Mon Merveilleux Voyage à Paris

It's been a week since I left the City of Lights, and I am still daydreaming about my adventures.  It had been seven years since my last visit and 10 years since my first. Maybe because this time around I'm older, more experienced, and a little more relaxed (yes, relaxed -- I can be relaxed, sometimes), I had a much more fulfilling experience and now a persistent tugging at my heart to return sooner rather than later.

For my third visit to Paris, I stayed close to the heart of the city -- Arrondissement 7 to be exact -- right near the Eiffel Tower. In fact, just a block away, this was my view.

After my previous touristy trips, this time I stayed away from the museum and famous landmarks. And even though I was just blocks away from that iconic tower, I resisted the urge to travel up its industrial legs. Instead, I merely enjoyed the scenery of this massive metal structure, taking pictures of it each time I saw it peeping into the skyline.

Most of my visit was spent enjoying each day with my best friend Lisa, walking the streets of Paris and witnessing its heart and soul. And although it's not perfect by any means -- the people can be cold, it can be crowded and smelly, and it's very expensive -- it has a beauty and a light that can only be understood by being present in it. That is what I hoped to discover during my trip, and that is exactly what I found.

During my four days in Paris, I walked through an eerie, magical cemetery in Montparnasse, paying my respects to some of the greatest artists and thinkers of the 20th century. I enjoyed an extended lunch in the Luxembourg Gardens, daily mid-afternoon cafe stops, a stroll (or a hike, depending on who you ask) along the Seine, and a shopping excursion through the narrow and ancient streets of Saint-Germain-des-Pres.

I also saw two blind people run into each other (it was like seeing a double rainbow!), nuns shopping in Le Bon Marche (an upscale department store), and a herd of dogs playing in the Seine. I experienced the kindness of a waiter, who patted me on the back and said "it's gonna be okay" when I messed up my order in French, and the seediness of gypsies trying to scam Lisa and me into buying a gold ring. And then, there was the threat of swarming bees and kamikaze pigeons trying to partake of my  lovely French lunch.

Each day brought something new, and each moment became a memory that I will cherish forever.

And although I tried to bypass the tourist traps of the city, I did decide to take a boat ride along the Seine. Lisa and I enjoyed the weather, the scenery, and the occasional goofy pose.

One of the other touristy moments of the trip -- but probably the best -- was when I bought a "love padlock" to lock onto the Pont de Arts bridge. It was for my grandmother who had passed away in July. In black ink, I wrote the name of my grandmother, Nellie King, encircled it in a heart and locked it on the bridge to commemorate my love for her. I kissed it and said to myself, "you made it to Paris, Grandma!"

It was a cathartic and heartwarming moment for me. Now and forever (or at least until the Parisians get sick of these locks and cut them off -- which I hope doesn't happen for a very long time), I will be able to return to Paris, not only to enjoy its beauty and its heart, but to visit my grandma on a bridge surrounded by the love and light of a city that continually fulfills me in so many ways.

Until the next time... au revoir, my lovely Paris!

P.S.: Stay tuned for my next post on my adventures in "The Smoke," aka London.

The Fear Bucket

This past week I’ve been thinking a lot about my fears. Most  of them are minor – like out-of-my-comfort zone type fears. But there is definitely one that is a certifiable phobia -- my fear of butterflies. The scientific name for this phobia is lepidopterophobia – quite a mothful! (da-duh cha!). And although most people laugh at the thought of someone being afraid of a harmless and peaceful creature like a butterfly, I have legitimate freak-out sessions when one (yes, just one) comes near me. 

But, here’s the thing – fear is just a self-created emotion. It can be controlled, and it can be overcome. I use to be deathly afraid of heights. As a child I would hide on the floor of the car when my parents drove through the mountains. And, in 6^th grade, I was at a retreat with my class and during a hiking excursion, I beame terrified and had to hold on to my teacher’s shirt for most of the hike until I felt comfortable enough to go it alone. It probably wasn’t until college, when I chose to attending a school in a city whose elevation was 8,000 feet, that I finally got over my fear of heights. If I wanted to drive home to visit my parents, I had to drive through mountains – skirting curves that dropped off to the valley below, so I forced myself to get over that fear. Now I can say that I hike and climb and fly and don’t have an ounce of fear in me when I do those things. 

So, taking a cue from the popular bucket list idea, I have decided to start my own special one. I’m calling it my Fear Bucket. And, I’ll start with the biggest one I have – butterflies. I figure that if I can face that fear, the rest of them will be a piece of cake. 

And lucky for me, there’s a butterfly museum nearby (**shutter**). 

Here are some of the other fears I’ve added to the bucket – most of them are very minor, but as a shy and reserved person, they are things that definitely make me feel uncomfortable. And that is why I want to confront them!

• Start a conversation with a random person
• Eat alone at a restaurant
• Ask a guy out on a date
• Read a poem at an open mic night
• Perform one of my songs in front a group of strangers

What would you say is your biggest fear? And, how would you like to overcome it?

Packing for Paris: Part Four

Three weeks and counting until I'm in gay ole' Pair-ee. And, as the days flutter by and the weekends slip past me, I'm starting to realize that my European wardrobe may be lacking in the WOW factory.

See, I'm not really a flashy person. I tend to wear simple, low-key pieces that I can mix and match.  But, I suppose it might be worthwhile to add a little pizazz to my wardrobe, especially since my friend from Paris, who is traveling with me to London, said she wanted to go out for a nice dinner during our visit. And, well, that just upped the ante for me. Now I've got to find something cute and hip with a little bit of flair. 

So, here are some dresses that do a good job of keeping that simple side of me happy, while adding a little flourish here and there to add some interest and intrigue to my look.

1. Contrasted Panels Dress, Mango, $79.99; 2. Lace Detail Dress, I. Madeline, Piperlime, $89; 3. Tweedie Dress, C. Luce, Piperlime, $79; 4. Solar Pleated Dress, French Connection, $198.