Wednesday, December 21, 2011

christmas nails

So I have been a slacking blog author - my apologies for the delays in posts!! December has been quite a hectic month. I have been busy every evening since I got back from Paris and spent last weekend out of town. There's been cooking, baking, wrapping, and oh yes, sleeping too!
Last night I updated my nails to get more in a festive mood. I knew what I would do for my accent nail - but I was befuddled about the other four nails per hand. Ross suggested a dark green. But then I thought maybe I'd add a green glitter on the edges... no, that would be too much. Maybe white nails? That would complement my accent. But, no... too dull.
{Photo editing courtesy of ColorSplash!}

I finally settled on going with a neutral Deborah Lippmann polish. My pinkies are done in Cherry Red by Maybelline (this polish is about 5 years old, but still in good condition because I rarely use it!). For the accent I used my thin french manicure brush/polish. It still wasn't right. Then I remembered a silver polish I purchased a few months ago. It really doesn't cover completely so I can't use it as a tip accent but for this it's totally perfect! Sparkly & Festive!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

making it count


I spent my last night in Paris with my friend Natalie. We met after my conference finished and headed to the Louvre! We saw exhibits of French painters, a long gallery of Italian masterpieces, and the Egyptian artifacts and quickly breezed past galleries of statues and the moat on our long, complicated venture out!

  • Rembrandt's works were quite amazing. They also had a collection of portraits of him, creations by other famous artists.
  • Natalie pointed out how white and bright the characters are in the Italian paintings. Afterwards, it's all I could notice! Because surely these people bathed every day and never went outside.
  • We accidentally walked past the Mona Lisa and had to trace back our steps. Of course there was a crowd around it, but I had to take a picture too! But you know what? It looks exactly the same as it does in books! It was behind a wall of tinted glass which I believe protects it from flash photography. In jest, I told Natalie "I bet it's not the real thing. The real Mona Lisa is probably stored in a safe in the basement." But then I realized that could very likely be true. Although, I am one for conspiracy theories (if you have the time, ask me my thoughts about going to the moon!)
  • We really enjoyed the Egyptian mummy and marveled at the figure's frame and resemblance it still had to a person, 4,000 years later! They also had an unwrapped crocodile mummy. We were simply astonished by the state of the reptile. The skin was in tact, it had scales - it really only looked a little deflated! Funny thing is, most of these items were stolen from the Egyptians back in the day.
Onto the Montmarte neighborhood and a fantastic fondue dinner!! We showed up a few minutes late for our reservation, which was really a loose list, so we chatted with an Italian couple outside (I guess those key phrases that popped up all week turned out to be useful). When we got called inside I stepped onto a chair and over the table, then landed in a bench seat! They brought us some snacks to nosh on... 
While eating our appetizers we ordered red wine, sipped our aperitifs, and awaited our cheese fondue!
I believe the wine is served in baby bottles because of the open flames and necessary climbing over tables.
Warm, melty cheese - yummmmmm!!

After our dinner we walked up all the stairs to the Sacre Coeur. There is a funicular (trolley car that travels up a hill) but we opted for a workout. After all, we just ate an entire pot of cheese!! The views from up top were spectacular. The Eiffel Tower's spotlight hits you when it circles around (like a lighthouse). There was a cute Christmas Market (closed) set up that was adding to the festive feeling. Though, the neighborhood isn't very safe - it's known for pick pockets - so we didn't hang around very long. 

My last night in Paris was perfect!! I got to check off the final items on my "tourist must-see" list and drink wine from a baby bottle to boot! You know what, I think I made it count! Though, back down to central Paris and it was time to pack... interesting since my suitcase was packed to the brim when I arrived in Paris and during the week I accumulated a number of gifts... oh dear...

Friday, December 9, 2011

LeWeb day two debrief

The tone of the day was a lot less salesy than Day One, a welcomed change.  Though, keynote speakers were less impressive today.


Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang) from Altimeter Group gave a great presentation on "the state of social business." He provided a number of relevant examples including Dell's certification course, McKinsey research, and Chatter software.


I quite enjoyed learning that airbnb.com (@airbnb) started with a group of guys who couldn't make rent so they rented the air mattress on their living room floor to a traveler. Hence, "air bed" and breakfast became airbnb.


