I'm in the Atlanta airport now... passing the 3 hour layover from Paris to Los Angeles. The flight was LONG... 9 1/2 hours! But luckily it was uneventful, and I watched 3 movies (don't you just love when they give you your own personal tv screen in the back of the headrest?)!
After I exchanged my euros for dollars at the airport here, it hit me that it was really over!
But... getting back to to my last day in Paris... After Pete and Penny and I had a wonderful lunch, we made our way back to the Bastille neighborhood where I was staying and took a long walk in a neighborhood populated with furniture and design stores. Unfortunately, nothing was open since it was Sunday (and Easter, whi
ch apparently is celebrated on Monday instead). The last thing we did at the end of our walk was to get a fresh crepe from the stand near my place. Last time I got a savory one, but this time I went sweet: nutella and banana!!! Absolutely decadent and DELICIOUS!!! (it wouldn't be a blog of mine if there wasn't mention and/or picture of food).
Later, after I watched the movie Amelie in the apartment, I walked through some light rain to meet Penny and Pete at their apartment in the Marais. We had a yummy farewell dinner at a middle eastern restaurant and then they were nice enough to walk me back to the subway and help me getting a Metro ticket for the morning ride to the airport. After hugs and kisses goodbye, they sent me on my way. After packing for awhile I was wired and didn't fall asleep until after midnight (thus making my 4 a.m. wake up alarm very unpleasant).
So, this morning I said goodbye to Paris and hopped on my last Metro ride of this trip. I ended up having an interesting ride to the airport, after meeting an Indian gentleman in the Metro station. He was very interested to talk to me in English and immediately offered any help to me that he could (like wheeling my luggage through the train station). I was very cautious and tried not to let him help me but my initial impression was that he was harmless (even though I stayed on guard the whole trip). He ended up helping me get from the train station to the airport and then onto a shuttle to the correct terminal, which I didn't know I had to do. He said goodbye to me when I got to the Delta check-in and offered to wait, but I shook his hand and thanked him for going out of his way to help me (he wasn't planning to go to the airport but said that he could take a quick bus to his home nearby. It probably sounds pretty shifty and shady, but trust me, my alertness was heightened, and I never gave him any information, and we were always in public places. He was sweet and actually very helpful... he gave me his phone number in Paris if I ever return (even tried to convince me to visit India... hmmmm I'll put that on my list....). An interesting end to an interesting trip!!!!
I've been thinking about my "Things I learned in Paris List" like I always try to do when I return home from a trip. I'll work on it on the plane and add it when I get home.
Going to the terminal now.... bye!
It's 4:47 a.m in Paris now. I am sitting in the apartment ready to go back home. Waking up this morning after only 4 hours-ish of sleep was tres horrible! And now, look at me, early enough to have a moment to add an entry here. If I don't type fast enough, I worry I may fall asleep...
My plane leaves at 8 a.m. and so I have to get on the Metro and then catch a train. I don't think the Metro opens until 5:00 a.m. and so I wait...
Yesterday I spent my last day in Paris with Penny and Pete. The day started beautifully, with a clear sky, lots of sun (which we haven't seen much of) and a brisk 43 degrees. I first w
ent to the market around the corner that I went to last Thursday. It's a 2 day a week market, but once I arrived I knew that the Sunday one was much bigger and was bussling with people. I could tell that THIS was the real Paris. I took a whole bunch of photos and bought a few more items, including my last baguette and brie. Ahhhhh Paris.....
After a coffee to go, I met Pete and Penny at my place and we set off on our day. Pete had been dying to see this massive flea market, way out of town, so with a chance to avoid the crowds (no such luck) we set out on the Met
ro. Turns out it wasn't so great, but still was a fun experience and we had lunch at a restaurant that was recommended to them. The lunch allowed me the opportunity to reciprocate and buy lunch for the. They have been paying for me everywhere we go together, and refuse to let me open my wallet. But this time they relented.
