ooh la la, paris and brussels
24 november 2000

happy thanksgiving, everyone. i hope you are all enjoying a food filled, shop-fest weekend. no turkey for us, it's just not a holiday in this part of the world. as many of you know, i just completed a six week work trip in boulder, where i choreographed the musical, "hello dolly" for fairview high school. i stayed through opening night, which went beautifully. the cast did a grand job and really showed their stuff, spurred on by a lively and appreciative audience. i was pleased as punch.

it definitely felt great to come home to my "two boys" who fared pretty well without me. gary surprised me with a spotless house, only actually lifting a finger to pay the woman he hired to do the cleaning and mr. tux ignored me completely for two days. he did manage to lounge around with me through my nasty jet lag phase, however. i am finally back in the euroswing, which brings me to the point of this missive.

a few months ago, our friends john and aaron now living in zurich, visited us here in amsterdam. sometime during that weekend, they suggested that we rendezvous in paris around thanksgiving. it turned out that john and gary had a training there last week {they both work for bea}, and we were able to coordinate the two events. a mere four hours by train and voila! they all met me at the station and whisked me off to montmartre for lunch. by the way, for all you wine buffs, the new crop of beaujolais had just been released and it's a must at any meal, at least that was the prevailing attitude around town. red wine, unfortunately gives me brain clouds so i had to pass. but i think my three companions certainly enjoyed the sampling.

the sun was actually shining as we made our way up the hill to Sacré Coeur, just another exquisite church in paris. particularly impressive was the mosaic ceiling, threaded with gold against a blue background depicting the looming figure of Jesus with open arms. this eye catching gold is visible throughout, done in the Romano-Byzantine style. we were able to hear the powerful strains of the immense organ as there happened to be a mass in progress. outside this magnificent structue, we almost lost our bag. yes, someone was intending to steal it from right under our noses; luckily gary was paying attention and snatched it back as the thief was trying to slide it down the steps of the church towards him. the nerve!

what can i possibly say about musee d'orsay? ok, it's not the louvre but pretty wonderful in its own right. i will say, an hour and fifteen minutes only allows for a taste of what's there but i managed to have a detailed look at the special exhibit on Nijinsky. i breezed through some other stuff but really need another trip there to appreciate the collection. gary was able to scope out more of the scene and agrees that it would be worth exploring again at some point. it's a tough choice, deciding which museum to visit while in paris. {heavy sigh}.

and now for the real reason to spend a weekend in paree. THE FOOD! well, at least at Guy Savoy. john and aaron had been to this restaurant once before and insisted we join them for a most magical experience. we had a late reservation, got all dolled up, and strolled by the arc d'triomphe en route. this was to be our european version of thanksgiving, resembling nothing of the homestyle quality associated with that feast, except the company of good friends. a feast of a different kind altogether. the "foofie" french waiters were there to please with a sense of humor, creating individual menus for us and suggesting specialties of the house based on what we described as our personal tastes. we were well taken care of, never being without water or wine and all the while being encouraged to indulge in petite portions of the chef's offerings. one of the highlights was the melt- in -your- mouth sea bass floating in a vanilla coriander sauce. the assembly of these unlikely combinations of ingredients are what constitute the culinary arts, i think.

the entire evening was incredibly elegant and pleasant without the sense of snobbery that we might have expected. the right amount of pretention prevailed. it really was a treat to taste new variations on food and if we could have eaten more, we would have. gary was disappointed in himself as he filled up more quickly than he intended to and really had to struggle to try some of the desserts. they just kept bringing more treats to the table! i kept watching this couple at the next table eating and drinking course after course. how do the french do it? i wasn't even able to manage a cognac. four and a half hours later at 2am we waddled back to the hotel, sated and ready for a good sleep.

