The train ride from Amsterdam to Paris is about 4 hours, so during that time, we just basically BS'd, replied to e-mails, and slept. We left Amsterdam in a nice gray haze (as usual - this weather kind of sucks!) and arrived to sunny, bright Paris. I have to say... I think that one of the reasons that Paris is my favorite city in the whole world is because every time I've been there, it's been absolutely gorgeous outside. I'm sure there must be bad weather days there, but none for me! :)
First thing's first. We went to the Nike showroom in downtown Paris to meet up with Olav, and the other financial analyst for Nike France, Christophe. We first went out to lunch, where they had wine and beer. I'm liking Nike France already! :) They then went through their business results, and then we headed back into town to have some drinks and dinner. After dinner, Eric and I walked around thee beautiful city and just enjoyed the scenery.
The Louvre at Night
The next morning, Olav drove us to the actual Nike office, which is a little farther out of town.
The Rooster is the French National animal, and this one at the Nike Office was complete with a swoosh!
We went through our training for the first three hours, and then headed back to downtown Paris, where Olav gave us a retail tour of the city. It was really cool to see the different ways our product is represented in the market - from the craziness of Footlocker to the classiness of sneaker boutiques like Opium. After about 6 hours of walking around the city (did I mention my feet were killing me?!?), Olav left us and Eric and I started exploring. We had an amazing dinner and nice wine, and then just checked out the little cafes around our hotel, stopping for a glass of wine here and there.
That being said, it was nearly a miracle that we both got up in time to get a long run in for the day. We ran about 7 miles around the city - it was so fun to be on a long run and seeing Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and other sights that are so very, very, Paris! :)
After getting cleaned up, Eric and I went to L'Orangerie, which is an art museum that has housed Monet's "Waterlilies" tapestries since his death. That's the most famous item in the musuem - they are basically 8 huge tapestries, 4 hung in each of tworooms, which represent Monet's view of the garden from sunrise to sunset. Pretty cool.
Eric in front of L'Orangerie
One of the huge tapestries
After this adventure, Eric and I met up with one of his former colleagues for lunch. We had a lovely time, but then Eric had to catch the early train back to Amsterdam, so I was on my own. I decided that I wanted to visit the Rodin musuem. He was a famous sculptor in his time, and his most famous work was "The Thinker". The museum was amazing - it was both an indoor musuem, and then a huge outdoor garden that contained a lot of his works. Amazing!
The house where Rodin used to live, which now houses many of his famous works
The Thinker
The Kiss
At one point, Rodin took a young lover, who was one of his students. Her name was Camille Claude, and this is her piece called "The Waltz". This was by far my favorite piece... if you look closely, you will see that the dancers are dancing, but not touching... kind of how I feel about my own relationship right now. :(
The beautiful garden outside of the mansion
After this, it was time to hit the road. I just barely made it to my train before we left the station. I arrived back to Amsterdam 4 hours later, greeted by thunderstorms. Seriously?!?
No trips planned for this next weekend, because I have to get ready for my parents!! They arrive on August 9th! We're going back to... you guessed it, Paris! We'll also visit Versailles and Normandy. Can't wait! :)
2 comments:
You have an amazing job! I miss you though & cannot wait til you're back in August!!!
I am so jelous. YOu get to go to all the cool places!
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