The Final List

I've been writing this list in my head for a few weeks and hope I can remember.

What I will miss about Paris:

• The sound of small French children speaking the language
• The efficient Metro system
• The culture and long history (museums, old buildings)
• Emphasis on the importance of slowing down to eat a meal
  
• The daily, year round outdoor markets
• Walking by the Seine River
• Speaking the language
• The utterly overwhelming cheese selections
• Musicians in the Metro system
• The divergence of so many cultures in one place
• Seeing the Eiffel Tower when you least expect to or aren't looking for it
• Amazing train options like Eurostar
  

What I will not miss about Paris:

• Annoying French teenagers on the Metro
• The smells of the Metro
• Produce that comes from Peru and far off places instead of locally grown options
  
• The crowds
  

The trip home

One of my worst nightmares happened this morning: the alarm didn't go off and we woke up when the airport shuttle arrived at the apartment. I'm always paranoid that the alarm won't go off and it's never happened until now.

I panicked, packed the rest of things, cleaned as fast as I could, and threw on my clothes before running out the door. I didn't have a chance to even think about the impact of leaving. I also didn't shower or even put on deodorant which made for an interesting journey back.

We made it to the airport with plenty of time. I cried in Nino's arms because I was tired, stresed, and sad about flying home on a different flight than him. We kissed goodbye; I dragged my bags and trudged sadly to my terminal.

I got one last café creme before boarding my flight. I had extraordinarily good luck on the flight and scored an entire row of three seats to myself. It made the long flight from Paris to Dallas almost enjoyable. In Dallas, I was able to use the Grand Hyatt's spa to take a shower and freshen up. The hot water felt heavenly after such a rushed departure and long flight. Since I can't go 36 hours without a shower, it made me think of my sister Andrea backpacking through Yosemite last summer without a shower for almost two weeks. Better her than me.

Dallas had awful weather and my flight to Seattle left an hour late. Missed my Seattle connection and was bumped to the last flight from Seattle to Portland, departing at 11pm. I finally made it back to Nino and Portland just before midnight on Wednesday night. I really thought I was going to have to stay in Seattle when we left Dallas so late.

It felt weird to be back. Even as I write this about 12pm on Thursday, it still hasn't hit me yet. It feels unreal to be here. But, the sun is shining and the grass is much greener than when I left. I get the beagles back tomorrow and plan to spend the day settling back in....

FInishing with a bang

Tuesday was all about getting ready to head back to Portland. I spent the morning packing before Nino and I headed to the bistro next to the apartment for lunch.

Le Temps de la Cerisaie is a tiny, tiny bistro that is literally about ten steps from the front door of my apartment building. They can seat about 20 people in all and they ended up putting us at a table of four with another couple. The food was outstanding. Nino had roast chicken with rice and carrots. I had a grilled salmon with rice. For dessert, Nino had an amazing chocolate cake with a gooey center. And I ate a delicious apple rhubarb crumble. Finished the meal off with an espresso - a habit I will have difficulty breaking breaking in Portland.

After lunch, I took the Metro back to the French Alliance for an end of month exam. Once again, the Metro system alerted me that my monthly pass was due to run out at the end of April. Sigh... I already knew that and it was a bit of salt in my wound to be reminded every time I entered the Metro. Several of my classmates including Rita from Italy, Olga from Russia, Madli from Estonia, and Jaoutay from Korea also took the test. We hung out together and chatted before undertaking the 2 hour oral and written exam. I was thoroughly exhausted afterwards.

I stopped for a crepe on the way home from school - a lemon and sugar crepe which has become my favorite. Unfortunately, the creepy crepe chef professed his love for me and then tried to follow me home. I was glad to go back to the apartment where Nino was waiting for me. I admit I was a little paranoid since Nino and I had been talking about the movie Taken just the day before. And although I enjoy the occasional flirting and indication of interest, stalking is not sexy.

Nino and I finished the trip with a bang by having dinner at Le Cinq, the signature restaurant at the Four Seasons George V. The George V is considered one of the top hotels in Paris. I wish I could remember every course - but after about 12 of them and as much as we had to drink that would be nearly impossible. Here's my best effort though.

The evening began with glasses of rosé champagne, a drink I will now forever associate with this trip. As an appetizer, I had the foie gras with strawberry foam on a bed of rhubarb. I've never been a fois gras fan, but figured if I was ever going to try it again then this was the place to do it. It was an inspired choice and I can now better understand people's undying love of foie gras. Our waiter poured me a special glass of sweet red wine to pair with the dish.

For dinner, we chose to share the lamb shoulder. They carved it right at our table and presented it for two courses in different ways. The first course of lamb was paired with a green harissa sauce and vegetables like watercress and carrots. The second preparation was over a small green salad. It was melt in your mouth incredible. Lamb has never tasted this amazing. We shared a bottle of red wine recommended by the server.

