I Have a Confession

I studied abroad in London for a summer over 15 years ago. And I didn't enjoy the experience because I was too young, too broke and too homesick. Add to that an unfortunate situation that happened between my program director and I that had racial undertones and it all made for one miserable summer. Whether it was the educational experience or the city, I didn't know. What I knew was that I had a bad taste in my mouth for London after that. 

But I am indeed a woman who believes in second chances. So I figured, when I got older and had enough money, I would give London another whirl. So here I am. Mama in tow, enough money to buy anything I want and lots of travel smarts (and a smartphone) to know where to go and what to do. And I'm ashamed to admit that London is still not my cup of tea (pun intended).

All of those other variables adjusted for and I still find myself homesick and just meh about the city. And this time, I can't make excuses. It's probably the severe pretentiousness, or the overpriced EVERYTHING, or the really rude people or the crappy weather. Or perhaps it is the fact that it feels so hard getting around here, like everything feels backwards (literally) and complicated just to be complicated. Or perhaps nothing feels unique.

So my confession is that I haven't been too busy seeing shows or dashing around town or shopping it up to blog. I just haven't known what to say about a city that so many people love and revere. And I tainted mama's experience before we got here, so that's a little regrettable. I've talked about how much I disliked London in the past that I think her expectations were really low. All it took was for us to check into our hotel and discover it was an overpriced shithole that looks and smells like a college dorm and the tone was set. Next stop: Downhill! 

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful city. Big Ben and the House of Parliament are breathtaking and really do give me the giggles similar to those I get when I see the Eiffel. We took a bus tour that gave us a good view of the city. But still, no loving feelings from me. Don't judge us, but mama and I spent our last day here pent up in our "dorm room" binge watching Making a Murderer, a Netflix series that is a MUST WATCH. Ten hours well spent!

Truly, the highlight of the trip was re-connecting with an old friend Sandy who I've known for nearly 15 years but hadn't seen in half as many. We met as young, starving PR girls at my first job in DC and she now lives here with her husband and two small children. She's one of those friends who you can totally be yourself with and tell it like it is because there's a realness, judgement-freeness and "I-got-your-back-ness" that's always been there. And I appreciate that in her and will always cherish our time together as one of the most special parts of this entire trip. I also got to see her sweet husband and meet her cute babies (I got a hug from Harrison and a hi-five from Rossi) so I'm all set. For that and that alone, I will come back to London. Other than that, I'm checking this city off my to-do list, never to add it again.

As, I finish this post, the clock just struck midnight and a new year is here. Our bags are packed and we are heading back to the real world in a few hours - we arrive home on January 1st in the evening. And there's already so much to be thankful for in the New Year. The first - getting to spend the first day of the year in London and in the U.S. Although it's not my favorite city, the blessing of even being able to be in this place that many will only see on TV does not escape me at all.

Happy New Year y'all. And thank you so much for following our adventures these last few days. 

Sandy, Mama and I taking a selfie!

We had an absolutely delicious lunch at The Ivy in Kensington across from where Prince William and Princess Kate live.

I love Big Ben

Just gorgeous!

London Bridge is falling down...

Tower of London (it better not fall down while we are under it)

The Queen wasn't home!

Mama looking like a Queen in front of Buckingham Palace

Adieu Mon Amour

We left Paris this morning around 8 a.m. It was pitch dark and kinda felt like we were sneaking out of the city before anyone tried to convince us to stay. At this, the end of my second trip to Paris, I want to reflect a bit on what I've learned, what's changed and what I will take away.

• Both mama and I seem to be yearning for a change of scenery. Every time we passed a sign for a hospital, mama joked (not really) about going to put in an application. And of course, I somehow signed up for a Paris real estate listserv years ago and just browsed those listings to see how I could live in Paris and for how much. So all of that is fun. And I discovered that I get my wanderlust-iness from mama. The fact that she not only liked Paris but is seriously plotting ways to move soon, makes me giggle because I clearly get that from her. Afterall, she did move her three small children and husband to Dallas in 1981 (sight unseen and didn't know a soul) all because she read a TIME magazine that said the job market was great. And it was one of those the best decisions she ever made for our family. She's brave like that. And I get it from here. And I love it. 
• I miss living in a walkable city. Don't get me wrong, at the end of each day walking all over Paris, I was tired as hell! But there is something so invigorating and amazing about living in a city conducive to walking or getting there via public transportation. And for those options to be so accessible and second nature. I didn't bring my Jawbone, but I'd estimate between Paris and Amsterdam, mama have probably walked about 15 to 20 miles in the past week. We feel A-MAZING (well, tired and amazing)!
• Three words: French lessons now! While bouncing around Paris, speaking what I call "Fran-glish," I was told by a few Parisians that my enunciation (or better yet, my pronunciation) of French is perfect. Don't mistake this to mean that I can speak the language fluently. It just means that when saying the words I DO know, or reading signs, etc. I sound like a French-y. WOO HOO! So anyway, I need to get serious and get enrolled in those French lessons...mama is totally on board so I'll have a study partner.

