Pyjamas

No, that’s not a typo. More about that later.

We started the morning with 2 large boxes of eclairs remaining from the class on Thursday. We weren’t going to eat them all, so we decided to give one box to the hotel staff. They were very excited to get them. One remembered that we had a second class today for making macarons, so he said that he expected a box of macarons tomorrow!

When we returned to the room after the macaron class, there was a small gift with a card written in French, which Greg translated:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Glockner:

Thank you for the delicious eclairs. They were absolutely delicious. The whole team loved them. To thank you, we would like to give you this small Fauchon candle, to give a touch of sweetness to your stay, just as you gave with your pastry!

With all our gratitude, the Front Office Team

We don’t know whether we were touched more than they were, especially since we merely gave them the leftovers. We’re less likely to give them today’s macarons, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Amy realized that we didn’t give them our name when we dropped off the eclairs, so it’s even more meaningful that the staff recognized us.

Now about those pajamas. For pajamas, men in America pick one of two extremes:

1. Fancy-woven fabrics with buttons down the middle (why so many buttons?!?)
2. Take your most worn-out pair of boxers, find a smelly old T-shirt with stains and holes, and voilà: pajamas

However, when traveling to Paris, Greg can easily find French “pyjamas” that he loves:

1. Soft cotton with few or no buttons
2. They look nice, not like something you used to wear to the gym

Since it’s been over 9 years since our last trip to Paris, Greg was overdue for some new pajamas. (Greg did find a few good pairs in the USA, but it’s best to stock up in Paris).

First thing this morning, we took the Metro to Le Bon Marché, a department store in a building designed by Eiffel. The salesman showed Greg around the entire department, and Greg bought one of nearly everything. Amy convinced Greg not to skimp, even though Greg suggested that buying less could be an excuse to return soon to Paris. Good thing Greg remembered to bring his passport, so that we could complete the paperwork to get the tax refund when we return home. Pajama mission accomplished!

In the afternoon, we returned to Le Cordon Bleu to attend the macaron baking class. Unlike yesterday, today’s class was at the satellite campus used for day-classes for tourists, a very short walk from our hotel. Liz was our translator again today, and she recognized us immediately. Thursday‘s class set an extremely high standard, which today’s class unfortunately missed. To be fair, we were reminded that macarons are extremely difficult to make, which explains why they are so expensive. It is best if you make the components ahead of time, to give time for the cookie to cool and the filling to thicken. However, we then received instructions - including some errors - on how to make all the components in a single 3-hour session. In short, for such a long process, it would have been better if the class used the “magic of television“ where we prepared all the components but the chef gave us another batch for each that was made beforehand with sufficient time to cool and set. Also, the chef needed more patience with our group of amateurs who were taking the class by choice, as opposed to professionals who are required to take a class. We definitely learned a lot, but it wasn’t the amazing experience we had in the prior class.

We finished the day at the restaurant À La Biche au Bois (The Doe in the Woods), a restaurant that specializes in fresh game. Amy had Coq au Vin, while Greg had the duck special. We enjoyed the cheese course but decided to skip dessert after having so much sweets.