It’s amazing how a few images from a mediocre pocket camera can immediately transport my mind thousands of miles across the Atlantic to a place I’ve visited only once, at the start of this summer.  The season is coming to an end this week, but the memories and pictures are always here to take me back.  If you’ve got a few minutes you can travel with me.  Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about the depressing dollars to Euros exchange rate.

Paris is called the “City of Light”.  It’s also a place I’ve dreamed about most of my life.  Someone asked me “Why Paris?  All I could think of is, “Why not?”   After spending nearly two weeks there I now have dozens of reasons that may someday take me back.

I was a little nervous stepping out of the Airport wondering how I’d find the shuttle vehicle that was suppose to take me to my hotel.  Imagine my excitement when I spotted a young man standing right outside the terminal holding a sign with my name on it.  (I was too loaded down with luggage to dig out the camera)  I did get his picture when we got to the hotel.  The drivers name was Frank, and his English was excellent.  He said he taught himself.

Frank dropped me off at the Hotel Mecure Paris Opera Garnier on rue de l’lsly, right in the heart of the tourist district.  The hotel looked just like the Google image I had viewed online many times after booking the trip with a local Travel agent.  

Everyone had warned me to expect very small, even cramped accommodations.  So, I was prepared to sleep in a closet sized room, instead I was given the key to my suite.  It was actually two rooms, with two baths, two TV’s and a mini-refrigerator stocked with complimentary drinks (no extra charge).  I’m already loving Paris.

Having arrived so early I had plenty of time to get out and see the area around my hotel.  My walk took me to the nearby Square Louis XVI.   It reminded me a little of Bienville Square in downtown Mobile.  There were lots of shops and restaurants in the area.   I found a small store where I picked up some snacks and a bottle of wine for my room.  This vacation is officially on. 

It was raining the next morning.  After the complimentary buffet breakfast I asked the hotel clerk what she recommended on a rainy day.  The clerk suggested the Louvre.  No problem, since I already had the museum, monument, and transportation passes I had ordered ahead of time. 

I actually stood in the long line leading into the museum for an hour before I realized there was a separate entrance at the front that would let me bypass the line.  Oh well, if my French had been better I could have asked.

The inverted pyramid in the lobby of the famous museum reminded me of the closing pages of Dan Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code”.  Was I really standing on the site where Christianity’s biggest secret surrounding the Holy Grail was hidden?  I doubted it, but it was a good spot for a picture.

You could spend days in the Louvre which is divided into to three major wings, and still not see everything which includes 35,000 pieces of art spread throughout 645,000 square feet.  I decided to give it my best shot in one day.

I started with the Denon Wing home to the world’s most famous painting, da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”.   The fictional character Dr. Robert Landon found an important clue behind the portrait in Brown’s novel.   In the book the scene takes place after museum hours.   I guess Brown knew no one gets within 20 feet of the painting during the day.  I managed to squeeze through the crowd to the roped off area for a quick snapshot before moving on.

I wasn’t disappointed with my tour of the wing.   It includes a beautiful collection from ancient Egypt, as well as Greek and Roman Antiquities.  This is also the wing where I discovered the most inspiring piece of art for me. 

The “Winged Victory” sits atop the Daru staircase.  It’s breathtaking even at a distance.  The headless statue depicts the Goddess Nike descending from Olympus.  I don’t know why I found the piece so moving.  Maybe her spread wings symbolize the freedom I’ve embraced in my own life. 

There’s another famous beauty in the Sully Wing, the armless Venus de Milo.  The sculpture courtyard in Richelieu wing was also a major treat. 

By the time I made it back to the hotel late that evening I felt like I’d run a marathon. I was too tired to search for French food.  I had dinner at a nearby Thai Restaurant. 

The next morning I took the Metro to Pac de Buttes-Chaumont in the 19^th arrondissement.  It’s where a group gathers for Qigong every morning.   It’s also where I met my new friend Jean Luc.  I arrived early, and wasn’t sure I had at the right place.  Jean Luc overheard me questioning a couple of Asian women who apparently didn’t understand my poor French.  He informed me I was at the right spot.  During the conversation that followed I learned he was a retired opera singer who had visited the U-S several times.  It didn’t take him long to ask if I’d like to join him at a dance party that evening. 

Well, I remember the warnings about talking to strangers, and I saw the Liam Neeson movie “Taken.”  It was about the kidnap of two young girls in Paris who foolishly accepted a party invitation.  Of course, I’m not a young girl, so I think I let him finish asking the question before I said “Qui”.

It was a chance to experience Paris with real Parisians which was my plan all along.

Jean Luc took tango dance lessons.  His instructor put on the class so the students could show off their skills.   After the dance demonstrations, it was time to boogie.  I had a wonderful time.   Everyone’s English was much better than my French.  One man was such a good dancer he made me think I could dance as he twirled me around the floor.  I must say I felt very welcomed.

We stayed until about 2:30 in the morning.   Jean Luc drove me back to the hotel in his prized classic convertible.  It attracted a lot more attention than I did, but I can’t remember the name.  I think he called it a Dochivo?

