one year ago

Last year, at around this exact same time, we were enjoying strolling the streets of Paris.  I was awfully pregnant at the time.  I forced Billy to buy me an insanely expensive hot chocolate at Angilina's on a hot, hot day, we walked through Jardin des Tullieries and we saw Monets water-lillies.   

And you would almost think that were enough for a day in Paris, but there was more... (and I just forgot to post it)

We crossed the Seine,

walked towards the Eiffel Tower.  (And along the way, had take a little rest on a park bench.  Thanks pregnancy).

Arrived at Hôtel des Invalides - Once a hospital and home for retired veterans and now museums and monuments pertaining to France's war history.  

Here's a little glimpse of the armour exhibit at the Musée de l'Armée.  So intricate with such amazing detail. 

And here's where Billy continued on (and said the upper-floors of the museum were fantastic) while Jake ran around amongst the cannons and I, once again, rested.  

This is what the Hôtel des Invalides chapel dome looks like from the outside.  From Paris's most famous heights - Eiffel Tower, Centre Georges Pompidou, Sacre Coure... - you can see it's golden spire glowing among the grey slate rooftops. 

It's equally as beautiful on the inside.  And beneath it, lies the sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte.  The tomb lies in the centre of the church and is humongous.  If I had to guess, I would say close to two-stories high (!).     

Then we cross another bridge for one more walk through les Tulleries 

and hop onto the Metro to take us to Gare du Nord and back home again.

And after recounting all of that... 

I'm just dying to go back all over again.

on staying home

It is strange to think that last year on this day, we were settling into our apartment in Amiens.  Or maybe we were en route, or sleeping off the jet lag or cleaning said apartment top-to-bottom in order to make it feel just a little more like home... it's all a blur.  At any rate, we were in the midst of starting another season.  My tenth one with Billy.  Fast forward to today, the first day of training camp begins, without Bill.  It is a sad feeling.   

I'm still feeling so conflicted about it all (even though I've had the entire summer to mull it over. Talk about slow to embrace change) and hope we like our life here as much as we did abroad.  There is a whole lot of evidence suggesting that this new chapter in our lives will be a big success.  But oh France, how I will miss you.  I know everyone is getting really tired of me lamenting (on and on and on...) about France but look at these pictures!  How could I possibly not feel nostalgic?!

How dreamy!  

And I catch myself thinking of all the things I could be doing and experience there.  And all the things I wont ever do again.  And all of the little everyday things I still miss (the sound of church bells and trains passing through the night, cobblestones, walking downtown among fountains and statues, watching Bill play hockey, hearing the crowd chant his name, seeing Jake light-up at the rink, eating fresh pastries, buying 4 euro bottles of wine...).  And let me tell you, this line of thinking is extremely counterproductive.

However...  

despite the many things I am missing about hockey, France and Europe the packing and unpacking is definitely not one of them.  And I'm happy to have my family close by to listen to me lament about it all :) 

All images via this is glamorous .com

angelina

Angelina's tea salon is famous for their hot chocolate, chocolat chaud.  It's rumored to be the very best in all of Paris.  I think it is the kind of place you only go once in a lifetime.  It was very rich and very decadent.  Not exactly perfect for a hot sunny day in Paris, but when you're pregnant, you can always use a good cup of hot chocolate.  

Their signature drink is Chocolat à l’Africain and for 7,80 Euros you get a pitcher filled with drinkable chocolate and a side of whipped cream.  It was so rich that I couldn't even finish my entire pitcher. And believe me, I tried.  They also make a white hot chocolate which I was secretly hoping Billy would order.  He however thought I was crazy to be sipping hot chocolate on such hot afternoon.

They also serve tea, pastries, brunch and lunch and have the very sweetest takeaway shop in the front.  Jake enjoyed pain au chocolat and it was divine.

 You can even take a little hot chocolate home with you.  Except you cannot drink it on-the-go.  It is solid chocolate and must be heated on the stove. 

For much nicer pictures click here

the tulleries

Our first stop in Paris was the Tulleries Gardens and the weather couldn't have been nicer.  The tulips were starting to bloom and the fountains were running.  It is amazing to think that this has been a fixture in Paris since the 1600's.  It is the perfect place for people watching, strolling through tree lined paths or relaxing by the fountains.  It is not like any garden or park you'll find back home because there is no lounging on the grass.  Instead you lounge in one of the hundreds of green chairs designated for just that purpose.

Lots of fountains to throw rocks into and watch the ducks

In the distance you can see Place de la Concorde and 

the Arc de Triomphe

 A little glimpse of the Eiffel Tower

musée de l'orangerie

A day spent in Paris is just about one of my favourite things.  

So we put in on our to-do-before-leaving-for-home list and my very sweet husband (who could really care less about spending yet another day in Paris) whisked-us away on the train.  We crammed a lot into one day.  And one of the many highlights was a visit to the 

Musée de l'Orangerie.  

I have been wanting to see Monet's water-lily or Nymphéas paintings for a long, long while.  They are displayed as eight large paintings that wrap around two large oval rooms.  Really beautiful. 

     

It was the perfect museums for a toddler.  

No queues, no daunting crowds and small enough to walk through without sweet toddler losing interest.  

They have a lovely collection of art and in amongst works from Picasso, Cezanne, Gauguin...

they also had some b e a u t i f u l pieces from Renoir. 

More on our day in Paris to come...

The flea's

On Sunday we drove into Northern Paris and experienced Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, one of the largest flea/antique markets in the world; often just referred to a Les Puces - the flea's.   It really was something.  Almost indescribable.  It is nearly seven hectares in size and has around three-thousand vendors.  We walked around for about three hours and maybe saw a quarter of it.

It really was an eclectic mix of flea market finds and exquisite vintage goods.  The wares ranged from old French linens, lace, copper pots, paintings, portraits, silverware, fine china, crystal glassware, beads and postcards to gold-gilded furniture, marble fireplaces, swords, vintage Rolex watches, crystal chandeliers, diamond rings, statues, fur coats, banquet tables and vintage Hermes bags. 

There were several stores that I would never dream of stepping foot into with a toddler, so we stuck to window shopping.  If I were ever tasked with furnishing a castle with an unlimited budget,
this would be my first stop.

Here is a teensy sample of what we came across. 

Les Puces is actually made-up of nearly a dozen separate markets and the first one we ventured into was Marché Vernaison.  It was the perfect mix of low-end and high-end goods.   My favorite by far.  It was a labyrinth of narrow, complicated alleyways; some almost too narrow for the stroller.  Shops spilled out into the alleyways and some narrow shops hardly had room for a single occupant; their goods were stacked high to the ceiling.

We even came home with a couple items.  A small watercolor painting of the Seine and some antique keys.  All for twenty Euros.  It was a neat experience and one I'm thankful for.

We also enjoyed a nice Italian meal at a really unassuming cafe. We were pleased to hear the staff speaking Italian to each other and had some delicious pizza and pasta, exactly how we remembered it from our time in Cortina.