The Paris Summary (pictures follow)
Well I will try to give a brief synopsis, but it may be difficult for me to be brief (no surprise to most of you).
When Lindsay told me that we were going to spend a weekend in Paris, I was less than enthused. My thoughts on Paris were quite different than hers. She thought of romance, the river, wonderful food, blah, blah, blah. I, on the other hand, thought of gray skies, rain, dirty roads, cockroaches, unhappy, smelly people. My thoughts on Paris mimicked the Paris of George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London." Thankfully, and as usual, Lindsay's perceptions were more correct.
No matter what you have heard about the French, its people, food, and culture - if it is negative, forget it. Paris was hospitable, friendly, and wonderful. After five days, many meals and several glasses of wine, Lindsay and I decided that every person we encountered treated us as friends. Almost everyone was able and willing to speak English with us. When the menu was complicated or we lost our way, someone was close by to help us. I never thought I would say it, but I love the French - their food, their people, and their famous city.
Lindsay planned out our weekend, and we covered more ground in five days than I feel like I covered all of last month. Following a long train ride last Wednesday night/Thursday morning, we arrived in Paris with a full itinerary. The summary: Thursday - Hotel de Balcon (highly recommend, again thanks to Bryce); Cafe Bonaparte for omelets, wine and bread; seeing churches (St. Germain, St Severin, Notre Dame, St. Chapelle); walk by the Sorbonne and the Deportation memorial; supper at Cafe de Flores, and finally a stroll along the Seine River. (By the way, this is only DAY 1!!!!!!!!!!!) Day 2: Chocolate Croissants and espresso at a local cafe (thanks to Michael Satterberg); journey to the Arc d'Triumph; stroll down the Champs Elysees, where we saw incredible concept cars. We walked through the Rue Cler neighborhood. This is a very romantic and friendly place - a must see in Paris. We saw very few tourists, and the French bakeries, markets, and cheese stores were to die for. We picked up the necessary ingredients for a picnic and headed to the park surrounding the Eiffel Tower. We had French cider, French bread, French cheese, French chocolate, and French ambiance - glorious... This was my favorite part of the trip. It was here that I was reminded again how wonderful my wife is!!!!
Following our picnic, we came upon a smaller church that was listed nowhere on the map or in our travel books: Basilica St. Clotilde. This off-the-beaten path church is one of my favorites. (Quick commentary - we had to pay to enter St. Chapelle on Day 1 - this irritated me, especially because it was more of a museum than a church. The other churches we visited seem to still have ecclesial life within, and this was much richer than the museum-esque quality of St. Chapelle). anyway...We finally ended up back at the hotel, and I bought a book and Lindsay took a nap. The bookstore was directly across the street from our hotel. The woman who owns it is originally from Chicago, but now lives in Paris and runs this quaint, second-hand bookstore. It is quite possibly the most organized bookstore I have ever been in. She also recommended to me a wonderful book, The Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. The book was published posthumously, and is his insights and recollections of his life in Paris. A fascinating read, especially when one is dwelling in the Latin Quarter.
In the evening, we went to the Louvre and took a boat cruise on the Seine. As of now, following an edit of our photo library, we have roughly sixty pictures of the Eiffel Tower........ Following the boat cruise, we ended the day with a traditional meal of Fajitas that a wonderful Mexican restaurant - end of Day 2!
Day 3: The day of Amelie. If you haven't seen the movie, we highly recommend it (for adults). In the morning we went to the local flea market, and Lindsay had a wonderful time... In the afternoon, we traveled to Moutmare (sp), and enjoyed the scenes from one of our favorite movies, Amelie. Then we ate lunch at the Amelie Cafe, which was more than delicious. We also walked through the Moulin Rouge. This neighborhood, both Moulin and Moumarte, have exciting day and night life.
In the evening we had originally planned to climb the Eiffel Tower, but realizing how many people had the same idea, we changed our minds. This was a good decision - the view from below was better, as was the music. We ditched the crowds, ditched the chaos and enjoyed the walk together. I am hoping to upload a video; however, if it doesn't work, please let me know.
We ended our last evening in Paris with a glass of wine at a cafe near our Hotel.
What a weekend. On Sunday, we went to the American Church, walked near the river, encountered another wonderful bookstore with a rich history, Shakespeare and Company. I bought another interesting book here, Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. We ate our final Parisian meal together in the rain; then Lindsay headed to Taize, and I headed to Bremen. We rendezvous next weekend in Amsterdam. Whew - I am tired.
