I suppose I can start with safely saying that we have identified the rowdy people inside of the tour group. Free alcohol is probably one of the very best ways to go about this task and there was plenty of that tonight.

But enough about the rowdy bunch.

We started the evening with a welcome drink (aperitif) at the hotel while introducing ourselves and learning about the next several days. I won’t spoil the surprises here though.

After the introductions and wine, we went to an authentic French restaurant for good food, good company and some fantastic entertainment provided by two gentlemen who sang while playing the guitar and a squeeze-box.

Of course I have to share what I ate! We started the night with a kir royale, a blend of black currant liqueur and sparkling white wine. Basically another aperitif. it was beautiful and delicious. After that mom and I both had an appetizer of escargot where we got to learn how to scoop the snails out of their shells. Fortunately, there were no “Pretty Woman” issues and all snails stayed where they belonged. Easily the best escargot I’ve ever had, but that’s not a surprise since I am in Paris after all.

Next was the main course (and I’m literally rolling my eyes while I type this) where I ordered the same thing I order every Friday night: filet mignon cooked medium rare. I did get mashed potatoes instead of broccoli though.

Nothing against my favorite weekly restaurant, this was just in a completely different category when it came to quality and preparation.

We finished up with dessert, which for me was a pear with ice cream. It was delicious, but by then I’d had something like 3 glasses of wine and forgot to take a picture. The entertainment was flirting with me (and several others) and I may or may not have agreed to meet one of them later at La Moulin Rouge. Since I’m in my room typing this up one letter at a time, you can guess how that ended up.

Finally on the ride back to the hotel, we saw some beautiful Christmas lights

A beautiful evening.

Tomorrow we have our city tour and then out to Versailles to gain an even better perspective regarding the start of the French Revolution.

But now, it’s time to sleep.

Bon Nuit!!