Tuesday

Relaxed, slept in a bit, then headed back to the wonderful boulangerie.  The almond croissants were already gone so I instead reluctantly (ha ha) got a croissant au chocolat..mmmmm.  We decided to wander over to Sainte Chapelle and ended up missing it by a block.  I got to use my rudimentary french, asking a street sweeper "ou es Sainte Chapelle s'il vous plait".  When we got there it was only a short wait to enter through similar security to airports (turns out the main court building shares the entrance and courtyard).  Inside we climbed another tiny circular stair to enter a beautiful chapel filled with stained glass.  Each panal depicted the passion of Christ and at the front of the alter there was a casket/sarcophagus.  It was silent and instilled a sense of quiet respect.  When we left, we were confronted by an organized group of Scientologists protesting. (Later that night over dinner Steve & Eric explained that France sees them as a cult and won't recognize it as a religion).  Crossing over the river, we took in the free exhibit at the Hotel de Ville.  The well-known New Yorker illustrator, Sempe, had most of his works on display, and even though most were in French, it wasn't hard to see his talent in capturing humor in life.  Our final destination was to the Musée départemental de Résistance et Déportation better known to us yanks as the French Holocaust Museum.  A guard welcomed us and inside the gates, a courtyard of walls with both names of those lost as well as those who took in and sheltered Jews during Hitler's reign  sobered us.  Within the musee, we proceeded downstairs and through a crypt with an eternal flame burning inside a Star of David which encased ashes of those lost.  Further down was rooms filled with the history of Jewish life in Paris, the times they were the focus of prejudice and Hitler's sway over the politicians.  It interspersed newspaper and news reels with films of survivors and artifacts donated by families.  Although profoundly sad, it is so important that our world never let something like this happen again.  On a happier note, tonight we ate at a wonderful restaurant around the corner from our studio.  We, Kirsten & myself, joined Eric & Steve & Eric's friend in a tiny restaurant 'La Fountaine Gourmande' on Rue de Chalet lit by candles.  I felt like we were back in time in an etherial atmosphere happily tasting french cuisine while bantering in a mixture of french and english.  I started with scallops & shrimp en cruet , then had canard (duck) over baby glazed potatoes, and finished with a grand marnier  souffle.  What a perfect way to end a perfect 6 days in Paris!

Day 4

We started off this morning with no hot water - but in its place a delightful find of extraordinary almond croissants from a boulangerie we happened to spot the night before (across the street from the pizzeria).  We ate while making our way to the Louvre; whereupon Steve had pointed out the optimal most entry point and place to buy tickets (from within the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center).  Without any hesitation or wait, we entered the massive, many winged museum.  We headed towards the Italian works, first viewing the winged victory statue, then proceeding through hallways of religious master pieces.  We wound through to see The Last Supper, of course the Mona Lisa, and headed towards the Greek/Roman section.  Found Venus de Milo, and descended to the Medieval level for some exploration of the crypts.  After rising to the ground level again, we found the Egyptian works.  Inundation of tour groups and children took off from here! And even more havoc with an "unknown" blocking of one of the exits/shut down of a stairwell.  Alarms were going off every now and then; but without an ere of concern by officials, we assumed it was probably resultant of the tour groups going a bit wild.  After some more circling for a proper exit, coupled with Kirsten's sore throat, we finally exited the museum and surfaced on the street.  The temperature was much cooler today and the skies grayer than yesterday.  We also learned it's hard to find a toilet that doesn't cost money to enter.  We crossed over the left bank and found a cafe where Kirsten enjoyed a cafe de creme and we headed to Pont Neuf for our boat tour.  Upon entering the boat, Kirsten was guilted into paying change to the tip plate, to use the toilet (she caved to the pressures).  The boat took off & despite the cooler weather, the fairly empty boat, and the speed of which they circled the river.. the time of the day was impeccable.  As we rode the river, the sun began to go down, and we soaked in the awe inspiring views.  Our ride was from Pont Neuf to the Eiffel Tower, where we U-turned and circled around the island, making our second U-turn to head back to Pont Neuf just before Canal St-Martin.  The lighting for pictures was ideal!  After we ported, we went back to the Marais for our early evening plan.
We picked up a baguette, stopped in an Italian deli for a chicken lasagne and eggplant & pepper antipasto, and made one final stop for a bordeaux and chocolate mousse desert.  All the food was exceptional; but of particular note (and this applies to all chocolate/desert here), there is a purity to the taste.  It is much less sweet than in America - and the chocolate in particular - leaves you with a satisfaction not coupled with the sugary/filmy/full feel you get from deserts and meals back home.  C'est bon!
We are planning for an equally casual and delightful day tomorrow :)

