Megan's Visit

Megan came to visit last week. She and Trevor have been in Zurich for about a month now, but as Trev is working and Megs’ visa is still MIA, she decided to come play in Paris for a few days while Trev was on his first business trip. As they still haven’t found a good dogsitter for Sydney, she came too. I think that dog has now been to more countries than most Americans.

Megan had already been to Paris, so rather than redo all of the major tourist attractions, we made up our own tour. We began with a trip to the market and a lovely wine and cheese picnic at the Jardin Luxembourg. On our way, we also had our first experience with the protesters. Contrary to what CNN has been reporting about overturned cars and burning shops, the protesters in Paris have been quite tame (or at least were while we were there). So we made our way through the cops (who sat around smoking, looking bored, and videotaping the crowds), through the protesters, and into the Jardin.

Protesters by Jardin Luxembourg

After our picnic, we went on our own little walking tour of Paris. From Jardin Luxembourg, we headed over to the Pantheon. From there, we saw Notre Dame, and then walked along the Seine for a bit. We walked for about three hours, dragging or carrying Sydney everywhere.

We had asked my cousin and roommate for restaurant suggestions, and they sent us to a great place in the 10th called L’Escargot for dinner. We started with Fois Gras, and then enjoyed duck and fish, washed down by great, local, cheap wine... Followed by shots of Jamaican rum, which our waiter thought we would like. We didn’t.

Picnic at Jardin Luxembourg

The following day we tried to see the Monet exhibit at the Grand Palais, but after learning there would be a three hour wait, we decided against it. We instead went on a walking tour of Montmartre, this time with a guide. Starting in front of the Moulin Rouge, it took about 2 hours and was really interesting. We saw the restaurant Picasso used to hang out out and traded his sketches for food. We saw where Van Gough lived, learned about the ancient windmills in the area. We saw the “last vineyard in Paris,” and eventually made our way up to Sacre Coeur. Of course Sydney came too, and we even managed to sneak her into the church.

Walking through Montmartre up to Sacre Coeur

Notre Dame

After the tour, we went into a cafe for a glass of wine, and then made our way back towards the Moulin Rouge, where we had earlier passed an amazing looking cupcake shop (new to Paris, and very American, apparently). We managed to make our way over to the Eiffel Tower area, and spent another few hours walking.


That night, we splurged... Someone had recommended a good Mexican restaurant, which are hard to come by in Paris and Zurich. As it had been three months since I’d had one of my favorite foods, we decided to go. Unfortunately, we hadn’t realized that a pitcher of Margaritas would be nearly $80 (they were worth it), or that our waitress would frown upon us for ordering them. “Are you SURE you girls want a carafe? But it’s only two of you, right? You really want that much?” Obviously she didn’t know us very well...

It was a great but short visit. I love having friends in Europe too!