Don't Mess with Texas!

Alright...I'm sure most of y'all are familiar with the famous line from A Streetcar Named Desire, when Blanche says, "Whoever you are, I've always depended on the kindness of strangers." Well, I'm about to take that quote completely out of context and change it entirely, but somehow it popped into my head anyway.

Unlike Blanche, I've never allowed myself to depend on the kindness of strangers. In fact, I've rarely even allowed myself to depend on the kindness of friends. But all that changed about 2 weeks ago when all my expectations for my life got upended. Without taking the time to reflect, I jumped in the car and drove from Chicago to Champaign to stay with a friend and to heal spiritually. Unfortunately, I have no pictures and it was such a personal time of reflection and growth that I'm somewhat reluctant to talk about it in a public forum. Feel free to call for more info :)

So, let me pass to the next leg of my self-imposed exile from Oak Park. I drove back north and went directly to the airport for a flight to Dallas. My sister picked me up in the midst of moving (thanks, Borbie!) and she and her hubbie treated me to a week of pampering, sisterly care-giving, and firsts! Amongst the firsts: first enjoyable massage (other have been creepy at best!), first pedicure, first facial, first all-soufflé dinner, first visit to the fabulous Central Market grocery store!

So, I've always been weirdly self-conscious about my feet and my skin...pedicures were not an option in my mind because I have hobbit feet. Yep...wide, hairy, sweaty...in short, nasty. For my first pedicure, the lady DID make fun of my feet. She said they were so sweaty that the polish wouldn't stay on my toenails...first of all, I don't think the nails have sweat glands. Secondly, she had just made me soak my feet in 150% water for 10 minutes (okay, maybe it wasn't 150% exactly, but it was hot). So, I just decided to not care about it! In any case, I was excited about the results and I'm sure it won't be my last pedicure :)

As for my skin, it has always been the thing that has frustrated me the most. It acts out constantly and always has. So, a facial just seems like a recipe for disaster. But, Laura convinced me to try out an Aveda Institute facial with a student that was a fraction of the cost of a "regular" facial. My esthetician was doing her first facial EVER and was super-nervous. She did a great job, but of course, afterwards, I felt the need to spend over $200 on Aveda products to reassure her in her sales abilities. Good heavens.

I was expecting utter patriotic insanity for the Fourth of July...due to the stereotype of extreme Texan pride. However, things weren't too crazy. I spent the day wandering the adorable streets of Denton, Texas, home to University of North Texas, where Laura is a professor. The small-town America feel mixed with the artsy-fartsy college crowd was a fun mix. And, although it was hot, hot, hot, I consoled myself that it was actually cooler than Chicago!

So, all that to put a travel spin on what was really a personal journey of learning to put myself in others' hands and trusting them to take care of me better than I could take care of myself. To those of you who have been there for me these last few weeks, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You know who you are.

But, my travels aren't over yet. So, now for a game...guess where I am now? Here's a clue:

Indianapolis...Part 2

So, I always thought that I had some common sense. In fact, I thought I probably had more than most folks. However, I proved myself wrong by going sightseeing in a near-blizzard. I was literally the only person with a map in one gloved hand and a camera in the other wandering the windswept, snowy streets of Indy on Monday. Although I couldn't feel my thighs after about 20 minutes and my eyelashes froze, I still managed to have a good time...go figure. Must have been those four years in Minnesota for undergrad.

After my room service breakfast and a luxurious three-shower-head shower at the hotel, I dropped my overnight bag with the bellhop and headed out into the blustery cold. I walked along the canal (didn't know there were canals here!) to the memorial for the USS Indiana, which sank during World War II in the Pacific. In fact, I learned that Indianapolis has more war memorials per capita than any other U.S. City outside of Washington, D.C. Here's a picture of one of the much larger World War Memorials...hiking up the stairs to the top was an exercise in core strength. Fighting the headwind was tough!

I also tried to get into the Scottish Rite Cathedral, admittedly because I was freezing and needed to warm up. But, I also have a thing for Gothic architecture and this was a beauty. Apparently, it was built in the 1920's, but you wouldn't know it to look at it. I read that it also includes a great deal of Masonic imagery...very Dan Brown, eh? Unfortunately, it was locked up tight, offering no glimpses of the interior and no shelter from the storm. Bummer.

Eventually, I got cold enough that I decided it was time to head back over to the Eiteljorg Museum for an official warming session. It was so cool! Definitely worth the trip! The American Western Art was really great. I was expecting that to be the low-light of the museum, but I really enjoyed it. I think it may have inspired my next domestic trip to possibly New Mexico...any takers? They also had an amazing train layout that my grandpa, a true train aficianado, would have loved. The artisans had crafted all these monuments and buildings from the West from bark and wood...it smelled like a cedar forest! And, of course, the kid in me could have stood there watching the trains go around and around all day. Luckily, the hundreds of screeching children forced me to move along.

