Just A Little Reminder ...

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A New Beginning

Hello Everyone!

Check out my new blog :)

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xo,
me

Paris' Oldest Living Resident

A stumble away from Saint Michel with a view of Notre Dame Cathedral there is a small inconspicuous park named Square René-Viviani adjacent to Eglise Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre.  

Upon entering the gates, I walked into the middle of a wedding celebration, so I discretely headed to my destination.  After further research, I've discovered that the Eglise Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre is famous for being one of the oldest religious buildings in Paris.  The Gothic style church was built in 1170 over the ruins of a church from the 6th century and today it functions as a Greek Melkite Church.  Sacre Bleu! I may just have to make my way back to check out the inside.  

I was on the hunt for Paris' oldest living resident!  He's been here for 411 years and he's believed to be an American … an observer of the revolution, many wars, and torrid love affairs!  A special robinia pseudoacacia (that's a mouth full!) otherwise known as a locust tree measured to be 15 meters high with a circumference of 3.50 meters.  It's believed that the tree originally came from America and was planted in 1601 by the botanist Jean Robin (hence the fancy name).  The tree continues to survive and flourish each year but do to his old age is supported by two concrete crutches. 

The next time you want to read a good book, have a picnic, or a romantic rendez-vous head over to Paris' most faithful lover and resident!  

Across the way ... Notre Dame! 

Running Dreams

The commencement of Spring, has not only brought some serious April showers (I don't even remember the last time we had a day sans rain) but I've been inundated with a serious amount of visitors which shall continue thru May.  Springtime in Paris brings cherry blossoms and a copious amount of tourist not to mention that April in Paris (just like Boston) means marathon season!  About 40,000 people gathered in Paris to run the marathon on Sunday, April 14th, 2012 (I was not one of the motivated!). 

That cold gray Sunday morning, I woke up, grabbed my fleece, and hopped downstairs to watch the marathoners run by, while my houseguest snoozed away.  Lucky me with front row seats near the 31km/19m marker.  I was on the search for my friend Kay and my cousins, Orit and Shai (who flew in from Israel for the event), to cheer them on!  It was a raw morning with bone chilling winds which might be perfect for the marathoners… yet, not so ideal for the brilliant me who ran downstairs wearing just a fleece and yoga pants.  However, I was motivated to be an excellent cheerleader, so I could not leave my post to add more layers.  Almost four hours later, with frozen hands and a creative little dance going on in attempt to keep myself warm, I realized that I missed my loved ones in the mass of runners.  

Marathons always resurge that secret desire to be a marathoner (see blog post Slowly But Surely).  So the next day when I met up with Orit and Shai and listened to all the reasons on why I should start training for a marathon … I was somewhat motivated!  Orit even encouraged (or bribed) me by saying that if I ran the Tel Aviv marathon in March 2013 she'll be my running buddy.  Now, that sounds like a good deal!  For the past couple of weeks, I've been seriously contemplating the idea, and slowly planting hints to friends that traveling to Israel next March would be a fabulous vacation … I'm selfishly looking for cheerleaders! ;) 

If only I could start running on a consistent basis!  Any takers for the marathon challenge?  

Check out the British flag costume! 

New York Here I Come

With layovers and connections, about 36hrs after leaving Krabi I finally arrived in Paris.  Without any sleep, it's remarkable that I made it home and was functional for most of the day.  Maybe my neighbors would disagree, as I'm not sure if my French was slurring  when I went to pick up Ralegh from his vacation (see what a good mom I am!).  After a few extremely jammed pack days of unpacking, laundry, repacking, and quality time with out of town guest, I was back on a plane but this time I was heading west.  You'd think I would have waited a couple of weeks before jumping on a transatlantic flight.  New York here I come! 

First I had to spend 24hrs in Albany, so I could become one of the 625 newest members to the New York State Bar.  Then I was off to NYC to celebrate!  The NYC celebration was old school FAU style.  Cara arrived in town on Friday night and it was circa 1999 again.  The old school days, hanging with Geraldine, Cara and Maria, the only thing missing from the weekend were Keren, Dana and a few Sammy's.  

