Packing...

It's exciting packing to go on a trip.  I live in a place where people pack suitcases to come to all the time.  But sometimes I forget that.  On my days off, I can go anywhere in the whole entire city of Paris and sometimes I choose to sit at home and read my French novel or send e-mails.  I love packing to go places.  Maybe its because I don't go on a lot of trips but I find the whole game of, "how many times am I going to repack my suitcase" fun.  Or in my case, "how many pounds does this suitcase weigh?"  It is hilarious and frustrating and yes, I have had my sister sit on my suitcase before to get it to shut completely.  And yes, I pull out the scales in the bathroom to get an 'approximate' weight.  My mom hates packing, and would rather just snap herself to her destination.  I, on the other hand, think the flight, train, or car ride is half the fun....especially since these days you spend just as much time getting there as the actual vacation.  Who doesn't love sitting next to the drunk German woman on the train or the 5 year old child sitting behind you on the airplane kicking the back of your seat while his mother just reads her book?  

Our plan for Italy was to just being a carry-on.  Cheap, easy, and we can pack light...right?  Wrong.  We can take a couple of changes of clothes, one pair of shoes, and our toothbrush...right?  Wrong.  Guys have it so easy.  One change of clothes, a bar of soap, and your wallet and you're good to go for days (toothbrush optional).  Girls?  Shoes, clothes, beauty products, camera chargers, phone chargers, snacks for the road...the list goes on!   So, I bit the bullet, paid a little extra, and now we are taking a suitcase and Ashleigh's carry-on.  You know what?  The suitcase is still pretty full.  

I am excited about spending a week in one of the most beautiful places on earth, eating what is hopefully the freshest seafood, and drinking the best of Italian wine.  I only hope between the 4 cities and 5 villages, taking pictures, eating and hiking that I have time to stop and enjoy it!  Although I always make time to journal when I'm away from my computer so that I can come back and recount every important (and unimportant) detail for you!

Parisienne Weekend

This past weekend was what I believe to have been the first completely sunny weekend I've had here in Paris.  It was magnificent.  With Kerry not here, we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves.  There didn't seem to be an urgency to sightsee, and we felt like actual Paris residents.  Saturday afternoon we spent a couple of hours lying in the grass at Parc Monceau.  As our stomachs began to rumble, we decided to give in and search for something to eat which left us off the metro close to Ashleigh's house.  Ashleigh had the house to herself because her family has gone skiing (I believe they have their seasons backwards) so we threw a blanket onto her "yard" and enjoyed the sunshine for another few hours.  There is a delicious Chinese takeout place just down the street so we ran down to get Chinese and popped in a movie.  

Sunday we started off the day at Hillsong.  It has been a couple of weeks since we've been to church because we've wanted to spend what time we had left with Kerry!  It was so nice to go and so nice to go somewhere with so many friendly faces.  Afterwards we hit up Canal Saint-Martin.  I had been in the winter, but it was quite ugly and couldn't understand the attraction.  With trees and flowers in full bloom yesterday it was prettier, but I doubt it becomes a frequent location of mine.  

As we were walking along, I noticed this family in their giant built-for-the-lake type boat.  I found this to be hilarious, and couldn't for the life of me find a boat ramp or dock anywhere!  And in this picture they are in a small entrapped dam area which is even better.  Its not like you can swim in the water, so what on earth were they doing on the 2 mile stretch of the Canal?  There are apparently other parts that you can actually take a boat ride, but not this stretch.  They were the only sailors.   I guess when you live in the city you've got to take what you can get???

We grabbed a crêpe at République and went back to Ashleigh's for some more sunbathing and dinner.  We cleaned out her host family's fridge and ended up with quite a delicious pasta with loads of veggies!  She bought her flight home  (or to the States to be a counselor at her summer camp) and she is leaving on Sunday June 12th!  I will be shipping my best friend and my parents off on the same day....I assume it will be quite an emotional one!! 

Tomorrow I have lots of errands to run, Wednesday evening and Thursday I am keeping Marie-Césare.  I am finally hoping that Marie-Césare and I can do something fun like the aquarium or go swimming on Thursday.  We haven't had a full day together in so long!  Friday hopefully getting my hair cut, and sitting on the grass at the Champ de Mars because they open up the grass in front of the Eiffel Tower...finally!  April 15th....all of Paris will be there, but I don't care, I want to join in just the same.  

Holidays!!

Post in the morning?  I think so!! Ashleigh and I are getting together to put the finishing touches on our trip to Italy on the 18th.  Then...a trip to the park somewhere.  It is gorgeous here today and most definitely a sandal kind of day!  

