Trifecta of food (yesterday) completed, and officially tourists!!

    Seems as if yesterday (Friday) was foodie day - totally unintentional. We ended up going to an Italian place for dinner - very close to the apartment - and again, later than we really wanted. We're slowly moving into the correct time zone...the main problem with eating so late is it's not as easy to go to sleep at a decent time. It was after 2am last night, so of course, that led to a later start than we'd thought. Nothing to worry about though...the beauty of this vacation adventure is NOT having a schedule, and doing whatever seems to be right at any particular moment. No specific plans, no time schedule (except when catching trains and metros and buses...more on that  later...) - just being "relaxed spontaneous." So - here is last night's dinner - I was going to wait to see if anyone could figure out what it was, but it may be more obvious than it was to me...and I know what I ordered!

Lasagne à la forno - a bit too much "forno"... I didn't finish it, intending to take it home, and have room for dessert, and the waiter admonished me, telling me I had to finish it to grow up hahahaha! I told him I was saving room for dessert, and wanted to take the rest home - he obviously didn't listen or understand me (he was speaking English, so I did, too), because he whisked it away and it never came back. Oh well...it was just ok, so no great loss.


Lemon meringue pie - serious meringue here! It was described as "ancienne" - not sure if that meant old-fashioned (it did) or just plain ancient! Luckily, the lemon layer was strong enough to be tasted with the couple of inches of meringue - and it was also dusted with powdered sugar. It was in a shortbread-kind of crust, and really good. I really had my eye on a crème brûlée - we were seated next to the dessert cooler case - but deferred because there was cheese in the lasagne, and I didn't want to overdo dairy. Good second choice, though.

    Ok...enough with the food - at least for now. When we have particularly wonderful food, I'll continue to "share" knowing how much I've enjoyed others' posts of interesting, delicious-looking food. We spent yesterday, in addition to eating, ordering and retrieving our "Paris Pass." It took a lot of adding, discussing, back-and-forth decisions, and we decided to purchase a pass that gave us entry to almost everything (not the Eiffel Tower, and not Giverny) we want to try to fit in while in Paris. We rode a ho-ho (hop on - hop off) bus for the entire loop, and then found lunch (unremarkable, but the place we stopped took liberties with the word "saucisson" - it should have been sausages, but turned out to be hot dogs - how disappointing! Hot dogs are either "hot-dog" or "saucisson de Frankfort" - but it was a casual place, and we guessed the "hot-dog" on the menu must have been the one served to another customer in a baguette) and walked through the outside of the Louvre. It was too late to really get through some places we'd considered whilst (I'm adopting this because every translation here uses "whilst" instead of "while") having lunch - the Louvre, Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chappelle - all were closing before we could get there with time to spend after waiting in line to get in.
  We decided to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe; there was some sort of military remembrance ceremony with militia (looked like veterans) laying wreaths, singing songs, very official-looking people keeping tourists at a safe distance. View was magnificent - first picture here is when we were on the bus (top level) the first time we stopped at (but didn't get off the bus) the Arc:

And this is from the top of the Arc: (looks much better bigger; I edited out a stranger and the wrist strap of the camera, so it's a little small here)

 Interesting revelation on the way home - about 7:45 pm, we got off the bus at the Eiffel Tower. People in all sorts of groups - couples, singles, families, groups of several people, etc. were sitting on the grass looking at the Tower. Suddenly we realized they were waiting for the Tower to light up - a pleasant Saturday evening activity. The nearby restaurants were practically empty...we walked back and also predicted that they would probably soon be full, as the nightly lighting begins at 8pm. Feeling spoiled, we headed back to the apartment and looked at the view from our windows. We WILL be turning in earlier tonight - have a lot to see tomorrow! Bisous to you! 

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An afternoon post...