There was also a lot of exposure to Evernote (@plibin and @Evernote). This is an intuitive software that talks to your macs, PCs, iPhones, etc. and keeps track of your notes. You can create folders for topics, tag your notes, and take pictures. When you go back to reference your notes it will aggregate similar ones. Evernote also launched two new apps this week; food and hello. Food focuses on taking pictures, tagging the people your with, recording the date, and writing a note about your review. You can even set it up to remind you that there's a milkshake you like nearby when you happen to be in the vicinity of the restaurant! I really like the Hello app. It's a mosaic of people you meet with a photo that rotates between four pictures taken consecutively when you collect their info. I'm certainly excited about the opportunities Evernote will open up for me personally and professionally.


LinkedIn hosted a panel discussion but the moderator was so terrible I could barely concentrate. She was scripted, awkward, and really unprepared, I s embarrassed for her.


The esteemed Bill Gross (@bill_gross) shared his 20 lessons learned from being an entrepreneur.  This was a really insightful presentation that a lot of folks have already covered on blogs. I'm sure you can find one if you Google it! Some of the stand-out lessons, for me, include 2. Master the Demo... Being as prepared as possible to sell your product and 3. Pursue Your Passion... Especially online, authenticity and passion are integral to success!


Day 3 has a focus on enterprise, something I'm quite looking forward to! More to come soon. Au revoir!

dinner, friends, & party at the Louvre

I happened to get off the metro at a different stop to visit the ATM and pick up more Euros, this stop was "Madeleine." I got out and was immediately wowed by the neighborhood. It's clearly upscale, and the shops were quite impressive. There was more than one Fauchon, a French gourmet food company. I believe one was a chocolate shop, another the boulangerie (bread store), and also a cafe! I also spotted the Maille store! They make fantastic mustard which you can buy in the U.S. though their French products are apparently different and better. Unfortunately they had closed shop for the night so I didn't get to purchase anything :(

I had to hurry on my way as I had only 3 hours until my party at the Louvre! But if I find some extra time tonight I think I'll head back to the neighborhood for some more perusing. 

My hotel recommended a local French restaurant nearby. I had a great salad with goat cheese and a filet of beef with potatoes for dinner. They also served a really nice glass of Bordeaux! The table next to me was a mother and daughter from New York! They just arrived in Paris for a weeklong trip so I shared recommendations based on my time here so far. They're going to take the Chunnel to London for a day trip next week... I'm quite jealous as this is something I have always wanted to do. ...next time! 

While at dinner I also met an American woman that recently moved to Paris for her husband's job. She doesn't speak French yet and is having a hard time integrating into the culture here. So I reached out to my friend here and also the nice woman that invited me to eat dinner with her friends and family on Tuesday night. Hopefully something clicks ...I love connecting people!!

I quickly got prepped for the party. Thankfully I threw a Diane Von Furstenberg  dress in my suitcase just in case! It takes up almost no space and it's so pretty, one of my favorites... aubergine, to the knee with a deep V in the front and back. I paired it with a pearl necklace (tripled up at the neck), black cut-out tights from We Love Colors, and my Prada black patent leather peep-toe pumps.

The party was at the Carrousel du Louvre. There was a live band, some really cool DJ's that wore cat masks, and an Absolute sponsored bar! They were making tasty cocktails and had a neat set-up. It was mostly networking, no dancing, but fun none-the-less! I was nervous I'd be more dressed up than everyone else... After all, most people are sporting jeans during the day. Turns out it worked, attire really spanned the entire spectrum and I wasn't the only female in a dress.

It was a late night and it will be an early morning, but I'm looking forward to the interviews and discussions at the final day of LeWeb. Followed by a fondue dinner with Natalie (where the wine is served in baby bottles), and possibly a trip to the Louvre!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

au pied du cochon

Au Pied du Cochon literally means "the foot of the pig". Almost everything on the menu consists of pig snout, knuckles, head, or tail - you name it, they serve it! While I'm open to new foods, like escargot, pig tail is a little much for my taste, which is likely why I did not hear one word of English at the restaurant. There was at least Italian and French, but with all the talking (the restaurant was full with a long line of waiting patrons) I could hardly pick out one language form the other.

They offer a complimentary aperitif which I declined for a small carafe of beaujolais (red wine) instead. The baguette is served with a pork fat butter. Seriously. I tried it, it was rich and flavorful, but I had no interest in eating another bite of it. (Side note - I just said "si" to my waiter instead of "oui" there's that Italian that keeps popping up!)

