On Day Five In Paris

Atelier des Lumières

It is now day five for us here in Paris.  We've had quite a couple days.  Two days ago we took in the Van Gogh presentation at Atelier des Lumieres.  Basically, this place is a cavernous warehouse space that has projectors projecting moving images onto every space possible, including the people and the floor.  The movies are made especially for this space.  It is truly a full-360 experience for all sight and sound.  We all absolutely loved the show.

Best coffee shop in the world!

Afterward, we got coffee and hot chocolates at what we all agreed is the best coffee shop we've ever visited, The Beans on Fire.  They roast their own beans on site, so the aroma draws you in.  The baked goods were fantastic, especially Priscilla's scone.  Priscilla and Anna agreed that today's hot chocolate beat out the other day's by a substantial amount.  My latte was fantastic.  The coffee shop is right next to this quaint neighborhood park, and had outdoor seating on a pedestrian only street.  We will definitely be back.  Dinner that night was at the Thai Spices restaurant, which is right around the block from us.  We had a wonderful meal.

Priscilla and Anna mushing at Versailles

Yesterday was Versailles! After a late morning of sleeping in (needed by all) we caught the Metro at Bastille and then switched to the RER C regional train at the Invalides station, which takes you all the way to Versailles. We picked up Navigo passes, which give you unlimited travel on the Metro, RER trains, and busses. The train trip to Versailles turned out to be the perfect way to travel. There's no chance in missing your stop, because Versailles is the absolute last stop on the RER C. After about an hour wait in line, we gained access to the palace. We had downloaded the Versailles app so we had our own "guided tour" of Versailles as we walked through. Anna definitely got her "Royals" fill for this trip. We all had a great time at Versailles. While it's not something I'd feel compelled to do every time in Paris, it's good to have done it this once. Anna, on the other hand, would probably do this every time if she had the chance, she's such a "Royals" nut!

After a relaxing train trip back, we walked over to another local restaurant, Chez Mademoiselle. This restaurant is in the building that my parents rented a flat in when they would stay in Paris, although the restaurant changed hands in 2013. We got to meet the new owner, who is a real character. Our meals were fabulous, and the service was superb. After our dinners and desserts, the owner treated us to aperitifs of Amaretto and Limoncello. He told us they would guarantee a good night's sleep, and he was right. For all of us, last night was the first where we pretty much slept through the night.

Today has been a day of shopping for Priscilla and Anna, and exploring for me. I've found what looks to be a fabulous open-air market at Place d'Aligre that I'm going to walk to in search of tonight's dinner of roti chicken and roasted potatoes. I'll let you know how it goes. If I strike out there I know just the place on rue de Rivoli, just down the street a bit from us, that has excellent chicken roti to go.