Paris: un, deux, trois

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So I haven't been able to completely keep up with my blog. I blame it on the introduction of wine to my travels.

We've been taking things slow here and I've been catching up on the loss of sleep during Iceland. It gets dark here around 10:30, so that helps with the sleeping, so does the wine. Basically we are enjoying the luxury of having Jen and Stewart show us around. We've eaten and drank very well, choosing to go to the markets for groceries and cooking ourselves. The wine is great and believe it or not, I am actually drinking a red wine as we speak. More so, I'm actually liking it!

When we arrived in paris on Friday we were all pretty beat. Saturday we had reservations in Burgundy to do some wineries. Unfortunately I couldn't muster the energy nor desire to jump back in a rental car to tryout some red wines, so we bailed on that trip. Though we had to suck up the cost of the hotel, the extra sleep and the chance to chill was well worth it.

This time in Paris I am having a very different experience. My first time here was 10 years ago. I absolutely hated it. Every second I was here was too long. We had seen the sights, but Paris just wasn't what I had expected it to be.

With no expectations, great friends, and newly married, I decided to give this city a fresh chance. There must be something great about this supposedly romantic city and without even trying to, I found it.

Jen and Stewart live in the Marais near hotel de Ville. There neighborhood is truly beautiful and very Parisian. Notre Dame is around the block and over a bridge. Of course there is all the baguettes, cheese, and chocolate shops one could want. Justin and I spent Friday just walking around. We sat next to the Seine and ate an eclair. We came back to the house made dinner and opened our first of many bottles wine.

Saturday began with my first croissant--ever. It was pretty damn good. After breakfast Stewart took us on a long walk around the neighborhood. We saw many churches including St. Michael, St. Paul, St. Sulplice, and Norte dame. I left a candle at St. Joseph's memorial in St.. Sulplice for my grandfather and grandmother, said a prayer like a good catholic, then left this truly magnificent church. We saw the French pantheon, many of the gardens, walked in the Latin quarter, shopped on rue de mouffetard, and st. Germaine, then headed back for a nice afternoon nap. Following our nap, Jen suggested we head to Versailles for the night show of the gardens and fountains. I guess this happens only on saturday nights in the summer and its not well advertised for tourists. She had said it was her favorite thing to do in paris. This sounded amazing and it ALMOST was.

When I woke up, Justin had the backpack packed with a picnic spread and two bottles of wine. We were going to picnic at versailles then enter the gardens at 9 pm for the fountain and fire show. Classical music was blaring, the fountains were going off Bellagio style, the fire show was awesome, and the gardens were beautiful. Justin easily kept my wine glass full, and so after we dined on cheese, meat, sandwiches, and chocolate, we walked around the gardens of versailles. It was perfectly romantic, beautiful, and french except all of this was in the pouring rain. In fact, it did not stop raining from the time we left Jen and Stewart's until we got back. It was still awesome though, and the crappy weather will only make it more memorable.

Today we went to this huge market and picked up souvenirs as well as fresh seafood and groceries for tonights dinner. After that, Justin and I decided to do some exploring on our own. We opted to walk to the Eiffel tower. On our way, we this awesome bridge that had hundreds of locks locked to it. Each lock had either a name written on it or couples initials like D.G + J.M. When I asked Jen about this bridge, she informed me that the French leave a lock on the bridge and throw the key in the river, a way to leave a part of them in Paris. I liked that. In fact, I think it was my favorite part of Paris yet.

As our walk continued we saw the Eiffel tower, the arc de triomphe, and ave des champs-élysées.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly why my feelings have changed towards this city. Maybe it is because I've enjoyed a more local side of town, staying in a more residential area, being able to cook, drinking wine by the bottle as opposed to the glass. Maybe it's the amazing tour guides. Maybe its the lack of pressure to see it "all", or the lack of expectations. Maybe all of these things and one more.

On my walk I was thinking back to 10 years ago when I had a crush on a boy named Justin Meeks. On my trip to Europe, 10 years ago, I thought about him. I thought about him when I walked the same streets that I walked today. Except this time he is holding my hand. Everyday I'm happy I married him, but on this trip I'm actually smug and proud and thrilled to be in Paris with him.

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