The next day started as any day in Paris should: with more pastries (and quiche for myself)! After visiting a local bakery and eating those with the family, everyone was still tired and wasn’t quite in the mood to venture out. I however was hungry and ventured out to find a meal for myself. I walked a few blocks from the hotel to a very busy area of town with lots of restaurants and shops. I found a place that had good reviews on Yelp (La Tourelle), and while the language barrier was a bit difficult, managed to order a delicious meal with a glass of red wine. While I was hoping to have Beef Bourguignon, they’d run out for the day, so I took the server’s recommendation. While I can’t at all recall now what it was, it was delicious! It was enjoyable to sit outside and watch the world go by.
After another late start to the day, we got out of the hotel in the afternoon and headed to a place I’d seen on a travel show and read about on TripAdvisor. ChocoStory is basically a museum about chocolate. While much of it wasn’t too interesting to the girls, it helped that there was a scavenger hunt for them to participate in, and there were plenty of stations to sample chocolates. Unfortunately, the middle girl was having a very tough time adjusting to the time change, and was very hangry, though finding a park to play at for a bit and then agreeing to eat at McDonalds finally turned things around. The girls all had happy meals while Laura and I held out for real food.
We then took the Metro to the south bank of the Seine to have dinner at Les Deux Magots, one of Hemingway’s haunts during his time in the city. Unfortunately it was packed, so we ended up nearby at a place called Le Petit Saint Benoit. It was a bit frustrating however, as upon arriving we saw a note on the menu that each diner in a party must order a meal, and apparently, they make no exception for small children who’d already eaten. They finally agreed to allow us to order one kids meal and an appetizer to go along with the meals that Laura and I ordered, so the oldest snacked on some pasta while I had sautéed mushrooms and Beef Bourguignon.
We headed back to the hotel from there, and while everyone else was ready for bed, I went out to explore the beer scene a bit. After Ubering to what’s said to be one of the best breweries in town, I walked in to find a huge crowd, and was told by the bartender that a private event was going on and that I couldn’t order. Disappointed, I took the Metro to another place I’d found that looked good and had a brew out at a table in front. Once the inside cleared out a bit, I headed in to hang out at the bar, where I met with some locals and talked with them for a bit. After a quick Metro ride back to the hotel, I was asleep quickly.
Bryant Boondoggles 