Versailles and the Paris Temple

Careful map-combing revealed that the brand new, nearly completed Paris Temple was next door to Versailles, so on our last full day in Paris (January 18th) we took a train out thataway to take in some more French architecture. Last time we visited Versailles back in 2008, we did the requisite walk-through of the palace. This time, we set our sights further afield.

We bundled up in nearly every article of clothing we brought and hopped onto a bus, then a train, then another train out to Versailles. [travel time: about 90 minutes]

We didn't go inside Versailles buildings--this was a grounds exploration. We were pleased to discover that the grounds are free entry during the winter. Bonus! We walked, walked, walked all the way down and across to a side entrance to the grounds, exited, and walked over to the new LDS temple--France's first and only temple--about a kilometer down the street. It is still under construction. The open house is scheduled to begin at the end of March. There were fences all around the front so we could barely see the building, but we walked around back and saw more of the temple through the iron fence bars. It is beautiful! I was surprised at how small the lot it's built on is--no long grand walkway leading up to the temple. It's right on the street level, with a narrow rectangular lot behind it with what we guessed was a hotel-type building for visitors behind. I kept thinking how hard it would be to get wedding pictures with the temple in the background--there is very little space to stand around the temple. The sun was shining though, and the temple was glowing bright white in the COLD sunshine.

Cold is the word--we were freezing! The high was 34 but it never got there. The real feel temperature barely hit 26 degrees, and every time we turned into the somewhat constant breeze, it went straight through us! When we were packing for the trip, the ten day forecast was for high 30s, mid 40s. Not high 20s low 30s! That ten degrees makes a big difference, especially on the legs. The last two days in Paris we wore our running tights underneath our jeans for warmth.

After the temple sighting, we walked back to Versailles, stopped at a handy bathroom, and peeled off layers down to our running clothes. Carrying our jeans and coats in backpacks, we ran around the vast grounds behind the Chateau. We ran 4 miles without retracing our steps and barely covered a fraction of the area! It seems to be a runner's haven--there were a good number of people braving the cold to run while we were there. We looked funny, running with our backpacks on (and it was rather uncomfy), but that was the only way we could think of to be able to run and not freeze before and afterwards. It was so much fun running along the straight tree-and-topiary-lined pathways, around ornate fountains, and zigzagging through the pruned cultivated bosques. We could hardly believe how BIG the place was! Good ole Louis and his god-complex. 

We finished our run back at the chateau itself and quickly pulled on our extra clothes again. Jeff pulled on his jeans in the midst of the tourists ambling around! Haha, I went to a bathroom. With a last lingering look at the enormous palace, we headed into town in search of sustenance. By then it was after 2pm, so most places were either somewhat or all the way closed down for the afternoon, so we ended up eating a croissant each (Jeff--almond, me--chocolate-filled) and sharing a positive poem of an eclaire to finish. Those were the BEST pastries of the trip, possibly ever: flaky buttery layered outside, confection perfection on the inside. YUM.

The approach: I don't think that a camera lens that's wide enough to get the entire palace in one shot even exists. [Mrs. Blue-Backpack up front is me] 

This was our only non-self-taken picture together on the whole trip. While we were attempting to take a picture of ourselves with Versailles in the background (nobody's arm is long enough to accomplish that), a nice couple walked up and offered to take our picture. The man joked that they heard us speaking English and were so glad. The woman joked that the man just wanted us to take their picture, so he took ours first. They were so funny! I could not place their accent--not American, not British, not Australian. So...what was it? They asked where we were from, and then said "we have family in the United States--we love the accent!" I have never ever had any foreign English-speaker tell me that they love my American accent. I have to admit that I loved it! The couple turned out to be from South Africa--Cape Town. COOL.

 The sun was lighting those golden gates UP. We stood there staring at the brilliance for a long time.

Sun king 

Absolutely opulently GOLDEN. 

 Around back, we walked and walked and walked and walked. And took pictures of fountains.

 Poseidon, breaking the ice. None of the fountains were turned on in the freezing temperatures.

Having a camera with a good zoom was very helpful in this huge place... 

 ...closer...

 ...and closer.

 That sunshine looked so warm! It wasn't.

 Marie Antoinette had her own pink marble "cottage" retreat, La Petite Trianon. She also had her own rustic village out back, just for fun. While we walked and looked, Jeff kept saying "this is how to start a revolution." The sheer magnitude of the royal excesses was mind-boggling.

 Petit Jeff

 Out the side gates past la Petite Trianon, about a kilometer down the road, we found the new temple. Who would've thought that there would be an LDS temple next door to Louis' palace? Well, it's as next door as anything can be to a palace with grounds as vast as Versailles. 

 We were a little disappointed that the construction fencing was so tall and...opaque.

