Two: we were very happy that we rented an apartment on HomeAway.com as opposed to renting a regular hotel room. For roughly the same price as a hotel we received all the luxuries of home, and a more authentic Parisian experience.
There is no shortage of amazing museums to see in Paris and it is real easy to get burned out. If you went to the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, and, say the Rodin Museum, then you could use up an entire week of doing nothing but going to the museums, and, frankly, I don't know ANYONE who loves art THAT much. The trick is not to overdo it. If you had a month to spend in Paris, you would still probably leave some things undone, so don't let yourself get the feeling that you HAVE to do one thing or another. Relax and enjoy yourself. That being said you probably owe it to yourself to make it to the Louvre. . . and the Musee d'Orsay. . . and Centre Pompidou. . . and probably the Rodin Museum as well.
No trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to it's stunning cathedrals, in particular Notre Dame. Though while you're in the neighborhood I would also recommend visiting the personal chapel of the King Louis IX, Sainte-Chapelle, which is just around the corner. The stained glass of Sainte-Chapelle are a 50 foot tall gothic masterpiece. Other cathedrals in Paris that are well worth a visit are La Basilique du Sacre Coeur which is one of the great landmarks of Paris, and Saint Sulpice which received much recent attention from the role it played as a setting for The Da Vinci Code.
We were in Paris in late October, and so we chose Halloween to go visit Pere Lachaise, the amazing French cemetery where Victor Hugo, Sarah Bernhardt, and Jim Morrison amongst others are interred. Most of the tombs belong to whole families and feature elaborate canopies over the resting sites. The trees had taken on their fall colors which made the grounds absolutely magnificent!
Lest I forget to mention the historic landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower or the Pantheon, which is a monument to the cultural heros of France. I would suggest seeing the view from either the top of the Arc de Triomphe or from the Eiffel Tower, but it's probably not worth it to see both. But all three of these iconic buildings are wonders to behold. On an interesting note: the body of the renowned French statesman, Leon Gambetta, is interred at both the Pantheon and the Arc de Triomphe. His body was first placed at the base of the Arc, then, later, only his heart was moved and reinterred at the Pantheon.
Paris is all about cafe dining. Stopping and sitting down at a small cafe, having a snack and a cafe au lait (coffee with milk) and people watching is one of the favorite pastimes of the French. This is in no small part because of the amount of walking one does to get around the city, after a day of seeing sites, you'll be begging for a place to take a load off, and the cafes are just the ticket.
Here's some things of note while dining in Paris. Drink the wine. I'm not saying this just because I'm a wino and in freaking Paris. I'm saying this because water and sodas are sold in small 10 ounce bottles, with no refills, and are usually the same price or more than a glass of fantastic French wine. So you can have a glass of Bordeaux or you can have a Dr Pepper, your choice.
The other important thing about French wine is that it is defined not by the type of grape (as we do in the United States) but by the region in which it was produced. So a wine made in the Bordeaux region may use a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc grapes but is referred to as an Bordeux. Also the wine label will indicate if the wine is produced by a large winery (called a Chateau) or a small producer (called a Domaine). If you're interested in wine I highly recommend a wine tasting with O Chateau. They hold wine tastings in the former royal wine cellars of Louis XV, near the Louvre. 5 wines and a champaign were wonderful and the sommelier was both informative and charming.
Another dining note: don't let the price of things fool you. Tipping is not the same customary practice that it is in the United States, and many establishments simply include service onto your bill. Meaning that if you occasionally get sticker shock when you look at the prices on the menu they likely are prices with service already factored in. If you don't know if they included service or not, it will say so on your bill as "service compris" or "service non compris".
Cherry Clafoutis
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
6 eggs
6 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 Cups milk
2 Tablespoons kirsch
pinch salt
3/4 Cup flour
3 Cups black cherries (pitted)
confectioners sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Generously butter a 9" cast iron skillet, and set aside.
Combine vanilla, eggs, sugar, milk, kirsch, and salt in a blender, and blend for a few seconds to mix ingredients. Then add flour and blend until smooth (about 1 minute)
Pour batter into skillet and arrange cherries in batter then bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the clafoutis comes out clean. Top with confectioners sugar if desired.
While we were in Paris, we were fortunate enough to catch the lovely and talented Miss Anne Ducros, singing an homage to Ella Fitzgerald, at a wonderful theatre named La Cigale. On our entire trip, this show felt like the most Parisian thing we did. It was full of charm and class, and a lot of great jazz.
