If you've ever seen Midnight in Paris, Owen Wilson's character gushes about Paris in the rain. I'm pretty sure he was not talking about Parisian rain mid-November. I assure you, there is nothing romantic or alluring about the icy, chill-to-the-bone rain we experienced on Friday.
We began our morning with a traditional Parisian breakfast before heading across town to see the Vel d'hiv memorials, which are very close to the Eiffel Tower.
It was too cold to be outside any longer, so we metro-ed it to the Galleries Lafayette to check out their Christmas decor. Our hope was that the rain would dissipate because we had a food tour that afternoon.
Naturally, the rain continued. So we spent the better part of 5 hours in said arctic rain. But of course it was worth it...the food tour was phenomenal. At Julie's recommendation, we went through a company called Eating Europe. It was concentrated in the 10th Arrondissement by the Canal St. Martin. The area is very culturally diverse, artsy, and colorful.
Our guide did a wonderful job of linking history, culture, and food and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment - even the freezing, wet ones. We met some lovely people and our guide, Marie, was absolutely delightful.
Our guide did a wonderful job of linking history, culture, and food and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment - even the freezing, wet ones. We met some lovely people and our guide, Marie, was absolutely delightful.
We began the food tour by tasting two types of Croques Monsieurs at Fric Frac, but my camera lens was too fogged up from being in the cold and going into the warm restaurant that none of my photos turned out. Thankfully, my lens began cooperating at the charcuterie tasting at TSF Epicure...
As we made our way to our main course, we stopped by the patisserie, Yann Couvreur, to pick up the desserts we would be tasting later. If it were up to me, I would have stopped there and just had one of everything. I felt the same way when we walked by...
this boulangerie...
We also passed by one of the neighborhoods that was targeted in the 2015 terrorist attack. Since the anniversary was just on 13 November, there were still many flowers at the memorial. Marie talked about the fact that this neighborhood was targeted because of its rich cultural diversity. It was a somber moment, for sure, particularly reading the names of each individual who lost their lives so senselessly.
this boulangerie...
We also passed by one of the neighborhoods that was targeted in the 2015 terrorist attack. Since the anniversary was just on 13 November, there were still many flowers at the memorial. Marie talked about the fact that this neighborhood was targeted because of its rich cultural diversity. It was a somber moment, for sure, particularly reading the names of each individual who lost their lives so senselessly.
Our next stop was the fromagerie Paroles de Fromager where the most quintessentially French young woman gave us a mini lesson in cheese. She captured all of our hearts when she told us it had been her life's goal to be a bergère - shepherdess. Which, apparently, is a thing here... We went to a 17th century cheese cellar to taste...
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