Tuesday, June 27, 2017

A l'Ombre de Notre Dame; Trying Out Parisian Cuisine (I Love Paris Series 8)

A l'Ombre de Notre Dame
Trying Out French Cuisine
I Love Paris Series 8 

It was past noon time when we arrived at the Notre Dame Cathedral
and the queue to the was church kilometric, the weather was hot, so we
decided to dine and cool off at the nearby A l'Ombre de Notre Dame.


The Traiteur Asia, Asia Delices Paris a restaurant located 
very near Hotel Bresil Opera where we were staying, provided 
my family with  delicious, yet affordable Chinese dishes, made
 us satiated that we did not look for other restaurants to dine.


A l'Ombre de Notre Dame, will therefore be the
first restaurant where we could try French Cuisine.

 

The restaurant had an outdoor dining area,


…and an elegant air- conditioned indoor dining hall.

 

We chose to dine indoors as it was very hot outside.

 

We started our late lunch with Soupe a l’ Oignon.
Also known as French Onion Soup in English and
it was creamy, a bit sour and had a  delightful  tangy
aftertaste of onion that does not overwhelm the dish.

 

The hot onion soup blended perfectly well as a
dipper with the freshly baked French Baguettes.

 

The Spagettis Carbonara or the Spaghetti Carbonara
was also very good. It was firm and cooked perfectly
al’ dente  It was bathed with a creamy white sauce
with bits and pieces tasty of crispy bacon and finally
topped with abundant finely shredded parmesan cheese.



We also loved the Poulet Roti Fermier, made of  a
huge chicken quarter, enough to feed a family of four.
It was roasted to perfection, the meat was juicy and
very tender, having a melt in the mouth consistency.
It was bathed with the tasty juices produced while
roasting, but basted to a delightfully creamy sauce.
It was served with a heaping mound of French Fires.


We love hamburger and no meal is complete without
trying one from any country that we visit. It was love at
first bite for this French restaurant. The patty was fried
to a juicy, medium rare perfection, topped with bacon,
cheese and fresh lettuce. It was not as salty as its American
counterpart and that’s what makes this burger very delicious.
You enjoy the beef in its purest, rarest and untainted way.



We also got to enjoy the restaurant's wide
 assortment of ice cream flavors after our meal. 

 



A l'Ombre de Notre Dame did not disappoint
and gave us a delicious preview of what to expect
of French cuisine for our week- long stay in Paris.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Notre Dame Cathedral and Palais de Justice: The Soul of Paris (I Love Paris Series 7)

Notre Dame Cathedral and Palais de Justice
The Soul of Paris
I Love Paris Series 7

Few steps away from Île de la Cité  metro station, 



...at the Boulevard du Palais located within an island
at the River of Sienne is the Palais de Justice.





Formerly known as the Palais de la Cité or
the Palace of the City, it is one of the oldest
surviving buildings of the former royal palace.



This building was apparently a former
prison where Marie Antoinette was jailed
before being executed on the guillotine.



During the sixteenth century ,this was the seat
of the ‘Parlement de Paris’ where justice of the
state has been dispensed since the middle ages. 


While on the other end of the Île de la Cité
is the very famous ‘Notre-Dame de Paris’ .



Also simply known as Notre-Dame, it is a medieval
Catholic Cathedral and being considered to be one
of the finest examples of French Gothic Architecture.


The Notre-Dame Cathedral is among the
largest and most well-known church buildings in
the world and serves as the Archdiocese of Paris,


…and contains a reliquary, which houses some
of Catholicism's most important relics, like the
purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the
Cross of Crucifixion, and one of the Holy Nails.


The numerous statues, including the famous
gargoyles surrounding the church exteriors,
serve as column supports and water spouts .



Although we failed to climb the 387 narrow steps
of the several spiral staircases, as the queue was
kilometric, for  a fee, tourists can do so, and see its
famous bell and gargoyles up-close then be rewarded
with a spectacular view of Paris upon reaching the top.


The Île de la Cité  having Palais de Justice 
on one side, where justice is dispensed 



....and a famous church Notre-Dame Cathedral, 
 that serves as a spiritual guardian on another side, 



...these two tourist attractions- together, 
I believe serves as the soul of the city of Paris.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile and Avenue des Champs Elysées: The Heart and the Main Artery of Paris (I Love Paris Series 6)

Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile and Avenue des Champs Elysées 
The Heart and the Main Artery of Paris
I Love Paris Series 6

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, I believe is the heart of Paris,



...as just like the latter- where all the blood vessels originate-
the twelve major road arteries in Paris also originate from
this famous monument at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle.



Formerly named Place de l'Étoile- the étoile or "star"of
the juncture, it is formed by several avenues radiating
from what us now known as The Arc de Triomphe.


^^Cropped from Google Map.

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile is dedicated to those who fought
and died during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. It is also
the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers during the World War I.


Just like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile 
is one of the most popular monuments in Paris which my
 family first visited in 2003 when my daughter was five only
years old, and my youngest son was not born yet at that time.

^^^Taken in 2003 and 2017 respectively

We returned this time at 2017 and I cannot help but 
feel nostalgic with the thought on how time breezed 
out so quickly and on how fast the children have grown.



The Avenue des Champs Elysées. is probably the
most popular and the most visited among the several
road networks radiating from  the Arc de Triomphe, 


If I consider the Arc de Triomphe as the heart of Paris, the the
Avenue des Champs Elysées is the aorta being it’s main artery. 



The Champs-Elysées is about two kilometers long, and one
of the most famous streets in the world for upscale shopping.



It is lined by cinemas, theaters, cafés,



...hotels and even luxury car dealerships.



One could take a leisurely walk on this tree lined avenue
that would lead to the opposite end where other popular
city attractions are located like the Grand Palais, the Opera,



…even the Louvre Museum are located.

 

A leisurely walk from Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile while
 window shopping at Avenue des Champs Elysées, 



...should be on a must do list for impoverished tourists in Paris like 
us, who are traveling on a limited budget.and cannot afford to shop.