As great as all that was, the coolest part of the museum was definitely the Native American art and artifact collection. It was an interesting mix of contemporary and historic works. Gorgeous jewelry, baskets, katchinas, leatherworks, pottery, etc. divided and organized by region. There was a nice overview of the tribes and characteristics of each region of the US with some really fascinating info. Amongst the contemporary work, there was some stuff that I'd have to defer to my art professor sister, Dr. Laura's, expertise on, but the above picture is of an installation I found easy to understand and moving. Apparently, the US government sent "care packages" to different Native American tribes with medicine and supplies for an epidemic of some sort that was sweeping the nation. They also included body bags, which this native artist found symbolic of the "Americans" treatment of the natives from the moment they landed. From the first biological warfare (blankets infected with smallpox) to the theft of land, I don't think that attempted genocide is too strong a word. And neither did this artist, whose name I, unfortunately, did not write down :(  On a lighter note, the museum also had a fantastic café with yummy food. This is the buffalo chili. Made with real bison! Delicious and warming.

I milked my visit for all it was worth, but eventually had to head back out into the cold when the museum closed at 5:00. I wandered a bit more and scoped out a couple fun boutiques on Mass Ave, another war memorial that gives the city the nickname "Circle City" and even wandered aimlessly around a mall, which I haven't done since I was 16. Hey, it was indoors and it was still snowing. Need I say more? Finally, it was time to head back to the stinky Megabus and Chicago.

Indianapolis wound up being an excellent way to kick off a 2012 of more independence and adventure. Can't wait to see what else the New Year will bring!

Indy...pre-SuperBowl...part 1

So, as I reflected on the New Year as Christmas wound down, I realized that it had been awhile (since July!) since I'd been somewhere new. I was getting itchy feet. So, I made one, and only one, resolution...to travel somewhere new in the New Year. Rather than give myself a chance to put things off, I went directly onto the Megabus website and booked myself a little 32-hour trip to Indianapolis leaving on New Year's Day!

I've never ridden Megabus before, but it wasn't too bad...other than the immensely overweight guy with onion breath, who fell asleep and snored stinkily into my face the whole time. Ah, well...got off the bus and walked in a staggeringly strong wind to my hotel, the JW Marriott. It is brand new and gorgeous! I had booked a room on Priceline and upon arrival was upgraded to an Executive Room on the top (33rd) floor. What a view of downtown Indy! It was kind of interesting to see the small cluster of tall buildings after getting used to Chicago's sprawling, spiny skyline.


The main purpose of my trip was to visit the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. I have always been fascinated by Native American culture and this place has been towards the top of my domestic travel list for awhile. But, I found that somehow after being enveloped in an oniony cloud on the bus for three hours, having lunch, watching cable TV and taking a nap sounded more appealing than braving the crazy wind gusts to walk across the street to the museum.

So, I ate a veggie burger and watched about 20 football games at the same time in the hotel's bar...snuggled up in my king-size bed...and dozed through about 800 episodes of House Hunters International on HGTV. The moral of this story is that Indy is a sports town, the executive-level beds ARE more comfortable, and I subliminally got the idea to buy a villa in Martinique.

After waking up somewhat disoriented, I realized that the museum was closed and would have to wait until tomorrow. So, I settled in for a night of TV and Kindle-reading and decided to treat myself to another first. Room Service!! Why is it that an overpriced, late-night Cobb Salad tastes so much better than your average, day-time salad? I can't say, but I impulsively placed an order for breakfast to be delivered in the a.m...

Au Revoir, Paris...

So, time to say "au revoir" to Paris came too soon...before we knew it, it was time to head back to the States. But, not before I had time to stop by to say hello again to some of my all-time favorite sites in the city...these are the ones that I have seen a million times, will probably see a million times more and it will never be too much.

First on my list, is Sainte-Chapelle, the epitome of high Gothic splendor. The chapel is actually two, with one built directly on top of the other. The lower chapel was for the less-important members of the royal court...while the upper chapel was clearly meant for the crème-de-la-crème! The stained glass is...éclablouissant...a hard-to-translate word that means something along the lines of "it will knock you clear off your feet with its amazingness." I can't think of a word in English that has the same effect, except perhaps the REAL meaning of the word "awesome." Too bad pop culture has corrupted that one.

And, of course, no trip to Paris could be complete without me taking a few shots of the Eiffel Tower. I can't help it. It's an obsession...but I hear acknowledging you have a problem is half the battle.

So, a fond "au revoir, Paris"...see you in the spring :)

Letting the cat out of the bag...

Alright, friends...apologies for having taken so long in writing a new post. I've been waiting for the dust to settle after dropping a pretty major bomb in my personal life. And I'm about to do the same to you all...

So, back to Paris. I believe I left you with my Parisian celebration of Thanksgiving. On to Black Friday...so there was no shopping, no fights in parking lots, no standing in line to spend money at three in the morning, no pushing, no shoving, no consumerism. Instead, we headed out to Chartres, where I lived for a year.

