Monday April 26 - Bon Voyage and J'Arrive

Friday April 23 - Bon Voyage
On Friday evening, there was a Bon Voyage party at the Miramar Beach restaurant. My darling husband did a great job organizing the party. When I walked into the Miramar, it really felt like the beginning of my sabbatical. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind as we prepared for the trip and I wrapped things up at the office. It was a real treat to spend time with friends before heading off to Paris.

Monday April 26 – J’ Arrive
We flew from San Francisco to Paris and arrived at 11am today. The flight was non-eventful… which is pretty good. It was interesting that most of the people on the flight were French. Not sure if it was just timing or if some of them had been stranded due to the volcano. Toward the end of the flight I was really looking forward to walking through the terminal.

As we left CDG, the first stretch of the drive was rather industrial and could have been any large European city. Then we went through a tunnel and it started to become very clear that we were getting into Paris. At first picturesque sidewalk cafes began to appear. Once we entered the outer arrondissments, the architecture went from business complexes to the traditional Haussmannian buildings. And, voila, our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.

The monuments and architecture of Paris can be a bit overwhelming. Once you get to central Paris, there's just so much to take in. It's heady stuff.
The apartment is gorgeous! We are adjacent to the Champ du Mars (Eiffel Tower Park). I was surprised to see how close we are. The first time we opened the living room windows, I waved to people on the level 2 observation deck at the Eiffel Tower. The living room, dining room and both bedrooms have amazing Eiffel Tower views.

After getting settled and unpacking, we went on a walk through the neighborhood, had dinner at Le Royal Tour, a local bistro. Dinner included escargot and steak tartare. We stopped at a souvenir shop on the way back from dinner. I bought a beret and my sister, Connie, bought a small Eiffel Tower. Nous sommes touristes américains (we are American tourists), we have the Eiffel Tower and beret to prove it.

Just before midnight I heard people cheering outside and woke up. It was a treat to see the light show at the Eiffel Tower. c'est magnifique

When the Dust Settles

At this point, we're keeping an eye on the ash cloud from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH'-plah-yer-kuh-duhl) volcano. Initially, we were thinking about heading to Paris this week. Glad that we decided to go a little later. It's kind of funny that I regularly use the phrase "when the dust settles" and this time I mean it quite literally.

For the first time ever, I bought travel insurance. It was a tough decision. When I thought about the duration of this trip and the added potential for some kind of problem, I finally decided to bite the bullet and get the insurance. Volcanic ash never crossed my mind as a possible trip interruption scenario. What's next, meteors? Aliens?

My wonderfully optimistic husband is looking forward to spectacular sunsets over Paris. As I always say, when you can't be lucky, be adaptable. Many years of project management have instilled the need to always have a fallback plan. At this point, we're proceeding with our trip prep, staging and packing. We'll see how things develop this week and adjust our plans as needed when the dust settles.

Countdown to Paris

A few months ago, I had a recurring nightmare. It was time to head to the airport for our Paris flight and I hadn't packed yet. Even worse, I couldn't find our passports. Although the nightmares have subsided, I see the days going by very quickly and the sabbatical I have been thinking about for ten years is nearly here. Before the economy tanked, one of my life goals was to spend a month in Paris every year. At this point, I am absolutely thrilled to have a six week sabbatical and be able to spend a month of it in Paris.

I still find myself wavering back and forth - Have I lost my mind? What am I going to do for an entire month in Paris? Will I be terribly homesick, walking the streets of Paris sobbing (Les Sobbing Américain femme)? Alright, that's unlikely.

Even though I'll be busy exploring Paris, I know it will be tough being away from my husband, David, and our 7 year-old son, Davey, for three weeks. I cut way back on business travel when Davey was born and have only spent 3-4 nights away from my husband and son in the past 7 years. For Paris, I'm hoping that occasional Skype videoconferences will help. It also gives me tremendous peace of mind knowing that my sister Connie will be looking after David and Davey until I return.

I have taken great pains to not over schedule myself. For the first week, my husband, son and sister will be in Paris. Once they leave, I'm on my own for three weeks. As much as I love my family and friends, I have had to decline numerous offers to visit while I'm in Paris. It's great to share experiences but I'm really looking forward to spending this time with myself and allowing Paris to unfold before me as I explore.

When I have time, I love to cook and create new recipes. I'm taking two cooking classes at the Cordon Bleu and another class with Stephane Schmidt at le Violon d'Ingres. When I saw the movie "Julie and Julia" I became terrified that my knife skills would cause the Cordon Bleu instructors to laugh. I recently took a knife skills class at Toque Blanche here in Half Moon Bay. Chef Stuart invited me to chop an onion in front of the class. Everything went well, I was very proud of my chopping technique and I can check this item off the list.

By the end of my month in Paris, I'm hoping to know the local shopkeeps on a first name basis, have a few more French phrases (with better pronunciation) under my belt and feel like I've experienced Paris as a local.