Paris 2024 Travelogue

Summary

The History Chicks: Paris 2024 Travelogue - Detailed Summary

Released on November 13, 2024

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Introduction

In the "Paris 2024 Travelogue" episode of The History Chicks: A Women's History Podcast, hosts Susan and Beckett take listeners on an immersive journey through the City of Light. Joined by 50 fellow travelers, they explore Paris's rich historical tapestry, focusing on women's contributions and experiences. This summary delves into the key highlights, discussions, and memorable moments from their adventure.

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1. Arrival and Place de la Republique

Susan and Beckett begin their Parisian expedition by settling in a hotel located at Place de la Republique. They are greeted daily by the imposing statue of Marianne, a national symbol embodying the ideals of the French Revolution: liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Beckett [00:22]: "Marianne is kind of the national symbol, kind of a cross between Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty... She stands for all of the ideals that came out of the French Revolution."

2. Experiencing Parisian Life: Protests and Skating

During their stay, the group witnesses several protests, a common occurrence at Place de la Republique. The hosts note the civilized nature of these demonstrations and the vibrant street life when protests subside, including skaters navigating the concrete tiles.

Susan [01:37]: "And when there wasn't that kind of action going on, there were skaters."

3. Cultural Interactions and Neighborhood Adventures

One of the group's first activities involves personalizing their hotel rooms with bouquets from a local florist. This simple act fosters a sense of community as neighbors join in, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Beckett [02:14]: "By the end, as we were buying the flowers, like all the neighborhood had stopped to watch and talk to us."

4. Gourmet Experiences: Bouillons and French Cuisine

The hosts highlight their dining experiences at quintessential French bouillons—traditional restaurants known for their straightforward, flavorful dishes at reasonable prices. Susan recounts her enjoyment of boeuf bourguignon paired with tiny macaroni.

Susan [04:09]: "There's stanchions. It was like they were lining up for Taylor Swift tickets almost... I had boeuf bourguignon... it was so good."

5. Exploring Versailles: Gardens and Private Tours

A significant portion of the trip is dedicated to Versailles, where the group enjoys private after-hours tours of the palace. They marvel at the meticulously maintained gardens, vibrant fountains, and the iconic Hall of Mirrors.

Marilyn [23:40]: "The coup de grace was going to... the private tour of Versailles... it was just unforgettable."

6. Artistic Insights at Musée d'Orsay and Musee Montmartre

The group visits the Musée d'Orsay, immersing themselves in Impressionist art with a focus on female artists like Mary Cassatt and Harriet Backer. They also explore Musee Montmartre, discovering the lives and works of women artists such as Suzanne Valadon.

Susan [36:22]: "It is a museum with paintings inside. But it's also a former artist residence, like a commune."

7. Pere Lachaise Cemetery: Honoring Women in History

A visit to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery provides poignant insights into the lives of notable women. The cemetery stories highlight figures like Maria Callas and Edith Piaf, emphasizing their enduring legacies.

Beckett [34:38]: "The grave that struck me is Edith Piaf. She was a French singer... 'No, je ne regret rien.'"

8. Side Quests and Memorable Encounters

Throughout the trip, participants engage in spontaneous side excursions, fostering camaraderie and memorable experiences. From climbing the Arc de Triomphe to navigating secret speakeasies mistaken for laundromats, these adventures add layers of fun and surprise.

Beckett [30:12]: "Who the heck are we? I just thought that was pretty great."

9. Culinary Delights: Champagne and Cheese Tastings

Visits to renowned establishments like Veuve Clicquot in Reims and La Couronne in Rouen offer deep dives into French culinary traditions. The group partakes in champagne luncheons, cheese pairings, and gourmet meals that highlight the artistry of French cuisine.

Susan [44:13]: "Veuve Clicquot, the brand is... They took us through the whole process of how champagne is made."

10. Reflections and Bonding

As the trip concludes, the transformation from strangers to friends is palpable. Participants share heartfelt reflections on the bonds formed, the collective memories made, and the enduring impact of their shared experiences in Paris.

Beckett [103:24]: "50 travelers who did not know each other at the beginning of this trip were now exchanging numbers, making plans for future travel."

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Notable Quotes

• Beckett [01:10]: "Marianne is kind of the national symbol... She stands for all of the ideals that came out of the French Revolution."

• Susan [02:08]: "I had boeuf bourguignon... it was so good that as soon as I got home, I went and bought some."

• Marilyn [23:40]: "The private tour of Versailles... it was just unforgettable."

• Beckett [34:38]: "The grave that struck me is Edith Piaf... 'No, je ne regret rien.'"

• Beckett [103:24]: "50 travelers who did not know each other at the beginning of this trip were now exchanging numbers..."

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Conclusion

The "Paris 2024 Travelogue" episode encapsulates a vibrant blend of historical exploration, cultural immersion, and personal connections. Susan and Beckett, alongside their group of enthusiastic travelers, delve into Paris's storied past and present, celebrating the contributions of women throughout history. From the grandeur of Versailles to the intimate moments in local cafes, the trip offers a rich tapestry of experiences that underscore the enduring allure of Paris and the power of shared journeys.

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Note: This summary excludes promotional segments and focuses solely on the content-rich parts of the podcast episode.

Transcript

[Susan]

Welcome to the History Tricks, where any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely coincidental.

[Beckett]

Hello, and welcome to the show. Today we have our friends joining us for another travelogue. This time, we went to the City of Light. We went to Paris, France, and saw a lot of things that we have talked about on the show.

[Susan]

So we asked people that had been traveling with us, 50 of our new best friends, what things stood out to them. Not necessarily. What was their favorite thing, because. Because that's really hard to come up with, but just one thing that stood out to them. Maybe they felt something strong there or they learned something and they wanted to tell you about it. So we have their voices on this episode with ours as we describe our trip to Paris. This is our second field trip to Paris, but this time we stayed in a totally different hotel in a totally different part of the city. We were at Place de la Republique. There's a huge statue of Marianne right outside our hotel rooms. We talked about her during the Statue of Liberty episode. So it was kind of nice to see her right there in front of us every day.

[Beckett]

Marianne is kind of the national symbol, kind of a cross between Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty and the concept of Columbia that America had going on. She stands for all of the ideals that came out of the French Revolution. Liberty, equality, fraternity. And anytime there is a major protest, quite naturally people come to Place de la Republique.

[Susan]

And we did see some of those protests while we were there. It was very civilized. I never felt unsafe. It was very interesting to watch, I thought. And when there wasn't that kind of action going on, there were skaters. Did you love that?

[Beckett]

I did. And those poor skaters, like, they don't have a smooth surface. There's, like, giant tiles made of concrete. And it was like, you know how, like, you can get train track soothing melodies on YouTube or whatever? It was kind of soothing to me to hear the skaters outside.

[Susan]

Yeah. No, I thought it might remind you of your son a lot. That's the soundtrack of his life.

[Beckett]

How about this for another neighborhood amenity? We were absolutely walking distance from the canal in which Amelie skips her rocks in the movie Amelie. And we had a lovely little adventure in the neighborhood. We decided, you know, it's a very Parisian thing to do, and we wanted to personalize our hotel rooms. And so we went and got bouquets of flowers from a florist that had the cutest little dog the world had ever seen. By the end, as we were buying the flowers, like all the Neighborhood had stopped to watch and to talk to us and to talk to the florist. And it was such a lovely neighborhoody little experience. And then walking back to the hotel, carrying our flowers, I just felt so cozy. And that was like the best introduction to the city, I think.

[Susan]

I think so. And then the first night we had a really good dinner that was very French. Right there on Place de la Republique is a bouillon. Republique. It's a bouillon, It's a restaurant, it's a French bistro. And they have very simple French food.

[Beckett]

Done really, really well and very inexpensively. They started out as kind of workman's, almost like cafeterias, kind of a. No nonsense, you know, the workmen are not going to settle for high prices and they are not going to come if your food is not correct. And so the bouillons typically have very, very tasty, good food in suitable quantities for very reasonable prices. And those things in combination. We went so early. We went American early even. I think we were there at like 4:45 and still had to wait in a bit of a line because we didn't reserve because we're fools. But then as we were coming out, I think the line was a hundred people deep. Oh, people love the bullions. They love them.

[Susan]

There's stanchions. They were. It was like they were lining up for Taylor Swift tickets almost. And it was like that every single night. I had boeuf bourguignon, you know, beef stew. And they served it with these teeny tiny macaronis, which the gravy went into. It was so good that as soon as I got home, I went and bought some. So I had it in the house when I make beef stew next. Right away out of the gate. First day, I'm already influenced back home. And I had my first of five onion soups and the first of three creme brulees the entire trip. I wanted to report on that.

[Beckett]

And the next day we got a hot tip that an antique fair that only comes twice a year was actually going to be there. It was like pure chance. We did not plan it. And it's on an island, a train, a real train ride away. We had to figure out the train system. Man, we looked like ants in a ant farm. A little bit going up and down, trying to figure out. It's like a whole different kind of train. But we did it. We made it.

[Marilyn]

We.

[Beckett]

We got there. We kind of bonded wordlessly with some fellow travelers that were headed in that Same direction. We're all like, we know where we're going, right? Like, we're going to the island. You and me. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Amazing. Hundreds of booths. I mean, I love an antique market in my own country where you kind of know what you're going to find. But the bric a brac there was unfamiliar and therefore amazing. So cool. And then something else. So cool. I love it. All of a sudden, all the vendors at a certain time, we didn't know. We didn't know what time it was. Oh, no. Card tables, tablecloths, coolers, containers of charcuterie, containers of dip. People started bringing oysters and shucking them, and glasses were pulled out from under the tables and everybody was drinking wine. It is lunchtime. It is lunch time. And they sit and they. Their friends from the neighboring booths come by and they are all sitting there shucking oysters and talking about their day, leaning back, having a cigar. It was.

[Susan]

It was great to see that. It's one time you're like, here, stand there and take my picture. So that you could take a picture of them having dinner or their luncheon.

[Beckett]

It's so funny because, like, people just from sight that you wouldn't have thought hung out together are bonding over. I mean, I think each man had 24 oysters. Yeah, it was serious. And I think among the four guys that we were standing kind of right in front of, there must have been three or four bottles of wine on that table.

[Susan]

Oh, yeah.

[Beckett]

But you know what? Everybody just had a nice lunch. And then when it was over, everybody just kind of packed up and got back to work. And I got a painting and I know you got a vase. And I did.

[Susan]

I got a silver vase for those flowers that we got. And when we were in Austria, I had gone out with one of our fellow travelers. She was looking for a piece of jewelry, some bling to remind her of her trip to Austria. And I thought it was so wonderful. So after the experience in Austria, I thought, you know what? I think I'm going to try to do that. We couldn't do it in New York because we didn't have any free time. But here we are at an antique mall and there's jewelry everywhere. Antique jewelry. And I did find something. I have a brand new diamond ring.

