Many of you know that I recently spent a week in the City of Light with my sister, Nancy. We've been back for about a week, and every day I still miss little parts of the city. I couldn't decide where to post details of my trip since I have two blogs, so I decided to split it up. Style and music on Treble and Lace, and everything else here...makes sense, no? Anyway, this is how I'm reliving the moments and appreciating what I was able to experience.
This is what I know is true.
{Pont des Arts}
On café:
The French have a way of enjoying moments, especially when they center around food or drink. All of the cafés we went to had chairs outside (even though it was cold) that faced the street so we could enjoy our café au lait (or café crème, whatever) and watch life go by. We spent time enjoying our mornings (and afternoons and evenings because coffee is appropriate at all of those times) and taking in the sounds and sights of Paris.
On transport:
The one thing I really appreciate about other (usually big) cities is their transportation systems. The Métro is such a vast network underground, I can hardly believe someone came up with the idea and carried out the plans (and so long ago!) to create such an intelligent way to travel. While the scent of urine lurks at every Métro stop, it's still a great way to travel - as long as you can hold your breath! Besides train-ing, we walked EVERYWHERE. We had the sore feet, legs, and backs to prove it. At home, I barely walk to the mailbox. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but still. And like MN, they have a public bike sharing system (Vélib) that we never got around to using. There's always next time.
On le food:
{Fromage}
{Ladurée macarons}
Yum. I don't remember anything about the food when I was in Paris in 2005, except that I thought I received half a chicken for a meal. (Thinking back, it was probably Poulet Rôti). This time, I made a list of things I had to eat while I was on the trip. I didn't complete the whole list, but that leaves new options when I go back. (On my list was: Pain au Chocolat, Macarons, Crêpes, Crème Brûlée, Beignet, Quiche, Fondue, Salade Niçoise (I've been hooked on these for a while), Soupe de Poissons, Boeuf Bourgignon...
On le shopping:
Le Marché aux Puces was one of the coolest shopping trips. Antiques are treasures on their own, but French antiques? Sign me up! I ended up with a vintage hat box, a set of keys, and a mirror for le boyfs maman. If I had a little more euro, (okay, a lot more) I would have walked out with a vintage Hermès scarf, Chanel bag and necklace, and Dior feather jacket. Ah, one can only dream. If we had the means to transport, ma soeur would have walked out with every chair there and I with every piece of luggage and maybe a few haunted pianos. This just means I'll have to do this at home, in MN. (Sans the haunted part).
On les jardins:
French gardens/parks are interesting because what little grass exists there is fenced in, with a sign cautioning visitors not to step on it. Much different than the US, where grass is meant to be picnicked, ran, sat, and stepped on. The dusty, rocky yards actually were pretty though, and served as a good backdrop for Treble and Lace photos! (Coming soon). We visited Tuileries twice and Luxembourg once. Both beautiful!
On l'art:
I've always thought art was beautiful but never really appreciated all of its dimensions. While I still take art mostly at face value, I appreciated the museums we went to. The Louvre was much too intimidating this time around, as weeks are needed to see everything. Since I'm mildly OCD and need to complete things in order and read about each piece of art, it was nice to go to smaller museums: Musée D'Orsay and Musée de L'Orangerie. L'Orangerie was a new one for me and boy was it amazing! Eight installments of Monet's water lilies covering 22 panels, separated into two rooms, was enough to have me in awe.
On l'everything:
I love it. I'm thinking of ways to spend some serious time there. Maybe a future retirement home. Someone join me. (I can see at least three people (N, C, A) raising their hands).
“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith
