My French Family

Laura, Bonnie, and Me in Montreuil

It's been a very busy past three days, and I've had a hard time compartmentalizing everything into two solid posts, so here's the third and second to last post from Paris.

After my dog inspired trip to the Louvre on Thursday, I rushed back home for a short nap, and then took a subway train to a suburb of Paris called Montreuil, for a visit with a few of my cousins. My grandfather immigrated to Buenos Aires from Germany or Poland (we don't really know which) in the early 1900's before World War II, and although we don't know too much about his history, we do know he left a cousin here in Europe, who eventually made his way to France. And voila, we now have family in Paris.

I had a great time with Bonnie, her daughter Laura, Laura's daughter Emanuelle, and Laura's partner Valerie. We had wonderful Japanese take-out for dinner, and made plans for Laura and Valu to visit us in Bonn. I'm always trying to get people to come out and visit... the more the merrier!

After dinner, I made my way back to Montparnasse on the 6 train that got delayed because of the stray dog I wrote about yesterday on House&Hound. After fretting about the dog for an hour I finally fell asleep and woke up yesterday to another absolutely beautiful day in Paris...

Did Somebody Say Dog

This is the second post, possibly the last from Paris, as Dan and I are returning to Bonn on Saturday... so hold on to your pants!!!

Today I thought I'd visit the Louvre, seeing as last year I opted for the Musee D'Orsay instead, and I haven't seen the Mona Lisa since 2003. Could somebody please explain to me why this painting is so darn popular? There were hordes and hordes of people trying to get a good long look at it. Yet there are so many other spectacular works in the museum, with maybe 5 percent the number of devoted visitors...

Like some of the works below! This first one is actually just kitty corner from the Mona Lisa. It's in the same room! Can you believe it? I spent the day looking for any dog images in the artwork, and to my surprise, I found dogs everywhere. I found them in French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch paintings. I saw them with Jesus, the Apostles, Kings, Queens, and countrymen. Have a look...

Please note that this first painting circa 1548 by Jacopo Bassano is the first recorded animal portrait of Occidental painting.
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And just in case you've made it down this far, I know some of you may not be quite as into Dog Art as others, here are some photos of me at the Museum...

Singing In The Rain

Well, a lot happens in two days, so I've got quite a bit to share with you. This will be the first of two posts.

Yesterday I thought I'd give myself a mid-week break from all the intense walking around I've been doing, and since it was raining and we decided we weren't going to be able to make it out to Versaille with this weather.

But the break didn't last long... I ended up taking a stroll mid-morning to kill some time, and wound up down by the Seine and Le Grand Palais et Petit Palais. The view from the Pont Alexandre is one of the best in Paris, but I forgot my camera, so you'll have to just believe me.

Somehow I got myself lost trying to get back home, and I found myself inadvertently on the Champs Elysee... Don't worry, I didn't do any shopping. With shoes running for a minimum of 1,600 Euros, even one tiny purchase would have been totally impossible. Not to mention completely ridiculous!

I managed to find a bus to take me back to Montparnasse, and joined Andrea at home for a late lunch of fish and chips. Afterwards, we decided to head out again, this time to Le Marais, where we were able to enjoy the neighborhood and picturesque Place de Vosges despite the rainy weather.

By evening, we were still tromping around Les Marais, and seeing as Oberkampf is just a skip and a jump away, we decided to go out to dinner at La Lubie! Yes, again. I think I'm going to make this into a tradition. Daniel and I discovered the small restaurant last year while staying in an apartment a couple of blocks away, and we liked it so much we returned there twice, maybe three times, for dinner. We already took Andrea here on Saturday evening when we arrived, and she liked it so much that she was almost more excited than I was about going back.

After a couple mojitos each, some really good food, and a lot of girl talk, we headed back home on the subway. And went straight to bed, exhausted, after yet another day of touring Paris.

Here are some pictures.

Shopping!