[Marilyn]

It's lovely.

[Susan]

And it was fairly inexpensive, so yay me.

[Beckett]

It was as far as I could see, white tents. It looked like the field of the cloth of gold or something. It was like a.

[Susan]

A Ren festival. Like those white tents all lined up Yeah. I do also want to add, I was able to bring the price down on my ring. I always felt so French.

[Beckett]

Whereas I just go, you know, how much would you like for this painting? And they tell me, and I'm like, sounds good. Or I say, ooh la la, too expensive. And they're like, try to bargain. I'm like, no, for real, I'm. I'm good. I really, I really. Man, that is a skill I just haven't picked up.

[Susan]

I don't know. I was skilled, but I was just, you know, debating it, like, am I going to find a better one? It was our first row. I'm like, I could find something else. And I don't know, maybe not. Well, I'll tell you what. And then she brought the price down twice. And I was like, yep, sold.

[Beckett]

Oh, well, I know vendors of the world. When I walk away, I just am walking away. It's not a tactic. I'll just accept the price or I won't. I'm not going to have any further discussion. I know. So bad. I probably well overpaid, but that's okay.

[Susan]

No, I like your painting. I thought it was lovely.

[Beckett]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Susan]

So we went back to our hotel because it was time for the field trip to finally kick off. We always start our kickoff night with a cocktail party. There's always snacks and drinks and mingling and people get to know each other. And this time it was held in the courtyard of our hotel. It's an old, old building and it was beautiful courtyard. And after our mingling and snacking, we all climbed aboard a bus and had an open air tour of Paris in the dark.

[Beckett]

I think our tour guide was spectacular. Also, the bus driver knew his business and man, did we get some great pictures of the Arc de Triomphe. We got some great close ups of the Eiffel Tower. Great pictures of the Place de la Concorde where the guillotine once stood. That's a little grim reminder. Every building we passed had some information. We saw the new Louis Vuitton. This is not historical, but we saw the new Louis Vuitton building that is shaped like a giant Louis Vuitton trunk. That is amazing.

[Susan]

Yep, I have a picture. It's one of my favorites from this whole trip. And it's all the ladies on the bus with their cameras up taking pictures of the Arc de Triomphe as we went by. So it's the back of their heads and they all have their cameras up taking the picture. I think it's just. Yes, we're tourists. Here, let's do it. You know, I loved it.

[Beckett]

And I always think that when I go to a strange city, even if I'm not on a history chicks field trip, it's a very good way to see the city.

[Susan]

It is.

[Beckett]

And it's also, you know, the tour guide will say, oh, yeah, this has the best sandwiches. Or like, this is where you get this kind of pastry. And it's just a little insight from a person that lives there. Yep.

[Susan]

So day two, we begin in earnest, and we start with a walking tour. We went with a company called Women of Paris Tours, and we had taken this tour with them last year, and in the year, they listened to all of our episodes that had to do with Paris in France. And so there were so many references to our former subjects during this tour, it delighted me.

[Marilyn]

On our first full day, we embarked upon a Women of Paris walking tour. One of the highlights was a stop at Les Pont des Arts, once known as the Lovelock Bridge. Couples flocked to this picturesque spot to attach locks as a symbol of their everlasting love, a tradition that tragically ended when a section of the bridge collapsed in 2015 under the weight of these locks. Now glass panels line the bridge, preventing new locks from being added. During the 2024 Olympics, this iconic bridge played a significant role in the opening ceremonies, hosting a performance by Aya Nakamura. Our guides explain her selection for the ceremony stirs some controversy. Critics, particularly language purists, question her use of verlong lyrics in her songs. Verlong is a form of French that flips syllables. The critics argued Nakamura was not singing in the true French language. Our guide speculated that Nakamura chose this historic site deliberately, given its proximity to the Institute of France, home of the Academie Francaise, the very authority that regulates the French language. With the Academy's imposing building in the background, she transformed her performance into a bold act of defiance. I love the context the guides provided and thought. What could be more quintessentially French than a story of a protest against authority, especially one that intertwines culture, identity, and the beautiful backdrop of Paris?

[Beckett]

We took a little field trip to kind of check in on our old friend Notre Dame, who is emerging from her distress. As we are taping this in the first week of November, they just tested all the bells together for the first time. And several of our French friends and acquaintances said that people just stopped in the street and started to cry.

[Susan]

Mm.

[Beckett]

It's a symbol that really, really means a lot. Now. We actually were there the day before they took the fence down so had we gone one day later, we would. We didn't know. We didn't know. We, we got great views. Anyway, we said hello to Notre Dame. We also said hello to some pastries at Aix Lacroix. But you know, highly recommend that by the way, it's right across the river from Notre Dame. And we went to see a flower market.

[Susan]

This flower market opened originally in the early 1800s. However, in 2014, after a visit from Queen Elizabeth, it was renamed after Elizabeth ii. So she's right there and it's a beautiful. It's like one of those places. Every picture you take looks like a postcard.

[Beckett]

And I imagine on the weekends it's a little bit more lively. But there's a permanent greenhouse installation that fully sells plants. Had we not already been to the flower market and gotten our bouquets, I might have picked up a little plant for my hotel room here.

[Susan]

Yeah, I loved having those flowers. That's a thing I'm going to try to do again when we go on these trips. It's just, I don't know, it just made it homey and I felt special even though I bought them for myself. Got to treat yourself well, ladies.

[Beckett]

Someone who was not treated very well, unfortunately is Marie Antoinette. And we took a educational and perhaps somber visit to the Conciergerie, which is where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned during the run up, the months leading up to her trial. Trial is with quotation marks.

[Marilyn]

Hello, my name is Marilyn and I went on the trip with my daughter. I thought the itinerary was a perfect mix of Paris places and day trips out of the city. One of the things in the city that I didn't expect much from was a visit to the Conciergerie. I was thinking it's just Marie Antoinette's prison, right? But no, because it dates back to the 6th century. There were was so much history to be had in addition to that of Marie Antoinette. We were introduced to the story of Abelard and Heloise and we saw an interesting carving depicting that. You can look that up for yourself. Anyway, we got to revisit them, that famous or infamous couple at Pere Lachaise cemetery later. I must have fallen asleep in history class because I was surprised at the vast number of middle and lower class that were imprisoned in addition to royalty. But of course, not surprisingly, the poorer you were, the worse yourself. Anyway, if they had this cool feature where if you think you had a relative that had been imprisoned, the wall of Names room had an interactive and you can type in your last name insert our group no one found anyone. Thank you, Beckett, Susan, Laura, and all my fabulous new friends who made this trip so special. One of the things that surprised me on the trip was a moment at the Conciergerie where Marie Antoinette had been housed. We were out in that outdoor courtyard where she and the other women would have gathered. And I just had one of those moments where you feel you just. There's this veil of time that that's all that's separating you from their experience and what they were going through. This is Lisa. I had a great time. The other thing that I really enjoyed were the people on the trip. Susan and Beckett are wonderful. Laura and her team were wonderful, but Also the other 49 other new best friends. It was a treat of a lifetime.

[Susan]

Hey, Beckett, what are you wearing?

[Beckett]

Ooh la la.

[Susan]

I can tell you what I'm wearing. I have a Honey Love silhouette camion and I love it. It's underneath my shirt. It's so comfortable. It has built in bra that's wireless, but it doesn't give me that shelf boob.

[Beckett]

Plus they're made with fabric that's so soft that you don't want to take it off.

[Susan]

I don't. Sometimes I sleep in this cami. I have a couple of them. I sleep in them. Why not?

[Beckett]

And you know what? Given the weather outside, not quite frightful according to the song, but sliding toward there. Just throw on a big nice sweater over the me.

[Susan]

That's exactly what I said.

[Beckett]

Some comfy loungey pants and have yourself a work outfit.

[Susan]

That's right. Three cheers for work from home.

[Beckett]

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[Susan]

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[Beckett]

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[Susan]

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[Beckett]

The next day, some of us woke up bright and early and we braved the Metro. For some of the people, it has been their first time. And we went out to yet another flea market, another street market, because that is my weakness. I'm telling you right now.

[Susan]

I know.

[Beckett]

So I led the expedition to the Valve Flea Market. V A N V E S It is only open on the weekends, but is year round, Saturday and Sunday. And as we have proven, it is also open in the rain. So it was raining and it was a little challenging, but it was. I mean, we all came home with treasures, all of us.

[Susan]

I did. I had gotten a set of bookends that are a kind of a deco. Two women diving into the water wearing, you know, 1920s bathing suits.

[Beckett]

Homage to Gertrude Ederle.

[Susan]

Exactly. I looked at it, I was like, gertrude, you're right here. And I'm thinking, how am I going to get these home? That's a problem. No, zero help. Zero help. You guys were just enabling me, which is fine.

[Beckett]

Yeah. Because we're like, didn't you bring sweaters? What are you talking about? Just wrap them in the sweaters. And the vendor was beaming at us like, thanks for the help, man.

[Susan]

I didn't get a deal on these. He didn't bring the price down. I didn't try, though, because it was. I blew it because I loved them so much.

[Beckett]

Yeah. I think your face gave you away.

[Susan]

Yeah, definitely. Because, I mean, I was walking and they caught my eye and I did one of those spins and you know, the auga eyes like, oh, my gosh, I love you.

[Beckett]

And I bought another painting. And I tell you, if you've ever heard the one, the previous Paris Travelogue. I bought a painting. My eyes were bigger than my suitcase and I had a large problem getting it home. It almost had to live on the airport floor. But this time I thought I was being so good and I barely squeaked it. So I think I need a layoff. I think I had half an inch on each side of my suitcase for the second painting.

[Susan]

I ended up having to buy another suitcase.

[Beckett]

Oh, dear.

[Susan]

I know they're not that expensive and it's just, you know, Christmas is coming up.

[Beckett]

That's really funny. Yeah, well. And I'm the one that checked an empty suitcase, so who's the fool? I guess me.

[Susan]

No, not you. No.

[Beckett]

But you got off cheaper because you didn't check it both Directions. And I did. So.

[Susan]

That's true, that's true. Our morning was kind of a warm up. We didn't want to overexert ourselves because we had the big thing coming up. In the afternoon. We got on our bus in the rain and we drove out to Versailles.

[Beckett]

So again, it was a little bit of a rainy day. But as we got off the bus, we were met by eager vendors happy to sell everyone an umbrella. And normally I would be like, man, get away. But then the umbrellas were super cute. They were white with all of the landmarks of Paris on them. And people eagerly said, oh, that's a great souvenir for €10. Yeah, that's actually delightful. Something I would have bought.

[Susan]

Yeah, no, I, I didn't get one because I. I brought an umbrella. But yeah, they were so cute. They were. And it was raining, so it was something that was necessary, too.