The famous onion soup was delicious. They use a lot more cheese than in the U.S. I actually used my butter knife to go after it. It was a nice big bowl and so tasty. I could go back for another one right now.

For my entree selection I went with a specialty; pork cutlet. It was served with a potato casserole on the side but given the calories (and cheese) I already consumed I only had a few bites. The pork was served with a brown sauce I'm convinced included some type of pork fat to add to the flavor. The cutlets were thin, pan-fried and served with soft onions. A very traditional French meal.

No dessert tonight, too much food already! But a tea sounds nice - ooh, they serve it with a chocolate! Don't mind if I do.

Tomorrow night I have a party in the Louvre. Yes, a party in the Louvre. Yes, that Louvre. I'm so glad I packed a dress!!

LeWeb day one


I feel that the most precise way to describe my day is to direct you to my Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/#!/LadyXVII).
For those folks not on Twitter yet, the stream is in reverse chronological order with my most recent post on top. If there’s an “at symbol” - @ - I am tagging a person’s name or talking to them. If you see a hashtag - # - I’m categorizing my conversation. Most will have #leweb or #leweb11.
The schedule of speakers, for the most part, was interesting and educational! Those that stick out include;
  • Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel
    • “Personally I promote nothing at all, except being me.”
    • “The easiest thing for me to sketch is myself.” – which he did! On one of his 30 or 40 iPads – he goes through them like sketchbooks - and carries them in a case with his 4 iPhones, a handful of iPods - labeled for date of music upload.
    • “Life will teach you.”
    • “I’m down to earth, just not this earth.”
    • “I know there are more important things in life than fashion, but since we don’t run around naked maybe we should care a little bit about fashion.”
    • We got a preview of a movie he shot for Chanel. Tres chic!
  • Eric Schmidt from Google
    • "If you don’t like the image you see in the mirror don’t break the mirror fix the image problem"
    • On the Egyptian crisis – “Facebook organized, Twitter got people out, and YouTube recorded results”
    • “If you care about security use Chrome. The fact that it’s faster shouldn't matter.”
  • Joanna from Facebook
    • “Sampling is a successful technique for brands to reach out to fans on Facebook. Examples include Nespresso and Burberry.”
  • TaskRabbit – an app that lets you post an ad for basically anything! (e.g., picking up dry cleaning) Apparently the most common task across their network is assembling Ikea furniture!!
LinkedIn was also there. I don’t remember their interview being all that engaging, but I do know that one of life’s greatest mysteries has been solved!! I was always bothered that people type the company name with a capital I, “LinkedIn”. However, the logo has it with a lowercase i, “Linkedin” but the “in” sits within a blue box. For the longest time I thought everybody was writing it wrong – the logo has a lowercase i so that must be the way to type it as well! However, I was wrong. There was a piece of marketing material from LinkedIn in our LeWeb drawstring backpacks and they do indeed spell it out LinkedIn although it doesn’t agree with the logo.

Tomorrow I’m most looking forward to Evernote’s presentation. From those in the know, I hear they’ve got some hot news! Which reminds me, Facebook is developing a new plug-in to follow updates from any other site right in your news feed! Facebook, your one-stop shop. It’s what Mark Zuckerberg always dreamed of!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Paris and sun, again!


Dinner ended early and I wasn’t ready to retire so I stopped in the Irish pub next to my hotel for a glass of Bordeaux. I have now, I believe, frequented Irish Pubs in Paris, Rome, and Siena. There’s a good chance I was also at one in London. Ahh, the powers of Guinness.

I got up bright and early to climb the Eiffel Towers today. Since I twisted my ankle last night walking the Champs-Elysees I thought it prudent to metro over to the Left Bank. Arriving 15 minutes early was perfect, I was about 30th on line! Shortly thereafter I found myself overlooking the streets of a city I’ve come to know over the past two days. Morning in Paris, I’ve observed, is typically dark, gray, and gloomy, though that didn't take away from what I saw at the top!

From the Eiffel Tower I walked to Rue Cler; a traditional market-based street where Parisians do their food shopping. I picked up a couple of clementines, some brie, foie gras, dry sausage/salami, a petit baguette and I was set for lunch! I stopped at a bench on the gardens in front of Hotel de Invalides to nosh a bit, then continued to the Musee d’Orsay.

