Paris 2017, Day 2

Paris is a contender for the 2024 Olympics and it shows everywhere.  Actually everything is involved.  Potential terrorist plots, infrastructure improvement for the future, prep for a potential spot in the Olympic future, you know, everything is a component.

Today we were headed to the 7th for a walk starting at the Ecole Militaire (War College) and ending at the Hotel des Invalides (built in 1670 by Louis XIV for veterans of the French Army; it is now home to the Musee de l'Armee and houses Napoleon's Tomb); our walk included a large open air market.  Naturally we changed things up a bit and decided to start at the Eiffel Tower because we didn't go anywhere near there last trip and we wanted to ensure it was still standing.

Construction on every major street which will (hopefully) be followed by repairs on all the major sidewalks.  And we walked toward the Eiffel Tower.  After acknowledging that it remains standing proud, we noticed that there are large fences surrounding this much beloved monument.  Strong, sturdy fences.  Police are ever present and watchful ... and armed to the teeth.  Oh heavens, this could be a target; a criminal act indeed.  We walked around the fence, only two entrances to the tower for tourists, much easier to feel like Security is in control.  Then we strolled along the park, also surrounded by fences, crossing the first major street.  Then the remainder of the lovely park is open to the public, teams playing soccer, visitors sitting on the grass photographing each other, and we were delighted to see a bride and groom posing for wedding pictures with the tower as the backdrop.

After this lovely pre-quel we were off to begin our card for the day.  Made it around the Ecole Militaire -- what a shame that it is not open for a tour.  This school was founded in 1750 by Louis XV with the aim of creating an academic college for cadet officers from poor noble families.  Napoleon Bonaparte was accepted in 1784 and graduated in only one year instead of two.  The school is now considered a War College also known as (translated) Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defense.

We continued on to the semi circle to the open air market where I watched Sharon purchase a beautiful leather (made in Italy) purse.  If there had been a red one with nail heads I'd have fought her for it, but it's definitely her color, a rich camel color for an outrageous sum (easy for me to say, it wasn't my color).  

The card said to "back track" to starting spot and continue down a different street.

Seems there are key words that we should avoid like "jog left" "backtrack" and "wander" because we were instantly lost again.  Sometimes I feel like I'm channeling my friend's husband, Joe Blackstock, who has more rules than I do.  One of my favorites is that he tries very hard to never go back the way he came -- he has an awesome sense of adventure.  "Backtrack" is hard for me.  On the other hand we sure get in a lot of steps.  AND the bonus is that we find treasures that we never would have seen/explored if we'd stayed on our assigned route.  30 minutes later we're back on track and head down the next rue or av or bvd to (blessed be) The Cafe du Marche.  I don't care what you call it, it's time for wine and some not so delicious French Onion Soup.  Sharon disagrees on this subject and slurped her down.  I ate the bread and cheese, the broth was just wrong, very wrong.  Nothing holds a candle to Charity's French Onion Soup at the Greene Lily in Old Town Eureka, including my own, but mine is FAR better than this.  The wine on the other hand.....yum!  This street was full of interesting little shops which we would have loved to explore but many (the more interesting ones) were closed -- August is the month most Parisians go on holiday.  Oh well, we wandered on.  I was now ready for my first gellato of this trip, but alas, it was not to be.  Tomorrow for certain!

Naturally we overshot our right turn and were a block off.  We decided to continue on and make a right rather than backtracking because you now know how I feel about backtracking.  And a good thing we did.  We found the cutest shop for an upcoming baby shower and had a wonderful time oohing and awhhing throughout the shop -- and the shopgirl was perfectly darling.  Between her horrid English (I wanted to hug her!) and our appalling French we figured things out and she was an enthusiastic helper .... look at DIS! she would exclaim and we would admire appropriately.  We finally decided on our purchases and left feeling quite satisfied when Sharon spotted a Starbucks and headed straight for it, as if caught in its tractor beam.

Finally made it to the Hotel des Invalides.  More (insert inappropriate word here) cobble stones!  My feet are sore, sure, but my hips were a hot mess at this point.  Why didn't I take my Aleves this morning?  We walked around, approached the billeting office and decided against.  We walked in the entrance to see more and more cannon, the architecture was stunning, especially the approach.  It is surrounded by a moat and cannon with a narrow entry onto the main grassy area.  The shrubs/trees are all beautifully shaped and, I'm certain, have a story of which I am unaware.  Just went looking and research is slow because I don't know how to change Google.fr to Google.us.  It's making me just a bit crazy when I want to look things up.  

Thank heavens we're both still a bit beat -- not as young as I used to be -- and are done in even though it's only 3.  We decide to go back to the hotel, rest and go to our favorite restaurant at Chateau Vincennes.  

