Exploring what Paris had to offer

Thursday, May 21, 2009

We began our morning hunting for a boulangerie for the breakfast pastries to which we'd already become accustomed. Ironically, the place we decided on was the same bakery (in a sea of Parisian bakeries) that A&D had found and fallen in love with on their last trip to Paris. After our breakfast and sizable cafe au laits, we trooped into the metro bound for the Louvre.

Upon arrival we made our way to the Ancient Mesopotamian area which turned out to be a good decision. Although this exhibit has the Code of Hammurabi, a very famous archeological find, the throngs of tourists just didn't seem to share our interest, which was great! After meandering through that exhibit we moved on the Egyptian antiquities exhibit where we were greeted with all the humans we'd managed to avoid all morning. Rather than wasting our time in exhibits we could neither see nor appreciate due to the heavy volume, we decided to go find lunch and then come back to see a couple of famous pieces we felt we couldn't come to the Louvre and ignore, the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. But en route to the exit we got turned around and found ourselves face to face with armless Venus. Checking that off our list we managed to find our way out and to a small bakery for the French sandwiches A&D had also managed to hook us on.

(The upright famous Louvre pyramid)

(The Code of Hammurabi in the Ancient Mesopotamia exhibit)

We enjoyed our lunch in the gardens nestled next to the Louvre before re-entering the building in pursuit of the Mona Lisa. Weaving our way into another wing of the building, we found Da Vinci's masterpiece surrounded on all sides by more photo snapping tourists. We got close enough to take a look but not to take a photo. If you'd like to see the Mona Lisa, I'm sure you can google her ;-).

As an aside, my disdain for tourists is probably showing. I realize that Ben and I were also playing tourist, but the tourists I am clearly judging are those who walk slower than a hip replacement patient, gaping all the while and paying no attention to the people they a) run into, b) stop fast in front of and force crazy course corrections or collision or c) blind with their flashes because they clearly can't heed signs that say "no flash photography." I do not like these people and I wish they would go away. That said, we still made the best of our surroudings, just trying to be patient with the lines, something that is particularly hard for me as I lack a "patient" setting.

After our Louvre visit we headed for Notre Dame. The cathedral is located on one of the Seine's islands. When we arrived the lines to enter the church was too long that we decided rather than waiting we'd try back in the morning and instead walked around behind the cathedral to see the flying buttresses and to sit in the gardens and decide where to go next.

(The rear of Notre Dame and its flying buttresses)

After Notre Dame it was time to see some of the lovely green space Paris had to offer, so we walked to the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was a huge garden filled with Parisian and tourists alike sitting in little green chairs enjoying the lovely weather. By the time we finished our walk through the gardens our feet were achy and we were ready for an early evening rest before heading out for dinner so we meandered back to our hotel.

After a quick rest we set out for dinner. But we couldn't decide on which place to eat so we wandered around for a couple hours, getting very hungry, but still exploring the city. We finally decided we couldn't leave France without at least one more crepe so we settled on the Creperie Bretton for our evening meal. Delicious and, because of its Brittany roots, serving salty caramel crepes. After dinner we turned in, knowing we'd need to be up early the next day to be ready for Alyce's 830 arrival.

Au revoir Brittany, Bonjour Paris!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Our morning was bitter sweet. While we were excited to be heading to Paris, neither of us wanted to say goodbye to A&D. We'd had so much fun together, we contemplated whether we could bribe them into coming to Italy with us too! But we had to settle for saying goodbye to Dave and knowing that at least we'd get a bit more time with Alyce in Paris. Before heading out we grabbed a quick bite of breakfast and acquired the best souvenir possible - 4 jars of incredible, homemade, still warm, salty caramel!!

During our time there A&D had been nice enough to suggest some places we might like to stop en route back to Paris. We decided to stop and see the Cathedral at Chartres and were glad we did. Unlike most cathedrals, which strive for symmetry between their large architectural elements, this cathedral prides itself on the opposite. Due to its staggered construction, the cathedral is comprised of one truly Gothic looking spire and one much more Romanesque.

