July 29th and 30th - Paris Part 3 and Rest Day

Hello all,

Now that I'm back home from Paris, I can finally tell you about my hotel room. I had a beautiful 6th floor room in the Hôtel des Grandes Hommes with a nice balcony that overlooks the Panthéon. It was amazing to just sit on the balcony and admire the view and people below.

On the morning of the 29th, I got breakfast in the basement: eggs, sausage, meats and cheeses, and French-style yogurt. 

Then, we spent the day essentially gallivanting around Paris with the help of the metro. Connor's metro pass wasn't working properly so my French skills came in clutch talking to the service desk each time we needed to use the metro. Our first stop was the Musée d'Orsay, which had many well-known and interesting works, such as Van Gogh's self-portrait, Monet's Water Lilies, and a really content-looking polar bear.

After the museum, we went over to Angelina on Rue de Rivoli for authentic French-style hot chocolate. It's different from regular hot chocolate in that it's a lot thicker and richer. It's essentially like drinking a melted chocolate bar, and I was having trouble finishing it due to how rich it was. 

Then, it was time for lunch. I had a reservation at Chez Dumonet, so we went over there and sat down. We decided to each order a full meal and share it with each other so that we could try as many things as possible. What followed was one of the greatest lunches I've had in my entire life. We started with the Langoustines Rôties Aux Beurre Citronnes (roasted langoustines in lemon butter). They were so sweet and tender, it was almost like I was drinking them. They were so tasty they made my knees weak. Then, we had Morilles Farcies (stuffed morels), which were so meaty that you'd have no idea you were eating mushrooms. 

For our mains, we first got the Bauf Bourguignon Aux Tagliatelles (beef bourguignon with tagliatelle pasta). The meat was fall-apart tender, no knife needed. The sauce mixed with the pasta was excellent and had just a very gentle touch of smokiness. Then, we got the Pigeon Mille Feuille (thousand leaves of pigeon). People call this dish life-changing, and I remember Connor rolling his eyes when I told him this. Well, it was life-changing! Now our favorite bird to eat is pigeon! I have no idea how they made pigeon turn out like this; it reminded me of very high-quality beef that melts in your mouth as soon as it touches your tongue. We both couldn't stop going "mmm"!

For dessert, we started with the Souffle Grand Marnier, which was so light, it was like I was eating a cloud. You could really taste the Grand Marnier when you got to the bottom, though. That definitely warmed me right up! For our final dish, we got the famous Millefeuille Fait Maison (house-made pastry similar to a napoleon). This thing was massive, flaky, and super delicious!

After lunch, we went to the Musée National Picasso-Paris, a museum dedicated to the works of Picasso. Very interesting pieces in there. I also went into the garden where Picasso painted many of his works, which is pretty cool.

After the museum, we went back to the hotel, collected our bags, then took the metro one last time to Gare du Nord, where we got on a Eurostar train back to London. Paris was amazing and I definitely want to go back and explore more of France. Knowing the French language also made my life way smoother. I tracked my movement activity for fun while I was over there as well. Total steps walked: 108508, total miles walked: 47.

My meal of salmon and barley while on the train back

I got back to my dorm, showered, and slept. The next day, it was time for school again, so I got a quick breakfast before heading to my communications class. We practiced paraphrasing content, then I went back to my dorm to catch up on sleep. 

For world religions today, we took a trip over to the historic Oratory Church of St Aloysius Gonzaga, which is considered the oldest Catholic church in Oxford (the older churches are Anglican). It was beautiful, and I was able to listen to my professor talk about the different aspects of the church and how it differs from other denominations. 

After that, I went and got lunch at one of the stands in Gloucester Green. I ended up getting a chicken karaage don with some dumplings. I ate it in the garden, and it was very good! Then, I went back to my dorm and slept some more.

Once I finished napping, I hung out with Connor and Giulianna for a while in the main courtyard before I went to Tesco to pick up a few things. I also saw that Itsu was still open and got some half-price sushi for dinner; quick, easy, and delicious! 

Now I'm just sitting here writing this all up! See you tomorrow!