A Very French Weekend

With the gorgeous, early autumn weather we've been having, this weekend was the perfect opportunity to get out of Jouy and spend some time in Paris. Luckily, my family's apartment was not rented for the weekend, so we took the opportunity to stay in the city and enjoy Paris for a night. On Saturday, Peter had class until noon, and after lunch we took the train into Paris (a thirty-minute trip when you catch the express train!) There was a big market festival going on , right down on the Seine, next to Notre Dame Cathedral. It specialized in goods from southwest France, where we honeymooned, so we were very excited to explore what was there.
It was a fantastic market, with samples of cheeses, wines, honey, fruits and meats from southwest France. We shared a four-euro cheese plate, which turned out to be enough food for four people, but was delicious!The market was packed, but that is part of the fun of experiencing a city like Paris. At the end of the market, people lined the Seine enjoying their cheese and wine samples and the beautiful, crisp, fall weather.After riding bikes throughout the city on Saturday, (the Velib bikes are fantastic- one euro per day to ride a bike all over the city!), we were ready for a good meal. We enjoyed some seafood and good wine at a little restaurant near the Luxembourg Garden, until we headed home to get a good night's sleep.

Sunday morning we were up early to head out of Paris to see our friends, Priscilla and Eduardo. They live in Versailles, and invited us to join them for a trip to the Sunday market and lunch at their apartment, just down the street from the famous Versailles palace. The market was fantastic, actually better than any market either of us had ever visited in Paris! It was huge, and had foods from all over France, and all over the world!
After picking up some fresh vegetables, cheese and herbs to cook with this week, we headed back to Eduardo and Priscila's apartment just a few blocks away. Eduardo prepared an unbelievable meal of squid, mussels and shrimp in fresh Italian pasta, and we ate like kings! After desserts from Paul (a chain bakery here in Paris, but a favorite of ours), and coffee, as well as a few bottles of wine, Peter and I took the 8-minute train back to Jouy, and were back in our home-sweet-home in time to catch the Eagles game :-)All in all, it was a great weekend, filled with good food and great company. We're all set for another busy week. I'll start babysitting for an American family in Paris this week, and continue searching for other activities to do, and Peter will start his first REAL week of classes. But we both look forward to next weekend so we can continue to enjoy all that France has to offer.