Day 3 (Wednesday 10/30/13)

Bonjour Mes Amis!!!  I am so glad you have made it to day 3 with us!  I forgot to mention that yesterday we were SUPPOSED to go to Amsterdam but the ticket website went down and I was up till 1am attempting to buy tickets at the last minute only to find that they had gone from $250 for 2 tickets to over $700... so yeah we didn't do that.  It was amazing day none the less.  My amazing Aunt Beverly and Uncle Killis gifted us the original purchase price of the tickets through our registry - since we didn't end up going we use the gift towards the unbelievable experience we had on this particular day.  Thank you guys so much!  This was one of the very best parts of our entire trip!

It's another beautiful day in Paris.  We have gotten so lucky with the weather.  It was a little chilly but other than that - it was perfect!

Side Note: One of the things we had on our registry that - surprisingly enough - no one contributed to was the St. Germaine Escape package at L'Hotel.  I am not sure how I found out about this but I am forever grateful that I did... and Jeremy is too.  This was SO amazing. 

So we headed out and stopped for a croque monsieur and an espresso, at Le Ribera (the cafe/brasserie next to our apartment), and then up the road to the metro on our way back to St. Germaine (where we were yesterday).  Can I tell you - they made this in a toaster oven behind the coffee counter and it was still one of the best things we have ever eaten!  I mean SERIOUSLY!

croque monsieur at Le Ribera, the cafe/brasserie next to our apartment

We took the Mirabeau train to Mabilon station -- this gave us an amazing walk through the tiny streets where we saw nothing but amazing cafes and books stores and galleries.  It was ADORABLE!

It was amazing to walk down Rue de Seine -- it was one of my favorite streets.  There was so much to see!  We didnt have much time BEFORE our appt so ill post more of what we saw after.  We we head down Rue des Beaux Arts and think we are about to hit a dead end and dont see the sign for the hotel ANYWHERE!  Little did we know that this was a real hidden gem since we were standing almost directly in front of it!

 

We head inside and are instantly transported to 1920's Paris!  Jazz in playing in the background and we are immediately awestruck!  I couldn't believe how crazy cool this place was.  Jeremy even looked at me once and said, "Can you believe this? Its amazing!"  It really was!  All the mis-matched fabrics and velvet and taffeta and so much leopard print!  

inside the front desk area

this is actually a secret door!!!  I need it!

  The lovely gentleman behind the counter asks us if we have a reservation and then asks us to go through the glass doors and down the stairs to the door on the left.  Lets just say this was not as easy as it sounds. 

We we threw a set of gorgeous double doors only to look up and see this!

 

Its the center of the hotel and all rooms lead to this open area that looks straight up to a massive skylight.  We go down the spiral staircase into another circular room with a barred seating area  in the middle of it... its surrounded by lots of doors all the way around the circumfrence of the room.  

 

We are now pretty sure we dont know which door to go into and feel a bit like we are in a scene from Alice in Wonderland!  A lovely woman directs us to the correct door and we are greated with a poof of steam and then this...

gorgeous bathroom in a cave with a spectacular shower with a
rain/waterfall shower head and luxurious robes and slippers

massage table to the right of the private bathroom

And then, while trying to figure out where the steam came from - I turn the corner to the left of the massage area and see this!  The entire bathroom, pool and sauna area is under the hotel in a cave covered in limestone.  It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.  I think Jeremy and I both jumped up and down with excitement!

lapis private pool wiith no lights except for the candles (i had to use a flash for you to see the room)

This also had its own private sauna to the left.  The door was open and had filled the entire space with steam.  We were told that the entire area was ours and that we could spend an hour or so in the pool and/or sauna and then our masseuse would be down to do our massages. Christina I think was her name -- she came and told us that we would each be getting massages and that the other one could continue to swim while the other was taking their turn!  It was soooo relaxing!  I have never been this relaxed or pampered in my life.  I mean they even had an ice bucket with beverages in it waiting for us after we got out of the pool! 

After our massages we were asked to shower and get ready for lunch at 1pm.

