Paris, France
The #1 experience on our Top Ten Paris list is the Eiffel Tower. From the moment we saw it, the magic of Paris became our dream come true. Equally dreamy was our café dinner, prepared from impeccably fresh ingredients using simple techniques. Below are our recipes for the simplest sauces: compound butters. How French!
Mapping the Day
Were we dreaming? It seemed we had just left our California home. Now we were gazing at the Paris skyline from the highest point of the Eiffel Tower. It is a moment that we will never forget.
Local Story
Just a few weeks before our departure for Paris, K.O. happened to search online for priority tickets to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We had heard visitors avoid long lines by purchasing tickets in advance. As we entered dates into the online system, we quickly found that it was already sold out. There was one exception: five hours after our arrival at Charles De Gaulle Airport. It sounded like a lot to attempt after a 12-hour flight, but we grabbed the tickets.
When we landed in Paris, we gathered our baggage, hurried through customs, met our shuttle driver and were whisked to our hotel. We took a quick power nap then made our way to our first Metro ride to the 7th Arrondissement. We oriented ourselves to the Champs de Mars, the huge garden entry to the tower. As we walked into the greenbelt, there it was. The iconic symbol of the City of Light was before us.
Two elevators took us to the top. Dusk soon turned into twilight and the city lights sparkled. Our anticipation for the next ten days in Paris glimmered below us. A magical beginning was our Parisian dream come true.
View from the Table
Still in the glow of our ride to the top of the tower, we strolled back through the neighborhood to the Metro station. A small bistro beckoned us for dinner. We soon learned how Parisians embrace simple preparations from the freshest ingredients.
Compound Butters
Sauces elevate a meal from mundane to spectacular. But sauce making does not always need to include slaving over the stove. Compound butters are so simple. They can be made in advance and deliver complex flavors with easy technique.
[button link=”http://roadtripflavors.com/recipe/compound-butters/” type=”big” color=”green” newwindow=”yes”] RECIPES[/button]
