Paris 2011 - at the food court

After visiting Louvre and checking out some stores at the mall, we had a late lunch at the food court inside the mall.



The food at the food court (Restaurant du Monde) was not our typical "mall food" at all. The selections and quality was great!

I was thinking about either Spanish or French food...




And I chose French! The restaurant was called Beaudevin.



Both John and I chose the meal options. I picked the grilled chicken with two vegetables (carrots and spinach) and a salad (cucumber). John picked the York ham with two vegetables (green beans and carrots) and a dessert (chocolate tart). We shared the cucumbers and the dessert. The food was yummy!






Oh my goodness. The meats were cooked very well and delicious, but the vegetables were super awesome! Seriously, French people have talents cooking their vegetables.

Yum!

Paris 2011 - Carrousel du Louvre

Carrousel de Louvre is the mall that is connected to Louvre. After Louvre we visited a few stores at the mall and got late lunch there (as recommended by Rick Steves' book!)












Cute stuff everywhere. I liked it.

Paris 2011 - Louvre

Of course we had to visit Louvre.

It was beautiful and massive! Its extensive collections were simply amazing. John and I made sure we saw what we wanted to see first, and then just casually browse through different areas. I think we could have spent a couple more days inside Louvre and we still wouldn't be able to see everything! Here are a few of the photos that I took:

























There are so many masterpieces to see from different artists and periods. Go visit Louvre everyone!

Paris 2011 - crepes

People (both locals and visitors) of Paris eat lots of crepes!

There are of course sweet ones and savory ones, and most of the time when I saw people on the street getting a crepe, it's usually something simple... with Nutella, with sugar and butter, or with whipped cream.

John and I only had crepes twice while in Paris. First time we had a Nutella and a whipped cream one, and the second time I got another with only sugar.






Crepes make people happy!

Paris 2011 - roasted pork "knuckles"

After the Eiffel Tower it was getting late, and John and I were hungry, so we walked around the Latin Quarter (near the hotel) and looked for yummy things to have.

We eventually got into a Greek restaurant that served roasted pork and seafood. We were drawn in by an open-pit rotisserie by the front window and yummy-looking meats and seafood display!


Ham hocks!

A manager who danced with the music the whole time, and a tall and handsome waiter. Couldn't go wrong with that!

Garlic.

Beer.

I got the Pork "knuckle," as told by the manager who recommended the dish. I think it was half a ham hock (so I guess it was in theory half a "knuckle.") It was really interesting (and amusing) when the manager explained the "knuckle" part to me.

John got the Roasted Suckling Pig (portion).

We were skeptical at first, thinking the joint might have been a tourist trap (because it was in the center of the Latin Quarter and most diners WERE tourists.) However the pork was roasted well, and the potato and rice were both yummy as well. Good find!

Paris 2011 - the Eiffel Tower

The evening we went to see the Eiffle Tower (Tour Eiffel) it was cold and slightly misty. I was wondering if any of the photos I took would turn out ok. As a matter of fact, because of the mist and the effect it had on my camera and photos, the pictures I took of the Eiffle Tower all turned out "dreamy" and beautiful! :D


Getting close.

Closer.

Almost there!

Breathtaking.







It was so beautiful. We didn't take the cart to go up onto the Tower, but looking at it from down on the ground was amazing.

And every evening there's a "light show" where "the Eiffel Tower is adorned with its golden covering and sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour, while its beacon shines over Paris." (from The Eiffle Tower official web site.)


A little video of the light show: