Paris: The Food

"Although each of the world's countries would like to dispute this fact, we French know the truth: The best food in the world is made in France. The best food in France is made in Paris." Pixar's 2007 film Ratatouille






While I don't necessarily agree with the quote, I can't deny the excellence of food in Paris. One of the best parts of our annual summer vacations for me is the food. I love food. I love going to restaurants and trying new things. This year's trip was especially good, because I had been eating the majority of my meals at the bland and boring dining hall the previous 6 months. So everything I ate on the whole trip seemed amazing in comparison.

Paris was certainly no exception. The most striking thing about the restaurants in Paris was their sheer abundance. The options for breakfast, lunch and dinner were staggering. This was almost a bad thing, believe it or not. Wandering around for a place to eat is actually more difficult when there are so many choices. Too often, after looking at 5 or 6 perfectly good menus, we would stand around looking at each other. Hands on hips, someone would say "Well..."

When we would finally agree on where to eat, we were never disappointed. Classic french cuisine, authentic italian food, sandwich places, museum cafes, even a French KFC- everything was great.

(One of the many Parisian sidewalk cafes we ate at)

(Mom and Anna at yet another cafe)

(Adrian and I, mid meal. Note my French Onion Soup)

(More onion soup- it was amazing everywhere we tried it)

("Are you taking ANOTHER picture of me eating?!")

Even when we didn't have the time to sit down at a resturaunt, we hardly had to compromise on good food. For breakfast we almost always grabbed croissants, chocolate pastries and fresh baguettes from local bakeries. Sometimes we got sandwiches to-go from small cafes. Arguably the culinary highlights of Paris were the street crepes. We tried them for dinner, and desert, from different places around the city. It's great to see the crepe made fresh right in front of you. Piping hot, a little crunchy on the outside, soft inside and stuffed with toppings- meat, cheese, mushrooms, nutella, strawberries (not all at the same time!)- these were the perfect meal.

(There are tons of small markets all over the city)

(Late night crepes)

(More street crepes)

(Lunch in the apartment)

(Eating a sandwich by the window)

All for now, check back soon for another short post about Paris.

The Eiffel Tower

Sorry for the delay. Part of the reason I waited so long before blogging about Paris, the final part of our trip, was trepidation. I was overwhelmed. There was so much to write about, so many amazing photos to post; I didn't know where to begin. I knew it would have to be multiple posts, and I considered many different ways of breaking it up, until I finally thought of an idea. Over the next week or so, I'll post a series of short blogs, each focusing on one bit of our week in Paris. The Eiffel Tower, the Museums, the Notre Dame, Food, etc. And where else to start but the Eiffel Tower?

(The tower peeks out at you from anywhere, when you least expect it)

Visible from nearly anywhere in the city, the Eiffel Tower is recognized as the landmark of Paris, and perhaps even of France. Looking back on our photos of the trip, it is probably the most photographed subject from our entire trip (with the possible exception of us). It's a beautiful sight to behold, from anywhere in Paris, but the best way to experience it is obviously going to the top.

On our second night in Paris, we did just that. We made the long trip from our Hotel, near the Louvre and Tuileries garden, to the tower on foot- taking in many sights along the way. We stopped to grab a street crepe for dinner, and got to the base of the tower just as evening was beginning to turn to night.

(We finished up our dinner here, in the shadow of the tower)

(The elevators that take you up to the first observation deck)

(There was quite a line, and it wasn't cheap either)

(Milling around on the first observation deck, seemed high enough for some... Until we saw the view from the top)

This turned out to be perfect timing. We got to see the tower in three conditions- daylight, sunset and night. We got to watch the city lights slowly come on, as dusk fell, from one thousand feet up. Later, once we got back to ground level, we got to see the tower at perhaps it's most magical- completely lit up.

(A bathroom, who knew? Not too many can say they've used the restroom 1000 feet above Paris... I can!)