Side note:  The only description of the lunch was a 3-course lunch in the Micheline starred restaurant upstairs in the hotel -- and nothing more so we have NO IDEA what we are about to experience.  For all we know its fancy ham sammies.

So we take a long super hot shower with all these fancy soaps and shampoos in the most amazing shower I have ever seen.  It was perfect!  The water pressure was perfect, the temp was perfect the shampoo was amazing -- I wanted to live in the bathroom for the rest of my life.

We get ready and go back up the stairs and are directed to the dining room.  And WOW!  I mean WOW!  We were totally blown away. I dont think I have ever seen anything like this before...  

stairs going up to the dining area

view from our table in the corner

another view from our table

skylight in the middle of the room

view of the terrace from our table

view of the fountain on the terrace from our table

So this is just how clueless Jeremy and I are.  There are 4 people waiting on us and only one of them is allowed to speak to us -- so of course I keep talking to the wrong person.  And then the main waiter hands us the menu and says that our package comes with a chef selected menu and that there are 2 choices per course... I make him, and the other waiters, laugh by asking if we each get a choice or if we choose one and share it.
All I could think was "Oh stupid Americans... they are so funny. SHARE a plate! HA!"

NO no -- we each get to choose one so we ordered the entire menu.  Here is what we ate -- please note -- this was the best meal either of us have ever had in our entire lives.  I will never eat anything as good as this ever.  EVER.  EVER EVER EVER!

First they brought us champagne and a sampling plate! 

Jeremy and I always do a toast when we eat and this one was very special.  It was to us, for us, on the greatest adventure of our lives... to being together... to always remembering this day and how much we love each other.

I dont know what kind of champagne it was but it was no Korbel - i know that much - delish!

Smoked salmon with caviar, crispy wrappers around a silky cream with a fruit gel, the best bite of butery croissant you can imagine and a cone of "chips" that were salty and light and amazing!

Everything on this plate was a tiny morsel of awesome.  Jeremy and I would take each bite at the same time, and each one was better than the last!

Next up was the 2nd amuse bouche...  This was smokey and light and creaming and airy all at the same time... No words for how good this was.

orange scented cream with black sesame seeds and micro-greens on top of smoked duck

Then the 1st course... 

Jeremy's fois grois with mango

This is the most amazing thing I have ever eaten in my life.  This is the escargot salad with crispy pork, lemon foam and shaved parmesan.  Im not kidding - THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER EATEN - HANDS DOWN! 

There was a point while Jeremy and I were immersed in this food --  mind, body and soul.  There was a brief second in there where I heard angels singing and fireworks exploding and it was just my mind being blown!  There was nothing like this that I had ever seen or smelled or tasted.  Jeremy tried not to fall out of his chair... his eyes were rolling into the back of his head and he just kept saying that he couldnt believe this was happening!

Next the 2nd course:

Jeremy's steak with roasted autumn vegetables and pan jus - He has clearly stated that there will never be a steak that beats this one and his favorite part of the whole thing was the french champagne grapes in the jus. 

My seared scallops with dill, frisee, caramelized celery that tasted like it had been poached in butter, home made celery chips, a light white wine cream sauce and a dollop of lemon curd.  I almost cried.

We can't think of a time that we have ever been this happy -- in these moments -- this is the most content and overjoyed as we have ever been. 

The 3rd Course:  CHEESE!

Jeremys goat cheese stuffed in a "pastry" made of cheese and bits of mango, candied beets and lemon gel

Chanitilly cream cannals with gold leaf, mandarin oranges, mandarin orange gel and
little cookies with an orange cream inside and baby mint.  There was an icing noodle on the bottom that I have no idea what it was but it wasnt too sweet and was so sinful!

By the time we have gotten to this point we have almost melted into our plush velvet chairs. 

We were satisfied in every meaning of the word.  Don't we look happy!!!?

Last but not least:  Espresso and dessert

the creamy chocolatey espresso with tiny desserts: a caramel cream inside little ginger cups, baby cookies and the most delicate marshmallow in the world.  EVER THE SUGAR PACKETS ARE CUTE!

This was a very special meal.  Something I don't know we will ever experience again in the same way.  We made sure we took our time and allowed ourselves to be overwhelmed and reveled in the moments.  In a word this was spectacular - but that doesnt come close to describing it in reality.