[Beckett]

We happened to go there on. They call it Music day, but I'm calling it Fountain Day, because, you know, every other time I. Versailles has either been January, which of course nobody's going to have their fountains on, or late in the fall. So I had never. I didn't anticipate to see them this time either. I was like, I'll see them in April. Next time I go, oh, no. Every fountain was on. There were delightful pieces of music playing in all of these enclosed gardens. I was blown away. I was so happy to see the fountains, I could almost not think of anything else. I rented a bike with a couple other people and we rode bikes around.

[Susan]

Versailles, which is charming. And the next time I go to Versailles, that's what I'm going to do. But this time I had my sights set on rowing a boat in the canal. And one of our, one of our travelers, Sue Lynn, said she would love to come with me, but she wasn't going to row. And I said, that's fine, you're wearing a satin dress. I will row. And she said, so I just have to sit in the back? And I said, yes. She was all on board. So we just made a beeline for the canal and we rented a rowboat. And the gentleman said to me, do you know how to row? As I'm sitting down in the rowing seat? And I said, well, I grew up on a boat. And he said, good enough. And he, like, pushed us away from the dock. I was like, oh, my gosh, it has been, I mean, decades since I've rowed a boat. But it came right back to me. I was so excited. Then I'll put a Picture in the show notes. Just because I was so giddy with excitement to be able to row. And according to Su Lin, other people were rowing and looking at how I was doing so they could learn how to do it. So I had my dream of rowing a boat in the canal at Versailles. Check. Hi, this is Su Lin and this is my second trip to Paris with the history chicks and like minds travel. And it was better than the first time.

[Marilyn]

The coup de grace was going to.

[Susan]

The Versailles palace, having it to ourselves and literally we got to be in the hall of Mayors by ourselves. And it was so much fun going with other people that were just as excited and brought special outfits and we twirled around and acted like we were Marie Antoinette or part of her court. And just so excited to be with people who also loved the history and the hanging out in Paris. It's like I have 50 new best girlfriends. There's nothing that can explain how just special that is. Somehow my husband isn't excited about twirling in Versailles and also had a special boat ride in Versailles in the canal that was amazing too. I felt very special. Just an amazing time. Can't wait to hear everybody's responses. Bye.

[Marilyn]

Hi, this is Yvonne. A special memory I have is our trip to Versailles. After Paola, Gina and I had toured the gardens, our plan was to go back to the entrance to eat before we were scheduled for our private after hours tour of the chateau. Well, the sit down restaurant was closed, so we went to the grab and go place where an employee is literally scooping up the last sandwiches. And Paola starts saying, just grab something, just grab something.

[Beckett]

So we do.

[Marilyn]

We find a dry bench outside and we proceed to. People watch and laugh and talk as we ate our terrible dry sandwiches that we were calling the best sandwiches we've ever eaten because we were so hungry. And then Paola and Gina proceed to.

[Susan]

Share part of their sandwiches with a.

[Marilyn]

Few of our travel mates who they.

[Susan]

Knew didn't get to eat because the.

[Marilyn]

Shop had closed early. And I thought, these are two of the kindest, most thoughtful people I think I've ever met. And now back home, when I tell the story of Versailles, this trip, this once in a lifetime private tour, the hall of mirrors, all to ourselves, I always include the story of Paola and.

[Susan]

Gina eating terrible sandwiches on this bench, laughing and talking like we've been friends.

[Marilyn]

For years when really we'd only met a few days before.

[Susan]

And it just rounded out what for.

[Marilyn]

Me was truly a magnificently perfect day. Hello, my name is Libby from Dallas. This was my first History Chicks field trip shout out to my dad, who just fully encouraged me to take the plunge and go by myself and make friends and have a ball. Love you, dad. One of my spotlights from the entire trip, unsurprisingly, was our entire day at Versailles. Nancy had this, like, incredible idea to rent golf carts in the gardens. It was just hysterical. Every time our very experienced golf cart driver, Lori, would hit a bump, I could hear Carla, like, holding on in the back, squealing. It couldn't have been a better way to spend the afternoon. And then when the sun went down and all the crowds had left, we got this magical tour of the palace. Just getting to walk through every single room with this, like, dim, warm light from the chandeliers, like, bouncing off of all the, like, immaculate surfaces. It was unforgettable. So thank you to Laura and Susan and Beckett for just the most memorable trip. I made friends and had the best time and just made memories for a lifetime. So thank you, guys. Hi. This is Carla, and this was my second History Chicks field trip. I was fortunate enough to go to Austria and Paris this year with the History Chicks. Something that moved me about the Paris trip was Versailles. I had no expectations, so was blown away by everything that we got to experience. Touring the gardens was probably my favorite part, because my friends and I were laughing just watching everybody have a great time, figure it out, seeing their faces and how happy everybody was. And then the evening tour of the palace was amazing. Angelina's hot chocolate was a surprise and the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life. And everything was just so beautiful. I think it was the people I was with that made it so special. But this was definitely the trip of a lifetime. And Laura, I don't know how she does it, but she just gets us the most amazing views and guides at everything we do.

[Beckett]

It's just.

[Marilyn]

I don't think you can do it on your own. Hi, everyone. This is Lara Hart with Like Minds Travel. I would just want to thank everybody once again for being a part of this tour. It was so great to have you along. For me, the highlight of this tour, without a doubt, was that private tour of Versailles. I've been to Versailles probably eight or nine times before, and I usually end up skipping the audio guide about halfway through the tour because the crowds and the stuffiness just make it really hard to enjoy, let alone learn anything. But this time was completely different. With the palace completely to ourselves, I finally had the chance to take in the grandeur and actually Absorb the history in a way that felt new, even to me. After so many visits. I even got to see my favorite painting up close, Elizabeth Vige Le Brun and her painting of Marie Antoinette and her children. I love that painting. And this time I felt like I had it all to myself. And our guides were fantastic, and they shared detailed stories, stories that I had never heard before, about the palace, the people that lived there, the architecture. It truly was like stepping back in time to have it all to ourselves in the evening. It was just gorgeous. I can't wait to experience it again in April with our next group. I hope to see you there.

[Beckett]

Another thing that we were surprised and pleased to encounter. I think it really took us by surprise as we exited after our marvelous tour. We saw none other than the silver horse who ran down the Seine during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. There. There it was, right in front of us, very professionally lit up into absolute darkness. It was a sight to behold.

[Susan]

Yeah, that was such a special tour.

[Beckett]

So a little story I gotta tell you about the hall of Mirrors. Here we were vaguely assembling for our group photo on our private tour. And along comes another contingent of very, very formally dressed ladies and gentlemen coming from behind us. And the man with the keys got a little flappy, like, oh, no, blah, blah, blah. He went to have a conversation. They came back, didn't really explain a lot, and said, we are going to open another corridor for you. We're going to go see this room and that room. And we went to see Marie Antoinette's bedroom by ourselves, by ourselves. While the other group handled their business in the hall of Mirrors. Turns out that the ambassador of Vietnam had been having an evening affair at the embassy, and President Macron had called in a special favor for him. And he and his guests got to come into the hall of Mirrors and take a picture. They apologized to us on the way out, which is like, do you. Don't. I mean, who are we? I actually wonder who they thought we were. They were leaving and waving and smiling and bowing and saying thanks and cheerfully, like, examining us all. And I'm thinking, who did they think we were? If President Macron had called in a favor to get them in and they came and we're already there.

[Susan]

That's right.

[Beckett]

Who the heck are we? I just thought that was pretty great.

[Susan]

That was. That was definitely. That whole day was just wonderful.

[Beckett]

The next day appeals to my more punk rock tendencies. We went in the 20th arrondissement to Pere Lachaise cemetery. Famous mostly, I think, in the world for being the final resting place of Jim Morrison. But there are so many other people to visit.

[Susan]

And we had gone to Pere Lachaise. The last time we had gone to Paris, we didn't have a tour. We were kind of looking on our phones and getting the Google directions to go to the graves that we wanted to see. But this time we had tour guides that walked us around and focused on the women that were in Pere Lachaise. And a lot of them were former subjects or future subjects. Do you have a favorite? It's so hard. You can't pick a favorite. But is there one that stands out to you?

[Beckett]

Well, okay, so I have a lot of things to say about Pere Lachaise, and not all of them were on the tour, although we did see. Now this is somebody that we have not covered, although we have mentioned her in the Jackie Kennedy Onassis episode. Poor lady Maria Callis, opera superstar Onassis threw her over, in fact, to start dating Jackie Kennedy. When she died, she had left instructions that her ashes be sprinkled in a body, a certain body of water in Italy. And they, rather than execute her last will, they put her in the columbarium at Pere Lachaise. Some young male relative of hers came back in the night with a pickaxe and a dream and stole her, got on a plane and took her back to that body of water. Yes, he sure did. And he sprinkled her ashes as she wanted in the first place. And I think his attitude, at least according to the tour guide, was more like, okay, come get me then. Yeah, because I have no guilt in my heart. That's right, come get me.

[Susan]

That's right.

[Beckett]

You know, I'll tell everyone what you did. And they're like, okay, we'll put up a new thing. And it's like, to the memory of Maria Callas.

[Susan]

Right, right.

[Beckett]

So I don't know if he faced any actual punishment, but like, ethically I think he did the right thing. So there's that. And there's also a poor. This is also a gentleman's story. There's a poor man there. His name is Victor. He died as a young man and his family, grieving, made a gravestone with his effigy. He's lying down. And I don't know if it's anatomically correct and it doesn't make any differ difference. But his situation, his area is a large one. I can't explain it more than that in a G rated podcast. It's a bronze statue. His situation has become kind of a pilgrimage. And you Rub him if you are wishing to have children.

[Susan]

Yes. Yeah.

[Beckett]

It's his sim. He had nothing to do with that in life at all. But it has become kind of a gathering place for people wishing for fertility.

[Susan]

Yeah. The grave that struck me is Edith Piapes. She was a French singer. Her photo is right there on her stone, on her grave. It says in big letters, the words from one of her most favorite songs. No Je ne regret Rianne. No, I regret nothing.

[Beckett]

That is a very well visited grave. Now, there are a series of monuments kind of on the furthest back right side that you wouldn't encounter them by accident. I think you have to mean to go there. There are a series of memorials to victims of the Holocaust and they go camp by camp. And we were just in Vienna at Mauthausen, and there is a specific memorial to the victims of Mauthausen there in that cemetery, too. That was very touching to see. I hadn't ever encountered that back corner before. And I'm very glad that I encountered that. It was kind of an accident. I didn't realize those were back there. Yeah.

[Susan]

We got back on our bus and went to a museum that was new to me. Had you ever been there before?

[Beckett]

I had actually. Well, I hadn't been in. I had been to the door and was told that somebody with very deep pockets had reserved the entire grounds for their wedding, including next door's vineyard. So we made it all the way up the hill and we're turned away. But that was the last time I was there. This time we actually went in to the absolutely beautiful Musee Montmartre. And it is a place from which many Impressionists painted the view.

