Day 2: The Day A Stranger Offered Me Some Beef

I failed to add this picture to my first post, and can't go back. But I really wanted to share my first experience with macarons! I have here a pineapple, blueberry, rose and rhubarb. They were totally not what I expected, and sooooo delicious! They are soft and a bit chewy, and the fillings have a similar texture to the inside of a poptart. (I don't mean that as an insult!) anyway, I'm in love, and will probably eat them everyday.


First thing in the morning I went to Rue Cler, where the entire pedestrian street becomes a food market. Here are some pictures!
























































I kind of held off today, because on Sundays most museums are free, and I want to activate my Paris Museum Pass on Monday. So I mostly did a lot of walking. First stop after Rue Cler was Champ de Mars and the Eiffel Tower. I didn't go close, but lounged in the park. A





Deciding to fully adopt the French lunch ethic, I sat down at a cafe near the Champ de Mars and just twiddled away some time. My waiter told me I spoke very good French. More like, I have a nice accent that makes people think I speak more French than I do....


Some tasty beginners...


Le poulet roti. I'm pretty sure I got glutened by the sauce, as I got sick afterwards, but I guess it was a risk.


A macaron filled with raspberry sorbet!

After lounging in the cafe, an elderly couple sat down next to me, and proceeded to order some of the coolest food ever. Since the table was small, they put a little rack on it, like a pizza place, which lofts the huge plates of food. First was an assortment of oysters on the half shell, and then a spectacle of medium rare beef with puffed potato gratin and haricot verts. The man saw me staring, so told the waiter to offer me some, which of course prompted me into a fit of giggles. I said non, merci, and we had a fun, broken English/French conversation that was just so charming. He kept asking me, "ugherrr, you think dis eez enough? Hauh hauh hauh"

After lunching as the French do with many actual French people, I decided to go to the Marmottan Museum, since it's not covered on the pass.


On the way there they were putting the horses on this carousel.


The Marmottan Museum houses one of the best collections of Claude Monet paintings in the former mansion of Paul Marmottan. He has a lot of other fancy stuff, including a nice chunk of Berthe Morisot paintings, but the highlight is Monet. And in particular...the painting Impression: Sunrise, which is the painting that launched the movement and gave it a name. It was one of those art historical pilgrimages I've always wanted to take. After this visit, I headed back to the Metro, passing the carousel which was now full of children. They were each given a pointed stick, and as they passed this machine, they had to try and catch a ring on the end of it. They were collecting quite a few, and it was hilarious the watch them try. I captured one of the sweet little faces all lit up with effort and concentration.


I moved along to the Tuileries and walked along the Rue de Rivoli. I wanted to go to Laduree, which is possibly the most famous location for macarons. The line was really huge, though (I think they sell 20,000 a day...if I heard that correctly) so I decided to come back another day. Across from the Tuileries is ANGELINA, which I had heard about for it's famous chocolat chaud a l'ancienne, which is to say, in the old style. After about a 30 minute wait, I got un table pour une personne and ordered the famous chocolat et un Mont Blanc. Once it got to the table and into my mouth I very nearly fainted from the deliciousness. There is no way words could ever convey to you the delights of these two objects, and therefore you must resolve to get yourself to Paris so you can understand what all this hubbub is about. I mean, Coco Chanel raved for them!


You literally get a pot of really rich, dark and slightly bitter melted chocolate, along with a pot of fresh whipped cream.


My Mont Blanc! Ack this was so good I can't even adequately describe it to you. Basically it's a bit of meringue at the bottom, the dried kind, not what goes on top of a lemon pie, topped with a mound of whipped cream, and covered in chestnut puree vermicelli. To....Die...For.


Mixing in the whipped cream.


When I poured in more chocolate, I made this cool pattern.

Just so you know, having this hot chocolat at Angelina's is a risk, since it will literally ruin all other hot chocolates for you the rest of your life. Friends, I can see you now this winter and in all the winters to come, when you suggest or prepare a hot chocolate, and I immediately scoff and without a glimmer of shame or humility, let you know that what you suggest or what you serve is most sincerely and truthfully not chocolat chaud as God Himself intended. I will then turn my nose up and remember this experience...while you delete my phone number from your contacts list.....


I could only finish half the chocolat and the Mont Blanc, although I spent some time afterwards just staring at them and feeling my brain work to reorder and update the file it keeps on "Most Delicious Things On The Planet."

Amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if I go there again.

Anyway, as I emerged from my delicious comma, I returned to the hotel to check out my new digs. Much more what I expected and much better than the first room! It's super cute, and I've already come to love it.











