Views From The Top

Bonjour!

Reminds me of Nala from Lion King

It has been awhile, so we have a lot to catch up on! But first I wanna give a SHOUT OUT to all of those reading this from all around the Globe: We have those in Paris, California and PA!!!!!!!

Moving on... Friday night I ventured back to the Louvre and was able to see the Egyptian exhibit as well as Napoleon's Apartment. Let me tell you, that Napoleon guy designed his place for PAR-TAYS! A chair that sits 3, and a dinner table the length of a bowling lane, or longer.

I want.

Quick Tip: If you plan to go to The Louvre be sure to look for this Arc. There are stairs located just to the side of the Arc and lead underground. Follow the signs to Musee Louvre, you will be inside in a matter of seconds, NOT hours. We walked right by the 4 hour line (NO JOKE or exaggeration) and straight down the steps. We couldn't believe it, we bypassed the longest line known to mankind. All thanks to Calvin............ who is full of useful information. I was trying to come up with a cool name like: Master of Word on the Street or Calvin The Informer... Its a work in progress...

Calvin... Since I seem to mention him a lot, lol

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel ---> Secret Entrance that way --->

View from atop the IMA

If you want a free view of Paris venture to the IMA or Institut de Monde Arabe and head to the top floor.

Saturday night Calvin, Kelly, Robby, HBO, Ray and I headed back to Chez Prosper for a French dinner and to finally try the Tiramisu au Nutella our TA's have been raving about. This time we were seated inside, which for Parisians like us is a downgrade :(
This time I ordered the Salmon dish which was the best salmon I have ever had. I ate it with my spoon because as soon as my fork touched it it fell apart. (That's a really good thing, FYI)

Salmon with an oil based sauce with some sort of chili pepper, but it wasn't hot. Maybe it was sun-dried tomatoes. But I don't remember if it tasted like tomatoes... But I DO remember it was YUMMY!

When is Paris, do as the Parisians do: DRINK WINE!!! I was so use to seeing red wine with dinner plates, so I ordered a glass of the House Red, and the kind waiter "un garcon" reminded me white wines are sweeter and go better with fish, red wines are drier and go better with red meat... I KNEW THAT! I really, really did!!! I just forgot... I really enjoy dinners at Chez Prosper, the service is friendly and the atmosphere is loud and fun, but this meal was a reminder to Americans of how cultures differ. In the States we have rare, medium, and well. Not to mention rare/medium, medium/well and well-well done... I never really got those, that's like at Starbucks when people would order drinks with 1/2 non-fat 1/2 soy... so are you lactose? or do you not want fat??? Either way you are failing... (that was for all you baristas out there--> I have realized how dealing with people before they get their coffee has trained me to be a kind and simple customer)
Ok, back to the MEAT: In France if you order your meat "well" they don't even know the word, so we say "The one that is after Medium" and it will still have some pink to it. Rare, as Calvin will attest, is close to raw.
Finally for dessert, I give you... TIRAMISU AU NUTELLA! It reminds me of a dessert you would see served at Claim Jumpers. This should be split between people, because too must of a good thing is still too much. There was no espresso, just lady fingers (I feel like there is probably a prettier french word for them) that are not soggy, so it is very different than Classic Tiramisu with a lighter, thinner, runnier nutella and topped off with the classic tiramisu creme and cocoa power.

 

The next morning I went to Musee Rodin. The museum in surrounded by lovely gardens so I decided to be a little artistic and take some cute pictures of some of the roses for your viewing pleasure...

After leaving the Museum Kailey and I headed over to one of our favorite places in Paris: Jardin de Luxembourg for lunch. We got the plat de jour, it was tasty, but once again nothing to write home about... But here I am, writing home about it :) I just really like taking pictures of all my food now, I may run into a problem when I go out to dinner with friends to places like Chipotle and start taking pictures of my burritos...

Luxembourg Gardens!!!! I <3 this place! Notice the couple making out in the background, this is such a perfect picture of Paris, there are always people kissing in public... In the states its like "omg, get a room" but here is SUPER CUTE!!!!!! Except for when they BOMB your photo

Later that night we headed to La Tour de Eiffel to finally make our way to the top! When we were waiting in line I noticed how beautiful the sunset was with rays of light shining through from above. Usually when I take pictures of pretty sunsets they are hardly like how they look in person, but this time it is almost perfect.

View from the 2nd level

View from THE TOP!

It was quite the experience going to the top of The Eiffel Tower. It was perfect timing because we were able to see the view when the sun was still out AND the view of all the lights. The view from the 2nd level was my favorite because it was all open, no fence to block the shots, and by the time we got to the top that sun was gone and taking clear pictures was quite the task.

The Eiffel Tower light up

The Eiffel tower SPARKLING!!! Every hour, on the hour, for 5 minutes starting at 10pm and ending at 1am

On Monday our walk as a class was through the Montmartre district in Paris. This is where Basilique du Sacre-Coeur is (pictured below) as well as Moulin Rouge, also below is located. I thought Moulin Rouge would look really cool and antique-like, but its super modern. It has been redone and renovated (just like everything else in Paris) so it lacks authenticity, but I guess its cool to say you have been there.

Zoomed in view from Basilique. Since it is located on a small hill the view is really nice. This is another free view, but you can go to the top, where the Dome is and pay for perhaps an even better view!!! But I don't really know for sure if it is better... you let me know.

Non-zoomed view. I feel like I have to show what it REALLY looked like to the naked eye...

I am getting over writing so I will speed things up. One night a group of us went to see a Greek play in Paris, at the Comedie Francaise (where they now house all of the ballets). I figured it would be a great experience, so I said "Sign me up!" Once we got there EVERYONE was speaking to us in french, and since Kailey and I were late we were quickly trying to make it to our seats. Finally we sat down and realized the whole play was in French! We still do not know why we thought there was chance we would understand what was going on, but this play was ALL talk, hardly any gestures, no comedy and only one step up from Black Box Theater. The best part was when the lights finally came up and I was able to take a picture of the Hall. Pretty huh??

Another "view from the top" *wink*

Dinner that night at Le Commerce

This was one of my favorite meals in Paris because of all the veggies. These people do not eat veggies!!! Its always cheese and bread and wine. The wine I don't mind, I paired this one with a Rose.

One tuesday after class I joined a couple Jewish friends for lunch at Mickey's in the Jewish District. Remember that yummy felafel place? This kosher burger joint is right across the cobble stone street. It is a spicy beef patty (I usually don't like red meat because I am very picky when it comes to meat, but in Paris everything is so much fresher! Especially when it is Kosher!) then you have so lettuce, tomatoes, really yummy zucchini  mayo (that isnt ANYTHING like any mayo you know, it was more like a hummus or something) and topped off with an egg. They put eggs on EVERYTHING, and it is always a pleasant surprise. Seeing all the different pairing in the dishes here makes me very excited to get more creative in the kitchen, Julia Child here I come!!!
After lunch Kailey and I had a relaxing drink at a cafe on Rue de Saint Germain in the 6th. My favorite thing to do in Paris is sit at a cafe or in Luxembourg garden, relax with or without a book and just watch the people go by...

I hope I didn't lose you guys at the end there... Thanks for holding on! I am a few days behind, but I will fill you in sooner or later. There are only 2 more night in Paris, then I am off to Italy!