Day 5
We’re on the EuroStar on the way to
As we are zooming through the English countryside, i realize how much i enjoy taking the train… each person, car, animal i see makes me smile a bit… seeing people in the areas i wouldn’t have seen otherwise, kinda like i’m a Peeping Tom… watching the world whisk by, no time or inclination to stop, just passing through… i’m trying to listen to French speech already… i’ve been trying to pick up conversational French since Christmas… i know i’m no where near ready to speak in French but i hope to pick up a little while we are here… i think it’s a beautiful language and since spoken languages have always alluded me, i think of it as a challenge… sort of how i started running – to best it, conquer it so it doesn’t loom over me…
OK, so I’m behind in writing in my blog so let’s see…
On Day 6, we started at The Louvre… nothing we had read or heard prepared us for the magnificence of the building and it’s contents… we knew that you’d need a few days to see the full collection so we focused on the highlights and decided to spend a few hours… now the officially policy of The Louvre is no flash photography but no one was stopped from snapping away at everything… Ric felt like taking photographs would have taken from the art so he didn’t take any but i did (without a flash, of course)… i made a point to only take photos from angles and perspectives that i wouldn’t be able to see again… the Venus de Milo was lovely from every angle… in photographs you don’t get a chance to see the curve of her back and how the fabric sits so perfectly at her hips… of course, most tourists were taking pictures in front of her in their sexiest poses… it was sickening… those people shouldn’t be allowed to share the frame with her… but that was just the beginning of the disrespectful behavior we saw… we saw many beautiful works but my favorite was Winged Victory of Samothrace… she sits on the bow of a ship at the top of a staircase, commanding it and filling the vaulted room with her strength… as you climb the stairs, you are awe struck… even though her head was never recovered, you know that she is gorgeous… the detail of her wings, the way the fabric draped around her flows as if the wind eternally blows… i was not prepared to be so moved… her history alone is awesome but the way a piece of stone becomes a living work of art is beyond words… we continued on to the Mona Lisa which had a crowd (of course)… as i stood there realizing the beauty of her truly for the first time, i just wanted a quiet moment alone with her… instead i was subjected to the commercialism of this masterpiece… i wished that everyone in that room could stop and reflect on what they were seeing but that would never be… they were too busy to stop and reflect or too young to appreciate what they saw or too caught up in the fame of her to not banally snap her image… i enjoyed seeing her
but i felt cheated and walked away from her disappointed… we got a bit turned around and came across Winged Victory once again… as if cosmically drawn to her one more time… it was here that we decided to end our trip through the Louvre, realizing that nothing could be more beautiful…
The building of The Louvre itself is also a work of art, like a palace… imposing and grand with vaulted painted ceilings and gold leaf everywhere… from there we walked along The Seine and viewed the many peddlers and artists… we passed by one series of paintings that caused us to pause … the artists use of light was simple and striking and the forms in posed of art and music where like line drawings but in 3 dimensions… but we didn’t not buy … then there was Art Nouveau in all possible forms – postcards, calendars, aprons, wall hangings, posters, coasters, serving trays… Ric’s love of the style led us to examine them well and choose a few…
The view from la Cite was fantastic… we had lunch at a Brassiere and headed for Notre Dame… of course there were crowds of tourists…similarly to the way Ric wouldn’t take photos at the Louvre, i couldn’t bear to take pictures at Notre Dame… it was an imposing and breathtaking building but more so a wonderful testament to man’s reverence to God… there was a long line for visitors and a separate shorter line for parishioners because a service was in progress… i watched as many tourists claimed they were there to pray just to bypass the long line… i was disgusted… i realized that i didn’t want to go in as a visitor… i wanted to go in as a person who respected the building and the spirit within… not an attraction but a place of worship… i wasn’t sure that Ric would feel comfortable going in as a parishioner but he understood and agreed with me… we walked up to the guards, nervous that we would be turned away either because of the language barrier or by some twist of fate, the apparent absence of religion in our everyday lives would some how keep us away… i made the universal sign for prayer, i clasped my hands and bowed my head and was granted access and Ric followed… the service was in French but we weren’t there for words… we need to absorb the spirit and the vibrations… bow to the greatness of the structure and all that it housed… give back just a hint of all that we felt was taken by the visitors… i sat there and cried silently at the greatness of God… i have not expressed my spiritual side in longer than i’m comfortable and in that place, i asked for forgiveness for that… we stay for about 15 minutes and upon leaving, touched the walls in an act of humility and awe… it was very emotional and very fulfilling… tears are welling up as i recall it… i will never lose that feeling…
