After a deep sleep, we head to the Marais section of Paris
for breakfast. Cool neighborhood, vibey,
good mix of locals, students and tourists.
We are finally synching with the rhythm of Paris. We’re from the type-A northeast. Although the city bustles, it does so at a
more relaxed pace. It’s the little
things. Waiters don’t rush to your
table. Time between courses, time to
talk, time to kiss, time to watch people and be watched. Never bring a check without asking, to do so
would be rude, akin to throwing you out.
Our French language skills are non-existent, but everyone can’t be more
helpful. Poached eggs, served with toast
sliced into thin strips to dip into the yoke.
Strong coffee served with a pitcher of hot milk. We’re coffee people and it’s a coffee
culture.
Leisurely stroll through the neighborhoods. Goes slow because we stop at so many fun shop
windows. Cross the bridge to Ile de la
Cite to see Notre Dame. Even though it’s
past high season, mobs of tourists. We
make our way inside for a look and it is amazing, but we have more fun with the
details outside. Crazily detailed arched
doorways tell entire biblical lessons.
Every gutter ends in a gargoyle, so when it rains the creatures spew
water.
Across the next bridge, past the row of booksellers, and
into the Latin Quarter. Buzzy with the
Greek restaurant owners trying to lure you into their quasi-French cafes. Fun but a little kitsch for us so back across
the next bridge. We find Restaurant Au
Vieux Paris D’Arcole, the most picturesque side street cafe imaginable. Mandy orders the onion soup, I get the
escargot and moules and frites. Who knew
French food was a thing here? When I was
a kid I put salt on snails. Had my
mother taught me better I wouldda used pesto.
The service was fun and friendly, the waiter a real pro, making everyone
feel welcome. Mandy asks me the
time. I look at my watch… plenty of
time, only quarter of two. We pay the
check and I see my phone… watch set wrong… an hour slow… we are gonna miss our…
Tour of the Louvre with Cedrik, a French born English
language comedian with an art history degree.
We text franticly from the cab and he holds the small group for us. About the Louvre. It’s big.
Like has its own gravity big. If
you spent 30 seconds looking at each piece, it would take you 100 days to see
it all. We decided on the 90 minute
highlights option hosted by someone who really knows his way around. Of course there’s the Mona Lisa and Venus de
Milo, but it’s spectacular just to see the place itself. Learn the history of the place. The collections are dizzying, but Cedrik does
a good job of boiling it down to explain why each collection deserves a place
in such a palace. He does an in-depth
explanation of a few pieces in each room.
We realize that for a first time visitor “seeing the Lourve” is about
experiencing the place itself.*
Back for nap then out to dinner. The café scene is not early, but not as late
as I expected either. We pick Bistrot
Belhara a few blocks from our hotel on a quiet street. Without a reservation at this tiny, highly
rated restaurant our chances of being seated were slim. But the waiter took a look at Mandy, smiled,
and in true French fashion, showed the pretty girl to a prime table. I was allowed to stay too. The owner/chef peeked out the little window
from the little kitchen sent an approving wink and a kiss. We had the “Surprise Menu”, a five-course
tasting menu paired with three wines. Soup,
savory crepe, perfectly prepared fish course, sinful shaved cheese course all
topped off with a decadent dessert soufflé.
Small plates, one course better than the next with delicious but
unexpected wine parings. Mandy bravely tries every dish, even the ones with mushrooms (which she really doesn't like), and savors every bite. Again, the
service was professional, friendly and fun.
On our way back, we stop at a sidewalk café for a
nightcap. Brown liquor and great people
watching.
* Side Note: We went to the Barnes in Philadelphia a few
years ago and had a similar experience.
We tried to see this extensive collection of Impressionists in a single
first visit. Net result was exhausted
bodies and spinning heads. Like the
Louvre, when we go again, we’ll figure out ahead just a few rooms to see, and
take our time understanding the collection in each.
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