Memories

Michelle and I went to Purple Moon, a bead store in Grayslake, yesterday to buy clasps and additional beads to create our memory bracelts. Here's mine, with the Eiffel Tower and "P" charms I bought in Paris.



Click on the image above to see a picture of the entire bracelet.

P.S. Michelle and Jo solved the scarf dilema. Jo knew an international ed student who's visiting here from France. She was able to translate the parts I couldn't decipher with Babelfish. Michelle tested it out last night, and while we're not exactly sure if it's right, it's close enough to get the job done.

For those of you interested...the knitting store used a scarf pattern featured in an issue of Marie Claire Idees to make the kits we purchased. Unfortunately we're not sure which issue it was in and, even if we did, the magazine is only published in French anyway.

La longue echarpe cravte

Translating the scarf kit I purchased from the knitting store in Paris is much more difficult than I had anticipated. I thought I'd be able to come home and google my way to a lovely new scarf in no time. As it turns out, the number of French women who are fluent in English, happen to be knitters who read Marie Claire Idees, and document their work online seems to be just about zero.

I suppose I'll have to embark on this journey armed with babelfish, a fading memory of the actual design, and relatively no knitting experience under my belt (with the exception of a still half finished scarf resting comfortably in my drawer of crafting projects that time forgot).

I'll be sure to take pictures of the monstrosity as soon as it's complete.

Online Photo Album

I've started posting some of our pictures to flickr.com. You can visit our album at http://www.flickr.com/photos/parispals/.

Hope you enjoy!

P.S. My shoes still have Paris dust on them and every time I see them it makes me smile (several of the sites we visited didn't have any ground cover and by the end of the day we were covered head to toe in dust and sweat. Michelle lovingly referred to it as being 'smarmy').

Last day post and some more pictures

I finally got my last day in Paris entry posted. I also added some pictures to the earlier entries(there is one of the famous David hidden in there too). I still have tons and tons to sift through so check back over the next few days for more updates. Michelle will be adding her pictures soon too.

We're Baaacckk

Our plane landed a couple hours ago. Michelle's family picked us up at the airport, she was very ready to be back. I could have stayed another week, or month, or year.

I'll be posting the details of our last day in Paris tomorrow (which will include the conclusion to the David saga for those of you who are dying to know how it all ended). For now, I'm tired and I have a mountain of laundry to do and two very talkative kitties who are soaking up the affection as quickly as I can dish it out. Thanks to Shirley for watching over them while I was away.

I'd also like to thank all of the loyal readers who followed our adventures along the way. It was great to receive your feedback through comments and emails. We looked forward to visiting Internet cafes at the stops along the way so we could check in with everyone back home. It made the distance seem smaller.

I'll have some more pictures up tomorrow as well.

Have a great Memorial Day!

We'll Always Have Paris

As Michelle mentioned, we took a morning bus ride to Versallis. I didn't think I'd ever be happy to get back on another bus but this one was a sight for tired feet. It proved to be a very welcome change of pace for our travel mates as well.

We toured the gardens at Versailles first, and they remained my favorite part. I expected more of a show from the fountains and music, but it was nice just the same. A couple of the human statues that lined the pathways had small tails, I found this very interesting, I have no clue what it means.

My senses went into overload upon entering the main building. It was so crowded and hot. The tourists here were very pushy, the worst we had seen on the entire trip. The rooms themselves were so overly opulent, by the time we hit the third or fourth room we were shuffling through rather than taking time to really look. I know what I am about to say is going to sound horrible but, by this time on our trip we had seen a lot of painted ceilings, gilded statuary, and crystal chandeliers. Even some of the paintings here were featured in the Louvre. Our brains just couldn't absorb anymore. We probably would have gotten more out of it if we went the first or second day, but the water show in the garden only plays on weekends so Bob scheduled it this way.

We boarded the bus and headed back for the hotel where we were left on our own for the rest of the day. Michelle and I stopped in at the Internet Cafe for one last session then we went to the knitting store again. I purchased more buttons and clasps and a patch. The store is so happy inside and is filled with tons if inspiration. The girl who helped me was so sweet. She didn't know much English, but did a great job and was very patient. She was really cute too. She had cool hair and a small diamond nose ring, one of the first I've seen that actually looked good.

We stopped at Starbucks for lunch and coffee. It was nice - again - to have American coffee with chocolate and whipped cream, just like home.

By the time we finished lunch we were fairly tired but we decided to stroll through the Chatelet a bit to look for clothes (I bought lots of cute little tee-shirts and a pair of capris like the ones we saw all over Paris) and tablecloths (which we never found).