Until next time Paris, goodbye my love. 

Mama had to get one last picture with Eiffel. She's so French, with her scarf, you can't tell her nothing!

We LOVEDDDDD Paris...

...and are SOOOOOOO sad to leave!

When it was time to pack, our room was a wreck because we'd pretty much moved in. 

When in Paris...

Nothing too exciting today because, you know, mama and I are basically Parisians. So we did Paris-y things like walking, riding the Metro, shopping, eating crepes and Chinese take-out and munching on macaroons. 

We went to the largest flea market on earth called the Marche Aux Puces, then visited the Galleries Lafayette, a huge department store with designer "shops" for some of the worlds biggest brands like Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Longchamp, Lancel and Gucci. In order to browse in these little shops, you had to stand in a line guided by a velvet rope. And they only let a few people in the shop at once, so you better be ready to look quick and plunk down hundreds of Euros even quicker.

Today, I walked amongst $5 scarves, knock-off Nike sweatshirts, $50K rings and $2K handbags. Talk about a day of extremes. All in all, it was an interesting day shared with hundreds and hundreds of other people all flooding into the market and the department store for a little after Christmas retail therapy. 

Just one more day in the city of love and lights. It will be sad to go. Alas, we have to show London a little love. 

Eat your hearts out browsing the pics below. 

Entrance to one of the flea market buildings. 

Ham and cheese crepes...yummmmmmy!

Behind the scenes on those crepes. 

Basil chicken

Beef and peppers 

There were clearly a few more crepes in this box...this picture almost didn't happen! 

Montmartre, You Have My Heart

Today, mama and I ventured out a bit from our little haven near the Eiffel Tower. A former colleague of mine spends half her year in France and the other in Texas. So when I first visited Paris last year, she urged me to visit her old neighborhood of Montmartre. I wasn't able to make it on my last trip, so I made sure to put it on my list this time around. After visiting today, I now want to live there and have already started looking for apartments (note: I have not cleared any of this with my husband or puppies, but a girl can dream, right?)

Ah Montmartre, where do I start? First off, it's such a NEIGHBORHOOD. You can feel the normalcy there. The only throng of tourists is on the main street leading directly up to the Sacre Coeur, a Roman Catholic church of the Sacred Heart that sits at the very highest point in Paris. Oddly enough, the streets immediately to the left and right of the main one were pretty empty. Or at least of tourists. You could tell there were normal people heading to and from their Saturday errands as we saw several of them walking with baguettes hanging from the tops of grocery sacks and carrying their laundry. The neighborhood is full of hills (hell, I need to get in shape), really awesome little boutiques and restaurants and loads of fabric shops (yes, Keniesha, fabric shops. You would have been in heaven here). It's very bustling, but it all feels like a Saturday in Montmartre vs. an everyday occurrence. As if the trade-off for living in a such a cool neighborhood is to let the tourists take over once or twice a week and for days on end during the holidays.

Visiting the Sacre-Coeur was a bit surreal. Since it's the highest point in the city, it essentially means you are on top of the world. It also means that you have to climb up to that high point and I was sure that we would not make it. Mama and I were like "Well, we'll climb as high as we can, take pictures from there and then climb back down." Lucky for us, there were cool elevators to take you up the hill to the church for a couple Euros so our trip wasn't in vain. After snapping cool views of the city and a million selfies, we climbed our way back down - and honestly, it wasn't so bad.

Mama and I also ventured off the beaten track from all the tourists to find food and boy did we stumble upon a gem. Samrana is a little Indian-Pakistani restaurant that was completely empty. After reading the menu, we took a leap and went inside. We are so glad we took a chance because the food was seriously some of the best Indian I've ever had. Our waiter (he might be the owner) is fluent in French learned from just living in Paris for eight years and is originally from Bangladesh. Very nice guy, was very patient with my broken French and so gracious and kind. We were able to sit right in the front window to people watch in between bites. All in all, an interesting and wonderful day in a neighborhood I hope to spend more time in as I continue visiting the city. You know, or live in one day.

