Browse Month: September 2010

EuroTrip: Paris, Sept 6

We spent Jes’ 35th birthday in Paris and he woke up a little grumpy because he was feeling old.  But he quickly got over it and he had a fantastic day after all.  The day started at the Louvre.  After watching the movie “Eurotrip”, I’ve been wanting to go and was looking forward to seeing a Robot Guy outside of the line.

Unfortunately (and fortunately), we knew where to find the “secret” ticket kiosk inside the mall next door and got in through the side entrance without having to stand in line.  We also arrived a little after it opened so it was not as crowded as when we left.  No Robot Guy for us…oh well.

We saw all the famous pieces including the Mona Lisa!! It was a relatively small painting in a huge room and it was covered by a plexiglass shield and blocked off by a velvet rope.  From the back of the room it looked like a movie star surrounded by the papparazzi.

I managed my way up to the front of the crowd and got some close-ups of the painting with my zoom lens.  I admit that there was something really surreal to see it in person.

Here is The Winged Victory of Samothrace.  Cool, isn’t it?!  We also saw Venus de Milo and Grande Odalisque.  We spent probably 2 hours wandering the huge museum and were ready for lunch.

It was raining by mid-day so we went back to the hotel for an umbrella and found ourselves at the Jardin des Tuileries.  They don’t allow walking or sleeping on the grass so they supply a bunch of reclining chairs throughout the park.  It also has a few cafes where we stopped for a snack.

From there, we were able to find the Place de la Concorde and the Obelisk with the Arc du Triomphe in the distance.

We walked up the Champs Elysses and stopped at Laduree to pick up some French macaroons.

It was busy inside with a long line of people hoping to pick up a treat from the place that claims to be the creator of the macaroon.  Fancy.

We also walked by the Louis Vuitton store where there was a looooong line of shoppers outside of the store hoping to buy a really expensive bag.  We were also approached by a Chinese woman claiming that there was a limit to the number of bags that you can buy there.  She asked if we would stand in line and buy a bag for her.  It sounded like fat scam and we blew her off.

For Jes’ birthday dinner, we had a reservation for L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.  The chef is a legend and it was one of our splurges on the trip.  We were truly not disappointed and pleasantly surprised at all the dishes and the casual bar-like layout.  Everyone sat at a sushi bar and we got the tasting menu.

My favorite was a martini glass filled with an egg custard at the bottom with a mushroom foam with mushrooms on top and a little soft-boiled egg hiding inside.  It was like a chawanmushi on crack!  So tasty.

My main entree was quail stuffed with foie and it came with Chef Robuchon’s famous mashed potatoes sprinkled with shaved black truffles.  It’s basically all butter with a little bit of potato and was super creamy and flavorful.  Mmmmm….  Anthony Bourdain just went to this restaurant on his 100th episode of “No Reservations” and raved about the same potatoes.  It was so neat to watch the episode the day after we got back from Paris!

We left the restaurant stuffed and happy.  By the way, there’s an awesome supermarket called Monoprix just across the street from the restaurant.  They price their items with a digital display and it’s sooooo clean and organized inside.

I loved browsing their fresh produce and selection of cookies upstairs.

Here are photos from this day.

EuroTrip: Paris, Sept 5

It’s Day Two of Paris and it happened to be the 1st Sunday of the month so all museums were FREE!!! Yippee! So in the morning we headed across the Seine towards Musee d’Orsay. On the way, we found a patisserie/boulangerie called Eric Kayes, which I had read about. I was pleasantly surprised to find it on accident and that they were open! In Paris, a lot of stores and shoppes are closed on Sundays and Mondays so it seemed like it was going to be slim pickin’s that day. But we were in luck. I got a tasty 3-tomato quiche and cappuccino and Jes got a ham and cheese sandwich and espresso. There was so much to see and try there. One day I will go back for some of their sweets.

At Musee d’Orsay, I found the famous elephant out front. It made me so giddy. The line outside was not very long and moved rather quickly. It was mainly for a security check since no one had to pay. Inside they were very clear that photography was not allowed. Too bad because the museum is in an old train station and so pretty inside!

But not to worry! I still managed to sneak a couple of photos with my iPhone. Heh heh. Part of the museum was under renovation so many of their famous works are actually in the de Young in SF right now!

We went a few months ago to see them but they still had the Ballerina statue by Degas and Van Gogh’s self-portrait in Paris. The rest of it will also be on display starting Sept 22 in SF. Can’t wait to go back!

Afterward, we took a little wine break on the Seine.  It was sunny and warm that afternoon.  What a change from San Francisco coldness.

The next stop was Musee Rodin.  It’s a much smaller museum that features a large mansion surrounded by a huge garden.  That’s where we saw the famous “Thinker” sitting atop a tall stand in the garden.  Apparently there are several copies of this statue (like the one in the Palace of Fine Arts in SF) but this was the original one.

