Chantilly

We took a day trip out to see Chantilly- another chateau in France AND home of whipped cream (“Chantilly” in French). It was sunny, 70+ degrees (20 Celsius) and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We took the train 25mintues outside of the city and took a short walk through a forest to arrive at a gorgeous chateau, Horse Park, and gardens. There was a horse show in the afternoon so we started with the chateau and the gardens. It was far too nice to go inside and stare at stuffy furniture so we walked through the gardens, forests, and fountains. We visited the Austrialian gardens with kangaroos (I’m not kidding) and the English gardens with the island of love (Ile d’Amour). After an afternoon of walking, we sat in the grass and enjoyed ice cream topped with whipped cream, of course!

It was a pleasant break from Paris and I was amazed at how easy it was to get there! 25 minutes on the train and we spent an entire afternoon at a beautiful chateau! –the whipped cream wasn’t bad either-

Chocolat: Chocolat Glace

Italien Gelato, watch out! I was strolling around Notre Dame one evening and I got a bit of a sweet tooth. Knowing that the Ile-Saint-Louis was just behind Notre Dame, I decided to head back that way. A friend had told me that Bertillon on Ile-Saint-Louis was known for having the best ice cream in all of Paris so, naturally, I was dying to go back. I ordered a simple (1) scoop of Chocolat Noir (Dark Chocolate). OH my goodness! It tastes like dark chocolate fudge-cake-brownie-batter-melting-in-your-mouth. I literally enjoyed it too much to take a picture. As I was crossing Le Petit Pont, a woman came up to me and asked if I was Parsienne. "Non, désolé, je suis Americaine," I replied but I told her that I had a map if she needed. She explained that was looking for Notre Dame. I laughed and pointed at the buildings ahead. "It's right there," I replied, "behind those buildings. Continue to cross the bridge." (Of course this conversation was in French.) But, its the first time that I helped a tourist! In French! I guess that I've learned a lot in my first month here!

To avoid the Tourist Trap in the summer months-- Bertillon supplies most of the ice cream to the other cafes on the island. To skip the lines, just walk up to another window to order your treat-- it'll taste just as delicious.

Notre-Dame et Ile Saint-Louis

On the first sunny, beautiful afternoon in Paris, I went to Notre-Dame. As Frommer suggested, I waited until sunset to go inside so that I could get the full effect of the gorgeous stained glass windows and the West Rose Window. The church was beautiful and some of my friends went to international mass there on Sunday. It was definately the perfect afternoon trip in Paris and if I find myself near Notre-Dame again, I will climb the towers and visit the gargoyles.

*To stall some time before sunset, I walked across a small bridge to Ile Saint-Louis. It is a small shopping district with restaurants, cafes, ice cream, and antiques. I want to go back and try a little corner restaurant with dozens of ceramic cows (vanches) in the window. Also, I found fro-yo at "myberry", for those who thought it impossible to find fro-yo in Paris, ha! I will be returning when it is open for some delicious frozen yogurt.