Paris: The Sweetest Part

Reflecting on our 6 days in Paris - the most romantic city in the world known for its incredible architecture, top-notch museums, and scenic river walks - my favorite part had to be...

... the macarons.  

Have you ever had one?  Let me tell you, these little morsels - when done right - are just to die for.  

Actually no, the macarons were not quite my favorite part.  Don't get me wrong, they were good.  In fact, Fritz and I stopped to eat one every time we passed a macaron shop.  You won't believe how much variety you can find in a vanilla macaron.  But the truth is, we couldn't find a single Parisian macaron that could top Laura's macarons.  She is our lovely Berlin friend whose macaron shop is known to be one of the best bakeries in the whole city.  

For those of you who are thinking, "Wait, does she mean macaroons?"  The answer is no, I'm not confusing the two confections.  A macaroon is a yummy coconut morsel.  A macaron is a French, meringue-based pastry made with egg whites, almonds, and sugar.  They are usually made into colorful little sandwiches with some kind of frosting or jelly in the middle.  Generally speaking, they are a perfectly satisfying little treat, but our mission to find The Best Macaron in Paris lead to our discovery that not all macarons are created equal and, in fact, no macaron is better than Laura's in Berlin, Germany.  

In summation, if you are going to Paris for the macarons, you will surely find them and you will undoubtedly enjoy them.  However, if you are seeking The Best Macaron, you might consider Berlin instead.  

So if not the macarons, what was the sweetest part of being in Paris?  

Jardin du Luxembourg

Simple.  Sharing it with Fritz.  

We made a concerted effort to maximize our time and cover the most ground possible while we were there, hitting all the "must see" spots.  But the moments that my heart was just filled to the brim were the times when Fritz and I were sitting quietly in a garden on the little green chairs that seem to furnish every Parisian park.

Jardin des Tuileries with the Louvre in the background

Luxembourg

The Luxembourg Gardens were stunning and it felt only natural to explore them while carrying a French Baguette to supplement our picnic lunch.  

Luxembourg

Fritz and I watched tiny sailboats race around the large fountain at the top of the park.  

We made several trips to the Tuileries - the garden just in front of the Louvre.  

Tuileries

On our first evening in Paris, we settled into a pair of green chairs at the foot of the Tuileries fountain where little ducklings paddled around in circles hoping someone would toss them a piece of bread.  A few vendors were set up behind the fountain where Fritz and I purchased our first Parisian chocolate crepe along with a bubbling glass of champagne.  As we sipped and munched, we listened to the words of Adam Gopnik in his book Paris to the Moon.  Gopnik is one of Fritz's favorite essayist who frequently writes for the New Yorker.  I've referenced him several times already in this blog, which you may take as a sign that he is a writer really worth reading.  Paris to the Moon is a book of Gopnik's reflections as a New Yorker who lived in Paris for 5 years.  

Fritz and I downloaded the audiobook.  With our heads tipped in toward one another and our fingers laced together and dangling between our two chairs, we listened to the first chapter.  Around us people posed for pictures, children tossed crackers to the ducks, a light breeze rustled the spring leaves, and an old man dozed, a golden blanket of sunlight illuminating his wrinkled face.  It wasn't complicated.  It was a bit fancy - we did have champagne after all.  It was simply perfect.  Because right beside me sat the man of my dreams.  

I've always been a girl drawn to fairy tales and happy endings, but I didn't know I'd ever find myself the real Prince Charming.  My life is better because Fritz became a part of it.  And I hope 50 years from now, I will remember how it felt to sit in the Tuileries Garden holding Fritz's hand and sharing these quiet moments with my heart so full of love. 

Tuileries

Paris: The First Installment

Notre Dame

Paris.  Possibly the most romanticized city in the world, and rightly so, as Fritz and I learned after our 6-day stay in this gorgeous place.  We arrived in the middle of the day following our overnight train trip, a few hours in Cologne, and then a shorter train ride through Brussels for the final leg.  After checking into our AirBnB, a tiny but charming studio apartment with exposed wooden ceiling rafters on the top floor of a building in the Bastille District (a central area of the city), we wasted no time and set out walking.  