It was time for another break so we walked down past Napoleon’s “eternal home” where his remains now live.  It’s basically a gigantic palace with canons lined up in front with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

We then found a pedestrian street called Rue Cler where we picked up some pastries at Maison Auvray and then sat down at Cafe du Marche, which is a hangout for locals.

There, we ordered a carafe of white wine and sat at a table facing the street.  It was a pleasant afternoon of just sipping wine and people watching.  The French really know how to hangout and relax.

Our last stop was a view of the Eiffel Tower from across the Seine at Jadins du Trocadero.  It’s right next to a Metro stop and is placed up at the top of a hill where you get a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower and Paris behind it.

We got there just around sunset so the sky was pink and later the lights on the tower came on.  So pretty!

For dinner, we found a place called Cafe Constant on rue Saint-Dominique in the 7th arrondissement.  It’s very small but filled with locals.  We were lucky enough to quickly snag a table for two in the sidewalk and it was perfect.

Our appetizer was a tartare of oysters, seabass and salmon seasoned with ginger and lemon.  Sounded a little scary at first but it was delicious!  My entree was “Patte Bleu” roast chicken with herby butter and pan fried new potatoes in tarragon.  I gotta say, the chicken was so much tastier than our chicken in the States.  Jes had langosteens wrapped in a thin pastry dough and then fried.  It was just as tasty.

For dessert, we had a classic homemade profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce.  It was so yummy and the chocolate was so glossy!  The prices were really reasonable at this cafe and their servers were super friendly.  This was definitely one of my favorite places on the trip.

Aaaah….and so our second day in Paris came to an end.  We rode Metro back to the hotel stuffed and exhausted.

Here are photos from this day.

EuroTrip: Paris, Sept 4

On Saturday morning, we said our goodbyes and rushed off to the Tube station to get to St. Pancras Station for our 2-hour train ride to Paris on Eurostar.

The train station itself was beautiful and they had free WiFi!  We bought economy seats and were pleasantly surprised at how comfy they were.  We originally got window seats but this older couple was already seated and settled into our seats.  I was a bit annoyed at first but realized that we were better off in the aisle so that we could go wander the train to find the buffet car without disturbing them.

In the buffet car, we got a bottle of wine and enjoyed the scenery whizzing by.

Once in Paris, it was a little bit of a frenzy trying to find an ATM for Euros, standing in line for Metro tickets, and finding our way to our hotel.  We arrived at our hotel in Montparnasse to find out that Expedia had a glitch at the time we booked it and by the time the hotel received our reservation, they were full.  Oh no!  I thought we’d be homeless until the nice man at the desk explained that they were sorry and made arrangements for us to stay at a more expensive hotel in the 9th arrondissement.  A taxi was called and they paid for the fare and told them exactly where to take us.  On the way, I got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the distance and we drove right past the entrance to the Louvre.  It was all very exciting.

We finally arrived at Pax Opera Hotel and check-in was super easy.  They didn’t even ask for ID or anything!  The room was very clean with modern fixtures and everything we needed.  Hotel also had free WiFi for us to look up restaurants and directions.

We were hungry so we headed back out in search of lunch and some sights.  We walked up towards Montmarte and found the red light district and Moulin Rouge.

Stopped at a Cafe de Luna and had a delicious ham and cheese crepe while checking our guidebooks.  Finally made it to Sacre Coeur where the lawn between the stairs was covered with people and there was a carousel at the bottom of the hill that had a bunch of old ladies riding it.

We climbed the stairs and got a good view of Paris.  It’s just too bad that while we were up there it was overcast.

Afterward we did a little wandering and got a little lost but found our way down to the River Seine in time to catch the sun setting behind the Eiffel Tower in the distance.  Had a quick dinner that wasn’t very good but it was a nice place to hang out and watch people.

Later we walked down towards Notre Dame and walked along the Seine where there were lots of young people hanging out by the water.  Notre Dame is beautiful at night.  Too bad we didn’t make it there in time to climb the tower.  I really wanted to see the gargoyles close-up.  Oh well.

After a little wine stop at a nearby cafe, we hopped back on Metro and made two stops.  First was the Arc du Triomphe at the end of the Champs Elysses. This photo was taken at a stop light in the middle of the crosswalk.

The next was the Eiffel Tower at midnight.  The lights were on and it also had a light display of sparkle lights every hour.

Here’s a video of it:

We happened to arrive as it was starting so we got to see it in all its glory.  If you can’t see the video above, click here.  Metro stops running at 1 am on Friday and Saturdays so we had just enough time to hang out and then hop back on to get back to the hotel.

Here are photos from this day.

