Restaurants &

Cafe Romand is a traditional brasserie in town center; hub for journalists, politicians, and temporary residents like ourselves. We stumbled in for fondue - check out the stack of bread! This kind of cuisine is still popular, but more so in rustic mountain settings associated with hearty peasant fare.

Another brasserie where we met Udo and daughter Hannah's family for lunch after church.

 

Art Nouveau-ish stained glass is standard, as is a bustling atmosphere - very warm, social.

Hannah and Seb
and Garbriela with Jack.

 

Cafe Grancy, on the other hand, is a hipper version of earlier Romand, attracting a more casual, younger crowd - moms with strollers - who come in for drinks and wifi.

Grancy's food is top-notch perfect. No fries. Healthy wheat bread. Fabulous soups. Creative, easy going with a slight air of superiority; like you just stepped into a zone of enlightened consciousness. A vibe I imagine Bay area restaurants to ooze in.

No argument with the food, however.

Another discovery is this tiny brasserie - a Lausanne institution with stunning tilework: scenes of the city fired onto floor to ceiling  blue, Portugese tile.

  On to Refuge de Frience, a rustic mountain chalet restaurant that is rare.

Wheels of raclette cheese pushed near wood fire where runners run plates back and forth to your table. We opted for fondue, with Effie, a guest from Tacoma, and Jack - a student who took Michael skiing.

 
Got chocolates from Blondel for Valentine's Day - a favorite chocolatier. 

 

 

Fish shapes are common during Lent.

 as are liqueur-filled chocolate eggs.

 From the mountains near Gryon.

 

2 weeks left of class, then finals!

Paris

There is, apparently, a condition suffered by Japanese who travel to Paris, only to experience a letdown. The "capital of the 19th century" (Walter Benjamin) - didn't disappoint. We brought along Effie, a daughter of Tacoma friends, exploring the city on Pepperdine's 5 day spring weekend.

Carolyn and I took a cooking class, learning a traditional leap year dish from Normandy: chicken fricassee with carmelized apples and pureed veges and Grand Marnier souffle. Although nothing really new, these classes were hands-on, geared for the tourist.

 ***

We crossed the Seine to head for the
 for the Eiffel Tower.

The numerous locks, where lovers profess their affection and

"lock-in" their commitment.

 Shakespeare & Co is a Paris institution run by British folks; famed writers often frequent and, literally, people fall asleep on couches throughout and, in the old days, even spent the night.

On to Eiffel.

The gears.

The second level skating rink closed in January, but the clear weather provided gorgeous views.

Church of the Sacred Heart - highest point - in the Montmartre artist district.

***

Amanda was PHENOMENAL as a guide, expressly gearing the Louvre to children; the adults were even more enraptured, as she gave the conceptual tools by which to unlock the visuals of museum architecture, ancient artifacts, and Parisian history. Usually, museum-for-kids stuff tends towards treasure hunts ("can you find the...?"), but this integrated learning. A PhD grad teaching art history in Paris, Amanda engaged M & J very earnestly.


The Code of Hammurabi - a thumb drive of the earliest codes of law known to man.

The "blessing" walk.

 

 

After the museum, headed for the Jardins du Luxembourg, a beautiful space near the St Germain district where we stayed.

Effie with her Canon - beautiful photos.

The famed jousting carousel.

We all returned to La Cuisine Paris for a family session featuring cream puffs and eclairs.

Michael has a terrible perfectionist streak, as he assembled his own box. The puffs were decorated with sugar granules, some violet flavored.

The Musee d'Orsay - the modern collection - reopened after a 2.5 year renovation. A converted train station compared to the Louvre's former palace, the artwork has its perfect social context of early industry.

For a change of pace, went to the flea market - largest in Europe - where you can find a chair Louis Napoleon XIV sat on and

 

samurai armor

 

 and miscellaneous junk. Jack found one music box that played the theme from Star Wars.

 

On to Montmartre, a visit to the familiar on this low key day.

Our children love attention.

We loved the multi-colored tables of the cafe below - a rare, "healthy" food option; hot chocolate came unsweetened.

Our friend.

I sometimes wonder when will this magical period of raising young children...end?