liamsaunt

One last installment from the Prime Class Lounge at CDG. We had to be out of the apartment by 10, but were able to leave our luggage with the housekeeper, so we went to another neighborhood boulangerie Some of the cases We ordered croissants and lattes And then we went to the park near the apartment to knock off our daily minimum 10k steps. It’s so pretty in there. The Bois de Boulogne. I could have spent days exploring it. This is a restaurant in the park. You have to take a boat to it (all we could think of was the movie The Menu). There was a line of people in their Easter outfits waiting to be taken over for a meal And that is really it for this visit, unless you want to see airplane food, but I guess we already have a thread for that 😀

Yesterday was our last full day in Paris. Niece and nephew wanted to go shopping on the Champs d’Elysses. After about 15 minutes of fighting the crowds, they turned to us and said “we hate shopping!” 😂. We did have the unfortunate experience of ending up in a cafe on the street because nephew was starving. We just ordered some lattes and dessert. It was pretty terrible but we were expecting it to be. Interesting ceiling decor Crepes Banana Nutella crepes Chcoclate ice cream We retreated and went to a less crowded area for the rest of the day, but then regrouped and decided to do the most touristy thing of all: have dinner with a view of the Eiffel Tower! We were seated at a window table with a pretty good view of the tower. Drinks. asparagus with bearnaise pizzetta salmon tartare Husband, niece and I played it safe with omelettes nephew had pasta with ham and Comte sister had coconut cod curry dessert was a millefeuille a liege cafe pain perdu and strawberry sorbet with a sparkling reward Overall, it was a pretty successful trip considering the size of our group and differing interests. We have some time before our flight, but I am not sure if eating will be involved. If it is, I will update this thread. If not, see you soon on the dinner thread!

Yesterday we walked from our apartment to the Louvre. On the way, we went by this Jeff Koons sculpture called “Bouquet of Tulips.” We stopped for some ice cream in the Tuileries Gardens before tackling the museum. It was pretty terrible. The Louvre was so, so crowded. The lines were just insane. We had timed tickets, but the line for our slot was still hundreds of people long when we arrived. Luckily for us, a guard came over, checked our tickets, and then told the people at the back of the line (aka us, plus a few other people) that we could go in through side entrance rather than through the pyramid. So we walked over there and went right in, probably cutting about 45 minutes of waiting from our day. My sister, niece and nephew really wanted to go see the Mona Lisa, since they have never been to Paris before. They could not get close of course. But, my nephew is tall, so he just stuck his phone up and took a snap! He laughed and said he did it just to annoy me, then showed me the photo he took yesterday at the Orsay of the Van Gogh self portrait, which he deliberately took at an off kilter angle to make it doubly annoying 😂. He said he considered resting his phone on my head while he took it but thought violence would ensue. So behold my nephew’s painting snaps as his contribution to this report 😂😂😂 We spent the rest of our time in less crowded areas of the museum. The detailing is just amazing You could have a very large dinner party at the table in the Napoleon Apartments Speaking of dinner, last night we had dinner at the Brasserie du Louvre. Lighting was a bit challenging, so no menu photos. Cocktails Gougeres stuffed with truffle cheese Asparagus with egg mousse and hazelnuts Burrata with green gazpacho Sea bream crudo Sister and husband had the sole meurniere. This came with a salad Nephew and niece both got the tuna with zucchini And I had a spring vegetable risotto. Complimentary pre dessert of walnut and currant cookies Husband had the Saint Honore with raspberries. And a few got the caffe gourmand. Niece swapped out a latte for the espresso. Dinner was very good, but it was definitely a…leisurely experience. Over three hours! Luckily we had nothing else planned for the evening!

Today we headed out in search of second breakfast on our way to the Orsay museum. We stopped in at this Boulangerie i got a few pictures of the cases Some of our choices Some scenes from our walk to the museum It was very crowded at the Orsay. Obligatory clock picture and main gallery photo We only visited two of the five floors because of the crowds and then headed out. We walked over to the Louvre area to get more coffee and a box of macarons. It was very, very crowded Everyone was tired, so we headed back to the apartment and put out a bunch of cheese, bread and apples, and called it dinner And for dessert…

I have a personal pet peeve against taking pictures in museums. I find too many people just walk around the galleries, pushing in front of others to snap photos of each and every painting without taking the time to look at them. I don’t understand the point. I think I have told this story here before, but the first time I visited Paris, someone actually rested their cell phone (mounted on a selfie stick) on my head at the Orsay so they could take a picture of Vincent Van Gogh’s self portrait. Argh! It’s funny you posted a photo of this particular building. I wanted to go to that cafe on the ground floor yesterday but got outvoted in favor of the Japanese bakery, which was two or three doors down to the right.

