A Date With Quasimodo

So today was the day to finally see Notre Dame. The glimpse i had of it the day before was enough to get me excited but what I saw today up close was enough to take my breath away. This beautiful stone structure nis so detailed, so tall, and just incredible. And that was just the outside. As soon as we got inside I almost teared up it was so magnificent. Pictures cannot do it justice. It was so dark inside but that only enhanced its grandeur and mystery. It may be slightly smaller than other cathedrals I have seen here and in England but it is by far my favorite church I have seen. I would totally go to church again every Sunday just to see it! Anywho our next place to visit was the Conciergie, something I had no idea what it was before but thought the pictures were cool. Turned out to be something that started out as a residence for French Kings but turned into an official building and then a prison during the French Revolution. So I got to see where poor Marie Antoinette was held prisoner. Apparently prisoners could pay to have nicer cells with beds and desks....kind of amusing.
We headed back to the square where Notre Dame is and sat at a cafe for lunch overlooking the cathedral. I had been eyeing these sandwiches called croques where the cheese is melted on top and finally got to order one for lunch. Sooo good! We were shocked to get ice in our water but I guess thats what happens in touristy restaurants. There is nothing like sitting near this grand church and hearing the bells going off, its Quasimodo at work i guess! We sat in the square for a bit, waiting for our next place to see to open up. OF COURSE there once again had to be a creepy clown following us around...this time whistling the Tequila song. He may not have come up to me but he kept wandering near us and freaking me out. Other characters in the square consisted of beggar women sitting near the line into the cathedral and then running away when police cars drove by. I think its illegal to beg in Paris because there really haven't been too many around.
Next was Sainte Chapelle, a beauifully decorated church,  all painted with gold and tons of stained glass.  Once again,  like everything it seems, it was being renovated. We wandered around a bit more, saw this super cool tower that was only a tower and not connected to anything and this grand building that looked like it should be a palace but had no idea what it was. Some maps and guides we've got...
We headed back to the hostel,  took a quick nap (man have I been exhausted) and headed back out for dinner. We roamed close by and found an Italian cafe and had some of the best pasta ever. I had gnocchi wnd Michelle had risotto.  Paired with a bottle of wine and creme brulee for dessert,  it was a delicious dinner. There is honestly nothing like dining at an outdoor cafe, and since there seems to be more space than cafés in New York,  its a whole different experience.
I keep falling more and more in love with this place every day. Tomorrow is the château Versailles,  soooo excited!!

Van Gogh and Monet and Rodin, Oh My!

So today was museum day. Minus the Louvre. That gets a day to its own. We started with breakfast at the hostel which included chocolate croissants...holy moses those things are incredible. Thank goodness for all the walking we do because those Frenchnsure love their bread. On the way we saw Notre Dame and words cant describe how excited I am to see it. We headed over to the Musee d'Orsay and thought we were being smart tourists and visiting the museumson free museum day. When we saw the looong line to get in we figured there were quite a bit of tourists who were smart and did their research. 45 minutes later we entered and went around the museum.  Famous artists that we learned about in school had works plastered all over the place. The highlight for me was the Art Nouveau section and the Van Gogh special exhibition. My favorite style and my favorite artist. I found a second favorite painting by Van Gogh, though nothing can top Starry Night. We strolled on over thru the Louvre Gardens, had another crepe for lunch, and went to the next museum. Musee l'orangerie was smaller but its highlight was Monet's HUGE water lily paintings. 2 oval rooms had several if his paintings stretched along the walls, they were just so long. Next we went to the Musee Rodin where the exhibits featured raw nude photography, classic Rodin work, and a rose garden with sculptures. Interesting combination. We headed back to the hostel after because Michelle wasn't feeling too well. After a quick nap I headed to find a place to eat.  Thankfully my late hours and long commute in New York have prepared me for late European dinners.
I found a little cafe and pretty much had the waiter order for me. We chatted a liitle a first and he found out I was American. Apparently I don't look it at all, but more so eastern European or Russian; i was told its my eyes. Oddly I find that a compliment so thanks Pops! Dinner consisted wine (of course) chicken and noodles with some delicious sauce and panna cotta with raspberry sauce for dessert. Neverhad panna cotta before and I was in love. I chatted with my waiter a bit more and come to find he is the owner and actually cooked my meal himself! Honestly one of my favorite things about travelling is talking with locals and other foreigners. Its the coolest thing having a conversation with them and learning about their home and trying to find the words to explain and help them comprehend.
So tomorrow is another day in this amazing city...we will see what it has in store for us!

Sacre Bleu! We're in Paris!

