Sunday's are for snugs

I apologize for the lack of postings, I have had an extremely busy week-work wise. Thursday I helped perform a ceremony rehearsal for a very sweet couple from the states. It ended early so I was able to call it a day from there. The rehearsal was in the 6th arrondissement which is a ritzier part of town, so I decided I would take the evening to explore. I found a fabulous cafe called Malabar. It was essentially an old cottage that was set up like a dining room with a bunch of really old taxidermy on the walls. It felt very cozy and they had an excellent cocktail menu as well as food selection. After that I headed home, and enjoyed a glass of wine with Leila and Christian.

Friday was wedding day. It was very small, an simple an elopement for the couple from the night prior. Again I was out very early so ran a few errands and attempted to do some shopping. The shopping here is mildly frustrating, there are always a million people in the stores and the dressing room and cashier lines are always outrageously long. After a long week I decided it was not worth it and saved myself a few bucks.

Saturday morning I was up early to head downtown for a haircut. I was in desperate need (Not that this is exciting, or even relevant to any of you..). My co-worker Nancy suggested an American girl named Stephanie. She did a great job and actually had some tips about being new to the city. After that my day got a little more exciting. Realizing I was only about 5 minutes from the Louvre I decided that was how I would spend my day. It was overwhelming. They say that you could spend weeks in that museum and still not see it all. I really only did one wing. That one wing alone took me three hours. I managed to find the Mona Lisa which was exciting, and much smaller than I thought it would be. It was super crowded so I found myself having a hard time seeing anything I really wanted to see. After three hours of roaming around a very large building, I made my way out.

After the Louvre I headed out to walk along the Seine. I walked all up and down the river taking in the antique book salesmen along the path. Seeing all the books reminded me that I was dying to find the Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore. I was successful in finding it and spent about an hour searching through their fabulous selection of books and walking up and down the stairs through all the different reading rooms and reading about all the history in the store.

After picking a book I headed back on the train home. Once home I found out Monmartre was having a festival that evening. It was the the Vendange Festival. Vendange is a vineyard in the heart of Monmartre and every year they put on a festival to celebrate the harvest of their grapes. It was really cool, very crowded and a little crazy, but awesome to see. The streets were lined with vendors selling all different types of wine and food, and they had an amazing fireworks display. Paris has no laws about drinking in public places so on nights like this the locals really go crazy.

Sundays are quickly starting to be my most favorite day in Paris. No one really starts to come to life in the city until well after noon. People here really believe in taking Sunday for rest, and I could not agree more. Waking up around 10 am felt fabulous, followed by a little light reading with some coffee in bed. I had been invited to a brunch with a friend that I have met here as well as few of her friends. We met at cafe called Facebar around 2pm. It was a delicious leisurely brunch that had an all you can eat pastry buffet, so naturally I was in heaven. A relaxing Sunday before another crazy week.

Missing home, can't believe I have been gone a month already!
xo
C

Monet, Picasso & Matisse

Today is a day of rest. It has been a long time since I actually allowed myself to do completely NOTHING. Since the moment I arrived in Paris I have felt this need to go, go, go. It as if I did not get out and do at least one item on my ever growing to do list this trip would be for nothing. Well, after a night of absolutely no sleep, I decided to cancel my alarm that had been set for 8:30 am and change my day plans.

Yesterday I took myself out to the Musee De l'Orangerie. The Paris impressionist art gallery. Also the home of Monet's water lilies paintings. It was a great museum filled with some of the most beautiful paintings. Their current exhibit was on Emilie Bernard.  I don't know a ton about art, but I do know a decent amount about Monet from an art history class I took in college, we all chose one artist to be our main focus, I chose him. Years ago I was given a children's book called "Linnea in Monet's Garden". Its the story of a tiny little girl who travels with her neighbor to Paris specifically to visit Monet's home in Giverny.  Ever since reading that book I had a love for the man who painted the water lilies he saw in his garden. So to be honest, this was the real reason for going to the museum. The paintings were amazing! Like I said I don't know a ton about art, but I do know the way it made me feel to be standing in front of those huge canvas paintings that took years to finish. There were two rooms, and the paintings ran 360 degrees around both rooms. There were benches set in each of the rooms for people to sit as long as they wanted and enjoy. I was probably in each room for about 30 minutes making my way around each part of the paintings.
After Monet, I visted the rest of the exhibits enjoying Bernard, Picasso, Matisse and many more.

