Hello from the City of Light and Love.
Paris has been a delight these past couple of days, and the future just seems even brighter! Sarah and Alexis arrived a few days ago and we've just been having a ball!
When they first arrived, I took them on a tour of Saint-Germain des Pres, where I live. From rue Guénégaud, where my apartment is located, I took them on a whirlwind tour around the neighborhood, from Cafe de Flore and the Deux Magots to Marly Terrace (my favorite; it faces the Louvre pyramid!) to les bouquinistes du bord de Seine, the best fashion shopping of Paris. That was just the first day. We got back home tired and hungry, so after a home-cooked meal of Soupe de Crouset, Boeuf Bourguignon, and topped with cheese and grapes, I sent them off to bed in their rooms..
These pictures do not do their rooms justice. They're much nicer, or at least I hope so!
We spent a couple of days just lounging around Saint-Germain de Pres and Les Champs-Elysées, doing some shopping and coffee drinking, food-eating, and not to mention crepe-eating. Alexis and Sarah played with Lilas (my daughter) and we dressed her up and took her on picnics by the gardens. Two days passed, full of relaxation and fun. On the fourth day, we decided that it was time to go into town and be tourists.
So the next day, we started out the morning (9:00AM!) by taking a trip to the Louvre, and admiring the many works of art located in the magnificent edifice. Sarah was VERY taken by the pyramid while I don't think Alexis ever wanted to stop looking at the Mona Lisa. It was great fun. Then we proceeded to having lunch and coffee at the aformentioned Marly Terrace, who served delicous food. After that, it was around 2 in the afternoon (yes, girltalk really does take that long), and we took the metro and stepped off at our destination, L'Arc du Carrousel, which was beautiful. Sarah brought along her camera and her 10000 rolls of film, so Alexis and I had a ball posing for her while she snapped away. We asked a random man on the street to take a picture for us. I think he thought we were insane.
We then went to the Palais Garnier, where the Academie Nationale de Musique is located. It's where the Paris Opera Ballet trains, and thanks to a friend I made years ago, we were able to go and watch some of their practices. The three of us yearned to be ballerinas by the time we left the building. The last sight we saw before sunset was Jim Morrison's Grave. Now that was haunting yet freakishly beautiful. There's nothing more than the grave of someone like Jim Morrison.
Of course, dinner had to come after that. A lavish meal at the The Crillon meant we had time for just one more sight, the one that Paris most known for: The Eiffel Tower. Nothing compares to the magnificent steel construction. And if you go all the way to the top, like we did, you'll be amazed by how gorgeous Paris looks at night. There are simply no words to describe it. It takes your breath away.
We grudgingly stepped onto the metro once again and headed back to Saint-Germain des Pres, back to my apartment, where we made banana-strawberry-nutella-chocolate-syrup crepes. My daughter Lilas, who had been at a neighbor's house, joined in the fun and we got chocolate syrup ALL OVER OURSELVES. It was messy, but lots of fun. Thank God I remembered the newspaper before we started making the crepes. You should hear Alexis' French accent while trying to read the newspaper, she's almost got it perfect! She even answered my phone for me!
Today's the fifth day they're here. I'm so incredibly glad that I finally have some noise and company in this house. It's been too quiet recently. And to think that soon Livvie will be here and in one or two days I'll be having lunch with Elizabeth makes me happy. This is turning out the be the best few weeks of my life ever!
On an afterthought: Tiffany's wedding is on the 15th. I'm excited!
When they first arrived, I took them on a tour of Saint-Germain des Pres, where I live. From rue Guénégaud, where my apartment is located, I took them on a whirlwind tour around the neighborhood, from Cafe de Flore and the Deux Magots to Marly Terrace (my favorite; it faces the Louvre pyramid!) to les bouquinistes du bord de Seine, the best fashion shopping of Paris. That was just the first day. We got back home tired and hungry, so after a home-cooked meal of Soupe de Crouset, Boeuf Bourguignon, and topped with cheese and grapes, I sent them off to bed in their rooms..
These pictures do not do their rooms justice. They're much nicer, or at least I hope so!
We spent a couple of days just lounging around Saint-Germain de Pres and Les Champs-Elysées, doing some shopping and coffee drinking, food-eating, and not to mention crepe-eating. Alexis and Sarah played with Lilas (my daughter) and we dressed her up and took her on picnics by the gardens. Two days passed, full of relaxation and fun. On the fourth day, we decided that it was time to go into town and be tourists.
So the next day, we started out the morning (9:00AM!) by taking a trip to the Louvre, and admiring the many works of art located in the magnificent edifice. Sarah was VERY taken by the pyramid while I don't think Alexis ever wanted to stop looking at the Mona Lisa. It was great fun. Then we proceeded to having lunch and coffee at the aformentioned Marly Terrace, who served delicous food. After that, it was around 2 in the afternoon (yes, girltalk really does take that long), and we took the metro and stepped off at our destination, L'Arc du Carrousel, which was beautiful. Sarah brought along her camera and her 10000 rolls of film, so Alexis and I had a ball posing for her while she snapped away. We asked a random man on the street to take a picture for us. I think he thought we were insane.
We then went to the Palais Garnier, where the Academie Nationale de Musique is located. It's where the Paris Opera Ballet trains, and thanks to a friend I made years ago, we were able to go and watch some of their practices. The three of us yearned to be ballerinas by the time we left the building. The last sight we saw before sunset was Jim Morrison's Grave. Now that was haunting yet freakishly beautiful. There's nothing more than the grave of someone like Jim Morrison.
Of course, dinner had to come after that. A lavish meal at the The Crillon meant we had time for just one more sight, the one that Paris most known for: The Eiffel Tower. Nothing compares to the magnificent steel construction. And if you go all the way to the top, like we did, you'll be amazed by how gorgeous Paris looks at night. There are simply no words to describe it. It takes your breath away.
We grudgingly stepped onto the metro once again and headed back to Saint-Germain des Pres, back to my apartment, where we made banana-strawberry-nutella-chocolate-syrup crepes. My daughter Lilas, who had been at a neighbor's house, joined in the fun and we got chocolate syrup ALL OVER OURSELVES. It was messy, but lots of fun. Thank God I remembered the newspaper before we started making the crepes. You should hear Alexis' French accent while trying to read the newspaper, she's almost got it perfect! She even answered my phone for me!
Today's the fifth day they're here. I'm so incredibly glad that I finally have some noise and company in this house. It's been too quiet recently. And to think that soon Livvie will be here and in one or two days I'll be having lunch with Elizabeth makes me happy. This is turning out the be the best few weeks of my life ever!
On an afterthought: Tiffany's wedding is on the 15th. I'm excited!