After waking up at 4:30am and traveling for 10 hours, we finally made it home from Paris! It feels good to be back in the nice frosty apartment (it was about 48 degrees when we got home a couple hours ago and it has finally warmed up to about 55), and it is even nicer to have picked up Lorenzo from Liz's. I think the little guy put on some weight during his boarding :P
Paris was an extremely beautiful city, even in the cold, windy winter. I really appreciated the wide, clean streets, the awesome public transportation system, and the massive support for the arts. Compared to Florence, which is traditional, tough, and sticks to its old-city charm, Paris seemed to be more metropolitan, multicultural, posh and polished. I don't know which I prefer; they are just different. The Parisians we met also threw out the stereotype of being proud and stuffy--they were super friendly and everyone was happy to speak English. This may be because we stayed in the touristy district, but it was still a nice surprise. Actually, as an American I did feel guilty that everyone knew English (unlike in Italy, in which I'd say less than a third know any English at all). We hope before the next time we go we can learn a few more words of French, and maybe even pronounce them correctly!
The cold weather hampered our ability to easily go for long walks and explore the different neighborhoods, but the flip side is that we got to spend that much more time in the incredible museums, and without the unbearable crowds that likely swell during the warmer months. Seth and I agree that the only really annoying thing we encountered in Paris was the cost of a cup of coffee. We never found coffee, tea, or hot cocoa for less than 3.50 euro per cup (nearly US$5), which is why I resorted to McDonald's. Most cafes in Italy, in comparison, typically offer cappuccinos for 1.20 euro per cup, and less if taken at the bar. Since this was the worst thing we discovered, I would say it was a successful trip!
I will write more about our last few days tomorrow. It is time for bed...
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Day four, Christmas Eve with Quasi
It was a bit rough juggling what to see over the holiday because of closures, but a few sights were open at least in the first part of Christmas Eve. After a chilly jog to the Eiffel Tower, we took off for the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre, which is so big it warranted a second visit.
Finally, a little light!
Arc de Triomphe
The view from the top!
Return visit to the Louvre
For dinner we went out to the only area that was still hopping, the faux-grungy Latin Quarter. This part of town is known for lower-cost dining options with annoying hosts who try to get you to step inside their restaurant. After being pushed around so much in Italian restaurants, we were taking our chances. However, the place we chose was PACKED, the food was really fantastic, and best of all, the bill came out to what we were expecting. A Christmas miracle!
Dinner at Le Harpe started with classic escargot. Seth asked the waiter how to use the little tools to pull them out of their shells; the waiter demonstrated then insisted on feeding the extracted snail to me. It had the consistency of calamari, though Seth claims it is more like eating periwinkles, whatever those are.
After dinner we hustled to Notre-Dame for the midnight mass. We arrived by 10pm but by then the center isle was already filled, leaving us near the front but behind gigantic columns. We couldn't see the action in person, but at least they had TV monitors along the side isles so we could at least watch those. They showed a DVD on the history of the cathedral, then at 11pm their choir performed carols; I think I only recognized one or two. Midnight was the lengthy high mass we had been waiting for. Everything was interesting yet fairly solemn which made it hard to keep awake at times!
The altar
The organ at the back
We made it back to the hotel by 2am then feasted on Christmas treats and a glass of that really nice bordeaux. Baby Jesus was happy.
Oh yes, our tower of canned lunches
Even though we don't go running all that early (we usually get out by 7:30am), it remains dark nearly the entire run. This doesn't make for the best photos.
Finally, a little light!
Arc de Triomphe
The view from the top!
Return visit to the Louvre
Paris at night
Dinner at Le Harpe started with classic escargot. Seth asked the waiter how to use the little tools to pull them out of their shells; the waiter demonstrated then insisted on feeding the extracted snail to me. It had the consistency of calamari, though Seth claims it is more like eating periwinkles, whatever those are.
After dinner we hustled to Notre-Dame for the midnight mass. We arrived by 10pm but by then the center isle was already filled, leaving us near the front but behind gigantic columns. We couldn't see the action in person, but at least they had TV monitors along the side isles so we could at least watch those. They showed a DVD on the history of the cathedral, then at 11pm their choir performed carols; I think I only recognized one or two. Midnight was the lengthy high mass we had been waiting for. Everything was interesting yet fairly solemn which made it hard to keep awake at times!
The altar
The organ at the back
We made it back to the hotel by 2am then feasted on Christmas treats and a glass of that really nice bordeaux. Baby Jesus was happy.
Oh yes, our tower of canned lunches
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Third day: A very frosty Versailles
Thursday was a trip to Versailles. We figured the weather was only supposed to get colder, so this was the best time for a visit. The palace was gigantic and ornate, as expected, and the 45min train ride was a good way to have a look outside the big city. No surprise, I suppose, that outside the city was much colder and snowier than inside the city!
