We decided to base ourselves in the Latin Quarter so we'd be central to everything and right in the buzzing heart of Paris. To become a real Parisienne family we rented a 2 bedroom apartment on Air BnB (in Rue de Cardinal Lemoine) hence a French family moved out of their premises for the week we were there. We had access to many of their personal items - illy coffee machine, hundreds of DVD's, their book collection, kids toys, and a beautiful bottle of vin de rouge, this really added to the authenticity and we were surrounded by local French people! We shared an off street courtyard with the other apartments in the complex, we were on the top floor at level 3.
Strolling the tree-lined avenues, stopping off for café-au-lait whilst people watching and tasting the tempting foods in the boulangeries and patisseries, picking up a picnic dinner to enjoy in the Luxembourg Gardens were some of my favourite things. Also looking up and seeing these amazing monuments (Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame and many more), walking alongside the River Seine and looking at all the offerings of the market sellers with their green box-like stalls.
The adventurous amongst us ate snails and frogs legs. We found a favourite French restaurant (that we visited twice) on Rue Mouffetard, of course you don't go out for dinner before 9pm if you are truly Parisienne where we enjoyed confit au canard (duck confit), beef bourguignon, escalope de poulet et Normandy sauce, classic provencal lamb stew, fromages, foie gras and washed down with plenty of vin de rouge.
To signify our successful Jandal Crew family OE and our family love, we bought a padlock and wrote on it with "Love from the Jandal Crew", then we padlocked it to the Pont Des Arts (bridge) and together we threw the keys into the River Seine. The padlock and throwing away of the key is meant to symbolise everlasting love.
Farewell Paris, until we meet again...
No comments:
Post a Comment