Note to self: do not arrive at a museum at noon. The line was so long!! Surprisingly, though, about 10 minutes after getting on line I saw the only other co-worker attending the LeWeb conference this week!! I chatted with Chris and his wife during our 30-minute queue. We parted ways when we got inside but it was a nice surprise to see a friendly face!

The Orsay was really interesting. It resides in an old train station so the architecture alone lends something to appreciate. The ground floor was impressive in regards to layout but the fifth floor really caught my eye. I enjoyed seeing the neo-Impressionist galleries; pointillism is a technique I’ll always admire! On the top floor you’ll find some of Degas’ ballerinas, Monet’s water lilies, works from Sisley and Toulouse-Latrec.

The few times I sat down during my rounds in the Orsay I nearly fell asleep. So following my visit I headed back to my hotel room to finish my lunch and take a nap. Apparently while I was asleep it actually hailed! So, weather wise I wasn’t missing much. On my way back to the hotel I stopped at Angelina and scored the last chocolate éclair… “you are lucky!” said my cashier… and three mini chocolate croissants because I couldn’t help myself.

Steak and frites for dinner!! Le Relais de l’Enterecote was recommended by a colleague and is conveniently located near the Champs Elysees. En route I strolled Rue de Montaigne, equivalent to Madison Avenue in New York. Great window shopping included Harry Winston, Balenciaga, Dior, and Chanel. Speaking of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld is presenting at my conference tomorrow morning!! Ahh!

I got to the restaurant at 6:40 and had to wait until they opened at 7 pm. While I waited I met an uber friendly American woman with her kids. After talking for a bit she welcomed me to join her group for dinner! It was such a nice treat not to eat a meal alone :)

The waitress asks what temperature you want your meat. Twenty minutes later plates with small stakes and frites (French fries) come out; followed by round two nearly 15 minutes later. It was so delicious, I ate every bite! The sauce is delectable, though no one knows exactly what is in it. People online have guessed garlic and anchovies. It’s quite a salty sauce, but not fishy at all.

Dinner was great, but now I think there’s a chocolate éclair calling my name… And, precious beauty sleep. After all, Karl Lagerfeld is presenting tomorrow, and I’m wearing heels with a strained ankle!

Monday, December 5, 2011

the day of closure


Sunday is usually a difficult day to plan in Paris because so many businesses are closed. For me, Monday proved to be even more so; difficult, that is.

I decided to check out the breakfast option at my hotel before setting out for the day, just in case it was worth it. Turns out, it was!! Cereal, yogurt, chocolate croissants (yum!), regular croissants and pastries, baguettes, 3 cheeses, ham and salami, hot sausage, and scrambled eggs. Plus they had American coffee and a selection of juice (yes, Ross, I took my vitamins). No, I didn’t eat all of that – those were just the options. But, I grazed a bit :)

My first stop was Napoleon’s Tomb. This site wasn’t originally on my list but a friend and colleague highly recommended it. On my walk over I got some great pictures as it was bright and sunny – an unexpected surprise for December in Paris! Unfortunately, the Hotel de Invalides and Napoleon’s Tomb are closed the first Monday of the month. Not the end of the world since I did get some great pictures of the outside and gardens. Note: I brought my big camera with the telescopic lens today. It weighs about 15 pounds, and worth every ounce.

Next up was the Musee de l’Orangerie. This is a small museum featuring Monet’s Waterlilies in a white gallery designed by Monet himself. I had a really nice time walking the galleries in this smaller museum but was slightly frustrated by the large number of young students attending class trips. The site is small so I finished it rather quickly and strolled through the Jardin de Tuileries on my way to lunch.

I met my friend and trapeze confidant Natalie at Angelina; a patisserie and restaurant famous for their decadent, rich hot chocolate. We both ordered the carrot soup – such a fabulous recipe, I might be inspired for future soups! – and I polished mine off with a hot chocolate that met every bit of its reputation. One of the nice things about France, and Europe for that matter, is the lack of rushing at dining establishments. We had to try and make eye contact with – eventually we nearly interrupted – our waiter to ask for the bill.

Natalie kindly walked me to Saint Chapelle which was closing at 4:30 pm. I was sad because the stained glass windows in the upper chapel on a sunny day like today would be breaktaking. Thankfully I have time in my itinerary tomorrow to squeeze that stop in! We assumed there was a concert at the church this evening, hence the early closure.

