We're Here & Can Finally Prove It.

Made it to the Trocadero, that wonderful place to take in the Eiffel Tower from a distance.  We always do this early in the trip; it's how we know we're really here.

The 10X zoom really comes in handy:

We also went to the Aligre Market, one of the more colorful places in Paris:

And we met up with Rachid, Susanne's friend since 1999. He always treats us to coffee at the local Algerian hangout.

I will be doing a photo essay of ordinary, workaday Parisians...on the street, having a drink, just being Parisians.  Fewer words, more pics.  Monuments are nice, but it's the people and the friendships that really make a place.

Our Hotel Room

I chose the hotel from the various hotel websites; our favorite is closed for renovation.  (We walked over there...they weren't kidding.)  As is everything else in life, the reality isn't quite the paradise of the website photos.

On the plus side, the location couldn't be better, a few steps from Bastille.  It's clean, recently refurbished. We're on the 1st floor European (2nd floor U.S.), no elevator. It's quiet because I requested a room in the back.  Our view is windows across an ugly courtyard.  We could've had a view of the July 1830 column at the center of Place de la Bastille, but that meant climbing more stairs & fronting on a noisy street.

Our one challenge is that the room is small; smaller than we expected.  Normally we put some of our things into drawers (Drawers?  What drawers here?) & the closet, then work out of our suitcases from the floor or suitcase stand.  (What floor space??)

Fortunately, Susanne is an expert at utilizing space.

We divided everything we brought into three categories:

1. What we don't need til the trip back home, returned to one piece of stored luggage.

2. What we need occasionally during the trip, stored in one part of the working suitcase.

3. What we need access to daily, stuffed into the limited shelf space & in the working suitcase.

So, what seemed like a real pain yesterday all jet lagged out, just needed some organization this morning after a good night's sleep.

Today we'll get our cell phones SIM'd up & dash over to the Trocadero so we know we're REALLY in Paris.

Then our visit (and this blog) truly starts.

My opinion...you can't genuinely do Paris in anything less than five days.  If you're only doing Paris, then add a day's travel on each end & it's a week absolute minimum.  More on that later.

We're Here!

We arrived on time. The flight over was easy.  On three across seating we always take the aisle & window seats & hope for the best in the middle.  It happened...it was empty. Gerard was there to pick us up.

Didn't take many pics today.  Jet lag zaps ambition.

Parisian styles have changed.  The bare midriffs are gone...replaced by shorts & short shorts.

Jeans still dominate.  Cell phones are even more prevalent.

McDonald's color theme is dark green.  We stopped in for a raspberry frappé dessert.  Long lines. They have terminals inside where you can order & pay for your food, then pick up when ready.

The weather is fabulous, sunny & warm daytime, but definitely chilly at night.

La Bastoche, our all-purpose food place is gone.  Hate that.  But Chez Tony, our favorite pizza joint is still here & better yet, so is Jimmy, our favorite waiter.  Couldn't get the camera out fast enough to catch him covering Susanne with hugs & kisses, shouting "Amereeka,!  I love Amereeka!!!"

Here he is:

We hadn't planned on pizza tonite, but with a welcome like that...

Jimmy said he will put on a full Italian outfit for tomorrow night, so we may have pizza again.

We stopped off at a hotel we used to stay at to see if our old Ethiopian friend, Salomon was still there. He is but on holiday until the day before we get back.

That's it for now...that vaguely crummy feeling of being neither fully well nor really sick has been with us all day.  Trying to stay up later so we sleep better.

BTW, you can make comments on any blog by clicking on the link at the end.  It's a bit of a pain to have to log in but that's to keep spam out.  The comment won't post immediately because I have to review it, to avoid profanity, etc.

Anyhow, that's it for now.  Back atchya later.

Paris Tips: Making Small Talk A La Parisienne

I promise not to write a blog when another blog does it so much better.

A formal initial greeting, "Bonjour" is absolutely mandatory in France.  We Americans like to skip the formalities & just get to business.  It's a habit that's hard to break while in Paris.

For more on this subject by an American living in Paris, click HERE .

Will I Over-Blog?

This is so darned easy compared to the old email process.  Will I blog too much?

Susanne & I are packing for the trip.  I tend to pack early so I discover my problems sooner.  So far I am amazed...50 lbs. limit.  I think I have everything packed & I'm at 47 lbs.

Of course I'll eventually find other things to pack.

On every trip, especially the ones overseas there are items we should've brought didn't.  So we compile a "Next Trip" file.  I found it today.

I never wear shorts anywhere except around the house or to the fitness center in summer.  But they're nice for hanging out in the apartment or hotel.
Shorts: Check.

Sandals are fine for Arizona, but not often seen in Paris.  Nice for around the hotel.
Oldest, crummiest sandals to be worn then left behind: Check

In Paris you bag your own groceries at the supermarket. In Montreal, you're charged 5¢ for each bag they give you.  So, it's BYOB.
Purple net bag from Wild Oats: Check.

Zip lock baggies in various sizes are handy.  Don't want to buy a box of each.
Zip locks, 5 each in various sizes: Check

European hotels do not supply wash cloths.
Wash mitt from prior trips: Check

OK, photo time:

As we were walking along Rue Faubourg St. Antoine, an ecole was letting out. Kids are kids everywhere.  I love 'em!  This was four years ago before cell phones became standard equipment for the younger set.  In Europe cell phone service is much more expensive.  So it'll be interesting to see if the kids have them.

More Practice

I'm going to play with formatting...fonts, boldface, etc.

As I may have mentioned, it's been four years since we've been to Paris.  The City of Light (as in enlightenment, not "City of Lights", i.e. visual) has a marvelous way of changing through the years while still remaining the same.

So we're going to look for what changed, for better or for worse.  We're hoping our favorite restaurants are still in business.  A la Biche au Bois is still there because they were reviewed recently.  But is Tony's Pizza (where Jimmy works, arguably the best pizza in the world)?  They put items on pizza not often found in the U.S., like a big old sunny-side up egg in the middle.  Yummm!

And what about La Bastoche, the counter service, quick place where the local office workers go?  Just point to what you want in the case & it's yours.  A small place to sit down in the rear.  As the day moves from breakfast to lunch to dinner, the choices change appropriately.

We eat lightly with no alcohol the first 24 hours so La Bastoche will fit the bill around noon, after we're checked into the hotel.

Time for a Paris 2007 photo:

I call this one "Susanne & the Drunken Scots".  This noisy inebriated gaggle of kilted rugby players was literally weaving their way through the Bastille.  I asked if they'd let me take a group photo. When you're drunk, what's not to like?  One of them pulled Susanne into the group and here they are.

This is what I call a "Paris Gift".   It's only available if you walk the streets...not on the Metro or in a bus or taxi.  You don't plan on it, you just stumble upon it.  On the trip, I hope to photograph & put some of them in the blog.

Family Trips This Past Summer

Just getting some practice with photos from two trips.

In June, we visited Jeff, Beth, Nora & Elise. Here they are on a Potomac River cruise.

Here we are with granddaughters Elise & Nora:

In August, we visited Carole, Jim, Noah, Sabra & Rylee.  Noah & Sabra climbing on Grandpa

At Rylee's soccer practice, me & Susanne, Rylee, Noah, Sabra & Carole's husband, Jim.

Susanne & the kids:

And Carole & Sabra: