Friday, December 28

We are slowly returning to the world of reality--it is obvious we're not in Kansas nor Paris anymore. I wanted to jot down a few more thoughts and share several pictures before we close up shop on this adventure.

Christmas morning arrived much too soon for us, because it signaled the end of our 2013 holiday adventure. As we were packing the last few items into our bags we suddenly could hear shrieks of joy coming from the apartment across the hall. It was only 6:30 in the morning, but apparently Santa had found the family from Miami who had rented that apartment for the week. We had encountered them several times in the building during our stay--Mom, Dad, and three children all under the age of six. What a treat to listen to such excitement!

However, outside all was quiet on the street below when Victor, our driver, showed up to take us to the airport.

  No cars on rue St. Dominique, just below our balcony.

Even the Eiffel Tower wasn't stirring.

 We arrived early at the airport (no traffic jams on the way on Christmas morning).

This will be the last time I use this passport--after 10 years it is time to turn it in and get a new one.

Our flight to Wash. Dulles was on time--unfortunately that wasn't the case for the flight to Newark (you can see on the board where in yellow letters it says "Retarde`" for the Newark flight)

The moving sidewalk, or conveyor belt, to the boarding area at DeGaulle airport is somewhat treacherous because of the up and down slant. I always hold on to the railing.

While in the boarding area, Lloyd happened to hear a page calling his name. Fearing that something was wrong with our itinerary, he quickly approached the United counter. The agent asked for our boarding passes. Lloyd feared the worst, but much to his surprise, the agent exchanged our documents for First Class seats on the plane. We'd like to think it had something to do with it being Christmas day and the United agent was in a generous mood, and Lloyd would like me to think this was his present to me. Lloyd didn't question why they were doing this. He smiled and said "Merci beaucoup!" and dashed back to the line to show me his "prize".  We finally concluded that it had something to do with the re-scheduling of passengers who were heading to Newark, since many of them were eventually accommodated on our airplane. No matter-- we didn't care whether it was the Christmas elves at work or that simply someone liked our name--we were very happy fliers.

 The First Class seats have extra pillows, a lush duvet cover, and of course, French champagne.

       Lloyd likes to keep track of where we are during the flight:

At this point we were 1358 Km or @ 843 miles from Paris.

The flight was smooth, the service "first class", and we landed on time. Thanks to our Global Entry cards, we clicked through the special kiosk and bypassed the long, long lines waiting to clear customs and immigration and were headed for home in just a matter of minutes. (Actually the longest part of the entire re-entry process was the long walk to the parking garage!)

We were home in time for Christmas dinner, having created  many new memories of a wonderful Christmas adventure.

Our Christmas creche filled with French santons flanked by Lloyd's mother's angels lent a festive glow to our living room as we walked in through the front door.

Some final thoughts: a friend asked if we would do this again. The answer is a resounding "yes". The only missing element was family and friends. There were so many things that we wanted to share--sights, smells, sounds, the food and wine, etc. So that was why we wanted to record as much as we could in this blog.

Another thing: we commented several times to each other that every shop keeper, sales clerk, or ticket taker seemed to be in a festive mood throughout our entire visit. No matter where we went we were greeted with "Joyeux Noel" or "Joyeuses Fetes" or "Bonne Fete".  Maybe it was because we started listening for it, but it certainly seemed that as Christmas approached, everyone was in the mood to celebrate.

Finally, there were gorgeous decorations throughout the city as I mentioned many times. But not everyone leaned toward the ultra or the over-the-top approach when decorating their establishment. One shop owner made a statement by placing a lone glittering ball on a round boxwood placed outside his door:

Simplicity can also be beautiful.

{*A quick note: my apologies for typos, etc. Any of you who have blogged or written papers know that it possible to re-read a page multiple times and still miss the occasional error that Word has not corrected. This is not an excuse--merely an explanation. On the other hand, when you realize that I usually wrote and edited the blog before a morning cup of coffee or after an evening glass of wine, then hopefully it is possible to forgive the occasional lapse.}

I hope you have enjoyed traveling vicariously with us. Until the next time--or a la prochaine....

