And the Trees Sang

Today's Itinerary:
  - World War II Bus Tour to the Beaches of Normandy France

When we were kids spending summer days at Grandma Maule's house, she used to take me and Jake out under the evergreen trees to listen to the wind whip through the branches. The whistling sound this made was the sound of the trees singing and serenading specially to us. Today, the trees sang to us at the Omaha Beach, and Grandma would have liked that.

I am going to start today's entry the same way Grandpa Maule (Donnie) started each entry he kept in his World War II journal, with breakfast. Today I had coffee for breakfast. Mom and I were up at 5, or sooner, to get ready for our early departure. I made the coffee a little bit stronger than Mom has been making it. Partially that was an accident, and partially I was trying to make it a little stronger since it was so early.

We joined our tour group and climbed to the top of a double-decker bus. The sway of the bus put me to sleep almost instantly, but I woke up a little later to hear the tour guides explaining stuff to us. Both the tour guides have this strange speaking cadence. After every sentence, they would swoop up at the end with either "...riiiight?" or "eh?", as if they were asking us to validate the details they just shared.

Our first stop was a museum and memorial to the time between the end of WWI up through D-Day. The museum did a nice job outlining the events that lead up to the start of the Second Great War - especially the focus on the Holocaust and Genocide. I recognize that I can't begin to imagine what it was like to have been a part of something like that, but some of the imagery and statistics offered a brief glimpses of understanding to the incomprehensible. (I was, however, disappointed to see the focus on identifying multiple groups of people, but not the homosexuals. Now is not the time though.) 

The Great State

Outside the museum were four different gardens recognizing each nation that played a part in the events on June 6. Primarily this was America, Canada, and the UK, but they also had something for France as the country we are in. We only had time to see the United States garden, and it was a very serene dedication to those involved. Walking into the entrance, we saw the top of an infinity pool that was looking out into the surrounding forest. The path on the side led us through some fragrant gardens to the bottom of the waterfall. The wall behind the falls was lined with an emblem from each state that sent young men to the fronts that day (so all 50 were represented, I think).

After lunch we started towards the actual beaches where the attack of D-Day took place, and continued to supply reinforcements for later sieges. At the Utah beach, I stood in the bottom of a cavity from the bombs that were dropped, and I looked upward the 15-20 feet above me at the ground knowing that the ground above was covered with these indentures for miles in both directions. These depressions offered the sieging men a place of cover, but also would have been taxing to run up and down as they pressed forward on the Germans.


At Omaha beach, there were no such recession in the ground. The attacking fighters bombed more inland to avoid raining over our own troops. This meant there was no place to easily take cover, and cost many more lives throughout the ultimately successful day. Mom and I walked the many steps along the winding path to the oceanfront beach itself. Standing at the foot of the large hill, I tried to imagine the emotions and experience of the day. Looking up at the green grass and tailored trees it was difficult to picture the dawn air full of smoke, the noise of the battlefield, and the chaos caused by the flying lead.

Omaha was the beach the Americans we responsible for attacking, and now served as a cemetery commemorating the 9,000 plus lives lost on the beaches. I walked through a section of the cemetery recognizing the names or lack of for the fallen laid to rest. At the end of the cemetery rose a memorial for the young men who climbed out of the crashing waves. The memorial displayed a massive but elegant statue of a young Adonis with water at his feet, but stood as a burial for the unknown solider (in addition to the representation of everyone involved).

As we walked out of the memorial, the trees started singing. I wondered if this was something Grams would have appreciated, or if someone else was getting my attention.

Spectacular Spectacular

Alternative Working Title - Cause We Can Can Can!

Today's Itinerary:
  - Eat crepes
  - Dinner and show at the Moulin Rouge

Today is a day that Mom has been dreading since I revealed my desire to see a show at the Moulin Rouge. Outside of marveling at the engineering feat that is the Eiffel Tower, this was really the only thing I had my heart set on doing. Mom, however has been petrified of going to the Red Light District of Paris, to the point that she could hardly eat throughout the day.

I booked us a visit that included dinner and transportation to and from the show to hopefully ease her worries about the area we would be spending our evening. Considering how much food we had at the last dinner outing, it seemed to make sense to eat little for lunch or throughout the day today. 

Even if the butterflies would have made it hard to eat much, crepes seemed like the perfect small meal for the afternoon. I was trying to find a crepe place nearby that was famous for the artistry of making crepes. I mean they probably all taste about the same anyway, right, so it should be fun to watch beforehand at least. 

