Our First Trip to Europe - Paris, France
Jay and I went to Paris from March 1st through the 7th. It was the first time either of us have been to Europe and it was nothing short of a life changing experience. It was wonderful to visit with such a beautiful culture!
[I noticed after I published this blog that the slide shows stop after running one time through. If you want to see the pictures, you can either refresh the page, or go to the 'track me' tab, and hit play. Track me is for people who want to sign up for our pictures - not sure why they have that function - but it is NOT tracking you]
The Marriott on Champs Elysees: Finally arriving at the Marriott was so relieving since we left home almost 18 hours earlier.
We heard so many stories about the French being rude that we were cautious walking up to the reception desk. Our hesitation was gone once we started speaking with them! Everyone there treated us very well, with a smile and speaking in English. We felt bad about it, because it's like someone coming up to us and blurting out Spanish, but they were very gracious to us. They were also sweet even through we tried to speak French and annihilated their language. The hotel was extremely beautiful with a lot of wrought iron and crystal chandeliers hanging throughout. The room came with fresh roses, Godiva chocolates, robes and slippers, bath salts and of course, the most comfortable beds ever!
Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe: We knew we'd be tired the first day, so we planned on taking it easy. We walked a couple or miles - up and down our street (Champs Elysees) to the Arc de Triomphe. It seemed like 90% of the people spoke French, who I overheard walking down the street. I heard that there are a lot of Americans that visit, I guess we just didn't run into them. There were definitely other visitors from other countries - I noticed people from Italy, Spain, England and Ireland the most.
About the Arc de Triomphe: The Arc was commissioned in 1806 by Emporer Napoleon for his troops to walk through after their victory in the battle of Austerlitz (where his troops beat a Russo-Austrian army). It wasn't completed until 1836 during the reign of Louis-Philippe. The Arc de Triomphe is engraved with names of generals who commanded French troops during Napoleon's regime and carries the tomb of an unknown soldier. It is a symbol of Paris which many parades and events surround.
Our First Meal? McDonald's!: McDonald's tasted a lot different in Paris. I can see why they they think American food is bad! They use the grease Americans used years ago to fry, which is heavier (animal fat?) and to me doesn't taste as good. Jay's 'Royal with Cheese' tasted fine according to him. The cokes were not as sweet with a bitter after taste, almost like they ran out of syrup and added extra saccharin. (I had Coke from a bottle and it tasted the same way). Another note, the French say McDoh's instead of McD's or McDonald's. Also, they do put mayonnaise on their French fries - but it's more of a pesto-mayo, rather than Hellman's. And yes, they do serve beer at McDonald's!
The Style: People dress up in Paris. They take their style seriously and consider their clothes and appearance like works of art. They don't wear t-shirts, hats, running shoes, sweat suits or velor track outfits outside of their house. They wear black Italian looking leather shoes, black pants or dark jeans and blouses or shirts. The men wear pointed dress shoes - some are actually pointed like womens but most are cut off at the tip to square them slightly. They are 'traditional' (cap toes/wingtips); but sleek. The men carry very slim, black leather briefcases. The women carry smaller purses and usually have on high heels. It's not like New York where they wear sneakers to walk in then change when they get to work (and carry half their house in big purses or bags). They also wear flat, black leather track shoes. I think that was the hardest part of my trip because Parisians walk everywhere. I finally found a pair of loafers that were comfortable but they weren't as stylish as I would have liked, and we still rode the Metro (train) a lot.
There is upscale shopping around Champs Elysees - specifically on Avenue Montaigne. Within 100 meters, we passed Valenino, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Armani, Chanel, Prada, Salvadore Ferragamo, Hermes, etc. The window displays were amazing. The interesting thing is that Parisians are very savvy shoppers...similar to us knowing which outlets to get the best deals. It is very rare that any locals will shop on Avenue Montaigne. They will find the same clothing at discount department store sales, or shop at consignment shops. We went in to one consignment shop - which is much different than a consignment shop in the US. It was all high end, (still) very expensive, and none of the clothing was more than a season old.
Because everyone dresses so well, my gaydar was totally off! It was about impossible for me to tell who was gay, since straight men dress like they fell out of G.Q. It was nothing to see men wearing Ferragamo, Prada, etc and they would be smooching with women. The only way I could tell is if they were ultra feminine, like one guy on the Metro who was pursing his red lips and moving his hands a lot.
