LE GOÛTER: Bones & Bikes

Don writing. Sunday early morning I set off alone for the Catacombs, about a 30 minute subway ride. We had tried to see the Catacombs the other day and it was a four hour wait in line! I was determined to be near the front of the line while Holly and the boys would come later. The Catacombs are underground ossuaries. The ossuaries hold the remains of about six million people and fill a renovated section of caverns and tunnels that are the remains of historical stone mines, giving it its reputation as "The World's Largest Grave". Doors opened and we were in within 15 minutes, underground surrounded by bones. Pretty morbid tourist site, but historically interesting as we opted for the audio tour while Holly walked at a fast pace. After about 1.5 hours we emerged from the underground. Off to lunch.

Lunch was nearby our apartment Les Cocottes de Christian Constant. Excellent food, service hot & cold. Shellfish bisque, country pate, roasted chicken, lamb stew, and dessert waffles were quite tasty. Next, off to the see the final stage of the Tour de France!

The rain was coming down pretty good, but we soldiered on towards the finish line. We had seats in Place Clemenceau, 150 meters from the finish line--brilliant! I brought every kind of plastic bag so that we could endure the rain without being too soaked. Finally, the riders arrived for their first of 10 laps on the Champs de Elysee. Really great because it is a circuit course where you get to see them pass several times back & forth for a solid 45+ minutes. The rain let up as they riders came through which made it more pleasant. Then, with 2 laps to go (14k remaining), the race really began. The sprinters jockeyed and revved up the speed of the peleton. Meanwhile the eventual winner, Chris Froome, and his Sky team soft pedaled in the back to stay out of trouble. In the end it was a sprint in the last 350 meters which Andre Griepel took handily. Super exciting and unbelievable how fast these guys can go, especially after the previous 20 stages. Great race and super memorable moment with the family.

Next, we had a reservation at Le Rotisserie which offers grilled meats, and has been a long time favorite. Had a pan-seared foie gras that was sensational. Holly and I shared the grilled lamb shoulder and wish it was more cooked as it was a touch too rare. Even so, what we had was pretty good, and it was nice to relax after a busy day.

Action packed next couple of days coming up....