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[dutchdisneyfamily]

The architecture is interesting! Maybe you can answer this question for me.. do all macaroons have coconut in them?

[chezp]

Originally Posted by lauriep

I should have said, "French style" macaroons. They're not flown in, but are baked locally. They're generally more expensive (and smaller!) than the Jewish-style macaroons sold in a lot of the local bakeries.

That makes it even worse!

[chezp]

Originally Posted by disney_duke

When I think Paris, as probably most people do, I think the older buildings. So it's interesting to see the modern ones as well! I remember looking over to that area when I was on top of the Arc de Triomphe and thinking how there's like a whole different side to Paris!

There certainly is and there'll be lots of the "old" side of Paris coming up in the next couple of updates...

Bummer you struck out on the macaroons. I bet they were delicious! Well, they better be for that price!

You'd hope so!

[chezp]

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Can't believe that in the middle of 2013, a website wouldn't have an update for a change made in 2010!!

I was shocked too, but I can better that. I went to buy some bits and pieces for the garden from a local DIY store yesterday morning, only to discover it had closed. I wouldn't mind, but I was on their website the day before and no warning whatsoever about it closing and this is a major national company.

Glad you learned of the closure before wasting part of your next day!
Too bad, too, that you didn't have better dinner options. Not what I'd expect in Paris!!

I think, had we gone into Paris itself, it would've been fine and there were dining options in La Defense, but that shopping centre was just too hot for us. I suspect that's why the hotel didn't have much to offer.

[chezp]

Originally Posted by Roxie2006

The buildings are amazing. The whole city must be beautiful. Your pizza really looked good, too.

The whole city is beautiful. I do love visiting it to see all the lovely architecture. What puts us off going more often is the three hour drive from the tunnel and sadly the Parisians, who aren't overly friendly, shall we say?

[chezp]

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

The architecture is interesting! Maybe you can answer this question for me.. do all macaroons have coconut in them?

I don't know if it's part of the base recipe, but I don't think so. The traditional macaroon is a coconut one, but we got Amaretti ones on the Amalfi coast and I've seen all sorts of flavours, including cherry, raspberry and strawberry, coffee etc. I would imagine that those flavoured ones don't have coconut in, but I must admit I don't know for sure...

[chezp]

Sunday 9 June – part one: this is a bit of a shock to the system…

We woke up to a very different day outside, with it looking as if it had been raining overnight, and it might still be raining. We already knew that it was due to be a lot cooler today, with temperatures starting out around the 60 degree mark, which after the last couple of days, would be a bit of a shock to the system.



We got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast, and wow, what a spread was laid out here. They literally had everything you could think of – cheeses, cold meats, salad, pastries, cereals, fruit juices, and a variety of hot items. We certainly weren’t going to leave here hungry.



As we sat there, we could see the rain coming down outside. Ok, that’s not a good sign. We headed back to the room to finish getting ready, and checked out, with Mark going down to the car park first to load the car up, then me following. We were both escorted by a security man with an umbrella over us, which was neat, but my goodness, my earlier fears were right - this was a cold day, compared to the previous two days. Definitely sweatshirt weather, and a light rain jacket too.

We made our way back up through the hotel, and walked over to the Metro station. It was quite a depressing sight by the Grande Arche, with rubbish strewn all around. This is one of the things I hate about Paris – they always seem to have such a huge litter and graffiti problem, and it does detract from the enjoyment of the city. I know that all cities suffer similar problems, but Paris seems to be worse than many others.



It was just about as depressing in the Metro station. When we walked in, everything was closed, which didn’t entirely surprise me. The UK very much follows America when it comes to shopping, with shops open seven days a week, albeit more limited on Sundays, where shops outside major tourist areas can only open six hours on that day. In continental Europe, it’s very different. Outside of the major tourist areas (and sometimes even inside them), basically everything is close on a Sunday. Often that applies to restaurants, as well as shops, and it’s a hard concept to get your head around when you’re used to a very different way of life.