Entrance to the Louvre: The Louvre is the most visited and famous museum in the world.
About the Musee du Louvre: The present-day Louvre has been the result of a series of successive building projects completed over the past 800 years. The history of the Louvre museum starts with Philippe-Auguste, as he built the Louvre in the 1100's as a fortress on the edge of the city to protect Paris from Anglo-Norman invaders. Louis the IVth moved in, in the 16th century during which time it was used as a palace. They actually used to behead people in this spot up until this time. He was overthrown and as a result, large gilded rooms that were once used for lavish dinner parties are now open to the public. The guillotine was then moved over to city hall, where they beheaded Marie Antoinette (mother of Louis the XVI). Long story short, she and her son were tortured and beheaded for treason, which is still debated today.
The Inside of the Louvre: The Louvre is beyond huge. It has over 35,000 pieces of art aging back to B.C. We never would have made it through without finding an audio tour for help. We downloaded it to our iPods before we left and listed as it told us where to turn, what to look at and the history of each piece. I like art, but I'm not a fanatic. Jay took A.P. Art and Art History for years in school and is artistic so he knew a lot more about it before we even started. I think our tour was a few hours, maybe four total, which was a good enough visit for me. It really is a surreal experience to stand next to art that was created thousands of years ago - long before Jesus walked on the Earth. I don't think it has hit me yet or will for a while.
Roman Statue: This is a statue of Constantine, who ruled the Romans from 306-312. The busts were popular forms of art at the time. We walked through huge rooms of them! It was still amazing to stand next to marble that was carved in the 300's!
One of my favorite things at the Louvre was watching the little children sitting in groups learning about each piece of art. It was sweet to watch them raise their hands and answer their teacher's questions about works that we only learned about in books - and that a lot of people will never see in their life time.
My favorite painting was the Coronation of Napoleon and Josephine in Notre Dame Cathedral by Jacques-Louis David. I guess because I'm not really into each paint brush stroke of art, I loved learning about the story behind paintings. The Coronation of Napoleon is about Napoleon crowning himself king. The Pope came in for the event, as most kings at the time were crowned by the Pope. Napoleon decided that he was better fit to crown himself so he took the liberty to crown his wife Josephine the queen, then himself the king. The Pope is said to have a confused look on his face. Napoleon's mother wasn't actually there, but she is shown in the first balcony in the white dress in remembrance. The painter painted himself in on the second balcony behind the tassel. This event took place at the Notre Dame cathedral that I talk about below.
It was so beautiful up close and there's no way to get a good picture. It was huge (10ft x 15ft) and the colors and detail were simply amazing!!
Notre Dame: We walked over to the Notre Dame after we saw the Louvre. It is a Catholic church that was completed in 1345, after 183 years of building.
Instead of taking a ton of pictures of in a very dark setting, I took a video while walking around the church. It's a little bumpy but it shows the character better than pictures would have.
Chris Brown is everywhere in
That kiss kiss (kiss kiss)
In her mind she fantasize bout gettin wit me
They hatin on me (hatin on me)
They wanna diss diss (kiss kiss)
Because she mine, and so fine
And thick as can be
It’s pretty strange when a Ford Focus looks big.
These Smart cars are everywhere in
Musee d'Orsay: The Musee d'Orsay was a train station for many of years, and was turned into a museum in 1986. The building itself is a work of art, sitting directly on the Seine river.
About the museum: The Musee d'Orsay housed in the former railway station, the Gare d'Orsay. It holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography, and is probably best known for its extensive collection of impressionist masterpieces by popular painters such as Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir. Many of these works were held at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume prior to the museum's opening in 1986.
The Pantheon: Jay's favorite spot in Paris. The height of the Pantheon's ceilings and murals is amazing and can hardly be captured in pictures. The main dome features the 'Eye of God', which Leon Foucault used in 1851 to prove the revolution of the Earth with 'Foucault's Pendulum'.
Under the Pantheon are the crypts, where many famous French are buried. Among those buried in its necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Marat, Victor Hugo (Le Miz author), Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Marie Skłodowska-Curie (Scientist), Louis Braille (developed Braille language for the blind), Jean Jaurès and Soufflot, its architect.