Seriously so grateful for these little lifts because we would not have made it to the top...in one day! LOL Can you see the stairs on the side that were an alternative to the lift?

This is just breathtaking. Sacre-Coeur Basilica, just wow!

On top of the world. And if you notice, you can't see the Eiffel from here...indicating how HUGE this city is. 

All smiles with Paris behind me.

Look at that sunshine...what a beautiful day and experience.

Ummmm, so let's talk about this place. I'm still burping up yummy goodness from this place. Great choice, off the beaten path, LOVE!

To this day, the best tandoori chicken I've ever eaten. Just yum!

Like Night and Day

I'm writing this post from deep under the covers in my hotel room. Today was amazing and COLD. Not that it's extraordinarily cold in Paris (temps are mild in the 40s and 50s). It's because mama and I have spent most of Christmas day getting all up close and personal with Paris via open-top tour bus. I know, crazy as hell right? We thought the same thing too, until we realized that daytime Paris is breathtaking but nighttime Paris is TRULY something to behold.

I'll back up a few steps. I've been planning to return to Paris since I left last December. As you know, the city has been through quite a bit since our last rendezvous. Through it all, I've always seen Paris as being so sturdy, so here to stay. And for that reason I didn't hesitate booking my ticket a few days after the latest attacks. But I admit being curious about the vibe - would it be different, would people be more guarded. The biggest difference I've noticed is the presence of heavily armed military and police officers everywhere.

Besides that, Paris still has that magic in the night or day. Below are a few pictures of monuments we saw earlier today and then turned around and saw at night. And we really felt like we were on a tour of a whole new city. Shine on Paris, shine on!

A couple other fun facts about the day:

• Tonight, Mama and I were passing a street performer entertaining a crowd of about 50 onlookers with Beatles songs in front of the Palais Garnier (the national opera house). As we walked past, he called us out, asked where we were from and asked us to come sing with him. Since we knew neither of us should be caught singing in public, we offered to be his backup dancers instead. He agreed and there we were, swaying back and forth, choreographing a couple little steps to pump up his performance. By the end of two songs, one which was Jessie J's "Price Tags," another young woman from the crowd had joined our routine and even a little girl of about 7 or 8 had run up to shake a tailfeather. So very, very fun and soooooo the kind of random awesomeness that happens to me on vacation all the time. Glad mama was there to shimmy with me! 
• Met a nice young woman in the Metro who was having trouble getting the machine to accept her euros. So mama and I had an extra train ticket, gave it to her and then began chatting when we saw her again waiting for the train. Found out she's from Mexico City and traveling solo for a month all over the place (she'd just come to Paris from London and is heading to Belgium tomorrow along with Amsterdam, Italy and a bunch of other fun places). I could tell she was traveling solo. Since that's usually my M.O., I can pick up on it easily. Good for her, very brave and safe travels. 

I mean, the damn thing just start twinkling and showing out when our tour bus pulled up tonight.

Notre Dame is g0rgeous anyway, but at night. just GASP! Jesus is the reason for the season, I tell ya!

Roue de Paris (ferris wheel)...looks a little like our big wheel at the state fair of Texas. Nah, not really! LOL

Here's the Palais Garnier (day vs. night). And if you squint, you can see all those people sitting on the steps that mama and I performed for.

Biggest thing to note here is the volume of traffic. And yes, the lights on these trees are everything. YAY!

This is a big department store called Printemps. I'm convinced it's going to be my new favorite store. I'll let you know if we fall in love this weekend.

Hell, even mama and I look different day to night. 

Reunited and It Feels So Good

Today, I was reunited with one of my favorite things on earth: the Eiffel Tower. If you read my blog post last year (read here if not), then you'll remember all my foolish girlish excitement over getting all up close and personal with that big hunk of steel. Well today, mama experienced a little of that, as we had taken the same route into the city as I did last time. Which means, she saw the Eiffel and was probably thinking "Oh, that's it? It's just ok!" Already being under its spell, I laid low and let her experience the magic for herself.

