I've sort of given up trying to count the days. Also, when doing so, it's a sad reminder of how much of my time has already passed. I don't feel like a tourist anymore; I've settled into a nice rhythm and feel very much at home in this jewel of a city.
Each day (since about day three) at around 4:00 PM, I start to feel giddy (think Mary Tyler Moore tossing her beret up in the air). Maybe I should go buy a beret to toss. Hmmm....why not?
It's been pretty low-key around here since the girls left on Saturday. The weather has finally turned spring-like and, yesterday, it was actually hot! I met up with one of my friends Jacques (I wrote about him before) and his eight year-old daughter, Giulia, yesterday afternoon. We took a trip to Le Parc de Saint-Cloud just outside of Paris. This is a massive park (see footnote) and is predominantly visited by French folks - no tourists, yay!
We walked around a bit then went to a little cafe in the park for a dish of sorbet (I had a scoop each of fraise, framboise et mangue). It must be said that the sorbet here is unrivaled in taste and texture. It's a near religious experience to taste this frozen confection. I had gotten pretty thin by the end of my first week here. For some reason I had no appetite and really was beginning to waste away. Between the wine, bread, cheese and sorbet, I've managed to put the lost weight back on but it matters not for there are no worries in Paris!
Anyway - back to the park:
"Located to the west of Paris, accessible by subway lines No. 9 and 10, the national domain of Saint-Cloud opens every day of the year its 460 hectares* of protected areas offering exceptional views on the capital.
You will discover the delights of forest areas and water games that blur the wealth of styles and moods of the gardens.
In turn owned by Catherine de Medicis, Sir, brother of Louis XIV, Marie-Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte and III, the area regarded as one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe, is classified a historical monument since November 9, 1994."
It's true about the views. If you could see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night from anywhere in or around the city, this would be the place to do it. Surprisingly, I still have not seen this spectacle in its entirety other than the glimpses I stole my second and eighth nights in Paris. I'm waiting for my husband to share the full monty with me - so it's totally worth the wait!
Today while I was strolling around the hood, I quite accidentally came upon the place where George Sand used to reside (it's about a 45-second walk from my apartment). It's pretty surreal to think that if I'd taken this trip sometime during the mid to late 19th century my neighbors would have been Oscar Wilde and George Sand. And, since it's very near to me, I've been to Le Cafe de Flore several times; that place is haunted by some pretty impressive ghosts.
Mondays are pretty quiet around here. All the museums are closed and most of the shops either don't open or don't open until later in the day. There are no set hours of business, per se, and many times shopkeepers just put a sticky note on the door advising of their approximate time of return. It's a dichotomous mix of laid-back fervor - if that makes any sense at all.
Alrighty - that's enough of my rambling for one day. I've been invited to dinner by Jacques and his family (a special honor), so I need to go find some sort of yummy dessert to bring. I wonder if they have anything like that around here...
-Shannon
*A hectare is equal to 10,000 square meters; so the park is just shy of 1,137 acres - it's huge!
Text from:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.dnsc.fr/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=4&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dparc%2Bde%2Bsaint-cloud%26hl%3Den
Each day (since about day three) at around 4:00 PM, I start to feel giddy (think Mary Tyler Moore tossing her beret up in the air). Maybe I should go buy a beret to toss. Hmmm....why not?
It's been pretty low-key around here since the girls left on Saturday. The weather has finally turned spring-like and, yesterday, it was actually hot! I met up with one of my friends Jacques (I wrote about him before) and his eight year-old daughter, Giulia, yesterday afternoon. We took a trip to Le Parc de Saint-Cloud just outside of Paris. This is a massive park (see footnote) and is predominantly visited by French folks - no tourists, yay!
We walked around a bit then went to a little cafe in the park for a dish of sorbet (I had a scoop each of fraise, framboise et mangue). It must be said that the sorbet here is unrivaled in taste and texture. It's a near religious experience to taste this frozen confection. I had gotten pretty thin by the end of my first week here. For some reason I had no appetite and really was beginning to waste away. Between the wine, bread, cheese and sorbet, I've managed to put the lost weight back on but it matters not for there are no worries in Paris!
Anyway - back to the park:
"Located to the west of Paris, accessible by subway lines No. 9 and 10, the national domain of Saint-Cloud opens every day of the year its 460 hectares* of protected areas offering exceptional views on the capital.
You will discover the delights of forest areas and water games that blur the wealth of styles and moods of the gardens.
In turn owned by Catherine de Medicis, Sir, brother of Louis XIV, Marie-Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte and III, the area regarded as one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe, is classified a historical monument since November 9, 1994."
It's true about the views. If you could see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night from anywhere in or around the city, this would be the place to do it. Surprisingly, I still have not seen this spectacle in its entirety other than the glimpses I stole my second and eighth nights in Paris. I'm waiting for my husband to share the full monty with me - so it's totally worth the wait!
Today while I was strolling around the hood, I quite accidentally came upon the place where George Sand used to reside (it's about a 45-second walk from my apartment). It's pretty surreal to think that if I'd taken this trip sometime during the mid to late 19th century my neighbors would have been Oscar Wilde and George Sand. And, since it's very near to me, I've been to Le Cafe de Flore several times; that place is haunted by some pretty impressive ghosts.
Mondays are pretty quiet around here. All the museums are closed and most of the shops either don't open or don't open until later in the day. There are no set hours of business, per se, and many times shopkeepers just put a sticky note on the door advising of their approximate time of return. It's a dichotomous mix of laid-back fervor - if that makes any sense at all.
Alrighty - that's enough of my rambling for one day. I've been invited to dinner by Jacques and his family (a special honor), so I need to go find some sort of yummy dessert to bring. I wonder if they have anything like that around here...
-Shannon
*A hectare is equal to 10,000 square meters; so the park is just shy of 1,137 acres - it's huge!
Text from:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.dnsc.fr/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=4&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dparc%2Bde%2Bsaint-cloud%26hl%3Den
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