So many places, where to begin? I've been lazy to write up more posts because I'm still thinking about Paris and just mindlessly surfing the web for other Paris experiences. It's true - once you go to Paris, you will come back with a case of the blues wishing you were back. This is especially magnified while at work.
Our next day's journey included exploring the Jardin du Luxembourg, or Luxembourg Gardens and enjoying a baguette sandwich for breakfast. Le Quartier du Pain was right outside our hotel so we went in and got the ever so famous baguette sandwiches to take to the garden - my mom got a ham and cheese on a plain baguette and I got a ham, cheese, egg, lettuce, and tomato on a sesame and flax seed baguette. After bagging our sandwiches, we couldn't wait to get to the gardens to devour it. Thankfully for Google Maps, we got to our destination via the subway and RER in the fastest and shortest route possible. Within 15 - 20 minutes, we were across the street from the garden.
The garden is beautiful with so many places to sit. There is an abundance of chairs available so we grabbed a couple to rest our legs while we watched others play in the park. Luckily for us, it was a sunny day - in fact, it didn't rain the whole time we were there! I was a little worried because the week before, the forecast said rain everyday. That would have seriously killed the mood.
We sat down and I took my first bite ever into a french baguette and the feeling was... euphoric. I mean, I love bread, I get more excited about bread baskets at top rated restaurants than I do about the food. I am not crazy about sandwiches but have been ever since visiting Paris. The outer crust was a semi-thick layer of crispy chewiness with a moderately chewy interior. The bakery slathered some mayonnaise on the bread and filled it with what I think was swiss, ham, boiled egg, lettuce, and tomatoes (yes, I'm repeating what I just said above). When I was younger, my sister and I would make sandwiches with Miracle Whip; then I discovered plain mayo and loved using that. Then age caught up and I could no longer indulge in as much butter and mayo as I wanted, but this is vacation! And Paris! I wasn't about to sacrifice fats in a place that produces it so finely in the name of vanity (and... I guess health, but 80/20 rule right?). Every bite was complemented with the flavors of toasted sesame seed and fresh yeasty bread. Yeasty breads are the best, really. I can almost taste it just talking about it. My mom's sandwich which was a bit plain and wasn't as good as mine. I'm used to lettuce and tomatoes in my sandwiches but the added boiled egg slices took it to another level. Why didn't I think of this before? Oh right, I didn't eat sandwiches before this. That was a perfect morning.
We then walked around the gardens and saw so many chestnuts on the ground! Chestnuts aren't common where I live and I had no idea they are nested inside some spiky looking outer layer. We would have picked the chestnuts to take home but of course, customs would've taken it away since they're not allowed back in the U.S. I can see why there are so many chestnut desserts over there, just like how in the South, it's all about the pecans.
After walking around the gardens, we walked around the surrounding shopping areas and this is where I got in trouble with my credit card and chocolate. The two do not go well together. I stopped by every single freaking chocolate store and bought something from each. I will say my bill was pretty ugly when I got back from my vacation. And the majority was chocolate. One of my two favorite chocolate shops in Paris is À la mére de famille. The shop is just so cute and they had so much to offer. This was the first chocolate shop I went to in Paris and it holds a special place in my heart.
We happened to pass by Pierre Hermé and I knew exactly what I wanted to try. Macarons of course, but also the famous croissant isaphan. I have never seen anything like it here in the U.S. but lychee seems to be a popular flavor over in Paris. I (of course) grabbed a box of chocolate and ordered one cassis and one crème brûlée macaron. The cassis was very soft, there was no light crunchy giveaway of an exterior and you could squeeze it easily. I wish the "skin" had a light soft crunch to it, but oh well. The filling was nicely tart, more tart than any jam I've tasted but it went well with the macaron, which is usually pretty sweet in order to maintain a certain texture. I liked this one a lot since it was so different, but again, I wish the exterior wasn't so soft. The crème brûlée macaron was rich and creamy with the distinct light crunchy exterior macarons should have. The was definitely a buttercream type filling and was scented strongly of vanilla and custard.
And now of course, the croissant isaphan! I was so excited about this. It was my first croissant in Paris and it happened to be a specialty croissant. The croissant has a lychee, rose, and raspberry flavor and the whole thing is topped of with some sort of candied raspberry fragments. As I tore off a piece of the croissant, I noticed how non-greasy it was and how the exterior had distinct flaky layers of croissant "skin" instead of turning into a lump of mush when squeezed. Inside was of course, their famous isaphan filling which was very generous. When you first bite into it, the rose flavor hits you first, then the lychee, and finally the raspberry, giving way to a lightly tart finish. The every so slightly crunchy candied raspberry topping balances the tart flavor and you're left with a sort of explosion of flavors in your mouth. I really liked this croissant - it's so different and creative and who would've thought to combine rose, lychee, and raspberry? Then stuff it into a buttery croissant? This man is a genius!
So off I was again buying more chocolate. I had made reservations during lunchtime at a restaurant and we had time to snack some more before dinner. This being our second day and just getting the hang of things, we took it easy and just strolled around the Luxembourg into the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter was so fun and had sooooo many sweet shops, I couldn't resist. I need to stay closer to this area next time I go to Paris (yes, there will be many, many more next times).