Louis XIV's Hall of Mirrors
The gardens are as cold as they look. You'd have to be mad to go out there.
Seth needs new shoes
This reminds me so much of The Shining
The Chateau really, really far away. We ended up walking around outside at least a good hour and a half looking for these other historic buildings, like a couple of crazy people.
So cold these horses froze right in the middle of the pond
When we finally made it back to Paris we stopped to warm up with the best French street food, crepes. A nice appetizer to a canned dinner.
Entrance to Versailles
Louis XIV's Hall of Mirrors
The gardens are as cold as they look. You'd have to be mad to go out there.
Seth needs new shoes
This reminds me so much of The Shining
The Chateau really, really far away. We ended up walking around outside at least a good hour and a half looking for these other historic buildings, like a couple of crazy people.
So cold these horses froze right in the middle of the pond
When we finally made it back to Paris we stopped to warm up with the best French street food, crepes. A nice appetizer to a canned dinner.
Second day in Paris: The Louvre
After a dark morning run along the Seine, we did a walking tour of the nearby Left Bank neighborhood and Historic Center. This included a stop inside Shakespeare and Co. bookstore and a side-trip inside the former royal palace and prison, the Conciergerie.
We had packed our lunch and stopped in the chic food court of Le Carrousel (an underground shopping mall right downtown) before spending the rest of the day in the world's largest museum.
After 4 hours in the Louvre, it was late and we were tired, so we opted for a traditional cold canned-food dinner in our hotel (this consists of some sort of canned bean mixed with a base of stewed tomato, though here we discovered delicious canned ratatouille). The highlight was the AWESOME baguette with Camembert cheese, with yogurt and Fromage blanc (similar to cottage cheese) as side dishes. We can't complain if we have these dairy delights :o)
Winged Liberty 
The crowd around La Gioconda
Our Left Bank tour, beginning with hip Shakespeare & Co. bookstore
We had packed our lunch and stopped in the chic food court of Le Carrousel (an underground shopping mall right downtown) before spending the rest of the day in the world's largest museum.
After 4 hours in the Louvre, it was late and we were tired, so we opted for a traditional cold canned-food dinner in our hotel (this consists of some sort of canned bean mixed with a base of stewed tomato, though here we discovered delicious canned ratatouille). The highlight was the AWESOME baguette with Camembert cheese, with yogurt and Fromage blanc (similar to cottage cheese) as side dishes. We can't complain if we have these dairy delights :o)
The pyramid entrance to the Louvre
Winged Liberty 
The crowd around La Gioconda
Merry Christmas!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas! Paris is closed and sleepy right now so we are spending our Noël afternoon getting to know an ultra flashy McCafe with cheap coffee, funky furniture, and free internet. Sometimes globalization is annoying, and sometimes it is just too darn convenient.
Our trip these past few days has been a bit cold and windy, but still really nice. I consider us very lucky that on the morning of our departure it didn't rain when we went running at 4:30am and when we trudged across town to catch the train to Bologna, and that it continued to be dry when we arrived in Paris later in the afternoon. Thankfully we also flew into the 'low cost airport' 50miles outside Paris and avoided much of the canceled flight mayhem the larger airports have been experiencing. Until today, it has only been dark, cold, windy, and lightly snowy.
We checked into our hotel right in the center of town. It is a little small but has almost everything we need: a heater, hot shower, clean bathroom, and mini-fridge. The only thing it is missing is perhaps a microwave and/or a hot water kettle. The Tanzanian gentleman who worked the front desk the first few nights was very kind to us as well--after chatting with him one evening he left us a fancy bottle of really, really, nice Bordeaux wine. We are trying to drink it down because we won't be able to bring it back with us due to luggage weight restrictions. Too bad for us.
Having a quick lunch in our new hotel room before heading out
Our first afternoon in Paris (Tuesday) was occupied with a stroll around the Left Bank and dinner near the Latin Quarter. Afraid of being conned by the smooth-talking guys at the tourist restaurants we opted for a toned-down Vietnamese place for dinner. Not that great, but at least there were no surprises.
Luxembourg Garden
A Christmas market stall on Blvd. St. Germain
The heart of the Latin Quarter
Chocolate shop with chocolate sculptures on the top shelf and French macarons below (they look like colorful mini-hamburgers)
A stroll by Notre-Dame after dinner
Our trip these past few days has been a bit cold and windy, but still really nice. I consider us very lucky that on the morning of our departure it didn't rain when we went running at 4:30am and when we trudged across town to catch the train to Bologna, and that it continued to be dry when we arrived in Paris later in the afternoon. Thankfully we also flew into the 'low cost airport' 50miles outside Paris and avoided much of the canceled flight mayhem the larger airports have been experiencing. Until today, it has only been dark, cold, windy, and lightly snowy.
