Paris

Bonjour.  My three nights in Paris were wonderful in-spite of a few hiccups.  When I got to the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, my pre-arranged driver was no where in sight.  After several phone calls and miscommunications, he disappeared.  I walked close to an hour trying to find him and ended up taking a taxi to my hotel. Bah humbug.  Now for all you haters - I love the French people.  This guy had an accent that was not French.  I got to my teeny-tiny hotel room but it was in the most glorious location — the Sixth Arrondissement - a neighborhood of boutiques and restaurants — a shoppers paradise. It took great willpower not to buy anything. It was easy walking distance to the Louvre and to Notre Dame Cathedral which is closed due to the fire.

Let the food begin!  I had a wonderful lunch at this tiny restaurant.

Minuscule and oozing with charm.

I had fresh burrata cheese surrounded by ratatouille and homemade croutons accompanied by a small salad.  Who knew fresh lettuce could taste so good.

I walked about a mile and a half along the Seine River to the Jardin des Champs-Élysées (botanical gardens).  Beautiful in the spring.

Somehow I lost the photo of the incredible dessert I had after dinner.  All I can say is that it was a softball sized chocolate bombe of meringue, whipped cream and chocolate mousse.  OMG! Heaven on a plate.

I then decided to visit the Louvre and as usual I wandered around until my brain quit working. If you have never been there, it is humongous,

No trip to Paris would be worth it without a sighting of the Eiffel Tower.  I did not visit it because I have been to Paris a number of times. I have toured it and I have already eaten at the over-priced/tourist trap but good restaurant inside.

A view of the Arc de Tromphe with Victory chariot on top.

I was scheduled to go on a wine and food tasting in the Montemarte area of Paris, supposedly a twenty minute cab ride from my hotel.  I allowed an hour to get there. After sitting in the cab for an hour plus, I knew that I had missed the tour so I decided to get out while I still knew how to walk back to the hotel. I had about a two mile walk and was lucky to walk by some beautiful historic buildings including Opera House above.  I am not sure that my cab driver wasn't a moron.  Once again, not a Frenchman. Oh well!

Part of my walk back included walking over the Seine River.  Beautiful from every bridge and every angle.

All was not lost because I ended up having dinner at this little restaurant.

My dinner companion was Lucy, the house cat.  She looks just like one of those Goebel cats and sweet as could be.

My first course was French onion soup. Ever so tasty.  It is all in the broth and of course the cheese.

This was the best cassoulet that I have ever had.  Any one who has followed my blog or knows me, can laugh about my love for beans but this was seriously good. It had huge white beans, maybe meat from pork ribs and a sausage.  It was clearly cooked for a very long time with herbs and seasonings.

And for dessert, I stopped by a pâtissere for this Monte Blanc - chocolate cake with mousse and whipped cream.  It had cherries so dark I first thought they were black olives.  Not that olives would taste good in a dessert no matter how much I love them.

I left this morning from Orly Airport in Paris headed to Marseille Airport.  It was snowing to beat the band but not cold enough to stick. First the captain announced that we had to de-ice the plane and if we didn't leave by 11:51, we would be stuck.  Oh great!  We got out with 5 minutes to spare.  It was a rough ride to say the least.  The guy next to me, a big burley athlete actually grabbed my arm and then had the machismo to look embarrassed.  When I got the Marseille, I had a driver who showed up and was so nice. It was about an hour and a half drive.  So tomorrow, I see the Van Gogh stuff and get ready to hike on Sunday.  It is bitterly cold and windy right now so lets hope it warms up a bit.

Au revoir!