Today started with a quick train ride back to Paris. So much better than the train to Reims, minus tge assigned seating which forced ys to lug our bags to the second level and listen to loud Frenchmen the whole ride. But no matter,  we were going to Paris! We took a cab to our hostel as soon as we got off the train. The woman at the front desk seemed like she would be very unfriendly but then made a remark how people were going to take Obama to replace their president because apparently he was coming to Paris next week, and not to be surprised if all of a sudden we had short white president when he returned. It was hilarious and was nice to know the staff were so friendly. Our room is really nice, surprising for a hostel! Whoever renovated gets a thumbs up from me! The best part is the large window that opens up to the whole city. You can see the towers of Notre Dame, the financial district,  and smell the incredible baked goods from the patisserie down the street.
What to do now? The Eiffel Tower of course! We took the metro over, and while Michelle was creeped out by metro entrances, I loved their art nouveau style. I after this experience with the metro, I have decided that New Yorks subway suck in comparison to Paris and Londons. It is so much dirtier and much more complicated. London has the best, but only because the strong smell of pee here was horrible. Anyway,  as we crossed the river on the train, the Eiffel Tower soared above. Seeing that with the train performer playing some super french song on his accordian set the mood, and i was just so happy. We walked down the river side toward the Tower and we were in awe of how big it was! Now i know why so many people are in love with this structure...it is so magnificent and beautiful. Definitely my new favorite piece of architecture. We noticed this super sketchy clown smoking and strolling around near us and I was not a happy camper. For those of you who know me well, you know that I hate, despise and am terrified of clowns. So OF COURSE as we were trying to take a picture together the clown comes over to offer to take it for us. In addition to being scared of him, i was terrified he was going to take my camera so i denied. He kept pushing and I said no, praying he would go away. He did, but just HAD to touch my arm as say au revoir. AHHH!!! He was either really French or just really creepy. I think it was a mix.  We took about a million pictures and ate some delicious crepes on the lawn. Eating lunch in Central Park is nice, but there is nothing like eating and hanging out in front of the EIffel Tower...NOTHING!! We headed over to the Arc de Triumph after but couldnt go into the main area of it as you had to pay. Once again, scaffolding ruined our view of a beautiful monument. We headed back to the hostel to get ready for dinner with a French friend of Michelles. We met at the Sacre Cour, a beautiful church that doesnt look like something that belongs in Paris. We went to a cute restaurant that had a perfect outdoor dining square...so Parisian. Dinner consisted of wine, bread and cheese and some yummy dessert. Once again, so Parisian. Michelle's friend did study abroad at her school so her english was very good. We had a great time chatting away and learning things about each others cultures. For instance the sterotypical  phrase "Sacre Bleu!" (Which we kept repeating the entire day) is a French term....from 300 years ago! Hahaha...before we knew it it was almost 10 and it was still light outside. We went to the girls flat and hung out there for a bit, getting a taste of how the locals live. Such a nice, and oh so French evening.
It's free museum day tomorrow, ready to see some art!

Reims: Drinking Champagne in Champagne!

Day 2 started with breakfast in bed (sort of). Delicious croissants and baguettes,  along with fig yogurt which I could have sworn I would have hated but ended up loving filled us up and we were ready to start our day. We headed over to Reims Cathedral were in awe of the exterior until we saw the front..horrendous scaffolding obstructed the entire middle of the facade. Our disappointment dissapted quickly as soon as we entered. The soaring ceiling just left me in utter amazement with the stone vaults and beautiful stained glasd windows. We roamed around for a while, snapping away photos and just staring at the beauty of the church. Next we attempted to visit the art museum but like almost everything else in the town, it was closed til 2. We strolled fown to the basilica down a ways and were disappointed with how poorly kept the ourside was...until we went inside. It was just as beautiful,  if not more,  than the last. Though I think then lighting played a big role. We stopped for lunch on the way back, getting  myself a quiche,  and headed back to the square where the first church was. Nothing like a yummy meal with a beautiful view.
Since Reims is in the Champagne country of France, we naturally had to do a tour and tasting at one of the champagne houses. The first, Mumms which apparently is a big company in the champagne world was booked up so we hoped that the other house was available.  Lucky for us it was. While not as fancy,  this place seemed much less pretentious than the other. We did a tour and learned how they make champagne. Obviously the best part was after when we got to try some. We were even more pleased when we were given full glasses of the samples and not just a small taste. Of course you had the old snotty people who took a couple sips and wasted the deliciousness.
After purchasing some bottles for ourselves we went back to the cathedral square to get dinner. Since this is Europe we were too early for dinner and were "forced" to have a beer beforehand. Nothing like a delicious beer while staring at the beautiful scenery (which consisted of not only the church but the French men,  hehehe). Finally we were able to order food and had probably some of the best burgers and chicken sandwiches ever. Our waiter was so happy to hear that we spoke english...probably so he could practice his very good english.
Tomorrow we head back to Paris...so ready to experience the Parisian life!

