The first 15 seconds of the following Inglourious Basterds clip was pretty much the story of my life while I was traveling in France, but the three weeks I spent there were remarkable. I’ve even gotten myself thinking that I might move there… after I learn how to speak the language without the “atrocious accent.”
I’m currently editing a few slideshows and writing a lengthy (and hopefully entertaining) blog post to get everyone up to speed. The biking (and the fabulous food, wine and company) in Provence and Burgundy wore me out. Overexertion + Overindulgence = One Lazy Travel Blogger 🙂
Hi everyone! I’m so sorry for the lapse in posts. I’ve had quite a whirlwind adventure so far, and now I understand why everyone falls in love with Paris. She is the city version of Helen of Troy. I would have posted every night, but I usually collapsed on my cozy bed once I got to my hotel. This post will cover all the fantastic tours I took on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Enjoy!
From 13:30 to 20:00, I toured the Musée du Louvre. I spent the first three hours on a group tour with a fantastic Paris Euroscope guide and the last five going around the museum alone. I know I went into every salon in every wing of that place, but there are pieces of art and historical objects that I know I missed. I could have spent all four days there and still wanted to come back for more.
I took over 2oo photos at the Louvre, so I’m going to let them tell you the story this time…
Unfortunately, I had a mini crisis when I got lost on my way home. In true American fashion, my conceited self thought that I could get around Paris without a map after only being there for one day. I finally made it back to the Hotel Montalembert (Thank God for the Parisian public transportation and its maps all over the city!) and had a glass of pinot noir to calm my nerves and lull me to sleep.
It was wake-y, wake-y eggs and bac-y on Thursday morning (and it actually was because I had a delicious ham & cheese omelette for breakfast). My Paris Euroscope driver arrived at 8:30 AM with five other travelers in tow to begin our all-day tour through Paris. We started by conquering the Eiffel Tower (what a way to start the day!), then made our way down the River Siene on a riverboat tour. For lunch, we visited the commune of the great modern artists, Montmatre, and had time to explore the beautiful Basilica of the Sacré Cœur. After Montmatre, we explored the great Gothic cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris, and its gargoyles that protect the city. Then, we whizzed past the Paris Opera House (a visit to the Phantom of the Opera, perhaps?) to end the day at the Arc de Triomphe on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
After about an hour on the most famous avenue in the world, I decided to take advantage of its late Thursday night hours and make a stop at the Musée d’Orsay. This is an art lover’s paradise. This converted train station boasts one of the largest collections of Impressionist art in the world, including pieces from Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Sisley, Cézanne, Pissarro, Morisot, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Rodin, Cassatt, and the list goes on and on… I finished my tour of the museum in about 90 minutes, but I lingered in the main sculpture hall to rest my feet, read and soak up the ambiance of the great modern masters. Unlike the Louvre, I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures, but I snapped a quick cell phone photo of Monet’s Water Lilies because I needed a little piece of the museum to take home with me 😉
My last full day in Paris was dedicated to the wonderful areas outside the city limits, specifically Giverny and Versailles. Giverny was the home of Monet and his family, and he created many of his most famous works based on the beautiful gardens he kept there. It was so inspiring to be in his home, his studio and his water garden where so many of the greatest impressionist pieces were painted.
After a lovely lunch with my driver, Cecilia, and fellow travelers, Glynis and Lindsey from Melbourne, we made our way to Versailles. I took over 100 pictures there, and I’m not sure if they will convey the opulence and grandeur of this palace that housed the Sun King, Louis XIV, and the tragic monarchs, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI.
Here is a slideshow of a day filled with natural and constructed beauty:
Well, it is actually Wednesday here in Paris, but I arrived via the Chunnel yesterday (To be honest, I just wanted to keep up with the blog’s theme 🙂 ).
Honestly, I don’t even know what to do with myself. I’m in PARIS!!! I can’t really put into words how excited I am to be here after planning this trip for so long. When people would talk to me about Paris, though, I always assumed that they were exaggerating or just easily impressed by a major metropolitan city. I knew I would enjoy being here and taking in all the museums and tourist attractions, but as I stepped off the platform at the Paris Nord train station, excitement swept over me. Even something as mundane as standing in line waiting for a taxi became a joy because such beauty surrounded me.
On the taxi ride to my hotel, I couldn’t stop looking out the window. I’m sure my taxi driver thought there was something wrong with the crazy American girl in his back seat because I looked like I was in a state of shock. I couldn’t help myself though. Just being there made me feel as if I was instantly transported to a different world. One thing did remind me of home, however: Paris traffic. It didn’t matter, though. The slower we moved, the more of Paris I could absorb.
