Sunday, May 27, 2012

Paris Day One: Bonjour!


Number of Photos Taken: 356
Outfit: Black leggings and a gray scoop neck American Eagle t-shirt (versatile travel wear, I’d say)
Meals eaten: 4
Something I learned: It gets dark around 10:00pm here. Talk about a long day!

            The flight to Paris lasted more than six hours and I managed to not sleep for a single one of them. Arriving in the morning having watched Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Casablanca, and six episodes of The Hills (one of the more addicting “reality” television shows I’ve watched), Paris was a sight for tired eyes. After checking in to my current accommodations, I grabbed lunch at Le Clou de Paris on Rue Danton.

Le Clou de Paris

            The meal was a great mix of my currently questionable ability to speak French and the waiter’s reserved willingness to speak English. He was perfectly French in a somewhat stereotypical/movie-esque kind of way: slightly balding with black hair, tall, thin, accent, and slight (but not off-putting) attitude. “Je voudrais un verre d’eau et Croque Madame” ended up being my order. None of France’s famous wine just yet.
            For those of you who don’t know what Croque Madame is, it is a ham and (melted) cheese sandwich with a sunny-side-up egg on top. Without the egg, the same thing is called Croque Monsieur.
            Sitting at the outdoor café, I took in the surroundings. An accordionist was playing La Vie en Rose to my right. The sycamore trees shedding what I only could assume were little seedlings that kept falling into my water, the gorgeous French architecture, the light scent of cigarette smoke lingering in the air, and the mix of languages of passerby. There seems to be a never-ending supply of nationalities and sidewalk cafés in Paris.
            After lunch and attempting to figure out the tipping system here (supposedly gratuity is built into the bill, but oftentimes people leave a couple of Euros extra), I meandered over to Notre Dame. The tan structure is an architectural masterpiece preceded by a long pathway of sand and cobblestone. Every angle of it is different and there is a park next to its back.
            Walking and exploring I eventually got hungry for a snack at around 5:00pm. It seems like the airplane breakfast and my lunch were not enough. Coming across a cute little Patisserie in the 5th arrondisment, I treated myself to a box of colorful and delicious macaroons. The chocolate ones were my favorite with the green ones (flavor to be determined) as a close second. Once again I took in the scenery.

Macaroons! 

            After wandering around for the rest of the day, I finally landed at Creperie Saint Germain in an alley full of various ethnic restaurants. There I had a glass of Bordeaux and an “Electro Crepe,” which consists of apple mash, toffee with salty butter, and vanilla ice cream. Yum. Dinner was perfection and by the time it ended at around 10:30 it had finally gotten dark and I was ready for bed. Sweet dreams of my next month in Paris followed soon after. 

Creperie Saint Germain

The "Electro Crepe"


Look out for more photos and posts soon! All photographs taken by and property of Kristen Friberger. Photographer must be contacted to attain permission for other uses. 

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