Le Vieil Alger

One night while we were in Paris, we went to an Algerian restaurant named Le Vieil Alger. It was different than any restaurant I have ever been to before! We placed our orders for types of couscous, some people getting skilled or braised lamb, some chicken or sausage, and then the waiters brought us giant bowls of broth full of chunks of carrots, celery, and potatoes. They also brought heaping plates of couscous, a kind of pasta used in Mediterranean, north African, and Middle Eastern cooking. It's something like risotto, and it is so delicious. The lamb was tender and practically falling apart, and the broth was delicious. We ended up with a kind of soup filled with veggies, meat, and broth.

                                         
                                           

Baked Camembert -- a French cheese

Yesterday, we all had lunch outside in the Jardin du Luxembourg. We went to the Monoprix and purchased fruit, cookies, sushi, drinks, sandwich ingredients, etc. and took it to the beautiful gardens. It was winter and they were still a lovely place to have a picnic, so I can't imagine how lovely it looks in the spring and summer when the trees are covered in leaves and flowers are blooming.

The Jardin du Luxembourg is the second largest public park in Paris, covering 224, 500 square meters. It is located in the 6th arrondissement (arrondissements are sections of the city. Paris is divided into twenty). The park is the garden of the French Senate, which is housed in the Luxembourg Palace.

The Luxembourg Palace

First Night Food

We have had tons of amazing food already! The first night, we ate at a delicious little restaurant named Le Pot de Terre. It served traditionally French food, like escargots,  pâté, and duck breast. Here are some of the highlights:

Les escargots

Dr. Hunt's gizzard salad - only a few of us were brave enough to try it!

Kate, about to take her first bite of escargots. She said it was just like mushrooms.

French onion soup, in the true French fashion

Me, eating duck breast with raspberry sauce and fries

Chris, with the same

And Kate, with a filet of pork

Israel seemed to like her duck...