My Biggest Blog Fans Join Me

We left our hotel this morning in dismay and arrived at Orly airport via Suntransfers. Conveniently, Vueling and British Airways were in the same terminal and we headed back to the Vueling luggage service desk. The two women there were confused by the notes they were seeing in their system as it was inconsistent. I had described the same thing where it said the delivery was in progress and we were told our luggage would be delivered yesterday. She also noted that the ticket said "closed", so she called the delivery company who said they didn't have our luggage. 

So she left and returned, posing with my suitcase saying, "is this yours?" I had a delayed reaction and my mom screamed with excitement. We went to the back room where all our luggage was and all tagged ready to go to Newark later today, and then scheduled to be delivered at my parents' house. We were thrilled to have our luggage back. 

My mom and I immediately went to the family restroom where we swapped clothing as we had been wearing the same outfit for 2 days. We were so thrilled and a weight had been lifted from our shoulders that had plagued us on our last day of our trip. 

So we checked in with British Airways, went through security, and got breakfast by the gate. Our flight was uneventful and we arrived 45 minutes early. We picked up the car from offsite long term parking and headed to Flushing. We always seem to eat Korean or Chinese food when we are coming home from the airport. Here's a collage of our Korean-Chinese late lunch / early dinner: 

I was dropped off at my apartment and rested the rest of the day. The whole family regaled in stories from the trip throughout the day, but were happy to be home. 

Several years ago when I started traveling sometimes alone, I promised my mom that I would email everyday so she would know I was alive. Through the years, I moved the emails to a blog, and "Leading A Life of Cyn" was born.

After 6 years of blogging, and typically receiving as much as 30 hits a day when traveling, my parents have been my biggest blog fans. 

This trip was really special because my biggest blog fans joined me and we got to live the moments together! My favorite memories were the little things: every time my brother turned on the signal in the rental car, it turned on the windshield wipers, the funny statements my dad would say that were always a few steps behind, or when I was tired one morning and kept waving my hand in front of the door thinking it was automatic, and my brother pushing through the door. 

These memories were incredible and so special. My parents would say, "make sure this gets in the blog". I'm so glad we traveled safely and so well (we only had one real meltdown) and that my parents enjoyed celebrating their milestone birthdays in Europe!

Sans Luggage

As mentioned last night, our luggage along with many others, did not arrive in Paris. With the advice we should have in the afternoon, we headed out to the Montmartre neighborhood where we had overpriced crepes. Despite the disappointing breakfast, my mom was delighted as she made contact with a long lost friend who lives in southern France. And despite the delayed luggage, everyone was in good spirits. 

After our breakfast, we walked by the Moulin Rouge which I had never seen before and pictured below: 

The point of today was to visit the Sacred Heart Basilica, or Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre. My mother is super proud that she went to Sacred Heart high school and college of Korea, and there is a real sisterhood with all the alumna around the world. We took the bus from the Moulin Rouge, walked uphill a little, and then the funicular for the remainder of the hill. 

After we went through security, we noticed a crowd around a few singers, who harmonized perfectly, to the point where several tourists sang along and another played his harmonica. It really got the group going as we all clapped and sang "Stand By Me". It really made us all smile:

You can't take photos inside, and although several did, I chose to abide by the rules. We lost my mom at one point, but we enjoyed our visit to this beautiful basilica on top of the hill and took the selfie below:

Here's a photo of Paris which was quite a chilly day. It was very warm in Spain, and although I brought warmer clothing, it was in my luggage. I had to borrow my mom's wrap to cover my shoulders to enter the basilica too to cover my shoulders. 

