramisu. It was delicious. On the way there I also found a scarf similar to one I wanted in the wholesale store.
Once we picked up our luggage at the hotel we took the ~3 hour train to Grenoble, where the 1968 Olympics were held, and where Jenna's cousins live.
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