Gotta love working in Paris in May - Part 2

Alright so to pick up where I left off, Nate and I were headed to Venice early on a Wednesday morning.  If you recall, this was the start of our five day holiday weekend from work.  Yes, life is rough here.  We had talked before about wanting to check out Venice and when Catherine had said they would be there that Wednesday night, well we figured it would be perfect.  We arrived at the airport and then took a water shuttle over to Venice.  Since Venice is an island and no cars are on it, water shuttles, water taxis and water buses are their forms of transportation.  It was cool coming in by boat and seeing Venice from the water.  Once we arrived it was then like a scavenger hunt trying to find our hotel.  No joke the directions from the hotel website went something like this.  “From station, cross main bridge, go right and follow the canal.  Once you hit the foot of the bridge, cross that and go right.  Go past one bridge and then turn right at the next corner.”  It definitely felt like a game.  But we navigated our way and found the hotel.  We dropped off our stuff and proceeded to explore the maze that is Venice.  And boy is it a charming city!  We had a nice lunch near one of the smaller canals and thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.  I think just wandering around and getting lost is one of the best ways to explore the city.  

That evening we met up with Catherine, Lisa and Aunt Cynthia to attend a symphony at the Teatro Malibran.  We met up for a drink beforehand and then headed in to watch the performance.  I don’t know that I’d ever been to a symphony performance before but I quite enjoyed it.  Although we did only stay for the first half as part of the group was tired and falling asleep....I’m not naming any names here.  But that was fine as we had reservations for dinner and it probably worked out better to leave a bit earlier anyways.  We finished the evening with a delicious Italian meal (seriously, I love Italy just for the food alone) and bid adieu to the girls who were off the next morning to Rome.

Nate and I still had two more nights left to enjoy Venice.  We actually took the water bus to the island of Lido the next morning to go for a run and explore the island.  It was great for running and is basically like a little beach resort town.  A much different feel from Venice.  We explored the main strip, had lunch, got our gelato (a must do every day of our trip) and then headed back.

The following day we did a 2 hour guided walking tour which gave us some of the history of Venice, showed us the piazza where Marco Polo was born, walked us by the Rialto Bridge and ended us at St. Mark’s Square and Basilica.  As I mentioned before, Venice is a maze of a city with narrow alleyways but St. Mark’s Square is the largest open area in Venice and quite a sight!  The Basilica was pretty amazing as well.  Our tour guide even showed us these platforms stacked up near the entrance and explained that these are put out when it floods so that people can walk into the church.  You can definitely see how pillars are leaning and things aren’t quite straight due to this city basically just sitting on the water.  Overall though a well worth it tour and perfect at just 2 hours.

Since we finished up around 11am we decided to take the water bus out to the island of Burano.  There is Murano, which is famous for its glass and then Burano, which is famous for its lace.  I had asked our tour guide which one she recommended and she highly suggested Burano.  So Burano it was!  It’s much smaller than Murano but very cute.  The one thing that stood out is how each of the houses are painted a different, bright color.  It was really cool to see.  It almost gave it a Disneyland feel.  We had lunch there and walked around a bit....there’s not much more to see beyond the little part of the town with all of the restaurants and shops.

We then headed back over to Venice where we enjoyed our final night in town.  We found this amazing little restaurant not far from our hotel (which by the way was in the Dorsoduro neighborhood....an area I would highly recommend staying in as it’s a bit quieter and a little off the beaten path of all of the tourists).  Anyways, we enjoyed a delicious final Italian meal and before we knew it were off on a morning flight out of Venice on Saturday.  

Overall I would say the trip to Venice is well worth it and since rumor has it that it’s sinking, it may not be around forever!  I’m glad we got to see and explore it but look forward to visiting some of the many other Italian cities.

We were back in Paris by Saturday afternoon and a few hours later greeted Catherine, Aunt Cynthia and Lisa as well.  They had two more nights left in their trip before heading back home again.  It was a mellow couple of days though as everyone was tired.  But we had a great time hearing all about their adventures over the last week before having to say goodbye for good.  Until next time!!!  