A nice Korean tourist was kind enough to take this photo of us. I'm glad it's not too close as we're without makeup and wearing the same clothes as yesterday:

So we no longer have the museum pass, and I suggested a few things we hadn't done, one of which was visit the Rodin Museum that had been closed for a fashion show last week. So we took the metro and made our way there. Here's a fun photo of all us in front of The Thinker:

I didn't take many photos inside, but I remember being here in high school and very impressed with the work of his mistress, Camille Claudel. This is such a wonderful museum. I enjoyed this Edvard Munch painting of The Thinker:

When we were outside, I pointed out to my mom you could see the Eiffle Tower. Here's a photo of Mama Kim trying to take the shot:

Here's the actual shot with Rodin's "Three Shades":

The Kims got into the fun too:

Here's my mom in front of the Gates of Hell, where she sprinted to be in the shot in between tourists who were trying to take a photo with it:

You can see Invalides where Napoleon is entombed, with The Thinker:

And the museum, a former hotel, with Invalides:

After the museum, we headed back to our hotel to rest before our dinner. We were hopeful the luggage would have arrived, but we were advised after calling the hotline, that the luggage had arrived around 4 pm and we should expect in a few hours. 

Our dinner reservations were at L'Atelier du Joël Robuchon where I had eaten with my friend, Mike in 2014. We had our hotel call in advance to see if it's okay to still go despite our casual dress and we were still welcomed. The service was great as we enjoyed a hearty tasting menu. Here's a picture of our wine and menu:

Here are a few shots of our dining experience that was counter seating looking into the kitchen:

And here's a collage of the wonderful meal:

After our dinner, we were hopeful to have our luggage waiting for us at our hotel which it was not. When calling the hotline, they said they were in the process of delivering throughout Paris. We didn't sleep at all throughout the night, waiting and hoping for our luggage to arrive. I jumped at every sound of a truck outside. Alas, we had a wonderful trip, but the luggage weighed heavy on our minds. 

Goodbye Gaudi

Our last day in Barcelona and we say goodbye to Gaudi! This morning, we packed up and cleaned our amazing apartment hotel, and headed out to the Picasso Museum. I missed this the last time I was here and it showcases his early works. You couldn't take any photos inside, but the highlight was his extensive study of Velasquez's Las Meninas. Here's a few photos of the museum's exterior:

We walked around the old city center and Gothic quarter and stumbled upon the Cathedral, pictured below:

We then hopped into a cab to go to Mercado Boqueria on Las Ramblas. Although walkable, my dad was struggling and I wanted to make sure he saved his energy for later. We found a great stall that specialized in seafood and had a grilled seafood platter, vegetable platter, and ordered more razor claims and different types of calamari, as shown in a few photos below:

We had fun walking off our lunch and observing this amazing market. My dad asked why we didn't stay at a hotel closer and we could have eaten here everyday. I responded, "no one actually stays in Times Square", plus the space and laundry machine in our apartment hotel was definitely needed. Here's a collage of the meat, various eggs, rainbow of juices, and a Korean stall!

Outside of the Mercado, we hopped on the green line to Fontana. We could have taken it further, but then you would have to walk longer to Parc Güell where we had 1:30 pm entry reservations. I researched that by stopping at Gaudi's Casa Vicens, we could transfer to the #24 bus that drops you off at the top of Parc Güell. As such, here's a picture of Casa Vicens, the first house Gaudi designed and started in 1883. It appears to be undergoing some work as there are plans to open the house to the public:

We hopped on the #24 bus that meandered throughout the city and up the hill. We had to wait a bit for our entry, which was okay as I wanted to not rush my dad in the sun. We finally entered and here are a few pictures below:

Upon leaving the park, the bus was arriving and we took it to Passeig de Gracia and Diagonal, where we walked by Casa Milà and Casa Batlló - to show my family from my walk with Amanda the other day. Some photos below:

After observing several Korean tour groups, we hailed a cab back to our apartment hotel where we enjoyed the pool terrace, rested and washed up. We headed out for an early dinner before our flight, but as it was during siesta time, our options were a bit limited. We ate around the corner and had some pastas and pizza. 

