Robin Burks's Blog, page 17

One last hurrah for Paris

Last night, I did re-visit the Centre Pompidou and paid my respects to the art of people like Picasso, Modigliano, Miro and Dali. I was a little disappointed that the 5th floor promenade was closed because it truly offers the best view of Paris. But I enjoyed the art, even though my feet were protesting entirely too much. I finally had to acquisce and sat down behind the museum like the locals do, just staring up at the quirky design of it. It’s both unsightly and beautiful and very very cool. I’m guessing the French probably had a hissy fit when it was originally put up, as they aren’t fond of change. I hear they also protested the Eiffel Tower!

After that, I went to Pain Vin Fromages, and a had a cheesy concotion called a Tartiflette. It was potatoes and bacon in a cheese and cream sauce, covered in cheese and baked in more cheese. It was CHEESY! It was also awesome. I had a glass of the house white wine and chatted with the couple from Wisconsin who were sitting next to me. You can’t help but talk to people when you dine in Paris – all the tables are very close together! LOL I’ve met people at every meal I’ve had.

This morning, I woke up to clouds (but fortunately, no rain) and headed on out to Pere LaChaise Cemetary, which has been on my “must do” list since my last trip. I wasn’t going to miss out today. After I stumbled through the cemetary in order to see Jim Morrison’s final resting place, I then wandered around and just took pictures of the beautiful crypts. This place is gorgeous. I did find a few famous tombs: Chopin and Edith Piath, but I was just there to look. There wre some people who had their noses stuck in the cemetary map that they totally missed some other beautiful monuments. Life is so boring like that!!!

The cobblestone hated my feet, though, so two hours there was enough. I once more went back to my apartment to rest for a half hour. But then it was lunch time. And this trip is all about the food. So I took a recommendation from a fellow TripAdvisor user and went to Au Beurre Sale, which is about a block from my apartment. It’s a creperie. I’ve only had street crepes, so I had no idea how yummy crepes really could be. I ordered the Margaux, which was a wheat galette with ham and cheese (and egg, I think), cream and some sweet onions. It was as good as it sounds. And then, of course, I had to get a sweet crepe, that being the Metisse – it was white chocolate and dark chocolate melted into a sweet crepe. And yes, that was also as good as it sounds. It was DIVINE. I also had a glass of cider, which I didn’t even realize I could get in Paris. But apparently, France makes a darn good cider, too.

With my belly full, I was ready to continue my day. I went up to Montmartre (by up, I mean I must have climbed a 1,000 stairs) to the Musee du Montmartre. There was an exhibit about Le Chat Noir, a cabaret/theatre from the 1800′s there in the Montmartre District. I’m sure you’ve all seen the posters that Steinlein designed for it. Well, I got to see one of the original lithographs of that poster, along with other things from the theatre. There were programs done by both Steinlein and Toulouse Latrec, along with other artists. The Le Chat Noir sign that was missing from the Musee Carnavalet was there, as well, which made me happy. There were also some of the props from the days of Le Chat Noir as a shadow theatre, which was fascinating.

I also got to see the garden where Renoir created some of his paintings. One of those paintings (well, a reproduction) is hanging in my mother’s living room. I ID’d it a few years ago for her and now I’ve seen both the original painting and the exact spot where it was created.

But of all things, what touched me the most at the Musee du Montmartre was the actual living chat noir roaming around the gardens. And I wasn’t apparently the only one amused by the irony of that – everyone was trying to get this poor cat’s photo. But this cat… knowing me for the cat sucker that I am… came up to me and let me pet it. And I got teary-eyed and realized that I was finally ready to go home. I have two chat noirs waiting for me there, after all.

So I bought a book on the exhibit in the gift shop, with lots of great photos of those lithographs I loved. And then I walked to Place Tertre at the steps of Sacre Coeur where I bought a t-shirt. I’m not a big fan of Sacre Coeur and I think it totally clashes with the rest of Paris, but the other tourists love it. It does offer great views of Paris at the top, but I’ve been there, done that.

For this evening, the plan is to go buy a fresh loaf of bread and a half bottle of wine and some more cheese for dinner. I did stop once more at Georges Larnicol to invest in macarons for dessert. I’ll spend tonight packing and preparing for the trip home tomorrow. And I’m ready to return.

