Pastries, Patisseries and more Pastries.

My wife is a dessert FREAK.  She would have dessert after every meal, even breakfast, if it were socially acceptable.  So naturally we hit every pastry shop she could squeeze into our food schedule.  I will admit, pastries in Paris are an art all in their own, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it.  While stopping at a million “Patisserie” shops isn’t my idea of a rip roaring good time, at least each stop was like visiting a miniature art museum for sweets.  The time and energy spent making each of these is amazing.  I have no idea how these places stay in business.  The labor costs seem staggering to me.  I couldn’t make something that pretty if I had all day, and they’re selling these buy the dozen.

As far as pastries go, I am a big fan of chocolate eclairs because they are simple, and I like simple.  I will look around at everything, but that is what I will walk out with.  So I was quite happy to sink my teeth into my first one in Paris.  My wife was also very happy  to take some inappropriate pictures of me…

My wife got her “usual” raspberry tart.  She says it was the best one of the trip.

The eclair and raspberry tart were found at Gossolin Paris.  It was great because it was just a couple of blocks from the Musee d’Orsay which we hit next.  After seeing the movie Hugo, we decided to pay this museum a visit.  We aren’t huge art buffs but knew we needed to explore at least one museum while in Paris and this one wasn’t daunting in size.

I know, I know.  How can you go to Paris and not see the Louvre!?  But honestly, the Louvre is ENORMOUS.  Truly.  It would probably take a week to get through it if you actually wanted to SEE the art.  We just didn’t have time for that and, like I mentioned earlier, we just don’t care that much for art.

Architecture, on the other hand, is a different story.  Walking throughout the exterior of the Louvre was pretty cool.

Possibly my favorite thing about Paris was the fact that there was literally a chocolate shop on every corner.  But not just any chocolate shop, a fancy chocolatier kind of chocolate shop.  Places where chocolates look like glass marbles and there are sculptures of chocolate hippos.  Seriously.  First time I ever thought about if hippos are edible.

I believe these particular hippopotami were created to ward off any competing chocolatiers from stealing recipes and secrets.

Published by daddyandmefoodie

Hi, my name is Dawson. There is a whole world out there and I want to see as much as I can with my beautiful wife and amazing daughter. It is never too early or late to discover new places and what people eat there. Born and raised in a small town in California, I've led a simple life that leaves me craving far off destinations. My mom taught me the basics of cooking and I have been working in kitchens, delis, bakeries and cafeterias ever since. So along with recommendations of cool spots to eat, I will also add a few recipes here and there to share with everyone what I have been sharing with my family. View all posts by daddyandmefoodie