And then I chunneled to Paris! PSA: treat international European trains like you would a domestic flight. I was surprised by the extensive security checks, long lines, and passport control. I was 40 minutes early and still had to jump the line in order to not miss my train. Who needs that kind of stress?
As a result, I hadn't had time for breakfast at the station. Making my way to the dining car, I found a few people in line but no one behind the counter. A lonely box of croissants sat on the counter, with no one monitoring them or offering to take money in exchange for their flaky goodness. And coffee? Tea? Nowhere in sight. The Brits politely queued, but I began to grow impatient. It didn't seem like we were actually waiting for anything. We had started to grow into a community of shared experience, frustration, and confusion. I sent a scout to look down the hallway but his investigation was half-hearted and lacked thoroughness, and he soon gave up on the whole operation and headed back to his seat, mumbling about trying for food later. Taking matters into my own hands, I went one car further to find a bustling counter with food, beverages, and actual people serving them! I turned on my heels to go back and gather my hungry, lost ducklings.
Arriving in Paris, I took Letizia up on her suggestion to visit the gallery of Petit Palais, which felt really quite grand and large to me, but to be fair, it was overshadowed by the Grand Palais directly across from it. And so, petite Kel-ais enjoyed Petit Palais while sipping rosé. This is a great (free!) spot to stop for a bite, a rest, or perhaps a watercolor, should you be so inclined. The semi-circle garden (above) is positively enchanting.
In Paris for three working days, each evening I would head toward Letizia's neighborhood of Puteaux so she could show me areas unterrorized by tourists.
One of my favorite things about Letizia is that she isn't afraid to go deep. Philosophy, existentialism, you name it we cover it. Concepts from my favorite book on meditation (ok, granted I've only read two thus far), The Power of Now, became the single thread tying our visit together. It started seriously, but eventually digressed into us calling the other out for not living in the present.
Charcuterie on a boat
One night Letizia and Olivier had me over for dinner and I got to see the condo they recently purchased. We enjoyed quiche, the view and breeze out their patio window, and our usual conversation patchwork of French, Italian, and English. Letizia also finally took my not-so-subtle hint and gifted me one of her handmade ceramics, which I treasure!
Dinner at Olivier and Letizia's new condo!
Strollin'
The Paris Box office is in an incredible location at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe-check out the view from the balcony! In other directions, one can spot the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre. Sometimes Boxers will sit out on the patio chairs with their laptops on their laps, living the good life.
And soon I was done with work and it was time for the second half of my trip! I headed to Brussels and Letizia joined me after work a few hours later. I had never been to Belgium, and Letizia hadn't been to the towns we were visiting, so it was fun to discover new places together.
We spent most of our time wandering the cheery streets, drinking beer instead of water ("I was going to go to the bathroom, but the beer arrived" -me), and marveling at the ornate architecture.
Here I am appearing to reverently pray in the presence of a giant pot of Brussels' mussels (really the smell was just irresistible).
How cute is Leti? Plus she matches my pot!
Brussels' Grand Place literally took my breath away. Emerging from a crowded side street at dusk into the bright, majestic, gold-gilded square, my breath caught in my chest. We grabbed a couple local bottles of beer and plopped down in the center of the magic, enjoying the warm summer night and the bustle of the square.
Bright the next morning I woke Letizia up with a towel-clad rendition of "Bonjour" from Beauty and the Beast before we headed to the famed Bruges. It's no wonder this place is popular-it has more than enough charm to fill a bracelet.
We stopped at a Christmas shop just off the main square and Letizia found this heart shaped ornament (below). It's the ugliest decoration I could ever remember seeing, and we weren't even sure what was being portrayed in the middle. An oyster? A walnut? Some kind of genitalia? We asked the shopkeeper, who turned out to be from California, and she just laughed and laughed because she'd always wondered the same thing. She'd even considered sending one to her sister as a joke. We ended up buying two as souvenirs, and told her she had to send one to her sister, too. Pretty sure that brings the grand total of sales for this (what has to be a heart-shaped walnut cookie) ornament to three.
In Italy, I never feel like I have enough meals to fit in all the food I want to taste. In Belgium, I felt that way about beer. At one spot, we tried an award-winning bottle at a 15 euro price point (just one bottle for that price, mind you!) and it was truly spectacular. Oh, how I'm longing for the richness of flavor and variety of beer you can find over there now.
A highlight of Bruges for us was the canal boat tour. Of course it's the most touristy thing you can do there, with the next company just a bridge away, and dozens of boats dotting the narrow canal. But sometimes things are touristy for a reason, and we gushed over our handsome Belgian captain (there is something about the particular, gutteral way locals pronounce "Bruges" that makes me swoon), and the constant flashes of backdrops that look torn out of a Conde Naste article.
The rest of the afternoon we spent exploring the provincial alleyways, canal fronts, hat shops, and a famous brewery called Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan (Half Moon). Picture a warm afternoon spent in a bustling courtyard, tasting beers and eating
Letizia experiencing the Power of Now
My favorite string of storefronts in Bruges'
surprisingly large main square
On our half-Sunday before Letizia returned home and I flew to Milan, we explored Brussels by day. Stops along the journey included postcard writing in Grand Place, trying not to get trampled in front of the underwhelming manneken pis (sorry, little man), and finally stopping in a chocolate shop for a few rich samples. May I present, Letizia Across the Table from Me:
Just a few days with Leti was not enough and I was very happy to find out that she's coming to San Francisco for work in October! (She giddily word-vomited this the first moment she had me in person.) So, more to come with her next month!
