Paris - Day 3

For our third day in Paris, we got out of the city and took the train to Versailles.  It was great to see the countryside, even though it was quite overcast.  The walk from the train station to the chateau was nice as we got to see a bit of the village and some of the cool buildings that used to house other government official.  Overall, it’s difficult to describe Versailles to someone who has never been.  The tremendous scale of the buildings, rooms, decor, gardens, and overall estate are quite overwhelming, and most of the time it is hard to wrap your mind around the fact that someone actually lived this way (and at what expense to the common folk?)

The gilding was amazing and after looking at my dad’s (Lynne) photos from 2005 it looks very different.  They did a renovation of the exterior and the Louis  XIV statue was even moved forward hundreds of feet to reside farther from the entrance gate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hall of mirrors was incredible to see but we also loved the hall with all the war paintings that document French military history.  It felt very similar to the grand hall in The Louvre (which we visited later in the week).

During the first half of the trip the weather was cool and then it really heated up.  As we entered the garden it started to mist and continued to rain on and off while we walk around.  The gardens are typically free unless they are having a fountain show.  The word “show” should be used very loosely as it really just means that they turn the fountains on!  Since everyone had paid for the show, hundreds of people sat around the fountains and waited.  The fountains turned on and it was impressive but we all kept looking at each other and waiting for something else to happen.  There had to be some lights or maybe even fountains synchronized with music, right?  No, but in the end, I am glad to say that we at least saw the fountains in their full glory.

This was an interesting aspect of the chateau.  There were many rooms that had small doors near the ceiling where musicians could play for the evenings entertainment, especially when the king and queen had apartment parties (the meaning being very different from what we consider “apartments” and “parties,” of course!).  It would have been amazing to see all the inner-workings of the chateau, with the numerous passageways and hidden doors…maybe after our coronation, right?

A couple miles walk from the chateau, through the beautiful gardens, and you arrive at some of the other buildings utilized by the king and his family.  The Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon basically served as little vacation palaces that were apparently far enough away from the chateau for some peace and quite.  This is also where Marie Antoinette had her little getaway village built (Hameau de la reine), which surprised us by being the highlight of the day.  By the time we made it this deep into the grounds it was raining pretty hard.  We were the farthest from the main house we had been and soaking wet, but we were determined to see this area before everything closed for the evening.  Fortunately we were able to find shelter under some parts of these picturesque buildings, and Kirk braved the rain with our amazing camera.  With his jacket (drenched, of course) draped over his head and a couple feet in front of his body (leaving his back exposed to the weather), he was able to protect the camera while running around in the mud to get some great photos of the buildings.  Of course, our camera is so awesome that you can’t even tell it’s raining hard!  But if you look at the pond in the last picture you can see the splashing drops. I think he rattled off about fifty good pictures in five minutes, and then we waited for the rain to let up a little before making the long walk back to the chateau.   

After we got back to Paris, we went for a walk just north of St. Germain on some cute little streets were there were a lot of restaurant options.  Tired, and a bit wet from the rain, we were looking for a quiet place to relax.  We stumbled upon Vins et Terroirs on Rue St. Andre des Arts, and we couldn’t have been happier.  We enjoyed some fantastic house wine, a Roquefort ravioli that was so rich and delicious, and a pork dish with apples.  I could eat the ravioli everyday, and such a fantastic meal was the perfect end to the night.

Paris – Day 2

Our first full day in Paris was just about perfect (like every day we had there).  We visited museums, ate pastries, went to cathedrals and ate dinner on the Seine.  The first stop for the day was at Stohrer on Rue Montorgueil in the Les Halles district, for the best éclair in Paris.  After sharing one, we agree completely.  Can someone please tell me why Americans do not fill there éclairs with chocolate filling?!  Rue Montorgueil was such a fun street, with so many wonderful shops, fresh markets, and locals sitting at cafes.  Kirk discovered this street early on our first day when he had to venture out on his own (leaving me at the metro station) to find the apartment agency offices to get our key.  It was a lot busier on a Monday morning, but still quite quaint.

