I just returned from the BEST vacation of my life!  Let me tell you, it was amazing.  Words can’t describe the time I had but I will try my hardest for you…

I initially had from Tuesday September 12^th – Friday September 15^th to enjoy the city.  Not nearly enough time!  So, I missed my flight on Friday and was able to extend until Tuesday of the following week and I’m so glad I did.  My flight was from Atlanta, to Chicago, Germany and finally France.  Which I enjoyed seeing each and every airport.  Most people would complain of the layovers but to me, it was another learning experience.   They rode bikes in the German airport, how cool is that?  And there were lots of windmills in Germany.  How could I have learned that without my layover?

I arrived in France at around 5pm Tuesday and headed towards the cabs.  Recalling the movie “Taken” I was scared to death of all the cabbies and told one particular shady cab driver “no thanks” after he directed me to an elevator with some other tall, 6’5 character that was smoking a cigar.  I went back out to the cab area and found another guy whom seemed legit and got a ride from the airport to my hotel.

The ride was amazing!!  The interstate, signs, cars, people, everything was so different.  Cars were whizzing by, in between lanes!  Mopeds too!  I’m surprised I didn’t witness someone getting smashed.  They were all very much in a rush to get where they were going.  The cars were all very compact and I don’t recall seeing one pickup truck and just a few SUVs.  It was something else riding down an interstate, with two strangers, not knowing their language or where exactly you are going.  All I knew is that I was in Paris and was about to have the best experience of my life. 

Upon exiting the interstate, the first thing I noticed is that all the buildings are older – no new pop up office buildings or rows of subdivisions.  Everything looked so romantic and original.  My cabbie dropped me off by my hotel and I drug my enormous pink bag towards a tiny sign that read “Hotel Nord.”  I was terrified at this point!  Praying that the front desk lady would understand me, I inquired “do you speak English?”  She laughs and says, “par lay voo Francais?”  I just shook my head, no and giggled back.  She then started to speak in almost perfect English; I believe she had a British accent.  She checked me in, gave me my key and instructed me on where to go.

I get in a TINY elevator, about the width of a medium sized bookcase (I could barely squeeze in this thing with my giant pink bag) and press the button to the top floor.  I take my key and enter.  I’m astonished at this little room.  It is not at all what I expected!  Twin beds pushed together, strange toilet I didn’t know how to flush, even the knobs on the sink were different than in the U.S. but I now had a place to lay my head and shower.  Thank goodness!  I called my mom, a little scared still and explained to her how the room was.  She just laughed and told me to be careful.  I unpack very few things and decide it’s time to go explore!

I knew I had to meet J at the Eiffel Tower at 8 and I left the room around 6ish.  I walked for about 30 minutes and couldn’t see the Eiffel Tower from anywhere so decided to hail a cab.  I had spent 55 of my 80 Euro on my airport ride so I showed the next taxi driver my 15 and he nodded his head and agreed.   On the way he cussed in French, shook his fist at other taxi’s and almost ran down 2 pedestrians.  I thought wow, what a way to begin the first day.  He got me to the Eiffel tower and I bid him farewell! 

My heart skipped a beat when I first beheld that amazing work of architecture.  It was much larger than I had ever imagined it to be and there were so many people gathered under this beautiful creature.  Yes, she had taken a life form of her own!  I felt like I was dreaming as I strolled along under it.  I walked and thought and walked and thought, “am I really here?!”  I felt dizzy so I headed for a nearby bench, feeling something wet splatter on my pants I look down to notice a pigeon had gifted me with his white stain.  Laughing about it I thought, “hmmm… welcome to France Lindsey!”  I sat on the bench and stared for about 15 minutes and then walked the little strip behind the Eiffel Tower to get a broader view of it. 

After returning from my walk, I stole a post at the base of the tower, the front left base.  I sat on a stoop with a Spanish girl awaiting my bah-cooh to come along.  Boy was it good to see him!  A friendly face in a new and strange place.  We immediately headed for the top.  The view was breath taking and I will never forget that moment for as long as I live.  I felt as if I were on top of the World.

I won’t go into this much detail about my entire trip as I would like to keep some of my experiences private but I will tell a few…

Pigalle is a fun area!  All pigs go to Pigalle…
The Louvre is truly gorgeous and the building itself, to me, was the most amazing work of art.  Amongst the Mona Lisa and Venus Di Milo. 
Escargot isn’t half bad!  Neither are frog legs.  Duck pate sucks!  Twizzlers rule! And chocolate monsters.
Notre Dame gave me chills, Sacre Coeur had a prettier view though.
LOVED Versaille, city & the palace
Never, never, never accidentally leave a book bag w/ laptop + $600 camera inside on a bench as you wave goodbye from a train.  You may not have a bah-cooh to get it back for you!
Get fruit and croissants for breakfast.  Best strawberries I’ve ever tasted!
Mont Marte is one of the best sections, in my opinion
Bring warm, stylish clothes!!!
The metro (subway system) will start to suck after a week but it is nice to have & cheap
Stay at least a week, if not longer.  It would be a shame to have to cancel a flight and stay longer

And I’ll never forget Evelyn from Maine.  I met her in Washington and she had a heart of gold.  She had just returned from a 6 week vacation in Germany, her husband had passed away 5 years ago and she was 80 years old.  What an inspiration!!  She didn’t complain about her journey a bit, she was just eager to have someone to listen to her story.  Her best piece of advice was LIVE, cause you only get to do it once.  And I did.