We begin our trip with a flight to Pisa on the 18th, maybe a day trip to Firenze or Parma, then a few days in the Cinque Terre in Italy soaking up some amazing sun and beautiful seaside villages.  We will spend Thursday night in Genoa, then Friday take the train to meet Kerry in Cannes!! A weekend with Kerry in Cannes and Nice, then back to fabulous Paris.  It will be a crazy whirlwind like all of our trips, but with a limited amount of time thats the way it has to be!  This week Ashleigh is visiting a friend in Prague, but I have to babysit Marie-Césare one day right in the middle of the week so that ruined all my hopes of going to Prague. 

Brie and a baguette last night for dinner, wonderful beginning to April holidays!!! 

Oh Happy Day!

You guys will never guess what I heard when I sat down on the metro tonight.  Okay, maybe you might.  

La Bamba.  

Met a bunch of au pairs today at Parc Monceau.  It was about 72 degrees and sunny!  I even got a little pink on my face which you know I love!  (I promise granny, I won't get sunburned.) We all brought lunch and sat around in the grass for a few hours after school/before work.  And I got to meet a few new people....It was a lovely time!  

Marie-Césare trying on my sunnies.  We have just been going to the park in the afternoons which is always fun.  Cléo's dad, Manon's mom, and I have created our own bench, where we sit and watch the girls every day.  It's really quite nice to practice my French, and of course getting to know a bunch of little 3 year olds couldn't be better.  

I don't know what Ashleigh and I will do this weekend without Kerry here!! It is going to be so strange! We have been the three musketeers for the past few months and I will miss that for sure!  

Buskers.

I have kept my mouth shut about Paris metro buskers....until now.  The first 3 or so times I got on the metro in November I was elated to hear "La Vie en Rose" sung with an accordion accompaniment by a smiling man with just a few teeth.  Now...I am overly annoyed.  Every. single. time.  I have not been on a metro in the past 4 months where there hasn't been a busker or a group of them hopping on and off each train every few stops.  They have somehow maneuvered their speakers, tape deck (yes, tape), and microphone dock on wheels so that they can conveniently push their profession around with them.  

Today, I got on and two middle aged men who really only looked like they needed to buy a few cigarettes for tonight, were singing "La Bamba."  La Bamba???? Really??? La la la la la la bamba.

A.  Wrong country

B.  They were off pitch

C.  They didn't even know the words except for the chorus, they were just mumbling I guess hoping no one on the metro knew Spanish

And then....2 fine looking gentlemen from the RATP(metro) staff walked up and they quickly stopped....mid-bamba.  The two RATP staff pulled out their notepads and began writing the buskers two tickets.  I believe I heard him say 30 euros.... a piece.  Now, was La Bamba really worth 60 euros??? I think not.  But all the people sitting around us were relieved.  

Let me explain.  There are around 2,000 groups/people/musicians who audition for 400 performance permits in the Paris metro each year.  These permits allow you to play in the corridors of the metro, but no one is allowed to play ON the metro.  If caught without a permit, or on the metro, you can be fined....a pretty large amount considering what you're making.  The competition is pretty tough, as my favorite 8 piece string quartet is normally playing in Châtelet on any given Saturday afternoon.  I give them credit just for lugging the huge double bass into the metro.  Or the 10 piece Jamaican group with all the bongo drums...they even sell their CD.  

My advice?  Don't busk on the metros.  Especially without a permit.  And pleasseeeee for the sake of everyone involved, don't sing "La Bamba."  

Giverny

Saturday we took the 10:20 train out of Saint Lazare to Vernon, France.  A 45 minute ride out with sunny skies wasn't so bad!  In Vernon, we raced to be the first tourists on the bus to Giverny, a few miles away.  Giverny is a small French village that is home to the house and gardens of Claude Monet.  As we got off the bus, we followed the other tourists down the winding road to the signs pointing us towards the house.  We grabbed a quick sandwich outside and got in the line for tickets in.  It wasn't too long, since most tourists arrive on the same bus, it was mostly the familiar faces we rode over with.  The first thing we said when we finally walked into the gardens was w.o.w.  Not only was it 70 degrees and sunny, but the gardens were incredibly beautiful!!! Every color of tulips, pansies, daffodils, and daisies were there.  The arbors were filled with budding vines and the trees now green with leaves!  The paths were filled with tiny pebbles, and bees and butterflies were flitting about happy to be in the sunshine.  

Inside Monet's house no pictures were allowed, but I snuck this one, walls and walls of replicas of his paintings.  His house was just a simple, two story, country French house with brightly colored walls and simple furniture.  There were lots of windows and the famous blue kitchen was my favorite.  Copper pots hung from the ceiling on one side with blue tiles contrasting in the background.  

