Day 7 Paris to Rome

April 2, 2010  Friday 
Big travel day. We woke up for breakfast at 9 a.m. then packed our bags. Check out was early (noon) so the concierge was kind enough to store our bags until we were ready to leave. Our train didn't leave until later that day so we had the afternoon for last-minute shopping and bidding Paris farewell. It began to rain, another dreary grey day. We took the Metro to Opéra to find Beau’s H&M store. I’m going to miss these Rob-spottings — averaged 18x daily in Paris alone.

I will also miss the cheese… and patisseries that we saw but never sampled. 

The Metro took us to a square with the Academie Nationale De Musique.  

It poured, and I was relieved when we found two Gallerias and H&M. We had just enough time to try on a few outfits, shop and head back to the hotel for our luggage. It was 3 p.m. and we were starving, so I did the one thing I said I would not do. We stopped at the McDonalds by our hotel for a quick meal. We quickly retrieved our bags and the nice men at Classics Hotel Paris Tour Eiffel bid us Bon voyage! 
Before leaving the Metro, I spotted this at Ranelagh. 

We took the Metro to Paris-Bercy to catch our train ride to Rome. At the station we had a couple of hours to spare, so we relaxed, snacked on shortbread and Nutella, and talked to a lady from Alaska. She was a chatterbox. Looking back, I regret not buying dinner sandwiches at the station before leaving. By 6:30 p.m., we boarded the (RailEurope) train. It was a 6-seater cabin with fold out beds — a la Harry Potter. 

This was our first overnight train ride. It’s the oddest feeling sharing a cabin with complete strangers. The train finally took off at 7 p.m. and we shared the cabin with a nice, older French couple. I take in the French countryside while Beau naps. The ride is bumpy and slow, quite different from the modern Eurostar we took from London to Paris. By 8 p.m., our friendly cabin mates retrieved bottled water for us. The attendant collected our passports — this seemed strange to me — and kept them until we arrived in Rome. The French couple ate the dinner they brought and I went to the front to look for food. I thought it was sweet how the husband was concerned about helping us find food by checking the signs. I went on my own and neglected to check our cabin number before leaving. I walked through several sections of the train, bumping around like a pin ball. I was frustrated by the time I reached the first-class section where they were selling food. The line was very long and the staff was quite rude towards the people waiting in line. It took 40 minutes to wait and buy two plain, dry Paninis with ham for 8 € Euros. We should have bought food at the station. Then I couldn’t find our cabin on the way back. The attendant insisted I was in section 85-87, but Beau was waiting in section 83. I finally found our cabin and we ate our late dinner. At the next stop, more people came in and another older French couple joined us — filling the last two seats. Talk about feeling like sardines in a can. We waited for the attendant to turn down our “beds.” It was after 10 p.m. before we all settled in. I barely slept, waking up at 3 a.m. when the train stopped for half an hour. I was tangled up in the thin, long sheet they provided along with one blanket. The uncomfortably hard bed and loud snoring kept me up. Beau was out like a light — she could sleep anywhere! 


By 9 a.m., the attendant returned our passports, and we cleaned up and gathered our things for Rome. Before leaving, the French couple warned us about the pickpockets in Rome and wished us a safe trip. 
Photos: Beau and Ren Reiske © All Rights Reserved.

Day 1 London

March 27, 2010  Saturday
After a 10-hour flight from New York, Beau and I arrived at Heathrow airport in London at 8:30 a.m. We quickly discovered that our Euros (exchanged at NY) was useless since London (UK) still uses pounds. Also, my only credit card was not allowing usage internationally. What a nice way to start our trip. After checking out the fare costs, we bought a full-day pass for the Tube lines(7.50 pounds/per person). By the time we arrived at Russell Square, it was almost noon. Bloomsbury is an adorable neighborhood. The signs and clean streets made it easy to navigate our way to the hotel. The first thing I saw was this double-decker bus. :)

We could not check in until 2 p.m. so we stored our luggage and walked to the British Museum. It was a cool mid-50 degrees, grey skies with light rain.
British Museum — one of the great things about London are their free museums. Saw a Michael Jackson impersonator, plenty of Buddhas and male greek statues without penises, except for Satyr. 

It was still too early to check-in, so I found a place to exchange some of our Euros to pounds. 100 Euros for 86.30 pounds. There was an old-fashioned pub, The Swan, by our hotel. I thought they were ignoring us until we figured out that we had to seat ourselves and order at the bar.

This is a pint. If I finished it all, I would need a nap … call me, half pint. After our late lunch, we checked in and Beau took a nap until 5 p.m. — there is a 6-hour time difference … we were so tired! 
Bloomsbury Park Hotel by a Starbucks (they are everywhere here and I didn’t go inside one!)

6 p.m. We took the Tube to Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. This area reminds me of NYC, with all the theaters, restaurants and stores —but cleaner. 

We walked everywhere, through Chinatown and a few stores. Found a small Italian eatery: Biagio Trattoria Italiana. I had the most delicious, buttery Spaghetti Carbonara, and bread with fresh olives. 

We took the Tube back to the hotel… Rob spotting, he’s everywhere! Every time the British voice in the Tube would announce, “Going to Cockfosters,” we would giggle.

