Up moderately early, I felt much better, Helen felt worse. She didn't sleep well because she threw up through the night. I must sleep like a log, I had no idea. we got it together pretty quick as Helen had to catch a bus to Orly airport & a flight to Madrid. poor thing, it was a tough trip for her & of course the bus was delayed, etc.
I had the afternoon to wander & did. my first mission was to find the trainstation I'd be departing from in the evening. The walk to Austerlitz took about an hour & on the way I happened accross a center for the study of evolution. the reliefs on the building showed the progress of man & his kinship with apes. I took tons of pictures.
enroute I also came accross another church of St.Louis. this one was on the grounds of a hospital, the most simple of all I've seen, and completely empty except for the eerie tunes of an organ. if I was ever creeped out by a church it was this one. I kept the fantasies of "american girl butched at altar of St. Louis" to a minimum by telling myself that stuff like that NEVER happens in god's house. I proceeded to make a video of my walk through. the church is huge & solid but various stages of repair are visible all over. again, this is one of my favorites- I think because of it's simplicity, awe-ing size, & vacancy.
after locating the depot I wandered along the Seine (where I saw a lost sofa) and down Boulevard St. Michelle. I stopped at a bookstore, loaded up on info for the next leg of my journey & went home to pack up. On the way home I saw another abandoned sofa, an orange one I had seen a few days prior, but now it had company- a white sleeper. I took pictures for Camille.
then it was off to Austerlitz again. the metro was re-routed,seems, there's a lot of work going on in the tunnels. UN-LIKE my usual self I had allowed for delays in commuting & still arrived early as planned. responsible? planning ahead these days? maybe. a little.
train 409, track 11 to madrid at 19:43 was on time too. I settled in with 1 Peruvian girl who lives in Madrid (25) and 2 girls from Mexico (about 19). they spoke spanish & I could finally understand which was nice. however, the incessant chatter got to me. I've never shared such close quarters with strangers (except maybe momentarily behind the curtain at Cokies) and I didn 't feeling like limping through my limited conversational spanish. I went to the dining car & sat at the last seat on the counter. I drank red wine & wrote in my journal while France flew by outside. It was gorgeous & I highly reccomend train travel but it's also extrememly taxing- it took me an entire day to adjust. I was on my last glass of wine when I met 2 brothers from arizona- patrick & mark. they were funny, we had a drink together, the bar closed down & we snuck off to the front of the train to smoke. we opened up the plastic barrier between cars so the smoke would vent but had a tough time closing it up again. it was an experience to be sure. after the smoke I was invited to their cabin for more drinks but begged of & put myself to bed. I had the good side of the cabin, opposite the door latch. I felt bad for the girl whose head was right next to it- she must not have gotten any sleep. I was also top bunk which I requested but turns out you really don't have any view from there.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
July 6
okay, so Helen & I had gotten wrecked the night before. we started with our now usual breakfast of eggs scrambled with cheese & tomato on toast (baguette of course) & finally got out around 1pm. I was suppossed to meet Bill in the Luxembourg Gardens for ping-pong but there was no stinking way. plus, he doesn't work & I don't want my trip to be dominated by someone that has nothing better to do than hang out. the occaisional dinner, tour, or floor to sleep on is appreciated but beyond that I'm hanging loose.
we started at the Pantheon which was cool. I'm a little embarrassed to say that my education is lacking, I don't know very much about Voltaire or Madame Curie or anyone buried there. I'm into it & I'm learning more but I think my appreciation is limited due to, well, ignorance. the building was gorgeous & I really enjoyed the pendulum that shows the rotation of the earth & the paintings. I could have spent more time there but we had lots to see & Helen is really good at focusing-something we all know I do only in my professional life.
Next it was off to the Ile St.Louis & what is rumored to be the best ice cream in Paris, Berthillion. The ice cream was really nice for our hangovers & it may very well be the best in Paris but it has nothing on Amy's .
