Made it back to San Diego - 22 1/2 hours later (whew!)

Hello loyal 'followers' of my blog. Sorry for being 'out of pocket'. Technical difficulties plagued me on Friday and Saturday was busy - had lots of packing to do too.

I have great stories and photos to update you with of my Friday and Saturday happenings. I promise to have them up by the end of the day Monday.

Thanks for your patience and for your interest in my blog and travels.

xo
Lizzie

PS - One good thing about being home - I get to sleep in my own bed. :-) 

Thanksgiving Day in Paris

Awoke to cloudy, cold skies. 36 degrees with a 70% chance of snow - I hope so. Also, supposed to snow tonight, but less chance. Fingers and toes sufficiently crossed. :-)

Enjoyed my cafe au lait this a.m. while spying on my French neighbors - check out this boutique on the street below. I love how everything is locked up neat and tidy at night, and reopened the next day. Fascinating.

He's folding the door's that cover the windows. They fit neatly into these little pockets and viola! Storefront open for business. He has no idea I'm watching him...heehee

Today I'm going to get my shop on. It's day 5 and I've yet to buy myself anything of value - of course chocolate and wine are of value to me, but I'm talking fashion. Going to venture over to the 2e, 8e and 9e Arrondisements today. More later...

Well, I had quite the adventure. I covered a lot of ground. My first stop was the fabulous Galaries Lafayette. Paris has a few opera houses. Each one is an amazing work of art and architecture. Enroute to shopping I passed the Opera de Paris Garnier (hey, do you think that's where the Garnier hair products get their name? LOL) located at Place de L'Opera. I couldn't get the whole building in one photo, so I settled for the end closest to me, which is mirrored on the opposite end. There was also an impressive banner advertising for the ballet. For more info about this click on: http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/operagarnier.htm

The area was buzzing with people. This is a very heavily visited tourist area. I wanted to see the shops so I forged on.

Wow - talk about a real department store, Galeries Lafayette did not disappoint!

Ladies picture the first floor - nothing but handbags, scarves and acessories. And it's no shrinking violet, it's a whole lot of square footage. Stunning! All of the designers are kept separate, which makes for easy shopping. The really high-end (Prada, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, etc) all had their own boutiques bordering the main floor, each with their own bodyguard / doorman to let you past the red velvet rope. I was too intimidated to go in any of them or even snap a photo of the door dudes. Yikes.

I did spend the better part of an hour messing up my hair trying on every type of stylish hat I could get my hands on. There were a couple of front runners, but in the end, I chickened out. I've never been much of a hat wearer and beside where else am I going to wear it? I suppose Ohio, but...I move on.

I travel upstairs. I have NO idea where I'm going, I'm just admiring the fabulousness of it all and trying to keep my mouth from gaping open. This must be what it's like at Saks NYC, or was at the old Tiedtke's in Toledo, during the holidays. The decorations were amazing! I didn't feel bad snapping photos, I was in good company.

Sadly I couldn't get the whole tree, but you get the jist. They even had giant gift-wrapped packages dangling from the domed ceiling. Enchanting....

I think there were 5 or 6 stories to the store. This next shot gives you an idea of what each level looked like.

Those curved balcony's were where tourists like me stood to snap photos. They also housed different collections, but who was looking at clothes, I was far too fascinated with the holiday decor. :-)

Next on to Au Printemps - a rival of Galeries Lafayette - but according to the guidebook more upscale. It's far too crazy busy in there, so I opt for window shopping, which at Printemps doesn't disappoint, as they have magical windows. 

 

Each of these major retailers have a separate store for ladies, men's and home. So imagine 6 of them flanking the streets. In between was every other French chain with a shop dotting the streets. Who knew Agnes B. would have a stand alone store?? Not me.

             Zoomed in on the sparkle - it was so festive

Approaching the 'magical' windows that are Printemps. :-) So cool! Each one came to life, set to different music - ranging from rap to classical, pop to jazz. I took video, but don't know how to upload it here.

Seriously, they were live action puppet shows in the windows!

I've never seen anything like it. So cool

And then I nearly broke out into song when I spied the 'Chestnuts roasting on and open fire' - not exactly a Bing Crosby moment, but I had to snap a picture. There are chestnut trees everywhere in Paris.

My next stop Galerie Vivienne, but just around the corner I stumbled upon a quaint little 'off the beaten path' square, where I saw this shop and like the way it looked so I photographed it.