We continued to walk along the Seine around the back of Notre Dame, then over to the right bank… after walking a bit more, we headed back to the hotel… we had bought a calling card in our travels so i called my parents to see how the home inspection went and to catch up with them… then back at the hotel, we IM’d Lisa now that the laptop was up and running then watched French & Saunders…
Day 7
At the recommendation of Scott, we found Le Comptoir, a bistro-type restaurant that has been well reviewed… we decided to have lunch there and it was all that we expected… the waiter didn’t speak much English and the menu was in French but we figured a few things out… Ric ordered the tuna, which we read later was highly recommended and i got the beef bourguignon which i had seen on almost every menu since we got to Paris… the only unpleasant moment happened when i found a hair in my food but it was promptly taken away and a new plate was brought to me quickly by the manager… we ordered the octopus salad which arrived after our main meal since we asked for it as the main course arrive and the octopus was so tender… it was delicious…
After lunch we ventured across the street to a tabac (tobacco store) and bought a pack of cloves and decided to be brave and by a local brand of cigarettes… i noticed the woman at the table next to us at lunch smoking them and i liked the box but unfortunately Ric says they are awful… they’ll be given to someone as a gift… the plan of the day was to investigate 2 of the famous parfum (perfume) stores – Annick Goutal and Caron… i know it’s clique but everyone talks about French perfume being the finest so figured we’d give it a shot… as we walked through the streets in the general direction of Annick Goutal, we passed many chocolatiers, all of which were closed and on holiday (of course) as if i was being teased… we finally passed one that was open so we went into it and bought 2 macaroons… the travel guide mentioned that they weren’t like macaroons we are used to in the States but 2 meringue cookies with a flavored filling so we gave them a try… i got caramel (honey) and Ric got citron (citrus) and we saved them until i got some café… on we went to Annick Goutal… the salesperson, a young man who was adorable and spoke English very well, guided us… they had many fragrances and it was a bit overwhelming at first… he suggested 2 unisex fragrances which we tried but i can never tell if i like a fragrance until i smell it after about 30 minutes at least and a day at best so i can tell if it’s going to make me ill over time… i have had bad reactions to some fragrances after being stuck in a hot car filled with Avon perfume as a kid but i digress… we wanted to buy a fragrance but since the smallest bottle was about 70 euro, we had to make sure we really liked the fragrance… so we decided to go to a café and get a cup of coffee and let the fragrances settle in… then we headed to Caron which is known for the fragrance featured in Scent of a Woman and to compare it to the scents at Annick Goutal… the saleswoman at Caron was the antithesis of helpful… when we walked in, she said “Bon jour” as if it pained her to speak to us… we quickly found the famous fragrance, which smells nice but is very flowery… i asked the saleswoman what was their most popular fragrance since she wasn’t about to suggest anything to us… her answer was “Well they are all popular!” with as much arrogance as possible… nice… so she let me smell a few scents and Ric found a few but they were so powerful i had to actually leave the shop to breathe some fresh air after about 10 minutes in the shop… Ric got sprayed with one fragrance called Tabac Blonde (tobacco blond) which we liked initially but again we decided to think on it and see how we felt about it by the end of the day… as soon as we left, we commented on how snotty the saleswoman was and decided that even if the fragrance smelled like heaven we didn’t want to give them a cent, or should i say 80 euros for a bottle smaller than my pinky finger… as it turned out, later we hated the fragrance and we could still smell it after Ric took a shower which scared me…it smelled like a smoky dank basement… so much for Caron…
We finished off the day walking down the Champs Elysees, looking at a Toyota concept car that was gorgeous and the Ayeo… i swear if i could import one of these tiny cars, i would… i love them… a Mini looks like a Cadillac next to a Smart Car… we ended at the Arc de 
Triomphe, which we didn’t realize you could go to the top of… Ric said that looking at that, he knew he wasn’t going on the Eiffel Tower… after spending a lot of money on food through out the trip, i acquiesced and we went to Quick (French fast food) for dinner… it was pretty tasty but it still felt like delicious death in a paper wrapper… then we were off to the Amorio (a great gelato place with a floral presentation near our hotel) for the 2nd night… this time i got coffee and chocolate (my own little mocha) and Ric got lemon and strawberry… the plan is to have one of these every night…
Day 8 - Saturday