But before we got to the Eiffel, we made a few pit stops. After checking into our hotel (I intentionally booked a place in the same neighborhood I stayed last time because I'm very familiar with the area), we struck out. If you remember last year, I met a boutique owner named Virginie and her mom and dad. She'd mentioned that she likes Coco Pebbles and eats them every time she visits the states. They were so kind to me last year, that it was no sweat for me to pick up a box and bring it to her. Unfortunately, Virginie and her mom had traveled to Italy for Christmas and only her dad was there running the boutique. So I dropped those off, got some quick directions to Eiffel (which I was already a pro at finding because this is my hood), a few warnings to watch out for the little Romanian pickpockets and we were off.

Because my trip last year was so wonderful, I wanted to start it off the same way. So I dragged mama to the same little Brooklyn-inspired Bedford Diner I ate at the first night (mama liked her fish sandwich), followed by a stop into my favorite little grocery store to get snacks, fruit and water. And then, we were off to see my boo.

Well ya'll, as tickled and giddy as I was to meet Eiffel the first time, mama felt the same way. I oddly felt like I was introducing her to a new boyfriend. I really wanted her to like him, like be really impressed. So I held my breath. And Eiffel is such a charmer, that he didn't disappoint. She immediately began posing, sitting on the bench in front of it, wanting to get closer, gasping, gushing, smiling, so cute! And I don't mind sharing my love with mama, there's enough love to go around. But seriously folks, if you've never been in awe of anything in your life, I venture to guess you might drop a jaw when you see it for the first time.

For a little while, I just stood there and stared at the Eiffel. It's great to see you again old friend. Here's to new memories.

Mama's first pic with Eiffel. Ain't she cute?!

Took this picture because if you squint, you can see people walking up and down the steps of the Eiffel.

More cuteness!

A selfie with Eiffel is mandatory. 

Random, but there were guys selling test drives in this MacLaren and a Ferrari right at the base of the Eiffel. Mama had to get in on the action!

Outside My Window

Sometimes my vision of the way other countries will look is a bit skewed. I tend to assume their infrastructures will be light years behind ours in the U.S. and what I will see when going between countries is some "dirt-road-horse-and-buggy-fetching-water-in-buckets-while-wearing-clogs" side show. House Hunters International on HGTV is partially responsible - the stuff they show in Europe is sometimes ruins on a dirt path with a ramshackle hut standing there for 300K Euros.

Forgive me for that. That's part of the reason I love traveling, to allow reality to replace my backwards assumptions. And today, I guess the Netherlands and Belgium showed me and HGTV.

Mama and I took the Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris, about a three-hour ride that I was so excited to take because I wanted to see the scenery, the countryside, the way "regular folks" live. Plus, I really love train rides, a hold over from my life on the East Coast going between DC And NYC. Here are a few observations from our ride as we stopped through the Amsterdam Airport, Antwerpen and Brussels:

• I'm pretty sure I found the "motherload" of marijuana farms just outside of Amsterdam. As we were rolling along, we saw hundreds of greenhouses that I assume housed all the varieties of marijuana sold in the country. Now yes, the country is also known for having beautiful flowers, so there were probably a bunch of damn tulips in those greenhouses. But, it's more exciting and hilarious to think that I discovered where the magic happens. Let's go with that. LOL
• Pulling into Antwerpen reminds me of going into Grand Central Station in NYC. Graffiti lines the walls around the track. Actually, most of the train walls along the entire train ride were covered in graffiti. It looks like that's a universal spot for people to leave their mark, get out their frustrations or practice. It was actually cool to see that form of expression transcend culture and locale.
• Brussels is really a booming city. From the train it appeared to have lots of corporations and slightly reminded me of pulling into the train station in Philadelphia or Wilmington, Delaware. Big buildings, mixed with high-rise apartments, clean lines, very nice and modern. 
• Some of the homes are very modern, awesome and glorious - I would totally live in them. It's like most cities, where the suburbs offer more space and sprawl than the city. 
• I hear Belgium has the best french fries in the region...I wish I could have stuck my head out the door when we stopped in Brussels to get a wiff.

Overall, beautiful, comfortable and quick train ride. Really excited to see if the ride from Paris to London will look similar. I definitely want to add Belgium to the list of places to visit next time. If a place makes great fries, it HAS to be awesome right?!

If you've ever pulled into Grand Central, you've seen this scene. Nothing new here except the language.

This is a college near Antwerpen. So nice, right?

Corporations near the Brussels station

This could so be Dallas right?

Again, this could be parts of NYC or DC. It's Brussels.

Why aren't these nice houses ever on House Hunters International?! LOL