Louvre is in the Air (Entree Day #2)

Keep good company - that is, go to the Louvre.

Paul Cezanne

Bonjour my sweet petites!  Can you believe that I haven't blogged since August?!? I sincerely apologize for the delay in writing.  Between a 2 week bout of the flu in September, Annual Meeting in October, working at Bethel as a tour guide, and life in general, I have fallen way behind. It's high time to catch up on the Europe blog. Grab a blanket, francophiles, it's story time!

Day 2 in Paris had a FANTASTIC itinerary in store. The opening quote of this post was quite an obvious hint: visiting the Louvre. This national treasure is the world's largest art museum,  with a highly celebrated collection of beloved pieces. Believe me when I say that excitement did not even scratch the surface of how I felt to be there.

Bonjour à tout le monde!!!

Sarah and I, after a light breakfast of brioche and coffee, met up with another friend named Armelle in front of the Louvre in order to meet up with the guys. The whole courtyard was flooded with people, families travelling together and hecklers selling cheap Parisian fares. The focal point naturally was the pristine pyramid in the center, dazzling radiantly against the historic backdrop of the surrounding buildings. Despite the high volume of visitors, there was still a sense of respectful awe encasing the vicinity.

But where were the boys?!? No international phone service, no Wi-Fi, so no means of communication. We attempted to call Alain (the brother they were staying with, coincidentally also Armelle's brother), but he was already at work and did not know their whereabouts. Naturally, we were concerned but hopeful that they'd arrive in due time. In the interim, we were joined by yet another friend named Brian.

(Side note: If you ever need a really good Paris tour guide, Brian is your man. People that enamored by their city make me ashamed that I do not speak glowingly of NYC. He spoke of the City of Lights with resounding passion, it was really quite beautiful. End of side note.)

An important detail I've forgotten to include: our trip to Paris coincided with the French Independence Day, or Bastille Day. ON TOP OF THAT, the President of the United States also paid Paris a visit at the same time as us. Needless to say, the security pretty much everywhere was extremely high, but as a bonus, there were terrific air shows performing above the museum (which made for good entertainment), as well as the well-known exhibits having free admission. The planes zoomed and flew in perfectly choreographed routines above our little quartet as we bought coffee and waited for JJ and Ribz.

After about an hour or so, they finally appeared! The presidential traffic had delayed them immensely, but somehow they managed to find their way (alone, I might add) to the museum. Reunited as a group, we stood in line and thus began our tour of The Louvre. I can wax poetic about all the beauties that resided in that gorgeous building,  but I will allow the photos to speak for themselves. 

Le  Dream Team

I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried when I saw Mona Lisa in person

The Tetragrammaton on the real Moabite Stone!! Bible history right there

We were only able to explore about two wings of the museum, since time was needed for the rest of our day's activities. After the Louvre, we traversed the streets of Paris by foot, absorbing the delicious sights and sounds without the first day's jetlagged cloudiness. The brilliance of the Parisian day scene shimmered like the river Seine, different languages and scents blending together in a melodic symphony of senses. It was already well established in our minds: Paris stole our hearts. And it had barely been a full 24 hours!!!

One of our major must see tourist attractions was Notre Dame, and if you're a fan of Disney musical cartoons, you can imagine why Ribz and I were so excited to see this building in person. It is one of the few Gothic style buildings surviving in that part of Paris; it's been preserved so well that you can almost see Quasimodo hanging off the side. We were so swept away by the street performers and general atmosphere that we completely fell for a pretty typical hustler ploy. Don't worry, readers, I'll share funny anecdotes such as this one in upcoming blog nuggets.

After a delicious lunch comprised of shwarma and gelato, we continued on towards Luxembourg Gardens. The second-largest park in Paris, its sheer size only emphasizes the lush landscaping and the many detailed sculptures inhabiting it. If it is art that you seek, you need not look any further than this area of Paris; it is as Hemingway described, "a moveable feast."