Writing beckons to me. Thanks to Paris, I am inspired! Au Revoir!

Another beautiful day in Paris

Last night, I convinced myself that I needed to eat at a creperie I had read about. I did the research and checked that it would be open for dinner. But lo and behold, by the time I got there 20 minutes later, it wasn’t! I was a little peeved, because I debated going back out. So I got a crepe from a street vendor that was just okay and drowned my sorrows with Georges Larnicol chocolate. Yes, I had a crepe and chocolate for dinner – don’t judge me! And so I went to sleep and woke up to another beautiful and sunny Parisian day. After feasting on the best pain au chocolat I’ve ever had, I made my way to the Musee d’Art Moderne, a free museum that has a lot of awesome art pieces. The collection was relatively small, so I only spent about an hour there. I’d planned on having L’As du Fallafel (supposedly the best fallafels in Paris) for lunch, so hopped back on the Metro and went in that general direction. I, fortunately, found it without any problems. And I’ll admit – that was a darn good fallafel. I scarfed the fallafel down and then needed dessert – obviously. I passed by the line at Amorino and went toward a David Leibovitz-recommended place called Pozzetto. I had nutella freakin’ ice cream there. NUTELLA ICE CREAM. It was sheer heaven. So while licking on my ice cream cone, I navigated my way through the streets of Paris with a printed-out map from Google. I went to Musee Carnavalet and Musee Cognaq-Jay. Both were personal residences that housed art collections and were interesting. The Carnavalet had all these awesome shop signs. And as I found out on the walk yesterday, the signs were designed so that people who could not read would be able to recognize them. I was disappointed that the original Le Chat Noir sign was out on loan. But I’m thinking that might be at the Musee du Montmartre which is doing a Le Chat Noir exhibit (I’ll be there tomorrow). The Cognaq-Jay had these wonderful porcelain figurines and mini portraits. I absolutely loved it and it was so different from a “typical” museum. I also wandered around Le Marais for a bit, along with hordes of other tourists until my feet got tired. So I sat at a cafe across from the Metro stop and ordered a glass of wine to recharge. And now, I’m back at the apartment, resting my feet and debating dinner for the evening. I believe I want fondue and I’ve been told that Pain Vin Fromages is the best in the city. And since it’s close to Centre Pompidou, which is open until 10 p.m., there may be one more museum on my agenda for the day. It is, after all, my favorite museum in all of Paris.

Paris is crazy and I love it

Well, I thought I’d rest last night, but I really wanted to eat (more?) at Les Cocottes and see the Eiffel Tower all lit up at night. So I did just that. I had some very good cod with a nice rose, followed by the chocolate tarte I love there so much. Then I walked to the Eiffel Tower, practically got accosted by rats, and saw the tower sparkle. It’s so very pretty and worth fighting off the rats to see it.

The rats… these things were HUGE. I was sitting in the Champs du Mars in front of the tower and kept hearing scurrying behind me. I assumed that maybe it was squirrels, but then I saw a rat run across the path next to the bench where I was sitting. Then I saw another. And another. And these aren’t those cute little Ratatouille rats, either! EEP!

So as soon as I saw the tower sparkle, I was OUT OF THERE. I made it back to the apartment and passed out.

This morning, the weather turned beautiful. I had planned on visiting a museum, but at the last minute decided to go to Chateau de Vincennes instead. Now a chateau is a castle. And Vincennes is a medieval castle.  Obviously, it was awesome! Today was also the celebration of Heritage Days (I’m still unsure of what that entails), so that means that there are a lot of special events going on. At Vincennes, there were people in old French military uniforms and military bands were playing and singing and it was a lot of fun.

Of course, then I got hungry. I went across the street to Le Petit Bofinger, where I had a sea bass dish with mashed potatoes. This was the first time I’ve ever eaten anything that was staring at me. They serve the fish whole and you have to cut the head and tail off. When in Paris, I thought, and proceeded to eat. It was excellent. And of course, I had to have wine, but this time I went with one of the specials they had by the glass – pink champagne. And I realized this is the first time I’ve had champagne in Paris. Such a sacrilege, I know!!! It was wonderful, as was the creme brulee I had for dessert.

