Brunch in Paris !

Well, I had a flight home from Asia last week, and it just so happened that I had a 7 hour layover in my favorite city in the world......You guessed it, PARIS...
Well, I was not going to sit in the airport for 7 hours....I ran off the plane and caught the train into the city, just in time for the sunrise. It was early morning......so I shot a few pictures of the sunrise..........spectacular isnt it.

Even the pidgeons are pretty in Paris.
I went to the tulerries which is the garden that extends beyond the louvre. The louvre is now a famous museum, however it was the home of Louis before he built versailles. Where he and Marie lived till their unfortunate deaths. The gardens were quiet with noone but a few staff just starting to work, it was so peaceful.

You can see the sun is just coming up, and warming things up. It was really cold. 1degree C.





This statue is dipicting a famous french defender from the 16th century. The sculpter is representing his hesitation of holding his heart and is sword.
I then walked down Rue de Rivoli, and wandered into the famous ANGELINA. This is a wonderful little restaurant that has been in the same location for over 100 years.


They would never let us get away with stairs like this in USA. I am sure these are NOT to code.
The maitre de'
Okay, I have had butter before, but THIS is butter. It was like a pale yellow desert in itself. It was amazing....... I have never tasted anything like it before. Yum, Yum, Yum. I am sure it is a zillion dollars a pound though.


Now THIS is what Angelina is famous for......Their hot chocolate. It is like a liquid dessert. It is quite a production. When they present it to you, they recite.......Made especially for you with Passion and Love.....Now, you need to picture this being said with a thick fabulous french accent



Then to top of my breakfast was the best eggs benedict ever. I dont know if it was just all the ambiance or it truly did taste better, but I think it may have been a combination of both.

They also have a "to go" section, which is loaded with all the pastries, and goodies.
French pastries are by far thee best on the planet. These fantastic creations are one of my favorite. They are raspberry macaroons with creme filling , fresh raspberries, sugared violets, and a flake of silver leaf for effect. Yes, it is edible.

Now that the leaves are off the trees, it is even more apparent of how manicured the trees are. Can you see the perfect sharp edge of the trees. They are pruned to perfection to make perfect visual vanishing points that the French feel is so important to the landscape.....I agree. It is fantastic.

Nothing is left un decorated in Paris, this is the rail down to the Metro.....which is like our subways. This is in the Art Nouveau style. This style was created in Paris. Everything was to have a flowing curve. No sharp edges was the design of the day at the turn of the century.



Ah yes, the eiffel tower in the background......Magical.

Okay, then off to my favorite sweet shop in all the world, Laudree. This is their shop on the Champs de Elysees.........that is like main street in Paris. Oh, I just love the color combination here. I never ever get tired of looking at this place.



Now you can see how the colors came to be on my conservatory eh? okay, it really cant hold a candle to this but I still love it.
Detail, detail, detail.......

This is what they are famous for. It is called a macaroon. Now Macaroons here at home are these funny marshmallow things dipped in some kind of toasted coconut. Well not here. The french take their macaroons seriously. They are a confection made by the talented, trust me.
they are chewy centers with a thin crispy crust, which is difficult to acheive, so it is an art form here. Then they are filled with all different fillings.

There is no event in France that doesnt have their version of the jordan almond either. Their candied almonds are nothing like ours. They are not too hard to bite into, and melt in your mouth. Laudree has them available, in these matching little boxes. The color of the box, dictates the color of the candy. Soooooooooooo Tres chic'




Yes, this is my souvenier. I broke down and had to buy an assortment of macaroons and almonds. I waited to come back home sit down and truly enjoy my little taste of Paris. Now these would NEVER have a crack in them, mine have just been knocked around in my luggage.
Notice how they are all precisely the same size.
The purple ones are my favorite by far. They are violet flavour. Violet is a very common flavour in France. However, you really cant find much in that here in USA. Oh, they are to die for !

Heres hoping you all have a super sweet day !