Paris goes Punky

Guess what?! More visitors as of late. I recently had the great pleasure of playing hostess/tour guide to a Paris virgin, my dear Punky Brewster. He was here for 2 weeks, one of which was spent gallivanting in Italy (more on that soon). We did get to have some amazing days in Paris at the beginning and end of his trip, however.

Since time was limited, we had a lot of long days, but though they were packed with activities, it was mostly leisure (picnics, strolls, sunbathing, etc.). The days were also filled with wine, but that was really only a new thing for him--I have been here awhile, after all.

It seems as if J arrived with the sunshine, fortunately, considering that Mama Bear was here just before him and she was met with a hailstorm. You never know, here.

With me leading the way, we hit lots of the classic Paris spots: Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Musée Rodin, the Louvre/Tuileries, Montmartre/Sacre Coeur, even Versailles! But we also spent time in tiny side streets of Le Marais and the area of Saint Michel and Odéon (neighborhoods in the shadows of Notre Dame), and some of my regular beloved spots (ahem, sangria bar). Wouldn't have done it any differently.

P.S. Biggest French win at Versailles: while waiting in line for the bag check because you couldn't bring food into the palace, the security woman told me there was no food in our bags (we promptly broke the baguette in half to fully hide it in a purse) and waved us on through. So tempting to break out the picnic in the Hall of Mirrors...livin' like kingz

1st night in Paris! Wine bar, sports bar, sangria bar. GREAT.

Infinite picnics; this one is in the Tuileries, in front of the Louvre

Proud to say our communication was peppered with French by the end, like "confiture" replacing jam. I will never again be able to call a corkscrew anything but a tire-bouchon...

Gates of Hell/Beyonce's Single Ladies, Musée Rodin

FONDUE...

...and wine in baby bottles?

Versailles! Still ridin' high from our victory

Diarra=God, turning water into wine. Or just getting silly

We are dancing baby cherubs

Versailles in the late afternoon sun...

...And Paris at sunset! Jared's last night

Now left with just about 1 month in Paris, I thought that seeing someone from "home" (MI/DC/PA) would make it easier, but it was tough to be alone again in Paris when PB left. I think I got too used to him being around. Conveniently, his departure coincided with the end of exams and a mass movement of exhausted American students deciding to let all their worries fly far far away, and adopting a YOLO PARIS lifestyle (more on that later, too), so I didn't have the occasion to get down in the dumps. Essentially, the picnic rate has skyrocketed, as well as hours spent out languishing in the sunshine (which lasts forever here, because it stays light until like 9:30 PM. It's a beautiful thing).

In fact, yesterday after a picnic in front of the Eiffel, we stopped into Carrefour for a bottle of wine to drink while walking along the Seine, when a Professor from Canada who just finished up a year here offered us the 2 bottles of wine he would not be able to finish before moving out of his place. It was better than anything we would have bought, and such a nice gesture. Long live wine + walks, especially in Paris.