Galerie Vivienne - it even sounds chic! The grand dame of Paris's 19th-century passages couverts, or covered arcades, walking through this restored (inside but not outside) gallery, with its tiled floor will take you back to a time of gaslights and horse-drawn carriages. An excerpt from my guide book - Parisians came to passages like this to escape the muddy streets, and show amid the boutiques under the glass-and-iron roofs-the world's first shopping malls.

Outside is currently under rennovation, but inside was completely restored to an amazing sight.

Imagine what it must have been like in the 19th century? Wow. And I did see the Jean-Paul Gaultier boutique, but not photos - too shy.

My tummy was growling after all this shopping, well actually it was a lot of walking and looking, not much real shopping. Even though I have $$ burning a hole in my pocket. I am my father's daughter in that regard. :-)

On my way to St. Germain (in the 6e) I spied this vendor. Candy anyone?!

My colleague Brenna told me about this restaurant that had really good Bouef Bourguinon - which is what I wanted for my Thanksgiving feast. It delivered. The beef was super tender and full of flavor. The service was a bit lacking, but the dinner made up for it. I originally ordered the pumpkin soup (per Brenna) and the BB, and for dessert the spided apple in warm carmel sauce. Unfortunately, the soup never came, but it was probably just the same - I probably would have needed to be hoisted out by crane and wheel-barrowed home.

Instead I was able to pop back over to the Champs-Elysees area for the Village de Noel (Christmas Market). I heard about it when researching markets online. It was super festive, music, spiced wine, and lots of shops. It was afterall a day for shopping. :-)

View of the Eiffel Tower from Place de la Concorde.

Paris is trying to rival London's Eye - not even close, but impressive at night, in the shadow of the Obelisk.

The rows of shops on both sides of the street.

Cheese anyone? Yum!

Super happy I froze my tail off - to see this, it was a perfect end to a lovely Thanksgiving Day. Seriously, by the time I got home my legs felt like when I was a kid and played out in the snow too long. It took forever to warm up. What? I have thin blood, I've been in San Diego for 20 years!

Train ride anyone? Hey Izzy, I think I saw Fancy Nancy on the train! :-) 

I have a few more photos to add, but am having technical difficulties - will try again tomorrow AND give you Friday's update. Need to get up early for the Marche Aux Puce's (super duper flea market) leather goods here I come.

Happy Black Friday!

Well, as some of you know, I had a bit of insomnia last night. They know because they saw me online from midnight to 4:00 a.m. my time. Not sure if it was the Bouef Bourguinon, too many chocolate covered almonds, or the pain au chocolate for a bedtime snack...but I couldn't sleep. And believe me, I was tired. I shopped ALL DAY.

Therefore, I'm getting a late start to my Friday and will post my Thursday and Friday happenings when I get home tonight.

Au revoir for now.

Wednesday in Paris

How wonderful to wake up to blue sunny skies! A very crisp morning, but who cares - I have a winter coat, scarf and gloves, who needs more?! I put on some hot water, to make my cafe in the appropriate French Press. LOVE it! It was delicious. I planned the days events while savoring it.

Today I decided to spend time in the 5e (Latin Qtr) and 6e (St. Germain-de-Pres), again meandering. A little more of an agenda than yesterday - but very loose. I took Line 4 straight to St. Michel and decided since it was such a lovely day I'd start with Jardin des Plantes (Botantical Gardens). Very similar to San Diego's Balboa Park, complete with a zoo and museums (which include Evolution, Paleontology, Entomology and Mineralogy). It was a quick visit, while the sun was out the wind was blowing, which made for a chilly visit.

Cool Slate Monument

Dedicated to this guy.

Part of the Zoo Buildings

The surrounding gardens. Lots of people exercising - not moi!

Close-up of dude.

Adjacent to the gardens is the La Grande Mosquee de Paris (Grand Mosque of Paris). I was really excited to see this place, as the guidebook really talked it up. Sadly it wasn't much from the street and I wasn't in the mood to go inside. Bummer.

It was basically a big tall wall all the way around and this tower. I did peek in the courtyard when I was walking by, but just wasn't in the mood for a religious experience, if you know what I mean. No offense.

En route to The Pantheon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panth%C3%A9on,_Paris I snapped some pics of typical French-style living.

I want to live here!

While I strolled, I stumbled upon a dime store, for lack of remembering what it was called, where I popped in to buy an alarm clock - since the clock here in the apartment still says 9:30 after 4 days. LOL Yay, now I can fall asleep and not worry about oversleeping, hence my insomnia last night - those of you who found me on Facebook at 3 a.m. Who cares, I'm on vacation!

The Pantheon is quite amazing, especially when you're not expecting it around the next corner. Wham-O!

