Paris: Père Lachaise Cemetery

Père Lachaise Cemetery is the most famous cemetery inside Paris city limits. It does have some famous residents (Oscar Wilde*, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf), but I think those grave sites are some of the less interesting ones (except for Oscar Wilde's). If I make it back, I would spend my time taking in all of those monuments and head stones and mausoleums that aren't included in the guide book. I'm endlessly fascinated by the different ways we choose to remember and recognize the dead.

* Funny trivia: Oscar Wilde died in poverty while staying at a run-down hotel, and apparently some of his lasts words were "Either this wallpaper goes, or I do!"

PS: If you like the cemetery, you have to check out the post on it over at Making Magique. Her photographs really do it justice.

Paris: Lover's Lock Bridge

My brother and I stumbled this bridge (the Petit Pont de l’Archevêché just east of Notre Dame) and stopped for a moment to figure out why there were so many locks on it. It has something to do with love and eternity and what not. The French hate it. They think it's tantamount to graffiti (kind of a funny position to take considering how much graffiti is left uncleaned all over the city), but we thought it was an amusing distraction. And it's certainly keeping the French lock companies in business.

Paris: Notre Dame Cathedral and Bell Tower

We tackled Notre Dame on our 2nd full day. If I had it to do over again, here's what I'd do the second time around:

• The lines can be long (although, now that I have gone to Versailles, I will say every other line in France pales in comparison) but if you time it right, it's not so bad. So go right when it opens or after 4 pm. We got in line for the tower (called a "tour" in French, which is kind of confusing for those of us--i.e. me--who don't speak French and thought this was an actual tour of the tower) at 4 pm, and it took about 50 minutes to actually go up.
• There's no cutting to the front of the line with the museum pass here! And if you don't have a museum pass, then you better have exact change. Notre Dame does not mess around.
• The cathedral itself is free and is open later than the tower. So save that for after. Plus, Notre Dame still holds daily mass. So if you go later, you might be lucky like us and catch one. It's wonderful to see a piece of history still in use like the Notre Dame is.

PS: If you are wondering about the wicker basket hut, they are sprinkled throughout the gardens surrounding the cathedral, and I couldn't resist getting a picture in one.

PPS: The last two pictures are courtesy of my little brother. Quite the photographer, right?!

Paris: Promenade Plantee and Les Puces

We have done so much already. I want to tell you all about it, but to be honest, it's kind of exhausting just trying to remember it all. One of the first things we did, though, was visit Paris's version of the High Line Park--a raised train track converted into a lovely place to stroll or go for a jog--called Promenade Plantee. It's funny how New York and Paris can make parks based on the same idea, but then they turn out so differently. Later that day we biked all the way up to Cligancourt and went to the Les Puces (flea market), which was supposed to be renowned for its antiques. Either we went on a bad day, or Les Puces is falling on hard times because unfortunately most of what we saw were vendors selling cheap clothes and electronics. However, the few antique sellers that were open had some pretty amazing stuff. I went home with 2 beautiful old plates. And if I'd had hundreds of euros to blow, I would have gone home with that ivory narwhal too!

A Misty Hike in Big Sur to Pfeiffer Falls

The day I visited Big Sur State Park was overcast and damp. It felt pretty much exactly how the Twilight movie looks. But the misty weather wasn't all bad. The woods take on kind of mysterious feel in the mist, which I like even if it means there's not much of a view. Plus you have the trails pretty much to yourself on rainy days, except for particularly cute & gross (grute?) children with banana slugs apparently. I don't think you could pay me enough money to touch a slug, but this little girl was so proud of her slug and so excited to share it with us that she managed to make holding a slug look kind of adorable (even if I was scared to get too close)!

We found parking and the trail head at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (not to be confused with Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park or USFS Pheiffer Beach). Entrance to the lot cost $10 for a day pass. From the parking lot we hiked to Pheiffer falls. The falls were not as robust as they can be, but waterfalls are always fun to see. On our way back we detoured to the Valley View Point. The vista was mostly fog, but the rain had brought all of the wild flowers to make up for it.

I wish I could say more, but after the hike, we were off to our next activity. So I only spent a few hours in the park. But that is just all the more reason to come back and actually stay inside of the park! I've got my eye on these awesome looking yurts. After Yosemite, I would shy away from anything remotely tent like, but these yurts made Conde Nast Traveler's list for glamping. So they must be good!

Rose Bowl Flea Market

When if comes to flea markets, you can find all sorts of experiences: mislabeled swap meet full of junk, hippie commune yard sales full of patchouli, vintage shops full of cheap trinkets and hidden treasures, a local's market full of handmade goods and foods. You just never know . . . except for at the Rose Bowl. This flea market is so large that you can be certain you will find a little of everything above and so much more.

So the pro of the Rose Bowl flea market versus the Melrose Trading Post is primarily breadth of offerings. There's a separate section for furniture, clothes, and (as best I could tell) "small goods." Supposedly there is a break down between vintage and new, but I did not find that distinction to be clear when walking around. Naturally then, one of the major cons of the Rose Bowl flea is that it take a serious time investment to even begin to scratch the surface. And depending on how early you want to show up, you will pay between $8 and $20 to see all of this stuff. However, it might be worth your time and money if you are in the market for either furniture or something really unique. So the verdict is that if you've got 4+ hours, sunscreen, and water, go for the Rose Bowl flea. I found great stuff (my bar and glass bottles and a graduation rubber duckie!), but if you want something more casual, then Melrose is your better option.