Paris Day II

Playing: Sweater Weather-The Neighborhood
Reading: Le Vogue Collections Automne/Hiver 2013

On my first full day in Paris, I went to the Musée du Louvre with my family.We bought the Paris Pass ahead of time that way we would save money, since we go to literally museum after museum. However, since I'm under 18, I technically get into most exhibits for free, but we still bought it for me that way we wouldn't have to wait in long lines. Le Louvre is a great museum, but it is overwhelming.  With only a limited amount of time in Paris, we went to the most famous works of art like La Jaconde, Venus de Milo, etc. and to the Napoleonic apartments, which were great.

For lunch, I ate a Quiche Lorraine and an Orangina from the quickest option available, Le Comptoir du Louvre. As far as museum food goes, this was rather good. While in Paris, I just wanted to try all the stereotypical French foods first that are either hard to get where I live or are poorly made. I also went a bit nuts with the Orangina during the trip and since I'm of legal drinking age, I tried some alcoholic beverages too. After lunch, we explored Le Louvre a bit more before walking around in Le Jardin des Tuileries.

While heading over to Le Place de Madeleine, we walked along the River Seine for awhile. That allowed me to take my cheesy Paris photo. While you're by Le Place de Madeleine, you really must look around. According to my tour book  the area is called the millionaire's food market due to the presence of Fauchon (which I fell in love with), Hediard, and other specialty markets. These markets are unbelievably pretty and all the food looks so good. I wanted to try a lot of the foods, but everything was out of my price range. Seriously, though, if you have time, visit Fauchon and let me know how happy it makes you.

Since we couldn't try anything at Fauchon, my brother took me to Cafe de la Paix, which my tour book told us was famous for their vanilla slices. Unfortunately, the vanilla slices weren't on the menu, so I had to ask the manager, who had to ask the chefs. The chefs then came out to explain to me that they have never heard of vanilla slices before, but their Millefeuille du Cafe de la Paix was worth ordering. It was definitely the best Napoleon I have ever had. The custard was ridiculously creamy and tasted richly of vanilla, while the salted caramel made me realize that salted caramel was not overrated like I had previously thought from overdosing on it in California. 

We visited various little churches that I have forgotten the name of and stopped by the Comédie-Française to look at the courtyard behind it, which has become well known for its black and white striped columns of various heights. In another courtyard close by are the stores for Acne, Stella McCartney, etc. which are worth checking out.  I found this cute little side street too, which I wouldn't mind living along one day. 

After walking around for a rather long day, we stopped by Cafe Victoria for dinner. The Confit de Canard avec Pommes Grenailles was really good. The duck was crispy and tender, while the potatoes were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The potatoes also tasted heavily of salt and rosemary, so it may be too strong for some people. Overall, I would recommend this place for a tasty, reasonably priced meal. The service was very friendly and the waitress I had was eager to help. Afterwards, I didn't walk around much, since jet lag was starting to be a killer once again.