We took the metro back to the hotel for the very last time. It had been a great asset on our trip, and was very easy to learn. Great for people watching too.

We ran into Lee and Joanne in the cafe next to the hotel. They asked us to join them for dinner, but we declined and returned to our room. We had a picnic to prepare for and time seemed to be moving very quickly.

We stopped at the cafe that had the yummy quiches and purchased two. We also stopped by the grocery store to pick up coke and wine, then we headed up to the church. Michelle bought a bag along the way so she could take all her newly purchased items home. Somehow I managed to cram everything into my suitcase and carry-on.

We had a nice leisurely walk. Michelle only grumbled a little bit about walking up all the steps again. This time it was her idea though (but I know she did it for me). We found a spot on the top set of steps in front of Sacre Couer and ate our quiches as we gazed upon the marvelous view of Paris.

After we ate and cooled down a bit we walked around the back of Sacre Couer to the start of Montmartre. When we turned the corner guess who was standing there? He threw open his arms and kissed me hello on the cheek. We exchanged some small talk then he asked why I hadn't called. I told him I thought he would call me and then I asked him why he didn't. He said he was waiting for me to call him. He asked me what I was doing for the evening and I pointed to Michelle and told him we were planning on walking around Montmartre then going back to pack. He wanted to see me after and asked me to call him. I said I'd try, but I'm sure he knew I didn't mean it.

Michelle started to walk away and I turned told David I had to go. He kissed me on the corner of my mouth and said goodbye. Then he leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. It was better than I had imagined it would be, soft and warm and lovely. The kind of kiss that makes time stand still and music swell in the background. The kind that promises amazing things to come.

He touched my nose with his and gave me a crinkly eyed smile one last time. Somehow I managed to pull myself away and join Michelle. We continued along the shops of Montmartre, stopping here and there to admire a scarf (I bought another one, but it was only 6 euro and I couldn't resist) a tee-shirt, or a touristy nick nack.

On our way back towards Sacre Couer we ran into Nicole (pronounced Knee-cole), David's artist friend. He stopped us and talked quite a bit about life and love. He speaks English very well, along with German and Spanish. Quite an interesting character. When he heard it was our last night he wanted to hang out later on in the evening after he got finished. I told him I had to pack but he gave me his phone number and we exchanged email addresses. I guess I have a new pen pal now.


Nicole

It was still light out when we left Sacre Couer. We decided to walk back even though we had planned on taking a cab. The setting sun on the clouds made the sky look like a painting come to life.

We stopped off at the cafe next to our hotel and had coffee and ice cream and did some people watching one last time. It was the perfect end to an amazing adventure.

Paris will live in my heart forever. I couldn't have asked for a more magical time.

Versailles

Today, we went to Versailles, on a bus! Hallelujah!

The gardens of Versailles are magnifiscent, very formal with statues and fountains. The fountains started at 10:30 a.m. It's cooler today, thank you very much! We've got a little bit of our juice back.

The interior of Versailles is filled with gold leaf, magnificent paintings of the various Louies and Marie Antoinette. It's easy to see why the French revolutionists hated Marie A. and her husband. Their country was in ruins and here's the king, queen and court living it up at this country estate. The crowds inside were so numerous that I skirted that outside of each room, read the signs quickly and moved on.

The Hall of Mirrors is going through its first renovation ever. That was rather disappointing although you could tell what the room looked like based on some of the remaining mirrors; lots of reflected light and more gold leaf, chandeliers, and views of the formal garden.

Now, Julie and I are on our own. We're going back to the knitting store - Julie's idea not mine.

Tomorrow, we leave dear friends. We'll be adding and editing so check back for further details.

Personally, I'm ready to go home. I can't wait to see the family! But, Julie will be sad I think. I do believe that we're overloaded as to sightseeing though. A nice tour of the french countryside maybe.....

M

Another Church?

You may say, "you visited another church?" Aren't you getting tired of them?" I thought the answer may have been yes but I would have been wrong.

Day started at 9:00 a.m.

Each church gets better and better. Yesterday, we visited Sainte Chapelle. The stained glass windows in the church are so beautiful! I actually sat down and just looked at all of the bible scenes that were depicted in each of the panels. Much of the church and some of the windows were destroyed during the French revolution but its been restored. Even so, when you walk in on the first floor, you think, what's the big deal? Mnay of the columns are losing paint and some big chips have been taken out of the plaster. However, you walk up the very tight circular staircase, into the chapel reserved for the aristocracy, and you say "Wow!" Julie took many pictures so you'll see it too!

