Lisbon.

I have picked up a cool trick since moving here: when I travel I now make sure to read before and/or during my travel a historical fiction novel set in the location which I am visiting. I highly reccomend it; you come to associate elements of your story's plot with what you are getting to see in front of you and it helps to piece back together those fragments of history that you would not otherwise really comprehend.

I think that a little fighting ation, treason, plotting, romance and conspiracy very much add up to a much better touristic experience. For example, in visiting London, I read The Other Boleyn Girl, about King Henry VIII and his court. It gave recognition to the Tower, where Anne Boleyn was beheaded, and perespective to the palaces in and around the city.

I was really fortunate to get to spend this last weekend in Lisbon, Portugal and so I read a book called The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon. It was about the expulsion of Jews from Lisbon and the giant massacre that took place at the turn of the 16th century. The focus of the story is on a man who is murdered at the time of these riots, but actually removed from the rioting and massacre itself. His nephew, the protagonist, seeks to solve the mystery set in the famous historical locations around Lisbon. It really created a vantage point for me in tihs instance, since there isn't much that i knew about Lisbon and its history prior to my visit and reading of this novel.

I arrived in Lisbon Saturday morning, from where I took the local bus into town. My only grievance with this entire trip was that the bus stops [and tram stops] were not at all clearly marked. Some weren't marked at all! The general idea is that you board this bus, mostly with locals, that does not have a site map or a list of stops that the bus will make. Thus, even if you know which stop you were at last, you have no way of knowing which one comes next! I was fortunate that the stop I needed, Picoas [pronounced pee-co-osh] was labeled. albeit in Times New Roman size 12...

I was able to find my hostel, Unreal Hostel, and get settled in to my bunk in an 8-person dorm. From my reconnaisance, at least 2 roommates were guys [judging by shoes] and I guessed one was either old or military, in that his bed was made to a T. I ate some PB&J I had brought from Paris, secured some maps from the front desk and headed out.

It was a picturesque walk from my hostel: really cool building with murals that stretched for their entire sides, the Murano mansion, and the Marques Pombal memorial statue. I turned down Avenida da Liberdade, which guidebooks called comparable to the Champs Elysees of Paris. Well, I beg to differ - the two streets have nothing in common! Champs Elysees is pretentious and touristy; whereas Avenida da Liberdade had tree lined pathways wide enough for groups to pass one another, fountains and some cafes and shops. Obviously, I much preferred the avenida.

I walked and walked and walked, and ended up on the Baixa Chiado, a cool 'lower' neighborhood. There are 7 giant hills that make up Lisbon, and though I am still a bit sketchy on the details of the topography of Lisbon, I am pretty sure this means that this neighborhood is on the side or at the bottom of a hill, versus atop one. I chose a cool cafe with a lovely terrace to enjoy a Coca Lite [I NEVER liked diet Coke at home, but here for some reason I do... weird]. After sitting and reading and people watching for a while, I strolled further on until coming across the main port, Cais do Sodre. I walked along the port for a bit, and then up to the Centre Comerical, where I found a cool market. I thought about buying a cool platter from an old lady that was hand painted in a marbled way, but I wasn't really into many of her color schemes, unfortunately. I have a vision of serving some fabulous hors d'oeurves on a lovely platter from somewhere exotic, but I guess it won't be from Lisbon.

Then I found the Se Cathedral, and jumped on the tram after a quick tour. I knew this was the tram I neded to be on to get ot the 5th century castle atop the tallest hill in Lisbon. But have I mentioned yet how bus and tram stops are not at all marked? We pulled up to a beautiful lookout point where bougainevillas [flowers] crested a wall which framed a stunning view of the sea below. I should have folowed my instinct to get off here, at least to take photos at this view, but alas, i stayed aboard the good ship Lollipop in assumption that a huge tourist spot such as the castle would be marked, and this one was clearly not. I was wrong.

I finally alighted from the blasted tram at the foot of the hill upon whihch sits the castle. I was not about to retry the tram system so I settled in to a nice uphill hike. About an hour later, completely drenched with sweat, my feet aching [it's ok - I carry ibuprofen at all times now], I made it! On the path though, I stumbled upon a gregarious group of German tourists who decided that I knew what I was doing, and that of all smart ieas, they should follow me to the castle! At first they were covert, following me around corners, then stopping for photos until they saw another turn which I was about to take. It made it more fun though; and eventually I asked them if they too were attempting to find the castle, and together we just walked up and up until eventualy we couldn't walk up anymore, and lo and behold there was the castle!

