For the first time on our trip we have some down time so I thought I would take the opportunity to write with a little more detail than usual. Firstly, we are in Venice and it's great! But more on that later.
Our trip to Paris was not what we expected but so much more. Upon our arrival, our hosts-- Mathilde and Xavier, had prepared homemade quiche for dinner. We stayed up late talking about our travels, how they like living in Paris and many other things. We also quickly became chummy with their two cats, Hubert and Felix, who were sweet as can be and very cunning :) The next morning, we awoke to orange juice, tea, fresh baguettes and chocolate croissants they had picked up from the local bakery. WOW. It turns out we rather enjoy French food after all! Monday was our day planned for Versailles but we found out late the night before it would be closed so our plans quickly changed. Mathilde helped us plan out the entire day and sent us packing with more croissants (which didn't last long.) So Monday turned out to include the Pere Lechaise (grave of Jim Morrison), the Paris Opera, Invalides (where Napoleon is buried) and back to the Arc de Triumph where this time we climbed the stairs to the top and watched the sun set over Paris. We returned to the beautiful apartment on Rue Haxo and had our last dinner in Paris at an amazing Indian restaurant with our hosts. For those of you who know how picky of an eater Steve is, this may be shocking!
Remember earlier when I told you about Versailles being closed? When that was discovered we had decided that we simply would not have time to visit the palace on this trip. However, once again Xavier and Matilde saved the day. Xavier works by Versailles and he drove us there first thing in the morning, picked us up a few hours later and drove us to the airport to catch our flight to Venice. Versailles was exactly what it was built to be---decadent, lavish and reminiscent of a completely different time in French history.
In review, Paris was wonderful. It is a city unlike any other and we learned quickly that if you make an effort to speak the language, as horrible as you think it may be coming out of your mouth with all the wrong pronunciations, Parisians are gracious and more than willing to help. While seeing the sights was very memorable, our favorite memories of Paris will always be the kindness, generosity and new friendship of Mathilde and Xavier (Felix and Hubert too!) I think I forgot to mention this...Steve and I ate an exorbitant amount of nutella/banana crepes and tomato mozzarella paninis. Cheap and delicious.
Last night we arrived in Venice after our flight was delayed by about two hours. We are staying in a cozy B&B, not one minute from the Grand Canal. After we checked in last night and got a bite to eat we were locked out...still getting used to the old time doors here :) The inn owner came to let us in with a smile saying it happens all the time! As I'm writing this, it is raining quite hard but our window is open and the church bells are ringing. I believe Venice will hold its own special place in our hearts very soon!
We do have wifi here so we will write when we can :)
Ciao for now!
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