The Lungs of the City

Bon Soir! I spent most of the day in the gardens.  Every big city needs the 'lungs' that allow people to go and breath and get peace and quiet from the hustle bustle of the city.  The parks in the center of Paris are those lungs and they are very appreciated. Paris is a lovely city but I say it every time I visit - 3-4 days is enough for me.  That would be a totally different story if I knew someone who lived here or my pockets were MUCH deeper. I wandered down very posh streets today with boutiques that I didn't dare step inside.  But pressing my face to the glass and admiring was enough for me.  Stock Photo included in this post. 

Solo travel has its perks and downside.  I came back to the hotel for my afternoon nap around 3pm.  I asked the front desk clerk to arrange for a cab to take me to the train station and a pick up at 6:30am.  My head hit the pillow about 4ish and I was out!  I woke up and the clock said 6:20! I panicked and rushed around gathering up my last few bits, washed my face to wake up.  I was ready to run out the door with luggage in tow. I did a final sweep of the room and I opened the curtain. It was light outside.  I said 'hmmm...is it normally light at 6:30am?'  I looked at my phone and saw that it was 6:30PM! I'm such a goof. I think a travel buddy would have set me straight sooner than I did. But hey I was up and awake and now I could head to dinner. And that is exactly what I did. 

I must of gotten plenty of sleep since it is in the wee hours of the morning here and I'm blogging.  My train leaves at 7am for Bordeaux and I'm excited. Even though it is still a city It is not quite the size of Paris. I'm ready. Stock Photo included. 

 

 

Paris is Lovely

Today was so lovely.  There was a bit of a chill in the air but that made it even more enjoyable for my long walk.  I left the hotel and went left and today I went right! No particular place in mind to have breakfast. I would leave it up to luck.  And boy did I get lucky!  I had an omelet  that was so yummy I actually closed my eyes to relish every bite and try to hold it in my memory. And I'm not sure if they put crack in the butter but damn it is good! I washed all that down with a wonderful tasting café au lait. That was enough fuel to get me to my next location. 

Now it was time to walk it off.  I headed towards Luxembourg gardens and settled on getting a cab when I got tired. I downloaded the map and off I went!  I never did get that cab and I walked the entire distance only stopping once for another coffee in a cute little café.  You know the kind. You look in the window and everyone sitting in there looks like they have very exotic and interesting lives and you want some of that. I said my obligatory French that got me a sweet seat by the window so I could watch the people walk by.  After an hour of soaking up that treat I was off again to the gardens.  

I have great pictures of Lindsey here at Luxembourg Gardens and just being there again today brought back sweet memories.  I spent my time in the garden with Doris, Sinatra and Dean.  I switched over to older Parisian music to enhance the experience even more. When you travel alone and there is isn't a conversation coming and going it's nice to have a tune piped in and you can just soak up the environment and relax. My favorite song is "Again" by Doris Day and listening to it in this lovely place made it double sweet.  

In my travels I take pictures of doors. I adore doors - all shapes and sizes. No judgement; every one has their thing :-) Now these are not just your ordinary doors, they are beautiful doors! I'm interested in what stories are behind them.  If only they could tell me a bit of the lives of those who crossed their threshold. The ones I saw today were not that exotic but pretty all the same. I almost have enough pictures for a book. Just think a book of nothing but beautiful doors from Europe. I would buy it!

Spending several hours walking and then in the gardens required a nap for this 'older' lady. I cabbed it back to the hotel for a snooze. 

Rested and ready to head out for dinner. Where to eat? Where oh where? There are 1000's of great places and it is so hard to pick just one.  I landed on Le Nemours Paris that is an area I wanted to see so it worked out well. I had the quiche (great review) that was goat cheese and zucchini. I paired it with a sweet wine and ended with crème brulee. I'm a lucky woman. That meal was another home run. I have never had such powerful flavors on my taste buds. 

