Paris

Most of Europe considers Good Friday and Easter Monday to be bank holidays.  Therefore, I had a four day holiday weekend.  Jonathan only had a three day holiday weekend but as he attends the French Culinary Institute, he figured spending a few extra days in France was definitely acceptable.  We both arrived Friday morning.  Without us both having cell phones, we had to meet the old fashioned way, pick a place and trust that the other person would show up.  I arrived to the hotel first.  I took the ICE from Germany, which traveled nearly 200 mi/hr.  I have traveled on the ICE before but all tracks in Germany aren’t equipped to handle the speed that the train is designed to travel at.  France also has a fast train and they, on the other hand, have equipped most of their tracks to handle the trains.  Therefore, once we crossed the border, we drastically increased our speed.  It took a total of four hours to travel from Heidelberg to Paris, the same amount of time it took me to travel from New York to Maryland.  Visiting another country is much more fun than visiting another state. 

The weather in Paris was perfect; it was warm and sunny with occasional clouds.  We were able to walk everywhere.  We started out by strolling along the river until we reached Notre Dame.  Everything was in bloom and the trees and flowers surrounding it made it even more beautiful from a distance.  We went inside and watched a few minutes of a service.  We had hoped to climb the stairs to the top of the tower but the line continued from the church down the block.  The weather was too nice the entire weekend to be wasted on waiting.  We walked to Quartier Latin and found a place to each lunch.  It was helpful that Jk has learned many of the French cooking terms.  As a vegetarian, I was a little concerned that I would unknowingly order something full of meat.  After lunch we strolled through the small but busy streets of Quartier Latin.  By the time we arrived back to the hotel, it was time to change and head to dinner.  We went to Le Petit Chaise, which is the oldest restaurant in Paris.  The French onion soup was wonderful as was the rest of the meal.  While we both were full and thoroughly exhausted, we decided it was necessary to see the City of Lights.  We walked to the Louvre, across Pont Neuf, past Museem de Orsay.  We walked and walked and walked until all the lights went out, then we walked some more until we were back at our hotel. 

On Saturday, we started our day with crepes from Cluny Square.  We walked through a park on the Left Bank and watched some men play Bocce Ball.  It seems to be popular, popular enough that everyone had their own balls.  Then we went to the Louvre where we were pleasantly surprised to learn that entrance was free for those between the ages of 18 and 25.  We walked through the Italian and French paintings until we saw the Mona Lisa.  The museum was beyond crowded and extremely noisy so we decided to find a place for a drink.  We stumbled upon a very French bar where we enjoyed French beer.  It started to rain in the late afternoon.  We decided to buy ingredients to make a simple meal and cook in our studio hotel room.

On Sunday, we started our day once again with crepes that we found on our way to the Pantheon.  I was worried that most things would be closed on Easter Sunday but it seemed to make no difference at all.  I’m used to Germany where everything is closed on Sunday, holiday or no holiday.  We went inside the Pantheon to view Foucault’s Pendulum, which was rather remarkable.  We also viewed the crypts.  It is amazing how many well-known people were buried there.  As everything was in French, we couldn’t grasp a full understanding of how the crypts work but it was interesting nonetheless.  I really had wanted to see the Catacombs while we were in Paris so we headed there next.  On our way we walked through Jardin du Luxembourg, which was beautiful, filled with flowers and trees and joggers and sunbathers.  It was no Central Park, but it was a really nice park.  I could picture myself living in Paris and running through the gardens each morning.  When we arrived to the Catacombs, we learned that they were closed (which was not listed online).  Unfortunate but understandable.  We then traveled to the Eiffel Tower which was huge.  The entire base was filled with people waiting on line and once again, we decided not to waste our time.  Instead, we walked to Arc de Triomphe where we were able to make it to the top without waiting on any lines.  It height is the same as the first level of the Eiffel Tower and the views were fantastic.  Six streets intersect at the Arc and to look down each one was amazing.  From there, we walked down Champ de Elysee, which leads to the Louvre.  It certainly looks much closer than it is.  We ate dinner in this area and headed straight home for some much needed sleep.

On Monday, we ate crepes once again.  We walked to the Picasso Museum, which was in a desolate neighborhood.  By the time we arrived we were to hungry to go though the museum.  The Picasso Museum in Barcelona was wonderful so it wasn't a major loss.  In the afternoon, we walked through a park to Musée de l'Orangeries to see Monet's water lilies.  The space was specifically remodeled for these paintings.  It was a wonderful exhibit.  In the evening, we went to dinner at Le Cinq at the Four Season Hotel which was by far the best meal I have ever had in my life.

