lexieonline

I’m a sucker for trying new things and adventuring into the unknown or doing something that I have not yet experienced. Dare me to eat that strange green-looking thing? Ok. Want me to come with you on a last-minute trip 7 hours away? My bags are already packed. 

I love adventure. I crave it. When I bought a plane ticket to France on a whim without telling anyone but my friend in France that I was planning on staying with, it was the only thing I thought of for days. 

The culture and lifestyle of the French people… The food I would be trying, the people I would meet, and the memories I would soon be able to make and look back at in later days to come….

With all of that being said… Of course, I compiled a list of everywhere Katelyn and I stopped to snack. Whether it be a coffee or tea break, breakfast, lunch, wine break, or dinner… You best believe I wrote it down for my keepsake. 

And I am so glad that I did….

Follow along for the ultimate food blog FRENCH style!

DAY 1- 

I hopped off the plane and it was 5am. Don’t worry, I am not going to count the airplane food in this blog. After managing to somehow (Thank GOD) find my way from the airport, dodge customs, (maybe I should leave that part out), find the train station, buy a ticket to Paris, get on the right train and get off at the right stop at Gare Du Nord, ALL WITH NO SERVICE, and finally, I see my knight in shining armor… Behold… KATELYN. 

She takes me to our first stop. The ultimate stop for a very handsome espresso shot that I so direly needed after that 8+ hour plane ride over the ocean blue.

Breakfast: Café Du Nord

She then took me on a walking tour of Paris, which I was so excited about. Minus the fact, that I was in shoes I thought would be good for this… Little did I know, and little did the shoes know, neither of us was prepared for that. And Katelyn was telling me for days upon my arrival how great the weather had been, how it had been so nice and sunny, in the mid-sixties… Yeah, right.

It rained the whole walking tour and even sleeted, snow flurried. I cannot complain, though. I WAS IN PAAARRRIISSSS! So, who cares. Not me, and not the blisters on my feet either!

We saw so many amazing things, but I will keep this to a blog about food, and save the sights for another one…

Afternoon pick-me-up: Les Deux Magots

Talk about yummmyyyyyy. And thick. Believe it or not, France actually has the best hot chocolate. I didn’t make that up, it is actually on the internet. We stopped here because Katelyn told me I had to see for myself. It even came with a little chocolate on the side.

I put the chocolate in my purse to eat at another time, but I never found it… I wonder where it went.

DAY 2–

Wow, talk about exhaustion… We slept like rocks and Katelyn made us a nice breakfast that I failed to take a picture of before we left Saint-Just-en-Chaussée for the day. Hopped on the bus, commuted to Paris, and then headed straight to the modern art museum that was featuring an exhibit on YSL Saint Laurent handbags.

We spent the morning at the Centre Pompidou modern art museum and from there, headed over for some pizza that caught our eye in the window. Italian food in France? Eh, why not…

Lunch: IT Rambuteau

And I will say, the food in Italy is still better in Italy… France, you almost had it! It was still divine though. Even though I didn’t get it, I had to take a picture of the tiramisu.

After some consignment shopping and getting snowed on some more, we decided it was time to head home and rest for the day. But j’adore Paris. ❤

DAY 3–

Ah, yes. Nothing like sleeping in until 2pm and then missing the train, so not getting to Paris until the beginning of the evening. It makes the perfect excuse for an all-nighter! Right? Or maybe that part was planned due to our 6am flight to Nice the next morning. Anyways… let’s get to the food.

Drink Stop: Le Café de la Gare

Even though we missed the train, it was a good excuse to sit at the bar across from the train station, browse through the local French magazines, and have a beer or two and an espresso.

After we got to Paris, we put our luggage in a storage place at the train station so that we didn’t have to drag it around with us all night. From there, we hit the town to find a dinner place. AND you will never guess what we found…….

Dinner: Café Blanche

We just stumbled upon this little dinner place and it turned into quite a nostalgic experience. The server sat us in a corner and we were sat next to two other couples (of which none of us were French). We believe that was why he did that, and the guy next to us called it the international corner.

We did not care or take any offense but rather thought it was hilarious. He brought over an English menu and held it up for all 6 of us to look at. He explained the 3-course meal options or the other dinner options. Katelyn and I got a bottle of red wine and STEAK. I kid you not, the steak was absolutely delicious, and that is coming from a pretend vegan.

DAY 4–

First day in Nice! Isn’t that nice??? After our all-nighter the night before, we were pretty tired but decided to pull through the day.

Lunch: Le Daily-Ric

We grabbed a sandwich and headed to the water. Isn’t it so blue??? We also had to grab a pastry… There were just too many to not get one! We chose the tropézienne.

Afternoon pick-me-up: Cesar Milano

You cannot go abroad without getting gelato. Of course, we had to get some.

Dinner: Jean Medécin District (I’m sorry, I cannot remember, but it is somewhere in this district of Nice)

Katelyn and I thought we were getting a dozen escargot, and then he came out with a half-dozen. I then decided that they always seem like a better idea to get than they actually are.

DAY 5–

Breakfast: Bagelstein

We woke up and had the best bagel you could ever imagine… I got the Joséphene bagel and Katelyn got the Isidore bagel. We split them half and half so we could try them both. From there, we ran to the train station to catch a train to Monaco.

Once in Monaco, we walked around and explored. BEAUTIFUL PLACE.

Afternoon snack: Somewhere in Monaco…

We enjoyed a delicious cheese board and a thirsty French happy hour to get ourselves ready for the hike up to the Palace. Sorry, I cannot remember the name of this place, but maybe Katelyn knows. TBD…

We took the train back to Nice and got ready to hang at the hostel with friends we made before exploring the nightlife.

DAY 6–

Yeah… We slept until 1pm. But that is what traveling does to you. Exhausts your body.

Lunch: Chicken N Chicken

Yeah… You heard that right. Chicken N Chicken. We just wanted something easygoing, ya know. So, here we are at the Chicken N Chicken. And I do have to say. It did not disappoint.

Afternoon pick-me-up:

We got a cappucino and tiramisu! The perfect afternoon snack for anyone. I will say that the Italians win again when it comes to tiramisu. Wasn’t very impressed, but it could just be the style that this restaurant served.

DAY 7:

Bye, bye Nice! You were so nice… We hit the airport bright and early around 7am and headed back to Paris. Back to the airprt, back to Gare du Nord, back toSaint-Just-en-Chaussée… And Katelyn made us dinner. That I forgot to photograph. But we were so exhausted, I probably was half asleep anyways…

Food not mentioned and/or photographed:

• The cucumber sandwich I got at a grocery store on the way to the hostel bar crawl
• The angry face CHIPS that I tried to find at the airport on the way back to the U.S.
• The breakfast Katelyn made on day 2 and day 3
• The McDonald’s we ate when we got back to Paris
• The dinner Katelyn made day 1 and day 7
• The nasty Indian food we got that just smelled good