out of the hotel at the crack of 1pm the next day, gary and i took the train to versailles. the palace was of course glittering, especially the hall of mirrors. the sun king, louis XIV, was pretty serious about his chandeliers. this room is nothing but the twinkling fixtures reflected in mirrors that line the entire hall. many great state occasions took place here, including the ratification of the treaty of versailles, ending WWI in 1919. since the weather was cooperating, we spent most of the afternoon meandering through the gardens. they're quite extensive and the trees were still dressed in their autumn colors with lots of orange hues. i also loved the stone courytyards and columns that surround this elaborte palace. a bit of history, a bit of fresh air, ah, my kind of afternoon. back in paris, we had a mellow dinner with john and aaron and made it an early evening.

on sunday once again, we were determined to check out another museum. but which one? we opted for the smaller picasso museum, situated in a quaint neighborhood and housed in a really unique space with lots of nooks and crannies. seems appropriate that this master's work is displayed in a more unconventional setting. picasso has to be one of the most prolific artists of all time. what medium didn't he dabble in? we're talkin' paintings, sculpture, wood carvings, ceramics, collage, mixed media. i admit, i don't love all of it, some is a bit too abstract for me. then again, some of it i find really inspired and ever so interesting. we were pleased with our choice and on our way back, stopped for some quiche at one of those tiny french cafes....a great way to end our weekend in paris, that most illuminating city.

this past wednesday, gary had to go to brussels and stay overnight on business. i boldly decided to invite myself along, always ready to seize any travel opportunity that may present itself. brussels is a hidden treasure. a beautiful city with much to discover and less crowded than some other ones. since gary was in work mode, i was on my own. turning me loose with a map in a new city is a scary prospect but i was determined to put forth my best effort. fortunately, our hotel was right in the center of the action so i wandered on foot, taking in the magnificent Grand Place or town square. several stone buildings adorned with arches, columns, elaborate scrollwork, and God like figures make up this area. the piece de resistance is the light colored stadhuis which sports a gorgeous spire reaching far up into the sky. it certainly looks like a cathedral but, but indeed it is the city hall building. who knew?

on to the famous Manneken Pis statue, one of the oldest fixtures of the city, representing the light hearted nature of brussels. as the story goes, the little boy saved the city from a massive fire by "pissing" to extinguish it.....hence, the statue. {we later bought a dark chocolate souvenir of this important event}. upon gaining a bit of cartographic confidence and only getting a little bit turned around, i made my way to the museum of modern art. i viewed a variety of art from different centuries at a leisurely pace. in addition to seeing some famously familiar names, i discovered several new 20th century artists. time ran out before i could even glance at the ancient art collection. next time.

brussels really lights up at night, especially with the newly hung christmas decorations. on the way to find a cozy restaurant, gary and i walked through a collonade with arches and plenty of marble. on both sides were shops showing off expensive looking clothing as well as belgian lace and tapestry. and then we came to a street unlike any other. a row of restaurants, all equally inviting with a maitre'd for each one, outside, coaxing potential diners to entree, si vous plait. many were showing enormous appetizing displays of fresh mussels, oysters, clams, etc. on ice and we were invited to outdoor seating under a heat lamp. the spectacle was grand. we chose to eat inside and had a wonderful dinner of salmon and shrimp. how could we not order fish after a jaunt down that street?

i was planning another cultural experience for myself the next day but gary's work was finished and we had to head back a few hours earlier than expected. even being there for a day, i got a taste of brussels and was happy with that. people are very friendly, leaving you with the desire to return. we actually will be going back on christmas eve and will stay overnight on our way to nairobi. {that's our next big trip}. our three hour train ride back to amsterdam ended with an amusing event. little did we know we were sitting in the same car with the rapper, "coolio". ever hear of him? i never had. somewhere along the journey, this black man with a wild hairdo got on the train. right before we arrived in a'dam, several young girls were going up to him and he was obviously signing autographs. everyone around us was looking on and smiling and one girl kissed him on the cheek and then let out a squeal of delight. finally, the american couple sitting next to us, had their picture taken with him and at that point i subtly asked them who he was. somehow i'm out of the loop. {gary had at least heard of him}. after we got off the train, we were right behind him and i almost got up the nerve to ask for a picture but since i had never heard of him, i thought that would be cheating. you never know who you might encounter on the way back from belgium!

au revoir til next time,

love, deb