SPEAKING OF FEASTS.

What would be the perfect end to an exciting day like this one? Food and fireworks of course! Unbeknownst to us,  Sarah had made reservations at this fine French restaurant called Le Jeroboam with a whole group of other local brothers and sisters. Très délicieux! We were treated to a 3-course meal that was positively ravishing and mouthwatering. In the Nom-Noms of Paris, we will be going through a beautifully detailed post of all the yumminess we experienced.

After dinner, we emerged into the crowded street towards a central courtyard, throngs of people congregating. Down one of the avenues was a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, its lights already beginning to shimmer and dance in sync. Not even our pictures or videos can do justice to how breathtakingly astounding the displays and fireworks were. My recollections of the EPCOT fireworks show from a Disney trip a decade ago faded away in the vivid splendour of Bastille Day. Stillness intermingled with delighted shrieks with every boom colouring the night sky. It was and will be unforgettable. With lifted hearts and ringing ears, we returned to our abode via train, satisfied with our second day's adventures and eager for the next.

Literally Midnight in Paris *Woody Allen fangirl moment*

After this writing hiatus,  I hope that this latest post is to your collective satisfaction! I had missed penning my adventures; here's hoping that I get to speed with the rest of my Euro trip. Have a lovely evening and stay tuned for the next post!

Louvre,

The Adventurous A.

Bienvenue à Paris! (Entree Day #1)

 Wednesday, July 12, 2017. We are about to time-travel. There's an alarm on my phone,  with the perfect display:

If you have been reading this little blog of mine for some time, you will already guess that I, like some particularly well-known movies and shows, will employ the flashback scene to drag the audience into the story.

SURPRISE PEOPLES IT'S STORY-TIME.

Back to July 12th.

Ribz and I were taken to Newark, where we'd meet with Capt. JJ and then catch our flight to Paris. Needless to say, it was an emotionally charged ride down to the airport (not in crying, but more for the palpable energy in the car). We had an evening flight, which was definitely a bonus for sleeping and not having too much jet-lag upon arrival.

HAH. Sleeping?!? No jet-lag?? Remember the above statement, we'll get back to it soon.

After a relaxing 7ish hour flight filled with endless Ipad movies and handsome French flight attendants, we landed in Paris at 10 am Thursday. Bear in mind, there is a 6 hour time difference between NY and Paris.  Our lovely friend and Paris contact Sarah picked us up from the airport and after sorting out exchange rates and whatnot, we made our way out to a full day of activities.

Oh you know, just casually passing by THE EIFFEL TOWER while riding through town... #wheninfrance

On the agenda: walking Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, and meeting up with friends for dinner.

Our first stop was at an apartment managed by a sweet Indian sister named Indira. She and her grandson Roman gave us a grand tour of the 200 year old building they reside in. It was truly like stepping back in time, into an era of plush leisure, pristine furnishings and golden elegance. As we gazed through the incredibly tall windows to the courtyard below us, there was no denying that we were definitely not stateside anymore. We explored the buildings and, after making arrangements to return that night for dinner, set out to peruse the streets of the City of Lights.

Very Great Gatsby-ish

If you have not ventured into this part of Europe, you will be pleased to find that cities such as Paris and Rome are just as easily traversed by foot as by public transportation. The charm of the environ is in the old-world feel, which is best appreciated (in my humble opinion) up close in person. You need to breath in the antiqueness, taste the history, and absorb the lights with eyes wide open.

A packed Arc de Triomphe

I have to apologize; for this first day in Paris, I was more involved with taking it all in rather than taking pictures. Paris is well-known for taking your breath and BELIEVE ME, this is not fictional. It is every bit as enchanting as Woody Allen would convince you it'd be.

(If you get that reference, we can be friends.)