I present to you, Paris!

Versaille Palace - The hall of mirrors

Me at the entrance to the Louvre

Drunken Serb that sketched my portrait - whilst enjoying wine

Our frog legs & wine

Bar hopping, France style!

The window panes told the stories of the bible

At Cafe Richards enjoying a fine cup of coffee and listenting to music

The beauty by day...

And in the blink of an eye *POOF* She was gone...

Hello World, guess what? I am going to Paris, France! Yes, I know its crazy isn’t it? I bought my ticket last week for a week in the gorgeous city and I can’t wait to explore and engulf myself in the French culture. In my clutch of excitement, I’ve been reading tourists books on things to do, see and eat. Language books and even studying a map of the city to familiarize myself with it beforehand. This is going to be the biggest vacation of my life thus far and I can’t even explain with words how excited I am! I have some major layovers and it’s gonna be almost 24 hours travel time but I got a great deal on my package, just $940 flight + hotel on Expedia.com Most flights are that price so if you’re looking for good deals, try them. Also it helps that all of my travel days will be on a weekday.

Some of my friends have been joking with me about going solo (maybe meeting up with someone while I’m there) and telling me that I’m gonna end up like the girl in “Taken.” I’m hoping the cut-off age for sexual enslavement is 16 but you never know. I’m an old woman compared to their standards… and if I am “taken,” send Bill Clinton. If he can get two girls outta North Korea he should have no problem saving me. It’s gonna be so much fun!! My plane goes to Chicago, Germany then to France. I wish I had enough time on my layovers to go out and enjoy Chicago & Germany a lil’ bit but I will just have to save those for another vaca. I was telling J yesterday, I’ve already started thinking about the next city/Country I’d like to visit.

This World isn’t as big as some people claim it to be, I’m gonna see it all! I will definitely be bringing back lots of gorgeous pictures of this notorious romance city. And the Louvre! Oh my God, Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa and the Monet museum. This city is rich in history and art. I may just end up moving there. Alright, I GUESS I should get back to work… blah! Have a terrific day everyone, I’ll be blissfully daydreaming about my upcoming trip.

p.s. I finished reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and it was a magnificent book! I can see why it’s gone down in history as a classic piece of literature. I felt like I knew Anna and eerily enough, our lives have been somewhat similar. If you truly appreciate a brilliantly, sophisticated book, read it.

Au Revoir!

The many stories behind “Kilroy was here”

I had a blast last night at the Coldplay concert… they put on a GREAT show!  It was cold and rainy but I think the bad weather made it even that much more fun.  After about 3 $11 beers the weather was no problem at all.  They played at Lakewood and even moved out to the lawn where we were for a small portion of the concert which was great because we were able to get really close (you could see Chris Martin’s sweat.)  They played the cover “I’m a Believer” which was probably more of hit with the crowd than their own songs.  I blasted the lyrics drunkenly bouncing in the rain on a sloped hill and I’m paying for it today with sore calves and a scratchy throat.  We were even able to recover a water bottle we were forced to leave at the entry gates on the way in.

Marta was exciting as usual, lots of odd people to stare at and routes to get lost on.  And bladder usage was in overhaul. 

What a fun time!

**Courtesy of Coldplay, click the below link to download a few tracks from their album Left Right Left Right Left**
http://lrlrl.coldplay.com/leftright.html

Glass of Water
42
Clocks
Strawberry Swing
The Hardest Part_Postcards From
Viva La Vida
Death Will Never Conquer
Fix You
Death and All His Friends

I jotted down a little spring time poem this morning…

Hello Ms. Blue Jay

My!  What pretty wings

But they momentously lack in compare

To the way you chirp and sing

The highest pitch, you carry with such pride

Expressing your love of just being outside

You’re brightly colored and flying free

Please won’t you sing your song for me?

The one with the ever changing melody?

Thank you for the song, it sure was nice

Custom made for me, never to be heard twice

Goodbye Ms. Blue Jay, I enjoyed your pretty song

You’re a very busy girl now, so hurry on along

Your gift is too precious to be beheld by just one

Open your wings and fly little bird

Fly into the sun!

While driving through downtown Atlanta, you can’t help but notice the huge yellow and blue tents constructed right by Atlantic Station.  It’s the Cirque Du Soleil show “Kooza.”   http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/kooza/intro/intro.htm
 A magnificent performance of acrobatics fused with art and music.  I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation at work that there were not only one, but two Cirque Du Soleil shows in Atlanta; at the same time!  I thought this very bizarre as they would be competing against themselves.