After a quick jaunt through the Latin Quarter we stopped for tea at her apartment. Shortly thereafter we stepped out to stroll the Marche de Noel, “Christmas Market”, in her neighborhood and found, to our disappointment, they closed early! Why? For no good reason; likely because it was cold. Oh Europeans! So we headed off in search of a crepes. Favorite creperie nearby? Closed. Alright, onto the next good one a few blocks down. Closed. Seriously?! How does this happen. Why is nobody working? Did I miss a memo? We decided to grab some Lebanese food for dinner tonight – a really good choice, they even gave us free baklava for dessert!!

En route to the metro  I was able to get some Christmas shopping done. That was quite a pleasant surprise. I’m glad that I stumbled across some authentic Parisian “gifts” for friends and family.  By the time I got back to my hotel it was 7:30. For some reason, I thought the Marche de Noel on the Champs Elysees was closing at 8:30pm, so I hustled over to the start of the market!! The stalls are really cute and festive with lots of Vin Chaud (hot wine), fromage (cheese), and saucisse (sausage). There were also plenty of knick knacks. I tried some of the Vin Chaud – a mulled hot wine – and don’t think I’ll be having another glass during my trip. I still had my camera with me so I got some nice photos of the market, locals shopping, and the sparkling Eiffel Tower in the background!! I continued up Champs Elysees – despite my aching back, legs, and muscles – all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. It really is beautiful lit up at night! The walk back down was much easier. I picked up a Nutella crepe, finally!, at a stall and continued through the rest of the Marche de Noel.

I had quite the busy day, despite sites being closed. Natalie and I are going to meet up again for a fondue dinner on Friday! Something I'm really looking forward to. And first site on my itinerary for tomorrow is the Eiffel Tower! I'm quite excited to ride up and see the view of the city :)

Sunday, December 4, 2011

my first day in Paris... and what a day it was!


When my flight landed I kept reminding myself it was 11:15 am, despite the few hours of sleep I got on the plane. Luggage took a while to come out – I forgot about that little nugget when flying internationally. And then the train was out of service because there was an accident. I was directed to the “350” metrobus and an hour and a half later I was actually in metropolitan Paris. A short taxi ride from the bus stop to my hotel taught me that the Roissybus will be my method of transportation for my return flight.

I checked into my hotel and freshened up… after all, I did sleep in a cabin with approximately 200 other people breathing the same air for 8 hours, eww! Unfortunately, since it’s Sunday, a lot of restaurants and sites are closed. So I stopped into the closest bistro for a chicken sandwich. Since I’ve heard rave reviews about the French mustard I added a bit. Let me tell you, it cleared my sinuses like wasabi!

A quick hop across the street and I was in the Tuileries Gardens. The afternoon was dark and grey so I decided not to take my big camera with me. (In fact, I wasn’t even inspired to take a picture until the sun went down! That’s when Paris really lights up!!) As I was leaving the Tuileries Gardens I happened to turn around and say something reminiscent of the “London Eye” (unexpected and ugly) and behind that the Arc de Triomphe (unexpected and beautiful). My line of sight quickly focused on the Arc and I was momentarily mesmerized.

My afternoon walk around the Left Bank left me quite happy with Paris. I arrived at the Luxembourg Gardens, my planned destination, to find out they were closing. That was a shame but it’s hardly “garden weather” so I adjusted rather quickly. Down the street is the Pantheon and I continued around and up to Notre Dame. The façade and exterior of Notre Dame is quite breathtaking – especially at sunset when all of the buttresses are lit up. The inside is remarkable as well. There was a service going on, which added to the effect, but this cathedral was breathtaking. The small chapels on each side were quite a site. It brought me back to my days in Italy…
Which reminds me… all day I have been thinking of vocabulary and phrases in Italian. That long lost language I haven’t spoken in three and a half years! I have said “Si” and “Grazie” more times that I wish to admit today. No matter how hard I try, those key French phrases are not sticking in my head.  Although, apparently a number of Europeans think that I do speak French. I was approached by two different people today asking me questions, about 10-15 seconds long, in French. One woman didn’t speak English but the second did so I was able to direct her. However, I was shocked she didn’t try English first. The woman in the Tabac shop thought I was going to send my postcard within the EU when I politely corrected her and said, “U.S., please” (Ellen, you’re welcome in advance!) After these experiences, I’ve come to the conclusion that I am geographically generic. When I’m in the U.S. people can’t place me or my accent. When I’m in Europe people think I am European. Not that I’m complaining because I have encountered numerous friendly, nice Frenchmen/people today and have yet to (despite the woman on the bus that was made my suitcase was taking up a seat) interact with the rude, anti-American French that everybody makes such a fuss about.
But I digress… I continued westward on the island towards Saint Chapelle (a site to visit later this week) and crossed Pont Neuf -  but not before photographing the heads and ornate details on the side. By the time I got to the Louvre courtyard (where the famed pyramid resides) I was losing steam.

