France 2011

October 2011

2011-10-06

In flight — Lufthansa Lh355 depart SFO @ 2:20 pm

2011-10-07

Paris (1) — Arrive to FRA Frankfurt at 10:00am. Lufthansa LH1034 depard FRA @ 12:05pm; arrive CDG at 1:15pm.

2011-10-08

Paris (2) —

2011-10-09

Paris (3) —

2011-10-10

Paris (4) —

2011-10-11

Paris (5) — Shopping at Monoprix; dinner at Rue Jacob with Sarah, Julia, Brianna

2011-10-12

Paris (6) — Lunch at Cèpe & Figue in the Latin Quarter; dinner at Roger la Grenouille - cod for dinner and creme brulee foie gras for dessert

October 2011

2011-10-13

Berlin (1) — Board Air France AF2034 $647.40 and take off from CDG Charles de Gaulle at 12:55pm. Land in Berlin at TXL Tegel, Otto Lilienthal at 2:35pm. Stay at Circus Hotel in Mitte.

2011-10-14

Berlin (2) — Circus Hotel

2011-10-15

Berlin (3) — Circus Hotel; ate at Restaurant Ruz

2011-10-16

Berlin (4) — Brunch at the Russian Restaurant Pasternak; dinner at La Dolce Vita; stay Circus Hotel

October 2011

2011-10-17

Paris (7) — Check out of Circus Hotel $588.37. Arrive to TXL Berlin airport and have lunch at Leysieffer Bistro. Board Air France AF1735 and take off at 12:50pm. Land in Paris at CDG at 2:35pm. Dinner at L'Epi d'Or.

2011-10-18

Paris (8) — Dinner at Baan Thai, Les Halles with Sarah, Jen, and Guillaume

2011-10-19

Paris (9) — Shopping at Supermarchés Paquet

2011-10-20

Paris (10) — Dinner of steak-frites with Michelle at Le Relais de l'Entrecote, Saint-Germain

October 2011

2011-10-21

Bilbao (1) — Museo Guggenheim Bilbao; tapas and beer at Bar Rio Oja; stay at Hotel Sercotel Coliseo

2011-10-22

Bilbao (2) — Rent the white Mercedes-Benz B-Class from Atesa Car Rental in Bilbao and drive to Rioja region for wine tasting; shopping at Zara for hip jacket, stay at Hotel Sercotel Coliseo.

2011-10-23

San Sebastian (1) — Pension Ondarra

2011-10-24

San Sebastian (2) — Dinner at Restaurante Urepel; Pension Ondarra

October 2011

2011-10-25

Biarritz (1) — Check out of Pension Ondarra $304.19; took the train to Biarritz $22.60; toured around for the day; dinner at La Crêpe Dentelle, had the nice Calvados; stayed at Hôtel Val Flores

2011-10-26

Paris (11) — Train back to Paris

2011-10-27

Paris (12) —

2011-10-28

Paris (13) — Dinner at Roger la Grenouille

2011-10-29

Paris (14) — Visited Petit Palais; Ate at L'ourcine Restaurant Traditionnel

2011-10-30

Paris (15) — Visited Musée de l'Orangerie; went to Le Petit Bain and saw Mike Watt and the Missingmen

2011-10-31

Paris (16) — Ate an outsanding dinner with some culinary studends at Frenchie $166.05.

November 2011

2011-11-01

Paris (17) — Visited Parc des Buttes Chaumont

2011-11-02

Paris (18) — We buy a ticket for SNCF  TGV train 2707, voiture 17, place assise 55, 56 for €123.60 ($170.) We depart Gare de l'Est at 6:57am and head east toward Reims. We arrive to Gare de Reims at 7:42am. We tour the Reims Cathedrals, walk to Veuve Clicquot Champagne house cellar and taskting room $44, visit Pommery $36, taste at Mumm $36, and have dinner at Le cafe de Reims. We take the evening SNCF TGV train 2762, car 16, seats 45 and 46 back to Paris for €123.60. We depart Reims at 8:15pm and arrive to Paris at 9:00pm. What a day.