Whatever it was it came in handy over the next few days.  After sightseeing on my own during the day, Jean Luc and I took in some sights at night. 

We had “cream” on the River Seine, and enjoyed an outdoor entertainer.  I really like this area of France, near Notre Dame.  I came back at least three times, once just to sit at a quiet spot on the river.

Over the next few days I visited the Eiffel Tower,  Sainte-Chapelle, and made my way down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe.   

I went searching for the famous Phantom at Opera  Garnier.   I didn’t find him, or maybe I was so awed by the opulence I just didn’t notice the lonely apparition.

My trip to Versailles with Jean Luc included a visit to St. Germain, and a picnic at the Queens garden.

Luxembourg Gardens on the Left Bank was my favorite park. It’s beautiful, well mantained, and they do reserve a section for picnics on the grass.

The view from atop Tour Montparnasse, the tallest skyscraper in Paris gave me a birds-eye panoramic view of the historic city.  

Thanks to Jean Luc I got to see a lot of Paris at night when the lights are on.   The Eiffel Tower sparkles for five minutes at midnight.  And even my camera captures the beauty of  Sacre-Coeur after dark.

Before I left for my I trip, it seemed almost everyone told me to be prepared for rude Parisians.  I don’t know what part of Paris they were referring too.  I never encountered anything resembling rudeness. 

 It was more like a whole lot of southern hospitality with a European twist.

“You’re going by yourself?” was the response I got from family and friends when they found out I was planning a trip to Hawaii alone.  I have to admit just a year ago I would never have considered jetting off to a far away place all by myself.  From a financial standpoint it just wasn’t practical, and convincing my husband was out of the question.  So, with part of the cash from my recent divorce settlement in hand I decided it was time to make my dream vacation a reality.          

No one told me Hilo, Hawaii was the rainiest city in the US, or the world’s tsunami hotspot.  Apparently, more people have died in the deadly waves than in volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, and tornados combined.  I guess that’s not the kind of information you find on the tourist websites.  Fortunately, I didn’t know all that when I set out for the Big Island in April.  Had I known my first trip to Hawaii might not have happened, and I could have missed the best vacation of my life.

It’s not the first time I’ve ventured into freightingly unfamiliar territory and been pleasantly surprised.  When I contemplated walking away from my broken marriage  there was the fear I may be headed into a life of loneliness and financial struggles.   Instead, a bright new future of possibilities opened to me.

My first night in Hilo, the sound of rainfall through the screen covered hotel window lullabied me into a peaceful rest.  It was just what my jet-lagged body needed following 16 hours of air travel and airport maneuvering in three states.

The next morning I set out in my compact rental car to explore paradise.  The helicopter tour I’d booked was canceled because of rain.  Bummer, but it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm.  I rescheduled for the next day.  With my borrowed copy of Fodor’s “Big Island of Hawaii” in hand I was off to see the sights rain or shine.  Like Mobile, Alabama, Hawaii’s rain showers don’t last long.

First stop, Hilo’s Farmer’s market.   Wednesday and Saturdays are the must see days.  But, my visit on Tuesday provided a good sample of the tropical flowers, produce, and crafts on the Big Island.   The market and quaint stores along Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo are across from a huge park area on the waterfront.  The park and the highway are actually a buffer zone for the next big tsunami expected at any time.  

The deadliest tsunamis’ hit Hilo in 1946, and 1960.  That’s the first thing I discovered at the Tsunami Museum  The ‘46 wave hit on April Fools Day.  It was no joke.  I left the museum aware the threat of potential disaster is ever present, but so is the irresistible beauty of this coastal city.

Rainbow Falls was breathtaking.  One of the locals said a visitor was so impressed he decided to dive from the falls.   He survived with a few broken bones.   I decided a picture was enough for me.

I planned my dream vacation around a yoga retreat.  Even though I was traveling alone I also wanted the security of being part of a group.  It worked out well.  I met lots of great new friends to share the experience with me. 
I spent the next five days at the Kalani (it means heaven) Retreat on the southern coast of the island.   It’s acres and acres of rain forest.  The Kalani staff has done an excellent job of balancing nature, and the resort atmosphere.  My cell phone didn’t work, and there was only minimal internet access.  Which means I had plenty of time to quiet my mind and enjoy being in such a wonderful place.

I went snorkeling for the first time, in the Wai Opae Tide pools,   enjoyed the warm pond at Ahalanui Park.  My mind and body melted during my first Shiatsu massage.  And, I will never forget the feel of volcanic black sand under my feet at the nearby clothing optional beach.  I opted to keep my cloths on, but I marveled at the free spirit of some who frolicked uninhibited on the secluded shore.  I left with a deeper commitment to cultivate more openness and honesty in my own life. 

Hawaii is a place of perpetual renewal.  The molten lava that destroys everything in its path, also creates new rich land making the big island even bigger.  I suppose it’s like my own life.  There are sometimes painful transitions, but there’s always something new and wonderful on the other side. 

It was my first big trip by myself.   I hope it’s not my last.