Afterwards, I was so pooped all I could focus on was the forthcoming shower that I needed to scrub off the grime of the city, eight layers of dried sweat and airplane germs from the morning. Arrving back at my hostel, I met the first of my roommates, Flaurent, and could barely compose myself to speak in French - that's how focused on showering I had become!

Clean and refreshed, I was able to now conduct a decent conversation with my French dorm-mate. He is a airplane mechanic in the French Air Force, and we had a good chat. It was also nice getting to know him, since he then took me out for dinner, and together we explored the Bairro Alto, famous for its night life and bar scene.

Sunday I explored Belem, where the Tower of Belem and the Mosteiro [Monastery] dot the famous landscape here. It was really neat to see, and the architecture of the monastery was stunning. I also really enjoyed the gardens there and the Archeological Museum. Though I do think that one of my very favorite things about being in Europe is the happenstance markets that seem to pop up everywhere! I love finding these, and the one I stumbled upon this morning was a treasure trove for the beautiful hand-painted tiles rescued from demolition projects around the city.

Sunday afternoon was a lazy one spent at the beach, of course after a minor ticket-office fiasco, and generally I enjoyed myself amongst the bajillion other sunbathers and teens playing soccer and volleyball, and the kids hooting on vuvuzelas and running by and kicking sand on my face. : )

All in all, I am grateful for a weekend away, and I give Lisbon a genuine gig'em!

Brocante.

Yesterday, [Sunday, 27 Juin] was the Bi-annual Brocante in Le Vesinet. A brocante is a city-wide garage sale and food/antiques fair; and according to preliminary research, is called one of the best flea markets in Paris to hit up. I guess this is based on the principle that the wealthy live in Le Ves, and to be able to pick their things from the street is getting the golden ticket.

Walking around town with Eliza and Kitty, both au pairs here, I came to realize how much I did not want to accumulate so much stuff like this. I know in most cases things are necessary, at least for a time being. But this was truly overwhelming to see - shoes, clothes, collections, antiques, games, junk, and more. I am glad I was able to see it, but it started off a renewed vow to not buy any more stuff while I am here.

And it also incited a bit of a panic to begin organizing for packing - which of course I am procrastinating about.

Fête de la Musique.

Monday, June 21st was summer solstice. Yeehaw! I being, so far north, am now closer to the sun than ever before! This means the sun rises at about 5:30am and sets at 10pm - the sun is bigger in the sky, and I have been soaking it up after a winter bundled in 18 layers.

To celebrate, about 25 years ago, the French Ministry of Culture decided to organize a free, outdoor musical extravaganza. It has now spread and is all over the world!

I went with a friend Kitty, and we toured mostly the 5th and 6th arrondisements. We started at the islands [there are two islands in the Seine that house Notre Dame and the count as the epicenter of downtown], had a plastic cup of shared wine on the river quai and then headed on. These arrondisements are the Latin Quarter and St. Germain de Pres, respectively. The Latin Quarter is where all of the universities are, and thus home to a large artsy-frenchy student population. Here we saw a couple of 20-something rockers playing Iron Man [ACDC], some Latin Flava jiving, and a Beatles/Rolling Stones cover band of 50-somethings. Over in the 6th we saw a great Rockabilly 3-piece band; and man am I sucker for the stand-up bass. I love it! They played Johnny Cash and a couple doo-wops.

It was definitely a great experience, even for someone like me who enjoys music, but is definitely not an officionado. It just brings to mind people like my sister, Pamela, and brother-in-law, Kyle, who really are musical officionados - and how much MORE fun it could have been with such cool folks.

All-night Art Festivals [think back to October with Nuit Blanche] and Music Festivals like this one really do strike me as having become a Parisian. [To a degree: I know my way around - I ditched carrying a map in May, but I am not exactly as surly as necessary to fool some Parisians.] But truly, THIS is culture. This is what makes it Paris, and I am so blessed and so grateful for such awesome memories to keep and to share.

Thanks for reading.



http://www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr/site-2010

Le Cote d'Azur.

This past weekend, I had the fabulous opportunity to travel with a good friend, Amber. After about three weeks of saying we were going to travel this weekend, and procrastinating actually booking a trip, we got together Monday at McDonald’s – free wifi throughout Paris – to plan. However, it was not until Tuesday that I actually booked our trains, and Thursday until we found somewhere to sleep!

I really enjoy last minute travel; a go by the seat of your pants excursion always makes me feel accomplished and excited. Granted, lack of planning in Costa Rica [really my only other intranational or international travel experience] didn’t require much anyway. There, you went to one of 2 bus stops, bags in hand, to buy a ticket. I never once booked a hostel beforehand; often times we just walked the road until one looked nice enough and was within our $10 a night budget! Europe is quite different; but nonetheless exhilarating.

