paris, france - part deux

cue music (the french accordian stuff).

the next day we set our sights high. real high. as you can no doubt guess, our next destination was the fabled and iconic tour eiffel. so we hopped onto the métro and off we went.

tangent: we wanted to comment on the paris métro. more than an extensive network that takes you just about anywhere you'd want to go, the métro system oozes character. the trains themselves vary from rickety cars reminescent of the older ttc models (you know, the yellowy orange ones) to newer slicker versions with electronically lit route maps. it all depends on which line you're traveling on. without any hyperbole, most of the tunnels that made up our main line, the M4, were covered in graffiti. it made for an interesting ride because now you had more than just transit ads to look at. the stations themselves were very nice for the most part (except for saint sulpice for some reason). some were trimmed with riveted metal, while saint germain had a distinct art gallery feel (complete with display cases). upon reflection, we suppose toronto subway stations can be quite interesting too. it's just that we never really appreciated them much until we learned to appreciate the transit systems of other cities.

we arrived at bir-hakeim station and, along with the rest of the people on the métro, we got off to be greeted by not the eiffel tower. we had to walk about 10 minutes, cleared some really tall trees and buildings to even see it. kinda anti-climatic. when we saw it the night before, teresa had commented on how small the eiffel tower seemed. it was decidedly bigger up close and personal.

on the way there, we were passed by a trio of soldiers, stern-looking young men wielding automatic rifles. our sentiments were a blend of reassurance that someone was on the lookout and mild alarm over what (or who) they might be on the lookout for. it was pretty awesome (or at least cas thought so).

when we finally reached the base, we were disappointed by the insanely long queue. but we suppose it was to be expected. it is the tour eiffel after all. on a saturday. luckily for us, we learned of two ways to bypass the lines, thanks to our handy guidebook (thank you again, london public library system).

the first way is to dine at the jules verne restaurant on the second level. we don't really recommend this unless you have lots of excess money burning holes in your pockets (if you do, give us a call. j/k). that's what it'll take at the posh eatery, if the €85 menu is any indication - and that's just for lunch! the dinner menu will set you back a cool €200. of course, you could also order à la carte, with dishes like lobster (€95 alone) and frogs legs on offer.

on the opposite end of the financial spectrum, the cheaper way to circumvent the line is to simply take the stairs. it'll still cost €4.50 and you can only get to the second level (it costs €10.50 - and at least an hour wait - for tickets to the top tier), but it sure beats waiting. our feet were hurting a little from all the walking we had done the previous day, but the prospect of ascending paris' landmark spurred us on. and you never know when the next opportunity might come again. besides, we had already climbed up the cn tower by stairs, so might as well keep the theme going.

when you climb the cn tower, you're encased by the concrete prison of the stairwell shaft. the tour eiffel, by contrast, is completely open, with only the heavy metal lattice and some thin metal mesh separating you from a pretty nasty fall. the air is much fresher, but you're also exposed to the wind. and there are these little holes in the metal steps. if you're even remotely scared of heights, the €200 menu might not seem so bad halfway between the first and second levels. but tough it out because the view from the top is amazing! because the tower is almost at the centre of the city, there's lots to see at each of the 360 degrees.

after we'd soaked in enough of the bird's eye view of paris, we had to get down. the pain in our feet had only increased from all the stair climbing so we tried to find an alternative means of returning to the ground. salvation came in the form of a scammed ride on a descending elevator and soon we were back on terra firma.

we slowly strolled through the parc du champs de mars, stopped to take some pictures, and found a little café for some dejeuner and rest. after lunch, we took a walk down la rive gauche, passed the hotel des invalides and crossed the pont alexandre III (which has massive statues of stone angels wielding golden swords). we walked between the grand palais and the petit palais to reach the fabled champs-elysées and the place de la concorde, with its 3,300 year old egyptian obelisk.

along the way, we stopped at a bakery. the bakeries alone are reason enough to love paris. they're everywhere and oh so good. it's amazing french people aren't either comatose from eating everything in sight, bankrupt from buying everything on display, or both. baguettes are so fresh that they're still warm when they're handed over the counter and they make the most sumptuous crackling sound when you tear a piece off. they were so good, we ended up eating 3 during our four-day trip. the pastry is peerless (in our journeys so far, at any rate), so whether you're munching on a pain au chocolat or a butter or almond croissant, the texture and flavour is to die for!

this topic will inevitably bring us to macarons. not to be confused with macaroons as we know them in north america, macarons are delectable little treats that resemble fancy oreos. of course, the biscuits are of almond meringue, the filling is a rich ganache, and they come in myriad flavours and colours. among the travel tips we were given was to visit a store called pierre hermé that reputedly had the best macarons in paris. the queue out the door to the end of the street was a good sign that this reputation was going to be backed up. and it was indeed. the macarons were very rich - both in cost and in flavour. as a note, never try to eat more than a couple in one sitting.

from there we meandered over to the musee d'orsay, but it was too late to be worth paying the entrance fee. we crossed back over to the right bank in search of a suitable venue for dinner. our quest took us through the royal palace gardens, with its whimsical square trees, and les halles, the site where the paris central market used to be held. not too far from there, we finally ended up at our destination: au pied du cochon.

those of you who have heard our foie gras poutine story will recognise the name as being the same as the restaurant in montreal where we ate during our weekend getaway a scant four (or five) years ago. although there is no affiliation that we know of, it's somewhat of an institution in paris as well, the restaurant being open 24/7. its claim of having never closed its doors in 60 years is quite impressive when you consider that the restaurant has been open longer than both our cumulative lifetimes.

we started off with a platter of raw oysters (we had oysters in montreal too) and a bowl of onion soup. for mains, teresa had a duck confit and caspian decided to give steak tartare another go (this time it came prepared). we've never really looked for it in earnest in toronto, but it can't be anywhere near as common as it is in paris. we're sure not that many places in london serve it either and those that do will charge a handsome sum for the privilege. the meal was capped off by a moelleux au chocolat, which is just a fancy french name for a molten lava chocolate cake. as a nice little surprise, they also gave us some pig-shaped meringues. again, we discovered we had a tendency to eat much earlier than the locals and found ourselves leaving as the restaurant started to fill up (always a good sign).

our evening walk this time took us to the home of the paris opera, an impressive looking building that we're sure is every bit as grandiose as the opera itself. thoroughly satisfied after enjoying a delicious meal and watching the sun cast its setting rays over the gold-gilt statuettes, we hopped back on the métro and headed back to our hotel for some more well-deserved rest. it was going to be another big day tomorrow...

to be continued...