What's a trip to Paris without going shopping! Before leaving me here for the week, Dan made me promise not to break the bank... and so with that in mind, I went out this morning with hopes of controlling myself while surrounded by what is truly, without a doubt, some of the best design and fashion in the world. But what's a girl to do...

I decided to go back to the area of St. Germain that Andrea and I visited last night, where I had seen several french country furniture and design stores (my favorite), as well as some reasonably priced clothing boutiques. And don't forget the gelato cafe!

I was really impressed by design shop and furniture retailer Mis En Demeure. Honestly, the website doesn't do it justice, but I browsed every single room in the place, touching fabrics, admiring china, and marveling over incredibly unique color schemes.

I managed to use some restraint while trying on the most gorgeous dresses, beautiful blouses, and sweet sweaters at Noa Noa, as I walked away with only two purchases, even though I wanted to buy out the whole store!

I wasn't so successful with the gelato, where I had another delicious double scoop of Tiramisu and Amaretto... I guess I should feel bad, but really, I walked about five and a half hours today, and another 6 or so yesterday, and another 3 or 4 the day before that. So there!

After my mini-shopping spree, I decided I should get some French culture into my day, and found my way to the Jardin de Luxembourg. Here I rested a bit, took some pictures, wrote a bit in my notebook, and called it a day.

It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I think that's a sign I should tackle the Louvre! A demain...

Two Sides Of The Same Coin

After a short nap, a home cooked meal, and a quick BBC news update, Andrea and I took off again this evening towards St. Germaine de Pres, in search of the best ice cream in the city. And we found it at Amorino. Wow, I haven't had ice cream that good since Argentina, it may even have been better. I had a double scoop of Tiramisu, Creme Caramel, and Amaretto that was delicious. Absolutely divine!

With our ice cream in hand, we kept walking around the St. Germain neighborhood, window shopping and talking about my upcoming wedding and her move next week to England. We ended up at the Seine, where we crossed the Pont des Arts and wound up at the Louvre!

Amazing, really, incredible. As we walked, the sounds of a saxophone echoed through the courtyard, and only a handful of us were there enjoying this part of Paris at night. It was truly a stunning moment. Where during the day the Louvre is buzzing with tourists, postcard vendors, and elementary school students, at night it becomes a surprisingly quiet, relaxing and peaceful place within the city.

Monday Monday in Paris

It is an absolutely magical day here in Paris. It's late October, but the weather is Spring like, and there isn't a cloud in the sky. The leaves are turning colors and some have already fallen to the ground, so it's obviously Autumn, but today it really feels like something else. Something out of the ordinary. Something quite magical.

This morning, after a cafe au lait and a pain au chocolat, Andrea and I took the subway to La Madeleine and walked over to Parc Monceau that is located nearby. On our way we bought a couple of baguette sandwhiches for a picnic we planned to make for lunch. The park was full of young professionals, either jogging around in the abnormally warm weather, or having picnic lunches just like us.

After walking down to the Arc D'Triumph and strolling along the Champs Elysee, we caught a bus back to Montparnasse for a rest and a tea break. Now the evening is all free and we'll see what we do...

Paris

It's really amazing to me that you can be in Germany one minute, and in France the next. Europe is quite cool that way... so many differnt languages, cultures, and landscapes in such close proximity.

We left Bonn yesterday around 3 pm and arrived in Gare du Nord at 7 pm. We took one of those fast trains and were here in no time. My friend Andrea came to pick us up at the train station and brought us back to her apartment in Montparnasse, where we quickly changed into some clean clothes and headed out to La Lubie, a restaurant Daniel and I discovered last year when we were here. After a delicious dinner, some excellent wine, and familiar company, we headed back home for a good night's sleep.

Daniel left this morning for Poquorelle Island, off the Southern coast of France. He'll be there a week at a math conference, while I stay in Paris with Andrea. Lots of sight seeing and girl talk ahead for me this week.

A demain...
D.