.... to be continued... I 've got to catch a metro and train for my ride to Charles de Gaulle. ...
Good lord! The crowds have hit Paris! It was a mob scene today... they were everywhere... Buses of them by the millions being brought into the city and dropped off here. Following ladies with tall sticks with scarves or feathers on the ends of them... It's madness! It was so difficult walking down the street today that I found myself cursing in my head. I know what you're thinking... technically, I am one of them. Yes, I know... however my presence just is so much more diminutive than theirs. Just one little ole' me and a whole mess of them. Well, thanks to the intermittent rain today and the hoards of mainly Europeans on the streets, I opted for what I thought would be a more laid back day. I think it was impossible to avoid the crowds, but I chose to forgo the Montmartre neighborhood today because everything I heard about it included tourists so I figured it would be worse today... so on the next trip to Paris, it will be the top of my list.
I started out late today, (a reoccurring theme for me there in Paris) and had brunch at one of the cafe's around the corner. My plan was to go to the Pompidou museum today, since the last time I went it was closed (BUT I did run into Penny and Pete there that day, so not a total waste). My screaming feet told me to take the subway to the museum even though it was only 2 stops away... so I did. Now I was thankful at this point to have that Museum Pass because the lines where SOOOOOO long for this museum, inside and out, and I just walked up and in. That's it! Still, the place was unbearably crowded and so after I dropped off my coat and scarf, I whizzed around like a motorcycle in traffic on the 405 freeway. Now, when I planned to go to this museum, I knew ahead of time that I was going to see some crap... crap that somehow or another fooled the art world into being accepted into a world class museum (that's my take on some of the modern art, in case you don't know this about me). I had no idea it could be as comical as it was. Here are a couple of my favorites:
white canvases???!!!!! -------->
Seriously??? This is just unbelievable! Some of it was so off the charts-weird (purely my own untrained opinion) that I had to laugh out loud. Everyone else (all 3 gazillion of them at the museum) seemed to be enjoying it, but not nearly as much as I was. **** Candace, if you're reading this, I searched and searched for George Hearms' work, but didn't see any. Seems like he would have work here... How odd?
A rhinoceros?????? Blow up furniture????
There was some good stuff by some familiar artists like Picasso, Miro, Matisse, Kandinsky, Mondrian, and even that kook Jackson Pollack.
When the time came (about 2 hours too late) I was ready to go. What I got out of this experience at the Pompidou museum: What really is art anyway? And who says what is art? Not me... that's for sure. I would like to have a word with the museum curators though. Sheeesh!
I'm just sayin'..........................
Out I leapt into the streets of Paris amidst the mobs of tourists... I spent the rest of the day, walking around the Les Halles and Marais neighborhoods. There were times that I could barely move on a street, but pushed through in search of an alternate route. My alternate routes always turned out to be charming neighborhoods with adorable shops and cafes AND hoards of tourists, polluting the space. All in all, I made a few purchases, ate a Parisian hamantashen from a Jewish bakery in the Marais and ultimately put another 5 miles on my pedometer and worn-out feet. Back at the apartment, I took a rest, watched a dvd on my computer, and then ran out for a chicken panini for dinner, which I got to go. Now, I'm just relaxing and plan to hit the sack early. Just about the only creature comfort from home I miss is my bed, as I haven't been sleeping as well here as I do at home. I will need some catching up when I get back.
Bonsoir!
Last night, after I posted, I went out to the most wonderful meal with Penny and Pete for dinner. They informed me from the start that they were insisting to buy my dinner, so to feel free to order whatever I wanted, and no argument about the bill. It was a kind gesture and after I insisted on the opportunity to reciprocate in some way, we walked to about 20 minutes to Il de St. Louis, to a tiny restaurant called L'Ilot Vache (the "something" cow... doesn't translate on google translate). We got the Prix Fix meal and truthfully, everything was very good, until I got to the dessert which was GREAT! They served Berthillon ice cream, a Parisian treat, and pure yummy goodness! I was stuffed, and this definitely was NOT Weight Watcher friendly, but once again... worth it. We drank 2 bottles of wine (white of course) and laughed, told stories and reminisced about the past when her son and I were such good friends. I spent lots of time at their house and we had a lot of memories their family. It was great fun and such a treat to be able to share this time with them in Paris!!
