If there was one thing I knew I had to see for myself in Paris, it was the Mona Lisa. It's not that it's my favorite - the water lilies at L'Orangerie and Rodin's Kiss are winners there - but it's the Mona Lisa, and it's housed in the Louvre. I loved touring this spectacle of a museum, and seeing that DaVinci up close rather than in a book (or with Jay Z and Beyoncé...)After 45 minutes of wandering with my friend, Robin, and then embarking on a very well done first timers tour, we had fed our minds were ready to feed our bodies!
We headed down Rue de Rivoli and went to Angelina. Angelina is a most magnificent restaurant ~ mirrors on the walls reflecting beautiful paintings and crystal chandeliers, to which you can only arrive after walking through their incredible patisserie with profiteroles and macarons and jams and chocolates and the like. Nothing about this grand entrance said vegan, but the meal was as wonderful as its decor. Braised leeks in orange juice, a mixed green salad, warm, crusty baguette and pommes frites, with champagne to boot! A decadent lunch surely worthy of a Parisien vacation!
On my last day, before rushing to catch the train to Belgium, we had lunch in the 16th, off the tourist path, at Dino. It is a local brasserie down the block from Frank et Fils, a stylish boutique department store. Fresh, bright arugula with ripe cherry tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts (and some Pinot Grigio) were my lunch that day. Between the company, the history, the art, the wine and the food, there was not one complaint to be had about Paris ~ other than I had to leave too soon!