The island was cute, very few cars, lot's and lot's of stores selling stuff no-one needs , and nice views over the Seine. The church of St. Louis was pretty non-descript on the outside but inside is one of my favorites so far. I like the more mellow stone on gold color scheme & the Cardinals logo was everywhere! Just kidding, it was only above the twin statues of St.Louis at either side of the church- & seeing as the church was built in the 1600's, the cards probably weren't around- yet.
Next stop: Shakespeare Books. It specializes in english books & also serves as home to writers during it's closed hours. It was okay, I was still very hung over & hanging out in a cramped maze of towering books with someone pushing past every 30 seconds wasn't ideal. Hellen really dug it though.
We finally drooped into a happy hour bar for hair of the dog. it was my suggestion that we start the day with this but until this late point, discussion of booze gave Helen a funny color & she would make a pained face. funny. the drink of the day was a concotion of vodka, lemon, banana, and pear blended & served frozen. again, the coldness really worked wonders on the swollen capilaries in our heads, the alcohol made us relax. we snacked on guacamole & chips which was really more like green mayonaise & grease tarts. it was fun & we wrote postcards to everyone we have addresses for. (note: if I don't have your address I can't send you a card.)
I can't remember much more happening this day. we went back to our flat, Helen started laundry & I went out looking for smokes, wine, and groceries. somehow I ended up walking an extra mile & being gone for 45 minutes. dinner was a frozen quiche we heated up & salad. that's pretty much it, we were totally beat.
we started at the Pantheon which was cool. I'm a little embarrassed to say that my education is lacking, I don't know very much about Voltaire or Madame Curie or anyone buried there. I'm into it & I'm learning more but I think my appreciation is limited due to, well, ignorance. the building was gorgeous & I really enjoyed the pendulum that shows the rotation of the earth & the paintings. I could have spent more time there but we had lots to see & Helen is really good at focusing-something we all know I do only in my professional life.
Next it was off to the Ile St.Louis & what is rumored to be the best ice cream in Paris, Berthillion. The ice cream was really nice for our hangovers & it may very well be the best in Paris but it has nothing on Amy's .
The island was cute, very few cars, lot's and lot's of stores selling stuff no-one needs , and nice views over the Seine. The church of St. Louis was pretty non-descript on the outside but inside is one of my favorites so far. I like the more mellow stone on gold color scheme & the Cardinals logo was everywhere! Just kidding, it was only above the twin statues of St.Louis at either side of the church- & seeing as the church was built in the 1600's, the cards probably weren't around- yet.
Next stop: Shakespeare Books. It specializes in english books & also serves as home to writers during it's closed hours. It was okay, I was still very hung over & hanging out in a cramped maze of towering books with someone pushing past every 30 seconds wasn't ideal. Hellen really dug it though.
We finally drooped into a happy hour bar for hair of the dog. it was my suggestion that we start the day with this but until this late point, discussion of booze gave Helen a funny color & she would make a pained face. funny. the drink of the day was a concotion of vodka, lemon, banana, and pear blended & served frozen. again, the coldness really worked wonders on the swollen capilaries in our heads, the alcohol made us relax. we snacked on guacamole & chips which was really more like green mayonaise & grease tarts. it was fun & we wrote postcards to everyone we have addresses for. (note: if I don't have your address I can't send you a card.)
I can't remember much more happening this day. we went back to our flat, Helen started laundry & I went out looking for smokes, wine, and groceries. somehow I ended up walking an extra mile & being gone for 45 minutes. dinner was a frozen quiche we heated up & salad. that's pretty much it, we were totally beat.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
July 5th, Day 6
so, up and about at a reasonable hour on this day. Helen got back from Brussels just as I was out the door for in search of chocolate & banana crepes. (I found all of local restaurants on a walk the night of the 4th.) They were great & I look forward to exploring some with savory toppings too.
When I returned to the apartment we were off to the catacombs. It was really really cool but there are so many bones that it's almost hard to grasp that they're real. The bones are decaying & it seems like in another 200 years they could be gone. You could really see how they are compacting & becoming dirt.I was happy to see them, snuck a moment holding a skullcap that had fallen loose. wierd, creepy, & cool. I would go again, really early in the morning when hopefully not as many people are there.
