Hi everbody!!!!:)

I arrived in Paris yesterday :D and I must say that it is an incredibly beautiful place to be!!! Phil met me at the airport and we took the train back to his apartment. After a quick shower for me, we headed over to L'Hotel DeVille to see the Olympic torch arrive, then we went to a cafe for lunch. While we were eating and killing a bottle of wine, we got to see the torch go by again!

After a long leisurely lunch, Phil took me to Notre Dame. I was completely awestruck :eek: by its size and beauty of this cqthedral... its much bigger than I thought, and the details inside and out are gorgeous. After that I went with Phil so he could get his hair cut, so he would be more gorgeous than usual for the gay pride parade, (which we just came home from.) Then we headed to the Cox bar to meet his roomy and his best friends and have a couple of beers. Then we all headed home for dinner, and were joined by another couple. Phil has a great group of friends, and they have all made me feel very welcome. :)

As we ate dinner the Eiffel Tower was lit up and became very sparkly because of the festivities with the Olympic torch being in Paris... a very beautiful site.

Today, after I slept in a bit :rolleyes: , we went to the gay pride parade. People as far as the eye can see from all walks of life were there, and there were many, many floats that were blaring great dance music!!! :cool:

Tonight, we will go out to dinner with the same group from last night, in the gay area, as the celebration from gay pride day continues...... :D

Phil is a wonderful host, and has been great about explaining French/Parisien history to me.

Well, off to the Cox again, so I say au revoir for now!

Be well,
Jess

p.s. these french keyboards have the letters all mixed up so it took me a wicked long time to type this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wowwww !!! We're having so much fun with Jessie !!! :D We even did kill her last night, she slept till 11:30 this morning !!! :D Not because of jet lag, but because she hasn't tasted the french mineral water yet !!! :D

Now we're heading to the gay area again for more drinks dinner then off to a disco. My roomy will drive Jess on his motorbike, and I'll take the subway !!

Sherry, thank you so much for this wonderul T-shirt you offered me !!! I was proudly wearing it this afternoon at the gay Pride parade, along with my Yankee cap !! :D

OK PTO, have fun, we will download tons of pictures as soon as we have 5 minutes for ourselves !! :D

Love you all
Phil

It sounds like you guys are having a blast! Jess, I envy you as I've always wanted to travel abroad and France is one place I'd love to see....

Deb

Wow. It sounds like you are having a great time Jess. I bet you don't even miss your favorite friendly pest. :ha: I am coming on the next trip. You got the room Phil? LOL J/K

Keep having fun you two!

SO glad you are having a good time!! I have been to Paris twice and it is beautiful, isn't it??

Heyy Phil, if I can ever get permission from my PO to go, can I come next time?? :)

Well sounds like you too are having fun and now I want to see France! :)

Aww Jealous that you guys seem to be having such a great time. Wish I was in France.

Phil, What are you doing wearing a "yankee" cap?!?! Jess letting you get away with that?!?

Red Sox
Red Sox
Red Sox

So glad to hear that you are both still sober enough to type :thumbsup: :beer: Must have been even harder with the different key board and the 30 drinks you had Jess :rolleyes:
I didn't realize the key boards there were different there, it makes sense now that I think of it though...shoot I'll have to bring mine when I come there or I'll be wasting to much site seeing time trying to find the right keys. After hanging out and partying with Phil in Florida, I couldn't find the right ones on an American keyboard. :hee:
I'm still jealous as heck but I'm wishing you both the BEST time ever!!!

Phil is wearing a Yankee hat for 2 reasons:
1) I taught him well and
2) He wants to make Joey proud...which I know he is sporting that hat next to a Red SUX fan :blah:
I'm excited to see the pictures when you guys get a chance. I know why Jess slept in late, she was up all night staring at the beautiful view from the bed of the Eiffel tower....amazing huh Jess? Bet there are no words to describe it, I'd be up all night staring at it too! :)

Can't wait to hear from ya both soon!
(((HUGS)))

Have fun, friends, and let us see some photos soon.

