My Paris Wrap Up

Okay, you all know I love this animoto tool and I used it again to give you a wrap up of my favorite photos and try to convey a feeling when you view them. Ready?



I used some of these photos for tomorrow's Tutorial Tuesday, so come on back to see what I came up with.

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My Eiffel Tower Experience

I know it's a cheesy French cliche, but I couldn't wait to see the Eiffel Tower! We checked into our hotel and I stepped out onto the balcony and saw her across the city calling to me...


The next day we saw her from our boat tour, closer but still far away:



I had to wait a whole day, but I finally went to visit. Isn't she lovely?



We attended a tour of the Tower with our group, and the first thing I noticed were the military guards at the base with machine guns. A little creepy...



The Tower's engineer (did you know she is managed by a private company?) spoke to us about the construction and the tons of paint that will be removed this year (once they figure out how to remove it). He told us about the elevator system, then took us down to "the beast" to show us the hydraulics.

Here they are, but that guy was so dreamy (a cross between George Clooney and Antonio Banderis...sigh), none of the women can remember a thing he said about this system. I just know, it runs using water and is lubricated using recycled french fry grease! (as the women ascended the stairs the chatter was all: "did you see the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed? Oh, his hair is just perfect! I wonder what his wife looks like, he was wearing a wedding ring you know. I bet she's either beautiful or rich!" Yeah, we're pathetic.)



After all of that elevator talk, we jumped in to try it out. Aaaallll the way to the top. From here, we could see Paris laid out before us:



Apparently, I lost my mind and forgot to get a proper picture of her lit but I did take these looking up at her as we left:





Okay, next I will show you some of my favorite photos from my trip to wrap up. So, I'll meet you here Monday. Don't be late!

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Cemetery Hoppin'

I know it sounds strange, but I love to visit cemeteries when I'm away from home. I think they are so peaceful and I always end up getting some great photos there. I knew I wanted to use some of the photos for my walls so off we went.

We originally chose this cemetery because I wanted to tour the catacombs, but after a mix-up on the Metro, we missed the last tour by 20 minutes. Bummer. Here is a visit to a lovely French cemetery in Mont Parnasse in Paris.







Later that same day, we stopped at a sidewalk cafe to pass the time as the French do - people watching!

We sat down with our beer (please, no more wine!):



and soon we were entertained by this fellow:



Oh, attention all street performers! If you play me music I will pay you! I'm a sucker for music and drop money in every guitar case I see. Now, are you looking pathetic and shaking a cup? Not so much. Take a look at some of the other performers we encountered:




Do you want to go to the Eiffel Tower tomorrow? Okay, meet me back here...

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Paris - Oh La La!

What a trip of a lifetime! It started out rocky as Paris seemed to have handed me a PMS/Jet Lag/Guilt martini as I got off the plane, (which resulted in an eventual meltdown with tears, pounding on the bed, and swearing) but we got over the hump and went on to have a wonderful trip.

This was a work trip for my husband, who is in the hospitality field, so our group was able to do many fun and unusual things together. We ventured "down to the beast" (that is how they referred to the area under the Eiffel Tower) to see the hydraulic elevator system that brings visitors to the viewing platforms.

We toured the home and factory of Louis Vuitton. We met the proprietress and the artists working in a "factory" that was more like a well lighted studio. We learned about their philosophy of 35 hour work weeks, no night shifts, friendly and respectful work environments. It was so refreshing and made you think about many work environments here.

We toured the home and cellars of Moet Chandon Champagne. We wandered around in the dark tunnels below and surfaced to dine on lobster and champagne in the owner's dining rooms.

We were entertained by the French cabaret Lido. The beautiful girls prancing around topless left most of the American women squirming and the men drooling.

We toured the city on a bus that took us past all the cities highlights and lowlights, such as the Arc de Triumph, Princess Diana's tunnel, and "the mistake" little New York (a 1970's stab at updating the city).

And finally, we had a day to ourselves to get lost in the beautiful city. I chose the artist's quarter Mont Martre and the cemeteries of Mont Parnesse. We ate simple food in sidewalk cafes, stopped for a drink while were serenaded by a local musician, bought some art for our home in a cute little gallery, and wandered the streets until dark.

We did kiss under the Eiffel Tower and hold hands through Notre Dame, we ate fabulous French food and drank wonderful French champagne. We wore our cool French clothing and tried to speak the beautiful French language... It was a wonderful trip and I'm so lucky to have gone. I will remember this through my pictures during the gray Pittsburgh winter.

I have the remaining Paris posts arranged by theme, so tomorrow we will tour the cemeteries. Believe me, it is so beautiful!

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