After the catacombs we walkes up Boulevard St. Michelle, our local freeway to the Seine if you will. We meant to go to to the Pantheon but lost track & ended up at The Chapel St, Severin. It's gorgeous of course & we decided to go to Notre Dame to compare. Notre Dame is like 5 times the size of St. Severin at least! Holy shit, no comparison.
Mass started & we sat for a bit then bailed to have cocktails aboard a boat moored along the Seine. 2 drinks each here & we we off to meet Paul's friend, Bill, at Fish La Boiseonerie. Nice place, an Anglo bar they call it. Dinner was good, foie gras- like butter, rissotto, and salmon with capers followed by pork medallions in a fruit sauce, pigeon (a little rare & the skin wasn't crispy enough for me), and finally I think Helen had a tuna of some sort. Before dinner aas we all got to know each other, we had at least another 2 glasses of wine , followed by 2 more during dinner, & at least one after when we were meeting a ton of Anglos living in Paris & their traveling friends. No desert. I sort of expected to pay for Bill's dinner since I had invited him out. He's done some work as a sommelier & I got a little unnerved when he ordered a bottle of wine from a page where the cheapest price was 85 Euro, & began to pass it around to all of our new found friends. I accepted a glass, & relaxed, assuring myself that he wouldn't ever expect that & proceeded to get even more snockered. Kind of a shame that we lated so late in our meal to get such a nice wine. It's magic was probably lost on our inebriated tastebuds but we enjoyed it none the less. So the cheque came (finally, hours later) and Bill paid the bill. wow. thanks dude. we then went for after dinner drinks at Flore, some hangout where Hemmingway & all those dude used to go. Honestly, I was so intoxicated that I just sat, quietly listening to Bill & Helen banter about who knows what & whom while enjoying my champagne. H & I picked up the tab here- 3 drinks, 50 euro- don't know how a starving artist could ever afford to hang there!
That was it, we were off to bed & sufficiently ruined for tomorrow.
When I returned to the apartment we were off to the catacombs. It was really really cool but there are so many bones that it's almost hard to grasp that they're real. The bones are decaying & it seems like in another 200 years they could be gone. You could really see how they are compacting & becoming dirt.I was happy to see them, snuck a moment holding a skullcap that had fallen loose. wierd, creepy, & cool. I would go again, really early in the morning when hopefully not as many people are there.
After the catacombs we walkes up Boulevard St. Michelle, our local freeway to the Seine if you will. We meant to go to to the Pantheon but lost track & ended up at The Chapel St, Severin. It's gorgeous of course & we decided to go to Notre Dame to compare. Notre Dame is like 5 times the size of St. Severin at least! Holy shit, no comparison.
Mass started & we sat for a bit then bailed to have cocktails aboard a boat moored along the Seine. 2 drinks each here & we we off to meet Paul's friend, Bill, at Fish La Boiseonerie. Nice place, an Anglo bar they call it. Dinner was good, foie gras- like butter, rissotto, and salmon with capers followed by pork medallions in a fruit sauce, pigeon (a little rare & the skin wasn't crispy enough for me), and finally I think Helen had a tuna of some sort. Before dinner aas we all got to know each other, we had at least another 2 glasses of wine , followed by 2 more during dinner, & at least one after when we were meeting a ton of Anglos living in Paris & their traveling friends. No desert. I sort of expected to pay for Bill's dinner since I had invited him out. He's done some work as a sommelier & I got a little unnerved when he ordered a bottle of wine from a page where the cheapest price was 85 Euro, & began to pass it around to all of our new found friends. I accepted a glass, & relaxed, assuring myself that he wouldn't ever expect that & proceeded to get even more snockered. Kind of a shame that we lated so late in our meal to get such a nice wine. It's magic was probably lost on our inebriated tastebuds but we enjoyed it none the less. So the cheque came (finally, hours later) and Bill paid the bill. wow. thanks dude. we then went for after dinner drinks at Flore, some hangout where Hemmingway & all those dude used to go. Honestly, I was so intoxicated that I just sat, quietly listening to Bill & Helen banter about who knows what & whom while enjoying my champagne. H & I picked up the tab here- 3 drinks, 50 euro- don't know how a starving artist could ever afford to hang there!
