Wednesday, May 14, 2014

April In Paris


                                                                     

                                                             
Versailles
A few weeks ago, we flew to Paris on the way to see my mother-in-law in Israel. My husband was very thorough in his research, while I called friends and family for advice.

 At first, he was concerned about the language barrier, so he looked up the most important conversational words and phrases. They included: bon jour, au revoir, Ou sont les toilettes (Where are the restrooms?) pardon, s'il vous plait (please), and merci. More importantly, l'eau distillee which means distilled water. This is an integral component of his traveling CPAP machine (for sleep apnea), which he dragged with us, but never bothered to use.

We were determined to see everything we could in just four days, so we packed our most comfortable walking shoes, and took off. We began our tour along the magnificent shops of the Champs- Elysses, It was surprising to see how many American stores were thrown into the mix including Banana Republic, and Starbucks. Since we were on a mission to cover a lot of territory, we just window shopped, and continued on to the Arc De Triomph, and the Eiffel Tower.


The Eiffel Tower

 Mr. Prepared even downloaded a free iPhone app which enabled us to have audio tours of the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay  and the Palace of Versailles. Our friend advised us to purchase a discounted museum pass to visit all of the above which helped us avoid the long lines. We also walked over to Notre Dame Cathedral, and strolled through both the Jewish and the Latin Quarters.

Notre Dame Cathedral
 The weather was comfortable with temperatures in the sixties for the first two days, though there was always the threat of rain. It began to pour in the middle of dinner in a partially covered outdoor cafe. Fortunately, it didn't last long, and was over before we walked back to our hotel.

 That night I noticed something very disturbing. When we were viewing our photos, hubby looked fine, but my hair had taken on a brand new persona. Though the Chicago humidity gave me carefree curls, for some reason the humidity in Paris left me flat and lifeless. In some of the photos, my hair looks like it was drawn in with yellow crayon, and my teeth are more horse than human. Suddenly, it hit me. I'm in one of the most romantic cities in the world, and I look like Gary Busey's twin. My husband did a great job of disguising his displeasure, as he snored peacefully during my breakdown.

The Siene River 

 When I called my mom back in the states, she asked if we had seen any guillotines. We had been to Place de la Concorde where Louis the XV and Marie Antoinette were beheaded, but there were no guillotines to be found. I thought this was an important question for our hotel concierge. At first, he didn't seem to know what a guillotine was. Then he did some research, and told us that the last execution by guillotine in Paris was in 1977. Needless to say, we were quite shocked.
                                                                    
 On our last day, we took a train to the artist colony Montmartre. This is where Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Hemingway found their inspiration. Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris movie was filmed there. Located atop a hill, the scenery was beautiful, as we walked along the steep, cobblestone streets. Artists were out painting portraits, and selling their wares.The unseasonably cold temperatures, and pouring rain didn't seem to slow them down. If only the weather had cooperated for more photos.

 As I walked the streets of Montmartre resembling a wet rat, a barmaid asked my husband if he was famous. Of course she couldn't remember who he reminded her of, but she ruled out my guess of Dustin Hoffman.

Moulin Rouge

 Since we couldn't get tickets to Moulin Rouge, we went to a similar show at Le Lido. I was mesmerized by the topless showgirls who looked almost identical from the neck down. The only difference being, that some had more ribs sticking out than others. My favorite act was a man who carried a lifelike floating head, that was seemingly interchangeable with his own. We were sitting close to the stage, and neither one of us spotted any wires.

 Despite my hair, and a few days of lousy weather we still had a wonderful time. We never found out who my husband's mysterious celebrity look-alike was, and I was happy to leave mine in Paris.

At our hotel before braving the weather


                                                               


31 comments:

  1. Nice taking a tour of Paris with you. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

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  2. Ah, Gary Busby's twin and Dustin Hoffman's look-alike take on Paris. Magnifique!

    You both look wonderful.

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  3. Wow, you sure did a lot for such a short time. I think we were there twice as long and did half as much. I think your hair looks fine, but I did enjoy your description.

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  4. You look wonderful! Sounds like it was a great trip, and you made lots of memories along the way. :)

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  5. I've got to say your husband does look like someone famous. He has the face of the comedian who appeared in Caddyshack. Found him! His name is Rodney Dangerfield. You look like someone famous yourself. Give me some time, I'm working on it. The show at Le Lido sounds great - did you take any pictures?

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    1. Here's that link again:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMVvTl83gWg

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    2. GB - No, we didn't take any photos at Le Lido. On second thought, I don't think I want you to tell me who I look like. Though Camilla Parker Bowles is a distinct possibility!

      Julie

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  6. I think you look great!
    There's an app for everything, isn't there?

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  7. An app for tours. We've come a long way!!!

    I am trying to figure out what actor your husband resembles and coming up empty. Sorry :(

    Wow. You covered a whole lot of ground in four days. I am seriously impressed.

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  8. You know, it must be something in the air. I went in April last year, and my hair also flattened out. :-D

    So envious of you, btw.

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  9. What a fantastic four days! Worth flat hair, I think :)

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  10. Oh sounds like a magnificent trip-- and I think you look adorable in all your photos. Glad you got the most out of this experience.

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  11. Liza - it was a fun trip. Thanks Liza!

    Arleen - I've always liked you! Thanks Arleen!

    Rhonda - That's quite a compliment coming from such an experienced world traveler! Thanks Rhonda!

    Daisy - We did make a lot of nice memories! Thanks. Daisy!

