Cheers, Madame! Special Memories

It's now week three of Cheers, Madame!, a new month-long series with me and Amy from Créatrice Mondial

We're paying tribute to two amazing cities that have captured our hearts.

So far, Amy has been writing about Paris.  I've been writing about London.

Today we're going to mix it up a bit and reverse that.

I'm definitely Team London.  I love this city.

But, Paris also has a very special place in my heart.

Each time I've been to Paris, I was with the most important people in my life.

And that means I have some very special memories of Paris.

 

 Why Paris is my City of Love.

My first visit to Paris was in 1983 at the age of 16.  I visited with my younger brother and my dad.  I have the worst memory in the world, but luckily there is a scrapbook back in storage in Texas that tells the story.  I wish I had it with me.  I love the photos of Philip and me exploring Paris together as teenagers.

A few moments stand out for me.  One of them still makes me the butt of family jokes.  See, I like my cheeseburgers with pickles only and I might be a bit stubborn.  This proved quite a challenge when we visited a Burger King in Paris.  I can still picture my dad trying to act out "pickles only" in charades before just losing it his cool and throwing a tray of french fries down in front of me.  I also remember riding the metro and it not being nearly as glamorous as I expected.  I'd been listening to that Berlin song "Riding on the Metro" for weeks up until our trip and insisted that we all take the metro even though is was 100 degrees down there.  Uhm.  It was not the same but don't you love this video?

My favorite memory from that trip was getting my picture drawn in Montmartre.  I felt so worldly and fancy.  And grown up.  Montmartre is still my favorite spot in Paris.  I remember walking up that hill at the age of sixteen.  Every time I walk up that hill now, I'm that young eighties baby again with a mall perm and a stubborn streak.

 

My second trip to Paris was with my Englishman, Matthew.  It was actually a really rough time.  We had just arrived from the US to the UK for our big move.  Two days later, Matt and I headed to Paris.  It was a great idea in theory, but probably not the best timing.  I was a hot mess with everything that was going on.  Not to mention still jet lagged.  It was my first trip back to Paris in twenty years.  We arrived at the train station, pushed through the crowds and dragged our luggage through the tunnels of the metro.  We climbed the stairs and I vividly remember stepping out on to that bright sidewalk.  I was in Paris again.  Everyone was rushing by.  Tourists were taking pictures to try to capture the magic. That's when it really hit me.  This was the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in my life with this wonderful man.  

 

My next trip was with my mom, Linda and her husband, Bob.  They travel all of the time, but my mom had never been to Paris.  We arrived at night on the Eurostar and took the metro to our hotel.  After a bit of time to refresh, we went out in search of dinner just after sunset.  I will never forget as long as I live, watching my momma see the Eiffel Tower for the very first time.  We were strolling along chattering and I said "Mom, look over there" and pointed to the Eiffel Tower all sparkling at the end of the park.  She gasped and a huge smile lit up her face brighter than that tower.  It was such a special moment.

And just a few months ago, I returned to Paris with my sweet daughter, Jessica.  We were both a bit nervous traveling without the security of Matthew and we didn't have great weather.  But, it was the experience of a lifetime to be there with her.  I took her to my favorite restaurant but the line was so long.  We were about ready to just give up and go back to the hotel, when the hostess came up and asked if it was just us two.  Yes!  We were seated immediately.  On my 47th birthday, I celebrated in Paris with my favorite meal seated across from my beautiful grown up daughter, toasting with champagne.  Best birthday ever!   

So while I declare my love of London,
I've experienced so much love in Paris

that it will always have a very special place in my heart.


City of Love is the perfect name for Paris.

Now check out Amy's special memories of London.

Be sure to join us again on twitter today to support your favorite city.

Last week was so much fun.  Thanks to everyone who participated.

Hosted by Amy (@creatricemonde) and me (@SelenaThePlaces)

at 12 Noon EST/5pm GMT.

Now it's your turn!  Join the Cheers, Madame! Link Up.
 
 Just write a post about London or Paris,
attach one of the buttons you will find on our sidebars
and then link it below.  

Be sure to visit some of the other links and share the Cheers, Madame! love.

Cheers, Madame!  