This inscription always gives me a thrill, especially when it's written in other languages. 

Around back, we could see a bit more of the building itself. 

After gazing our fill from outside the temple's fence, we walked back to Versailles and went on our run. Running with a backpack after all of that walking was hard work!

That speck up the canal behind us is the giant chateau. Biggest backyard ever!

Jeff looks way better in running pictures than me. I don't even look like I'm running, but I promise, I was doing my best--haha. 

One last post-run selfie back at the palace. We took more selfies on this trip than we have in our entire 10 years of marriage combined!

The GPS map of our run.

PS: I did a snot rocket at Versailles.

Hugs and Prayers

We had mac and cheese for dinner and warm brownies with whipped cream for dessert tonight and my kids love me. It was one of those rare "I feel like such a nice, awesome mom!" nights, and I want to remember that feeling.

I still possess at least two more posts worth of Paris pictures, but I have something else on my mind to ponder before I wrap up our Paris trip. That was a nice P-popping sentence--I'm not one to resist some good bilabial alliteration! 

The past week has been quiet at home--the five of us took turns with a low-grade cold/lethargic sickness--but further afield, big things have been happening. A new president was inaugurated. Women marched for rights and respect. The president issued an alarmingly long string of executive orders. Turmoil and unrest continue in various hotspots around the world. I feel so removed from all of it and yet so moved by all of it at the same time. The social media has been flooded with opinions, outcry, and clashes. Facebook has become its own war zone! As usual, I scanned various flaming friends' posts, but mostly stayed out of the Facebook fray. I may not be a social media crusader, but I do feel deeply and care/worry about all of the STUFF going on in both the USA and in the wider world. 

Over the past few months I have slowly been reading the book Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by Susan Cain. As one who has scored a 100% on every "are you an introvert?" quiz ever written, I am loving the research and explanations in this book and learning so much about myself on a basic psycho-level, hahaha. A big takeaway for me has been to treat my introvertedness as a strength and use the skills that come naturally to me as an introvert to serve and fill my responsibilities. Stress happens FAST when I try to serve/do things in a way that is contrary to my introverted nature. So one of my goals is to work with my "quiet skills" instead of against them. For me that means not crossing swords in regards to politics. Politics are rough waters that few can navigate unscathed. I prefer to sneak around onshore rather than attempt it.

This week I have been wondering: how can quiet people like myself: 

1. live 
2. help 

in this boisterous world? The events of this week have gotten me thinking, thinking thinking. Ideas trickle in slowly. Three of my "responses" to the current political climate:

1. "I am and always will be--the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes. The dreamer of improbable dreams." --BBC's Dr. Who
2. Hope for goodness, handle what happens, and hug more. Hugs are good. Hugs show gratitude, welcome, acceptance, and love.
3. Prayer is my best way to handle it all. Prayers for the people inside our country, prayers for the people outside our country, and prayers for the people who are caught somewhere in between.

This morning I glanced at social media and read a few articles about refugees, etc. I felt the desire to help out, but I didn't know what I could possibly do. Most of the time I feel like I'm barely keeping my nose above water with everything I already have on my plate! I prayed to know how I can help, using my strengths so I don't get stressed/overburdened. Later at church, a sister gave the most wonderful, heartfelt talk about the blessings of temple service. I had tears bulging in my eyes during most of it. One of her points was that blessings from serving in the temple are not always related directly to the temple itself--they can happen in all aspects of life. I had a distinct prompting while I was listening to her speak: "the way I can help the refugee effort is go to the temple." It's not the only way to help, but it's a way that uses my strengths and will not stress me out.

I reflected on that prompting for the rest of the meeting. What an odd, non-obvious way to help! How would that help anything? I could utilize the temple prayer roll--that would be helpful. Then I realized that prayer was the answer. Prayer is the best place to start with every challenge, both personal and...political. Prayer is my best way to handle it all. Prayers for the people inside our country, prayers for the people outside our country, and prayers for the people who are caught somewhere in between.

As usual, it feels vulnerable and a little scary to post these personal thoughts on the internet. These words reflect not my opinions about current world events, but how I am finding peace in the midst of these intense times--prayer, faith, hope, courage, and HUGS. And kindness. As I have reflected on: 

1. exactly how I feel about the current political situation(s), and 
2. what I can do from my tiny corner of the world to help, 

over and over my answer has been: hugs and prayers, hugs and prayers. 

Hugs and prayers.

Eiffel Tower Seine Run

In Paris, we were in the mood to go off the beaten track, away from entry fees and wait lines. That has become our favorite way to explore, and we went into the trip looking for ways to wander. We kept reminding each other to "Wander! It's all about the wandering!" We slowed down, admired the details, and wandered to our heart's content. It was a heady feeling to wake up in our favorite city with nobody to take care of but ourselves and entire DAYS to wander alone together. It felt sinfully selfish and indulgently delightful all at once. Just Jeff, Shaina, and the city.

