A night out in Paris.

Last night kicked off the start of the regular season for the Asnieres Hockey Club as we hosted the Dunkerque Corsaires. It was a pretty good game although in the end we came up short and lost 3-1 with the final goal being into the empty net. I'll add more about the game in my next post, which will be complete with a highlight video.

This morning however, after taking the opportunity to sleep in, Mindy and I enjoyed a big Canadian style breakfast with eggs, bacon, pancakes, and real Canadian Maple Syrup!!! Yes, you can buy it all at the local grocery supermarket here in Asnieres. Anyway we had our big breakfast and then decided to wander around Paris during the late afternoon and early evening with the intention of grabbing some dinner at one the hundreds of small out of the way restaurants you can find in Paris.

We started off with a strol up the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. It was a beautiful afternoon and we enjoyed mingling with the tourists. From there, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower where we once again mingled with the tourists and remarked on how blessed we felt to be able to live in a place like Paris.

We really wern't sure what we wanted to do, or where we might want to have dinner eventually, so we walked along the Seine river past Les Invalides and the Louvre all the way to Pont Neuf. From here we made our way onto to some back streets with little foot traffic in search of a meal without the tourist price.

Our exploring paid off as we came accross a small street with six or seven small restaurants serving three course meals from between 11 and 14 euros. We choose the busiest of the bunch and enjoyed a great meal at La Citrouille. We started off the meal with a crepe, I had mussels, mushrooms and cheese in mine, while Mindy had her's without the mussels. This was followed the main course of beef in a red wine sauce for myself and roasted chicken for Mindy. Dessert was pomme tarte for my beautiful wife, while I settled for a creme caramel. Needless to say, it was a great meal with a great atmosphere, with fantastic service. The tap water they served was even served from a bottle!

After dinner we made our way accross Pont Neuf to Eglise Notre Dame de Paris to view her in all her splendor at night. We were not disapointed as the lighting inside is kept to a minimum and the chapels of the saints along the sides are only lit by candle light. It was beautiful to see and the perfect ending to our night out.

I should also add that since we were at Notre Dame, we tried to find the side street from the movie The Devil Wears Prada where Anne Hathaway's charater kisses the guy in Paris, but we couldn't quite locate it. We will return after we check the film.

Mindy on a bridge overlooking the Seine river right next to the Eiffel Tower.

Walking along the Rive Gauche towards Pont Neuf.

Mindy holding our water bottle, the water being straight from the river according the owner who also served us this evening. In her other hand, Mindy has a piece of baguette to cleanse the pallet between courses.

Half of our desserts. I should mention that the French have figured out that meal portions do not need to be supersized. As a result, one can enjoy an appetizer, dinner, and dessert without feeling overstuffed. Something North American resturants should look into.

If you happen to be in the area, this is a great little place to eat, although I'm not sure any of the little restaurants arn't great to eat in Paris as the food here is superb.

Mindy and I on Pont Neuf with Eglise Notre Dame de Paris in the background.