After dinner I headed out to explore and I ended up at the Museum of Music which was very pretty.  Even though it was very late there were a lot of people out and about. I sat on the steps of the museum and a nice couple started a chat. I must look very American (or they heard me talking to myself). They asked me where I was from and the conversation took off from there.  They were Canadians on their first trip to Paris as a couple.  They too are headed south to see the French countryside. Paris is a lovely place but it is a city and this old country girl can only take so much of the big city. I need hills, trees and loads of parks to sit in and grow old.  Until tomorrow - Bonne Nuit!

I'm coming Lord!

I saw my life flash before my eyes in the cab ride from the airport to the hotel. Now I know why I have always taken the metro!  So many close calls and I was praying for the Lord to make it swift and painless.  Note to self: Take metro! 

Once I landed at the hotel the hunger hit me since I wasn't fond of what they offered on the plane so I tucked into the closest café to the hotel and had the best omelet I have ever had in my life.  For approximately 12 Euros I had a huge plate of food, bread and butter with a café au lait. Then back to the hotel for a 5 hr. nap. After I was rested I wandered out to get a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower doing it's nightly performance of lighting up to wow the tourist. The ooooh's and aaaaah's from the crowd always gives me pleasure.  I love to hear people enjoying themselves.  

I then wandered the streets for a place to have dinner.  I always ask God and my guardian angel to give me signs of what direction I need to go so when I saw a café called Bistro Dominique I took that as a sign of where I needed to dine since I have a friend named Dominique. Hey...I'll take any sign!  http://www.bistrostdominique.com/restaurant.htmThe food was sooooo good.  The French Onion soup is something everyone should experience. I'm not a big drinker but when in France I do sample the goods.  I had a lovely glass of red wine (7.5 Euros). No nasty aftertaste from the additives that our wines have. It was yummy! 

I met a lovely family from Orlando and we had a nice visit.  They brought their 2 daughters to Paris for spring break.  It's always nice to meet new people in your travels and learn more about what brought them to travel so far from home. I love to hear what draws people to travel out of their comfort zones.  The husband made a comment that resonated with me.  He found it 'soul enriching' (or something close to that).  That is the reason I travel. I feed the soul. Seeing them with their young daughters reminded me of the trips when I brought Kimberly and Lindsey over and how I could see their world open up. 

It is time to get a few zzzzs and rest up for my trip to the Luxembourg Garden tomorrow. 

Time to Travel

Bon Soir. It's countdown time! The mail is on hold and I have given a list of things for Edgar (handyman) to take care while I'm gone and the house sitter should arrive the night I depart. I feel good that the house will be in good hands. I was surprised of the list I came up for Edgar. He is much better than a husband. Just hand him the list and walk out the door. 

I'm a light packer and I don't try to be too trendy in my clothes when I travel. The key is to blend in and pack light.  And the way I look at it is if I really need something as far as clothes go I can go shopping. That would add to the adventure.  The only thing I don't leave up to chance are the plugs and cables to connect my electronics. I've been in situations trying to find American fittings in foreign countries and it is no fun, so I tend to over pack in that area. I travel with a small carry on and a back pack.  The backpack is reserved for the electronics and toiletries.

I downloaded the G7 Paris Taxi app so I'm ready to get a cab on the app if none available when I arrive. I will be early so I will drop off my bags and head into the sunlight! By the time I get the bags dropped it will be time for lunch and my vacation begins.  

I have picked up a couple travel gadgets that I swear by and one of them may look really goofy but it is awesome.  It holds up your head in your seat so you can sleep.  It bands around the top of your seat and a soft band comes around your head and cradles it. You can adjust easily. I never travel without it. 

The other item I never travel without is my Bose headsets. They can almost tune out a screaming child.  I put on soft music and get a little sleep before I roll off the plane. As soon as I can I go directly into the sunlight and look up in the light until I am totally awake.  This keeps me going until the local bedtime. Of course mine is extra early that first night but by the 2nd night I'm on track. 

Driving in France

I decided that I should get an International driving permit before I attempt to get on the roads in France.  I'm not going to take any chances of them saying that I can't rent a car.  It took all of an hr. and was super easy.  I went to the local AAA office; filled out an app and had it in my hand within minutes. I just provided 2 passport pics and $20.  Wah lah! The tricky part is going to make certain the rental place saves me an automatic. A standard is not an option! 

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