After a stroll around Les Halles we headed to the nearby Centre Pompidou but were disappointed that it wasn’t open for another hour.  Not wanting to waste any time, we kept walking and marveled at the Hotel de Ville.  On the grounds around the Hotel they had set up a fan zone to watch the French Open on a jumbotron and for kids to play on mini-clay courts.  This got Kirk very excited for our French Open plans later in the week.  We then walked across the river to Cathedral Notre Dame.  It was truly an amazing thing to see this in person.  Every inch is a beautifully sculpted masterpiece.  The interior was not at all what I expected it to be, and I can’t even say why.  I think that it was darker then I imagined and so I didn’t feel like I could see all the detail well.   

After Notre Dame we went to Sainte-Chapelle and this was hands down the most spectacular cathedral we saw on the trip.  Where Notre Dame let me down a bit with its interior, Sainte-Chapelle is a true wonder inside.  The cathedral is located in the courtyard of the former royal palace.  Each wall is decorated in elaborate stained glass that depict Biblical scenes.  They were doing some construction on one end wall so that was a bit of a bummer but the entire effect was still amazing.  It was also interesting to see the lower level, with its low ceilings and lack of comparative grandeur (don’t get me wrong, it was still quite fancy), where the lesser nobles had access, since only the royal family was able to worship in the main chapel.

 

After that, thanks to our sweet museum passes (basically, for a flat fee we were able to go into nearly any museum as often as we liked and skip some of the lines) we visited the Conciergerie next door.  This was used as a prison during the French Revolution, and Marie Antoinette was kept there for awhile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next we headed back to Les Halles for a relaxing lunch (humongous quiche and cafe creme) and then returned to Pompidou.  To some, this modern building is an eyesore, but we felt it was really intriguing amid the historic Parisian buildings.  It houses a modern art museum, movie theater, shops, and restaurants. The tube on the outside is a series of escalators that are the only way to move between levels.  The idea behind the building was to expose all these necessary wires, vents and so forth as something beautiful and not just functional.

Inside the museum there was a lot to take in.  Kirk isn’t a huge fan of modern art, but we found lots of pieces we really enjoyed – as well as many that left us perplexed, disgusted, or amused.  Kirk’s “favorite” example of modern art is a piece he first experienced at the Art Institute of Chicago many years ago called Red Plank.  At first, he scoffed at the fact that a simple red board leaning against a wall would be worthy of an art museum, but now it’s become the art by which he measures all other modern art, and a bit of a running joke.  You should have seen his face when we walked into a room with dozens of “red planks.”  Paris art for the win.

Another cool thing at Pompidou was art that allowed you to participate.  In one small room there were a few exhibits that allowed the viewer to sit/lay/stand on.  A security guard only allowed three people in the room at a time, so that you could have a personal experience with the art.  We thought it was fun!

Pompidou also had a floor devoted to modern art from earlier in the 20th century, including works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Matisse, Chagall, Mondrian, Klee, Dali, Giacometti (one of Kirk’s favorites), and many more.  After the museum we headed to the Ile St. Louis for shopping and dinner.  There were so many great shops and very few people around, so it was quite a little retreat from the rest of the city.   There was one store that was very unique – a retailer for a duck farm in the French countryside that sold foie gras and other duck goodies.  We got a free (large) sample along with some wine they make just to pair perfectly with the foie.  It was great, and Kirk bought some duck confit to take home and cook up.  This made us hungry, so we bought some dinner to go and ate down by the river which was quite beautiful and romantic (despite the wind).  For dessert we found a fantastic little creperie and shared a crepe with honey and another with homemade vanilla ice cream, chocolate and almonds.

 

 

 

Man Trip

Last weekend the guys from our small group went on a man trip to Great Smoky Mountain National Park for three days of hiking and camping. You can read a ton about the trip here, thanks to Alex (and his brother’s hiking blog). It was a fantastic trip, and personally, I really fell in love with the entire camping/hiking experience. Despite being dirty, tired, sore, and sleeping on the ground, the views, the fresh air, the exercise, and the time together with friends were invigorating.

