Walk, shop, and dine in Paris

We visited Basilica on the first day we arrived in Paris. We were staying in Comfort Inn in Mon Marte area, so it was rather close to Basilica, unfortunately we did not have the time to go to Moulin Rouge and Amelie cafe.

The Basilica is very grand and it is located in a small hill. So from there, the view was amazing, but the light was not too good at that time, so we couldn't take good photos of the view. It is a free entry there, but I was more enjoying the outside architectural of the building. Though, you had to pay if you want to visit the mausoleum underground.

At the bottom of the Basilica, at the foot of the hill, there is a small cosy restaurant, recommended by our friend, "L'ete en Pente douce". When we first passed through this corner, we thought of getting to the restaurant later on, after visiting the Basilica. But when we came back, there were a long queue in front of the restaurant! And we had to share our table with others, since there were no more seats avail for two.

We really love the ambience and atmosphere of the restaurant, besides it is also quite generous in the portion.

When we were at the restaurant, we just realized everything in the menu was written in French! So we were struggling to interpret word by word using Miss Y hand-phone dictionary French-English. Then they gave us the English version of the menu, it was a relieve. Still we were struggling to translate their menu of the day which was written on their board. We believed, menu of the day would give us better deal, so we ordered it. Unfortunately they did not have any fish left, so both of us ordered the chicken!

The restaurant was so packed, and they had only like 3 waiter/waitress, so the service was a bit slow there, but we were satisfied with the food.

The very next day we were having a walking and shopping trip in Paris! So we made appointment with our dearest guide in Paris, Miss H. We were meeting near the Arch the Triumph.

The photo above was taken when we were crossing the street, heading to LV store! Looks like an empty street just for us! I just found out from Miss H, that the LV is cheaper in Paris, but as a tourist, you can only buy 1 bag. You need to show your passport when buying LV! Me? No, I didn't buy any LV that day. Not yet ... hahaha =D

Then we passed through Ladureee...... So excited and went inside the store, the queue was long, but thinking about it, more on the slow customer service. We were buying 6 pieces of macaroon which cost 1.65EUR each. And we did not get the pretty box for 6 macaroons. Later on I realized, we had to pay extra ~3EUR for a box. So they gave us the macaroons inside a paper bag which was squashed when I put inside my bag. Macaroons are so fragile! Here are some photos I took, before they prevent me anymore hehe

After the long time queue and took photos, we continue our walk ...

The day was terribly hot! And it was still April. I felt like walking in the desert, and we found out that we can fill up our water bottle with a cold water from this pump!

According to our guide, Miss H, people in Paris like just to stay in the park. Sit down, read books, or simply just watch people passing by. Such a relax time, compare to our Asian culture where everything has to be quick and fast, no more time for just a quiet and relax. I guess people there had a good quality life?

And we reached Louvre ... but no, I did not go in there yet. Would go there next time with Mr JH, for this trip just merely girls do: shop and eat!

Our squashed macaroons, realized that after the walk:

And we decided to have a lunch nearby, looking for escargot as dish to eat! So we found 2 cafes nearby which served escargot, and we chose the crowded one.

People just love to watch other people passing by from the cafes. So all the seats were facing the road! Here is the view from  the cafe:

Our interesting bottle of tap water

And our highlight: the escargot ... yummy ...

And our main course: traditional bean from Tolouse (according to Miss Y) for me, egg omelette for Miss Y, and duck confit for Miss H

I had a cappuccino after the meal and did not realize that it cost 5EUR for a cappuccino and 1.5EUR only for coffee... why oh why ... and found it out when the bill came! My expensive cappuccino

And we continue to walk again ... heading to Lafayette!

Inside the Lafayette: beautiful dome! And we found long queue for all the branded stuff, such as LV, Dior, Chanel, and most of them were Asian! Queueing ....

And what did I buy? Nope, not clothes or bags, but caviar ..... want to buy some foie gras as well, but no...too expensive. I bought 2 jars from carrefour, and it costed only 3EUR each. And the other 2 in Lafayette, which costs 6 and 12EUR for trout's and salmon's caviar accordingly.

Then, we had another break for coffee and tea haha ...at Paul

After refreshed from an afternoon tea, we continued our journey to see the Eiffel tower and also the Notre dame. On the way there, we met a French lady who understand Indonesia language! Isn't it a rare ocassion? We met her while waiting the bus, and this lady kept staring at us while we were talking. After some time, she suddenly talked in Indonesia? She asked, "Kamu dari Indonesia?" (translated as: Are you from Indonesia?). Hahha so interesting. This lady was in Jogjakarta for a year I think, not sure for study or teaching, but she spoke Indonesian slang! What an interesting experience

And here are Notre Dame photos (remember Hunchback of Notre dame, the Disney movie?) and we just realized that day was good Friday when there were a mass inside and no queue to go to the church. The choir sang beautifully ...

If we step on this plague, we will come back again to Paris!

The beautiful stain glass ... unfortunately I couldn't get good photos inside

And we went to see Eiffel

And my tickets collection throughout the journey!