goodbye dinner

Last night the Scalia's (minus Jean Christophe who is actually in our Chapel Hill office for the week) took me out to the most incredible dinner! Florence, Hugo, Antoine, Charlotte, and I piled into the car and drove into the Place du Trocadéro that overlooks the Eiffel Tower. We ate at Café De l’Homme, this restaurant was definitely very swanky and the weather was absolutely perfect for a long, relaxing dinner out on the terrace.

Check out this link so you can get a feel for the place:
http://www.restaurant-cafedelhomme.com/fr/index.php

We were seated at our table outside at 8:30 and started off with some wine and foie gras all around. I never thought eating the liver of a duck could be so tasty, but it was really delicious! The whole meal was absolutely hysterical; the kids are enjoying their last week of summer before school, so the days and nights are full of partying, getting in trouble, and getting out of trouble. We were talking in a mix of French and English, with everyone at the table babbling in a mix of both.


When it was time for the main dish, I had a filet de boeuf that was spectacular! Each hour the Eiffel Tower lights up and sparkles for ten minutes and everyone oooohs and ahhhs, it really is magical. We got to see it three times last night and each time seemed just as exciting as the first! Even though I was already stuffed, ordering dessert was a must and again I went for the crème brulée...soooooo good!!! I think after all of the wine and good food last night I need to take quite a long walk at lunch.

I really can't believe that it's my last day in Paris today!!!
I am SO excited to see Brandon and Cath and Brooks tomorrow, but I really will miss so many things about being here. If nothing else I think this trip really showed me I like life in a bigger city where it's possible to take public transportation everywhere and you can just swing by an art gallery on your lunch break. This was such a great trip and I am already sad it’s over and I am still here!

the BEST part about paris

......is the Croque Royale! I am telling you, if I could eat this thing everyday I would be the happiest girl on the planet.

One of my first nights in Paris I went to dinner with Marie and one of her friends near the Palais Royale and I had my first encounter with this amazing delight. As a goodbye lunch to myself I suppose I went back to the Cafe Royale and ordered up another one. Here's what it is:
A ham tomato and cheese melt on toast with a fried egg on top - all served over a salad of lettuce and tomato with this herby dressing. MMMMMM. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I love this sandwich so much; it definitely deserves its own entry! I will try to recreate at home, but I am sure nothing will compare to the original!!!

Little evening stroll.

There is no other way I can describe my evening last night besides a bit random. After work I headed to Beaubourg to see the Centre Pompidou, but when I came up the stairs from the metro station, I noticed there was a ton of shopping still open! I only have a couple days left so it is crunch time for any shopping I am going to do! I bought some clothes and such for me as well as the necessary souvenirs and gifts. My suit case I fear is going to be quite snug on the return flight. Every time I would say that this is the last store, the next one would look so enticing. Beaubourg and Les Halles was packed with shops, restaurants, and people. By the time I finally made it to the Centre Pompidou there was a sign on the door saying "ferme" - closed. Whoops. If I am going to be completely honest though, it may have just been that entrance via escalator that was closed; I walked around the whole building and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get inside.

Le Centre Pompidou is probably the strangest building I have ever seen. To me, the tubes on the side that enclose the escalators make it look like a hamster cage. It is extremely modern compared to the other buildings around it, and the front side (this picture is of the back) has giant blue, green, and red pipes running up to the top. The building was designed in the 70s and houses a modern art museum that is supposed to be fantastic (again, whoops I missed it) and a public library. The giant area in the back is another place for the Parisians to chill. These people love to chill! Everyone was just eating, smoking, chatting, making out, playing guitars…

I kept walking and stumbled upon a huge fountain that no other word seems to explain except for "trippy". There was a mix between colorful spinning figurines that resembled the Blue Meanies on Yellow Submarine, some skeletons, and then also black cast iron sculptures of random shapes. Quite weird and very not-paris...or maybe it is, who knows. After consulting my paris bible guidebook I found out that this fountain is called the Fontaine de la Place Igor Stravinsky and it was built in the 80s and has sixteen different aqua sculptures. Very strange, but know one else really seemed to think so.

