"It's Not What Happens to You...

... it's how you handle it after it happens." I kept repeating that phrase in my head the night of January 1st before I went to sleep. It took me about 24 hours, but I became determined to pull myself together and see those last sights on my "to do" list in Paris. Early the next morning I woke up and headed out to see Sacre-Coeur before the sun came up. I arrived there as a small tourist-y shop was opening and bought myself a disposable camera. Yeah, the kind you used to see on the tables at weddings! My Nikon digital camera battery had died during my visit to Versailles (I know, I know, I forgot the charger) and I needed something that would take photos! It felt odd taking a picture and not knowing what it would look like. Really odd. I did the old crank-crank-crank and snapped my shots!

After Sacre-Coure in the Montmartre neighborhood, I made my way to Musee Rodin. I arrived before it opened so I walked down the street and took in the sights of the Eiffel Tower and the Hotel des Invalides. This is Europe's greatest military museum and Napoleon's tomb is there. I found a coffee shop so I could get myself a Cafe au Lait (as close as they get to a "latte" in Paris, well, unless you go to Starbucks) and a croissant. There seemed to be just locals in the cafe gathering around the coffee bar and chit-chatting, or whatever they were saying in French. I had learned during this trip that my high-school French sounded much better in my head than out loud, so wasn't one to try to join a conversation. Quickly I noticed that the barista was the best-looking French man had ever seen! What on earth was he doing making coffee? He should have been in the pages of a magazine! If only, if only, I still had my iPhone where I could discreetly shoot a fast snapshot of him and then hide it away as if nothing happened. Sigh. The idea of cranking that silly disposable camera in order to take a photo of him, almost made me laugh out loud! I drank my coffee, ate my croissant and scanned a newspaper I couldn't read (nice pictures though) until it was time to make it back to see Rodin's sculptures. I still have the little cube of sugar I took from the cafe and often think fondly of that morning.

The beautiful white church looking out over Paris. I learned there is prayer going on within the church 24 hours a day.

The view out over Paris early in the light of morning. My disposable camera didn't do it justice. It wasn't this dark outside.

Hotel des Invalides

A little cube of sugar from Cafe Richard.

Musee Rodin is actually his former place of residence. Rodin was a very famous artist while he was alive and lived in this Paris mansion.

Looking out over the backyard gardens.

The Thinker

A photo looking back towards the house.

Here is some of the email I wrote to my sister and parents before I got on my flight to home.

Here are some thoughts from today:

1) Sacre-Coeur at sunrise - Beautiful! Snapped a photo on my cool new Kodak disposable camera. ; )

2) Musee Rodin - Glad I made it, I think I liked seeing the mansion where he lived more than the sculptures, although they were incredible.

3) The macaroons I'm bringing home from Laduree are going to be dee-lish (well... I'll let you be the judge of that, but I think they are yummy). Sorry Meg, they won't make it until I see you in February. : (

4) I've learned some damn hard lessons this trip. Either they will make me a smarter world traveler or I'll never leave the US again.

5) Everyone at hotel computer kiosks is on Facebook. Everyone.

Anger and Disappointment in Paris

I can't say my trip to Paris went perfectly. It actually had a very low point after the New Year's celebration I joined on the Champs Elysees. I made my way back to my hotel that night in a rather round-a-bout way. It was probably only a 15 minute walk to my hotel from where I was (I had made my way over there via the Metro), but the route back was blocked by an incredible amount of security around the Arc de Triomphe. My plan was to travel back by the Metro as well, but it was so crowded, the gendarme (police) would not let anyone in after 12:30 AM. I was forced to walk. I can't say the road I took back was empty, but it wasn't full of people either. I was 2 blocks from my hotel and the iPhone I had owned for 1 1/2 weeks was literally grabbed right out of my hand. For the first time in my life, I had been robbed!

It was devastating. Ask my parents, they were the ones who received my hysterical phone call once I made it back to my hotel. As far as I was concerned, my trip was ruined! I had stupidly kept my phone in plain sight and had been followed by some young punks who probably did this for a living. It was terrifying and humiliating at the same time. : ( The part that upset me the most wasn't the possibility that the criminals would run up my phone bill (I called AT&T before the call to my parents and had my phone service stopped right away), but all of the photos and videos I had taken the last 5 days I had been in Paris had just been lost! Yes, I had taken photos on my Nikon digital camera, but I had shot so many more on my iPhone. Those photos were the fun, cute shots you take quickly and discreetly, you know? When I was on the stairs from the 2nd to 1st level of the Eiffel Tower, I had taken a great video of the lights twinkling all around me. It was just magical. There were photos from Marie Antoinette's hamlet in Versailles, the food and goodies we ate on the culinary tour, etc... gone, they were all gone. I'm sure those bad guys enjoyed looking through the images of my trip before they swiped the phone clean and sold it on eBay.