[Susan]

And it is a museum with paintings inside. But it's also a former artist residence, like a commune. And you can just look out the windows and you're like, I recognize that Renoir. You know, there's that painting. He was actually one of the artists that were in residence there. It's beautiful. I thought it was a wonderful little museum, kind of a treat. One of the women artists who lived there was a woman named Suzanne Valadon. And her studio is left intact. So you can see what it looked like to live in one of these rooms with these huge windows and this beautiful view and all her paints. Well, it's probably not her paints, but recreations of her paints. Everybody walked in was just. Our breath was taken away, like, holy cow, somebody worked here.

[Marilyn]

Hi, this is Kathryn. Such a great trip. So many wonderful experiences and women to share them with. I especially loved going to Montmartre. Seeing where so many artists lived and worked. And I especially loved going to Suzanne Valadon's studio, soaking in the light, seeing the view and feeling the connection with her. It was such an inspiration.

[Beckett]

Susan and I took the. Well, Susan and I made a questionable decision. It was raining. Hard. Raining.

[Susan]

It was raining so far.

[Beckett]

Wasn't raining hard yet. It was raining.

[Susan]

It was raining.

[Beckett]

Um, Montmartre is on a hill and at once upon a time it was, you know, that's where you could live cheaply because it was up on a hill and it was hard to get to. The challenge is it's hard to get down from. Also, our poor bus driver tried every which way, but we had to end up walking up some stairs. Cuz he's like, I can't take it up these long winding streets. Well, we decided to go down the long winding streets to visit another cemetery. The cemetery Montmartre at the foot of Montmartre Hill. So we went there and the living and the past live in extreme proximity. I would say there are inches or centimeters, obviously, since we were in Europe, between the tops of some of the tombs and the bottom of the highway overpass. It is a very stark reminder. We went to visit the grave of Adolf Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. We also walked around just to absorb the atmosphere. It was beautiful on a fall rainy day to be there. Actually. It's kind of. I mean, it seems macabre, but actually it's almost like being in a park. And it was full of cats, which is interesting.

[Susan]

Yes, yes. So many cats. This cemetery opened in the early 1800s. But later on in that century, they needed a bridge, they needed a footpath that kind of went through the cemetery. So instead of going through, they went over it and they built an overpass over part of the cemetery. Thought that was really cool. I thought it was so cool that I FaceTimed my daughter who loves, who loves cemeteries. She went on a tour of the New England cemeteries once. And I'm like, guess where I am? And she was very jealous. So that was great.

[Beckett]

So it did begin to rain very, very heavily. Very heavily on our way back up. And that was a bit of a challenge. But you know what, there's a point where, you know, you're wearing the 90s jeans. Yeah, I'm a fool. And then they wick up the water to your knee. We all remember. That's just what they do. And you just have to be happy with that. And then we got to the top of the hill and had the first van showed of the trip, which is hot mulled wine. I was very happy to see it.

[Susan]

I was very happy to drink it.

[Beckett]

And honestly, the best roast chicken I think I've ever had. Our waiter was tart. That's all I'm saying about him. But I liked the place. I loved the place that we were in. And it's actually, if it's not raining, the center of the square is full of a tent and jovial conversation and activity. And it is a restaurant called La Mer Catherine. And despite our waiter, the chances you'll get him again in that mood are very slim. The food is very good. The pistachio creme brulee spectacular. So I would, oh, I would say go take your chances. You're not going to get him again.

[Susan]

After our delicious dinner, we all regrouped at La Pain Agile, which is a cabaret. It was founded in the 1800s again, so it's like 160 years old. So you're sitting in these dark rooms that are low ceilinged and the people are singing and there's piano music playing and an accordion and you think, wow, Picasso sat right here and he painted a painting inside La Pan Aigle. I'll put it in the show notes.

[Beckett]

So you would not think that a piece of fabric could totally change the way I see myself in the morning, but it's true. That one's cotton pillowcase does a number on one's wavy mermaid hair. And you know what fixes it? Blissy. Blissy. And their award winning 100% silk pillowcases transform my hair from a. I don't even know what kind of bush it is. Like the sticky out kind. Two photo worthy waves. It's just amazing.

[Susan]

It is. And I have curly hair and some days I have a really good hair day. And I used to not want to go to bed because I knew that when I woke up my curly hair day was gone. But now I'm sleeping with two blissy 100% mulberry silk pillowcases. Sometimes I'm even sleeping with a blissy mulberry silk bonnet. And when I wake up in the morning, I just kind of shake my hair and I have yet another good hair day. I love it so much. I love it so much that I got the blissy pillowcases for my curly haired kids for Christmas.

[Beckett]

I know, I know. And they've got some, they've got patterns even for kids like the Minions or people that love Harry Potter. There's more collaborations on the way. And they're washable, they're hypoallergenic and there's a hidden zipper so you are not going to wake up and find that it has slid off your pillow in the night. Oh, I hate that. Blissey has also been featured on Good Morning America, the View Live with Kelly and Mark and it's dermatologist recommended because it's also good for your complexion. Everybody loves them. They have over 2 million fans and.

[Susan]

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[Beckett]

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[Susan]

The next day, bright and early, we got back on our bus because we were going on a champagne pilgrimage. Our first stop was Reims Cathedral. It is where all but two of the 34 kings of France had their coronations. Beautiful cathedral. Lovely to walk around and look inside. There are so many beautiful stained glass windows around this cathedral, all done by a variety of artists, including Chagall. Beautiful windows. I could have stared at those for a very long time, I think.

[Beckett]

So I lit a candle for my mama, as is my tradition at the cathedral. And then we proceeded to visit an old friend. We went to see Vov Clicquot at her establishment. We took a tour of the cobs and I do not think I absorbed this last time fully, but During World War I, not two, as I thought, but during World War I, Reims, the city was largely destroyed. It was in a high traffic area of war between Germany and France and the town was in so much peril that vast majority of the population actually went into the cobs of Fuve Clicquot to live. There was a whole school system down there, a whole system of governance. It's actually been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its part in helping the population of that city to survive. So I don't know that we knew that last time, but we knew this time.

[Susan]

Yeah, and it's beautiful. I mean, Veuve Clicquot, the brand is. They're good, they're very good at getting their logo and lights everywhere.

[Beckett]

They took us through the whole process of how champagne is made and what to watch for. And we knew the story of the Veuve herself, of course, but we went through her history with the brand also. And then we were welcomed into a very fancy champagne luncheon.

[Susan]

There was a food and champagne pairing for our luncheon. All the food was so beautiful. You almost didn't want to eat it. But it was also delicious. It was a different luncheon that we had had when we went last year. So that was very nice for us. Something new and different. And at the very end, there was a champagne that we didn't have the last time. It's Veuve Clicquot Riche and it's a dessert champagne. It's really sweet and I loved it so much that I downed my glass, ran up to the gift shop and bought a bottle because I really wanted to take it home. And this is where I decided I'm going to need another suitcase.

[Beckett]

This is what pushed me over the edge.

[Susan]

Yeah. So I have it in my cheese drawer. Still waiting for celebration.

[Marilyn]

Hi, my name is Denise and I'm from Atlanta, Georgia. This was my first, but not my last trip with the History Chicks. My mother in law, Joan, traveled with me. I had so many wonderful experiences on this trip that it's hard to narrow it down. My favorite tour event was visiting Vaux Clicquot. I have long been a champagne lover and a drinker of the Vaux Clicquot champagne, but I never knew the story of the amazing woman behind the wine until Susan and Beckett covered her. Visiting the winery and enjoying an amazing meal designed around her vintages was sheer perfection. Another highlight was when my mother in law and I went on a side quest to the Louvre and I got to see the Hans Holbein painting of Anne of Cleves. My interest in Tudor England is what brought me to the History Chicks. And seeing the painting on this field trip really was the icing on the cake. Many thanks to Susan, Beckett, Laura and all of the new friends I met for the trip of a lifetime.

[Beckett]

When we got back, my friend Cameron, who had come along with me as my plus one. She had been to Paris so often, she actually has relatives that live there. She had one thing she wanted to cross off on this trip that she hadn't ever done before. And so I'm like, let's do it. And so we found the tunnel under the road around the Arc de Triomphe. You always picture the traffic around there. Like, how do people get across? Well, a lot of times they're in serious peril if they don't know about that tunnel. So you take the tunnel across and you bypass the long line of people waiting to buy tickets. And after waiting in another line, it's like long. You climb up 284 steps to the top. We whiled away our time in line talking To a lovely couple that was celebrating their third anniversary. They were from India. We got some suggestions on women to cover from India. So they were. They were fighting with each other for 20 minutes about it too. So I'm like, we didn't mean to cause discord in the family, but. So anyway, we came out with this, the top three. So we've got those. We went up and honestly, the way up, Cameron kept saying, are we almost there? And I looked up and I saw another like 17 turnings. And I'm like, yep, we're almost there. And the Indian couple was like, I give up, I'm going to lay down. I'm like, no, don't, girl, we got to go. You know, we were all supporting each other all the way through. Not physically because we didn't have it in us. It was a lot. And at the top, it cracked me up. There was a statue with this air of shock looking straight at you as you come out of the stairs. I'm like, I know. We're just as surprised as you are that we made it up here.

[Susan]

I know that statue. I will put it in the show notes.

[Beckett]

Oh, my gosh. We saw the statue and started to laugh. Like, yeah, I know. We almost didn't make it. I mean, I will never need a quadricep workout again. I think that will hold me. So I got up there and it was a great view. Of course, night had fallen during our journey up and so we got just a 360 degree view of the city. It was something I'd never seen before. And then right there in the middle of the star, it was quite amazing. We got some good selfies up there and some good pictures of the traffic and made our way down. Down was. You would think down would be easier, and it is physically easier, but psychologically it's not.

[Susan]

No. Yeah. Gravity is your friend, but it's not your friend on your knees.

[Marilyn]

Right?

[Susan]

It's like every step.

[Beckett]

Oh, it was just. No, no, it was more like you can see the whole spiral and it's a little bit. A little bit of fear. But there was no statue at the bottom reflecting fear. They really need to get on that because.

[Susan]

That's right. While a lot of our days are planned, we do allow for free time for people to do side quests, like Beckett climbing up the Arc de Triomphe. So I always think it's interesting what people choose to do for their side quests.