While I am pretty sure Jk and I could have fun anywhere, I couldn’t have been happier to celebrate our three years together in Paris.

visitor

I had my first visitor last week!  Ben Simonds, a second-cousin once removed, has been studying abroad in London this past semester.  A his classes have ended and his tests aren't until May, he is taking the time to travel Europe.  Although the relationship sounds distant, he is related to me in the same way as my German cousin Annika, just on different sides of the family; my great-great-grandmother is his great-grandmother, just a generation ahead.  Ben arrived early Thursday morning.  Annika and I picked him up and we all went to Koerperwelten (the Bodies Exhibit which is also touring in America now).  The offices for body donations and the hospital for exhibit creations are located in Heidelberg.  Gunther von Hagens is from Heidelberg which makes viewing the exhibit here feel original.  After getting our fill of corpses, Ben and I strolled down Hauptstrasse which is the pedestrian shopping street.  At the end is the path up to the castle so we just kept on walking.  We went to the gardens first which have a fantastic view of both the castle and the city (as you can see in the picture).  We also went into the castle to view the world's biggest wine barrel.  It was built in the 1700s and after the wine caused the wood to decay, they drained it and ceased to use it.  It fills and entire room and you can climb stairs to reach the top.  I saw it the last time I was in Heidelberg but that was in 2001 when I was only 15 years old.  We sat in the sun-filled square infront of the Rathaus (government house) and enjoyed a beer.  Then we walked home to see the boys.  

Ben was great with Max and Tom!  They could of course understand everything he was saying but he could understand none of what they were saying.  They didn't seem to notice but Ben kept looking to me for help.  Luckily with kids that young, you can get by without the need to hold a conversation.  We spend the afternoon playing playing hide-and-seek and enjoying the weather outside.  Sabine prepared a wonderful dinner with lots of appetizers.  As Ben is a business major, he was excited to talk to Nils.  In the morning, we walked several miles along the Philosophenweg which runs on the hill opposite the castle.  It is another nice view of the town and the castle.  It is where my blog picture and any picture of the castle for that matter, is taken.  After a run and a shower, we headed back into town to pick up a few souvenirs before Ben had to catch the train.  I think he made some very German purchases - a beer mug and gummy bears.

It was wonderful to have my first real visitor and to show off Heidelberg.

Happy Birthday!

On March 24th, Max and Tom turned four years old!  The morning was exciting!  They opened presents as the sky began to grow light at 7 o’clock in the morning.  They had a table full of presents, as you can see in the picture.  They got a tunnel and a shed to add to their BRIO train set, tents to add to their Ritter collection, daggers and shields made from wood, a marble train, and much, much more.  Although the presents are for Max and Tom, they are indirectly my presents as I get to play with them as well!  While Max and Tom wanted to stay home and play all morning, they had to go to Kindergarten where they each got a crown for the day.  Tom wore it proudly for the entire morning!

Being twins, Max and Tom had plenty of friends to celebrate their birthday with.  Therefore, they celebrated twice.  The first party took place on their birthday; all friends from Kindergarten were invited to the jump Jump-Inn, an indoor jungle gym.  It could be compared with the playrooms in McDonald’s but much larger and much cleaner.  It was a bit difficult to keep track of them all with the twists and turns but they all seemed to have a good time.  Lots of running and sweating always makes for a good night of sleep.  In the evening, some family friends and Sabine’s mother and sister joined us at our house for dinner.  Max and Tom were happy to be home and playing with all their new toys.  They stayed up extra late, and were beyond tired by the time they got ready for bed.  But you only get to celebrate your fourth birthday once!

The second party took place a week after their birthday; all family friends were invited to the house in the afternoon.  The weather could not have cooperated better.  It was sunny and beyond warm.  After a quick snack of ice cream and strawberries, all the kids were outside playing soccer on the terrace.  Moritz, the four-year-old professional soccer player, was helping everyone get into positions and kick the ball in the proper direction.  It was adorable.  He even let Max score to boost his confidence.  It was a day full of fun in the sun.  The best present of the day was a building kit with a battery-operated drill.  Tom fixed all sorts of things that I didn’t even know needed to be fixed.  The safety goggles are especially cute.  The second to best present of the day was Band-Aids.  Alison, the previous Au Pair, sent heaps of Band-Aids in the box with her gift for the boys.  All of the kids invented injuries so that they could have Spiderman or Barbie or Cars Band-Aids.  There were plenty of opportunities to take great pictures!