Monet & The Champs Elysees

---

Whew! Am I ever pooped. John's out trying to find an iron (hotels seem to want to charge your for pressing instead of providing you with an iron which, as I sit here typing this parenthised comment, I don't really blame them. Except that hotels are for guests and guests should have certain amenities available. Whatever, I told you I'm tired and evidently I'm not making much sense)! He's also trying to find a face cloth. Apparently, they don't use them in France. Don't really want to think about that really. I've heard Europeans don't always shave so I can understand razors being an issue but face cloths?? All the french I've seen have faces so who knows.

Speaking of faces, we walked (everywhere! but I'll get to that) along Rue St. Honore (this American-ized blog tool won't let me use accents so bear with the naked look of the french words without their appropriate accent over them, under or beside the letters) and we came across the most beautiful smelling place ever. It was coming from a store but the whole corner smelled like a garden. It was a woman's face cream boutique with small small small bottles of cream selling for upwards of a 100 euro (roughly $150 cdn). No wonder Parisien woman look so chic! We also wandered by a couple of evening wear stores where dresses fell into the 4500 euro range. I won't even try to do the conversion for that b/c blondie here can't rationalize spending any currency - euro, cdn, monopoly money - on a dress that much. Paris is definitely a french New York. More so, I guess, b/c it's "haute couture".

So we'll fill you in on where we left off last night...(as I write this I keep getting up and going out on the balcony to see if the Eiffel Tower is still there. I still can't believe its right outside!

K. Last night, John suggested we wander along the Seine and find a place to eat. I was tickled pink with the romantic notion of it all and jumped at the chance. It was every bit as beautiful as you have seen in movies, read in books or imagined in your head. Boats floated to and fro along the Seine, couples stolled hand in hand along the banks and the odd lone young man was sitting on a bench writing in a book. Seriously! I'm not making this up.

We then happenend upon a brasserie that was still open as it was almost midnight by this point. We weren't very hungry b/c of our earlier cheese and wine interlude so John just had some frites and I had crepes sucre - with a glass of Cotes du Rhone, of course. John was excited b/c they have 1L mugs of Heineken but he restrained himself from the gluttony of that! On the way home we just allowed ourselves to get lost in Paris. The are so many side streets that are filled with amazing shops and restaurants and the only way you are likely to find them as a non-local is to simply wander. They're narrow, cobble-stoned and filled with history. Getting yourself lost in this city is the greatest gift you can have.

Now for today. Jeez - this entry is super long and it's only 6pm here! There's a whole evening ahead of us yet!! Apologies for the detailed report but there is so much that everyone should be privy to when it comes to Paris that I can't stop! The tragedy of course is that overall Paris exudes a feeling and no matter how much we relay back to you, it needs to be experienced. That being said....I go back to this morning.

I set the alarm so I could get to the Musee d'Orsay when it opened (no, I'm not an art geek but I wanted to avoid the entry line which, I am happy to report, I did by mere minutes)! After going through MOMA in NYC and volunteering to go to the Louvre tomorrow, John opted to not join me so I headed out solo. And to all concerned, I felt very safe. It was a lovely 15 minute walk from our hotel.

I spent about 2 hours marvelling at the rooms of Monet, Van Gogh and Renoir. Monet had a complete room! It was heavenly. Being in Monet's city and taking in his original canvasses made the paintings come alive for me even more. I've always loved his work and the history behind his era of painting but this morning was definitely a "moment". Degas' pastel drawings were surprisingly moving as well but what I really liked was that during the late 1800's women were depicted as "rubenesque". Curves were admired, "excess skin" was considered beautiful enough to paint. It was at that moment in the Musee d'Orsay that I realized I was born in the wrong era. The "Twiggy" type models of today would be a horror for Renoir. One stroke of the brush and a leg would be done! Another stroke and he'd have painted an arm!

After the cultural morning, John suggested we walk along the Champs-Elysees to check out the infamous "rue de shopping". We wandered through the Jardins des Tuilieries, down to the Arc de Triomphe stopping for lunch at a sidewalk cafe where we enjoyed baguettes with jambon et fromage - et vin rouge, bien sur!

And now we're tired. Going to have a nap and then head to the St. Germain area on the Left Bank for dinner. Peter (John's cousin Jane's boyfriend who was the tour guide we mentioned in London) said it is "magical" over there. I'm not sure how much more magic we can stand. Paris has put on a good show already!

Miss you all!!

P.S. John just got back with the iron. The brand is Princess and they're tag line is "What's a home without a princess?" Somehow I think there is irony (no pun intended!) in the fact he brought that one back for me!

---