Jet Blog
Posted: March 16, 2014 Filed under: Diet- comedy | Tags: eating, Paris Leave a comment
Rather than write my blog I lazed away the eight hour flight from Paris to JFK watching movies, needle pointing and eating the business class fare that is much too decedent. I whiled away my flight from NY to RDU needlepointing as if I did not have a care in the world. Vacation had definitely gotten hold of me. I looked at my swollen ankles and realized how quickly rich living catches up with me.
The first few days I was away I was fairly good about living a disciplined life, then tea happened. Then that thing on vacation where you discuss the next meal while you are eating the first started happening, then came Paris. Macaroons seemed to have taken over the city. I have tried to make them at home and failed epically so I have a great appreciation for the patisserie that can bake them with such success, therefore I had to have one almost everyday.
I did walk and walk, but since I already do that at home the walking was not negating the eating that was happening. I used French bread to sop up the leek sauce in my escargot. Hey, I can’t do that at home, thank god. I ate chocolate mouse, but it was a shared portion, no excuse. I even spread that perfect French butter on bread. Sacra Bleu!
Tomorrow I will pay the piper and probably break down crying when I get on the scale. I know that my body is ready for vacation eating to be over because I just ran over to the Harris Teeter in my jet lagged state and I only bought five different kinds of fruit and skim milk.
Goodbye to the good life. One week a year is enough. Hello to reality, treadmill, salad eating. I purposely kept my regular trainer appointment for first thing tomorrow morning. I wonder if I have to get out my fat yoga pants?
No Driving in Paris
Posted: March 15, 2014 Filed under: Diet- comedy | Tags: Paris, parking, walking 1 Comment
Parking is tough in Paris so you better be able to walk. For the last few days the Metro has been free because the pollution has been so bad, especially from cars, that the government was doing all it could to encourage people to use public transport. Considering that there are more tourists than anyone else we are all already walking or taking the metro unless you are infirm in anyway.
Paris has been great for getting more than my 20,000 steps in a day. Even yesterday when we spent three hours riding on Segways rather than walking I still got my steps. One thing that helped was our night visit to the Eiffel Tower. First the train we were on to get there stopped two stations before our stop and the train driver told us he was going off work and we needed to take another train. Rather than wait we decided to walk the 2 and a half kilometers to the tower.
That small hiccup made us a little late so we joined the long line to buy tickets and only made it to the second level. Considering the smog and the night It was high enough for us. Carter discovered she did not love heights as we descended the 669 stairs rather than wait in line for the elevator. I did not mind the stairs, just the giant lights shining in our faces every few levels that made finding the step difficult. Carter wanted to kiss the ground when we finally got down.
Today Russ and I cross crossed the city from one antique market to the Pantheon and back to the antique market when I decided that a vintage Hermes Scarf was too good a deal to give up. I think we crossed the Seine at least 14 times just today. I had my steps by 4:00 in the afternoon and we still have to walk across the river again for dinner.
Clearly Paris is a walking city because most of the time that is the only way to get anywhere. But heaven forbid if you are handicapped. The narrow sidewalks, steps and cobblestoned areas make walking treacherous. I have no idea how French women walk in high heels in this city. I am thankful for my sensible shoes, but I am sick of wearing them.
Now I have the adventure of trying to pack all my goodies in my roll aboard suit case I was determined to bring. It is a good thing I did not bring a bigger suitcase because I might have bought more if I did. So it’s au revoir to Pais early in the morning and back home to driving and clean air and being able to pull up to the grocery store and park. I love Paris, but am glad the living is easy back in North Carolina.
Teenage Travel Success
Posted: March 14, 2014 Filed under: Diet- comedy | Tags: Paris, Segways Leave a commentAt last Russ and I stumbled upon the secret to traveling with a teenager — taking a Segway tour! All the walking around and looking at boring art and architecture does not make a teen happy, but put her on a Segway with a cool Brit tour guide and suddenly all the history, the folk lore, the buildings become much more interesting. Even the suggestion of taking a Segway tour elicited voluntary early rising from said teen.
The second winning strategy was letting her plan and execute her own afternoon of touring. She did this with skill, visiting the Louvre for free since she is under 18. Thank goodness I did not have to spend one Euro to traipse through the endless sea of Madonna and Child Renaissance oils which all begin to run together for me. I hate to ruin my Musse d’Orsay art high with the Louvre.
Carter visited parks and bridges taking photos all along the way. She ended up walking almost everywhere without complaint because her parents were not with her to complain to. Although I had given her three metro tickets so she could roam and return easily she only ended up taking one train because she discovered walking was easier. Huh, I wonder if I can remind her of that later?
I have no idea if she spent any of the money I gave her and can’t ask now that she is napping before dinner and a night visit to the eiffel tower. She has not volunteered to give me my 50 euros back, but since we still have another day I’m sure she is thinking she might need them so no reason to return money to a mother.
Russ and I walked and shopped and drank in cafés like people who don’t work for a living do. My reward to him is that I am not complaining about his spending one hour on a conference call before we go to dinner. How can I complain when I know that it is thanks to his working that Carter and I get to go on fun trips and drive Segways, eat French food and sit in cafés.
Less Dana, More Good 