Sacré Coeur and Moulles Frites

That night we went to  Sacré Coeur. The most beautiful church in Paris. 

However before hand I needed something to eat so we stopped off at McDo's. However before hand I needed something to eat so we stopped off at McDo's. The sauce that they give out for the fries is really interesting. It's a little like tartar sauce but a little more spicy.

After Versailles we got lost again on our way to  Sacré Coeur. I was a tad bit apprehensive about going to  Sacré Coeur at night due to its proximity with the Red Light district. But nothing out of the ordinary occurred. After visiting the inside where pictures are forbidden, we wandered out to see the city from the perch on the top of the stairs that lead up to the church. 

Then we wandered some more and found a place to have diner. The waitress was nice and gave us some olives while we waited for our food.

We had Moulles Frites, muscles with fries. I don't know why it is a delicacy but it is. And it was delicious. The muscles were easy to get out and marinated in a onion basil oil like sauce that was delicious.I would have drank the sauce as a soup if it wouldn't have looked so weird. 

The french fries were really good too. France usually makes diner fries and not the small measly fries that we have in the U.S. These were soft and warm on the inside with the right amount of crisp on the outside. They also soaked up the sauce of the muscles really well and they complemented each other perfectly.

Then for desert we had this chocolate delight. It was a chocolate cake that wasn't completely cooked through, so it was sot and gooey in the center. The créme anglais next to it was a great, a soft vanilla flavor that accented the rich chocolate of the cake. The light dusting on the cake was powdered sugar and chocolate powder giving it just the right amount of artistic appeal.

As far as that day went I was pleased with our adventure and our food choices. 

Versailles

The first real day in Paris we didn't actually spend in Paris. We went outside the city to the Palace of Versailles. 

In 1682 the king Louis XIV (The Sun King) decided to renovate the old hunting lodge and create the most beautiful and most expensive castle in all of France. He singlehandedly bankrupt the entire country to create this beautiful structure. He wasn't the worst king that France had seen, but he was the most elaborate. He was quoted with saying  "L'état c'est moi," or roughly "I am the state." State being France of course. Which made a little sense since his reign was the longest in all of French history with a whopping 72 and nearly a half years. He reigned for so long that his son and grandson who were supposed to succeed him both had already died. 

It didn't help the economy that he gilded the entire building on the outside with gold. Then on the inside everything from the ceiling downwards was also covered in the expensive substance. Even the giant doors were decorated ornately. And the doors to every room were huge. If I am 5 foot and 9 inches (1.75 meters) then how big do you think these doors are?

Also there was glass everywhere. I didn't take a good picture of the Hall of Mirrors because there were too many people in the shot. I hate taking pictures of things while people are in the way. But it was a long room lined with mirrors on both sides and chandeliers on the ceiling much like the one pictured above. It was a beautiful piece of art work, and because of this it was congested with way too many people. So many it surprised me to remember we are still in the off season.

The grand rooms or the King and the Queen were made during his reign. This is the King's room and was absolutely gorgeous. The Queen's room was similar but with a blue color scheme. And yes those are feathers on his bed. This bed probably saw a lot of action due to his two wives and the amount of bastards he fathered. He had six legitimate children with his spouse, and fourteen illegitimate children by a gardener, a duchesse, a marquise, some Mademoiselle, and another duchesse. And those are just the women who had kids with him. So being the King definitely meant tons of women.

The Grounds were beautiful. The inside might have been ornately designed but the grounds were the real masterpiece. They spread out in all directions in sight. Some claim that there were upward of 2000 fountains at one time, but only around 600 remain today. Another devastation of the Revolution. 

In the gardens I found a friend. A lovely male cat who let me pet him. 

The next thing we visited was the domain of Marie Antoinette. Whether you hold with the camp that she was a frivolous traitor, or whether you think the Revolution and the Reign of Terror along with some histories were to hard on this women, there is no argument that she had power. Her domain was set up to host parties and to escape from the life at the Palace. It was as ornate as the rest of the Palace with gilded wall and ceilings and a M carved into mostly everything, including the staircase.

