Paris: Day 6

We woke up to a cool, overcast day. The kids were still exhausted, even after a night of sleep. They pretty much begged to stay home. We had plans, but decided to cancel everything in order to let them rest. They stayed in p.j.'s all morning and played at the apartment.

While Monsieur Bacon watched the kids, Madame Salade decided to take a walk in the rain to The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. It is a sacred destination to many Catholics, as it is the chapel where Mary appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in 1830 and requested the making of The Medal of the Immaculate Conception, or Miraculous Medal. It is also the resting place of the bodies St. Catherine Labouré, St. Louise de Marillac, and St. Vincent de Paul, all incorruptable.

The area the chapel is located in is very busy, full of traffic, stores, and restaurants. The chapel entrance is unassuming and easy to miss. I spotted a blue plaque and an open door and went in. I walked through a small courtyard to a door with another blue plaque marking the chapel, but I honestly could not tell if I was in the right place. It was so quiet and peaceful, no lines, no tickets to buy-totally unlike every other attraction we've been to this trip. I opened  the door to the chapel and knew I had found it. The chapel was about half full and continued filling up while I was there. It was very quiet. I kept thinking about how much noise my munchkins were probably making at home. I moved around a bit to see the whole chapel and the bodies St. Catherine and St. Louise. I had known about St. Catherine for a long time, but I have to admit, I did not know much about St. Louise. I've been reading about her since my visit today and she is wonderful. Very easy to relate to. Isn't that why we love the saints?

Once back at home Madame Salade surveyed the damage that can only come from leaving a man in charge of 3 small children. Not too bad. Soon the babies went down for a nap and Monsieur Bacon took Garçon Livre to the English bookstore.

We were all going a bit stir crazy in the evening (a one bedroom, 300 sq. foot apartment with no toys or yard for the kids will do that!), so we decided to go out for dinner. We went just downstairs to a small, funky place called, Aux Artistes. AMAZING. Perhaps our best meal in France yet. Dinner plats are 14 euros and include an appetizer, a main course, a dessert or cheese course, and coffee. We were able to pick and choose enough items to share and satisfy everyone. We shared bread, a charcuteries plate, and a tomato and mozzarella salad. Monsieur Bacon had duck confit for the first time and he is a changed man. I mean, what could go wrong with a duck that has been salt cured, poached in duck fat, preserved in duck fat, and then fried in duck fat? Madame Salade had a veggie and herb omelet (a popular dinner item). And it was a really good omelet. For dessert, we all shared a crème brûlée and a pot of fromage blanc with chestnut sauce (think creamy greek yogurt and a sweet fig-tasting sauce). Everything was just superb. And the bar decor was great too: