Soldes!

Sale!

From June 30th through the beginning of August, all of Paris goes on sale.

It is awesome.

There are, of course, some things that don't get discounted, but for the most part, all the stores have merchandise for 20-50% off.

Oh boy.

Isabella, who has told me before that shopping is her favorite thing, is in pig heaven. She managed to find, for less than 25euros 2 beautiful skirts and a top.

Onto Bata shoe store, she found some sneakers, sadly, not on sale, but an actual necessity since her other sneakers got ruined along the way. They are black satin with velcro, le coq sportif.

We then stopped off at Columbus Cafe where we had a frothy iced mint tea and an iced latte. Delightful!

I managed to get some socks. But my time will come.

Tour Eiffel

We went to the Eiffel Tower today. I had high hopes, based on, amongst other things, the "Bonjour Paris" musical number from the movie "Funny Face" (can't seem to find a link).

Alas, it was not to be.

We arrived off the Metro/RER to find hawkers selling keyrings, sodas and fans (it was topping off at 90 degrees again). Add to that the gypsy women trying to get money and the scene was not at all romantic or beautiful.

The tower itself was an amazing site to see in person. The engineering it took to build it, impressive. I was just really put off by the tourist aspect of its surroundings.

We had bought our tickets in advance but still had to wait thirty minutes to ride the elevator up. The stairs may have been a more challenging way to go, but I wonder if the experience may have been better purely because we would have been moving. Instead, as we waited, we were surrounded by a teenage tour group. I am old, now I know it for sure. They were so loud and annoying, that I am sure that I crossed the threshold into old-grumpy-ladydom.

We did very much enjoy the views, though stopped at the 2nd level as there were just too many people to even think about going higher. But it was beautiful and so nice to see all of Paris laid out below.

In the end, I'm glad we went and got to see the glory of the tower and the many people who found it as amazing as we did.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Things began to come together, and I went from speaking like an evil baby to speaking like a hillbilly. "Is thems the thoughts of cows?" I'd ask the butcher, pointing to the calves' brains displayed in the front window. "I want me some lamb chop with handles on 'em." — David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day)

And so, this is how I feel. Only four times over, since I have just been barely surviving with French over here. I know lots of words, but not really many verbs, so it's kind of useless. But, it's working as well as it can.

We had dinner with our French friends. It was a little awkward since I understood a good amount of what they were saying, but couldn't respond for the life of me. Isabella translated, but didn't talk much.

Sebastien made us a wonderful Beouf Bourginon, which to my surprise, Isabella ate heartily. She really liked it. And, of course, the fondant au caramel that he served for dessert was a big hit.

Elsa and Laure-Line had accents I could understand and were patient with me trying to respond in French. Overall, a good time was had by all, but who kow what I said!

Metro-Mania

Today was our first foray onto the Metro. It went well, the first three trips, and a little bumpy the fourth trip.

We used it to get to and from Montmartre and it felt totally like the NY subway sysytem. Isabella was a little hesitant at first but got more comfortable as the day went on.

The fourth trip was a little tough. We went out to the end of the line of one of the trains to visit with a French couple we had met. The landmark my friend gave me was the KFC (yes, really, that KFC). This gave me an idea of the kind of neighborhood we were heading to.

Not really dangerous, but not glamorous at all. When dinner was finished, I opted for us to take the Metro home. It was still light out, you know, 10:30 for sunset here. Isabella was scared by the lack of people, then by too many people, then by the cockroach she saw. In reality, we were fine.

When we got off to transfer, the train we needed to take (just one stop) had been put out of service and everyone was being directed out of the station. I knew where we were, which street to find, etc. We traveled with the crowd, found the Gap (yes, that Gap) on Rue de Rivoli and made our way back to the Bear Bar (may not be the name, but it's those Bears ala SF).

Isabella has asked not to take the Metro at night again, but I think she will come around.

Mini-Tramp Montmartre

Not what you're thinking. Get your minds out of the gutter.

Just outside the Metro stop in Montmartre, Isabella spotted trampolines with harnesses set up. It cost 3euros for 3 minutes of jumping.

Up she went. Unable to get high enough to do a backflip, she still had a great time bouncing high over the town.

And now, whenever we are out, she looks for another mini tramp setup!

Tartare

I have always loved Steak Tartare. When we got to the brasserie in Montmartre and I saw what looked like a nice order of it, I was excited. Michelle, who went to culinary school here in Paris said it looked good to her, too, so we split an order.

Really, I don't think it tasted anything at all like what I've had at home. The meat was so fresh and not at all heavy. It was a really nice texture, too.

And, as Michelle put it, the beef is just a vehicle for all the condiments. Worchester, mustard, cornichon, onions and of course a raw egg topped ours off.

Waiting to find my next tartare, but happy to have had at least one.