I kept walking on the hunt for dinner. I stumbled upon this beautiful garden that was absolutely stunning, except all around me were people that I would normally describe as "sketch". I held my purse a little tighter and walked a little faster since the sun was setting and I honestly had no idea where I was. Seems like an interesting choice for gangs and prostitutes to hang out, but it really was beautiful!!!

Ready for dinner, I followed the signs to Hotel de Ville because I knew there was a metro stop called that and it could probably be close. I pulled up a seat at a great cafe and watched the sun set over this gorgeous square in front of Hotel de Ville (the city hall). The square was full of skate boarders and roller bladers, but I read later that this square and building actually date back to 1357 and was once the site for many public hangings, important french declarations by famous leaders, and ceremonies.

I got back to the Scalia's house around 10:30 and was ready to take a shower and relax. I can't believe I only have two days left!

Street Art...the jury is still out

Ever since I arrived in Paris, I have seen advertisements for an art exhibit called "Né dans la rue" or "Born in the street". I was intrigued by the exhibit since Paris has so much graffiti I would think they wouldn't want to do anything to promote it, but this exhibit seems to embrace the act. On Tuesdays, the Foundation Cartier stays open until 10pm so I had a chance to get over there after work and check it out.

The Foundation Cartier is an absolutely beautiful building, very modern and full of glass and light. The exhibit was absolutely packed, mostly with young people since there is a discount on Tuesdays. At the museum, absolutely every square inch was covered in graffiti - the stairs, the ceilings, the bathrooms. It had a ton on information on not just Paris, but graffiti and its origins and individual styles in New York, Sao Paulo...
The big question is - is graffiti art that should be glamorized or is it a crime that needs to be punished? I obviously have no idea, sometimes I think it is pretty, sometimes I think it is ugly. However, it was really interesting to watch all the demonstration films of people spray painting the murals and running from the cops. The coolest display was a giant photography exhibit of metro cars that are covered in graffiti from different cities all over the world. Quite the interesting Tuesday evening.

Another Random Tid-Bit:
Yesterday I noticed a giant French flag underneath the Arc De Triomphe. I asked someone if it was a holiday/why was there a flag flying. I knew it couldn't be a holiday, because then I wouldn't have to be at work. He told me that August 25th was the Liberation of Paris during WWII and that the flag is actually on display as a demonstration of thanks to the Americans. I said, "thank you - for the information, and I guess also for the flag".

This week has been really fun back at the house with Jean Christophe's family. His wife is so outgoing and friendly and their kids are hysterical. Two boys at 19 and 16 and one girl at 13 - we have been having a lot of fun at night hanging out in the back yard, drinking wine, and trading french and english back and forth.

monday confessional

So yesterday around lunch time it was raining and super gross outside, so a lunchtime field trip or a long leisurely lunch at a cafe was out of the question. So I did something bad...something shameful. I went to McDonalds!!! I know, I know -who goes to the city with some of the best food in the entire world and eats fast food? Me, I guess. Perhaps I could try to justify this trip as a social experiment, but if you are reading this you know me well enough to know I really just wanted something delicious from the golden arches.

I was half expecting the McDonalds to be pretty similar to the ones in the states, but there were some major differences! First, there was a whole other side counter that only sells McCafe which looked to have tons of fresh pastries and coffees and such. The main counter was a total mob scene with people crawling all over each other! This picture really serves as Exhibit A that French people have no idea how to stand in line. Lots of cutting from left and right, but I finally managed to crowd surf to the front and ordered my "Royal Cheese".

I carried my tray upstairs and got a stool along one of the window bars so i could watch people on the Champs Elysees while I ate my combo...and you know what? That burger was good! I think they might make them with real meat over here...what an interesting concept.

As I was leaving the sun started to peak out from behind the clouds and I witnessed one of the strangest things I have ever seen. A woman and her son approach a bench. The woman then takes a shiny piece of gold fabric out of her purse and proceeds to drape the cloth over her son and put ties around so that the fabric is held very tight against his body. She then took an Egyptian King Tut mask out of her bag and put it over his face (the boy does not say a single word during this whole process). The boy is now immobilized on a bench dressed like King Tut and the mother walks away.


