One Perfect Day in Paris (Day 7)

I´ll preface this by saying - Not that the other one´s WEREN´T, but this one was special for me. Also, though the moment has passed, I´ll still try and capture the spirit of what I wrote in my journal.

Today I was sitting
eating the PERFECT cheese
on the PERFECT
piece of bread
in PARIS no less,
and I was thinking
how FORTUNATE am I?!

Earlier
I had been bumming
that the sky
had turned blue
and now I wouldn´t have
the PERFECT gray clouds for
my Notre Dame photos.


Now
the wind picked up
and the clouds moved in.
I parted ways with
my companion
and crossed the Seine.
Rays of sun broke through
as I neared
my 8 year broken date
with this impressive edifice.

I cued up, patiently waiting
as I listened to
the PERFECT ethereal soundtrack
floating deep into my ears.
Inside
circling round and round the stairs,
corkscrewing up
until I reached
the gargoyles.

I felt I knew
them all already,
they were so familiar -
The Monkey, Eagle, Dragon.
Fantastical Creatures.
The sun was playing
peek-a-boo
over their faces and torsos.
Beyond
the Eiffel Tower pierced
the skyline.
What a sight!

I stayed for hours,
completely ignoring
the 5 minute limitation.
I can now say -
It was worth the wait.

What a PERFECT day!

Want to know more?

If you ARE following along on our adventures and are chomping at the bit for more, remember you can check out Darin´s blog by clicking the link on the right. With so much that we want to share with people we´ve been keeping tabs on what the other is writing about so we don´t duplicate efforts.

Bonjour Paris!

To say that this City is nothing like Spain would be an understatement. To say it's like no other City in the World doesn't BEGIN to describe it. So where to start?

I spent one week in Paris 8 years ago and KNEW that only giving ourselves another week now would be rushing it, but "Hey", we DO have to make it to Asia at SOME point if for no other reason than that our finances wouldn't be able to withstand a trip of the length we've embarked on. So here we are. Paris is one of those mega-cities, like Rome for example, with so many people and so much history it could take you a lifetime to fully explore. With just a week, we opted to get a room in a central location, La Marais, and head a different direction every day.

Day One began by searching for an English-language bookstore so we could buy a French phrase book. That brought us to Jardin des Tuileries which sits at a fantastic intersection with views of the Eiffel Tower, Petite + Grand Palais, Louvre and an Egyptian obelisk. The sun had broken through the clouds and was glinting off the Eiffel in the distance, beckoning us. We continued, over the stunning Pont (Bridge) Alexandre III, past the commanding Les Invalides. We picked up sandwiches to go at a wonderful Boulangerie on Rue St. Dominique and ate them in the park as we gazed in awe at THE symbol of Paris. Continuing on, around and under it, up to the Trocadero to gaze down on it. It´s an elegant structure that punctures the predominantly low, level skyline, soaring skyward. What a wonder this must have been when it was built 1889! We had a long walk home from there as evening was coming on, and we stopped at a cafe en-route for a nice glass of Bordeaux.

Day Two started with a strong cup of coffee and an AMAZING almond croissant while sitting on steps across from the Pompidou. Internet for a while before heading over to Musee dÓrsay. What a collection, and what a BUILDING! I had many favorites, but THE highlights for me were both the Van Gogh self portraits and a couple of his other works, DESERVEDLY famous. What movement and expression of emotion... What SKILL! Went to a movie theater that evening and FINALLY saw Capote. Excellent film. Crazy that the museum was 7 Euro and the cinema was 9.50 Euro. Shows the value that Parisians place in making art accessible to people (Under 18 is free).

Day Three was another big walking day packed with Parks and panoramic vistas. Beginning in La Marais, through the Bastille, North along Beaumarchais where we bought two cheeses at a farmer´s market, up into the hilly + flower-filled Parc de Belleville where we feasted in the sun upon whole-wheat sourdough bread packed with walnuts, the cheeses we had bought and a tasty Cote du Rhone while gazing out at the city spread before us - Magical! Then into Parc Des Buttes-Chaumont with it´s Pagoda, further North to Parc de la Villette where we turned back South to stroll along the Canal de LÓurco back towards home. That night we headed up to Montmartre for views from the Sacre Couer and good people watching.

Day Four was a bit rainy so we hit the Pompidou that afternoon for the Morphosis architecture exhibit. For those who aren´t familiar with Thom Mayne´s work, here´s a link - www.morphosisarchitecture.com He´s also the architect for the new SF Federal Building. Wandered around bars in the hood that night to check out the Saturday night scene.

Day Five was Easter Sunday and we started it with a bit of Mass at Notre Dame, complete with the choir singing, then headed over for a couple peaceful hours at Musee Rodin. After, we took the Metro out to La Defense. The area is pretty futuristic in contrast to the rest of Paris as they´ve grouped together many of the steel + glass skyscrapers and you look down the wide Avenue Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe and beyond. It´s SO different that it has the feel of having stepped onto a movie set. At the center of it all is a 35-story office building whose square center has been cut out in modern mimicry of the Arc. That evening we walked around the Luxenbourg Gardens and Jean Nouvel´s (also of the Torre Agbar in Barcelona - www.jeannouvel.com) Foundation Cartier, admiring them from the street as by this point everything was closed. Back at the room, we feasted on our typical bedtop picnic of fantastic breads, cheeses and wine.

