My obsession with Paris is a well-documented secret- having to introduce your one household pet as Henri kind of blows the lid off of it all. So when my mom gave me a weeklong trip to Paris for my thirtieth birthday, as Junior Pink so eloquently put it, 'Mom, it's like your dreams are coming true.'
Since Mr. Pink didn't want to go, I took Zenifer, my ace in the hole, who not only put up with my incessant 'Way's (the phonetic pronunciation of oui that seems popular in Paris), she is fluent in French and has been to Paris many times.
We stayed in the 14th, that, while not the most popular arondissment, it was a wonderful place to stay- our other choice was on the Champs Elysees, and reminded me of the French version of Hollywood Boulevard- yes, you should go, but it's not really an authentic experience.
We saw most of the main Parisian sights- the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Centre Pompidou (my favorite museum, next to Musee Picasso), Sacre Couer, Moulin Rouge, Shakespeare and Company, Notre Dame and Bon Marche. We even had signature Parisian experiences- listening to an accordion player on the Metro, (knowingly) getting swindled near a main tourist attraction, being told we were too thin to be Americans and service from a rude garcon. But really, so much of my trip is encapsulated with La Tour.
Over 400 of the 600+ photos I took were of the Tower, not only on top and in it, but it seen at different vantage points throughout Paris. We (and by we, I mean Jenifer) decided to plan our trip around Bastille Day and were able to take in the annual concert and fireworks show that takes place on the champs in front of the Tower.
It was the trip of a lifetime, and while our visit was simple and beautiful, I hope that it wasn't the only trip of my lifetime. Until we meet again, Cite mon Couer, I will console myself with endless listens of Edith and repeated viewings of 2 Days in Paris.
The full set of my (edited) photos can be found here.
How fantastic - I'm so happy for you. I'm off to check out the rest of your pictures.
Posted by: Katherine | November 01, 2008 at 01:48 PM
Good for you. Sounds like a fabulous trip.
Posted by: Debbie | November 01, 2008 at 02:51 PM
ouai! c'est fantastique!!!
i'm so glad you got to go. seeing your pictures made me all homesick.
Posted by: maryse | November 01, 2008 at 03:33 PM
Hey Cathi!! Sounds like you guys had a ton of fun! I'm so glad you got to go to Paris finally. I know you have wanted to do that for a long time. Stacy and I are starting to make our Denver plans for this year. I hope to see you in Dec. :)
Posted by: stefanie Liles | November 01, 2008 at 08:13 PM
Sounds amazing and quite fun (I've planned trips to London for Bonfire Night so Bastille Day makes perfect sense to me)! When we were in Paris, La Tour was always in the background. I loved the Orsay just for the space and the cafe on the top.
Posted by: Ava | November 02, 2008 at 08:16 AM
Wow, that sounds like a fantastic trip!
Posted by: katie | November 02, 2008 at 08:30 AM
How amazing to get to go on the trip of your dreams. I'm envious :)
Posted by: Stacey | November 02, 2008 at 04:38 PM
Yay ... I'm so glad you posted the photos! Glad to see you in the blogosphere again. Perhaps I should attempt re-entry? It still seems like a dream. Way!
Posted by: Zenifer | November 03, 2008 at 06:54 AM
glad you got your dream trip!
but i wouldn't call the pronunciation 'way the "phonetic of oui".
at least as we learned it, it's actually a different word = "ouias". oui = yes. and "ouias" = "yeah" or "yup".
Posted by: carolyn | November 03, 2008 at 04:54 PM
Wow, that's awesome. I'm so happy for you that you were able to make it to Paris. I know that was always one of your dreams and pretty freakin' fantastic that you were able to go with Jenifer. Nice!
Posted by: Wanda | November 04, 2008 at 06:23 PM
makes me smile... welcome to the dirty thirties :) now you have earned your mug. and if I dont send it soon you can whack me with it! hehehe.
Posted by: stinkerbell | November 05, 2008 at 12:46 PM