We got back around 11:30 pm (my latest night out in Paris), and I was wide awake till nearly 2:00 am, only to be abruptly awoken at 8am by a package being delivered here to the apartment. I thought speaking French while awake is difficult... try half asleep over an intercom. Yikes! I never quite got back to sleep so I lounged around awhile and got myself going by 11:00am. Today's agenda: unknown!
I ended up hopping on the subway in the direction of Galleries Lafayette to shop (why? I hate shopping!). It was drizzly and windy today and to say my feet are sore would be an understatement. No blisters or anything, just "over-used" rubbed spots on some out of shape feet. Not good...
After the overwhelming mass of shoppers in the 6 floored department store, I hopped back on the subway and went over to the Champs E'lysee. Another overcrowded shopping mess but now it was raining harder and blowing so hard that using an umbrella was impossible. Uncomfortable for sure... but still... uncomfortable in Paris= not too shabby. I ate a quick panini lunch and made my way to L'Arc de Triomphe which I only snapped a quick photo and dashed back down into the subway to escape the blustery, rainy ickiness.
Next stop, Place du Concorde (????), the Truillere Garden and the Musee L'Orangerie to see the Monet Waterlillies. Fast forward an hour, I realized I left my "waste of money" Museum pass back at the apartment and I wasn't going to wait in the long line, so I opted for a seat in a chair in front of a pond in the gardern (it was now sunny and delightful). I'm getting a little bit better at asking people to take photos of me. Today I asked 3 people... not too hard. Now I have a total of 5 photos of me in Paris!
After my feet couldn't take a bit more walking, I once again hopped on a subway (I'm getting pretty good at it now). Thankful to be back and able to take off my formerly comfortable shoes, I rested for a bit on the couch. Then... I opted to do some reading from my book (Eat Pray Love... which I am SOOO LOVING right now!) but chose to go down to Le Bastille Cafe outside my apartment. It was while I was sitting at a table, outside, under a heater, drinking my cafe creme and ea
ting pomme frites (NOT WW friendly), that I realized it... THIS is the dream I had that brought me here to Paris!!! This is exactly what I saw in my previous dreams; sitting in a cafe, watching people rush by, drinking expresso... all of it! I couldn't believe it! Again, I got tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat, and a smile on my face. This is why I came here... (cue the Les Miz music in the background).
So, when the fries ran out, the coffee was gone and the Les Miz music in my head went away, I walked over to the marche (market) for some soap and a look-see and what they had there. I bought some French cookies for the kids, and the soap I was looking for, and went back to the crash pad. It wasn't more than 2 hours when I got a hankering for some sushi, and wouldn't you know, there was a cool place around the corner I found called "Planet Sushi". I read about it in my book; it's one of those revolving sushi places but so cute and funky, that I sucked it up and went and sat at the sushi bar, ON MY OWN. I had some Parisian sushi, which coincidentally tastes stunningly just like Westside sushi. Hmmmm...???....!!!! I drank wine and ate a bunch of plates from the conveyor belt, bubble covered plates that were going around and around. After I was sufficiently sick of sitting by myself the owner came and spoke to me in French and I just stared back at him blankly. I don't know why I couldn't remember how to say "je ne parle francais", so I just smiled and nodded. Turns out he was asking me to move over one seat so a couple could fit in. Nice! Thank goodness a woman took pity on me and told him that clearly I didn't speak French. In embarrassment, I told him I was ready for the bill, and got the heck out of there. I guess raw fish makes you forgot barely-known foreign languages... or maybe it was the wine???? Perhaps...
