Despite an overcast sky and a prediction of rain, the two men in our group decided this morning to head off to the Eiffel Tower to see what there is to see. Since I've been there quite a few times before, I decided to pass. Instead, my mom and I opted for some shopping at the two great French department stores. We meandered on down to the Opera, stopping only at Cafe de la Paix for what was probably the most expensive coffee I've ever had in my life. But we were paying for the view.
After our super delicious coffee, it was time for a bit of shopping a la francais. First stop: Galeries Lafayette. If there is a hierarchy to French department stores, this one would be Bloomingdale's or Nordstrom. After gawking at the lovely dome, we found a few things for ourselves and a few souvenirs. Then, on to Printemps
(approximately the Macy's of Paris). The big attraction there was the floor entirely devoted to shoes. I didn't buy anything but it was a great exercise in self-control. Finally, on to Fauchon to look at all the lovely fancy food-stuffs. I'm definitely bringing some stuff home with me. :-)
After a quick trip to the farmer's market and a lunch of baguette sandwich, it was time to get on with the business of the day. This afternoon we were scheduled to go to the Musee d'Orsay. My favorite part of the Musee is of course the Polar Bear statue. They don't allow photos at D'Orsay but my dad and I were stealthy and managed to get one off quickly out of sight of the security guards. Excuse the slight bluriness:
Notice my mom sitting in the background, attempting to be all nonchalant and studious.
Then we headed home for a short sit down, as the promise of rain finally game to fruition. So we watched some French Open on tape and had a small snack of seriously excellent cheese on baguette. For dinner, we went to an Alsatian place that was originally not part of the plan. But man, am I glad that we did. See below for evidence as to the greatness of this place:
Yum. Finally, here is our most recent attempt at the elevator photo. We were bringing the bottles downstairs to be recycled:
Tomorrow is Roland Garros, day 2. I think we'll be camped out at Court 2 all day long. The first match is Elena Dementieva, followed by Juan-Carlos Ferrero. The 3rd match is no one I've heard of but the 4th match is going to be Lleyton Hewitt. I think we're going to stake out some seats early and not leave them all day long. :-)
After our super delicious coffee, it was time for a bit of shopping a la francais. First stop: Galeries Lafayette. If there is a hierarchy to French department stores, this one would be Bloomingdale's or Nordstrom. After gawking at the lovely dome, we found a few things for ourselves and a few souvenirs. Then, on to Printemps
(approximately the Macy's of Paris). The big attraction there was the floor entirely devoted to shoes. I didn't buy anything but it was a great exercise in self-control. Finally, on to Fauchon to look at all the lovely fancy food-stuffs. I'm definitely bringing some stuff home with me. :-)
After a quick trip to the farmer's market and a lunch of baguette sandwich, it was time to get on with the business of the day. This afternoon we were scheduled to go to the Musee d'Orsay. My favorite part of the Musee is of course the Polar Bear statue. They don't allow photos at D'Orsay but my dad and I were stealthy and managed to get one off quickly out of sight of the security guards. Excuse the slight bluriness:
Then we headed home for a short sit down, as the promise of rain finally game to fruition. So we watched some French Open on tape and had a small snack of seriously excellent cheese on baguette. For dinner, we went to an Alsatian place that was originally not part of the plan. But man, am I glad that we did. See below for evidence as to the greatness of this place:
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