Paris - Places to Eat

I don't want to make this a competition, but if it was, Italy won the eating part of the contest. There are a lot of amazing places to eat in Paris, but they are becoming harder to come by and quite expensive. Gone are the days you can drop in to one of the main street cafes or brassieres and get a great meal. You need to do your homework and a little advance planning if you want to eat well every meal. I would also advise staying away from the big travel sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp as they seem to cater to a pretty mainstream palate. Your first stop should be Paris by Mouth: http://parisbymouth.com. Not only do they have great reviews, they also offer up tours, neighborhood guides, and very helpful notes like: how to avoid tourist trap restaurants near the tourist traps, and restaurants open on Sundays.

Speaking of which Paris is pretty much closed down on Sundays. We found a very nice little bakery right by the house which we enjoyed breakfast all week, until the Saturday, when we found it closed for the weekend. There was also a note on the door saying she'd be closed all of August, another watchout if you plan to come here in the summer. All the Parisians leave for holiday in August, which on some levels is nice, except when they run a restaurant or store you might want to go to.

As I said earlier, we are staying in the Martparnesse area of Paris which is very close to a lot of restaurants in Saint Germain, or the chocolate capitol of Paris. The Left Bank is not super trendy right now, but there are still plenty of good places to eat.  

A must visit is Le Relais de l'Entrecôte: http://www.relaisentrecote.fr, 101 Bd de Montparnasse.  They only have one thing on the menu - Steak-Frites, and they do them the old fashioned way with shoestring frites, and sliced steak. Both are all you can eat for a fixed price. They have a short wine list and several good deserts, but we were not sure exactly what we were ordering as the waitress did not speak english. That said, we were all happy with what showed up.

A dinner cruise on the Seine is also a good idea, the one we did was expensive as it was Bastille Day, but there are much more reasonable alternatives. I saw some smaller boats with what looked like private dinners, I bet those could be great if you get the right chef.

The highlight of our eating trip in Paris was dinner at Le Chateaubriand, 129 ave Parmentier, 75011 Paris. It has been rated as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world for the last few years and it lived up to the billing. I lost count of the number of courses we were served, but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 10. We also got the wine paring which was a fun adventure. It's hard to tell you what you are going to get, because the menu changes every night, but there will be several appetizers, our most memorable was the cold tomato soup, deep fried veal in tandoori powder, and a shot of ceviche.  For the mains we got two fish dishes, one was tuna on peach which was excellent, and a meat dish which was lamb and eggplant, my least favorite. Then there were two deserts, one was fresh cherries with raw almonds and fermented milk ice cream and the other was their signature desert a caramelized egg yolk on a meringue. The restaurant is small and you need to book three weeks in advance if you want a table in the first seating from 7:30-10 pm., otherwise you can stand in line for the second seating. The menu is set and the price is 70 euros per person for dinner and another 65 if you want the wine pairing. If not, there is a long and very distinguished wine list.

On Sunday when all the restaurants are closed you can hit the markets. This is where Parisians stock up for the week. We luckily had a great one, Marché Biologique Raspail, very close by on the Boulevard Raspail, between the Rue Cherche-Midi and Rue de Rennes. Start out with an onion galettes — shredded onion, potato and cheese (2.50 euros) — frying at one of the dozens of stands then you can load up on bread, cheese, jams and other treats for your picnic in the close by Luxembourg Gardens.

Here some other places we went that were good or interesting:

Cuisine de Bar, 8 rue du Cherche Midi, 75006, a great place for a quick, light lunch. For 15 euros you get soup/salad, a hot or cold tartines – open faced sandwich – on their famous bread, and a glass of wine. 

Pâtisserie / Boulangerie: Gerard Mulot, http://www.gerard-mulot.com/, 76 rue de Seine, Croissants-cakes-lots of good food you can buy for your apartment -salads-quiches- etc.

Les deux Magots, www.lesdeuxmagots.com, 6 Place St Germain des Prés, great old Parisian Brasserie, that is a little touristy now but used to be a very important literally cafe.

Le Dome Cafe - 108 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris, this is an interesting place that is past it's prime, the service is bad, but the food is still good. It is just so old school Paris that you have to love it, the ghosts of Hemingway and other literary giants are all around you.

