Paris!!

“There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse and harder even – the French air clears up the brain and does good – a world of good.

Vincent Willem van Gogh

I knew that writing about Paris was going to make me cry. 

It’s fabulous to be able to write a memoir about Paris and yet it’s sad that the memoir is only a memoir now - because my feet are no longer scurrying down the sidewalks, chasing great ghosts through the magnificently beautiful city of love. 

I don’t feel worthy of writing about Paris without quoting people who have elegantly described this amazing city so I am compelled to substantiate my memoir with a bow to travelers before me.

“Paris was a universe whole and entire unto herself, hollowed and fashioned by history; so she seemed in this age of Napoleon III with her towering buildings, her massive cathedrals, her grand boulevards and ancient winding medieval streets – as vast and indestructible as nature itself.”

Anne Rice

Yes, I get lost in my head full of memories as I read what people have written about Paris while picturing Jolynn and me there,  standing small on the streets, and looking up in every direction at stunning beauty and early architecture, American strangers in a strange land trying to take it all in. 

"What an immense impression Paris made upon me.
It is the most extraordinary place in the world!"

Charles Dickens

Deep breath……

Extraordinary – yeah, ditto.   Trying to compose myself.  You see, Paris has this effect on people and for good reason.  It’s Paris.  It just is.

Standing at the top of the gently swaying Eiffel Tower sharing a plastic, odd shaped goblet of overpriced champagne, terrified to look at the view yet mesmerized by every nuance of the experience, we took in Paris, we drank up Paris, gobbled it up and buried it deep into our cell memory and soul. 

“Casablanca:  We’ll always have Paris.”

You know what was really cool?  Having dinner on The Seine River while live music played on the boat and we went under bridges and past monuments and drank excellent wine and ate desserts that one can only dream about and then the whole Eiffel Tower spontaneously put on a stunning light show just as our boat was in front of it.  We were all on the top level of the boat at this point and there was this collective “ahhhhhh” and silence and gasps as the Tower sparkled a remarkable display of lights and we huddled together in the Fall air, standing there – Jo in her black suit and me in my long black dress and we were in Paris.  The French air really did clear up our brains and did us a world of good, Vincent.

Yes, we were in Paris.  We sat on marble benches in the Louvre and stared at beautiful statues and we let huge paintings hijack our minds and smiled back at the Mona Lisa.  Big Bus took us all over the city and we hopped off and on just like we were supposed to do.  We sat on the top tier of the bus and put our earphones in, turned the button to “English” and memorized the songs and music that played in the background of the humorously narrated stories about the history of Paris and antics of famous and infamous Parisiens.  We walked and walked and walked – oh we walked!  We took a tour of the historic Montmartre and peeked in every church we dared to and said a little prayer for the young man who tried to pull the “ole gold ring scam” on us.  We walked in reverent silence in the glorious Notre Dame and had an authentic Paris lunch in the Latin District; we sat on the sidewalk and had dinner, eating things that were not on our American diet and sat next to people who smoked, something else we wouldn’t have done in America.  We immersed ourselves into the culture, soaked it up along with the unseasonably wonderful sunshine and warm Paris air.

"When spring comes to Paris the humblest mortal alive must feel that he dwells in paradise."

Henry Miller

And as if there wasn’t enough spectacular-ness in all that we did and saw in Paris, then there was still the hotel where we returned each fabulous evening, for four nights.  Dare I inject my review of a hotel into this glowing memoir of Paris….yes, I have to.  I absolutely must.  It is so uncommon for our lifestyle that it bears it’s own paragraph.  

Grand, Splendid and Stunning – The Paris Hyatt Vendome, located in a section of the city where watches were on sale for 75,000 euros in the window next door to the hotel.  From the outside, this famous building is a well kept secret but when you walk in the doors, accompanied by men who are falling over themselves in an effort to help in any way whatsoever, you find yourself in the most elegant of elegant buildings. 

Elegant.  Our room was magically turned into a suite with a little twist of the wand by the beautifully dressed front desk staff.  French red wine awaited us with 2 glasses on a wooden tray on the puffy, white bed with big orange pillows.  A family of 6 could have lived in the oversized bathroom with separate areas for the two of us to unpack.  The bathtub/shower combo dazzled us even before we knew that they had provided us with illustrious bath products from a local boutique – the kind of bath products that are locked up in a display window in the elegant lobby.  And then there were the French window panes that opened up onto our balcony on the 6^th floor, overlooking Paris………...yes now do you see why I had to give the Hyatt Vendome their own paragraph? 

