Paris, A Beautiful Cheese Bust

After London I was anxious to get to Paris, essentially the capital of Cheeseland, for some tasty super stanky raw milk goodness. To my surprise (and I'm not too sure why the surprise, because I'm certain I have been told this before), much of Paris shuts down for the month of August. Hooray for shop & delicious restaurant owners...not so gouda for moi. The pic at left is of me trying to break into Androuet, famous shop & affineur of the fromage. Luckily, Paris is a breathtaking city where even the cheesey touristy places tend to have really tasty eats (except for the cafe across from Sacre Coeur where we had the most atrocious 7 Eleven equivalent Cafe Au Lait...I spotted it from a mile away, but Mum had to use the Lou). The pic at right was the only cheese shop we spotted on our first morning. Had I known, I would have stayed there for hours. Delightfully abundant assortment.
Rue de Buci holds strong as my favorite nook of Paris, perhaps due to the fact that several shops & eateries were open...with the sad exception of an amazing grocery & fromagerie. I actually purchased some plastic wrapped brie & Roquefort to go with my Serrano ham from La Rosa (a must visit offering 4-5 types & ages of deliciously cured ham sliced to order by hand). Turns out, the cheese we purchased was extremely tasty...imagine how good it COULD have been before the plastic suffocation. Right off of Rue de Buci on Rue de Seine, we enjoyed lovely dinner at Poissonnerie a very cozy & friendly spot which offered up a temporary escape from pork. The menu offered a variety of fish options and the staff was helpful with translating the delicious menu. Cheese course included. I went with the stinkiest option, Roblochon, a washed rind soft ripened cheese from the Savoie region of France. Not for the faint of heart...Mum was even a wee bit shocked. Delicious.
After cruising the sites (all open of course) and hunting down some amazing grub...Mum & I head to the country once again. First stop, Beaune, a delightful town in the heart of Bourgogne (a.k.a. Burgundy).

Yes, I would like some stinky cheese with my wine.