13 Thursday Dec 2012
Mr. Selfish and I have arrived in Lisbon. This is our 26th and last city on our European/North African tour. We are here for four days in Lisbon and then we leave for the States. We are quite excited to be going home. Can’t wait to see everyone for the holidays!
For those of you interested, here’s the map of our last four months:
12 Wednesday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France
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Castle Hill, Fenocchio, France, Henri Matisse, Ma Yucca, Monastère de Cimiez, Musée Matisse, Nice, Place Rossetti
After our culinary adventures in Lyon were over, Mr. Selfish and I took the four-hour train to Nice. Nice sits on the French Rivera and, during the summer time, is the playground of the rich. Elton John and even Paul Allen own homes in Nice. However, when we were there, it was low season and pretty deserted, which is how we like it.
11 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France
Mr. Selfish and I wanted to explore the wine regions around Lyon, but we didn’t have a car. Instead, we had to settle on taking a day trip to the Beaujolais region. The drive from Lyon to Beaujolais was quite lovely.
10 Monday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France
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I had read that Lyon was the gastronomic capital of France (and possibly the world). After spending six weeks in Paris and very much enjoying the food there, I had high hopes for Lyon, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The most memorable food that I ate in Lyon was the pink pralines. Mr. Selfish and I were wandering the old town of Lyon and came upon a long line. We have taken to joining these long lines because there is usually a reason for the line. This time, the line was for a bakery, which specialized in Lyonnaise pralines. These Lyonnaise pralines are different from the pralines that we are used to in the States. Although they are still almonds in sugar, they are not caramelized (unlike the American counterparts), which makes the texture nice and crumbly. We had some bread with pralines and it was divine.
09 Sunday Dec 2012
Although the weather was a bit chilly, Mr. Selfish and I enjoyed Lyon. We particularly enjoyed the Roman ruins and the Parc de la Tête d’Or.
The Roman ruins are on the hilltop near the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. They may not be as impressive as the ruins in Rome but they were free and pretty empty.
08 Saturday Dec 2012
Mr. Selfish and I took the four-hour train from Paris to Lyon and stayed in Lyon for four days. There are two very beautiful churches in Lyon – the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière and the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon.
Upon our arrival in Lyon, we saw the Basilica from afar. It was nighttime and the Basilica was all lit up. Interestingly, Lyon has a miniature tower just like Paris. I didn’t tire of this view and kept photographing it in different light.
06 Thursday Dec 2012
After a relaxing day in Nantes, my aunt and I took a road trip around the beachy areas of Brittany. First, we stopped at a beach near Pornic called La Bernerie en Retz.
05 Wednesday Dec 2012
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Biscuit Lu, Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, Cathédrale Saint Pierre, Château des ducs de Bretagne, Day Trip, France, Jardin des Plantes, Nantes
My aunt graciously invited me to visit her in Nantes, France. I gladly took the two hour train from Paris to get to know my aunt better and see the beautiful city of Nantes.
Nantes is located in the Brittany area of France, which is the western corner of France. In 2004, Nantes was rated as the “most liveable city in Europe” by Times magazine. It was indeed a very liveable and lovely city.
First, my aunt took me to the Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany). It was the residence of the Dukes of Brittany between the 13th and 16th centuries.
04 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France, Paris
Mr. Selfish and I had our best meal in Paris in the 17th Arrondissement at Le Relais de Venise. The line outside is always ridiculously long and they don’t take reservations, but it’s worth of the wait.
03 Monday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France, Paris
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I previously posted about the night life in the 18th Arrondissement, which is the red light district of Paris, but you can also spend your daylight hours in the 18th. Of course, the Sacre Coeur is beautiful, and it always fun to lounge about and enjoy the view. We even saw an amazing dancer/acrobat/street performer right in front.
02 Sunday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France, Paris
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Mr. Selfish and I ate a great deal of bread and pastries while in Paris. We searched long and hard for delicious baguettes and croissants in particular. However, the Eric Kayser bakeries were consistently good – not the best but always delicious.
01 Saturday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France, Paris
Other than being a mostly residential area, the 13th Arrondissement has the largest Chinatown in Paris. Mr. Selfish and I shopped at a grocery store in Chinatown during our first Sunday in Paris since all of the other grocery stores were closed at the time. Of course, we also sampled some Asian food in the area.
The most memorable meal we had was at Lao Lane Xang, which is primarily a Laotian restaurant. In fact, this restaurant is so good that there are two on the same street – right across the street from one another. Despite having two locations on the same street, we still waited for about 45 minutes for a table on a Thursday night.
29 Thursday Nov 2012
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1st Arrondissement, Church of Saint Germain l'Auxerrois, France, Jardin des Tuileries, Louvre, Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris
Mr. Selfish and I loved walking around the 1st Arrondissement, especially around dusk. The lighting was beautiful, and we really enjoyed the Jardin des Tuileries, which is known as the place where the “Parisians celebrated, met, promenaded, and relaxed.” We especially enjoyed relaxing around the fountains.
28 Wednesday Nov 2012
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7th Arrondissement, École Militaire, France, Le Relais de Venise, Les Invalides, Paris, Saxe Breteuil Market
The 7th Arrondissement, of course, has the amazing Eiffel Tower. But there is other stuff to do in the 7th as well.
One of the most beautiful sites is Les Invalides. It contains museums and monuments relating to the military history of France and, most significantly, is the burial site of Napoleon Bonaparte. Across the way is the École Militaire, which is a military school at which Napoleon studied.
27 Tuesday Nov 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France, Paris
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10th Arrondissement, Church of Saint Vincent de Paul, France, Gare du Nord, Indian Food, Muniyandi Vilas, Paris, Petit Bombay, Saravanaa Bhavan, Sri Lankan Food
While our apartment in Paris was in the 18th Arrondissement, we were quite close to Gare du Nord in the 10th Arrondissement. We accordingly did lots of transfers from Gare du Nord and discovered the Church of Saint Vincent de Paul was nearby.
The Selfish Years 