Now I'm here in the apartment, about to watch a dvd on my laptop. I think tonight will be the appropriately titled: Paris, Je T'aime. Bonsoir!
Today has been another amazing day, but I thought I would share the best part of my day first... I was reading a sign at the Pompidou Museum, telling that the museum was closed for the day (ZUT!) when I turned around and saw a familiar face!!! Our mouths both hung open and I couldn't believe I was seeing someone I knew, in Paris!!! It was Penny Baker, and her husband Pete, old, old friends (not them, but the time period) who are the parents of my old elementary and high school friend, Mitch Kamin. I grew up since 4th grade knowing their family and though I haven't been in contact with Mitch for many years, I have run into Penny at our local Trader Joes recently. They live just about a mile away from me in Beverlywood. Holy crap, is that unbelievable??? We were both speechless and after the initial shock, and exchanges of stories of what we were doing in France, we hugged and laughed and couldn't stop talking about the small world we live in. 
They had just said goodbye to some friends of theirs and now were off to another museum which they invited me to join them on. It was such a relief to have some human interaction, plus the years of catching up we had to do since it really had been more than 15 years since we had sat down together and talked. It was about 1 or 2 pm when I ran into them and we ended up trekking around together all the rest of the day and they invited me to join them for dinner tonight, my first dinner out (that's sad). They'll be picking me up in an hour. It was great!!!
Now to the early part of my day: I slept in again till 9 am and remembered that today was the day of the Market around the corner. So I pulled on some clothes and went downstairs and wandered through the market (just like one of our Farmer's Markets, but with yummier cheese, breads, fresh fish, meats, and the most beautiful produce I think I have ever seen in my life). I bought myself a baguette, some brie, and so fresh strawberries (all by speaking French, since none of the merchants spoke English). Here a picture of the most delicious breakfast I think I have ever had:
I ate at least half of the baguette and probably 2/3 of the brie (didn't feel at all guilty since I hadn't eaten dinner the night before). The brie was incredible and I don't think I've ever had such perfect strawberries in my whole life. How do the French do it???
Later on, after my yummy breakfast and a shower, I headed out for my daily excursion. My plan was to go to The Marais, the neighborhood, near my apartment, most know for chic shops, the jewish quarter, and the rising gay culture... what more could a single girl want??? I first wandered around and visited Victor Hugo's house (yawn). Since I love the musical Les Miserables, I thought it would be interesting... not so much. Then I walked a mile or so and found the Picasso museum, which was interesting and pretty crazy to see so many paintings by such a famous artist. Apparently, this collection was a part of a government seizure of Mr. and Mrs. Picasso's back taxes at some point. None of the hugely famous pieces are there, but to see such a wide variety of Picasso's work, was nonetheless amazing. Although, as per usual, my short attention span brought me in and out of that museum in less than 30 minutes.
After window shopping around the Marais for awhile is when I ended up at the Pompidou, the modern art museum. Apparently there was some kind of demonstration that was going to be happening (I don't know why), so they closed the museum... my bad luck... however my good luck when I ran into Pete and Penny there. We then went together to the Branly Museum which is one that displays the art of many cultures. A beautiful museum (the architecture) and it had some nice cultural artifacts, but thankfully, Pete and Penny have a short museum attention span too, so we were in and out pretty quickly. This museum was all the way over by the Eiffel Tower, so we had a bit of subway hopping to do, which Pete is great at navigating. It was loads of fun to be with them!!
Now I'm resting before dinner. It's pretty cold here (in the 40's) and there's talk of the possibility of snow this weekend. Does it have to snow on every single one of my vacations (minus the summer ones)?????
My pedometer reads: 13,477 steps so far (5.31 miles) Tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'll be doing. I'll decide tomorrow. Hope everyone is well and keep in touch.