We stumbled through a huge street market on our way to the crepe place. I think this must have been the market we thought we came to last Saturday. Multiple streets were closed off and crowded with the wares of people selling what they had. Old stuff too, it smelled like an antique store... musty (Steph Maule crinkles her nose at this). Entertainingly enough, each vendors shop specialized in a specific item. One stand sold only dinner jackets, another rugs, books, foosball tables, lamps or rotary telephones. Very specific items that seemed unnecessary to have so many together in one place. Seriously, who is going to buy an antique telephone, let alone the 40 you have on display?

After leaving the market, we walked along to the crepe place. I had a hard time identify the stand because I was looking for something with a blue and white striped awning. We found the restaurant, but the reason the awing was not out was because the store was not open. It must be something that is only open later or at night time. I'll make an attempt to head back, but for the time being, we settled on crepes from a nearby ice cream stand instead.

I had a sea salt caramel one and mom had apricots. These were average, and I was disappointed to see that the crepe was actually premade and just reheated for us. The caramel sauce was excellent though, which should be expected for an ice cream store. We stood outside the store eating our desert-lunch, watching as others walked down the street in front of us.

When finished, Mom wanted to go back to some of the jewelry stores we had passed, so we headed towards the apartment again. She had also packed some postcards that we were looking to purchase stamps for, should we pass a post office. I was pretty certain there was one on the way, but we did not notice it on the trip down to the crepe place. On the return, I noticed the overlooked post, so we stopped inside.

Once inside it was very unclear where we purchase stamps or drop off the mail. Picked a line to stand in for a while because that seemed like the only thing we could do. The woman who attended to us, pointed towards some machines that would dispense the stamps and could walk us through the process in English. Well, they sort of walked us through the process. Buying stamps was very unclear, did we need to weight the mail, should it be a registered letter, why can't we just pick the button for post card? Eventually the post cards were decorated with what seemed like stamps, so we went back to standing in line again. Hoping to hand them to the man at the counter, we were instead pointed towards a yellow box outside to drop them in. It will be a miracle if these post cards are delivered at all.

Last we found some of the jewelry stores from before. Once inside the 2nd store, the woman told us they were only a wholesale store, selling mass jewelry to people (why I don't understand?) Disappointed again, we went home to start getting ready for the evening ahead of us.

There isn't an iron in our place. For the past 3 days have been trying to "steam" out the wrinkles in the shirt I was planning to wear tonight by hanging it in the shower. This didn't work, so at the last minute I changed my outfit before heading out the door.

Mom and I got to the departure place a bit early, so we stopped by my favorite tapas bar (the one that thought I could be Italian) for a quick drink to steal our nerves before entering the Red Light District. I was pleased to have an amber beer that was of medium darkness for a change finally. Everything here is a light color blonde or pilsner, so I'm looking forward to being home and having a porter soon. Mom was also pleased to have a wine that was cold compared to room temperature. For the 2nd time, I left that bar happy to have stopped by.

Finally, we load the bus taking us North in the city. Our tour guide was amazing. She gave us the intro and instructions for later. Then she gave the intro and instructions in Spanish to a couple of people. THEN, she gave the intro and instructions in Japanese to a couple on our bus. 

Our group marched into the theater together, and Mom wished that we were closer to the front of the group (and closer to the guide). Thankfully we weren't, being seated last gave us the best seats of the group. We were right at the front, house left but almost center really, in an auditorium that supposedly seats 950 people. Looking around the whole place I decided maybe that is the total number of people per night, but I'll google it later to find out the truth.

During dinner, a band played some classics from the rat pack and other languages I couldn't understand. We sat next to two Chinese girls, a couple from Australia, and the Japanese couple at the end of the table. They were pleased because at one point, the group on stage sang a Japanese ballad that was recognized by half our table. I could hear how it could have been Japanese because of the many anime programs I've seen, and the girls next to us were interested in that. 

Our table was organized so each couple was seated across from each other, not next to us. I prefer that anyway, it makes the table even.  We didn't notice this when ordering, but when the food came my side of the table all ordered 1 thing while the other side had picked the 2nd option. This happened for both our entree and desert, and helped bring the table together as strangers. 

Across the isle, Mom introduced herself to the couple there as well. Turns out they were from Canada, and feeling more comfortable speaking French than we were. As the meal continued, we also discovered there were a couple of newlyweds at the Canadian table. The lounge singers celebrated this by singing them Happy Birthday... We knew though, and toasted them anyhow. 

