Three is the new Two: Paris, day 3 & 4

Hi. It's me. I'm catching up. Paris seems like a lifetime ago, but it really wasn't. However, I do need to combine days or we'll be on this forever.

Day 3:
Up at a reasonable hour and headed out to Monmartre. Tried to have breakfast at Coquelicot, but somehow we ended up in the wrong line and got only take-away food, and NO COFFEE. It was crazy busy, full of french folks, which made us think it was probably excellent food. So that was kind of a bummer, but it was made up for when I bit into the hot pastry filled with blue cheese and olives. I wish I could offer you a photo, but, um, well, there wasn't really time. After being cursed by a gypsy and ducking into a church to evade a sudden downpour (and yes, I'm pretty sure those two things are connected) we ended up making our way to Rose Bakery. I had read a few reviews about this place, but it far exceeded expectations. (Also, we were wet and hungry and needed coffee.) This is, I believe, in my top two food locations for Paris. Shawn had the most beautiful fruit we saw in Paris and a crumbly delicious baked thing. I had beautiful scrambled eggs with a cheese scone and freshly made salsa, which was really just cherry tomatoes halved, mixed with cilantro and onion. Again, there was no opportunity (read: picture taking would have interrupted the steady movement of the fork from plate to mouth) to photograph it. Click here to read all about it, and then RUN - don't walk - to your local bookstore and buy Breakfast, Lunch, Tea - their cookbook. I looooove it.

shawn's apple blueberry rhubarb crumble. oh lordy.

Also managed to fit in some fabric shopping in Monmartre (yes, my husband is a saint) and a climb up to the tower of Sacre Coeur.

ribbon. silk ribbon. an entire wall of it.

you know what it is...don't you?

climbing sacre coeur

timeworn steps.

It was a beautiful day, capped off with a picnic dinner on our terrace. Oh yes, and a six-story stair climb at the end of a long day, due to the fact that when we returned to our hotel, all the power for the whole block was out. The stair climbing was a bummer since we were tired, but it was funny to watch all the locals out on their balconies, chatting about who had power (nobody) and who didn't (everybody), drinking coffee or wine, and eating their dinner (at 9 p.m.) by candlelight. Click here to see the whole set from day 3.

Day 4: (click here to see the set)
Oh, L'as du Fallafel. How I love thee. How did I live before I met thee? How could I have gone all these years, never knowing the love, the devotion, the sweet crunchy cabbage, the vinegar-ey bite of cucumbers, the hot, crispy deliciousness of the fallafel balls? (yes, I said fallafel balls. try to control yourself.)

see our happy faces? this was right after we ate fallafel.

We have a rule about where we eat on vacation. We try not to repeat, especially in a place like Paris, where amazing restaurants are literally stacked on top of each other. But. We made an exception for L'as du Fallafel. It. Was. So. Yummy. Tucked on a little street that is only open to foot traffic in Le Marais, this was one of those places that you will remember for the rest of your life. It's the whole experience - cobblestone streets busy with Sunday strollers, Orthodox Jews, skinny hipsters, tourists, locals, little old french ladies; tiny Jewish bakeries wafting scents you could never dream up in your BEST foodie dream ever; finding the line for L'as du Fallafel snaking around the window and down the street. It was almost comical and a teeny bit sad to watch the fallafel guy across the street. With no line. None at all. Not even for the free samples.

Anyhow. We spent Sunday morning at the Memorial de la Shoah - a beautiful, moving, haunting tribute to the experiences of Paris' Jewish community before, during and after the Holocaust. Click here for a good description. It was one of those places that just stays with you and makes you ponder, but I was impressed at the spirit of the place - it was actually a hopeful, peaceful vibe. We were able to walk through Le Marais, one of the only districts where everything is open and hopping on a Sunday, and just hang out. After our life-changing stop at L'as du Fallafel, we headed over to the Louvre and spent the rest of the day there. Way too much to list all we saw and loved. One of my favorite exhibits was a small group of photos detailing the fate of the Louvre and her incredible treasures during WWII. No photos were allowed, but click here and you can see a synopsis. I would have bought the book, but you know. It was all in French. Here are a few more of my favorites:

Winged Victory. I just love her. Read her story. It's awesome.