On to Avignon, Provence

Sunday morning it was time to say "au revoir Paris". I took a taxi with my giant bags in tow, and headed for the train station. Wow! So many people, so many trains and so many signs, all in French! I was immediately approached by this French gentleman who apparently wanted to help me get to the right train. I wasn't too sure about him and tried to ignore him at first, but in his broken English he convinced me that he could help. Helpless, I agreed and allowed him to take my ticket and inter it into the machine in front of us to validate it. So, he grabs my bags, and started heading for a bench. He sits me down and says, wait here, I come back get you. What else could I do? I was truly grateful at this point, sat down, and gave him a 2 Euro coin. About 40 minutes later he does actually return, grabs my bags, and says, you train here! So he drags my bags, working up a sweat, and puts them on the train! I said merci! and gave him another Euro. He gave me this sad poutty little face, and I gave him two more Euros. Now that I think about it, I should have given him more! I was on the right train, with my bags, and I could have never done it alone. The two bags together probably weighed in at about 80 pounds. The large one held all my art supplies required for the workshop.

I sat on that train, amazed that I had spent those wonderful days in Paris, and yet, my painting adventure was still in front of me! I couldn't wait to see Provence.

Day Four, The Louvre

Last full day in Paris.....at the Louvre! I made plans to meet my fellow artist student and traveler, Ellen. I decided to risk it and take the Metro only because I wanted to try it once before I leave tomorrow. I asked for a little help from the customer service booth, but we couldn't communicate very well, but she got the picture that I wanted to go to the Louvre. She pointed to the gate, a long hallway that seemed to be leading me into a tunnel hallway to... who knows where! I got on the train and got off where I thought she said to, but when I walked up to the ground level I had no idea which way to go. I just started walking thinking I would find a sign to point the way. Finally, I stopped for a cafe' cream and a nice little cafe and asked the waitress, she pointed. Finally, when I knew I should have been there by now, I asked a pedestrian. It's a good thing everybody knows about the Louvre. This time, another pointed finger, through the building arch I was looking at. What do ya know? It was the Louvre. I found my new friend, Ellen at the entrance. I got some great shots of the pyramid.

Day Three in Paris

Friday in Paris, Giverney! A long awaited trip to the gardens of Monet is planned for today. I booked a half day tour with a driver, not wanting to deal with a train. It worked out perfectly in a van with a total of 8 tourists. Very comfortable and fun. We drove about 50 miles and Enre', our tour guide, was very good at sharing a lot of history about the region. The gardens were everything I pictured in my mind that they would be. I got some great pics!

End of Day One - Onto Day Two

My favorite part of that first day was just being.....lost. I did a lot of wondering around not having a strong feeling of knowing where I was or if I was going in the right direction, but I enjoyed the "wondering" so much it didn't seem to matter. No stress. No fear, only underlying excitement of seeing what I was seeing. On the way back from Notre Dame, I noticed that the people in the area where all just very... mellow. They seemed to walk slow, talk in a relaxed manner, and eat and drink at a leisurely pace. It made me feel very relaxed, not in a hurry, and not anxious about anything. I felt comfortable that I would find my way back but I was not worried about when. It was a great feeling!

When I got back to my room I was exhausted, but that's the only reason I didn't stay out longer. It was after 11:00 pm in Paris, and I got the feeling that the night was only getting started.

The next day my goals where to see three sights: The Musee' Marmottan , The Eiffel Tower, and the Musee D'Orsay. I knew these might be rather optimistic goals, since I wasn't quite sure how to get to any of them, but I left the hotel on foot, confident that in any case, I would enjoy myself trying to make it happen. On Thursday, I knew, the D'Orsay stayed open late, until 9:30 pm, so I started out for the Marmottan, because it was the farthest away from my hotel. Monsieur Marmottan was a big fan of Monet and had collected over 40 pieces. His home had since become a museum. I took the wrong bus and ended up on the wrong side of Paris! Oh Well! I just got on the next but in the opposite direction. Finally found the neighborhood and wondered around through a fun little park with I saw the sign. The Museum was an amazing collection of Monet's. No pics allowed, but I snuck in one.

I left there with the intention of getting back to the center of the city to see the Musee' D'Orsay, but I was not in any hurry and was interested in seeing as much as I could see. I wanted to find the Eiffel Tower on the way, but wasn't sure it was going to be easy to get to by bus. I got on the same bus and was enjoying the sights when all of a sudden, there she was! I got off the bus and I was standing right in front of her.

I walked forever taking pics and headed for the D'Orsay. They are said to have a wonderful collection of the Impressionists. It was so much more. Unbelievably beautiful!

Paris, Day One

My trip started out just fine, no problems. I left Sacramento in the morning at 8:30 am and arrived in Paris the next morning, July 1st, at 11:15 loosing 9 hours in the time change. I tried to sleep plenty on the plane and felt okay on arrival, excited to see the city. Taxied to "hotel le Pearl" in a 17th century building near the famous Saint Sulspice Church in the Latin Quarter. It was a great location and a fun place to wonder around. I knew the Luxembourg Gardens were nearby so after a little rest I headed out on foot for these landmarks, and also I wanted to see the Notre Damn de Paris Cathedral which was also walking distance.

I headed out at about 4:00 pm Paris time and successfully toured these beautiful sights, taking pics along the way. It worked out perfect because it was almost sunset when I finally got to the Cathedral. Beautiful! I sat in a little cafe and had a "cafe cream" while watching the people go by.

Day One, July 1st: PARIS

My French Getaway

Got back on Tuesday night, after two days of travel. Trained from Southern France on Monday up to Paris, and flew out on Tuesday, 14 hours of flight. Surprisingly, I feel pretty good. Slept throughout the night (mostly) these last two nights. I'm up early this morning watching the Tour de France, as they are cycling right through the same region in which I've spent the last couple of weeks. Beautiful country, sky's, fields of lavender and warm weather!

I've taken over 23oo photos and now face the task of trying to organize and post the ones I want to share with you. My trip started with five days in Paris, so I will start with those photos first and document my trip so you can follow along! So much to share so I'll be working hard to get it all posted. I'm excited about the photos. For me, this was the trip of a lifetime and I want to share the experience. Originally I was to take the workshop in Provence but since this was my first trip abroad I decided right away that I couldn't go all the way to France and not spend at least a few days in Paris. It all worked out beautifully and was better than my greatest hopes.

More to come...