Of course, that meant that there was no-one selling tickets, so we had to master the automatic ticket dispenser. They did them in English, but it wasn’t clear at all how you got the book of 10 tickets, which I knew would be the cheapest option for us, as I figured we’d be making at least two, if not three, journeys today. Eventually, I worked it out (it was under full fare, and then as well as single tickets, you can buy a book of 10 – I know, not obvious at all! ) and with our 10 tickets in hand, we headed off to the platform.

Because La Defense is a terminus station, there’s always a train waiting for you at the platform, which is a bonus. I was stunned at the train when we boarded it – very different to the Metro trains we’re used to from days gone by. This one was much more airy, and colourful, and ironically it was also driverless. When I thought about it, I realised that we hadn’t actually been on the Metro in about five years, as I think the last time we used it was when we visited Paris with Sue and Steve, and that was back in 2008. Where does the time go?



They also had some very flashy technology on board, telling you not only the next stop, but the two after that, so there really is no excuse for anyone missing their stop. They also tell you how long it’s going to take to major stops along the line, which I thought was very helpful too. They’ve obviously put a lot of investment into this system since we last used it.



Some of the stations were pretty neat as well, and I liked the way that all the platforms we saw had the barriers along them. They only have on the Underground on the newest line, but I’d like to see them go back and retro fit to the rest of the system, as they are literally a lifesaver.



As we went along, we briefly came out from underground a couple of stations in, and I was able to get a couple of shots of the scenery. This is actually the River Seine, which runs through the heart of Paris.



We got off at Chatelet, which is one of the biggest stations on the system, and I had a look at the plan to see which exit we wanted. Now I ended up going back to photograph it on my camera, as then we could refer back to it…



While it was very detailed, what didn’t help was, from our platform, they only signposted about five of the numerous exits from the station, so I picked one that seemed to be relatively near to the Notre Dame, and we set off that way. My goodness, we walked for miles underground, including a moving walkway, which gives you an idea of how far it was.

Thankfully when we finally emerged, we were right by the Seine, and we could see the Notre Dame in the distance.

The first thing we saw was this beautiful monument, the Fontaine du Palmier, which was built in the early 19th century. It was originally build to provide fresh drinking water to those living in this neighbourhood and is the largest fountain built during Napoleon’s reign to still remain. Sadly, it looked as if someone had had a great party at it last night, as there were beer bottles everywhere. Again, a bit of a sad indictment on Paris.



Next: “how did they manage that?”

[Disneybine]

Oh no, too bad about the rain. I kinda thought you'd had only good weather during that trip.

[Thomhazel]

That is one thing i think is really great about Paris is that the very centre seems very compact you can usually see where you are going. I find it much easier to navigate than London.

It was amazing how much the weather changed from Saturday to Sunday. My cleavage is still bright red

[lauriep]

Very nice to wake up to a wonderful spread like that for breakfast. The trash around the area and beer cans around the fountain-- very sad and disappointing. It's amazing how empty the center and the metro station and train were-- a bit eerie! Hope it doesn't end up being a rainy day for you.

I think macaroons are often without coconut. I have no idea why they're so expensive, since they're not much different to make from ordinary cookies or meringues!

[mcneal]

I assume you are talking about these macaroons instead of the moist coconut ones we usually have.







My DS loves the French kind but I haven't found a source near my house.

[Roxie2006]

The breakfast display was wonderful. You know that is ashame people have no consideration for their city to dirty it up in that manner. We have "Do Not Litter" signs on all our highways. If anyone gets caught they will pay a hefty fine. The fountain is really a work of art.

[dutchdisneyfamily]

The breakfast looked yummy. Too bad about the rain and the litter. It was actually an event on a Sunday in Paris that scarred Tim for life. Since nothing was open the tour guide decided to bring them to a flea market. It was bad. Plus their group got split up on the train. He did get to go in Notre Dame for Sunday mass and that was interesting. The rest of the day was a wash for him. I hope yours goes better than his did!

[disney_duke]

Mmmmm, what a great breakfast spread! That should definitely hold you over till lunch, and then some! Well, what's Paris without a little rain. Makes for more... um... authentic photos.

[cubfancolleen]

Breakfast looked fabulous! Makes up for the paltry dinner options, perhaps?
Too bad about all the litter. I wish folks could respect their surroundings a bit more.
Not sure that I've ever tried a French macaroon. I LOVE coconut ones!!