We took an overnight train to Nice, which is on the Cote d’Azur [Mediterranean] of France. As Amber aptly described this experience in her facebook photo album, this was the longest night of our lives! We were fortunate to book first class seats, as they were only 7 euros more than regular seats. So we did get a few more inches to each side and a few more options as to where to try to squish our bodies into a horizontal position. I am not sure what I was expecting. I knew when I chose our seats that they were in fact chairs and not beds, like on some sleeper trains. However, I guess I anticipated having some sort LazyBoy-esque recliner with footrest. And probably provided mini-pillows and blankets in plastic, like on airplanes. No such luck. It was literally negative two degrees in that train compartment! I had packed for the beach, what was I supposed to do? I put on slacks under my dress, a sweater over it and used a jacket to cover up with. I contemplated using another beachy cover-up I had brought to wrap around my feet as mock socks… but couldn’t find the motivation to move from the fetal position that provided the most warmth I could muster.

Meh.

Getting into Nice was great though, and all in all it was worth a sleepless night to arrive at destination at 8:30am and have the full day ahead! Amber fabulously booked us a four-star hotel on lastminute.fr [.com for all of you stateside] that had been reduced to 50% off, making it cheaper than or as cheap as all of the hostels we had looked at. But instead of a hostel, we got a pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, gym, and complimentary bathrobes and slippers! Heck yes! We went to brunch while they finished preparing our room, and then after a quick clean up, headed back to the train station to figure out how to get to Monaco! 5 euros, people. It cost 5 euros to get to the most fabulous place I have encountered in a long while! Yachts five stories high! Ornate architecture and sunlit pathways; a statuesque tropical garden in honor of Grace Kelly, and historic Roman ruins. Lunch on terrace with white couches and umbrellas, gelati and the Monte Carlo casino! Ferraris everywhere, Porsches in abundance… it was opulence to a degree I have never seen before. And though I loved visiting for the day, my friend I am here to witness to you how glad I am that wealth is not one of my ambitions. I hope to pay bills and be responsible and have enough to be a little care-free, it’s true – but I also genuinely hope I never find myself in such a fashion that I have so much money and spend it on things like five-story yachts and Ferraris and Porsches. For it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than to pass a camel through the eye of a needle. [That’s scripture, y’all – Mark 10:25, Luke 18:25, AND Matthew 19:24.]

That evening we had dinner in a large pedestrian square, the Place Garibaldi, and had one of the best salads ever. I promise to duplicate it for you when I am on my visiting tour back in the states!

Sunday morning, we woke up ridiculously early and headed out to find the port [which we discovered the previous night, for before finding our dinner restaurant, we toured the beaches and monuments on the coast in Nice] from where we would be taking our cruise to St. Tropez.

I almost don’t even want to describe the next hour for you… physically and emotionally too painful! [Mostly just physically.]

1. I realize that I grabbed the map of Monaco and not the map of Nice we needed to find the port in a timely manner. [Don’t judge harshly – have you ever accumulated the ‘travel purse’? It’s hideous and includes about 35 pamphlets and 17 maps; business cards, menus and ticket stubs.]
   
2. We don’t find the port in a timely manner.
   
3. I am gaining blisters on the soles of my feet due to walking quickly and so far [we turned 15 minutes into 45] in impractical shoes. [Again, don’t judge harshly – I was planning on sipping mimosas on a cruise to St. Tropez and then loafing on a beach or at a lounge bar, ok?]
   

We made it to the port eventually, with about 10 minutes before they untied the boat from the dock. Thank you Lord, again, for providing us with locals to give us directions!

The cruise was a fun time. It was a bit chilly as the morning air had not yet warmed and the clouds were fairly dense still. But it was definitely worth the goose bumps to sit on top of the boat to see humongous mansions built into the cliffs and sides of Nice. We sailed out to St. Marguerite island, and saw the prison in which the Man in the Iron Mask was held… creepy. We viewed Cannes and its incredible sealine architecture, and stopped to let further tourists aboard. Then on to St. Tropez!

We docked, saw the beach, some ruins, laid out on the ruins – remember the early morning I mentioned? Totally led to both Amber and I snoring on a seawall behind a Rolex event. Awesome! We shopped a little, walked up the docks in hopes of a yachting invite [didn’t happen: ( ], had a drink, dipped into the Mediterranean and hopped back on our cruise. Once back and cleaned up we hit up gelati [for dinner…yikes] and then strolled the Promenade des Anglais, on which can be found the Belle Epoque hotels, including the Negresco. The Negresco is a beautiful hotel with gilded edges and a green and pink domed roof; unfortunately for us it was completely under construction.