The ground floor entrance to our apartment.

The first thing I realized as we walked through the small streets making our way toward the river Seine, is that Paris really is just beautiful.  Everywhere.  Before coming, when I thought of Paris, the image that came to mind was the Eiffel Tower.  It is certainly a Parisian landmark and graphics of the Eiffel Tower often accompany "Paris" whenever it's printed on a t-shirt or a piece of art, etc.  What I did not realize was that Paris is loaded, and I mean loaded, with one architectural masterpiece after another.  You can't turn a corner without stumbling on a breath-taking church (Notre Dame being one of many beautiful churches), or a fancy government building, or a grand museum, or a stunning bridge, or a romantic garden.  Walking in Paris is like walking around Disney World, only everything is real.  The city has been around since the 3rd century BC and through the centuries, it had the good fortune of being wealthy during important developmental eras like The Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century.  It was a hub for culture, fashion, and art during some of the most prosperous times.

The other thing about Paris is that it's big!  Despite its size, walking everywhere is recommended because the routes in between all the major Parisian landmarks are definitely worth seeing, although we did take the metro a few times.  But the size means that all of the tourists that flock to Paris each week are a bit more spread out and mixed in with the locals.  I don't mind feeling like a tourist sometimes, but I also like the idea of understanding a place from an every-day life perspective.  It was nice to shop at local vegetable markets, sip coffee at a neighborhood café, and enjoy a fresh-baked croissant from a corner bakery.  We could pretend like we belonged - like we were a part of the fabric.  We felt flattered when a merchant mistook us for a Parisian local and initiated a conversation in French rather than English.

Naturally, I took over 400 pictures during our visit.  They aren't all blog-worthy so don't worry, I'm not going to dump them all on you, but prepare yourself for quite a stream.

As I mentioned, our first walk after arriving was along the river toward Notre Dame.  

Lining the river walk are little built-in lockers.  Vendors open them up and sell their wares as the people stroll through admiring the beautiful views.  

Artists set up their easels, doing their best to capture a scene in pastel watercolors as lovers pass by hand-in-hand. 

Notre Dame sits on an island surrounded by the flowing Seine.  This medieval Catholic cathedral was built in 1345.  It is known to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and was one of the first churches to incorporate the flying buttress. 

The ornate gargoyles that line the sides of the building were designed for water run-off.  

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was my first exposure to the cathedral, and I'm guessing it probably is for many Americans.  The Disney movie that I saw as a little girl was based on Victor Hugo's famous novel published in 1831.  He titled the book "Notre-Dame de Paris" but when it was translated to English, the name was changed because, at the time, Gothic novels were more popular than Romance novels in England.  Hugo wrote the novel because he felt that people did not value French Gothic architecture which meant beautiful buildings were being neglected, defaced and replaced with newer styles.  Hugo included long descriptive sections about the cathedral's architechture, but when Disney converted the book to a kid's movie, they made a few family-friendly tweeks negating much of the architectural descriptions and adjusting the ending a bit as well.  

Crepes!  This was a must-do for me.  I was dying to start the first day with a crepe.  We had a little more trouble finding a good crepe than we had anticipated, so our breakfast crepe turned out to be more of a lunch crepe.  Fritz located the "best crepes" in Les Marais (our neighborhood) and we shared one savory and one sweet crepe!  When I reflect on that meal, the word "Yummmmm" comes to mind. 

And while we are on the topic of food, I'll skip over to a totally delicious brunch we had in a hole-in-the-wall cafe on a quiet street.  We were lucky we didn't walk right past it on our hunt for breakfast, considering how unassuming the entrance was.  Inside, the walls were plastered with old french advertisements for performances and events.  Antiques were hanging from the ceiling and it looked a little like someone had been rooting around in your French grandmother's attic to furnish the place.   The waiter was incredibly friendly and took the time to translate each menu item into English for us in his heavy but charming French accent.  Behind my seat was a long counter peppered with one delicious-looking torte after the next.  Fritz and shared a slice of Strawberries and Cream Heaven (my name for it).

A view of the Eiffel Tower from across the Seine. 

We loved seeing all of the roof-top gardens.  Between the architecture and strategically placed flora, the Parisians really know how to beautify their space! 

