Having spent the day getting myself from Bordeaux to Paris, arriving here in time to enjoy a walk from Montparnasse hotel 6 kilometres across Paris on a sunny Sunday afternoon, working my Rimowa through the crowds, impatience nearly impossible in the sheer joy of being here, such privilege, such luxury.
Although the luxury does not extend to my hotel room. I’ll tell you a bit more later, and I’ll quickly assure you that it’s a very pleasant, charmingly decorated 3-star hotel in a great location (close enough to centre but on a street not much traveled by tourists. The room is, as expected for the price, very small, but I hadn’t bargained on not having a window to the outside. No matter. We’re only here two days, and we won’t be spending much time inside. . .
Yes, We! My guy is enroute as I write this, although I have one more solo evening before he arrives in a few hours. I’m just going to find something easy in the neighbourhood — steak frites, perhaps, with a glass of red, at a terrace table with my book.
But I thought you might like to know that your responses to Georgia’s and Duchesse’s comments on this post inspired me to buy a ticket to a concert in Bordeaux where there are always sterling offerings at either the Grand Theâtre or the Auditorium de Bordeaux. This one — which inspired me to add a page to my Illustrated Travel Journal — was in the latter, and although it was dark, of course, when it ended at 9:15 or so, I walked home quite comfortably. It’s only 1.5 kilometres, so a taxi would have felt silly, and honestly, I felt completely safe.
So thanks for the inspiration. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving back home, although many of us feast on Sunday instead, leaving Monday free for lounging and enjoying the leftovers before heading back to work Tuesday morning. Whichever day you feast, my Canadian Thanks-givers, Enjoy and Be Grateful! Pater and I will be Thankfully, Gratefully soaking up Paris together! And I’m continually grateful for your company, encouragement, and — as with the notion of getting myself out to a concert in the evening when travelling solo — inspiration. Thank you!
Enjoy your couple of days in Paris. Great that you trained up from Bordeaux. Have you wandered round Ile de la cîte and Ile st Louis. Some of my favourite areas and usually lots of great intimate restaurants. B x
My sister and I stayed on the Ile St Louis for a week last year and I loved it, although the week we were there it was a bit too busy. Wonderful old buildings. . . And 25 years ago we stayed in the fabulous old Hotel Henri IV, very budget and very special, right on the Ile de la Cité on a magically quiet little square. Refurbished now and considerably more costly!!
Lovely sketches 🙂
And brava for you being brave!
So glad that from tomorrow you'll have a perfect company
Dottoressa
Thanks D! ❤️
What a lovely weekend you must be having. We stayed in Montparnasse once with the children and it was the perfect place. We too stayed in a tiny hotel but, like you, we were out all the time anyway. Steak frites and red wine. Even though I no longer eat meat or drink wine, that sounds just the ticket. Le billet exact, peut-etre.
I've never stayed in Montparnasse but we've spent a fair bit of time here over the years, and I really like the neighbourhood (and no matter what one thinks of the tower, it becomes a useful landmark). Steak frites, done! Red wine, done! (and maybe some confit de canard and some rosé while we're at it 😉
Enjoy Paris! (Although I must admit I shudder to think of the windowless hotel room!) We are doing the turkey thing tomorrow as one of the girlfriends had to work today. However, this evening we have my husband's brother and some of his family staying over and we'll be having roast beef – hubby just did the Yorkshire puddings in advance, per advice from Mary Berry. Hopefully they will still be puffed up when we come to eat them!
You are so well acquainted with Paris, I'm sure that you will have a wonderful couple of days there.
I saw that Hostess was doing her yorkshires ahead of time as well — I'd never have thought that worked, but I guess they must. We've somehow always managed oven space for them at the time, but sometimes made the batter ahead.
It's lovely, it's true, to know the city well enough that we can just enjoy it, no pressure to see anything in particular. Thanks — and Happy Thanksgiving!
Your journal is charming! I love the combination of glued bits and handwriting and drawing. You seem to have found an enjoyable pace–some comfort, some stretch–for solo travel. Not an easy balance, at least for me. (And I imagine you'll be doubly appreciative of Pater when he arrives.)
Thanks, Elle! The cutting and pasting is a new thing I decided to try — my friend suggested this in the Illustrated Journal class I took from her a few years ago, and it was fun to play with glue stick and scissors. Part of the pacing you're talking about, really.
As Elle says, your journal is charming. I love those drawings of the instruments, and the labels, and the writing. Enjoy your company – but I hope you have also come to love solo travel in its own way. Whether you ever do it again, at least you never have to worry that you aren't capable of it.
Thanks Lisa. I find it easy to get discouraged with my sketches, but I thought I'd just play with simple enough elements and I learned that you can do a lot with the power of suggestion — those curves, the "fiddlehead snails," the light and dark brown.
And you're spot on about the value of solo travel on its own. I'm so happy Paul's here with me now, but I'm tucking away some thinking about having been on my own.
Walking across Paris among the Sunday crowds. Nice. And brava for the concert-going…
Precisely. Thanks. You pictured me back to myself, and I like it — you get it! 😉
the journal looks fun and what a wonderful record of your adventure. have fun with your accompanied travel journey and bravo for the solo part of it!
Belated Happy Thanksgiving to you both. How lovely to spend it together in Paris.
As others have mentioned, your journal really is charming, thanks for sharing. It will be lovely to look back on.
Hope you continue to have fun on your travels and the weather remains bright and sunny!! Much colder here this morning and about midday before the sun appeared!
Rosie
Thanks, Rosie!
Well done with the solo concert expedition! Walk with purpose and confidence at night.
Your journal looks publishable – honestly. A creative mélange of script, découpage and watercolour. I would buy it!
That's exactly what I do, Linda, consciously, and it's easy enough to do here where I feel that confidence.
What a nice thing to say about my journal — photographing the pages takes some of the roughness out of the image, I must say. . . 😉
Your grandchildren will treasure the journal when they're your age !
I like to think so, S&S
I always love it when you share your illustrated journal. A travel treasure!
Thanks for saying that, Lorrie. Never quite sure about it. . .
I am really enjoying reading this journal which feels like the LP version of your 45s on Instagram 🙂 On something of a catch up in my own blogging & blogs I follow so hope this comment reaches you M ( marob23 on IG)
Oh, I really like this analogy! Thanks!