The cheese cart came by shortly after. It was the cheese cart to end all cheese carts. As the server quietly, slowly slid open the glass case on wheels, the fragrant aroma of cheese goodness filled the air. I took a long sniff and the server admitted she too loved the smell. We let her choose the cheeses for us. I remember delightful slices of mimoletta (hard, bright orange cheese like cheddar), St. Nectaire, Roquefort, and Camembert.

We were hurting at this point, but we still wanted dessert. We shared a fruit and cream dessert with flaky pastry layers, a Saint Honoré Aux Fruits Rouges.

And then the chocolate cart stopped by. Yet another server (the chocolate expert) helped us choose from caramels, chocolates, nougatine, and other tiny delights to pair with our after dinner drinks. Nino opted for a 1950 cognac and I had a decaf espresso. Nino couldn't stop oohing and ahing over his choice. I had a sip and gagged. To each his own. They gave us each a small box of fruit caramels to take home.

The bill was the moment of reckoning. I was pretty full from dinner and the price did actually floor me. I can say it was an incredible night that we'll never forget, but I can say I don't anticipate ever spending that much on dinner again.

We rolled ourselves out of the restaurant after 3 1/2 hours of culinary goodness and took the Metro back to the apartment one last time.

Monday: Last day for sightseeing in the City of Light

Nino and I were finally able to get in to see the Opera Garnier today. This was my fourth time visiting and we apparently made it just in time as they were going to close the auditorium again that afternoon for rehearsal.

I didn't realize until I got inside that Marc Chagall painted the ceiling of the main auditorium. I've liked Chagall since I was a kid because my mother hung a framed poster of his in my room at her house when I was growing up. I always associate Chagall with her and her love of art. I just wish she had been with me to see it. The opera house was a treat. I can only imagine this being my local theater and regularly seeing shows here. I already despise Portland's Keller auditorium and now I can never call that locale a "theatre" ever again after seeing the grandiosity, opulence, decadence, and beauty of the Opera Garnier. I was inspired all over again to write a play, musical, or other piece which could one day be performed at the Opera house. The next time I head to Paris, I definitely want to see a show here. I imagine sitting in one of the opulent, red velvet boxes where royalty, artists, and writers have sat and watched spectacles for nearly 400 years. Tickets sell out pretty far in advance and I couldn't get any this time.

After the opera house, we took the Metro to La Grande Epicerie of Paris, Le Bon Marché's massive gourmet grocery store on the left bank. I had a blast looking at all of the cases of fresh treats and gourmet goodies. Of course, they also stocked products like Lipton tea bags too. Nino and I had paninis in their outdoor café and then I bought white chocolate, dark chocolate, caramels from Fauchon, and rabbit paté in a jar to take home. We ended up also getting two caramel macaroons, two vanilla macaroons, sugary donut like chouquettes, and two canelés as well. What a sugar rush.

Just down the street from Le Bon Marché was the Chapel dedicated to St. Vincent de Paul. His actual, uncorrupt body was displayed in a gold case above the alter. Considering he died almost 200 years ago, it was awe-inspiring to see an actual miracle in the flesh.

And then Nino dragged me to the last church on the list, St Denis's Cathedral. It was a smaller version of Chartres or Notre Dame. And I was thoroughly "churched out" by the time we got here. Of interest though is that this church contains a necropolis with 800 years of French monarchs. During the French Revolution, all of their graves had been dug up and dumped in one mass pile. So, most of the graves are only markers and statues. Interesting, nonetheless though. The bodies of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are here. Apparently, their remains were able to be identified and reburied during Napoleon I's first exile.

After the church, we stopped in at the cafe across from the cathedral and had coffee and nutella crepes.

We grilled veal chops, boiled pasta, and cut up a fresh loaf of bread with dinner.

Then, we went the Moulin Rouge for the 9pm show. I've wanted to go for awhile and check this out. I was hesitant, but hopeful that we'd see a good show. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good show in the least. We were wedged into a seat at the back of the theatre at a table meant for 6 people. Thankfully, our table only had four or we would have been really miserable. Although there were a few good acts like the woman who swam with snakes and the ventriloquist, the dancing and choreography were TERRIBLE. I liked the costumes, but it seemed like the main attraction was the topless women - not something I needed to pay 102 euros per person to see. Even a entire bottle of champagne couldn't dull the pain of this horrible tourist trap attraction. I'm glad I went and satisfied my curiosity though.

The last Sunday in Paris

As I write this from Portland, here's what I want to remember about my last Sunday in Paris.

Nino and I went to the Marché Bastille one last time, mostly so I could take photos. The smell of the roasting chickens, the crowd, and the seasonal fruits and veggies are what I will remember most.

