Day 12 - Louvre Museum

It would take dozens of visits to see all of the art at The Louvre. Today was my second visit with Deanna. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes 3,000 words!

I.M. Pei, the Chinese-American who designed The Louvre Pyramid of glass and metal, was critized initially for this modern structure against such a classical design as The Louvre but now he is acclaimed for this architectural feat. The interior stair case is also quite spectacular in its design.

Time to take the shoes off and rest my feet! And, I'm happy to report, is only 6:00 p.m.

Love, Judy

Day 11 - Deanna's Arrival

Deanna arrived by train from London late this afternoon. She's my IHOP buddy--we worked together for many years as Executive Assistants. Here are some pictures of a spectacular evening viewing the Arc de Triomphe (10 minute walk from the apartment), having coffee at a small cafe and taking in the view of the Eiffel Tower after our boat ride down the Seine.

I'm looking like I fit in with my French beret, wouldn't you say???

It's 2:00 am and time to say "bon nuit" to all of you!!!

Love, Judy

The Eiffel Tower was just incredibly beautiful tonight!!!

Day 11

Finding this apartment in Paris' 17th arrondissement was a blessing. The neighborhood is upscale, quiet and safe. It is surrounded by other large buildings and a variety of shops. I walked out the front gate and the business next door is the famous LeNotre. It's known throughout France as a high-end catering business, cooking school, boutique, restaurants and gourmet foods. If I don't feel like cooking and want to splurge, I can go there and buy whatever my heart desires. The Monoprix is down the street, perhaps a 5 or 7 minute walk. It has just about everything needed in the way of groceries and supplies. And there are restaurants and cafes up and down every street. The Wagram Metro station is about three long blocks from here; again about a five minute walk. The Arc de Triomphe is nearby too!!!

The room with the fireplace is the guest bedroom. My room which is upstairs has the red & white French print decor.

This is my "home away from home" for the next two months. I can see the Eiffel Tower from the living room window. Does it get any better than that???

I'm waiting for the buzzer to ring as Deanna is expected any minute. Avoir mes amies!!

Love, Judy

Saturday Night in Paris

What an adventure tonight turned out to be! I was in the apartment most of the day, so at 7:00 pm I decided to venture out and find Le Cordon Blue. As most of you know, I will be taking many cooking classes there and thought it wise to check out the location ahead of time. It's a 40 minute metro ride way across town and everything went well. At least I thought it did until I realized that I exited at the wrong station. Well both stations started with a "V"--Volontaires vs. Vaugirad.

While trying to orient myself, I came across an open market where I stopped and bought some cheese and bread. Then I found a Monoprix store which sells a little bit of everything. With lots of help I found speakers for my laptop (Philips - portable and powerful), electrical outlet adapters, toothpaste and bubble bath. It's so much fun to shop when you don't have a clue what anything is. Is it bubble bath or is it shampoo or maybe it's shower gel?

It started to rain (yep, umbrella in backpack) and it was dark but VOILA! I found Le Cordon Bleu. I checked my iPhone and it was 9:45 pm. Funny but true! As I ventured back to the metro station, I decided I deserved a glass of Bordeaux so with rain coming down quite heavily, I went into Cafe Dupont for shelter and a drink. I unlocked my apartment door at 11:15 pm. I was quite pleased that I was able to navigate my way around the streets of Paris alone. This trip required changing metro trains too! All in all, it was a great experience.

My next guest arrives on Sunday so the pace with pick up for the next week. But I'll be in touch with you via my blog. I've heard from so many of you and I cannot tell you how much it means to have an email or a comment or two when so far away.

Much love and a Happy Mother's Day on Sunday to all of you "Moms!"

Love, Judy

Day Nine

Hi Everyone,

It's not even 6:00 pm and here I am, ready to start my blog. Something must be wrong. Well kind of. Isabel and Connie are on their way back to Washington and life has changed on avenue de wagram. After seeing them off this morning, I actually lounged around the apartment, enjoyed a cup of coffee and watched CNN. The election in London was the major news item so I didn't watcheTV for long.

The housekeeper arrived as scheduled at 3:00 pm and after instructing her what I would like done, I took off for a walk in the neighborhood. It was fun and I found some interesting shops so close to the apartment. I stopped and had a coffee at an outdoor cafe down the street and enjoyed a few tiny pieces of chocolate I had bought from the chocolate candy shop across the street. I tried out my new Longchamp "back pack" syle purse and stopped at the small grocery store to try it out. Actually I could fit yogurt, butter and an assortment of cheeses in it, so I believe this is just the right purse for me!!!

