serene & wild--musings from paris #1

Well, the blogging gods are having their way with me this morning...I just wrote a wonderful post about my arrival yesterday and then it disappeared. Arrgggghhhh.. Rather than rewrite (for there is much to do), it will have to suffice that it was a charmed day of traveling including an early flight into Paris (an hour!!!), smooth transportation and checking into my apartment when I arrived rather than having to wait until late afternoon. Blessings abound!

I am certain I will share more about my apartment later, (It is tres charment!!) See a bit of my neighborhood here. I met the wonderful woman and child while wandering near the Eiffel tower in the Champs du Mars. I don't know anything about them, but I thought she was so beautiful and intriguing. Serene & wild all at the same time. (Sounds like me right now!) Several times during the day I wondered "What the heck are you doing?!?!?!" I resisted the urge to dive into the neighborhood Starbuck's (there is one right around the corner) when nothing seemed familiar. I forced myself to enter a restaurant for lunch...well a sidewalk cafe...and I just kept walking and pulling out my map when I needed to.

It is 6:00 a.m. here right now and I think I got about 8 hours of sleep, so I am ready to go. If I hurry up, I will be able to see the sun rise. Not sure yet if it rises over the Seine (which is about 3 blocks from my home) or not. I am so glad you are here with me. A naysayer to my "solo" trip told me that Paris "must be shared". So, it is your role this week to share with me!!! For the moment I have given myself permission to not respond to comments, but I hope you will continue to chime in! I am reading and enjoying every moment with you!!!!

Au revoir maintenant! (I think that means good bye for now).

on my way...

check out lucy creates!!! for today's paris post!

merci et bon voyage!!!

what goes with me...

The excitement is building as the hours fly swiftly by. I still need to get some Euros, fine tune my packing, go to work for a few hours and BREATHE! While looking for a quote to kick off my Paris trip, I found this lovely gem by Picasso.

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children."

I realize the quote has very little to do with Paris specifically, but it has everything to do with the world as a whole. (And even though Paris calls my name today, I know it is in the world that I choose to live.)

Yesterday, a new reader (well actually a reader who self-admittedly had been "lurking" around my site for a while) offered me this wonderful aspirational quote:

"Everyone I meet is in love with me. I just don't expect them to realize it yet."

Both quotes ring loud and clear to me today as I embark on this journey that fills me with excitement and a healthy dose of fear. I feel I am stepping into the great unknown and yet I know that I am ready to do this. I will take BOTH of these affirmations with me as I leave Seattle early tomorrow morning and fly east toward Paris. I will take them with me today as I enter into the world around me.

How about you? Do you realize what a marvel you are? Can you believe that everyone is in love with you?...they are just waiting to discover it. Au revoir!

painting by Pablo Picasso

two days to paris!!!!!

I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like the urge that brings up a worm in an Irish bog to see the moon when it is full. ~Lord Dunsany

lunar eclipse © h3images

night time musings

3:30 a.m. I probably shouldn’t read travel journals before bed. The excitement (and an aching shoulder) keep me awake. The journey. Paris. The details. How will I get to my apartment? My apartment!! I will live in Paris for just over a week. Rue Cler market near my new home. The little details swirl through my head. Can you drink the water? How will I avoid pickpockets? Bus or taxi? Will the drivers speak English?

I see myself rolling my suitcase through the cobblestone streets. Lost or exploring? If I take the Air France bus, my stop will be the Arc de Triomphe. How perfect! It must be done. The grand adventure, awaited a lifetime, coming so quickly. Too soon? No. It is time.

The “before” details. Hair appointment. Pedicure. The right bag. A new journal. Shall I take my favorite pen? Absolutement! I need another camera card. A money pouch. Xerox my documents. Print out instructions. Contact Tess.

What will I plan and what will I simply allow to happen? The surprise. Oh my goodness!! The surprise and adventure of it all. My French is inadequate, but it will be fine. Little movies run through my head. I am encouraged by Alice Steinbach—another woman traveling alone. Shall I take my scissors & glue? Absolutement! French magazines and maps will become my journal. A visual of the time.

What will I do that first day? Walk. Stroll. Wash my face from the all night journey. See the neighborhood. The Arc de Triomphe. The Eiffel Tower. Mona Lisa. (Yes, I have heard she will disappoint and still I need to see her for myself, but not the first day.) Ice cream on the Ile de la Cite. Where will me by favorite café? My favorite patisserie? Will I brave going to dinner alone? Will I make friends? Shall I take tours or do it solo?

That is the fun. I do not have to decide. It is my trip. My journey. Without reservations…or at least with only the necessary ones…the plane and the lodging confirmed. I have two weeks now to prepare. Whew!! I need to get to sleep!