But I would be totally amiss if I didn’t mention the legendary dining room forested with Orchids, or as the Hyatt writes on their website:

“Exquisitely arranged Orchids set a fashionable yet tranquil mood, as the see-through fireplace lends the perfect measure of contemporary warmth.”

The breakfast buffet that we had in this room every morning was definitely exquisite; the service was embarrassingly wonderful and the food was absolutely outstanding.  We couldn’t stop the tears from running down our cheeks as we swallowed the last drop of the most expensive orange juice that we will ever drink and said goodbye to the fabulous restaurant manager on the morning that we left Paris.

And if you’ve been reading my blog, then you know the punch line here. 

It was all free.  The room and the breakfast.  Free.

Yup.

Free.

But I can’t end this memoir on that note. 

It was beautiful and magical and wonderful and intoxicating beyond our wildest dreams....It was Paris!!

I wish I had said this first, but I didn’t, but it’s true.

“Paris is always a good idea.”

Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina Fairchild in Sabrina

And yes, Jolynn…..we will ALWAYS have Paris!

Je t’aime.

Copyright ©2012   Jeannine Cristina    All Rights Reserved

Brief Little Luxurious Interlude at the Intercontinental

My parents didn't have credit cards; in fact, I don't remember them even having a bank card.  My dad paid cash or we didn't buy things.  It took me a long time as a young adult to get up the nerve to apply for a credit card and when I was "approved", I was very, very careful with my spending.  I was terrified that I would be so spontaneous with purchases, given my meager upbringing, that I would go crazy with the card and end up bankrupt, in a dark cell in Georgia with no half and half for my coffee in the morning.  And besides, one bankruptcy in the family was plenty. 

But, today, Scarecrow, I have seven (7), yes 7, credit cards in my wallet and I can explain it to you as I ride through France at 150 miles per hour in a red, velvet first class seat, nibbling on a delicious meal with a very good bottle of French Bordeaux vino on our way to Paris.

Last night we stayed in Amsterdam so that we would be close to the train station.  We lugged our way onto Tram 4 in downtown Amsterdam to the correct stop, got off and walked toward the hotel.  The lobby took my breath away but I managed to compose myself long enough to request the complimentary upgrade to a canal view room in honor of our anniversary. 

Wish granted.

The tall, stylish smiling woman at the mahogany desk walked us to the elevator in her high heels and then escorted us to our room.  OMG.  While we were getting the tour of our room, a doorbell rang and it was our luggage .  As we stood, spellbound by the view and the over-the-top luxury in the French windows and looked out at the canal and the fascinating city of Amsterdam, the doorbell rang again.  A handsome young Brit had a beaming smile as he handed me a surprise to celebrate our anniversary - two glasses of delicious champagne and a tray full of chocolate covered strawberries!

After we walked down the street to Eli and Lisa's favorite restaurant for dinner, we came back to Astounding Luxury (aka The Amstel Intercontinental Hotel) and went for a swim.  Freshly squeezed fruit juice and nuts tempted us while we sat in the Jacuzzi.  Soft robes awaited us when we got out of the healing hot water.  Good Grief!  Do people really live like this! 

The front desk told us that we could use enjoy the "world renowned" breakfast for half price since it was our anniversary, so we indulged in a fabulous array of food while we sat at our perfectly situated table by the water.  Dreamy.  Absolutely dreamy.  A "pinch me" experience.

When I sadly returned our keys to check out and asked for a copy of the bill, I was told by another delightful young woman that there is no bill - it was all free!  Free!  OMG Europe!

So, "how did you do that?" one might ask.  Well, here's the secret.  The IHG conglomeration of hotels is offering 60,000 points toward hotel stays when you apply for their credit card - no annual fee the 1st year.  The stunning Intercontinental is, incredibly, an IHG property.  Last night was free and our very last night in fabulous Europe at the Holiday Inn next to the Amsterdam airport is also free.  Impressed?  Well, the destination today is the Paris Vendome Hyatt where the rooms range from about 700 euros to 1,000 euros per night.  Their "world renowned" breakfasts are 50 euros per person but not for moi.  We have 4 FOUR free nights and 4 free breakfasts for both of us in this 5 Star Hotel thanks to the Hyatt credit card enrollment program that I researched many months ago. 