Yesterday was a wonderful day with my friend, Vicki. We all met at Jacquesmart-Andre Museum for an elegant lunch. This gorgeous building was once a residence and we ate in the most beautiful of all dining rooms. It was a perfect choice (thank you, Vicki) as we had not experienced anything like that so far. It will be a great place to take my friends when they arrive. And it's close to where I live. This bathtub was featured in a window close to our lunch spot and I know my friend Laura will recognize it. It was on her blog when she was in Paris recently. Now who wouldn't love taking a bubble bath in that???

After lunch we shopped and shopped some more. You saw the picture of Isabel in her new dress on yesterday's blog. And I got something very very special for Jessica who will be turning 12 years old in June. I'll be in Paris on her birthday but we'll celebrate when I return.

And a lovely good afternoon to all of you back home.

Love, Judy

Paris One Week Later

Home Sweet Home!

Now I'm feeling settled in on avenue de wagram. The computer works, the iPhone finally is getting service, the refrigerator and freezer are filled, the washer no longer takes four hours and I can now honestly say, "Life is good!"

Thanks to Connie we have explored Paris as I never expected in such a short period of time. Yesterday we were in the Latin Quarter searching out a divine candy store that she had read about on the internet. The owner let Connie take Isabel to the bathroom in her residence which was attached to this quaint little shop. Not only that, but she then walked us to a good restaurant in the area. The lady must have been 70 years old with two long braids and a plaid pleated skirt. She looked like she might be warming up to yodel!!! Did I hear that the French were not friendly? No you didn't hear that from me.

Connie and Isabel leave for the states in the morning. It's an understatement to say I will miss them. This has been the most time I've ever spent with Isabel and it's been an unforgettable experience. She has enjoyed everything this city has had to offer from the parks to the carousels to the French bread and food, the fashion and the language. Paris loves Isabel and Isabel loves Paris! She's modeling the new French dress I bought her today. Very cute, Isabel!!!

So the next few days will be a time for me to venture out on my own and slow the pace down a bit. I'm pretty confident that I have the metro system down pat. Time will tell, right?

It seems to be that magical hour--past midnight--that I say goodnight to my dear friends and family in the good old U.S.A. Enjoy what the day has yet to bring and keep in close touch. Aside from all the joy, I still miss home.

Love, Judy

Day Seven

It's a real challenge, you know, trying to decided what to do in a day here in Paris. But our day turned out to be a real surprise and not as planned. We had a visit in the morning from the "nanny" who takes care of a girl in this building --she's the same age as Isabel. Connie and the nanny had met on the elevator a day earlier. Long story short, Isabel was invited for lunch and an afternoon at the park with Allynor. Oh did I mention that this French family lives on the second floor of this building (I'm on the seventh). But their apartment takes up the entire second floor. It is so huge and so elegant that the only way of describing it is to say it's something you might see in a movie.

Off to the train station to catch a morning ride to Montmartre. The hill of Montmarte provides a spectac ular view of Paris, especially from the monumental Sacre-Coeur. Isabel rode the carousel--isn't it beautiful? Connie had to get Isabel back for her 12:30 pm "luncheon date" so I stayed behind and awaited her return. A few postcards written and two cups of cafe au lait later, Connie was back and we enjoyed the afternoon together. I found a restaurant that served beef bourgogne so that satisfied my urge for this Julia Child speciality. Some of you might recall that I made this very special recipe six weeks ago and am pleased to report that mine was every bit as good as what we had today!

As we left home this morning I mentioned to Connie that a dear friend was sending me a belated birthday gift to Paris and I so wished it had arrived. Why? Because it's a cashmere scarf and with this cold weather it would have been an ideal accessory to keep me warm. When Connie met me for lunch at Montmarte, guess what was in her backpack? A large envelope from Burbank, California, addressed to me in Paris and voila, it was the scarf! How blessed can I be to already have received two letters and one gift from my friends in the U.S. (and in less than one week?). [Notice the beautiful blue cashmere scarf with fleur-de-lis design that I'm wearing at lunch!]

It looks like I'm going to end this blog before midnight and that's a good thing. Tomorrow is another busy day and getting enough sleep is a top priority. It's also the last full day before Connie and Isabel leave for Seattle. The thought of them leaving makes me very sad...

Love, Judy