scrapwithval

Your mother/daughter relationship reminds me of my daughter and me. We have been doing annual mommy/daughter trips since she was 13. Sometimes big, like 2 trips to Europe to celebrate High School and College graduation, and some smaller week-ends away. It is something we both look so forward to. She graduates with her Masters next spring and we are planning another Big Europe trip. Love your reports and makes me miss my DD.

abranz

cat,
thanks for the kind comments.
a mother daughter paris trip is just wonderful.
dd is a senior and will be leaving for college this fall.
so i think the timing worked out well for me on many levels.
you seem to have such a great relationship with your dd. i don't think it will matter much whether you go when she is 15, 16 or 17.

abranz

scrapwithval,
your annual mother daughter trips sound fabulous.
i too would really love to do an annual mother daughter trip.
dh was not so pleased when he was not invited to accompany us.
maybe he will get used to it if with start an annual tradition.

cat111719

Or let him start his own tradition with her! That sounds like a win-win sitution!

abranz

4/5, Sunday

This was the day that we planned to spend in the Marais shopping and people watching.

Since we had missed the D’Orsay on the 1st and the 2nd we thought we would go there before making our way to the Marais.
Of course we had not paid any attention to the fact that it was the 1st Sunday of the month and all the museums in Paris were free.

The crowds were beyond wild and thronging the plaza. There was no place to move.

Disappointed, we made our way to the Marais. The feel here was very different than the 6th. It felt more laid back and bohemian.

I was starting to feel very unorganized and discombobulated.
It may have had to do with all the frustrations I experienced traveling to Giverny.

We sat at a café right outside the Georges Pompidou without even realizing it.

We wandered through the Marais shopped at some of the small boutiques picking out presents and eventually made our way to the Musee Picasso.

The lines here were long as well. This time we did not let it deter us.
We waited not very patiently and were thrilled that we did.
Besides the paintings, we saw some fabulous mixed media pieces & sculptures and also a few works of Matisse and Cézanne.
The art galleries around the museum also had some extraordinary art.
If possible, DD and I could have spent the entire day there.
I felt that if I had the luxury of a month or so in Paris, this is where I would want to stay.

We slowly made our way to Place Vosges to yet another café.
This time when I ordered “vin rouge” with a “plat fromage” I received a lesson in French by our very amused waitress.
Much to the hysterics of DD and the couple seated next to us, she tried to correct my atrocious accent to no avail finally giving up and just bringing us the wine and cheese.

I did manage to satisfy her with the way I asked for “l’addition sil vous plait”.
I felt good!

By now we were wiped out.
We managed to secure a taxi to take us to Notre Dame.
We walked around admiring the architecture and all the details.
As expected there were a zillion people. More people than usual because it was Palm Sunday.
We had arrived shortly before the start of mass.
We wandered through the church admiring the beautiful stained glass and sat in the pews absorbing the spirituality surrounding us.

Mass started at 6 p.m. and we were drawn to the drama of it all.
The worshippers were holding palm leaves and branches of trees.
Although mass was in French and we understood not a word, the music was heartbreakingly beautiful.
To my embarrassment I spent most of the mass with tears streaming down my cheeks.

Thank God for waterproof mascara. By the end of mass, that was the only make-up left on my face. I was a bloody mess.
The mass made a mess of me.

Once again we stopped for wine at a cafe right outside the Notre Dame.
The sun was starting to set and I had hoped to walk on to Ile St. Louie, compare Berthillon to Amarino and watch the sunset.

But, after standing at mass for over 3 hours, we were physically exhausted and emotionally spent.

Disappointed at our lack of energy, we walked back to our apartment and had Lebanese food for dinner.
After having had baguette and cheese for so long, our bodies were craving protein and the grilled chicken kebabs were the perfect answer.

to be continued.....

abranz

cat,
great suggestion.
i had suggested it to dh when he first started grousing about being left behind.
unfortunately the 2 of them do not share any interests and he does not have the patience with her as i do.

yellowrose477

abranz - I am enjoying your report so much! Aren't you glad I warned you about the bracelet scam!! When you saw all those steps, did you remember that DH and I didn't know about the funicular and walked up all those steps -with my poor hurting feet? There was a guy playing guitar there while we walked up the steps. We stopped frequently and looked at the view which was amazing, so actually it wasn't too bad. I thought that Montmartre showed a completely different side of Paris as well, but I enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed everything!

