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mousmeThis morning I was able to accomplish my twice-aborted attempt to go up the Eiffel Tower. I climbed the stairs to the first two levels, and took the lift to the summit, since no one is allowed to walk up all the way for security reasons. Took lots of photos. I even managed to get a picture of what I have been calling in my head the "mutant pigeons" of Paris, because they are about half again as large as ordinary pigeons, and have very distinctive colouring, with a white ring around their necks. Very unusual.
I walked to the Eiffel Tower, walked up, walked down, and then walked back to the apartment. Three-hour round-trip. Many, many obnoxious tourists. If I ever turn into one of them, please shoot me. The weather was much improved, though still overcast. Joined the Parental Units for lunch at Le Télégraphe, a restaurant around the corner, which turned out to be both delicious and ruinously expensive. Everything in Paris is expensive these days: no wonder the people are screaming about food prices. Oranges are going for about $3.00 a piece (at the current rate of exchange), for instance. Anyway, the entrée and the dessert at Le Télégraphe were to die for, they were so good. The entrée was a feuilleté aux aubergines done with some sort of creamy cheese and roasted red pepper and eggplant, and the dessert was a millefeuilles aux pistaches. Egads. So much food.
My father accompanied me to the Palais Royal after lunch, and we walked around the Louvre, past l'Église St-Germain l'Auxerrois, and to the Jardin de l'Infante, which turned out to be quite small and a bit disappointing (comparatively speaking), since it consisted mainly of about twenty square yards of lawn with a few trimmed bushes. Oh well. At least I've seen it now.
We had dinner with a family friend who is in Paris at the same time as us (Gretzky's former owner, for those of you who might be interested to know). She is renting a fabulous apartment in the 5eme arrondissement, about four blocks away from the Pantheon. I am insanely jealous of the inner courtyard and garden, which were filled with flowers and elaborately arranged paths and shrubbery. So gorgeous. Took many many many more photographs. I shall inflict all of these on you when I get home.
Dinner was at the same Chinese restaurant as on Monday, but I was so full from lunch that I had only egg rolls (totally different from the ones in Montreal, and served with lettuce and fresh mint leaves... death in egg roll form, I swear!) and a hot and sour soup, while everyone else had a more elaborate meal involving frogs' legs, coquille St-Jacques and some other dish I never quite identified but suspect may have been calamari.
It began to rain shortly after dinner was done, and so we opted to take a cab home. Once again, I suspect I may die of food. Paris is not a good city in which to watch what you're eating: you lose sight of it pretty quickly, lemme tell you.
Tomorrow is my last day here. *sigh* If it's nice out, I shall head to the Jardins du Luxembourg. If not, well, I shall improvise.
Now, to bed.
I walked to the Eiffel Tower, walked up, walked down, and then walked back to the apartment. Three-hour round-trip. Many, many obnoxious tourists. If I ever turn into one of them, please shoot me. The weather was much improved, though still overcast. Joined the Parental Units for lunch at Le Télégraphe, a restaurant around the corner, which turned out to be both delicious and ruinously expensive. Everything in Paris is expensive these days: no wonder the people are screaming about food prices. Oranges are going for about $3.00 a piece (at the current rate of exchange), for instance. Anyway, the entrée and the dessert at Le Télégraphe were to die for, they were so good. The entrée was a feuilleté aux aubergines done with some sort of creamy cheese and roasted red pepper and eggplant, and the dessert was a millefeuilles aux pistaches. Egads. So much food.
My father accompanied me to the Palais Royal after lunch, and we walked around the Louvre, past l'Église St-Germain l'Auxerrois, and to the Jardin de l'Infante, which turned out to be quite small and a bit disappointing (comparatively speaking), since it consisted mainly of about twenty square yards of lawn with a few trimmed bushes. Oh well. At least I've seen it now.
We had dinner with a family friend who is in Paris at the same time as us (Gretzky's former owner, for those of you who might be interested to know). She is renting a fabulous apartment in the 5eme arrondissement, about four blocks away from the Pantheon. I am insanely jealous of the inner courtyard and garden, which were filled with flowers and elaborately arranged paths and shrubbery. So gorgeous. Took many many many more photographs. I shall inflict all of these on you when I get home.
Dinner was at the same Chinese restaurant as on Monday, but I was so full from lunch that I had only egg rolls (totally different from the ones in Montreal, and served with lettuce and fresh mint leaves... death in egg roll form, I swear!) and a hot and sour soup, while everyone else had a more elaborate meal involving frogs' legs, coquille St-Jacques and some other dish I never quite identified but suspect may have been calamari.
It began to rain shortly after dinner was done, and so we opted to take a cab home. Once again, I suspect I may die of food. Paris is not a good city in which to watch what you're eating: you lose sight of it pretty quickly, lemme tell you.
Tomorrow is my last day here. *sigh* If it's nice out, I shall head to the Jardins du Luxembourg. If not, well, I shall improvise.
Now, to bed.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-06 05:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-06 11:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-06 01:44 pm (UTC)For a split second, I thought "My God, they know Peter Pocklington?!!??". Then I remembered which Gretzky you more likely meant. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2008-06-06 02:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-06 02:26 pm (UTC)Mind you, the other would be equally impressive. -_^