Exploring food, bones, more food…

We started our day close to the apartment with breakfast at a nearby cafe. Full disclosure--we picked this one because it was the only breakfast option open before 10 am. Lucky for us, it was also good, with a sweet and patient owner. Bellies full, we wandered the neighborhood a little before dashing back to warm up before our regular scheduled programming resumed. 

We visited the Catacombs of Paris next. Early Left Bank Paris architecture was constructed of limestone sourced from under ground, which was great for a couple of centuries until the underground mining began to cause streets to collapse in the 18th century. A concurrent sanitation problem from overflowing cemeteries required the removal of bones of millions of Parisians, and they were transferred to the abandoned quarries beginning in 1788 with covered wagons transporting remains in the dark of night. The underground ossuaries now house remains from both notable names and common folks. Sections are marked by the cemeteries they came from, but otherwise they are unidentified. It's every bit as dark and eerie as you might imagine, though fascinating as well. 

After the Catacombs we had to hustle to get over to the Left Bank to meet our tour "Paris by Mouth". We managed to figure out the Metro earlier in the day and purchase cards with passes. It seems like a great system as long as the cards scan, one of which does not... the attendant checked my balance and waved me through, but it will be a problem to solve today...

If you're ever in Paris, we highly recommend this tour. If you like breads, cheeses, treats, and wine, and we do, this exerperience is amazing. We met our guide and small group of six other people and started off with the 2018 winner of "Best Croissant in Paris" from La Maison d'Isabelle to tide us over while we gathered bread, cheeses and treats to enjoy later at a wine bar. The croissant was like none other, truly. 

This market area had it all, and we visited the Fromager Laurent Dubois, the first of three Meilleur Ouvrier de France, which translates as the best workers in France or MOF. It is a honorable distinction among artisans and tradespeople, and they then become mentors with the responsibility to take apprentices and teach their skills. We also visited Chocolatier Patrick Roger where we sampled pralines and truffles and Patissier Arnaud Larher for an amazing macaron. 

We ended up at La Cave du Sénat, a tiny wine bar frequented by the Paris Senate after late night meetings. The wine merchant, Antoine, selected a couple of wines to pair with Christina's cheese selection and we settled into the cozy basement room of the wine bar to enjoy! We enjoyed beautiful patisseries to cap off our evening and then wandered our way home along the lively streets. 

Leaving you here with Steve's favorite joke of the day. He's 12. 😉