Day ten- merci beaucoup, au revoir!

Our very last day in Paris, and it rained like cats and dogs.  We were soaked to the bone but determined to get through the last of our list.  We went to a beautiful éclair shop. Eclairs here are about a third of the size of those in America, but three times the taste. We walked to Notre Dame’s ins and outs of tiny chapels and saw the big rose windows.  We went to a café not too far away and tried to wait out the torrential downpours.  Dad finally had escargot and we had ciders and beers and croquet mousier and salads with goat cheese at a cafe that took pity on us.  We went to Orangerie, whose water lilies rooms had been closed previously.  They were back open today.  The water lilies were something really beautiful to see, but the rest of the museum?  Will you hate me if I say medium?  Last looks at the Eiffel Tower and obelisk, last rides to our metro stop, last picking up sweets, last crepes at the crepe place next door, and last bottle of champagne. 
Was it fun? Oui.
Did my parents try to covertly murder one another? Oui.
Did my dad try to carry everything, walk everywhere, learn the entire mail of Paris despite a bum knee? Oui.
Was my mom a good follower? Oui.
Was Shawn better than me at French despite my studying for weeks? Oui.
Was I a bossypants? Oui.
Did we bicker the whole time? Oui.
Tres bien. We loved it.
Merci, Paris, and au revoir!

Day nine- bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble

Today was an early day.  Daniel picked us up at 7, and after gathering the rest of our party of eight, we headed out to Reims (which none of us understands even after the all day tour how to correctly pronounce). We had a small stop in town and the cathedral, and then headed to Tattinger, a large champagne producer.  They had a video, a tour to their storage caves underneath abbey ruins, and a nice taste of champagne.  We felt so fancy.  And then we headed to a smaller vineyard, a rogue champagne maker.  It was so cool to see the different between the big houses and the smaller ones.  The smaller ones have no marketing, and their champagnes rarely make it out of the country, but they become popular by word of mouth.  We spent a few hours with the wife of the vintner, and a homemade lunch, and tasted three more champagnes.  It felt so special.  Our last stop was an organic vineyard.  We walked through the vineyards and people were picking that day.  There is a short window of harvesting grapes for champagne – less than two weeks – and we were lucky enough to be there to see it!  Learning what it takes to make champagne was great, each vineyard we saw rounded out the industry, our guide explained all kinds of nuances we never would have known otherwise, the other people in our tour were fun, and meeting two vintners and their wives was so special.  Once we got back to Paris, we headed to a tapas bar.  For both last night and tonight, it was funny to see a menu in France and another non-English language, and we just had to muddle through.  Whatever we ordered was yummy, even if it was a mystery.

Day eight- It's alive!!!

A day of mystery, where dead things come back to life….First, all of us were lazy getting going this morning.  After two early mornings and late nights, we slept in and resurrected ourselves later than usual.  Then we headed to Pere Lachaise cemetery.  We had a bottle of wine and picked up sandwiches and pastries along the way.  We had a Parisian picnic among all the beautiful headstones and statues (that counts as art, right?!)  We walked the cobblestone streets for awhile longer and then came to Jim Morrison’s grave.  Shawn and I had to taught mom about ‘pouring one our for your homies’.  So the four of us drank to Jim and poured out a little of our delicious wine on his grave.  Then we headed to a different area of the city, off the left bank.  We went to the store Deyrolle.  At the very last minute of our last trip to France, on the way to the airport, we passed this amazing store.  I thought, if I only had one more day….If I come back, I will go there.  So here we are.  A crazy store that can only exist in Paris.  There was a real taxidermied horse….that they attached a horn to.  It totally looked like a unicorn.  It was awesome.  I tried to convince Shawn that we needed it – until we saw the price tag of $11,000! So instead we have two beautiful butterflies.  Afterwards, we relaxed with drinks at a café.  After wandering around a bit more, we headed to Saint Germain.  I think maybe if we stay in Paris again, I would stay in this area of town.  There were great streets to wander around, and eventually, we went to a place recommended on a blog about secret Paris.  We went through a tiny deli, up a bitty spiral staircase, and saw 12 seats.  We proceeded to have some of the best Italian food ever….and we have all been to Italy. 

Day 7-town and country

Ok, I am going to admit this. It is a secret. It is embarrassing. I am only medium about art. Photography, yay! Sculpture, ooooo. Paintings, well, ok, I know I couldn't do them, so there's that....but I don't need to see a ton of them. But this Paris. So we took a tour of the d'orsay. I learned so much. I didn't love every painting, but I did understand a lot more. And for me, that is the key to everything. The building was beautiful and we ate lunch at a fancy cafe there.  Our tour guide told us if we ate there we would be princesses and princes. So yummy. Then we headed to the inspiration of the impression work- the town Monet lived in, Giverny. The home and gardens were beautiful. Our tour guide for the day, Chloe, was smart and sweet and knowledgable...and smelled ...not good. Ah well, win some, lose some.