That was it, we were off to bed & sufficiently ruined for tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
july 4th, day 5 out of america
still unseasonably cool weather here, having a hard time motivating. I did get a full nights sleep last night; thanks to Helen's insistance that I get clarytan & loaning me an inhaler. She split for Belgium today & I had the day to wander solo.
I like it here, would be much easier if I knew the language. I'm learning a little & will probably remember everything on the plane home when I can speak it just in my head, unconfronted with actually having to speak to anyone.
I'm getting by. Mangaed to get a charger for my blackberry today- just a small challenge but each success imparts new confidence for my next encounter. Didn't do much else. trying to get un-turned around in the new hood and spent a few hours shopping & walking. tried to see a Lalique exhibit but didn't have a reservation, figure I'll wake up early & try again tomorrow. It was nice to have some down-time but I also feel a little like I'm hiding.
I'll get after the city tomorrow.
Happy Fourth!
I like it here, would be much easier if I knew the language. I'm learning a little & will probably remember everything on the plane home when I can speak it just in my head, unconfronted with actually having to speak to anyone.
I'm getting by. Mangaed to get a charger for my blackberry today- just a small challenge but each success imparts new confidence for my next encounter. Didn't do much else. trying to get un-turned around in the new hood and spent a few hours shopping & walking. tried to see a Lalique exhibit but didn't have a reservation, figure I'll wake up early & try again tomorrow. It was nice to have some down-time but I also feel a little like I'm hiding.
I'll get after the city tomorrow.
Happy Fourth!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
day 4
last night, after 2 bottles of 2euro wine, Helen booked her ticket to Brussels & we decided I will stay in Paris. it's just too much money for me to spend in 24hrs & she will probably get more out of visiting her friends without having to fill me in on the details of every memory they share. I reached out to a friend's friend in Milan then Helen & I layed plans for the following weeks. after, we shared family backrounds, chatted about meaningful friendships, & laughed a lot. turn in time: 3am.
our building is loud- the hallways & courtyard amplify every sound. apparently the apartment isn't just funky, it's filled with mildew- turns out it's giving me asthma. I've woken up two early mornings in a row gasping for breath & fighting coughs. not a lot of sleep. it's been an adjustment sleeping on the floor too; I don't mind, my princess body just isn't accustomed to it & I'm hurting for rest.
we suspect that someone of the asian persuasion lived here before us. when we moved in the kitchen was covered in an oily film & the whole place smelled like a dirty Wok-n-Roll. we found the pantry full of fish sauce, chopsticks, tea, and MSG. for real- a whole huge box of it! when we did our initial sanitation re-con we found thick, black hairs everywhere too.
anyway, this morning when Helen was at work, I took the bedding to the wall operated laundry & found evidence that the former denizen must have been a girl. icko. need I say more? I call her Chinatown. when Helen returned she cooked a mean breakfast & I embbarked on round two of sanitation re-con, sneezing like a banshee the whole time.
we finally motivated to conquer the rain. (the day of my arrival & the next, when Helen arrived, were sunny- it's been dismal since.) we found the Gare Montparnasse where we picked up her Brussels ticket & booked the next weeks of my life on very pricey trains. it was like a visit to the post office- despite Helen's moderate French & my adept gesturing we were shuffled off to wait in line after line. eventually, we figured out that if you speak Anglais you must go to the lines that fly the the Union Jack- duh, our bad. the woman behind the counter was very helpful & almost gladly racked up hundreds of Euros on our credit cards. it was a trial to be sure.
since we worked so hard waiting & I had to pass on the trip to the land of waffles, chocolate, & tasty beer it was obviously time to imbibe in a Belgium Ale. We stopped at the corner for grande Leffe & had a great time unwinding. all too soon it was off to the pharmacy for Claratin & another attempt at the Catacombs. we got the drugs but missed the bones again.
then it was onto the 4 train & north to the Amex office to cash traveler's cheques. the four wasn't running (rain perhaps?) and we resigned ourselves to exploring a new-found local grocer where I had my first not charming frog experience & we purchased 1.40 euro wine & champagne, fresh greens, and hopefully: worm free cheeses. we alighted back to our place where I whipped up a not bad dinner.
