4 - thursday

I am finally home at the end of a very, very long day.  my alarm went off just before 6am and I awoke to the sounds of pouring rain on the balcony and the whoosh of the street sweepers down below.  


to get to the airport we lugged and pushed and elbowed our way through rush-hour metro traffic, onto the commuter rail with our enormous suitcases.  after a quick jaunt through the duty-free shops, we boarded our VERY full flight back to new york.  on our way to paris, we rode on a brand new airbus that was so empty we could lie down across rows of seats.  no such luck today.  we were on a (comparatively speaking) tiny boeing with no air vents that was completely full of families and babies and oversized luggage.  it was not pretty.


anyway.  I snagged a window seat and was glad for it, because I couldn't sleep at all and was so hot that the only relief I could find was pressing my palms against the cold glass as I looked down at the icy north atlantic below us. 

which made me think about t, and all the places in the world he's seen through the same rectangular frame. his job with the air force takes him to places all over the country and the world.  although I'm sure there's some novelty lost to the fact that it's work for him, I imagine how amazing it must still be to see it all from above.  I also got to thinking about this trip and how it stacked up against my last trip to paris, which t was with me for.  I hope for us that we can travel together, not alone from airplane windows or separately because one happens to be deployed halfway around the world. travel is something we both love, and something I look forward to us sharing.


.......and then we landed in new york, after the bumpiest, swerve-iest landing (hey captain, you're driving a big old airplane, can you hold 'er straight on the runway? ok thanks).  frustrating hilarity ensued. it took us an hour to clear baggage and customs.  it took us another half hour to get the shuttle to the private lot where we'd left the car.  and when we got there? another 45 minutes spent jury-rigging the rearview mirror because *somehow* it had become detached from the windshield and *somehow* none of the lot attendants had noticed or knew who or how it happened.  we tried superglue, duct tape, and zip ties to get it to hold in place.  I saved the day with the lace of my trusty mizuno:

  
(if there's any place in the world to get a harsh back-to-reality check, it's queens.  not only is your lovely vacation over, not only is it sleeting here and sunny where you came from, not only is everything taking a hundred years today, but oh, ps, your car is mysteriously broken, so use a shoelace to hold it together while you drive for 3 5 hours in the aforementioned nasty weather.  back to reality indeed.)  

3 - wednesday

I am exhausted and have had WAY too much champagne.  such Wednesdays are few and far between, so I won't apologize...just bear with me for now. 


today we slept in late and then headed out in search of pastry, chocolate, and good shopping.  the bakery that was recommended to us by friends (pain et sucre) was closed, but we persisted in our trek through the Marais to a NYTimes-recommended chocolaterie and on the way, made time for the (free!) Musee Carnevalet.  the museum's current "new" exhibit is of French business signs from the 1700s' when literacy was low -- including the famous Chat Noir sign.  

what a nice way to waste away the afternoon. afterwards, we hunted down the famous chocolaterie:

and then we went to the Moulin Rouge for dinner and a show.

and now, I am pleasantly champagne-drunk and ready for bed.  bonne nuit, mes cheries..a demain!

2 - tuesday

today was a ridiculous day.


we spent the morning on the Eiffel Tower:

(hey t, why you so far away? hmm?)

after the Eiffel Tower, we went to the most ridiculous lunch of all time.  we ate ate Le Cinq, the two-Michelin-star restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel.  our meal was eight courses.  we may never be hungry again -- it was amazing.


tomorrow is our last day: we plan on sleeping late and doing light touristy things midday before the Moulin Rouge at night.  can't wait!

1 - monday

here we are again: day one.


I pulled myself out of bed before dawn to make a very important and bittersweet phone call.  t is off for another deployment, his fourth in 18 months.  we have grown so much together in this time, but somehow it doesn't get any easier to have him gone.  this time will be extra trying - I'm moving in with him at the beginning of the summer, but he won't be there.  we both have a lot of adjusting ahead of us.  


when I'm stressed or have a lot on my mind, running is my favorite way to clear my thoughts.  I'm in Paris this week with my mom, and had the last long run of my Boston Marathon training on the schedule.  twenty miles through the streets of Paris? you don't have to ask me twice.


after t and I said goodbye (for now) on the phone, I laced up my mizunos and headed out.

this was a run that I will never forget.  the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, and flooded the entire city with the most beautiful light. 

highlights include: Jardin des Plantes and the Menagerie (what's up ostriches at 7:30am!), Notre Dame, St Michel, Jardin de Luxembourg, St. Germain, Invalides/Ecole Militaire, la Tour Eiffel, Place Charles de Gaulle/Arc de Triomphe, Parc de Morceau, Madeleine, Place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuilleries, the Louvre, l'Opera, and Place des Vosges. we are staying in Chatelet, so that was my start and end point. 


I joked to my mom after the run that I had seen the whole city, and we could go home now. (I also joked to t that he should go awol on his layover in europe and come join us in Paris. he politely declined. next time.) 


I feel very blessed to be in such a beautiful place to distract myself from the stress of t leaving. maybe I should go on vacation somewhere amazing every time he deploys? ;) just kidding!