Sacre-Coeur!

We made it to Montmartre today. So loevly. My friend from San Francisco, Michelle, lives in Paris and was kind enough to be our guide.

She walked us all through the town (since it used to not be part of Paris, I felt it was ok to call it a town). We climbed all the way up to the cathedral, saw the view that Amelie saw (from above the carousel), were shown the oldest windmill, and enjoyed a nice gelato.

The serene streets are filled with quaint shops, and apparently the best baguette in Paris (he was closed when we were there). We had a brioche on our walk, which Isabella has declared is the best brioche she has ever had.

It's History, Naturally

We set out for Les Jardins des Plantes this morning. Isbaella had read about it in her city walks for kids cards, and was most interested in the labyrinth. So when we got there and I pointed out the zoo (Menagerie) and the natural history museum she was happily surprised that these were also on offer.

The museum is a beautiful place with an amazing curio quality to the setting. It was impossible to get good pictures as it was very low lit and involved a lot of dark wood and metal. Such a lovely atmosphere that we spent several hours exploring.

The walk to the museum was a bit long, since I was, as usual turned around, but once we got going it was a nice walk. Due to the heat, I asked and Isabella agreed to skip the zoo. There was a teaching garden that had big sprinklers running, which we took full advantage of (and wer dry within moments).

Back through the Ile Ste Louis for more ice cream, this time actual Berthaillon (but the real place was closed) and to BHV for a fan.

Oh wait, how do you say fan in French? Who knows (well I do now: ventilator). We scoured the store on several levels and nearly gave up when all we could find was 229euro Dyson model. Then, we spotted a nice looking woman with fan! She showed us where they were and how to say it. For a mere 15euros we increased our fans to two in the apartment and have been much happier!

More Pride

We also stuck our feet in the fountain today. No, it was not the cleanest of places, but it's hitting low 90's everyday, and we needed some relief. There were plenty of people doing the same thing (and no, I wouldn't jump off a bridge if everyone was doing it) so I figured nothing would happen. I was right.

After Ile St Louis, we walked around the neighborhood in search of a restaurant. We decided upon one in the square just outside the Pompidou. Isabella had steak and mashed potatoes and I had dore (which I think is sole). Mediocre food, but a nice way to spend the evening.

We were both very tired and so went back to our tiny apartment, showered and got into bed. By now, it was well past 10pm, and I hadn't heard more than a regular amount of noise from the cafes and bars nearby. Isabella fell asleep well and I was just about out when I heard music.

Since I was half asleep, I thought I had dreamt it. But no, it was some sort of Gay choir singing. I couldn't see where they were from my window, but I could hear them well. Forthwith, the playlist:

Downtown, Only You, Sign Your Name Across My Heart, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Can You Feel The Love Tonight?, We Go Together, Let's Fall In Love, Rave On.

It was actually a great concert, albeit at midnight on day-I-don't-know of little to no sleep. But worth it.

Ile St Louis

Today is our first real walking day. We decided to go find the ice cream at Berthaillon on the Ils St Louis, whihc is right next to the Ile de la Cite where the cathedral Notre Dame is located.

Our walk took us past Notre Dame and around the island. Once we got our bearings (or Isabella got her bearings with the map) we discovered a bridge to the island Ile St Louis.

The first ice cream we saw was indeed under hte Berthaillon name, but as we came to find out, the actual location was a few blocks down. It being hot, though, we got ice cream at another cafe, and it was lovely. Caramel sel for me and chocolate for Isabella.

We spent the rest of the day walking the island and looking in the shops.

As we crossed the pont back to the Marais, I spotted a man who looked familiar. I thought maybe he lived in San Francisco, or danced salsa or something. Then it hit me, he was an actor who had been in Amelie. Jamel Debbouze who played Lucien,the young man at the green grocer's stand, was sitting on the bridge right next to me. He seemed to be getting his picture taken and maybe was being interviewed, too, but I was just happy to have seen him in person.

Our last stop of the day was BHV, naturally, to check out gift ideas for our friends.

A Pride Moment

Somewhere around 4pm on this day, I realized it was world-wide Pride day. Seeing as we are staying in the Marais, which is a Gay neighborhood, it occurred to me that we'd be seeing some action later that night.

The first inkling of how long and loud the party was going to be came at around 10pm (still light out, as mentioned before, it doesn't get dark until 10:30) when we could see a Josephine Baker drag queen coming down the block with a skirt made of bananas and feathers.

Many revelers filled the little street to the right of our windows, oddly, no one went past our corner but heading down another block. The street was technically open so every now and then, we'd hear honking and see a car muscling its way down the street with no regard to people's safety.

It beign 85 degrees or more, the windows must stay open. Needless to say, the party kept me up all night, but Isabella managed some sleep. There were moments where I was very annoyed, but mostly, I loved that the music was up and people were out partying with pride until 4:30am!