The next morning, January 1st, most shops and museums were closed in Paris so I knew it would be a quiet day anyway. Part of me wanted to re-schedule my flight and go home that day! This was where the hotel computers came in handy though. I started sending emails to my family, telling them I was OK. They were really worried about me, of course. Even though I had a less-than-supportive conversation with the hotel concierge (he had no sympathy for my plight and was surly while I asked for advice about my stolen phone), over the course of the day, my mood lifted a bit. My sister Meg told me to give it some time. She reassured me that the trauma I was feeling, in time would turn into, "Can you believe what happened to me?" In hindsight I would tell the story in a much lighter note.

Luckily, I had sent a few of my iPhone photos to friends and family during the trip, as well as, posting some to Facebook. I was able to retrieve a few of them, even the Versailles Hall of Mirrors video. It seemed to lose it's quality being sent back and forth, but that didn't bother me much, at least I have it. On an interesting note, I had been keeping track of what I had done so far in Paris on the Notes app on my phone. Sometime earlier in the day of the 31st, it occurred to me that I should forward what I had written so far to my email address. Just in case. Thank goodness I did! I would have never remembered all of the detail I had written down if I had not sent it to myself. Later in the day on the 1st, I decided I would stick it out and enjoy my last day in the City of Light.

Bonne Annee! - Paris 2011

A photo from the celebration on the Champs Elysees!

Red-Soled Shoes

The shopping I did in Paris was capped off by an idea I had in my head for over a year. I can't say I've ever been a "shoe person," but this is not to say I don't love shoes. I just rarely get that excitement and adoration you see in an episode of Sex in City as Carrie sees a beautiful pair of Jimmy Choo's in a store front window. This is beside the fact that she was to be willing to go into debt for a pair of shoes. While I say that, my personal opinion is that the more expensive the shoes, the better they are made.

I still can't remember where it was that I first heard of Christian Louboutin shoes. It was probably a combination of things. Although I didn't watch her show religiously at the time, I knew they are a favorite of Oprah Winfrey. I began seeing the shoes called out in magazines and realized they were "the" shoes to own, along with Jimmy Choo's and Manolo's from SITC. The brand stands out especially because each pair, no matter what color they may be on top, has red soles. I took my time over the last year, looking at Louboutins in Barney's and Neiman Marcus and perused them online as well. I have taken only a few overseas trips in my life so far, but each time I travel that far, buy myself what I call, "a little treat" that is reminiscent of the country I visit. I bought myself a Prada purse in Rome, Italy in 1998, then a Burberry purse while I was in London in 2003. In Paris, I thought, "Maybe it's time to finally by some Louboutins!" The designer founded his line in Paris, so doesn't that make sense? ; )

I visited two Christian Louboutin boutiques in Paris. The customer service (um, not a widely accepted idea in France) was not-so great in the first shop, so I considered that a warm-up. The afternoon after my culinary tour was finished, I headed to the original Louboutin store, on Rue de Grenelle. The shop is small and was fairly busy so I slowly made my way around looking at the shoes. There are some crazy, simply crazy, shoes that this man designs. The highest heel you've ever seen with sparkles or giant bows or suede tassels. I didn't want any of that. I wanted a basic black pump or maybe a black peep-toe pump. I thought about trying on the platform heels, but they cost a lot more money than I was willing to spend. The most I had ever spent on shoes up until this point in my life was around $200 for a pair of boots. Listen, as much as I loved (loved!) the platform heels, the basic pumps were already going way above my comfort-level! No pun intended.

It turned out there was a very nice young-lady in the shop who would look over at me from time to time to let me know, I was the next person she would help. Thank goodness, a sales person in Paris that understands her customers! I tried on the Simple Pump 85 and a peep-toe style (I can't remember the name). The peep-toe was pretty, but I realized I liked the heel better on the Simple Pump. It was not with the highest heel available in that style, but not the lowest either. I purchased them, taking advantage of the VAT discount, and was finally on my way back to my hotel carrying my pretty shoes with the red soles!

Context Paris - Holiday Culinary Walk

On the recommendation of a colleague, I looked into a guided Paris tour by Context Travel. http://www.contexttravel.com. She said this company offers especially good tours in groups no larger than 6. I liked that! During my research I found that the docents working with Context Travel were very highly educated individuals, successful in their own rights as published authors, historians, and even documentary filmmakers. After looking into what tours were available during the time I would be in Paris, I decided to sign up for a Holiday Culinary Walk for the morning of New Year's Eve.

