J'AIME PARIS!

Idalis: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 7:56 PM

When I was a little girl, I remember seeing commercials on television for Virginia, with the slogan “Virginia is for Lovers.” Well, I think they got it wrong. Virginia is not for lovers, PARIS is for lovers! When we started this trip, Kevin and I started a new tradition of taking “Kissalong” pictures in front of the historic monuments we visit (we promise to make these a series and a separate post when we have some time to work it out). We have taken our dutiful “kiss” pictures in front of plazas, cathedrals, parks, and many fountains. But here, they seem to L . . . I . . . N . . . G . . . E . . . R. You can't help but do so, as this is a very romantic city. Here, it almost seems like when Kevin and I are walking down the street holding hands, we can hear the enchanting accordion music playing in the background, or the soundtrack for this city: Edith Piaf's “La Vie en Rose.” I've often wondered: Does anyone here work? It seems like the whole city is sitting at a cafe, smoking a cigarette, or drinking a coffee. How could you not fall in love with (or in) this city?

Kevin and I arrived in Paris after an overnight train from Hendaya on Tuesday morning at around 7:45 AM. We were a bit worried about our accommodations, since the hostel we had originally booked with sent us an e-mail the day before telling us that our reservation had been canceled. They had reserved for us, in anticipation, a room at a place called “Prelude Hotel” and told us they would take care of the difference, as this hotel was more expensive than our original accommodations. We've become experts at using the metro, and easily found our way from the train station to the Anvers metro stop, where our new hotel was to be. With trepidation, we made our way there. When we arrived, we got confused. The place looked so nice we thought we were at the tourist information office! It is definitely an upgrade! We could not check into our rooms (too early) so they kindly took our bags and Kevin and I decided to go and explore the city. Although many times we are very tired after an overnight train (you can never sleep well and they always arrive before you can get into your room), Kevin and I have learned that this is the best time to view a city: as it is rising from sleep. This is how we first saw Paris.

After reading my last post, I realized that I spent just as much time, if not more, describing the food in detail as I did the sights that we saw. I'm sorry to say, Paris will be no exception. This place is FOOD HEAVEN! We made our way to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, which was the closest sight in our neighborhood of Montmartre. We stopped at a little patisserie and got some breakfast. Kevin and I sat in front of the basilica, which sits at the top of Montmartre Hill and ate our breakfast of cafe au laite and pastries. I have to say, these are the BEST pastries I've had so far. It resembled a croissant, but it was flakier, and had powdered sugar on top. The middle included a surprise: a light cream and little drops of dark chocolate. I will never, as long as I live, forget the sensation of biting into that center: flaky on the outside, but balanced by a cool, sweet cream and little nuggets of slightly bitter chocolate on the inside. If I could bottle the sensation I felt at that moment, I would, and sell it for 10 euros a pop!

We walked up the steps to Sacre Coeur, dodging the vendors trying sell you braiding your hair, and walked into the church. We walked around, marveled at the rainbow patterns made by the stained glass that bounced through the window, and sat down to reflect and give thanks. Before we left, Kevin told me that, again, he gave thanks for this trip. But, in addition, he gave thanks for the beauty God has given us, and for the inspiration he has given man to also create beauty. Sitting in Sacre Coeur, I believe it was a fitting moment of gratitude.

Afterwards, Kevin wanted to see a nearby cemetery, Cimetiere de Montmartre, to walk around and take some black and white photos. Although this may sound dreary, it was actually a nice experience. We roamed through the sepulchres, shrines to those who have passed, some of which were hundreds of years old. We were surprised to note that the cemetery, in the heart of the city, had a bridge built right over part of it! Some of the monuments' crosses even brushed up against the bottom of the bridge!

Although it was a great breakfast, all of this walking had made us hungry! We stopped into a supermarket, and were flabbergasted by the amazing food you could buy there! I just kept walking down the aisles, oohing and aahing at all of the food, trying to imagine how much more everything would've cost at Epicure Market on South Beach. After making our purchase, Kevin and I found a park, Parc de Monceau, and sat to have our picnic lunch. Many other Parisians seemed to have the same idea! People were everywhere, laying out on the grass, reading a book, or enjoying a meal with coworkers, friends, or family members. Kevin and I feasted on: fromage de chevre (goat cheese), saucisson sec (chorizo with nuts), mousse de foie, baguette (of course!), taboule, fresh pears, and a bottle of red wine: all for 8 euros! In an expensive city like this, picnics are definitely the way to go. After an 1 ½ hour lunch (and that bottle of wine!), we were quite tired, and came back to the hotel to check in, relax, and take a nap. We would need our energy, as our plan was to go see the Eiffel Tower at night.