Today we visited the Musee Marmottan Monet, which was an easy walk from our apartment. It was charming and not overly crowded like so many other museums. No pictures. We needed to go grocery shopping, but before doing that, we stopped for some coffee and pastry at a bakery we walked by called Yamazaki. It was French-Japanese. I took a picture of the pastry case We got some coffee choux and coffee cakes, and lattes Niece and nephew also picked out a couple of pastries that they ate back at the apartment later. A chocolate coated cream puff and a strawberry coated cream cake Duly fortified, we stopped into La Grand Epicerie. So many butters to choose from! Fruits Condiments and oils Wine section We were able to stock up on everything we need for the next few days. Mostly yogurt, fruit, cheese, etc. Dinner was at Chez Monsieur Menu A cocktail of some kind. Amuse bouche of fish rillettes Sister and I had a starter special of white asparagus husband had foie gras nephew had onion soup and niece had a giant plate of ham Husband and I had the sole meunière niece and nephew got the filet of beef and sister had the catch of the day, which was turbot dessert options niece had the chocolate mousse Everyone else had the coffee gourmand. Husband and I split one, but sister and nephew got their own. It had a crème brûlée, chocolate dusted vanilla pot du crème, chocolate mousse, profiterole, and a mini Madeline, plus an espresso So much food, but they still brought out a plate of full sized madelines! Only two got eaten. I think we are going to the Orsay museum tomorrow, but we will see…

I do not, sorry. They told him when they delivered it, but he does not remember ( I just asked him). He said they were all very good, and the only thing he did not really care for on the plate was the pate. Not very helpful, I know. We are restocking the house cheeses after the museum this afternoon, so I will post some pictures of our finds later. Last night I went into the apartment’s little library to look at the books and found yet more taxidermied birds! The plaque says Belle Assise, which is a winery, so maybe they were caught there. Not the type of decor I have in my library, that is for sure! Google image tells me they are ducks.

Yes, we are 1/2 mile from it, and are going tomorrow I think. We were able to get into the Cathedral. The line was long, but it moved quickly, and once you are in, it was not crowded. It’s just stunning. Here are some photos. The crown of thorns is on display behind this gold screen for Holy Week. Then we stopped by Shakespeare and Company for my niece. She looked at a bunch of stuff but did not end up buying anything. And walked around for a bit before stopping in for a late lunch at Cafe de Flore because my niece wanted to see it. Most of us had omelets except my sister, who just got a salad and nephew, who had a charcuterie board We did some more walking around to enjoy the beautiful blooms in the gardens Niece and nephew got crepes from a little stand Unfortunately my nephew then tweaked his knee, so we had to cut our evening short and head back to the apartment. Hopefully he will be better by tomorrow so we can resume our adventures.

Here is a picture of the kitchen in our apartment. If you look closely, you can see a taxidermied bird on the upper shelf next to the tennis racket. The freezer with his companion is the one on the far left. Thankfully there is another bird-free freezer through the pantry you can see next to the stove 😂 Before we went to dinner, we stopped by the local supermarket to pick up some yogurt and cheese for breakfasts. My nephew found the “USA foods” section and made me take a picture for this report. It seems to be mixed in with stuff from the UK, but we are represented by Marshmallow Fluff, peanut butter, spicy pretzels, ramen and Doritos. Sigh. For dinner, we went to a bistro near the apartment called Brasserie Victor Hugo, because it’s located on Avenue Victor Hugo Some drinks There were no fried crustaceans on the menu, so nephew ordered the fried calamari Husband and I shared ouefs mayonnaise And niece and sister shared smoked salmon Husband and I ordered sole mernieure sister had sea bass nephew had veal schnitzel and niece had pasta with Comte cheese, ham, and truffles Everyone ordered dessert. Niece had a profiterole Nephew had coffee grande Husband and I split a liege coffee and sister had molten chocolate cake with caramel ice cream Today we are heading to the Cathedral of Notre Dame at my nephew’s request. I have warned him that odds of getting anywhere near it are slim to none since it’s Holy Week, but he wants to try. We will see!

