Les Dents Sucrées
Today we decided to take on a different part of the city, starting with the Arc du Triomphe. Walking down the Champs Elysee was not as spectacular as it usually should be given that it was Easter Sunday morning, but one could still feel the swankiness just oozing out of the huge designer stores that lined the street. Unfortunately, the clerk working at the ticket counter for the Arc did not accept Switzerland as the EU so I had to pay to take the climb to the top. While it doesn’t seem that tall, the view from the top was still spectacular. The mot quintessential vista point in Paris is the Eiffel Tower so to have the roles reversed and see the Eiffel Tower from this vista point was really beautiful. It was also cool to get to see the more modern city – presumably where the government and big business is located – versus the older city with various religious building popping up between the sea of red chimney stacks.
Next we took a walk to the Eiffel Tower to see it up close and personal. On our way there, we decided to stop into the modern art museum because it came highly recommended by the receptionist at our hostel and there is free admission to the permanent collection. But when we arrived, we discovered that the notice that said part of the museum was closed due to renovations meant that literally the whole museum was closed except for one room. We were thrown off by this but soon carried on to the main attraction. On our way to the Eiffel Tower we stopped in a cafe to pick up some sandwiches so we could eat in the park below the Tower. Our dreams of a romantic picnic were dampened by the blaring electronic dance music coming from massive spring/Easter/color-run festivities happening on the main street behind the Eiffel Tower, but we still had a lovely time admiring dogs, chatting, and munching on some éclairs in the park.
We proceeded to meander between the next few items on our agenda. On our way to some personally recommended and famous hot chocolate, we took a stroll through yet another sprawling, gorgeous garden, the Luxembourg gardens. Among the beautiful flowers and tree-lined paths, we reflected on how parks in Paris tend to have so much more to offer than your average park in the US. We had seen playgrounds (one even with a trampoline in it!), pony rides, model boats to sail in the fountain, tennis courts, full on restaurants and cafes; it was really amazing. Down the street form the hot chocolate place, we stumbled upon an inviting cookie store that had large bins of biscuits into which you could plunge your gloved hand and take as much as you would like in a bag paid for by weight. They had the same set up for caramels and nougats as well. We were practically in heaven! My friend got a variety of cookies while I got come caramels – fig and cinnamon. After getting our hot chocolates just a few doors down – remarkably served at just the perfect temperature of hot but not too hot to drink – we returned to the park to sit, enjoy the mountains of sweets we had just purchased, and chat. Who could ask for a better afternoon: sweet tooth cravings and a good friend in the park in Paris?
The length of the entire day we had been hearing echoes of EDM throughout the city from the color run and other springtime festivities happening that day that by the time we were done with our sweets, we just had to investigate. Moments later, without a clue of what was going on, we found ourselves in the middle of a mobile music festival/parade! There were large trucks on which the back of each was a small stage with DJ set ups, mics, and speakers. Each truck had a different artist performing live, each with a different genre of music. Behind each truck was a posse of dancing fans so of course we just had to join in! We skittered down to the street to join in dancing our way down the street behind a truck playing dance music that sounded at times to have some Latin and hip-hop influence. Once we made it to the end of the street, where we realized the party literally ended, we ran back to find another truck to follow, this time filled with a posse beautiful women of color playing reggae music. Unfortunately this was the last truck so by the time we reached the end of the street, it really was the end. There’s nothing I love more than spontaneous dance parties.
Lastly, we explored the Latin Quarter. We did not have particularly high expectations but it turned out to be really beautiful and fun! We saw street performers playing good dancing jazz and adorable shops and funky cafes. To my delight, we also found the church stoop at which Gil Pender gets picked up in a car to travel back to the 1920’s in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” which is one of my all-time favorite movies. My friend had never seen the film but I was pretty overtly fan-girl-ing as they say. We ended up staying in the neighborhood for dinner where we found a Greek place that makes these massively stuffed crepes. There was a significant line stemming from the tiny shop front and people were walking away with crepes spilling over with cheese, potatoes, ham, and vegetables. We watched the men making the crepes and I really could not believe that he was able to fold these crepes that were so stuffed; the chefs were incredibly generous with the toppings. And I can successfully report that the wait was worth it. These crepes were really incredible, and while not necessarily totally French, they were absolutely delicious. Stuffed stomachs and aching feet, we found our way to the train to take us home and flop into bed.