Finally, as dinner wrapped up, people started dancing on the floor waiting for the show to start. By the time things were finished, the dance floor was packed with grown people slow dancing together. One of the songs they sang was something very familiar (but it is escaping me now). I remembered associating it with a commonly played high school dance song, so I found it funny to see a dance floor full of people older than me swaying back and forth.

The stage rose and the dance floor was cleared because it was finally time to start the show. I wasn't certain what to expect, and I think mom was even less prepared. Thankfully it started clam enough. A bunch of women came out in sparkly silver pants and mostly topless, but draped in beads like chandeliers. At once the music picked up, and this was the point that the women yanked off their pull away pants leaving them in scanty underwear. There are no words to describe the look on my mom's face at this action.

The show was brilliant, and we both loved it. We experienced a multitude of genres throughout the show. Starting with a homage to the Moulin Rouge. Then moving into an Asian / Ancient Greek style, some how Medusa worked her way into the Asian backdrop. This was important because next the center stage lifted, revealing a water tank full of snakes that one of the girls swam in. From here we continued to India, then something 50's style, and finally French patriotism and the Can-Can. 

I guess you call a variety series like this "a revue", which is a word I just learned. I always thought when people put together a summary of the past year though interpretive dance, that these were "A year in Review". Now I recognize what I have misheard for almost 30 years. It's like "Thanks speedy God" (Thanks be to God) or "Lettuce Pray" in church.

The bus took us all the way home, so finally Mom could exhale safely. Tonight was probably one of the best adventures we have had in Paris.

Having Nice Things

Today's Itinerary:
  - Take the Metro
  - Eat at a fancy restaurant
  - See the Eiffel Tower
  - Boat tour and Champagne tasting

Mom and I decided yesterday that we were going to try getting lunch at one of the "fancy" restaurants. We both have read that they do a cheaper, fixed menu for lunch on a first come first serve basis. Last night, before the fire, we picked a place that serves food in the cast iron dishes they are cooked in. We were going to get to the restaurant early by taking mom's first metro ride!

We purchased tickets for 5 days of the metro, and got on the train closest to our apartment. Luckily, based on the address I was using, we only had to take one train and no transfers.

Turns out, I heard the address wrong, and we were not anywhere near the restaurant... Plus now had no idea where it could be. Since we could see the Eiffel Tower, it made sense to just walk towards the monument and find a restaurant in that general location. Maybe it wouldn't be fancy, but I suppose we can try that again some other day. (Mom wasn't pleased with me, and rightly so, but this was the best we could do at this point)

As we walked towards the tower, Mom decided to ask somebody how to get to the place I couldn't find. She actually walked into a lingerie store to ask some girl if she knew the restaurant. The girl didn't, but did her best to point us to a different fancy eatery with her broken English. 

This new place didn't look very open, so we approached the man sweeping outside. It was about 11am and the place did not open till 2. With that knowledge, we both decided to go up in the Eiffel Tower. 

First we had to arrive there, which meant more walking down the street. Another restaurant had some kid sweeping also, and Mom recognized that the head chef on this restaurant was the same as the cast iron place we were looking for earlier. She asked the sweeper if they were associated, and he told us that we were actually looking for the place immediately next door. Can you believe we stumbled onto the right place, half a mile away from the wrong directions I gave us in the first place?!?

The line

This place didn't appear open either, so we stuck to the plan to go to the Eiffel Tower anyways. Stopping in another garden at the foot to sit and admire the height and engineering of the structure, we rested our feet momentarily by a pool below. Good thing we did too, because then we stood in line for about an hour before even getting up into the tower.

The line was actually kind of fun. Not that I wanted to stand in it for any more time, but we were surrounded by some interesting people. First, directly in front, a man and two daughters with vivid tangerine sneakers spoke a different language that kept slipping into English. Behind us was a Swedish couple that I thought were from Germany because I thought I recognized some of what they said. Finally, an Indian man further up who was holding spots for his family while they wandered about without him. This guy was the best, he kept getting worried that they were not going to make it in time, and would send a friend out to search for everyone. Finally we got to the security point, and the man still had not joined up with his travel companions. He let a few of us pass, when suddenly 8 other people come running towards the line. They all joined up with him eventually, but I think they should have bought the man's ticket for holding all their spots.

The labeling of the floors was tricky. I recognized that the ground floor was zero, but I thought that the tip top was the 2nd floor then. Apparently, the Swedish couple behind me did too, because the man started freaking out when we passed the first floor and kept going upward (He's apparently afraid of heights, and did not buy tickets to the top). There are 2 lower level floors, and then a separate elevator to the summit. We had tickets to the peak, but after exiting the elevator on the second floor, I thought I might never peel my back off the wall (I'm also afraid of heights).