Thursday, December 26

Home at least--more thoughts to come shortly.

Christmas eve, December 24, 2013

OK, here we go....I'll try to catch up with the blog while also trying to pack up. The service at Notre Dame was worth the price of admission--actually that's quite tacky to say, because there is NO admission and no tickets, so it's first come, first served. When we arrived the weather was still quite bad; i.e., it was rainy and windy--what else is new! In fact the large Christmas tree in the front of the church (pictured with lights in a previous post) was now being supported by a large crane. From a distance, as we approached the church, I told Lloyd that it looked like they had moved a crane beside the tree in order to put a large star on the top during the midnight Mass. As we got closer, it was obvious to him that the crane was there to ensure that the tree didn't fall on the crowds in the heavy winds.

Here you can see the crane and the anticipated crowd gates for the midnight Mass.

We, of course, attended the first mass of the evening. It was crowded. When we approached the Cathedral, I had a sinking feeling that Lloyd would resist the long, long line waiting to enter the Cathedral. But he was committed to my desire to attend, so off we went. The line to enter moved smoothly and quickly. In short order, we found excellent seats and staked them out for the service. Now there was nothing to do but tour the Cathedral, watch the time, and wait.

It was a sea of black garments and multiple nationalities waiting to enter the church.

T

The annual creche was a rather "different scene". Hard to explain.

This is all that was offered by way of explanation:

Sorry I can't explain this year's offering any better than this.

The processional was led by multiple priests and the monsignor of Paris. Hymns were sung by the choir of Paris, including Adestes Fideles, sung by the entire congregation. Everything was efficient and simple; literature of the Mass was in both Latin and French.

The altar was draped in beautiful gold fabric, but otherwise very simply adorned with nothing except a straw crib to be filled by baby Jesus. A young lad was selected from the crowd to carry the small figure of baby Jesus during the processional.

After the service, Lloyd and I lit candles in memory of departed family members and in honor of our family and friends.

The service was memorable and before we knew it, we were headed back across the Seine to enjoy our Christmas eve dinner.

The Seine at night--what a beautiful sight.

Joyeux Noel!!

Christmas eve, December 24

I woke up this morning and had a weird feeling. Normally I'd be trying to make a list of all the little errands that needed to be run before the end of the day. I'd also be thinking of last minute stocking stuffers and/or running through a mental list of everyone who I forgot to "tip" and itemizing all those little things to check off my list.

But not today....we're in Paris and the only big thing on the agenda today is to buy foodstuffs for our dinner tonight and to make it over to Notre Dame for Christmas eve service. Unfortunately the weather is really not cooperating. Originally we had planned to visit some little shops over near le Bon Marche, but an awful weather system has arrived off the coast. It is lightly raining, and the wind is blowing and gusting at over 45-50 mph. Since I have some extra time here in the apartment this morning, I thought I'd summarize some of the things we're been doing and also post some miscellaneous pictures that didn't seem to fit elsewhere.

First of all, a reminder of Travel Rule #22 - Sometimes you can't go back and expect to have the same experience. Last evening I got my hair cut again with my "favorite" French stylist Thierry. Since my hair was considerably shorter starting out, the end result was also considerably shorter also. But as they say, "it will grow--eventually." Actually I discovered in today's rain walk, that this new, bouncier, short haircut does better in this weather. (I'm obviously searching for reasons to love my new hairdo.) Unfortunately Thierry was too busy with pre-holiday haircuts to shampoo my hair, but his assistant, the lovely Corinne, also did a wonderful shampoo/massage.

  Thierry, sporting his new crop of facial hair that I hadn't seen in September. (looks scary, I think)

Corinne specializes in cutting men's hair (shampoo massages)

Also yesterday we walked by the back side of the Branly Museum (a showcase of non-European cultures including Aboriginal, South American, African, etc. art, masks and statues.) Since the building is quite new, the trustees have attempted to also contrast the ancient cultures with "green" directions of today. Therefore the entire side of the office portion of the museum is growing with a variety of greenery. I guess this is a sign of things to come in our world.