When Lindsay told me that we were going to spend a weekend in Paris, I was less than enthused. My thoughts on Paris were quite different than hers. She thought of romance, the river, wonderful food, blah, blah, blah. I, on the other hand, thought of gray skies, rain, dirty roads, cockroaches, unhappy, smelly people. My thoughts on Paris mimicked the Paris of George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London." Thankfully, and as usual, Lindsay's perceptions were more correct.
No matter what you have heard about the French, its people, food, and culture - if it is negative, forget it. Paris was hospitable, friendly, and wonderful. After five days, many meals and several glasses of wine, Lindsay and I decided that every person we encountered treated us as friends. Almost everyone was able and willing to speak English with us. When the menu was complicated or we lost our way, someone was close by to help us. I never thought I would say it, but I love the French - their food, their people, and their famous city.
Lindsay planned out our weekend, and we covered more ground in five days than I feel like I covered all of last month. Following a long train ride last Wednesday night/Thursday morning, we arrived in Paris with a full itinerary. The summary: Thursday - Hotel de Balcon (highly recommend, again thanks to Bryce); Cafe Bonaparte for omelets, wine and bread; seeing churches (St. Germain, St Severin, Notre Dame, St. Chapelle); walk by the Sorbonne and the Deportation memorial; supper at Cafe de Flores, and finally a stroll along the Seine River. (By the way, this is only DAY 1!!!!!!!!!!!) Day 2: Chocolate Croissants and espresso at a local cafe (thanks to Michael Satterberg); journey to the Arc d'Triumph; stroll down the Champs Elysees, where we saw incredible concept cars. We walked through the Rue Cler neighborhood. This is a very romantic and friendly place - a must see in Paris. We saw very few tourists, and the French bakeries, markets, and cheese stores were to die for. We picked up the necessary ingredients for a picnic and headed to the park surrounding the Eiffel Tower. We had French cider, French bread, French cheese, French chocolate, and French ambiance - glorious... This was my favorite part of the trip. It was here that I was reminded again how wonderful my wife is!!!!
Following our picnic, we came upon a smaller church that was listed nowhere on the map or in our travel books: Basilica St. Clotilde. This off-the-beaten path church is one of my favorites. (Quick commentary - we had to pay to enter St. Chapelle on Day 1 - this irritated me, especially because it was more of a museum than a church. The other churches we visited seem to still have ecclesial life within, and this was much richer than the museum-esque quality of St. Chapelle). anyway...We finally ended up back at the hotel, and I bought a book and Lindsay took a nap. The bookstore was directly across the street from our hotel. The woman who owns it is originally from Chicago, but now lives in Paris and runs this quaint, second-hand bookstore. It is quite possibly the most organized bookstore I have ever been in. She also recommended to me a wonderful book, The Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. The book was published posthumously, and is his insights and recollections of his life in Paris. A fascinating read, especially when one is dwelling in the Latin Quarter.
In the evening, we went to the Louvre and took a boat cruise on the Seine. As of now, following an edit of our photo library, we have roughly sixty pictures of the Eiffel Tower........ Following the boat cruise, we ended the day with a traditional meal of Fajitas that a wonderful Mexican restaurant - end of Day 2!
Day 3: The day of Amelie. If you haven't seen the movie, we highly recommend it (for adults). In the morning we went to the local flea market, and Lindsay had a wonderful time... In the afternoon, we traveled to Moutmare (sp), and enjoyed the scenes from one of our favorite movies, Amelie. Then we ate lunch at the Amelie Cafe, which was more than delicious. We also walked through the Moulin Rouge. This neighborhood, both Moulin and Moumarte, have exciting day and night life.
In the evening we had originally planned to climb the Eiffel Tower, but realizing how many people had the same idea, we changed our minds. This was a good decision - the view from below was better, as was the music. We ditched the crowds, ditched the chaos and enjoyed the walk together. I am hoping to upload a video; however, if it doesn't work, please let me know.
We ended our last evening in Paris with a glass of wine at a cafe near our Hotel.
What a weekend. On Sunday, we went to the American Church, walked near the river, encountered another wonderful bookstore with a rich history, Shakespeare and Company. I bought another interesting book here, Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. We ate our final Parisian meal together in the rain; then Lindsay headed to Taize, and I headed to Bremen. We rendezvous next weekend in Amsterdam. Whew - I am tired.
Comments
Post a Comment