Anniversary in Paris

Eating Escargot in an open air cafe 

If you follow this blog, you will know that my friend Glenn and his beautiful wife Angie spent their 25th anniversary touring Europe.  Not a bad summer vacation!  (See my post from July 22nd for their London adventures.)

Today, we'll get to see some of their Paris exploits - like eating Escargot.  Yes, those are snails! (See above)  World traveler that I am, I have yet to get up the nerve to try eating those.  About this experience Glenn said, "Delicious!"

So, was he telling the truth, or was it just an evil ploy to get others to try them?  What do you think?  Then again, anything that's chock full of garlic can't be all bad!

Angie strolling along the Seine

The Seine.  Glenn and Angie said they couldn't help but think of Victor Hugo's "wonderful Jean Valjean" as they walked along this historic river.  I, on the other hand, when strolling down the Seine, keep a lookout for Highlander Duncan MacCleod's barge... but that's an entirely different story.

A stylish Angie checking out the anniversary jewelry

Glenn then swept Angie off her feet - again - with a hugely expensive anniversary ring from the world famous jeweler, Cartier!

Um... well, it was nice to dream for a few minutes, huh, Angie?

The Egyptian Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde silhouetted against the setting sun
with the Arc de Triomphe visible in the distance

I love Paris.  I always try to go to the Arc de Triomphe when I visit, just to pick out the name of one of Napoleon's generals that is inscribed there:  Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte.  He was later to become the King of Sweden.  I read a biography of his wife Desiree's life when I was young and their lives and world truly came alive for me.

Close up of the famed Arch

"Just when a wave of homesickness started to hit," Glenn writes, "A little graffiti, a Parisian boy in a Kobe jersey, and some questionable smells made this Angeleno feel right at home."

I love that.  Glenn, you are so funny. 

Here they are.  First, the boy in the Lakers' Jersey:

The little French boy in the Lakers jersey

 Next, the graffiti:

You'll just have to imagine the "questionable smells" yourself.  The 'scratch and sniff' technology for blogs hasn't been perfected yet. (Thank goodness) Ha!

À Metro, une touriste Californien trés fatigue

The Metro is a great way to get around in Paris.  It is often filled with colorful characters.  In this photo, it looks like it's mostly full of tired tourists.

Glenn said he and his wife appreciated the props to the Allied Forces when they read the names of the subway stops:

The subway posts route maps along the top of each  subway car.
These clearly show what line you are on  and what the stops are

Walking is still the best way to see Paris.

Glenn at Louis Vuitton on the Champs Élysées

The Avenue des Champs Élysées (or Elysian Fields) is the name of the main thoroughfare in Paris.  It is home to many exclusive shops, a MacDonalds and a Burger King, if I remember correctly.

Just to make things interesting, a vintage French car rolled on by!  Those old French-made Citroëns were remarkable cars.  You rarely see them in the U.S. 

A Vintage Citroën!  I love these old cars

I hope you enjoyed this little day trip to Paris.  I will be posting a few more blogs about Paris before we're done, so stay tuned!

L'Opera
Home of the Beloved Phantom!