From Sainte Chapelle, we journeyed to the Louvre (yes, we walked!) in 90F+ weather - can we say "smarmy?" Julie and I both lost our drive in the Louvre. We saw the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and the Venice di Milo; we saw Greek, Roman, and French sculpture, Egyptian antiques, Italian paintings, all of it more beautiful than the last. But its the ceilings that no one tells you about. They are just as beautiful and oppulent as anything else that we've seen.

From the Louvre, we went on our dinner cruise. The food was good but we had better after we visited Giverny. We did have some fabulous wine though and the cafe creme brulee was very good. It was hot though; Julie and I were seated on the sunny side of the ship. The cruise lasted about an hour and a half.

Then, we walked to the Eiffel Tower; Julie and I thought we were going to take the metro. Bob sure loves to walk. By the time we made it to the Tower, I had to use the wc; it cost .40 cents but it was clean and had toilet seats. I didn't care at that point. Compared to Wednesday morning, the Eiffel Tower area was jammed!

We saw the lights lit on the Tower - I still think it looks better from far away. But Julie was happy because she took her night time shots of the tower.

Time day ended included metro ride home 11:15 p.m.

Michelle

Yesterday seems so far away...

We were so busy yesterday by the time we got back to the hotel the internet cafe was closed. I'm tired today, so I'll keep this short and fill in later.

We saw the highlights at the Louvre... Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, Winged Victory, some of the Egyptian exhibit (part of it was closed). I never knew the ceilings were so wonderfully painted there. It was quite a nice surprise.

We took a relaxing dinner cruise on the Siene River. It was very hot and the boat didn't provide an overly impressive view, but after a long day of walking it was nice to sit and eat. For the dinner itself we each got to choose from a menu of four items for the appetizer, main course and desert. I had the smoked salmon (not the best thing I've ever tasted, the sauce was too strong for my taste), the chicken in mushroom sauce (also stuffed with ground up mushroom, very nice), and coffee creme brule (can I say YUM?!), and two glasses of wine a piece. The second serving of water even had ice cubes in it, unfortunately they melted upon pouring the water into the glasses. It was kind of fun to see the Statue of Liberty's twin in front of the Eiffel Tower. (A scale model of New York Harbor's Statue of Liberty is mounted on a pedestal overlooking the Seine. The original full-size statue was completed in 1884 under the direction of sculptor Auguste Bartholdi. After being displayed for a year in Paris, it was dismantled and shipped to the United States as a gift from the people of France. source)

After the dinner cruise Michelle and I walked to the Eiffel tower with Larry, Nancy ,Lee, Joanne, and Bob so we could see it lit up at night. I must say, it was much more impressive this time around than it had been the first day we went to see it. They put on a light show every night at 10 p.m., the whole tower sparkles for 10 minutes. It's very pretty.

We took a bus to Versallis today. Very ornate, overwhelmingly so. More on that later, my brain is tired, and there's a city waiting out there for me to say goodbye.

I never heard from David...maybe I'll run into him at Sacre Couer tonight (Michelle and I are going back up to have a picnic on the steps).

This will be my last entry until I get back to the states. Michelle and I will edit these entries and add more after we get back and get settled in. I'll have the pictures up as soon as I can. We will also be doing an informal brown bag (sometime this summer) for those of you interested in seeing the pictures and hearing about our adventures in person. We'll keep you posted on that.

See you in a few days.

X's and O's
Julie

(As a side note...Have I mentioned all the stores we stopped in on this trip have had American music playing? It's a little odd and kind of comforting at the same time. Also...babies rarely seem to cry and dogs seem to walk themselves no need for leashes.)

Bob, like time, marches on, and on, and on...

It's h-o-t, hot today...

Today was kind of a free day for us. Some of our group went to the French open, some went to Euro Disney. Michelle and I decided to stay with the main tour plans and go with Bob and Nick to see Jim Morrison's grave at the Pere Lachais cemeteryry, visit the Catacombs (which we found out after we got there are closed until June) and the Musee d'Orsay.

Finding Jim's grave in the cemetery felt a lot like a pilgrimage. It is nestled between several other graves and has gates around it in an attempt to keep people from destroying it any further. Several tombstones in the vicinity have names and dates and Doors lyrics scratched into them. We didn't see any loyal fans lighting up in his honor though.

