Paris: Sacre Couer, Quartier Latin, Notre Dame and Parisian Cuisine

Bonjour from Paris mes amis!

After yesterday’s mixed experience (amazing sights but a stolen wallet on the Metro), today helped to re-invigorate our feelings towards the French population. We began our morning at the Sacre Couer, a beautiful church with an impressive view that sat down the street from our hotel in Montmartre. The outside is certainly far more impressive than the inside, but the view from the front of the church is worth climbing the innumerable steps to the top.

After our Sacre-Couer excursion, we decided to head down to the Latin Quarter (5eme & 6eme) to enjoy the boulangeries, brasseries, cafes and darling restaurants sprinkled about. I’ve decided that if I were to move to Paris, the Latin Quarter is definitely where I’d be living — it really is amazing.

After checking out a number of cafes at which to grab a bite, we decided upon a cute, quaint little restaurant called Le Passion du Vin with a selection of galettes (savoury crepes) and French cuisine. I have had an unhealthy obsession with crepes as of late: sweet, savoury, big, small… they’re all delicious and all on my personal menu. Along with our crepes, we grabbed escargot in true Parisian fashion. Though I had a conversation about whether or not snails are veg-friendly, I ended up tasting one…When in Paris? Hopefully PETA will forgive me.

After our lunch, we decided to head back to Notre Dame to take a peek inside. The weather was significantly better than the day before so we didn’t have a problem waiting in line this time around. The cathedral is amazing from the outside, but the inside is almost equally impressive.

After our Notre Dame excursion and soaking in the momentary Parisian sunshine, we grabbed baguettes, fromage, vino and some other goodies from a local shop (to take on our train to Amsterdam) and headed back to our flat for the night. After a couple of hours of relaxation we decided to head out for a bite to eat in Montmarte. We stumbled upon Le Bar du Lycee on Rue de Dunkerque and had the small restaurant to ourselves for about an hour before crowds came in. The restaurant was small and the owner/chef was the only person present when we arrived. Though we weren’t 100% sure what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised. The food was delicious and the owner was amazing — friendly & so incredibly helpful. Despite my sometimes-problematic vegetarian diet, he was able to whip up something special to fit my palate. Plus, T’s pasta (with truffle oil) was quite possibly the most delicious pasta that has ever hit my lips. Mmm!

After all that fun, we headed back home to prepare for our last night in Paris. Up next: Amsterdam. I can’t even explain how excited Tiffany is!

Au revoir,

See all the pictures from my Parisian excursion here!