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!

Austria: Adventures in Graz Part One

Down in the southeast corner of Austria lies the quaint city of Graz (pronounced Grah-tz).  It is situated on the Mur River pictured above.  The clocktower sticking out in the top left of the picture is one of the city's main icons and is at the top of the fortification that is over 10 centuries old.  Graz itself has a very rich history which dates back to the Copper Age!  Just so you can be informed readers, the Copper Age began at about 5,000 BC between the Neolithic Period (or Stone Age) and the Bronze Age.  So yeah, it's old.  Over the years, Graz has experienced some destruction from wars as did much of Europe, but its old town is still in pretty good shape and only about 16 percent of the buildings were damaged during WWII.  

I came here to visit my dear friends, Irma and Brian, along with their 3 exceptional boys: Theodore, Henry and Felix. 

Irma and Brian live on this quiet street in a 500-year-old house that used to belong to Irma's grandparents.  Irma's sister, Centa (the one who had the birthday), also lives in the house.  She has been in Graz for a few years, working on her doctorate in English literature at one of the city's universities. 

This is their backyard where I played a few solid rounds of hide-and-seek with Theo, Henry and Felix.  

On my first full day in Graz, we all took a stroll down the block to their wonderful farmers' market.  Thanks to this beautiful market, Irma and her family are able to eat fresh, local, seasonal foods every day without hardly ever having to go to a supermarket.  

Pussy willows are in season and were being sold in sweet little bunches. 

We kind of slept in after staying up waaaaaay too late the night before for Centa's party, so most of the farmers were already packed up by the time we got there.  We still managed to get some good veggies for supper though. 

Irma and I spent a lot of time just walking around the city.  It's absolutely beautiful and highly walkable.  This mural was a few blocks away from their house. 

We walked over to the Schloßberg (pronounced Shloss-burg), Graz's iconic hill dominating the old town with the old fortress and clock tower on top.  

Irma and I were gazing up at the path to the top of the hill when all of a sudden, I heard someone calling my name.  There weren't many people around so the chances of another Amanda hanging out in the quiet square were pretty slim.  I turned around to see my old friend, Victoria, running in my direction!  I know her from living in Ithaca, New York!  Imagine that! What are the chances I'd run into literally ANYone I know while strolling around Graz, Austria!?!?!?  Amazing!  That's the two of us in the picture above.  

After Victoria and her boyfriend left, Irma and I started our climb up the hill to the clock tower.  The views of the city were stunning and the red tiled rooves were neat to look out on.  

And in case we were feeling down from climbing so many stairs, someone left a merry message to lift our spirits.  Thanks. 

The first signs of spring were already popping out in Graz! 

At last, we made it to the clock tower! This is actually the city's symbol.

The hill itself has been hollowed out and contains an extensive system of tunnels that were built during the Second World War to protect the people of Graz from aerial bombing.  A few of the tunnels are still open for people to walk through.  One of them even leads to a very hip nightclub that holds up to 600 people in its venue space!

World War II was obviously a very tragic time for the Jewish population of Graz.  Many of the homes have little bronze tiles set into the pavement near the front door, which indicate who used to live there and where they went. 

Theodore thinks this is the most beautiful building in all of Graz.  What he doesn't realize is, it's the side of a building that houses a business dedicated to fulfilling your erotic fantasies.  Apparently Graz has quite a few of these destinations, which are well advertised with graphic posters in the windows.

Moving on... we saw these four people attempting to transport a heavy couch using this rather unstable bicycle.  Needless to say, it didn't work. 

Irma knew all about Graz's many secret green spots hidden in the center of buildings.  

We walked through a church to get to this little courtyard. 

Like many great cities that have rivers running through them, Graz has a bridge where people thoughtfully attach their "locks of love."  I liked the one with the Buddha on it. 

Fritz has titled this photo: Reflecting on World Peace

Don't worry.  If you left your sunglasses at home, you can get yourself a new pair at this sunglass vending machine.  I must admit, this is the first time I've ever seen one of these, and I kinda love it.  So random!

Some of the buildings in the center of town have such incredible detail artfully worked into them.  Why don't people make buildings like this anymore?  

Irma and I climbed the Graz Twin Spiral Staircase which was erected in 1499 and is one of the most significant staircases of its kind.  There are a few other twin spiral staircases, but none as detailed and as well crafted as this one. 

It was such a full and lovely day with my dear friends.  In fact, Irma and I got so caught up in wandering around the city together that we completely forgot about our 5:30 yoga class!  One of our main intentions of this visit was to go to Irma's cool yoga class on Tuesday night.  Oops!  As Irma said, we crammed soooo many things into our short visit, staying up until 2am chatting both nights, and yet we somehow managed not to do most of the things we had planned to do.  I'm not sure how this happened, but I do know it was a wonderful visit regardless!  I love spending time with this crew!  My life is better when Irma is in it!

We Saw Warsaw!

Being from the USA really is awesome most of the time, but for many Americans, it can mean a deficit in geographical awareness.  I realize some of us have more than a vague sense of what Europe looks like, and I'm not trying to out anyone, so for everyone's benefit, here is a map of Central Europe so we can all be more informed Americans.  

My geographically-informed fiance brought me to Warsaw, Poland last week.  While he presented at a Cold War conference and did some additional research in the Polish archives, I did what I do best... aimlessly wander around a city.  

I have begun to realize how much I seriously LOVE walking around a novel city.  Skip the subway, pass on the metro, forget the cab.  Walking is the only real way to take in the true rhythm and unique energy of a new place.  I have to say, Warsaw is not exactly beautiful.  It is also highly possible that we got the worst weather week imaginable.  It was cold, dreary, windy and rainy.  But I wasn't going to let some gray skies stop me from learning Warsaw as best I could. 

