Paris observations + a roundup of how naughty we are.

We stayed in Paris for 6 nights. In this time, in terms of eating, we managed to:

• visit 13 places in my Patisseries of Paris book
• buy 12 bars of chocolate (11 are Susie's as shown above; I bought 1)
• purchase 10 out of the 16 flavors of Pierre Herme's macarons
• visit Pierre Herme 3 times
• visit Laduree 4 times (twice to buy, 2 times just to gawk)
• buy and eat 2 mini cupcakes (just 1 each)
• drink 2 bottles of wine while having at least 1 glass with each meal out (all Susie)
• buy and eat 5 different types of cheeses (as cheese alone; we ate much more cheese that was part of something else)
• polish off 4 crepes (2 each) + 2 croque madams (all me)
• eat countless pieces of wonderful chocolate

And, some general, trivial observations about life in Paris:

• While there is a smoking ban at restaurants in Paris, Parisians still love their cigarettes and sitting at the tables outside of a cafe to smoke is perfectly acceptable.
• The worst TV channel is called "Game One". It airs video games being played out while set to music. I even witnessed Nada Surf's "Always Love" being used as a soundtrack to a first person shooter one night. Ack!
• When you enter a store, the clerk says "bon jour", but when you leave, he/she says "bon journey". Clever!
• There is a window looking out onto the elevator shaft in our bathroom. Is this normal?
• The vending machines in each Metro shop sell both Orangina and Maltesers. Both are total luxuries to me at home, while here, you can buy them while waiting for a train. Nuts!
• The Metro is actually more efficient than London's tube (which I treasure). The stops are closer together and the trains (although dirtier) are more frequent.
• There is a Starbucks at the Louvre. Parisians can also shop at the Gap, H&M and even American Apparel. Boo.
• There are Space Invaders all over the city. I spotted a half dozen or so and just loved them.
  
• There are tights for sale here with the ass cut out. Very interesting.
• Horizontal black & white stripes adorn every other person here. Men wear scarves very nicely. Thin women look especially chic in tailored shorts, tights and boots. Love, love it all.
• Waffles with Nutella is considered a dessert, and I want to try making it immediately when I get home.
• We were hard pressed to find any recycling bins in the city.
• Foie gras is everywhere. It is as much a part of the cuisine as a hamburger is here.
  

Ciao for now! Pics to come soon. ;)
xoxo, h.