The tour was one of the best things I did while I was in Paris! I loved learning from a local Parisian, hearing about delicious restaurants and patisseries. This is information you do not get from a travel guidebook! Our guide was Camille Labro. I kept wanting to mention how much she looked Susan Sarandon, but I decided to not be a complete dork in front of her. Camille was lovely, so nice and welcoming. I enjoyed hearing her history, she was actually born in Berkeley, CA to French parents (she has duel citizenship), but has lived most of her life in France. She lived in NYC for 10 years as a correspondent for French Vogue. Of course, I was the first person to arrive to our starting point. Next was a man in his 50's (pretending to be much younger) who showed up with his 20-something Japanese "friends," one of which, I gathered, he was hosting on this trip. O...K... Before we set out, we learned a couple from North Carolina got the time mixed up and would be joining us later in the tour.

The tour began at St. Germain-de-Pres Church. This church was built in 1163, yes, 1163! It's hard to fully grasp the age of this church. Many centuries old, having survived several wars, just incredible. We all began the morning at Le Bonaparte cafe, just down the block from Les Deux Magots, where I had been earlier in the week. Hey, I was getting to know my way around the city! We all chatted over coffee and hot chocolate and I learned more about this eclectic group. The 50(ish) man was a fashion designer from Los Angeles, but was originally from South Africa. The ladies from Japan turned out to be friends from grad-school in Montreal, Canada, and live in Tokyo. They each spoke at least 3 languages. Sigh, I felt so un-cultured! While I was a little concerned about the relationship the one lady may have had with this man, well hey... first, it wasn't any of my business, and two, she was an adult. To-each-their-own, right? Still, it seemed kinda weird. Anyway...

So, we ate and we ate and we ate! From aged tender meat shaved off of a leg of a boar (yeah, I tried not to fixate on that part), to Nutella crepes, mulled wine, saucussion with mushrooms (slices of cured, dry sausage, similar to salami) and finally French chocolate and macaroons. We even met a Master Chocolatier! Camille seemed in awe that Jean-Charles Rochoux was helping his customers directly. She said, typically, he would be in another part of his shop working on his chocolate art. I never though I would be star-struck by someone who makes chocolate. I pulled this photo off the web since I didn't want to be the strange person who pulled out my camera in his tiny (but impressive) shop.

To be clear, French macarons are not American macaroons, not in the slightest. They come in many flavors, everyday favorites and seasonal (don't try the Foie Gras macaroons, who thought that was a good idea?) delights. They are lightly crisp around the outside with delicious, rich fillings. My favorite was Caramel with Salted Butter from Laduree, with Chocolate and Lemon falling close behind. I'm proud to say that on my last day in Paris, I bought a collection of macarons that just made it in home in decent shape to share with my parents and my friends at work.

Versailles

I couldn't go to Paris without taking the 45 minute train ride to Versailles. I cannot begin to imagine what it was like to live in this kind of opulence in the 1700's! It almost seems that French royalty at the time were irresponsible and indulgent. I'm sure that was just one of the reasons for the French Revolution in 1789.

Arriving in front of the palace around 9:30 AM. Another recommendation by Rick Steves!

The front gate with short lines.

The palace chapel. This is where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette of Austria were married.

The Hall of Mirrors.


This is a video I took with my iPhone in the Hall of Mirrors. When traveling solo, it's kinda hard to get many photos of yourself. Since the long room was all of mirrors, I decided to video myself walking down the hall. ; ) I'll warn you, the video quality is not good. This isn't because of the iPhone, more on that later...

A view of the palace from the gardens.

The palace gardens in Winter.

I took the long walk to the Grand and Petit Trianon (Marie Antoinette's retreat a mile and half or so from the palace). Lots of crunching through the snow, and some mud. I treated myself to hot chocolate once I got there! I don't have many photos of this area, but the retreat was amazing and full of Marie Antoinette's make-believe world since it wasn't safe to leave the palace grounds. Again, more on my photos-issue later.

Historic Sites, Art, and The Ballet

Like any person during their first visit to Paris, I wanted to take in as much as possible. There is so much art, fashion, historic sites to see, music to hear, and food to eat! I did the best I could with the time I had, but there was no way to see it all in one trip. Here is a sampling of some of the places I went and the sites I saw inside Paris.

The Arc de Triomphe, a 10 minute walk from my hotel. It was a drizzly day in Paris.

Looking up into the arch.

No one told me this was the only way up! Man, I have to work on my cardio strength!

Another view from the top! The overcast day made for a such a neat photo of the city. See the Eiffel Tower out there? It's doesn't quite look real.

