Tuesday, October 12, 2004

The French definitely got it goin' on!!!

We're back from our little weekend jaunt to Paris. We were only there (together) for two nights, but we managed to cram in quite a bit of sightseeing.
We're not really museum people, but we actually took in three museums over the course of the weekend - the Picasso Museum (excellent!), the Dali Museum (excellent and disturbing at the same time!), and the Pompidou Center (modern, abstract, disturbing art at its finest!).
We also enjoyed some fine dining. On Friday night, we ate at a little bistro called Le Severo which was featured in the International Herald Tribune. The food menu isn't that large, but the wine list features over 200 different types of wine. It was small (only seats 24 people), and the staff consisted of the owner and the chef. Neither one spoke English, but we managed with pointing, rudimentary French, and sign language. I enjoyed steak tartare avec pommes frites, and Mrs. TBF enjoyed a bleu steak (soooo French...I swear they sear it for about 10 seconds per side, and the center is basically purple). The food was washed down with some nice wine. When I think back about it, Friday was about as perfect a day as I can imagine - Paris, Picasso, sauna, cigar, steak tartare, and marital relations all in one day...superb!
On Saturday, after a nice breakfast at the hotel we took the Metro to Montmartre to check out Sacré-Coeur, some artists' booths, and the Dali Museum. We were also suprised to find an excellent farmers' market selling great moldy cheeses, sausages, wine, etc. After Montmartre, we went back to the hotel. I was tired, so I decided to take a nap. Mrs. TBF took this opportunity to do "a little shopping". About two hours or so later, I woke up when I heard our room's doorbell ringing. In came Mrs. TBF toting a bag full of lingerie and a big Louis Vuitton shopping bag with a new handbag inside! I think I'll avoid taking naps in the future.
On Saturday night, we had another sauna, enjoyed a bottle of champagne in our room, and then we went downstairs for dinner. I had frog legs for a my starter, and pig ears for the main course. That's right...pig ears!!! It was kind of like eating a cross between bacon and a fatty pork chop. It was really good! However, I think it's going to take awhile to unclog the arteries, so I think maybe having them about once in my lifetime is about all my heart can handle.
On Sunday, we checked out of our hotel, and then we went to the Pompidou Center to take in more art. Between the Louvre, Orsay, and Pompidou Center, I don't think any other city in the world comes close to Paris when it comes to art! After having our fill of art, we took a taxi to Charles de Gaulle, and then it was back to Basel.

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