(The cathedral at Charte from the front)
(The rose window in the nave of the cathedral - the photo is a
bit overexposed, but you get the picture)
(Flying buttresses at the rear of the cathedral)

After our stop in Chartres, we made the remainder of our journey to Paris and, with the help of our GPS, found our hotel without incident. Once checked in we had to return the car to Europcar, a trek of two miles straight up a single road. This certainly sounds as easy to you as it did to us. Nearly an hour later we handed the keys over, so thoroughly stressed from the traffic we'd both nearly forgotten we weren't still living through DC rush hour. But we used the walk back to our hotel to relax and by the time dinner came around we'd managed to forget about our traffic nightmare.

We enjoyed dinner at Le Cerise ("The Cherry"), a restaurant A&D had recommended, before heading down to see the Eiffel Tower at night. Our guidebook had mentioned that while we would still encounter tourists, seeing this spectacle at night would be more relaxed and far less crowded. We arrived just in time for the 10PM lighting and we were pleasantly surprised to find the book was right, some tourists, but not nearly the mob scene you'd expect during the day.

(The Eiffel Tower lit up)

(The Eiffel Tower from the opposite bank of the Seine)

After our ET visit, we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and walk along to Seine to the Champs Elysees and up to the Arc de Triomphe. The Champs Elysees, while glitzy and glittering, held very little appeal. Yes, it's a material Mecca, lined with couture shopping, but window shopping for things we can't afford has never appealed to either of us, so we moved quickly up the road. Planted in the middle of a giant traffic circle at the end of the Champs Elysees sits the Arc de Triomphe, memorializing France's military participation beginning with Napoleon.

(The Arc de Triomphe at night)

After walking under the roadways to see the inside of the Arc, we decided it was time to turn in. Got a little lost on the walk home, but all in all, a great day!

Last Day in Rennes

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

After great food and fun the night before, we awoke well rested and ready to enjoy our last day in Rennes with A&D. We'd see Alyce later in the week in Paris again, but would have to say our goodbyes to Dave next morning.

Since we didn't have a strict itinerary for the day, we spent a good part of the morning in a cafe, being very French as Alyce put it, chatting and laughing and enjoying each other's company. After our leisurely breakfast and coffee we strolled the streets of Rennes checking out many of the local artisan shops including a chocolatier that sold us the best piece of candy I've ever had. Bittersweet chocolate shaped into a craggy oyster and filled with the saltiest of Brittany's salty carmel. Fantastic!!

After we'd tasted our fill of chocolate, honey and olive oil we began collecting the goodies required for a picnic in Thabor Park. Stowing our sandwiches and some delicious apple juice in Alyce's backpack we meandered our way through Rennes to the park to meet Dave for lunch.

After lunch we thought it wise to walk off some of the deliciousness we'd been enjoying. Alyce lead us through Rennes to a small path that runs along the canal and over the river. It was a lovely walk, allowing us to see a little more of Rennes on the way to and from the path and to escape into a natural setting in the midst of a bustling city.

As Alyce had to teach that night as well, we were able to enjoy a quick rest between our walk and meeting up with Dave for our dinner reservations. We'd been hearing about this restaurant from A&D all week and were really looking forward to trying it. Again, we were not disappointed. Ben and Dave opted to engage in the full French dining experience, starting their meals with aperitifs and moving through the courses all the way to coffee/tea at the end. We enjoyed gorgeous blanched asparagus with poached egg, duck foie gras, perfectly prepared beef on a bed of sweet carmelized shallots, creamy, buttery potatoes, again, here I sit, salivating. Such incredible food and again, a three hour meal went by in the blink of an eye as we laughed and talked.

Deliciousness with a side of tourism

Monday, May 18, 2009

We started our day in Avranches with more delicious pastries for breakfast. But our meal was quick as we were trying to get on the road in time to beat the tourist mob that descends daily on Le Mont St. Michel, our morning destination. We made it there by 11AM at the lowest of low tides. With no water to be seen for miles Ben and Dave opted to trek out into the sand to get some far away shots of the abbey and its incredible architecture.