This is a close-up of all that greenery growing on the side of the building

On the way back from dinner last night we enjoyed more of the Christmas decorations:

Today Rue Cler was filled with shoppers trying to check off items on their grocery list. The shops were ready and full of merchandise:

Fresh strawberries seem to be a holiday special

Not all the chickens had their feathers intact

There were poinsettias and greenery available and also these tulips and roses

Since we were staying near the apartment this morning, we decided to walk around and stop at the food merchants in our neighborhood to collect the ingredients for dinner.  First to the boucherie for a nice roast chicken, then to the supermarche for some vegetables, then to the boulangerie for a nice fresh baguette and finally to the marchand de vin for a wine to go with dinner. We'll be set, we hope, when we return from the services at Notre Dame.

More later...

Monday, December 23

Up bright and early today...well, not really bright, because the sun does not rise here until a little before 9am, so it was quite dark when I looked out the window at 6:30am. Even the Eiffel Tower was still "asleep". The lights on the tower (except for the red navigational hazard lights at the top) have been dimmed, actually turned off. I don't know at what hour this happens, but I imagine it's a little creepy if one is walking through Champs de Mars park underneath the tower and the lights go out. Of course, I don't think that will be one of our "experiences" while we're here--way, way after my usual bed-time, I'm sure.

Prior to departing for Paris, a friend had told me about an exhibit that would be at the Grand Palais during our visit. It was called "Cartier: Style and History." Lloyd had ordered tickets on-line last month in case it sold out before we arrived. Our scheduled entry time was 10:30am, but many of you know that Lloyd likes to be on time or early, if possible, for an event such as this. And I must say, good thing he pushed me out the door by 9:30.

                                       The exhibits opened shortly before we arrived--no lines!

We got in before our scheduled time and by the time we left, the lines were huge and each display had several people crowded around to read the tiny descriptions. What were we looking at? Oh, my goodness--talk about out of this world--gorgeous. There are't enough superlatives to describe all the jewels on exhibit. Somebody had the ingenious idea to contact the estate custodians of some the wealthiest people in the world and put their jewels on display, if they had been hand-crafted by Cartier. The designers of this exhibit did a wonderful job of showcasing the gems in beautiful display cases; the exhibit lights were low and everything was shimmering. Here's a small sample of what we saw:

       The diamond tiara worn by Princess Catherine (previously by Princess Margaret)

               A necklace created for Wallis Simpson, who became the Duchess of Windsor.

    A close-up of the tiara created for and worn by Princess Grace in her official portrait

Her engagement ring was also designed and created by Cartier--a 10.25 carat flawless diamond with two baguettes.

                    A necklace created for Elizabeth Taylor by husband #3 Mike Todd
                 (I'll post the video on Facebook of Mike presenting the necklace to Liz. )

    She was supposed to wear it to the Academy awards but chose a different bauble - the rubies didn't match her dress!

My favorite of the show: a ceremonial necklace created for Sir Bhupindra Singh, the Maharajah of Patiala in 1925. It contains 2,930 diamonds, 2 rubies, and the DeBeers diamond at the center--a yellow stone of 234.65 carats (7th largest in the world.)

Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with the show.  Afterwards, we went to the Grand Palais cafe to have a coffee and return to reality.
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On the way back to our neighborhood, we walked up the Champs-Elysees to window-shop (no, not for diamonds), but at some of the displays along the way. Here are a few:

                                        I don't know what happens when the wind blows....

                                     What a nice way to enter a restaurant, don't you agree?

         Off the Champs-Elysees, walking down Avenue George V--I'm sure this is beautiful at night.

      This display is in the courtyard of the Hotel George V. The lights in the tree straight ahead are individually suspended from the black wires and the other trees are filled with tiny white lights--this is spectacular.

                            This display of trees is in the lobby of the Hotel George V--beautiful beyond words.

Continuing our ecumenical excursion from yesterday (not that we had intended to), we discovered another church that we knew little about. It is called The American Cathedral in Paris, or the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity. The present building was consecrated on November 25, 1886, at the same time as the Statue of Liberty. Tours of the cathedral are offered on Sundays, otherwise a friendly docent greets visitors at the door. Services are held on Sundays throughout the year.