I stopped by a different grocery store and they had a huge selection of GF things. And I believe I had read that his brand is amazing, so I bought a bunch of stuff. That bread is out of this world delicious. I made a sandwich with it later for dinner.


Tomorrow should be a full day. I'm going to church at St. Sulpice for mass and an organ concert, then I will cram as many free museums in as possible.

A bientôt!

Day 1: A Sleepy Start

Bonjour! After an overnight flight during which I did manage to sleep about 5 hours, I arrived at CDG. This was the smallest plane I have ever flown transatlantic in, and we deplaned via stairs and a bus took us to the terminal, which I do remember doing there before. I was able to locate the tourism office fairly quickly, bought a 6 day Paris Museum Pass, my ticket on the RER into Paris and un carnet of Metro tickets. If you buy a carnet (a book of 10) you get a discount over single fares. However, I think I'll buy a Passé Navigo on Monday, which is the new electronic metro card. They require a passport sized photo, and you have to buy them on a Monday, because the week version expires on a Sunday no matter what day you purchase it on.

After successfully getting myself on the RER, which went much more smoothly than my previous trip with Brandi, from an earlier post (no pickpockets this time!), I navigated myself to the hotel which is located in Place Pigalle, in Montmartre. An old man who spoke very little English gave me a key to a room numbered 19, even though the doors were al, marked 100-110. Hmmmm. After finally finding the door, I had to slam my shoulder on it to get it opened. Here's the view that followed...



Ok, big bed, but I don't need that. Not quite like the pictures..


Oh dear, where's the potty?


Nice window and view, though! I went back downstairs to get the wifi password, and the owner was there this time. He asked me if I was Mademoiselle Stauver, and that he was soooo sorry but I had to be given the wrong room just for one night. Since I am staying for over a week, I assume there was a scheduling conflict. He said the room wasn't renovated, an the bathroom was downstairs and a bit of a walk down a hallway. He apologized so much and said I would of course be discounted in the rate. I didn't really care, so it worked out!

Once I got back in the room, I promptly passed out for 3 hours, and I'm pretty sure I scared the maid. (The room lacked a do not disturb sign!) once I arose from my coma I took an early evening walk through my new neighborhood, including a visit to Sacre Coeur.








You can either take the funicular, which costs a metro ticket, or the stairs. The last time I took these stairs I ran up them, trying to impress the group of kids I was with (I think it was a middle school trip?) and I promptly fainted when I got to the top. This time I took my time, and am happy to let you know I survived.


This is the garden/lawn in front, which was closed by the time I got there.


Me at the top with the crowds of people!


This man was singing Beatles and Backstreet Boys songs....with a French accent!!


Lots of people enjoying the view.


I visited the inside, where nuns were singing Vespers, and it was so cool to be there to hear that. No pictures are allowed inside, but imagine above the altar a massive domed mosaic, with Christ dominating the center, his sacred heart made of gold, shining on his chest, and Joan of Arc and other figures kneel before him and offer their gifts.

Next up was a walk around Montmartre, which was nice to do at night but not so nice for the pictures. I stopped by the Church of St. Pierre-de-Montmartre, which has in it four columns that possibly stood in a temple of Mercury of Mars. Montmartre supposedly means "Mount of Mars" but the meaning wad changed to "Mount of Martyrs" after the patron, St. Denis, who lost his head!





There are always mimes. This one was particularly creepy, since he brought that eerie spotlight.


I stopped by this patisserie, where I bought my first macarons! French macarons are different from American macaroons, which are coconut. A macaron is a (gluten free) cookie made from almond flower and paste, filled and flavored with all kinds of things!


Au Lapin Agile is where the likes of Picasso, Renoir, Modigliani et all hung out.


Look at that wily rabbit! He's gotten drunk on the wine he was meant to be cooked in!


This is the spot where Picasso used to live, in a building that burned down. Outside is where he met Fernande Olivier, and later painted Les Demoiselles D'Avignon, thus creating Cubism.


Le Moulin de Gallette! This used to be a super happenin' spot, as seen in Renoir's uber famous Bal du Moulin de Galette.


Amelie fans, je te presente, Cafe de Deux Moulins.





I took a walk down Rue des Martyrs, which is a market street. It was mostly not marketing by this point, but I still got some cool pictures. How you like them tomaters?


Different kids of mushrooms.


















I found a place for dinner, went in and showed the waitress my Celiac card, which has information about what I can't eat written in French. I ended up with a three course delight.