   We spent a bunch of time figuring out what to do with our time here...and decided to buy a ParisPass, which is unlimited transportation (not taxis, though - ha!) for the length of the pass. Since our intent was to see much of Paris, we bought a 6-day pass, but today was already 1/2 gone, so we'll start tomorrow. We tried the Métro for the first time - not too bad - but haven't activated our pass, so paid for each ticket. Amazing transportation system, once you (we!) figure it out!
    We decided to hop the Métro back to our neighborhood (how about that? OUR neighborhood!!) and look around a bit for a place to eat. It seems as if there's some sort of price regulation - everything in the same general area had very similar prices, and even though we were ready for lunch, I insisted this be a meal with dessert...we haven't really had a dessert with any meal except on the plane. So...we passed up several brasseries, and found Suzette's - a crêperie, of course!!
      I knew I couldn't comfortably eat an entire crêpe AND a dessert crêpe, so we confused the staff and ordered one plat (meal), a salad, and one dessert crêpe to split. The gentleman - seemed to be the proprietor - brought the salad to Roger, and told me not to give him any of the crêpe - chicken, tomatoes and cheese - excellent! Of course, we split the crêpes; I didn't want the salad...funny, we've never been asked about dressing, it just comes with some sort on it, and it's not French dressing. They've been different, not very flavorful, but not offensive, either. Here are our crêpes:

       

Did I forget to mention the egg? This is the 1/2...so good, and really I didn't even want to finish the 1/2 because it was filling, and I NEEDED to get dessert. For the dessert, we chose what this shop called the "William" - although we were tipped off by our Paris veteran family members that a crêpe with pears and chocolate sauce were traditionally known as "Belle Hélène"...no matter, it was fantastically delicious! Glad that we had a walk ahead of us to get back to our apartment after a quick Monoprix stop (I'm getting a little tired of only water to drink); we complimented the monsieur, and he handed us what I thought was a frequent visitor card, since we said we'd probably return. Nope. It was a comment card, with a release asking if our comments could be put online. Hmmmmm...it was fine, but strange - seemed only if we liked it, and expressed it, we were asked to comment. Back to the apartment for some more logistical planning, a quick FaceTime visit with my team of teachers who I abandoned, and then we'll be off again for our evening adventure. I love that our pace is relaxed and that we feel like we can take time to recharge ourselves before continuing on to whatever is next. Did I mention I love being here?? I do - but miss everyone at home - and am going to make the most of the time we have here. No alarm clocks, no hurry-up schedule, plenty of time to take in all on my "list" and extra time for spontaneous choices. C'est la vie!

A morning post...

    Well, I did it! I went and got fresh croissants, and an apple-filled croissant at "the" bakery across the street. Limited selection, really, but very good. Also got a coffee (exactly the same as we've made here with the Nespresso machine)  and a "chocolat" - which tastes literally like a shaved dark chocolate bar mixed with milk...and seems to be just that, as there are solids/shavings at the bottom of the cup. I wanted to drink the chocolat, but didn't (most of you know that I don't drink milk and/or eat chocolate without having some asthma effects), so I tasted it - ok, twice - and enjoyed a lovely glass of bottled water - but without bubbles - for my breakfast beverage. Fortified to begin our day, we're getting passes today to use the transportation system and see many of the sights. The luxury of time is a great advantage - we can use enough of the attractions pass to recoup the cost - and not have to run around crazy to do that. Breakfast bakery and actual breakfast - good to go!

 

Eiffel Tower, Sacré Cœur, Montmartre, and rain...

   Well...just typical eating today. We were waiting for our host to bring a replacement microwave, so got a late start...and I did not get fresh croissants or baguettes. Since we still had some from Monoprix, I didn't want to waste them...but it will be absolutely necessary to get fresh from the bakery tomorrow. An arduous task, but it must be done (wink, wink!). Lunch was sandwiches served in crusty baguettes so crusty that they were difficult to bite and/or cut; we're getting good at splitting a liter bottle of bubbly water with meals! (We will have to do some sampling of the region's wines, at some point, but we're starting slowly, I guess.) Dinner was non-dinner - I finished my sandwich from lunch, and, since it was already 9 pm - very nice pears and Belvita biscuits that came with Nutella already on top of them, which we had from shopping yesterday. Actually, it was a simply delicious dinner. Yes, yes, 9 pm is typical French dinner time, but we didn't want to venture out in the rain, or make another very late night...so we made do with what we had.