2011-11-03

Paris (19) — went to Le Petit Bain and saw Cheikh Lô

2011-11-04

Paris (20) — Ate at Bread and Roses, rue Madame; toured Jardin du Luxembourg, visted Église Saint-Sulpice

November 2011

2011-11-05

Lagos (1) — Macarons from Ladurée. We take off from ORY Paris Orly on easyJet 4275 at 4:35pm $459.94 and land in FAO Faro Portuga at 6:15pm. We barely catch the last train to Lagos. We walk to Hotel Vila Galé Lagos.

2011-11-06

Lagos (2) — Tour Lagos. Lunch at the seaside O Camilo cafe $23. Hotel Vila Galé Lagos

2011-11-07

Lisbon (1) — We take the train to Lisbon. Check in to Hotel Lisboa and ate at Restaurante Alfaia Garrafeira

2011-11-08

Lisbon (2) — Hotel Lisboa; ate dinner at SEA ME Peixaria Modernapan>9

Lisbon (3) — Hotel Lisboa; ate dinner at SEA ME Peixaria Moderna

2011-11-10

Lisbon (4) — Hotel Lisboa - We tour Sintra. For dinner we eat at A Baiuca in Alfama and experience fado vadio

2011-11-11

Porto (1) — There was a train strike going on so we take the Rede Expressos bus from Lisbon to Porto at 3:00p; Stay at Eurostars das Artes

2011-11-12

Porto (2) — Eurostars das Artes; Lunch at Dom Tonho along the riverside.

2011-11-13

Porto (3) — Eurostars das Artes; Dinner at Postigo do Carvão

November 2011

2011-11-14

Paris (21) —

2011-11-15

Paris (22) —

2011-11-16

Paris (23) — Dinner with Richard at his place. Had Champagne, Époisses de Bourgogne cheese, the wrapped chicken

2011-11-17

Paris (24) —

2011-11-18

Paris (25) — Grand Palais, Arc de Triomphe

2011-11-19

Paris (26) —

2011-11-20

Paris (27) — Visited the Sunday Boulevard Raspail market, bicycle ride along the Seine, sunset in the Tuileries Garden

2011-11-21

Paris (28) — Visited Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois

2011-11-22

Paris (29) — Dinner at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Saint-Germain with Jen. We drank Kir Vin Blanc (white wine with blackcurrant liqueur), glass of Coteaux Charitois wine), Domaine de la Vernière (wine), and a bottle of Faugères Les Bastides (by Jean-Michel Alquier). We ate Le ris de veau clouté de laurier frais (sweetbreads with fresh bay leaves), L'Oeuf Cocotte à la crème légère de Girolles (egg casserole with light girolle cream), Le foie gras frais de canard cuit au torchon (fresh duck foie gras cooked in a cloth), Les encornets et les artichauts rissolés (sautéed squid and artichokes), Le Caviar sur une Pomme de Terre à l'Anguille (caviar on a potato with eel), Le Velouté de Chataigne (chestnut soup), La caille farcie de foie gras et caramélisée (quail stuffed with foie gras and caramelized), Le Fruit de la Passion en Soufflé chaud (passion fruit in a warm soufflé). We ended with a café expresso (espresso) and Le Café crème (coffee with cream). What a meal!

2011-11-23

Paris (30) —

2011-11-24

Paris (31) —

2011-11-25

Paris (32) —

2011-11-26

Pairs (33) — Lunch at Les Tablettes de Jean-Louis Nomicos with Jen Grant and Cindy

2011-11-27

Pairs (34) —

2011-11-28

Pairs (35) — Lunch at Chez Janou with Mark and Jen

2011-11-29

Pairs (36) —

2011-11-30

Paris (37) — Visited La Sainte-Chapelle, climbed the Eiffel Tower with Jen

December 2011

2011-12-01

Pairs (38) —

2011-12-02

Flying home — We take off from CDG Charles de Gaulle on Lufthansa LH2231 at 1:00pm and land in MUC Munich Franz Josef Strauss at 2:30pm. We tranfer to Lufthansa h358 and take off at 4:00pm and land at SFO San Francisco at 5:15pm. Chip has a limo waiting for us at the airport.