Yea, well that never happened.  One glass of wine in the room and we were both ready for a nap -- eeks my hips hurt.  I awoke at 8:30 feeling like a new person, ate a very ripe nectarine two hands full of unsalted pistachios and I suddenly feel like telling a story.  

Still on a mission to refill my mustard crock and find more high end French poivre (pepper).

14,300 steps today with a goal of 10,000 a day.  In years past we would hit our 10,000 step goal around 5pm.  Yesterday and today the buzz came in around 3pm.  

Tomorrow is Friday, the oneth of the month.  Do you say "Rabbit, Rabbit" on the first of each month as soon as you wake?  I do because my Mom did.  Mom did because her sister, Audrey, did.  I'm following an Audrey tradition for no reason at all.  When I think about the chaos in the world, potential disaster from every angle, terrorists everywhere, I sometimes feel comforted in the simple things over which I also do not appear to have any control.

Paris 2017, Day 1

Day One is in the books.  And it was a typical day for the Sharon and Shon Show -- we spent the entire day wondering where we were, why it was so difficult to follow the directions on our walking card (blaming it on the card, just sayin), doubling back, retracing our steps, asking directions, getting lost again -- well, if you've followed our adventures in the past, you already know our drill.

Each time we're on an adventure (read here: lost) we experience an unexpected wonder and once again are grateful for the delay due to the distraction.

We started out on the hunt for the wind turbine trees.

Lori, my daughter, tries to send us off each trip on a quest to discover something she is interested in.  Last year it was a particularly unusual door, it was worth the hunt as it was truly unique and interesting.  This year it's wind turbine trees -- google it to learn more about this French company heavily involved in renewable energy.  We got off the metro at Concorde which always gives me a shiver as we exit the station.  The enormous Egyptian plinth in the middle of the traffic madness with the Eiffel Tower behind in one direction, the Lourve in another and the Arch de Triumph in yet another,

We performed a detailed scan of the area, gave up and approached a vendor to ask for directions.  He knew nothing about a turbine tree but he was there with a rack of post cards so I bought a few for Lori's collection.

Sharon did a bit more research on her phone and determined that it was near "the traffic circle" on the Champs-Elysees (I decided that meant it was near the Arc and no way was I walking there and still completing a walking card -- that would do me in on day one.  So I nixed that for today along with the mustard place (Maille) because I left my jug in the room and I want it refilled.  That left our first walking card which involved the Latin Quarter in the 5th.  And we were off on an adventure.

We arrived at our metro stop, exited to street level and wow, the construction is everywhere.  What used to be 4 line roads are now 2 lanes with traffic lights AND police everywhere helping to direct traffic.  The police have made themselves very visible with their body armor and machine guns.  Perspective is everything.  Sharon felt the large display of LEOs with large guns was comforting.  I found it close to unnerving.  I don't much like being around guns.  But I like the display of police -- go figure.

This particular card required that we stop here, browse a bit and then backtrack to "explore the labyrinth of old Paris" then jog left then right down one of the narrowest streets in the city.  Yeah, right.  One "jog" and we're lost.  Not that being lost has ever been a problem for me (and thankfully Sharon as well), because we had a delightful time poking around, looking at menus from mostly Greek and Mediterranean cuisines.  The proprietors were all outside their venues inviting us to enjoy their fare, but we simply weren't hungry yet, so we smiled and continued on our way, enjoying the sights and smells and poking around the souvenir shops.  We "wandered aimlessly" for a bit until we accidentally stumbled upon the St Severin which we were supposed to admire the pretty old cloisters and then continue along our way.  Well, Sharon has never seen a church (that is open to the public) that she could NOT go in and this was no exception.  We wandered around a bit, looking into the niches when I heard chanting -- and I was hooked.  A service was in process and I felt pulled like a moth to a flame.  But we were on a mission ... in search of St Theresa so that Sharon could like a candle for her dear friend Terry.  It has become one of our 'things' when in a church I go in search of St Theresa and Sharon lights a candle -- makes me feel a bit closer to that family and that is a good thing.

Following our visit to this lovely house of worship, we promptly got lost again.  When we finally got our bearings we were several blocks off the map, once again backtracking to find the Museum of the Middle Ages, otherwise known as the Musee de Cluny.  What drew us to this 15th century old building was that it houses the famous Lady and the Unicorn tapestries and I had no intention of leaving Paris without seeing the originals.  When we finally found the room that houses these breathtaking masterpieces I knew that the day was worth every step we had taken.  There are six enormous wall coverings stitched (they believe) in the 16th century.  These were discovered in the early 1841 in an old castle where they had been suffering damage from their storage conditions, namely damp and mold; in 1863 they were brought to the Thermes de Cluny in Paris where careful conservation has restored them nearly to their former glory.  All I could say is that I was close to tears.  This is a close up of the first one which is my favorite:

Created in the late 1400s.  600 years ago.  Just look at that detail!  Astounding.

