A Day in Paris

   As this is a free weekend, many of the others in the group remained in Paris for the weekend.  Since I had my own Paris adventure last fall, I elected to return to London for my last few days here.  But while I prefer London overall as a city, it is a thing universally acknowledged that the most delicious food is to be found in France.  And let me assure you, I acknowledged this fact heartily in the one day I was there.  Unfortunately, I didn’t stop at any pâtisseries for pastries, though I did slobber on the windows of Ladurée at one point.  What I did do was heartily enjoy a three course meal at a restaurant called Chez Francis, complete with view of the Eiffel Tower!

My view, featuring (from left) Liz, Katie, Brandy, and Melissa

(back row) Eiffel Tower

   This was paid for by the program, so it was all the more enjoyable; I didn’t even have to order, I just sat down and they started putting amazing food in front of me.  My kind of restaurant.  We started with the most delicious bread; I ate too much of it but don’t regret it for a moment.  Then we were served an odd looking salad which had mixed reviews down the table but I ate every bite.

  More bread.  Then the chicken course with the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever eaten.  Even better than my dad’s and my grandmother’s recipes, which is saying something.  It could have had something to do with the pools of butter.  By this time I was full.  Not the “oh, that was good” kind of full but the “I’m positive I can’t shove another bite down because there’s no more room” kind of full.  Then they brought out the crème brûlée.

Who could say “no” to that?  So I soldiered on, and, boy, was it worth it.  My flatmate Callie Ann joked that she wouldn’t need to spend any more money on food while she was in Paris because that one meal was going to last her the whole weekend, and at the time it seemed very reasonable.

   Despite everyone wanting a nap after this delectable overindulgence, we spent the rest of the day walking around Paris and seeing the many wonderful sights.

We climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe

 

Strolled along the Champs-Élysées

 

Walked under the Eiffel Tower (I’ve yet to travel to the top of this monument, despite three separate trips to Paris; some day)

 

Saw Notre Dame

 

Took a boat tour along the Seine

And finally had a whirlwind tour of the Louvre before those of us returning to London that night had to catch our train.

  By the time I got back to the flat it was close to midnight and I had been up for 20 hours straight, having awakened at 4am to catch an early train.  Overall a very full (in more ways than one) and fun day.

Picture taken by fellow Seine cruiser Mike, with Harry Everhart's camera.