We were able to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail (hey, three miles still counts!) and enjoy the views from Gregory’s Bald. I finally got to put my big backpack to use after purchasing it in China in 2006 (North Face knock-off for about $15), as well as camping pots and pans Lynne’s family had given us. It was fun to see all the gear we were able to piece together from friends, family, garage sales (since only one of us had much experience), and some new stuff of course, but it’s hard not to get swept up in all the amazing backpacking gear that is out there.

Other highlights included a trip on the Tail of the Dragon (quite the winding road), some fantastic camp food thanks to Alex, close encounters with deer, and a black bear sighting! The trail we were planning to hike was closed down this season due to high bear activity, so it’s been an abnormal year for them. We met one couple that had hiked the Smokies for 20 years and never seen one, so we definitely lucked out. I can’t wait to do another trip like this – maybe for an entire week next time!. I learned a lot on this trip that I think I could handle it.

All photos courtesy of Alex (who braved the terrain with his DSLR)

Day 1 – don’t we look like a tough crew?

This was our first camp on the trail, near the top of the mountain. Those deer sure got close!

Tuna pesto pitas for dinner! Really good stuff, especially after a long hike uphill. We were fortunate to find this nice grate at the campsite.

At the top of Gregory‘s Bald (4949 feet).

Gregory’s Bald – what a nice view!

Six men walk into the woods…

The App Trail sign alone made us feel manly.

There’re bears in them thar hills!

Second night in the woods. Thanks to Josh and Josh we always had great fires. This is where we saw the bear.

I was the only one that wanted to go swimming, go figure!

The end of the trip – can you smell us in this picture? And yes, I rocked the sweatband since my hat got quite disgusting. Aren’t I a hipster.

Best. Flank. Ever.

We’re definitely fans of flank steak, and Sunday night we had one to grill up.  Looking through my fridge, I didn’t have a marinade I wanted to use, so I checked my standard default cooking idea site – epicurious.com.  Little did I know that a simple search would result in the BEST FLANK EVER!

I didn’t have that many ingredients on hand, so I was planning a simple marinade with soy sauce and lemon, since we always seem to have those.  Typing in “lemon soy sauce marinade” brought me to only a few options, and I clicked on steak in lettuce rolls.  I wasn’t planning on serving anything in a lettuce roll (seems more like an appetizer to me), but I thought it would give me a nice marinade plan.  Of course, the recipe immediately looked like a winner in every way: it was specifically for flank steak, it was from David Chang at Momofuku, and it included a scallion salad.  I have so many scallions growing in the garden that I can’t find enough things to do with them.  The salad also called for chiles, and since I have a multitude of jalapenos in the garden, it seemed like a quick and easy substitution.

The marinade included slices of onion with instructions to remove them from the marinade once the steak was on the grill and then cook them on the stove to add to the steak later.  Instead, I thought it would be interesting to reduce the entire marinade, onions and all, to make a sweet sauce.  And what to serve with the steak, salad, and sauce?  Since I was out in the garden, Swiss chard, which we still have tons of, seemed like the obvious choice.

The results? The steak was cooked perfectly and the marinade was excellent.  The chard was as delicious as ever.  But what really made the dish was the scallion salad and the marinade sauce.  The sauce was sweet and the salad (which we ate like a sauce) was the perfect salt/vinegar combination.  In fact, the scallion salad was so delicious I made a double batch of it again today and had it on my eggs for breakfast (happy Labor Day!).  Click the link above for the entire recipe, but here’s the salad:

Scallion Salad

• 1 large bunch scallions, finely chopped
• 2 red chiles, seeded and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoons dark (toasted) sesame oil

I know this picture isn’t as good as the pro-food-bloggers out there, but I think it’s close.  It’s hard to spend time photographing food when you want to eat it so badly! (And I don’t know how to edit photos like Lynne, so this isn’t touched up)