Wasn't the hot chocolate at Amgelina's to die for? Oh my gosh - made me want some so badly and since it it only 40 degrees here, hot chocolate would be welcome.

I'm sorry you had problems going to Giverny. Did DD enjoy being there at least?

Ice water and ibuprofen are great things. I do believe you were very close to where we were staying. We were on rue Callot - just down the block from the Franprix. Were you close to that?

I loved all of the churches as well. Every one had a little something different. And I loved how old everything is there.

I really didn't do any shopping, other that at souvenier shops. I just wasn't all that impressed as we can get so much here and I'm not in to buying very expensive fashion. I did love watching the Parisian women and their fashion.

I'm waiting for the next installment. You are doing a great job.

It sounds like DD was very mature in her disappointment. I hope she finds someplace that she likes even better. Patti

toni

Dear Abranz,
Now I'm totally excited. We arrive in Paris on 14th July with my two daughters (18 and 22), my good friend and her two girls (16 and 18). We are staying in your apartment as well. I commiserate with you about your daughter's disappointment. It happened to my eldest daughter and she was devastated, however she took a different,and better path and has done well. I am sure your girl will do the same. I am smitten with Paris and am planning carefully, hoping that the girls will love it at much as I do. I will print off your report for them to read. Thanks for posting.

crefloors

As I'm typing on my computer, my mouse is resting on the mouse pad I bought at Giverney. It's starting to look a tad worn but I'm hanging on to it. Great report. Glad your DD managed to bounce back, that was a tough thing to go through.

abranz

patti,
you and i are on the same page about so many things.
i took heed from your report about all the steps up at montmartre and deliberately chose to take the funicular.
the guitarist must have a permanent location on those steps. wasn't it just wonderful listening to his music and seeing the amazing views?

the weather here is in the high 60s/low 70s but i am still craving angelina's hot chocolate and all the pastries.
why can't we have something like that here?
but then we wouldn't have the excuse to go to paris!!!

we have 4 days before the college deposits are due and dd is still not convinced that any of the 3 options that we narrowed down to are for her.
lot of high level of stress here right now.

abranz

toni,
you have such a wonderful time ahead of you.
the area is fabulous and the girls especially will love st. andres and the neighbouring streets.
i just hope that the apt is not too small.
but then if you are like us, you will not spend much time there anyway.
enjoy!!

abranz

crefloors,
don't tell me that you got the lily pad on cobalt blue mouse pad.
if so, our computers are almost twins!

MomDDTravel

OOOHHHH soooo glad to have found this trip report tonight! Abranz - what a time you had. Thank you so much for taking the time to share it with all of us. I developed a love affair with Paris in 10 days over the holidays of this year and yearn to return someday.

I hope that you dd decides soon. I am so sorry about her college.

dina4

abranz,

i am really enjoying your report!

i love traveling with my daughter, also 16, as well, and keep thinking i'm so sorry you have to send her away to college already! My 16 year old is only a sophomore! I really hope everything works out for her, college-wise, and she is happy with her decision.

meanwhile, i have to say we have raised our kids the same way regarding wine. and like you, while i am not religious, going to churches in europe is always moving for me. when you were describing being moved to tears in Notre Dame on Palm Sunday, my own eyes welled up with tears because i know exactly what you mean!

please continue...

dina

abranz

4/6 Monday

Most museums are closed on Monday but the L’Orangerie was open and this time we were not going to miss it.
We headed to the Tuileries first thing that morning. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed a stroll eating our hot crepes with nutella.
The water lilies were breathtaking. We stayed a long time savouring the paintings.
It is such a small museum and does not take much time.
But the 2 rooms with the lillies had us mesmerized.
We were so glad we took cathies' advice and visited the L'Orangerie after our trip to Giverny. It really put the art into perspective.

Although both the Grand and the Petit Palais were closed, we wandered around the perimeters and managed a peek inside the Grand Palais.
I can only imagine how glam the whole area is during Paris Fashion Week.
Seeing the gorgeous hall with the majestic stairway, I secretly planned DD's wedding there.

