Arrival in Paris

I got to Paris safely yesterday, and it rained off and on for most of the evening. Charles De Gaulle airport is pretty far out of town, and it was 5pm and raining so the traffic was fairly bad getting to the hotel. I would have taken the subway and saved the 45 Euro cab ride (about $60), but I was meeting Phillippe and Sylvie for dinner and had to get ready.

We went out for a really great dinner at a French restaurant. It was a multi-course meal:

1. Foie Gras, served with dessert wine


2. Fish, served with white wine


3. Sorbet drowned in Apple Brandy, to clear the pallet


4. Steak, served with red wine


5. A selection of cheeses with bread


6. Ice cream, caramel brittle (sort of like peanut brittle but without peanuts), and a shot glass of straight caramel that you eat with a spoon, served with champagne.

Lets just say I was happily full at the end, which was about 3 hours and 15 minutes after we started. We had a great time, telling jokes and stories and laughing a bit too loud for a fancy restaurant. Here is a picture from dinner:



They took me on a small tour of Paris after dinner, showing me the Eiffel Tower at night, the Arc De Triomphe, and a host of other things. The weather is looking good right now, so I'm gonna go out and explore a bit, maybe get some pictures, and try to catch a show tonight.