Paris and Bruges:
Jean and Brenda
After a surprisingly pleasant 9 hour train ride, or rather, multiple train rides, we finally arrived in Paris, and were picked up by Charlotte! After quick hellos, we were whisked off to the Vergara home where we would be spending the next week, or so. 🙂 I had never met Jean or Brenda, so after introductions and a quick change, we were off to celebrate Charlotte’s birthday dinner with her mom and friends! We arrived and were introduced to her friends and the host’s sweet baby. Now the French, like many other places, greet with a kiss on each cheek. They are trying to teach this little guy to greet with “bisous” on the cheek, but he likes to go straight for the kisser! Hehehe. Very cute.
Charlotte’s friends. Thanks for the great dinner.
The birthday dinner was such a treat. Charlotte’s friends are so nice and welcoming. They all tried to speak English for our sake, or at least translate what was being said, which we appreciated very much. At one point during dinner, the host asked us what people in America think about the French. Hmmmm…now this felt like a loaded question. First, I clarified that I had never been to France before, and this is therefore truly what I have heard, not experienced. I said that people tend to specifically mention “Parisians” rather than all French people.
Happy birthday!!!
Somewhat reluctantly, I said that I have heard that Parisienne’s tend to be unfriendly, a bit rude, and generally not warm and welcoming. They all stared at me for a moment, and in unison said, “Yep! That’s about right!” They claimed that even as Parisiennes themselves, they find other Parisiennes to be this way. I was kind of surprised by this. Although, I have to say, having now been to Paris and experiencing Parisiennes from train conductors, to wait staff, to vendors, and even strangers on the street, we did not meet a single person who fit this stereotype. Everyone was very friendly, and in some cases, went above and beyond in their helpfulness. Oh, and I have to mention, for Charlotte’s birthday cake, they had a crepe cake…now how awesome is that!
Palace of Versailles
The following day was a public holiday, so Charlotte picked us up and took us to Versailles. We spent the morning wandering through the palace and the gardens. This was a definite bucket list check. Charlotte had been there several times already, so she patiently waited for us to have our fill and pointed out details that we may have otherwise missed. I was surprised at the size of Versailles. For some reason, I thought it would be bigger. The grounds however, were quite extensive. By the time we finally made it out of the palace, we were all a little tired.
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Palace of Versailles
We took a short stroll through the king’s garden and made our way to lunch! Crepes, crepes, and more crepes! Delicious!!! We all had a savory crepe for lunch, and for dessert, Javier and I split a sinfully good nutella, banana, and ice cream crepe, which continues to haunt us to this day. After Versailles, Charlotte had to leave for Bordeaux that evening, so she dropped us off at home, where we ate a delicious dinner and spent the evening with Jean and Brenda.
Postcard.
Due to time constraints and an expiring rail pass, we decided to keep our Belgium visit short and sweet. We left our big backpacks in Paris, and took only our small ones for a quick two-day trip. We purchased these tickets at the station before heading into Paris for the day. The guy that helped us said that it would be better to buy our return ticket in Belgium, and we, like suckers, believed him. The day in Paris was gorgeous, and we climbed the Eiffel Tower. While we were taking pictures, this guy, about the same age as us, walks up and offers to take a picture for us, and makes a comment about knowing how to use Javier’s camera. Turns out he has the same one.
From the Eiffel Tower
The guys start talking about their cameras and I start talking to his wife. As it turns out, the guy, Steve, is from the Torrance/Redondo Beach area, and both he and his wife, Caroline, went to Long Beach State. Small world, huh? It also turns out that they had been traveling for about 7 months by that point. We stayed up on the Eiffel Tower until it became dark, and decided to make our way down and grab a drink. As we were walking away, the light show started, so we stopped to enjoy. They asked us if we already had pictures with the tower at night. We said we didn’t and they sprang into action.
How romantic. @JandJworld#love
Apparently, they had been walking by the tower the previous night and came upon an asian group who were snapping pictures of each other, but they had this whole production set up. Steve and Caroline joined them, and soon they had these great pictures with the tower at night. So they showed us their tricks. While Caroline stood with two phone lights shining on us, Steve snapped pictures. We were amazed by the results. Leave it to the asians! The four of us found a little table where we ordered a couple of drinks and shared stories about our travel adventures. It was hilarious how much we had in common. It turns out Steve and Javier and very similar, while Caroline and myself are also quite similar. We shared our frustrations about traveling, but mostly we laughed, both at each other’s stories, but mostly at how similar our experiences were. There have been many times during our travel, where we wonder if certain behaviors are normal or not, and there’s really no barometer. How many people have spent 24 hours a day, every single day, for several months, with their partner? We spend every single moment of every single day together. Our only alone time is in the bathroom, and even then you’re not guaranteed solace. 🙂 There’s no work to escape to, no friends to call and hang out with, it’s just us, and sometimes you wonder…is our behavior normal? Well, unless Steve and Caroline are equally abnormal, I’m thinking we’re okay.
To see more pictures of Paris and Versailles, click HERE.