Day 5: Au Revoir Paris...Hallo Germany!

Well, our Parisian adventure came to an end on Day 5, however, our 2 week journey had really only begun! Our next stop: Germany!

After getting all of our stuff packed up, we started Day 5 on Rue Mouffetard again. We were on a hunt for a scrumptious breakfast. I went with a "pain aux raisins" at an adorable little boulangerie, and I also got a "pain aux chocolate" for a snack later. Brad got an amazing Nutella & Banana Crepe from our favorite little creperie.

Look at all those scrumptious pastries!

My breakfast - Pain Aux Raisins (half eaten...lol)

Once our bellies were full from breakfast, we headed back to our hotel and Marie called a taxi for us. Marie runs the hotel...she is WONDERFUL! If you are planning to go to Paris anytime soon and are looking for a place to stay, I would HIGHLY recommend our hotel. We LOVED this place. It's affordable, in a perfect location, and was really nice. Here's a link: Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. Check it out!

In the courtyard of our hotel...

Au Revoir, Paris...

Our taxi driver was nice too. He was originally from Lebanon, but he spoke really good English. He's traveled all over the USA - California, New York, Las Vegas and New Jersey. I've never even been to those places...haha!

One last photo from the taxi...

Once we got to the train station, we were able to figure it out pretty easily. We made it onto the correct train without any problems at all. I was really excited about my first train ride - it was fun! The view from our window of the French countryside was incredible. The further away from the city you get, the prettier it is. It was a GORGEOUS day...the sun was shining beautifully. With my iPod playing my favorite tunes, the train ride went by in a flash. It was the perfect opportunity to catch up on my travel journal entries.

Train Station!

Germany, here we come!

Upon arriving in Germany, Brad's Aunt Donna and Uncle Kit were waiting for us at the station. They are wonderful! We had so much fun staying with them while we were in town. They taught us so much and really helped us communicate - I didn't know nearly as much of the German language as I did French or Italian!

The French countryside...my best attempt at trying to get a decent photo from a moving train...

After leaving the train station, we went straight to House of 1,000 Clocks. There, we bought an awesome cuckoo clock (which I LOVE!) and a beautiful German beer stein. Those are definitely some of our favorite souvenirs from the trip.

Kit and Donna took us out that night for a wonderful and authentic German meal at a restaurant called "Kneller." It was SO much fun!

Dinner at Kneller!

We ordered:
Celeste:
Dinner - Jagerschnitzel mint pommes frites und salat (Jagerschnitzel with fries and salad)
Drink - Kristal Weitzen (German beer)

Brad:
Dinner - Rahmschnitzel mint pommes frites und salat
Drink - Kristal Weitzen

"Rahmschnitzel"...it was delicious!

And on top of that, the waitress brought us all a round of Schnapp's "on the house" when she found out it was our first night in Germany. Evidentally, the Germans like to "settle their stomachs" with a shot of liquor after dinner...works for me! LOL. ;)

After dinner, we headed home to get some rest before our first full day in Germany...we had a full day of castle-exploring ahead of us!

Guten Tag! :)

Quiche Lorraine - Inspired by "Les Deux Magots"; Paris, France

***One of our very favorite meals in Paris was at the legendary "Les Deux Magots" cafe. Authors such as Ernest Hemingway used to frequent the restaurant. You can visit the website HERE.

From the site:

"The café started life in 1813 as a drapery, selling silk and other luxury items. It took its name 'Les Deux Magots' from a successful play of that time: 'The Two Magots (aka wisemen) of China'.

-And no...it's not pronounced "maggots"...I know what you're thinking...haha. The "t" is silent!)

In the tense pre-war atmosphere, Saint Germain des Pres became the intellectual centre of Paris : Gide, Guehenno, Malraux and Chamson regularly ended up in discussions on the café terrace. Paul Eluard introduced Dora Maar to Picasso at "Les Deux Magots".

Every morning, Jean Paul Sartre with Simone de Beauvoir would take his seat at "Les Deux Magots" and write for hours, often without pause, but sometimes stopping to talk to Ernest Hemingway, another regular customer."

Brad and I both ordered the Quiche Lorraine...it was fabulous and had a wonderful taste and texture. The salad of lettuce and tomatoes with a drizzling of balsamic vinegar really brought the entire meal together. I told Brad and I HAD to try and re-create it once we got home. And that I did!