   Being so close to the Eiffel Tower, we walked over and looked around for a bit - and took the requisite "selfie" - there are people everywhere trying to sell you "selfie sticks" but we're old-school on that. Since it's not summer, it wasn't "crowded" by normal vacation standards, and only one of four ticket booths were open. It was overcast all day - turned into light rain later - and we have the luxury of being able to go on a better day, so we opted to do a Seine river cruise, which was very nice. The boat wasn't full at all, and we saw many interesting sights. Now what to do? Lunch, of course...then what? We considered Arc de Triomphe, but again, overcast looking like impending rain, so took a taxi to Sacré Cœur - a crazy ride, because it was about 5:15 pm.

   For those of you who like motorcycles, this is the place for you! Evidently, it's legal for motorcycles to go between lanes of traffic - buses, cars, other motorcycles, bicycles, pedal carts - all vie for space on the roads, and the motorcycles go at crazy-fast speeds, zipping in and out and around so they can keep moving. I shuddered and was glad we were riding, not driving. It took what seemed to be an unusually long time in that taxi (yep, first-time tourists trapped!) - but - once at the top where the Basilica is, we were glad we RODE up and could walk DOWN.

    Ok, nobody's supposed to take photos inside, but everybody does...we did light some candles (Sts. Therese and Joseph, because those are the ones we saw with family names - and it's Joe's birthday today!) and made a donation to help keep this beautiful place open. There are several different levels, and on each level, people were trying to sell almost anything you could thing of, including cold beer in bottles from cartons they were carrying around. Unbelievable - on the landing of the steps of the church! A mass was beginning as we were leaving - it was beautiful to see nuns in traditional habits, although white with black wimples (technical term, there!). They began to sing, and accompanied themselves with a couple of autoharps; we were outside before the mass began, and moved down to the lowest level of the property. What a sight - and it's about 3.5 miles from our apartment, and we can see the Basilica from our window!
     Many people gave us the advice to "get lost" - and we did! We decided to try to walk back, and wanted to experience some of Montmartre...we found a sort of median-park between the two sides of the main street. It had a lot of trees, and was a nicer place than the sidewalks next to the various stores. It was beginning to rain lightly, and we continued until we weren't sure we were going in the right direction - and right after we'd strolled through the Pigalle district, passing the Moulin Rouge, among other various adult establishments. Much better that we were removed from both sides of the street establishments, but interesting to see that the area still retains its raunchiness, from as far back as the time of Maurice Revel (his family lived there for a time, and I learned about it in a video I used - but had to edit - for one of my classes the last few years). It was legitimately raining now, so we decided to try a taxi again...we'll be using the other public transportation choices once we learn what we need to know to get around...and it was a much better experience this time. I don't know if it was that the driver seemed to care that it was taking longer than he liked because of the traffic, or he was a better driver, but it was a better ride back. Either way, I told him he was a better chauffeur, and he appreciated that - a true conversation in French. Most of the people with whom I've started with French have tried to switch to English, which is ok, but it was nice to know I was actually able to have a conversation without switching back and forth between both languages.
      It's now late again...but...sleep is not the priority. It's exciting being here, and sharing the day and saving these memories in this detail will be great when I try to remember what we did on each wonderful day. Even with rain, it's wonderful. Tomorrow: hoho (hop on/hop off) bus to acclimate ourselves, FaceTime with my last year's French students, and whatever else presents itself - hopefully all good. Au revoir!

Bonjour from Paris!!

