Back to Reality

So the trip home...well, lets just say that I had to keep telling myself to "Get on the plane." :) 

Luckily the plane ride was uneventful (ironically I actually knew someone on the plane) and after a quick layover in DC where I got to spend an hour or so with my Mom, it was back on a plane destined for good old NC.  A friend from school was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and I was pleasantly surprised to see my luggage waiting for me on the conveyor belt....yeah!

After a much needed good nights sleep and a very disappointing welcome home from Emma (she played very coy with me the next morning), it was back to the daily grind; cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping...all in the first day home!

Despite the crazy first week back, its been fun.  I've been able to play a little tennis, get a few (and I stress the word few) things done around the house, catch up with a few friends and get some things organized for classes, which by the way, start on Monday. 

That being said, the next couple of weeks are going to be pretty hectic! But no worries, the bucket list continues......

The Last Day/Night

Aww, I'm so sad! Its my last day/night in Paris and while I wish I would've spent it in Champagne, I had a really good time.

The company who I booked my day trip with was kind enough to compensate me with a complimentary wine/cheese lunch today and while I was hesitant to go, I figured free wine and cheese couldn't be passed up :) It was great! The other participants were really laid back and so was our sommelier and my "date" for later that night, Nickolas, who kept refilling our glasses until all six bottles were empty!  Needless to say the wine was amazing (I've learned a lot), the cheese was to die for (all this food has already begun to show on my hips), and the company was hilarious.

After the tasting/lunch, which was only suppose to last an hour and a half but ended up lasting about 3 hours, a couple of us navigated our tipsy selves to the local post office to ship our purchases.  Yeah, I can't wait...in about a week I'll be reliving my wine experience from over here in NC!!!  Anyway, after that comedy...I'm sure you can imagine 5 tipsy Americans who don't speak any French in a post office trying to ship a whole bunch of wine...I convinced everyone to go with me in search of this particular Chocolatier.  The trip there was just as much fun as the whole post office excursion and about an hour and umpteen chocolate tastings later we were finally on our way back to our hotels.

Yummy and so worth the totally out of the way 45 minute walk

After a quick stop at the hotel for a few Skype sessions and a change of clothes, it was back out again to join Nickolas for my other complimentary event, a champagne cruise down the Seine.  Now I mentioned a change of clothes...well some of you know about the whole red dress purchase... looks like I finally found a place and time to wear it!

Sorry for the ghetto picture but its all I could manage since I didn't care to lug my camera with me this time

After the cruise (which was beautiful but definitely meant for couples, though Nickolas was a very nice "date") we headed out for a big splurge dinner at Le Grand Vefour.  All I can say is "Oh, my God!"  Definitely a dinner I will never forget and the perfect ending to the trip.

Thanks again, Nickolas. You really shouldn't have, but next time I'm in Paris its my treat :)

Boo-hoo

Late last night I received an email letting me know that my day trip to Champagne (scheduled for today) had been cancelled due to a "domestic accident".  Though not quite sure what that means, I was disappointed :(

After a little thinking and a good night's sleep....oh well, no big deal! 

Instead.... I'm off today in search of one of the finest chocolatier's in Paris, some meandering, a complimentary wine/cheese lunch, some more meandering, a complimentary Champagne cruise and of course since its my last night (???) in Paris (I'm getting sad), I'm thinking a red dress dinner!!


**Update: I just received news that our neighbors were able to bring their little girl home from the NICU yesterday! Welcome home baby Reagan, I can't wait to meet you.**

Good Morning, Sunshine!

"Its good for the soul when there's not a soul in sight..."-DMB

Oh, so true! And I'm happy as can be!

(Though you can't tell in the picture...it seems that I have myself a nice black eye?!? Apparently things got a little crazy last night!)

Yummy! (Part 2)

Saturday- Another cooking, or to be more exact, baking class ;) 

I was super excited since I love to bake and although my class wasn't until the afternoon, I was giddy the moment I woke up! I know, I'm a dork!!

Anyway, since I had been up late the night before (this seems to be the routine here), I of course slept in and woke just in time for breakfast.  After breakfast I set off for Montmartre....

