A born and raised San Franciscan who dreams of Paris. She loves fashion, travel, speaks mon petit French, has lots of travel tips and tidbits to share, loves antiques and cupcakes, and writes the most amazing original poems about this great big beautiful world and all her experiences. Join me and thanks for visiting my page!
I sense some magical news tonight. Valleys below in a rainbow balloon. Angels will watch over and guide them in life. Never again alone, two hearts will beat as one. As he got on one knee, wine flowing, secret surprise. No man shall separate. Dined and wined the three now celebrate! Fati written in the sand in a heart only a year ago. And a message from beyond in a bible quote. Ten months and counting. Ivan proposed on one knee. And through the tears she says, yes! Love will prevail. Wedding bells will ring. And we have decided the tattoo will read, Fati Por Vida. Years from now we will look back. Sisters celestial celebrated tonight.
Long night with two friends and two dogs. Laughter, secrets, fantasies, and apples? Music, cheap wine, tequila. Snuck a sip of your tequila. Snuck a sip of your cheap wine. Green apples, red apples. Dogs running. Dogs play fight. A dog licked my toe. Fin. Volver. Des'ree, oh no. Stop this music! Photo from the past, more friends, long hair, big smiles, hand on thigh under table. Nine out of ten is 90%, I think. Green apples, red apples. Sheila is with us tonight. Long night, not really. Tired. Good night.
Mind racing, inner conflict I sense. Confusion, so alike, yet so different. Stay true to your feelings. Be strong always. Although you follow the dark, Don't be afraid of the light. You seek the truth which was always ahead. How soon your forget the calm. Remembering the green all around. Hand over heart, two that beat in time. Embrace change, speak your true words. Sensing your conflicted heart, reveal your thoughts. Nothing to forgive. Release the pain that flows in the dark. Words can heal and reveal, and let light abound.
Wading in a stream seeking minnows and tadpoles, I come to a realization. As they try to catch the creatures. I do what I do in a stream like such. I close my eyes and remember. Rocks in the streams, colored glass on the beach. I gather rocks. Piled high in beautiful sculpture. The stream emerges into beautiful landscapes. Yes, this is my gift. To see beauty from within, and from everything around me. The broken streams, muddy waters, flat rocks. All emerge as created majestic palaces of our hands. Shining smooth in the water, round like me, agate sparkles, granite grays, earthy blues, and deep sea greens. In my eyes, all is beauty is this space. Once all the same. The greatest tower is toppled with the smallest, seemingly insignificant, pebble.
I'm a HUGE fan of the Amelie movie, but of course! When I visited Paris the first time in 2014, after a failed search for Edith Piaf at Pere Lachese Cemeterie, I was adamant about NOT leaving France without finding Amelie's Cafe - aka: Cafe des 2 Moulins.
Surprisingly, this cafe was located within walking distance, up Rue Lepic from Moulin Rouge. We stopped in for a quick midnight coffee and crepe. Don't judge - I'm in Paris! Where else could you order yummy crepes and coffee at midnight?!
The cafe has a bright red awning and an oval picture of pixi-is, bob hair cutted, Amelie in the window. The Travelocity gnome is at the bar and there are pics of beautiful Audrey Tautou in all her Amelie glory all over the place. Since the place was about to close, it wasn't crowded and we got our food and coffee fairly quick.
It was a bit freaky to see the famous foggy windowed door where the two patrons had a quick tea pot screaming fling located in the cafe - lol. When we went there were no souvenirs to buy regarding the movie. I noted on Gourmantic that you can now buy the table covers depicting scenes from the movie. The café sells a set of 10 for 3 €. I MUST have these table covers when I return in June. This is a MUST!
The peeps from Gourmantic ordered a croque=monsieur fraicheur du maraicher. The photo looks UHMAZINGSINGLY delicious! This is going to be another MUST HAVE/DO in June! Check out the pic from there website:
While searching online, I found that Clare Caulfield painted this adorable artwork of Cafe des 2 Moulins. How cute is this?! I'm thinking my kind readers MUST order this print, as the cafe looks JUST like this pretty water color:
Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulai will be Le fabuleux destin d'Sandra!