I can't tell you how much I LOVE Prosciutto di Parma lately...I was thrilled when I found a leg of prosciutto imported from Italy at a local grocer. I promptly ordered half a pound and started thinking of how I wanted to use it. This quiche was the perfect recipe for it!

I have to send a special "THANKS!" to my friend Geraldine, who helped me tremendously with this quiche. Her tips helped me to ensure my quiche would be authentically French! Merci beaucoup, Geraldine!

This dish is so scrumptious. It would make a perfect brunch or dinner...it's so versatile. I served it with a side salad. The gruyere cheese is simply divine!

Bon Appetit!***

QUICHE LORRAINE
4 generous servings

For the pastry:
1 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup very cold butter, cut into 6 pieces
4 tbsp. ice water

Directions:

Put the flour, salt and butter into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse 6-7 times. Slowly pour the water through the feed tube and continue to pulse, just until the dough starts to hold together. Flatten into a disc and refrigerate for an hour (or freezer for 10 minutes) Roll out the usual way and and fit into a 9” pie or tart dish that is at least 1 1/2 “ deep. Chill crust while making filling.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. After the shell has chilled for at least a half hour, prick the bottom and sides with a fork and pre-bake in the pre-heated oven for 7- 8 minutes until it’s just starting to take on some golden color. Remove.

For the filling:
4 large eggs
6 slices thick sliced bacon cooked & torn into bite size pieces (I used Prosciutto di Parma)
4 oz gruyere cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 cup small diced onion, sauteed in butter until limp

Salt & pepper
1/ 4 tsp. grated nutmeg
fresh herbs (optional)

Directions:

Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-baked crust with the cheese. Next, layer on the bacon and onion.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs very well- until light and frothy. Add the half and half and seasonings and herbs .Whisk vigorously.

Carefully pour into pie shell. Bake in the upper third of a 375 degree oven until brown and firm, about 35-45 minutes . It might puff up some but will fall when cooling.

Cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Source: Marcia's Kitchen

Day 4: J'adore Paris!

It's no surprise...Day 4 was another fabulous day in Paris. We started off the day with a scrumptious breakfast of Laduree croissants. They were filled with a delightful concoction of pecans and sugar...OMG. After breakfast in our room, we headed towards Notre Dame Cathedral to see it again. Brad wanted to get some shots of the gargoyles. On the way, we stopped by another wonderful market and Cafe Panis for some espresso. Brad had a shot of espresso, while I ordered a Cafe Creme....so, so delicious. Can you imagine working in such an awesome little cafe...with Notre Dame right at your doorstep...Ahh, the beauties of Paris...it must be nice! :)

So very Paris! :)

The gorgeous Notre Dame!

Once we were finished at Notre Dame, we went to visit St. Sulpice church...a scene in The Da Vinci Code movie was actually filmed in this church. It was really neat to see. I got photos of the "Rose Line."

St. Sulpice

The "Rose Line"

Next, we wandered around the St. Germain des Pres area again...I love that area of Paris! It's easily one of my favorites. After lots of walking, we were getting hungry so we stopped at a sandwich shop called "La Croissanterie." Oh, it was such a perfectly yummy lunch. We both ordered the "Champetre: Pain Pavot." The description was: "filet de poulet fume, salade, fromage frais, oignon grille." That loosely translates to chicken, lettuce, cheese and onion.

After lunch, we headed over to the Catacombs museum. Before finding the museum, we stumbled across a post office, so we were finally able to mail our postcards to family and friends. It was such a fun experience! Waiting in line at the post office isn't something every tourist takes the time to do. It was fun trying to navigate our way through the place and communicate what we were trying to do. We successfully mailed off all 10 postcards without any problems! Aren't you proud?

The Catacombs...

Once we finished in the post office, we went down the street and got in the line for the Catacombs....what a SPOOKY place! It's basically a network of tunnels underneath the city where millions of plague victims were buried. It's unreal just how many bones we saw that day. I've never seen anything like it. Nonetheless, it was a very interesting experience, and we both really enjoyed it.When we made it out of the Catacombs, we found a Metro station and rode it to the Champs Elysees. We were both SO excited to get to our next destination!!! I had dreamed about "wandering the Champs Elysees"....haha. Brad was ecstatic about seeing the Arc de Triomphe...it has fascinated him since he was a little boy...so cute. ;)

We had a blast walking from the obelisk where Marie Antionette lost her head...all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. The shops that line the street are fabulous. I had A LOT of fun shopping in them...lol. There's everything from Louis Vuitton to Cartier. Of course, we couldn't go past Laduree without a second macaron splurge! Those things are so delicious!