[Marilyn]

Hi, this is Nancy from Pennsylvania. There are many moments I could point to as trip highlights. The lunch at Veuve Clicquot, the Case of the Missing Golf Cart Meeting an array of interesting people. But I will focus on my Sunday morning excursion to the Musee de Cluny, the national museum of the Middle Ages. I chose well on a rainy morning, as entry is free on the first Sunday of each month. The museum is filled with interesting objects and artifacts, but my primary reason for visiting was to see the lady and the Unicorn tapestries. This collection of six tapestries features a celebration of the senses and places a woman at their center. The detailed stitching of flowers and charming animals on a vibrant red background did not disappoint. Of course, the central figures of the lady and her trusty unicorn were charming. The scale of the tapestries is quite large, and more details reveal themselves with every glance. I returned to the room where the tapestries were hung three times to admire and to study them. Seeing these tapestries was a lifelong dream, now fulfilled. Thanks to Laura and Jamie for their impeccable planning and to Beckett and Susan. Well, for everything. J'aime beaucoup les poussades d'histoire. Wow, Paris 2024. What an amazing experience. Spending quality time with my dear friend Rachel and meeting so many beautif and one gentleman. I really enjoyed all of our gourmet meals, but I especially enjoyed the hole in the wall joints and street cafes that I discovered while in Paris. And wow, the wine was exquisite. So happy to be a part of this fabulous experience. Hi, my name is Amber Godin, and something that I learned on the field trip to Paris was that the French are actually very nice. I learned this through a side trip. We went on to the post office, of course, to send some postcards. Well, when we arrived and I purchased the stamps, I realized that there were two problems. One, they had to be cut out, and two, they were not sticky. You had to lick the back of them. And I was not about to find out if that was a cultural flaw to be licking stamps in the middle of a post office. So the French lady at the front desk came to my rescue. She pulled out of her closet a pair of scissors and a bottle of disinfectant. And she helped me cut every stamp for all 10 of my postcards. And she wet her fingers with the disinfectant and put it on all the backs of the stamps to make them stick. And she saved my day and a trip back to the hotel to look for something to tape them down. So that's what I learned, that the French were actually very nice.

[Beckett]

Some of us had adopted this nearby cafe and honestly, if you paid me euros, I can't tell you the actual name of it because it became known as Cafe Pigeon, which stands for pigeon, because the first time we all ate there, this misguided pigeon made its way in and then had a giant nutty in there. Like it was flying all over hither and yon. As far as we were concerned, it caused mass chaos. It's in people's hair, it's throwing itself against the windows, it's walking into the tables, pecking at people's feet. And everyone just kept eating like, oh, yeah, that's Charl. He's in here all the time. Like, everyone was taking it very casually and I'm like, does he live here? Does he work here? Like, what is going on? So whatever the cafe's actual name is. And maybe in April, I can tell you. So Cafe Pigeon had the best Cobb salad in the whole city. I think I had it three times.

[Susan]

Oh, wow.

[Beckett]

Well, you know what? You know, sauce is amazing. Butter is amazing. The food is amazing. But sometimes you just need, like, a whole bunch of vegetables in a dish.

[Susan]

Yeah. Well, here about day five is when you're thinking, I haven't eaten a lot of vegetables since I've been here. Onion soup doesn't count. No, no.

[Beckett]

I am sitting here at 5:45pm and it is the dark of night outside. Yeah. The days have gotten very shorter, but somehow my to do list is the same size.

[Susan]

Mine too. And it's just getting longer because now we are getting into the holiday season, so it's just going to be packed full of things we need to do. And the one thing that falls off that list is feed myself properly. Now, thank goodness for Factor. Factor has easy, nutritious options that will keep you fueled and feeling your best.

[Beckett]

And factor's cheaper than takeout and dining out. And you can put the money you save towards holiday shopping or reaching your financial goals.

[Susan]

And they have those homey comfort foods that we really crave at this time of year, like homestyle chicken and gravy loaded mashed potato pork chops. On my list this week was potato leek mash with grilled chicken, roasted corn and zucchini saute. It has 41 grams of protein in it.

[Beckett]

And eat more vegetables. You know, there's a lot packed in there.

[Susan]

It does. They also had some vegan options like sweet potato and chickpea curry. And they have inspired global flavors like Peruvian shrimp and red pepper cauli grits.

[Beckett]

So use your time more efficiently. It's very important during these dark Months. I mean, motivation leaks out at around 7pm does it not? So let factor take shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning up off your daily list of things to do. So head to FactorMeals.com HC50 and use code HC50 to get 50% off your first box and 20% off your next month.

[Susan]

That's code [e-mail] HC50 and get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month while your subscription is active.

[Beckett]

On day six, we went to an old friend, the Musee d'orsay for a walking tour about women in art.

[Susan]

Now, this is a museum that has so many impressionists, including our new old friend, Mary Cassatt. So after having covered her for me, even though I've been there before, everything had a different impression on me, you know, because I knew more, I knew more about the whole movement. And so you know that it was radical. Where before I was just thinking of it as pretty paintings, you know, and now I think of it totally different. So I loved having that tour.

[Beckett]

There was also a vast exhibition on a woman that I had never heard of before, but they had a, like such a big collection of her paintings and I spent a lot of time looking at them. I'm so surprised that we haven't heard of her before, that we may end up putting her on the schedule. A woman named Harriet Backer or Bakker probably, given where she's from. She painted a lot of churches and landscapes. You could see the development of her style and her experimentation through all of the years. And she trained other artists and trained with other artists and it was an accident. We didn't know that exhibition was there, but I'm glad that we did. And also there is a 100% life size statue of a little kid nervously standing on top of a high dive in the middle of the main hallway, which, I mean, so we've got an original copy of the Statue of Liberty and then that giant statue of a little kid. We've all been there. Little kid standing at the end of the high dive with those big kids yelling at you from the ladder. And you're like, I know, I'm dreading my life.

[Susan]

I was that kid like three summers ago because I climbed the high dive. I'm like, I'm going to. And then I'm like, what? I'm not, I'm not 8, I'm not 10.

[Beckett]

Do you remember, like, to die, you would close your eyes and like, you literally never hit the water. You're like, am I suspended in midair because time slowed down and it took a million years for you to hit the water. I remember. I remember it when I did it.

[Susan]

A few summers ago. I got water up my nose at impact and I started to choke. I know. And so I was treading water and choking, and the lifeguard is just yelling at me to get out of the way. I'm like, oh, my God, I can't.

[Beckett]

Because you're not eight. And he's like, ma'am.

[Susan]

And I'm like, yeah, that sounded really pretty, didn't it?

[Beckett]

Well, so when you go to Musee d'orsay, if you do also make a beeline for that cafe, and at least look at the cafe under the clock. So one of the walls is basically the back of a giant clock face.

[Susan]

Did you go this time?

[Beckett]

I did not go because I've already been there and so had my plus one. So we decided to leave it for other people. We passed through on the way to go to a different impressionist.

[Susan]

Yeah, I didn't stop at the cafe either. And like you, I just walked right through it on my way to see something else. We decided we wanted to go out to the Tuileries, the huge public garden in Paris, because one of us wanted to see where the Olympic torch was, which sounds great until you realize how much it was raining, it was pouring. Plus side of that, there was nobody there. We had it to ourselves. And once you get wet, it's not like you're going to get wetter, right?

[Marilyn]

Yeah.

[Susan]

So when we had umbrellas and raincoats, and I did not have waterproof shoes, but they survived. And I will buy another pair of these shoes because I can't believe how well they survived being so wet for so long. After finding both the fountain where the flame was not and the fountain where the flame was, we decided to make our way to the Latin Quarter, because that's where we had to meet the big group again. Walking around in the rain and going into shops, and there's nobody there. So the shopkeepers were very chatty. It was so fun. I bought a couple things, of course, but Paris in the rain is rain. And, you know, rain can be miserable, but it's so enchanting. And with every single photograph I took outside that day is beautiful because of the lighting and the rain and the slick pavement.

[Beckett]

And then we met at Roger Le Grinoi. Roger the Frog. So cute. We all came in to a lovely little traditional French bistro. They're actually known for frog legs, among other things, but they're not open for lunch. So we took over during the lunch season and had a glorious wine and cheese tasting.

[Susan]

We had two gentlemen, Aurelian and Andre from We Taste Paris, to give us a tour of France through cheese and wine. And they would talk about the region, where the cheese came from or the wine. At one point the guide said, meet the cow that produced your cheese. There's a picture of a cow because it was such a small cheese manufacturing facility, just a small family business. So the cheeses that we had you cannot get in the United States. And even then, they're kind. You have to seek them out in France because it's not like a big name.

[Beckett]

There's a company here called Chateau well, hilarious that we're talking about.

[Marilyn]

Oh, I know.

[Beckett]

In France it's S H a t T O. Because it does sound like Chateau Versailles, you know?

[Susan]

Yeah.

[Beckett]

Anyway, they also introduce you to their cows. Yeah. Because it's a small operation.

[Susan]

Yeah, I love that. I love that. It was so good. We have different cheeses than we had last time. Sadly, there was no Mimilette, even though we were all anxious for it. So hopefully when we go back in April, I'm going to bring some candy corn.

[Marilyn]

Comment savant, mes amis. Je m'appelle l'enchante. What can I say about this Paris field trip? It was spectacular. There were too many things to even say what is my favorite. But I do have one moment that really stood out to me while we were there. It rained a lot when we were in Paris. I mean, a lot. But it was okay because it never dampened our spirits. In fact, there was one day where we toured the famous Musee d'orsay. Impressionist galore. And then we walked to a restaurant for our wine and our cheese tasting. I will never forget all of us in our rain gear and our umbrellas, traipsing through the puddles, laughing and well drenched. We warmed up very quickly, though, with our wine and with our cheese and camaraderie.

[Susan]

Just so you know, never ask a.

[Marilyn]

French person if it's okay to put fruit and pastry on Brie. The eye rolling response was, I know what you do to Brie. The history was amazing. The food was spectacular, the sights were unbelievable. But the friendships we made were everlasting. Special thanks to my flea market and my thrift store buddies. Some of my moments on the bus were my favorite as well. Thank you so much, Laura, Jamie, Susan and Beckett for one of the most educational and memorable vacations of my life.

[Beckett]

That night, Susan and I and one other person decided we were Going to go to the Eiffel Tower. As many times as we've all been there, we've never been on the Eiffel Tower. I mean, you see it from everywhere. It's a constant companion. But we thought, you know, let's go up. Well, it turns out the day that we decided to go up the Eiffel Tower was, and I do not lie, the rainiest day Paris had had since the year 1920. It's the most rain in recorded history. And then another sad thing is we couldn't get nearer to the Eiffel tower than about 10 minute walk. And so we're walking in that rain and anytime you stepped off the curb to the knee to the knee, your jeans got wet. We get to the Eiffel Tower and I don't know who has been there, but normally there's a significant series of bending lines, you know, back and forth, back and forth to each of the four legs. We got there and there were probably 17 people in line. Total, Total. Like there was nobody there. And the man at the counter were like, well, we're a little bit late. He goes, I do not care. He's like, he looks around like, I don't. Who are you?

[Susan]

Irritating? Yeah, right.

