One of the things we've always heard about France, and especially Paris, was how much of foodie destination it is. So after we visited the Eiffel Tower, we decided to give it a try and eat at Mokus L'Écureuil. Sadly, it was not our favorite meal.
Location:
116 Av. Kléber; 75116 Paris; France
Atmosphere:
The atmosphere was casual and would have been relaxed but tables were crammed really close together - so much so that it was hard to get in and out of our seats without bumping the other diners around us. Because of this, the restaurant felt very loud and it was hard to talk amongst ourselves. There were some booths that might have been better, but overall, we didn't care for it very much.
Our Meals:
Admittedly, we visited this restaurant within the first week of being in France, and we hadn't quite gotten the hang of French food. While my husband and oldest daughter are not picky eaters, my youngest is extremely picky, and I'm also not overly adventerous when it comes to eating. Also, I feel like we started out dining in Paris by picking "comfort foods" from back home and then comparing them to those plates in the US. It didn't take long to understand that this isn't fair to do as not only is France a different culture but food quality and tastes are quite different in most cases.
Now that we're past that, here's what we ordered and our thoughts:
- My 16-year old:
She ordered the mac and cheese: A bechamel sauce with cheddar, gouda, and parmesan.
When it first arrived to the table, I have to say that it looked pretty good. But once she tasted it, she was very disappointed. She said that it wasn't as cheesy at it first appeared (she said it was actually very dry), and that it was bland as well. She wouldn't order it again
Her rating: 1/10
2. My youngest daughter:
She had a taste for a dinner salad and settled on the Caeser Salad: romaine lettace, crispy chicken, parmesan cheese, caeser salad, and croutons.
Full disclosure - She's never had caeser dressing before, and that could have been the reason for her not liking this salad. She did say the chicken without the dressing was good, but overall, she did not like this meal.
Her rating: 1/10
My husband:
Basilico Meatball pizza: Mozzerella, braised beef, egg, red onion, basil
The pizza didn't look bad when it arrived to the table, but it wasn't what he was expecting (again, very possibly because we're used to American pizza). He said there wasn't any sauce, too much cheese, very little meat, and didn't like the egg on the pizza.
His rating: 1/10
I ordered:
BLT salad: romaine lettace, crispy bacon, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, cucumber, ranch dressing
I've been feigning for a good salad for a while now, but one thing I've learned here in France (among many others) is that American salad dressing is VERY different from French salad dressing. I've tried the ranch (which I'm honestly not a big fan of in the States with a ffew exceptions), and some vinigerette, but so far, I haven't found one I'm crazy about. This salad wasn't the worst thing in the world, and if there had been a little more chicken, I think I would have rated my order a higher. And since dressing can make or break a salad, I'm afraid, like my daughter, I didn't love my dinner salad though it had potentional to be really good.
Our rating: 4/10
Pricing:
Each dish was 17-18 euros, which was pretty high for the food we ordered. But we were right by the Eiffel Tower in the tourist area, not the best area to be if you're trying to eat on a budget.
Service:
Again, not great. We sat for a very long time waiting for our check, and he forgot to bring my daughter's Fanta.
I think it's fair to say we wouldn't try this restaurant again. And again, this meal may have very well suffered from our own, American expectations which we eventually learned to let go of. Did we suffer from culture shock? I'm not so sure about that because we truly didn't find it too difficult in many ways (although the language barrier is real), but food was one of our biggest struggles. I do wish, though, that we had found a different restaurant to try for our first venture, and our next experience with food was a fair improvement.
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Our Experience
Fifteen minutes or so from where we are staying is this awesome chateau ruin. Called Château de l'Ebaupinay, it's not one of the famous ones. In fact, right now, you can't even tour it as it's under a massive restoration effort. But when we passed it on the road, we had to follow the sign and grab some pictures. Luckily enough, the man who currently owns the property was kind enough to let us take some pictures (but only from outside the property fence). Judging from the condition, I can only guess it's not currently safe enough to explore, but, oh, I would so love to.
The Story
Château de l'Ebaupinay was originally a medieval mansion in the 14th and 15th centuries that was later made a stronghold in 1458 by King Charles VII. It originally had both a moat and a courtyard, although it is difficult to see those features now as it remains fenced off. The chateau was inhabited until the beginning of the French Revolution and later burnt out during the Vendee Civil War (1793-1796).
These ruins are all that currently remain, although there is an effort by both the current owners and local communities to restore this piece of history. I'll return if they do. It truly was fantastic.
We didn't spend more than ten minutes taking pictures from a distance, and I can't tell you how much I wish I could have walked around inside and explore what remains of what must have been a beautiful building at one time. Plus, exploring ruins is just cool. I also would've loved to know more about it's past and more of the stories that must have taken place inside those walls, but it was still very much worth stopping by on our way to explore other sites.
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We've seen a lot of chateau while visiting France and they are all amazing. I will NEVER get tired of exploring them. But there's a few I could go back to more than once, and Chateau Brissac in Brissac, France is one of them.
LOCATION
Located just twenty minutes southeast of Angers, Brissac is an easy side trip from one of our favorite cities. From what I've seen of Brissac, it's really cute, from what we saw, and I'm eager to go back and explore this town of 34k people.
