Our last two dinners were spent in a little street a block away front the apartment that was full of little restaurants. We already ate at the Italian place earlier in the week and picked two separate French restaurants to close out our trip.
The first dinner was quite nice. We chose from a set menu that was very reasonably priced and the onion soup entree was ranked in Teneille's top two.
Teneille decided that was the night to tell me she wouldn't be returning with me to Australia. I'll let her explain in her own words: "I can’t go back. The food over here is so much better than the bullshit crap they have over there. The only good thing they have is Cadbury and Arnotts. They also have squirrels over here. And cows that let you touch them."
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| Who needs those crappy regular macarons when you can get a grand macaron! |
Not quite sure how to respond to any of this. Apparently I'm meant to organise to send the kids over once I get home. And the children aren't being much help. Aiden, who has easily been the most affected by our absence and keeps asking when we are coming home, said he is happy to join his mother in Paris so, and I quote, I can feel his pain.
The following night we had dinner at another little French place in the same street. As we were inspecting the menu on the street every staff member in the establishment converged on us to explain it was only their third night since opening, everything was homemade, and they only served traditional French food. Teneille can't say no to strangers at the best of time so the emotion of this rag-tag bunch of chefs and waiters setting out on their culinary business venture was just too much for her heart to bear.
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| A bee at Versailles. They breed em fuzzy in France. |
Jokes aside, the food was amazing. We shared an onion soup entree which Teneille declared the best one of the trip after much deliberation. I had the roasted chicken and Teneille the steak for our mains, and we shared a dark chocolate lava cake thing with vanilla bean ice-cream for dessert. Teneille tried some of my chicken. I've never heard her say "oh my God" at food before. Other stuff, sure. But not food. The staff were so energetic in trying to get new customers into the restaurant they used our empty plates as sufficient evidence of how good the food was.
Two strange things happened during this final dinner.
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| A traditional Paris dinner. |
Firstly, we had a glass of wine with dinner which Teneille said went straight to her chest and head followed by the words: "My eyes and my heart are beating in time with the music".
This followed a couple of wines she had last week at dinner which resulted in us catching a metro back to the apartment and the metro going so fast Teneille could "see the matrix". Maybe I should keep my wife away from wine...
The second strange thing was this guy with a hat who entered the restaurant and greeted the staff with a hug and a kiss on either cheek. We'd seen this guy before, at the other two restaurants we'd eaten at in the same street earlier in the week. He greeted the owners at each restaurant in the same manner. Now, I've seen enough crime shows and mafia movies to know what paying for protection looks like. I'm not saying this was the case here but what the hell?
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| The Gallery of Battles in Versailles Palace. |
Nothing much of interest to report the rest of the trip. We had a late check-out the following day before heading to the airport to get home. That's a wrap on five weeks in Paris for me and two for Teneille. It will be good to see the children who I know have struggled a bit in our absence.
I feel we've really covered Paris quite well over our two trips and if I ever return it will be to explore France more so than the capital.
Until next time, Goodbye Paris.
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