We started our day by going to the Eiffel Tower. I tried to get jump the line tickets earlier in the week but they were sold out so we decided to get there right when it opened and wait in line. It looked like a long line but once things got moving, we were on the tippy tippy top of the tower within an hour. I'm not going to lie, I was a little skittish and dizzy up there but was amazed by the views of the city.
After the Tour Eiffel, we all took a quick rest and made our way to La Cuisine for our macaron class. La Cuisine is located near the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) on the right bank of Pont Marie. Our tiny but capable instructor Diane explained how she used to work for Air France but decided to work for her passion and trained to be a chef. Her days begin waking at 2:00 am and work starts at 4:00 am. WOW. During our two hour course we made 3 ganaches (white chocolate/vanilla, milk chocolate/passion fruit, and dark chocolate/orange). Then we made 3 sets of cookie batter. We learned the precise measurements, consistencies, and temperatures to ensure a perfect batter. After coloring and baking the cookies, we assembled our gorgeous macarons. They were spectacular!
The next stop of the day was a quick river tour down the Seine. We rushed along to the Pont Neuf hoping to get the 5:00 boat but just missed it. In the end it worked out in our favor because we had time to buy a couple paintings from a french-russian artist on the Pont Neuf and by leaving just 45 minutes later than planned, we got the most magical view of Paris just lit up and sparkling.
Finalement, diner. We walked a few blocks away from Pont Neuf through St. Germain to Allard, one of the oldest restaurants in Paris. Rob and I had been there a couple of times in past years so we decided to do it again. We had a great dinner including my favorite salad of frisee lettuce with lardons. Others had the bresse chicken and duck with figs. Even though we had a good many macarons at cooking class, somehow dessert was ordered. There was a tarte aux poires, profiteroles with ice-cream and melted chocolate, and a floating island in creme anglaise.
Certainly the best part of traveling is sharing it with others. I'm so thankful to share this with my kids every day but even more for my dear husband who made this trip possible. I would go anywhere with him. I'm also so glad my mom came. She wasn't sure she wanted to do the trip without my Dad (who is recovering from knee surgery) but she did it! I would never be in Paris now without my Mom. She took me on my first trip to France when I was 12 and also encouraged me to major in French and study abroad during college. And special thanks to Joanna and Kelly for coming on this journey. You are the best travel companions and ready for anything. I love you all. Je vous aime!
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| Duck with figs |
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| Bresse chicken |
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| Floating island |
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| Special silver chocolate heater |
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| La porte du soir |
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