BRISSAC CHATEAU
Brissac has the distinction of being the tallest chateau in France, and it is absolutely stunning outside. When you first cross the little footbridge from the sidewalk to the property, you pass under a pretty, simple archway and make your way over the little creek before coming up to a little cafe and souvenir shop (it was closed when we visited). From there, you pass this massive tree:
And then you head up the walkway to the front of the chateau:
It takes your breath away before even going inside (although I have to admit, they all have that affect on me). Unlike some of the other chateau, you do head through the main doors that you see in the picture above, pay for the tickets at a small table in the main hall, and then, with the guide in hand, you take a self-guided tour through the chateau, following the rooms marked with letters of the alphabet. As is the case with all the chateau (at least the ones we've been to so far), you only get to see a small percentage of the chateau, and the family who have owned it since 1502 still own the property, where the 14th Duke and his family still live on the property. But we still were allowed to see rooms on three floors, even walking the grand staircase, and that's just inside. Outside, a large natural park invites you for simple hikes, quiet times on benches along the narrow river, and plenty of photo ops for the chateau and grounds. I went kind of crazy with the amount of pictures I took (over 100 shots during our visit), so I won't be able to share them all.
Inside
Main Hall (clipped a little so that we weren't getting other visitors in the picutre)
Dining Room. The steps at the end of the room lead to a balcony where musicians would play to entertain the attendees. Very cool.
The Parlor. The details on the fireplace are simply amazing. The people you see in the images in front of the sofa are of the Brissac family.
And so are the details on the ceilings.
The staircase to the first floor while standing on the landing between this flight of steps and the one leading to the second floor. The steps are indented in the center, a testiment to their age and resilience.
The ballroom was long with beautiful views of the grounds outside
Beyond the ballroom is a room that was for King Louis XIII:
This was the room where King Louis XIII met with his mother, Marie de Medici, for a reconcilation that ended up being short-lived.
Though kind of small, the chapel is beautiful and is still used by the family for weddings (the wedding gowns were beautiful).
The front panel from what once was a large chest that now hangs on the wall in the chapel.
The oprah room.
Outside
If the inside of is stunning (and it is), then the grounds surrounding Chateau de Brissac are captivating. From wooded paths past the stables that lead uphill and to the family mausoleum (caan't go inside, but the buidling is pretty and the view is amazing), to the forested trail downhill to a pretty lake and streching grounds, the chateau's park invites you to explore or take a quiet moment at one of the many benches.
Stories about Chateau de Brissac
When you do a search for France's most haunted chateau, Brissac is going to come up in your search pretty quick. With a history that stretches nearly 1000 years and a role in French society that touched even the French royalty, I suppose it's no surprise that there might be legends tied to this amazing chateau.
The most famous legend is the story of The Green Lady. The legends says that Charlotte de Brézé, who was the daughter of Charles VII, married the French nobleman, Jacques de Brézé. Unfortunately, their marriage was not a happy one, and Charlotte ended up having an affair.
When she and her lover were discovered by the her husband, he killed both Charlotte and her lover.
Since then, her ghost - dressed in an emerald dress - has been spotted by both the family who own the chateau and also guests in the tower rooms and the chapel. She's always described as a sad apparition with hollow eye sockets who sometimes moans and cries in the middle of the night.
As one of the most famous hauntings in France, this story brings many visitors to Chateau de Brissac. We didn't know about it when we visited, and we didn't see anything. What I can tell you is that, whether you're ghost hunting or just want to visit a gorgeous chateau, you won't be disappointed with Chateau de Brissac.
Other Stories at the Chateau
As is the story with most of the chateau in France (at least most of them that we visited), Chateau de Brissac was seized, ransacked, and lrft in ruins during the French Revolution in 1792. The family lost control of the chateau, and the 8th Duke, Louis Timoleon de Cosse, was sent to prison in Orleans. Later, he was killed in the September 9th massacres. His killers mutilated his body and placed his head on a pike that was subsequently thrown into a window at Madame du Barry's apartment.
The family didn't regain control of Chateau de Brissax until after the chateau sat in ruins for about fifty years. Since then, the family has restored and lived in the tallest chateau in France.
What We Thought
Chateau de Brissac is one of our favorite chateau. It's beautiful to walk through, and when we went, wasn't overly crowded so it was enjoyable to follow the self-tour at our own pace. Just make sure to allow enough time to explore the grounds as well. You won't be disappointed.
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Angers, France is just a short ride north of Brissac and another one of our favorite locations in this area of France. Get acquinted with this fascinating city at Angers, France: Medieval Majesty Meets Modern Comforts.
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It's our first big holiday in a new country, and what an experience. Not only is Thanksgiving one of my family's favorites, but it's also one that they don't celebrate here, so put a whole different dimension and challenge to what is otherwise our traditions. Though we didn't celebrate with anyone outside our immediate, 4-person family, being 4100 miles away from family, friends, and those neighbors we say every day for the last ten years - that was different too. Not bad. Just ... different. The typical dishes I make, and have made for 20 years, tasted different here. Again, not really bad ... just different. We went out after dinner to get dessert, and unlike the States where nearly everything is shut down, people were going on with their lives and everything was busy. Don't get me wrong, I expected that. But expecting and seeing are often two different things. And that's a huge part of not being in the country you've spent your entire life in. It's even part of the reason we came here - to experience a different culture. And sometimes that means that your own culture is out of place.
Don't get me wrong. I've never really been one to think about culture or traditions in that way. My great-grandfather came from Poland, so that side of the family had traditional Polish meals sometimes, but other than that, my family didn't spend a lot of time focused on things like that.
Does that mean today was horrible?
No, not at all.
Because for all the different, there were things that were very much the same. We had turkey and ham; we ate dinner together; and we are on this amazing adventure and so have so very much to be grateful for. We still are close with those that we were close to before we left; and more importantly, we are making memories that we will remember our entire lives. My kids will forever remember all that we've done and are going to do.
This Thanksgiving, for all that was different, was amazing. Because it's not the little details that matter. Those are bits and pieces that can shift and change, and maybe our traditions will change a little too. But we have one another (even our furbabies), and that's all that counts.
So wherever you are today, whether your doing the same things you've done for years or have changed things up, I hope you had a wonderful day filled with those things that you are most grateful for.
From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!