I also really think that Nike should consider sponsoring me.  I bought a pair of Nike sneakers the first  week we arrived in Germany.  I got them because I had a feeling I was going to be doing a lot of walking and I didn't want to wear my good running shoes all the time.  I figured I'd treat myself to some "fashion" sneakers to rock the streets of Europe.  Pinterest, as well as some initial observations of the German sneaker fashion, indicated that black Nikes were all the rage, so that's what I got.  I have no idea how many miles I have covered since my purchase, but it is definitely a lot! And I predict there will be many more to come.  I've started to brainstorm some advertising slogans for Nike.  Simple things like "Just do it."  There's definitely money to be made with that one.  Or like, "Nike.  For when you're ready to step outside of the gym."  Or maybe, "Nike. Expanding your comfort zone."  I like that last one.  And then, of course, there would be a sweet picture of my feet in my slick Nikes walking up the steps of some awesome European monument.  I just think there is a big marketing potential here that I'd be happy to help them with.  So Nike, if you are reading this, feel free to contact me.  

Ok.  Back to Warsaw.  The first morning it was actually pouring rain outside, so I wrote for a while in a coffee shop until the sky stopped spitting so much.  I'll tell you one thing, if I thought German sounded funny, Polish is even more foreign to me.  There are some frequently used sounds in Polish that when incorporated into a coffee shop din result in a distinct buzzing sound.  "Zzzz djjjjch shhhh chzzzzz chdddjjjj zzzddjjjj."  It sounds kinda like that.  I wonder what a non-English speaking Polish person would think of the din in an English-speaking cafe?

The rain stopped after lunch and I went into city-walker-exploration mode.   I mentioned that Warsaw is not the most beautiful city, and there is an important and unfortunate reason for that.  During World War II, the Nazis basically obliterated the entire city.  It was their intention to wipe Warsaw off the map.  After the war, the communist government rebuilt much of the city and the architecture reflects this.  There is one section of the city called Old Town that was built to look like it would have before the city was destroyed.  It's really just a tourist attraction, but still nice to walk around. 

My first destination was a pretty church down the street from where I had eaten lunch with Fritz before he returned to his conference.  After some heavy reflection on the Paris attacks and the current state of our world, I thought some private meditation in a church might yeild some peace of mind.  It was about 2:30pm on a Monday so I wasn't expecting a service to be taking place, but when I stepped into the sanctuary, the pews were packed with people led in worship.  I assumed a seat in the last row and followed along as the congregation stood and sat and sang.  I didn't understand anything being said as the service was entirely in Polish, but growing up in a Lutheran church with a fairly traditional liturgy made it easy to understand the structure of the service even if I didn't know which Bible verses were being read.  I listened as the Lord's Prayer was sung in Polish and when it came time to share the peace, I realized how little language really matters.  Peace is something that you share with your heart, not your words. 

Palace of Culture and Science

The Palace of Culture and Science is a massive building in the middle of Warsaw.  It was built in 1955 and is the tallest building in all of Poland.  I used it as a point of reference for all of my city wanderings.  I didn't go in it, but as the sun set on our first day in the city, the Palace was lookin' pretty in purple.  

The second day in Warsaw was also a cold and dreary one.  The weather forecast indicated that the rain wasn't supposed to start until 2pm, which gave me at least 4 hours to get to Old Town and explore for a while.  I was coming from the city center with Old Town to the north along the river, so it was a little less than a 2-mile walk.  On my way, I took pictures to capture the world around me. 

I learned that Warsaw is really big on sculptures.  They are all over the city.  I stopped taking pictures of them after a while, but I like the one of Copernicus.  

I was only a few blocks away from Old Town when I felt the first rain drops.  It was only 12:30, but I guess the rain was going to come early.  Naturally, I did NOT have an umbrella.  In a matter of minutes, the sky got dark and it went from a light drizzle to pouring rain.  

I ducked into the nearest pierogi restaurant where I decided to wait out the storm over a lunch of the local cuizine.  

Now I admittedly have never looked at the nutrition facts for pierogis, but if you know anything about the ingredients, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude that a plate of pierogis is probably not the healthiest meal.  Which is why the menu totally cracked me up!  This place was trying so hard to sell you on the nutritional benefits of their pierogis.  

"...Source of potassium, calcium and vitamin C.  Helps keep the proper heart rhythm.  Russian-style dumplings are recommended for lovers."

For lovers?  Are you trying to tell me pierogis are a lesser known aphrodisiac?  I'm learning so much on this European adventure!

Hello heart-rhythm-helper pierogis.  Are those bacon bits I see? Why yes, indeed they are.  The secret to all healthy hearts. 

By the time I was done with lunch, the rain had settled back down to a drizzle, so I bought an umbrella for 30 zloties, the Polish currency, and headed for Old Town.  

The streets were pretty deserted with the exception of a few head-strong tourists who were determined to see the sights in rain or shine.  

It didn't take me long to realize it wasn't very fun to walk around in the cold rain.  My shoes were sopping wet from stepping in unavoidable puddles.  Additionally, the wind had picked up, which meant that I spent more time battling with my new umbrella than actually using it to stay dry. 

I did witness several umbrella-walker accidents.  In an attempt to block the rain that was flying in sideways, people were holding their umbrellas in front of their faces, completely obstructing their view.  I tried not to laugh too hard as people buried behind umbrellas collided straight into one another.