[Beckett]

He's like, I don't care. And then the person in the elevator is like, this elevator holds 50 people. There's 17 of us. I think we can all just go up.

[Marilyn]

Yeah.

[Beckett]

I'm not going to check tickets. I think honestly, if any person had arrived there with no ticket, they would have been like, come on, who cares? Because tons of people had paid for their ticket and not come, so they don't care.

[Susan]

Yeah.

[Beckett]

So we stepped out of the door and immediately our umbrellas turned inside out. And so like Susan said before, there's a period at which no more water can attach itself to you no matter how deeply it wishes to do so.

[Susan]

Yeah.

[Beckett]

There's no more handhold for a piece of water, so you might as well not hurry or fret.

[Marilyn]

Yep.

[Beckett]

Because all the water you can absorb is already with you.

[Susan]

Yeah. I still had those shoes on. Leather, leather shoes, by the way.

[Beckett]

Yeah. So funny. I had these shoes on that got so wet that when I got back my feet had been dyed black.

[Marilyn]

Oh.

[Susan]

I. My socks were dyed from the shoes and the shoes were tan. I didn't think it was possible, but my tan socks definitely had stains. As a matter of fact, sheer coincidence, I have them on right now. I mean, obviously I've washed them and the stains didn't come out, which is why they're stains.

[Beckett]

So drinking hot chocolate, though, on the top of the Eiffel Tower was pretty cool.

[Susan]

Oh, it was. That was such an inspired idea. So it felt great. It wasn't Angelina's hot chocolate, but it sure tasted about as good at that moment.

[Beckett]

It tasted like the hot chocolate that you used to get when your mom would call you in from outside and you have, like, slush in your galoshes. Like, I'm not cold. You're like. Your feet are marinating in ice water. You're cold. And then you come in and your mom makes hot chocolate for you. Yeah, that hot chocolate. It's like the voice of a reason. Yeah. B. Comfort. Anyway, it was just. It was really cool and kind of like at the beginning how we had that little emotional feeling getting the flowers, and it, like, made you feel away. I think that hot chocolate on the top of the Eiffel Tower made me also feel away. Like, I'm really here.

[Susan]

Yeah. And I almost didn't go. I'm glad I did. That was a great little side quest we did.

[Beckett]

Well, literally, I don't think I could ever go up the Eiffel Tower again because it wouldn't have that same. I mean, as cruddy and wet as we felt, I think I'm never gonna go up again because I think I gotta let it sit there.

[Susan]

Yeah. No, I agree. I agree. It was a unique situation. And why do that again? Cause it can't possibly be as special. Cause it's gonna miss a lot of elements.

[Beckett]

Yeah. You also took the greatest of pictures. We'll have to put it in the show notes. Susan took the greatest of pictures with umbrellas. And the way the light was coming off of the Eiffel Tower. And it was actually one of the umbrellas that we had spoken of before that we bought at the Chateau of Versailles. So, yeah, it's the greatest picture.

[Susan]

And you took a really good one. Of the Eiffel Tower? No, of something twinkling. What was what?

[Beckett]

Oh, okay. So on the hour, for about five minutes, the Eiffel Tower will twinkle. Everyone's like, yay. You know, and there's tears through the land or whatever. We were actually on it. We were on the second floor landing when it began to twinkle. And I thought, well, I'm already super wet. So I took my bork umbrella. I mean, bork means so broken you can't fix it. It had blown inside out. The ribs had broken. I, like, turned it around, and it was kind of flappy. So me and my medium flappy Umbrella stood out there and took a video of the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the rain. And as a matter of fact, on the summit, the summit was in cloud completely. And so it was a really neat, it was a really neat thing to see. And then I took a little 10 seconds of Zen video.

[Marilyn]

One of the many amazing things about this trip was all these side excursions that people took with other trip attendees. These outings seem to just happen organically as people shared plans and invitations via the WhatsApp group. And honestly, everyone who went on the trip was extremely friendly and welcoming and it made for such a warm environment. One of my favorite side excursions was a visit to the Eiffel Tower I took with Beckett and Susan on Wednesday evening after our big wine and cheese tasting extravaganza. I'd been to Paris before, but hadn't ever tried to go up the Eiffel Tower because of the long lines. But this day was, I think we later learned, one of the rainiest days in Paris history. And a side benefit of the deluge was that there were almost no lines at the Eiffel Tower. We bought tickets in advance and made our way to the tower in the evening. We took the elevator, which was pretty impress impressive up to the viewing, the big viewing platform. And we were pretty much alone outside as we took in the nighttime views of Paris. And it somehow felt even more adventuresome as our umbrellas were turned inside out in the wind. So even though it wasn't super cold outside, the rain and wind felt a little chilly and we indulged in some hot chocolate. It just felt like a fun adventure with two amazing friends.

[Susan]

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[Beckett]

So not everyone came on that particular side quest. I mean, I tell you, plenty of people who would plan to do it didn't do it. But there were a significant amount of other side quests that our friends went on.

[Marilyn]

Hi Susan and Beckett, this is Ruth from Michigan. This was my first History Chicks tour and my first time in Paris and wow, what an experience. Paris was magical at night. From our open top bus tour the first evening to our side quest to the top of Le Touriffel at night to our farewell dinner cruise along the Seine. I loved our private tour of Versailles, lunches at Veuve Clicquot and La Couronne, seeing the Art Nouveau collections at the Musee d'orsay and walking the gardens at Givernay. After the sun broke through an otherwise rainy day, one special memory for me was a pre tour side quest. I arrived a day early and fellow chicks and new friends Nancy and Patty invited me to join them on a driving tour of Paris. We spent two hours motoring around with our guide, whose name Pierre was a little too on the nose to be real. He drove a 1970s orange Citrone with a removable top that made us a tourist attraction in our own right. It was a sunny and slightly crisp day and we drove through the hills and streets of Montmartre. We got the full Paris driving experience, including Pierre treating us to a real French argument between drivers. We took a brief break at Sacre Coeur to admire the view and eat fresh hot crepes. It was a lovely introduction to Paris Its people and its architecture. Thank you so much to Susan Beckett and especially to Laura Hart for organizing this journey. Hi, this is Patty from Bluffton, Ohio. This was my second adventure with the history chicks. And trying to settle on just one thing is really difficult. Not only did I get to see a few friends from my first trip, but I met many new ones. One side trip that I scheduled was to the catacombs. Watching the opening ceremony for the Olympics piqued my interest. It was a very sobering time to go through the catacombs. Not only to see the extraordinary number of bones, but to realize that no one knows who they are. Paupers, peasants, nobility, royalty, revolutionaries, et cetera. But in death, they are all equal. And that's one of the sayings that they have in the catacombs. And for those of you listening who are thinking about going in April, do it. And when you're there, walk the different neighborhoods to see the shops, the architecture, and enjoy the history. And mainly meet new friends. Hi, Susan and Beckett. But here's a lesson that I learned and that I'd like to pass on to future Paris visitors. I say to you that definitely see all the sights you dreamed of. The Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, et cetera. But save at least one afternoon to just wander the streets of Paris, the little alleyways, the side streets, and see what you find. And I guarantee you will find something that you weren't expecting, and that's wonderful. I found a little chocolate shop. Tiny, fits two customers, maybe. I went in, had a great conversation with the woman and her son. They make their chocolate there. And I bought the best chocolate I think I've ever had. And had a wonderful experience at the same time. And then we walked a little further along and found something called the Galerie Vivienne. Which is a covered with a glass ceiling alleyway. That is a beautiful thing. And it contains cafes, bookstores. There was a shop that makes umbrellas and canes. Just wander, people.

[Susan]

The next day, we got back on our trusty bus. And we set out for Rouen, which is a little bit out of the city.

[Beckett]

And then we went to La Couronne, the restaurant where Julia Child got inspired to become a chef.

[Susan]

There we had the meal that she had when she went to France. The first time. The meal was oysters. So we had a half a dozen oysters each. Some of us had more because there was people at our table that didn't like oysters. I'm raising my hand because I got their oysters.

[Beckett]

I ate all six of them this year.

[Susan]

That is remarkable.

[Beckett]

Yeah, you know me in the middle, who have to close your eyes. That is the secret. Because they are not photogenic.

[Susan]

No, they're not. But the little. The sauce that they give you, it's like a vinaigrette with shallots in it. I'm sure it has a name. Do you know what it is? Oh, there you go. Mignonette. So you just put a little bit of that on it, and it totally changes the flavor. It's different than we have here in the United States, where we'll put cocktail sauce on it. Or lemon. So after that starter, we had sol meunier. Is that how you pronounce it? Sure.

[Beckett]

Meunier.

[Marilyn]

Meunier.

[Susan]

It's over sole that melts in your mouth. Next, we had a green salad. Finally, we ended up with a souffle normande, which is a souffle that's the size of your face and has. What kind of liqueur is that? An apple brandy.

[Beckett]

It's either cognac or Armagnac, and I'm leaning toward Armagnac.

[Susan]

Okay. Whatever it was, it was delicious.

[Beckett]

Or Grand Marnier. I mean, it could be any of those things.

[Susan]

Yeah. Whatever it was, it was amazing.

[Beckett]

The walls are covered with pictures of celebrities who had been there. I actually asked about Anthony Bourdain and the man, he, like, seemed startled. And he looked around, he goes, we don't have Mr. Bourdain. Like, I didn't make his day or something. He was bummed out. I mean, you know, stars of stage and screen all over the walls. He was getting ready to point out the picture to me that I was about to ask about. And then he was like, I know. So maybe next time we go, it'll be him behind a curtain somewhere.

[Marilyn]

Hi, this is Beth Shelley. The trip to Paris was my third trip with the History Chicks. It was fabulous. Lauren, once again, you put together an amazing trip featuring the tales told by Beckett and Susan. My favorite day on the trip was the trip out to Rouen and Monet's home in Giverny. I lost my phone the night before, so I was a little blue. And on our arrival after a long, rainy day, the sun came out and Lauren informed me that my phone was waiting for me at the Musee d'orsay. So all was well. We went to lunch at La Couronne, Julia Child's first French dining experience, and it was exquisite. Our waiter was really tolerant and valiantly put back our cutlery as we chose the wrong things to eat the meal and it was really fun. We had a great time there. After lunch, we went out on the bus to the gardens of Giverny and Monet's home. It was just a dream come true to actually be walking within the gardens and walking on the Japanese bridge and seeing his home and experiencing, actually, a living painting. It was truly memorable, and I will never forget it, and I thank you. I'll be back again someday.

[Beckett]

Our bus driver, who we had the whole week, had some skills, and I. I don't even know how this man piloted a bus through some of these medieval towns that we went through on our way to Monet's house at Giverny. I do not know how he made these corners without ripping people's walls down, but he did it. I couldn't believe it. We got to the gardens, and it had been drizzling and raining. And, you know, everybody's a little bit sad in their mind, you know, well, it'll still be cute or whatever. Oh, no. The rain ceased the second we got there. The sun came out, and you know how gardens are right after rain. All the plants are so grateful and relieved to have been watered. Everybody's sparkling because of the little dew. Everybody's color is more saturated. The pollen's been blown off. It is. It's the best way to see Giverny. Frankly, I think we got a little bit of a treat from the universe.