Holly
<---------What you're looking at here on the left is the picture I took of my pedometer when I arrived back at the apartment today at 6:00pm. It reads: 17,986 steps = 7.09 miles... That's what I walked today. Good lord do my feet feel it... but WOW, what a great day it was!!!! I don't even know where to begin because I did so much today that I wouldn't want to include all the details here in fear that I'd bore any reader to death. The thing is that this blog is more really for me than for the readers (sorry readers). I used to journal on all of my trips, and I've found that with access to a computer, I can include photos, and type with much more ease than I write with. So, if these entries are too long, feel free to skip around (which I'm sure most do anyway).
So my day began quite leisurely, waking up on my own without the aid of an alarm clock. I managed to get myself out by 10am (hey, I'm on vacation you know...) and went straight to the Cafe Bastille, right around the corner. They have a Petite Dejeuner for only 6 and a half euros (croissant, orange juice, cafe creme). There were some Canadians sitting next to me. We exchanged a few words but no real conversation. I spoke to my waitress in French, but later heard her speaking very good English to the Canadians. I'm sure she was wincing through my French and laughing to herself in the kitchen. I left and bought some Metro tickets (10 tickets are called a Carat). I read some maps and then boarded my first Paris metro on the way to... La Tour Eiffel!!! I had to transfer to a 2nd train and oh boy was that one hilarious! There were some musicians on board playing music for change, and their song choices were amusing: Oh When the Saints Go Marching In, Hello Dolly, and Tequila. Oh right
, and then there was Hava Nagila. It was hard not to smile, so I gave them a Euro for their effort. When I finally arrived at the Eiffel Tower Metro station, I practically ran out of the station to get my first glimpse of the tower. Here is one of my first pics, but most of them are vertical and for some reason blogger doesn't allow you to rotate them. So I had to post this one, which isn't great... but you get them point, since most everyone knows what the Eiffel Tower looks like. I have to admit though, I had a hard time keeping my eyes dry today and there was this strange lump in my throat as I walked around the whole plaza of the Eiffel Tower today. Not that it's such a great monument or anything, but rather a symbol of a dream realized... my finally coming to Paris. Everything I went through today to get my ass up on that tower, was worth it, because of what it represents. It was fureeeeezzzzing under the tower, and I had to wait in line for more than an hour, and while I tried to talk myself out of the long wait, something in me forced me to brave the wind and chilly temps. to get to the top (which by the way was closed... I could only get to the 2nd level today). All in all, it was amazing and I am certainly glad that I did it... the view up there was gorgeous and the sun kind of came and went throughout the few hours I was there. When I felt that I had sufficiently experienced the Eiffel Tower, it was time to go. But with no plans or ideas I consulted a map to see what was nearby.
After a lengthy walk along the Seine river (how wonderful is that???), I ended up going to the Musee d'Orsay, the home of Impressionist painting. I used my museum pass (which I am convinced was a total waste of money for me....like I am going to see 45 Euro worth of museums... do I even know me?) On the advice of one of my guide books, I ate a quick lunch in one of the museum restaurants. I had a yummy salad, another cafe creme, and some delicious french bread. After all, by that time I had already walked 3 miles, so the bread was okay. I made
my way to the rooms of the Impressionists, and was BLOWN away with what I saw there. Holy cow, talk about a collection? This was the real deal...Monet, Lautrec, Renoir, Gaugin, Van Gogh... I can't believe I was actually seeing all the real paintings that I've had prints of, or seen in art books, or on umbrellas and mouse pads, everywhere... It was amazing... like seeing long lost friends that you know so well but had never met before. I joined a few tour groups to listen about the paintings, but if you know me, you know I have the attention span of a gnat, so on I went. When I was fully tapped out of attention, I wandered through some of the halls on the bottom floor, took a few rests on the sidelines, bought a book in the bookstore and then got on my way. I left around 3:30 and started out walking again.
