A Visit from the Folks

I've been trying to put up one or two blog posts every weekend, but I missed the last couple of opportunities because my parents were visiting from Colorado.  They left on Tuesday so I'm hopefully going to return to my former rhythm, starting today!

(My Dad kissed a French guy -- but more on that in a bit...)

My parents have been to Paris before, with a big tour group, and to be honest I don't think they were overly impressed.  In fact, when I broke the news that Melanie and I were moving here Dad was excited for us, but he admitted that he found the people cold, arrogant, and frequently rude. That, of course, hasn't been our experience at all, so we were excited to show them the Paris we know.

Here are some fun moments from the last few weeks:

Trip to the Louvre

Melanie's knees have been bothering her, so she skipped this outing.  We focused mainly on the Egyptian exhibit, but I was also keen to show them some of the beautiful sculpture gardens.  I think they had a great time, though we were all pretty tired by the time we left.

Of note that day was a change to the famous pyramid!  A street artist who goes by the name "JR" was allowed to put a mural on the front of the pyramid:

When we arrived at the Louvre, the famous pyramid was covered with a black and white mural.

Here's how it looked from the middle of the square. Pretty cool, huh?

Eat, Eat, Eat

We had some amazingly delicious meals while Mom and Dad were here, including a couple that Melanie cooked at home!  We even found some new favorite restaurants, including:

PHILOU

This modern bistro in the 10th district always seems to get great reviews and Melanie and I have been meaning to try it for ages.  We were not disappointed!  The food was outstanding, and the young woman who waited on us was infectiously bubbly and jaunty.  (No arrogance or rudeness here!)

We might have to become regulars at this place

TERROIR PARISIEN

This Yannick Alléno bistro is only a few blocks from our apartment, and we had a really delicious dinner here.  (Mr. Alléno is a 3 Michelin star chef!)  Melanie and I both had steak and they were some of the best we've had in Paris!  For dessert we ordered a French dish called pain perdu which is basically just a gourmet version of French Toast, only in this case made with brioche and served with ice cream. Yum!!

Terroir Parisien is at the base of Palais Brongniart, otherwise known as Bourse, the historic Paris stock exchange!

LE MESTURET
This was another local bistro which Melanie and I discovered while out walking one day.  She kept urging me to go there and I'm glad I finally listened to her.  The food was very good and it must be popular because it was packed on a Sunday night.  (In fact, an orchestra or band came in at one point, carrying their instruments.  Apparently, they play at the restaurant sometimes.)

The "Mobile Food Guide" wrote:

Situated in the heart of Paris not far from the Louvre museum is a charming classic Parisian bistro called Le Mesturet where Alain Fontaine the owner, together with his head chef Pascal Brot have created a delightful place for lunch and dinner. The interior is warmly decorated in an old Paris style with treasures gleaned from the local flea markets and it is a popular destination for both locals and tourists.

My sweetbread salad, with tomato and cilantro mousse, was delicious!

Here is a picture of Melanie's chilled zucchini soup with fresh mint and garlic croutons

Drink, Drink, Drink

Naturally, there was a fair amount of drinking while Mom and Dad were visiting.  (Though I should note that, after having some stomach issues a few years ago, my Mom rarely drinks alcohol anymore.)  

Highlights include:

SUZE

After a little cajoling we were able to get Mom to try a taste of Suze, a famous French aperitif.  If you've never tried it, Suze is a really strange experience.  When you take your first sip it seems quite sweet, but after a few seconds it gets pretty bitter, like some kind of wood polish.  Needless to say, Mom didn't like it... which is always kind of entertaining because she always gets this look on her face like a little kid eating something sour for the first time:

Mom always gets this look on her face when she tastes something she doesn't like

HARRY'S AMERICAN BAR
Melanie and I recently discovered an historic Paris bar pretty close to our house, so I took my folks there one afternoon.  Mom just had water but Dad wanted to try a Bloody Mary, as this drink was apparently invented by Harry himself.  It was good, so he ordered another one.  Next thing I know, Dad is introducing himself to a French businessman at the counter and when the guy tried to shake his hand my conservative engineer father announced, "Let's do it the Paris way!" And he promptly leaned over and kissed the guy on both cheeks!

GRABBING A BEER WITH DAD
After a long day of sightseeing we all headed back to the apartment.  Melanie was cooking dinner that night so I invited Dad down to the corner bistro to have a beer.  We had a great time watching the people walk by and he told me some great stories about when he was a young man.

Hearing Dad's stories was a nice bonding moment, and it made me realize that kids, even as adults, are often kind of self-centered.  In my 20's almost all my phone calls home centered on MY accomplishments, and the things going on in MY life.  (Conversely, most of the conversations with my daughter are about the things going on in HER life.)  I think that's just the natural order of things... but now that I'm older I'm asking more questions and I'm genuinely excited to learn more about my parents, especially the things they did and thought about when they were younger.

* * *

I think Mom and Dad had a really nice visit, and I hope we gave them insight into a different side of Paris than the one they glimpsed before.

It was hard to say goodbye (Melanie cried), and we're already excited for them to come back soon for another visit!