After further research online, J and I came to the conclusion that this other show we’ll humorously title “Peu de Cirque” is nothing but a phony; an imposter!  Some highly intelligent individual out of the sunny state of FL decided it would be ok to start a circus that mimics Cirque Du Soleil.  But why just stop there?  How about borrowing the main part of their name, “Cirque.”  Cirque Du Soleil tried to sue for the use of their name but nothing came of it as the courts ruled “Cirque” was just the French pronunciation for “Circus” and that anyone could use it.  It goes to show that if you start something that is a success, many individuals will try their hardest to ride your coat tails. 

I hope that everyone will visit the Kooza show as it is the real deal and not the generic version.  It may cost a few extra bucks but I’m sure it will be more than worth it.  I can’t wait to see it!!!

Looking for a “different” Christmas getaway?  Well I have just the place for you!  Sweden’s very own Ice Hotel is making a grandeur appearance with beautiful sculptures, restaurants, bars and even a bed made of solid ice.  The magical suites are unlike any other.  Colored lights warmly glow through the crystal walls and dinner is served to you on nothing more than an ice plate.  You have a choice to stay in the “warm suites or the “ice suites.”  With my sense of adventure, there’s no question as to where I would be.  But it’s nice to know that if you get sick of the cold, there’s warm lodging nearby. 

Take a peek at this place:
http://www.icehotel.com

I had a perfect weekend!  Friday night I visited the Westin’s Sundial rotating bar and restaurant, had a nice cabernet while gazing at Atlanta’s twinkling lights from below.  Saturday night we went to Atlantic Station to check out Dialogue in the Dark, an exhibition that simulates blindness.  It was MAGNIFICENT!  You go into a room w/ small group and they give you the poles visually impaired individuals use.  Then you sit on a lit cube for a few minutes before the room goes pitch black.  You cannot even see your hand in front of your face. 

A guide enters the room, explains a few rules and tells you to follow her voice at which point you enter a HUGE area that replicates a park.  You are running into bushes, trees, fences, mailboxes, people, rocks… anything you would find in a park/yard.  I managed to get stuck in between a fence and brick wall.  The guide called for us to go to the next room, so with my dress on; I had to hop the fence to catch up with my group.  Whomever operated the infrared cameras had a nice view that night!

After that experience you get to visit a grocery store, dock with a boat ride, a street and then a bar where you can purchase drinks, all in total darkness.  Be prepared for groping, stalkers, laughing, bruises and an overall fun time.  I wouldn’t mind going again. 

The best part of the entire experience was speaking with the tour guide after it was over.  We learned that she was actually blind (we thought she had infrared vision the entire time) and that all of their guides were visually impaired.  How awesome is that?  She said “this is my world all the time.”  That just gave me goosebumps.  What a brave individual.  But if you think about it, it’s not so bad.  Her other senses are so much more heightened than a person that can see.  She can experience so much more with her hearing, touch, taste and smell.

Please visit their website: http://www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com/?page_id=82

Happy early Thanksgiving everyone!

Halloween night was spectacular!  A friend and I visited the Center for Puppetry Arts ( http://www.puppet.org/ )and we saw a piece titled “Ghastly Dreadfuls.”  We had the best seats in the house, front row!  We ended up being a few minutes late but it was fine because we had a brief discussion with one of the employees and got to sneak in through the back, with our red wine in hand.     I’m SO glad I finally got to go.  I have always wanted to but thought that it would better suited for families with children.  However, the show we saw was for adults only.  The backdrop and scenery was amazing and I loved the way they incorporated musicians/instruments, live performers and puppets.

There were several scary stories told from around the World.  One of my favorites was this particular tale where a lady went shopping for a new dress to impress this guy she was into.  A woman dressed in a cabaret type outfit, perched on a stool told the story on a scrolling picture device.  She cranked a wheel and the next scene would appear.   And at the end…well let’s just say the man to impress did not have such a happy ending.  It was perfect.  I would recommend this to anyone seeking a different Halloween experience. 

Hope everyone had a dreadful weekend!  Talk to you soon.

Lindsey

Last night a friend of mine took me to visit Netherworld off of Jimmy Carter.  I had an amazing time!  There were actors dressed up in terrifying costumes; these particular characters wore metal knee and elbow pads so when they ran and fell to their knees, sparks would shoot up in the air lighting the darkness up with red embers.  We laughed as they chased unsuspecting victims throughout the parking lot.  There was a smoke machine that blew perfect rings of smoke really far into the parking lot, the special effects inside the haunted house were spectacular.  There was your typical chain saw mad man (gets me every time!) monsters galore, a bus that you think is going to smash into you and actors at every corner to take your breathe away.  I don’t wanna give away too much…you just have to go and see for yourself.

There’s no question, this is the best haunted house I’ve ever been to!  The price is a little steep so make sure to grab some coupons from people in the parking lot.  I can’t even fathom all of the time and effort that was put into erecting this project.  The creators must really possess a brilliant imagination to come up with all of the special effects, characters, costumes and props.

Halloween is great isn’t it?  Check out their website if you’re interested in visiting…
http://www.fearworld.com/