Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Day of rest...but not really...

Day Five

We awoke much refreshed having decided the night prior that we would be staying in Paris a few days. We decided that we would pick up some food at a market and eat it in a park or a river if we came across one. Immediately (because duh, Paris…) we came across a patisserie and got a fresh baguette. Next we stopped at a supermarket and got some salami to munch on with our baguette and also an ENORMOUS bottle of Orangina. Queue the 7 km walk around Paris where we are stumbling upon National Monuments left and right. It was kind of a misty morning, and I wondered if it might rain- with that I observed around me to see if my knowledgeable French company were carrying umbrellas. Nope, Nada, Zero…not only was no one holding an umbrella, but no one carried backpacks, purses large enough to store an umbrella, or briefcases. I was relieved and figured that, at the very least, if it began raining we would all be screwed. NOPE. It starts down-pouring, and in the time it took me to blink EVERYONE around us was equipped with an umbrella. EVERYONE. Not only did they suddenly have these umbrellas out of nowhere, but I couldn't even catch a straggler digging an umbrella out of the portal or wormhole that they managed to find it- the umbrella just appeared.

Finding shelter under a large tree, Jake and I rested and began eating our salami sandwiches. By the time we had finished, the rain had subsided (and the umbrellas had vanished to an alternate dimension in search for more rain…) and we continued walking. In the distance we could see the Eiffel Tower, and although Jake and I agreed that it was not a safe time for a visit, I let him stare it her in the distance for awhile. As we continued walking we began marveling at this very large building to the right of us. It was ENORMOUS with intricate carvings on the outside and Jake asks, "Is that the Louvre?" to which I obviously reply, "No way. It's just a government building or something." I say "obviously" in that last sentence for two reasons. 1. Because I am brilliant, have been to Paris, and am otherwise worldly so anything I say just IS obvious and anyone who hasn't already thought what I just said in their own minds…is simply just a moron and 2. Because it clearly was not obvious seeing as it was, in fact, the Louvre and I had just made an enormous ass of myself. We ogled and drooled at the marvel of the Louvre and took the next few hours merely wandering about it's gargantuan campus of pyramids, mazes, and gardens. Eventually, we made our way to a small pond where you could see pretty much every architectural wonder of the city. Behind us was the Louvre, dead ahead was L'Arc de Triumph, and to our left was the Eiffel Tower. All we were missing were Bastille and Versailles and it would have been perfect (okay we could list things on and on, but you get the point.) We rested our legs for a bit at the pond, soaking in the beauty of Paris, before heading back to the hotel.

A block or two down the road from our hotel, we decided to stop for dinner. It was a small cafe and we took a seat outside. Our waitress only took Jake's order before fluttering inside- catching us both completely by surprise. We had just assumed that I would order mine once she returned…no big deal….but she returns with Jake's order and it. is. huge. His bowl of pasta was so large I could have bathed in it had I felt so inclined. We had also ordered, what appears to be a very popular dish here, called "oeufs a mayonnaise" which are hard boiled eggs with housemade mayonnaise drizzled over them. You are probably saying, "holy shit that is gross," which brings me to the following series of questions:

1. Have you ever had deviled eggs? (if no, discontinue quiz)
2. Do you like them? (if no, discontinue quiz)
3. Do you know what is in them? (if no, proceed to final answer)

MAYONNAISE! Ding! Ding! Ding! Yes, they also have paprika or cayenne and maybe some tobasco and a bit of mustard but they are essentially EGGS WITH MAYONNAISE. So if you like deviled eggs, this is basically just a fast and easy way to make them without the piping bag, food processor, and hours of labor. AND you can just say it's French.

Moral of the story being we had a beautiful walk, followed by a delicious meal, followed by a great night's sleep. Hard to believe that we would have another wonderful day so soon after.

1 comment:

  1. Ummm soooo when is the next post misse!!! this is Christine i love hearing about all your adventures!!!

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