Just say the name "Paris" and people immediately picture the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre-Dame De Paris, Arc de Triomphe...the list seems endless. Paris is one of our favorite cities. The beauty of the city, be it the architecture, museums, the Seine, and more. The food is phenomenal where even the corner bistros serve delicious meals. When you're worn out from walking there is always a crepe place nearby where they will make crepe right in front of you. My favorite is with Nutella and sliced banana. If you don't have time for a formal three course sit down lunch, the boulangerie are everywhere and you can pick up a sandwich on a freshly baked baguette to munch on while you continue your explorations.
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Le drame au dèsert in the Parc Montsouris, Paris
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We've been to Paris so many times (I always need my annual Paris fix) that I promised myself no pictures this time. I was going to simply take in the sights. After all, how much more was there for us to see. I searched the web and found a site "25 Unusual Things to do in Paris." With only 3 nights before we returned to the USA there wasn't much time. We still managed to find a variety of new things to do and see.
The Luxembourg Gardens are a favorite of ours and we love wandering around the grounds, watching the children with their wooden sailboats racing around the pond, people soaking up the sun, reading, relaxing, flirting, pony rides, sports for children of all ages and so much more.
The Fountaine Medicis was built in 1630 by Marie de' Medici who was the widow of Henry the IV and mother of and regent of King Louis XIII of France.
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La Fountaine Medicis
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Children enjoy their pony ride around the park.
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We decided to walk an hour from our hotel to visit a different park, the Parc Montsouris in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. This is more of a neighborhood park open since 1869. This plus three other parks were created by Emperor Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann. Their goal was to provide green space and recreation for the growing population of Paris. The park has a lake, a cascade, beautiful lawns and a variety of trees, shrubs and flowers. Joggers love the paths. We loved the sculptures in bronze and marble.
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| Le mort du lion |
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| Park cascasde |
The walk was long and I was getting hungry heading back to our hotel. We tucked into a crepe stand (seating for 6 people inside at a bar) and discovered it was next to the entrance to the Catacombs of Paris. Being claustrophobic, that is unfortunately a sight I will never see. But we enjoyed speaking to some young tourists who had just come out of the catacombs. The crepes (nutella with bananas) were delicious and gave me the energy to walk all the way back to our hotel.
A new tourist destination is the Atelier des Lumieres. A former foundry in the 11th district of Paris the Atelier des Lumieres offers a monumental immersion exhibition. They use 140 video projectors and a specialized sound system unique in its kind. The walls rise up to 10 meters completely covered with pictures. The sound and light show we saw was about Gustav Klimt, Hundertwasser and Poetic Ai. The light show covered the walls and floor while the music engulfed you. It was an extravaganza of the senses. When we return to Paris we will definitely make a point of visiting again as the show changes regularly.
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| Three photos by S. Lauterbach |
The food in Paris can be over the top amazing. It helps to be an adventurous eater as there are more options than you an imagine. While we have our favorites that we return to time and again, it's important to add new restaurants to our list. The restaurant KGB or Kitchen Galerie Bis is a foodie's heaven. The chief is only 25 years old and constantly adding to and changing the menu. You have a choice of 8 or 10 courses. You also have the option of ordering a la carte. Since I have troubles deciding what to order I was pleased to be able to say "surprise me." They will work around your food allergies and they can give you gluten free if necessary. The dishes are imaginative, creative, with beautiful presentation, well balanced flavors and fabulous.
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| The 25 year old chief of the restaurant KGB |
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| This kitchen puts out amazing dishes. It's like a ballet watching everyone working together. |
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| First four courses |
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| Fifth course was cod with bouchot mussels, carrots, and shellfish broth. |
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| Course six: lemongrass pork, coco de paimpol, bell pepper, chimichurn. |
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| Desserts |
The Pantheon in Paris is found in the Latin Quarter of Paris. Originally built as a church, it went through many changes before becoming a secular mausoleum with the remains of distinguished French citizens such as Voltaire and Marie Curie. The designer Jacques-Germain Soufflot intended to combine the lightness and brightness of the Gothic cathedral with classical lines, but because it became a mausoleum the Gothic windows were closed up.
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| Pantheon |
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| Interior Dome of the Pantheon |
The church of Saint-Sèverin is a Roman Catholic church in the Latin Quarter of Paris. It is one of the oldest churches remaining on the left bank and still in use. . We arrived in time for an unexpected organ concert, complete with a screen so we could watch the organist while he performed.
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| Inside the Church of Saint-Severin |
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| Beautiful organ of Saint-Severin |
It seems unimaginable that we would find a female tyrannosaurus rex from 67 million years ago in Paris. But that's what we saw when we visited the T-Rex exhibit in the Natural History Museum or the Jardin Des Plantes. This is the second most complete T-Rex in the world and was discovered in 2013 in Montana, USA. She was fantastic!
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| Tyrannosaurus Rex 67 million years old. |
With all the sights we saw during the day, plus some wonderful dinners you might wonder what else we could squeeze in. It was time to see a show in Paris. Since we don't speak French we went to see a comedy in English "How to Become a Parisian in One Hour" staring Olivier Giraud. It was cute, clever and funny.
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