Knowing that I had a bit of time before my class I thought I'd do a little walking and shopping around the area.  First up, another stop by the Moulin Rouge and a quick glance at the Musee de l'Erotisme though I wasn't willing to shell out 5 euros to see a whole bunch of sex toys from decades past.  Another quick run by Cafe des Deux Moulin where Amelie was filmed and of course a stop by Van Gogh's house, or should I say Van Goghs brother's house.  I was also able to see the famous twinned windmills and Jean Marais's statue of a man walking out of a stone wall (it was pretty neat).  Next it was off to see Close du Montmartre, a small vineyard dating back to 1933, where I was really tempted to buy some small bottles, but not for 11euros a bottle :(

During all this I was always able to stop off in some small shops along the streets and will say that Montmartre has some of the best shops I've seen so far!  Unfortunately these shops took a lot of my time (yet I claim I'm not a shopper) and before I knew it, it was time for my class...hooray!

I wish I had been able to take more pictures but unfortunately this class required a lot of "dirty hand time" so it just wasn't feasible :(  However I did take some "end result" pictures....

Croissants

Pain au Raisin

Twists with apricot jam in the center

the French equivalent to Focaccia bread

We also made pain au chocolat but those were eaten so fast that I never had time to take a picture ;)

Overall, the class was great and I can't wait to try these recipes on my own!!!

On the way home I stopped to watch some street performers, caught the last little bit of a Vivaldi concert in a park and oh yeah, saw a dead guy on the bank of the Seine!?!

Walking Tour

As I said in my last post, I had the opportunity to just walk my neighborhood the other day and it was great all the little places of history and stories that are around. Plus, it was a great way to work off all the great French food I've had while here :) Anyway, more pictures and less words....

A popular hang out spot for Sartre and de Beauvoir

Okay, so this little apartment actually is gated from the public and pretty far back from the road but luckily the nice man, John Paul, you see in the picture was willing to let me in through the gate just so I could take a few pictures.

The second floor flat where James Joyce finished editing Ulysses

Mentioned in his book, A Moveable Feast, Hemingway's apartment in 1922

Above this little cafe is a hotel where Paul Verlaine died and also where Hemingway wrote

A favorite hotel of Jack Kerouac

Pablo Picasso's studio

Both Henry Miller and Auguste Comte lived here

The Hotel where Oscar Wilde died

Where Hemingway spent his first night in Paris and a few doors down is where Franklin, Adams and Hay met to sign the treaty recognizing American independence

Gertrude Stein's home

Along the way I also saw bigger tourist spots such as St. Suplice, the church filmed in The Da Vinci Code....

(Unfortunately the church is undergoing major renovations so I just shot the fountain in front and the one side that wasn't covered by construction equipment.)

...and yet another church, St. Germain des Pres....but too be honest I wasn't impressed with the church itself so I took this instead....

Still part of the church, just not the main entrance. I have this thing with red doors so I couldn't resist :)

Now, for those of you who know me, you know that there is no way I could walk to all those places and not get lost.  And this is true but it proved beneficial since I just happened to get lost in an area where nothing but little art galleries line the street so I spent a great deal of time wandering in and out of these as well!  Have I

 said how much I'm in love?

More later?!?

Rodin, Monet, Manet, Degas, Van Gogh...

Musee Rodin

...some of my favorite men and yesterday I was luckily enough to be able to spend some time admiring their work at the Musee d'Orsay and Musee Rodin.  These museums are absolutely amazing, especially Rodin's which has this unbelievable garden and the weather was perfect for spending some time outside.  Unfortunately the museums don't allow cameras, except for in the gardens of Musee Rodin, so those are the only pictures I have.

As for the rest of my day.... A simple French lunch and then touring the Latin Quarter, the neighborhood where my hotel is located.  Its amazing the places of interest just near where I'm staying. Of course there's places like St. Suplice where they filmed a scene from The Da Vinci Code, but also places where Sartre and de Beauvoir hung out, a flat where James Joyce finished editing Ulysses, the boarding house where George Orwell stayed and then wrote about in Down and Out in Paris and London, Picasso's studio, the hotel where Oscar Wilde died, and so forth and so on.  Unfortunately my WiFi is acting up again so I'll have to try and post pictures of these places and more later tonight.