EuroTrip: London, Sept 3

Once we washed up, it was time for lunch.  My cousin accompanied us to a local pub where we had fish and chips with mashed peas (the traditional English preparation).  I also got to taste Guinness, which supposedly gets better-tasting the closer you are to Ireland.  Well, when in England, have some Guiness!  And it WAS better!

After lunch, cousin went home to finish working while Jes and I hopped on the Tube, got off at Westminster and ta da!  We were greeted by Big Ben as soon as we emerged street level.

To the left was the River Thames and a gorgeous view of the river and the London Eye.  I guess we lucked out on weather that day because the sun was out with blue skies and comfortable temps outside.

We made frequent stops at different pubs along the way to enjoy a beer and take toilet breaks.  Buying a beer is a small price you have to pay to use their loo.

We walked past the House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey and noticed all the closed circuit television cameras everywhere on the streets.  The security around Parliament was ridiculous.

We strolled through a really big park and ended up at the front of Buckingham Palace.  The queen wasn’t home and there was a little construction out front so we didn’t stay very long.

She’s gone only 2 months out of the year and that’s when they open the palace for tours.  We thought about going inside but they had JUST run out of tickets for the day.  So, we just went to another pub for another potty break.

Jes was starting to fade that afternoon so after a little walk through the shopping area, we took the Tube back to John’s flat so that he could take a nap.

In the meantime, I caught up on emails, hung out with my cousin, and played with his guinea pigs.  They were so cute and funny!

Dinner was at an Indian place called Imli.  It wasn’t the most traditional restaurant, which made for some interesting dishes and a huge dinner bill.  It was ok but I think we would have been better off at a whole-in-the-wall.  It was recommended by John’s wife’s co-workers who were all Indian but when we arrived, everyone was white.  Hm.

After dinner, we stopped for frozen yogurt at Snog where it was very Pinkberry-esque but with lots of rainbow lights inside.

We also walked through Picadilly Circus, which is like a miniature Times Square with flashy lights and engergy.   The next stop was at a local bar/pub where the bartenders were extra lively and friendly, which made it really loud and maybe a little too loud for 2 weary travelers on less than 3 hours of sleep.  After one drink, we were back on the Tube and we all went straight to bed.  That felt like the longest day ever.

Here are the photos.

EuroTrip: SFO-IAD-LHR, Sept 2-3

The first day was spent on a plane.  The first leg of the trip was from SFO to IAD (Washington DC).  We left from SFO around noon (PST) and the flight was on-time with an early arrival in DC (around 8:30 pm EST).  It’s a good thing since originally, we were scheduled for a quick 50-minute layover with a plane change.  The plane was one of the older ones so Jes watched a movie on his iPad and I studied French on my iPhone with the book that came with the program.

Once in DC, we had just enough time to grab a bite to eat before boarding.  Originally, Jes and I were going to be stuck in the middle of a 2-5-2 seating arrangement.  Fortunately for us, the flight had a change to the brand-new 777, which had a 3-3-3 configuration giving us an aisle seat!  Sweet.  I was still stuck in the middle but at least I could bother Jes to get out for a pee break.  Jes is smirking in this photo because he was stuck in the middle seat last year on our way to Italy.

The plane also had personal entertainment at each seat so I watched Iron Man 2 and Mary Poppins on my way to London.  They also fed us a meal and a snack and I managed to take a decent 3-hour nap too.

We arrived on Thursday morning (9/3) around 10 am and got through customs rather quickly.  My cousin, John, had sent me directions on how to get to his flat so we made the trek down to the Underground Station, purchased 1-day Oyster cards, and took the Tube all the way to the Barons Court stop.

The walk to my cousin’s flat was short and the neighborhood was really cute.  We made it to his place before noon and he was working from home so we were able to drop off our things and wash up before lunch.

Here’s a photo of the front of his flat.  He lives on the second floor with a balcony facing the street.  He and his wife just bought it and moved in about a month or so ago.

Spa Day

On Sunday, we drove up to Calistoga for Michelle’s Baby Shower.  We scored a spot on the balcony with two tables, plenty of chairs, and reclining chairs in the sun.  We had a feast of snacks including hummus, pita bread, cheese, olives, salad, salami, and fruit.  I got a 30-minute massage and the girls all got a treatment of some kind that afternoon.  The pools were all from hot springs and only a few went in the water.   This summer has been so cold and windy that it was just nice to be out in a warm, sunny area for a change.

Michelle also received a bunch of really cute girlie gifts for their October baby.  I had a fun time shopping at Target for her gift.  Kids clothing at Target is so cute AND affordable!  Congratulations, Michelle.  Hopefully Miss Labor and Miss Delivery will be kind to you.

Here are the rest of the photos.  I didn’t take as many as usual.  Sorry.