Un abrazo,
Andrés

Can't wait for the pictures to add to your 'virtual' tour that you both are given! I'm just so excited for both of you -- I can't stand it -- only wish I was there!! :cool:

Can't wait for the pics!!!!

WOW Sounds like you are having a blast! Have a great time and a safe return!

I am so very jealous but in a good way!!! I am so glad you had the opportunity to visit Phil and Paris...Keep having fun and look forward to more posts

Hello again!!

I hope everybody is well. Phil and I have been having a wonderful time. :) After the gay pride parade we went out for drinks :beer: and dinner and to his friend's apartment for more drinks. Then we went out dancing until 5 a.m.!!!!! Today I went to the flea market where Phil works. It is not a flea market as Americans know the term; it is lots of antique shops all in one place. There are very nice things, but all out of my price range!!!! :D

Phil worked all day today and tonight, so I went to Montmatre (sp?) and saw Sacré Coeur, another lovely cathedral, which I think is the highest point in the city. I climbed all the way to the top dome, and saw incredible views of Paris!!! It is almost 300 steps to the top, on circular stairways, but the climb was well worth the views!!!! I also saw artists in this section of the city. Tomorrow I think I will go to the Rodin Museum to see the statue The Thinker and to Eiffel Tower.

Yes, Bella it is very hard to take my eyes off the Eiffel Tower!!!! Not only is it lit up, but a few times a night it looks like it has strobe lights, and from Phil's apartment it looks very sparkly. It will be very difficult to go back home and look at, well, nothing!!!!

I have some photos but need to figure out how to resize them. It's hard to do here because all the computer stuff is en français and I can't speak or read very well. Though I managed to buy stamps for the postcards today and the guy didn't laugh at me too much!!! Actually everyone has been very patient with my broken French.

Heather, I let Phil get away with wearing the Yankees cap because I figure he's going to be in enough trouble with Joey because there is a Red Sox fan sleeping in his bed, since he was kind enough to give up his room to me!!!:D Besides I think one of his friends took his Red Sox cap, so they are obviously in high demand over here!!!!!!:D

Amy, I will always miss my friendly, and favorite pest!!!!!! :)

Well I am tired so off to bed I go. If I can figure out how to resize the photos I will post soon, otherwise I will post them when I get home, unless I can convince Phil and his roommate to adopt me permanantly :D

Phil, sweety, I cannot thank you enough!!!! You and your friends are wonderful and Paris is magical!!!

Love to all,
Jess

Well, I'm at the hotel working, while Jess is probably drinking my Tequila bottle or some Ricard !! :D She's now french drink and food addicted, and she needs her Ricard before dinner !! :p

I was hoping the pics would have been posted !!! But my roomy told me that Jess and his had a bottle of wine for dinner...... :p

Jess, there is irfanview downloaded on my computer, so you can resize your pics easily !! To resize you hit Ctrl R, to save Ctrl S. Very easy !!!

As you can imagine, we're having a lot of fun, but not much sleep !!! I slept only 3 hours before I went to the flea market on sunday, and on sunday night, we spoke with Jess till 3 am !!! Now I'm just dead tired, and I have to work all night long at the hotel !!! :(

Phil

Oh, you are going to the Musee Rodin! I am so "green" with envy! I can't wait to hear what you think about "The Thinker". Just sitting here waiting for my post card. I hope you have lots more fun...enjoy...enjoy. Adieu.

Oh man this is a great trip to share even from a distance...sounds like you guys are having enough fun for all of us! can't wait for the pictures.

OOOOHHHHH I am so jealous! I visited Paris in 1996 and fell in love. I would live their if my family wasn't here and all. I just love Europe. I hope to go back one day! I am glad you guys are having fun!!!!

Hello!!!

Here are some pics... thanks to the assistance of Phil's roomate, who also happens to be a wonderful cook (I have been spoiled rotten by the food here... :p )I haven't taken a whole lot on the digital camera but will have more to share after the film gets developed.

