I'm In Love, and I Don't Care Who Knows It!!

So I'm officially in love. Head over heels. With France.

Maybe it was the fact that I can actually communicate over there (Tu parles francaise? Uh-Huh-huh! Mais oui! Biensur!). Maybe it was the 49033 pastry shops I saw. Maybe it was the 49031 pastry shops I went to. Maybe it was the musicians in the streets playing "La Vie En Rose" on every corner.  Maybe it was the fact that I almost knew multiple people in the town of Bayeux after only 24 hours. Whatever it was, I fell in love with France.

First couple of days, obviously dedicated to the wonderful sights and sounds of Paris.  We're talking the whole nine yards (meters? I am in Europe): Arc De Triumphe, Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Louvre, Versailles, Notre Dame, and just some good-old-fashioned exploring.  We saw a Parisian wedding, which was one of the fanciest I've seen.  I saw a bird market, with roosters and parrots and insert exotic bird name here.  I saw old men sing The White Stripe's "Seven Nation Army" on the metro.  A woman and her daughter asked me to take a picture of them in FRENCH and I UNDERSTOOD.  I accidently started talking to someone who totally was NOT talking to me (what a faux pas!).  I got a little too close for comfort to some fellow Paris Metro riders.  Let me just say, though, that people in France were really nice, even to my friends who didn't speak a lick of French.  I have no idea how the rude stereotype came about, but I didn't encounter anything of the sort.

And then my daddy got here! AH! I went to charles de gualle (actually, technically snuck in, because the metro was being weird, so I completely tailgated behind someone to get into the airport. Pas de probleme, n'est pas?).  Train to Bayeux, where we accidently sat in the wrong place on the train. But then we got to Bayeux.  Saw the tapestry (it's so long, holy crepes), and went to checkin at our hotel: the Churchill. In Normandy. Somebody pinch me, because this can't be happening! Saw the Bayeux cathedral (which is jaw-dropping), and stopped a few bakeries along the way!  Had dinner at a wonderful wonderful WONDERFUL restaurant, where the staff greeted us with smiles and handshakes.  By the end of the meal, we felt like locals.  Pictures of the food adventures, because there were many!

little olive snacks. YMMMMM:)

My appetizer, salumi, pate, and some cured meat! 

oh yeah. Steak, potatoes, salad, and scallion butter. SO DELICIOUS

Laura's omelette, tres bien!

Gateau au chocolat. 

this is a french mcdonald's. I don't understand how they have this, and we don't.

my lunch of quiche and salad! 

We had chinese! Boeuf au poivre! 

haagan-das. not so french, but oh so good.

This was in Bayeux. It's a steak in a blueberry reduction, with various vegetables on the side! 

Dad's meal, Fish with a mild sauce with the same veggies. 

our desserts- dad tart au pommes with cinnamon ice cream, and my almond cream cake. 

marzipan! look at the little piggies!!!!!!!!!

a chocolate beignet.Which really means a nutella beignet. 

the best pain au chocolat I had in France - this one had white and semi-sweet chocolate chips!

well dear readers, I'm sorry to say but that's all I can write today! But alas, tomorrow we will continue with the Normandy expedition and the second wave of Parisian activities.  

Buon Appetito! 

Rachael