Suntransfers picked us for the airport and we flew Vueling back to Orly Paris. However, this was not without adventure, as the queue for baggage drop was super long, and our flight was delayed 30 minutes. But the worst part is our luggage didn't make it on the flight. They said it should be here on Friday and dropped off at our hotel, but we are obviously a little anxious as we leave Saturday for home.

Not sure if it was the delays (flight and baggage claim queue), but we couldn't find our Suntransfers pickup and therefore took a taxi to our hotel, Mercure Notre Dame St. Germain de Près. The clerk took pity on us and gave us dental kits and water bottles. In all my years of travel, I've never had any luggage issues, so let's hope this is a blip and we get them quickly on Friday.

À Bientôt, Paris!

So as fans of the Simpsons, my brother could not help but repeat this Simpsons' joke repeatedly and therefore, I have included the video here for your enjoyment: https://youtu.be/-r7dveDEv-I

As we laughed these past few days, I post here, our obligatory Eiffel Tower family photo:

After our last breakfast at Tryp Hotel, we took the metro to the field in front of the Eiffel Tower. I had hoped by going early we could get a nice shot. Even with the smaller crowds, they were still hawkers and scam artists peddling petitions and string games, so they can fool tourists. Not us - as one guy with the string in his hand started to approach us and walked away when he saw us unwilling to engage.

Other than a life lesson and reminders to my parents, do not engage with people who run up to you asking if you speak English, we had a pleasant visit. We decided not to go to the top, so we could maximize our museum pass and because of the long lines. My mom repeatedly said how it looked much lighter up close. Here's a view from underneath:

I also had some fun with my photos and even in one of them, my mom got into the action:

After the obligatory photoshoot, we walked over to Invalides and the Army Museum which has a variety of resources for veterans. Here I wanted to show my family, Napoleon's Tomb. The sheer size of the structure with the dome church was so big, it took us awhile to walk to the entrance and through the buildings. 

At one point, my dad and I were curious to know where my mom and brother were as we had lost them walking through the complex and past the many cannons. A few minutes later they showed up with paper Napoleon hats that they were giving away at the ticket desk. You can see the collage of our outside photos and my parents looking like Napoleon (my brother likened them to Mickey Mouse ears, don't they look cute?):

Inside the church, my family was awestruck by the size of the tomb and its location. The church, altar, and dome are magnificent and my parents had fun citing different facts they knew about Napoleon. Here's a collage of the inside visit:

So the original plan after paying our respects to Napoleon was to go to the Rodin Museum just a few blocks away. However, we learned it was closed starting at 12:45 pm for a private event which was the Christian Dior fashion show! Here you can see the photographers lining up:

So we decided this would be a good time for lunch. We went to a café around the corner, waited a bit for a table, but enjoyed our lunch. I had beef tartare with a beer, my dad ordered a cheese omelet, my brother ate a steak, and my mom enjoyed a quiche Lorraine. Our lunch was very active since it seemed like the crowds were building and the photographers eating in the restaurant and running around outside. 

I was a little confused, but I learned from one of the photographers that celebrities and models have a different entrance, and these photographers were just looking for stylish guests. Non-celebrities were strutting their stuff and walking around as photographers went nuts. It was pretty funny as there was a wide array of outfits just so they could stand out. I also teased my mom who looked like a complete tourist with her backpack in front and taking photos of the well-dressed fashion show attendees. The policemen directing traffic were getting impatient as these ladies were having their moment in the sun. Here's an example below:

So with the Rodin Museum plan squashed, and the last day of our museum pass, I suggested we visit the Pantheon which I've never been to in Paris, but we had all been to the one in Rome, so we thought it would be fun to compare. However, if I had known it sat on a hill, I probably would have rethought this suggestion. But alas, we took breaks walking up, and my parents loved this visit and seeing students milling about from the nearby Sorbonne and a high school - my mom said being around students gives her such great energy. 

While walking to the Pantheon, I managed to step into a puddle and pulled out a wetnap from my all-you-can-eat sushi buffet lunch with my colleagues on Friday. When I told my parents the wetnap was from Ichiumi, they thought it was hysterical and my dad asked me if they were even still in business!

