Welcome To Paris!

I’m on my way today to Paris for business, and it will be strange NOT to be in the “city of lights” for ONLY non-stop fun:

That’s the first thing to love about this city – The Eiffel Tower, named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Of course, my wife Alex and I have to get a selfie with it, not as easy to do as you think!

It was constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair, initially criticised by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but now it is one of the most recognisable structures in the world.

As wikipedia notes, The Eiffel Tower is currently the most-visited paid monument in the world – around seven million visitors a year!

And the second thing I love about Paris is the food – and here is how you can enjoy the Eiffel Tower AND great food as well!

An elevator takes millions up to the first and second level all year around, even to the VERY TOP! However, we discovered a secret that will eliminate your wait!

Yes, the private elevator to the Jules Verne restaurant offers a great way to get to the second level, and it’s ONLY for customers of the restaurant, so there is no wait at all – here is a video from inside the elevator as we made our way up:

Aside from bypassing the long lines, this elevator takes you to Jules Verne – a two- Michelin star restaurant which is now overseen by acclaimed Chef Alain Ducasse – here’s the story I posted about the menu:

https://johnrieber.com/2013/12/08/the-delicious-eiffel-tower-dining-above-paris-at-jules-verne-with-alain-ducasse/

It is a great culinary adventure with an incredible view!

There is, of course, another incredible thing about Paris – the museums and the art – even though the “selfie” craze has gotten a bit out of hand, as you can see here at the Louvre…

Yes, there seem to be as many pictures of people IN FRONT of the Mona Lisa as there are of the famous painting itself – although the last time we were in paris, a separate art exhibit suggested that Mona Lisa is just fine being the iconic figure that she is:

We found this “pop culture” take on the painting while walking past the Georges Pompidou Museum.

No matter where you walk, there are fascinating shops, restaurants and people – before I fly home from this trip, I am going to make a long trek up to Sacre Coeur to share this view again:

Well, that’s obviously not a shot of mine – I found this incredible picture of the view from above Sacre Coeur online, and it was posted to “Flickr” by Dimities Christopoulos, and you should follow him here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/orb_photos/11174535124

I’m not sure I will ever be able to capture the beauty that he did, but I will hike up there to try! I also hope to capture the beauty of a Parisian potato dish:

They just don’t get any creamier than this – and I documented all of the potatoes we ate on one trip to Paris, including this “Caviar Baked Potato”:

You can see all of our potato adventure here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/01/27/a-guide-to-the-potatoes-of-paris-baked-mashed-fried-roasted-cheesy-a-cake-as-well/

Finally, I will make the sojourn to Notre Dame, where Alex and I have attended many church services…

I know that the iconic church will be closed for many years as the post-fire restoration begins…it will no doubt be a sad sight – but the world has come together to help support the restoration, and I can only imagine the festivities that will take place when it reopens to the public!

There you go, a taste of Paris – I will be sharing my latest adventure soon!

Categories: Art, Exotic Travel, Food, food blog, Food Review, Memoirs, Paris, Pop Culture, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Uncategorized, Wacky Food

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