France and Switzerland 2014 - Day 1

I never thought this was going to happen again but here we are on the way to another adventure with Susan and Werner in Europe! This time we will be accompanied by Susan's nephew, Kyle. I'm writing this on the morning after our arrival in Paris as I just couldn't do it yesterday after more than a day of travel. As I'm writing this, the Boston contingent has just landed at Charles de Gaulle!

We left Los Angeles at 10:05am on 7/30 and flew to Chicago to catch the plane to Paris. We had great connections but flying from the west coast sure makes for a long day of travel. Arriving in Paris during morning rush hour didn't help. We arrived at our hotel, the Marais Bastille, (Susan picked a winner!) around 11am and I immediately crashed. Rick went out to explore, came back with a bottle of water and an exquisite baguette (they never taste as good as they do here), and we both slept until about 5pm.

Though not totally refreshed or hydrated, we decided to take a walk and look for dinner. While still a bit warm from the sunny day, the walk was instantly invigorating as the fact that we were strolling the streets of the Marais begun to sink in. Our hotel is only a few blocks from the Place de la Bastille and the colorful Marais neighborhood.

What really struck me as we walked is that my three months of living in LA has really gotten me used to being in a multi-cultural environment. I remember on previous trips to Europe, originating from Kansas, what a shock to the system it was to land in the middle of diverse people speaking many languages. This time it seemed natural. While most people were speaking French instead of Spanish, I didn't feel the anxiety I felt at the beginning of previous trips.

This is the third time I've been in Paris and the fifth time to Europe. I still felt the immediate sense of awe walking through neighborhoods and past buildings dating from many centuries ago. We wandered over to the Place de Vosges (an area we enjoyed from a previous trip) and what a delight it was to sit and enjoy this beautiful park surrounded by buildings dating from 1605.

After spending the last three months having daily visits with my darling Clementine and the last month with sweet Winnie and Junie (and of course Alissa and Micah), I was envious of the families having an early evening picnic in the park. Thanks to Alissa, as we sat there soaking in the peaceful scene, I received texts with photos of "my" babies. I miss them a lot!

Our energy was flagging so we decided to find some dinner. With cafes, brasseries, and restaurants on every block, we couldn't make up our mind where to land. I was about ready to give up and go back to the room and eat a protein brownie when we found the perfect place to have a cold beer and lovely bite to eat. My gazpacho was delicious and Rick's steak frites were just what he had in mind.

We ended up back in the hotel by 10pm and were tired enough to  drift off to sleep at a "normal" bedtime. It's as surreal being in Paris as the knowledge that home is now Los Angeles. What is very real to me though is that I'm am one very fortunate woman!