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The Honolulu Advertiser


By Jenny Barchfield
Associated Press

Posted on: Sunday, June 7, 2009

Parisian date night features bistro fare

 • Obama honors Isle D-Day vet
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Michelle Obama marked the 65th anniversary of D-Day with Sarah Brown, left, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown; and French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. At the end of the day, the Obamas enjoyed dinner at a neighborhood bistro a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower.

FRANCOIS MORI | Associated Press

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PARIS — Ah, Paris. The city of love. And the city of this week's presidential date night.

A week after flying to New York for dinner and a Broadway show, President Obama and first lady, Michelle, dined at a cozy neighborhood bistro just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower.

The president and first lady were in France to join their counterparts from France, Canada and Britain to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the allied invasion of Normandy in World War II that led to victory in Europe.

The Obamas shared the restaurant, La Fontaine de Mars, with other diners. Police, some in riot gear, lined the winding Rue St. Dominique, and crowds pressed behind barriers at the end of the street to glimpse the first couple.

After dinner and a ride along the quay on the Left Bank of the Seine River, the Obamas returned to the U.S. ambassador's residence, where first daughters Sasha and Malia awaited them.

Earlier in the day, the first family paid a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral, where a children's choir sang and the president lit a candle. They climbed the stairs for a view of the city from the roof of the 12th-century Gothic church, which was closed to the public during the visit.

The first family's motorcade traveled to the cathedral along the Boulevard St. Germain, where hundreds lined the street hoping to see them.