The City of Light
About three years ago, Bob and I took our honeymoon to France. We planned the trip for months, did tons of research and reading, and were thrilled we had saved enough to make it happen. We were able to get advice from friends and family who had been there, and were beside ourselves when the trip began in late August.
We flew to Paris, and immediately took a train out to Beaune, part of the Burgundian wine country. We'd heard that it was lovely, low pressure, and a great place to really relax. We found it to be entirely true. We reveled in the food, local, inexpensive wines, and the markets. We ate all kinds of delicacies and loved chatting with the locals. Our first morning there, Bob ran out to get breakfast. What he came back with is forever emblazoned in my memory. The chocolate crossaints from a local bakery were paired with the most decadant hot chocolate, made in the hotel in which we were staying. I felt like a princess.
We strolled the market one day, tasting cheeses, olives, and the local breads. We loved the smells and noise. We found a cafe and sat for a few hours. We bought bottles of inexpensive wine and drank them. Another day, we rented bicycles and toured the local towns and their wineries. We enjoyed lunch at a restaurant where no one spoke english. It was emersion at its finest for us.
After a few days, we grabbed a train to Paris. We stayed on the Left Bank, in a lovely inn not far from the Rodin Garden. We arrived on a Sunday, and visited Napoleon's tomb and the gardens. The neighborhood in which we stayed had a fabulous bakery and cheese shop, and we ate there daily. The photos of those places still hang on the wall in my kitchen as a reminder of how just a few dollars can take you to another world. We saw everything we could in our 6 days in Paris and by the time we left, we knew the subways intimately. To this day, there is nothing like a kiss on the Eiffel Tower.
On our last night in Paris, we'd had enough of fancy food. We sat on the banks of the Seine, drank a bottle of wine, and got crepes from a local vendor. We returned to our hotel with just enough time to take a nap, pack, and get to the airport.
The trip was like a dream. One night, sitting on the Trocadero, watching the lights twinkling on the Eiffel and drinking our wine (with the corkscrew I had in my backpack the entire trip for an emergency), we made a promise. We promised each other that when life got tough, complicated, and messy, that we'd remember that there was a night in Paris that we had shared a bottle of wine, enjoyed the view and the company of each other....and that was all we needed.
I've returned to that night many times over the past several years. In fact, earlier this year, I put together a photo book of our honeymoon for us to enjoy....and it was a great reminder of that night. Simple things and a little bit of romance can heal and ground a busy life.
The events in Paris over the past week have broken our hearts. We consider France sacred since it is our haven, a place of hope, love and memory and part of our story. We are beyond saddened for the people of Paris-a community that is based upon loving the lovely things in life, enjoying them, and sharing them. It seems almost like blasphemy to hurt a place so perfect and full of energy.
However, the Paris I know is full of life. The people know who they are. They are strong and passionate. They will come out of this a better community.
I talk about Paris all the time to my kids. There are pictures of our special honeymoon all over the house. Ciera has a nightgown with the Eiffel Tower on it, and it makes me smile each day she wears it. These days, the kids pray nightly for the people of Paris. The kids know how special the city of light is to us, and Ciera talks about owning her own bakery there. Isaiah will be her helper.
I pray that's the world we'll be living in, when my kids are grown and I am gray. A world that enjoys the wonderful tastes and smells. A world that shares cultures and appreciates each other. A world where my kids can move across the globe and be safe, and I can visit their bakery. That's my prayer.
We flew to Paris, and immediately took a train out to Beaune, part of the Burgundian wine country. We'd heard that it was lovely, low pressure, and a great place to really relax. We found it to be entirely true. We reveled in the food, local, inexpensive wines, and the markets. We ate all kinds of delicacies and loved chatting with the locals. Our first morning there, Bob ran out to get breakfast. What he came back with is forever emblazoned in my memory. The chocolate crossaints from a local bakery were paired with the most decadant hot chocolate, made in the hotel in which we were staying. I felt like a princess.
We strolled the market one day, tasting cheeses, olives, and the local breads. We loved the smells and noise. We found a cafe and sat for a few hours. We bought bottles of inexpensive wine and drank them. Another day, we rented bicycles and toured the local towns and their wineries. We enjoyed lunch at a restaurant where no one spoke english. It was emersion at its finest for us.
After a few days, we grabbed a train to Paris. We stayed on the Left Bank, in a lovely inn not far from the Rodin Garden. We arrived on a Sunday, and visited Napoleon's tomb and the gardens. The neighborhood in which we stayed had a fabulous bakery and cheese shop, and we ate there daily. The photos of those places still hang on the wall in my kitchen as a reminder of how just a few dollars can take you to another world. We saw everything we could in our 6 days in Paris and by the time we left, we knew the subways intimately. To this day, there is nothing like a kiss on the Eiffel Tower.
On our last night in Paris, we'd had enough of fancy food. We sat on the banks of the Seine, drank a bottle of wine, and got crepes from a local vendor. We returned to our hotel with just enough time to take a nap, pack, and get to the airport.
The trip was like a dream. One night, sitting on the Trocadero, watching the lights twinkling on the Eiffel and drinking our wine (with the corkscrew I had in my backpack the entire trip for an emergency), we made a promise. We promised each other that when life got tough, complicated, and messy, that we'd remember that there was a night in Paris that we had shared a bottle of wine, enjoyed the view and the company of each other....and that was all we needed.
I've returned to that night many times over the past several years. In fact, earlier this year, I put together a photo book of our honeymoon for us to enjoy....and it was a great reminder of that night. Simple things and a little bit of romance can heal and ground a busy life.
The events in Paris over the past week have broken our hearts. We consider France sacred since it is our haven, a place of hope, love and memory and part of our story. We are beyond saddened for the people of Paris-a community that is based upon loving the lovely things in life, enjoying them, and sharing them. It seems almost like blasphemy to hurt a place so perfect and full of energy.
However, the Paris I know is full of life. The people know who they are. They are strong and passionate. They will come out of this a better community.
I talk about Paris all the time to my kids. There are pictures of our special honeymoon all over the house. Ciera has a nightgown with the Eiffel Tower on it, and it makes me smile each day she wears it. These days, the kids pray nightly for the people of Paris. The kids know how special the city of light is to us, and Ciera talks about owning her own bakery there. Isaiah will be her helper.
I pray that's the world we'll be living in, when my kids are grown and I am gray. A world that enjoys the wonderful tastes and smells. A world that shares cultures and appreciates each other. A world where my kids can move across the globe and be safe, and I can visit their bakery. That's my prayer.
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