We checked into our hotel right in the center of town. It is a little small but has almost everything we need: a heater, hot shower, clean bathroom, and mini-fridge. The only thing it is missing is perhaps a microwave and/or a hot water kettle. The Tanzanian gentleman who worked the front desk the first few nights was very kind to us as well--after chatting with him one evening he left us a fancy bottle of really, really, nice Bordeaux wine. We are trying to drink it down because we won't be able to bring it back with us due to luggage weight restrictions. Too bad for us.
Having a quick lunch in our new hotel room before heading out
Our first afternoon in Paris (Tuesday) was occupied with a stroll around the Left Bank and dinner near the Latin Quarter. Afraid of being conned by the smooth-talking guys at the tourist restaurants we opted for a toned-down Vietnamese place for dinner. Not that great, but at least there were no surprises.
Luxembourg Garden
A Christmas market stall on Blvd. St. Germain
The heart of the Latin Quarter
Chocolate shop with chocolate sculptures on the top shelf and French macarons below (they look like colorful mini-hamburgers)
A stroll by Notre-Dame after dinner
Monday, December 20, 2010
Travel jitters
Leaving for Paris tomorrow! It is the first new country we have been to besides Italy and its little land-locked principalities since visiting Hong Kong, two and a half years ago. I'm getting that really nasty travel anxiety, too... The worst part of any trip is ALWAYS getting to and from the destination, which for us always takes an extremely long time. We leave the apartment tomorrow at 6:30am and we probably won't be at the hotel in downtown Paris until 2pm, even though the flight is only an hour and a half. Ugh. It doesn't help that we are flying a budget airline (Ryanair), so I have been getting horror flashbacks from when we flew Tiger Airlines in Australia and Vietnam. Don't want to think about it now.
I wish we felt more prepared, too. We haven't had nearly enough time to read about France or Paris, so we will have to do lots of research as we go along. To top it off, I have always been intimidated by France and have never really had a desire to go there. However, there are lots of wonderful museums and churches and neighborhoods to explore, so it has become an irresistible destination, particularly for Christmas! The stress is compounded by not knowing anything about the French language (we haven't been able to find a French-English dictionary in Florence) as well as the weather forecast--rain and snow every day we are there, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. At least it will be an adventure, and surely a memorable one.
I'm sure we will feel miles better the second we finally check into the hotel :o) At least we know Lorenzo will be taken care of. He will be nice and warm staying with Liz, a friend from I Tatti (her apartment must be at least 15 degrees F warmer than ours!). We had to drop him off last night, and it feels really weird without him. Seth even has 'empty table syndrome' from not seeing his house on the table. Poor guys!
Now it's time for dinner and on to packing!
I wish we felt more prepared, too. We haven't had nearly enough time to read about France or Paris, so we will have to do lots of research as we go along. To top it off, I have always been intimidated by France and have never really had a desire to go there. However, there are lots of wonderful museums and churches and neighborhoods to explore, so it has become an irresistible destination, particularly for Christmas! The stress is compounded by not knowing anything about the French language (we haven't been able to find a French-English dictionary in Florence) as well as the weather forecast--rain and snow every day we are there, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. At least it will be an adventure, and surely a memorable one.
I'm sure we will feel miles better the second we finally check into the hotel :o) At least we know Lorenzo will be taken care of. He will be nice and warm staying with Liz, a friend from I Tatti (her apartment must be at least 15 degrees F warmer than ours!). We had to drop him off last night, and it feels really weird without him. Seth even has 'empty table syndrome' from not seeing his house on the table. Poor guys!
Now it's time for dinner and on to packing!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
A White Christmas
Yesterday we were given an early Christmas gift of a good dumping of snow, maybe 7 or 8 inches. The city looks beautiful! It started off really nice and fluffy but with today being so sunny of course now it is just getting really icy. Hopefully it won't be too treacherous running tomorrow!
The Christmas market in Santa Croce
Our street
Sant' Ambrogio
Vespas
A stranded mini electric bus and a pizza delivery scooter
Oh my goodness! Emerging from the snowy wilderness was Babbo Natale!
Piazzale Michelangelo
How much snow do you think this is?
Seth's boyfriend, looking cold
The market is still in full swing a couple hours into the snow
The Christmas market in Santa Croce
Our street
Sant' Ambrogio
Vespas
Running this morning...
A stranded mini electric bus and a pizza delivery scooter
Oh my goodness! Emerging from the snowy wilderness was Babbo Natale!
Piazzale Michelangelo
How much snow do you think this is?
Seth's boyfriend, looking cold
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