Day 3

Oof.. we closed our outer panels over the windows and woke up at 10:00! Life abounded outdoors while we slept away! After leisurely making coffee, we made our way out the door of our apartment and headed towards the Eiffel Tower.  This was the farthest point from 'point A' to 'point B' that we've done so far, taking about an hour in total.  We crossed the bridge around Pont Neuf and strolled the left bank for a quiet, warm, and sunny stroll.  Upon arriving at the Eiffel Tower, we looked at the crowds and decided to eat first.  Grabbed a chicken and salad baguette and OJ to split, found a spot on a bench just south of the Tower, ignored the gypsies, and decided we didn't really want to wait two hours to go up for the view (we have more viewpoints in mind for the city).  Instead of climbing, we crossed back over the river to the Trocadero area and museum of architecture.  We took pictures of the towers, took in the scene of break dancers, street performers, Andean musicians, and families & amped skateboarders.  Very relaxing & enjoyable!  After maximizing our time there, we moved outward towards Avenue des Champs-Élysées.  After a brief stop at Arc de Triumph, we strutted down the avenue, taking in the designer stores like YSL, La Coste, Louis, Abercrombie, Gucci etc.  As the sun began to set, we met Steve & Eric in front of the La Grand Roue (giant ferris wheel at the end of the Avenue des Champs-Elysees).  As a group, we went through Tuilleries - the gardens outside the Louvre - until we saw the Eiffel Tower explode with its hourly glittering.  Followed with the BEST, thickest hot chocolate known to man, from Angelina's, we enjoyed the beautiful weather that carried into the night.  After having our dessert (!), we walked to Pizza Sant'Antonio and had an exceptional meal: a crème de cassis to wet our palets, four cheese pizza with artichoke hearts, and of course the new release beaujolais nouveau 2011.  Eric and Steve's friend, Sophie, joined us for dinner.  Although she didn't speak much English, she was very friendly and showed us the herbs she's using to teach children about natural/homeopathic remedies, toothpastes, etc.  She is studying to be similar to what we may say is a naturopath as her second career.  We lounged at the restaurant until about 11:30, and returned back to our apartment on Beauce to set the alarm (haha) to ensure a decent wake up time for our next day out!  Another full, but more leisurely & enjoyable day!  

Day 2

This morning, waking up a little late, we made coffee in the apartment and headed straight toward Notre Dame towers.  Our 11:00 arrival meant close to an hour wait before we went in circles up 400 tiny, narrow steps to view the city of Paris laid out around us.  From there, we wandered past the southern perimeter of the Latin Quarter, through the Universite Sorbonne to the 60 acre Luxembourg Gardens.  After Luxembourg, we went over to the Musee de Rodin, where we enjoyed both the gardens and the museum.  The museum is housed in an 18th Century mansions, where Rodin lived the last 9 years of his life.  The Gardens are the third largest in all of Paris, with works like The Thinker and The Gates of Hell.  From there, we went to Musee de Orsay, where we were overwhelmed by the extensive collection; ranging from Impressionists to Realism and the welcome highlight of a windowed clock overlooking most of Paris.  By then our empty stomachs and sore feet said, go find a restaurant! .. Which we eventually did via a few lost detours through swarming crowds of Saturday night Parisians and tourists.   We landed in the sanctuary of a quiet restaurant around the corner from our studio, La Pierre du Marais.  After dinner we grabbed a chocolate tarte to split, and opened a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau (the currently celebrated 'arrived' wine) - which funny enough, cost the same price.  The weather has been remarkable for November!  Perfect walking weather!  We're looking forward to another full and enjoyable day tomorrow!