Pictures definitely were NOT allowed.. but I couldn't help myself. The picture doesn't really do it justice anyways. 

After the museum I grabbed some pizza and wandered around the area a bit. Paris is still packed with tourists so the streets on a Saturday were a little tough to navigate. It supposedly will die down soon. 

Like I said before, today I have done nothing but relax. I will tell you, that I happily booked a flight and a room for a weekend in Italy. For my birthday I will treating myself to pasta and wine in Rome. I am beyond thrilled to see a little bit more of Europe. Hoping to see London and Amsterdam before this trip is done. :) 

xoxo
C

The Tea Room & The Tuileries!

After a long day working a beautiful wedding at the Maison De Polytechnique on Sunday, I was able to take both Monday & Tuesday off. I didn't plan much for either of these days as I was pretty tired from the weekend and wanted to allow myself some rest.

I think I can safely say that I have moved past the jet lag and am on a normal sleeping schedule now. I woke up at a decent time on Monday and decided that I was just going to take the day to roam. I took the metro to the Louvre area and just wandered. I did a small amount of shopping for things that I randomly forgot to pack, as well as things I obviously could not live without. :) I then had a quick lunch at a friendly cafe right out front of the Louvre. I had the BEST French Onion Soup, which here actually means "fresh" onion soup. It had large pieces of bread covering the top of it with the most amazing mozzarella cheese melted to perfection. That was all I needed to satisfy my craving for a delicious french meal.

After lunch I was on a mission to the find Angelina's Tea Room. I have been dreaming about seeing this specific tea room for some time now. This was actually Audrey Hepburn's favorite cafe that she would come to any time that she was filming in Paris. They are famous for their "African Hot Chocolate" and as it turns out that was Audrey's favorite. I waited in line 20 minutes just to get a table in this tiny little venue. Apparently the secret is out that their hot chocolate is the bomb. Once I got in it was a very fancy room with amazing paintings all over the walls. The chairs were over sized and very comfy with just small tables to set your cup and treats on. I of course ordered myself a cup of the famous hot chocolate along with their signature dessert Mont Blanc. This consists of sweetened pureed chestnuts and is topped with whipped cream.

The hot chocolate came in this adorable little pitcher for you to pour into their bone china tea cups. It was essentially just a melted chocolate bar. It was extremely thick and decadent, paired with my Mont Blanc it was enough to send one into a diabetic coma, but I couldn't have been happier. I sat and sipped my delicious African hot chocolate and enjoyed the French conversations taking place around me.

So after a very indulgent dessert it was time to walk off at least a little of what I had eaten. I made my way to the Jardin Des Tuileries. This is a public garden between the Louvre and The Place De La Concorde. It is also where a lot of the fashion week events are taking place. I wandered through the entire garden taking pictures of the gorgeous flowers and sights and seeing if I could get a sneak peak at anything happening with all the fashion shows.

After making my way one from one end of the garden to the other it was time to hit the metro back home! Once home I was invited to dine with my host family. I always enjoy sharing a meal with them, both Leila & Christian have so many stories to share about their acting days in New York and their times here in France. I enjoy getting to know them more and more. 

Today was a little less exciting. I let myself sleep in, ran a quick errand for work and came back over to my neighborhood of Montmartre for lunch (a wonderful smoked salmon club) and ran some errands that I have been putting off for days. Now an evening filled with some French lessons, and a little reading. 