We arrived in Paris yesterday. This time we are staying in an apartment in the 16th because we needed a larger space. It’s a bit further out but still walkable to a lot of stuff— for us anyway. I will try and take some pictures of the apartment cooking areas, though I don’t plan on preparing much. A little investigation showed me that the apartment owner is into taxidermy, and there is a dead bird in one of the freezers. Not an eating bird, a bird for stuffing and displaying. You just never know what quirky stuff you are going to find in a rental house! Last night, we were all tired and not in the mood for fancy, so we took one of the recommendations from the guest book and went to Andia, which was a short walk from the apartment. It had a kind of strange fusion menu of Mexican, Japanese, and Peruvian. Very atmospheric inside Smoked salmon flatbread that someone at the table ordered. I did not try it, and it did not get rave reviews from anyone. Cheese filled pastry with guacamole Nephew wanted mini beef tacos Niece had a poke bowl I had fish skewers with potatoes. Sister had chicken skewers with potatoes. We both agreed vegetables would have been preferable to potatoes, but that was not an option. Nephew and husband had tuna steak with mole sauce Niece and nephew had flan And we also ordered a coconut ice cream to share. I would not really recommend this particular restaurant, but it was fine. We were tired and hungry, and it was writhing easy walking distance. Today we started out with a walk to the Eiffel Tower We walked through the nearby spring food fair, which was much less crowded than the Christmas festival. It seems to be a lot of the same food. I took a few pictures anyway. crazy donuts Smashed and stuffed croissants. Poor croissants! Niece was hungry but overwhelmed by all of the choices, so we moved on. We stopped for some coffee And a cappuccino. Then we went to a pistachio place next door that seemed to be very popular. The line was out the door but my nephew really wanted to stop in so… Pistachio cream fountain Our tasty choices. Ice creams with chopped pistachios, ice cream with pistachio cream, and a pistachio croissant After fortifying ourselves with sugar, we embarked on a boat tour on the Siene. Here are some scenic views

There was no dinner Friday night as we were too full from the tea. We attended a magic show since my nephew is into performing card tricks. Here are some pre-show mocktails and a cocktail And more cocktails that my husband and nephew ordered at the interval. Martini and Manhattan, I believe. After the show, we went around the corner to a pub so interested parties could obtain a beer Saturday we went to a breakfast spot around the corner from our hotel on our way to touristy stuff. Goat cheese croissant and iced latte Avocado toast We did the guided Globe theater tour for my niece. She loved it I took a picture of this band we heard playing on our walk along the river, because their name amused me. The Chalamets. I guess they do have his floppy hair 😂 A truly terrible iced latte before braving the British Museum Then my sister and niece split off to go get fish and chips and attend a musical (shiver). My niece sent a picture of her fish and chips for this report My husband, nephew and I went to a nearby Indian restaurant at my nephew’s request, Tamarind Two cocktails and a mocktail Chaat Paneer cooked in the tandoor A spicy green Goan chicken curry, methi paneer, and a lamb curry, with naan and rice Nephew ordered a coffee jelly for dessert. Husband and I were too full Post dinner coffee (me) and espresso martini (nephew) Then back to the hotel to wait for my niece and sister in the lovely lobby Crazy drink my nephew ordered that came in a smoke filled dome and a ginger mocktail for me Niece and nephew loved their quick visit to London and have asked to return already. We are off to the airport to fly to Paris. Will continue this report over on that board.

Yes, we made a reservation, because we are a larger party, but I imagine they take walk ins as well.

I am back in London for the weekend before heading to Paris for a week. My sister, niece and nephew are with us also this time. This is a combination Christmas gift for the three of them, as my niece and nephew have not been to either location before. The pub around the corner from our hotel seemed rather busy when we arrived. After doing touristy stuff like Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, park walks, etc. in the afternoon, we had dinner at the Savoy Grill. It was very dark so no menu pictures. My niece and I don’t drink, so we ordered a raspberry sour mocktail. It was very tasty Everyone else had cocktails and wine. I could not get pictures of everything because it was too dark. This was my smoked haddock soufflé appetizer. Very rich, but delicious A couple of people had steak tartare. Nephew and husband both ordered the beef wellington sister had sea bass Niece had a ribeye And I had the Dover sole, which was outstanding Niece ordered the crepes Suzette for dessert after she smelled them being cooked for the table behind us We also ordered a chocolate soufflé and a sticky toffee pudding for the table to share Today we did more touristy stuff like Tower of London, boat tour etc. Then we headed to Fortnum and Mason for tea. We ordered the afternoon tea, which was this tower of food. Per person! Smoked trout, cucumber, egg, and coronation chicken sandwiches plain and currant scones with clotted cream and jam And desserts. They were a lemon tart, a blueberry loaf, a rose eclair, a rhubarb mousse, and the egg in the middle tasted like lemon curd. Each person got unlimited sandwiches, two scones, and an entire plate of desserts served at the outset. You could have extras of anything you wanted as well. We could not come close to finishing the original portions. So of course, they brought us out a whole plate of macarons and gave us a box of extra macarons to take home as well. I will not be eating again any time soon 😂

Thanks! Will check it out. We are only here through Sunday afternoon, but don’t have anything else booked for dinners yet

Sounds delicious! We are in the lounge waiting to board now. We are going to London for a few days first. Our London schedule is pretty packed with tourist stuff, and our Paris plans are, shall we say, more fluid. I will report on where we end up eating in both cities.