Left Bank of Paris Walking Tour

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
     My excitement over Moulin Rouge almost made me forget the cheese tasting we had yesterday at CEA, the program hosting myself and the other USD international students here in Paris! We were fortunate enough to prepare, present, and of course, test taste a wide array of delicious French cheeses ranging from soft to hard and mild to very pungent. As a cheese lover, I couldn't find one I didn't thoroughly enjoy.

Scrumptious Roquefort cheese

     Coming from a long line of Blue Cheese lovers on the Stell side, my favorite cheese of the 7 tested was the Roquefort, which is made from Sheep's milk and has a strong kick. It's also a persillee (meaning it's a blue cheese). The cheese was one of the most pungent and sharp we were able to test, thus sparking conversations amongst my fellow Roquefort lovers of our love of fire hot sauce and bold coffee. To my surprise, those allergic to penicillin were advised to avoid because this cheese is aged in caverns where its penicillin mold can grow. It's a French delicacy as its limited to production in the village of Roquefor-sur-Souizon, in the Aveyron region of France. It's often enjoyed with apples or pears or in sauces served with red meat. Writing this is making me salivate right now..
     We were also fortunate enough to taste the mild and pleasant cow's milk Cantal (the oldest of French cheeses, dating back 2000 years old) and Comte (produced specifically from Montbellardes cows), Crottin de Chavignol (from goat's milk), Ossau-Iraty (from sheep's milk, from the Basque region of France), and Roblochon (cow's milk, strong nutty taste). All of these cheeses were excellent plain, on the fresh, warm French baguettes from the Boulongerie (bakery) down the street, and on apples. 

Fresh baguettes - so much better than the ones baked fresh daily at 

Panera Bread Co. (where I've worked the past few summers)

     Although I preferred the red white with most of the cheeses, the white wine was very complementary to many of the lighter, milder cheeses.

     I found it very interesting that cheese exposed to the air longer is more pungent and fresh! It's advised to allow any cheese to sit out at least thirty minutes before serving to enhance the cheese tasting experience.
     Now back to today! My roommates and Erin from my Art History class decided to conquer another Rick Steves' walking tour from his guide book. We first found a great restaurant where there was a 12 euro special for an entree (I got sea bass as my mom scared me away from the salads due to the rising deadly number of e. coli cases in Europe), a dessert (see the photos), a cafe, and of course, bottomless bread! We were having such a quality meal with each other we were unable to start our tour until 4 PM! Our "Walking Tour of the Left Bank" started at the Pont des Art, a pedestrian only bridge full of "locks of love," crossing the Seine River at the Louvre to the French Institute. 

 Pont des Arts - Helena from CEA just informed me today that the 

locks are cut off every six months to take the weight off of the bridge :(

After a prolonged walk, with many stops along the way to the Luxembourg Gardens, such as a statue of Voltaire and a Toy Store, in which classic childhood cartoon character memorabilia (including the Little Prince, Babar, etc.) was sold, St. Sulpice (containing a mock Shroud of Turin - the real one is in Italy). Also, I am very much looking forward to coming back to a service to hear Daniel Roth, the organist.

Shroud of Turin in Saint Sulpice

     We returned to the Pont des Art that evening with the infamous USD guitar street performer, Grant Carter, after he was kicked out of the Eiffel Tower, which was rather unfortunate after he made 100 euros in less than 3 hours last night. It's apparently illegal to play guitar near national monuments here. Grant didn't seem to disappointed and found it as an opportunity to explore Paris. He simply plays for his own practice and fulfillment, as well as providing entertainment to those around him - which he certainly did do as many Parisians and tourists gathered around singing along and even putting in their own requests.