I’m loosing track of the days… i know that it is Saturday only because Diz’s wedding is today… we have seen and done so much… i decided to wake up early (didn’t happen) and head out on my own to find pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants), a café and enjoy the Parisian atmosphere … it’s almost noon and the place i have been planning for months to go to for their famous pain au chocolat is closed for renovations… i happened upon another spot but the don’t have any croissants so i’m having my morning coffee and writing in my blog… Ric will be meeting me later but i’m glad to have a bit of time alone… mini detox time…
[this was written later in the day]
i left the café with about 40 minutes to meet up with Ric but i didn’t do much research on how i’d get from the patissiere to Annick Goutal on the bus so i ended up walking it and i didn’t have enough time to cover that distance in 40 minutes… but we got to the parfumerie and they were just as helpful as the day before… by the end of the day yesterday, we loved both mine and his fragrances so we knew we had 2 winners worth the money… we had decided to purchase both fragrances – mine came in a beautiful hand-painted collector’s bottle (120 euro) and we figured if you’re going to spend the money, you might as well get the beautiful one, right? The salespeople threw in a bunch of samples for the other fragrances and an extra 25 ml spray bottle for me which is easier to use than the collectors bottle… we were so proud of our fancy bag and our high end purchase… i bet we’ll be 60 years old just finished these fragrances – for special occasions only… off we went to the church…
i had the bright idea to go to the church where Diz’s wedding was being held since we never found out the time of the ceremony… i checked the website and we tried to e-mail her but had no luck… i figured since the reception wasn’t until 7:00 PM the ceremony would be around 5:00 PM giving us time to head back to the hotel to shower and change and make it to the church on time… this plan was flawless since we’d have plenty of time to do a few things but not feel rushed or tired out… but of course, the best laid plans often go awry…
We got to the American Church in Paris around 2:15 PM and went into the visitors area… i had to pee so i headed downstairs following the signs and Ric went to find someone to ask what time the ceremony started… i wandered down the hall doing the pee pee dance and i came upon a guy in a workman’s uniform and he asked if he could help me in French… all of the French i learned left me in my frantic search for la toilette so i spit out “toilette!” and he said “ah, oui” and grabbed my hand and led me back the way i came… now when i say he grabbed my hand, i mean like he knew me… like we were about to go skipping through a field… so i’m confused but i’m thinking “thank GOD! i won’t have to pee on myself”… we pass the men’s restroom and he points to the sign… i think “OK… good to know”… at the next door, he points to the sign again… ladies… “Merci, merci!” i say… he pulls out a key for the door, opens it and walks in, pulling me behind him… he leads me to a stall and stands in the door so i can’t close it… i can’t think of anything to say except for “Merci” and i don’t know “Now leave so i can pee” in French yet… instead of walking away, he put up his hand as if to high five me… i’m confused as hell but i high five him thinking that’s the end of the transaction… oh no, it’s not… he puts up the other hand… another high five… then he reaches towards me as if to grab and hug me… his hands are awkwardly moving towards parts of my body that are making me very uncomfortable and i’m blocking like Jackie Chan… all the while, the expression on his face is friendly, not malicious, but very creepy as if he wants to join me as i do my business… finally i say “I’ve REALLY gotta go” and maybe the pleading expression registered so he turned around and said something in French which i roughly translated to “I’ll wait for you outside”… in a hurry, i close the stall door and barely make it but as i’m squatting there i realize, i was just accosted in a bathroom stall in a church in Paris!!! How weird is that?!?! I’m almost afraid to leave the bathroom and i take my time… as i emerge, there he is… now that i have my right mind, i think to myself, if i have to, i can take this guy and Ric should be back soon… i walk past him to the stairs and quickly head upstairs, saying “merci beaucoup” over my shoulder and i see him trying to glimpse up my skirt as he follows… relieved, i see Ric at the top of the steps and i address him as the creepy guy scampers away after seeing Ric… i can’t get out of there fast enough… Ric tells me that the wedding is at 3:30 just an hour from now and i tell him i was just accosted in the bathroom… of course, Ric offers to find and kill this creepy guy but i tell him i’m fine and we need to focus on getting to the hotel and getting back for the wedding…