[Susan]

Oh, we. We have. And. And I was wondering how I was going to feel about going there a second time, because it's so beautiful even when it's dry, which it was last year when I went. But I think the different conditions made it a whole new experience. And the different people and hearing their reactions and talking to them about what they're experiencing and what they like makes it an entirely different trip.

[Marilyn]

Hello, I'm Lisa Farrar from Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm a longtime listener of the History.

[Susan]

Chicks, and the first time I've gone.

[Beckett]

On a trip, I really liked going.

[Marilyn]

To Paris, and I knew I would enjoy being with all other ladies of like minds and history buffs. But what I really liked the most was going to the Monet's gardens. It had just rained when we went there, and the sun was out, and walking around the pond, it glistened, and.

[Susan]

It was just like walking into a Monet painting. Thank you, Laura, for setting up such a nice trip.

[Marilyn]

And I loved meeting Becca and Susan. Now I know what they look like when I listen to the podcast.

[Susan]

Thanks.

[Marilyn]

Hello, this is Jamie. I work for Laura at Like Minds Travel and it's impossible to choose a favorite in a trip like this. But definitely a highlight for me was our afternoon in Giverny at Claude Monet's Home and Gardens. It was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of Paris and watch the French countryside roll by in the bus. And it was pouring the day we had planned this activity. So I think the second the bus stopped, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and it was such a beautiful day to walk through the gardens and take it all in. I think there were flowers as far as the eye could see. The lily ponds were beautiful, and I could see why this was such an inspiration to Monet. Inside the house, I was really surprised and excited to learn that he had a love for Japanese art and the Japanese culture. I had lived in Japan for three years myself. So he had over 200 Japanese woodblock prints hanging all over the house. In fact, I think it was most of the art that he had hanging up. And most of those prints were actually owned by Monet. So that was really fun for me to see. And I think all of us love the gift shop. It was an amazing gift shop with something for everyone. And I think we all went home loaded down. So, anyway, thank you, Susan and Beckett, for such an amazing opportunity and Laura for putting it all together.

[Susan]

Upon returning, we had a very important decision to make because this was our last dinner out before the end of our trip. So I went with a fairly sizable group to the one restaurant on the square that I hadn't been to, and we had dinner. There was a subgroup in our traveling companions who were probably in their, what, 20s, early 30s, and they kind of banded together because they had a lot more energy for late night activity. And so they were at the restaurant that we were at, but they got there before we did, and they were well on their way to having a wonderful time. And my group went to a different area in the restaurant and had a lovely dinner.

[Beckett]

So that group. Okay, I'm going to start a little bit further back. Earlier in the week, there were a couple of travelers who had been reasonable and packed lightly and had decided maybe were forced because of the rain to go and find a laundromat. So they Googled it and packed up their stuff and set out. But on the way to their laundromat, hey, they see a different laundromat, and they're like, well, this one looks clean and nice and awesome. And they just decided they would walk in only to be stopped by a large man with crossed arms that Said, you have to wait in line. Weird. They thought maybe this is a cultural thing. Okay? So they turn and see a line. But then as they're walking down the line, they notice all the young women are dressed very night out. Like, all of the young men have product in their hair. Everybody is chattering and it is a weird atmosphere. And finally, one of our travelers asked someone in line, what are we waiting for? What is this line for? And the lady stared at her, and she stared at the lady. And then all of a sudden, the young woman got an idea when she saw the people's bags. And she goes, oh, madame, this is not a laundry. This is a nightclub. It turns out they had accidentally stumbled onto the secret entrance to a speakeasy. Our travelers walked to the front and asked the. Asked the bouncer, can we just. We can do our laundry. It's extra cover. And he started to laugh and he's like, I can't. They don't work. They're just facades, you know. But that would be a great idea to have travelers in here doing their laundry. So a little bit saddened, but knowing they had an exceptional story for forever, they went to their original laundromat. Now flash forward to Susan having dinner. The table of young people actually went to that speakeasy. And evidently you had to do. It was almost like an escape room level puzzle you had to solve before could open the swinging, you know, washer doors and go into the place. And so two separate encounters with that laundromat in the course of a week. There had been something that we had been wanting to do all week, and that is to go to a amazing grocery store called La Grande Picerie. I was on a quest to get a certain souvenir. We decided we would go there and pick up things for the people at home. No less a luminary than Ina Garten loves Legrand Apisri. You can get anything from anywhere except for. I'm here to tell you, we checked out the American section and the barbecue sauce is thumbs down. You didn't pick though. Good representation. I'm just saying, no, do better, do better. La Grande Pizzeria. But yeah, there's any number of amazing things to bring home as souvenirs. I highly recommend going there, getting a canvas bag and, and going through the French section.

[Susan]

I did that. I got the, I got the canvas bag and I'm taking it to my small town, Missouri grocery store and feeling really elitist.

[Beckett]

Yeah, it was very good. I think I got mustards and candies and all Kinds of very transportable things. If you were to buy wine, this is a good place to look for that. I just do not know that I would take vinegar back. But they do have an exceptional selection of vinegars. It is a giant establishment. And you can also eat there if you want to, but. But it's actually right across the street from the Bon Marche department store, which.

[Susan]

Says it right on the top. So you can find it super easy. Aya was able to get a whole bunch of things for stocking stuffers. Because as I've determined, I'm going to need a second suitcase. So I was able to get all kinds of stocking stuffers from this store. So I was pleased with myself.

[Beckett]

The next day, the last day, we went to a museum I had never been to before, the Musee Matt. And they have the largest collection of the Impressionist, Bertha Morisot. We referred to her during the Mary Cassatt episode. One of the OG Impressionists. The only OG Woman Impressionist. Before Mary Cassatt got there. It was in an old mansion, right?

[Susan]

It was just like the mansion was with these paintings on the wall. So you can imagine having dinner in this grand dining room with the invaluable paintings all over the place. And you just kind of wandered through the house like you were on a. I don't know, on a house tour. But in the basement was where the secret was. In the basement they have a very large collection of Monets. I didn't realize that was there. And when I stumbled, for me stumbled upon it, it was there waiting for everybody to find it. It was just such a thrill to have been there at Monet's garden. And now seeing the work that was created there the very next day, it was magical. And there was paintings that I had never seen before. There was one that really struck me. It was called Eau et Lumiere, which is water and light. It's like blues and grays with bright white stripes on it. And it looks almost like snow until you realize it's water. When the bright sunshine or a full bright moon hits the water and it makes that luminescent, bright white Reflections, I guess, is what they are. It was striking. I sat there and stared at it for a very long time.

[Beckett]

And I thought I was really doing something artistic. When I was at Giverny and there was a little rowboat kind of stuck in the weeds underneath an overhanging branch. And I took a great photograph and thought, well, now I. I'm a photographer. Look at my eye, whatever, and then get downstairs and you say, Marmitan. There you go. The exact same thing that I just. And he did it a hundred years ago. I'm like, hat tip, Mr. Monet. You got me.

[Susan]

Yeah. I'm really glad we went to that museum. It was. It's small. It doesn't take very long to get through it. So it's digestible. You know, you don't get to the point where you're like, oh, my gosh, another painting. Can I. Can I retain the feeling I have seeing this painting? You know, there's no painting overload, I guess, is what I'm trying to say.

[Beckett]

And after the museum, everyone broke off four side quests and. And I warned people that this was maybe going to be a fruitless quest. Everyone's agreeing. I'm like, I swear to you, I'm not taking any blame if you guys are sick of it. Retired at the end, I decided I was going to walk through the Bois de Boulogne, which I heard was great. It's a giant park, like. Like Central Park. We're gonna walk through the Bois de Boulogne and try to find the Villa Windsor, which is not open, could have been hidden from view. I was very open about the fact that it might be a fruitless quest. So we walked through the Bois de Boulogne. The leaves are turning, the photographs there. Money might have gotten ahead of me there too, but I don't know. I didn't see any evidence. My photos are still really good to me that I took on the way there. We walked through trails and horse tracks, and we finally get to Villa Windsor, and sure enough, we can see the roofs. It is closed for view. That's okay. We took photos of where we were. We grabbed a cab and went back sort of into town with the intent that we were going to walk from there all the way back through the town to our hotel. So we walked all the way back. We got a little bright pink ice cream in the Tuileries. We went to the Place de la Concorde to see, close up, the obelisk that marks the. Where the guillotine stood during the reign of Terror. And then we accidentally. I swear to you, we didn't know we were coming here. We were wandering back, looking in store windows, this and that, and we look up and there is E Delran, the culinary supply store where Julia Child used to buy all of her things. We were like, wait, look at that. Look at that across the street. We did not mean to go there. We did not set off on that way. We literally wandered with no map in the general direction of our hotel. And so we're like, we gotta go in. So we go in, and it really is. It is a culinary supply store. Things are on pegboards, which is making me wonder if that's where Julia Child got that idea. Famously, she kept pots on pegboards. E. Delerin has literally, hardware store pegboard with things just stuck up there. Even if they're like very expensive copper pots, they are just hanging with a little handwritten sign on a piece of pasteboard stuck to the side of it. I ended up buying a Christmas present there. Chris Graham. You know, the chef had always wanted this certain kind of cooking pan. And so I asked them, and I had a photo in my phone. I've been looking for them for years. And America, I just don't think has this kind of pan. I'm just telling you right now. Antique or new? I don't think so. And so he took me right to it. I picked it up, and then a second man came along, and he goes, madam, do you know what to do with that pan? Like, whatever. And I look at him, and I'm like, pate en croute. And he goes, oh, oh, of course, of course. And he. Then he felt bad that he had snooted me. And he was like, extra wrapping. Gave me a free bag, like, wanted to talk to me about different recipes. And I was like, okay. He was very apologetic, like, I didn't know you were real, but. But anyway, we all bought things, like rolling pins, and we encountered another very large group of listeners who had int to go there. So we ended up there all together. And then in the mix, some people peeled off to go away, and some of us settled in at a cafe where we met a dog named Suzanne. And Suzanne preferred our company to her owners, I think, because, I don't know, we didn't mean to drop things on the ground, like pieces of bread or whatever, but. But one drop on the ground made Suzanne think, oh, this is. I need to be over here. This is a more profitable location. So we actually had lunch with Suzanne under our table the whole time. It was nice. It was nice. It was good people watching. We were right out on the terrace. It was a nice sunny day. Everyone was being very casual. It was another one of those, like, emotionally fulfilling moments. And it was very languid. And we made our way back to the hotel.