9:30 p.m. We ended our evening with the best Hazelnut Latte, shortbread cookies and caramel shortbread from Costa Coffee, next to Starbucks by our hotel. Served by the nicest barista, who informed me about their free wifi (with purchase). Score! 
Photos: Beau and Ren Reiske © All Rights Reserved.

I ♥ NY. I ♥ Remember Me.

By taking a risk, and actually being about something, Remember Me becomes vulnerable to those who would lash out against perceived melodrama in movies. But we’ve got to take back the streets on this one; we need writers and directors out there taking chances, we’ve got to get away from the paint-by-numbers industry that has become modern cinema.
What is the film all about? At its core, relationships, and the popular misconception around them — that is, that they are all “happily ever after” in their most fulfilled state. We often think of love and relationships in the “dancing around with joy” sense, but the other side of the coin, a side that's just as true and realistic, are the relationships forged by two hurt people in mutual pain. We turn to our loved ones for happiness, yes, but we also turn to them for support, for comfort, for the shared sense of anger and injustice at the world. Not all of love is happiness, and much of it is compromise and a real loss of self. (Read rest of review HERE.)*

When I read this script last year, I remember putting it down and feeling the sense of loss and wondering if all that rich dialogue and real-life emotion would come to fruition on screen. After waiting nine months, I saw Remember Me and was not disappointed. Admittedly, it has its slow moments where I wanted some of the great music from the soundtrack to actually BE in the movie to move things along. But overall, I just love how it is not your typical love story. I was also pleased to see that pretty boy can act. The camera loves him and Rob Pattinson is walking, talking eye candy — but it’s refreshing to see him break away from the mold and give a genuine performance. I don't want to give it away… enough people will reveal the surprise and miss the whole point behind the movie. Go see it for yourself.

The ending was rewritten with new dialogue that works for the main character’s (Tyler, played by Rob Pattinson) epiphany. However, I loved the original screenplay which really hits home: 




TYLER (voice over) 

Whatever you do in life will be 

insignificant but it is very 

important that you do it because... You can’t know... 

You can’t ever really know the meaning of your life... 

And you don't need to... 
Just know that your life has a meaning... 

Every life has a meaning... 
whether it lasts one hundred years 

or one hundred seconds... Every life...
And every death... changes the world in its own way... 

Ghandi knew this. 
He knew his life would mean something 

to someone, somewhere, somehow. 

And he knew with as much certainty that 

he could never know that meaning... 

He understood that enjoying life 

should be of much greater concern 

then understanding it. And so do I.

*Review source: www.film.com; Memiors by Will Fetters

Remembrance

Every life has a meaning... 

whether it lasts one hundred years or one
hundred seconds... Every life...
And every death... changes the
world in its own way...
Ghandi knew this. He knew his life
would mean something to someone,
somewhere, somehow. And he knew
with as much certainty that he
could never know that meaning...
He understood that enjoying life
should be of much greater 
concern then understanding it. 
And so do I.

You can’t know...
So don't take it for granted...
But don't take it too seriously...
Don't postpone what you want...
Don't leave anything
misunderstood...
Make sure the people you care about 

know...
Make sure they know how you really 

feel...
Because just like that...
It could end.

Source: Memoirs by Will Fetters (thanks, Carson); Photo: AnOther Man

Remember Me

June 15, on location of Remember Me, filming in NYC.

I finished reading the script, Memoirs. It didn't take long because most scripts aren't novels and could easily be read in a few hours. However, I took my time and visualized these characters (love the fact that Chris Cooper, a Mizzou alumni, is portraying the girlfriend's father) playing out this very simple love story in New York. It's very simplistic but there is a nice twist, one which I'm afraid will leak out before the film, Remember Me, is even released (March 2010).

Jenny Lumet, screenwriter of Rachel Getting Married, has revised the screenplay, so I foresee an even more in-depth film. If done well, it should leave people thinking (think Ordinary People, Crash, Sixth Sense).

AIDAN has the best dialogue for comic relief in this romantic drama. When you have Robert Pattinson reciting Gandhi, I'm pretty much there. No spoilers, but here is a sample of favorite lines (I had many):

TYLER (voice over)

Gandhi once said that whatever you do in life will be insignificant but it is very important that you do it ...

I tend to agree with the first part.

****

Ally walking in on Aidan…

ALLY

Are you seriously smoking pot? What are you thirteen? Why don't you grow up and do coke like an adult?

Photo source: Robert Pattinson Who

Memoirs

My bamboo plant has been dead for some time now. I've never had a green thumb and I could never keep plants alive in the house. I was told it helps to WATER THEM. I was convinced that the poor, dried up yellow sticks were bringing me bad luck so I finally threw it away. Actually, Matt threw it away ... something about CLUTTER.

Then I noticed that my luck has been changing in small, insignificant ways.

I have been trying to locate a script, entitled Memoirs, which I've been hearing praises for it's dialogue and story. Forget the fact that Robert Pattinson (seriously, if I didn't mention him you probably wouldn't read this or know what I was talking about) is currently filming this movie, (retitled) Remember Me, in New York. I was intrigued by the storyline.

Cut to the chase, I received the coveted script from my new hero, Carson (THANK YOU). In return, he asked me to simply:

“Do something nice for someone. Doesn't matter who. Doesn't matter what. Just do something nice and ask for nothing in return.”

You know, Pay It Forward. I loved that.

My luck is changing.