Part 2 in a series on my trip to Paris and the Champagne Region…
Woke with a start at the crack of dawn and I could tell that it was going to be a somewhat rough beginning as the wine from the night before was still pounding in my head.
Oh my goodness. I was blurry and maybe still a little drunk, and I had scheduled myself a very special market cooking class with a French cooking school that morning (they teach classes in English). We were meeting at 9:30, and I needed to walk to the right metro station in order to get there on time. I was trying to figure out how I could grab a coffee and make it to the meeting spot (at the Place Monge) and still make it on time.
Got up and ready and started walking to the Opera metro station (about a 15-minute walk). I knew that there was a super fancy Starbucks close to the Metro (actually, the fanciest Starbucks I’ve ever been inside – I mean just look at this place !
However, I got to the metro station and was still worried about getting there on time. I didn’t know how crowded it would be at 8:30 in the morning, so I just decided that I’d figure out what to do about coffee once I got to the marketplace.
While I was on the metro, a message came through from Sam. Didn’t know you could even get text messages in the underground! It said, “Are you up and on your way to your cooking class? Great time last night! Enjoy the rest of your trip!”
And then he sent a group text to Pascal and me with our contact numbers on them so we could keep in touch. Nice of him. I texted him a thank-you back and smiled about our night before like a big dolt.
Got to the Place Monge in really no time at all. The metro exit literally opens up into the market. I got there before it was even open, so I walked around the place (small market) and found a café to get a cappuccino, a croissant and a life-saving WATER.
Then it was time to meet my class. There were people from all over: New Zealand, Australia, UK, USA (East Coast, West Coast, Hawaii…and me). Our Chef was this super tall Parisian named Eric. He was an excellent guide through the marketplace, showing us all kinds of interesting French things, making sure we were picking the freshest seasonal goods (cheeses, fish, vegetables and fruits). Plus, it didn’t hurt that he was kinda hot. What did hurt was my whole body from the wine the night before.
It was a stunningly gorgeous day, and we spent a good hour and ½ at the market and the Boulanger/bakery and then it was time to go to the cooking school to make our lunch!
The school (top-rated La Cuisine Paris ) is as good as they come. They teach everything in English, have all of the necessary tools, and it’s in a perfect location next to the Hotel de Ville right on the river Seine and across from the Notre Dame Cathedral. There are several kitchens inside their studio, and it’s no wonder it gets such great ratings. The people are absolutely wonderful and FUN and it’s worth every penny.
I learned a lot of techniques – from knife handling to tart-making, and whenever I got tired I could back out of a step or two and the chef did a lot of the preparation and all of the talking (and joking). So much fun.
Together, we all prepared a beet salad with goat cheese and walnuts and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing; we made baked cod (with some kind of pesto that the chef just whipped up) and a smoked fish mashed potato somethingorother, a cheese board for dessert and then we ALSO made thee amazing plum and fig tarts! Paired with wine, it was an amazing lunch. Everyone had such a fun time and lunch was lots of laughs and talks about who we were, where we were going and what we were doing.
I had a free day planned for after lunch, so I just took off on foot afterwards. Walked a little bit of the Marias and then found myself walking, walking, walking past the Louvre and the over to the Rue St. Honore, where all of the amazing shopping is.
While I was walking, I got a text from our friend Pascal, saying, “ It was a lovely evening last night. Before you take your bubbles scouting trip to Reims, how about more wine and food exploration tonight?”
I thought about it for a minute. Would it be proper to accept this invitation? And then I thought, why the hell not? I have nothing else planned!
So I accepted the invitation, and asked him to meet me at my hotel.
He did just that. He got to my hotel a little early, so we did the cocktail in the courtyard garden thing again. I don’t know why, but I sensed nervousness on both our parts this time.
Our dinner ended up being just around the corner from my hotel. A female chef-run restaurant that was VERY FANCY. I didn’t realize he was going to take me to a fancy-pants restaurant or I would have dressed more appropriately. As it was, I was wearing gray jeans, a cute tank and I had a scarf around my neck. He told me not to worry about it.
The hostess took us to our table, which was down in a cellar! Very, very romantic. Very. Can I even tell you how romantic? It was a dark, candle-lit cellar with velvet seating and a wine cave off to the side. It was just about the fanciest, most romantic place I’ve ever eaten. I got extremely nervous at that point. What was happening? What was Pascal expecting? I wasn’t sure, but I was going to be drinking some wine to relax.
I let Pascal do the ordering for the two of us (though he had already asked me what I liked), and the wine started flowing as did the conversation.
Turns out, Pascal is a beautiful, sensitive soul. Recently single and is doing Tinder in Paris!! He told me about all of the trials and tribulations from his perspective in France…and guess what? It’s no different anywhere. He’s had a really hard time of it, as most of us who use that damn app have had.
And then the conversation turned to me…because he could sense a lot of things going on between Sam and me the night before. He told me that he really thought that Sam was going to spend the night with me, so he fell asleep at around 1AM. Sam showed up at his doorstep at 2AM because he’d missed the last metro from hanging out with me too long and had to walk the whole way back up Montmartre and down again! I felt awful…but not THAT awful because, seriously? You dudes – especially you MARRIED dudes – should not assume anything!
Anyway, through Pascal’s philosophical ways, we determined that I’m just way, WAY too hard on myself (something that we’ve all figured out from my journal writing, eh?). But I found it quite interesting that he made that call after just a short time together. We decided, together, that I’m going to work on being less hard on myself and to not to take myself so seriously anymore.
Throughout the night, I discovered Pascal’s wonderful sense of humor, and I began to look at him in such a different light. His crooked smile was full of wit and charm. His deductions were brilliant. I became curious about what it juussssst might be like…
And then dinner was over and we left the candlelit cellar and back to my hotel and for a nightcap back in the courtyard. I nearly asked him up, but he knew that I was going to take the train to Reims, and he was actually taking a very early train to the countryside to visit his daughters, so he topped off the evening with a sweet goodbye and a kiss on the lips and a wish to each other that we have wonderful, safe travels.
He left and I went back up to my sexy, sexy room alone…again!
I sent him a drunk text, “I’m sending you a drunk text because I’m going to try not to punish myself anymore. You made a big impression on me, Pascal. Thank you for tonight [heart emoji]”
He wrote back immediately, “You are a queen [crown emoji] and an adorable one. I wish you the moon and all the stars [smiley emoji]”
I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
Day 2, dreamy.
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