Last Full Day in Paris...

Well folks, this is it. My last day in Paris, and as usual, I don't want to leave. I know I will return to this beautiful city some day, but it may be awhile before I can get back. (ka - we're still returning in 2011, right?)

Today was a beautiful/cloudy/almost rainy day. It seems par for the course for my time here in Paris. It never really rains, but it seems to get close to it, then 20 minutes later, the sun is beating down. I am really going to miss the charm of the city - there can never really be a bad day in Paris - even when it's almost raining!

We headed to L'Arc du Triomphe. Funny, when ka and I came here last time, it was pouring down rain, so we decided not to go - it almost rained today as well... almost missed it again! Anyway, we toured around the bottom section, then J1 & I climbed all 285 stairs to the top. It was a great site. You could see each of the 12 roads that make up the "etoile" - and that round about would have been hell to get on and off if one were driving!

Next stop - lunch on Les Champs Elysees. We stopped at an open cafe/restaurant called Georges V - it had good food (of course - is there ever a bad meal to be had in Paris???) Everything was so tasty... even dessert... and the cappucino was exactly how it should be.... I am going to miss all the cafe breaks when I get home! Not to mention the cafe itself! I'm not exactly sure what they use here, but it's really good coffee!

We had to walk off that large meal, so we continued walking/window shopping down Les Champs. We actually went into the Louis Vitton store... the song that kept playing through my head... "If I had a million dollars"... if only I had $5000 to spend on a purse... well, I don't know if I would or not, but I like the idea of it anyway... We kept walking... browsing a couple of stores... but mainly window shopping. We also ran into the Scottish rugby team in their kilts.. We kept on walking until we got to La Concorde. J2 had to go back to the flat at this point as his blisters were getting really bad. J1 & I walked into Les Tulleries gardens, and strolled until we got to my "old" stomping ground from last time. Since we were in the fashion district.. might as well peruse Chanel, Dior, Arpel & Van Cleefs and Rolex..... We then went into the ballerina store to admire the costumes and the shoes...

By this time, our feet were hurting, so we headed back to the flat to meet up with J2. We are headed out for supper tonight, last night in Paris. This will probably be my last post until I get back home. Don't ask me if I'm nervous about flying back on tomorrow's date - I'll tell you when I get home.

I love Paris, but Paris doesn't love me...



I woke up yesterday morning to an unpleasant, yet familiar sensation.... oh no, not again... oh yes, I love everything about this city, but apparently my system can't handle it. Good thing I was prepared this time! J&J were nice enough to wait it out with me... from my experience last time, I was ok after a couple of hours, until the next morning. A little scary heading out after being sick, but I am bound and determined not to miss anything this time!



Our first stop, The Catacombs. Ok, my initial first reaction... EWWWWWWWWWWW! I know, I know, but can't help being a girl sometimes.. I got past that really quickly though - and starting thinking about the people. What the catacombs are is about 100 years worth of bones from cemetaries stacked in a cave, about 7 feet high (see photos). Leg bones, arm bones & Skulls are stacked like lumber - for about a kilometre. It was interesting to say the least. It was also sad at the same time. When you are buried in Paris, you have a "time" limit to be buried there. After that, I'm not sure what happens to your bones, but this was one solution - stack them up in a cave! There had to be over a million bones in the catacombs. J2 had forgotten his camera (!?!!) so he was the one taking the photos. Somehow or other, I lost my camera case in the catacombs. So if anybody happens to be visiting Paris, and going to the catacombs, can you pick up my Roots camera case? It's somewhere down there... (I think)



Next stop - LUNCH!! We stopped at a nearby cafe and had a bite to each. I'm being careful now as to my choices (no more cafes and cheese... :-( Life is not fair at the moment!). Lunch was good. Oh, um... I think I forgot to mention that the world rugby cup is in town this week... there's lots of people to gawk and stare at... Anyway, there were a bunch of rugby players at this cafe.... having a cafe... we'll leave it at that.



Next stop - back to the flat to pick up J2's camera. Quick rest for us all, then out to the Eiffel Tower. Quick stop first at the Pont d'Alma to see what had happened there for the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's crash site. A lot more writing on the cement dividers. Off to the Eiffel Tower! We stood in line for about 45 minutes before getting off at the second level. It was a beautiful clear day, sun shining with a little heat. Up all 3 floors, and back down again. It was wonderful to see the city all layed out.