Learning something new everyday, and appreciating every minute of it. 

Back to work tomorrow! 

More adventures to come. 

xoxo 

C 

A girl and her bike

Today was a wonderful, wonderful day. Not only was it gorgeous weather (high 70's and not a cloud in the sky) I decided that I would take a bike around the city! People are constantly biking everywhere here. It's supposedly the best way to learn the city. So, like I said yesterday I decided that, that is how I would spend my day.

I woke up this morning with a little bit of a late start considering I decided to venture out last night to the Irish pub across the street from my house. It turned out to be a fabulous decision, it was filled with American and Irish expats. I spent the evening chatting with the locals and hearing stories of what brought them to Paris. It was very interesting. Needless to say I stayed a little to long and woke up with a bit of a headache, hence the late start to my morning.

I started the late morning out with a much needed trip to Starbucks to grab a Mocha which would hopefully jump start my morning, then off I went to the 4th arrondissement to pick up my bike. When I got to the rental place it turned out that they were doing a guided tour through the city. I was welcome to hop on if I wanted. Considering I don't really know my way around all that well, I thought it was a great way to get lots of information as well as have someone lead me to the best spots.

The tour was extremely informational and jam packed with the history of how the city came to be what it is today. We saw tons of different sites including the Holocaust Museum (which I will most definitely be going back to check out) Notre Dame, The Seine river walk, The Louvre, The Pyramids, The Christian Dior Fashion show tent (I was very impressed by this), The Latin quarter where I indulged in the MOST delicious creme puff I have ever tasted in my life. And lastly the open air flower markets. All very interesting and exciting places to see. I was making a list in my head of all the places I was intrigued by that I would venture back to on my own to check out more in depth. The tour was bout 3 1/2 hours long so I definitely got a work out in. Its been a long time since I have been on a bike for that amount of time. I will most likely be feeling that tomorrow.

I am starting to feel very at home here. I would say I have a very firm grasp on the metro, I am falling into a good routine with work and my host family is amazing at making me feel very comfortable. I definitely really miss everyone at home but starting to relax and enjoy myself here!

Tomorrow is another wedding day! Looking forward to seeing what this one will entail.

xoxo
C

Open air flower markets, they smelled fabulous!! 

Notre Dam! 

The pyramids in front of the Louvre 

The routine is down!

I am now in the full swing of work and starting to feel like a normal person again! I have completely mastered the art of the metro and my body is starting to feel like it understands the time schedule we are currently working with now.

I have spent the past two days in the office with my co-workers doing some fun admin work like blogging, pinteresting, and helping to create designs for upcoming weddings. All things right up my ally!

Every other day we as an office go to a lovely lunch. There are so many fabulous little cafe's around the office. Yesterday's lunch might be my favorite meal so far since being in Paris. I had the special from Cafe Petite which consisted of Rigatoni Pasta in olive oil with Parmesan cheese, squash, zucchini, and topped off with the most divine smoked salmon. It was extremely decadent and as I mentioned before my new favorite dish!

Fashion week is in full swing here in Paris which means that some of the fanciest clothes are coming out. I have already seen some pretty high fashion items walking onto the metro. I think tomorrow afternoon I might take a stroll over to where all of the fashion shows take place and see what its like. :)

Not the most exciting post today, but I am hopping this weekend will bring big things! I have so much on my growing to do list.

xoxo
C

A day on Avenue Champs De Elysees

I had the day off today and while I am stilling battling a bit of jet lag I decided I was going to get up at a decent hour and do some shopping. Donning my tutu I set out for Avenue Champs De Elysees. This area of Paris is a little bit more ritzy then rest of the city, home of the original Louise Vuitton store, as well as Chanel and DVF. All things that I certainly can not afford but a little window shopping never hurt! :)

I spent the afternoon roaming the streets and popping into to sweet little boutiques and shops. I did manage to also find a Gap, which felt a little bit like home. Although french Gap is much different then the Gap in the states.