Gotta love working in Paris in May - Part 1

You may ask, "Why is it so great to work in Paris during the month of May?".  Well, it’s because May has a ton of bank holidays which means you don’t actually have to work all that much and that leaves more time for playing!  Honestly, in May many French people take another 1 or 2 week vacation just to take advantage of all of the holidays.  If we had been better prepared for this, we absolutely would have done the same too.  It all started with a holiday May 1.  That was then followed a week later by a 5 day weekend (yes, you read that right) which was then followed by a 3 day weekend.  You can see how you could easily have a 1-2 week vacation without really taking that many vacation days.  Love it!

Let me back up here for a second though.  The beginning of May also greeted us with our next set of visitors.  This time it was my cousins Catherine and Lisa and my Aunt Cynthia.  They were on a 2 week European vacation which both started and ended in Paris.  They arrived on a Thursday afternoon and were ready to start exploring.  I think the theme of their trip was that they didn’t come here to rest.  That following day I took the day off of work and us ladies headed into Champagne to see who I now call my friend Rachel.  She’s the one I’ve now seen 3 times and just absolutely love!

Getting croissants before our Champagne day

She picked us up from the train station and we headed to the small champagne house Wafflart-Briet located in this cute little village called Sacy.  If you recall from previous posts, this champagne house is owned by her boyfriend’s family.  In any case, she gave everyone the complete overview of how champagne is made, while giving us a tour of their facility as well.  She prepared a quite delightful lunch of cheese (of course), bread, tomato tarte and a local specialty (I can’t remember the name but it’s basically this pork mixture inside a pastry).  All very delicious!!!  Oh and of course there was champagne tasting!!!  I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day!  We ended our time with Rachel around early afternoon which left us a couple of hours to explore the city of Reims.

Saturday was filled with seeing many of the main sights of Paris (Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, etc.) which we gladly let them go off and do.  We met up in the afternoon for some shopping in the 6th and finished with dinner at a quaint little French bistro.  And then Sunday they were off to their next destination and Nate and I were headed back to work.  Oh but don’t worry, it was only a 2 day work week for us before we started our 5 day weekend.  Man I love May here!

Ok, part 2 to come in a bit.  Venice and back to Paris with the girls!

Finally a visit to the Palais Garnier

One of the things I’ve been wanting to check out since we moved here is the opera house (or as it is officially called, Palais Garnier).  I’ve seen it multiple times from the outside and it’s quite the grand building.  In talking with people at work, they absolutely recommended going inside to check it out as well.  However, instead of just buying a ticket to tour the building, they suggested actually going to see a performance.  So I kept an eye on what was playing there and came across Hansel & Gretel.  I figured that since it wouldn’t be in English that at least knowing the story might make it easier to follow.  I got tickets and we went last night.  My co-workers were right.....the opera house is indeed amazing.  Wow, just so beautiful inside.  

In the entry hall

Ceiling in the theater

View from our seats

The performance was good however eventhough we knew the story, it was still hard to follow at certain points.  The performance was done in German and they showed French subtitles.  I was somewhat surprised at how much following the French subtitles actually helped me in following what was going on.  I guess those French lessons are doing something afterall!

So all in all a great evening and well worth the visit!  I highly recommend for anyone coming to Paris.

Florence, visitors and a trip back to the US

Well to no surprise it’s been another few whirlwind weeks and of course I’m behind on writing all about them. After our great ski weekend in the French Alps, I headed to Florence for what has now become our traditional twice yearly girls shopping weekend. In the interest of not making it 100% about shopping (although I think we need to get back to more shopping) we headed to the Vespa museum. One of the girls in our group is a huge Vespa fan, owning one herself, so it was her idea. And I’m always up for checking out something new and different.