Across the street is the famous water lily pond.  This was my favorite at Monet's property, as the paintings of the water lilies are some of the best!  

Unfortunately, we were a little early for the water lilies, but it was still just as beautiful without.  No wonder he was inspired to paint here...the reflection of the willows on the pond is just stunning!

  

As we were wandering around the gardens, we couldn't help but talk about how pretty of a day it was.  We shouldn't be so excited about warmth and sunshine, but alas, we were.  We still had a little bit of time before the bus back to Vernon left, so we took a stroll into the village of Giverny.  We passed one small hotel, a handful of restaurants, and tons of beautiful French country homes.  Including this gem with 6 different types of windows...all on the same wall!  

Ashleigh looked down at one point to find a petit escargot slowly trying to cross the street.  To save him from oncoming "traffic" Ashleigh so kindly took him across to the other side.

The ride back was very quick, and we decided to walk over to Tuileries for a couple of hours before we all dispersed to babysit.  Pounced on a couple of chairs as they freed up (which is necessary on a beautiful spring day in Paris) and propped our feet up for a nice people watching session.  You can't sit on the grass at Tuileries, which is unfortunate, but I suppose I can understand the preservation method.  

This was waiting on me in the refrigerator when I got to Chloé and Franck's.  Franck just fried them up and ate them....I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  They looked like minnows, which dad and I use to fish with way back then.   I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to food, but just wasn't so sure about this choice.  

Had a good evening with Marie-Césare, she went to bed shortly after I arrived Saturday evening.  Sunday was cold and rainy, and we didn't do much other than brunch at Breakfast In America (per Kerry's request as it was her last Sunday) and the Orangerie.  It was a free museum day so the line was long, but we didn't have anything else on our list to do!  L'Orangerie has a room dedicated to Monet, as well as many other works from Renoir, Monet, Guillame, and Picasso.  

We walked up to the Champs Élysées to find some delish macarons and figure out what was next.  We took the metro to Bercy to watch The Company Men, a movie which hit close to home about the depression and the job market in the US.  There was a scene it which a whole room full of people were waiting to interview for one job and I couldn't have related to that situation any better.  Point in case...why I moved to Europe.  Wanted to have dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in Bercy for Kerry's last night, but it was closed for some reason!  We ended up near Saint-Michel for a quick dinner before heading home.  Tomorrow Ashleigh and I are going out to Vincennes for lunch at Kerry's house, I suppose the last time we will see her until our trip to the Riviera at the end of the month!! 

Poisson d'Avril

Friday was Poisson d'Avril, like April Fools Day, but French style.  I saw some fish shaped pastries in the boulangerie earlier in the morning...just thinking it was some preference of the baker, I went on about my day.  As I passed more boulangeries, I saw more and more fish!  Wonder what this could be?  Turns out, April Fools Day in France is celebrated mostly by children.  Friends put a paper fish on another friends back, and when the "fool" finds out, the child who put the fish on his back yells, "Poisson d'Avril!!"  Therefore, the need for fish shaped pastries.  

I'm not sure exactly why, but Marie-Césare's school was celebrating Carnaval on this day as well.  A little late...but, better late than never I guess?!  I walked into the classroom and every child of Classe 2 was dressed up like a little chicken.  They all had homemade wings and beaks and hats.  After school, everyone gathered around the entrance outside to hear the musicians her school had hired for Carnaval.  They were actually quite good and kept most of the children occupied for at least 20 minutes.  

Cléo and Marie-Césare

Telling secrets...

Franck got home a little early Friday night and we decided to play a joke on Chloé for April Fools.  I went along with it not knowing what the joke was because there was no time to explain.  As he started telling Chloé, I realized it was about me and my ears perked up.  He explained to her that I had told him that unfortunately, I couldn't stay another year with them.  She was devastated.  I cannot even describe the expression that came over her face.  He had this serious look on his face, but as soon as she started asking me questions, I could NOT keep a straight face.  I started busting out laughing....Franck too.  It wasn't a very funny thing to joke about, but it was really nice to know that I'm wanted!!! 

On the metro I continued to laugh, because this was the first thing I saw as I descended to the platform.  Jersey Shore.  Yuck.  They have gone international.  I cannot stand Snookie and her poof, I think the show is stupid and ridiculous, and their guido orange tans obnoxious.  But, alas, here they are, previewing on MTV in France in the prime weekend spot at 9:00 pm.  

Friday evening was one of those evenings where if I was at home in the States we would be grilling out, or sitting on the back porch watching the sun go down.  One of those evenings which I remember very fondly on 100 Springer Drive where my dad and I would roll around in the grass until 8:00 in the evening and we were called in for dinner.  I continued to walk home slowly, trying to soak up as much of the sunset as possible!