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Cheers, Madame! The Perfect Day

It's week two in the new series Cheers, Madame! with me and Amy from Créatrice Mondial.

We are spending the month comparing two of the most amazing cities in the world.

London and Paris

Everyone seems to have a favorite, even if they haven't yet visited.

We are thrilled with your response to the series and are having fun with a little friendly rivalry.

Be sure to join us on twitter today to support your favorite.

Hosted by Amy (@creatricemonde) and me (@SelenaThePlaces)

at 12 Noon EST/5pm GMT

We have some fun questions for you to answer.

Are you Team London or Team Paris?

On our blogs today we're going to share the perfect day in our chosen city.

Pop over to Amy's blog to see how she would spend her perfect day in Paris.

I'm going to talk about my perfect day in London.

First off, the perfect day in London would have to be at least 72 hours long.

There is so very much that I would want to squeeze into that day.

  My perfect day in London would start at "our bridge".  That's what we lovingly call the Tower Bridge.

It's such an iconic site and my heart swells every time I see it.

It's my favorite spot in London.

 So, we would have to start south of the river and east of Tower Bridge

in an area call Shad Thames and Butler's Wharf.  It's lovely, historical area that not too many tourists know about.  There are few little cafes where we can find a quick and light breakfast.

Many Brits would recommend a Full English Breakfast, but I prefer to save my calories for later in the day.

After stopping to take a dozen more photos of "our bridge", we head east along the southern bank of the Thames.  This was our favorite thing to do on a Sunday when we lived in Jacob's Island.  We would walk all the way to Westminster Bridge.  There are so many amazing things to enjoy along the way.  I've written about it several times before (here and here).

But here is a list of just some of the things that you will experience taking this route.

City Hall, More London Place, Hays Galleria, HMS Belfast

London Bridge, Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral

Shakespeare's Globe, lots of Pubs

The Millennium Bridge, views of St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tate Modern

Restaurants, street performers, South Bank Book Market

British Film Institute, National Theatre

tons of restaurants, markets and festivals

The London Eye, fabulous views of Big Ben and Parliament

 It's the perfect way to spend most of the day and there are some great options for lunch.

But as the sun is starting to set, let's hop into a black cab.

You can't visit London and not ride in one of these iconic taxis.

If you're lucky, your driver will be a storyteller and will entertain you along the way.

As far as I'm concerned, the perfect evening in London involves dinner and the theatre.

I've tried and tried to come up with one amazing restaurant to recommend.

But, I can't come up with just one favorite.  London is full of incredible food options.

Just find one close to your venue and enjoy the pre-theatre menu.

The live theatre in London is some of the best in the world.

You can select a musical, Comedy or drama, so many choices.

There is just something about live theatre that is magical.

And the historical theatres in London are all just beautiful.

Prepare to be completely transported.

 After the theatre, we would stop into our local pub for a nightcap

before ending our perfect day.

I can think of many other perfect days in London.

 You can read about how we've been spending our time in London on our

London Attraction Guide.  We are adding to it each week.

I absolutely love exploring this city.

It always inspires, excites and surprises me.

I never knew what it meant before to really love a city.

But, now I absolutely do know.

I love London.

Next Tuesday, it's your turn!

Prepare a post about your favorite of the two.

Which one has stolen your heart?  Which one do you dream of visiting someday?

Attach either the Paris badge or the London badge that you will find on our sidebars.

Then add your post to our joint linkup.  We can't wait to read what you have to say.

 

 Cheers, Madame!

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Cheers, Madame! First Impressions

We've all heard the term "sister cities" before.
Sharing similar qualities, a comparable history, yet maintaining individual identity.
It would be natural to assume that inherent within this relationship there lies an element of rivalry. 

Point in case: London, and Paris. While both certainly have their appeal,
one can't help but line them up side by side for comparison.
There seems to be a line drawn - either you are more attracted to London, or to Paris.

I've often thought that you could base a personality test on this one choice
and tell quite a bit about someone.   Why do we seem to choose one or the other? 
What factors influence that decision?

When Amy from Créatrice Mondial shared with me her idea for us to do a series on this very topic,
I was thrilled.  We are both Americans, both expats (or formerly in Amy's case),
and both chose a city to be our "home away from home." She in Paris, I in London.