Eventually, I acclimated, and we walked around the building, comforted by the solid cement floor. Soon it was time to go up higher, and Mom and I got in the next line for elevators like good little tourists. I suspect these elevators could have traveled anywhere, just like Charlie and the Chocolate factory. I don't mind taking the lift to the top of a tall building, but apparently the comfort of a wall behind me is a must. I was trembling with my eyes focused on the floor as we continued upward, surround on four sides by glass and the occasional metal beam. 

Finally, exiting, safe again on the concrete floor, and this time surrounded by windows! Ahhh, not a problem. We went up a level to the open air, grabbed some champagne, and even witnessed a marriage proposal! Could you imagine standing in all the lines we did, knowing that at the top you were going to ask this girl to marry you (and in the back of your head, recognizing that she is probably aware to some extent that you are going to do this)?  Mom and I clapped because I thought that was the thing to do, apparently not, we were the only ones.

It was almost time we grab food if we were going to get back later for our river tour, so more

America's attempt to outdo Eiffel's Magnificent Tower

lines as we headed down what once was the world's tallest structure. Happy World's Fair France, I much prefer the PBR that came out of Chicago's fair, but this is good too.

Lunch was good, fancy and worth it. I had a seafood bisque and lamb, Mom had a Caprese salad and steak. The lamb was unlike any lamb I've ever had. So tender you probably could have cut it with a butter knife, but interestingly sweet. I think this came from being cooked with the spring vegetables, instead of how I am used to ordering it with potatoes usually. Dad digs lamb, and I am unsure if he would have loved this or hated it, but I pondered on that while Mom and I ate our late lunch together.

Koi at the zoo

We wrapped up early, and went back to the pond in the park from this morning to wait our evening tour. Multiple women were feeding bread to the pigeons. These birds were attacking each other like the koi under the bridge at the Henry Doorly Zoo. I was pretty sleepy, so I decided to take a nap under a shady tree for a bit. I woke up feeling much more alert, and we headed back to the river for boat ride.

The tour was great, a bit warm but worth the experience. We were greeted by a pleasant Asian guy, and immediately multiple people started ask me to take their pictures together. 10 snaps later, me and Mom clinked our glasses and the boat embarked. I learned a lot about champagne, and words to use when at a bar (fresh or crisp to mean dry). We also sailed under 22 of the 31-ish bridges in Paris. the guild was funny and entertaining, but hard to understand. I found myself giggling at his jokes, then repeating them to Mom because I don't think she heard them as well.

Most importantly, I learned how God made France equal to other countries in the world. See, God blessed the country with wine, and champagne, and food, and fashion, and architecture. Everyone else got jealous and said to God, "Hey, this isn't fair, what about us". God sits and ponders for a bit, then realizes how to make up for blessing the land with so many great things. God then gave the world, the French people. (that joke wrapped up our cruise, I think the people we've met so far have been a lot nicer than I expected.)

We metroed home, and were planning on some snack for desert, but ended up staying inside and finishing the cheese in our fridge. We'll have to go get more groceries in a couple days. 

This Pizza is Making me Thirsty

Today's Itinerary:

  - Eat Ice Cream

  - Walk Around

  - Eat Pizza

  - (Unexpectedly Witness Electrical Fire)

Today was a day full of easily recognizable street signs. It started with a deck of cards that we found in our apartment. "50 Adventures on Foot", which contained index cards with a descriptive mile long walk starting and stopping at different Metros. The walk we chose was in a familiar location, but full of things the both of us still haven't done yet. Back to Notre Dame we were heading.

You could tell I was still a little groggy from the few hours of sleep I had the night before, because we found ourselves near a large, unfamiliar park on what should have been a very recognizable walk. The Rue Villie du Temple has become the landmark street that guides us between home and the River Seine. Considering the number of times we trekked along this road, I should have recognized the large park rising up on the right side of the street. Turns out I missed the left hand turn for the Old Temple Road and ended up turning on the new street, Rue du Temple.

Acknowledging that we were in the wrong place, we still entered the large, shade covered area to take a look around. First we were greeted by the typical French reminder to stay off the grass. After walking to the left of the trees and bushes, a duck filled pond and waterfall appeared behind the hidden entryway. Off to the other side of the park was apparently one of the few people friendly patches of grass in the whole city. Every patch was covered with blankets and families trying to grab some rays on this aptly titled Sun-day.