Helen is now on the Seine, boating for work & I am about to pass out from red wine & exhaustion. the sun is withdrawing, the rain is tapering off, & someone nearby is practicing piano- it reverberates through the courtyard, surrounding apartments, & then into our window. somehow it's very Paris & I'm loving it here.
my itinerary is as follows:
Sleep.
McDonald's with Bill? 7/4
Sleep more, see sights.
Depart Paris 7/7pm, arrive Madrid 7/8am
Bull fights, food, friends, & bed?
Depart Madrid 7/11am, arrive Barcelona 7/11 am
See sights, swim, eat.
Depart Barcelona 7/11pm, change in Milan, arrive Verona 7/12am
Friends,opera,food, bed?
Depart Verona 7/15am, arrive somewhere?
I've got two days to fill then I meet Paolo (Tina A's friend) in Milan on 7/18
Depart Milan 7/20 & head back to Paris via coastal cities?
Hang in Paris, see Catacombs, drink wine.
Depart Paris 7/30, arrive NYC-JFK 7/31
Fucking sleep my ass off till 8/1, arrive work 9am to begin new projects.
Did I mention that we are one door down from 31 rue Campaign-Premiere? It's a 1912 concrete apartment building by covered in earthen tiles by some guy named Alexandre Bigot. Seems Man Ray once had a studio there. Also down the block is the Foundation Cartier, a modern steel & glass building designed in 1994 by Jean Nouvel. It's currently exhibiting rock'n roll memorabilia from 1939-1959. Accross the blvd is another historic structure, the Ecole Speciale d' Architecture building from 1904 that has been incorporated into a modern building & now serves as a private interior design & architecture academy.
sheesh, there's something to see everywhere here!
our building is loud- the hallways & courtyard amplify every sound. apparently the apartment isn't just funky, it's filled with mildew- turns out it's giving me asthma. I've woken up two early mornings in a row gasping for breath & fighting coughs. not a lot of sleep. it's been an adjustment sleeping on the floor too; I don't mind, my princess body just isn't accustomed to it & I'm hurting for rest.
we suspect that someone of the asian persuasion lived here before us. when we moved in the kitchen was covered in an oily film & the whole place smelled like a dirty Wok-n-Roll. we found the pantry full of fish sauce, chopsticks, tea, and MSG. for real- a whole huge box of it! when we did our initial sanitation re-con we found thick, black hairs everywhere too.
anyway, this morning when Helen was at work, I took the bedding to the wall operated laundry & found evidence that the former denizen must have been a girl. icko. need I say more? I call her Chinatown. when Helen returned she cooked a mean breakfast & I embbarked on round two of sanitation re-con, sneezing like a banshee the whole time.
we finally motivated to conquer the rain. (the day of my arrival & the next, when Helen arrived, were sunny- it's been dismal since.) we found the Gare Montparnasse where we picked up her Brussels ticket & booked the next weeks of my life on very pricey trains. it was like a visit to the post office- despite Helen's moderate French & my adept gesturing we were shuffled off to wait in line after line. eventually, we figured out that if you speak Anglais you must go to the lines that fly the the Union Jack- duh, our bad. the woman behind the counter was very helpful & almost gladly racked up hundreds of Euros on our credit cards. it was a trial to be sure.
since we worked so hard waiting & I had to pass on the trip to the land of waffles, chocolate, & tasty beer it was obviously time to imbibe in a Belgium Ale. We stopped at the corner for grande Leffe & had a great time unwinding. all too soon it was off to the pharmacy for Claratin & another attempt at the Catacombs. we got the drugs but missed the bones again.
then it was onto the 4 train & north to the Amex office to cash traveler's cheques. the four wasn't running (rain perhaps?) and we resigned ourselves to exploring a new-found local grocer where I had my first not charming frog experience & we purchased 1.40 euro wine & champagne, fresh greens, and hopefully: worm free cheeses. we alighted back to our place where I whipped up a not bad dinner.