In the meantime, here is:

some detail of Notre Dame cathedral :)
my first night in Paris with Phil and his friends, very, very nice people!!!! :thumbsup:
some photos from gay pride, much fun!!! :cool:
the Seine River :)
me in front of Notre Dame... this place is amazing :eek:
and our wonderful Phillipe; getting ready for his haircut!!!! :D

Gosh she's alone at home with my roomy while I'm at work, and she's drunk again !!!! It is NOT the river Seine sweety, you took this pic in my street !!! It is the Saint Martin Canal, which crosses a part of Paris before it hits the river Seine at Bastille Square.

Put that bottle of Ricard, and that bottle of Tequila back where you found them !!!! :D :D :D :p

By the way, at the hotel I found a map and documentation in English about the Louvre museum. I will put it on the kitchen table for you when I get back from work. If I forget, just search my blue rucksack or whatever you call this kind of bag !! :D

Phil

Thanks, Jess and Phil for sharing this trip with us. I have enjoyed reading every post and have been following each and every step. The pictures are wonderful!! Continue to have a great time for all of us!!

OOOOPPPPS!!! I knew that!!! It IS the St Martin Canal!! :rolleyes: They had a big flea market there on Sunday... I had the Seinne on my mind from today's boat trip.... and I only had one beer and a half bottle of wine tonight !! :D I still say your roomy should write a cookbook.... :yes:

Thanks Phil... I will look for it when I get up tomorrow....

Where's the picture of the yellow paw prints going up the stairs?????

Thanks for sharing the pics... It's awesome to hear and see what all you're doing... Looks and sounds like a lot of fun!

Deb

The pics are so cool. Glad you two are having so much fun too.

OH MAN, I am so jealous right now. You guys seem to having a great time,and Im so glad you are sharing this with us. I would love to see the brochure about the Louvre,as I said before that has always been my dream place. It also sounds like you guys need to get some sleep, but I guess that will have to wait until you get back. Enjoy it now while you can! Be safe!!! angela

The Pic's are beautiful,looks and sounds like so much fun. Enjoy yourselves!!!

Oh my gosh that flea market on the canal is the closet thing I've seen to heaven in a long time......I'm dying here,lol

Phil, you look so cute with the green cape on, like a green super hero :D

It is wonderful to see how much fun you are having, enjoy and keep us up to date with the pictures!

Wow, I've missed A LOT here!! Jess I'm sooooooooo jealous!! I am so excited about your trip lol... it looks like you are having a blast!!

phillipe, you are STILLLLLLLLLLLL such a cutie pie! I miss you hun! :)

Hey, phil when is it going to be MY turn? :)

by the way the pictures are GREAT!

LOL****Go Shorty ****Go Shorty :dance:

Jess, I hope you want to go back Home :D ...I´m glad you all have a Grrrrreat Time.....Still enjoy..and Phil... you might have to pack a Lunchpack with all that good Food for Jess when she has to leave ;)

I just brought back Jess to the airport !!! :(

We DID have a REAL good time, and Jess will have TONS of things to tell you about her trip, and tons of pics to post !!! SHE BETTER !!!! :D

Jessie sweety,

It was GREAT to have you here, and we do hope you had such a nice time with all of us, as we actually did have with you !!! :)

Thank you again for inviting all of us to the restaurant, both in Normandy and yesterday night for your last night.

We hope to see you soon in France, whether in Paris or in South West where you are invited whenever you want.

Love ya xoxo

Phil and the French gang:

Philippe the roomy
Leo the cat
Francis
Elisio
Michel
Stelian


PS1: MrsKendrick you are gladly invited, as are ALL the PTO members. :) Well, not ALL at the same time though..... :D

PS2: Jessie, you better NOT post those pics taken at Michel and Stelian's place....... :p

PS3: I MUST go take a nap, I think I need 48h in my bed to recover ;)

Thanks for posting the pictures, they are wonderful...Phil you are very handsome...Joey is a lucky man! I too have been following all your posts and am glad I could view some of Paris thru your eyes...Thanks again Jess and Phil!