Welcome to our new month long series "Cheers, Madame!"

Each Tuesday during the month of November, Amy and I will tackle a different aspect of these two cities.
As our introductory joint post, we thought there would be no better place to start
than at the beginning: our first impressions.

Here are the stories of our first dates with these two amazing cities. 


Cheers to London.

 Selena of Oh, The Places We Will Go!

I first came to London as a tourist during the summer of 2011. My new British husband was bringing me to his home. We arrived for a short three day stay in London before exploring more of the countryside. We stayed right smack in the middle of it all near Trafalgar Square. Oh my goodness, the people. So many people. I’m used to the wide open spaces of Texas. This place was madness. I was completely overwhelmed.

We toured the city on an open top bus with my mouth agape. I hopped into a black taxi cab with a thrill. We explored many famous places in this historical city. It rained one of the days, but I didn’t mind at all because I’d brought a brand new pair of wellies with me for just such an occurrence. I couldn’t wait to wear them even though they glaringly branded me a tourist with the huge monarch butterflies splayed across them.

One evening on our way to a show, we stumbled upon the movie opening for a new Harry Potter movie at Leicester Square. Drowning in a sea of people, I told Matthew emphatically “I do not ever want to live here.” But in those three days I saw places that I’d only ever dreamed of. Westminster Abbey, West End, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Tower of London and so much more. I had to pinch myself. I was in London.

Little did I know, six months later, London would be my new home. I know, I can’t believe it either. That initial impression scared me to death. But, it also excited me so much. What an amazing city? And once we moved here, it didn’t take long to fall completely in love. I’m so glad I gave London a second chance.

 Bonjour, Paris!

Amy of Créatrice Mondial

Oh Paris… my first impression of this city was decidedly not romantic unfortunately. Whether you take any international train or fly in Charles de Gaulle airport, the first place to disembark in the city is the far less than glamorous Gare du Nord. What is it about train station neighborhoods anyways? It was also snowing, as I landed in February of 2009… the exact time of one the largest blizzards to have hit the area in recent history. Yay. Made lugging my suitcases fun.

Look at me, already complaining. How Parisian is that? But there I was, taking a taxi to the doors of my new school, without knowing a soul in a city where I barely spoke the language. Luckily I had spent the previous year also living in Europe. so I was somewhat accustomed to being an expat, and how to handle myself in unfamiliar situations. As my ride crawled through city traffic, the vibe of the neighborhood changed dramatically, and for the better. My school is located in the 5^th arrondissement, the famous Latin Quarter. Leaving the train station in the rear view mirror, the beauty of Paris unfolded before my eyes. Under a blanket of snow, no less.

While it was certainly interesting, and often exhausting, trying to communicate, you can’t help but be charmed by Paris. The tiny streets, the manicured gardens, the uniform building facades: this was going to be my home for the next 4 months. Little did I know then that I would end up staying 3 years. Paris is like that. It gets under your skin, takes hold and absolutely refuses to let go. And with seemingly very little effort. What can I say, it has that certain je ne sais quoi.

 For those of you who have not yet been to either city, or are just curious to know

a bit more of what each has to offer, we have put together this infographic for you.
(And by we, I mean Amy.  So talented!)   Consider it an "at first glance" guide to the two cities.

 

 

And we are curious… if you have been to either, what were your first impressions?  Immediate likes? Dislikes?

If you haven't, I'm sure you've dreamed of visiting one or both.  What draws you to them?
Do you have a favorite between the two?

We like being social, so we've created several ways for you to get involved.

1. The hashtag for this series is  #CheersMadame.  Please use it so we can keep up with your tweets on this subject.  And we are very happy to announce that next Tuesday, November 12 will be the first #CheersMadame twitter chat! Hosted by Amy (@creatricemonde) and me (@SelenaThePlace) at 11am EST/5pm GMT.  Follow us on Twitter to keep up with the details.

2. You'll also see the snazzy new buttons on our sidebars, designed by Amy just for this series. Which city is your favorite?  Grab a button - Bonjour on top if you're a "Parisian," Hello on top if you're a "Londoner."  Tweet about it, or comment to let us know your vote!