Paris - Things to Do

We rented a flat for the week in the Martparnasse area of Paris in the 6th arrondissement, very close to the Luxembourg Gardens. It turned out to be a great place, as it was an easy walk or Metro ride to many of the big and not so well known tourist sites. We had a very interesting view from our balcony, where we could see Paris' most famous and infamous towers: the Eiffel Tower, and the big brown building that everyone hates so much they changed the building code to keep all the new buildings under seven stories.

To make this story a little more manageable, I thought I'd break it up into things to see and places to eat, which pretty much sums up Paris.   

Because we are here for a week and both of us have visited Paris before, we took a more measured approach to seeing the sites here in Paris, than in Italy. It felt like one or two big things in a day were enough, excluding the Louvre and Versailles which we have both seen. So, those two things should be top of your list along with the Eiffel Tower if you have never been here.

A great way to get started is at the Arc de Triomphe, this is the monument built to celebrate Napoleon's victories, but it is now an amusing roundabout where you can watch how the French make driving a contact sport. From there you can walk downhill along the Avenue des Champs-Elysées as it turns from super overpriced stores to a tree lined boulevard ending at the Tuileries Gardens.  If it's a hot day, and if you are here in July or August it probably will be, you can grab a chair and take a quick nap in the shade or get a snack at one of the many stands throughout the garden. There are also dozens of old statues and new sculputes in the garden, so it's a easy to spend an hour taking it all in.

If you have eaten a little lunch, you can continue down the road a few steps to the Louvre. The day we were there the line was not too long and it looked like it was moving fast. I prefer to go in the afternoon, but most experts recommend getting there early before it opens so it's not so crowded.

Day two we revisited the Cathedral Notre Dame. Don't be daunted by the very long line, as it moves really fast and it's free to get in. The only problem is there is no shade as you wait in line, so be prepared to get poked by a lot of ladies with umbrellas.  My first thought is that the cathedral seems smaller than I remember, but it is a lot longer than it first appears. While we have seen a lot of churches, you still can't help but be impressed by the stained glass in this building. They also have installed a nice little history lesson with pictures (in English) that shows how the cathedral expanded over the years. After Notre Dame, you can take a nice walk through the Latin Quarter and after lunch take a walk along the Seine River.

Day three we started out at the Rodin Museum, which was under renovation, so we only saw a small part of the works.  As a conciliation, they had a lot of early casts, and behind the scenes pictures of their most famous works on display. The good news is, they did have The Kiss on display and the sculpture garden, which contains The Thinker, was open. The garden is a great place to spend an hour or so relaxing and taking in the art.  They also have a great cafe in the garden if you want to get a light lunch. After the Rodin, we visited the Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb, which are close by, and the  answer to the question, what is that large gold dome?  Of course the tomb is so big, not because Napoleon was a big guy (he was not), but because they had to fit his ego in there as well. The Tomb is an amazing site, and it also has the best air conditioning in Paris. At this point we called it a day, but if you are a trooper you'll fit the Orsay Museum in too.

Day four was modern art day. We spent the afternoon in the Musee National d'Art Modern housed in the controversial Centre Pompidou. This is a very unique and much maligned building, every time I have come to Paris I have heard people making fun of it. I think it is beautiful and in a city fully of classic architecture, the museum of modern art had to do something to stand out.  If you go to the museum, you should be prepared to spend several hours there as there is a lot to cover. The good news is there is a nice cafe on the top floor so you can take a break for lunch. There are a temporary exhibits on the top floor and the permanent exhibit is on the fourth floor, arranged chronologically.  On the third floor they have works from the 1990's and 2000's. You'll see everyone from Matisse to Picasso to Jasper Johns, as well as sculptures, furniture, videos and of course paintings.

If you have not gotten your fill of modern art, you should also check out The Louis Vuitton Foundation: http://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr, they have a very cool Frank Gehry building.

Lastly, we had a few great things right in our neighborhood. The Raspail Market was a great place to grab some food on a Sunday and take a stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens. We were also right next to the Montparnasse Cemetery, although not as famous as Père Lachaise, which has the graves of Oscar Wilde, Edith Paif and Jim Morrison among others, it is still worth visiting. The cemetery received its first ‘lodger’ in 1824, and contains the tombs of playwright Samuel Beckett, photographer Man Ray, philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and his lover, writer Simone de Beauvoir.

