The days are going by so quickly here and yesterday was a non-stopadventure. I"ll try to recap yesterday and today in the same post, as
I dropped into bed last night exhausted and didn't journal.
To start off, it is good to note that I actually did not realize until I got
here, by myself, without speaking French, that I might be out of my
comfort zone! Being an independent soul and having a fairly good
sense of direction, I did not give it much thought. Clearly the past
few years being so focused on my business, the girls and keeping
the family running, I really haven't had an adventure nor traveled
alone. Carmel does not count as no passport is needed or nail-
biting plane ride!
So...each morning I get up and head out into the unknown after a
little pep talk that "I can do this". Well, I can. Each night I make a
list of shops I want to visit and go from there. But as I always tell
my kids, "Be flexible".
My plan yesterday was to catch the bus to Le Bon Marche', which
has just been renovated and browse the surrounding area. Well,
the first bus that pulled up to my stop was going to the Galleries
Lafayette, a huge shopping area much like Union Square, in the
Right Bank. Change of plans! Getting there was the easy part.
Problem was, I did not know where to get off the bus and no one
on the bus understood my question. I accidentally rode the
bus to the bus station/end of the line. Just as the bus pulled
into a parking space all the bus doors opened and an 'army of
black suited men and women, holding some sort of tazer-looking
device' got on yelling in French (of course, I had no idea what they
were saying but they would not let anyone off the bus). At this point
I was a little freaked out! Apparently there is a big problem with
people riding the bus without tickets Uh huh, so, this is their idea
of making sure you aren't stealing rides.
Thank god I could find my ticket. But then, I am at the end of the line
and don't know where to go. After a lot of talking to each other (I'm
talking about the black-suited people) about what bus I should get
on, none of which I understood, I board another bus heading to
where I thought I wanted to go. Wrong again. Geez.
Hence my 6-mile walk home. Often in a downpour. My little red rolly
bag and I were undaunted going from main streets to side alleys on
the hunt for those little gems I had on my list of "must sees". OK, so
realistically, some of them were a waste of time; others were closed
for the day (big challenge here is to figure out when things are open)
and a couple were magic. As anyone who loves the hunt knows, the
magic ones are the only ones we remember!
I did make it back to the apartment, just in time to shower and get
ready for a nice dinner out with our friends from Southampton who
are hosting Maddie's Paris visit. Since I had not seen them since
the holidays and I had not seen Maddie in a week, it was a great
to get together and catch up over a lovely meal. Dinner was divine
and our host and waiter were gems.
After dinner, ending at 11:15 p.m. (way past my jammie time), we
headed to the Eiffel Tower! The place was hopping and the gang
decided to head up to the top. An hour later, after seeing the
light show, everyone was down and ready to head home. As our
waiter so sweetly said upon our leaving dinner, "happy memories".
Here we are at today's recap. The weather remains almost perfect.
No rain today, though it doesn't stop anyone. Lots of blue sky,
billowy clouds, cool breezes and fun people to watch! Since it's
Tuesday and most everything (except the museums) are open, I
headed to the Saint Germain area to check out a few places on my
list. Also made a point of going back to several spots right near the
apartment that have been closed Sun/Mon, to sneak a peek. Several
were still closed, so I'll try again tomorrow. Even when my plans
are squashed, I am so enjoying the architecture and feel of each
neighborhood/area. Seeing fabulous doors, door knobs, iron work
and more makes the walk all the more fun.
Today was at a much slower pace (with less heart-pounding), which I
was ready for. I sat for two hours over lunch at an outside cafe,
people-watching and feeling very, very lucky to be here. More than a
few observations about the passerbys, but most better left unsaid!
Needless to say I can share a couple:
• For all my single girlfriends: Come to Paris. The men are beautiful!
Sharp dressers (which usually means they are coming from a job!),
trim (sadly, probably due to the fact they all smoke) and so handsome.
They are everywhere. Really.
• I think we should all ask ourselves, honestly, are our bras doing their
jobs? Realistically, I fear they are not for 90% of the women out there.
I honestly was not focused on any such thing, but it became such a
regular sight, that I had to comment. Ew.
To wrap up, after a great day I usually head back to the apartment
to rest a bit, talk with Richard before he heads to the office and read.
Then about 8-8:30 p.m., I head back out into the neighborhood to
pick up a magazine, stop at the supermarket for bottled water or just
walk to find more things I want photos of. I wonder why I don't do this
more at home?
Tomorrow is off to Le Bon Marche' (hopefully), then a visit to the
Louvre tomorrow night. The museum is open on Wed/Fri nights and
the crowds are long gone by 8. I love to go for the inspiration and
always come away with my head full of ideas of color combinations;
themes and that pure creative rush. Can't wait!
Au revoir 'til tomorrow. Checkout the new photos below!
Laurie