La Sainte-Chapelle: Built around 1240 by Louis the IX, it is a beautiful gothic chapel originally built to house precious relics (Christ's crown of thorns, etc). St. Chapelle had the most amazing stained glass windows - and they are about 800 years old. The main chapel is relatively small, but almost overwhelming in it's beauty.
The Latin Quarter: We met up with one of Jay's old work colleagues and friends Gary Adams. Gary now lives and works in Paris, so it was nice to have a 'local' take us out. We first with to 'The Latin Club', a very quaint restaurant/bar that is older than the United States of America. We ate dinner there (Jay and I both realized just how delicious the cheese in France is - they take it almost as seriously as their wine). I had a few glasses of French Chardonnay while Jay & Gary enjoyed Stella Artois - which is consid ered the 'local' beer in France (Along with Heineken).
After The Latin Club, we went to another local bar, 'The Great Canadian', where we enjoyed a few more libations. When we left, we walked to a cab stand and took a taxi back to our hotel. It was pretty cool to flag down a taxi in front of buildings that are older than America.
The Eiffel Tower: No, we didn't go to the top.
We took a ridiculous number of pictures at the Eiffel Tower just so that we could each get at least one that we liked. Then a very sweet Spanish couple came up and we took pictures of each other so that both couples could get a picture. A lot of pointing and and "merci" "thank you" and "gracias" but we got it! And they were so nice!
Moulin Rouge: We stopped by the Moulin Rouge, but didn’t stay long. The way
Charlie Bird off Champs Elysees: Our last night out we went to Charlie Bird off Champs Elysees. It was a great end to a week in Paris...
Everything is a little different in Paris, but eating out is especially so. It is an event! They might start with a drink early (7?) but they actually eat around 9:00p.m. The food is some of the best I've ever put in my mouth!!!!! Every forkful or spoonful was full of flavor. At Charlie Bird, we had Ravioli. It was cheese filled pasta with a white cheese over the top of it...but not like the traditional mexican cheese that we think of here. Another thing I noticed is that in America, really flavorful food is made with so much butter that you can see the fat start to separate out from the liquid and the grease beads form. I never noticed the French food having a ton of butter - just flavor. By far some of the best food ever!
The tables are very close to each other as well. Literally, people all sit together within 3 inches of the table next to them. That was interesting to me, since they are a "to themselves" culture. They really don't walk up to the bar and start chatting with anyone around them. They will be friendly if you walk up to them but it just didn't seem like the norm. I heard that you can tell the foreigners by how loud they speak (Americans and Germans are loud), and I caught myself several times talking louder than people around me. I had to turn my volume down or they would be very annoyed. They probably were actually!
Gary ordered for us this night (again), which was a really nice treat. We were starting to master the art of pointing to the menu and destroying the actual pronunciation of the meal we were trying to order.
I took a movie when I was sitting in the bench across from Gary and Jay. It shows the ambiance of the pub, which was really cool. I loved hearing techno/smooth music in French! Also, you can see the guy standing at the bar - he was watching a soccer (football) game that was on a flat screen behind me. The way he was dressed - a three-piece suit - is much more common in Paris.
About the people: Overall the people are very nice - especially when they see a foreigner attempting to practice French culture. We were never made to feel anything but comfortable when we approached a local and said "Bonjour Madamme or Monsieur, parlay vu anglais?". I'm sure we butchered the pronunciation (like a redneck in New York), but oh well...
A lot of people smoke. Apparently the French just passed a law that prohibits smoking in public places (bars, restaurants, etc.) and they aren't happy. There are store proprietors and customers outside of every venue smoking all the time. They also don't have ashtrays readily available, so there are cigarette butts everywhere. While this isn't a big deal (they sweep the streets/sidewalks every night), it's another subtle difference.
A lot of people drink. It is fine to have a beer or a glass of wine on your lunch break from work, Happy Hours are everywhere and usually ~3-4 hours long, and the street cafes are always full of drinking customers. It wasn't a big deal or taboo, as there is a very 'relaxed' drinking age in France (18-ish).
I already miss a lot about Paris. I could go back tomorrow and hope to someday...
Au Revoir, but not goodbye.
0 comments:
Post a Comment