Poetic ponderings on Independence Day. From a girl who sat through the pledge, raised an upside down flag, and laid down in protest. Amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties? She's not sure of these. She is sure that men and women bravely stood for her freedom. She knows from great injustices these have come. She had sold cupcakes for peace and marched in lines. She has swam in the oceans and breathed in redwoods and ancient pines. Thankful for her country? Why, yes, because its ours, right or wrong, its you and me. We are the voice of change. We will teach the children how to hold just reigns. We are the red, white, and blue. Red like the skin of our native parents. White like the hair of those so wise. Blue like the Pacific Ocean and Montana skies. History, like us, we cannot correct. But we can be the change that gives birth to a lasting effect. We can only do right from here and into the next hour. Learning from our mistakes to give us true power. Apology you need, to stand with me? Our parents, skin red like clay, hair white like an eagle, who rode in the boats on that blue sea. They need no apology. I am thankful, THEY are my red, white, and blue. Yours. Mine. OUR history.
It's going to hurt. Just some, not much. Tap tap tap, needles reap. Hold on tight, it's just skin deep. Hues of blues, pinks, and reds. Just enough to turn a head. It will become a part of me, To see my vision is the key. This one is special, yes indeed. Ideas swirl, so follow my lead. Coverup my tired mess. Fade the past, imprint the bliss. Bloody, yes, I must confess. Sit here calm and motionless. The artist will create the piece, a lifelong beauty, a visual feast. It will sting, and peel, and heal. Convince myself, I'm made of steel. See it now for years to come, I savored life, yes, it was fun. It hurt, it healed, for me not you. And yes! I love my new tattoo.
Giving in like actors in a play I'm Remembering November. Even though you said, All good things must come to an end I'm Taking in November.
Take my hand finally because the Hours pass like minutes and I'm envisioning November. Never wanting this to end how come I was Gifted by your voice today that said, 'so... I love you.' Summer is so long when your
Longing for November. A 47 minute experience I've decided because Suddenly all day I'm Thinking of November.
Fire from an internal flame kept burning Onward into the night. Remember always this goddess does not deceive and is Envisioning November. Vonleska will finally say what the heart thinks. Eyes promise not to look away because they are Ready, willing, and waiting for November.
I am completely gravitated to all things Paris. Paris calls to me daily and I look forward to her presence in my daily life. Recently I saw the amazing Hot Sardines, an American new-old jazz band perform live in Livermore, California. As I researched the band and listened to their music I came upon this amazing gem that they produced. I LOVE it and it is performed oh so perfect, smokey, and exquisitely - kind readers you MUST check them out:
Sadly, they did not perform this beautiful piece, but that won't stop me from sharing this beauty with my blog fans. I have now memorized this song and I will put out into the universe that I WILL sing this song someday - preferably in Paris and maybe one day with the amazing Hot Sardines!
I found the lyrics on SongLyrics and could NOT resist posting the GORGEOUS lyrics. The lyrics, very much, remind me of my poetry:
How completely GORGEOUS was Edith Piaf? I just watched her video on youtube singing La Vie En Rose live:
Watching her NEVER fails to put a smile on my face. I hope it does the same for you my kind reader. When I was in Paris in 2014 I went to Pere Lachese Cemetery specifically to pay my respects to Edith. Sadly, my mates were EXHAUSTED after searching the cemetery for her high and low. Huge tip, for the first timer to this amazing cemetery: wear comfortable shoes and either download a map on your phone, print it from home, or buy the map from a vendor outside the cemetery.
The cemetery is AMAZING. It's like no cemetery in the states that I have seen. I grew up in San Francisco and have been to many funerals in Colma. Colma is a city known to have more dead residents than alive, as it is a city primarily of cemetery. When my youngest child was born I would take her on stroller rides through the beautifully manicured cemetery's in Hayward. Mainly because it was large, safe, and always green and lovely. But none compare to the beauty of Pere Lachese, as seen through my lens:
Pere Lachaise was not very crowded and it was also safe, quiet, and full of beautiful and interesting monuments, such as the grave site of Victor Noir. His grave is a monument of a man lying down as if just shot. It appears that he has an erection in his pants. Legend has it, that by rubbing this area and leaving a flower in his hat, a woman is guaranteed a husband within the year. A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. LOL. Read more at Listverse .
