Paris - Day Two - Part One

We were up and ready to go on Day Two of our trip.  I was most excited to just get out into our neighborhood to see what happens in the early morning.  I'd heard/read stories of how busy the streets are in the morning, especially the vendors stocking up for another day of business!

So, we headed over to see just what "our" charcoutierie (the butcher, remember?) was up to!  We were just in time to see the day's delivery!

They were in such great moods and just loved that we were interested in what they were doing!

He even stopped to pose and I didn't have to ask!

I had NO idea that all of the beautiful meats in those cases were all carefully trimmed and prepped for their own cases.  Our "meat cases" pale in comparison to these.....

It was somewhere about here where I started understanding that everything in Paris has an artistic flair......even the meat case.  Check out these gorgeous tenderloins....oh, how I wanted to taste one of these.....

....but on that particular morning, I was happy to just look at these escargot (read: snails!) in the case.  I really had no desire to try them (although we did...but that's another day).

For the moment, I just wanted to soak in how incredible it was to see so many gorgeous foods in the cases.....

But enough of that.....it was time to grab some pastries to have with our coffees/tea and then "hit the road" for another day of Parisian sights!

Oh, how I'd love to start every day off with a plate of these!

When we got back to the apartment, Melinda was up and ready to roll!!!!

Yes, that's the window in the living room in our apartment....it looks out over the courtyard.  It's so PARIS!!

So, we hit the Metro and off to the Eiffel Tower we went!  This was our first real view of it.....I just had to take the picture, even though I knew there were better ones to come!

Up close and personal......she's just gorgeous!

Up closer?  Wow!

And closer?  Oh dear!

Ready for a few stats?  The Eiffel was built for the centennial celebration of the French Revolution in 1887.  It was completed in 1889.  It took 2.5 million rivets (yes, rivets), 18,038 pieces of iron (excluding the rivets) and 40 tons of paint to construct....by 300 iron workers....and over 2 years to construct!  It is now a French icon.....and it's gorgeous!

Because the New Year holiday is the largest celebration of the year for the French, Paris was packed!!!  There were unbelievable lines everywhere for every thing!  We decided to forgo going up in order to be able to see other sights.....that and we just couldn't justify spending 4 hours in line in the freezing cold.  THAT and it is definitely another excuse (read: reason) to come back!

We ventured over to the other side of the Eiffel, along the Seine....

The views down the river are beautiful....

Oh look....it's a boat!  Oh wait, it's a restaurant....with heaters....and wine....and toilettes (at 75 cents per person).  We decided to take a little break to warm up (inside and out)....

We also decided to get tickets for the Batobus, which is a boat ride down the Seine where you can get off and on as much as you like....

A little wine and bread and we were off!

The views were awesome.....

....and the bridges were....ummmm.....yep, I'm speechless!  Imagine that!

Check out the boats!!!  We don't have anything like these in our harbors!

And like I said....everything is Paris has a "flair".....check out the front of this boat!

Here are a few pics of our trip along the river Seine....

"Picnik Show"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

And then we rounded the corner....and we found ourselves back at the Notre Dame!  Truly, you cannot get enough of her!

So, we decided to get off at this stop and hit the streets!

Next up.....street walking....and lots of delectibles!!!!

Paris - Evening One - Hitting the Streets!

I have no idea where that burst of energy came from, but neither of us was ready to retire, so Dennis and I hit the streets.  At first, our thoughts were to just check out the surrounding neighborhood.  We headed down the street....

...alot of the streets had these lights strung above them...it was really pretty.  Especially once we looked back and realized how far uphill we had gone!

All of the shops were now closed, but we did find the vin (wine) shop,

and the prices seemed to be very reasonable!  Champagne was a bit expensive.....go figure!

Anyway, we kept walking and finally we came to a four lane street with a rather large median in the middle....to the right, not much.  To the left.....

We were in Pigalle!!!!  Pigalle is the old "red light district" of Paris...even though it is known as the "seedy" part of town, in recent years it has become a more trendy spot to visit, although it's still a bit risque' (French word?  You bet!) 

I remembered that the Moulin Rouge wasn't a long way from our apartment, and was in this direction, so I figured it was up ahead....and it was!  BUT, there was lots more to see along the way.....

