From Rome with Love

Now that my travel schedule has slowed down, I am once again learning how to navigate Paris as both a native and a tourist. Showing someone around your city helps you realize how well you know it and reminds you that there is still so much to stand in awe of and discover. This weekend one of my friends Amanda came to visit from her study abroad program in Rome! This provided the perfect opportunity to revisit some old favorites and discover some new ones. After landing later Friday evening, we caught the bus to the Marais where I took her back to Candelaria, the mexican restaurant with the secret door. We sat at the little table and picked up where we left off in July and caught each other up. After dinner, I took her to my usual crepe stand for her first crepe of the weekend.

View from the top

Friday morning we woke up early and parted ways as I headed to class and she went off to enjoy the Musee d'Orsay. After she wandered through every room of the converted train station, and I took copious notes on the futurist art movement, we met back up for lunch at a traditional Parisian bistro for some delicious food and prime people watching. Two glasses of wine, a french onion soup, a goat cheese tartine and an order of fries later, we gave up our real-estate along Rue de Rivoli and weaved in and out of boutiques in the Marais.

Breakfast on Saturday Morning 

After trying on necklaces and sweaters and rings and more, we stopped for a pause and some delicious crepes and cider at Breizh cafe, another old favorite. Sometimes when you have a particularly delicious meal the first time you go to a new restaurant, it doesn't live up to the memory when you return. This, fortunately, was not the case with Candelaria or Breizh. The guacamole and the salted caramel were just has spectacular as I remembered. After boosting our blood sugar, we shopped around a little bit more before heading home to freshen up for dinner.

Interior and Exterior of Notre Dame, Louvre

There is far from a lack of blogs about Paris. Some are anecdotal, while others are informative. I have bookmarked a mixture of both for whenever I need a suggestion for a new restaurant or patisserie to try. One restaurant Derriere has been on my list for a bit now and, after being confirmed by one of Amanda's friends as a must-try place, we made a reservation. At 11 we arrived at what one blog described as "a charming and whimsical restaurant for the light at heart and serious about food. Feels a bit like John Malkovich invited you over to his house for dinner". I must agree with her description. After walking through unmarked doors and a little courtyard, we arrived at dimly lit, rather trendy restaurant that happened to feature a ping pong table right in the middle of the dining room filled with mismatched chairs. There was a large group of American students also waiting for a table. After establishing lots of connections and mutual friends, we parted ways and were brought upstairs to our table that was positioned next a full bed.

Derriere

After a moment of shock and confusion, we set our coats (since it is now around 40 degrees here during the day) on the bed and sat down to peruse the menu. We settled on sharing a roasted artichoke, a burrata salad with tapenade, and rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes. The food was delicious, and at 1:45 AM we finally left the restaurant. Quick meals in Paris are basically nonexistent, fortunately when you have great company and are not in a rush, it is not a problem. We then hopped on the metro back home to find an entertaining Friday night scene of Parisians swaying on the metro either already on their way home or just starting their night on the town. As probably the most sober members on the train, we thought it was pretty hysterical, to say the least.

Macarons, Grand Palais

Saturday was full of lots of walking and sight-seeing. Although our plans to take a cooking class and  visit Moet and Chandon were not able to come to fruition, we still had a packed day. We began with cappuccinos, pain au chocolat and quiche at a nearby cafe before crossing the Seine to wander up and down the Champs Elysees, Rue Saint Honore and Rue de Rivoli. After enjoying macarons from Laduree and gawking over the Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Prada goodies we will one day purchase for ourselves, we set out in search of a cafe as the sunny morning turned into a misty afternoon. We found shelter in a delicious bistro in Saint Germain des Pres where Amanda enjoyed steak tartar and I continued tasting tartines, in search of the best in Paris. 

Louis Vuitton, Arc de Triomphe

Once we finally motivated ourselves to leave our Parisian oasis, where we could have enjoyed the entire afternoon, we strolled over to admire Notre Dame. After wandering through the incredible church, we walked over to the Louvre, only to discover they were closing earlier than expected. Fortunately, our spirits were lifted by Angelina hot chocolate. The line for a table continued down the entire block, so we grabbed it to go to enjoy in the Tuileries. While it warmed our souls, it did not warm our toes, so we headed back home. Instead of a big dinner out, we grabbed a baguette from the bakery on the corner, grapes from the little fruit market and a couple of cheeses from the fromagerie down the block. I will definitely miss the convenience of fresh specialties like these when I am back in the states. We spent our last night enjoying the view from the top of the eiffel tower and a couple cocktails at my favorite parisian bars with Taylor and her boyfriend Matt, who was also visiting this weekend.

At the top of the Eiffel tower

Unfortunately Amanda had to leave bright and early this morning, but I cant wait to go visit her in Rome in a month! Stay tuned for to Rome with Love Part II.