Saturday, August 20, 2011

It's about the Art

I got it all sorted out about clothes, pants are fine.  Parisians are chic but casual, or was it casual but chic.  I can do that.  And I have all my travel documents, plane reservations, hotel reservations, a couple of tours - Versailles, a bateau mouche dans la Seine, and a bus tour of la cite.  Today my to-do list includes buying some Euros, getting my watch fixed, buying a windbreaker (weather may be erratic).  So I'm pretty much good to go!

And I woke up this morning terrified!  What was I thinking??  A single woman going alone to Paris???  I love the language, mais je ne parle pas tres bien le Francais.  I had to talk myself back into enthusiasm.  It's not just the beautiful language, it's the art, the history, the concentration of beauty in the center of the city.  I long for that.  There are plenty of museaums here in Los Angeles.  They are spread out, each in a totally different part of the city and some very hard to get to.  And I don't take the time to visit them (though I have been to the Getty several times and LACMA many times).  But every day in Paris is a cultural adventure, a bit of art, a slice of history, a beautiful garden.  I will be immersed in beauty.  Ah, I've talked myself into it again!  Je voudrais vivre a la!  I want to live there!  It is totally about the art!

I leave in exactly two weeks.  I am excited about it, not terrified!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

What do I wear??????

What's the point of having a blog if I never write??!  I've been AWOL for over a month and my trip is quickly approaching.  I'm obsessing about what to wear in Paris.  Pants vs skirts?  Pack a huge suitcase of everything I own so that I'm prepared for anything?  Or travel light, with a few basics crammed into a carry-on bag??  I so want to look chic in Paris, but I also want to be comfortable especially when I plan to do a lot of walking.  What kinds of clothes should I take?????

In my absence from blogging, I have been preparing for my Paris adventure.  I have been studying my favorite language, mais je parle un peu le Francais.  Quelque jours je pense que je parle tres bien, mais pas vraiment.  Eh bien.  And I have been reading books about Paris and about people who have moved there to live - expats and their adventures.  French Fried was about a couple from England who bought a farm in Southern France.  From that I learned many of the red-tape complications of moving to France.  French Lessons gave me some opportunities to think in French and a few new vocabulary words.  Me, Myself, and Paris was written by a California woman - like me - who goes to Paris for six weeks every year.  I've learned some of her favoite non-museum places to go.  Of course, all these books are in English, but I'm getting the spirit, history, geography, language of la cite'. 

Twenty-four more days till I leave!  So much to do!  What do I wear?