A Magical City

Notre Dame
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After what felt like, and basically was, a whirlwind tour of Paris, I leave with memories of a magical city and a great time spent with an old friend. I arrived in Paris on Monday. Getting into the city was a bit of a nightmare. The gray sky and rainy weather was not so welcoming. Then my shuttle service from Beauvais Airport to the hotel took longer than the flight from Rome to Paris itself! Fortunately by the time I arrived, the rain had at least stopped, but still no sun in sight. We decided it was the perfect day for the Louvre and signed up for a guided tour of the museum’s most significant collections...which is absolutely necessary since the museum is MASSIVE and wickedly overwhelming.

Notre Dame
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Mona Lisa…check.

I could've spent the night dancing away instead of being snubbed by the big, burly French bouncer.

On day two, we decided to check out the Eiffel Tower. None of us had really considered its height or the intense winds on the ground in walking out the door. So we froze our butts off for three and a half hours. Eiffel was an idiot! There is no elevator that goes directly to the top. You have to go to the middle level first and wait in a long queue for the next elevator to the top while the winds whirl…in BOTH directions, up and down. While the view is very nice, and I can saw “I’ve been to the top of the Eiffel Tower,” I will not do that again unless it is sunny and warm! We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along Avenue des Champs Elysees, ogling at the (mostly atrocious) goods at the three-story Louis Vuitton store and other shops. After dinner, we went to see Moulin Rouge. After the first 30 minutes, I wanted to be at the top of the Eiffel Tower freezing again.

Didier Rouiller Patissiere - YUMMY!!
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The show, a terrible review of unrecognizable French music and even a few terrible American songs from the 70’s and 80’s, was not what we expected. No Nicole Kidman on a swing belting it out, interacting with the crowd…nope…they lip sync to recorded tracks, not one live instrument in the over-crowded theatre. I’ve seen better productions in high school theatre! The only saving grace was the bottle of champagne that was included in the price of the ticket and being so squished in that my friends and I could debate French (natural) boobs versus American (fake) boobs without being overheard…yes, this was the highlight of the very expensive show.

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Eiffel Tower…check.

Moulin Rouge…check. Being suckered into paying an absorbent amount of money to visit a tourist trap…check.

On day three…a beautiful , sunny and warm day, we first visited Notre Dame. Well, actually, first I visited my favorite patissiere around the corner from our hotel, Didier Rouiller. This place is heaven on earth! I must have stopped there at least twice each day. I wish I could transplant it around the corner from my house in Rome, though my waistline would hate me for it. Notre Dame is large and impressive, but having spent the past month in Rome seeing a gazillion churches…it failed to thoroughly excite me. We visited the crypt below, and that was pretty cool. We could see the foundations of ancient Roman civilization and early Parisian buildings that the church was built on top of. The afternoon was spent strolling around the Marais district and relaxing with a bottle of wine and a plate of French cheeses.

View of Seine from Eiffel Tower
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We had dinner at Le Coude Fou, a restaurant recommended by locals. Though the waiter spoke suspiciously good English, the atmosphere was definitely “local” and the meal delicious. Duck salad followed by filet with roasted potatoes and finished off with a pear tart. With big plans to hit the town after, we hopped on the metro and made our way to another locally recommended spot, La Suites. Unfortunately it was closed. A nice, older gentleman (rich too, he managed to tell us) standing outside of the Four Seasons recommended Pershing Hall. Pershing Hall is New York trendy-cool, with menu prices to match the swanky décor. The 18euro cocktails were tasty, but the place was empty so it was time to move on. What happened next made me feel right at home in NYC…we went to the “it” club in Paris, Le Baron, and got denied access. Sorry, by invitation only.

Me, pretending not to be frozen solid
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Experiencing Paris as a local…check. Practicing French curse words…check check.

I started day four (my last day) visiting the patissiere as usual. Then as we entered the metro station, a pigeon decided to use me as target practice…leaving me to carry around a jean jacket with bird doo on it all day. I’ve always been told that bird doo is supposed to bring good luck. I could’ve used such luck a day earlier so that I could’ve spent the night dancing away instead of being snubbed by the big, burly French bouncer. But, I admit that my last day in Paris was my favorite…bird doo luck?!?

View from Eiffel Tower
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The first stop was the Musee d’Orsay. By far one the greatest museums I’ve ever been to. I liked it even more than the Louvre. The permanent collection was enough to excite me, but it was the Cezanne to Picasso exhibit that blew me away. Never have I seen so many works by the masters of impressionism (my fav) in one place. After the museum, we went to Montemarte. What I have decided is my favorite area of Paris. Kind of like the West Village with a seedy main street of nude reviews and sex shops but also lots of little streets with boutique shops and restaurants – a small village, yet down and dirty, feel. We climbed the hill to Sacre Couer, another church, but with amazing views of the city below. After our descent, it was time to embark on the journey back to the airport (fortunately not as brutal as the trip in).

Tulleries Garden with Eiffel Tower in background
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Aurevoir Paris!

What awaited me when I returned to Rome was almost as great as the trip itself. I got in late and didn’t notice anything amiss in the bathroom as I brushed my teeth and washed my face before bed. The next morning as I stood over the same sink, I saw something blue in the mirror and turned around ….VOILA…a shower curtain!!!! I took the longest, most enjoyable shower I’ve had in months. Then I went to check my email, undoubtedly over-flowing since I didn’t bother while in Paris. And VOILA!!! My favorite Brit in the world is going to be in Rome next weekend, a cancelled business trip reversed. With many pleasurable showers ahead and Suzanne’s visit to look forward to, sono una ragazza contente :)