Installment #2 -- France

Okay, Jennifer, we really did go to France, not just to the Philadelphia airport! :-) And here's the proof:




One of our "free days" in Paris, we all went to the Eiffel Tower. One of the guys got down on the ground and took this great picture of us.


We rode to the top of the Tower which looked like a giant erector set. When you're traveling with all these engineer-type guys it's always interesting and a bit unsettling for them to start looking a little too close at the construction, but we made it up and back down just fine -- in an elevator, not by stairs. (You can walk up to a low platform, but most of the height can only be gained by elevator, and you can see out all the way up.) In this picture from the top, right in the middle, you can see the Arc de Triomphe (easily recognizable French war memorial on Paris' "main drag", the Champs-Elysees).

Our hotel in Paris was only a block from the Champs-Elysees and about 4-5 blocks from the Arc. The Champs-Elysees is a major shopping and nightlife street for Paris -- think Louis Vitton, Cartier's, etc. -- and this street was packed with people at 11:00 or so at night at least when we returned to our hotel. I don't know how late into the night all the activity continued; we never made it past 11:00 or 11:30. Here we are up close to the Arc.



The same night we went to the Tower during the daytime, we returned in the evening for a dinner cruise on the Seine River, traveling up and down the river by the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, and many other large, old government buildings and museums as well as old ornate bridges. It was a lovely way to see the area in the night lights. Here's a picture of our whole group as we began our dinner on the cruise and also a picture of the Eiffel Tower at night. The president of the European Union is currently from France, so the Tower is lit in blue with the yellow stars commemorating his presidency. When the presidency of the EU passes to another country, then the Tower will return to its usual all-white lighting without the yellow stars.

French food was an experience all its own! Every morning for me began with a croissant and cafe au lait (strong coffee served with plenty of hot milk, add sugar if you want). Additionally, there was really good granola, small slices/chunks of various cheeses and ham, and fresh tomatoes which are good when eaten with a dollop of plain yogurt. There were other pastries, too, but the croissants were my favorite. The breakfasts made me think a lot of what we'd experienced in Istanbul (except Turkish breakfast always included really good cucumber slices, too), so perhaps this is more "European" than "French" or "Turkish". What a great way to start the day!

Other meals offered opportunities to try not only plenty of good seafood but also duck, rabbit, foie gras (duck or goose liver well-seasoned appetizer -- I never went for that one but tasted Dick's and it was okay), other poultry as well as some beef that tended to be pretty mediocre after you've had good ol' Kansas beef. We even had the opportunity for frog legs appetizer once -- I passed on that one, too. The guy who tried them said they tasted like chicken -- imagine that! :-) Oh, and I did have escargot (sauteed snails) one meal and found them quite good.

Of course the desserts were a delight! We tried various forms of creme brulee, profiteroles (sort of a cream puff filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce), berry sorbets, etc., etc. Everything was such fun to try, and a big part of French food/cooking is the presentation -- the way it's displayed as it's served to you -- which was always very creative and artful.

Okay -- that's enough for today -- tomorrow, Versailles!