The only rationalization I could make for this is that they must be trying to get money, but there was no cup or place to collect the change. So to me, it just seemed like an Egyptian king hanging out on a city street bench. Very strange. I wish I could have watched longer to see what came of it but I had to go back to work...boo.

YOU NEVER SAUSAGE A PLACE

The weekend went by so fast and before I knew it, it was already Sunday! I didn't have to catch my train back to Paris until 5:45, so there was still a whole day ahead and time to cram in some more sight seeing and hanging out. We took the train to Cologne and toured around the Dome Cathredal, which is by far the oldest thing I think I have ever seen. The cathedral is absolutely breathtaking, it seems like the stain glass windows go as far as the eye can see.

The Dome Cathedral is most famous for housing the remains of the Three Magi, which are kept in a gold relic on the main alter. There are also many saints and bishops in tombs around the church. Downstairs there is a treasury museum that has artifacts so old it will totally boggle your mind! There are bones from saints and St. Peter's chains on display...the list goes on and on.

After touring all of the church and the treasury of relics, it was time to eat again! We sat outside at a cafe and got some beers from Cologne and ordered some food that is very "Rhine-ish". I had a big sausage on top of a giant bed of kale mixed with potatoes...very tasty but kind of looked like seaweed. Celia got these scary looking white sausages that were served in a bowl of water! My overall opinion of German food is that the dishes look quite terrifying, but if you can bring yourself to taste it, it's really good!!!

After drinking two giant beers and solving all of the problems of the world, it was sadly time to go. We all were about to pee our pants so we ran to the train station and shelled out one euro each to use the toiletten. I think that was most likely the most expensive bathroom trip I have ever had but also very necessary!!!

I had such a fantastic stay in Dusseldorf and only wish I could have gotten to stay longer. It was absolutely amazing to see how totally different the people, the food, and the cities seem to be between Germany and France and they are only a short train ride apart...amazing. A big DANKE goes out to Celia and Toby, my fabulous hosts and tour guides!!!

To the top of the TV Tower!

Once we digested all that curry sausage and laid around the house a little bit to do some team facebook stalking of college friends (that's right, I admit it), it was time for some Saturday evening adventures! The TV Tower is a big attraction in Dusseldorf, it is right on the Rhine river and you can go up to the height of 168 meters (there is also a restaurant a little higher up, but it was a little to fancy for our wallets).

The coolest thing about the TV Tower, aside from providing tv reception I suppose, is that you can tell what time it is simply by looking at the tower. Toby had to explain to me a few times, but I think I know how to do it! I am not sure how to really explain it in writing, but there are different color dots that light up signifying the hour, minutes, and seconds...very cool. We took the elevator to the top and had a great time looking at each angle of the city as the sun set.

The way the lounge at the top of the TV tower is designed, it has giant plates of glass that are all leaning outward about 45 degrees. You can lay your body against the glass and in pictures it looks like you are just resting on top of the whole city. I saw people doing it and instinctly started to lay down, but all of a sudden my feet started sweating and I got really nervous. Celia doesn't enjoy this activity, but with Toby egging me on I was determined to do it! I may have been eating hearty german food all day, but I can't be the one person in the past three decades that causes the glass to crack, right? haha. Finally I got up the nerve and did it, my big accomplishment for the day, and I am proud to tell you, the TV tower still stands.

After taking the elevator back down and getting our feet on solid ground, it was time for dinner. Since I was in Germany, I really wanted to eat some weiner schnitzel! We strolled back to the old town area and went to a really cool restaurant for a nice long dinner. The food came, and the schnizel was so big it was literally dangling off both ends of the plate onto the table. With the help of some yummy wine and good conversation, we shut the restaurant down and filled our bellies to the top. Soon after Toby slipped into a meat coma and Celia and I had some girl time while watching the Sex and the City movie and laughing about college stories that never seem to get less funny...