The altarpiece, we learned, is the last work of American painter Edwin Abbey, and it depicts the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

            JoAnn chats with today's docent. Can you believe that rain hat was worn today in Paris?!?

And I will end today's ramblings on a happy note with a picture that shows that Paris really is a city for lovers--no matter what their ages:

A la prochaine.....until next time.

Sunday, December 22

A leisurely morning. I've often heard the phrase, "the room is small but you won't spend much time there" said by other travelers. That is probably a truer statement when traveling in the summer than in winter. But when the weather is chilly and/or rainy in December, it is nice, I think, to have a comfortable place to spread out and/or cocoon. Today's agenda was rather loosely planned so that we could see some new things including the Chapel of St. Catherine Laboure who started the Sisters of Charity order back in the 19th C. She was a young woman when she persuaded her father to allow her to join the convent, and the site of this beautiful chapel is where she first began to minister to the less fortunate. Unexpectedly there was a mass in progress and we were able to be there for communion and the final few prayers.

            This beautiful tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary is over the portal to the chapel area.

We've walked through this neighborhood many times before, but we've never noticed another wonderful respite chapel tucked in a niche nearby. It is a chapel called "Eglise Etrangers". (I'm sorry I'm missing the accents by using this font.) In the courtyard of this lovely spot was this creche.

                 There are so many treats hiding behind walls and down side streets in Paris.

Believe it or not, all this ecumenical-ness was just a half block from le Bon Marche, the upscale department store that is always worth a visit--it never fails to delight the senses. We avoided the crowded main store and headed to the "epicerie", the gourmet "Costco" of Paris, so we could view what had been done to the store since our last visit. In September, many of the food sections had been closed for renovations, and there were still sections not yet open. But there were still plenty of choices including every kind of foodstuff imaginable: meats, fish, and cheeses; pastries, candies and Christmas treats; truffles, foie gras, caviar; wine, champagne, and liquor; etc., etc., etc.

This picture doesn't do it justice....it is actually an antique French Citroen chock-full of fresh vegetables.

Like Costco, there were fresh samples available everywhere! Except, instead of old, retired ladies and men in hairnets, there were beautiful young French women and men with very long legs in very tight black pants dishing out the samples. Sorry--no pictures available--please use your imagination!

A new feature in Paris is this mode of "transportation". At 10 euros (about $14) for 15 minutes, the pedalers are quite the entrepreneurs. But everybody's got to make a living.

After a lovely lunch of omelette and salad (no wine!) at Cafe Varenne, we decided we'd head over to Ile de La Cite and see the decorations around Notre Dame. On the way, we passed near the book stalls/picture vendors/souvenir-sellers-extraordinaire along the Seine. They were out in force even though there was rain on the way.

The book stall owners try to make a living when they can.

We crossed over to Ile de la Cite, the island in the middle of the Seine where Notre Dame is located.

 There's an enormous lighted tree in front of Notre Dame--the barriers still exist so long shots of the cathedral are impossible. In case you're wondering, yes, we did touch the brass disc, thus "guaranteeing" our return to Paris in the future. (I hope that myth actually works.)

After passing by Notre Dame (we plan a longer visit during Christmas eve service on Tuesday), we walked over to Hotel de Ville or Paris City Hall. The traditional ice skating rink was set up with a Disneyland-like line snaking into the skate rental office. We couldn't figure out the attraction--due to the temperatures, the "ice" surface was more similar to water-skiing than actual ice skating!

                                            One person's fun is anther person's torture!

No matter where you turn, the city is decorated to the hilt. Here's another lovely entrance to a hotel:

And so it goes....this evening we will skip the restaurant scene and "dine in". To us, that's one of the delights of having a comfortable apartment that has a fully equipped kitchen. No, my "private chef" Lloyd won't be cooking tonight, because we stopped at Davoli, a very highly-regarded, gourmet prepared food store for a few dishes. What could be better than dining by the light of the sparkling Eiffel Tower! Salut!!