Farewell Dinner

Casual dinner party at a friend’s apartment for a classmate who left to go back home. Bruschetta, veggie lasagna and, of course, pastries from two different bakeries.

Lovely evening filled with good company, good food and good wine. Stayed up too late talking (a throwback to sleepovers of yesteryear) so now it’s time to rest up before my flight out to Oslo tomorrow.

Père Lachaise

A tourist site I’ve always been fascinated by is the famous Père Lachaise cemetery, mostly because it features prominently in a segment of one of my all-time favorite films, Paris je t’aime. Spanning 116 acres in the 20th arrondissement, it’s almost like a ghost town with its designated streets and elaborate tombs that resemble houses. I think it’s cool, but it took me a month of being here to find a group of people who also wanted to visit.

Established in 1804, Père Lachaise holds the remains of some of France’s most famous citizens. The cemetery is so large that you kind of have to plan out ahead of time which graves you want to see lest you want to be wandering aimlessly for hours.

My top 4 were:
- Georges Méliès (pioneer filmmaker; inspiration for the movie Hugo)
- Frédéric Chopin
- Édith Piaf
- Oscar Wilde

As depicted in Paris je t’aime, it’s tradition for female fans of Wilde’s work to bestow lipsticked kisses upon the gravestone. But at some point in the recent past I guess someone decided this wasn’t a good thing and erected a barrier around the tomb. As you can see, though, that didn’t really stop the fangirls.
While it was moving to pay my respects to some of the artists that have had such a strong influence in my life, it was even more poignant to see evidence of their lasting legacies - from fresh flowers and burning candles to handwritten notes. See the rest of my photos on Flickr.

Lazy Sunday Adventures

Lazy Sunday Adventures Part 1: Musée d’Orsay

Taken through one of the building's giant clocks. Reminded me of that Scorsese movie Hugo.

I like it because it’s smaller and less crowded the the Louvre, plus it focuses on my favorite periods (Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, etc.). The space is also really cool because it used to be a train station.

Definitely the prettiest of the museum's cafés. Feels like you're dining at Versailles.

Part 2: Passerelle Solférino

Locks on locks on locks.

We were walking along the Seine from the Orsay to Les Invalides and Musée Rodin when we came across this bridge. It’s tradition for couples to leave locks here with their names. Didn’t bring a lock with you? No problem. There are vendors selling them on the spot.


Part 3: Musée Rodin

At a mere 1€ to stroll around the gardens, this place is quite a steal. I had already seen a lot of the sculptures thanks to Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center, but the one thing we didn’t have on campus? The Eiffel Tower in the background.

Taken somewhere between the Rodin Museum and Les Invalides.

It’s also right next to Les Invalides, now a war museum that also houses Napoleon’s tomb, so if you’re in the area I’d recommend checking that out too.

Food Diary: Le Relais de L'Entrecôte

Yesterday I only had one class, after which I met up with a Stanford friend who was visiting Paris with his family for an afternoon of shopping and strolling. Well, I did most of the shopping, but he was a good sport about it.

At my roommate’s suggestion, we started at Montparnasse-Bienvenue and headed toward Saint Germain on Rue de Rennes, making a brief detour at the Jardin du Luxembourg. Rue de Rennes and its many side streets are full of cool, trendy boutiques - perhaps almost too much so. I caught my first real glimpse of French hipsters, and I’d say they’re probably more intimidating (more hip?) than American hipsters.

Rue de Rennes is also notable because it ends at Boulevard Saint-Germain, where the famous Café de Flore and Les Deux Magot (old haunts of philosophers, intellectuals and writers) sit side by side. Originally I thought it would be a nice way to end the evening - eating at a restaurant that Ernest Hemingway used to frequent - but a glance at the pricey menu suggested otherwise.

We continued wandering the neighborhood looking for more affordable fare when, just around the corner, we stumbled upon the popular Le Relais de L’Entrecôte. Judging by the high concentration of English-speakers it’s a big draw for tourists, although I’m not exactly sure why. What it offers is a fixed-price set menu consisting of salad as appetizer, followed by the main dish: steak (drenched in the secret house sauce) and french fries. Not to mention you get a refill on the latter.

We agreed that the food (although tasty!) wasn’t quite worth the long wait to get seated but, all things considered, it was a good end to a good day.

Food Diary: Cantine California

At the recommendation of a fellow classmate, my friend and I tracked down the California Canteen food truck at Marché Raspail near the Jardin du Luxembourg. The owner grew up in San Francisco (hence burgers named Half Moon Bay and California), but decided to start this business in order to fuse American cuisine with high quality French ingredients.

We shared the carnitas tacos and Half Moon Bay burger. Both were delicious. Easily the best meal I’ve had in Paris so far.

Food Diary: La Mosquée de Paris

That time I had chicken couscous and mint tea at the Paris mosque, and had to keep staving off birds from dive bombing my plate. The food was good and the courtyard very pretty, but the whole avian threat thing sort of detracted from the experience. I had my back to the other tables so I’m not sure whether this was a problem for other customers, or the birds were just targeting me. Hopefully not the latter.

Next time I will ask to be seated inside.