Our second day of being in Paris started off with dead bodies. That's right.
We went to visit the Catacombs.
This has been on my list of things I've wanted to do in Paris for a VERY long time. I told the group I was going with or without them, but I am so glad we all went together. Even though it was VERY cool, it's also a bit creeeeeeeeepy.
Some fun Catacombs of Paris facts:
- The Catacombs are 20 meters UNDER Paris
- The Catacombs are underground ossuaries.
- There are remains of more than six million people.
- They were built in the 17th century because Paris had no more room to bury the dead.
- Only a portion of the Catacombs is open to the public, however, there are dozens of secret entrances around the city.
Here's what I wasn't prepared for visiting the Catacombs... all of the stairs. There is the smallest staircase leading down into the Catacombs and the only thing surrounding you is stairs and walls. If you're a person that gets claustrophobic, this *might* not be the right field trip for you.
Also, a note to myself, what goes down must come back up. Walking up ALL of those stairs almost made me dizzy, however, it did provide for a good thigh workout.
It took us about 45-min or so to walk through the guided tunnels of the Catacombs. We were all equipped with the self-guided tour of the little radio that you press numbers on to play information when you're in a certain area. I had to listen to some of the same information twice because there was just SO much!
Don't worry, even in the tunnels of death, there is still love. As in, the skulls were shaped into a heart.
After we crawled out of the Catacombs, decided to take off and just go walking through Paris. We walked A LOT. We ended up visiting Shakespeare and Co. bookstore.
I bought the book, "F. Scott Fitzgerald's Taste of France" from Shakespeare and Company. I knew I HAD to buy something because this is where Julia Child shopped for cookbooks as well... so, I bought a cookbook!
Because I already had all of the Julia Child books, I thought it would be fun to buy something else. This cook book was inspired by the characters and writers of The Jazz Age. I can't wait to try so many of the cool recipes that are in this book. This book is also available on Amazon if you want to check it out. It's cheaper on Amazon, but I HAD to have the Shakespeare and Company stamp. :)
Because I already had all of the Julia Child books, I thought it would be fun to buy something else. This cook book was inspired by the characters and writers of The Jazz Age. I can't wait to try so many of the cool recipes that are in this book. This book is also available on Amazon if you want to check it out. It's cheaper on Amazon, but I HAD to have the Shakespeare and Company stamp. :)
We were also close to Notre Dame again so we did a little photo shoot there on the side of the building. Just like I said in my previous post, it's a GORGEOUS cathedral!
Our day wasn't over... Amy and I had signed up to take a French cooking class at Le Cuisine Perie or AKA, La Cuisine Paris!
We booked the Gourmet Soirée in Paris class. It's a bit pricey at €120.00 ... but you only live once, and who knows the next time I will have a chance to take a French cooking class in Paris.
The menu was as follows:
Au Menu :
Salade Lyonnaise : Salade aux Lardons et œuf Poché
(Bistrot salad with bacon and poached egg)
Volaille à la Crème
(Poultry with a creamy mushroom sauce)
Legumes Rotis Saison
(Selection of roasted seasonal vegetables)
Dégustation de Fromages
(Tasting selection of fine French Fromage)
Profiteroles avec des Fruits Rouges
(Profiteroles with seasonal red fruits)
So, here's the fun part... at some point in the class, I was in charge of poaching eggs and I have never poached an egg before in my life. And, I didn't even know if I LIKE poached eggs. So, did I poach eggs well? No. I did not. However, I did make, a LOT of boiled eggs. So, do I like poached eggs? Still unsure.
What did I do well at? Cooking onions! We made this DELICIOUS simmer onions and tomato mixture, then added it to the bottom of a casserole dish, then added sliced zucchini and eggplant.
Once we cooked all of the dishes, we then worked on plating the salads. Low and behold, my salad did not receive a poached egg but one of my masterful boiled eggs. I took it off my salad and let it sit there in its boiled misery.
Doesn't that look beautiful?? We made a balsamic dressing for the salads and the technique that he showed us how to make a vinaigrette0. will stay with me forever. It was more labor intensive (usually I use mason jars for dressings), but you get a bowl and a spoon and you really incorporate the vinegar with the oil to make it one.
The dinner was served family style, so it's not plated as pretty as the salads were but it tastes just as delicious! We actually cooked the chicken IN the creamy mushroom sauce. I never even thought I liked a creamy mushroom sauce until I had it in this class. Our vegetable dish was delicious, and I am hoping to try to make it again over the Labor Day weekend.
This was our dessert. I mean, there's no reason to talk about this because you get how good this was, right? The picture says more than I ever could.
After a HARD two hours of cooking, we got to enjoy the food, make new friends, and relax! It was SO much fun except for the egg poaching business.
While we were busy learning new skills, the guys were off drinking in Paris. We decided to meet up after the class at the Louvre. After our class, we took off on foot and walked beside the Seine River where Parisians were having picnics along the river and enjoying life. There was music playing, the sun was setting, it was just a lovely, lovely moment.
Here is the fun part, when Amy and I got there the Palace behind the Louvre was dark, and as soon as we walked in it all started to light up around us. It was the most magical thing to happen!
We sadly didn't have time to visit the Louvre because we were only in Paris for four days. But, I'm actually glad that we didn't because this gives us a great reason to go back! I would go back to Paris tomorrow, to be honest.
After our long, long day, we went for a night cap. We went to one cute bar and then another... at the second bar I got some French fries (because I LOVE French fries and white wine) and somehow things got lost in translation, so instead of one order of fries, we got four! Oops.
That's all for day two! But stay tuned for day three... we take a Champagne cruise on the Seine River that I am still dreaming of two weeks later!
