Paris Day 1 - The Arrival II

We decide to explore our surroundings a bit and quickly notice a few cool things. We have a butcher shop, a small grocery market, a wine shop, a bakery and a pastry shop wrapped around the hotel. Additionally, there are two cafes conviently located in our vicinity - L'Arc and Le Grand Carnot.

As we continue our stroll past our newfound neighborhood, we pass numerous residential areas among a slew of other boutiques and cafes. Crossing into Avenue Mac-Mahon we come face to face with the deranged Parisian drivers and the after-work crowd rushing to grab a smoke, a baguette, a coffee, anything they could get their hands on. Finally, hunger sets in and we settle on a cafe called "Beer Station" , and walk into the place signaling that we desire to sit outdoors.

The cool thing about cafes in Paris is that they outnumber people and their chairs all face away from the cafe. It is a vital custom in Paris to people watch, check out what's happening at the cafe across the street, and essentially be a nosy oogler. Parisians love to watch people, it is in their blood. They must stare and mutter something unintelligible. It's part of the game. A thousand stares come down as we sit in a Parisian cafe for the first time, as the natives react violently to the tourist threat. Parisians detest tourists...but more on that later. When in Paris, do as the Parisians do. Order wine - which is exactly what we do. Along with beer...1664 how I miss thee

We take a break from chatting about what we are going to devour to just take in the scene around us. We are in Paris, at a café, how cliché perhaps, but it must be done. Life goes on all around us. Rapid fire Parisians, drinking their coffee. Others staring out into the Avenue. One guy is reading a newspaper. Cafes are like a second home in Paris; a place to kick off your shoes, put your feet up and just unwind a bit. The table becomes part of your real-estate as far as the waitstaff is concerned. They don’t come over and inquire about the quality of your meal, or if you need another beer. They simply let you be. And you can literally sit there the entire day. Bliss.

Cote du Rhone is the wine of choice. Simply gorgeous. Our meals arrive – ‘still alive’ cow with buttery pasta for moi, steak and frites for Melitza. Decent meal with the highlight being the pasta. Delicious. After devouring everything including the bread basket, it’s time to just linger. And that is exactly what we do.