We didn't stay long in the park, but welcomed the respite as we continued to back track towards Landmark Row. Adriana had shown me a famous crepe place in one of the alleys down this street, and I was looking for it on the way down since I was getting pretty hungry at this point. The street had been blocked off from cars and was overloaded with people strolling about, so I was a little too overwhelmed to recognize Crepe Alley.

Ice Cream Flavors

Walking past the crepe place was probably the best accident of the day, because then we decided on ICE CREAM instead. Today is the day that we got famous ice cream!!!

I don't think we stopped at the original Berthillon restaurant, but even so we stood in line for 30 mins. I guess that means we will have to go back the original store later to compare the experiences. Bummer... ;-) I walked away from the stand with a double scoop of Sea Salt Caramel and Banana while mom had a single of Pralines and Cream. (I won the ice cream selection, I must say). The banana was sweet and refreshing, but the caramel was decadent.

We took our cones and continued to head to the start of the walking tour, which meant re-crossing the bridge we already walked down. This was the 2nd time we walked passed the "legless" woman I've recognized moving around the city. I bet she makes bank panhandling in front of the Notre Dame with all those church going people lined up to get in to the building. 

The start of the tour had us looking at these green boxes that people apparently own and sell stuff out of. Typically these people sell used books, but some of them have paintings or knick-knacks. We grabbed a couple items to take home, and finally reached the metro that officially commenced our walking trip.

A left turn onto the Bridge of Arts should have ended the opportunity for souvenirs, but brought me face to face with one last thing. Accosted by a Jamaican with some thread, I left the wooden bridge 5 euros lighter and plus 1 silly bracelet. I tried telling him that I didn't want his stuff, but I am too soft to say No enough. The guy had my number for sure. As he weaved the bracelet on my finger, he told me to make a wish and think of it while he continued to work. He continued to chat at me while he worked, suggesting I wish for a man, then later suggesting I wish for a woman. Then he said I should visit Jamaica, maybe I'd find a good woman there to take home with me.

... Ha, now you know that I cannot tell you my wish, but I don't think I'll be heading to Jamaica anytime soon.

The card for our trip told us to walk along the river to head towards the cathedral again. I thought this meant to go down along the bank of the river immediately. As we read the card further, we realized this should have happened later in the journey, but I couldn't understand why. Walking closer to the water was great. The air was crisp, there was a bit of a breeze, and people hanging around drinking or eating near the waters edge.

A warning on many levels

It was continuing the walk, along the crumbling cobblestones, that we quickly recognized why this was not the prescribed path. After passing an entertaining sign, we began to walk under a partially enclosed section of multiple bridges. The enclosure accentuated the purpose for the sign quickly and potently. See the sign said no urination, which made sense to post considering how many people were lounging along the river bank. As we walked into the tight space, stagnant urine burned our nostrils. No wonder we should have stayed up top a little longer.

Thankfully this dissipated quickly, and we continue on our walk below. See the purpose of this card is that we went along the bank near Notre Dame so we could look up at the buttresses and really see them from a better angle. It was worth, but I was also glad to move back up to street level. 

We finally wrapped up by grabbing some pizza at this neat looking place I've wanted to try for a while. When I've walked past their specialty pizzas looked amazing, and Mom and I had been talking about eating pizza all day. 

Inside the pizza place

There was no outside sitting at the Pink Flamingo, but we were able to find a spot inside, and were quickly greeted by the frantic server doing all the work in the front. I ordered a pizza reminiscent of a bagel, with salmon, sour cream, cheese, and caviar. Mom got something blonde with cheese, arugula, Parmesan (which I get is a cheese too), and olive oil. They both were super delicious, and I overate the whole pizza.

We went home, exhausted as usual, and I crawled into bed almost immediately. Unfortunately, this immediate sleep was not to be found. Some loud truck was rumbling outside, so Mom got up to check it out. Not only was it some truck outside, but a fire truck with the lights on and multiple police cars. However, there were no sirens and no alarms, so I was still struggling to find sleep. 

Now with the windows open, Mom started shouting in French at people, hoping to figure out was what going on. No one knew, but I could see through some of the other windows and no one was evacuating. If there was a fire there would be more noise than a rambling truck, idling in the alley. 

An hour later the firemen and the police left, but now I was wide awake... And thirsty. I stumbled to the sink in the dark and downed 2 glasses of water. The salmon pizza drained all the liquids from my body, so I grabbed another glass of water and curled up with the tv on the couch. Netflix in foreign countries is fun, so I might as well capitalize on that while I am not falling asleep. I've got all the things to watch.