After the weekend, it was time to get serious and start networking.  All work and no play!  Well, maybe a little bit of play.  As many of you know, my time in Paris is coming to an end … but this is not necessarily a sad event as I'll be relocating to NYC.  Woo hoo!!!  Though, the name of this blog may have to change or come to an end - still contemplating.  In the meantime, if anyone out there has any NYC contacts or legal contacts please let me know, any and all information is greatly appreciated. :) 

I spent my days meeting up with old college/law school friends and colleagues that I hadn't seen in ages.  Actually, I didn't even get to see most of my close NY friends, which just means I may have to make another visit soon.  My most interesting lunch was with a phenomenal woman who helped write the South African Constitution after Nelson Mandela was released from prison.  That's how I roll!  A quick lunch with an amazing human rights attorney before I head back to Paris.  [Otuko, you're indirectly credited for this meeting.]

NYC wasn't short of some good meals and old fashioneds (my drink of choice for the trip as I haven't found a place in Paris that makes them yet).  However, before I departed Thailand, I was informed of a little NYC secret that I had to try.  The best burger in town!  Now, I'm no burger expert but I do have to say this was a mighty tasty burger.  Thank you Paul!  For everyone else who is dying to know [Dana, I know you're on the edge of your seat!] the place is called … Burger Joint!  If you're wondering why this Burger Joint is such a secret, especially with such an obvious name, it's because its location is hidden behind a velvet curtain in the atrium of Le Parker Meridien Hotel.  If you have fancier taste, Le Parker Meridien Hotel is also known for their Zillion Dollar Frittata costing only about $1000 US dollars.  Though, I'll be sticking to the yummy greasy cheeseburger that's under $10 US dollars.  

Sahwahdee Kha from Thailand

Many of you may be wondering what happened to me, as I seem to have stopped writing some time in January.  I've spent the past approximate 6 weeks from one end of the globe to the next with a short pit stop in Paris.  I like to pretend that this makes me a world traveler, but I guess that depends on who you're comparing me too.  My cat, Ralegh, may argue that it makes me a bad neglectful mother.  My retort would be that I had to go to Thailand and New York, I had no other choice … Thailand may be questionable on whether it was an absolute must, but I'm sticking to my story. 

During my travels, my travel buddies reminded me that I should be updating my blog.  However, I was too entranced with my own happenings to actually take the time and write.  Now, I wish I did, weeks have passed, I'm struggling with jet lag, and completely avoiding blogging.  Plus, I don't think I will give my Thailand trip any justice.  

So with the last couple of days of January, I left Paris and headed to the exotic world of Thailand. (I ended up having brilliant timing as a cold front and snow storm arrived with my departure.)  I knew the minute I stepped off the airport rail link that I was in a completely different world.  Engrossed by the humming of cars, tuk-tuks, and motorbikes zooming pass me.  Enveloped by the smell of street food, sex, and smog that surrounded me.  Bangkok was alive and full of energy.  I was in utter awe!   I stared at the street signs in a language I couldn't understand.  Now, only if I knew whether I needed to take a right or a left … he he he.

Tashi and I spent our first two nights in a hostel called Link Corner.  As hostels go, it wasn't that bad.  A lot better than some of the ones I use to stay in when I was 17 years old… But that was 17 years ago and I'm not that into the community shower and toilets anymore.  I believe Tashi thought I was being a little bit of a princess but I was fine waiting a day and half to shower at the hip Aloft Hotel (A Vision of the W Hotels) in the Sukhumvit neighborhood.  No judgments please! Lol.  With Paul's arrival we headed over to the lap of luxury.   I highly recommend the Aloft Hotel. 

I'm not going to give a daily rehash of my trip, so here are super brief highlights.  Tashi gave me the best walking tour of Bangkok!   (It's always key to have your travel buddies be in the know of where to go.)  We visited all the malls.  Ate some awesome street food.  Drank at disco van bars (basically, every business in Bangkok can be run out of a van or cart, as long as it has wheels).  Saw a boxing match. Experienced Soi Cowboy.  Went to the Night Market.  Took a couple boat/ferry rides.  Visited Khaosan Road.  Visited the Palace.  And most importantly, had a couple of massages, a facial, and a mani/pedi, it's all about the self-indulgence. :)  As I was traveling with the male species, I of course did not miss the Super Bowl.  The bar we ended up at (at 6:30AM - yes, hardcore!) was so packed we literally ended up sitting on stools in the middle of the street to watch the game.