Are we sensing a theme here? This is my foodie trip. And I’m living it up. I’m trying to now decide what’s for dinner. There’s a restaurant down the street that does fondue… I’m very tempted.

To get back to my day, though, I decided to stay outdoors and went on a guided walk about medieval Paris and the Knights Templar. The problem is that many of the stories I heard took us to places that had since been torn down. But it was still fascinating and I saw where Les Innocents once was. If you’ve ever read Anne Rice, you’ll know that reference. It was interesting and I ended up chatting with two Canadian women during the tour. But afterwards, my feet were screaming.

I took the next Metro train back to my home station – Gare de Lyon. But wait, there are balloons and seriously loud music going on. And people are dancing in the street! Yes! I’d forgotten about today’s Techno Parade! And apparently, it was just circling around to my neighborhood. I had to stop and take photos. And then some half naked guy jumps out of nowhere and makes me take a photo of him with a random girl he grabbed. And then he continued to dance down the street. It was wild and so wonderfully European, I loved it! I have photos  and will upload them eventually. Some are probably PG-13 rated, though!

I am on the down slope of my time here in Paris. Only two days left to go. I’ll be sad to leave, as I always am, especially as I do not think I’ll be returning for a few years. This city will always have a very special place in my heart. It is my second home – that place I go to when I want to be inspired and live life to the fullest.

More statues, beheaded saints and more

I did return to the Musee d’Orsay last night to discover that many of the impressionism pieces are on loan to other museums. I figured since I’d already seen those, anyway, I’d focus on the other areas of art there. I discovered a fascinating artist by the name of William Bougerau and some of his pieces may inspire a few scenes in the Zeus, Inc. sequel. Paris is full of inspiration! I also have a new obsession with sculpture that I did not possess before I arrived here. I blame the Louvre for that, but the Orsay also has some impressive pieces.

I ate in the cafe there, as well. It’s improved a great deal since my last visit a few years ago. I had a pasta dish, with pesto and four cheese, along with the traditional glass of wine. And I followed that up with a coffee. I get the whole coffee after dinner thing – it sobers you up after all that wine you had with your food! LOL

Unfortunately, for me, it also kept me up late last night. Oops.

This morning, though, I did drag myself out of bed at a fairly decent hour and made my way to the Basilique Cathedral de Saint-Denis. Saint Denis is interesting in that he was beheaded and apparently survived long enough to be seen carrying his head (I forget the full story – I’ll wiki it later) walking through the streets of Paris. Anyway, the cathedral sits on an old Gallo-Roman cemetary with this guy’s tomb (he was thought to have been the first Bishop of Paris). It’s a gorgeous piece of architecture and rivals Notre Dame in beauty. Also, most of France’s royalty is entombed there, including what was left of Marie Antoinette after the revolution (her remains were thrown into a mass grave with other nobility, but I think they found a finger or something to bury at Saint-Denis). It also has some gorgeous stained glass.

After that, I thought I would go back to the islands and grab some lunch. There was a cafe I ate at last year that I really liked. So I did that and had more steak and frites, along with more wine. Viva la Paris! I’m not sure how I was even hungry after the religieuse caramel I had for breakfast, but I was. I ended my meal with the traditional coffee.

While walking by the tourist shops, looking for souvenirs, I passed the crepe stands. And they smelled so good, that I had to have one. I was not hungry, but still scarfed down a nutella crepe! LOL I can’t stop eating!!! It’s a good thing I’m getting plenty of exercise with all this walking.

I bought a few souvenirs and saw signs for the Musee of Deportation. This is a memorial for those who had been placed in internment camps during the Nazi Occupation during WWII. I cried my eyes out. It’s set up so that you sort of experience what those in the camps might have. High walls and gates. It’s very surreal. And it wasn’t only Jews that were persecuted. It was also homosexuals and gypsies and anyone else who didn’t fit into the Hitler ideal of white Christian. After all these years, the thought of it is still horrifying, as it should be. We should never forget those horrors.

Obviously, it was a sobering experience. I decided to come back to the apartment for the remainder of the day. I had thought I would go back out, but I need to rest my weary feet, especially if I am to make the walking tour I want to go on tomorrow.