But one of the most impressive things was her playground. She had made for her a little village where she could 'discover the lives of peasants.' She seemed to be interested in the provincial life much more than the other aristocrats around her. 

She had everything a village would need. A mill, a bakery, a pigeon sending house, and multiple other houses with which she could play peasant. She even had a little farm where, once the animals were washed and perfumed, she could play with sheep, horses and goats. Whether she knew that her animals were washed and perfumed is a matter of contention. 

But Versailles w

Paris 2013

There was a week break not to long ago and for the break my friend Lindsey and I decided to couchsurf through Paris and Brussels. Couchsurfing is a hospitality program that allows travelers to find hosts in other cities and countries who will allow them to stay at their house/apartment and learn what it is like to be a local in that city. It's a great program with a great cause of universal friendship. Also it's free.

Our train was late getting in to Paris, there was something wrong with how fast it should have been able to go and wasn't able to maintain speed. It was fine though because I dozed off multiple time and the man in a seat by me was reading a book about India that looked interesting. I also attempted to do some homework.

When we got into Paris we had no idea what to do. It was cold and almost deserted because we got in close to 11 o'clock. We had a general direction that we knew we had to go, but we weren't sure how to get there. We bought tickets for the metro, and unfortunately didn't know how to connect to another one yet. Being tired ant the lack of subways in Nantes helped with this. 

So we took the metro to a sort of sketchy area of Paris, and then walked down the street for maybe an hour. And as we crossed over the Seine we saw the Tower. It wasn't on the hour so it wasn't sparkling but it was lit up and was very striking against the dark Parisian night. 

After wandering for what seemed like forever more we found the address we were looking for. Our host was nice and offered us dinner and it was a nice end to the first half day in Paris. 

Saint Malo

This is the beach at Saint Malo, a city in France on the coast. This is the ocean. It was cold and rainy but very beautiful.

This is me in a tower doorway. Look at that umbrella, look at the wet hair. Yeah its a different umbrella because the other one broke, when I ran into a pole.

These were colonies of mussels chilling out in a tide pool. The tide was coming in when I saw them, I knew that I had gone to far so I turned back.

I watched slowly as the land-bridge between the island and the mainlands disappeared beneath the cold unforgiving waters of the ocean. This constant cycle of tides has been happening since the world began and it was beautiful to witness. 

He however did not witness the tide coming in, and was stuck on the island until he waded across the icy water. Should have paid attention to the mussels.

This is my terrible cursive in the sand on the beach.

And randomly there was a carnival happening in Saint Malo the day we went. There were rides and stand to win things, and dogs all over the place. Thank God I didn't see any clowns. But there was, as with every carnival worth having, a ton of food.

This was relatively like a doughnut. It was fried, which I loved, with soft warm bread on the inside while the outside was coated with sugar. In the cold and rainy afternoon it was a welcomed companion. 

These were called something that I don't remember but the title had America in it. Apparently sugar rope things are American while I've never seen them before. They were pretty good but kinda expensive. There were all sorts of flavors ranging from chocolate to grape and normal to sour. I'm a tad afraid of sour thing here. One time I had a pink marshmallow  And It looked normal, but coated in sugar. And I thought 'oh sugar coated strawberry marshmallow.' So I popped the whole thing into my mouth. It was, in fact, coated in sour acid like crystals that made my eyes tear up. It was great.

And, since it was cold and rainy I got a hot chocolate.

Mont Saint Michel

This is a picture of the second most visited place (some say third or fourth) in France. Mont Saint Michel. Located just over half a mile form the coast, Mont Saint Michel is a tidal island. That means that when the tide comes in, it sticks out of the ocean. And when the tide goes out its a large rock surrounded by quick sand. 