Metros, Mausoleum, and Markets... Oh MY

Today's Itinerary:
  - Saturday Market
  - Cemetery with a new friend
  - Dinner and stuff

Today was full of so much learning... and walking (30,000 steps baby!). It started with our venture to the weekend market. The Marche de Enfants Rouges is supposedly one of the oldest markets in the area. Mom and I got "All the French Things", maybe better put "Toutes les Choses"! We started by buying some Macaroons, then cheese, then a knick-knack made of a book (for my mom the librarian), and wrapped up with some wine. Wine and a pre-lunch wine tasting :-D


After traveling home with our goods, I was getting ready to meet up with a new friend for the afternoon. Adriana was friends with a friend of mine, and she happened to be visiting France for the weekend also. Although, we did not know each other well, our common friend was certain we would get a long and encouraged us to hang out. I am glad we did, I had a good time on our adventures today. 

Considering that I don't know how to get too many places, we picked a meeting spot that I was certain I could walk to, The Tuileries Gardens again. My walk started cool and cloudy, so I thought the sweater and jacket I was holding might be necessary. The sun came out shortly into the walk, and I was quickly regretting all the clothes I had with me.

Along the way, I gave money to some red cross people. They came back and gave me a key chain. As the day went I flashed the key chain at numerous others asking for money. I felt like a vampire slayer keeping enemies away with a Holy Cross. Stay back! I already gave you money.

Adriana and I grabbed a quick bite to eat, then headed for the Metro. Mom and I have been timidly avoiding the rail system since we got here, so this was my first experience on the Paris Underground. We rode around without a hitch and got to the exit for the cemetery successfully. The most notable part of the ride was that the pop machines all hold their bottles funny, upside down. 

As we walked to the entrance of the Père Lachaise Cemetery, an antique market popped up along the side of the road. I almost purchased an old backgammon board, but didn't want to carry it around all day. I already was holding a coat and my camera, so I was out of hands.

Once in the cemetery, there were a few famous sites that we were going to try to find. This turned perilous when we didn't have a map and I kept slipping on the crumbling cobblestones. It was really worth it though, even though we wandered aimlessly, the multiple grave sites were solemn and impressive. I passed a few with blue doors, and imagery from Dr. Who popped into my head. What if all these tall rectangular boxes were really phone booths for communication back and forth between the families and loved ones?

I didn't write tha

After almost leaving the, we stumbled onto an office that supplied maps! (The men at the entrance said they did not offer such a tool...). Now we ventured back in to find the resting places of Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. Morrison's grave was unassuming, and after reading on the internet the tale of his burial, it is a surprise he even has a grave. Oscar Wilde's, however, was stately and impressive. It had some long inscription and was surrounded by glass walls to keep people from touching the tomb. Apparently, people want to kiss Oscar Wilde's grave and leave lipstick marks? Unnecessary. The best part of visiting these famous areas was seeing the differences in the visitors. Leather jackets vs corduroy and suede elbow patches.

I'm not sure how far we walked, but at this point I was beyond thirsty. We stopped at a cafe to grab a beire and tap water. The first drink was so refreshing, I couldn't tell you the last time I had something so good. It reminded me of a story on the ACT's about a guy getting his tonsils out and drinking orange juice after. The first glass was refreshing and quenched his thirst, but since it also washed down the accumulated mucus, the next glass burned immensely. The first beer was perfect, but the second highlighted the flavors of the light beer that I don't particularly like and made the water taste funny even.

We ventured home on the Metro to drop off our cameras and my jacket at home. Outside our apartment, there is an art museum that has been tirelessly working on an exhibit or opening since we arrived in France. Today as we walked home to the apartment, a flock of people were outside drinking champagne and celebrating. Apparently, the gallery opened today, and they were finally celebrating. Once I got upstairs, Mom told us that she even went down to see what they had to display.


I picked up the apartment keys, so I could head back out into the night for a couple drinks with my new friend. We first heard some music and headed towards it. The source of the sound was the Limye Bayo, and the festival filled an entire square with a grand stage and multiple jumbo-trons displaying the artists while they played.

Although the concern seemed fun, it also looked like rain was coming. We decided to leave, and headed down the road looking for some shelter. The first bar we stopped at was funny. I watched a man order 2 drinks, take them outside, and walked to the restaurant across the street. Eventually we went looking for a bathroom, and discovered the restaurant across the street was the same establishment as the bar we were sitting in. Also, the bathrooms were in the bar across the street.

