Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Paris, Day 2 - Evening on the Seine






So, after a day of bike riding, museums, and car tours, we got all dolled up and set sail on a river cruise dinner/party for Pierre's 40th birthday! It was an enchanting/relaxing way to see the city. The Seine runs right through the heart of Paris so we got to sail passed everything: the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, and even the o.g. statue of Liberty.







Tata & Pierre have some friends who are in a bluegrass trio that plays at Disneyland, Paris. It made for a fun atmosphere. In Paris, I kinda felt like a kid at Disneyland, the feel of the city is like what Disneyland is trying to re-create, but it's better, it's real. The castles are real. The musicians on the streets are real (not hired). The cool buildings that line the main streets are real. And the boat rides are real.




When I was about 7 years old, my parents hired an au pair (nanny) from Italy to watch over us and keep us out of their hair while they ran their businesses from home. Her name was Rosi. She was amazing. Now she's married to a really awesome guy named Mirko, and they have two little girls of her own, Vanessa (named after my sister), and Paula. They drove 5 hours from Germany to Paris to see us and come to the party!







The night the view, the people, the music, it was all wonderful. And the food. Oh the food. There was a 5 course meal that ended with all the desserts and pastries you could ever hope to try. They were bite size and as cute as they were delicious. I took a sampler plate of tiny french pastries to the front of the boat and just ate them slowly and took in the view. It was another one of those surreal I can't believe I'm actually here doing this right now moment.



Did you know that the Eiffel Tower sparkles? Well it does. Every hour, on the hour, as soon as the sun goes down (so pretty much from 11pm tp 3am). At first I thought "Yeah, the Eiffel Tower is alright, but what's all the fuss about?" This is what it's about. It's like watching a new kind of fireworks.


11 comments:

Emily Rosell said...

super cute picture of you and Ryan and i loved the video......amazing trip :)

jenn (+ will) said...

soooo amazing!!!

Shannon said...

That dinner cruise looks fabulous! What a great way to see more of Paris! I loved seeing the video of the sparkling Eiffel Tower. So cool. I swear it almost made me cry seeing you and Ryan kiss in front of it (although I'm kind of a crybaby these days). So romantic. What a great trip!

Katie Schultz said...

Thanks for the movie. The music was a perfect touch. Never had the desire to see Paris until now.

Melany said...

this is one of the things that i wish we had done. so amazing! the glittery eiffel tower is awesome.

whitneyingram said...

Damn you two. Jealous is pumping furiously through my veins right now.

And Madeleine Peyroux, how appropriate.

From Me to You said...

Love the video! We can't wait to go, but Mila needs to be a bit older for me to leave her. We will have to pick your brains when we plan it. See you guys soon!!

Beth said...

Thanks for your Paris posts...I get relive this wonderful trip each time you post. That was a magical night.

Cup Of Tea said...

high quality post, I must say.

And you two were such a joy to have over.

Come back, and you'll see that that's what we actually do every weekend :oPP

Cup Of Tea said...

O, cup of tea, tat's me, Pierre

And tx for the birtday wis

?

!!!

Gwendolyn, wy is te H key not working?

J, J and B said...

That's cool your mom was able to go too! I NEVER knew you had an Au Pair! That's so cool and even cooler that you've kept in touch! It's amazing how the French can eat so much dessert and keep their waist lines!