Paris - Bastille Day

We had an uneventful train trip from Les Marecottes to Paris, which is great. I was a little disapointed that the TGV train was so shabby, I thought they were all the newest, nicest trains, but this one was pretty old and tired looking. Once we got to Paris the seas got rough. I got some kind of stomach virus the first night and was deathly ill. Being sick on vacation is never fun, but it is especially sad when you have a very expensive dinner cruise planned for that evening.

Somehow I rallied up and made it to dinner. It was a beautiful evening, which helped. As we walked to the boat, we saw thousands of people gathered around the Eiffel Tower, starting at 5:30 pm, but luckily we had a pass to go down to the boat dock. The boat is very nice and the meal was excellent, but the highlight of the trip was the fireworks. It finally got dark enough around 11 pm and the magic started. I don't think I have ever seen a better show, and it lasted for more than 30 mintes. There were fireworks coming out of the tower, over the tower and around the tower.  If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend coming to Paris for Bastille Day. Just try to get a place within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower as you are never going to get on the subway or hail a taxi after the fireworks.

Before the fireworks.

The french version of Lady Liberty.

Come on sun, go down so we can see fireworks.

Les Marecottes

On Friday we took the train to Les Marecottes from Milan, Itlay which was a little challenging. Even though we were in first class, the air conditioning was not working very well, so it was super hot for a couple of hours, then we had a quick change in Brig to get to Martigny. The Italian train was 8 minutes late leaving the station, so our easy 12 minute connection, became a tight 4 minute connection. Luckily the station was pretty small, so we didn't have to go far to catch the train, but there was no room for error as Swiss trains are never late.

We spent the weekend in Les Marecottes, Switzerland where my cousin Gregor has a country house. Les Marécottes is a village in the Swiss Alps, located in the canton of Valais. The village is situated in the western part of the canton, in the Trient valley, near Matigny, at a height of 1,110 metres (3600 feet, for reference Denver is a mile high at 5100 feet). 

The entire family gathered here to celebrate my cousin Sara and my birthday's, we both turn 50 this year. It was great to see the Alardyces, although we were missing Grant's family. All the MacInotoshs were there, as well as all my family.  The first night began with a pizza party at Greg's house, where they made over 80 pizzas in his brick pizza oven. We left around 11 pm, but the party went into the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday started with a bang. We did something called Canyoning. You can see a video here: https://vimeo.com/26719209, and I'll post some pictures of us doing it as soon as I get them. Basically you put on a wet suit, climb up to a large waterfall, then you slide down the canyon into areas where the water pools or you jump off the cliff into one of the pools. There is also a zipline.  It starts out pretty tame, but as you go down the canyon, the jumps get higher, with the highest one just over 10 meters or 33 feet. I have to say, that jump hurt a little, as I did not hit the water at the correct angle. However, the water is so cold, you soon forget any impact pain and start thinking about how you are going to get to land before you loose all feeling in your hands.

After the canyoning, we went up in the gondola to the top of the mountain for lunch. The view was amazing and I ate kangaroo for the first time (I have been to Austrailia and don't remember anyone serving it).  After lunch we decided to walk down the mountain, which went pretty well after we got back on the road and off the ski runs. It took about an hour and a half and we were pretty worn out when we got back to the hotel.  

Me and B2 at the top.

Me and my cousins Alan and Michelle

The highlight of the next day was a visit to another waterfall where the villagers had built steps all the way up the side of the mountain so you could walk from the valley all the way to the top of a waterfall. The men of the village met every Tuesday night after work for 20 years to complete it, and none of them were engineers or builders.  When you are on the ground this is an amazing story, but about a quarter of the way up the steps, which are very steep and very narrow, I started to think, holy crap I am walking on some steps bolted to the side of a mountain by some dude who had no idea what he was doing and panic set in. I am usually a little afraid of heights, but all of a sudden the lack of oxygen and anxiety were a huge problem. There was a point near the top that was extremely narrow where you had to go down about 20 steps before you could go up again and I froze, I could not go down. I was wondering if there was any other way off the mountain, when it got even more embarrassing, my 81 year old uncle (with two hip replacements) passed me.  Luckily my cousin's wife, Daniella, also caught up with me, she had done the climb several times and was happy to stand close to me as I went down the steps on my but.  Life saver.

