Paris, and a small dissertation on dissatisfaction

I'm going to start with Paris, because maybe by the time I'm done I'll be (mercifully for you) too tired to expound on the second point. We live and hope.

PARIS! I went there, I saw things, I visited friends. It was chilly, it was snooty, it was delightful. You would think that going to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Pompidou would be on my list of tasks, but oddly enough (and I know you'll all be surprised to hear this) I really just wanted to eat my favorite foods! I didn't feel like wading through tourists most of the time, so my trip consisted of walks, and walks, and long long walks. I went to Versailles as well (combining wading through tourists and long walks, whew!). Here are some pictures:

A Medici fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens. It's always shadowy and melancholy, in spring time or winter, but especially in the fall when all the leaves are falling in it. Also, there are ducks.

So, everyone knows what this picture is, right? Oh, you don't? Pshaw, guess you have to be a Parisienne...nah, just kidding. This picture (which my friend Jon helpfully pointed out would not turn out right) was taken from a cafe at the base of a staircase going up to Sacre Coeur. They have a large terrace with whimsically colorful tables and chairs, and the trees are strung with light bulbs. Even when it's a little chilly outside, it's pretty magical at sundown. This picture does not capture the magic, but you forgive me, right?

This is a view of the Petit Trianon, a little palace that was built for Madame de Pompadour and later given to Marie-Antoinette. It's a nice little house, but it's not the reason I love this area. Marie-Antoinette had a little village built next to the palace so she could play shepherdess. Now a lot of people ridicule good old M-A for being "crazy" or "irresponsible" but I feel a little differently. As we were walking into the village an older French woman was describing Marie-Antoinette to her grand-daughter, "imagine she was far from home, only 16 years old, she didn't have any friends or family around, she didn't know what to do or how to run a country." I have some sympathy for a young, innocent girl in a foreign country far from her friends and family, speaking in a foreign language, expected to handle more responsibility than she ever had before with almost no training. I visit her garden feeling a little like she did: escape! It's comforting to be surrounded by trees and fields and no people. And, you know, to have a box of pastries too. Comforting.

Which brings us to this picture:

If you walk off the beaten path into the long grasses at the far corners of the estate, you can pretend that you're all alone in a field of wildflowers. (All alone except for the person taking your picture, obviously :-) )

That's about it, I didn't take many photos from my trip but I'm pretty fond of the ones I got. I'll be happy when I finally have my camera charger from home. Oh, that's right, I'm flying back to California on Thursday afternoon! I'm pretty psyched to see my parents and friends, and to engage in a little food-ourism (gastro-tourism? that sounds gross). This means: in'n'out, cupcakes, frozen yogurt, mayfield, bistro elan, sushi, brown rice sushi, pancakes, scones, and cookies! Also: swimming, the dish, interval training, going to the movies, walking to California ave, dance classes and blissfully nothing at all. Too bad I'm not actually on vacation, I'll still have lots of work to do!

Well I guess it worked, I've finished telling you all about Paris and I'm no longer in the mood (exactly) to whine. I'm sure if I can even adequately explain in this platform, so maybe I'll just continue to pretend that I'm blissfully happy. Bliss! Bliss! Flower petals are falling from the sky at all times.