Follies Pigalle is a former cabaret, but is now a very trendy nightclub.  We kept on walking....

Yep....that says what you think it says!  It's a little bit of everything inside that place.....I guess you could call it a "sex mall"!  Hey, they have their own Facebook page...don't bother, it's in French.

So.....we kept walking.....

Stopping for a "photo op" at this place, we were approached by a couple of men who had been standing at the front door....they offered Dennis a "deal" to go inside...even said I could come along!  Ummmm.....no, thanks.  We kept walking....

......it appears that word is part of a universal language!  Look closer at the smaller sign!

Believe it or not, we were still not tired....so we kept walking....

Finally....there she was....

She looked just like I thought she would....the Moulin Rouge!!!

OK....now we're tired!  Hey look.....there's the Metro!

Goodnight!

Oh wait...one more thing, just in case you decide to visit this area of Paris.  Although we felt completely safe in this area, and there are lots of other cafes and shops, you may want to check out these reviews before checking out the interior of some of these shops.  We got lucky....but more on that later......

Paris - The First Supper!

At this point, we've been awake for around 30 hours....we've seen alot within the first 10 hours of arriving in France and now it's time to head back to our "home away from home" and check out the neighborhood for something to eat!

First stop......the Shopi...

This was the little grocery store that was directly across the street from our apartment.  They had pretty much anything you needed, including liquor, wine, produce, meats, etc..  BUT, if you really wanted the French experience AND the freshest and bestest in produce, meats, cheese, and baked goods....you just walked THROUGH the Shopi out onto the next street....and VOILA!!! 

There you found two charcouteries (butchers)

, 2 boulangeries (bakeries)

, a patisserie (pastry shop)

, a fromagerie (cheese shop)

 a poissoniere (seafood shop),

and the produce shop (ohmigosh!)

If you know me at all, you know that I had to pinch myself to make sure I hadn't died and gone to heaven!!!  It was everything I dreamed it would be and more.....food at it's finest....entrepreneurs (ha...French word!) that specialized in one particular aspect of the food group and ensured it was its best.  When you walked into their shops, you could see the pride in their faces....they knew you were going to love what they had to offer....and they were right!  Even the sight of what they had to offer was incredible!

OK....back to earth!  We were hungry and it was late....we stopped first at the butcher and bought 4 chicken breasts (Melinda wanted to make her chicken cutlets)....then Dennis I went to the other butcher and found a huge oven (sorry...too excited to take a pic) full of freshly rotisseried chickens!  Score!  Remember....it was getting late!

We all finally agreed to the rotisserie chicken and Melin and I went off to the produce shop to get an accompaniment....salad!

We also scored some fresh brie and freshly baked baguettes to snack on while dinner was being prepared (although how long does it take to prep a rotisserie chicken!?).....heaven on earth....but only in France!

Once we'd tasted the cheese and bread, I thought there might be a possibility that we'd be eating the chicken and salad the next night.  But I guess our weariness from the trip had summoned an appetite....Melinda set the table...

and we all sat down to a delicious dinner.....our first in Paris!

After dinner the guys sat down with all of the Paris "guides and maps" we had accumulated to figure out their next plan of "attack on Paris"

while Melinda and I cleaned up from dinner and prepared our dessert......from the patisserie!!!

None of us could decide exactly what we wanted from the incredible selection at the pastry shop, so we got just a few things to taste.....from the top left, coconut pie, a mini Bouche de Noel and an apple tarte tatin with raisins.

The Bouche de Noel confirmed for me that mine was just tooooo dry and I paid very close attention to the texture and taste.....next year's Bouche de Noel will definitely taste different than this year's.

The coconut pie was incredible....I've tasted several coconut pies in my lifetime, but this was so different.  The French desserts aren't as sweet as the American desserts....you really tasted the custard and the coconut.  It was so silky and delicious.

The apple tarte tatin was also delicious....not my favorite (the Bouche de Noel was), but it was different than an American apple pie....again, not as sweet, so you really taste the main ingredients.

I don't know what "chemical reaction" occurred after that, but the desserts affected us all quite differently....Melinda and Brad found their PJs and started to relax, but Dennis and I felt energized (no, I have NO idea where it came from) and decided to hit the streets.....

Next up....hitting the streets....the risque side of Paris!