One of my mates made it her mission to pay her respects to Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors. They say that it is customary to take drugs and leave something personal like a pair of underwear at his grave site. Alas, she left an earring and took a Beano capsule [it controls gas - hey, you use what you have LOL].
Nevertheless, the Pere Lachaise is GORGEOUS and I WILL pay homage to my Edith when I return to this wonderful and ethereal place!
She wears black but her soul is white. he is paranoid about performing and perceptions. don't overthink it don't try to understand it. he doesn't yet realize that she is fearless. she wears green. she is green, reminds him of the color he once felt. she always wore it, is part of her being, it is the color of her sun. her three see the world through green, thank you for this gift. these three will be taught to live life fearless. she wears red. color of passion, she learned in her blackest years that no one could take this away from her. red like the blood in their veins, alive always, self loved always, wrapped in perfect imperfections, this is his gift to us all. oh most definately, she is now fearless. she wears leopard from a priest. she will miss him dearly, her dear friend. they reminded each other to 'be green, like the trees, always bending and moving. never ever dying, never broken. he taught her that. she will miss his strong hugs, his accent, his cologne that lingered on her violin, his vodka, his accordian, yes, she will miss him dearly. they will miss each other, but will continue, fearless. she wears purple. she is so much stronger than she thinks. gifted writer yes! she is truly talented, blessed heart, beautiful visions, always open to try anew, loved by those who wear fur. fearless – my gift to you my beautiful sister. what happened next? she wore black. Thinking it was the color of her soul. she forgot it's the color of night, but she is not night, she is the stars, the great abyss. oh heck ya, she now enters that night, fearless. she wore green. strong, like the tree of life, for she is life. she has lived life over and over, loved truly and lost, screamed at him, bruised so often, cried alone into those dark nights. but, wow, she was never broken. she is life renewed again, pure once more. she was always fearless.
And they say Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder. Blue now knows red team rules. Stars above and a planet of robots. Intoxicating libations did kick in head. Night air ignited repeatedly. Thoughts of the mind transparent. He knew their powers are strong. Emotions poured, lit, and confidently consumed. Night of endless time awaits. Invoking talents of ancient alchemy. Goddess celestial of moon and light reveal no secrets. He may feel the fate at sunrise. The green fairy was here tonight, indeed.
Yes!
I must admit that the first time I went to Paris, I HAD to see the Mona Lisa.
My mates and I hopped the Metro and exited the Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre station (line 1). We knew that it
would be crazy and we were right.
We got to the Louvre early, and did our best
NOT to be distracted by the art vendors just outside the Louvre arches selling
paintings and artwork. We did NOT enter
the main entrance near the glass pyramids. Most people don’t realize the
Louvre, in fact, has MANY side entrances.
We found a nice uncrowded side
entrance that even had an escalator. We
waited in line for all of about 2 minutes and entered the amazing Louvre!
Our main goal was the Mona
Lisa! We hurried in and began our power walk up lots of staircases and ran
toward each sign that had her picture pointing ‘Mona Lisa this way.”
Not surprising, as you may guess, when we finally reached
her, we entered her display room with over a hundred other guests who had the
same idea. I am so happy that I had my Nikon D5200 camera with my 200m zoom lens!
This was perfect for us to snap a selfie of us with her in this pic - can you see her?:
Here are my favorite fun facts about the Mona Lisa from Mentalfloss: Whats' in a Name? I did not know her name was not Mona Lisa! Her name was in fact Lisa Gherardini. Her husband paid to have her painting created. Her name roughly translates to 'My Lady Lisa.' She's Small & Priceless The oil on wood panel painting measures 30x21 inches. My hubby thought she was more like an 8x10! In the 1960s she had an insurance valuation at $100 million dollars. But the policy was not taken out because the premiums were more than the cost of the security. Her eyebrows or Lack Of DaVinci acutally painted eyebrows and eyelashes. But through the years these faded with time. She's a Heart Breaker Her painting was first displayed in 1815 at the Louvre. In the past, men have killed themselves due to being in love with her painting. She is the subject of countless songs and poems. This makes ME want to write a poem about her! She's in the Prettiest Prison The room at the Louvre is climate controlled and her image is encased in bulletproof glass. In the past, someone threw acid at her painting and someone threw a souvenir at her for not being allowed French citizenship!
