Vy Eats in Paris

The long awaited (or maybe not) post. The problem with having two phones is...you have to eventually get pictures off both phones when you want to post. Which is very annoying.

And I've been having issues with my iPhone, strangely. So we'll start with Paris, and hopefully I'll get the London pictures sorted soon.

Too bad I don't really remember the details:

And we're packed!  

Starting vacation off right with a watermelon crush from Legal Seafood at Logan. (I may have had two, but no one's judging, right?)

Crabmeat salad

 Tai's fisherman platter











And then we're boarded. And I'm sleeping, because it's the only way for me to stay awake once I've landed. We had a short layover in Dublin, but nothing of note there.

We land. We check in. We meet with Jessica and Stan, and walk down to Champs-Élysées. Tai and I had not eaten at this point, since dinner the night before, so we stroll and settle for sandwiches at Paul. This is not the Paul of the States, friends. I mean, it is. But it isn't. It's so much better. The mini beignets were so soft and pillowy. And it makes me sad, the difference in the things we get served back home.

After more walking and such, we settle in for dinner at L'Alsace.

Cheers! Our first night in Paris.

 Crab tartare

 Escargots

 Onion soup - quite good :)

Prosciutto and melon. Or ham and melon. In either case, quite good as well.

Various pork and sauerkraut, and potatoes. Haha such an odd dish. And bland.

Fish of some sort

 Steak











We were in a touristy area and we knew it. Food was meh. Service was meh. But the vibe and the atmosphere - I guess that is why people come. It's like eating on Newbury Street. You don't do it for the amazing food.

But the Arc de Triomphe is amazing as the sun sets.

Breakfast is at l'arc cafe down the street from our hotel.

Eggs sunny side up

Pastries!

Bread, butter, and jam

Cappuccino

Latte











After a bit of sightseeing, it was time for our lunch cruise. The sad: AC was lacking, and we were right under the sun; no one was telling us what to look at or what we were passing. The good: the food was better than I expected for river cruise food.

Sampler appetizer

Cod

Chicken with purple potatoes and carrots

Dessert sampler











After the cruise, we went to Musee D'Orsay and walked over to the Eiffel tower. And it was hot, so we stopped by a restaurant for drinks and snacks.

And after some more walking, made our way to Sir Winston for dinner:

Salmon tartare

Steak

Salmon

Nicoise salad with tuna











Drinks were fantastic. Food was okay. Decor was bizarre.

Breakfast the following morning was at Bagelstein. Bagels were quite good.

And then the Louvre. The line was insane. The crowds were insane. I thought I was going to die in the crowd to see the Mona Lisa. And goodness, is it a massive place overall.

All that elbowing and clawing, just to see it behind a glass. *sigh

Lunch was at a cafe nearby.

 Kabob

 Chicken

Ham and swiss sandwich (you can tell what I order, hah)














And it's 100 degrees, we're outside walking and standing and walking. And there's no break from the heat, really. So we get gelato:

And after being turned away from the Notre Dame, we get dinner:

 Pitcher of mojito

 Moules frites

Bolognese I think

Frutti di mare

 Veal?

Croque monsieur



















Again, meh. I know, I know. We're in super tourist areas.

More walking is followed by dessert:

Crepe

This no AC in places is killing me, so I fan myself while eating gelato.














Our last full day in Paris starts with breakfast at a nearby cafe:

So many options!

But I settle for a sugar brioche















And then we're off on a confusing train ride to Versailles. Where we then wait in line, as the temperature climbs to over 100 degrees.

And the palace is grand, but very crowded and hot. And I never want to go to tourist areas in the summer again.

We have lunch in the palace at Angelina:

Chicken sandwich

Tomato soup

Smoked salmon salad















And I'm super bummed because their desserts look great, but I cannot eat comfortably when I'm so hot.

They have cute signs to their unisex washroom:

And the grounds/gardens are amazing:

We go back, shower, and change, and then head to the Eiffel tower:

For our dinner with a great view:

But unfortunately, no AC. So we melt. And drink. But mostly melt.

Bubbly

Cheers!

Foie gras with a cute Eiffel tower cracker and not nearly enough bread

Shrimp

Pretty palette with sea bream

Duck

Cod

Profiterole

Chocolate with praline cake

Red berry Himalaya















Great experience, but ugh so hot. We really melted. It's a shame, because it would have been a great night otherwise. Hah, I guess it still was (moreso after dinner, climbing the tower and all).

More to come, once I get my pictures off!