As we made our way up to the abbey we realized we'd failed miserably in our attempt to beat the tourists. Thankfully, Alyce new a lesser traveled route that we were able to take up to the top without running into any tourists. We opted to take the more traveled route down to give us a better idea of the other side of the abbey. All in all, this is a very touristy spot, but is really incredible to look at understanding that its construction and use began somewhere in the 10th century and has endured to this day.

(Le Mont St. Michel from below)

(Alyce and I posing on the walk up into the abbey)

Once we'd tired of the tourists crowds, we climbed back into the car bound for Cancale, a small fishing village acclaimed for its fantastic seafood. On arrival we chose a small venue with a promising chalk board menu and we were not disappointed. Delicious food and some incredible values. Check out Al's blog for a complete description and photos. http://lotusmusings-amw.blogspot.com/2009/05/joys-of-going-coastal.html

After our incredible meal we wandered out onto the pier to get a closer look at the water. From that vantage point you have a great view of the whole town as well.

(Cancale's main street)

After Cancale we made our way to St. Malo, a smaller fortified city on the English Channel. The city's fortifications are incredible. We didn't have a lot of time as we had to get Alyce back to teach that night, but we managed to poke around the raised wall and to wander through some of the narrow city streets.

(A narrow St. Malo street)

(Alyce and Dave on the wall in St. Malo)
(Ben wanted this photo, Alyce and I with a poster of a guy engaged in a questionable relationship with a bear)

At around 430PM we headed back to Rennes, arriving in time for Alyce to teach and for Dave, Ben and I to pursue a delicious deli meal for dinner. Since it was Monday and many of the stores are closed, we didn't have as many options as we normally would, but we still managed to make an incredible picnic style meal including delicious sausage, peppered goat cheese, gooey cow cheese, heirloom tomato, potato gratin, french baguettes and for the finale, a perfect carmel tartlet and heaping mounds of sugary gelato. There was so much gelato left Dave is probably still finishing it. For the second night in a row we finished off our evening with a game of euchre and a LOT of laughter.

Around the Norman country side

Sunday, May 17, 2009

We started out our first full day in France with delicious French pastries enjoyed with A&D at a cafe. After breakfast and packing up the car with us and our picnic we headed off for the Normandy beaches to get a taste of U.S. and allied history on French soil. We arrived around 10AM at Omaha Beach in Colleville-Sur-Mer, home to one of the historic June 6, 1944 D-day landings and the U.S. Memorial Cemetery.

Entering the beach area we took a quick look at the planned memorial entrance and then climbed down to the actual beach below. The beach is awe-inspiring. To stand in this vast openness where the allied forces landed, you can't help but realize how so many lives were lost. There was (and is) no cover. There was nowhere to run but forward, toward the German army in the sloping hills that line the beach. It's startling to realize that nothing but pure force of will could have propelled the allied armies over the bunkers and allowed them to take the beach head. Standing on the beach in France I got the same patriotic jolt I get from a visit to the FDR Memorial, a jolt meant to remind me of those who sacrificed for what was right and righteous and to whom I owe many of the freedoms I enjoy today.

(Alyce on the Beach)

(The quote that marks the entrance to the beach and Memorial Cemetary)

After seeing the beach we climbed the 50 or so steps back up to the Memorial Cemetery. We walked through one area, looking at the names of those soldiers who fell fighting for the allied forces. We also stumbled across a number of unknown soldiers. Finally, we trekked down to the memorial chapel and back to the statuary area. It was a sobering visit that I would make again.

(A view of the Cemetery)

(Grave of an unknown soldier)

After the Memorial Cemetery, we stopped for a short and delicious picnic by the water. Again, A&D spoiled us with market goodies including some of the best goat cheese I've ever had!! After we'd eaten our fill we continued to Pointe du Hoc, where there are still giant craters in the ground from the shelling that took place there as well as a number of still standing German bunkers. It's crazy to think that bunkers that were meant to be temporary were constructed so well that they are still standing 65 years later.