Saturday morning we hopped on a train and headed about 40 minutes outside of Florence to a small town with not much going on besides this Vespa museum. It was pretty interesting. It showed all different Vespas, old and new, and how they have changed throughout the times. We spent maybe an hour there, hit up the gift shop where Mirjam (our Vespa fan) almost bought out the store, had some lunch at a little restaurant we came across and then headed back to Florence. We didn’t end up back in Florence until closer to 4:00 or so, so our shopping time became very limited!!! But we did what we could and managed to find a few of those things that we just couldn’t live without. We hit up the market on Sunday for a little more shopping and before I knew it, I was saying goodbye to the girls and on a plane back to Paris.

Then just a few weeks later it was time for our next round of visitors. This time it was my cousin Gina and Aunt Karen. They were on their own European tour and we were lucky to have them stop in Paris for 4 nights in between their visits to Rome and London. We had a great time showing them our neighborhood, markets we love to go to, etc.

Then on Friday night we went to the Moulin Rouge show. Gina and Aunt Karen had it on their list of things to do and Nate and I decided to join them. Afterall, it’s such a well known place and I had never even walked by it or been in that neighborhood yet. So we grabbed some dinner and headed to the late show at 11pm. As for the show itself, in some ways it’s just what you’d expect and in some ways, it was actually more than I expected. I figured it would just be your normal cabaret type show....lots of topless women dancers in fancy outfits dancing for an hour and a half. And there certainly was this but they mixed it up with more acrobatic type performances, a ventriloquist and even a girl in a tank with a huge snake (this one was a bit odd). I thought it was entertaining and now we can say we’ve been. Do I ever need to go again? No, probably not. But all in all quite an experience.

Saturday morning we said goodbye to Gina and Aunt Karen and I headed to the airport to go back to the US and Gina and Aunt Karen headed to the train station to finish their European trip in London. We had a great time with them. So glad they came to visit! It’s always nice to see familiar faces and it’s fun to show people from home what our life is like over here.

So yes, then I’m off to the US for a week! I had a work conference in Las Vegas and since both my brother and sister live in the LA area, I decided to spend time both before and after the conference with them. And it just so happened to be Easter weekend as well which was a bonus. My parents came down to my sister’s and were at her house when I arrived into LA that Saturday. We had a great weekend celebrating the holiday. And before I knew it, I was headed to Las Vegas on Tuesday. I hadn’t been there in ages! I guess it was what you’d expect from a work trip to Vegas.....convention center, work people, drinking and more conference rooms. Although I didn’t manage to do any gambling. It was only two days so it went by quickly but I had a chance to see many of my old co-workers and friends from the US which was an added bonus.

Unfortunately Julie had to work on Easter Sunday

The conference ended and I headed to my brother’s house for 2 more nights where I got to hang out with him and his family. Lots of quality time which I haven’t had with them in a while so it was perfect! Saturday came before I knew it and I was back at LAX heading home to Paris. It was a whirlwind week but a super fun one and a nice break. Not to mention, I loved actually seeing the sun and having some warmer weather.

Spring, really, are you ever coming to Paris?????

A few more French weekends....

Ok, where were we?  Last check in we posted about snow and that was in January, now it's March and guess what - still snowing.  Had a solid 6 inches a few days ago and fun as that is, winter is really starting to get old. I'd post pictures of the snow, but you can pretty much go back to the previous post and get the idea.  It's now March 16 and bring on "printemps"!  I want some sun!

That said, while winter has gone on we have continued to get out and see more places in France and of course enjoyed the company of more visitors.  Beginning on le jour de la Saint Valentin my long time buddy from way back, none other than one Mr. Ronald G. Tycer and his wife Lindsay were next to pay us a visit here in Paris.  (I guess I should say that technically Louis and making her first guest appearance Keelin "Squeak" Marcoux were here a week earlier on their way to South Africa and did make the all night Super Bowl party with us, but I just don't want to relive that experience.  No offense Lewis!)