We also discovered at this time that you apparently don't tip in France.  I had Jeremy go to the front to see how we leave a tip for the massage and the lunch and it's actually built into their salary so there is no tipping anywhere... I now understood why I was so popular everywhere we had been so far -- I tipped every meal.  Oh well - but also duly noted.

We say goodbye and even get a copy of our menu and head on our way.  Its around 3:30pm and we figured since Crocodisk (another record store) wasn't far we could take a walk and then hop over to the Pantheon before heading home. There was so much art to see!  We even went inside an amazing little art supply store not far from L'Hotel where I bought a few sketchbooks.  Its at this moment I realize that I have forgotten this part of my life -- I used to draw and paint all the time and life just got in the way.  I forgot how much I love to draw.  I have forgotten that part of myself. I vow at this moment not to let those book remain blank.  We went inside a book store full of art history books and the fact that we didn't buy anything was shocking but we really wanted to -- next time we are bringing and extra suitcase!

Statue du Mihail Eminescu.  Mihai Eminescu (1850–1889), born Mihail Eminovici, was a late Romantic poet, the best-known and most influential Romanian poet celebrated in both Romania and Moldova. Famous poems include Luceafărul ("Evening Star"), Odă în metru antic (Ode in ancient meter), and the 5 Scrisori (Epistles/Satires). Eminescu was active in the Junimea literary society, and served as editor of Timpul, the official newspaper of the Conservative Party.

Not sure what this was bu there were signs in front of it indicating that it was
currently being used to do Shakespearean plays!

A very cool sculpture we saw at a gallery in St. Germaine - they wouldnt let me take a pic inside so I took one through the window.  Lenin, Mickey and Jesus. This is the sculpture named “The hero. The leader. The god” by Alexandre Kosolapov

there was an entire window full of little tiny books -- this one wasnt more that 2 inches tall!

We love all the little cafes and narrow street views here!

I really love the street art here!

so very very interesting and cool!  Its the little things you might walk right past that i loved the most!

The storefronts here are amazing!  This was place was more quantity than quality but it was still fun.

It was split into 2 different stores...

view of these amazing buildings across the street from Crocodisk -- next to College Henri IV

Free?

We are officially in love with a lapis blue storefront!  SO AMAZING!

We love the ivy growing on the little windows!!!

Saint-Etienne-du-Mont near the Panthéon. It contains the shrine of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. The church also contains the tombs of Blaise Pascal and Jean Racine. Jean-Paul Marat is buried in the church's cemetery.  And also one of the most beautiful churches we have seen here!s

So the Pantheon was under construction and about to close to we didnt get to go in -- but it was really great to be able to stand in the square and see all the buildings and take all the history in.  The sunset here provide the most golden light!

we decided to take a road less traveled to get back to the metro -- and Im so glad we did!

another record store and a blue storefront!  YAY!

We went in here and Jeremy picked up a Sun Ra album he had been searching for.  The shop manager was adorable and tried to help me find a Bea Benjamin album but he didnt have it.  He as so cute and really fun to talk to. 
Jeremy quite enjoyed the happenstance of finding this place.

more little street views.  I love how the buildings distort going around the corners... so much history here.

So after wandering around till it go dark out we decided it was best to head back to the apartment.  We ended up walking down the road from our place and found a little italian place that made pizzas.  I wish we had taken pictures but we were so tired from the afternoon that I don't think either of us thought about it.  We were the only 2 people in there for a while and had the sweetest little waitress.  She spoke a little english and kind of looked like Kiera Knightly.  I had a 4 cheese and jeremy had cheese and prosciutto and we shared a strange caprese salad with whole anchovies on it.  No matter -- the wine was cheap and amazing and we enjoyed every bite.  This is also where we learned that the term DOGGIE BAG is what you use when you want to take left overs home.  "To-go box" just confused the crap out of her.  We all got a nice giggle out of that one.  

What an amazingly perfect day...  First the spa day, then all the art and architecture and history... it was one of the best days in Paris by far!  One we won't forget anytime soon for sure.

We sort of love it here.