After Bangkok, we headed south to meet up with PT.  In Phuket, we met up with some of Tashi's Thai friends, had this amazing dinner on top of a mountain and celebrated Tashi's birthday.  The next morning, we took the ferry to Krabi.  Krabi was a typical beach town with absolutely beautiful landscapes.  We went on an island and snorkeling tour.  I learned how to cook some amazing Thai food at Ya's Thai Cookery School (hopefully, I'll be able to recreate the yumminess from home).  Again, multiple massages and of course some pretty awesome meals - I did mention it was all about the indulgence.   I left Krabi with probably the worst sunburn I've ever had on my legs … I had trouble walking and my ankles were swollen, but it was all worth it. 

I absolutely loved Thailand.  I will definitely go back!  Once you get past the illicit activities of Bangkok you fall in love with the charm of the Thai and all the street activities.  If I didn't have to head to NYC for my swearing-in ceremony, I would have extended my stay, as Paul and Tashi are still traveling thru Asia sans moi. :(  Now, I'm vicariously living thru email updates.  

Love and a Pagoda

What better way to prepare for my Asia trip, than a visit to a Pagoda, right here in the middle of Paris!  (I'm going to Asia! Yippee!!!)  La Pagode is an independent theater located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.  

Originally, built in 1896 by architect Alexandre Marcel, for François-Émile Morin, the then director of Le Bon Marché, as a gift for his wife (now, that's a serious declaration of love!).  Don't forget, it's France, which means that it would only be natural that there was some scandalous infidelity going on… right?  :) Yep, that same year, Madame Morin leaves her husband for his business partner (OUCH! Guess, a Pagoda wasn't going to save the marriage).  Over a century later, and this could totally be a modern day sex, love, and betrayal story.  In any event, Madame Morin would throw lavish parties at La Pagode until the closing of the hall in 1927. 

Four years later, in 1931, La Pagode was open to the public, and was the first and only movie theater in the 7th arrondissement.

La Pagode is well-known for it's Japanese room and garden, and it's probably the most unique and beautiful cinema's I've ever seen.  I definitely recommend a visit; plus it's a quaint and cozy cinema. 

Skating in the Skies

Back in December 2004, just in time for the holidays, and in an attempt to promote interest in Paris' candidacy in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, an ice-skating rink was opened on the first floor observation deck of La Tour Eiffel.  It was such a hit with the French and foreigners that seven years later it has become a holiday staple.  [Though, France was unsuccessful on the candidacy bid as London will be holding the Summer Olympics.]  Last year, I completely missed the fun, learning of the ice-skating rink only the day after it closed.  This year I was determined! 

Helena and I convinced Rafael that ice-skating on a small rink between two of the tower's massive legs was a must-do before he headed back to Brazil.  Rafael was a little hesitant at first, but we cajoled him into believing he was a natural born ice-skater (NOT) and what a great first time experience! [Helena ended up taking numerous videos of Rafael ice-skating and maybe falling … but I will spare him the public humiliation.]

As a kid, I spent many Saturday mornings at UTC learning to figure skate, but it dawned on me while about to board the elevator to the first floor observation deck that it had been over 24 years (yeah, I'm old) since I had been on skates.  Twenty-four plus years translates to: 4 dislocated knees; many torn ligaments; a few twisted ankles; and I'm sure I'm forgetting something (btw, have I mentioned that I'm a little bit of a klutz).  Maybe not one of my best laid plans, as I do have future travel plans that would be completely ruined if I ended up on crutches, but by the time we arrived to the first floor my fears had subsided. 

I'm proud to report that my ability to skate came back to me even after all these years, and I never fell :), but I still need lots of practice.  No double axels for me in the near future.  The most entertaining part of the evening (besides watching Rafael a 1.95m/6'4" grown man learn to skate) was watching Rafael skate right into the middle of a couple having a romantic moment.  Right before the big romantic Eiffel Tower skating kiss … big bang boom … like the make-out police, Rafael skated smack damn in the middle of the couple. LOL!!! The couple didn't know what hit them.  I immediately busted out laughing in one of my notorious uncontrollable laughs, and Helena was cursing at herself for missing the photo-op.     