BHV is Also For Me!

Before we left, Isabella chose a map of Paris at Borders. It was a beautiful one with handdrawn icons and lots of sites to see. Once we got it home and really started looking at it, it became apparent that it wasn't just any old map. It was a shopping map.

So, when her grandparents came to town and mentioned BHV, we looked and found it was just around the corner from the apartment.

As stated earlier, I had a bad time with the map orientation, and walked us clear across town. Isabella discovered that it is just 2 blocks the opposite direction from the Pompidou.

And so, our love affair began. BHV has everything from hardware, as good as any Home Depot, to a full ine of all sorts of cosmetics and clothing brands. But, the best floor is the 2nd floor because it has art supplies and school supplies. There is paper by the piece, pastels, stencils, art projects and general crafting supplies. Oh but if I could transport all I wanted from that floor of the store.

Isabella located her much beloved Petit Bateau camisoles and I found a leather mailman bag which I may go back and get. For now, just content that this behemoth is around the corner and we can go visit anytime.

Ou est Le Kandinsky?

In preparation for our trip, many friends and family members were kind enough to loan us guide books for Paris. Rick Steves book has proven to be a good, straightforward guide with good advice. His advice when in a museum and unsure of where to find what you are looking for was to simply ask. His example: "Ou est Le Kandinsky?"

We were lucky enough to go to the Pompidou Center and see the "Dreamlands" exhibit. This is a beautiful assortment of images, text, movies and sculptures all having to do with dream lands: from Coney Island to Disneyland to clips from "The Truman Show". Very nice exhibit, if it comes your way make sure to see it.

The other exhibits were less to our liking. The Lucien Freud (grandson of Sigmund) paintings, though great works, were very graphic (especially for my young lady). But, overall, the museum is beautiful, with an expansive view of the city as you go up the elevator at the side of the building.

We got our first view of the Tour Eiffel from the escalator and also located a very good pizza place on the square below for lunch.

Monoprix is For Me!

With everyone feeling better, we set out on our first official day of real vacation. First up, baguette et chocolat chaud. Isabella is still talking about the baguette at our corner cafe, oh and the butter, too.

Our plan was to go to the Pompidou Center, which we did. But, I had to suggest a walk around beforehand. The Pompidou is only 2 blocks from our apartment, and we knew our way. I wanted to see what else was around, so grabbed the map and started walking.

This is when I figured out I have a problem reading maps. In my head, the map seemed upside down. We have since reconciled that Isabella will be the master map reader with me as a consultant, since this particular morning ended after an hour of my map reading landed us 20 minutes in the other direction.

To be fair, we found the Monoprix. A mecca of Target-esque quality. Having just "moved in" we discovered we needed a few essentials and got the following:

safety pins

hangers

razors

tissue packs

French comic book

lingerie bag

The Monoprix will be in our regular rotation. Oh and did I mention, it also has a super marche downstairs?

Our Tiny Apartment

 I wanted to show you all the apartment we rented. It is small, but has everything we need. To be fair, by the end of the trip we may have spent too much time in close quarters, but it's a good neighborhood and the place has what we need.

Enjoy, I've posted all the pictures the rental website had, since it's so small it was hard for me to do any better!!

I Don't Feel So Well, Paris Edition

Well, as has been known to happen to all parents, I got the stomach flu. I knew in my heart that there was a less than 1% chance on NOT getting it, what with the close quarters and all.

And so, this evening around 9pm I felt the symptoms Isabella had two days earlier.

It was not an easy night. Nor, was the morning any better, and I'd like to thank all of my SF peeps who threw down and helped with their French contacts to locate doctors, help or otherwise made me less freaked out.

In the end, rest and no food for 24 hours made us both all better.

Oh, and teh fact that the French seem to love all things Michael Jackson, the non-stop videos, homages and MJ related media kept us more than entertained during our homebound time.

Acheter de la Nourriture

After our train ride we settled into the aprtment. Once we tested out the stovetop, and knew we could cook, we headed out in search of groceries.

As I had expected, there was a street just a block away with each of the markets we would need. The butcher had a lovely rotisserie chicken waiting for us. The cherries were ripe and sweet at the fruit market and the FranPrix had all the basics we needed.

We were set. Except that I kept trying to pay with Pounds, haing Dollars, Euros and Pounds in my wallet, it was a free for all of international currency. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. We managed to get everything, including a bottle of Nutella, a French staple and headed back to the apartment.

As you can see from the photo, our haul was great and in the end, so was dinner.

Taxi!

Our train arrived on time, and with the advance knowledge that the Metro was on strike in Paris, we headed to the taxi queue. About 30 minutes later, we made it to the front of the line. I spoke to the dispatcher as best I could, and he showed us to a cab.