I have been settling back into Paris nicely, and enjoying no longer being the palest I have been since I was 14. Although the explosion of suitcase on my floor is just waiting for that opportune moment when I will be productive… might as well be now, right?

Chateau de Vincennes and Parc Floral de Paris.

The 10th of June I went to Chateau de Vincennes on the East Side of Paris with ladies from my Bible Study. We went to a tea room for some coffee and tea, and I couldn’t resist a raspberry pistache tart – mom good. The castle itself was so interesting to visit! It was constructed in the 14th century as the main fortressed palace for Paris. It was all fashioned in such a military style completely in opposition when juxtaposed with the Palais Royal [connected to the Louvre], the luxurious and opulent palace of Versailles, and even the hunting Chateau right next to where I live in St. Germain-en-Laye. It was also neat to me, because as I have been reading a lot of historical fiction lately, I was able to more fully grasp the style of the people in the 1200’s and 1300s of which I am currently reading. [I should post a booklist of all the books I have been reading… but then again, I should have written them all down, because though I remember the stories well, I am always so hazy on author and title!]

Just behind the Chateau was the Parc Floral de Paris, and it was absolutely stunning! Gorgeous blooms, wonderful scents, and we even got to see a peacock display for a passing female! We had a good lunch, though mine was the worst hamburger I have had in France. Bummer, too, as I was really looking forward to a gourmet burger with medium rare minced sirloin and some fancy stinky cheese with some fancy spicy mustard… yum. What I got: sesame seed bun, waaayyyy past well-done beef, with a slice of I KID YOU NOT American cheese. DISAPPOINTING! But it was still fun, and even the most mature of the ladies in our group, probably at 60, was the youngest in the entire café of blue-hairs!

What a neat part of town that is, and it's been on my list to check out for the longest time! Plus, upon discovery of the outdoor ampitheatre in the Park, I will definitely be headed out for some after work free concerts!

Workin' Hard for the Money.

With having a newborn around, we have definitely had our work cut out for us around the house. Jennifer is recovering from having an unexpected cesarean, and that is hitting Sebastian hard. Unfortunately, she is unable to lift him or hold him, as he is too heavy and she could further injure her internal organs, and rip stitches! Poor kid, though, he is so upset these days – not that he has a new baby brother [he is quite ecstatic about that] but just because he doesn’t get why Mommy can’t pick him up. It really is pretty heart breaking.

Goodness gracious, though. That boy is sooo mischievous! Terrible twos, for sure. Jen asked if I could possibly take on a few more hours, as she is not sure about handling Sebastian and Luke at home on her own – especially when she isn’t physically 100% yet! So I am now working 12hours on Fridays – 8am to 8pm with only naptime for a break. It’s definitely like I am a mom, and let me tell ya – toddlers are rough. I have a new found respect for those beautiful people in my life like my Mom and one Miss Alyssa Kreutter who have managed multiple two and three year-olds in preschool. Thank you and now I get what a lot of your stories meant!

May the Fourth Be With You.

**Disclaimer: this is soooo old. I hadn’t realized my mistake of saving draft and not publishing. My heartfelt apologies to those who care! **

Have you heard that one? Apparently Star Wars nerds celebrate May 4th.... regardless, it makes me chuckle. : ) How is it already the middle of May? How is it that my mom's visit has already come and gone?! May in France is holiday-packed. May 1st is French Labor Day. Though it was a Saturday, which means offices and schools didn't close, it did definitely mean that everything else did. And boy, do I mean EVERYTHING closed. No boulangeries, no shopping, no movies even. May 8th marks the celebration of the end of World War II and the end of Gestapo presence in France. Parades were held Wednesday the 5th - Saturday the 8th; and again, everything was closed! Living abroad has become a piece of cake; there are still definitely arduous struggles with the kids, homesickness for drive-thrus and burritos and family and friends. But given the opportunity to share my life here with one of the most important people in my life really makes it that much better. When I came back from Costa Rica [double-07] I had a rough time with reverse culture shock. I thought that reverse culture shock meant that I wouldn't want to come back to the States, that I would hate American culture, etc. I am sure that is what it is for some people; but for me it was just an awful state of loneliness. I won't get into all of that, but what I realized was that the hardest part of returning was that everyone asked "how was Costa Rica?!" and expected "so great!" to be my entire answer. I am sure you know by reading this, and by your own experiences abroad, or just apart from your comfort zone, that there is always so much that is great, yet still a percentage that really blows. I felt like at that time I couldn't say that parts of it sucked, so I felt like no one could relate to this life-changing ordeal. Fortunately, this won’t be the case upon my return home this time. Having my mom, Mrs. S. Renee Stone come to visit has meant the world to me!
Friday I headed out to the airport to pick up Mom, and we proceeded to lug the bags across town via RER trains. Finally getting to the hotel and having had lunch, we took some naps and then came out to Le Vésinet where Mom wooed Alexandra, and got to meet Jen and her mom Betsy. Sebastian is ever shy and tends to turn away in that cute way where he is still eyeing you with the peripherals! Luke had just come home and he is cute even though he is very much in that squnched-up lizard stage. : )