I finally arrived at the Hotel Montalembert near the Boulevard Saint-Germain on the Left Bank (La Rive Gauche). Like everything else I had seen in Paris so far, it was perfect – gorgeous and classically Parisian in every way. I attempted to use the few phrases from my French phrase book that I had been practicing on the train, but like many Americans, I failed miserably. The rumors, however, about Parisians are false. There were no dirty looks or snide comments about my accent. In fact, they seemed to genuinely appreciate my efforts, but graciously spoke in my native tongue to accommodate my linguistic ignorance.
After unpacking and quick catnap, I began to feel restless and decided to take a walk around the fair city. I made my way down the Rue de Bac, across La Seine via the Pont Royal Bridge to the Jardin des Tuileries. According to my AAA travel guide, this lovely park was created for the Queen of France, Catherine de Medici, in the 16th Century when she moved to the Louvre Palace after the death of her husband, King Henry II. It became a public park after the French Revolution, so now even American tourists can experience its beauty.
On my way back to the hotel, I caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. Enough said 🙂
Around 22:00 I got a little hungry and made my way down to the hotel restaurant. For dinner, I ordered handmade orrechiete with freshly grilled vegetables and buffalo mozzarella. Il était délicieux. But the pièce de résistance was the dessert (of course I took a picture!).
It was an amazing first day in the City of Light. Today, I’m off to the Louvre and then probably the Musee D’Orsay. I should be posting pictures and/or video tonight. Until then… Au revoir!
As I sit here writing this, I feel like I must apologize for the glacial pace at which this blog seems to be moving so far. I promise that once I get to Paris it will pick up speed, but until then, I’m trying to get in as much R&R as possible. Rest assured though, I’ll be going at a dead sprint for the rest of journey so I’ll have plenty of stories to keep you entertained for the next seven weeks.
Anyhow, it happens to be 11:30 PM in this part of the Atlantic and I’m up late having a near-midnight snack at the King’s Court (see sad state of affairs below). I can’t really sleep since my 80 minute facial, manicure and 45 minutes in the sauna put me into a minor coma when I got back to my stateroom early this afternoon. I did get my second wind after a room service dinner, so here I am writing to you all.
Yesterday was slightly more eventful. I even hit the gym for about an hour and a half before lunch. And if you think running on the treadmill is challenging on dry land, then you’ve never tried to do it while afloat in the middle of the choppy Atlantic Ocean. Keeping balance required more coordination than I have on my best days, so I resorted to holding onto the handles and tried to make it seem I was doing some sort of interval training. On a lighter note, I found out that Lily Allen’s albums make an excellent workout playlist. She’s the perfect juxtaposition of British pop music and shameless, entertaining, pseudo-feminist stand-up. It almost made forget that I looked ridiculous jogging and holding on to a handle for dear life… almost.
Per usual, dinner with my Britannia crew included great conversation and delicious food, but the rib-eye steak I ordered was bigger than my hand. It was so big that I actually acted very “touristy” and took a picture of it so you could see that I’m not exaggerating. It looks like what Lawry’s gives all the football players going to the Rose Bowl, right?
After eating half a cow last night, I thought I would start the day off right with some fruit for breakfast and a cleansing spa experience. I booked the first facial appointment at 9:00 AM followed by a manicure at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub. Since I’m too ticklish to get a full body massage, facials and mani/pedis are the closest thing. And my Vitamin Infusion Facial with Tamara and Spa Manicure with Bongi did not disappoint. After that, I hit the sauna since Tamara told me it would enhance my facial. She was absolutely right. I came out of there with dewy, supple skin, but I felt like mush. I got back to my room, drank a 1.5 L bottle of water and conked out until around 3:30 PM, just in time for afternoon tea.
After my nap and tea, I realized what a lovely day it was, and once again ventured out onto the ship. Lounged on the Deck 7 chaises with my Kindle in tow. I tried to read, but the ocean was distracting. I couldn’t look away. The water in the middle of the Atlantic is not like any I’ve ever seen. The Pacific at Zuma or Will Rogers Beaches is a green that makes you think of all the pollutants that are floating around, and the Hawaiian beaches offer that glass-like quality that allows you to see all the way to the ocean floor, but the this ocean wavers between a cerulean and a deep sapphire (which is my birthstone, so maybe that’s why I’m so taken with it).
After about an hour of attempting to read while mindlessly staring at the ocean, I made my way into the library. I didn’t realize that it was at the bow of the ship until then, and from where I was sitting I could see how the ocean tossed the QM2 around like a toy in a bathtub.
