The next morning, we began our day with a stroll around the Latin Quarter in search of some breakfast. We found a small café off of the main street and sat down for some coffee and food. I had bacon and eggs with espresso and tiffany had eggs and salmon with a cappuccino. The light breakfast reminded us of our favorite brunches back in Richmond, and fueled us up for New Years Eve day. We began another day of exploring the city on foot, with no particular destination in mind. We wound through the cobble-stone streets and found ourselves in a small shop selling all things Paris. They had Chat Noir items (reminding us of the picture that once hung in our apartment) as well as other famous Parisian art and advertisements. Tiffany found and fell in love with a large bone china cappuccino mug with beautifully painted birds on the mug and saucer, a souvenir of the trip. Leaving the shop, the street opened into a small square and there was Notre Dame Cathedral, standing across the river Seine right in front of us. The impressive gothic architecture was very unlike the ancient roman styles of Italy and Germany we were used to. Out front there were trees full of small little brown and orange finches. There Tiffany bought a small pastry from a local, and held out her hand as the birds flocked to her. Holding still like a statue, the air around her was abuzz with tiny wings. The finches landed on her outstretched arm and snacked on the pastry she held. The videos below show how cool the whole experience was.
We decided not to join the massively long line to enter the church and instead to pictures outside and walked along around the outside. We then made our way away from the tourist attraction and into a different neighborhood, crossing another large bridge. Walking down the streets we were amazed with the selection of restaurants, butchers, cheese mongers and galleries we saw on our way. We found a small café on the corner and settled down outside under the gas heaters for a drink, snack and people watching. We each had a glass of local wine and shared chocolate crepes, watching the city move in front of us. As the city moved by, we relaxed with our wine, enjoying our view and each other. As the sun came out, we finished our wine and made our way back through the city streets towards our apartment. We ventured down different streets enjoying shopping and people watching along the way.
Showered, relaxed and dressed up, we were ready for our night on the town!We headed towards one of the many metro stops around the city. Since it was New Years Eve, the metro was running for FREE! (What a great city) We tried to reserve a taxi for our ride to dinner, but were unable to due to the holiday. So the metro was our first adventure of the evening. The Paris Metro iphone app made the trip easy to navigate, with only changing 2 trains and about 25 minutes of total travel. Our 2nd change was at Gare du Nord, the main train station in Paris and one of the busiest and most hectic. After running from one side, up 2 floors and to the other (all while Tiffany was in heels) we finally found our train, tucked away back in a small isolated platform. The last train ride dropped us off a block from the restaurant. Our dinner that evening was at the famous Julien Brasserie. Arriving, the restaurant is inconspicuous from the outside. A few large windows, partially covered by curtains are all you can see from the front. Once inside the restaurant is stunning. It looks like the art Nuevo 1920’s Paris. It looks much like the famous lamps designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The dinner that followed blew even our Christmas Eve dinner out of the water.
We were started off with a large glass of French champagne, a perfect start to our new year’s celebration. Our first course came out with a dozen oysters for each of us. They were served with a delicious and different dipping sauce of red wine vinegar and shallots. The sauce was incredible and a nice change from our traditional lemon juice and hot sauce flavoring addition. Then came our main course; Tiffany had seared scallops with mushroom risotto and I had a filet mignon with potato cake and foie gras on grilled baguette. The meal was delicious, and just like we expected, the food kept coming. Next was the cheese course, warm Cabécou (a local goats cheese) on grilled bread accompanied by a small salad with walnuts. The cheese was warm and creamy and wonderful. Then it was time for our desserts, we both had the warm chocolate and caramel cake with bourbon vanilla and hazelnut streusel. The cake was more like a mouse and it was so freaking good. The crunchy hazelnut streusel combined with the smooth luscious cake was heavenly. All the while we were enjoying our dinner, we were sipping French champagne and enjoying not only the incredible company, but also the amazing atmosphere. We finished off our dinner with espresso as we prepared for the next leg of our new years eve journey.
Outside the brasserie, we hailed a cab and headed down towards the Eiffel Tower to ring in the new years. The view from the taxi as it sped along the streets of Paris was amazing. I love night taxi rides and this was no exception. We saw the Louvre and the Seine as we drove through the streets. Arriving at the Eiffel Tower, we finally saw the large beautiful structure all lit up and up close. I had no idea just how big the tower really is, as my only views of it has been from quite a distance. The tower was brightly lit against the black sky, and the skies had cleared up. The Eiffel Tower exploded with light as 11pm arrived and the lights of the tower made it sparkle. With only an hour left to go, we took the time to take a lot of great pictures of us and find a prime location beneath the tower. We could see that on the other side, by the lawn, quite a large crowd forming, but where we were, there was plenty of space. Cuddled together, we kept warm waiting for midnight to hit. As we counted down the minutes, we got ready to countdown the final second until 2012. And then without warning, the tower erupted with light, the crowd did as well, with cheers and yells, horns and fireworks. We were in our own world, enjoying the first kiss of the New Year as we stood beneath the Eiffel Tower.
We then made our way through the crazy crowd and back in the direction of our apartment. The crowd was dense and seeming endless. We knew finding a cab would be difficult, so we started walking in the direction of our apartment along the main street, leading away from the tower. Everywhere we looked the cabs were occupied, so we kept on walking, hoping that we wouldn’t have to make the entire 3+ mile trek on foot that night. Well after about 1 mile of walking, just as our feet were giving in, I spotted an unoccupied taxi and Tiffany sprinted (in high heels) after the cab and full speed. Thankfully he waited and we hopped in. Our taxi sped through the night, down back alleys and side streets. I was too tired to enjoy the scenery, and we were very happy to have the last 2 miles of our journey completed via taxi. Arriving back at our place, we trekked up the 7 flights of stairs and were home at last. We enjoyed a few macaroons (incredible) and some more champagne, before passing out enjoying our views of the Eiffel Tower.
The next morning, we packed our bags, loaded the car and headed out in search of an open café for breakfast. We found one sitting in a quiet square, had a coffee and a bite to eat. Then on the way back to our car, dropped by a bakery to pick up some Parisian goodies. A baguette, 2 eclaires and a loaf of chocolate chip bread later, we had the rest of our breakfast for our road trip home. We drove through the quiet streets, and back onto the A4 heading home towards Ramstein. We had an unforgettable weekend in Paris and can’t wait to go back to see the many other sites the city has to offer. Our first taste of the city of lights has left us hungry for another visit.
Until Next Time
David, Tiffany and Oliver
