There is No Such Thing as a Chocolate Croissant!

This waking up before everyone else, drinking coffee, eating toasted brioche, and writing could become a habit.

The weather was sunny and clear yesterday, cordially supporting our desire to see Paris from the top of Tour Eiffel. The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 to be used as the entrance to the World's Fair that year, is named for its designer Gustave Eiffel, and stands 1,063 feet tall.

In addition to the view the view the view, the Eiffel Tower has shops, dining, and an ice rink in the winter months. Laura’s pictures paint a thousand words about the view. Can you spot L'arc de triomphe? Notre Dame?

Laura also took some photographs from the ground. I especially like her study of contrast through the trees in the morning and afternoon (photos at the top of this post). Also, the photographs that she took of the tower when it was first lit in the early evening hours against a deep blue sky are glorious (just below).

Following a day of taking in the city view, walking, riding the Metro, and shopping (Laura and I knew that Tom needed a black cashmere scarf, and now he has one, voilà!), we dined at Le Dome du Marais, a place I recommended in a 2008 blog post. The restaurant sports a domed ceiling in the main room that changes throughout the evening, casting lovely luminescent shades of color over the room.

The meal was superb. Laura and I shared burrata with tomato and basil, followed by a mushroom risotto. Tom had pâté de foie gras followed by black cod. The dessert menu is picture below. Tom did not get the Homemade Paris "Brest" (whatever that is), but he did point it out to us with his Beavis and Butthead laugh.

I have been asked if the French people are standoffish. The only difficult encounter we have had so far was in the Metro station with a machine that dispenses billets (tickets). It totally turned up its mechanical nose at each and every one of our credit cards. And just a word of advice: If you want to order a chocolate croissant, don’t say that. Order pain au chocolat (chocolate bread). Otherwise you get a plain croissant and then a cross look when you want to change the order.

Au revoir for now. Car horns down on the street have announced for the umpteenth time this morning that it is time to start the day here.