Can you say Bon Appetite?

Where Julia Child Trained!

Can You Say Bon Appetite?

Yes I can, because I have enjoyed the wonders of French cuisine in France. Something everyone can say? Nope, but I can and for that I will be forever in awe and grateful.

Now for an ambush of food photos from Paris!

Ham Omelet and a Croissant

Honestly I wasn’t crazy about the Omelet or the croissant, but I tried both. Plus I was in France! I had to try a real French Croissant!

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

This is the best salad creation I have ever seen and eaten. The goat cheese is on the toast, and yes those are potato chips (made right then and there I would like to believe). I would try to recreate this, but for some reason I think I’ll leave this to the French 😉 Just a little dietetic humor however, can you see the green ring around the yolk on my eggs? That is Ferrous Sulfide my friends. It is not harmful, but does tend to ruin the presentation of a hard boiled egg. The restaurant didn’t allow their eggs to cool correctly tis all. It won’t change the taste of your eggs though so do not fret!

One of many bread baskets

The French restaurants serve bread with everything! What I loved about both France and Germany was that they never specify what type of bread anything comes with or is served on. It is whatever they baked fresh that day. Now I am a huge advocate for whole grains, and know they are the best option for the most part nutritionally. But I did love that the French don’t know and don’t seem to care if their bread is whole grain or white, only that it is fresh and they enjoy what they want of it knowing another batch will be made shortly if they want more. Just something that left me pondering over my bread.

A beautiful cheese plate!

The French love to end a meal with cheese! And since visiting, so do I! We had cheese basically every day in France and I am not complaining. If I eat cheese for the rest of my life I won’t complain, in fact my bones will love the calcium! Sorry another anatomy/dietetics student fact I couldn’t resist not mentioning.

Chilled Asparagus Soup

Was this good? Yes. But would I have it again? Probably not. I am not a fan of cold soup…

Fresh perch with raw and cooked fennel

As you know I am flirting with a non-vegetarian diet. I can honestly say after tasting fish I will not give it up. My body seems to love it!

Our dessert at the Eiffel Tower

I have no idea what this is called, but it came highly recommended! I do know there was ice cream, cream cheese of some sort, a pastry (like a ice cream sandwich only freshly baked and a little more soft and doughy) all drizzled with chocolate upon arriving at the table. I am not a dessert girl unless it is either a special occasion or if the dessert is something I cannot get on another day. this was both and boy am I glad I had the opportunity to enjoy it!

Bananas covered with warm chocolate

Remember how I said I don’t have dessert often? Well in Paris I did! This was nothing extraordinary but then again it was for me! I have never done this before (no idea why!) and after dinner at this little Italian place I was still craving something. I wasn’t sure what is was until I saw this on the menu. I wanted a banana! Did I crave the chocolate? No (but that’s just because it is me and I lack chocolate cravings) but boy did it make this banana 10 times better! I’ll be recreating this again sometime soon!

Alas the food came to an end just as Paris did… 😦 But it was all so good (I didn’t even share everything! but I did share the best of it I believe) Now one more thing before I go.

I have been a law abiding citizen for a long time. That means, I am not 21 I am still 20. But in Paris and in all of Europe I am indeed a legal drinker. This was my first sip of alcohol EVER. A glass (and a half 😉 ) of champagne in France at the Eiffel Tower (Perfect right!) I also gave wine a sip and was not a fan of the wine my dad and Sherri chose (I tried to see if putting my champagne in the wine would help… Not too much and the French couple beside us gave me a laugh and a frown)

I enjoyed my first drink and I am so happy I waited to have it in a safe and enjoyable environment with my dad and cousin! Now back in the states I will look forward to my 21st birthday and enjoy my second drink (but first in America!) without fear.

Cheers! Wait how do I say that in French???

Here is to a good time with a great family!

Be Sure to Say Bonjour!

I think it is time to conquer a Paris post (Part One)! I must admit I have been procrastinating writing this post because Paris was my favorite city that we visited, and I just cannot do it justice. O! and that fact about the french being not so nice… FICTION at least in my case everyone was so welcoming!

I’ll begin with a comical beginning (it really was quite comical). We arrive in Paris, it’s 10 o’clock at night, and we decide the best option for getting to our hotel is the metro. hmmm well as we buy our tickets we see someone being taken away via the police (who are very scary looking in Paris) because she bought fraudulent tickets… Note to selves. Don’t do that! But we got on the metro feeling great because we had bought all of the passes we would need for the two days we were there. Then it was up to my cousin Sherri to get us to the hotel. but it was late and we took a wrong turn. Thank goodness my cousin is very bold and able to ask anyone for directions. We asked twice and got the same sort of response Don’t you have an iPhone???

No we didn’t… but 3 nice [cute] french boys (who did have an iPhone) helped us out and we found the hotel easy enough. Now hotels in Europe are weird. The beds are crammed right up next to each other, so our 3 person room looks like a 2 person if you are American (which we kinda are!) but the view was amazing! Sherri spotted it while brushing her teeth 😀

Day one in Paris included more site seeing than I could have hoped! So of course it was more appreciated! We got this great 2 day sight seeing pass that allowed us entry into a lot of places and more than paid for itself by the end of our visit! Begin pictures

The River Seine

Note: Most of Paris has that unique city smell but it is not better or worse than NYC. EXCEPT down by the river it absolutely is!!! My advice? Walk Fast

My dad at the Invalides Museum

My dad was in the US Army, and this museum was all about war (and where Napoleon I is buried) so he had a fantastic time. And it was great for me to see and learn what he is passionate about for once since that is what he does with me pretty much everyday.

playing gargoyles at Notre Dame

I was very honestly VERY (yes I meant to use an annoyingly large amount of “verys”) free feeling for the first time in a long time when we were in Paris. I started to learn how to go off on my own in the museums and spend time in the parts I found interesting. Something I wouldn’t have done a few weeks ago. It felt great!

Inside the Louvre: AKA where Mona Lisa resides

But the time I spent with my dad was great too. He is really knowledgeable (knows almost every answer on jeopardy!) and that makes the museums and history so much more interesting. I have always felt that when you are with someone who is passionate about a certain subject, learning about it can be so much more rewarding!

Climbed the Arc de Triomphe

I could go one for days with pictures, and they still wouldn’t capture the beauty and magnificence and history I saw and lived in Paris! We climbed SO many stairs and walked the whole city! again why was I worried about staying active!?!

I think the real reason I loved Paris so much though was because of the company. I have a really big family on my Dad’s side, and we live far away from all of them. But with this trip I got to know my cousin Sherri. She made me realize how awesome the people in my family are and I really hope to get to know her and the rest of my Dad’s side in the years to come. It is crazy how many things the Lloyd girls share! Most of us have one dimple (yes me too), for the most part we are little in stature (I was meant to be short, petite me–> it’s in my genes!), and we all seem so driven! I honestly had know idea how much I have to learn about my family! I can’t wait for more opportunities!

Cheers!

Part two of Paris will be all about the food I experienced. It is quite different than what I have in America and kick started a lot of new kicks!