By now we were hungry and we strolled down to Laduree for an early decadent lunch.
The tea house is just beautiful.
I could envision the ladies in 1862 having their dainty macarons and tea.
DD and I vowed to return in 2012 to celebrate their 150th anniversary!

We feasted on a veggie club sandwich (so French – not!), salad and of course the macarons.
The flavour combinations were beyond sublime.
My favourite was mango with jasmine. DD like the passion with lime and the salted caramel.
We did not stop at the macarons we also feasted on the St. Honore rose-framboise and le divin which was indeed divine.

In an attempt to work off our calories we decided to stroll down to Chanel.

As we checked out the fashions I realized that I had a personal connection to Chanel that I unfortunately had not kept up with.
I knew the Global Chief Executive of Chanel who now lives in New York.
Our daughters had gone to pre-school together and were friends until they moved to Paris.
I made a mental note to make sure and not lose touch with friends and acquaintances in the future.

After a lot of drooling we headed out to drool some more on St. Honore and Ave. Montaigne.

We slowly made our way down to Champs Elysees heading toward Arc de Triomphe.
It was starting to look tacky and touristy.

By now the sun was up and temps were in the 70s. Besides all the walking the heat was also starting to get to us as we slowiy lugged our jackets along.

By the time we reached Arc de Triomphe we had completely run out of gas.
DD’s camera had also started vibrating uncontrollably.
It had started a strange vibration on our first day here and would work sporadically after being shaken. Now it absolutely refused to co-operate. We could not take any pictures at all!!! soooooo frustrating.
We managed to make our way down to the Metro and headed to our home in Paris.
The heat and fatigue was really getting to us and we could not wait to take a cold shower and pass out.
We stopped for Lebanese food for the 2nd night in a row. The proprietor was delighted to see us again and treated us to some iced mint tea and falafel.

We had intended to make it an early night but the shower and the kebabs rejuvenated us and we wanted another adventure.

I had printed out notes from advice that Guenmai had given Patti for her trip.
We had used some of her tips but this one was the best one of all.

We took the bus from St. Sulpice to the Trocadero to see the most magnificient sight of the lit up Eiffel Tower at night.
I had never imagined how glorious this would be.
By now DD's camera had chosen to work and she got some amazing shots.
My romantic head reared up again.
As she rolled her eyes I decreed that this was the only spot where she should accept a proposal.

The place was teeming with African vendors selling miniature Eiffel towers.
DD was enamoured with a tacky lit up version.
As we started talking to the vendor about price, another woman walked up and showed interest in the same statue but was not willing to pay the price of 7 euros that he quoted.
It appeared that she was a lot savvier than I was about haggling and I asked if she would bargain for us also.
She was really a pro. She managed to get me 2 of these pieces for 6 euros.
I could not believe it. I would have impressed myself if I had succeeded to reduce the price to 6 euros for 1.

We lingered around some more. We only had one more day left in Paris and we were starting to miss it already.

We walked down to the Eiffel tower and in our enchantment ended up walking all the way back to our apartment.

Our feet were ready to fall off and our eyes could not stay open any longer.
It was 2 a.m.

to be continued....

abranz

momdd,
i do remember your trip when your dd fell ill.
i felt so bad that you were in this amazing city and you could not truly enjoy it.

i hope you get to go again soon and this time everyone is well.

abranz

dina,
i'm glad to know that there is another one like me who weeps at the beauty of the churches.
it gets a little embarassing when everyone stares and you are trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.

dina4

"Our feet were ready to fall off "
--LOL... when we were in paris in '06, i remember my daughter and i would give each foot massages at the end of each day. we didn't think it was possibly for feet to hurt so much!!

MomDDTravel

abranz - I am sure I will go back

I get very emotional when I travel - I have been known to weep in museums - I wept when I saw The David - I also got teary at the d'orsay.

I hate the feeling of "one day" left - looking forward to the rest of your report!

dina4

oh geez, i wept when I saw David, too -- the 3rd time! and also at the water lily rooms at the Orangerie...

we should start a new thread for us cry babies -- "what moved you to tears in Europe?"