My most favorite part of the day was when I came across Laduree. For those of you who dont know, Laduree is one of the most esteemed patisseries in Paris. They are famous for their Macarons. It was my mission to find this bakery today and taste the deliciousness. It was just as every bit fabulous as I thought it would be!

After the Laduree I walked up to the Arc De Triomphe for a closer look. 

Another selfie.. (Sorry)

My last stop of the day was a sweet little cafe near my home in Monmartre where I enjoyed a late lunch of a chicken sandwich on french bread with a cesar dressing and fresh veggies. My favorite part of french dining is that each meal is an experience. As my host family described it "It is your time to enjoy". Unlike the states you relax and take your time, it is considered strange when you rush through your meal. In fact a server wont even bother you at your table for at least 45 minutes unless you call for them. Its an odd thing to get used to, I am very accustomed to quickly eating and moving on to the next thing. You also almost always enjoy an expresso after every meal, which is also something I LOVE. Whats not to love about indulging in a delicious meal and then topping it off with a decadent coffee in a tiny cup. :) 

Home early to rest and hopefully sleep off the last of the jet lag. Back to work tomorrow! 

xoxo 

C

Fall has arrived in Paris

Two days ago I was dying of heat exhaustion on the metro and this evening I am throwing on the sweat pants and hoodie! I think it is safe to stay that the sweet summer weather I had arrived to is gone for good. I was told by many of the locals that 80 degree weather in late September was not the norm. Apparently 70 during the day and 50 at night is! 

Another exciting day at work, I was all over this town running errands. Returning sabers to extravagant prop shops and droppping of thank you gifts to certain vendors from brides past, all while navigating my way around the city solo. I wont say that I did not have a couple times of mild frustration and confusion, but for the most part I managed easily enough. The streets I find are not that well marked. Rather then having large streets signs on the corner of every street the signs are posted on buildings. Sometimes you really have to look to find them. 

On my travels today I did come across the Arc De Triomphe. I was not able to see it up close, but from a distance it was lovely. I am excited to go and see all the history around it. 

I spent the evening helping a darling couple from Florida get married in the chapel where Marie Antoinette was originally bured. It was a gorgeous chapel with lots of history. Of course all the history was written in French so I will have to remember to look that up later. :) It was a very simple little ceremony and after it was finished we put them in their car and away they went to have a romantic dinner together in Paris on their wedding night. It's interesting to go from doing a large 130 person wedding to just a simple party of two who are really only interested in celebrating each other. 

Today was all in all a good day. I had a little bit of a hard day yesterday, but I am feeling much better today. Very happy to be on this adventure. It does have its scary moments, its lonely moments, its tired moments, but its all worth it. 

Day off tomorrow. I am thinking Louvre or just simple exploring... 

xoxo

C

An extravagant wedding & A trip to the Eiffel

Last night was my first wedding with Fete in France. While it did have many similarities to a wedding in the states it was for the most part pretty different. For instance they didn't site down to eat until 10pm. The dancing did not begin until about 11:30. We were there until 3:30 in the AM. I am still fairly jet lagged, so staying up until 3 am was not that hard. It was a gorgeous location, the Maison France-Amerique with gorgeous ballrooms and salons. Each part of the wedding took place in a different salon. It was very extravagant and fancy. I loved every part of it.

I didn't wake up until 12pm this afternoon, but once I was awake I was dead set on finding that gorgeous tour that I dreamed about for so long. I started the morning with a trip to my neighborhood Starbucks which feels like a little piece of home every time I go in. After I got my grande iced coffee I made my way to the Abesses metro station where I hopped on the 12 and made my way towards the Eiffel. A couple run ins with some not-so friendly homeless people. Apparently Sunday they know all the tourists are out and about. Once I finally made it to the correct neighborhood it started to rain. I ducked into an adorable cafe where I enjoyed yet another Croque Monsior and a coffee. I can not help my self around that delicious ham and cheese! I promise I'll order outside the box next time.