***SIGH*** Well, I am home, safe and sound... :( It was hard to leave such a beautiful place and such wonderful people. I did get one last look at Paris and the Eiffel Tower from the air as the plane headed back to Boston...

Phil, I will NEVER be able to thank you or your friends enough for the wonderful time you gave me... I shall never forget it! ((((HUGS)))) to all of you, and I WILL be back!!! :D :p

Let's see... where did I leave off in my little adventure??? I didn't take all the pics with my digital camera... so it's a little out of order.

Tuesday, I headed over to the Eiffel Tower and went all the way to the top. The views from there are just as incredible as from Sacre Coeur. Then I took the Bataubus (sp?), which is a boat that goes down the Seine River through the heart of Paris. The boat actually stops at 8 different touristy areas, so you can get on and off all day at the different stops. I decided to stay on from beginning to end, enjoying the views and noticing so many architectural details in the buildings and even the bridges. I had seen many picture of Paris before, but photos truly don't do the beauty of the city any justice. After that I headed back to Notre Dame Cathedral to admire it some more. I am not a particulary religious person, but I am fascinated by cathedrals. It amazes me that the most beautiful ones are 800-1000 years old, and all constructed by hand over many, many years. The craftsmanship really blows my mind. After walking around a bit more, I headed back to the apartment and saw Phil for a bit before he headed off to work at the hotel, and I enjoyed more wonderful cooking by his roomy, and we watched a movie together.... in English with French subtitles!! :D

Wednesday, I went to the Louvre, and walked from there all the way down the Champs d'Elysays to the Arc de Triumphe. It was probably about a 2 1/2 mile walk, and along the way there were beautiful parks and gardens to admire. After that, I headed to the Musee Rodin to see his sculptures... probably the most famous one being The Thinker, which is outside in a beautiful garden area. Inside, there were marble sculptures, that showed a lot of passion and elegance. Wednesday night, Phillipe the Roomy took me to his brother's apartment for an appertif (cocktails!) I've definately got the taste for Ricard... :D Then we went home for a light dinner and watched another movie.

Thursday, Phil took me to Versaille, which became the King of France's "country house." We took the tour together with the audio, so we knew what we were looking at. It's all very lavish. I have photos of this on the digital camera, but I haven't downloaded them yet, so I'll post them later. Then we walked through the property's gardens and wooded areas to look at a much smaller "palace." Then walked more down paths to the Hamlet... a cute little village of about 10 buildings with vegetable gardens and farm animals. This was Marie Antoinette's place to hang out. It's so adorable... all the buildings have thatched roofs. After our many miles (it seemed!) hike through the woods, we took the train back to Paris to Michel's apartment where "the gang" gathered for dinner. Lots of laughs there!! And don't worry Phil.... those photos are safe with me :D:D:D

Friday, Phil, Francis, Stelian, and I headed to Normandy to see the D-Day memorial. We went through a big exhibit that explained a lot about WWII, D-Day, the different conflicts going on in the world, right up through the end of the Cold War. We watched a movie about D-Day, which was very interesting, especially in the way in which it was presented. Half the screen was from perspective of the Germans, and the other half was from the perspective of the Allied Forces, as the battle took place. Then it showed different villages that were basically taken back from the Germans one by one, I think over the course of 100 days or so.

After lunch, they took me to see the church where the paratrooper got caught on the steeple. Phil explained to me that there was a fire in the village that night as the paratroopers were jumping, and the light from the fire made the jumpers easy targets in the air. This one particular jumper survived the jump, and played dead until he could get down. There is a maniken hanging off the steeple with the silks of the parachute there. If any one has seen the movie, "The Longest Day," you will know what I am talking about. Then we went to Pont du Hoc which is still basically unchanged from 60 years ago. The ground is full of HUGE craters from the bombs, which were dropped to get the Germans out of there. It's on a cliffside that the US Rangers had to climb up, and they are all very steep. To the left, you can see Utah beach, and to the right Omaha beach, which is where we headed next, and is the site of the bloodiest battles from the D-Day invasion. It looks very peaceful now, but I was moved knowing that that beach, along with the others, was once littered with the bodies of servicemen from the Allied Forces. We headed back to Paris and met the gang for a beer at Cox and then had dinner.

