Paris. The city of
love. Stunning museums. Picturesque bridges covering the Seine. La
Tour Eiffel. And the pastry – oh the pastry. UNESCO has actually declared French cuisine as
one of the world’s intangible cultural heritages. And I had a precious short time to explore
the city again and partake in some of its more delicious contributions to
society with a 9 hour layover.
I rendezvoused with Carrie, one of my kindred travel spirits,
at the world’s worst airport, Charles De Gaulle, before heading off in search
of adventure at the along of the RER B line.
We did some classic Paris touristy stuff…admire the façade of Notre
Dame, attempt to perfect the Eiffel Tower selfie (without an annoying stick!)
and wander the isles of one of the world’s great bookstores, Shakespeare and Company. Now searching for the main course, no pun
intended, should be easy right? I mean
Paris streets are overflowing with cafes and boulangeries?
True…but I was with Carrie, who suffers from a gluten
allergy. A real one. Not an “I heard Dr. Oz say that gluten makes
you fat, so I won’t eat it” type of allergy.
One thing I, as a normal consumer of food (well over consumer really), did
not realize is that gluten is in so many things. But Carrie, surprisingly prepared, had
discovered the name of a gluten free bakery in Paris! Armed with the name, we hopped in a cab to
speed off to what I envisioned to be a drab snack. (I just assumed that I would grab something
later at the airport.) Being wrong has
never tasted so good.
Helmut Newcake is an astounding oasis of delicious. Cakes and cookies and éclairs…all without
that ‘render Carrie incapacitated’ little protein, gluten. We gorged on some deliciousness and then
bought stacks of take away treats for future breakfasts – sadly many of these
did not survive Charles De Gaulle airport security.
It’s not really like I ever needed an excuse to return to Paris…but if I did…the lemon tart there may forever be one of the best things I have ever eaten.
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