    GB - Though Caddyshack was a great movie, I don't think Rodney was the movie star she had in mind. Unlike his stage persona, my hubby gets plenty of respect!

    Alex - For some reason, the photos didn't come out very clear on my blog. It is amazing how many useful apps are out there. Thanks Alex!

    Robin - We really slept well from running around so much! Thanks Robin!

    Misha - I'd love to see pictures! Hope you still had fun! Thanks Misha!

    Carol - It was definitely worth it! Thanks Carol!

    Julie - I guess I shouldn't mind that they came out so small and blurry! Thanks Julie!

    Julie

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  12. Great pictures, and I think you look terrific. And of course your hubby is someone famous... he's married to the lovely Julie Pick.

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  13. Your photos are wonderful, and you look like a very lovely couple. I didn't biggify your pictures, but you are a very attractive woman, so give yourself more credit than what you did. We are always so unkind to ourselves in our pictures. What a great trip you had.

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  14. What a wonderful time. Paris is so big and their are so many things to see and do you could have stayed for weeks. Did you get to the top of the Eiffel Tower? Your words make me feel like I want to go back and see more.

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  15. Oh, what a wonderful place to stop on your way to Israel! Sounds like you visited all the best stuff in Paris. I would love to go there some day.

    And the weather never seems to cooperate when I travel either. I always have flat hair from the rain. C'est la vie. :)

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  16. Susan - Ha, that'll be the day! Thanks for always cracking me up!

    Mary - I don't know why they shrunk up so much. It's probably for the best! Thanks so much, Mary!

    Yvonne - No we never made it to the top. The lines were too long, and we were short on time. Hopefully, you'll get to go back one day.

    Luanne - It really helped break up the long flight, and I always wanted to visit Paris. It would be a great place for you to promote your books, Luanne! I'm sorry that you've also had bad hair days on vacation. I think we both should invest in good hats!

    Julie

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  17. I think you look great too. Long time since I was in Paris. Enjoyed your account.

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    1. Jo - I wish that I had kept a journal of vacations growing up, and with my own children when they were younger. This was the next best thing. I'm sure that you also enjoyed your trip to Paris. Thank you Jo!

      Julie

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  18. I'm not sure what you're talking about regarding your photos. They all look fine to me. Maybe I've got photo enhancement enabled on my computer? I don't think so.

    Later this summer I might have my photos taken of me in front of sights in Paris---Tennessee that is. I won't worry about what my hair looks like. I'll just wish I still had hair.

    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

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  19. It's always good to be prepared, even if you don't need what you prepared. I'm kind of that way, so I appreciate that in others. Paris doesn't seem to change, especially in delighting travelers. Add, "I'm lost" Je suis perdu.

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  20. Bonjour human, Julie,

    I wish to apawlogise for yet another late arrival by my pawesome self. We got delayed flying back on BlogAir. Still, being the pawlet kept everybody at ease.

    You had a pretty darned magnifique time in Paris. I wish I'd known you were there. I would of set up a special parade for you guys around the Champs-Elysées :)

    Pawsitive wishes,

    Penny :)

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  21. Lee - I'd love to visit Paris, Tennessee! I've never been to Tennessee before, but I've heard wonderful things about it. I also like that it's a much shorter flight. Lee, You look darn good without hair! I wouldn't change a thing about you. Thanks Lee!

    C Lee - Je suis perdu, would've come in handy several times on our trip! Of course my pronunciation would make the phrase almost unrecognizable!

    Penny - Do you have to do everything for Gary? He is very lucky to have you! The parade is tres bien, but you would have to be the main attraction! Thanks Penny!

    Julie

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  22. Who cares about the flat & lifeless yellow-haired, wet rat moments?
    Paris is Paris!
    One of my favourite cities... maye I'll get another opportunity to visit... one day... in the "hopefully-not-too-distant-future..."
    All in all, it sounds like you had a fabulous four days...

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  23. Siri even gives tours now? Wow, technology has come so far. And maybe it's for the best you never figured out who your husband looked like. Often when people say "You know who you look like?" it's followed up by the most awful, unflattering comparison you could imagine.

    Oh, I look just like Steve Buscemi and Mr. Bean had a lovechild? Gee, thanks, that's very kind of you!

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  24. Michelle - We did have a fabulous four days! It's a good thing I didn't go into my teenage skin flare-ups, as you wouldn't have cared about that either! I'm confident that you'll get back to Paris before I make my first trip to South Africa!

    B & B - Once our friend was wearing a Mr. Bean t- shirt, and a salesperson said, " Wow, it's pretty cool that you're wearing a shirt with your picture on it." He was not pleased. This proves your point, though Steve Buscemi is a pretty snappy dresser on Boardwalk Empire!

    Julie

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  25. Looks like a blast!!! I'd love to travel there!

    Hugs!

    Valerie

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  26. Valerie - I could just imagine you sneaking up on stage with the Moulin Rouge or Lido dancers! You would definitely steal the show!

    Julie

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  27. Hi Julie - well you certainly seemed to be prepared .. the museum pass ... and walked loads ...sounds like a good trip all in all .. just so pleased you were able to take 4 days and see as much as you did. Our weather isn't brilliant still! But long day light hours and that makes a difference .. Loved seeing the pictures of the two of you... and hair is another matter - I won't go in to the vagaries of very fine and very little ..

    So pleased you were able to take time out and see Paris .. and then the show - sounds interesting .. and don't we all take stuff we don't use on trips .. the CPAP machine seems a little much though ... cheers Hilary

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