astradele

Wandering far afield, exiting 1er to enter 2eme to reenter 1er, I searched for the restaurant in the travel book, Le Grillardin. Thoughts of escargots and foie gras danced through my head.

On my journey, I happened upon a Japanese strip, evidenced by the large manga bookstore. I couldn’t resist and stopped there briefly. The Caucasian staff spoke excellent Japanese, to my untrained ear at least.

Sadly, Le Grillardin was not to be. 52 rue de Richeliu is no longer a restaurant it seems. The book is based on summer 2006, so it’s possible, but…

I wandered back to rue St-Honore in front of the Louvre and travelled west, noting the many Japanese restaurants and a smattering of Chinese. Heaven forbid my first sit-down meal in Paris be an Asian one, though! The outrageous prices compared to what I would pay in Toronto also convinced me.

As the evening wore on, and my legs wore out, I finally settled at La Coupe d’Ors. Amusingly, the English menu didn’t list the escargots of the French menu… Here I am though: 9:30 pm local time, at some cafe in Paris, enjoying deliciously salty and buttery snails, a smoked salmon sandwich, and a glass of house bordeaux.

They had a really neat contraption to hold the snail shell in place while one digs the meat out!

Trying to read my travel book, I quickly fell asleep. After a couple calls to my cell I really should have answered, my next moment of consciousness was the breakfast crowd using the kitchen. I was so addled that looking at my EST clock, I irritably thought they were a party crowd or late arrivals.

Fortunately, I got moved to the top floor, where it’s quieter. I can see why previous residents complained about lugging luggage up the stairs. 5 floors is a lot.

For breakfast I mustered up the courage to pick up a croissant. I almost dared to sit down at a cafe, but quickly learned that smoking in restaurants is alive and well in Paris.

After breakfast, exploring some more, and exercising my little French to buy some postcards and a phone card, moving my stuff was the last straw. Sorry, folks, but I napped on my first afternoon in Paris. Jet lag!

Feeling better now, though. Travel book in hand, it’s time to try the Metro and find a good restaurant!