My map showed me that the Louvre was right across the river along with Tuilliere Gardens, so I headed in that directions. However, once I got to the Louvre, saw the gardens, saw the glass pyramid, and saw the HOARDS of people there... I kept walking. My lack of attention, achy knees (I forgot to mention that I opted to take the stairs down the Eiffel Tower in lieu of waiting in line for the elevator? Smart, eh?), and starting-to-get-sore feet weren't making the Louvre possible today. Perhaps another day... or perhaps not. I have a feeling the "outside" of the Louvre is going to be the extent that I visit it. I hear the Mona Lisa is underwhelming, and the Venus de Milo... well, I'll live.
I then searched for awhile for the Metro, found it, made it back to La Bastille, and then went off on a little shopping walk, that turned into a full blown episode of getting lost in Paris (while amazingly still close to home). I don't know how I did it but I managed to lose my way and ended up walking in circles for an hour or so, finally asking someone for directions (in French) and made my way back to the street my apartment was on. At that point I thought I deserved a reward for getting myself out of that mess, so I went to the crepes cart in the Bastille and ordered up a yummy fresh made crepe with "fromage" (cheese). I saved it till I got back to the apartment around the corner, and that was at 6pm. The crepe was delightful but at this point it has to be dinner since I am too tired and sore to go out again. I think I've had enough of the streets for one day so I am in for the night. I just finished watching one of the dvd's that I brought with me, Mame (thanks Amanda and Michael). It's the only one that was apparently in PAL format and could be watched on the dvd player. But, alas I have realized that I have a dvd player on my laptop, so I'll probably put in another one later on.
I originally had planned on making a reservation for dinner in a restaurant that David took me to on the first day, but I am just too bushed to go out. My dinner tonight consisted of 3 Advil and a glass of water. I'll have a larger breakfast tomorrow morning (I can just feel the pounds melting off of me right now...). Today was great! I did manage to ask one person to take a picture of me and even spoke to a few English speakers in the museum, but still not really connecting with others. I felt better today about eating alone and decided that it was good to be alone so that I don't have to consult anyone about what to do for the day or have anyone nagging me to get up so we can get moving in the morning. I'm a slow riser... get off my back.
Tomorrow? Not sure yet. I have some ideas, but will wait and decide in the morning. I'll let you all know what I end up doing. Thanks for all your emails and comments on the blog. Your support means a lot, and makes it easier to be on my own here.
Bon soir! A' demain!
Bonjour and hello from Paris! I made it!!!!! I'm typing from the couch in my charming (and freezing) apartment in the Bastille district of Paris. My journey here was basically uneventful, thankfully. All of my flights were on time and I arrived here in France around 8am this morning. I had some trouble navigating the Charles de Gaulles airport and luckily was able to get my train ticket for the RER train. I was supposed to phone David, the gentleman assigned to getting me into the apartment here, but there was an unintelligible message on the French cell phone my dad gave me, when I used it, and without understanding french, I had no idea what was happening. So I had to buy a phone card and attempt to call him that way... but when I did, I only got his voice mail. I did find the train and got on, and took it to the Gare du Nord station, and then picked up a taxi to the apartment. He was waiting for me here and after we dropped off my things up here in the apartment, we went out for a coffee (cafe creme, I am learning to call it now). David took me through a charming neighborhood (frankly, what neighborhood here isn't charming?), and our first stop was a Pastisserie (sp?) for a blue cheese and walnut tart, which was heated up and we took to go, to the hole in the wall cafe David took me to. He said that cafe was about as real French as we could get (no tourists there till I arrived).
We spent another hour or so walking around, at a racer's pace, while David pointed out some of the many sights and restaurants of the Bastille neighborhood. The apartment I am staying in is on a lively street, just off the Bastille, surrounded by cafes, stores and newstands. Around noonish, he had to be going since he was leaving town later in the day for a week in Manchester, where he is from. He was SO helpful and accommodating, it's a shame he'll be out of town while I'm here, since I would appreciate a tour guide now and then (not to mention a translator). He's British, and has been living in Paris for 17 years, and loves it more and more each day. His French was helpful when we stopped in a few stores, including the cell phone store to add some credit to the one my dad gave me. I don't know how I would have navigated that situation without his help.