Plans for today....right now I'm in Montmartre doing a little exploring and some shopping before heading to another cooking class at 4p.  After that, we'll see.....

A Day of Walking

Sorry for not posting yesterday, it was a busy and long day for me and by the time I got a chance to post, it was already 2am.  So, I'm writing this as I eat breakfast as today will probably be very similar to yesterday as far as time goes.

Yesterday morning went the same way the rest of my mornings have gone since coming here; breakfast at the hotel, quick shower and then out the door.  This time, however, rather than navigate the metro I decided to walk everywhere.  On my list; Sorbonne, Notre Dame, St. Severin, Hotel De Ville, Tour St. Jacques, St. Germain L'Auxerrois, Arc De Triomphe, the Obelisque and the Louvre.

Charlemagne statue @ Notre Dame

Side view and square of the Sorbonne

Notre Dame

Tour St. Jacques

The Louvre

Yes, I do ask random people to take pictures
(Notre Dame)

Arc de Triomphe

Not many interesting stories to tell from my sight seeing adventures so I'll just post the long awaited pictures....

After sight seeing it was back to the hotel, quick rest since my legs were killing me and then a very interesting dinner.

Dinner....what to say about dinner?  The restaurant, Le Petit Pontoise, is a little place in St. Germain, that is family owned/run and has the most wonderful food and staff.  We were greeted in what I call European fashion (slight hugs and cheek kisses), and made to feel right at home.  The food was absolutely amazing; scallops with green beans and zucchini, tiramisu for dessert.  Seriously, it was sooo good!  If any of you decide to visit Paris you HAVE to go there.

Mark's company was great.  The conversation flowed easily and I was amazed to hear all about his travels, he'd be a really great tour guide.  After dinner Mark offered to take me on a little tour of St. Germain; St. Germain Des Pres, the cafe where Sartre and Beavouir would spend time writing, and a few other lesser known spots.  It was wonderful and I guess (or maybe I'm hoping) that the after dinner walk helped to burn off that wonderful meal!

Today I've decided to spend the day at some of the Museums; Rodin, Orsay, etc. and do a little more walking :)

Yummy!

Hmph, where do I even beginning....

630a- That dreaded alarm goes off.  Up and to the shower where I'm greeted with the lovely smell of vomit as someone in my hotel must have had a little too much to drink and rather than puke in their toilet they decided to use the trash can in the communal shower room. Wonderful!  Luckily working in the medical field has kinda numbed my nose to that particular smell (and others) and by the time I got out of the shower I couldn't even notice it.

7a- Breakfast in the hotel; coffee and orange juice.

730a- Navigating the metro system.

815a- Arrive in Montmartre. Another round of coffee at a local cafe.  Stroll around a few of the side streets and end up sitting at a park bench.  Enter Brian Jones, an Algerian native who's here studying for his 4th degree.

930a- Meet up with my chef and fellow cooking students to begin our journey through the markets.  At this point, I'm hopelessly in love and would move here in a heartbeat if it was possible.

A quick stop off at the Moulin Rouge....hmmm, so much to say about that but somehow I don't think its appropriate for here.

12a- Back to the cooking school where more fun awaits.

2p- All the cooking is done, time to enjoy!

 -Duck breast with sauteed peaches and an arugula salad with sauteed cherries.
-Pan seared cod and squid with a beurre blanc sauce and a tain.

-Raspberry fiancier.
-Seven different kinds of cheese and tons of bread.

330p- Begin the trek back to the metro though now accompanied by Emico and Neil, fellow cooking students.

4p- A stop off at the Basilique du Sacre- Coeur.  Pick up a little gift for E in one of the side street boutiques and once again on the Metro.

6p- A run by the market on the corner adjacent to my hotel for some fruit and a quick Skype chat with home.