The Amazing Race to France

As most of you know , my sister and I are on our big trip to France and today is day 1. It started out as a stressful day at work; a deadline the day of a big trip is no bueno. Well then I come to find Michelle's flight is delayed an hour and IF she arrived on time she only had 45 mins to get off the plane, get her luggage, change terminals and re check-in. I think I aged 10 years from that. I had already checked in but waited for her in her terminal to show her where we needed to go. she got in 10 mins early, her bag was the first to come out and made it to check in in plenty of time. THANK GOD!
Getting off the plane and through customs was a breeze. Who knew the French were so efficient! We caught a train to the main train which was going to take us to Reims. While we waited we had some chocolate croissants...DELICIOUS! The train was super comfy. Too comfy in that we kept nodding off. As we speed to Reims,  we passed by some beautiful countryside. I've learned that I need to pack lighter,  luggig a big suitcase and duffle sucks majorly. We dragged our stuff to the hostel, attempted to speak to the manager who spoke little French (we did it successfully though!) and passed out in our room. This is short and sweet as im ready to pass out again, so til tomorrow!
Au rvoir!

Any Spare Change For The Homeless?

Hello world! I know, I know, its been a while. Been busy with my new job and the most painful task of finding an apartment. Lets start with the good first, shall we?
So I'm currently on my 3rd week of the new job and absolutely love it! Unlike my last job where I just did all the drawings, I'm now learning all aspects of design. I was never as interested in the other part (furniture, finishes, fabrics, etc.) because I always associated that with the more "decorating" side of design. Those of you who I've had that scary talk with where I almost tear off your head with the difference between a decorator and a designer know what I mean. BUT when it comes to commercial design its not like that at all. Its all about the cheapest price and durability (but still has to look pretty ;) ). This project is a super huge hotel in Atlanta. Its a renovation so its going to be awesome to see a typical boring/ugly hotel transform into pure awesomeness.  Anyway, because of my France trip quickly approaching, my first deadline is a week sooner and its double the work than ive been used to! Its super scary but if you know me at all, it will get done one way or another. I just may be calling my office my new home for a few nights. And what a perfect segway into housing! Now for the not so nice part....
So apartment searching in New York City is probably one of the worst experiences of my life. Talk about a buzz kill. I thought my big increase in pay would help but not a chance! I was told by one broker I had a student budget...wow... And there are all sorts of protocol for how renting works which makes it that much more difficult. It essentially costs you AT LEAST 3xs your rent to move into a new place if you use a broker. And of course Craig's list is full of scams. Now I know why people resort to the things they do just to afford to live here...dont worry Ma, I won't! But seriously, it's the most ridiculous and depressing thing ever. So if you want to donate to the Valere's Homeless Fund or know someone who has space (in a non sketchy area...believe me, thats hard), holla at me!!! I can use any help I can get. Thankfully Im not in any rush BUT living with your grandmother longer than necessary is not ideal. I will say though, every time I get down because of this search and feel like I'm never going to find anything, I see the beautiful skyline that is New York City ot take a walk through Central Park and remember why I'm here. It's all worth it!

It's A New Dawn, Its A New Day, Its A New Life and I'm Feelin' Good

So funny how everything seems to fall into place. Everything is right on track going better than I expected! As most of you know I got offered my dream job the other day and now im on cloud 9. For those of you who don't know, its with a hospitality design company that has produced some of the most incredible hotels and restaurants. Ever since my last semester of college, I've been DREAMING of doing hospitality design and its just crazy now that yet another dream is a reality.
Today i had lunch in central park and as I was sitting on one of the boulders and looking out at the ever inspiring skyline,  I felt so incredibly lucky that for once things are going the way I hoped. And that NEVERS happens to me.  It's also nice to know that this radical decision to move here wasn't just some silly idea but something that I was able to turn into a valid move that was going to go somewhere.  I start my new job April 29th...its going to feel so weird having a normal job (and an office!) again.  The office is in the ever so swanky Soho and is just such an cool area.
So a big girl job now means finding my own place!! Wahoo!! Starting the search with one of my new friends in NY so well see how lucky I get with finding a nice yet cheap apartment. NY has these ridiculous broker fees and finding a place without the fee but in budget has given me very few choices. Hummmphh....
My celebrity sightings has continued as I saw lady gaga coming out of a hotel. My coworker and I saw some barricades and a bunch of cops hanging around a hotel and the nosey people that we are hung around not knowing who we were waiting for. With all the cops and bodyguards I assumed someone political. Who would have thought lady gaga needs some po-po to protect her! Super cool though...definitely worth waiting in the cold and rain.
So anywho thats my update in a nutshell... excited to go back to Florida at the end of April for the weekend for my dear sissys graduation...going to be nice to see some of you again!!