Daydreams on Trains

I love the train.

It's a good thing, too, because it's our only viable mode of transportation here, and the best option for getting to PARIS. And, unlike driving, it's so Hakuna Matata.

Our train leaves at least twice each hour both directions from Melun and Gare de Lyon in Paris. It's ideally 26 minutes, but usually more like 32 minutes. Either way, from anywhere in the US, this is WAY closer.

There is also a longer train option that stops in several cities along the way to Paris. Too many times have I thought to myself: "I will take line D someday and enjoy the great things in every village as I approach Paris!" I am sure there is beauty to be found in these places because of the wonders we have experienced in our little city. Have I done it yet? No!

I have three main discovery quests that I pass by several times a week.

1) On the right hand side going to Paris, there is a medium-sized chateau attached to what looks like an old city wall or gate. Can I knock on the door and pretend to be a travel journalist in search of a grand history? Or will I continue to make up my own medieval scenarios for its arched stage?

2) And to our right again, just before the Brunoy stop, is what I believe to be the city hall of the small town. Most French "hotel de ville" buildings are gorgeous, but this one dances in my imagination with its fairy tale spires and as many layers of turrets and fringes possible on a three-story structure.

3) Finally, as we wind ourselves close to the river Seine again, on our left rests the dilapidated remains of a lovely pink river mansion. Someday I will descend at the Villeneuve St. Georges stop, and walk my way back down the riverbank, secretly hoping I can salvage the home and restore it to its former glory.

We have lived here a year and a half now, and my excuses for skipping these adventures? Time. Weather. Sick. Work. Tired. So reasonable in the moment; so unsatisfactory in hindsight.

But the Californian in me will still aim for a perfect sunny spring day (Rain while lost? No thanks!) on which I can seek these delights. Until then, I will be thankful for the views from my seat - and the daydreams that accompany them.

I love the train. It has granted me the wanderlust of my surroundings.

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Our Door Is Always Open

It's not always sunshine and roses out here.

Lately it's been snow and cigarettes.

Around November, we got a new neighbor. No, there were no introductions, and we still have no idea what he/she/them even look like.

But we know their scent.

We live in the attic of a refurbished house that has 6 other apartments. There is one in the very front on the bottom floor, two attached to the back of the house in the yard, and four (including ours) that are accessed from the side door and a spiral staircase inside.

The remodeling project cut A LOT of corners. I don't know much about infrastructure, but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be able to feel outside air or wind when standing a few feet away from a window. Or the closet. Or the skylight. Or in the bathroom.

But we've been okay with our one room quasi-cabin-tree-fort setup and have been totally happy fitting our lives into a simpler space.

And then they came.

And they smoke like lung cancer doesn't exist.

It wouldn't be so much of a problem if the builders had had the crazy idea to use heavier doors for our individual apartment entrances. But as it stands, our doors are more akin to bedroom doors with bolt locks.

Safety isn't the issue; the situation concerns the characteristics of air and how it ventilates itself. Oh, and the fact that SMOKE RISES (remember Smokey the Bear; stop, drop, and roll; stay low, kids).

I went through the entire rental agreement, and nowhere does it state you cannot smoke in your own apartment. We have thought about asking them to stop, or even posting fake "No Smoking" signs, but we are pretty sure it would all be in vain. Choosing to smoke already requires a level of personal negligence; why would they be concerned with our health if they don't care about their own?

So we have perfected our ventilation techniques. It requires us to be freezing cold (temperatures in the 20s Fahrenheit at night) for about 20 minutes, but clean air is worth it!

1) Put on all of your warmest clothes.
2) Open all apartment skylights and windows.
3) Station 1 person goes downstairs to the side door.
4) Station 2 person waits at apartment door.
5) Swing the doors back and forth.

We are just thankful it only takes about 50 door swing reps, and we are in the clear. The clear, frozen air, that is.

We are also hoping for the day that the smoker(s) will reveal themselves during our loud door swinging routine and we can be like, "This is YOUR fault."

Until then, enjoy your warm and smoke-free environment, and we'll practice our fire drills from our third floor window rope.

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Have a Nice Birthday!

Oh, I will, thank you!

My actual "day of" found us in Paris, searching for an elusive sushi restaurant we had gone to Marc's first day in Europe - in 2011. All we both remembered was how the inside looked and the general 20 streets nearby.

We did miraculously find it, but it was closed until evening, so we decided to stop in at a boulangerie (bakery) that had a small tea room attached to its side. The tea room was PERFECT. It had a deal on the menu where you could get a hot drink, two mini-cakes, and two macarons, whatever flavors you like! It worked out very nicely in our favor, and we will be going back.

When we finally did get into the Japanese restaurant, it ended up being ours alone for the entire meal! This does not mean it's a bad place to eat; we were simply eating way earlier (6pm) than the French crowd (8pm or later). My eclectic plate had shrimp avocado rolls, tempura zucchini and carrot, salmon sashimi, and KIWI. Yes, please!

But the real birthday investment this year came in the form of our spontaneous trip to Nice, France, on the French Riviera. We were sitting around on Thursday night, and somehow we all of a sudden decided to try to find a sunny place to go for the weekend, since it would be one of our last known free weekends together and the weather in Paris is terrible right now.

So we scoured the internet, found the deals we wanted, and hopped on the southbound train at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning! We are getting really good at finding European sunshine in the middle of winter.

Bay of Angels view from Castle Hill

Nice had awesome weather for us! It was 60 degrees and sunny, which may seem cold to some of you Californians, but after 40 degrees and rainy, it was fantastic! One of the coolest things about the bay/beach area was the sun rose on the left side of the coast, then set on the right side - making all daylight hours shine on the shore! Nice is definitely one of the greatest weather places to live in the world.

St. Nicholas Russian Cathedral

It also has a great mix of culture embedded in the community. It has always been either French or Italian, but in the 1800s the British and Russians figured out it would be a more ideal location for winter than their native lands. This made the restaurant scene excellent and interesting, with every nation's version of pizza and seafood!

The Promenade des Anglais (the English Promenade is a lattice-covered walkway that spans most of the pebbly beach) sets the tone for the coastline and the city: everyone in town strolls everywhere. In Paris, we march to get out of the weather usually. It was cool to see how good weather can change the speed of a town. We also happened upon the weekend of a 10k run, which helped us blend in with our athletic apparel, and ensured all stores and restaurants would be staying open for the extra population.

The evenings showed off the great lighting in the city of Nice, and also gave us the last weekend of Christmas markets and attractions in the main square. People from every walk of life were out on the town; from sweatpants to fur coats. Nearly every street in the district had special lighted decorations; we saw over-sized ribbons and bows, curtains, chandeliers, and even zebra print spotlights.

Waterfall on Castle Hill

Daytime gave us the opportunity to meander through antique and book markets, and see the variety of international items that have come to call Nice home. We enjoyed the elevator and climb up Castle Hill for the city views, and loved even more the adventure downhill through the back streets of houses and lives.

We had wanted to come back to Nice ever since the one night we spent there before our Christmas cruise last year. We were not disappointed! It was relaxing, warm, intriguing, and beautiful.

Thank you to my wonderful husband, Marc, for spending the time to come up with the nicest plan for the perfect start to another year!

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Our Roman Holiday

Starring Jes Steinberg, Christy Swagerty-Vilas, and Marc Vilas.

Special thanks to Rome for some amazing backdrops.

Roman Holiday Video

For the rest of our Rome adventure...
One Sweet Week
Rome Can't Be Seen In A Day

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