And now I am home... ***sigh*** Think I'll pour myself some Ricard!! :D

Gosh, there's so much to learn about this PTO place! LOL! Jess & Phil, I never could find "the lounge" to see the pictures until now!!! What an awesome time you all must have had -- and Phil, you look SO good in lime green!!! :) :) How did you make out with the tequila & worm?!!! lol
Now I'm sure you're BOTH exhausted so sleep well --

and welcome home, Jess! The newspaper & I are SO pleased to have you back!!!

Happy Fourth of July weekend, all! :)

Sherry

1. The Louvre museum... used to be a palace... now it holds so many pieces of art that if one were to spend one minute looking at each piece, they would never see it all in their lifetime.

2. Under the Louvre is a big upscale shopping center, and this is the inverted pyramid.

3. Winged Victory... a Greek statue and one of the pieces considered a "must-see", the others being the statue of Venus de Milo (Aphrodite) and the Mona Lisa.

4. Artwork on the ceiling... simply gorgeous!

5. I don't know the name of this painting, but it is by an Italian master. I remember discussing it in an art class I took a couple years ago and it was soooo cool to see it for real!

6. The Mona Lisa... Da Vinci's masterpiece. It is now behind glass to protect it from the every day pollutants, where as it is 500 years old. It was a mob scene in front of her... it was kind of sad in a way... everyone seemed so concerned with making sure they got pictures, that it didn't seem like anyone took the time to admire the artistry.

7. Here I am starting my walk as I leave the Louvre... in the back ground you can see the Obelisk and the Arc de Triumphe, I think about 2 - 2 1/2 miles away.

8. Halfway there, at Place du Concorde. The Oblesik, made out of pink granite is on the left, and you can see a bit of the Eiffel Tower near the center of the photo to the left of a magnificent fountain.

9. One of the gardens I passed along the way.

Okay... I had a few more, but for some reason they are not showing up???? :confused:

Well... here's one of Sacre Coeur and the view... not great, because I took it with my cell phone... but you get the idea... See the dome? I climb to the top... 320 steps up circular stairways... I think I am forever excused from doing stairmaster ever again!!!

Sweety

Obviously you are back home safe and sound.

We just get back from your favorite place in Paris: Rue des Archives !!! :D :D For those who don't know, it's the gay area where Jess is now a famous super star !!! :D

Michel and Stelian weren't with us, Stelian has got a bad cold, maybe it has something to do with the fact we had lunch on the sidewalk at this restaurant yesterday ??? :D :D

The Cox was not the same without you tonight !! :(

Francis Elisio Philippe and I once again spoke of how nice a girl you are, and how it was great having you with us. :) You are more than welcome to come back whenever you want, and you know it !!!

Well, I'm soon on my way to bed, tomorrow I work at the flea market, and tomorrow night there's a party at Francis and Elisio for the Euro soccer cup final, Portugal vs Greece. :) You will be missed, but we will definitely have a Ricard (or more :D ) thinking of you.

I hope you will post more pics to remember those wonderful days we had together !! :)

Love
Phil

Thanks you guys, for sharing your fun! Phil if I ever make it over there, I want you for a host! sounds like you know just how to do it!

Pictures from Versaille... Phil took me here on Thursday... it's unbelievably huge and gorgeous...

A little history:

"The Château de Versailles is one of the largest castles in the world .The Chateau de Versailles has ... more than 2,000 windows, 700 rooms, 1250 fireplaces, 67 staircases and more than 1,800 acres of park.

In 1682, the Château de Versailles became the official residence of the Sun King and his Court, replacing the Louvre and Saint-Germain Castles. When the king moved into the Versailles castle in 1682, before the construction was finished, he insisted that the castle was for the people, and that his home be open to one and all. Gates of the Chateau stayed open all day long, and guards only checked for guns that could endanger the king."

There is also a smaller pink marble castle on the grounds, as well as a Hamlet, a small village of about 10 buildings that were used by Marie Antoinette.