At this point, walking the length of Champs-Elysées, we were STARVING, so we began searching for a place to have lunch. After plenty of deliberation, we agreed (upon Sarah's suggestion)  on Le Paradis du Fruit (here is the link should you decide to go and test it for yourself http://www.leparadisdufruit.fr/ ). It's quite healthy, promoting dishes with fresh veggies, naturally raised chicken and organic fare like that. We took our seats and began digging in.

I ordered all my food in French. Je suis heureux!

CHOCOLAAAATE

Remember the whole "not sleeping on the plane because we're too pumped up" bit? 

SO.

Right in the restaurant, almost as if on cue, us 3 New Yorkers basically blacked out briefly. Nodding heads, little streams of drool, the whole enchilada. I have never felt that intensely exhausted so quickly in public. To give you an idea of how bad this was: I TOOK A 3 SECOND VIDEO OF A PIECE OF BROWN BREAD FOR NO GOOD REASON. LITERALLY JUST LOOKING AT THIS BREAD.

(NO YOU MAY NOT SEE THIS VIDEO.)

JET-LAG, GOTTA LOVE IT.

We finally finished our meals and, in order to banish away the tiredness, set to walking more before we had to return to Indira's for dinner. Sarah and I made it a point to visit as many of the Sephoras on the main street as possible, much to the chagrin of our male companions.

"The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy."- Yves Saint-Laurent

As the twilight descended and the city lights turned on, we returned to Indira's to a full feast of food. This was just the first of many occurrences throughout France and Italy where we were completely astounded by the sheer amount of food presented.

Never fear, I will be detailing more of the food in an upcoming Nom-Noms of Paris blog!

Travel is beautiful. Cats are beautiful. Travel+cats: PURRFECT #puntastic

It's a beautiful thing, really, to be welcomed as if you're already family. Indira and all the friends at the house did just that, filling our evening with plenty of laughs and embraces. Mind you, this was just at day 1! The 3 of us tried our best to be as engaging as possible despite the jetlag and language barrier. Finally, the boys went to their accommodations with a brother named Alain while I went back home with Sarah, who would be my gracious hostess the rest of our days in Paris.

That is all for Day 1! I hope you have enjoyed it so far, there's plenty ahead! Stay tuned for the next post!

Love,

The Adventurous A.

I'm-a Back!!!

If you have ever had the culinary privilege of eating real French or Italian food at either an authentic restaurant or with friends, you would more than likely have a traditional 3 course meal, which is as follows:

(1) Entree (Primo Piatto)
(2) Le plat (Secondo Piatto)
(3) Dessert (Dolce)

This Europe trip has been just like that. Our journey through Paris, Milan, Genova, Cinque Terre and Rome has been truly unforgettable. Each section, like a delicious dish, has brought its own flavour and texture to the past few weeks. You enjoy the portions for what they have to offer, expanding your stomach and mental capacities to a new stretched level. Even after the onslaught of savory goodness has finished, it lingers in your palate, staining your memories and making your heart ache in the best way possible.

Now that Ribz and I have safely returned stateside, this metaphor has been very appropriate. We have been dazzled and enchanted, so it's finally storytime! I have the next few days off before returning to my usual life routine, so I'll be writing and writing and writing. I'm determined to share this experience with fuller detail rather than waiting too long. I haven't quite worked out a posting schedule of yet (it IS 5 am at the time of writing this, but alas jetlag!!), but I'm thinking of maybe a post or two per week. It will be split into 3 sections:

Paris (Primo Piatto, our fantastic pre-convention vacation)
Milan (Secondo Piatto, the real meat and reason of this trip)
Genova, Cinque Terre and Rome (Dolce, the sweet after-convention recreation)

Besides straightforward storytelling of each day, expect a few Nom-Nom and Blog Nuggets in there! These 3 weeks have been nothing but lifechanging and joyous, and I cannot wait to share!!

I should attempt sleep now...*dramatic sigh*
Pasta la vista and stay tuned for the next post!

Love,

The Adventurous A