Smoked duck salad for lunch Cafe des Musees. It was delicious. Loved the toasted almonds, hazelnuts and figs. The smoked duck of course was superb and flavorful. I ate this very slowly and savored it.
Smoked duck salad for lunch Cafe des Musees. It was delicious. Loved the toasted almonds, hazelnuts and figs. The smoked duck of course was superb and flavorful. I ate this very slowly and savored it.

Paris: one weekend, five senses and unlimited possibilities. This trip to Europe was a densely packed macaroon of business and pleasure. I’ll share more photos and stories of each of these adventures. For now, let’s quickly recap the weekend that was an intense blur of intoxicatingly decadent food, magnificently exciting masterpieces and a cabaret that is as Parisian as it gets.

I walked everywhere. At the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay I felt like a kid in a candy store, feasting my eyes on works by the Impressionists hardly believing I was consuming the originals. At french restaurants, bistros and pastry shops, I tried to sample across the broad array of selections from salads, risotto, croissants and on the sweeter side, crème brûlée. And finally, I indulged in the Moulin Rouge cabaret which is extravagant and beautiful, so Paris!

These photos were taken with my iPhone, the comments typed in impromptu at the actual sites. These are not going to be the most beautiful photos of Paris, but together they represent a vivid brush stroke of my weekend, told with visceral immediacy.

Made it to the Moulin Rouge!
Scene outside Moulin Rouge. Bikes and now roller skaters. Pourquoi? Je ne sais pas!
Relaxing with 1/2 bottle of Champagne. Delicious...love taking myself out for a romantic evening :). To life!
Je suis ici, Louvre.
Victoire de Samothrace. The real thing.
The mysterious smile that steals the show. A small simple painting that draws all the attention from the large formidable painting across from it. Da Vinci created something compelling and the Louvre knows how to market it.
The massive painting across from the Mona Lisa.
An artist painting a masterpiece, Delacroix's Charenton-Saint-Marie.
The Richelieu sector of the Louvre. Love the beauty and expansiveness of this atrium.
Made it to my l'Atelier des Sens chocolate making class. All french speaking...I will get to live out my Julia Child fantasy!
Chocolate making instructor with our first batch of chocolate moulds created.
My first chocolate box. Life is not a box of chocolates...it is a chocolate box!
Final result of my creation from the chocolate making class. I have a seriously large box of chocolates from this class. Definitely recommend the school. I hear they will have English classes soon too...but class in French was so much fun.
Finally, classic vanilla creme brûlée instead of it mixed with exotic flavors.

At the heart of the Eiffel Tower!
National Assembly, Paris
Smoked duck salad for lunch Cafe des Musees.
Some truffles for dessert from yesterday's chocolate making class.

Yves Saint Laurent exhibit across from the Grand Palais.
Ceiling of Grand Palais centerpiece of the 1900 World Fair. Add a caption Made it to the Moulin Rouge!
Canadian Culture Centre in Paris.
Notre-Dame in Paris.
Notre-Dame in Paris.
Gare de Lyon. I am told these are the world's fastest trains. Took this a while ago but battery on my iPhone died...so posting now.
Loni Stark is an artist at Atelier Stark, self-professed foodie, and adventure travel seeker who has a lifelong passion for technology’s impact on business and creativity. She collaborates with Clinton Stark on video projects for Atelier Stark Films. It’s been said her laugh can be heard from San Jose all the way up to the Golden Gate Bridge. She makes no claims to super powers, although sushi is definitely her Kryptonite.