Seeing (and climbing to the top of) the Eiffel Tower has been one of the highlights of this trip so far. Although the line was long (45 minutes!) expensive (12 euros each!) and very touristy, you can't come to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Our friend, Laurent, later explained to us that it was lit up blue at night in commemoration of the Olympics. We made our way to the top, and then slowly came down the two other levels. You can see so much of Paris lit up at night! We found Sacre Coeur, Hotel des Invalides, and Jardins du Trocadero, all from the view at the top of the tower. How incredibly romantic, even though we didn't buy the tiny champagne flutes for 12 euros each! Despite my perpetual vertigo, I accompanied Kevin down the stairs from the second to first level, instead of taking the elevator. Although I felt that I would tip over at any second, I have to say that it was a good idea. We walked down the skeleton of the tower, shining blue, and the view of Paris from the winding, metal staircase was even better than the prescribed lookout points.

Kevin:

Wednesday morning we awoke at about 8:30, jumped up and showered in order to not miss the free breakfast included with the room. Missing a free meal in this town is a heinous crime. We returned to the room after a breakfast of, you guessed it, cafe au lait, croissants, baguette, honey, marmalade and orange juice. We gave our friend and ex-neighbor from Miami Beach, Laurent, a call to plan our day. Laurent was raised in Paris and was staying with his sister who still lives and works here. We decided to take advantage of the city's amazing bicycle program and rented three bikes to peddle around Paris on. We like to call this portion of our trip in Paris the “Laurent Speed Tour”. Laurent is an awesome guy and we really became great friends over the past couple of years. For those of you who know him, you know that he is all business and rips through his actions at lightning speed. So, once we get around to posting some pictures, you will recognize those from our bicycle tour of Paris as they will be the ones of fixed objects with streaks behind them. After a crazy and death defying bicycle tour of Laurent's old neighborhood and the Latin Quarter, it was time to stop for lunch and meet up with Laurent's friend, Zena Christine. We decided to eat lunch at this very non-descript, yet so very French bistro, where we dined on duck in a honey glaze and entrecote, both of which were served with a salad and potatoes au gratin. An amazing lunch with amazing company. We then decided to walk down the street to buy some Italian gelato. I had tiramesu and Idalis had pastachio, which was served on a cone and in the shape of a flower. Only in Paris. It was amazing. It was then off on foot this time around the corner to L'eglise Saint Sulpice, the location of a shot in the movie, The Divinci Code. Another amazing cathedral where we took time to participate in our tradition of giving thanks as someone wailed away on the pipe organ. Shortly after, we parted ways with Laurent and Christine and worked our way down Boulevard Saint Michel towards the famous Notre Dame cathedral. After standing in awe, taking a few photos and then wondering why the hell there we gargoyles on a church, we continued on to the Palais de Justice. This was then followed by a pass by of Hotel de Ville, a gander at Tour Saint Jacques, a jaunt by Saint Germain L'Auxerrios, and on to the famous Musee' Du Louvre. You must imagine that by this time we were hurting. This had been a rather long day and we had done a lot of walking. The last thing we could imagine was wandering through three floors and who knows how many thousands of square feet of classical art. Yes, it is probably a crime not to stand in line for two hours to get a ten second glimpse at the surprisingly small Mona Lisa. However, we decided to take our chances and just admire the beauty of the outside of this incredible structure, built originally as a fortress, Palais du Louvre, by Philippe-Auguste in the thirteenth century, which was turned into a museum in 1793. Also very interesting is the glass pyramid constructed in the Cour Napoleon. A short cut through the Jardin des Tuileries got us to the Tuileries metro station which brought us back to the Prelude Hotel for an early night in preparation for our next day.

Thursday, September 11, 2008 10:48 PM

Idalis: Kevin and I are spending our last night rather unromantically, but rather very practical: Packing for our next destination (Rome!). At least we are celebrating our last night in the City of Lights with a bottle of (cheap!) Beaujolais Nouveau as we roll up our underwear :)

We spent our last day visiting the museum Georges Pompidou, a modern art museum with an impressive building: it looks like its insides have been turned out! We wandered the halls, Kevin liked the red rhinoceros and the bamboo airplane made with the confiscated weapons of Rio. I liked the Dali paintings, Miro mobiles, and the view of Paris from the escalator!

We spent the rest of the afternoon having lunch and running errands (a necessity, even on a vacation): sending out postcards (you can buy stamps at a tobacco shop) and doing some much needed laundry (thank you to the little old lady who showed us how to use the confusing washing machine!). It has been an extremely enjoyable stay here (albeit way too short) and a place that you could definitely get lost in for a good, long time. Paris, je t'aime!

Kevin:

Just one last thing. To any of you who may have always been curious about or have wanted to visit France but thought, “awe, it's just too expansive”, “the French are rude”, “I do not speak the language”, “it is too far away”, “everybody smokes cigarettes”. Do not for a minute give it a second thought. Even if all those things were true, which they are not, this city and it's beauty and amazement far exceed any bad that your mind could conjure. The Parisians have been nothing but nice to us, struggling hard to speak in English to help us order food, find the metro or just to chat. They have incredible style and poise. They are proud and have every right to be as they have inherited a rich and colorful history of culture, art, architecture and cuisine. I have been blown away and humbled by a place that I previously never had the desire to visit. There will always be a place in my heart for Paris. This is truly the city of romance and a wonderful place to fall in love, all over again!!!