It didn't take me long to get to the shopping! A rainy day = lots of shops. This was the amazing holiday decor in the Galleries Lafayette.

The Louvre. I faithfully followed the advice from my Rick Steves' tour book. He said to get to the Louvre early and he was so right! When I was done with my tour, the lines were insane!

Look closely in the center. Yes, it's the Mona Lisa! I took some close-up photos (allowed with no flash), but I wanted you to see the crowd at 9:00 AM.

From the inside out. Isn't it an interesting combo of old and modern?

Crossing the Seine to Ile St. Louis. I ate some yummy Creme Brulee Ice Cream.

Cathedral Notre Dame

The gorgeous Christmas Tree sitting in the exact center of Paris.

I went to see the ballet at Opera National de Paris Garnier. It was designed for Napoleon III in 1862.

The foyer of marble.

The view of the stage from my seat.

Isn't this incredible? The ceiling was done by Marc Chagall. There is even an underground lake, the inspiration for The Phantom of the Opera.

The ballet I saw was actually 3 separate, short performances. All by different choreographers, one was an American. The intermission was between the 2nd and 3rd ballets. This photo came out a little blurry, but the staff was placing and smoothing out dirt (yes dirt) on the stage for the dancers to perform upon. I'm not 100% sure US audiences would have been OK with the last performance. The female dancers were basically wearing sheer dresses... and got rather muddy. The men were in sweats (not sheer, maybe that would have been overly distracting? Ha, did I say that?) Amazing talent though, they were all beautiful athletic performers.

Bonjour! - Paris 2010

I was so excited to FINALLY make my way to Paris! Earlier this Fall, I did a lot of thinking about my 40th Birthday in December. It's only natural, right? When we all hit our decade milestones, we look back on our lives and what we have done so far. What did I hope to accomplish by the time I was 40? Where did I think I would be in life? Of course, there are some things I figured would have happened already. I always thought I would be married with a couple of kids by now. Well, for whatever reason, that hasn't happened. To a certain point, I don't think I have a lot of control over that part. It's not as if I can make "Mr. Right" appear before my eyes!

That said, I do have control over many other things in my life. I decided it was time to take a trip. I was no longer going to wait for a someone to go to Paris with me, I was going to hit the road and explore it on my own! I had built up frequent-flyer miles and hotel points over the years, so it was time to use them. My company closes their headquarters offices between Christmas and New Years (no they didn't give us extra vacation, it counted against our PTO balance), so why not go somewhere this year? Wahoo! I couldn't wait!

Yes, I did consider the fact I was choosing to travel to Paris during a cold time of the year. My sister had taken a solo trip to Paris over the Christmas holidays before she met her husband and she really enjoyed herself. Besides, seeing the festive holiday decorations in Paris would be fun! I left on December 26 and arrived late morning on December 27. By the time I got to my hotel and checked in, it was mid-afternoon. Let my photos give you a description of the first day of my trip.

My hotel - Le Meridien Etoile (A Starwood Hotel, of course!) in Arrondissement 17.

Due to my Platinum Status, I was booked in an Executive Suite!

This is the reflection of the room in the fancy TV display on the wall.

A very modern bathroom and shower. The shower was the type without a full glass door,

water ends up on the floor. Why do hotels think this is a good idea?

The mall across the street from my hotel. If you look closely, the sign out front says Gap. I can't get away from it!

My walk to the Eiffel Tower. So pretty!

A classic Metro entrance. I'm really here!

I made it! The Eiffel Tower! I had a ticket to take the lift at 4:30 PM.

Me! I took this with the reverse lens on my iPhone 4.

The Seine

A view from the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower.

From the 3rd level, the "Sommet." I had this notion to leisurely drink a glass of champagne at the top,

but it was so freaking windy and cold up there, I decided 10 minutes was plenty!

Such a pretty view!

Back down to the first level (one up from the ground). I decided to walk down the stairs from the 2nd to

the 1st level, since the lift lines were so long. On my way down, the clock turned to 6PM. The lights on the tower suddenly lit up and began to twinkle!

The ice rink on the 1st level.

Looking down from the 1st level.

A view from across the river.

Meeting Bonnie (a friend of a friend in Paris at the same time) for dinner at Les Deux Magots in the Saint Germain neighborhood. Can you believe Hemingway, Oscar Wilde and Picasso all hung out here?

I highly recommend hot chocolate in Paris. It's like a creamy, melted chocolate bar!

In Saint Germain, I stumbled upon the namesake of Old Navy! It's a rather run-down cafe.

This was literally the place that inspired Gap executives for the name of their new retail brand which opened in 1994.