Wouldn't my parents be so proud of me.  I raise my wine glass to all our hard work and our good fortune to be here!  Vive Le Pareee.  Vive Le Credit Card!

Ya. A Pleasant Surprise

Texel (pronounced "Tessel") is an island in de Nederlands.  Home to Spoonbills, seagulls, black geese, ducks, seals, immaculate fishing boats, cobblestone streets, sheep, cows, sand dunes, a sweet little forest, wild horses, Highlander Cows, dikes (yes, more dikes), quaint restaurants with not one word in English on their menus, a top-rated science lab, wind, rain, sun (yes, sun!), Isabelle and Copper and Eli and Lisa and their adorable friends and a chapter worth remembering.

Four days and three nights of driving around the island to take in every sight that ever touched the hearts of Eli and Lisa so that they could share it with us.  We hadn't expected to be so enthralled with this interesting island.  We weren't prepared to be so warm and and comfortable on this island, with unseasonably great October weather. We became engulfed in the Dutch tradition with pristine yards and autos and dogs and children as we toured the entire island with Jolynn's handsome son and his beautiful wife. A little American oasis in their VW as we buzzed around the island and had some delicious meals, the best of which was cooked by Lisa to greet us and introduce us to their friends on Friday night.  Whew!  What a Wonderful Weekend!

Perfection.  Aloof.  Tall and blonde. So Dutch.  Ya.

 Monday morning after we packed our bags to leave the little island of Texel (to head to our next stop, Paris!), Jolynn and Eli sat in the living room and sang together as Eli played the guitar. 

Norwegian Wood.  The Beatles. A sweet, blustery morning and the tears are flowing again.....

    "There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  

The other is as though everything is a miracle."

                             Albert Einstein  

This weekend in Texel has been a miracle.

So grateful to Isabelle and Copper for sharing their parents with us.

So very grateful to Eli and Lisa for giving up their bed and for their sweet hospitality and for the fabulous French dinner and for sharing their happy lives with us.  

There's nothing more important than our children.  We are Moms.  We love being Moms and we love our adult children.  

Ta Ta Texel.

Copyright @2012    Jeannine Cristina  All Rights Reserved

London!

Bee’s Knees!

Stena Britannica is one amazing ferry and the trek across the English Channel in our Captain’s Room at the front of the ship with one huge, round window is a memory not soon to be forgotten!  A week ago today, we sailed from Amsterdam to England and slept on the ferry, waking up at 5:30am on Monday morning to the intercom playing the tune to the song “Be Happy”.  After a quick breakfast, they herded us off of the boat and we boarded the train for London, Liverpool Station at rush hour.

As the train barreled down the tracks, we were pleased to hear the English accents all around us and we settled into our seats, holding luggage and looking out the window at the English farmland. So very polite, these British people.  

  Across the isle from us sat a very old man who kept looking at us with a curious gleam in his eye until suddenly, he started to spill out his entire life story as we rolled down the tracks.  Michael was his name and in an hour’s time, we learned intricate details about the 89 years of his life and we were spellbound at his stories.  He called himself “the miracle man”  and this old Jewish man spoke of his near death experiences in the war, he teared up while telling us about meeting his wife and falling in love and their three sons who were married with families.  He spoke of his passion for music, opera music to be specific and he told us stories about living in Jerusalem and traveling the world with his wife, camping in tents together  and now, on this very day, he was on his way to see his older brother in London.   Tears slid down his very old, very wrinkled face as he spoke about losing his wife to cancer a few years back and Jolynn and I cried with him, sitting there on the train to London, holding our luggage.  And then his stop came up before ours and suddenly he was struggling to stand up to get off of the train and Jolynn  jumped up and helped him just seconds before the doors on the train slammed shut and we yelled “Goodbye Michael” and then Jolynn and I sat in silence the rest of the way to Liverpool Station, tears streaming down our cheeks as we came upon the magnificent city of London, city of manners and respect for others.

I guess we came to Europe to cry.

And laugh.