After a warm and terribly needed shower, I finally got up and out on my own. The weather here isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It seems to be in the high 40's or low 50's, and is comfortable with my coat and scarf (tied the way the French do, but of course...). With a narrow sense of direction, I set out in the direction I thought the Seine would be and quickly found I was doing alright. I walked for about 3 hours all around the Left Bank, through the Il St. Louis, and I'l de la Cite, including adorable tiny streets, The Latin Quarter and St. Germaine St. I also found my way over to my first major monument in Paris, Notre Dame. Sadly, it was mobbed with tourists and so after I followed a mob into the chapel, I opted not to wait in line for the tour. Even with
the Museum Pass I bought at the train station I would have to wait in line for the tour, so I was too eager to see more of the area, so I just moved on. All in all I walked about 4.8 miles today (I brought my pedometer). When I successfully found my way back to the Bastille, I arrived just in time for a HUGE protest taking place (the Bastille was being stormed again...) by students. I don't know what they were protesting because I couldn't read any of their signs (but I took pictures of them so I can translate them online later). It was a peaceful protest, that had something to do with education, and the police just stood around and watched most of the time... even though there were hundreds of people chanting and marching. I was starving again by this point and finally decided to sit in a cafe on my own. I found the menus to be overwhelming since I can't read anything on them. I opted for pizza (a thin crust with 3 kinds of cheese), and another cafe creme ( still didn't know how to order water yet). Around 5pm I decided to come back up to the apartment since my feet were hurting and my body was exhausted from the lack of sleep I had the night before. I really tried to stay awake so that I wouldn't get all messed up tonight, but couldn't and slept on the couch for about 2 hours. I feel better now, but doubt I'll be going out for dinner tonight since I'm still stuffed from the pizza. I think I'm in for the night. Or perhaps a quick run for some water and a crepe later on... ???
Walking around today was amazing, and my first impressions of Paris definitely are bringing my dreams into a reality. It's a charming and beautiful as I imagined it would be. I just really hope to be able to meet some people, somehow while I'm here. I don't know how I will like being on my own each day... I felt slightly lonely walking all those hours today on my own. It would be nice to have someone to share my thoughts with. That will be my goal tomorrow...
Sorry this went on for so long... don't worry, all my posts won't be this detailed (or will they?). Keep in touch...
Holly
I'm back with more Tales of a Nervous Stomach... and... as per usual, my "day before I leave stomach" is in full force. So, tomorrow morning, at the crack of dawn, I am leaving for Paris... the Paris that has been creeping into my subconscious for more than a year. It's time to find out what it is about this city that makes it such a strong presence in my dreams. I've never been more spontaneous about planning a trip before and even though I've had some highs and lows in the last 5 days, the excitement of the unknown has all been worth it. Everything has fallen into the exact place that I needed it to, and so now I am embarking on a trip of my dreams (LITERALLY)!
I'll be staying in an apartment near the Bastille and have full access to internet and free international phone calls so I'll be able to keep in touch if I get home sick (which I rarely do). Please check back daily for my take on Paris... I've got no plans, but have so much so see and I can't wait to get started. Please leave me a comment here on the blog if you read this, so I can know who's keeping up with me. Thanks to everyone who has given me moral (or financial) support on the this trip.
Je t'aime!
Holly
ch apparently is celebrated on Monday instead). The last thing we did at the end of our walk was to get a fresh crepe from the stand near my place. Last time I got a savory one, but this time I went sweet: nutella and banana!!! Absolutely decadent and DELICIOUS!!! (it wouldn't be a blog of mine if there wasn't mention and/or picture of food).