In May of 2014 AND June 2015, me and my mates purchased Big Bus Tours of Paris. The tours were fun and informative. We were able to see all of Paris in the tour and take lots of fun pix along the great stops. We set our own schedule and made sure to hop on and off at various locations to take pics and pick up a cafe ole or two. We scheduled our tours the day after our arrive to Paris, just in case any of us had a case of jet lag. This insured a nice slow paced sitting tour, in case anyone needed to doze off in a safe and clean bus. I will say that at one point I was a getting a bit tired, which explained why I gave my mate a handful of hair gel instead of a handful of hand sanitizing gel! Lol! Nevertheless the tours were fun and the buses were clean with great new headsets which we could listen to classic french music and get the fast facts on all our stops. The pic below was quite funny, wherein me and my mate tried to take a selfie with the Arc de Triomph in the background - yes, this was foiled by someone else with the same idea. We were like, "Dude! Your selfie is in MY selfie!" Still made for a funny & memorable pic!
There are 11 locations where you can hop-off the bus. Each location has been carefully selected to place you within easy reach of Paris's top tourist attractions and landmarks.
When you are ready to continue your tour, simply hop-on the next bus at your nearest stop. Buses run regularly, so you should never have to wait for more than 30 minutes.
Our Big Bus Day Tour ticket allows you to hop-off and hop-on at any one of our conveniently located bus stops to visit top Paris tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Louvre.
Buses come every 5 - 30 minutes, so once you have finished exploring, resuming the tour is easy. Our Big Bus map of Paris also highlights the first and last bus times at each of our stops and lists the landmarks and tourist attractions around each stop.
Karma you said? How many times has this passed through my head. Are we here to enjoy good karma and suffer the bad? Reliving the life and uh, 'times' I've had... Me? I say we are predestined. Aha! Yes, I say it's already done from deep within. He will scream from the dreams he's had all night, Angels lead this one in this flight, She'll wear black, but inside she is pure white. No, karma, you don't scare me... Onto this night I pick MYSELF up and find the key. How can this be wrong? No this is bliss. Oh the innocence of thoughts without a kiss. Love. Does not this word say it all? Yes, it does. Onward then, into this blue moon filled night. None of us know how long this will last. Utter bliss, without a kiss. Blue only today without a care. Suddenly gone, like the stripe in my hair.
Me oh my, The Palace of Versailles! Me and my mates spent all day in Versailles! We took the metro then the train to Versailles. It was WELL worth the one and a half hour wait in line. We also met a very nice man from Belgium who looked like the lead singer from Aha who sang Take On Me. He gave us great travel tips on local restaurants and how to meet and greet the French. We had great conversations and were THIS CLOSE to skipping our day tour of London and switching it up to Belgium! All this was NOT appreciated by his girlfriend who did not seem to like her man talking it up with five beautiful American women! The palace was crowded inside and out, but fabulous! Here is some fun facts I learned about Versailles from Primary Facts: The Palace of Versailles cost about $2 billion in today’s money. It contains over 700 rooms, over 60 staircases and over 1,200 fireplaces. The seat of French government was officially moved to Versailles in 1682. It remained there until 1789 when a mob marched on the palace which started the French Revolution.
The Palace of Versailles was decorated with valuable paintings and works of art. It contained an estimated 6,000 paintings and 5,000 pieces of furniture and other objects.
Hall of Mirrors is one of the most spectacular rooms in the palace, and was originally lit with 3,000 candles. The Treaty of Versailles, officially ending World War I, was signed in this room in 1919.
Overall - it was GORGEOUS! Me oh my, the Palace of Versailles!
