My Trip to Paris
I am not going to lie. I have a lot going on. A ton going on (more of which I will tell you about next week). And instead of actually doing some work, I have a case of wanderlust and am aimlessly perusing travel pictures on Pinterest. I get it from time to time and I think it is especially strong right now because I am missing a trip to Istanbul. Istanbul is high on my list of places I have to visit. Need to visit. Especially the Hagia Sophia. How beautiful is that place right? So in an attempt to cure my wanderlust, I am going to post pictures of my 30th birthday trip to Paris. I have mentioned it on here before but I spent a week in Paris a couple years ago and I am pretty sure that a week of eating and drinking in Paris made up one of the best trips of my life.
Paris is one of those places for me - I fall in love with it over and over again every time I go. The first time I visited Paris was in high school on a school trip. There was something about the French culture that I just loved. Having been back a couple times - I can't resist its charm. I went back in my early 20s to party with friends but this trip was a little different. Mostly to enjoy amazing food and wine and wander the streets with Luke.
We stayed at an amazing flat. If you are looking for a place to rent, check out this spot. It is in the heart of the 6th close to the river and all the amazing restaurants of St.-Germain Des Pres. It was so nice to have a home base so you didn't have to eat out every night. Not that I was cooking. But rather I discovered Le Grand Epicerie and would pick up cheese, bread and wine pretty much every night for dinner.
Here are some spots that we ate at:
Poilane - literally the best bread on the planet. I am dreaming about it right now. Matter of fact I just noticed they will overnight bread to you...hmmm...
Fish - great neighborhood spot with delicious food
Breizh Cafe - delicious and inventive crepe restaurant in the Marais.
L'as du Fallafel- hole in the wall in the Marais with some amazing falafel.
Pierre Herme - amazing pastries and macarons which are more like little works of art than food.
We also did the usual tourist stuff like visiting the Eiffel Tour, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. But some girlfriends of mine bought me a cooking class while I was there and it was amazing. The class started out by buying the food at local markets then going back to the school and cooking it. To this day I still remember that meal it was so good. We had fresh scallops (so fresh I am pretty sure they were still alive on my plate), beef cheeks similar to a short rib type dish with the most amazing mashed potatoes. Based on Michelin starred chef, Alain Ducasse's mashed potatoes. The recipe basically calls for equal parts butter to potatoes. You get the idea why they were so good right? We finished the meal with a tart tatin. It was simple, flavorful and delicious. My perfect kind of meal.
The trip also happened to fall on Thanksgiving so we spent Thanksgiving in Paris which was kind of amazing. Our Thanksgiving dinner was the exact opposite of a normal Thanksgiving. We started the afternoon/evening off with some wine tasting. We were determined to learn about French wine but after a couple too many tastes, we officially remember nothing. We then wandered over to a renowned crepe restaurant in the Marais and had some incredible crepes for dinner. Happy Thanksgiving to us! I am pretty sure this is how the pilgrims ate their first Thanksgiving.
Hopefully you make it to Paris soon and hopefully I make it back soon. I love putting pictures from my travels up here so stayed tuned for more - I have a Southeast Asia trip I need to document as well as a Mexico City trip.
I am not sure if this made my case of wanderlust worse or better. I think I need a bottle of French wine to help me figure that out. Bon Voyage!