All in all, skating 188 feet up above ground, within the structure of La Tour Eiffel is definitely something not to miss.  It's a small rink, expect tons of ice shavings as they don't seem to clean the ice, and the views of Paris are beautiful.  Access to the rink and skates are free with entrance to the Eiffel Tower.  So if you are in Paris (or nearby ... like London ... he he he) you should definitely head to the Eiffel Tower before the end of the month!  If you miss it, or are looking for a bigger rink, there is always ice-skating at l'hôtel de ville. 

Manchester or Bust!

Happy New Year! 

Sending my love and warm wishes to everyone for a wonderful 2012! 

I'm probably the only British citizen that had never set foot in the UK (Oh, wait … maybe my brother), until now that is!  When Rich and Justin invited me to head over to Manchester for a couple of days, I didn't have to think twice.  

This was my first ever Boxing Day celebration!  My personal British history professor, Justin, explained, that back in the day the wealthy gave a box of gifts to their servants and the 26th of December off, so the servants could celebrate Christmas with their own families.  Nowadays, it's just another excuse for a holiday, i.e., another reason to party!  And as I learned, the British know how to party!  

The Boxing Day Celebration started pretty much once I got off the plane … and went into the wee hours in the morning.  I was definitely out of my league! Luckily, the next day was another bank holiday, as we all were moving a little slower than usual, so we took advantage and had a relaxing day and caught up. We eventually motivated, and I got a personal walking tour of Urmston, and the following day we conquered downtown Manchester. 

While I was in Manchester, I was introduced to a host of British traditions, from Christmas cake to minced meat pie (a meatless pie - still confused at to why it's called minced meat though) to HP sauce a/k/a brown sauce.  A trip to the UK wouldn't be official if there wasn't any curry … so of course my last night in Manchester we headed to Rich and Justin's favorite Indian restaurant, The Hilal in Altrincham.  

Now, I just need to make it to London, Ireland, Scotland and Wales ... 

Christmas in Paris, Troisième Partie

Joyeux Noël de Paris!!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday.  

 Sacre Coeur 

 Place Vendome

Gallerie LaFayette

 

Printemps

Karl Lagerfeld Rules the World ... 

or at last the Paris Fashion World ;o)

La Capitale de Noël

A couple of weeks ago, Helena and I came up with another fabulous idea,  we would go on one day trip every month, and we were going to start with Strasbourg, known as the Capitale de Noël  (the Christmas Capital - sticking with our xmas theme as it is December). Though, I'm not sure what I was thinking when I came up with the brilliant idea to catch the 6:55 train to Strasbourg the day after Dana left.  Seriously! I hardly sleep at night.  

 

With maybe 4hrs of sleep, I was on my way to Strasbourg.  I wasn't the only one moving at a snails pace, as the metro at 6AM is freaking slow! This caused a couple minutes of anxiety, as I have a mother that drops me off at the airport 2hrs in advance for domestic flights, so I was a little concerned that I may be sprinting to catch the train.  I arrived at Gare de l'Est ten minutes before the train's departure :) phew! 

Once on the train, cup of coffee in hand, Helena and I discussed our plan for attacking Strasbourg, and then I threw my fleece over my head and took a power nap.  We arrived in Strasbourg a little before 10:00.  When we first arrived it was quite chilly and windy which is probably not a major issue for any normal person, but I've been avoiding wearing my winter coat and been sporting only my fleece; it is just so much more convenient.  [Winter finally arrived in Paris this weekend when the high was 0 degrees Celsius this Saturday and a -2 this morning.  Sadly, I went straight to the puffy coat :( and bypassed the wool coat completely.]  I'm pretty resourceful, I solved the problem of being cold by having some vin chaud (hot mulled wine) and believe it or not, I was not the only one drinking at 10:00 in the morning. 

We visited the Marchés de Noël, the Cathédrale Notre Dame (I think there's a Notre Dame in every city in France), and then headed out to the European Parliament.  We tried to sneak into a tour group of gray haired Nordics but it didn't work… I guess the Brazilian and American brunettes stood out.  Probably not the smartest thing to do … tee hee … but I went on the tour in Brussels so figured I could translate for Helena :)  We were just a couple hours in advance, individual tours started at 15:00, so we decided to venture back into town and skip the tour.  

