Keaau, Hawaii - Mauna Loa Macadamia Factory Tour

The Mauna Loa Macadamia production facilities were in high gear.  A self guided factory tour is available and I always like to take these types of tours.

Phoenix, Arizona - Julia Baker Confections

I stopped by the Apple store at the Biltmore Fashion Center on Camelback Road for a class. After the class, I decided to take a walk through the shops.

I was shocked, thrilled, amazed...and more... when I looked in the window of "Julia Baker Confections".  I was instantly in Paris.  The shop is just delightful.

I didn't know where to start looking. Chocolates, beautiful chocolates.  And wonderful packaging.

Royal Palais Garden

I wanted to explore the garden at the Royal Palace. I had walked past this building before, with no clue of the gardens in the entrance.  There are also covered galeries around the outside of the garden with some really nice shops.

This is the entrance on the North side of the complex.

It quickly opens to a huge garden.  It's spring!
See the pink trees?

There are a lot of places to sit in the center and under
the tree.

Daffodils and other flowers around the edgeway.

Nice fountain in the center of the garden.

After we left, we walked past a wonderful chocolate shop.

Yummy light and dark chocolates.

Flat free form peices and pieces. Check out the prices!

The round billboards on the Avenue de l'Opera.
The opera is in the background.

Fashion statement for the spring season.

Hot Chocolate at Angelina's

This was thick and tasty. The whipped cream floated on top. There was enough in the pitcher for us to have two cups each. What a treat.

Angelina's - Pierre Herme - Galerie Vivienne - Tir Bouchon

Today was a strolling and eating day. What a better way to spend the day in Paris?

Angelina's on rue du Rivoli

Angelina's on rue du Rivoli

We started the day by heading to rue du Rivoli.  It is the street that runs next to the Louvre and is filled with shops, hotels and restaurants.  We checked out all of the fun stuff, scarves, aprons, hats, French gloves, comparing prices and deciding what to buy.  

French Onion Soup

My target spot was Angelina's so that we could have the hot chocolate. I have a video with the hot chocolate in a seperate blog.  Angelina's is very fancy on the ground floor, with floor to ceiling mirrors and fancy dressed people.  The tourists were sent to the 1st level.  We had a great seat around a balcony so I could watch all of the patrons.  I started with the French Onion Soup (Gratinee 12,50€). It had a lighter, almost chicken base, not the usual dark beef base.  I need to check out recipes on the internet to see if I can find it.  Anyway, it was very savory and tasty. Karl had a Croque Monsieur 13,50€ and a glass of wine 4€.  After the soup, the hot chocolate 6,90€ each was delivered.  Be sure to check out the video (in another blog) to see the thick chocolaty drink.

We were seated in the balcony.

The view was of the front door

It was a beautiful area.

Beautiful pastries at Angelina's

Pierre Hermes

After lunch, we continued the walk and decided to turn right to go in the general direction of the apartment. To my surprise, we walked right past a Pierre Herme

Inside Pierre Hermes.
Very sophisticated!

 store.  It is a good practice to study the names of the best chocolate and treat shops in Paris, because you never know when you will come across one of them.  Here is was, fancy in all of it's colorful dress.  I bought some chocolates to take home, and a macaron for now.  It was an almond and green matcha small one.  Of course, it was yummy.

Macarons at Pierre Herme

Nina's Tea Store

We
 continued through Place Vendome, with the Paris Ritz and all of the high end jewelry shops.  Nothing on my budget here. It was decorated for the holidays and looked beautiful.  As we turned right on rue de St Honore, I saw a red tea shop!  I stopped in and it smelled wonderful.  Had to buy a little treat in there also.

Eric Keyser has a bread and pastry shop near the apartment also. 

Beautiful pastries. Would it be ok to eat all of this in one sitting?

Place Vendome - home of the Paris Ritz Carlton.  Very nicely decorated.  Exclusive jewelry shops and dress designers line the plaza.

Sparkling branches lit the plaza.

The huge tree was in the center of the plaza

The Paris Ritz Carlton!

The storefront windows were filled with marvelous and beautiful things.  Click on the photos to see a bigger picture.

We walked through Galerie Vivienne.  Galeries and Passages are a network covered shopping arcades in Paris.  Sometimes it is easy to walk right past them if you are not aware of what is inside. 

Galerie Vivienne entrance

Inside Galerie Viviene - windows were all decorated with lights

The floor is mosaic.

A pure red Christmas tree

The ceiling is decorative, protects from the elements,
and allows in nice light.

We walked past the back entrance to the Palais Royal.  I will need to make sure to go into this building on the next trip!

We walked through a few passages (covered shopping streets) and returned to the apartment.  I took a nap, and then we went to dinner fashionably at 7:30 PM. 

We went to Tir Bouchon, which is close. I had warmed camerbert cheese with a frizzy green salad for an appetizer and salmon for the main course. 

Appetizer at Tir Bouchon

The "menu" also included desert and I had a warm chocolate cake.  ("menu" is a multi-course selection for a set price, which was 30 euros).  Karl slid in an expensive bottle of wine for 35€ and we had a great meal with attentive service.  Great day filled with walking from eating establishment to eating establishment.

Main Course

Menu is hand written daily, a sure sign
of a good restaurant.

Le Tir Bouchon Restaurant

22 rue de Tiquetonne, Paris 2

Tel: 01.42.21.95.51