Confirmed: Paris = Best city in world.

Well, it’s true. Paris is the greatest city in the world.  I wasn’t questioning it, but today was one of those days that just reminded me, with shouting and shining and glowing obviousness.  I felt like a tourist, just staring at all the ridiculous amazingness everywhere to be seen.  I still can't get over how great it is.

I started out this morning with a “Chocolate walk”.  (That’s my idea of a walk!!)  It was a two hour tour where we learned about chocolate, stopped at several places, and had tastings.  I got to see a lot of new streets I had never visited before and some shops I didn’t know about!  More pictures to come, but here's a couple from the trusty iPhone...

Then I walked and walked and walked.  I walked through the Tuileries gardens, over the Seine, past the Louvre, stopped at a restaurant to pick up my jacket that I had left last week, then wandered through the 6^th, which, by the way, has to be the best neighborhood in Paris.  

 I really thought my neighborhood was the cutest.  But the 6^th is just…bah…adorableness and cobblestone and small stores and restaurants and cuteness and history and amazing around every corner. 

I got a “crepe du jour” for 5 euros with ham, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and arugula, and I will be back again one day soon.

Then as I was wandering some more, I happened upon two things…first, a huge chocolate shop, where the chocolatier was awarded as one of the best craftsmen in France, so I thought I should probably stop in to take a look.  You could just grab a plastic bag, pick and choose what you want, and they weigh it at the end…not very common for French chocolate shops.  Next thing I knew, I had a plastic bag in my hand. 

 

I had lofty plans of saving this bag and trying the chocolates and caramels throughout the week, maybe one per night or something.  Then I ate all but 3 pieces tonight.  Sigh.  No self control.  That's why Nutella is banned.

By the way, this chocolate shop owner makes all kinds of creations with chocolate, and he once made a sailboat of chocolate and sailed it around the harbor:

Hello?? Anyone?? Chocolate boat!!

Then I found it...The cutest street in the world, in case you were wondering where it is.  It's in the 6th, in Paris.  I remember stumbling upon this street a few years ago when I came on a trip to Paris by myself (as I have been known to do)…but today it was just looking extra adorable and amazing and cute.  

 You can just imagine it in the 1800’s or 1700’s or 1600’s even, because there’s a coffee shop there from 1686!!!  The first coffee shop in France.  Ridiculous.

I also saw a chocolate/pastry shop called "Un Dimanche a Paris" that is often featured on my new favorite blog, Paris Patisseries, so of course, I had to go in. 

Two pastries later, I was out the door, adding my pastry shopping bag to my chocolate shopping bag, and feeling like I had just bought new shoes or jewelry or something.  They make the bags fancy enough.  

The pastries and chocolates will appear in a separate post, because I feel that desserts should stick together.  And because I haven’t uploaded my pictures yet, and I’m going to bed.  

Finally, I had a fantastic dinner at Les Cocottes with Maygan, Kyle, and two visitors.  More on that later, too.  Hoping to get caught up a bit tomorrow.  But for now...it's 3am, and I need to get up early for a bakery tour w/ Maygan in the morning!  So bon nuit!