Our B&B

Arriving on St. Valentine's day meant just enough energy for a nice dinner before getting some much needed sleep, after all we had a big weekend planned starting on Friday morning.  The plan this time was to hit up another of the wine regions in France and go to Côtes du Rhône.  Taking the TGV train first thing in the morning got us to Vaison-la-Romaine by about lunch time.  This was a very quaint traditional French village with an old castle up on a hill and some ancient ruins in the middle of town.  Also being a French village there was a town square, a few boulangeries and a fabulous cheese shop.  Oh, some wine too of course.  Enjoyed a relaxing Friday evening before getting up to a nice breakfast at our B&B then getting picked up by the wine tour guide we had arranged.  

We started out at 10:00 on our tour for the day visiting 3 different AOC's of the region on a slightly chilly and windy, but very sunny day.  This was probably the first time we had seen sun since…….  Anyway.  During the day our guide took us to both vineyards and wineries to learn about both the "terroir" and wine making techniques that are utilized in the area.  One big surprise to me was that in Côtes du Rhône they use very little oak to age their wine, mostly stainless steel and concrete vats are used.  Also that the soil is incredibly rocky and in many places doesn't look like anything but weeds would grow which is much different than many other areas.  Olivier was very good at providing not only a good tasting experience, but also a good education which made for an excellent outing.  And we saw the sun.

In Vacqueyras next to the rocky soil

Enjoying our cheese and wine happy hour!

After the weekend we made our way back to Paris where the Tycer's spent a few more nights with us enjoying cheese, baguettes, more wine and a few added sites in Paris.  So glad that they were able to make the trip and experience a bit of Parisian life with us!

A few weeks after that came our next French adventure, this time to celebrate my birthday, would be a ski weekend in the French Alps town of Les Arcs, this time joined again by our friends Alex and Stacey.  Having been incredibly spoiled living in Zurich last year where the proximity to skiing was a short train ride away, in Paris the trip is much longer and does require a weekend, so this would be the one and only ski trip this year.  Needless to say we made the most of it.  Taking Friday off work and getting the morning train, we arrived in Les Arcs by mid afternoon and quickly found a great outdoor patio with a beer and great view of Mont Blanc.  Enjoying again some much needed sunshine we had a few beers, then found this great little wine bar in the middle of the village.  Finishing off our first night with dinner, we got a good night of rest before a full day of skiing on Saturday.

Mont Blanc just behind us

Saturday weather was amazing!  Bright blue ski, sun all day, cold but not too cold and good snow conditions.  If we are only getting two days, this was about as good as you could ask for.  European ski resorts are massive in size if we haven't mentioned before.  Over the two days of skiing we hit about 1/3 of the available area but never got bored.  European ski areas also cater to all levels of skill off of every lift so you can ski together all day without having to split up which is nice.  After a great day of skiing, we all took in a nice French dinner and a few drinks to celebrate my birthday then off to bed.  Sunday we got a few hours of skiing in then had to make our way back to Paris in the evening.

The girls take a litte rest on the slopes

Birthday boy is ready to go!

Two great weekend trips with great friends and some more great pictures.  Wish we could have had a whole week to ski like most French people do, but lesson learned for next time I guess!  Bon temps!

Winter Wonderland in Paris

I’ve been hoping and looking forward to some snow in Paris and I finally got it!!! About a week ago it snowed in Paris....a lot! Enough that the snow stuck to the ground to create a bit of a winter wonderland here. And we absolutely loved it!!!

From talking to my colleagues, it sounds like it’s super rare to see the type of snow we saw (which lasted 3 days and of course has since melted). It started on a Friday evening and by Sunday, the city had a nice blanket of white.

Nate and I took a little walk around our neighborhood and down to Notre Dame and the river just to be out in it and enjoy Paris covered in snow. It was really quite beautiful!! I’m thinking that was probably our only snow for this season, at least to this degree, but I'll take it!! Paris est magnifique dans la neige!!!

First visitors of 2013

Happy 2013!  We were home for what always feels like a quick trip and had an amazing Christmas with family while also seeing a few friends.  Then we headed back to Paris to bring in the new year here with our new friends.  We celebrated at Robin and Dave’s place with a few other people and had a great time ringing in 2013.

