Paris February 2019
February 7-10 2019
It was nice to come back to Paris without a set schedule or for work, we actually had time to see more of Paris and be real tourists for a change.
February 7
Earlier in the day there was ice rain in Munich therefore many of the flights were delayed or canceled. So we arrived in Paris quite late but still wanted to get a bite to eat, luckily in Paris restaurants close quite late so you are always able to find something to eat late at night. we stopped by a small corner restaurant for a small bite and of course we couldn’t forget about the dessert. PROFITEROLES are one of my favorites.
February 8
after a good nights sleep we had a small and simple breakfast of CROISSANTs and coffee then we took off for a little stroll through the Louvre then towards the Concorde. Then we parted ways, the boys were off to Retromobile, a classic car auction and I went to explore the streets of Paris. paris is a wonderful city to just wander around, there are so many little streets and alleys to get wonderfully lost in.
Tonkatsu Sandwich with Side Salad
the next DILEMMA would be where to eat for lunch, too many choices but it got a bit easier for me as my first choice was closed for RENOVATIONS until the end of the month and my second choice already had a long queue outside. so I ended up going to a little place my parents went last time they were in paris. Carré Pain De Mie is a bakery and restaurant that specializes in japanese soft and fluffy white bread from hokkaido. you can just purchase some bread loaves and sandwiches to go or you can sit down in the back and enjoy a sandwich or french toast made with this deliciously soft and slightly sweet bread. they have a variety of set lunches to choose from and the prices are fairly reasonable.
Carré Pain De Mie
5 Rue Rambuteau, 75004 Paris
+33 1 44 54 92 73
As it started to rain and was very stormy, i thought it was then a good idea to visit a museum. i had walked by the Centre Pompidou many times, curiously wondering what they have inside. I had seen that is a modern art museum, which i actually prefer more than the traditional and established museums. entrance is 14€ or if you visit many of the other museums during your stay, you can purchase a paris museum pass which could be more economically. THere was an exhibition about victor vasarely, i had seen a few of his works before but i had not known who the artist was. it was a very interesting exhibition but a bit dizzying at times. it was really fascinating that he was able to somehow manipulate the shapes in order to create this optical illusion. adjacent was an exhibition about cubism, there were a few interesting pieces but in general not of so much interest to me. on the below levels consists of some collection artwork and some modern, contemporary artwork, they were interesting but many were quite challenging to understand. after that i realized that i had only seen one half of the museum but after 3 hours i didn’t have any more energy to see anything else. i can see why it is one of the largest contemporary art museum in paris, you could spend an entire day there.
Then off to pirouette for a simple and tasty dinner. Check out link below for more on our dinner.
February 9
Today we decided to have a much more substantial breakfast, so we went a little further around the corner to Claus. a cute little cafe, restaurant filled with freshly baked goods right at the entrance. You choose between four different breakfasts/brunch sets which include a hot drink, juice, main dish, breads or pastries, and a dessert. it is quite a lot of food so go when you are hungry. all of it was super delicious, i wish i had the stomach to eat it all. get there early unless you don’t mind waiting in line. we were lucky to grab the last table before the line started. they also have another location in saint GERMAIN.
Claus - Palais-Royal
14 Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 75001 Paris
https://www.clausparis.com/
after that big breakfast we decided to take a nice stroll along the seine river as the weather was looking much better . it was a bit windy and crowded with runners as it was late saturday morning but it was still really nice to see paris from another PERSPECTIVE. we were also super lucky with our timing, as we were walking, more and more police officers and cars were arriving and blocking the streets and as soon as we crossed over the bridge within 5 minutes the yellow vest protesters were marching along the bridge. if we were only a few minutes slower we would have been caught up in the crossfire. eventually we were able to move away from the river to end up on the champs elysees, stopped for a quick snack and drink to warm up and to watch the sights and people on the champs elysees. after that we then walked all the way to trocadero, i had never been there but i had seen this view thousands of times. and well we were not the only ones taking in the beauty view of the eiffel tower, it was crowded with people trying to get that perfect instashot.
the boys went back to the car show and i walked around some more. as the protests were still going on i couldn’t take the subway all the way back so I had to get off and walk all the way back which wasn’t bad as i got to see more of paris along the way. but it was crazy to see how much policeman, cars, and tanks were surrounded the whole city.
after a bit of a rest back at the apartment then off to another delicious dinner at enyaa.
february 10
as our flight was quite late in the evening we still had a full day in paris, unfortunately the weather wasn’t great. Mostly rain and clouds with only a few minutes here and there of blue skies and no rain. so first a very french breakfast then a bit of a walk around in the rain then off to a meat filled lunch. but it was delicious, you basically choose your main and side and the starters are prepared to then share between everyone. It’s not the biggest restaurant so be sure to reserve and if you are a meat lover then this is the place for you.
Shared Appetizer to start
Angus Beef, Bavette and Lamb Shoulder
Creme Brulee