We moved on to a few other places, and wrapped up for the evening. When I got home I slept on the couch since I smelled like I had been surrounded by Parisians smoking all night (which I had been surrounded by), and I didn't want to bother mom with the smell of the bar next her all night.

The last thing I learned, was that you don't need the internet for google maps to work on your phone. Once the map is loaded, you can still see the streets and things for the area you've loaded. This is going to be a huge help getting around the city from here on out. Thanks to my new friend Adriana for teaching me!

Stopping to Smell Something

Today's Itinerary:
  - Get up and buy bread from a bakery
  - Go see something?

Well today is the first day we did not cross off everything on the itinerary. Bound to happen. Today we both woke up and were not feeling a thousand percent, so the morning started slowly. Mom had a hard time sleeping last night because she drank tea to warm up from the open air bus tour last night (caffeinated at 12:30). I, on the other hand, had a stomach ache and was waiting for the drugs to kick in.

Since we missed getting up for morning baguettes, we decided to take a look at the welcome packet Judith left us (remember Judith, the not old person renting us the apartment?). She had a map that showed us where a bakery and a park were located in the area, and those places became our early afternoon destinations. The bakery was uneventful, but it smelled delicious. We took our snacks and went looking for the park. 

The park was amazing! At first we couldn't find it (who is surprised, really?). We walked towards what should have been the entrance, but when we arrived the entrance did not look like we should be entering. Instead, we walked around to the other entrance on the map, and this was much more inviting. Upon walking in, we were greeted with a small, town-square-esqe scene. There was a small grassy court, sectioned into quarters by gravel paths and huge, climbing rose bushes.

We found a shady bench to share while we ate our pastries together, and basked in the scent of the all the flowers around us. I had a pistachio eclair and mom had chocolate bread thing. Mine was awesome, a bit sweet at the end to the point that I couldn't finish it though. Mom's was also delicious, very light and fluffy but crispy.

While eating our snacks, a cat with a bell walked up to join us. I assumed the mice had belled the cat, but mom figured it had an owner. The cat strolled between our legs and the bench, before it got curious about our food. Once recognizing we were eating, it actually hopped up on my lap. I was pleased to have a mitten to pet at least briefly, and named him Brian. Brian soon after ran off and found shade under one of the plants. A little later, a woman walked out of a nearby apartment and jangled some keys. Brian came running towards her and lead her back in the building. I guess the mice still have not belled a cat yet.

See me smelling that rose?

Some obnoxious kids came and played loudly in the park, so we decided at that point that it was time to head home. During our time in the park, I had started feeling a bit better, and we decided to walk to Notre Dame for the late afternoon.

The walk was nice and simple, one road all the way to the cathedral. We crossed the Seine on one of the famous bridges that were built strictly for travel to the middle islands. I guess before these travel bridges, all bridges had houses and the primary function was living - not crossing water. I think we passed the Ice Cream store that we are going to go to one day, but we weren't certain enough or in the mood to stop at that point.

The Cathedral was surrounded by souvenir shops and sandwich places. We walked in a couple and started our collection of things to bring home for others. Mom has quite a few people on her list, and I might just grab something if it jumps out at me. Which is what happened. I found a silly, racy, novelty gift that seemed appropriate for a friend of mine, and I walked out the store with this in my pocket.

I walked out the store and into the church, with my silly, racy, novelty gift now burning a hole in my pocket. Get the hand basket, I want a luxurious ride to hell when I go ;)

Pretend I took this

Really though, the outside of Notre Dame was impressive, and the inside even more so. Mass was going on at the time, I think in Latin. It was certainly one of those old style masses with no speaking, all singing, and burning incenses and stuff. We walked around the outside the mass to get a look at the stained glass and decorations. Earlier we had talked about attending the English mass over the weekend, but seeing all the tourist gawking while people were trying to worship seemed to take something away from the experience. 

We lit a candle for Grandpa, who passed away about a year ago. I guess in the midst of all the chaos, we were still able to have a moment.

After exiting the building, we walked along the outside next to the river. There was a couple posing for wedding pictures along the way (we later found out they came here as a destination wedding. I thought that seemed cliche, like you are over compensating for a lack of love so you come to the city of it to tie the knot. Jaded I guess). They were cute and looked happy at least. Fittingly enough, after seeing the bridge and groom, we came to one of the bridges that people apply padlocks to symbolize their eternal love. 