Pictures are so cool! Thanks for sharing.

ROFLMAO! Who gave Phil the worm shirt? That is toooooooo funny! :haha:

I'm glad y'all had such a good time, but I'm jealous as all get out! I am just not personally going to be happy until I get to hang out with Leo, to heck with Phil... :p

LOL - seriously, looks like it was a wonderful vacation Jess and I know you needed it - glad you two had such a good time :yes:

Lynn... the shirt is courtesy of our very own PTO Mom!! The whole shirt says, "I fought the worm, and the worm won!" and I gave him a bottle of 1800 Tequila to go with it... LOL

Which bottle ????? Where's the damn bottle ????? :D :p

What about the pics from Normandy you lazy girl ???? :D

Phil

ROFL! Please tell me he didn't drink the whole bottle... :D

He almost did, but he actually was helped by the french gang and the Red Sox girl !!! :D :D

By the way, Jess and I killed a bottle of Champagne together on her last night !!! :D

Phil

By the way, Jess and I killed a bottle of Champagne together on her last night !!! :D

Oh, I'd love to have video of THAT... :yes:

Jess...I got my beautiful Parisian postcard today. I love it! Thank you so much. ;) Glad you had such a great trip. Too bad you won't be near the Arc d' Triomph [sp] when Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France (again). Did someone mention Normandy pictures?? :D Sounds like we all need to take a European vacation [one at a time...of course] to try to drink Phil and his merry friends under the table.

Here are some more pics!!! :D

A different view of the Eiffel Tower

From the top... incredible views of the city!!!

this is the boat that I took down the Seine River... it was a great way to see Paris

Leo, le chat!!

The Rose Window in Notre Dame Cathedral

Sacre Coeur Cathedral... highest point in Paris, I think... built in 1800s

View from the top of Sacre Coeur

Me at the Gates of Hell... another Rodin sculpture

I think this is called The Kiss... a Rodin sculpture in marble

and some more.... :)

Dinner with the gang at Michel and Stelian's apartment on Thursday night... great fun!! (Yes, Phil, those other photos are still safe :D )

Lunch in Normandy, near the ocean... it was chilly and rainy, and we were the only ones eating outside... it's a Parisien thing!! :D

St. Mere Eglise... this is the church that the paratrooper got caught on the steeple during the D-Day invasion

A stained glass window from inside the church... given to the church by the 82nd Airborne on the 25th anniversary of D-Day...

The landscape at Pont Du Hoc... lots of craters from the bombing by Allied Forces against the Germans... virtually unchanged in 60 years. France gave this piece of land to the U.S. to maintain. Some of these craters seem like they are 20 feet deep.

The memorial at Pont Du Hoc... couldn't get too close; there was a sign saying the cliffs are collapsing, so it was fenced off. When looking at this memorial you can see Utah Beach to the left, and Omaha to the right.

Omaha Beach... one of the beaches that the U.S. forces landed on and were basically slaughtered... it's so peaceful now. Some men didn't even make it off the boats, let alone across the beach and up the steep, high hills that awaited them. The experience of seeing Pont Du Hoc and Omaha Beach was very moving for me... to know that young men, knowing that their chances of making it were very slim, still did what they had to do by their own choice, and over 9,000 Americans plus thousands of Canadian, British and French men made the ultimate sacrafice...

And, a really pretty garden I passed during one of my walks through Paris... :)

Oh, I'd love to have video of THAT... :yes:
Oh, we had great conversation and lots more laughs that night... Phil brought out the photo albums!!! :D :p


MiamiChica... glad you liked the postcard! :) You are very welcome!! :)

Hey sweety, those pics are great !!! :) It was not THAT chilly at the restaurant in Normandy !!! We had 1 Ricard, and one and a half bottle of white wine !!! :D

Thanks for sharing the pics honey, and keep saving the other ones !!! ;) :p

(((HUGS)))

Phil

wow I really enjoyed my virtual vacation here!! Thanks for sharing your stories, your pics, and your friends with us!