Vive La France!
Vive La France!
France is well-known for romance and fine cuisine. At our first stop in Beaune, we had an expertly curated dinner that did not disappoint.
Although we spent almost three weeks eating plenty of delicious meals, we had been planning for France to be “the big one.” With a Croque Monsier and a Michelin Star meal in mind, we headed toward Paris with empty stomachs and big dreams!
Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a museum that was originally founded as a hospital for the poor on August 4, 1443 by Nicolas Rolin. It remained in operation until 1971.
Beaune has a very classic feel with cobblestone streets and beautiful murals along some of its historic buildings.
Pre-wine tasting at our hotel.
View from below the courtyard at the Hotel des Tonneliers.
Seasonal white asparagus with a poached egg and brown sauce from Le Grand Bleu.
Before parting ways with Beaune, we also said our goodbyes to our bus driver, Richard. Following in his father’s footsteps, Richard has been bringing Rick Steves’ tour groups from one destination to the next for many years. A man with great style and taste, both him and Tim were a wonderful duo to travel with!
And finally, Paris.
At this point, we began to realize that we were reaching the end of our journey. We had already experienced so much and we were getting a little bit eager to come home and see our family and friends again… as well as our cats.
Thanks to Tim and his helpful attitude, navigating Paris was a breeze. If you’ve spent any time in New York or DC, then you can grasp the Paris Metro easily to get where you want to go. Food was on our mind in France and we found ourselves in the perfect spot— right next to Rue Cler where we could find the perfect Croque Monsier (and Madàm) for lunch.
Dining at Le Florimond
Paris notably has some of the most well-renowned restaurants in the world, and we wanted to experience our first Michellin star dinner here. We had no expectations and (shockingly) no reservations, when we sat at a table right around the corner from our hotel. We were able to dine out front and enjoy a delicious and memorable dinner.
Pro Tip: If fine dining is your thing, take the time to experience something truly unique in Paris. It’s worth it! Also, if you plan on documenting your courses, be sure to remember to snag a picture before digging in. We gobbled up the soufflé before we remembered what we were doing... Oops!
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Fromages
Chèvre, vache et sélection de Tomme (La Laiterie la Chapelle, Paris XVII°)
Goat, cow and selection of Tomme from La Laiterie la Chapelle, Paris XVII°
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Entrées
Boudin noir mason croustilant, mesclun et pastèque
Crispy mason black pudding, mesclun and watermelon
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Plats (Autumn's)
Confit de canard de Corrèze mason, gratin de PDT, purée de BBQ
Duck confit from Corrèze mason, potato gratin, BBQ puree
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Plats (Jacob's)
Cocotte lutée de homard bleu aux asperges, sauce homardine verveine
Blue lobster casserole with asparagus, verbena lobster sauce
Outside on the street of our hotel, Hotel Muguet
Outside of the Lourve
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, 1503
Every art major's dream, right?
One of Jacob's favorite paintings, The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David, 1793
On the Canal Saint-Martin
Hôtel de Ville, the city hall of Paris. The 2022 Champions League Finals were being held the following day in Paris between Real Madris and Liverpool, so the city was extra crowded and excited.
la Seine
Île de la Cité, or Island in the City
Palais de Justice
Sainte-Chapelle
Chapel of Saint-Chapelle, consecrated on April 26, 1248.
Opposite view of the chapel
Closer look of the altar
Lower chapel
Looking out from the justice department
Court of Appeal of Paris and the Court of Cassation, right beside Saint-Chapelle
In front of Notre Dame
Église Saint-Séverin
Inside Église Saint-Séverin
Inside Église Saint-Séverin
Views of buildings in Paris - most buildings aren't built more than five stories high but with a growing population, zoning laws are becoming more relaxed.
Inside the Pantheon
Inside the Pantheon
Voltaire's tomb in the catacombs at the Pantheon
The only woman to be entombed at the Pantheon - Marie Curie
Sphinx monument for a grave at the Pantheon
Paintings and sculptures inside the Pantheon
Looking down Rue Sufflot from the Pantheon stairs, in the background you can see the Eiffel Tower
Front view of the Pantheon
Fontaine Saint-Michel
Les Invalides exterior from boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg
Tomb of Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte (1768 - 1844) in the Dome church
Cupola of the Dome
The Royal Chapel inside Les Invalides
Napoleon Bonaparte's (1769 - 1821) sarcophagus in the center of the dome
Close up of the sarcophagus
Tomb of Napoleon
Tombs of Henri Gatien Bertrand (1773–1844) and Géraud Duroc (1772–1813)
Tomb of Marshal Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (1854 - 1934) in the Saint Gregory chapel
One of the four small side cupolas
Tomb of Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte (1784 - 1860) in the Saint Jerome chapel
Grounds of Les Invalides
Outer walls of Les Invalides
Final cheers at the Eiffel Tower
Watching the sunset
Jacob getting the perfect shot!
Our last dinner together at La Terrasse du 7ème
Ouí ouí!
Post tour, we decided to head to Château de Versailles!
You can tell we are very tired! The grounds are massive and very easy to get lost in.
We had to snag one more round of Croques at Le Petit Cler before heading back to London. Highly recommend!
After grabbing one last European goodie, we saw a woman wearing a WVU shirt (Autumn's home state, but not team - go herd!), so it was a great way to end our stay. Au revoir!
So Close.
Turns out Paris is pretty popular, eh? One of our favorite comedians and fellow foodie, Eric Wareheim, was also in town. As we were waiting for our train back to London, he posted that he left one of his cookbooks at this location. We got to sleuthing and Jacob made a run for it, as we found out it was only about a mile away. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it in time but it was still pretty cool that he managed to find the exact location. Maybe next trip!