Tonight....its back out again, this time to meet up with Jonna on the lawn beneath the Eiffel Tower for another picnic dinner! Gotta run :)

Busy Day

Okay, I'll admit it...I slept in this morning.  I seriously had every intention of getting up and out the door pretty early but when 7am rolled around, I rolled over, buried my head and went back to sleep.  After just a few more shut-eyes I did manage to make it out of my room in time to catch the breakfast that my hotel offers; orange juice, petite baguettes, croissants, oh so yummy coffee and the delightful company of a new friend, Mark.

I actually "met" him briefly the morning that I arrived as we shared a quick laugh over the hotel elevator buttons.  Anyway, Mark stumbled into breakfast shortly after me and noticing that he too was traveling alone I couldn't help but ask what brought him to Paris.  His response, "A mid-life crisis."  Haha, instant friends!  Mark is an interesting character; he's in his 50's, originally from Canada and has been living in our hotel for three months.  He spends his mornings writing and his afternoons visiting museums and catching old Bogart movies at the cinema.  About two hours after arriving for breakfast we had discussed politics, religion, health care, philosophy, art, literature and traveling....it was fun and I'm sure I'll be talking with him again.

Now that my morning had really disappeared I figured I needed to hightail it to the shower and out into the city. Remember how I mentioned that the metro system was easy? Well it is for the most part, though highly complex, as long as you take the right line which apparently I didn't and ended up getting pretty lost.  No worries though, I eventually found my way and saw a bunch of neat little things along the way.  A few pictures below of my lost finds...

Once directionally found again it was off to lunch at another little cafe where yes, I actually ate food, to be more specific, crepes with mozzarella and potatoes.  Of course the food was great (!), the atmosphere was cozy and the people were very friendly. (The owner even allowed me to use his password protected WiFi so I could Skype.)  After lunch it was time for my wine tasting.

Now typically I wouldn't make it a habit to follow a stranger down into a cellar but this was so worth it.  We spent just over an hour and a half learning about the different wine regions in France, what exactly all that crap is on the label, and of course  how to "taste".  It was fun and naturally I made friends with the people there and was pleasantly surprised to see another girl traveling alone, Jonna.  Even better, Jonna's from DC.  Immediately we hit it off and made plans to get together later in the night.

Okay, quick run back to the hotel to check to see if my luggage had arrived....nope! What the hell!  Quick Skype session with Luke, sprint down to a local boutique to buy something just in case my luggage isn't here in the morning, and then back out to navigate the Metro yet again.  Final destination....Tour Montparnasse to meet Jonna for a picnic on the rooftop of a skyscraper overlooking the city. In one word....beautiful!

With night and exhaustion setting in I decided to call it a night but rather than try my luck again with the Metro I decided just to walk.  Despite my newly acquired map of my city I still ended up getting a little lost but it was yet again interesting to see what I could see.  No worries, I made it home and actually ended up thinking I was way more lost than I truly was :)

What's on the agenda for tomorrow?  The long desired cooking class!!! I have to meet the chef at the local market in Montmartre at 930 so lets hope I don't oversleep or get lost.  After the class (which goes until about 3) I'm planning on seeing the Sacre Coeur, Picasso's Museum and then maybe Notre Dame....we'll see!

Goodnight!

The End of Day One

Wow! What a day! I'm exhausted and yet giddy!! I love it here and can already tell you that I don't want to come back....

After the cafe I headed over to the local market just to take a look around and of course I was amazed.  How great it must be to cook over here.  The produce looked and smelled wonderful, the selection was varied and despite all that I was still able to find my staple...Red Bull :)  The funny thing is I'm all excited over this tiny, and I stress the word tiny, little market so I'm sure I'll just about pee my pants when I go to the market for my cooking class on Wednesday morning.  Can't wait.

After the market it was back to the streets.  Being directionally challenged has proved valuable here since I seem to stumble upon numerous little shops and cafes.  After taking about a 5 block roundabout way I found my destination...the Pantheon.  While not necessarily beautiful in the traditional sense, it is breath-taking to say the least. 

 

My favorite part....if you stand with your back to the steps and look dead ahead you have a great view of the Eiffel tower (my picture doesn't do it justice).

