Paris, Munich, Beef Fondue

Good Afternoon! I'm currently writing to you fine folks back in the States aboard the #1269 Inter-City Express from Karlsruhe, Germany to Munich, Germany. Today has been primarily a travel day, taking Metro trains across Paris, then high-speed trains from Paris, across the Alsace region of France, and into Basel, Switzerland, and then from Basel across the western edge of Bavaria to our current location in Karlsruhe. We're scheduled to be departing in approximately 10 minutes, with an arrival shortly after 7pm in Munich. When we last spoke, we were waiting out the steady Parisian rain on Monday afternoon, hoping to explore other portions of the city later in the day. Steady rain did finally end, and we departed our hotel for a local 'brassierie' down the street where we could grab an afternoon cup of coffee. As far as I understand it, there are several tiers of French restaurants, ranging from brassieries to bistros to full-fledged restaurants. Brasseries are the most informal of the three, and are effectively analagous to an American coffee shop/deli/corner bar all rolled into one. Upon walking into the bar, we were immediately greeted in French, and upon replying "parlez vouz Anglais?" (do you speak English?), we were told "no" by the very animated  woman behind the counter. After mumbling some extremely broken French, we were able to indicate that we wanted "deux cafe", two coffees. We were then shoo'ed toward our seats, an indication that the woman behind the bar would be delivering our coffees to us tableside. As you may recall, the portion of Paris we were staying in was quite non-touristy, so this type of experience was to be expected. After lingering in the brasserie for 2 hours or so, observing the Paris rush hour from the cozy confines of our table, we gathered our items to leave. After paying the bill and leaving a small, 5-10% tip, the woman behind the counter immediately perked up and became quite friendly to us, a complete 180 from the somewhat abrasive service of before. From all I've read, most Parisians do not tip, and most tip 5% if the service was exceptional, so I'm sure our barista/bartender/clerk was quite surprised to receive such monetary compensation. We then departed the brassierie, and headed down the street down a local grocery store/market to purchase a few items. The remainder of the evening was fairly low-key, with a dinner at "Le Grand Pan", a highly rated restaurant near our hotel. The restaurant featured no menus for food, only for wine and drinks, with all food items hand-written on chalkboards which were hurriedly whisked around the restaurant to show newly arriving diners. I have never experienced this at a restaurant, but it appears to be commonplace for Parisian bistros attempting to recreate the feel of a bygone era. For our meal, we opted to begin with a charcuterie platter, with assorted sausages, and what I believe to have been fois gras (we didn't think about it, we just ate it). The meats were served with an assortment of pickles and fresh bread, and all were quite tasty. For the main course, we chose the "Boeuf Limousine", the house speciality, which was effectively a very well-seasoned and grilled steak, with cuts of meat that are typical in the Basque region of southern France/northern Spain where the chef was raised. The meat was served with frittes (fries), and all items were quite delicious. Thankfully during this meal, one member of the wait staff spoke good English and was able to translate the menu for us and assist us greatly. Departing the restaurant, we had a brief conversation in limited English with an Asian tourist, who spoke little French or English, he inquired how we had found out about the restaurant, and we shared a few pleasantries and then departed. Another day of sightseeing awaited us on Tuesday, and after sleeping in and enjoying a late breakfast of a pizza-esque bread/croissants, from the fantastic local bakery (it's amazing the sheer number of bakeries in Paris, with virtually every single intersection offering fresh baguettes, croissants, and other pastries), we departed for the Cathedral of Notre Dame. After a few metro stops, we arrived at Notre Dame, along with every other tourist in the city. The Cathedral was beautiful from the outside, but we didn't linger long, and instead headed northward toward the Montmarte neighborhood. Montmarte has supposedly been home to all the famous writers and painters that have at one time or another called Paris home. The neighborhood stands on a steep hillside, eventually reaching a crest at the Butte of Montmarte, home to the Sacre du Couer Basilica. The neighborhood still retains the eclectic and Bohemian feel it has always been known for, with an unorganized grid of cobblestone streets, gradually taking the pedestrian to a higher and higher point. To make the final ascent to the top of Montmarte, there are two options, approximately 300 stairs, or a "funicular", a pulley-type train used to ascend a hillside. We opted for the route of burning more calories, and climbed the stairs, ascending to the top after a few minutes. Upon reaching the top of the stairs and turning back around, the view was absolutely magnificent, with all of Paris now at our feet. Continuing further we came upon the "Place du Terte", a plaza lined with an exorbitant number of cafes, bistros, brasseries, and 234 (not exactly) different artists all wishing to draw a characicture you. After continuing further, receiving a loud shout of "Arsenal!" from, and then exchanging thumbs up with an eastern European teenager who noticed my Arsenal scarf, we arrived at the Basilica. The view we previously had from the top of the Montmarte steps was already a 9/10, the view improved to a 10/10 after we reached the steps of the Basilica, an unobstructed, panoramic view of nearly the entirety of Paris now prominently displayed below us. I took a 1 minute or so video of the panorama, which I'll post so you can share in the enjoyment. Montmarte is the highest point in Paris, and the building code states that nothing can be built higher than the Basilica, these regulations only adding to the grandeur. The wash of white and cream colored buildings below, and the relative lack of skyscrapers was certainly a unique experience. Departing the Basilica, we headed back down the Montmarte steps and after reviewing several posted menus, decided on the "Taverene de Montmarte" for dinner, a small, dated (on purpose), tavern nestled in amongst the other cafes and bistros along the maze of cobblestone streets. We began the meal with a shared "Soupe a'la Ongion", French Onion soup for us Americans. Obviously it's redunant to say "French Onion" soup while in France. The soup was excellent, and probably the best bowl we've ever had. For the main course, we had what can only be described as "beef fondue". I had misunderstood our waitress (who seemed to speak English, French, Italian, and Spanish, based on interactions with other tables), and thought we would get fondue, with chunks of beef intermixed within the cheese, instead to the table arrived a platter of raw beef chunks, and a fondue pot with hot oil boiling in it, as well as a platter or frittes, and variety of aiolis. The "fondue" portion of the meal occurs as you stab a piece of the beef with the fondue fork, and then place it into the oil, cooking it to the desired doneness. This was certainly quite the cultural experience, and I doubt this is even possible in America given the stringent (sometimes too stringent) food safety laws in place. We ate until filled, and then finished the meal with a shared small chocolate mousse, and two coffees, French style, effectively a slightly sweetier/creamier version of espresso, excellent. We then strolled around Montmarte a little big longer, then departed back to the 15th arrondissment via Metro. Walking back to the hotel, we nearly stopped at another local brassierie/bistro to catch the last 40 minutes of the Chelsea vs. Barcelona Champion's League Semifinal, but instead caught the remaining 30 minutes on French Television in our hotel. In summary, Paris is a beautiful city, and certainly well-worth visiting. The French certainly do seem to be a complex people, well perhaps just Parisians, but a good attitude and a few smiles, as well as some financial generosity will go a long ways toward winning them over. Also, trying to speak French also helps, and I think most of the people we dealt with were pleased (and amused) by our attempts. Well, that generally catches you up on our progress. I've been typing for approximately 1 hour now, and we've reached Stuttgart, Germany, current local time, 4:55pm, with another 2 hours or so to go until Munich. I'll be posting this blog once we get to the hotel in Munich and have Internet access. Additionally, I'll try to upload the mass quantity of pictures and a few videos from the last few days. Perhaps a few captions later, but for now, we'll try and let you guys figure out what you're looking at. Tonight should be an interesting night in Munich, as Bayern Munich is playing Real Madrid (in Madrid) in the other Champion's League semifinal. If Bayern wins, they'll advance to the UEFA Champion's League Final, the most prestigious game in all of European soccer. A berth in this game would certainly send the city of Munich into ecstasy I am sure. Have a wonderful day wherever you are, and a special Happy 30th Birthday to my dear friend, Mr. Matthew Rosier!


UPDATE: The preceding blog entry was meant to be uploaded about 5 hours ago, but several factors conspired against us, and it's just getting posted. The photos of the past few days will get uploaded tomorrow due to internet problems in our hotel room (currently uploading the entry from the hotel lobby here in Munich).

Beef Fondue - http://youtu.be/oGQs3KCNuQk

View of Paris from atop Montmarte Butte - http://youtu.be/XieQaqMBfnk