One interesting side note – there was a photo shoot going on in the cafe where I had lunch. Some pretty blonde model was posing in some very expensive clothes while a make-up and hair stylist fussed with her. I took some ninja photos with my cell phone because she looked familiar. I believe she was American but all those models look alike to me.

Great review by WiLoveBooks

Another great review is in for Zeus, Inc. This one is coming from WiLoveBooks. Be sure to read it here.

Food and wine hangover, oh yeah…

I’m not sure what possessed me to want yet another pastry PLUS hot chocolate yesterday, but I indulged myself at Angelina. This tea salon is known for its hot chocolate, which is as good as I remembered from last year. Add that to a raspberry tart, and I was needing to walk some calories off by the time I got to the Louvre museum. Of course, as I entered through the Carousel du Louvre entrance, I was sidetracked by shopping. And as I found an Agatha jewelry boutique and saw a ring that I absolutely had to have, I indulged in more retail therapy. But it was a crystal star!!! I did make it into the Louvre, which was a little less crowded than my previous year’s visit. I avoided the crowds (as well as the Mona Lisa – been there, done that) and made my way to the Greek statues. The next thing I know, I’m taking photos of characters in Zeus, Inc., and writing down notes for the sequel. Definitely expect a scene in the Louvre. Needless to say, I was utterly inspired. Staying away from the crowds made this Louvre visit a great deal more pleasant than my last. I truly enjoyed it. I wandered around and stumbled upon quite a few pieces the tourists probably never see. I did, of course, visit the Venus di Milo (only because she was part of the collection I wanted to see), but I was far more impressed with this large statue of Athena that I came across (see my Flickr account for photos). All in all, it was a great visit. But like all great things, iti had to come to an end as I had a restaurant reservation for Verjus. It took me a good 30 minutes to find the place (it’s hidden in a passage), but once there, I was treated to the best meal of my life. There were eight courses of food, and I decided to do the wine pairing with each. By the time I was done (around 11:00 p.m.), I was in my very happy place. I’m also honestly surprised that in my wine and food-induced stupor I found my way back to my apartment last night. But I did! I slept in a bit this morning and am now just getting around to breakfast. This morning’s pastry is called Paris Brest. And it is yummy. I’m going to go wander around the islands a bit and visit Notre Dame, I think, now. And maybe, I’ll return to Musee d’Orsay later this evening. I feel the impressionists calling out to me.

Woke up to the sound of pouring rain…

It’s raining a bit again this morning here in Paris. But it’s not a steady downpour like it was yesterday. I ended up thinking that I needed retail therapy yesterday and walked down to the local Monoprix. I proceeded to buy an over-priced sweater (but it’s so European and has patches on the elbows) and yet another silk scarf (I’m starting a collection). 74 Euros later…

I also tried some Epoisses cheese. I’m going to have to admit defeat on the French cheese front. The stinky cheeses taste disgusting to me. I can’t handle them. And now the whole refrigerator reeks of this stuff. Ew! I must figure out how to dispose of it. I also bought some cheddar (good old English cheese) in case I didn’t like it. Dinner was cheese, bread and a glass of wine, as it was.

I forced myself to stay awake until 8 p.m. I attempted to watch some t.v., and learned a little bit about French news. I’m pretty sure I’ve misintrepreted the big news – but is there a prime minister somewhere in the world that’s gay and just got married? I probably completely mistranslated that. But yes, the gay marriage debate is happening here in France, too. I’m not surprised – the country is decidedly very Catholic.

I also watched another episode of the last season of the UK version of Being Human. I’m glad I decided to give it a second chance. It really is better than I thought once I got over my anger of main characters getting killed off in the first episode.

Once I fell asleep, it was a restless one. I woke up around 10-ish, but forced myself to go back to sleep. Then I woke up at 1-ish and couldn’t. So I got up and answered some emails and read a little bit until I felt sleepy again. Then I slept straight until almost 8 a.m. And felt like a truck had run over me repeatedly. Oh, jet lag, you suck. But after a shower and a hot coffee and the thought of tarte tatin for breakfast, I feel better now.

Speaking of which, I have to go put on the barest amount of make-up and walk down to the bakery.

