Notre Monkey!
|31-OCT-2015|  Slept straight through (11 hours, after 36 hours of travel and no sleep… don’t judge!) and woke up this morning ready to hit the town! Much of our neighborhood was still closed when we took off but after we crossed the river we found a nice cafe for some coffee and pastry to kick off the day. From there we hiked down to MINI PARIS to check from some local swag then wound our way through to the Latin Quarter. We took in a few sites before stopping for lunch at FROGBURGER. Hopped across the Seine, after a stop at Notre Dame, to do some shopping – handbags and records. Quite a trek the record stores but hit two specializing in techno and one more general, though purchased industrial techno there. At this point we’re about 9 miles into our day, and a good 5 miles from our hotel!
Looking at the map, we found a generally direct route back that would take us by Galeries Lafayette, a massive department store complex with, reportedly, an excellent epicurean section. We trudged through busy streets and quiet neighborhoods. Saw a demonstration (regarding Syria), and the requisite French riot police on high alert in full tactical gear and armed to the teeth. We saw Asian tourists buying up all things luxury brand. We saw crazy driving and the scooters/motorcycles lane split here like crazy. We did not see skater punks, graffiti, litter or SUVs. Cheese in hand from Galeries Lafayette, we continued the walk back to the hotel which included a lovely sunset behind the Eiffel Tower as we hit the Seine. The cheese? Amazing! The wine? Even better! The feet? Very, very tired. That’s all for today folks – tomorrow we take the train to Chartres. Check out the details below. |
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Started the morning with croissants, a baguette, coffee and orange juice at a nearby cafe. The croissant was exceptional – crispy on the outside, and everything you love about butter pastry on the inside. Pleepleus approves! |
Next up was MINI PARIS to see if they have any local swag. They do (though only one item), and now so do I. 🙂 Totally rocking this at the next Puget Sound MINI club event! |
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Lunch at FROGBURGER near St. Michel, one of Paris’ best burgers according to Timeout Paris and we’d agree. The staff was dressed for Halloween and the place was hoppin’ when we stopped in at 1pm for a break, a brew and a burger. Excellent stuff – Jeff’s blue cheeseburger had a SLAB of blue cheese on it, rind included! Great fries too; a must to make *my* best burger list! |
| The famous Cathedral of Notre Dame – construction began in 1165 and completed in 1345. Another gorgeous sunny day made for some great pictures.
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Stopped in at BRONTIBAY, a local handbag and small leather goods maker in the 4th arrondissement. Picked up a couple of gifts from their Liberty London prints line. Lovely store and staff – no snobby Parisians to be found here! |
The incredibly ornate decorations and stained glass dome of Galeries Lafayette. I’m not sure if this is “holiday” decor, or the norm, but it’s stunning. |
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The cheese counter and spice counter (yes, spice COUNTER) at the Maison & Gourmet section of Galeries Lafayette. This particular building had two department-store sized floors dedicated to food. One floor of swanky counters offering up every kind of pre-made delicacy, and one floor of the Nordstrom of Whole Foods. I could have spent hours … ane Euros…. |
 The hike to Galeries Lafayette was, very specifically, for cheese. The cheese counter is noted as being one of the best with over 300 selections. It was a HIKE, but it was worth it when we sat down and opened up the neatly wrapped packets of French funky goodness.
The one with the stick in it (yes, a real stick) was gooey, funky and moldy. Delish!!! BTW, Mom – recognize that knife? A new version of the same one we carried to Europe on our trips! 🙂 |
The wine: de Ladoucette. A French sauvignon blanc and one of the best white wines we’ve ever enjoyed. Jeff picked it up at the wine seller next door to the hotel. |
Gratuitous Eiffel Tower picture – at sunset. |
For the nostalgic portion of our trip, a Monaco at the hotel bar this evening: grenadine-coated glass with Kronenberg 1664. One of Jeff’s faves from his bicycle trip to France in 1987. |
Finally, lest you think we did nothing but eat and drink today (and you’d be right!), behold the details from the Apple Watch Activity app. 🙂
Cheers! |