[Susan]

I also did a wander adventure, only my group wasn't very big. It was just me and Bailey, this young woman from upstate New York. We had both wanted to do those 284 steps on the Arc de Triomphe. So we walked there, and we walked up, and it was a beautiful view. And we stayed up there a long time. I had to stop once on my way up to catch my breath, and that was it. There's these little alcoves, like, almost like a window. Ish alcove. And you can stop there to let people behind you pass, so. And down. Did hit my knees pretty bad. But from there, we wandered down the Champs Elysees, took a side road, and found ourselves at Galerie Lafayette, which is a giant department store. It looks almost like a mall because there's so many different vendors inside. I'm talking high end. I couldn't afford anything in there, but you can take the escalator and keep taking it all the way to the tippy top. And there's a beautiful observation deck. So we went up there and just enjoyed the view. On the way back to the hotel, we were almost there. We both realized that we hadn't eaten. We had stopped for a crepe on the street because we're in France, but we both really wanted a little nashi snack. I was really craving some macarons. I hadn't had any. She was really craving a meringue. So we stopped at a patisserie and satisfied both of those cravings, and that was the end of our adventure. It was so wonderful. It was so wonderful. I was inspired to make meringues last week. I was like, oh, like in France. And I didn't even have any of hers. I didn't have one single one when I was there, but it just reminded me of Paris. So I made.

[Marilyn]

Yep.

[Susan]

And it wasn't as hard as I thought it was gonna be.

[Beckett]

I always think when I'm watching Great British Bake off, like, people are like, oh, I'm gonna make some meringues to decorate my. Blah, blah, blah. I'm like, I would make macarons as an all day. Like, this is what I'm making. It's not, like, a thing I make. Oh, by the way. To decorate the cake, I also. I'm like, you guys are overachievers.

[Susan]

Definitely. I don't even know how they do all that stuff in, you know, two and a half, three hours. Like, they're showstoppers. They have, what, four hours? And they end up making these elaborate. I don't know how they do it.

[Beckett]

I don't know. But the level is getting so high. I'm like, I don't even know. I don't even know how you pick someone to go right. The level is so high. I'm just like, everyone wins. I don't know. As far as I'm concerned.

[Marilyn]

Yeah. Hello.

[Beckett]

Hello, this is Bailey.

[Marilyn]

One of the many highlights on this trip for me was the wine and cheese tasting. I've never had bread that creamy and delicious in my life. And the reason why I learned is that many properly aged cheeses cannot be imported into the US I couldn't resist grabbing even more cheese on the way.

[Beckett]

Out for the walk back.

[Marilyn]

One of the other many highlights on this trip for me was walking around the city of Paris. On one very rainy day, Susan and I found the fountain in the Tuileries where the Olympic flame was. And on another much sunnier day, we went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, which had one of the most incredible views of Paris. Thank you so much to Susan and Beckett, Laura and Jamie, and all of.

[Beckett]

The incredible people I met on this trip.

[Marilyn]

I had such an amazing time.

[Beckett]

On the last night, we all got onto the Seine for a dinner cruise where we would go in the night and see our new favorite city for the last time all together. While we were eating a delicious dinner, and unfortunately, the sun was so high, it had. I mean, you know, you heard us talking about all this rain. More rain than they've had since 1920. And the river was very high. We got on the boat, which in the Olympic parade down the Seine had held the athletes from Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Australia. So if you taped that parade and still have it, you can see the boat that we were on, and it was one of the lower ones, so it was still able to go, but we could not go on the roof. We asked why, and the man struggled to come up with this word, and I would have to. He goes, you will. You will decapitate. And I was like, we get it. We 100% aren't going upstairs. Thank you. Yeah.

[Susan]

Yeah. That was a little disappointing. But still, I mean, it was a beautiful view. This boat has all windows. I mean, it's not like that we have an obstructed view at all. So it was all windowed. And being sitting down below in the dining area, we were able to watch several birthdays. They, you know, make a big deal, turn the lights off, come out with a cake with a sparkler on it, a lit sparkler. And there was a couple who had a window seat, a table right at the window, and they were celebrating their anniversary, and it was so beautiful. Didn't you take a picture of them, like, four Days they did.

[Beckett]

Right as their cake came over with the little sparkler, the Eiffel Tower passed all lit up and I took a picture of them with my phone and I walked over and I'm like, I'm so sorry. I took this picture. Would you like it? And they both were like. And I airdropped it to them and they have a. I mean they have a great picture of them, the Eiffel Tower, their cake on their 50th anniversary. So I'm glad that I was looking.

[Susan]

Yeah, it was lovely. The whole dinner was loving. And that dinner cruise, I mean, it lasts a long time, but it could last longer because we were having such.

[Beckett]

A good time and the time flies and it was time to say goodbye. There were people leaving very, very early the next morning. So this could very well be the last time we see each other on this trip.

[Marilyn]

Hi everyone, My name is Tina from New York City and this was my first History Chicks tour. It was my retirement gift to myself and it was as fabulous as I expected it would be. There were many amazing things to highlight, including all the wonderful people I met. Shout out to my roommate Patty, she's the best. But the meals, oh, the meals. These are very special experiences. Like the tour and luncheon at Veuve Clicquot Wine Cave in Reims where we were served different types of champagnes that were paired with each course. Each course was delicious and artistically arranged on the plate. And then the three course meal at La Caron in Rouen, which was just heavenly. The oysters and the Dover sole melted in my mouth. But the towering souffle was breathtaking. And the brandy at the bottom didn't hurt I either. And then the wine and cheese tasting at Roger La Grenouille in the Latin Quarter. That was wonderful. You could feel the history oozing from the walls. And our tasting gods energy was infectious. We learned about all the women related to those towns or those locations. It brought everything full circle. And then the impromptu meals I had with people just on a lunch break or after a walk in the evening or in the hotel lobby when we sipped on wine and noshed on snacks. Those were some of the best experiences. I will never forget them. So here's a big chef's kiss and thank you to Susan Beckett and Laura and all my fellow travelers.

[Beckett]

Hi, this is Joan Bankston.

[Marilyn]

Just want to say that I was.

[Susan]

Really moved by coming on this History Chicks tour of Paris.

[Marilyn]

I've been to Paris.

[Beckett]

This my sixth time in Paris and.

[Marilyn]

I loved every one of them.

[Susan]

I came with my family.

[Beckett]

My son came three times and came.

[Susan]

With my daughter twice.

[Beckett]

And they were great times. But this was really special because I.

[Marilyn]

Didn'T expect to meet 50 marvelous women.

[Beckett]

And that I would want to stay in contact with. And all of you were so, so amazing, so strong, so accomplished.

[Susan]

It was a very big pleasure to.

[Beckett]

Meet all of you and hopefully I.

[Susan]

Will still get to know you more and more. Thank you.

[Marilyn]

Hi, my name is Paula. I like to travel and I've been fortunate to participate in several tours before. And what I liked the best of this trip to Paris was the effort that Laura Beckett and Susan made to find unique experiences like Versailles or La Pur, and also upgraded the more traditional ones like walking tours, allowing us to learn more about the women that contributed to French history in so many different ways. Also, I want to highlight the incredible group of people I met. I was the only person that was not from the US Nor a native English speaker. And I felt very welcomed by my fellow travelers. They all made this trip even more special for me, and I want to take this opportunity to thank them all.

[Susan]

If you're inspired to come and join us on one of these trips, we will be announcing two more within the next, I would say about a month. So we will announce it here on the show first and then via our social medias. So keep an eye out if it sounds like something you might want to do yourself.

[Beckett]

So that brings us to the end of the trip. And 50 travelers who did not know each other at the beginning of this trip were now exchanging numbers, making plans for future travel, taking pictures with each other. It was, as these trips always are, a bonding experience. People that started as strangers are now the best of friends. And it really is an experience that will carry with us the rest of our lives from moments like the flowers and, you know, the Eiffel Tower. And everybody has their own little moments that really cannot be planned for or set down as something you're going to cross off. You know, you just get these moments that will stick with you for the rest of your lives. And I think we all got that.

[Susan]

On this trip by sheer coincidence. On my Kindle, I had an unread book called A Paris Novel by Ruth Reichel. And I opened it up on the plane and I started reading. It's kind of a coming of age story set in the. It's historical fiction set in the 1980s. I know that hurt a little bit, but it's set in Paris and there's a big accent on the food. Shakespeare and company plays A major role in it. And it was a pretty fast read. And it was such. For me, it was just such a wonderful little seal on the envelope of the trip. You know, just a little. One little gift that I was able to give myself on the way back.

[Beckett]

And I hereby pledge to you that I'm gonna try to make. I don't have Armagnac, and I don't think it's worth investing in for this, but I'm gonna make a Grand Marnier souffle. I can't promise I'm gonna do macaron. I think the humidity in this house is such that it would fail. I'm just telling you, I'm setting myself up for failure on that one. But a souffle I think I can do. And it a try.

[Susan]

All right, well, I have to say, in the Monet gift shop, I did pick. I'm in a Secret Santa, and I did pick up a bottle of it shaped like the Eiffel Tower for my. For my receive. I don't know. What do you call them? The person that gets your gift.

[Beckett]

Oh. Oh, I don't know. Gifty.

[Susan]

Gifty. Yes.

[Beckett]

So, you know, at the Monet gift shop, which is amazing, by the way, and Giant, and they know their audience because, like, we were all trapped in there, they actually harvest seeds from the garden. And I have a packet of seeds, and it's one of those packets, like, those so friendly packets, where it's like, find some ground, Throw them there, walk away. So I'm like, I will do that. And so I have for the spring, a packet of mostly red, some pink seeds from Monet and his garden that I'm going to throw out.

[Susan]

So you're going to have a little Monet garden. I'm so excited for you.

[Beckett]

And that'll do it for our trip to Paris 2024. We wish you the best for your Thanksgiving holiday. If we don't talk to you before then, eat lots of turkey, if that's your thing. Or tamales, I've heard, is also a thing. Oh, I know. So exciting. We'll be back with our typical biography format very soon, and we'll see you next time. Thanks for listening.

[Susan]

Bye.

[Beckett]

If you liked what you heard today, or in fact, any day, vous connec le chanson. You know the drill. Leave a review for us on Apple podcasts or on your favorite podcatcher. When translated literally, that phrase vous connaissee le chansons means, you know, the song. So the song at the end is part of the series Le Travaille du Peintre by Francis Poulenc. That's number two. Marc Chagall, which I thought was appropriate since we just saw some of his stained glass windows in the Reims Cathedral. The lyrics describe elements of many Chagall paintings. Animals, a singing bird, a violin, a couple dancing. We'll put the lyrics in the show notes along with pictures from the trip, and we'll see you next time. If only I could put Je ne regret know.

[Susan]

We could sing it.

[Beckett]

We could sing it. Everyone's like, what the heck is this madness? Turn it off.