Paris – Day 1

 

It is never easy to travel overseas, and I never seem to remember that until it hits me like a brick wall.  I think this collision occurred somewhere in the Amsterdam airport.  I am sure that it is a fine airport, but at 6am after flying all night from Indianapolis, it wasn’t so enjoyable.  After an hour flight to Paris, lost luggage, a long train ride from the airport, metro trips to get our apartment key, Kirk’s first adventure on the street’s of Paris, and arrival at our less-than-anticipated apartment, I was hurting and hungry.  We took quick showers and headed out to find something to eat.  We found out quickly how amazing our neighborhood was, which we will talk more about later.  One of the things we loved was the large assortment of great restaurants and for our first meal we picked something simple and quick - Italian.  I know it is a bit boring to eat something so pedestrian for your first meal in Paris, but our stomachs were a bit confused, we were tired, and we wanted to play it safe.  It was also a Sunday morning, so not everything was open.  Kirk had a delicious pizza and I had pasta – nothing too fantastic, but still very tasty.  After our stomachs were filled I needed a few hours sleep in order to function.  Since our luggage didn’t make the Amsterdam connection, we had to hang around the apartment to wait for a call informing us of when the bags would arrive.  At least we didn’t have to lug them around the metro (especially since our stop didn’t have an escalator).  After a good nap my eyes were finally able to take in this amazing city!

And that is when the trip really began…

Our apartment was located just south of Boulevard Saint Germain on the Left Bank, near the Latin Quarter, and one block from Saint Sulpice and Le Marche Saint Germain.  Saint Sulpice is such an amazing church, but we’ll post more about our visit there later.  It was near a few different metro lines, which was quite convenient.  Just south of the apartment was the Jardin du Luxembourg, which we were able to visit later in the day.

Only a few blocks from our apartment was one of the most famous macaron shops in the city – Pierre Herme. They actually do not call them shops but boutiques and that sure helps you develop the mental image of a dessert patisserie.  This was an amazing intro into Paris’s delectable shops!  Check out what other bloggers had to say about these macarons here.   Enjoying these treats has been described as “eating money” due to their small size and high cost, but they were totally worth it for such a special occasion.

I didn’t take any pictures inside the boutique (didn’t want to be that big of a tourist!) so I found the picture above here.

 

 

With our macarons in toe we headed off to Jardin du Luxembourg.  I wanted to eat a macaroon or two on the way but Kirk would have nothing of it!  Instead, we sat in the green chairs and slowly savored sweet sugar heaven!

 

 

We then took a short walk to the Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages.  We really liked it.  Kirk is a big geek of that time period, having focused his literature and philosophy degree studies on that era.  It was a great smaller museum that had a lot to see and learn but was not overwhelming for our jetlagged minds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our favorite room in the museum was one that had a variety of statues from Notre Dame and other cathedrals that had been damaged during the revolution.  Most of the saints had their heads removed and were severely defaced, and the original heads weren’t discovered until a nearby excavation in 1977!  How would you like to find those in your backyard?  It was amazing how large the sculptures were, too.

That evening, after receiving our luggage and finally getting out of our travel clothes, we went to a classic brasserie in our neighborhood for a delicious three course meal.  Over a three-hour dinner, we enjoyed beef carpaccio, lamb, the best bouillabaisse I have ever had (we’re talking white fish, salmon, clams, at least 50 mussels, and a broth Kirk could drink by the liter), dessert, and loads of fresh baguette and butter.  By the end of the trip we affirmed that this was the best tasting butter we had the entire stay.

So despite a bit of a rough first day, we went to bed happy with full bellies and high expectations for the rest of the trip.

Forget Paris?

Three months ago we were in Paris.  I know a lot of people have been waiting anxiously to read more about the trip, so we’re excited to finally be blogging about it.  It took a while to process our 3,000+ photos, and even though the trip seems like a long time ago, we have a lot of memories to share!  Day 1 coming soon…