THE SITES
There is no shortage of amazing museums to see in Paris and it is real easy to get burned out. If you went to the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, and, say the Rodin Museum, then you could use up an entire week of doing nothing but going to the museums, and, frankly, I don't know ANYONE who loves art THAT much. The trick is not to overdo it. If you had a month to spend in Paris, you would still probably leave some things undone, so don't let yourself get the feeling that you HAVE to do one thing or another. Relax and enjoy yourself. That being said you probably owe it to yourself to make it to the Louvre. . . and the Musee d'Orsay. . . and Centre Pompidou. . . and probably the Rodin Museum as well.
No trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to it's stunning cathedrals, in particular Notre Dame. Though while you're in the neighborhood I would also recommend visiting the personal chapel of the King Louis IX, Sainte-Chapelle, which is just around the corner. The stained glass of Sainte-Chapelle are a 50 foot tall gothic masterpiece. Other cathedrals in Paris that are well worth a visit are La Basilique du Sacre Coeur which is one of the great landmarks of Paris, and Saint Sulpice which received much recent attention from the role it played as a setting for The Da Vinci Code.
We were in Paris in late October, and so we chose Halloween to go visit Pere Lachaise, the amazing French cemetery where Victor Hugo, Sarah Bernhardt, and Jim Morrison amongst others are interred. Most of the tombs belong to whole families and feature elaborate canopies over the resting sites. The trees had taken on their fall colors which made the grounds absolutely magnificent!
Lest I forget to mention the historic landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower or the Pantheon, which is a monument to the cultural heros of France. I would suggest seeing the view from either the top of the Arc de Triomphe or from the Eiffel Tower, but it's probably not worth it to see both. But all three of these iconic buildings are wonders to behold. On an interesting note: the body of the renowned French statesman, Leon Gambetta, is interred at both the Pantheon and the Arc de Triomphe. His body was first placed at the base of the Arc, then, later, only his heart was moved and reinterred at the Pantheon.
THE FOOD
Paris is all about cafe dining. Stopping and sitting down at a small cafe, having a snack and a cafe au lait (coffee with milk) and people watching is one of the favorite pastimes of the French. This is in no small part because of the amount of walking one does to get around the city, after a day of seeing sites, you'll be begging for a place to take a load off, and the cafes are just the ticket.
Here's some things of note while dining in Paris. Drink the wine. I'm not saying this just because I'm a wino and in freaking Paris. I'm saying this because water and sodas are sold in small 10 ounce bottles, with no refills, and are usually the same price or more than a glass of fantastic French wine. So you can have a glass of Bordeaux or you can have a Dr Pepper, your choice.
Another dining note: don't let the price of things fool you. Tipping is not the same customary practice that it is in the United States, and many establishments simply include service onto your bill. Meaning that if you occasionally get sticker shock when you look at the prices on the menu they likely are prices with service already factored in. If you don't know if they included service or not, it will say so on your bill as "service compris" or "service non compris".
Home Cooking
As decadent as French desserts are, you'll find that they're also fairly cost prohibitive, often costing nearly as much as an entree. For that reason I didn't have nearly enough of the available gastronomic delights. So I figured that I would make up for it now. This is an easy to make dessert, made from a simple crepe batter, that is a lot like one of my favorite breakfast dishes, a Dutch Baby.Cherry Clafoutis
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
6 eggs
6 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 Cups milk
2 Tablespoons kirsch
pinch salt
3/4 Cup flour
3 Cups black cherries (pitted)
confectioners sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Generously butter a 9" cast iron skillet, and set aside.
Combine vanilla, eggs, sugar, milk, kirsch, and salt in a blender, and blend for a few seconds to mix ingredients. Then add flour and blend until smooth (about 1 minute)
Pour batter into skillet and arrange cherries in batter then bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the clafoutis comes out clean. Top with confectioners sugar if desired.
THE TUNES
While we were in Paris, we were fortunate enough to catch the lovely and talented Miss Anne Ducros, singing an homage to Ella Fitzgerald, at a wonderful theatre named La Cigale. On our entire trip, this show felt like the most Parisian thing we did. It was full of charm and class, and a lot of great jazz.
The dinner show at Moulin Rouge is a total package of an evening. The world famous cabaret includes a 5 course meal and a bottle of champaign, and culminates in their legendary can-can dance. It is absolutely worth the hype!
Paris,the city of love.Beautifully clicked pictures and marvellous description
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