The best way to eat in Paris is outdoors. You can enjoy the gorgeous weather, and partake in what appears to be the favourite pasttime of the French – people watching. All the cafes have tables outside, with chairs facing the sidwalk (instead of each other around the time). And the folk sit and have a drink and just watch people walking past. What I LOVE is that it’s perfectly normal to sit down and just order one drink, that’s it. It took me awhile to get used to it because in other countries, they’d be a bit miffed if you just order a drink and you feel kinda pressured to order more. But here, they’re perfectly OK if you just order a coffee or a juice or a beer, and sit at their table for an hour people-watching. It’s brilliant 🙂

I also loved eating our meals outdoors, since the weather was so nice and warm. Even better when it’s in a garden, though in Paris, gardens are really not quite my idea of a real garden. French gardens have trees and flowers.. but basically NO grass! Instead, it’s this grit that’s on the ground, and if there’s grass, you’re not allowed to walk on it. Soooo strange because to me, a “garden” is a place that’s FULL of greenery and there’s grass everywhere that you can walk and sit on. Strange!

Yet another typical French breakfast to start the day 🙂

In the afternoon, at the Jardin de Palais Royale

Our view from the outdoor table, where we sat for lunch

Blanc de poulet dore, salades melangees, sauce parmesan, haricots verts frais, avocat

Tagine de kefta de boeuf a la coriandre

A lovely al fresco lunch 🙂

One of the train stations in Paris. Cute tiles!

Just another narrow, bustling Parisien street

It’s funny how French cafes are designed/laid out to people-watch 😛