Random eats in Paris

Believe it or not. I'm getting tired of eating. To be honest, tired of eating out all the time. I can only handle so many restaurants before I'm craving a home cooked meal. Cooking is therapy for me, so naturally I crave it every now and then when I'm feeling down.

I've been craving some foods too from home. Particularly Mexican food and In-n-Out. It is possible to find burgers here, but they're just not the same. Their ground beef is actually of a higher quality... maybe too good to be put in a burger.

Le Palais and bouillabaise

Today was our last day in Marseille before heading back to Paris via the TGV in Avignon. My dad went on a boat tour in the morning, but I decided to stay in and be lazy. Plus with temps in the high 90s, I think I did myself a favor.

I did however make a foray over to the Palais de Longchamp. Kinda dirty and overgrown with moss, but maybe that's the look they're going for.

Le Vieux Port

My dad and I are in Marseille for a couple nights. Our hotel is perfectly situated along Le Vieux Port and today you can still find fish markets aplenty. Marseille is the oldest city in France dating back over 2,600 years when it was originally founded by Greek settlers. It is a vibrant town full of diversity, but with equally as much crime. Even the police officers here don't walk the streets alone. We noted that they walk in pairs or triplets.

Still, it's quite picturesque.

Cannes you handle it?

I sure cant. :) Cannes that is. Seems like the French Riviera is amounting up to be the same, especially popular cities like Nice, Cannes, St. Tropez. I feel like there's enough glitz and glam to make me go blind. It's a haven for designer brands and it gets a bit ostentatious in my opinion. A guy who looks no more than twenty-five driving a Ferrari, a girl younger than me with a Birkin bag, and countless tiny yorkies with Louis Vuitton dog collars. Really now, is that necessary?? It's enough to drive me mad.

Don't get me wrong, I do like nice things. I love nice things as much as I do a good meal. It feels though that if you have an overabundance of glamor, glitz, and high end goods, you forget how special each and every thing is.

Aix marks the spot

Today was another day spent in Aix-en-provence. Since we have the car, I decided that a quick trip to the Citadelle de Sisteron would be fun. I left my dad outside, as I climbed up the many stairs, walked out to the turrets, peeped out of sentry posts, and ran amok with my explorers cap on.

The fortress sits high up in the mountains and provides breathtaking view of the Haute Provence valley below. Pictures only capture part of the beauty. I can only imagine troops stationed and armed infantry storming up and down the ramparts!

Round the roundabout and pass the Sault

So today we left Avignon and began our travels by car. Though the French drive on the same side of the road as we do in the states, I forgot about the roundabouts.

I used to believe that roundabouts where chaotic circles of doom, implemented by road designers as a mean joke on indecisive or skittish drivers. The first time I encountered one was as a passenger and just remember careening around the bend worrying that we would slam into another car. How do you know when to go? When to exit? What lane to be in?

If executed correctly, I've found roundabouts to be a harmonious orchestra of cars, each drifting off in their own direction. Mind you only if executed correctly. If you stop, this defeats the purpose of the roundabout; suffice it to say, my dad isn't allowed to drive anymore.

Today we drove to Pont du Gard which is an ancient Roman aqueduct. Up to 5000 people visit the aqueduct daily, some families come to bathe in the river below. It really is a sight to behold.

Sur le pont d'Avignon

Today was a hot day in Avignon, and though we didn't do any dancing on the bridge as a famous French nursery rhyme would suggest, my dad and I did do some sight seeing. We visited the Palais des Papes, a great example of Gothic architecture once occupied by several generations of Papacy.

Here are some pictures of the palace and the bridge:

It was so hot today, that I didn't really have an appetite. From the morning until around 8 PM, I had coffee, a croissant, and an orangina to hold me over. For dinner we dinned at one of the many outdoor restaurants at the Place de l'Horloge. I ordered the coquilles st. jacques gratinee (scallops), pasta, and ice cream! Yum. For dessert I decided to order deux boules de la glace (two scoops of ice cream) of strawberry and chocolate, and my dad ordered vanilla and coffee. I have to say the chocolate was insanely good. Very dark, slightly bitter with chunks of chocolate in it. Definitely tasty and I don't feel so bad since I skipped lunch and walked four miles today!

It's heating up

Today temperatures peaked in Paris. 32(?) degrees Celsius, though I'm not exactly sure what that means in Fahrenheit... and quite frankly I'm too lazy do the conversion. It just sounds hot.

However before I get to the heat... and fire, yesterday my dad and I had a pleasant dinner close to Jardin des Tuileries. We feasted on escargot, foie gras, lapin (rabbit), agneau (lamb), pots de creme, and this weird minestrone des fruits. Pretty much fruit soup.

Paris en vacances

So I made it. After a delayed flight and sprinting through the terminal to my connecting flight, I'm finally in Paris. I think I figured why I'm not freaking out about moving out here. For me it's like coming home. It just feels natural; the cobbled streets feel so familiar as if from a past life.

So Paris is on vacation. What does that mean? The streets are fairly empty. Shops are closed with obligatory notices stating that they'll be back in a month or so. What does this mean for me? It means that for dinner I dragged my dad out to a crepe restaurant just to find out they were closed for the rest of the month. I was pretty disappointed, seeing as they'll open again after he leaves. Oh well, we settled for L'As du Fallafel, if you count that as settling.

Our lunch today: Quiche, Croque monsieur and salad.

My dad enjoying a pita and going "Hey! This isn't French food!" I have a feeling as the trip progresses, there will be less and less pictures of him looking so amicable.