We had just a quick week before my sister and her family came to visit.  And when I say her family I mean her husband and 1.5 (Michelle) and 4 (Cecilia) year old daughters.  It would definitely mean a house full but we were both excited to have all of them here!  We figured that we tested the waters a bit back in November when Kristine and Aaron brought Ethan so we were a bit more prepared to now have two little ones in our home.  

The family arrived on a Thursday and looked very excited to be off of a plane.  Everyone was a bit tired and after lunch, they all took a nap.  Well except for Cecilia who was wide awake and kept me company while I worked from home.  

We kept it simple that evening with dinner from our favorite handmade noodle place just a block from our apartment.  The next day John was off to London to visit a friend for the night and Nate and I were off to work.  So Julie had the two girls for a day in Paris.  From what I heard, it didn’t take them long to find the carousel set up near Hotel de Ville, just a 10 minute walk from our house, and which turned out to be a popular activity to return to throughout their stay.  They did a little more exploring near the house and then it was happy hour time.  As you’ve heard us say before, Nate and I love happy hour at our house.  I mean, who doesn’t love some wine, cheese and baguette?  

We decided to venture out for the evening and found a little brasserie in the Marais for dinner.  It was perfect.  Michelle was sleeping the entire time and Cecilia was so good!  We only took a quick walk after dinner and then it was time to get the girls home so they could actually be mobile and warm.  That’s right, did I mention that Julie and family are from the LA area and that it was probably no warmer than 45 degrees (and only getting colder) while they were here?  They were not used to this cold weather, that’s for sure.

On Saturday Julie and I and the girls ventured to the Jardin des Plantes.  I had never been here before and had read that it was a cool park with lots to do.  This was also the first metro ride for both Michelle and Cecilia which they absolutely loved!  Michelle loves trains and says “choo choo” when she sees one.  It’s so adorable.  So we grabbed some sandwiches and went to the park where we found a little playground.  It became quite cold though and we were ready for an indoor activity.  This jardin also has a children’s natural history museum which was perfect at the time.  They have lots of real looking animals on display and we were able to kill a couple of hours here before heading home.

By this time John had returned and it was happy hour again at our house.  We went out that night to a favorite little bistro in our neighborhood for dinner and then Julie and I and the girls came home while the boys had their night out.  It happened to be during playoffs so they could catch the first game at a bar.  

Sunday we decided was the day to go to the Eiffel Tower.  John had never been to Paris before so we thought it would be good for him to check it out.  Unfortunately we of course pick the one day to go to the Eiffel Tower that 340,000 people had gathered around it in protest of gay marriage.  So our trip there was quick, we got our pictures, Cecilia had a carousel ride and we headed off to see the Arc de Triomphe and then back to Notre Dame for mass.  

Monday Nate was back to work and I had both that day and Tuesday off to explore Paris with the Tannaci’s.  This time we checked out the Jardin d’Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne park.  It’s like a mini little amusement park and was so charming!!!  And since it’s the middle of winter it kind of felt like a ghost town.  I think we were one of maybe 5 families there.  It was a bit strange but kind of nice too.  They have a section with carnival rides but it’s so much more than that.  They have a little zoo, playgrounds, house of mirrors and more that we didn’t even get to explore.  When we walked in we didn’t make it much further past the rides as Cecilia wanted to check out all of them.  And did I mention it’s cold here?  Since we were all starting to get numb fingers and toes we headed to an Angelina’s cafe they had in the jardin for some of the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted.  Seriously!  Like pure melted chocolate.  It was the perfect way to warm up.  Before we knew it, they were closing up and it was time to meet Nate out at a cute French restaurant in the 6th for dinner.  And then it was mine and Julie’s turn to have girls night out while the boys took the little ones home.  

We were already at the last day of their trip which was going by way too quickly.  It was a mellow one with a little bit of shopping and of course one more carousel ride for Cecilia.  I think this was probably the coldest day of their trip and therefore it was hard to be outside too much.

We thoroughly enjoyed their visit and the house feels quite empty and quiet.  Now we are enjoying some snow on the ground and some winter soldes (sales).  It’s definitely winter time in Paris!