Reuniting with an old friend and meeting a new friend was absolutely heartwarming as we sat over the lovely breakfast they had ready for us and laughed, relaxing into our seats in their lovely flat in the “Little Venice” section of London.  Mj graciously drove us around the city in their beautiful new Toyota hybrid and we gazed out of the huge moonroof at the towering buildings above us, in total awe and adoration for this amazing city.  Touring Westminster Abbey and the tombs of kings , queens, poets,  Charles Darwin, dignitaries and even plumbers (Jolynn’s personal favorite) is a memory that we will always cherish.  We stood and contemplated life and death at the Poppy Exhibition at the Tower of London, an emotional exhibit honoring the lives lost in wars.  We took a cruise up the Thames River and under the London Bridge, walked the Queen’s Walkway along the Thames, smiled our way across the magnificent Tower Bridge, ate fish and chips and a hot dog at the London Bridge subway station,  peered into the courtyard at Buckingham Palace and watched the guards stomping their feet in pompous circumstance.  Our dear friends and residents of London zoomed us in every direction, narrating stories of England and London that no one else hears on mundane city tours. 

And have I mentioned how polite and respectful England is to tourists?  We simply adore England!

Magpies entertained us and we watched squirrels and Ravens scramble for food in a schoolyard as we waited for choir practice to start.  Choir practice?  Yes!  Choir practice!  And Lordy, what a choir practice!  Unforgettable experiences with Mj and GD in England, quite the musical enchantment, talent and passion and talent, talent, talent!  Blessed!

We laughed and drank good wine and dined at excellent restaurants and laughed some more.   We had a cozy dinner in a bookstore/restaurant in the Non Fiction corner and treated our taste buds to exquisite Thai cuisine while being surrounded by old books in a seaside village town on the coast of England.  We serendipitously walked off of the cobblestone village street and into a Irish pub where a celebrated jazz singer was performing and we were treated to “Funny Valentine” while we huddled together in a small, friendly room filled with glowing faces and comradery among humans, humans who were not at war, humans who were strangers and yet drawn together on a weeknight in the England air on a weeknight  in a pub in the night with a bright moon above. 

Absolutely delightful.  And Polite too!

Sitting in the backseat of the cab on Friday morning, with Mj behind us, waving, tears streamed down our faces again.   Life can be very cruel and so very wonderful.  I am so intensely grateful for my experiences, for my friends and for my family.  And I am especially grateful to Mj and GD for their generosity and extreme kindness.  I shan’t witter on, suffice to say “Grazie!”

“Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to be,

The last of life, for which the first was made.”

Robert Browning

 Crying our way into London and crying our way out of London – this has been the most amazing trip so far and we are only half way through!  I wonder what tears and laughter awaits us!

We will return to this polite, respectful land - Great, Great Britain!

Copyright @ 2012  Jeannine Cristina   All Rights Reserved

Amsterdam!

Well dam.

Arriving with exhausted energy, optimism, trepidation and joy just under the surface, we made our way to the hotel at 9am on Thursday.  Foolish us, we thought we'd sleep on the plane but it wasn't meant to be; instead, we acted like we were on a Delta sleepover and watched movies all night. 

A full day of glorious Amsterdam distracted our exhaustion.  So many bikes, dikes, boats, goats (well not really but it rhymed).  Canals, boat houses, rows and rows and rows of tall, thin, brick homes full of life.  Perfect weather brought out the hoards of crowds on the cobblestone streets and sidewalks and we walked for miles.  Briskly walking through the extremely busy streets, we dodged obstacles coming at us and swiftly coming up behind us in a hurry to get to museums at our appointed times.  We inhaled the youthful exuberance of this electrifying community, we inhaled the freedom all around us, we inhaled the crisp fall air, the smell of the flower market and marijuana on every corner.  Addictive.  This city is addictive. This city is busy.  This city is beautiful and interesting and even in the red glow of certain districts in town, this city holds it own. 

Mixed in with the gay atmosphere is an extremely diverse colony of people - so refreshing and calming and yet busy as hell.  Where are all of these millions of people biking to in such a hurry??
I was immediately struck by the familiarity of Amsterdam even though I've never been here before.  My German mom's aura is here...in the Dutch language,  in some of the food, in the structure of some of the local faces.  I feel Kelly's presence here and I didn't expect that.  My dad's passionate love for the Renaissance artists brings Gene here to Amsterdam, too.  Coming to Europe is like coming home and I hadn't bargained for that epiphany.  I had bargained for amazing hotel rates and deals on tours but I wasn't prepared to have my parents walking down the streets of Amsterdam with me but it was a nice surprise and it made me very happy and yet, sad.

