Paris, Mon Amour

I'm back in Paris, at long last! I know I've only lived in this city for a few weeks, but I missed it. Is that silly? I missed receiving daily scowls from my favorite metro employee. I missed the smell of freshly baked chocolate religieuse and spinach-mushroom tarte lurking around every corner. I missed hearing "Attention a la marche!" while hopping off the train. I had a great time in London! But let's be honest... "Mind the gap" isn't quite the same. :)


On the train ride from Paris (Gare du Nord) to London (St. Pancras), we played several rousing rounds of BANANAGRAMS. Bananagrams is a fast-paced word game. No paper or pens necessary! Just 144 Scrabble tiles in a convenient banana bag. It's great for travel, and it can be yours for only $14.50 on Amazon.com. I was excited to learn that other families, outside of the Botts clan, are obsessed with that game. I did my own family proud, I think, by winning a couple intense games. Heather, Anna, Mandy... I've been practicing, and I'm ready for you.


Well, I don't know what to share of my London adventures. I enjoyed two action-packed days in Picadilly Circus and on the Thames, enjoying some fantastic theatrical productions. I revisited Jersey Boys, an old favorite, and soaked in the sounds of Frankie Valli's falsetto from my own personal opera circle box. It was a cheap ticket, and the view and acoustics were unbeatable.



On Tuesday, I caught a matinee of As You Like It at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. I stood in the 'yard' on the ground floor, just like the peasants of Elizabethan London would have done. The floor is now concrete, but I could imagine it being dirt and straw. Anyway, I was in the very front, getting sprayed with spit. No one was standing between me and the action, and it was a dream come true. If you look at the website, you can see photos from the show. After the curtain call, I caught an evening performance of Billy Elliot. The dancing was spectacular!

Then, I contracted the bubonic plague, and the fun came to a screeching halt. Okay, not entirely. All of Wednesday, I was stuck in bed with a serious fever and a sore throat. By Wednesday evening, the fever broke and I got out of bed to eat an apple. For the next two days, I scarcely did much, for fear of getting worse... and to placate my mother, as well. I did sneak out of the hotel on Friday morning to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and I snapped some good photos. The marching band must have been trying to cheer me up, because they played The Beatles as they marched. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" makes me smile every time.

Well, It wasn't how I planned to visit London, that's for sure. I feel fortunate to have seen much of the city on a previous visit, because it's a fun and bustling city. But, I'll tell you one thing-- if I had to be sick, I'm glad that I was sick in London. I hope that my London-loving readers will not take offense, because none is meant. Paris resonates with me, and it fascinates me. I am glad to be returning with good health!

My host parents jokingly asked if I caught swine flu while in London. I told them, "No, luckily not. It's just the plague." They laughed and said, "Oh sure. That's a lot better." My host family is such a blast. They don't speak English, so when we sit down to eat dinner together, I am in French mode. I am thinking, breathing, speaking, and living French. I have to, otherwise I wouldn't have a clue what's going on. Well, tonight at dinner, I had an out-of-body experience. It was almost like I was watching myself laugh and joke and converse with my host parents and Ashley. And I thought, "Holy cow! This really isn't ENGLISH!" And it felt completely natural... Natural! I love that. And I love these people...


Well, this has been a long post. I'll finish off with a few photos from Versailles, Louis XIV's fantastic palace. These photos are from the Saturday before I left for London. My roommate Ashley and I spent the whole day just exploring the gardens, because they're so enormous. The palace itself, as well as Marie Antoinette's private quarters, will take another full day.


The gardens at Versailles are perfectly manicured and symmetrical, as a symbol of man's control of nature. Louis XIV played a very heavy hand in designing these patterned hedges and orangeries, and their meticulous grooming almost screams "overbearing monarch." If I had been Marie Antoinette, I would have splashed in the fountains and had picnics on the grass. But that was never the purpose of these gardens, and so those things are still not allowed today. Bummer.


However, while walking through a grove of trees, I broke royal protocol and played in the falling leaves.


Due to the drought, the fountains run for mere minutes each day. We were lucky enough to catch the fountains in action on Saturday. They were huge, loud, and water was shooting up into the clouds. Pretty spectacular, if you ask me. Louis XIV got a few things right.

That's all I've got for you today. By the way, thank you for your comments, friends and family! I enjoy writing these updates for you, and your responses are always so fun. Until next time!