(Alyce climbing into one of the bunkers)

(Dave at Pointe du Hoc)

At Pointe du Hoc the wind was picking up but we weren't to be deterred. After we'd seen our fill of bunkers and shell holes we made our way up the road to Utah Beach, the second landing site for U.S. troops on D-day. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived the winds were so high we were being pelted with sand. So our stay at Utah was much shorter than Omaha. We snapped a few shots, saw a Sherman tank and then jumped back in the car en route to St. Mere Eglise, the landing site of a parachuter gone astray on D-day. When we arrived we saw that the steeple of church on which the soldier's chute caught has memorialized his landing, as you can see in the picture below.

(The kind of creepy mannequin parachuter)

By the time we had seen the parachuter we were chilled to the bones and needed something to pick us up so into a local cafe for a tea. When we were done we piled back into the car and headed for our residence for the night, a hotel in Avranches. We enjoyed a lovely dinner there and even had a chance to walk through the gardens and see Le Mont St. Michel in the distance.

Counting down the minutes until the screaming...

Friday, May 15 and Saturday May 16, 2009

As is usually the case with European flights, we flew overnight from DC to Paris. But in the interest of cheap tickets we got the shaft on connections. Since we were flying Northwest it would have been the sensible thing to fly DC to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Paris. Alas, no. Instead we flew DC to Minneapolis and then enjoyed 9 confined hours in economy class. But to tell the truth, the flights weren't bad and we arrived in Paris tired but in good spirits. Waited in line for a bit, got our rental car and hit the road. Had a little snag with the GPS in the airport and took a very interesting detour through a parking garage, but once we were out on the open road we cruised into the most incredible country side. Pastoral and verdant, we were totally mesmerized.

After a couple hours our eyes began to droop and we opted to pull off for a roadside nap. 45 minutes later we were back on the road and Ben was feeling confident he could make the rest of the drive without falling asleep and disturbing the peaceful country side by running off the road. Three and a half hours after starting out we rolled into Rennes and thanks to the kookey GPS lady we found Alyce and Dave without incident. (FYI - I'm going to co-opt Alyce's acronyming and call them A&D from here on out).

I rang the buzzer on their apartment expecting a happy scream to greet me and I was not disappointed! My "we're here" was followed by a mini-shriek from Al and "we're coming down." Fast forward through the hugs and the hellos and the not so quiet babbling began. As Alyce's own post on our arrival points out, catching up on nine months isn't easy! But we forged on valiantly, Alyce and I babbling all the way through the car parking and up to their apartment, even through the delicious snacks (locally grown strawberries, herb crusted cheese, perfect french bread and incredible chocolate deliciousness!) they had waiting for us from the morning's market. After our bellies were full we headed to the hotel to settle in to our hotel with Dave and Ben walking behind Alyce and I, chatting to one another, not even trying to keep up with the rapid fire sentence swapping going on ahead of them.

After settling into our hotel we headed back to meet A&D for a quick walk around Rennes and then a delicious dinner at a local creperie.

(Me with a freakishly manicured duck bush in Thabor Park)

If you haven't figured this out already, this trip was intended to be food-centric and A&D started us out with a bang! Savory gallettes with goat cheese, meats, creme fraiche...utterly delicious! And it only got better. For dessert, sweet crepes with the salty caramel Alyce had so thoroughly talked up. We couldn't believe our tastebuds. Just writing about it I'm salavating for more.

We enjoyed our dinner and our catching up so much that we didn't want it to end, but we'd been up for many, many hours and so after our delicious dessert we headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Let me start by saying, while tremendously delicious, this cake is not what I'd characterize as "good for you." But it's so good. I made this for brunch on Inauguration Day (thought it deserved something special) and everyone raved about it! Credit goes to Ina Garten for the recipe.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Serves: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook time: 50 mins
WW Points: Far too many!