Here are a few photos of the outside:

And here's the inside with the incredible dome and frescoes as this used to be a church:

Several famous French people are entombed here and there's a tribute to literary contributors that my parents recognized and enjoyed seeing where they were buried or honored. In the collage below, you can see Voltaire (enlightening with the light behind him!); my dad next to a rememberance for Antoine de Saint Exupéry, the writer of the Little Prince; my parents in front of the crypt of Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, and Émile Zola; and my mom and I front of the crypt for Pierre and Marie Curie, the famous scientists and Marie was the first female winner of the Nobel Prize (my brother also impressed me by knowing her Polish maiden name, thanks to the Simpsons again!):

After walking through the the crypt and admiring the Pantheon's frescoes, we walked down the hill and took the metro back to our hotel where we ate an early dinner. We chose the crepe and ice cream shop, and my dad had pistachio ice cream, my mom a fruit crepe, my brother a salmon crepe, and I had a halal chicken and cheese crepe. This brings our crepe count to 8! We tried to pay our bill to include gratuity, but our waitress seemed to struggle with the concept of adding a few euros to the credit card and we had to just rush out to meet our private transfer for our flight to Madrid. 

Again, I booked with Suntransfers for our ride to Charles de Gaulle airport where he dropped off us at a small terminal. I always remember this airport being huge, but Iberia Express was located in a small one. Our flight was just 90 minutes to Madrid where we were again met by our Suntransfers driver, Angel, for our ride to our hotel, Mercure Madrd Centro.

He was friendly and so was our hotel clerk. Mercure is part of the French hotel group Accor that owns Novotel and Sofitel. I hadn't realized this, but I had booked a Spanish hotel in Paris and a French hotel in Madrid! But as I explained to my mother, I prefer the European hotels chains when traveling to Europe or Latin America, because they are so reasonable compared to American hotels and just as nice and clean. 

So we had 4 wonderful days in Paris, but we'll see her soon for our last full day in Europe. In the meantime, we're all excited to be in Spain where we have already felt the friendliness of the folks who've welcomed us - Bienvenido Kim familia!

Museum Monday

Although I have a general plan of our schedule, I tend to figure out the order the night before or day of and had planned to visit the Louvre first thing today due to the expected crowds and since it's closed tomorrow. But since our hotel was not too far from the Gustave Moreau Museum, but opened a little bit later at 10 am, we decided to have a later breakfast and rested before heading out. 

When I studied in Paris for the summer before my junior year of high school, I did lots of day trips and went to many museums, but I somehow missed this one. The difficulty was that it closes in the middle of the day and is not open for long. My family had no expectations, but found his home and studio wonderfully furnished and filled to the rim and to the shelves of his works. My dad also identified some Roualt paintings thinking they were just of his style, but I aptly pointed it out they were actual Roualts. We climbed up and down stairs of this intimate 3 floor museum and delighted in the details. Here's a collage of our visit:

We then took the bus down to the Louvre Museum and we enjoyed the lack of stairs which is typically needed to take the metro. Although it's super convenient, the metro stairs and transfers can really take a toll on my parents. So the leisurely 15 minute bus ride which allows us to observe the city was a nice break. We made it to the I.M. Pei designed pyramids where we stood in a fast track security line and took fun pictures and selfies as shown here:

As many know, the museum is gigantic with 3 main wings. I'm not sure why, but I don't feel like the crowded museums of NY are overwhelming, but the Louvre, always feels like a cluster. The tour groups, the flags of tour guides, and the many visitors trying to see the most famous paintings in the world really suffocate even this museum lover. My strategy today and like the last time, was to see the highlights and observe others en route. For fun, I encouraged my family to take selfies with me as everyone knows these famous pieces - Winged Victory, the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Sphinx: 

We actually got up pretty close to all of them, even the Mona Lisa. My mom and I waited very patiently to be in the very front, and a short Chinese man was trying to take a selfie with the Mona Lisa. I kept laughing, because I just kept seeing my brother's face in his camera and then when he finally got his settings right, he was so short that only the top bald part of his head would make it into the photo. He finally gave up his spot to us and my mom was excited to be so close. And then she realized she didn't have her glasses as my dad was holding them in the back of the crowd. Nonetheless, it was worth all the elbowing. 