Strasbourg has been holding their Marchés de Noël since 1570 and has the reputation of being the best markets in France.  Each year, they honor a country, and dedicate one of the markets to that countries local products and crafts.  This year it was Switzerland.  More fondue and raclette for me! 

Personally, I was a little unimpressed with the markets.  I was expecting more of a German Christmas market ambiance.  Instead, they were a lot smaller, even the ones in Paris are bigger.  Now maybe they sell better crap but I think it's all junk and the only thing I've ever purchased at a Christmas market besides food and alcohol was cute little lamb slippers in Cologne, Germany (Yes, I know I'm too old to walk around in slippers that look like stuffed animals but they're warm and really cute!).  I don't think anyone goes to the Christmas markets for shopping anyways ... it's all about the vin chaud ;o) and I think the Germans have it mastered. 

Don't get me wrong, we still had a fun time venturing around the town and visiting the markets.  Plus we ate plenty, we tried the brädeles (xmas cookies), choucroute (sauerkraut), and a baguette version of the flammeküche (an Alsatian pizza), and of course drank the vin chaud.

  

Has Someone Been Brainwashed

Recently, I watched the film "Exit Through the Gift Shop," an Oscar-nominated documentary directed by Bansky, an elusive British street artist. The film tells the story of a French man, living in Los Angeles, named Thierry Guetta, who develops a fetish of video taping every waking moment of his life. On a trip back to his homeland France, through his cousin, the internationally known artist, Invader, he develops an interest in street art.

[Side note: Invader's art (small tiled Space Invaders (remember Atari) characters, are throughout the streets of Paris. I had a small collection of photos last year - lost! But restarting to take photos with my new iPhone :) maybe a future blog… In the meantime, I have been posting some street art on Twitter.]

Without ruining the film, Guetta starts following around many street artists from Shepard Fairey to Banksy, and in the end becomes a street artist himself, known as MBW (Mr. Brainwash). If you haven't seen the film yet I definitely recommend checking it out. If you're questioning why I'm talking about some random documentary that premiered back in 2010 …

Well, with Dana in town, and us eating our way thru Paris, I took her to quite a few restaurants that I wanted to discover. I probably took her to one too many places, as she had to leave the pepto behind, so I can recover.

One of my new favorites is MBC (pour Menthe, Basilic, Coriandre), a creation of Chef Gilles Choukroun, located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. The food was delicious and the decor was gorgeous! The walls were designed in graffiti and street art style.

With Invader being Parisian and all … I really couldn't help but think that there is some correlation between MBC and MBW, I just find it way to coincidental!

Christmas in Paris, Deuxième Partie

Tonight, I met up with Helena for another adventure of discovering the Parisian Christmas vibe. We started out meeting at Odéon and decided we would head to the Saint Germain and Saint Sulpice marchés de noël.

The Saint Germain markets were all set up but not open :( and we never did find the market that's suppose to be at Saint Sulpice … I guess you can't really depend on the internet!

From there we walked around the 5th & 6th arrondissement, then decided to head to Le Marais via Notre Dame, then to Bastille. After that, we ended up walking towards Le Republique and eventually found our way back to Rue Rivoli and the Louvre.

BHV's (a local department store near Hotel de Ville) Christmas theme this year, pretty comical for me, considering all the Québécois comments I have heard while living here... and I will keep my thoughts to myself on this one ;) Hope my loved ones in Québec enjoy this as much as I did.

A new way to recycle, Christmas trees made out of old plastic sprite bottles!

All our walking made us a little hungry, so we decided to head over to La Mosaïque, a hot dog counter in the middle of the Marais! It's no Hebrew National hot dog, but if you're craving a hot dog in Paris, it's probably going to be the closest to authentic that you're going to get. The key being the hot dog bun. I probably eat a hot dog about once or twice a year, on the 4th of July or at a baseball game, so maybe I'm not the best judge, but it hit the spot for us. Yummy!

We walked about four hours before we decided to give up and head home … our last hour was pretty uneventful, I guess that's what you get when you just decide to wander the streets at night.

Helena and I departed at the bus stop. After four hours of walking, I succumbed to taking the bus home too. I'm on an experiment this month, I'm trying to avoid public transportation, and either walk or use the vélib; so far, I've only been lazy twice. Dana will be in for a real treat when she arrives on Wednesday :) he he he