Just Taking In Some Scenery.

First off, a giant thank you to everyone who has been responding to all of the posts concerning Paris but it's starting to scare me how right you all are about EVERYTHING!

Standing outside the garden that leads up to the Lourve you can see the Eiffel Tower and from that vantage point it looks managably close. So last night (I can't believe I am up at 6 in the morning posting here....ah, jet lag) Blaine, Lara and I were so mesmerized by it we began following its beacon in an attempt to find the top. Well, as other posters have said, Paris is proving to be difficult because you can see the landmarks but there are endless cuving streets slowly leading you astray when you think you should be arriving momentarily. What we thought would be a 15 minute walk turned into an hour walk that is about the distance from Union Square to Lincoln Center (not really a walk you want to do on only an hour of sleep.) Of course walking in Paris is never lacking for sightseeing and running into Petit Palais (which I couldn't get a good picture of yet) whose entrance was massive and breathtaking was one of many things that made the walk enjoyable.

Everything seems much bigger up close which is always nice because it's pretty anticlimactic to run up to the Eiffel Tower and have it look like it came from the Put-Put Course. We could see reflections of the light show (kind of like the Eiffel Tower having a seizure....in the most BEAUTIFUL way) so we knew we were close. Just one more corner, we thought, just one more corner and then....

We had arrived. David had warned me that it was far more massive in person than I would expect but even still it exceeded my expectations. It truly is one of the most stunning landmarks I have seen in person. Even though our approach wasn't the most scenic I got chills.

(Our first shot as a couple.)

(Underneath it seems to be the size of a New York City Block....but seeing as I am horrible it judging anything, it could be much larger or smaller. I'm no help.)

(Stepping under, looking up, and hoping it doesn't eat me.)

(Probably the most amazing picture you have ever seen, right? Riding the elevator up kind of makes it look like a bridge in New York but then.....)

(New York doesn't quite have views from the top (not that terrible Gwenyth Paltrow movie, the lawns leading up to the tower) like this...)

(Or cool wax people like Besty, my new best friend, to keep you company at the top.)

(After journeying down we decided to grab some food close to the hotel. Deciphering the menu here is difficult and on our first meal of our own (without blog superstar Adrienne's french skills) we ended up ordering food that didn't kill us!)

(But this probably could have. It was basically just hollowed bone (we think) with all of the fat just hanging out in it. Yummm....oh sorry I just puked a bit. We'll just treat that as a kids meal prize.)

Comments

[Delirium Tremens]

maybe its like a french Osso Bucco (Sp?) which is basically a bone with marrow in it. Best not to think about though actually sorta yummy!

Please keep blogging while you are there! I'm enjoying this so much. I'm having a really bad time atm and this is one of the things that really has been brightening my days!
xoxo

DT

[Anonymous]

MOJ!!!!!!!!
i can't wait! i'll be there in three days! whoohoo! email me if you get the chance....tell me what the deal is around 1 on friday, or a little before that. i arrive at the airport around 11. love!!!! see you in paris...

sistafriend

[Tania]

I am all about encouraging experimental eating in foreign countries, but I do understand that you are a picky eater, and I certainly have my limits. When completely in doubt, head for the steak frittes. Not very adventurous, but as long as you're in a respectable bistro, it'll be delicious. OH and they make great burgers in Parisian bistros, and they put an egg on top of them! I know it sounds kind of gross but it is actually delicious. I think there are a couple of places in NYC that do that, but only in a foreign country will I allow myself to knowingly ingest that much cholesterol in one sitting. And you can get duck (canard) pretty much everywhere in Paris and it's SO good. Though make sure you don't see the word "canard" and go for it and then find out you just ordered duck livers. Unless you like liver----I don't. God I am so living vicariously through you right now. Also, I think it is very telling that the words I learned the quickest when i travelled were ALL foods, shows where my priorities are....

[Larry]

Tania gives excellent advice. "Canard" can be wonderful in a French restaurant; if you see a magret, you're getting a duck breast, if you see foie, it's liver. Foie gras is a real delicacy that tastes like pure fat. I had a wonderful duck breast dinner at Chez Géraud, in the 16th arrondissement (near the Trocadero, opposite the Tower).

Steak is also excellent, but the French like it more rare than we do. There are four degrees of doneness: bleu, saignant, à point, bien cuit. The third ("ah pwan") is medium-rare, while bleu is barely charred on the outside. You can ask for your steak bien cuit ("byan kwee") but be prepared for a dirty look.

Aren't you enjoying how much we're all enjoying your vacation?

[tonya]

Foie gras is delicious!!!! Take this opportunity to try it -- it's the best you'll ever have!!!!

[Larry]

Foie gras is delicious!!!! Take this opportunity to try it -- it's the best you'll ever have!!!!

Accompanied by a chilled Sauterne.

[Zachary]

Matt,
One recommendation for a place to eat would be perhaps my favorite bistro, which was about a minute's walk from where I lived last year. Don't go before 8pm, but don't arrive after 9; otherwise you won't have a seat. The host seems a little rough, but he's hilarious, and the portions are HUGE. Prices are extremely reseanable, especially given the portions. Get a bottle of the vin du mois and you won't go wrong:

Le Felteu
15, rue Pecquay
74004

This is just off rue Rambuteau - get off at les Halles, Hôtel de Ville, or Rambteau. The street is tiny, you might miss it! Plus you're in the gay marais for going out after dinner!
Ciao,
Zachary P.