From there on I just focused on breathing and stepping until I got to the top, where both my parents arrived about five munites later - my mother has pretty severe arthritus in her knees. I learned that mountain climbing on sheer cliffs is not for me, even if there are steps. Also, it is amazing how the negitive thoughts can take over and almost paralyze you. 

After a few beers I was back to normal, but I have noticed that I get nervous around balconies now, which is a little concerning.

Swiss bathroom signs

We closed out the night with a nice dinner at the public pool, which thankfully is heated. It is located next to the zoo which is a fun way to pass a few hours.  Next morning it's good bye to everyone and off to Paris.

Milan

Milan is not a tourist city. My bad American analogy is that Rome is like going to New York (in the 1990's), Florence is like San Francisco, Venice is like New Orleans, and Milan is like Chicago. You have to work a little harder to see the sites in this large, busy city, which is Italy's financial and fashion center.

That said, we have had a great time here. Last night we went out for an amazing dinner at Carlo e Camilla, where the restaurant design, set in an old sawmill, is an attraction in itself. The good news is the food and drinks lived up to the ambiance, but this place is a scene. Milanese are mega fashionable to begin with, so we were way out of our league here. Luckily we got there at 8 pm, so it was still quite, with mostly tourists eating. By the time we left it was packed out with a very fashionable crowd. One of the best things about this place is the cocktails, so get there early for a drink before dinner. Also, almost all the wine is only 20 euros, and it is very good.  I had heard the portions were small, but we found them to be ample, and we did not leave hungry - In fact we have not left any meal in Italy hungry.

Today we took a tour of Milan (more on tours later). We saw the castle, The Scala Opera House, the cathedral - which took 500 years to build, and was finished by Napoleon - and most famously Leonardo's Last Supper. All the sites are worth the trip, but you will need to book the viewing of the last supper a month or two in advance as it sells out in the high tourist season. I don't think the guide was as valuable here in Milan as in other cities. You could easily get by with the audio guides and none of the lines were so long that it is worth paying extra for skipping them with a guide.

These pictures are all of the cathedral, the first statue is by Leonardo of a cardinal who was skinned alive, note the anatomically correct detail.

This is castle where the dukes lived in the 14th and 15th century. Milan did not become a part of Italy until 1921.

This is not a real picture of the last supper, as no cameras are allowed.  In fact, this is by far the most closely guarded tourist attraction we have been to. You have to go through several holding rooms before you even get to it. The highlight of the tour was when the tour guide said the painting suggested Jesus might have been gay as Peter was his closest disciple and he is painted to look like a beautiful women. 

This is the inside of the Opera House, we weren't supposed to take pictures, but there were no guards around.

Here is a short note on tours. I highly recommend Walks of Italy. They keep their groups to 12 people and all the guides we had were well trained and full of great local knowledge. I also thought the prices were very reasonable. If you can avoid it, don't do an all day tour in the summer, it's pretty tiring to be out in the heat all day. Walks of Italy's tour was sold out on the date we wanted in Milan, so we went with a larger group and it paled in comparison.  It's hard to keep up and really see a site with 30+ people. If you can afford it, private guides are the way to go, but they can get spendy. A tour of the Vatican, can easily run $500 vs. ours was $75 per person.

A short note on hotels. There is a difference between three, four and five star hotels. We stayed in four star hotels in Rome and Florence and they were great. The three star hotel we stayed at in Venice was fine, but it was a noticeable step down. The staff was very nice, but there are a lot of differences in the room size, air conditioning, bathroom quality, sheets, etc. On the other side of that coin, I am not sure it's worth paying more for a five star hotel. Our hotel in Milan is like a lot of the places I stay for work, a little too precious and hipster. Again the staff is excellent, but everything costs a little more and it starts to add up when you are not on an expense account.

Milan is not a great walking city, but they have streetcars and a Metro. It would have been smarter to get a hotel closer to the center of town.