I finally made it back to my room, but I was still feeling a little slow from my sauna experience, so I ordered dinner in. After a couple more hours of reading on my balcony, I got the munchies and made my way down to the King’s Court for that snack I just finished. Relaxing end to a relaxing day 🙂
I know that title seems vague, but until May 24th, that’s really the only destination I have to offer you since I’m not exactly sure where in the Atlantic Ocean I’ll be at any given time. For next five days I’ll be on this magnificent ship that’s being tossed around like rubber ducky in an Olympic-size swimming pool. Also, I’m so sorry for leaving you all hanging yesterday. The day got away from me, and the WiFi charge on this ship is highway robbery (75 cents per minute!!!). I have a nice, long post for you today, though
Now mind you, I don’t get seasick, and I love being in the water and on boats, but this is a sensation I’ve never felt before. Between the constant swaying and tranquil sound of the ocean just outside my balcony, I didn’t leave my bed on Wednesday until it was time to get ready for dinner. At first I felt guilty for doing nothing but lounge around reading Eat, Pray, Love in my bathrobe and ordering two rounds of room service, but after about five years of going at a the pace of a dead sprint, I think that a little lounging around is probably ok.
Wednesday’s dinner was lovely, though. Everyone at my table has kind of taken me under their wing. They’re fascinating people with so many wonderful backgrounds and interesting stories. Mike and Jane live in Roswell, GA, just outside Atlanta. They’re British ex-pats that have been American citizens for over 40 years. Liz and Bruce from Richmond, VA have traveled the world with their church choir and have a unique outlook on love, marriage and life, in general that I think only comes from being married three times (each!). Ellen is a married author from the Denver area who, like me, is traveling alone. She is quite the free spirit, and I commend her for being confident enough to travel through Europe for eight weeks. Finally, Richard and Mary are the QM2 experts. They’ve made this voyage a handful of times, and they have the inside scoop on all the great things this ship has to offer.
Although I took it easy yesterday, today was a little more eventful. I took myself on a little tour of the ship, and I brought my camera with me so I could provide you with have a video tour of sorts that I’ll post tomorrow. (Sorry for the wobbly cinematography…)
After my walking tour, I had lunch at the King’s Court. This is not your average food court. I had Spaghetti Carbonara freshly made in front of me that rivaled some fancy Italian restaurants, but they do have a cafeteria favorite that I just couldn’t resist – soft serve ice cream. It was the perfect end to a lovely lunch.
In the afternoon, I gave Jane and Mike a quick social media and WiFi tutorial in the library (my job as the resident Millennial at my table, and probably on the ship), so they could communicate with their family back in Georgia, followed by some more reading on my balcony.
Dinner was lovely, as usual, and as a thank you for my help earlier, Jane and Mike treated me to a tasty glass of Brut at the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar. All in all, it was another great day on the ship. Until tomorrow then…
Although I arrived in New York City yesterday, it didn’t seem appropriate to start a blog with the title “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be…” with a Monday post. So, I decided to wait until my embarkation from Manhattan Pier #92 on the Cunard Line Queen Mary 2 since this is the real start of my adventure.
I’ve been told by one of my aunt’s very good friends that this ship is almost the size of the Empire State Building on its side, but to give you a better description of the Queen Mary 2, the following is from the “About” section on the Cunard website:
Queen Mary 2 is the most magnificent ocean liner ever built. Her every detail harkens to the Golden Age of Ocean Travel, while providing one of the most modern travel experiences on earth. From bow to stern, discover 14 spacious decks on which to relax and unwind; to indulge in pleasures and pursuits you never normally have time for. Opulent public areas, extravagant dining rooms, ballrooms, theatres, lounges…even the only Planetarium at sea. But words can only do such a lady so much justice. For to truly revel in the grandeur that is Queen Mary 2, you must sail with her. Indulge in every experience Queen Mary 2 has to offer on a 7 day Transatlantic cruise between Southampton and New York.
Comparisions
five times longer than Cunard’s first ship, Britannia (230 ft.)
113 feet longer than the original Queen Mary
more than twice as long as the Washington Monument is tall (550 ft.)
147 feet longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall (984 ft.)
more than 3½ times as long as Westminster’s Tower (Big Ben) is high (310 ft.)
only 117 feet shorter than the Empire State Building is tall (1248 ft.)
more than three times as long as St. Paul’s Cathedral is tall (366 ft.)
as long as 41 double-decker London buses (31½ ft. each)
Queen Mary 2’s whistle is audible for 10 miles
I’m staying in the Britannia section of the ship on the Deck 8. My wonderful travel agent, Avril Bransky of New Act Travel, sent me chocolate covered strawberries to my room and Cunard provided me (along with the other passengers) with some free champagne (I’m a little tipsy as I’m writing this, so please excuse me).
It’s so surreal to be on this ship about to embark on the trip of a lifetime. I can’t wait to share my experiences with all of you!
Nicole W.
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be... 