After that, it was time for supper. On our stroll to our dinner destination, we saw the strangest thing. Three motocycle cops come flying up the street, stopping traffic. We thought perhaps there was some emergency going on somewhere... 2 seconds later, this bus full of rugby players comes whizzing by... ah, that explains the rush - these boys were probably late to their match! We walked back to the Pont d'Alma and went to a cafe/restaurant called Le Grand Corona. I think this was the place that ka stopped last time for the pomme tartine... so of course we had to check it out! ;-) Dinner was very good - *sigh* I don't think there's a bad meal to be had in Paris! We had the tartine for dessert with creme fraiche... oh my...



The sun had finally set, and we were on our way to take a night boat ride with Bateaux Mouches! It was nice night for a ride. Everything looks so soft and pretty at night... the lights are all different, some bright, some not so bright, made for a lovely ride.



It was after 11pm at this point, and a very long day. We headed back to the flat for some much needed rest. After all, Monday is my last full day in Paris! I still don't want to leave!

Shop 'til you drop...

Today was flea market day! All right, so in North America you picture a big barn like building, with dusty, cheap items that fall apart when you get home. This is not the case in Paris! In Paris, the flea market contains those cheap items, however, you can also purchase antiques, clothes, SHOES, cheap souvenirs, and almost everything else under the sun. The nice thing is that you can barter, or ask for the Canadian discount, and most owners are willing to oblige. (give them a nice smile, and usually they will....). Anyway, J1 & I had a good time going through all of the stalls, and the streets. (J2 has bad blisters on his feet, and wasn't able to make it) Last time, ka and I only did about 10% of the actual flea market... if you can picture about 3kms square of stuff, crammed into every nook and cranny possible. Oh the items we purchased... it was a very good day, but it's not over yet! We are off to do some more shopping!

Later that day...

so J1 & I headed out for a cappucino at the cafe around the corner from us. The best thing to do while in Paris is to sit and watch all the people go by while having une cafe. So many languages, styles of clothes, rattled tourists.... never a dull moment! Then off to the chocolaterie - the chocolate shop! Even just walking in, I'm sure you gain 5 pounds from the smell... heaven! Purchased a few items... ok, quite a few... then back to the grocery store. A lot of stores are closed on Sundays (including some cafes, grocery stores, stores, etc) so we had to stock up on certain items, like bottled water, to carry us through until Monday.

Back to the flat... J1 was tired from all of the activity as she had been up most of the night... it's hard getting used to a new time zone. J2 & I decided to head out for a bite to eat. Since it was prime time for the cafes... let me explain.. it was 7pm - people are getting ready to go out... however, the clubs don't open until midnight. So, the idea is that you meet up with your friends at a cafe, have a few drinks, then head to the club. J2 & I went out for a bite to eat around 7:30, and the cafes were packed, and were only serving sandwich fare... which is ok. We finally found a seat at a cafe not too far away, and sat and had a drink & a sandwich. (if anybody out there knows what goes into a "Martini Rouge" please let me know!) Headed back to the flat and called it a night.

All in all, a good day....

Mirror Mirror On The Wall....

We got up early this morning to head to Versailles. (well, I was up at 5AM... the fight in the courtyard this morning kind of killed any sleep that was left to be had.. nothing like people swearing at 4:30.. picked up a few new words anyway... ;-) So we headed out at 9:30 this morning, and headed on the RER train to Versailles. *shudder* It's one thing to head out on the metro trains, but the RER trains are a little scary. You can see the route, but not all the trains stop at the specific stop you want. Therefore, you can hop on the RER train, but you could, potentially, not get to your destination. But, we found the right RER train on the first go-round, so it was all good. The problem was that we were going during rush hour... that was fun! People smushed into a small space..... anyway, we survived the trip (with wallets intact) and arrived at Versailles.

The day was cloudy, looked like rain at one point, but the sun prevailed, and it was a perfect temperature for quite a bit of walking. We started with the outskirts of the Chateau. You have to understand, that this place is IMMENSE, and to see it all in 1 day was quite the challenge! Starting point was Marie Antoinette's house - "La Petite Trianon". The was Marie Antoinette "house" whenever she didn't want to stay in the palace walls. Marie Antoinette seemed to be all about fun, as she liked to play games (in fact, had a whole play village made up - life size houses to you & me - so she could have some fun, playing in the "real" world), perform plays, etc. Her "little" house was so decadent, it was hard to imagine that it could get any more rich from here - boy was I wrong! The cutest thing about the village... was the parrot that J1 & I ran into while visiting the play "farm". (it is currently an animal refuge - someone obviously donated the parrot). The parrot could mimic anything. We stopped and listened to him for a while - we heard a car horn, the sound of an axe, goose honk, chicken, dog, cat.. I could have stayed for a bit, but J2 was waiting for us, so onto the next stop!

The next stop was "Le Grand Trianon" - this is where the king stayed when he didn't want to stay at the palace. Grand rooms, close to the hunting grounds, meeting places... all very opulent. Surely, I thought to myself, that it couldn't get any more decadent & opulent that this... marble floors, huge crystal chandeleirs, every lily gilded... and on and on... again, I was wrong.

We went to the third stop on the outdoor tour, the canals. The king & queen had them built so that they could have a mini harbour - so sail boats would sail. This is the place that is most photographed.. people can rent row boats to go up and down the "harbour". It's quite the scene. By this time, it's 2pm, and we are a little hungry (considering we all ate an early breakfast, it's a long time to go between meals!). We stop at the cafe on site by the harbour... well, we'll just say, they know they have you trapped there - a little pricey! But, most of it was good...

Anyway, we walked back up to the chateau... it was quite pretty actually to see the water, fountains, and statues. (photos to be posted shortly) Then, into the chateau itself...

Words can not describe the interior of this place. I have run out of words to describe it. You'll just have to see it... there was just so much!

My favourite part, of course, was the hall of mirrors. From the chandeleirs, to the gilded frames, to the statues.. it was breathtaking. (see photos).

At this point, we had been at Versailles for 7 hours, so it was time to head back to the flat. It had been a long day, so we are calling it a night - after all, we have to be up bright & early for the FLEA MARKET tomorrow!

Stairs, stairs and more stairs....

Today we got up bright and early after almost 12 hours of blissful sleep. We had our route all marked out. First stop, St. Chappelle. This is the oldest cathedreal in Paris, built around 1248. The most impressive thing about the cathedreal, is it's tall, tall stain glass windows. The windows are about 100 feet high, almost floor to ceiling. We were told to go on a sunny day, but unfortunately, it was a little cloudy today. I wasn't sure if this was the only opportunity for me to get to St. Chappelle, so J&J and I went in. It's very impressive. I just wish it were sunnier! (oh well, these things happen!) Did I mention that we had to go up about 100 round stairs just to get into the cathedreal? I was dizzy just going up and down those stairs.. (the stairs are always "tiny" compared to what we have back home...)

Next stop - Notre Dame! After wandering inside for a little bit, J1 & I decided to do the gargoyle tour. Well, after climbing all 425 stairs (around, around, around, around - just a wee bit dizzy, and out of breath by the time we got to the top) it was quite the sight. It was interesting to see all the gargoyles up close (see photos already posted). Time has weathered away some of the detail - but keep in mind, the gargoyles have been "guarding" the cathedreal since 1345, so they looked pretty good for something that is 6 1/2 centuries old!
We also saw "Quasimodo's" bell in the bell tower - that bell is massive! After going down and around, around, around around around all 425 steps... it was time for lunch! We stopped at a sidewalk cafe to have crepes... yummy! J1& I split a "crepes marron-chantilly" - meaning, crepes with chestnut & whipped cream... and of course, we had a coffee to go with it! J2 had eaten previously, but he joined us in the coffee. It was nice just to sit and watch the people go by, listen to all of the languages being spoken - trying to guess who is from there.

After that, we walked around Illes des Cite for a little bit, found an Italian Gelato place and had some gelato (I told you this is all about the food! ;-) Walked around a bit more, and decided to split for a couple of hours. J&J went to a sculpture museum, while I went on to the Shakespeare & Company bookstore.