Day 1

We decided to take Rick Steve's advice; and after a brief neighborhood Marais tour the night before from Steve, we headed off to Bastille Friday morning.  From Place de la Bastille, we wandered westward on Rue St. Antoine.  On the right hand side of the street we turned into Hotel de Sully, built during the reign of Henry IV and hometown of the French aristocracy.  Through a walkway, we popped out into what is now one of Paris' finest squares.  Place des Vosges held Louis XIII on horseback centered in a plaza that is also a community park.  After enjoying a stroll around the square, we went to visit Victor - Hugo that is - of Les Miserables.  He lived in one section of the Hotel (#6) between eight rooms.  Inside there were various caricatures, pieces of satire, and period furniture.  Then it was onto Carnavalet Museum, about the history of Paris.  It was quite nice because it was free and they even checked our coats!  Inside it went through a series of artistic interpretations of the different periods in French history.  One of the more interesting was a recreated prison room of the royal family (Louis, his wife Queen Marie-Antoinette, and their eight-year-old son) after they tried to escape to Austria to begin a counterrevolution.  Kirsten liked this room best, seeing as it housed a miniature pool table, layered game table, a reasonably sized library, and a side bar; all things she considers to formulate an optimal living space.  We continued on to the narrow streets of the Jewish Quarter, along Rue des Rosiers, which is one of the oldest areas and continues to reflect many kosher restaurants and styles with Jewish-themed works.  We then crossed through Rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie, gay Paree's main drag.  Eventually we arrived at Pompidou Center in the Beaubourg area (which means beautiful village).  Before the 1960s, ironically, Beaubourg was the slums until - then president - Georges Pompidou created an inside out, futuristic cultural center for the arts.  There was street entertainers, chalk artists, and Niki de Saint-Phalle's water sculptures dedicated to works by Stravinksy.
Being our first day, we were very motivated and continued across the river to the island where Notre Dame sits.  We went into the Cathedral; but decided the line was too long to ascend to the towers.  Instead we walked towards the Latin Quarter, first stopping to admire the Shakespeare & Co bookstore, a longstanding temporary home and support system for struggling writers.  After looping through the Latin Quarter, we crossed back over the Seine.  Listening to our stomachs and our tired feet, we retired home after picking up a baguette, mousse de canard, and Kirsten's delightful Normandy soft cheese (and of course, red wine).

PEOPLE NEED MORE FACE-TO-FACE!

I love/hate my computer and I am so afraid for our children.  They don’t know how to actualize themselves and I blame our online social media for that.  I was lucky to grow up in a time when the outdoors beckoned much more than a screen.  The angst of my teens was spent exploring new hangouts and beaches and people that were open to dialog.  If I had had a computer/smart phone/ i pad..I would have been a deceptive liar both to myself and the online world.  As an artistically literate sensitive being, I would have let my imagination go wild.  Some may argue that this is good; that it allows true freedom but I know that for so many who are like me, it would have been like an imprisonment.  I would have been boxed in my room, linked to a box/screen..turning a pale, sun deprived face inward.

So many people are fakers and the internet breeds them.  They make-up names, and convice themselves they are better than others, that they are seekers..as they push away real relationships which take work to sustain.  Click like, click friend request, click delete…it is a throw away existance; no wonder so many people are on anti-depression meds!

I am on my computer everyday for work and at home.  I love that I can read the NYTimes everyday without ads.  I love that I can fact check in seconds or that I can google directions.  I have reconnected with people and felt an initial thrill, then realized beyond a post or two, we again fall away.  I realized when I went away twice in the last year for a few weeks each time that I can also live without it and be outside so much more.  The computer is both an addiction and a social crutch.

WALK AWAY..at least limit the time spent.  Reconnect face to face or wander out and meet others the real way (not hidden behind a self-selected pic, or carefully edited bio).  LIVE!

ok it's been a long time....

The school year is half over and I am surviving with 38 kids in the class- 213 a day.  I'm off to Puerto Rico in March for spring break.  It will have been 36 years since I first went there, a young so naive 20 year old flying into San Juan solo, bargaining with a "publico" driver to take me three hours across the island to find a house I had no address for.  The days before cell phones or internet!  I was lucky, the driver accepted my bargain offer then took me, on the way, to his house where his wife prepared a nice lunch and told him to make sure I made it safe to my destination or be sure to bring me back to her.  Crossing the inland rain forest and emerging outside Rincon on Sandy Beach, we contacted a person named __________ who it seemed knew of every mainland surfer and which house they were renting.  And I made it to a shack on Sandy Beach  halfway down to a palm lined beach.  Roosters dominated the half dirt, half gravel road and I discovered the bathroom was an outhouse guarded by the meanest bird trained for cock fighting. It was like an unwrapped paradise, raw in its beauty.  Two years later I returned with another love and good friends (and an indoor bathroom this time!)  We lived in the bottom of an evolving cement brick home with no screens and mice in the stove but the waves and water were warm, whales drifted outside the surf, and I lay contently dormant for a time.

Fast forward to now.  Friends have built homes on the beach, Trip Advisor ranks the town, and Sandy Beach Road is filled with condos.  I am changed from the naive young girl wanting to escape parents and school and pressures and so I will greet the changed Rincon.  Maybe I will see a glimpse of my youth, a ghost of a time when I basked in the open vastness of what could be.  If so, I will wink, smile, and tuck it away for safe-keeping.