July 21, 2007 by Tiffany.

Today Jason, Blake, Andrea and I drove about an hour out of town to Provins, a former medieval town that still retains much of its character with a fortress and cathedral that date back to the 12th and 13th centuries.  The town is charming, the views beautiful and the fortress, Cesar’s Tower, is fascinating.

Not for the weak of heart, the fortress has steep, narrow stairways and minuscule doorways, all which lead to the bell tower atop the edifice.  The bell still works, mind you.

It definitely was a nice day trip from Paris.  Tonight we’re going to eat at a Mexican food restaurant in the St. Michel area of Paris.  Mexican in Paris?  I guess it’s the California coming out in us.  Today we had some delicious crepes: a ham and cheese crepe for lunch and a nutella crepe for dessert.  Mmm!  Good stuff.  Hopefully the Mexican food will be as satisfying.

Posted in Travel | 1 Comment »

July 16, 2007 by Tiffany.

Today I decided to see the Arc de Triomphe and stroll down Champs-Elysees, which is a major street that is used for parades and such, and is also apparently a boulevard for very expensive shopping if that is what one goes for.  The Arc was much larger than I thought it would be.  It is very impressive especially as it stands in the middle of a roundabout and several large boulevards extend out from that point.  You can go to the top and look out for what I imagine is an awesome view, but I think I’ll wait until perhaps I can go with Jason.  I did not know that the Arc also stands as a tomb of an unknown French soldier from World War I.  Having seen the U.S. version at Arlington National Cemetery in January, I thought it was pretty cool.

Otherwise, Champs-Elysees (which I found mean Elysian Fields) was very nice.  I did not appreciate the scarcity of restrooms, (which actually goes for Paris as a whole), but enjoyed the wide sidewalks and variety of shops and restaurants.  The street itself is a madhouse.  Cars everywhere and it seems few rules. The roundabout at the Arc is approximately four lanes wide but you would know since there aren’t actually lines on the street and the cars just maneuver how they must to survive.

A few tips about Paris.  Feeling like a quality hamburger?  How about the Quality Burger Restaurant!

Need a Louis Vuitton purse?  How about the Louis Vuitton superstore!

Finally, how about some chic French men’s couture?  Try this place!  (Eeeeeek!!)

Coming up tomorrow?  EuroDisney!

Posted in Travel | No Comments »

July 15, 2007 by Tiffany.

Jason had the brilliant idea of getting a hotel room close to the Eiffel Tower for Bastille day, the French Independence Day.  We had no idea what to expect, but some of his French colleagues at work recommended going there with some sandwiches and wine for a free concert and a fireworks show in the evening.  Since we are staying about 40 minutes outside of Paris, they highly recommended accommodations nearby that didn’t require taking the train with the rest of the Parisians.  We picked our grassy spot in between the stage and the Eiffel Tower at about 4:30, although the concert didn’t start until 7:00.

We nearly died in the blazing, interminable rays of the sun, (have I mentioned that the sun does not set here until 10:00 pm?), but we survived thanks to Jason’s trusty yellow umbrella.  All said, Bastille Day at the Eiffel Tower was completely awesome.  It definitely has to be in the top 5 coolest things I’ve ever experienced, maybe even the top three.  By the time 7:00 rolled around, the place was packed.  I am not very good with numbers, and I’ll be looking online to see if I can find anything concrete, but J and I estimate that between 150,000 to 200,000 people were there.  It was a complete international madhouse… French, Americans, British, Spanish, Italians, you name it.  Tons of people from everywhere were there camped out on the grass and beyond.  Nearly all of the streets in the vicinity were closed down to vehicles, and paratroopers kept jumping out of helicopters continuously for nearly three hours.

The concert itself was a blast and ran for 3 1/2 hours.  There was a DJ from Chicago, some Italian singer, a hard core heavy metal band, Nelly Furtado, (the concert highlight for me), and some crazy French singer who was exiled in the U.S. for a couple of decades due to tax evasion, Michel Polnareff.  Think present day Elton John if he had never grown out of his “Captain Fantastic” stage.

