Some fine French meals I have enjoyed...

Hi Everyone,
I have officially been in Paris for 3 weeks now and am starting to feel at home! Classes and routines have kicked in which is oddly comforting...I have realized I am someone who needs some day-to-day consistency. While I have some things regimented I certainly haven't stopped seeing the city. In addition to a weekend trip to Belgium, I have still been going out and seeing something new almost every day! One thing I have been experimenting with is French cuisine; I've accepted the fact that my time here is short and so I might as well take advantage of the fine French delicacies. Below are some photos of some French meals I have enjoyed...all of which were delightful! Bon Appetit!


Vin Chaud (hot wine):

 Some friends and I went to Les Deux Magots, a famous cafe that opened in 1933. It is known for being frequented by Hemingway, Simone de Beauvoir, Sartre, Picasso and many others back in the day! They are famous in Paris for their hot chocolate, something we felt needed to be sampled. I am definitely a chocolate fanatic but this might have been the sweetest, richest hot chocolate I have ever tasted in my life. I was given a little pitcher with about 3 teacups worth of hot chocolate and I could not finish it all but it really was deliciously creamy and thick. A friend of mine commented it was so heavy you could cut it with a knife. Definitely a must-see in Paris but I'd recommend splitting it with a friend..

 My vegan friend opted for the Cafe Au Lait instead:

 The infamous Croque Madame (bread, ham, cheese and a fried egg):

 Duck Confit:

 No French meal is complete without dessert! (No these weren't both mine, I opted for blueberry tart and my friend had Creme Caramel)

 

Friday night at the Louvre

Friday nights are free for students at the Louvre so a week ago we decided to take advantage of this... We hope to return for many more Fridays! 

Napolean apartments:

 La Gioconda et moi:

 Me with winged victory:

 Egyptian area

Even the Louvre ceilings are stunning:

Egyptian cats

Egyptian spoon

Les Galeries Lafayette

The most notorious shopping spot in Paris is les Galeries Lafayette. Because the "soldes" (sales) in Paris just started, some friends and I decided to head downtown and check out the excitement. Sales in France are government mandated and only happen twice a year - so that coupled with the fact that things are pretty expensive in France made for a very, very busy department store. It is no secret that the French are known for their fashion and love of aesthetics - and les Galeries was nothing short of that. As bizarre as it seems to take pictures of the inside of a shopping mall, here are some below:

 The stained glass ceiling changes colour

Not the best photo quality, as I was just using a point and shoot camera but you can see the little balconies where you could sit and look into the centre (this is where all of the bored tired husbands sit):

 The outside of the Mall:

 A special surprise...While taking the metro home there was a symphony group playing inside the station. The music was really nice as it echoed through the underground tunnels:

Montmartre

A rainy day visit to Montmartre's Sacre-Coeur, Moulin Rouge and winding streets. We also visited the cafe where the film "Amelie" was shot. Enjoy - missing home a tad today!

 Me with Sacre Coeur

 The view of the misty city:

 Me with the city of Paris:

 And again...Hoping for some sunshine one day!

 We did go inside but could not take pictures

 la Musee de Montmartre...Doesn't look like anything special but apparently Renoir spent some time there when it was made of apartments.

 Cafe des 2 Moulins...From the movie Amelie:

 Inside the 2 Moulins - Creme brulees and chocolats chauds! Perhaps the best creme brulee I have ever tasted:

 The neat floor of the 2 Moulins

 Indoors