Helen is now on the Seine, boating for work & I am about to pass out from red wine & exhaustion. the sun is withdrawing, the rain is tapering off, & someone nearby is practicing piano- it reverberates through the courtyard, surrounding apartments, & then into our window. somehow it's very Paris & I'm loving it here.
my itinerary is as follows:
Sleep.
McDonald's with Bill? 7/4
Sleep more, see sights.
Depart Paris 7/7pm, arrive Madrid 7/8am
Bull fights, food, friends, & bed?
Depart Madrid 7/11am, arrive Barcelona 7/11 am
See sights, swim, eat.
Depart Barcelona 7/11pm, change in Milan, arrive Verona 7/12am
Friends,opera,food, bed?
Depart Verona 7/15am, arrive somewhere?
I've got two days to fill then I meet Paolo (Tina A's friend) in Milan on 7/18
Depart Milan 7/20 & head back to Paris via coastal cities?
Hang in Paris, see Catacombs, drink wine.
Depart Paris 7/30, arrive NYC-JFK 7/31
Fucking sleep my ass off till 8/1, arrive work 9am to begin new projects.
Did I mention that we are one door down from 31 rue Campaign-Premiere? It's a 1912 concrete apartment building by covered in earthen tiles by some guy named Alexandre Bigot. Seems Man Ray once had a studio there. Also down the block is the Foundation Cartier, a modern steel & glass building designed in 1994 by Jean Nouvel. It's currently exhibiting rock'n roll memorabilia from 1939-1959. Accross the blvd is another historic structure, the Ecole Speciale d' Architecture building from 1904 that has been incorporated into a modern building & now serves as a private interior design & architecture academy.
sheesh, there's something to see everywhere here!
Monday, July 2, 2007
day 3 of trip, day 1 of blog
my maiden night at the Hotel Stella Etois was a good move- I was so exausted from travel & the location was ideal for a first night in a new country on my own. I shyly wandered the back streets of the till I worked up the courage to make some stops, speak a little french, & buy supplies. I picknicked in my room to the garble of french tv, read a bit abbout my new city, & enjoyed a cheap bottle of wine. I ventured out again around 11. The Arc de Triomph & the Champs Elysee were at the end of my block & much more enjoyable with fewer people & under the cover of night.
My blackberry wasn't working & I managed to get a phone card but hesitated to use the phone because of high rates- internet at the hotel didn't come cheaply either. knowing I would connect with Helen the next day I resigned myself to being incommunicado with my world for a few hours.
The next moring I awoke, took a relaxing, long bubble bath & snacked on last night's leftovers. I was enjoying the best pain aux olive I've ever had, some peppercorn salami, & was about to dig back into my delightfully stinky cheese when I saw: MAGGOTS. ugh. fromage aux worms. my stomach turned, I broke open the cheese & a whole wiggly mess of the fuckers reared their heads. I didn't allow myself think about the possibility that I'd gotten some unexpected protein the night before, I just tossed the food & checked out to check in with Ms. Gaudette.
I had no problem finding the place although actually getting face-to-face with Helen took some effort. I'd written down the wrong address and her phone was going straight to voicemail. After a half hour (that seemed to span a year's time) wandering the street, ringing the wrong bell, and visiting a couple phone booths we made contact & she welcomed me to our grubby new digs.
so, Paris got off to a rough start but things have fallen into place and the apartment is becoming home. It's funky but we put some elbow work into it & now it's almost charming. our location is prime, half a block from the Raspail train stop & near everything. we also have a lovely courtyard to look out into & the place has a tiny lift (3 peeps max). the blackberry is up & running and for now, internet is free.
we tried to go to the catacombs today (which is just down the street) but it's closed Monday so we ventured over to Napolean's tomb instead. Yesterday we walked up through the Luxembourge Palace Gardens, stopped briefly to admire Notre Dame, then ambled along the Seine to the Louvre where we wandered the gardens & stopped for late lunch. We were too tired & it was so late that we didn't go in. we plan to get an early start one of these mornings & check it out. dinner was grautin (onion soup) and salad nicoise at a brasserie up the street from our place.