In the afternoon, we visited two more churchs. Tried for a third time to see the Opera Garnier and again the main auditorium was closed.

We had a quiet dinner at the apartment that evening.

After dinner, I decided that I wanted to take a walk by the Seine and see the sunset. Nino chose not to come because he just wanted to stay in for the evening.

I left about 8:45pm and made it to the Seine as right as the sun was setting over the river. Once I started walking, I couldn't stop. I walked along the river to Notre Dame Cathedral and then kept going all the way until I reached the Eiffel Tower. By this time, it was completely dark. Just as I reached the Tower, it lit up in thousands of white flashing lights. The only thing which would have made the evening more perfect was Nino joining me.

I found a Metro station and realized that I had been gone almost two hours. Needless to say, by the time I walked in in about 11pm, Nino was not happy that I had been gone so long. I truly didn't mean to leave him on his own all evening. As Nino said, I get distracted by the pretty flashing lights sometimes.

My last Saturday in Paris

Nino and I slept late this morning. We didn't get up until 10:30am or so.

We stopped by a small café for a quick cup of coffee and snack before walking to the Marché Aligre. I've wanted to check this market out for awhile and finally went today. It is a daily fruit and veggie market about 3/4 mile from the apartment. It was a nice walk to the market on a cool day. And I loved strolling through the stands looking at produce and listening to the vendors. I didn't need anything though since Nino bought so much at the Marché Bastille on Thursday. I dragged Nino to Planet Sushi for lunch on the way back to the apartment.

I walked through the art market held every Saturday at the Bastille and Nino headed back to the apartment. I tried to go to the Opera Garnier again today and again the auditorium was closed for rehearsal. Supposedly, it's open tomorrow. We'll see.

Instead, I took the metro to the Musée Maillol, a museum containing the art and collection of Aristide Maillol. I only vaguely knew he was a sculptor during Rodin's time. I enjoyed the sculptures and paintings by him as well as by French painter, Seraphine. I still prefer Rodin, but looking at sculptures is a great way to spend any afternoon.

I came home to the apartment for a long nap and a hot shower before dinner this evening.

This evening, Nino and I dined at what has become my favorite restaurant in Paris, La Cigale Recamier. La Cigale Recamier is known for their excellent soufflés. The guide book I have recommended ordering three soufflés: appetizer, dinner, and dessert. And they were UNBELIEVABLE.

Nino and I both started with the small Basque soufflés, flavored with red pepper, thinly sliced ham, and cheese. For dinner, Nino opted for the nightly special: an asparagus soufflé. I took the server's recommendation and ordered the Henri IV soufflé, a mixture of cheese, spices, and chicken. If I've tasted something else better in Paris, I really can't remember what it was. I don't think there is anything more French than a great soufflé.

Dessert is where I made my only error of the evening. I ordered the chocolate mint soufflé which turned out to be a very mint soufflé with only a little bit of chocolate. It was good, but not nearly as divine as Nino's caramel soufflé. The caramel soufflé had been described by my book as the best soufflé on the menu. Nino couldn't finish, so I helped him out and finished his instead of mine.

I ordered and conversed entirely in French with the server and staff. The waiter complimented me on my French, which makes me very proud. When the waiter left, Nino rolled his eyes and asked me what in the world I am going to do back in Portland when people don't feel the need to boost my ego every day by complimenting by language skills. What indeed?

I wanted to walk home through St. Germain des Pres, but I lost Rock Paper Scissors to Nino and had to take the Metro back to the apartment instead. I used the time to finally catch up on my blog, although I had to share the tiny couch with Nino while doing it. :)

Chartres: Not Just Another Church

I did whine and complain just a little when Nino decided he wanted to go out to see the Notre Dame Cathedral at Chartres. I was unconvinced that this one was going to be different until he told me that this is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I was still skeptical though that it was going to be worth the 27 Euros per person in train tickets and the 90 minute Metro/train trip, but I chose to humor him and go anyway.

Chartres turned out to be not just another church. To begin with, it's massive and in excellent condition for an 800 year old building. This is the fifth church that has stood on this site. The stain glass windows and stone work were artful and awe-inspiring. I could feel the history in the floors and walls, lit by flickering candlelight. I lit a candle and sat in the pews before the pearwood, carved statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. It was well worth both the time and money to visit.

After the church, Nino went hog wild in old town buying regional liquors, chocolates, cheese, and other gourmet goodies. I had fun watching him have fun and translating as we went. I have gotten much more comfortable with speaking to people now - whether or not I understand everything they say and they understand everything I say.

We took the train and Metro back to the apartment in the evening. Nino cooked pasta (which he bought himself from the Marché Bastille) and cut up the artisanal cheese. I drank too much red wine. :)