As you approach The Pantheon, which is famous for being a mausoleum of famous dead people. Among those buried in its necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Marie Curie, Louis Braille, and Soufflot, its architect. Built in 1790 - very cool.

This is the Place de St. Genevieve, which sits adjacent to The Pantheon and is very ornate, I tend to photograph buildings I find interesting...fair warning. I'll always try to tell you what it is.

I really liked the way the light was hitting this building.  I never bothered to see what it was until I came home and looked it up on the Internet. It's actually the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, which inherited the writings and collections of one of the largest and oldest abbeys in Paris. It was founded in the sixth century, the building construction began in 1842 and was completed in 1850. What you can't see in this picture are names of people inscribed in the facade. Come to find out, those are the names of the 810 illustrious scholars of the library. Pretty cool.

This is a view from the side of The Pantheon, as I make my way through the square. I thought this was amazingly beautiful - the picture doesn't really do it justice. In my research, it's Corinthian order, which is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Who knew? Not me. :-)

Another cool building adjacent to The Pantheon - sorry no history lesson here, I have no idea what it is, I just liked the way it curved.

At the opposite end of The Pantheon, in the distance, is the Eiffel Tower. Those are the snow clouds moving in. Brrrr. I was going to go to Musee de Cluney, which apparently is now known as Musee National du Moyen-Age, but to be honest my tummy was growling and lunch sounded better than an art collection in a former Abbey on the site of an ancient Roman bath. Hey, I've been to Italy and Spain - you've seen one Roman bath you've seen 'em all. Just saying.

Behold the Roman Bath - funny how it now has a pane glass windows. LOL

Now on to lunch, where I'm sure some of my close friends will be surprised, but I've brought meat back into my world. Maybe just for this trip, maybe not. Maybe for special occasions - but I will try to only consume sustainable meats, unless of course I'm in Paris. :-) Bring on the Steak Frites!

As I meandered toward the restaurant of choice, I strolled down Blvd. St. Michel where there were some very snazzy boutiques. I popped in a few, and quickly popped out after spying their price tags. I did however almost buy a knit beret. Just wasn't sold on the color. Lots of shopping left to do, so I know I'll find one. Hopefully tomorrow, my ears are getting cold.

My good friend Barb Makinster, her husband John and daughter Hayley, are big fans of Les Duex Musees the restaurant I chose for lunch. Actually it was very premeditated, I knew when I woke up that's where I was going for lunch. It didn't disappoint. AND as luck would have it, the Makinster's favorite waiter was on hand too. He didn't wait on me, but I made sure to get a photo with him, explaining that he was famous in San Diego - he just laughed went with it. 

He's on the right, my waiter is on the left. They were both good sports. I'm sure they were crackin' jokes when I left "crazy Americans". LOL

I decided I needed to fit one more stop in on my way back to the Marais - which by the way means marshland - thanks Brenna and Morgan. :-) I was going to go to the Musee Rodin, where I thought the infamous "Kiss" was. But after reading my travel book closer - it's just a miniture that inspired 'The Kiss', plus the majority of the exhibits are outside and let's face it - I'm cold. So I settled on Eglise St. Sulpice instead.  

Passed this beautiful building on the way to the Metro.



And those of you who know me well, know I couldn't have passed this flag without taking its photo! One word: PRICELESS!! Where do I sign-up?!

Eglise St. Sulpice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89glise_Saint-Sulpice,_Paris a Roman Catholic church that's only slightly smaller than Notre-Dame, making it the second largest church in Paris. Unfortuantely, it's under a bit of renovation so the pics aren't that great.

There was a really cool fountain in the Place Saint-Sulpice. I think the Lion looks pissed that the bird is on his head. Heehee

Okay weird, does anyone else see that image in the water to the right of the lion? It's almost like a reflection,  but I don't know how, the sun wasn't really out - creepy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontaine_Saint-Sulpice
Here's another picture - I don't see that image...ewwww.

Well, that's weird in a DiVinci Code kind of way. I've never read the book or seen the movie but apparently this fountain was in the movie.

After this - I headed back to the 3e Arr where I popped into my local wine shop for a couple bottles of vin. One Beaujolais Nouveau and one nice Rose. Then I stopped by the Chocolatier to see what she was offering. I ended up with some dark chocolate covered almonds and she was sampling dark chocolate with champagne in the center. One word: RICH! But delicious.

I'm caught up now - will plan tomorrow's events over another French Press of yummy cafe. Would be nice to wake up to snow. Did I just say that? It must be the wine talking. LOL