My entree, a mozzarella and tomato salad. (Since an entree does mean to enter, it makes sense that it precedes the plat principle, or the main dish.)


A piece of beef with some rice. Oh gluten free living.


And a mousse au chocolat pour dessert,


I then stopped by my locale grocery store to see what kind of GF foods they carry (terrible...barely anything), and to pick up some things for snacking. I saw these massive kinder eggs and nearly passed out. I love Kinder Eggs! They're hollow chocolate eggs with toy on the inside! And these were huge! They're normally the size of a regular egg.

And to leave you with.... some funny cereal names:

Cold, yet Cute!

This post is meant to be an addendum to my previous article about traveling in style. As the temperature begins to drop in NYC (we had SNOW in October...) and I start the process of bringing out all the bulky sweaters and wool coats, I've had to do some serious thinking about packing for cold weather travel. Are you familiar with this scenario? It's the first really cold day of fall, and you decide to bust out the coat and put on your pretty boots. Aside from being steamy hot before you actually head outdoors, all that extra clothing really begins to weigh you down. The first staircase after I put on my winter boots almost kills me every year. Until I become accustomed to the extra heft, I always feel like a sluggish wad of wool. This is definitely a sensation I want to avoid while traveling. A heavy coat is normally fine for the brief outdoor moments between home and work, but when you're traveling you're constantly on the move, and need greater flexibility.

On my upcoming trip to Paris, I can plan on temperatures in the mid 40's-50's during the day, but much colder temps at night and along the Seine. So how can I maintain my flexibility, movability and comfort without being weighed down? And what about the range of temperatures I'm likely to experience every day? From walking outside during the day/night, stopping in shops and museums, running up stairs and in and out of the Metro? And for Pete's sake, how can I still look GOOD? For all these variables, the answer is, of course, layering.

Unless you're going to someplace that is genuinely cold, where practicality outweighs appearance, you should be fine layering some simple yet effective pieces that can be whipped on and off at the slightest deviation in temperature and won't make you feel like you've added 10 extra pounds.

Below are some well-reviewed examples of layering pieces. You might hear some suggestions for cashmere other places, but it's always made me slightly itchy. Plus, it's not easily washable while traveling and although very light, can sometimes be bulkier than I like. So for my suggestions, I've chosen synthetic fabrics that are lightweight, incredibly packable and easily washable while traveling.

My first suggestions are base layers. An excellent company is WinterSilks, and they make silk base layers in different warmth levels. Since it's harder to take off a base layer if you happen to walk into a over-heated locale, try to use these only when you know you'll be outside a lot, or when a cold front moves through for the day.

For other times, I find lightweight zip jackets do the trick just as well, and I'm able to take them off quickly and stuff it in my bag if I get too warm. Below is an example from REI. Click the picture for links. 

Another excellent layering option are packable puff jackets, like this one from TravelSmith. I think they actually call this a sweater, and look how small it gets! 

And my favorite option for an outer shell is a chic A-line raincoat in a fun color with a hood and additional zip-out liner. Raincoats are so much lighter than wool or cashmere winter coats, and since you'll have a couple of options for layering underneath, it will be plenty warm. Plus, having an optional liner means you can quickly adjust the warmth of the coat, and stuff the liner in your bag. I find rain coats are easy to take off and drape through my cross body bag for hands-free carrying. Another plus is protection from rain and snow that might overtake you suddenly. Being cold is no fun. Being cold and wet is the pits.

Top off your look with a fun scarf and you should be all set to keep yourself toasty up top. Place a pretty pin on your lapel and you'll be downright stylish. You could also bring a hat if you feel it's necessary, but for the most part, hats, gloves and scarves are fairly inexpensive and I purchase them only if needed while I'm there.

Now for your legs....

My mom always told me I had antifreeze in my legs, so I'm not the best at giving leg warmth advice. Wintersilks does make leg layers for underneath pants, and I highly recommend leggings if you're going to be wearing skirts or dresses. On my next trip, I'll be bringing a pair of tall boots. I'm planning on packing them in my suitcase on the way there, and then wearing them on the ride home and using that extra packing space for things I'll pick up along the way. And here's a tip from my Olive Garden days - since warm socks take up space and aren't easy to wash and dry in a hotel room, I usually only bring a few pairs, but layer them over trouser socks, which are much thinner and will dry very quickly after washing in a hotel sink. You'll get more use out of the warmer socks without having to wash them as often.

So there they are, my tips for staying the perfect temperature while traveling. Post comments below with your suggestions or any questions!