Ok, so day 2 we get a restless night's sleep and then wake up and head out. First off another delicious petite dejeuner or croissant (light and flaky), espresso (strong and well balanced), and freshly squeezed OJ (awesome). Then we started another walking tour of the city. I am not sure if it was the weekend crowd or what but there were crazy ass lines everywhere! I mean, like 1hr+ lines to get into everything. My lady and I are not fans of lines. However, Paris is such an architectural wonder, you can just wander around the city and see amazing things without ever going into anywhere. Eiffel Tower, Napoleon's tomb, The Louvre... all really cool places. The one spot we did wait for was the Rodin museum. Fricken cool. The gates of hell, the thinker, Balzac (hahahahaha... Balzac)... all the hits were there. Rodin also had an amazing personal collection of works by Van Gogh and Renoir. Really amazing.
We got lucky and were able to meet up w/ a real good college buddy of mine and his wife that night. Funny thing was, apparently it was daylight saving time day but we had no idea. Thought my friend was like 2 hours late, when really that was not the case. We did set out for a late dinner though and hit up a little place around the corner from our hotel on I think Jacob Street... maybe called Le Poullet (or maybe not). I had a very nice green salad and then an amazing rich lupine in cream sauce. Oh baby! Couple drinks later and it was another day in the books.
Day 3 was really something. We dressed up (jacket and tie for me, pretty dress for the wife), walked up to the Arc de Triumph (another ridiculous line to the top), and then on to a super fancy dinner at Traillevant.. a haute cuisine joint. Now dinner at a place like this runs well over $1k. Lunch was not cheap either! But, it was like nothing I had ever experienced before. We were in a small dining room w/ 4 other tables and about 20 people waiting on us. We started w/ cheese puffs that melted in your mouth w/ cheesy flavor to spare. 1st course was a salmon mouse w/ basil(?) sorbet. Odd texture and crazy strong salmon flavor but a cooking masterpiece. Next up, foie gras ravioli in a foam de canard. Flavor? You want flavor?! Holy cats... this dish punched you in the mouth! Very good but rich, very rich. Next, the entree... My wife had a very nice cod fish. I had wild boar in a cherry demiglace topped w/ a rich cheese sauce. Oh, man... this was sick. I crushed it! In fact, one of our servers came w/ more sauce as I was sopping every last drop w/ bread. Next, was a cheese course... blue cheese shaped like eggs that had an intense flavor and creamy texture. whoa. And then ice cream! Chocolate for the lady, vanilla for me. Finally a coffee w/ several little desserts. Of course we had a somelier the whole time pairing amazing wines that were subtle and perfectly matched to our food. This was truly an unforgettable experience though the food was so rich and flavorful it made for a challenging lunch for food novices such as ourselves. 2 huge thumbs up. Of course we had to walk it off after that. We cruised over to the Eiffel Tower and got in line. This was the one time I wanted to punch a French person. Those douchebags think nothing of cutting in line and no one tries to stop the practice! Well we did!!! No cutting the Birds surrender monkeys!!! The Tower was pretty cool and the view was amazing but if you go forget about the trip to the very top... it is a let down. Just cruise to the mid level, it is cool and you save $$ and aggravation. And more French dooshbaggery!!!
We finished the day up w/ a nice boat ride on the river. It is a very pleasant way to see many sights and have a little down time. I highly suggest it if you are a tourist looking to see some cool stuff. A couple last highlights from Paris... The Eiffel Tower at night is really something. Try a macaroon... just do it! Pastries, cheeses, wines, baguettes... all amazing. Just cruise into little places along the streets, you will thank me for it.
Ok, I am exhausted again... next stop... Burgundy!!!!!
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