After the concert was the best part of the entire night: a fireworks display choreographed to mostly movie music set behind the Eiffel Tower.  Other than shoddy audio that kept giving out, the show was really incredible.  We didn’t leave the park until midnight, and even still the place was packed with people sitting, drinking wine and setting off their own fireworks.  J and I both agree that we likely have already peaked only a few days into the trip.  It’s hard to imagine what could be more spectacular than that, but who’s to say.  All said though, it’s nice to be back at MySuite Village and I’m sure a good night’s sleep is in order.

Posted in Travel | No Comments »

July 13, 2007 by Tiffany.

I told myself last night that today would be the day that I tackled the issue of transportation, meaning the local bus and the train that goes into Paris.  I really didn’t know much about either but figured that the only way to figure it out would be to go out and do it.  By far the most intimidating part of the day was trying to buy the monthly pass with next to no French.  I did, however, manage to not only buy the pass, but also travel into Paris, meaning Paris Paris.  The kind of Paris that blew me away when I walked out of the Metro station because it looked so, well, you know, like Paris!  Absolutely awesome.

I made my way to Notre Dame Cathedral but did not enter due to the 75,000 others who wanted to do the same thing.  I figure I can go later when it’s not so packed.

I found the train system to be easy to use and had no problem finding my way around.  Unfortunately, I also found that the stories about body odor on the hot trains are indeed true.  I did a lot of walking around but mostly figured out the logistics of traveling around Paris.  I did come across a certain monument of some notariety:

Coming up tomorrow: Bastille Day!  Jason and I have a room at the Hilton right by the Eiffel Tower to celebrate the holiday.  Should be great.  Pictures coming soon!

Posted in Travel | No Comments »

July 11, 2007 by Tiffany.

I made it to Paris!  Traveling was pretty smooth other than a computer malfunction on the first flight that delayed it an hour, some screaming kids that almost induced violence, and a layover in Montreal that was longer than it needed to be.  With that said, it’s great to be here.  Jason picked me up at the airport this morning, gave me a quick tour of the community and jetted off to work.  I don’t plan on doing much exploring today for the sheer fact that as I write it’s noon in France but 3am at home.  I woke up in Glendale at 3:45am to catch a ride to the airport.  Needless to say, exhaustion is right around the corner.  I’m holding out for a nap and a much needed shower soon so that we can enjoy some dinner tonight with Jason’s friends Blake and Andrea, (another Disney dude out to work in the Paris parks).

We’re staying at a place called MySuite Village, which are brand new temporary stay apartments located in Montevrain, a community on the outskirts of Paris right by the Disney parks.  It’s certainly not what one thinks of when thinking of Paris, if one does think of Paris, but it’s comfortable, clean and convenient.  Apparently it’s about a 30-35 minute train ride to downtown Paris.  I’ll be trying that out soon and will let you know how it goes.  Here’s the exterior of the place:

A shot of the community:

The kitchen:

The living room:

View from the upstairs balcony:

It’s three stories, three bedrooms with two bathrooms.  Obviously, it’s an obscene amount of space for two people, but I’m not complaining.  Well, that’s it for now.  Jet lag has officially arrived.

Posted in Travel | No Comments »

July 9, 2007 by Tiffany.

I’ve finally come down to the final day!  Hectic it has been.  I have never had to pack for five weeks away, and although I realize I won’t exactly be in the jungle, I still have ridiculous fears such as, what if I run out of my hair mousse and Garnier Fructis doesn’t exist in France?  What would I do?  More importantly, what would my HAIR do?  As such, I’m probably packing too much.  But I am also trying to remember things like watering the plants which will hopefully survive, (my favorite plant is residing under the care of my mom in Fresno for the summer), figuring out the logistics of paying bills overseas and throwing out the milk jug and celery that likely won’t be doing so well when I return.  The shuttle comes tomorrow at 5:00 am.  Good grief.  With that said, I had better get back to work.

Posted in Travel | 1 Comment »

June 19, 2007 by Tiffany.

Welcome to my travel blog. As of this moment I leave for Paris, France in 21 days, 19 minutes! It’s my hope that I can keep everyone informed of my summer adventures through this blog. Check back often, in a few weeks that is, to see what’s going on! Also, if you’d like to comment on any of my posts, please feel free to register. It’s free! It’s simply my way of safeguarding that random weirdos can’t post on my site.

Posted in Travel | 1 Comment »