3. Comment on the posts! We love to hear your thoughts and feedback! There will be a Cheers, Madame! link up available for week 3 of this series, so start getting ready for that as well!  It's your chance to write a post about London or Paris to let us know which one you prefer and why.

We're so excited about this new series and hope you will all get involved.

Cheers, Madame!  

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Au Revoir, Paris. (Part 5)

Here are the last of my pictures from our Paris visit.

In planning our trip, I consulted the Paris Travel Guide from Aspiring Kennedy for some terrific pointers. 
We included several of her recommendations.
Our favorite was the steak dinner at le "Relais de l'Entrecote" which was just superb!

We also turned the corner one morning to find the the Rue Cler food market that she mentioned.
The perfect place to take pictures.

    
At dinner one night at Le Suffren, I discovered my new favorite dessert.

  
Lemon Sorbet with a chilled shot of vodka.  Makes my lips pucker just thinking about it.
TE had one that was chocolate chip ice cream with a mint liqueur shot.

Speaking of desserts...

We had breakfast each morning at this little patisserie A la Petite Marquise.
They were so friendly and the croissants were perfect.  

Mom was craving an Apple Martini so we popped into Paris London.

Paris is lovely, but certainly not cheap.

Like most big cities there are many who would like to get a hold of your money.

 Some by entertaining or inspiring you. (Others by less enterprising methods.  Be cautious.)

Don't you just love how every city has it's own distinctive flavor?

Paris is romantic and alive... it has a sparkle to it.  

And what a great place to people watch.

There is a certain style to Parisians.  They carry themselves like they are in on a great secret.

But, I don't think I'd want to drive in Paris.  

(I thought the roundabouts in the UK were free-for-all's.)

I'm also learning that as beautiful as any city is, there is a comparably dark side to that city.

We saw many things that didn't fit the mold of the City of Light... the lonely and disconnected, the haughty and judgmental, the predatory and dangerous.

As hard as some of those things are to see,

it's still a very important part of the experience of travel.

Those dark things inspire me to think and consider as much as the beautiful things.

Do you agree?

xoxo

Selena

BTW..

Happy Birthday to my gorgeous Momma!!!!  

I can't wait for your next visit!!!

Les Invalides (Paris part 4)

While in Paris we also made a stop at Les Invalides

to see the French Military Museum and Napoleon's Tomb.  

Louis XIV had it built in the late 1600's as a 

hospital for elderly and injured soldiers.

 

It happened to be free to enter that weekend in honor of European Heritage Days.

We spent several hours in the Musee de l'Armee

which covers French military history through WWII.

We only toured the WWI and WWII area which took a few hours.  

It it a terrific museum, very thorough and interesting with plenty of English translations. 

In 1840, Napoleon was entombed under the dome.

Some of his family members and some other military heroes

are also buried at Les Invalides. 

 

The French Baroque dome is fantastic.  

It takes your breath away when you step into the space.  

This museum visit went much better than the previous day's visit.

No wars at the war museum.

xoxo

Selena

Montmarte (Paris part 3)

When I was sixteen I visited Paris with my dad and brother.  (I can't believe that was thirty years ago!)  I vividly remember visiting Montmarte.  I even had a lovely charcoal sketch done (which I've sadly lost along the way.)  Montmarte is Paris to me.  

Montmarte is the nightclub district and home of the Moulin Rouge.  It was once well known as a bohemian art district and where some of the world's greatest artists worked... Monet, Dali, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Degas.  Sadly, it has lost some of it's charm as the tourists and the scam artists that prey on them have moved in, but it is still a wonderful place to explore, not to mention the views. 

On Saturday morning after a breakfast of coffee and croissants we hopped on the bus and headed up the hill.  We had lunch at a cafe served by a very grumpy proprietor and a very charming waitress.  Then we just strolled around. It was my mom's favorite spot, too.

 

We turned down a back alley and found some interesting street art.  

She was singing traditional French songs with joie de vivre 

and gave me a wink when I dropped some coins in her basket.

Her music was more melancholy and romantic.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Where is your favorite spot in Paris?

xoxo
Selena