Me and Louis :)

Laduree!

The inside of Laduree...

The view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe was unbelievable!!! Brad got some really incredible photos. We were lucky enough to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up with its twinkly lights at 8pm...It was truly magical and a moment I'll never forget!

Climbing to the top...

Now THAT'S an amazing view!

Another favorite memory will also be our dinner that night. We came across a little cafe near the Arc de Triomphe called L' Empereur. It was fabulous!

We ordered:

Celeste:

-Champagne

-Gratinee a l'oignon (Onion Soup)

-Carre d'agneau a la moutarde et au parmesan (lamb with mustard and parmesan)

-Creme brulee aux fruits rouges (creme brulee with red fruit)

-Bordeaux Wine: Chateau Saint-Yves 2007

Brad:

-Champagne

-Gratinee a l'oignon (Onion Soup)

-Filet de bar au coulis de poivrons jaunes (filet of bass with sweet yellow pepper sauce)

-Crepe Goumandine chocolat, banane, glace vanille (pancake with chocolate, banana and vanilla ice cream)

-Bordeaux Wine: Chateau Saint-Yves 2007

After dinner, we headed back towards the hotel. Our adventure had only begun...Germany was right around the corner!

Day 3: Paris...Foodie Heaven!

Oh, what a day! We started Day 3 with another crepe on Rue Mouffetard. This one was filled with chicken, cheese, salt/pepper, lettuce and tomato...it was very filling! After that, we headed towards the Louvre, stopping at a cafe for a latte on the way...ahh, the Louvre!! What an incredible place. I was SO thrilled about seeing it for the first time. We rounded the corner and saw the big pyramid first...what a cool sight! The outside of the building is just so gorgeous...and HUGE! You could spend an entire week in the museum and still not see everything. Some of my favorite pieces were "Mona Lisa" of course, "Madonna of the Rocks," "Venus de Milo," "The Raft of the Medusa," "The Winged Victory of Samothrace" and "Psyche and Cupid." Brad really enjoyed the entire Egyptian wing and seeing the Coronation Crown of Louis XV.

After the Louvre, we headed on a quest to visit all my favorite little bakeries that I've read about for so very long.

We got:

- Macarons at Laduree (FINALLY!!!) and 2 croissants...OMG...the macaron flavors we chose were 2 chocolate, 2 coffee (cafe), 1 pistachio, 1 caramel...they came in an ADORABLE little box

I was able to sneak this photo before they made me put my camera up!

- Cafe Tartelette at Pierre Herme

- An assortment of fresh bread at Poilane: 5 slices bread, 2 raisin buns and 2 apple danishes

The famous bread chandelier!

- Brie cheese at a local market

- Baron de Lestac Bordeaux wine at another little market

What a meal!!! We were especially excited about having French wine, bread and cheese all together...how delicious!

After rounding up all of our yummy goodies, we headed to the most famous cafe in Paris - Les Deux Magots, where we had one of our favorite meals. We both ordered the Quiche Lorraine...OMG...it was DELICIOUS! I've since re-created this Quiche Lorraine, so that will be my next post!

I adore the atmosphere in the Paris cafes. The sweetest old lady sat beside me at the next bistro table. She was dressed to the nines...she looked like she had just stepped out of a Paris postcard. We said hello to each other, but I still wish I had struck up a longer conversation with her.

After dinner, we stopped by the hotel to try some of our goodies. It was all so wonderful! I was most excited about the Laduree macarons. They certainly didn't disappoint!

It didn't take long before we were on the Metro again...headed to see the Louvre at night. Wow...it's even more gorgeous at night when it's all lit up. Because it is the off-season, there weren't very many people there. It was SO romantic...sitting on the front steps of the Louvre with that beautiful pyramid right in front of you....and beyond that, a glimpse of the Arc de Triomphe...definitely one of my favorite moments.

After strolling around the city of lights for a while, we headed back to get some rest...another amazing day was right around the corner. :)