This bookstore is an old bookstore that has been around since the 60's (well, the reincarnation of it, anyway - the original closed down when the Nazis occupied Paris during the second world war). Anyway, ka gave me this book "The Time was Soft There" by Jeremy Mercer to read while I was in Paris. This book is an account of the author's time spent at this bookstore, and his relationship with the owner, George Whitman (no relation to Walt Whitman). This used bookstore makes no apologies for having left wing books, and the owner seems to enjoy a good debate now and then. His daughter, Sylvia now manages the bookstore, and apparently, things have dramatically changed (well, the store is neat and organized now... ;-) Anyway, I'm always amazed whenever you read of a place, then one day you are there to see how close your imagination was....

After that, spent a little time at Cafe Panis (almost mentionned in the book) and I believe I actually ran into the author (not 100% on this one). Too chicken to ask, but anyway, you never know... Had un cafe while writing the first batch of post cards... then went back to the flat to meet up with J&J for the evening...

Tomorrow - Versailles!

Back in the land of the pink toilet paper...

After finding our place so quickly, J1 and I took a little stroll around the area to familiarize ourselves with the area (J2 was so beat, he had to sleep...).

The good news - there's a patisserie around the corner! Oh the treats that were displayed (of course, I had to buy.. and get the baguette for tomorrow morning...)... and there's also a little cheese shop... I think I've died and gone to heaven (yes, it always about the food here!). There's also numerous chocolate shops (yum!). I think I'm throwing my diet out the window for the next 6 days, and deal with the consequences when I get home.

J1 and I stopped for a late lunch at the BHV cafeteria (more on BHV in a little bit). J1 asks "is there any food that's bad here?" - not likely, from my experience... although, come to think about it, I did lose 50 pounds the last time I was here in the following 6 months, so maybe gorging oneself on French cuisine is not a bad thing....

We then stopped in at BHV - Bazaar Hotel de Ville. It's one of the largest department stores in Paris. One of the only, actually... anyway, it's pretty much like any department store, except of course, for the prices. I had my hand on a lovely winter coat, designer label apparently... then dropped it quickly when I saw the price. One cannot be blowing an entire vacation money on a lovely winter coat.... Everything is designer wear, might have to go back at the end just to say I've bought something there.... a plastic bag maybe.. lol

We're pretty beat at this point as we have been up for over 24 hours, so onto the grocery store to pick up little supplies (there's a lot of little ways you can save money in Paris - buying bottled water in bulk is one, and buying breakfast, coffee, etc for the flat, is much cheaper this way than trying to eat a restaurant all the time. Anyway, it's "fun" looking through the grocery store aisles, as things are so completely different here than they are at home.

I'm not sure what is on tap for tomorrow... I can't think much past tonight...

We Have Arrived!

All right, after almost 18 hours of moving, we have finally arrived at our destination. Not too much to report this time on our arrival. The Robert Q ride was fine (minus the screaming kids), we had no hassles at the airport, and the flight was fairly smooth.

We found our flat in 1 try (good to have people with you that know how to read a map.... I'm directionally challenged!). We are in Le Marais, kind of a shopping district it looks like, well Jenn will be happy, lots of stores to look into.

More later, going out to explore the area.... and see what's available!

On The Night Before Paris....

It's now 0:24 am and I can't sleep. Too excited/anxious/nervous about the trip to Paris. What's going to happen this time? It won't be the same trip, different location, different travelling campanions and different time of year. I'm excited at the thought of going back to see the things I missed the last time; anxious that I may get sick again or something will happen (my luck at this time of year is never good); nervous that this time will not seem as easy.

Only 4 things left on the to-do list.... should really try to get some sleep now as I will be up for over 24 hours (who can sleep on a plane?). If that Economics textbook wasn't buried in the back of my "twilight zone" closet, I may just drag it out again... it always put me to sleep when trying to study at university... *sigh*

Catch up with you all on the other side of the ocean!

The Coundown is on!

All right, in 2 weeks from today, we leave for Paris. I am excited and thrilled to be going back. This adventure will be a new one for me, as I have never travelled with my sister and her boyfriend before. It hasn't really hit me yet that I am leaving in such a short span of time. I am excited, but it still doesn't seem real that I am going back. Maybe if I get my butt in gear and start organizing thing (aka - start making that to-do list!), it will seem real.

Here's hoping for: great weather, no lost luggage, no illnesses, no twisted or broken limbs, no incidents at the airport or on the plane, great finds, no lost/misplaced cameras, no accidents, and a great time had by all. (note: since Murphy's law always seems to apply to me, I have found that the only way to counteract Murphy's law is to say it or write it down)

A bientot!