At this point we hadn’t eaten anything and i decide to run to Crepes-a-Go-Go while he starts to get ready to save time but then we realized that it’s impossible to get ready for the wedding and reception, which is black tie, and get to the church in time to see the ceremony… so we decide to take our time getting ready and make our way directly to the reception… taking the bus in an evening gown is an interesting experience… as we arrive at the hotel where the reception is being held, Diz and Maurice (the bride and groom) are driving up and we got a moment with her before her family saw her… we had a ball at the reception… all the Coke Ric could drink (we had been paying 4 euros for a glass of Coke in the restaurants!)… the menu was in French so we had some of Maurice’s folks sitting at our table translate for us… Maurice is from Cameroon and his family lives in Paris… it was very interesting especially when we got to the main dish… first they called it “white meat” then when i came it was obviously poultry of some kind but i knew it wasn’t chicken, turkey or duck… our translator said it was a “coozeen (cousin) of chicken” so i thought it might be quail… one of the
other English speakers drew a picture of a quail (a pretty good one too) and we were all agreed that we were eating quail… the open bar and the good music got everyone dancing – Cha Cha slide, soul train lines, and out-and-out battles… loved it… we knew the buses stopped running at 10 PM and dinner wasn’t served until around 9:00 so we were trying to figure out how we were going to get home… one of Diz’s friends promised us a ride with one of the bridesmaids so we got comfortable and enjoyed ourselves waiting for our ride to leave… as i should have known, around 4:00 AM our promised ride decided they were going to crash so we were on our own… as we waited, i realized that i was drunk enough to make a pass at one of Diz’s bridesmaid’s… i had been chatting with her all night and got a nice vibe from her but figured this might not be the best place to make a pass at the side of my husband at a friend’s wedding… but at the end of the night, she said a few things that made me a bit bold but i chickened out last minute… i’m glad i did because that might have made for an awkward moment for a few people… so we cabbed it back to the hotel (the first cab ride of our trip) and got in around 5 AM…
Sunday was our last day in Paris so we knew there were a few things that we didn’t get to do – Jardin de Luxembourg, Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, escargot, crème brulee, and a final gelato… we woke up late and i was a bit hung over… actually we got woken up by the housekeeping staff around 2:00 PM asking if they could make the room… we decided to get dressed quickly, grab a cheap lunch and go to the Jardin de Luxembourg to eat… the garden is a well known attraction and we were staying literally across the street from it… it would have been a shame to not go to it while we were there… we grabbed a couple of paninis at a stand and ventured to the garden… it was very popular – lots of joggers, couples making out, families eating lunch… it was the nicest day we had since we were in Paris and the sun made an appearance… it had been in the mid 60’s during our entire trip… as soon as we sat down, this persistent bee came around and would not leave us alone… i know we were looking crazy jumping up and trying to get rid of it but all i could think of was dealing with a bee sting with no insurance in Paris and i got very nervous… after finally getting rid of the bee, we enjoyed a lovely lunch and walked around a bit… we read that there was a model of the Statue of Liberty (Statue de Liberte) in the garden so I want to see her… with the assistance of a very helpful guard who spoke a bit of English, we found her… she was about 8 feet tall made of bronze and beautiful as ever… it was a scale model used to make the one in NYC… seeing her almost brought me to tears but that’s how i always feel when i get close to her… i think of all of the people who greeted her at Ellis Island and then i think that my ancestors did not have the chance to be greeted by her as they were brought to America in slave ships so i imagine that i look upon her in their honor and memory….
We headed back to the hotel room to get ready for the day… on the way, we got a Nutella and banana crep
e from a vendor that was delicious… we were moving a bit slow so we didn’t leave the room until almost 7:00 and went directly to the Eiffel Tower… we didn’t expect it to be that crowded since it had rained earlier but we were mistaken… i didn’t get to the summit until around 9:30 but the view was worth the wait (Ric only got to the 2nd level before decided he had seen enough… he’s not a fan of heights… from there we went to Moulin Rouge… after researching it, we didn’t think it was worth the money to go in so we just went to take pictures and say we saw it… since the trains stop running around 1:00 AM we were under the gun to get to Moulin Rouge then to a place for dinner that had both escargot and crème brulee but we figured it out… we went to la Peid de Cochon (open 24 hours) for dinner which was highly recommended for the onion soup and steak tartar… we started with the escargot and the onion soup… definitely the high light of the meal… i got the steak tartar which was delicious but the portion was huge and i knew that if i finished it, i wouldn’t have room for the crème brulee, which is my favorite dessert… i would have been amiss to go to Paris and not get it! but i sacrificed half of my meal in vain because the crème brulee i make is MUCH better than what i had but i can say i had it… Ric’s dessert “La Vie au Rose”, which had rose ice cream and strawberries much was better… oh well… we took a cab back to the hotel around 2:00 AM… another late one… we just stayed up, packed and got a few hours of sleep before getting up to catch the train to Amsterdam…