The evening was spent in honor of the birth of one lovely Becca Hare; a full-out French appetizer dinner was served, and though delicious – 14 courses later, we were both in some serious pain. You just can’t refuse French hostesses – we truly tried!

Saturday we spent a wonderful lazy morning in the hotel eating breakfast and trying to get our pestering cleaning lady to leave us alone! [Only complaint of the week: the maid didn’t wait for us to put the tray out when we were finished, she knocked on the door on her own about30 minutes after delivery so there always seemed a pressure to eat quickly… yikes. We walked to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees then went back to Le Vesinet to get some lunch and picnicked at Ibis, the park and lake at which I run, hang out, and play with the kids at the playground. We fed ducks and ducklings, geese and goslings. So much fun and completely reminiscent of my childhood in Carrollton spent at the park doing the same thing! [In fact, I am still getting chased by mean old swans!]

We went to St. Germain-en-Laye, and upon our exit from the RER tunnel, encountered a full-on Scottish bagpipe and drums band marching through the square. After a few performances we headed on to see the chateau, the gardens there, some cute shops the town has to offer, and upon stumbling upon the marche [market] area, we found an international festival and a German [lederhosen and all] band marching through! That night we went to dinner at one of the restaurants I really enjoy here, Suffren, in the 7th arrondisement – quite close to Eiffel Tower. Mom and I each had some fabulous food and a great time feeling ‘very French’ in it all. Our table-neighbors truly added to the ambience: imagine the most classically French old couple you can. Do you have a mental image? Does it look like a balding man in a suit with a pocket square who orders brings his dog to sit under the table? Is he ordering a platter of oysters and guzzling wine? Is his wife wearing a fur coat, with bushy hair and out-of-the-lines red lipstick? Well then, my friend, you are indeed spot-on. Giggles most definitely ensued.

Sunday we went to church and I got to show Mom off to my friends there! My typical Sundays include a slow breakfast and getting ready routine, maybe reading and doing some Bible study, church and then picnic at the Eiffel Tower… so that is what we did! We also visited Montmartre: the district which houses Sacre Coeur, an incredible basilica as well as Moulin Rouge and the other cabarets. Then we beat it out that part of town which is quite dodgy after dark!

Monday, we went to Notre Dame, and then to Ile St. Louis for some famous gelati. At 11am. You know that’s how we do! We had a blast checking out the shops on the island; I got some jewelry, Mom found some gifts and souvenirs, and we had fun with the comical oddities the French come up with as house wares! We had a good lunch in a corner café on St. Germain, a major street on the right bank that is lots of fun to stroll. It is also the beginning to the University area in the Latin Quarter. After lunch we walked by the Conciergerie [where the guillotine was famously held – the one which decapitated thousands of prisoners as well as Marie Antoinette, I believe.] We kept going after having crossed the river and saw the Hotel de Ville [City Hall] and its wonderful Manege [Carousel]. Then, to celebrate Mother’s Day, although a little late, we went to Bazaar Hotel de Ville [BHV] to get some Chanel lipstick. Fabulous, dah-ling. Fabulous. We shopped and hung out in the Marais, got a café and enjoyed some down time.

Tuesday we went to Bible Study and then Mom helped me with work! We picked up Alexandra at school, and tried desperately to find a parking spot in the rain for the library. After half an hour of futile efforts, I let Alexandra and Sebastian help with a tour of our favorite spots – Park Lorraine [affectionately referred to Boogly-Boogly Park, wherein lies the merry-go-round namesake, Boogly Boogly] and where we go to gymnastics twice a week. I packed up all of my coats and boots that could possible fit into a suitcase for Mom to take back for me, and after vacuum-sealing and having to sit on it to shut it, we carted it back across town.

Wednesday definitely more bitter than sweet. I had discussed with Mom the night before how much I would love if she could just stay here. If any of you comforting people could just be here with me! Her wise response, of course, was that if that were the case, then I would never actually be myself, and I would never be so independent. True words, and well spoken. Though I do miss you all sorely!