Helen is a great travel partner, she's quick with the map & her knowledge of history is really wonderful- like having my own ultra tour guide. my contribution is listening & a knack for navigating the trains. we're both on a budget & fortunately have similar taste in food so we've made a couple stops at the grocer & share when we're out. we make a pretty good pair.
tonight Helen is at a work function & I'm enjoying some down-time while planning the next segments of my journey. Brussels is next, followed by Madrid, looks like Pamplona might be out but Venice is in & as is a day stop at a beach town to break up the travel. Milan is a maybe, waiting to hear from a friend of a freind.
that's it so far. in regard to Paris all I can say is: WOW. I see how people can't help falling in love when they come here. I swear, after a full day of gorgeous buildings, history, statues of god-like nakedness, and a drink in the romantic Louvre gardens I was about ready to chase Helen through the foilage maze & plant one on her.
that's it for now. pictures soon.
My blackberry wasn't working & I managed to get a phone card but hesitated to use the phone because of high rates- internet at the hotel didn't come cheaply either. knowing I would connect with Helen the next day I resigned myself to being incommunicado with my world for a few hours.
The next moring I awoke, took a relaxing, long bubble bath & snacked on last night's leftovers. I was enjoying the best pain aux olive I've ever had, some peppercorn salami, & was about to dig back into my delightfully stinky cheese when I saw: MAGGOTS. ugh. fromage aux worms. my stomach turned, I broke open the cheese & a whole wiggly mess of the fuckers reared their heads. I didn't allow myself think about the possibility that I'd gotten some unexpected protein the night before, I just tossed the food & checked out to check in with Ms. Gaudette.
I had no problem finding the place although actually getting face-to-face with Helen took some effort. I'd written down the wrong address and her phone was going straight to voicemail. After a half hour (that seemed to span a year's time) wandering the street, ringing the wrong bell, and visiting a couple phone booths we made contact & she welcomed me to our grubby new digs.
so, Paris got off to a rough start but things have fallen into place and the apartment is becoming home. It's funky but we put some elbow work into it & now it's almost charming. our location is prime, half a block from the Raspail train stop & near everything. we also have a lovely courtyard to look out into & the place has a tiny lift (3 peeps max). the blackberry is up & running and for now, internet is free.
we tried to go to the catacombs today (which is just down the street) but it's closed Monday so we ventured over to Napolean's tomb instead. Yesterday we walked up through the Luxembourge Palace Gardens, stopped briefly to admire Notre Dame, then ambled along the Seine to the Louvre where we wandered the gardens & stopped for late lunch. We were too tired & it was so late that we didn't go in. we plan to get an early start one of these mornings & check it out. dinner was grautin (onion soup) and salad nicoise at a brasserie up the street from our place.
Helen is a great travel partner, she's quick with the map & her knowledge of history is really wonderful- like having my own ultra tour guide. my contribution is listening & a knack for navigating the trains. we're both on a budget & fortunately have similar taste in food so we've made a couple stops at the grocer & share when we're out. we make a pretty good pair.
tonight Helen is at a work function & I'm enjoying some down-time while planning the next segments of my journey. Brussels is next, followed by Madrid, looks like Pamplona might be out but Venice is in & as is a day stop at a beach town to break up the travel. Milan is a maybe, waiting to hear from a friend of a freind.
that's it so far. in regard to Paris all I can say is: WOW. I see how people can't help falling in love when they come here. I swear, after a full day of gorgeous buildings, history, statues of god-like nakedness, and a drink in the romantic Louvre gardens I was about ready to chase Helen through the foilage maze & plant one on her.
that's it for now. pictures soon.
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