(The sun begins to set)

(Paris is at its most beautiful at night, when all the lights come on)

(A champagne bar a the top of the Eiffel Tower?! Crazy. And it cost 10 Euros for a small glass! Who would buy that? Seriously...)

(Going down? Looking down the shaft as the elevator descends)

Thanks for reading. Check back soon (I mean it this time!) for more short updates and photos about our time in Paris.

Does Mickey Speak French?

If you know one thing about my family, it's that all things Disney are quite popular. My mom, especially, is a big fan, but the sentiments are shared by most of the family. I wouldn't consider myself as 'obsessed' as other certain family members are, but I still enjoy the parks. I went to Disneyland countless times in my childhood, and recently our family has gone to Disneyworld in Florida for summer vacation.

While planning the trip, we considered different possible destinations to visit after we'd seen enough of England. Eventually we decided that Paris would be the best, especially with the ease of access due to the Chunnel. Of course, being so close, my Mom couldn't resist the pull of Disneyland Paris and the rest of us obliged. So we dropped off the rental car which had served us well the previous 10 days, and jammed into a taxi bound for Paris.

(Okay, so maybe we didn't take a taxi all the way... St. Pancras, the London rail station where we boarded the EuroStar)

(On the platform. The high speed EuroStar trains connect London with a few Western European destinations, and aren't all that expensive)

(Adrian and I in our seats, eating breakfast. The train was great, way more roomy than flying, and better [bigger, faster, more comfortable] than any trains I'd been on in the UK)

The ride was surprisingly short. Even before we got to the channel, we were in and out of tunnels, so it was hard to tell when we were finally in the tunnel. Eventually we emerged from a particularly long tunnel, and into France. At first, it was hard to tell that we were in a new country. The green landscape and grey weather seemed almost exactly the same. Eventually the give-away was cars driving on the wrong (or perhaps, right, depending on your point of view) side of the road. A short time later we made it to Disneyland Resort Paris, two themeparks about 20 miles north east 0f Paris. There's Paris Disneyland, and the newer Walt Disney Studio Park. We spent two nights at Paris Disney, visiting both parks several times.

(Mom checking into our Hotel, with a little help from a certain mouse)

(The Entrance to Disneyland Paris)

(It's still Main Street USA, even in Paris)

(The view down Main Street, towards the castle)

The Disneyland Paris park was remarkably similar to Southern California's Disneyland, as well as Disney World's Magic Kingdom. It had the same layout as Disneyland, and most of the same attractions. There were just a few minor differences... Oh yeah, and alot more French.

(As I said, alot more French. At least it hasn't been renamed, "Le Tour des Etoiles")

(Indiana Jones was actually more of a roller coaster than a bumpy indoor thrill ride. It even had a loop!)

(Some things are the same in any language- Big Thunder Railroad)

(Adrian and I consulting a park map... An English one!)

(And of course they also had a few of the classics, like Pirates of the Caribbean...)

(and the Disneyland Railroad)

(Mom leading us in a map consultation, before heading into the Disney Studios Park)

(Another Disneyland constant, in any language or country: long lines. This one was for Crush's Coaster, a Finding Nemo themed ride in the Studios Park)

(Of course, as the movie was set in Paris, Ratatouille attractions were quite popular. They don't have a Ratatouille themed ride yet though, unfortunately)





(Dad modeling a Ratatouille chef's hat, continuing his summer vacation tradition of donning ridiculous hats for photographs)

(Main Street at Dusk)

( Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, AKA Sleeping Beauty's Castle)

(Resting in Fantasyland, getting ready for the fireworks)

Overall, I think we all enjoyed Disneyland Paris. It was at once familiar, yet different. It allowed us to get a bit acclimated to France (the language, the Euro, etc.) while still being in a really touristy place where English was readily spoken by most. It was a good bridge between England and Paris, and definitely a worthwhile place to spend a few days. I'd go again.





Paris, coming soon.