As today is also a little rainy, I think more retail therapy is in order. Today, I plan on visiting Le Bon Marche, which is a high-end department store. I doubt I’ll buy anything, but they also have a gourmet grocery that may suck some Euros out of me. After that, La Maison du Chocolat nearby is calling my name. I’ll have lunch somewhere and bring my prizes back to the apartment and relax. I plan on tackling the Louvre again (hopefully, with better results than my first visit last year).  After that? I have an 8:30 p.m. reservation at nearby Verjus Restaurant. Where I shall indulge in 8 courses…

Being in Paris has done one of two things for me: One, I think I’ve lost some weight. My jeans are loose this morning. I think pastries are good for you!!!! Number Two, my skin (which is generally red and icky, thanks to rosacea) has improved. The water is hard, but apparently, not as rife as chemicals as our water back home.

Interview now up on Android Dreamer

Be sure to check out the interview I did on Android Dreamer. I talk about Zeus, Inc. (of course), as well as my inspiration behind the book.

Read the interview here.

C’est la vie

American Airlines did me proud this time around. After the fiasco that was my last trip with them, I gave them a second chance (mostly because I’m an AAdvantage member – but also mostly because their price was the best). There were no delays, the customer service was top notch and even the airplane food was not that bad – certainly better than US Airways and United. There was a lot of turbulence from Chicago to Paris and that means I got very little sleep (it’s hard to sleep when you’re clutching the chair for dear life, as if somehow that will save you if the plane goes down). But I had a very nice seatmate – a gentleman of Asian descent who lived in Paris and had just returned from Hot Springs, AR, where he was visiting his wife. He helped me get my bag into the overhead bin and wished me a bon voyage when we picked up our luggage. It’s nice to have nice seatmates, non?

There were a LOT of American on the flight. They easily outnumbered the French. That was a first for me. So now that I’m actually IN Paris, I have to get used to the language – using it and attempting to understand it. So far, I’ve been a wuss. I’ve asked parlez vous Anglais? several times now. But only of people that I knew spoke English (like the woman at Ble Sucre – I read that she loved Americans in there – but I’ll get to Ble Sucre in a bit).

The train into Paris was as easy as I remembered, but I got lost in Gare de Lyon. It’s a tricky station when you’re underground. So I was about 15 minutes late meeting with Joel, the owner of the apartment I was renting (again). He was a sweetheart, too, and thanked me for giving the property a great review on FlipKey by leaving me a bottle of Fiton Domaine de la Grange wine. I’m popping that sucker open tonight. I also had a baguette and loaf of bread awaiting me, and like last year, I hate half the loaf while unpacking. Oops!

But hey, it was getting close to lunch time (at least in Paris time) and I was hungry! I got unpacked, debated if I really wanted to go out in the rain and if wine and bread would be enough. But in the end, I went to Ble Sucre, one of Paris’ top bakeries (and literally two blocks from me) where I got a tuna and tomato quiche (which was delightful) and a chocolate eclair that was the best thing I’ve had in forever. NOW, now I remember why I come to Paris.

Now I say that because after the bumpy flight, I was feeling grumpy and a little nauseous. I, fortunately, didn’t heave up my stomach’s contents on anyone and after a shower, I felt a million times better. But while I was feeling icky, I was like “Why am I coming here again?” The eclair… it reminded me. It’s the FOOD.

Anyway, I’d originally wanted to visit Pere LaChaise today, but the rain is keeping me indoors. I’m just basically sitting in my Parisian apartment with the windows open and listening to the rain. I guess that’s not a bad day, huh? I do have to trek over to the Monoprix for some groceries (read – cheese) for dinner tonight, though. Maybe it will stop raining…. ? I don’t really mind the rain, but it is a little chilly over here. Not that I’m complaining.

If I weren’t so jetlagged and batty, I’d hit up a museum, but everytime I’ve done a museum on the day of arrival, I never remember any of it. And I just don’t feel like walking to the train station and getting lost again! LOL I need my wits about me and right now, my wits are still up in the skies with all the turbulence.

The First Gallifrey One postcard had arrived!

Yay! First Gallifrey One postcard had arrived!, a photo by homeward_angel04 on Flickr.

Something to get excited about even if it doesn’t happen until next year: Gallifrey One. The first postcard arrived today. In 2013, we’ll be celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who and the con is going to be off the hook.

I’m excited and can’t wait. And my costumes are already done.