Most restaurants are closed on Sunday so finding a place to dine tonight proved to be rather difficult despite how prepared I am for this trip. Finally I hoped on the metro and made my way to dinner. They were booked solid for the night at their tables, though I got a one of the two seats at the bar facing the kitchen which happens to be right inside the front door! I was mesmerized by what I saw… it was more action than a hockey game :)

The wait staff offered me a wine that I had not tried before; Cote de Rhone. My initial reaction was “undetermined” – it had less body than a Cabernet though it wasn’t lacking flavor. It had a lot of tannins and the best way I can describe it was that it was almost sour, but not in a bad way.

My appetizer involved snails in French mushrooms with a butter herb sauce and cooked in a bubbling garlic butter sauce. And yes, I sopped up the extra sauce with my freshly baked baguette after I ate all my mushrooms/snails. Note: that was my first snail experience but I promised myself that I would try to be open to new foods while on this trip!

The kitchen put out dish after dish of a [what looked like] a lamb shank. It must be the most popular dish at the restaurant, and after I saw the umpteenth plate being prepared I became remiss that I did not order that. OH, but then my dinner arrived – a succulent, soft, flavorful filet of white fish; served on top of vegetables with a mesculin green salad. I ate every last morsel. Fish has never tasted so good; this entrée was fan-freaking-tastic.

I trusted my waiter enough at that point to leave the dessert choice to him. Then he lays down a fork, a spoon, and a knife. For dessert?! Whaaat? He said, “it’s a pie served warm, with English cream and caramel sauce!” Okay, I was sold and when it came I sure was glad that I let him choose it. The pie was a Bosc pear and it was fantastically delicious!

It’s been a long day and I’m ready to get some shut eye in a bed. So, au revoir my blog readers!! Stay tuned for another day in Paris…

PS - folks, I have a really slow internet connection for now so I will upload pictures later this week! Thanks for your patience.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

bonjour paris!

Note: I am currently agitated with the Blogger software. During my commute home yesterday I wrote this post and it was great. My tone of voice was spot on... you know, one of those write-ups that has the perfect bit of sarcasm? And then my iPhone Blogger app lost it. It's not a draft. It's not on my iPhone. It's not in my web account. Needless to say, I'm very irritated. However, I still have the major issue of picking out shoes for Paris so I wrote it again and please please comment!

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I leave for Paris in just two days. When I booked this trip back in September, I thought the day would never arrive, now it's almost here!! When I studied abroad in college I chose not to visit Paris because I was convinced the opportunity would arise later in life. Alas, said opportunity is here!!

I have been mentally scanning my closet to select the most appropriate attire for Paris. After all, I will have those fashionably acute, judgmental French eyes staring at me. My mental suitcase currently consists of blouses, sweaters, silk scarves, blazers, peggings (pant leggings - these are awesome!) and then I get to shoes... oh man, I am stumped!! I have rain boots, sneakers, Merrells, Sperry waterproof winter boots with a wedge, and Frye motorcycle boots...

What I really need (okay, "want") for a cold and wet December in Paris is riding boots! Particularly a pair in black and luggage. Then I went on an online mission to find a pair. I came across a "keeper" at DSW and put them in my cart when my common (better?) senses kicked in... did I want to spend that money on shoes or did I want to spend that money IN Paris?! I did not end up purchases the boots. But now I'm left with a conundrum... what do I wear for my three touring days?!

I'm favoring my motorcycle boots for the more muddy ventures (e.g., the Eiffel Tower) and my winter boots with a wedge for the more sophisticated atmospheres (e.g., Champs d'Elysses).

But, I ask you this blog readers... what shoes do I pack for Paris?