Day Six we went back to the Trocadero for a peek into an exhibit at Musee l´Homme called Peoples - Moving black + white´s of people in conflict/crisis from around the globe. Another picnic with views of the Eiffel before getting in line to climb it. We took our time over the next 4 hours exploring the different levels and views as we went up and up to the peak. Watching the light change from day to night and all the lights come on in the City below. As of the Millenium 2000, they installed 1000´s of light-emitting diodes which sequence like camera flashes and go off every hour a 10-minute freakshow of light. We were able to appreciate this while on the midway viewing platform, going down the stairs, and later back up at the Trocadero. It´s pretty wild, but the moment of transition is the best!

Day Seven... stay tuned for next post.

Here's a "link" to more photos

Hasta Luego!

"Leave them wanting more", Darin just said to me as we're sitting here in the warm sun after just having completed a 3hr. tour through Cordoba's Mezquita-Cathedral. This country has enchanted + surprised us and won our hearts... from the cities, both large and small, to the mountains and the valleys and the beaches. Especially by giving a few towns a weeks-worth of our time, we were able to get more in tune with regional differences, both in habit + cuisine. The only real downer we experienced is that the people aren't really engaging to foreigners as they typically have very tight-knit social circles. On the UPSIDE of that, Andalucian's are different, and we had all of our nicest human interaction there.

What's so special about Andalucia? The people are as warm as the weather; The architecture's got that organic, Moorish flair, and it's OLD; They've got salmorejo and 7 kinds of sherry; Flamenco can be heard on almost every corner, and it's just local teens or adults just walking around clapping or singing it unselfconsciously half the time; White-washed homes spilling down to green valleys or the sea; Flowering orange trees, cold sangria, snow-capped peaks and sandy beaches, and some of the tastiest foods I've ever had in my life! I don't mean to sound like a travel ad, but some things are inevitable.

If you have never before been outside the U.S., this is your call to GO!!!

Spain is beautiful, cheap + easy to get around. The people here LOVE to have a good time, so it's ideal to go during one of the many big festivals - Particularly Valencia's Las Fallas, Sevilla's Feria de Abril, or Cordoba's Semana Santa. So get well-rested in advance, arm yourself with a phrase book and book that flight! You will NOT be disappointed.

Back to my story... Later, sitting at a waterfront cafe at sunset, I'm making a mental recap of our experiences in the country. Seems SO long ago that we were in Barcelona standing atop Sagrada Familia in a rainstorm watching a tornado; or staying up all night qnd walking through Valencia's Mercado Central at dawn; or seeing Calatrava's architecture in Valencia during a moment when golden rays of sun broke through the clouds; or hiking through the snowy Sierra Nevadas and coming across herds of Ibex; or Semana Santa processions with 1000's of people out in the streets. These are moments forever imprinted in my mind. Hasta Luego Espana, we WILL return...

BTW, Most all of the Spain pics are up now. The next batch will be posted in the Paris + Holland Album.

Vegetarian in Spain?

How many times and ways have we tried to explain - Somos Vegetariano. Being veggie in such a meat-loving country certainly isn´t simple. Most people´s concept is that you just don´t eat red meat, but that seafood + chicken are acceptable. Well, I´m here to say you can do it! A vegan would starve here without a doubt, but as long as you´re open to asking for what you want and supplement it with visits to the mercados you can fill your belly with a number of tasty foods unique to Spain and varieties unique to each region or even city. Two of the biggest surprises that never failed to delight us are the green olives and salted almonds. They are unlike anything we´ve ever tasted before and perfect to accompany a beer or wine when you´re feeling a little fatigued from walking. Mandarinas have been another as they´re in season now - A perfect combination of tart + sweet and deliciously juicy. Then there are the cheeses - I´ve really fallen for the sheep´s milk varieties and one that we bought in Capileira that was crusted in rosemary was fantastic!

The next big category of food is Tapas or Pinchtos which are small plates or open face sandwiches served at a bar. The most popular by far here seems to be the jamon/ham, which the Spaniards are famous for. Most bars and cafes have scores of ham legs dangling from the ceiling above your head, and although the smell isn´t altogether pleasant it gives a nice, rustic ambiance. Here we usually end up with Tortilla Espanola which is a sort of egg fritata with potatoes. We've had them of varying qualities, but even the best could use some seasoning or hot sauce. In the town of Logrono in the Rioja wine region we lucked upon a place that ONLY made Garlic Mushrooms (Where in the states would you find a cafe that only had ONE dish?!), but they were packed none-the-less and we chowed down a few too. Besides jamon, the single next most popular food item would have to be the potato. Besides in tortillas, we enjoyed them as Patatas Bravas (with spicey tomato sauce) and Patatas Aioli (with garlic mayonaise).

Finally, there's an Andalucian/Cordoban specialty - Salmorejo. A soup I was familiar with and can't BELIEVE I rarely make at home. It's cold, fresh and decadent, consisting of a puree of tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, vinager, olive oil, garlic and bread crumbs.

Buen Provecho! Here's a "link" to more photos