        

     Well...the title says it all! After delayed flights that somehow arrived on time, we're here! Looking every bit of jet-lag that I felt, this is a picture taken of me in the living room of the apartment we've rented for two weeks, on Boulevard de Grenelle, in the 15th arrondissement. The view is even better than shown in the booking photo...and...we decided to take this photo to show the view, with me in it :)

     Well, travel here was fairly smooth; it seems as if the airlines add extra time - we thought our flight CLE-JFK would be 2 hours, by the schedule, and it was just over an hour...the JFK-CDG was listed as 8 hours, but took just about 6. Oh well...I don't need to know why or how...just that it all worked fine. Btw, if you plan to voyage on Air France, and can afford the extra $ to book their Premium Economy seating (it's minimal, compared to jumping from economy to business class, and, well, let's not even dream about first class - no drooling on electronic devices :) - do it! We were looking around JFK for something reasonable (ha!) and somewhat nutritious (ha again!) to have before our 9:40 pm flight...then I decided to ask the gate attendant if a meal was included - her response was that both dinner and breakfast would be served on the flight. So...problem solved :) Dinner, although prepackaged, was a 5-course French meal - appetizer of pheasant tourine, marinated scallop with four (yech!) caviar blobs (at least I think that's what they were - I tasted one and regretted it immediately!) on top, midget sweet pickle, choice of entree - we had the pasta shells with marinara and ricotta and spinach (so French!), because we didn't know what the chicken and its sauce would be and we were h-u-n-g-r-y.  The flight attendant didn't know any more info about the food than we did, so we erred on the side of caution. A small piece of cheese, roll with butter, choice of beverage - a lovely cabernet sauvignon was sampled, along with Perrier as our other choice - and an almond-Grand Mariner cake that looked like tiramisu completed the dinner. I did wonder what Business and First-class might have had. Breakfast was pre-made, not impressive, but included plain yogurt, blueberry muffin, and Mott's (yes, that's right, from USA!) granny smith applesauce. 

     We  made arrangements prior to leaving home for a car transport - Blacklane is like Uber, but a business-type rather than everyday type. It's kind of hard to explain, so let me just say we were led to a Mercedes sedan, and had a nice ride to meet our apartment host, Sylvain. We got a tour of the apartment - sparse, but with a spectacular view that also included a far-off Sacre Coeur view. We thought about planning some activity, but the lack of sleep and time change seemed more important to consider than a "first night in Paris" experience, so did some food shopping, a quick nap, dinner at a brasserie across the street, and back to try to reset and turn in at a decent time. All went as planned except the last part - it's well past midnight here, and we're both wide-awake. We'll get the hang of it soon, I'm sure. 

     Tomorrow's first plan is to go across the street to the "best bakery in this area of Paris" (from our host's opinion) and get a baguette, possibly croissants, and come back to the apartment to enjoy breakfast like we live here. After that, (although we might need a nap if we indulge too much!) we'll decide on a plan, and hopefully, have something wonderful to add to our memories and this blog. Wishing all of you a trip of your dreams...it's been worth the wait for us, already! 

                                                 

JFK is just okay...

30 minutes to Air France flight!! JFK is a very confusing airport! We left CLE about 30 min late
but made it here to JFK with enough time to sit and wait to board. Expected arrival about 11 am Paris time (or 5 am our time!). Hoping to sleep en route so we can hit the ground running...or at least walking and awake enough to get through the day. Barring any extreme circumstances, next post from France!!

CLE in 24 hours; departure in 25.5 hours...yikes!!

Well, the butterflies of excitement are in full flight but we are seemingly calm to the casual observer...in a couple of hours we can check in for our flights, which I scheduled so there would be minimal rushing around needed. Leaving at 5:09 pm with an 11:10 arrival in Paris...and on the return trip, leaving at 1:30 pm and CLE at 8:53 pm. Hopefully - no delays. Looks like both home and Paris are going to be beautiful weather for the majority of the time - high 60s/low 70s and mostly or all sunny. Great way to begin...hoping the forecasters are correct!! So hard to believe it's here!! Hoping to post at least one picture and one paragraph each day...we shall see, right? Thanks for all the "bon voyage" wishes...whoo hoo!! xoxo