Lazy Sunday Adventures: Taking on the Best of Central Paris

Part 1: Musée d’Orsay

Taken through one of the building's giant clocks. Reminded me of that Scorsese movie Hugo.

I like it because it’s smaller and less crowded the the Louvre, plus it focuses on my favorite periods (Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, etc.). The space is also really cool because it used to be a train station.

Definitely the prettiest of the museum's cafés. Feels like you're dining at Versailles.

Part 2: Passerelle Solférino

Locks on locks on locks.

We were walking along the Seine from the Orsay to Les Invalides and Musée Rodin when we came across this bridge. It’s tradition for couples to leave locks here with their names. Didn’t bring a lock with you? No problem. There are vendors selling them on the spot.


Part 3: Musée Rodin

At a mere 1€ to stroll around the gardens, this place is quite a steal. I had already seen a lot of the sculptures thanks to Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center, but the one thing we didn’t have on campus? The Eiffel Tower in the background.

Taken somewhere between the Rodin Museum and Les Invalides.

It’s also right next to Les Invalides, now a war museum that also houses Napoleon’s tomb, so if you’re in the area I’d recommend checking that out too.

Steak & Fries at Le Relais de L'Entrecôte

Yesterday I only had one class, after which I met up with a Stanford friend who was visiting Paris with his family for an afternoon of shopping and strolling. Well, I did most of the shopping, but he was a good sport about it.

At my roommate’s suggestion, we started at Montparnasse-Bienvenue and headed toward Saint Germain on Rue de Rennes, making a brief detour at the Jardin du Luxembourg. Rue de Rennes and its many side streets are full of cool, trendy boutiques - perhaps almost too much so. I caught my first real glimpse of French hipsters, and I’d say they’re probably more intimidating (more hip?) than American hipsters.

Rue de Rennes is also notable because it ends at Boulevard Saint-Germain, where the famous Café de Flore and Les Deux Magot (old haunts of philosophers, intellectuals and writers) sit side by side. Originally I thought it would be a nice way to end the evening - eating at a restaurant that Ernest Hemingway used to frequent - but a glance at the pricey menu suggested otherwise.

We continued wandering the neighborhood looking for more affordable fare when, just around the corner, we stumbled upon the popular Le Relais de L’Entrecôte. Judging by the high concentration of English-speakers it’s a big draw for tourists, although I’m not exactly sure why. What it offers is a fixed-price set menu consisting of salad as appetizer, followed by the main dish: steak (drenched in the secret house sauce) and french fries. Not to mention you get a refill on the latter.

We agreed that the food (although tasty!) wasn’t quite worth the long wait to get seated but, all things considered, it was a good end to a good day.

 

Comfort Food From Cantine California

At the recommendation of a fellow classmate, my friend and I tracked down the California Canteen food truck at Marché Raspail near the Jardin du Luxembourg. The owner grew up in San Francisco (hence burgers named Half Moon Bay and California), but decided to start this business in order to fuse American cuisine with high quality French ingredients. We shared the carnitas tacos and Half Moon Bay burger. Both were delicious. Easily the best meal I’ve had in Paris so far.

Birds & Poultry at La Mosquée de Paris

That time I had chicken couscous and mint tea at the Paris mosque, and had to keep staving off birds from dive bombing my plate. The food was good and the courtyard very pretty, but the whole avian threat thing sort of detracted from the experience. I had my back to the other tables so I’m not sure whether this was a problem for other customers, or the birds were just targeting me. Hopefully not the latter. Next time I will ask to be seated inside.