Five. Oh Crepe!

I think I can understand why food porn is a thing after all of my travels. Paris was one place where you can find the most elegant, sophisticated, and elaborate food of all: The Crepe. I partook in eating a monumental amount of crepes while in France. This post is an ode to the crepe. My food journey through Paris was basically from one crepe to the next. Please enjoy my masterpiece and sensual odyssey of crepes.

The first Parisian crepe I had was actually on my first official exploration day. After good nights sleep, ready and refreshed from my previous day’s travel from London, our first stop was Notre Dame. If you haven’t been, you may think getting there right before it opens is a great idea so that you can avoid waiting in line right? Well, little did we know that there were about 50 or so other people who had the same idea. While waiting in the dumb line to get into the cathedral, a hero was parked across the street. He stood smiling above in his chariot filled with the nectar of the gods (aka Nutella). Like any sane person, I left my companion to guard our spot in line while I went on the quest for my first crepe in France. The menu had so many combinations that my mouth was watering so much I could barely order. Through shame and spit bubbles I ordered two of best and most classic of all the crepes: “Nutella to the brim S’il vous plait!” With my treasure I scuttled back to my partner in shame. It was everything I ever wanted and more. A warm and chocolatey piece of the heavens! What a way to start the day! The odds were ever in our favor and the line started to move just as we finished our first, of many, French delicacies. Crepe for the win! We even got to walk up a million stairs to make us feel like eating that crepe was totally worth it! We definitely burnt a whole crepe worth of calories off that day. It’s a good thing we didn’t have any more…

Somewhere between the Louvre and the Rodin museum we had a pit stop at the Eiffel Tower. We needed some fresh air and were feeling a bit weak in the knees from all the amazing art and history we had experienced in such a short amount of time. We were in desperate need of a classic French food remedy. Conveniently there happened to be another connoisseur of our medicine we required right next to Mr. Eiffel’s masterpiece. Dr. Crepe was there to serve us in his crepe ambulance and just in time to save us from further deprivation! Again I went with my savior, the classic Nutella. The first bite was enough to heal my aching belly and warmed my frozen body. Once again, crepe to the rescue!

My favorite part of my time in France was my trip to Versailles palace. I had such a magical crepe there. The grounds are so beautiful and seem to go on forever! My visit was on a chilly day, which made traipsing around the grounds a more demanding and brisk walk about. I got to see where Marie Antoinette used to spend her days and walk through places that actual kings and queens slept! Versailles in general is just huge! You could spend days there and find something new around every corner. The longer we were out though, the more tired and frozen we became. Luckily my ambrosia, my moon and my stars, my penguin, my one and only, my soul mate, my beloved the crepe was there to protect me and keep me from misery and destitution! I shall never become famished while crepe is around to save the day. We paid a visit to the royal food carriage to pick up our dish, grand enough to be fit for a king. I took a seat on a throne by the water to take in my subjects and enjoy my feast. The royal fleet floated a short distance from me and I knew that this was the real life for a queen. It was the perfect day and perfect meal to solidify the prestige and grace of Versailles.

The trip had gone by in a blink of an eye! My last day was spent in true Parisian style: relaxed with a friend at a café. The journey had come to an end and what an adventure it was! Paris will always hold a special place in my heart. The art, history, and food are things of wonder. I had an overload of amazing during my time in France. Even though it rained half the time I was there, I broke my shoe the day before I arrived, and the AirBnB was basically the size of a closet, I was able to say ‘oh crepe!’ and move on!

In all seriousness I had a really good time in Paris. I did eat a lot of other food besides crepes. The French onion soup is to die for. The cheese is on another level. And I also did have the best hot chocolate of my life there (see previous post about following my stomach around the world, hey I like food!). I took a picture (the first picture on this page) of my crepe and thought it just looked amazing and also shamefully sensual in a way. From there it triggered my need to take more pictures of crepes and naturally eat them whenever possible. Hopefully you enjoyed (and maybe laughed?) my crepe ramblings and got just a touch of my experience in France. I hope you can have as much fun as I did! Whether in Paris or in all your travels! Au revior!

“Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.” 
― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly