Breakfast in the dining room at the Plaza Athénée in Paris. This room is the home to the restaurant Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée. We had breakfast there the first morning, and it is a special occasion. I enjoyed the award-winning fresh pastries so much, I asked for a few to take with me; the server packed an entire shopping bag full of them. They were so good, I wasn't too surprised to hear later that the pasty team is led by Christophe Michalak, the 2005 World Pastry Champion.

Best chocolate croissants. Ever.

I sampled what the staff agreed was the "best ham in the world," described on the menu as Iberian Bellota Bellota. When I asked them to explain, they told me with great passion about the pigs in a small area in Spain who feed on flowers that fall from the trees. How decadent, I thought, and when I tried the thin-sliced ham, I could indeed detect a flowery fragrance. I had a selection of loose leaf teas, and they even brought me fresh squeezed lemon juice. A glass of Alain Ducasse Champagne finished off the occasion. I was in heaven.