Friends in Paris

I LOVE PARIS! I LOVE PARIS! I LOVE PARIS! I LOVE PARIS! I LOVE PARIS!

Ok, I think you get the picture. Seriously though, it is an amazing city!

We ate breakfast at hotel this morning, since it is included with our stay. The breakfast room was really nice!

They had a small buffet of breads and pastries, and we also got a choice of two la carte menu items. I chose a slice of some kind of almond bread spread with raspberry jam from the buffet and selected the fresh fruit salad and plain yogurt from the regular menu. Breakfast was eaten with a cup of café au lait, of course!

After breakfast, we went to Notre Dame. According to Rick Steves (my dad's new best friend), we needed to arrive before 10 AM (when the bell tower opens) in order to climb to the top of the bell tower without having to wait in line for like 3 hours (we heard the line was a mile long yesterday). We got there right at 9:30, and made it in the second group of people to be let into the bell tower. Notre Dame may be the most impressive thing I've seen so far-the detail is incredible.

This gargoyle looks deep in thought.

We also looked went inside the cathedral, where Mass was being held. I couldn't believe they let tourists into the church while a service was in session!

After we left Notre Dame, we stopped by Sainte-Chapelle.

We needed to eat a quick lunch, so we went back to the same café we ate at last night, since it was close and we knew it was good. I ordered the Chevre Chaud Au Miel, which was a mixed green salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumber, and the best part: a slice of toasted bread with warm goat cheese and honey on top! It totally hit the spot-if you've been reading my blog for awhile, you may have noticed my slight obsession with goat cheese. Warm goat cheese is like the ultimate-I have to order it if I see it listed on a menu.

At 2 PM, we got picked up by our Parisian friends! To make a really long story short, my parents met a woman from Paris named Agnes on a train the last time they were in France and have kept in touch ever since!

We went over to their absolutely adorable flat, where we enjoyed champagne, cake, cantaloupe, and coffee. It was quite the feast! 

They had invited their extended family over as well, and it was so fun to meet everyone. They were all so friendly and welcoming-I'm a big fan of the kissing on the cheek greeting! I couldn't believe how well they spoke English (I overheard my dad and one of the men chatting it up about capitalism and the economy). It really made me wish I was fluent in another language!

I also met three of Agnes' children, two girls (ages 14 and 21) and a boy (age 25). They were all beautiful and looked like French models!

This is the amazing welcome picture that one of their daughters had drawn for us-love the Ronald McDonald!

They even had a view of the Eiffel Tower from one of the rooms!

I can't remember the name of this cake, but it was something that translated into magnificent, which it was!

The whole family was lovely!

Agnes used to work as a tour guide at the Musée d'Orsay, so she took us on a tour of the museum later in the afternoon. I always appreciate art so much more when I actually know the history and meaning behind it!

Our wonderful tour guide!

My favorite painting:

This is called the Angelus by Jean Francois Millet, and it was painted during the Naturalism movement. The Angelus was a Catholic devotion time. When the church bell rang, people stopped their work and said a prayer. In this painting, the man and his wife are stopping to pray after hearing the bell from the church in the distance. Beautiful!

After today, I also decided that Claude Monet is my favorite artist!

We ate dinner at another café my parents had been to the last time they were in Paris called Le bis Repetita. 

I ordered a Croque Madame with mixed greens to eat. I have a very strategic ordering plan to make sure I fit in all of the foods I want to eat in Paris-omelette, macaroons, goat cheese, and Croque Madame down. Nutella and banana crepes and French onion soup still to go!

I don't drink soft drinks that often, but a Coke Zero craving struck tonight. I was so impressed that I not only received my Coke in a bottle, but it also came with ice and a straw!

Yum-the fried egg on top made the sandwich!

We ended the night with a scenic boat ride on the River Seines:

We watched the sun go down, which didn't happen until about 9:30 PM. I cannot believe how light it stays here-it totally messes with my conception of time!

Gotta go to bed now-my parents are already fast asleep, but I stayed up to blog!

Tomorrow's Plans: The Louvre and Eiffel Tower!