Advertisement
Published: November 22nd 2012
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Proust
Bonjour mes amis! French will be the theme of my upcoming blogs as my beret & I are off to Paris for a week. Oui oui!!
After turning down my friend Martha's offer year after year to join her on her annual business trip to the "City of Light", I am finally going with her tomorrow! Yee-haw! Thank you hubby so much for making this happen (xoxo), and Susan as well, for helping get my 3 gals to school! (You're the best!) And hugs to the back-up team, Maureen, Kelsey, Cindy, Mom & Linda L. It truly does "take a village" (& some gifts from Paris!) to make it possible. And thanks to my 3 fabulous daughters for being so encouraging of me to take this trip (ahem, without them!)
I like the idea of going in November because it won't be teeming with crowds fighting tooth & nail to see the sights. I just don't have the patience nor the fortitude to stand in line for 4 hours to see the Mona Lisa. Tonight is the grand unveiling of the
city's Christmas decorations, so this lover of all-things Christmas is like a dog with its head out the window lapping it all up.
I know you're thinking, another trip?! Well the fact is, writing about travel to Mexico for the luxury vacation rental company, Playa Beach Condos & Villas certainly has its perks! Tonya, the amazing & fabulous owner of Playa Beach Condos has treated me like gold, especially with compted (sometimes free) trips to Playa del Carmen (MX). This has allowed us to indulge in our love of travel to Mexico, far more than we would've been able to do so otherwise. And it doesn't hurt that I can stretch a dollar like nobody's business. Here's one of the many travel blogs I have written on the Riviera Maya that's on Playa Beach's website for any "newbies!"
http://www.yourbestgetaway.com/beach-etiquette-tips/ Other than covering my flight (which I got a great deal on, thanks to the research of my niece Meghan who works with Marth xo), the accommodations are covered by Marth's employer so I really just have to cover food & drink. The "40 percent off Queen" (as Al calls me) reigns again! Who doesn't like a good deal? And I’m not beneath eating out of a dumpster or two as it is Paris after all folks, to stretch out my euros! Give me a baguette, a slab of French cheese, a splash of crushed grapes & call me 'heurese' (happy.)
It seems a bit ironic going to the “City of Love” without Al, given the fact Paris is packed to the rafters with lovey-dovey hand-holding couples. And then there will be us two, Marth & me...staying in a quaint little hotel...with twin beds...Sounds romantic doesn't it? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to settle on being seduced by Paris itself & all its charms.
We'll be staying at Hotel Louvre Marsollier Opera in the heart of old Paris, and close enough to walk to the Louvre, the Musee D'Orsay and not too far from the famous Champs-Élysées. Paris is divided up into 20 districts referred to as "arrondissements" and we will be in #2, the Opera district which is on the right bank.
The Hotel Louvre was once the residence of the very witty Irish literary legend,
Oscar Wilde, back in 1899. Maybe by staying there some of his wit and writing panache will rub off on me. (No doubt all you poor folks reading my blogs are really hoping it will too!) One of my favorite quotes of his is,
"Always forgive your enemies, nothing annoys them so much". So for this trip I did in-depth research. OK I didn't; I just threw on my PJ’s, sipped a glass of Champagne (the real stuff from France, not the bubbly cheap stuff I usually buy!) & watched a few must-see Paris themed movies. Amelie (what a movie), La Vie en Rose (based on the tragic life of singer Edith Piaf) & a must-see), & the stunningly animated Oscar-nominated movie, "Ratatouille" (Rat-a-too-ee). Take an adorable rat named Remy who dreams of becoming a great chef in Paris, add in some amazing Paris cityscapes, the delectable way they animate the food, a big dash of wit & humour & you've got yourself one amazing feast for the eyes. (Trust me, once you get past the "rat" part, you'll find yourself totally immersed in his quest to leave his garbage-eating days behind him.) It's brilliant frankly, and the ending throws you an unexpected curve via the great Peter O'Toole!
When Remy tries to convince his slob of a brother not to throw everything down his gullet but to slow down & "savor the taste of cheese and fruit together", well it caught me hook, line and Camembert!!! (Oh boy, these blogs are going to get "cheesy". Heh heh.)
After watching this little gem, this food lover/hostess/food shopper/wine drinker who's going to one of the most celebrated food cultures in the world, is now readeee to taste Pareeee! Finger snap.
So I'm hoping to get to the Louvre Museum, Musee D’Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg Museum, Grand Palais, Montmartre, and the Latin Quarter. Otherwise, I'm more than happy to spend some time people-watching from a little cafe on the Champs-Elysees.
PS don't forget to leave your comments below on any of my travel blogs! It will make me feel close to home! (A few of you new to the blogs asked how to read previous trips we've taken to Mexico; they are on the right side grouped by trips/by date!)
Salut from the "40 percent-off Queen" who's almost in Paris!! I'm sure, with Martha & I heading to Paris, there will be plenty of stories to come, so click next entry...😊
PS this blog site doesn't have spell check so I'm somewhat winging it!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.408s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 10; qc: 110; dbt: 0.2462s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.4mb
Anne
non-member comment
Here you go again!
I love your frigging life! Can I have some cheese with my whine please? Bon voyage, ma belle Sally!