Around the Latin Quarter was the Notre Dame Cathedral. We didn't go in as there was a long line. I definitely want to go back on a solo trip and take my time to discover everything. I'll probably need to bring a book for all the lines I'll be waiting in though. I can't get over all the historical and old buildings in the city! The U.S. is so young and I am not accustomed to seeing so many old buildings. It would be like living in a dream to live in a place surrounded by such architecture and beauty.
I was close to the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore so I had to take a picture! I didn't buy any books but I browsed through it and took a picture. It was so crowded so we left pretty quickly. Close by, I saw a coffee shop and it was definitely time for coffee. Specialty coffee shops aren't that common in Paris like how it is here in the states, so each time we passed by one, we made sure to stop by.
La Cafèothéque is a nice roomy cafe that serves up pastries and a variety of espresso drinks. When you first walk in, you enter their store area where they sell coffee beans. Walking towards the back will take you the hostess to be seated. There are more rooms in the back with a more lounge-y area and of course, the main espresso station with the pastries.
I ordered my mom a cold latte and myself a flat white. Each came with a little chocolate covered hazelnut and shot of water to wash down the coffee. I love how they served the latte in a wine glass. It wasn't the best that I had - the espresso seemed to be a bit more on the sour side than I prefer, but nothing a little sugar can't fix. This was a good place for my mom to rest her feet and for the both of us to just relax a little bit. My arms were getting tired of carrying too many bags of chocolate.
Oh and of course, it was an opportunity to use their restroom - like New York, we visited the restroom every opportunity we got since it wasn't that common. In the touristy areas, there was always a long line and they weren't always clean. Even when you had to pay. They had the cutest ornaments on the door for the ladies and the men's restroom. I think I shall find something like this for my future house.
Anyway, we FINALLY got to dinner time which I was so excited about because we chose a restaurant serving up some distinctly french specialties. More on that to come later.
Addresses (some may have multiple locations, listing the ones I went to):
Le Quartier du Pain (14th)
93 rue Raymond Losserand
75014 Paris
Pierre Hermé (6th)
72 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
La Caféothèque (4th)
52 rue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville
75004 Paris
À la mére de famille (6th)
70 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
And now of course, the croissant isaphan! I was so excited about this. It was my first croissant in Paris and it happened to be a specialty croissant. The croissant has a lychee, rose, and raspberry flavor and the whole thing is topped of with some sort of candied raspberry fragments. As I tore off a piece of the croissant, I noticed how non-greasy it was and how the exterior had distinct flaky layers of croissant "skin" instead of turning into a lump of mush when squeezed. Inside was of course, their famous isaphan filling which was very generous. When you first bite into it, the rose flavor hits you first, then the lychee, and finally the raspberry, giving way to a lightly tart finish. The every so slightly crunchy candied raspberry topping balances the tart flavor and you're left with a sort of explosion of flavors in your mouth. I really liked this croissant - it's so different and creative and who would've thought to combine rose, lychee, and raspberry? Then stuff it into a buttery croissant? This man is a genius!
So off I was again buying more chocolate. I had made reservations during lunchtime at a restaurant and we had time to snack some more before dinner. This being our second day and just getting the hang of things, we took it easy and just strolled around the Luxembourg into the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter was so fun and had sooooo many sweet shops, I couldn't resist. I need to stay closer to this area next time I go to Paris (yes, there will be many, many more next times).
Around the Latin Quarter was the Notre Dame Cathedral. We didn't go in as there was a long line. I definitely want to go back on a solo trip and take my time to discover everything. I'll probably need to bring a book for all the lines I'll be waiting in though. I can't get over all the historical and old buildings in the city! The U.S. is so young and I am not accustomed to seeing so many old buildings. It would be like living in a dream to live in a place surrounded by such architecture and beauty.
I was close to the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore so I had to take a picture! I didn't buy any books but I browsed through it and took a picture. It was so crowded so we left pretty quickly. Close by, I saw a coffee shop and it was definitely time for coffee. Specialty coffee shops aren't that common in Paris like how it is here in the states, so each time we passed by one, we made sure to stop by.
La Cafèothéque is a nice roomy cafe that serves up pastries and a variety of espresso drinks. When you first walk in, you enter their store area where they sell coffee beans. Walking towards the back will take you the hostess to be seated. There are more rooms in the back with a more lounge-y area and of course, the main espresso station with the pastries.
I ordered my mom a cold latte and myself a flat white. Each came with a little chocolate covered hazelnut and shot of water to wash down the coffee. I love how they served the latte in a wine glass. It wasn't the best that I had - the espresso seemed to be a bit more on the sour side than I prefer, but nothing a little sugar can't fix. This was a good place for my mom to rest her feet and for the both of us to just relax a little bit. My arms were getting tired of carrying too many bags of chocolate.
Oh and of course, it was an opportunity to use their restroom - like New York, we visited the restroom every opportunity we got since it wasn't that common. In the touristy areas, there was always a long line and they weren't always clean. Even when you had to pay. They had the cutest ornaments on the door for the ladies and the men's restroom. I think I shall find something like this for my future house.
Anyway, we FINALLY got to dinner time which I was so excited about because we chose a restaurant serving up some distinctly french specialties. More on that to come later.
Addresses (some may have multiple locations, listing the ones I went to):
Le Quartier du Pain (14th)
93 rue Raymond Losserand
75014 Paris
Pierre Hermé (6th)
72 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
La Caféothèque (4th)
52 rue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville
75004 Paris
À la mére de famille (6th)
70 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