After a leisurely Sunday brunch the sun started to pop its head out just in time for my walk! There were several different routes to get to the park but I chose the road less traveled with sweet apartments of all the locals who live in the area. The streets were quiet and gorgeous. As I was walking I dreamed of having a tiny little flat over looking the Eiffel tower. Once I rounded the corner I came across the most beautiful sight, I had waited for so many years to see this very monument and here I was. I was able to appreciate at that moment all that it took to get me here and the experiences that I was going to have for the next three months. I sat on park bench for a bit looking up and watching people slowly climb the stairs or take the elevator to the very top (something I obviously avoided due to my extreme fear of heights).

After a small photo shoot which included several selfies of myself and the tower I made my way back to the metro. Before hopping on I stopped into a large grocery store to finally pick myself up a few things. That provided to be a little harder then originally anticipated. I at least came out with some yogurt and cereal for the mornings.

Considering the long night I had last night and how little I have been sleeping here I came home early to relax and do some French lessons. I will most definitely be turning in early this evening. Back to work tomorrow for an elopement. 

xoxo
c

Traveling alone you are forced to take an absurd amount of selfies. 

I'll have cheese, wine and more cheese please.

Today I successfully navigated the Paris metro all alone! I can not tell you how accomplished I feel. To be perfectly honest with you its a fairly easy system to use, but being completely new to a foreign speaking country and making your way through the metro system without getting lost is a decent accomplishment.

Today was my first day at the office. After, like I said, successfully making my way to the 10th arrondissement where my office is I met with my two bosses. They were so sweet and welcoming. I was excited immediately. After a few housekeeping items it was time for a working lunch! We headed down the street to Cafe Petite. This is where my first real Parisian meal took place. I am happy to tell you that I ordered the Crouque Monsoir. For those of you who dont know this is basically a ham and cheese sandwich, but pretty much the ULTIMATE ham and cheese sandwich. One layer of ham on the bottom, with a delightful spread of the tastiest perfectly melted cheese and topped off with some french bread. TRES MAGNIFIQUE! I could could literally cry thinking of my tastes buds exploding as I enjoyed such a treat. After lunch we enjoyed a coffee course where I indulged in a cafe au lait (also amazing).

After lunch it was time to go on the hunt for props for this weekend's wedding. What was amazing was that the prop shop was a huge warehouse filled with the most amazing props you have ever seen. I was told that movie directors will often go to this prop house to find props for movies. Everything you could have ever thought of, they had. It was fun to explore!

I spent the evening in the American Cathedral helping to perform a ceremony rehearsal for a sweet American couple who will get married this weekend.

After work I took the metro back to Monmartre where I stopped at the sweetest little cafe and had delicious wine paired with a cheese and meat plate. I sat in the cafe relaxing, people watching and writing in my journal. It was a dream and the perfect way to end a fabulous day.

While I definitely go through times of feeling homesick and missing family and friends I also have moments of pure joy. I am still wondering if this is a dream I am going to wake up from. 

xoxo
c

Oh hello, Paris..

So after 10 1/2 very long hours of traveling I have finally landed in the promised land. I'm completely exhausted and still not sure that this is not just all a dream that I am going to wake up from in an hour.

Despite my severe nerves and fear, the actual travel was a dream. Saying goodbye to my friends and family on the other hand, not so much. Although its only for 3 months I was extremely sad to say goodbye to all my besties. Thank you again for coming out on a Monday night after a very long weekend to bid me farewell. I love you, kittens.

My parents picked me up in Portland yesterday at 12:30, we were on the road for the airport by 1. The ride to the airport was nerve wracking, but not nearly as nerve wracking as when we walked into the international section of Logan airport. I am not a good flier as it is, so going to a foreign country where I don't speak the language is scary enough, but when you add a 6 hour flight on top of that its terrifying. Saying goodbye to my parents and my sister right before security was awful. I obviously cried and cried, then as they walked away I literally had a moment of panic and wanted to run after them. It was kind of one of those what the eff am I doing right now moments! Once I was through security I bee lined it for the bar and immediately began calming my nerves with a Bloody Mary. After a couple of cocktails I was starting to feel a little bit better and even excited.