We walked to the Luxembourg Gardens from the cemetery but Michelle and I just cut through with Nancy and Cindy as we decided to visit some shops and eat along the way to the Musee d'Orsay, rather than look at more flowers. Now that Michelle is out of film, with no plans to purchase more, I think she's lost some zest for visiting things that may be similar to what we have already seen. I have to confess, I am feeling the same. We'd prefer to be shopping and mingling with the people.

After walking for what seemed like an eternity, we stopped at a grocery store and bought premade salads, coke and candy and took it too a little park nearby to eat. It was a nice lunch.

We then began another long trek from the park to the Museum. By the time we got there we had blisters. The first of the trip. I guess we should be glad we made it this far into our travels with little trouble or pain. And, all in all, we really are not that bad off, just a little tired from a long day.

I really enjoyed the Museum. I think "Femme Nue Couchee" by Jean-Francois Millet was my favorite painting. Michelle likes "Raboteurs de parquets" by Gustave Caillebotte.

I have to catch up with Bob to find out the significance of a cat in a paining, there were several. Also, why the women who were wearing gloves always seemed to have one glove on and the other hand exposed.

I really enjoyed seeing Van Gogh's "The Church at Auvers 1890" visiting Auvers-sur-Oise and seeing the it in person yesterday.

I haven't heard from David yet. I'm not sure I'm up to going out with him tonight as it has been such a long day, but I may see if he would like to meet up on Saturday night so I can say goodbye to Paris in a way that fits the city of light and love.

Dog tired and the D'Orsay

I spoke too soon. After another Bob march (that's what the trippers call these long walking hauls), Julie and I now have blisters. We clocked 5 miles of walking to the D'Orsay. This did not include the return trip through the metro. Our feet are TIRED! But, we'll take baths tonight, soak away our blues, and be ready for another day because we've only got 2 left!

The weather? It's got to be 90; I've been sweating since 11:15 - it's HOT! We didn't get to go to the Catacombs - it opens during the last 2 weeks of June. (It didn't say that in the travel guide.)

We did see Jim Morrison's grave at the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery. I was glad to see that there wasn't a lot of grafitti like I had seen on the web. Our little group numbered 9 and we picked up 2 other Americans wandering around. Took us a little time to find Jim but we managed. I've never been to a cemetery that was so old. Many, many masoleum type buildings but much smaller than what I've seen in the movies. The cemetery reminded me of the New Orleans cemetery where the voodoo witch is buried. (Her name escapes me right now.)

After the cemetery, we walked through the Luxembourg gardens - basically a park with wonderful statues in it and a palace at the end. We split from the group with Nancy and Cindy with us and headed to the D'Orsay on our own. We stopped at a grocery store and picked up "to go" pasta, mozzarella & tomato salads and drinks and ate in a little park on the way.

That's where we made our mistake. We should have rested a little longer. Instead, Julie and I developed blisters on the way. Sigh.

The D'Orsay is a beautifully renovated old train station. Statues are arranged on the first floor with he Impressionist paintings on the 5th. It is definitely one of the highlights of my trip - Renoir, Manet, Monet and Van Gogh. So wonderful up close and a thousand times better in person.

Julie and I decided to head back. She assured me that her feet could make it because we were on a pilgrimage to the knitting store La Droguerie. We located it with little problem and HOLY COW!!! It's one of the best organized and beautiful stores of its type that I've ever been in. Julie's been such a good sport about these two stores - first the quilt store (where she bought fabric) and then the knitting/bead store (where she bought yarn and bracelet fixings) - I told her it made me happy she bought stuff because then it wasn't a wasted trip.... ha ha, another convert!

How do you know if a woman is a Parisian?

* skin tone, olive
* skinny, size 1 or 2
* shoes, extremely pointy or very sporty
* wearing dark clothes with one item of bright color
* muliple layers, dresses over jeans
* large rings
* gold jewelry
* multi-colored hair

Michelle's top 5 European trip elements:

* Giverny
* Eating dinner on the steps of Sacre Couer
* watching a woman take off her shoe after she got the stiletto heel stuck in a cobblestone
* the Grand Place in Brussels
* the Museum at Bastogne, WWII memorial
* Blogging
* Notre Dame

Tomorrow, we got o St. Chappelle which is supposed to have fabulous stained glass windows, the Louvre, and a Sein River cruise (with dinner.) Julie and I are going to the Eiffel Tower afterwards for night time pictures of the tower. Then Saturday, its off to Versailles and then.... HOME (on Sunday)!

Au Revoir, Michelle