Paris Day IV

Playing: Perfect Situation-Weezer 
Reading: Vogue August 2013

Beginning our day early, my family and I walked down to the docks of Bateaux-Mouches, which we unfortunately mistook for the Batobus. We ended up on a Bateaux-Mouches hour long tour along the River Seine. No one listened to the tour or rather I didn't listen to the tour because a hoard of Chinese tourists were surrounding me and I couldn't hear anything that well. I was also confused as to how I lost my family and became one with a tour group. Even though it was a mistake, the tour made me realize that it would be really nice to live in Paris and study there for maybe a summer or a semester.

After the tour, we actually made it to the Batobus. During the walk there, I saw these adorable boats that people live on. I haven't read Little Bo in France for along time, so correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think Bo and her owner lived in one of these. Living on one of these boats seems like such a charming way to live, but it's probably been highly romanticized by books and sad movies just like having a tragic artist for a boyfriend has been romanticized...

The main reason we took the Batobu was because Le Quartier Latin was too far away from our hotel to walk to. Before we explored countless churches including, but not limited to, St. Severune, Le Pantheon, and St. Sulpiche, we grabbed lunch at a small cafe called Le Twickenham, where I ordered Le Fricassée de Volaille Sauce Normande Tagliatelles. There was nothing particularly French about this dish and it tasted just like Thanksgiving turkey with gravy over the pasta. It wasn't an astounding meal, but it was good enough and the service was friendly.

We also went through Le Quartier de Luxembourg to visit the Luxembourg Palace and gardens. The gardens were beautiful and you could rent little, wooden sail boats to sail in the fountains. It's a fun area to hang out in and the Medici fountain is very pretty. It's right down the street from Le Pantheon and super easy to find just like everything else in Paris. (Paris was a very navigable city.)

The churches took hours to go through and if you've been to one or two of these small, European churches, you've pretty much seen them all. Trust me, I've been to dozens of these churches since I was in elementary school and it doesn't matter if it's Italy, England, Ireland, Spain, or France, they're all the same and blend in after awhile. Go see the ridiculously famous ones like Notre Dame and Sagrada Familia, but skip the small ones. One of the noticeable bridges that we walked past while heading back to the Batobus is the Pont de l'Archeveche, which is famous for its "love locks." It's one of the things that makes Paris super romantic and if I ever come here with a boy friend/fiancee/husband, I'll probably do this.

When we got back to our hotel at the end of the day, we decided to try Chez André. It always had a long line, so we assumed it had to be good. When in France, you have to try their French onion soup, right? Even though this is the most expensive French onion soup I have ever had, it was also probably the best French onion soup I've ever had. The broth was incredibly creamy from what I'm guessing is marrow, while the cheese's tangy flavors helped to make the dish less heavy.

Along with the French onion soup, I ordered the Avocado Tartare with Crab and Grapefruit Segments. This was also really good, but it would've been better if it was served with some bread to use as a sort of spread or dip. I found the avocado to be very liquid-y and hard to eat without using a spoon. However, they gave you a fair amount of crab and the sourness of the grapefruit helped to cut down the richness of the creamy avocado. I'm hoping to get out a non-Paris related post out soon about a concert I'm going to or possibly a haul that way I don't overwhelm you with my trip.