Finally, I was starving. We hadn't eaten all day and it was now approaching 6pm. Mom has been dying to eat Croque-monsieurs, and we passed a place selling them mixed in with the gift shops. The sandwiches came with toasted cheese on top, and were extremely good. When I've had them in the past, I remember that they were sweeter. I was glad that this sandwich was missing that. The cheese was a blend of Gruyere and a syrup, toasted perfectly. I'll likely eat another while we are here.

On the walk home, we saw this chalk drawing on a garage door. Pretty impressive right?

Considering that today started rough for both of us, the time we spent smelling the roses was the invigorating kick in the pants we needed to get moving.

Like the Cake...

Today's Itinerary:
  - Groceries
  - Walk to the Opera Area
  - Dinner
  - Night Light Bus Tour

...The Free Internet is a lie. Everywhere is the city there is a public WiFi signal called "Free WiFi". Seems promising that we'll be able to get around places with some help.

Nope, the Free Internet is a brand of a service provider here. Like if Time Warner had the word Free in its name, and then broadcast a signal across all of the city. Once you get signed on, the browser asks for you account and password for your internet account.

Oh well, I was not expecting to have the internet, so now things are back to baseline.

Today, we had a slow start to morning. Leisurely listened to music and drank coffee, while in through the windows, the sounds of construction punctuated our ambiance. As relaxing as that was, we eventually decided to venture out to the grocery store and pick up some supplies.

Luckily, the store is about half a block away, and we made it without major issues (outside of the smoking children). Once at the store, I was most impressed with the electronic tags on the shelves. When we were kids, we helped mom barcode all the books in the library to put things on the computer system, I wonder what it would be like to digitize a grocery store.

Groceries in hand, we also made it home without getting lost too. This is the last time today we will be able to say those words. We had an evening bus tour scheduled, so we spent the afternoon googling walking directions to and from our place. Mom got to use google maps for the first time, but somehow we both ended up with a different set of directions to the same location? Mom has better handwriting, so we used those directions, complete with multiple steps that were "walk on this street for 4 meters". I tried to highlight those little bumps in the picture of the map. Needless to say, directions like this made it hard to recognize if we were heading the right way... Most of the time we were not.

About halfway through the journey, we pit stopped at a place called "Jet Lag". It seemed too appropriate to pass up. We got an appetizer to snack on that consisted of toast with different spreads, and it was pretty good. The toast didn't hurt the roof of my mouth, which is the measure of well made toast. Add in the drinks we shared, and this stop was exactly what we needed to complete the remainder of the trip.

Once arriving at the pick up location for our tour, we had some time to kill. We purposefully left hours early expecting to get lost. With our time we went and sat in the Tuileries Garden, which we happened to stumble across as we walked down the street. There were beautiful fountains littered throughout the grassy area, with seating around each one. So much seating, it wasn't hard to find a place where we could park for a while. Around us a family with a bunch of kids lost their balloon in the fountain, and some old men played a heated game of bocce.

We moved on to dinner, and found a place down the way that had outdoor seating and live jazz music. It turned out to be more Italian food, or pasta at least, but was soo delicious. Mom was excited because we tried a Kir Royal (which is some liquor mixed with champagne). It was an excellent pre-dinner drink, sweet and crisp. After testing each other's food, we both decided the other's was better and swapped dishes. 

Dinner wrapped up with just about the right about of time to get to the tour pick up. Well, about 30 mins early, but we walked over there anyway. The outdoor seating left us both frigid, and Mom decided to sit in the tour shop while I walked around a little bit more. I was going to wander farther, but I got distracted by something I saw on the TV inside one of the bars I walked past. As I was staring and trying to figure out what I was seeing, the bar tender waved at me and I felt obligated to walk in. 

As I walked in, we said some pleasantries, or barely enough for me to say hello and order a beer. What I didn't recognize was the bar tender was speaking at me in Italian instead of French (a local patron filled me in). Apparently my short hair and white jacket looked Italian. BOOM! Fashionable! A couple other women walked in, and the bar tender started mixing shots for everyone. What I didn't expect was that this included me as well. 2 rounds later I had to leave to catch the night bus tour. I'd definitely walk back inside that place again, if there is time.

The bus tour itself was nice, but what made it enjoyable were the groups of people that sat around us. Behind us was an Irish couple out for the wife's birthday, and in front were some girls from LA that thought me and mom were both about 30 something. They kept giggling at the jokes I muttered, then told mom she was a good and trustworthy person (but not Steph Maule). We saw a bunch of famous stuff, and then caught a cab home finally.

I hit 10,000 steps just as we stepped up to the taxi stand, so you could say we even accomplished something on our journey (besides making some friends and seeing famous stuff).