The plane was huge! It was almost hard to be nervous on a plane that large, it was like being on bus. Shortly after taking my seat I fell into a lovely xanax/vodka induced coma that I did not wake up from for several hours which is a large feat for me, because I DO NOT sleep on planes. I woke up about an hour away from Dublin. Once in Dublin I made it my mission for the hour and a half that I had there to find a Guinness. I was successful in this mission. It was a delicious treat even at 5 in the morning.

Next stop Paris.The second plane was not nearly as luxurious as the first, but for an hour and a half I could deal. I slept uncomfortably on and off until we touched down.

Once off the plane I basically flew through customs. What I thought was going to be a nightmare turned into a man throwing a stamp in my passport and telling me to move on. As soon as I reached the baggage claim my bags were the first ones off. I grabbed all 130 lbs of my luggage and headed for the taxi line. It was easier than I had imagined it would be. To be honest the scariest part of this whole trip to me was getting to where I needed to be. And here I am!

The apartment is adorable as is the sweet little family I'm staying with. After a much needed 2 hour power nap I was ready to do a small amount of exploring. Leila was kind of enough to take me on a walk of the neighborhood to show me where to get the best coffee and freshest baguettes. After that I was ready to do a small amount of exploring myself. My first treat in Paris was the most amazing spinach quiche I've ever tasted in my life. Followed by an ice cream of course. :)

A late dinner with the most darling host family consisting of wine, cheese and bread with a small soup course. Exactly what I needed to on my first night to start feeling like a true Parisian.

Tomorrow I am on to my first day of work!

xoxo
C

My sweet little blogging spot in the corner of my bedroom with the window wide open to the street. <3

5 Days 'till takeoff

Im sitting in front of the screen with a heavy heart as I think of the exciting, yet scary voyage ahead of me. I feel overwhelmed and sad, but also extremely excited and ready to learn.

This trip literally came about one day in my parents kitchen. I sat with my sisters best friend and listened to her as she spoke about her brave 20 something sister heading out to Australia work on a vineyard. At that time I remember being in a fairly dark place feeling confused at the path my life had taken. I had already had a life plan in place, it was jolted and completely turned upside down by own small move. Listening to Sarah discuss this plan of her sisters I began to feel inspired and thought "I could do that". Within hours I was online googling, and trying to figure out how to get myself on an adventure.

Countless hours spent emailing contacts all over the country as well as sending random resumes to wedding planning firms through out Europe I was determined to find myself a job doing what I loved somewhere that was not here. Within a week I had a skype interview with a well known firm in Paris. Even just having the skype interview did not feel real. Was it possible that my life long dream of wanting to go to Paris could be coming true, and not only that I would get to LIVE there? Clearly the first interview went well as they asked to schedule a second three days later. After the second I received an offer 2 days later. I was going to Paris.

Having spent this entire year preparing for this day quickly approaching feels very strange. It still doesn't always feel real. I'm most positive it wont feel real until I walk off that airplane into a very foreign country.

What I hope to gain is obviously a new life experience, a new outlook on the world and other countries, a new attitude that I do not need other people to get me where I am going, I am independent and very capable of doing things on my own, and a feeling of accomplishment. While I am well aware that there will be downfalls, there will homesickness, there will be scary parts, and loneliness. There will also be excitement, fun, new people, new adventures, delicious food, and amazing experiences. This is all wrapped up into a very, very exciting new chapter in this life.

I've had an amazing summer with some of the most fabulous people and family. I am thankful for the new friends I've made and thankful for my family being so unbelievably supportive. I will miss you guys so, so much.
xoxo
c