So, as usual, I didn't load the memory card into the camera before we went out on either the 13th or the 14th. Ridiculous! The good news is that I've learned form my mistake and tomorrow's post will have a TON of photos!
Because of this stupid snaffoo, we're going to combine the two days together into one post and I'll instead use my iPhone photos and one or two that I intend to steal from google images! Thanks to all of those people who deserve credit!
Monday, February 13th.
We woke up early this day so as to properly see my folks off to the airport. We put them in a cab at about 8:00am and then went for a long walk through the neighborhood, getting quite lost...just the way I like it. We did come to an impasse when we hit Pere Lachaise Cemetary, which gave us a good reason to turn around and find our way back home. At about lunch time, we headed out again with the intention of going to a place recommended by my friend Sue, called Bistrot Paul Bert. We had another recommended restaurant on the back burner, just in case that one wasn't open. Unfortunately, neither Plan A nor Plan B are open on Mondays...good to know. Hungry as we were, we kept walking until we stumbled upon a place that had an enclosed patio with heat lamps and an enticing menu. Les Funambules was fantastic! What a treat!
Check out what both Colin and I ordered for lunch. It's strips of herbed chicken with a paprika dipping/pouring sauce. The veggies were made up of zucchini, green beans, onion, green onion and kale. It WAS as good as it sounds! We washed it all down with a bottle of Bordeaux. Are you jealous yet?
After lunch we carried on our exploration and came across some interesting sights.
This is a basketball court in our neighborhood. Have you ever seen a hoop like that?
Barbapapa! Yeah! Look it up if you don't know it.
How about an Alaskan fish named Colin? Awesome, no?
I am convinced that this is the hardest word to pronounce in the French language. Go ahead, give it a try...serrurerie...wow
Look closely and you'll see a little wooden man watching after the frozen river. Adorable.
Space Needle...What? Since when? Did you all know about this film? Interesting.
We spent the rest of the afternoon getting extremely lost and having the time of our lives! As we were heading back from wherever we were, we decided to stop into a little, tiny bar where we ordered a carafe of Bordeaux. The wine was exquisite! I went up to pay, thinking that a wine that good would be at least 20 euros. Nope, only 9,90. Amazing. Life is good.
Tuesday, February 14th.
Colin bought me flowers! (I helped with the translation at the counter). They're so beautiful and still full of life today! Hooray!
For lunch, we decided to make another attempt to eat at the Bistro Paul Bert. Luckily, they were open this time! We were pushing it though, as it was nearing the end of the designated lunch time here in Paris. We walked in the door and were immediately greeted by a smiling barista who told us, trois minutes s'il vous plait. No problem. The place was hopping! But, not a tourist in sight! We were shown to a very small little table, which was wedged between a mirrored wall and another couple. They brought out two different prix fixe menus for us to choose from. That's right, no English menus here! We decided to go with the less expensive 18 euro menu, since we were planning on spending a lot on dinner later on in the evening. We took a chance and ordered the multicolored beet salad dressed in a mustard vinaigrette and an even bigger chance on a slice of veal. (I can't believe I ordered veal!)
The first dish came out. It was so beautiful! I wanted so badly to take a picture, but with that many locales in one place, I didn't want to make us stand out like sore thumbs! This dish has permanently changed my outlook on beets. They are one of the most delicious root what-evers EVER created! WOW!!!
Next came the entree course. It was a thin slice of meat in a small pool of brownish sauce with a little, baby mushroom in it. In the center was a lovely circle of pomme de terre puree. There are no words to properly describe the food-gasme that I experienced with this dish. So, I'll let Colin give it a shot: It was awesome. It was one of the best meals that I have ever had. It was reasonable to small-ish in size, but was completely filling and decadent. It was on par, nay superior to anything we've ever had in Vegas. When we first poked our heads in and saw that is was completely packed with locals, we knew that they were doing something right!
I totally agree.
For dessert, we each ordered one of the two items on the dessert menu. Colin received a creme caramel and I a Paris Brest, which is the house specialty. We will definitely be returning here! We got an awesome bottle of organic Bordeaux, suggested by the server, which put the meal over the top! It was a great deal and a phenomenal meal!
Later that evening we made our way back to the Brise Miche near Le musee pompidou, our old stomping ground. It was exactly as it should be. It was delicious and inviting. Colin tried duck for the first time and says, "It tasted like beef. Pretty good! But, the French onion soup was amazing!" I tried something new and got the pot-au-feu. It was very tasty. There was even a marrow bone in the center! Yikes! I tried a little spoon of marrow...not for me, too odd of a texture. But, I'm glad to be branching out a bit! For dessert, Colin had a crepe flambeed in Grand Marnier and I had a very fudgy brownie swimming in salty butter sauce. I know I promised pictures...sorry. Next time. We really enjoyed having our special dinner here. The staff was very nice and remembered us from last week, when we ate there with my parents. Can't wait to go back!
It was the first time in 4 years that I've been off on Valentine's day and what a day it was! It was fabulous getting all dressed up! Colin wore a tie! Woo! (He looked very dashing!) Again, I wish I had taken pictures! But, it's Paris! I'm sure I'll be able to find another reason to dress up!
It was very romantic, says Colin.
On the agenda for tomorrow? Versailles! I took a lot of pictures! We'll have that posted probably by tomorrow night...still playing a bit of catch-up! Gotta get packed up for our trip to London tomorrow!
Bon nuit mes amis!
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