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Man should not leave his wanderlust unquenched for too long. Time to fill’er up.

An early afternoon departure left us time for a leisurely breakfast at home and final packing. By the time our Uber driver picked us up, we could tell it was going to be a hot weekend in SF. No fog in sight today…a perfect day for an on-time flight. United non-stop to Paris CDG. Ten-ish hours. Why don’t we do this more often?

We pulled into CDG Terminal 1, with its signature stucco-lined tunnels and glass-enclosed, inter-twining escalators. Breezed through passport control and luggage with relative ease. Less straight-forward was the process to locate our Uber driver–the very precise Uber-mandated instruction “Arrivals Door 2” seemed utterly foreign to the driver–but soon we were skirting Paris. Frustration turned to quiet anticipation. Quick glimpses of the Eiffel Tower in the distance confirmed our route.

Uber+GPS delivered us to our apartment in the Saint-Louis quarter of Versailles. We felt immediately welcome and ready to explore. We hadn’t really slept in more than 24 hours, but we discovered a new energy and headed out.

The jewel of Versailles is–of course–it’s grand Chateau. Our general plan: thwart the normal crowds by buying a simple annual pass. Let’s just say that great planning doesn’t stand a chance pitted against French tourism logic. (Apparently, a while- you’re- standing- in- line banner advertising the annual pass does NOT mean you can buy that pass at the end of the line. No, no, that annual pass is sold elsewhere, behind a door that does NOT say ‘annual passes sold here’.)

Fast forward an hour.

Under a warm Sunday afternoon sun, we headed into the palace gardens. The grounds were teeming with visitors, all anxious to see the famous fountains. And what fountains they are. A normal garden is fortunate to display one impressive fountain…maybe a second, lesser fountain gurgling in a shady corner. Versailles is no ordinary chateau, and it has dozens of breathtaking fountains.

Due to the ingenious (and old) gravity-fed plumbing system that feeds the fountains, they cannot run continuously, nor can they run all at once. But today, all of the fountains were running in a seemingly random pattern, which led to a great deal of crisis-crossing the gardens in search of the next running fountain. Notable favorites included a modern fountain with snaking glass balls, and the enormous Neptune Fountain.

We were also fortunate to catch a temporary exhibit of modern installation pieces by the artist Anish Kapoor, including a prominent, controversial piece that was recently vandalized. 

As the sun faded, so did our energy. We had a nice simple meal at a brasserie on the way back to the apartment. Steak frites and pizza. Plus a chilled wine and chilly beer to accompany. A fantastic way to end our first day.

An unusual late-April drizzle was the perfect excuse for a detour through one of my favorite Sunday morning areas of the city. The extended Dogpatch area is quickly gentrifying, but was quiet and nearly-vacant this morning. Perfect to see what shapes and colors emerge under a grey sky.

The Heath Ceramics factory lovingly turns clay into beautiful art every day. Jeff and I took their free, behind-the-scenes tour on a sunny morning in Sausalito. Their process is painstaking and surprisingly manual, from mixing just the right consistency of clay from very specific locations to the application of the colorful, hand-painted glazes. The resulting pieces are sturdy and timeless.

This morning, Jeff and I joined a few of our Glen Park neighbors for a tour of their back yard gardens. (Many thanks to our ringleader, Bobby!) Even though our homes are all nestled on the same hillside within a block or two of each other, the variety of styles and plants is striking…and inspiring. While our Medditerranean-style yard is bathed in sunlight for almost the entire day, our direct neighbors have shaded yards full of moisture-loving greenery. Succulents and orchids dotted all of the yards, adding unusual texture and pops of color amongst grasses and ground cover. Each garden showed inventive use of space and terrain to create little “rooms”…quiet oases from the surrounding city.

I could pretend to know the names of these plants, but that would fool no one. I much rather enjoy just presenting a sampling of pleasing images and pretty colors 🙂

Shopping is medicinal, and today we found Sherie’s prescription. After our morning pastries, we started off mere steps from our apartment. Vanessa Bruno. Surface to Air. Sherie felt reborn.

Lunch at the Café Beaubourg. Strong coffee and a heavenly croque Madame. Perfect to fuel the rest of the already waning day. Time to divide and conquer before things closed for New Years Eve.

Sherie and Paolo hopped in a cab to do some shopping at Galerie Lafayette. Jeff and I headed to the Hotel de Ville for a must-see Brassai exhibit. We were met with a typical museum line, but endured the 90 minute wait to see a photographer who’s work we had heard so much about. We have seen Brassai’s images frequently in our photo class, and it was truly inspiring to see them up close and personal. There were hundreds of images, many focused on night scenes of Paris. Although we take low light photography for granted today, it’s easy to see how Brassai pushed the boundaries of photography in his day.

We made our way slowly back to the apartment, stopping to pick up some last minute items for our New Years Eve party. Hard and soft cheeses. Sliced salami and prosciutto. Crackers. Soda and lime to mix with Paolo’s vodka. In addition to their glamorous Louis Vuitton purchases, Paolo and Sherie returned with gourmet delights from the Galerie: champagne, olives, anchovies, and a glorious hard sausage. Oh and let’s not forget the fantastic Bouche Noel for desert. What a perfect spread for a festive pre-New Years celebration.

As the clock passed 11, we headed out under cloudy-but-dry skies and walked towards the Seine. We made our way to the Pont Neuf with a view of the Eiffel Tower and awaited midnight with throngs of revelers.

As the clock struck midnight, the Eiffel Tower sparkled and the crowds cheered. Hugs kisses and selfies ensued. We attempted a celebratory drink along our return route, but bars were surprisingly closed. A few clubs with lines and cover charges dotted our route, but we chose to return to the apartment for our own Champagne.

Happy New Year!!