We enjoyed many more works, and here's a few more of Da Vinci and others. A nice Canadian couple took of photo with Hercules below, but the partner could not work the iPad from the bench we were sitting, so I offered to help and took some good shots. I was inspired to take a photo of Hercules too, as shown in the collage:

The couple and I chatted for a bit and asked me how to say "thank you" in Chinese. I told them I didn't know, because I wasn't Chinese and they were quickly embarrassed. I told them don't worry and that it happens all the time. 5 minutes later, a Chinese woman came up to me pointing down the hallway and asked me a question, and I responded in one of three phrases I know in Chinese: "I'm a Korean person" and she nodded and walked away. You see? Happens all the time. I must have a trusting face or exude some gravitas, because Chinese people always ask me questions in public places. 

We were over the crowds and ready for some fresh air when we made our way to the metro. I promised my dad less walking today even if it is only one stop on the train. As we got on the metro, we watched school kids struggling with the turnstiles and talked about how cute French kids were. They literally had to crawl underneath, because they weren't walking through fast enough after inserting their tickets - pure cuteness and comedy gold watching the 20 or so little ones. 

After a few quick stops and transfer, we made our way back to Ile de la Cité, where we lunched at a brasserie on the corner next to Notre Dame Cathedral. Everyone had penne pasta, but I had a goat cheese salad with some beer as we watched the long line for the Cathedral. However, we realized the line we were looking at was the walk up to the towers, which we were not planning on doing and made our way to the front entrance. 

I still remembered having my confession heard here in high school (not sure what sins I had) and the gorgeous rose windows. Here is a collage of the front and the rose windows:

Inside, we walked around the whole church, my mom said a prayer, and we sat for a little bit as shown in the photos below:

After the Cathedral, we had several options from our museum pass. We got a bit turned around looking for the crypt, so I suggested the Delacroix museum. Here we also got turned around too, but finally made it. We were so tired upon arrival, we looked for the first seating which was in front of a modern film. I was so confused because it was modern, in German with French subtitles, and had nothing to do with Delacroix. But we didn't care as we were excited to be off our feet. 

We realized the first part was some special temporary exhibit, but we made it to his studio and then to his gardens. Here's a photo of my dad in front and the serene backyard:

Although we could have probably squeezed in another site, or could sit in a garden or café, everyone was spent and decided a nap at the hotel was a better option. So we took the bus for a 20 minute ride and short walk back to our hotel. My dad and I were craving ice cream and I was so surprised how cooperative he was being, so I treated us to pistachio and hazelnut ice cream as shown below across the street from our hotel:

After 2 hours of napping, we were ready to walk 7 minutes to our dinner reservation at La Bourse et La Vie, another Daniel Rose restaurant. Although there were some similarities with Chez La Veille, it was a Daniel Rose original and very French. We had leeks with crushed hazelnuts, mushrooms with duck hearts for starters; my dad and brother had steak frites, while my mom had a fish stew with a side of potatoes and eel, and I had duck with cabbage, Jewish style; for a shared side, lettuce with anchovy dressing finished with a cheese course. The flavors in everything from the wine to the coffee was so incredible, that this was a wonderful way to celebrate Paris. 

We said goodbye to our friendly waiters and walked off the food shown above by making our way back to the hotel. We also missed the rain during the dinner, and as my dad said, "Paris smelled so fresh after the rain!"

So a simple night for us as we get some rest for our last day in Paris before we head to Madrid tomorrow night. The hard part is over with the jam packed Parisian museums conquered, but they made this Museum Monday so memorable.