au revoir, Paris!

I got to take one last trip to Paris before we move, and it was such a great day! I went with my friend Becky, and her husband took the kids (thanks, Johnny!). We had no agenda so we just enjoyed being in Paris, which always involves eating great things. :)

Maybe my entire aim of the trip was to eat as many macarons as possible. I did the essential Pierre Hermé versus Ladurée taste test. Mine was a chocolate versus chocolate, and Pierre Hermé won there. But I still love Ladurée!

middle right=licorice and violet macaron (definitely a fave from the day)

ispahan macaron=rose-flavored macarons filled with rose cream, lychee and raspberries
(topped with a real rose petal, topped with a little drop of fake dew)

our second trip to Ladurée for the day--left to right: licorice, salted caramel x2, blood orange, green apple, violet

enjoying the ispahan

lamb chop with ratatouille 

And here are a few additional Paris photos, just because I love the place so much!

Notre Dame Cathedral (the Seine side)

at Shakespeare and Company bookstore

Thanks, Becky, for helping make the day so perfect!

Le semi-marathon de Paris

We went to Paris over the weekend, but it wasn't the typical tourist trip. Jacob ran the Paris half-marathon!! (I'm super-proud of him!) Above are the before and after photos. The race started and ended at the Chateau de Vincennes (see photo below), and Jacob was able to see lots of Paris from the race. Also participating in the race were Jacob's boss Irena and his coworker Marcia (both of whom we've traveled with before--both on this trip, and Irena also on this one).Then after the race we did do touristy stuff. We visited the Centre Pompidou, Paris's big modern art museum. It was really amazing, and the views of the city from the museum were part of the cool experience.We made more than one trip over to the crepe district, and we ate some incredible pastries and breads. One item in particular is now in the top 2 most amazing things I've ever eaten (see this post for the other). The macaron framboise was so delicious we went back for a second one we ate on the train on the way home Monday night (left). It reminded me of something we ate in 2009 at Buckingham Palace with my grandparents (photo on this post). But this one was...well, possibly the best thing I've ever eaten! [And hopefully you're familiar with macarons, not to be confused with macaroons. See this article if you're not sure you know macarons--you poor thing!]
Gavin was such a trooper the whole time. Don't be fooled by Jacob's shorts and short sleeves at the race--it was COLD. And Gavin wasn't fond of his warm attire. He also wasn't fond of stopping, whether to ride the metro or place an order at the boulangerie--he wanted to be going nonstop. But he did such a great job and was so alert and interested in looking at everything --when he wasn't sleeping.

Fun in France

Saturday we drove to Paris, which was Nancy and Don's first time in France. We did separate things on Sunday: Nancy & Don explored Paris while Jacob and I visited Versailles (Jacob's first Versailles experience). Then Monday we drove up to Normandy to visit the World War II D-Day beaches. We got home super-late Monday night exhausted but had a great trip!

(Photos: Versailles; uncle & niece in a bunker at Pointe du Hoc; all 4 of us at Omaha Beach; Nancy and Don at Pointe du Hoc; Don, Jacob, & Rachel in a bunker at Pointe du Hoc)

J'ai la banane!

I went to Paris this week with some friends! As this was my 6th visit to Paris, I'll try not to bore you with things you've seen on the blog before.

I've wanted to visit the Musée d'Orsay forever, and I finally got to go! The Museum is famous for its collection of impressionist (and post-impressionist) paintings, and they were totally amazing!! I was particularly moved by the room full of Renoirs--I LOVED them! The museum itself is a former train station, which was super-cool. Isn't the clock amazing? (Also pictured, me with Vincent Van Gogh--well, his self-portrait anyway.)

In addition to the Musée d'Orsay, we visited the Louvre. (Yes, 2 art museums in one day is a fabulous day for me!) We saw several artists painting other paintings. This was the only guy who didn't have a prohibition of photographs. Also pictured, a close-up of Canova's Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss. Magnifique!

Mandatory to a visit to Paris is the eating of a freshly-made crêpe with Nutella inside. I had one of those Tuesday--délicieux. Then yesterday I lived on the edge and added banana to the Nutella crêpe. What a discovery! There was an ENTIRE banana in it, and the taste combination was awesome!

I took this photo of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We were about to leave when the tower started sparkling--it was so beautiful! It wasn't easy to capture in a photo, so there's a 2-second video below.

A star! (...with 16 Michelin stars)

Don't you love unexpectedly seeing a celebrity?! After we got through customs in the Paris Gare du Nord we saw Gordon Ramsay and his crew in the Eurostar train terminal. Secondhand information told me that he was sampling his freshly-made croissants and filming passengers' comments about them.

Confession: Jacob and I love watching his shows! He's so mean, but his food just looks amazing! And even when he's mean he's usually right and always hilarious!

For those of you less familiar with his work, he's a famous chef. He ranks 3rd in the world in Michelin stars. His TV shows include The F Word, Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen. We loved it so much last year, we're really looking forward to the new season of The F Word in a couple of weeks.

Here's another confession: I was actually a bit star-struck when I saw him. People were going up and shaking his hand and getting photos with him, but I was a too chicken. Maybe I was afraid he'd berate me until I cried. :)

Oui and whee

For their last couple of days in Europe, my Grandparents and I went to France to enjoy a couple of days in Paris and a day at the D-Day beaches in Normandy. They left this morning to return to the USA. Below is probably my favorite photo from G&G's visit. They're enjoying a delicious chocolate crepe with Notre Dame Cathedral in the background.

Right when we got to Paris Tuesday we stood in the long, hot line and took the lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was great fun, but Grandma wasn't too thrilled about the 1000-foot rise in an elevator of mostly windows. Once we got to the top she did great.

Wednesday we rented a car and drove to the D-Day beaches in Normandy. In the top photo Grandma and Grandpa are in front of the memorial at Omaha Beach. Below, I'm riding a large anti-aircraft weapon at Pointe du Hoc. We also visited Utah Beach.

Thursday we took the open-top bus tour of Paris so they could see the rest of the big sites in Paris before we boarded the train back to the UK. We saw the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees, and we spent some time in the Louvre and visiting Notre Dame Cathedral. It was a great trip!

Louvre'n it up

Monday and Tuesday Mom, Joye and I spent time in Paris, and we had a great time! We had a whirlwind day Monday, when we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Arc de Triomphe/Champs Elysees. It rained most of the day, sometimes heavily, but we had fun anyway!

For dinner that day we had these amazing crepes. Yes, that was our entire dinner (well, plus some hot chocolate), but it was filling and fantastique. Joye said she had died and gone to heaven, and Mom and I totally agreed!

Tuesday we spent the day at Versailles, where the weather was crazy--sometimes violent downpours with violent winds, and other times hot, bright, muggy sunshine! But we enjoyed our visit to the palace, gardens, and the Marie Antoinette estate.