Day six- aloha mora

Today we each went our separate ways. Mom and dad took advantage of a free day and went to Normandy. They were up and negotiating how to get to the Saint Paul metro tres early. While they headed to the day beaches, Normandy museum, we traveled to London for the day. Walking to the metro, metro to Gare de Lyon, train from there to King's Crossing via the Chunnel, King's Crossing to Watford Station by overground train, the a bus to the studio.....and we were there! From an apartment in Paris to a movie set in a London suburb in 3 1/2 hours- not bad for muggles. The sets were amazing, the props perfect, the costumes exquisite, the special effects magical. Both Shawn and I agreed that the best part was the model castle. Of course, it wS not real sized, but it was person sized. And just to think, they are filming the next HP world movie right now! After many hours, we had to reverse our crazy journey and head back. Floo powder or apperating would be better, but an apartment in Paris is nothing to sneeze at.

Day five - The wheel turns

Today we went up to Montmartre to see fun shops, artists, street musicians, have some nice crepes... And of course see sacre bleu! I mean, sacre ceour. ;)  It is hard to compare yesterday's view with today's. They are two sides of the same euro. Montmarte was one of our most touristy stops so far, but it is lovely so it is no wonder why we flock there. Then we headed down to the orangerie, whose water lilies exhibit was closed. Um, no we are not paying 12 euro unless we get the good stuff! Le petit palais? Closed. Boo. We did get to tip our hats to Winston Churchill and started down the
Champs Elysees. We were good and only window shopped. Then we watched the ceremony for the unknown solider at the arc de triumph. We were tired after that. All we do is walk walk walk...and then stop and eat pastries, and repeat. So we shopped at a local store and came home and made dinner at our apartment. Never gets old.

Day four - I blow my nose at you, Versailles!

Our first day trip! We could not do it, we simply could not. Too many people even without the too many mirrors to double them.  So, not to Versailles, yes to Fontainebleau. To the train at around 10, at Fontainebleau for free day. While was crowded enough that they ran a out of audio guides, it was not so much so that we couldn't see everything. The glitz, the glamour, tens of royals redoing the place so they could mark it? Check. Secrets all over the place, doors to who knows where? Check.  Avoiding claustrophobic crowds, even though it was free day? A triumph.
We are getting good at the trains. And walking. We put today together a fun meal of cheese and baguettes and Chinese food (French Chinese food?) I wish we could have seen some of those pretty French countryside sunflowers on the train ride but it was not to be.

Day 3- The Americans, secret spies

Today we had a luxury in France- the ability to hunt secret places. Away from tourists, away from most Parisians, a little bit less comfortable. Strangers in a not so strange land. We are staying in le Marais, an artsy, high fashion district. Historically a Jewish neighborhood, it is interesting to see the most traditional of people in orthodox clothes and mannerisms against the model thin, smoking women of lioness hair, red lipstick and fashions you wouldn't believe. Within this, if you wander the right way, are secret courtyards filled with antiques where we poked around for a bit.  Then we heard into the 19th arrondissement and the Parc des Buttes. There were waterfalls and picnics and suspension bridges, but very few tourists. Nearby, arguably the best view in Paris near a sweet little winery. It was over the river and through the woods to get there, but worthy all the huffing and puffing to get to the top.

Day two- clear eyes, full stomachs, can't lose

We started the morning with a food tour of the 12th arrondissement. Does mmmm translate into French?  Jessica is a local food guide we found online. We're taught us how to order and what goes together in a French meal by taking us around to a cafe, a baker, a local open market, a cheese shop, a wine store, a meat shop, and a pastry shop to create the most lovely picnic. We watched nannies take little kids around a park while enjoying the cornucopia. Afterwards, we needed to justify our feast, so we walked around the Eiffel tower, our neighborhood, took the batonbus all around the Seine, and wandered until the end of the day. Crepes for dinner at the little local place (I love saying that.) Paris is a walking city as well as a city of pastries (forget lights) so we have to walk far enough to justify one more pan au chocolate....

Day one - saved by the bells

Just when you think you have planned well enough that no one will miss you, the phone rings. Last emails, last phone calls, and last minute decisions meant Shawn and I were scrambling for the airport. Work would just not let go. Texts, emails, worries, anxiety..... Well, thank god for airport mode. We touched down in France in the morning and things just started to go right. The taxi to the apartment was easy, the apartment itself is beautiful, and our first bites of French food were not regrets. Berthellion ice cream, where have you been? That sandwich shop on Ile de Saint Louis? Ooh I have missed you. Notre Dame, my you are as lovely as the last time we met. Nearby church bells, a bride and groom in the banks of the Seine, the bass player, pianist,  violinist playing, and then church bells to top it? Tres bien.