But, of course, not so fast. This particular cabdriver told us he couldn't take us because our street was blocked. I gleaned most of this via my own translation, but Isabella (my small French-fluent savior) explained it further to me. He was adamant that he would not take us.

Back to the dispatcher we went. In the meantime, he had sent two men to our previous cabbie, and he refused to take them where they were going, too. But, Isabella explained to the dispatcher we needed another cab, and we were directed to one. Thankfully, this one was nice and told us no problem.

He was driving a Prius, so I knew all would be well.

We arrived at the apartment, which, thankfully, I had google mapped and had seen a picture of the exterior, otherwise we may have missed the building!! The cabbie being paid, we waited out front.
And waited. Then, it occured to me, I needed to call the rental people to tell them we had arrived. A quick 5 minutes later, and we were in.

The apartment is a small studio with everything we need, including a washing machine. Settled in, we plotted our next move.

London to Paris

This morning, we met up with our cousin Andrew. I had not seen him in 12 years, but he is now living in London and offered to take us around. When he showed up, I recognized him immediately. We had a very nice walk, the three of us, and stopped for a small bite.

After our walk, it was time to leave for the train to Paris. Andrew was nice enough to escort us to the station, which was awesome based on the amount of luggage we had. Goodbyes said, we went through Customs and headed up the moving ramp to the train.

We were seated in a four seater, facing two gentelmen. The four seater next to ours was occupied by a group of British women in their late 40's to early 50's. Before the train even left the station, they had polished off two bottles of Champagne. The two hour trip ws filled with hilarity as they began to tell us a bit about themselves.

In the late 70's these women had been showgirls at one of the Follies in Paris. They were traveling to attend a reunion to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their show. In the midst of the merriment, one of the men across from us moved his seat (not sure, but it may have been the ladies...). So, a fifth lady traveling with the show girls sat next to us. She showed us a picture of them in 1977. Very cool.

The man who stayed seated with us told us he was going to Veterinary school and moving to Philadelphia next week. He is French, had been living in London and was heading to France for a family wedding with his partner who is an architect in Montreal. Very nice guy, who was thoroughly enjoying the show girls. He especially enjoyed when one of the show girls announced how happy she was that her daughter was gay because she would never have to deal any loser men in her life.

London Day 2: I Don't Feel So Well

And so, begins our second day in London. Between the time difference and the light difference (sunrise way early), we woke up at 5:00am GMT.

Sadly, Isabella woke up with a stomach ache which led to a full blown stomach flu or virus or something. The whole day was spent dealing with this, keeping her as comfortable as possible. The hotel staff was very accomdating, but it was a very hard start to our trip.

She was fine by the next morning, though had a high fever overnight. I did manage to blow out the power whilst using a European converter instead of a UK one and had to have someone from the hotel come up. He said, oh it's because you plugged in too many appliances at once (the hotel room came with a kettle). So I just went along with this, and didn't admit to the sparking I had witnessed earlier when I plugged in the converter.

A visit with our cousin Andrew is up next.

London: Look left...No, Look right....

We've arrived.

It took us 27 hours from wake-up to hotel bed, but we did it.

We woke up at 3:30am, PST. My lovely sister took us to the airport at 4:00am. Security was done by 5:00am. Our first flight to Chicago left at 6:30am.

After boarding and leaving the gate, it was announced we would need to wait an hour for take-off. No bother, we were having a good old giddy time on the plane.

We landed only 30 minutes late, and spent the afternoon with Isabella's grandparents in Oak Park, Illinois. It was a nice visit with Japanese food and fresh-made brownies (which we got to take on our next flight, thanks Grandma Judy).

Once we hit O'Hare, it was clear that our fashion and style needs had to take a backseat to our shoulder's needs. We threw down and got us some lovely black sporty backpacks to hold all our carryon. Much better situated, we boarded our plane for London Heathrow, taking off on-time at 6:12pm CST.

Many hours and movies later, we arrived exhausted and hungry but otherwise unscathed in London. After Customs, the idea of taking the Tube to the hotel was horrifying. We grabbed a taxi instead.

The hotel had guaranteed early check-in, but as these things are known to go, the room was not ready. It was now 10:15am GMT. Poor little Isabella was a mess, and the hotel let us eat in the breakfast buffet though it had been cleared already. The concierge took pity on us and kept checking on the room since all we could do was sit in the lobby.

Finally, we got our room, took our showers and went to bed. With the 8 hour time difference things were confusing, but we felt much better after our rest.

Dinner was a very nice authentic Italian Pizza Margharita, Ceasar Salad and Calamari Fritti. We also head out to Marks & Spencers for some snacks for later.

I had no idea we were in the land of the latest sunset I'd ever seen. Turns out, sunrise was around 4:35am and sunset was around 10:30pm.

What a world!