Our hotel room at the Hyatt was, well, exquisite to say the very least.  Breathtaking beauty hugged us in the lobby and the young, fresh Hyatt staff sat us on a velvet pedestal and treated us like royalty the moment we arrived.  White down quilt on the king bed with a view of the canal and style, elegance and luxury all around the room accompanied by fresh flowers, wine, bread and cheese with a personal note from the hotel management wishing us a "Happy Anniversary" was a delightful gift when we unlocked that door the first moment we arrived in our room .  The breakfast buffet brought tears to my eyes that first morning as we looked out at the lush courtyard with a French Press pot on the table and the most amazing fresh fruits, meats and baked goods that we have ever witnessed in one place for a morning meal and the very sweetest of hotel staff wanting to make us happy at every turn.  Tears of joy and pure exhaustion filled my eyes and we laughed at our amazing good fortune for being in this moment. 

Caught off guard, though, by the extreme exhaustion of jet lag. Damn! I can honestly say that I've never been so tired!  I have also never fallen asleep while sitting up and having a conversation but I have now succumbed to that experience. Waking at 4am and trying to go back to sleep and then later feeling like a walking zombie under the bright sunshine in the "I AMsterdam Park"  is an unique experience. Off center, like some of the old houses in this beautiful city, is a tad disconcerting.  We are a long way from Kansas, Toto.

 And so exhaustion opens the teardrop gates.  Tears in the Anne Frank house for Anne and her family and all people who have been and still are persecuted.  Tears in the Van Gogh museum when I saw my dad's favorite Van Gogh painting.  I had to sit down in that big, busy museum on a bench and steady myself and just stare at the actual painting.  My dad had a copy of Van Gogh's Bedroom art taped to the walls of his own bedroom and I was remembering how I pulled that tape off of that picture, taped above my dad's pillow, just a day after he died in the hospital.  Tears streamed down my face as I sat on that bench, thinking about the father that has been gone from my life nearly 30 years now. And then more tears as I thought of some of my closest friends who would have loved to see these paintings in person and I felt so lucky and a tad undeserving of my luck.  But that's another blog.

 And then there were the tears when we stopped in at a little church in the city and I randomly (and unconventionally for me) lit two candles for Gene and Kelly on the stand behind the pews.  Wherever I go, I bring their light with me.

The joy and laughter we have shared with Eli and Lisa has been wonderful.  Canal boat dinner cruise and museums and parks and Irish pubs with live music and authentic Italian food has kept us awake and engaged and so very grateful for their time and love.  How fortunate we feel to have Eli and Lisa here in Amsterdam to  introduce us to this amazing city.  How fortunate I feel to have Eli's young legs run back to a restaurant to retrieve my IPhone that was left on a bathroom floor!  How fortunate we are to have Lisa's sense of humor and love for cats and our special visit to a cat shelter on a floating canal boat to visit her favorite kitties.  What a beautiful couple and we are so happy to have had this time with the two of them.  They have supported us to enjoy this brief moment in Holland and to embrace our own deep love for each other.  How so very fortunate we are and we are so very grateful.

We will always have this memory.   We will always have Amsterdam. 

Snippit on a Tuesday Afternoon

We'll keep on spending sunny days this way
We're gonna talk and laugh our time away
I feel it coming closer day by day
Life would be ecstasy, you and me endlessly

Groovin' on a Sunday afternoon
Really couldn't get away to soon……

 

We’re getting away soon, but not quite yet…a week and counting….

But the pups are already sad at the presence of suitcases in the living room.  Even wearing my new hat didn’t cheer up the gloomy Rosie today.  Chipper’s eyes stare right through my soul as he continuously calculates where my next step will be and how far away I might get from his long brown nose.  He is losing his hearing and his eyesight at the age of 13 but he “nose” what suitcases mean.  And then there’s the ever aloof Bear in the background, paying attention but needing his Prince Poodle distance.  His bum bum was stung by a hornet today so he is especially forlorn. 

 

Three sorrowful dogs.  Oh, the sadness of it all.  Damn that stupid Eiffel Tower. 

 

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person."
—Andy Rooney

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
—Josh Billings

 

Maybe we should get a bigger suitcase and pack the pups.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright ©2012   Jeannine Cristina    All Rights Reserved