It is a beautiful little town that is completely and totally overshadowed by its magnificent cathedral. When I first moved to France, I rented a room in this charming old house owned by an older couple. The adorable room was up under the eves, with sloping ceilings, a straw-stuffed mattress, and antique furniture. Unfortunately, it was also infested with bedbugs and barely heated, and the kitchen was forbidden to me, so I wound up eating a lot of cold ravioli out of a can. I made an effort to spend as little time there as possible and would wander the cobbled streets of Chartres to kill time between teaching my classes and resigning myself to going "home." When the weather turned rainy, I turned to the cathedral. I would sit inside and take shelter...I'd read or work on lesson plans and it was one of the few places I felt safe and comfortable during my first month living abroad. To say that it is significant spiritual landmark in my life would be an understatement.

And now, Notre Dame de Chartres has taken on a whole new significance since that is where I got engaged!! Damien asked me to marry him in one of my most personally meaningful places and I happily accepted. I'm going to keep a few details to myself for private reminiscences, but needless to say, I am fortunate to be with a very sweet, thoughtful and sensitive man.

We spent the rest of the day wandering Chartres in a happy daze...I was staring at my left hand a lot, so I'm not sure if there were many changes in Chartres since the last time I was there. It still feels like home, though. That I can say for sure.

We headed back to Paris for a champagne toast and celebration at, appropriately enough, the very trendy bar/restaurant at the Hôtel Amour. So that pretty well beats getting 40% off at Kohl's, don't you think? ;)

Paris, J-2

So, what's Thanksgiving without turkey? Well...in Paris, it is a solo scavenger hunt through Montmartre, a chausson aux pommes with fresh coffee, a stroll along a very grey Seine, a bad case of baguette-mouth, and an after-hours trip to the Musée d'Orsay. Not quite the same as eating too much and passing out for a nap, but enjoyable in it's own way.

Walking through Montmartre for the Nth million time on my own was extra-fun since I took along a book of scavenger hunts set in Paris. I followed a set of clues (in French) to observe monuments and special sites to find code words which led me to a secret message at the end. It was a blast! On top of cracking the code, I saw some fresh corners of a neighborhood I thought I knew pretty well and stumbled across the French version of Mood Fabrics (Project Runway fans, you know what I'm talking about!!!). I could have spent all day feeling all the silks, tweeds and jerseys, but I tore myself away...without buying a thing! Anyone who has witnessed my fabric hoarding tendencies will admit that that shows remarkable restraint!

After a lazy afternoon of wandering along the Seine and through the Jardin de Tuileries, we hit the Musée d'Orsay, which happened to be open late on Thursday nights. Even though it was packed, it was great to wander through such an incredible collection of paintings, photos and sculptures. I've only ever been to this museum once in all my trips to Paris, since I'm usually too impatient to wait in the perpetually long lines. Glad I got to see it again after all this time.

A full day on my feet sent me to bed pretty early tonight (just as if I had had that turkey feast after all!), but tomorrow should be an exciting day...off to Chartres for my every-so-often pilgrimage.

L'arrivée

Alright...I owe everyone an apology. Je m'excuse!! I thought that the apartment we rented had wi-fi, but it didn't, so no new posts as I had promised. Désolée! Instead, I think I'll write a retroactive series of posts that follow my trip as I would have done on a daily basis if I had had the means.

Okay...I imagine at this point you've all figured out that I was in Paris for Thanksgiving! Hooray! After an uneventful flight experience on my old friend, Air Canada, we found our home sweet home in Paris, the 18e arrondisement, better known as Montmartre. We rented an adorable apartment in an Art Deco building from a really nice woman I found on the internet. After hiking the hills of Montmartre with our luggage, it was a treat to load them onto an elevator from the 1930's...how cool is that!

Feeling a little low energy after the long flight, but naps being forbidden, we went for a stroll in the one place in Paris with the majority of the residents had even less energy than myself. Père Lachaise Cemetary is wonderfully creepy and the overcast afternoon set the perfect ambiance for some sombre photos. Tons of famous people are resting in Père Lachaise...some of them were even moved there from graves elsewhere in Paris. When the cemetery first opened, it wasn't very fashionable to be buried there, so the powers that be moved a bunch of famous corpses there to entice people to buy plots!

After the sun went down and we got chased from the cemetery by the shadows, we hopped the Métro to somewhere that had the exact opposite energy...the Champs-Élysées. Unbeknownst to us, they were lighting the holiday lights for the first time and the whole street was mobbed! We took refuge under the Arc de Triomphe and then fought the crowds all the way down to Place de la Concorde.

We followed it all up with spaghetti and meatballs made in a microwave and a single hot plate...a lot more complicated than it sounds! Turned out to be very tasty, though, and worth the effort. A tasty red wine that cost only 3 euros (3 euros!!) knocked any last bit of energy out of me and I hit the futon like a rock. Bonne nuit!!