After our Monday morning on Montmartre, we changed clothes and ran from our hotel along the river Seine all the way to the Eiffel Tower, 6.5 miles. We have not run together since we were dating and Jeff was trying to win me over (11 years ago). It seemed fitting to go for a run together during our 10 year anniversary trip! Jeff had to make hefty sacrifices to run at my conservative pace. His everyday running pace is about 3 minutes per mile faster than mine, and it was actually slightly painful for him to reign it in and jog along with me at my 9 minute mile pace. But he manfully vowed not to leave me in the dust, even for a quick out-and-back leg shake-out, and we stuck together (gradually speeding up each mile for the entire run, I might add). It was a grand adventure!

A quick backstory: while I was in Nottingham over the weekend, Jeff actually did the Eiffel Tower run on his own. He packed a metro ticket in his pouch and ran through the streets to the Eiffel Tower. He didn't discover the more direct path along the river till later. When he got to the metro station by the Eiffel Tower, he discovered that he had accidentally grabbed the expired ticket from the previous day instead of the fresh one for the new day. He didn't have any money in his handy pocket, so he was faced with back-to-back six mile runs, which he completed and then took a long nap after consuming a substantial kebab.

From Jeff's solo 12 miler. That's Notre Dame on his right shoulder.

So Jeff showed me the ropes on our run and we navigated our way along the streets and through walkways from our hotel over to the Seine, where we found pedestrian access to the quay right down by the water. It was a bit of a rush, running along a narrow ledge with cold gray water rushing ten feet below. Sometimes the path was as wide as a road, other times it was single-file-and-don't-look-down. We ran underneath the wide tunnels of the ornate pontes (bridges), our footsteps echoing off the cobbles. The buildings lining the waterfront were beautiful! Uniform enough to be aesthetic, unique enough to keep interest. Jeff informed me that Parisians do not have to pay property tax as long as they are actively working to beautify their buildings. Genius, effective legislation. It was tricky to keep my footing on the lumpy cobbled pathway while looking out across the river and admiring the views. Every now and then I called a halt so I could admire a building, bridge, statue, or vista better without breaking my ankles on the uneven paving stones. Every now and then we also stopped for a quick phone-picture. 

A single-file-don't look-down section

That waterfront! 

Jogging casually by the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned. 

It was absolutely exhilarating to run with my favorite person along one of the most famous waterfronts in the world. I shot a snot rocket into the water, then squealed "I JUST DID A SNOT ROCKET INTO THE SEINE!" and we laughed our heads off. We decided that running-tourism is a new favorite method of exploration. We could cover lots of ground on foot, with time to pause and admire sights but not enough time to freeze. It was a major high. And we finished at the bridge across from the Eiffel Tower. Hello, world-famous landmark! It was a quintessential Jeff and Shaina date. We rode the metro back to the stop near our hotel, then walked the chilly kilometer back to our room, stopping to pick up some kebabs and pastries along the way. We ended up clutching our food and sprinting the last few minutes back because our sweat had dried and we were freezing. My eclair was slightly squished, but still tasty.

Victory!

That night, we went for a long walk among the city lights, dazzled by the sparkly lit-up Eiffel Tower. From there we headed out in the wrong direction looking for the Arc de Triomphe. After veering a few miles off course, we eventually found the correct heading, arrived at l'arc, and snapped exactly one picture. Then we headed up the Champs-Elysses to the nearest metro station and navigated our way back to the hotel underground, footsore and sleepy. Jeff's watch informed us that we walked and ran a record 32,658 steps that day for a total of 18.9 miles. Wandering is tiring!

For our nighttime selfies, we had to get creative. It was too dark to take a picture without a light on our faces, but the flash washed out the lit Eiffel Tower in the background. So Jeff turned on his cell phone flashlight and shined it on our faces while we held our heavy regular camera out and took the picture.  

Photographic note: we brought our beloved heavy clunky Pentax k-x camera on this trip and used it well when it was convenient. When it was not convenient (such as while we were running), we resorted to Jeff's phone camera. That left us with a rather wide variety of image quality from the trip as a whole. Over and over I marveled at the difference a good camera makes. For example, see the two images above. (left: camera, right: phone) No competition.

 L'arc de Triomphe--circled by hundreds of cars without traffic lanes. Twelve streets converge on the giant traffic circle around the arch. It was mesmerizing and a little stressful watching them jockey for position in the 10-car-wide circle. Traffic laws--qui les vuex?

True love in Paris: perfection.