After the Pantheon it was back to aimlessly roaming the streets. I'm sure there are so many things to write about but truth be told I'm super tired..... 

Finally it was time for dinner so I decided to walk until I found a cozy little place...this is what I found....Le Vin Sobre.

And while I can't comment on their entrees, I will tell you that their chocolate cake with mint ice cream was to die for.  Yep, no dinner, just dessert! And wine of course :)

Seriously though, picking this place worked out well since I ended up meeting a family of Americans who invited me to join them for dinner. Thanks again Madigan family, it was so nice to meet you all!!

Alright, that pretty much sums up day one.  Tomorrow I'm planning on spending the majority of the day on the right bank and then I'm off to a wine tasting in the afternoon.  I'll try and blog along the way but in the meantime, keep your fingers crossed my luggage arrives so I don't have to spend tomorrow shopping for clothes.

**Sorry for the layout...for some reason I'm having formatting issues and I'm too tired to bother with it.**

Palais du Luxembourg in the rain

Quick post.....

  After a much needed nap and shower it was time to explore.  First on the list, since its closest to where I'm staying, Palais du Luxembourg. 

  I could literally spend hours here and it seems that most Parisans do.  There are benches tucked in every corner, a little cafe and plenty of secret alcoves.  The gardens are amazing with trees that must be hundredsof years old and flowers with the most brillant colors.  Unfortunately after about an hour of exploring the rain came with avengence.  Normally I wouldn't mind but since these are the only clothes I have indefinitely I figured it would be wise to try and stay dry underneath a tree. 

  For the most part it worked though the bottom of my pants are covered in sand.  Regardless it was still beautiful and after about 30 minutes the rain finally let up enough that I was willing to brave it a little longer, though not much longer, for about 15 minutes later it started again. 

  Hungry and now cold and wet, I figured I'd find a little cafe to get out of the weather.  This one, called The Week-end Cafe, is actually right across the street from my hotel and great. I love it! The woman (Marie) who serves doesn't speak any English but she's fun to talk to anyway since her gestures and tone of voice get her point across just fine :) 

And let me tell you, this is what I've been missing....

Hmm...I'm so happy!

I Made it!

Kaylee and I at PTI (Thanks again Melissa for dropping me off)

Yep, that's right, I'm in Paris!!  All I can say at this point is thank God.  Its definitely been an adventure getting here....delayed flights, not being allowed to check my luggage, finally getting my luggage checked, bumpy flights, literally sprinting through IAD to make my connecting flight, another bumpy flight, and oh yeah, the greatest part...I got here, but my luggage somehow didn't!

Oh well, hopefully it will get here tomorrow or it looks like I'll be living in two outfits and three pairs of underwear over the next 9 days!

Despite all that crap, its been fun.  I actually ended up with an empty seat next to me on my flight from IAD to here and while I did get to lay down and doze for about an hour, I spent the majority of the flight talking with a few people who were seated around me.  Ben and Alex are two guys from the States who are spending a week in Paris before heading to Madrid.  There were full of fun stories, seemed pretty adventerous and were definitely easy to talk to.  We exchanged hotel info. and plan on getting together for dinner later in the week.

Anna is a young, French girl who is returning to FR after spending two weeks traveling the States by herself. (Sound familiar?)  She knows very little English (thank God for the translator on my iPod and Alex who speaks pretty decent French) but does have a couple of friends in the States whom she stayed with.  She gave some great recommendations for places to visit and cafes to try.

So, what does Kelly look like after traveling for 12+ hours, no sleep, news of no luggage....

Not too bad...still smilin'.

By the way, taken on the Metro, which surprisingly enough wasn't hard to figure out at all.

Okay, so I navigated the airport, the metro, a few streets of Paris and finally made it to my hotel.  Yes, my room is tiny though I must have been upgraded since I've got both a full and twin bed, I have no shower as planned but it is right down the hall, the main stairs are so spiraled that walking down them I get dizzy which will definitely be dangerous come a few glasses of wine....but its totally cozy, the people so far have been friendly and I already see a few places right across that street that I'm dying to try!

The view from my window


Alright, so I'm off to grab a quick shower and a nap.  More tonight!!