A perk of staying in an AirBnB rather than in a hotel was having the option to cook at home in our little studio kitchen.  Not that we didn't ever go out.  We weren't about to go to Paris without experiencing the fabulous French cuisine, but we balanced it with a few home-cooked meals.  This meant visiting the little vegetable markets to collect our ingredients.  Paris isn't big on supermarkets, so we got all of our food from little shops and produce stands.   

Fresh thyme to season our portabello mushrooms sauteed with garlic and shallots over a bed of quinoa.  I never knew thyme had little purple flowers!  So pretty!

As I mentioned, Fritz and I walked through the city most of the time, but we did hop on the metro once or twice when it was late or drizzling.  The lighting and the font for metro stations give the public transportation system a kind of spooky vibe at night.  

This is our stop.

It's right next to the Bastille.  The July Column stands in the famous square, the Place de la Bastille, where the Bastille prison stood before July of 1789 when it was destroyed during the French Revolution.  There is virtually nothing left of the former fortress that had been standing there in one form or another since 1357.  The surrounding neighborhood, particularly the Marais, was a really lovely area to call home for our 6 days in Paris!

And here is a quick shot of my love, the brains behind this incredible adventure!  I know that sharing this experience and making these memories with Fritz will stay with me for the rest of my life.  I can't think of a more incredible way to end our European adventure, nor can I think of a more wonderful person to share it with!

The REAL Reason We Are In Germany

After 7 months of digging around in federal archives, ceaselessly translating German documents, meeting with local academics, and even hiring Polish and Hungarian "research assistance" to help with translations, Fritz was given an opportunity to tie a pretty bow around his hard work in the form of a 45-minute talk at Goethe Universität in Frankfurt.  This was the longest and most complete presentation Fritz has given on his bold dissertation topic: The Privatization of the Cold War.

Our endlessly kind and generous friends, Johanna and Frederic, hosted us in their apartment for the 2 days we were in town.  

I received a private preview of his presentation in their living room before it was debuted for the German academics.  

I was invited to attend the real thing along 21 other academics; a rather impressive crowd for such a talk.  Professor Plumpe, a well-known German historian and Fritz's sponsoring professor (pictured above) was extremely complimentary of Fritz's project, and said something along the lines of (paraphrased and translated from German), "Fritz has the potential to reorient the field of Cold War history. "

After his talk, the historians in attendance proceeded to ask questions and debate the topic for at least 30 minutes.  They asked their questions in German while Fritz responded in English, clearly understanding everything they were saying.  I couldn't follow any of the German, but Fritz fielded each question beautifully.  It was a very cool dialogue to witness!  

Afterward, the entire group migrated to a traditional German restaurant where Professor Plumpe generously treated the two of us!  The whole day was a complete success for Fritz.  He delivered an excellent talk that succinctly wove together an explanation of how global finance affected the end of the Cold War in Hungary, Poland, and East Germany.

He was brilliant!  And I could not have felt prouder of my handsome and intelligent love who just might change the world's interpretation of the Cold War!  

Our First Berlin Visitors

After our week in Ireland, Fritz's parents followed us back to Berlin for a short visit.  

We were excited to show them "our city" complete with a trip to the famous Brandenburg Gate, a view of the federal buildings, a walk past Check Point Charlie, and a pass by a remaining section of the Berlin Wall. 

Mike happily allowed himself to be absorbed into the magic of the "moving statue woman." 

And the spring birds nibbled the budding trees. 

We took the train to the East Side Gallery, one of the largest and longest-lasting open-air galleries in the world.  It is an international memorial for freedom painted on a strip of the Berlin Wall stretching 1.3 kilometers.  105 paintings by artists from all over the world were completed in 1990 after the fall of the Wall in 1989.  

"Many small people who in many small places do many small things that can alter the face of the world."

Unfortunately, we got caught in a downpour so there is still a stretch of the East Side Gallery that we did not get to see.  

Mike and Ellen were pleased to see how popular their son's name is in Germany.  "Fritz" is all over the place... from a sausage stand, to a popular soft-drink company, to the name of our wifi provider.