Starting as a Gallo-Roman fortress in the 6th century. It later was turned into a monastery. William Duke of Normandy took the Mont from the Bretagnes, the people of Brittany.  The Mont Saint Michel was depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. This is possibly the greatest piece of art work that comes from this period. The Bayeux tapastery was the first time that chavaliers (knights) road horses and fought on top of them. It depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The tapestry shows the Earl of Wessex trying to save two Norman soilders from the quick sand at Mont Saint Michel.

This door, that leads into a high garden meant for prayers, looks a lot like one of the doors in the Harry Potter games. I felt, walking through this door that a snail with a poisoness trail of goo following it. Or those snapping plants that try to get you in the corners. I miss those games

Unfortunately no magical creatures. So sad.

This is Saint Michael the Archangel. For those of you who haven't read the Bible, he leads the army of God against the army of Satan. So he's a protecting sort. According to legend around 708 Michael appeared to the bishop of Avranches, St. Aubert. The angle told Aubert to build a church on the giant rock of Mont Saint Michel. Aubert refused until Micheal burned a hole in his head with his finger.  From this story is where the Mont gets it's name. The picture on the right is the replica. The real one stands atop the tallest spire on the chapel. Through that tree. 

Look chocolat chaud. This however wasn't very good. It was alright, I wanted something warm because it was cold out. I really should have gone Viennoise but it was freaking expensive.

Also they had waffles. It was glorious. For some reason waffles are big here as dessert items. I can't complain.

And for good measure happy picture in slight rain.

Fastish food in France

To start out we have a Kabob and an Orangina. Both are spectacular in their own ways. The red sauce on the side of the Kabob is a spicy mixture of true perfection. There are lots of hot sauces in the world, and lots at Kaboberies but this one was quite unlike the others. It had a a seering hot flavor, but was also not as heavey as the others. The sauce next to it was, however, a little disappointing  It is supposed to be taziki sauce. But it paled in comparison. It didn't have enough herbs and was probably from a bottle. The Fries however were delicious. 

The Oriangia is a drink unlike any pop I can find in the Us. Not only is it mostly natural, it also has a very crisp orange taste. And waiting patiently in every can is a mountain of glorious pulp. It is the same thing as mixing fresh orange juice and 7 Up. It's a truly satisfying drink.

One of the dinners in Poitiers was this beauty. Strips of marinated and grilled beef on a bed of salad with a side of expertly cooked rice and vegetables. This was at a Franco- African restaurant in Poitiers. Always try Franco-African meals. They are amazing.

And there was coke in a glass bottle. Drinking from glass bottles is by far the best way to drink anything. 

This is a Chocolat Chaud Viennoise. Which means it's a hot chocolate with a freaking truck ton of Chantilly. It's always splendid to see the food and to drink things. This particular Viennoise was in the train station in Poitiers. If our train stations had these I would use trains more.

And to go along with my hot chocolate I had one crêpe with raspberry jam, and the other with nutella. Beautiful, and simply delicious.

La Cathédrale Sainte Pierre de Poitiers

On our last day in Poitiers, we visited the Cathedral there. Like all the other cathedrals it was big and beautiful. Dedicated to the holder of the keys, St Peter. There was a grand statue of him chilling out with some keys in the entry way.

Built in the 1100's on the grounds of a Roman basilica, it shows many Gothic and Romanesque styles with tall pointed arches and the flamboyant establishments. It was created by Henry II of England and his French wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Inside are all sorts of beautiful artifacts. The most interesting thing about them is that they weren't made originally for this cathedral. After the Huguenots destroyed a lot of the figures and relics during the revolution, an Archbishop decided that the remaining works of art would be distributed throughout the land to make sure that each cathedral had some sort of artwork in it. 

The grounds were absolutely beautiful in the incredible sunlight that we had that day. Also, to my utter amazement, there was a science museum located on the church grounds. The French never cease to amaze me.