At some point along the way we stopped for a delicious salad and to rest our tired feet.  For the last month I've been averaging about 3,000 steps a day.  Not because I'm  lazy (which admittedly I am from time to time), but I acquired a rather nasty case of poison oak which I scratched mercilessly until it inside me and it popped out randomly....wherever there was a warm spot.  Yep -- everywhere.  And it hurt...everywhere.  Yea, I get that this is a bit more info than you wanted, but I'm just explaining that I haven't been walking as much as normal and my feet hurt.

So after our late lunch, it was another couple of blocks before we were to "turn left at 49 Rue Monge" to reach the Arenes de Lutece which is a stadium dating back to the 2nd century that used to hold upward of 10,000 people.  No kidding!  We're walking down the street looking at the numbers and up there is number 49 and there is an archway.  Now this street is quite modern with various store fronts, nothing to indicate we were about to enter an arena which, by the way, used to house gladiator events and comedy plays ... yeah, put those two events together in the same sentence!  So we turn left, through a short tunnel of sorts and down some very old stone steps and emerge into the sun.  Here are a few pictures of kids playing soccer.  Look hard at the stone stadium-like seats

Especially in this last photo, those are obvious to me that royalty sat there.  And in the midst of this history is a very modern building that is just barely in the 2nd photo on the left but I chuckled when I realized that the 3rd photo has Montparnasse, the tallest building in Paris in the background.

Over 14,000 steps equals just over 4 miles.  Good girls!

Paris 2017, Day 0

While technically today is our first day in Paris (plane landed at 10:20am Tuesday, that's 1:20 am Tuesday for those of you in PST), realistically I refer to today as Day Zero -- by the time we arrive at our hotel the day is a lost cause as I tend to stumble about, because, you see, I am unable to sleep on the 10 hour flight.

Our travel day was delightfully different from past travel days in so many ways.  First the 10 hour flight didn't "feel" like 10 hours, it actually whipped by.  Well, could that be because I watched one movie after another after another -- five in total -- with two brief interruptions for reasonably eatable meals.

When I pulled up to the El Rancho Inn Park and Fly to meet Sharon she was pretty gloomy; her dog had been sick for two days and she was worried that her sweet rescue lab was suffering separation anxiety.  And a mutual friend just had a stoke that morning and she was terribly worried.  I've been on an emotional roller coaster for quite some time (please make my humboldt house sell to someone -- anyone!).  We are so ready to get on with our lives, deal with moving two paranoid cats, acquiring a third one when we arrive, and meeting the new friends who are living in Arizona without knowing they are dying to meet us.  So we enjoyed big supportive hugs, exchanged sad stories and lost our gloom in the anticipation of our next adventure! There is truly nothing like GIRL TRIP to wash away the blues -- and we were anticipating our first celebratory glass of champagne in Premium Economy.

We discovered Premium Economy last year.  For just $200 more you no longer stand in the cattle call line to check in, you whip through the boarding line, the seats are SIGNIFICANTLY more comfortable with multiple positions, the TV screen in much larger, the food is better, well, you get the idea.  Having always chosen to fly the least expensive way in the past, I will never again fly steerage internationally, the trip is simply too long.

But before I tell you more, I need to back up to the airport.  First we stopped to purchase snacks -- a small sandwich for Sharon and a yogurt for me -- but I could resist snapping a pic of the candy:

Then we were ready to go ... we were only a little excited .... 

So long flight that didn't seem as long as it really was and a lovely landing,  Exit plane, wend your way through the train to customs (we were the only plane and it was virtually empty which has never happened), on to baggage claim (all three showed up in a reasonable amount of time and out the exit to the ramp.  Now you need to know that EVERY other time I've flown into Paris there has been a problem with the shuttle service.  Yes, we had terrible problems when I flew into Rome -- so maybe it's just me?  

This time we went with Royal Transfer Shuttle.  It was a very reasonable 55 euro one way trip.  

Okay, so up the ramp as we scan the signs looking for our name.  The fourth guy on the left held a sign with my name on it.  Seriously, the 4th guy!  This bodes very, very well!  He grabs my cart and takes off.  I grumble at Sharon for her long stride and quick steps -- he left both of us in the dust!  But we've both been hold up in a plane for 10 hours -- we needed the quick step to loosen up.

We get to our hotel in half the time it usually takes -- maybe that's just how my day has been going since we left on our adventure?

And WOW!  Rashid is behind the desk.  He was here our first and second trip, then he was no longer with the hotel last year (turns out he was getting his masters in hotel management) and now he's back as assistant manager and is hoping to be promoted soon.  We were thrilled to see him again, he jumped up from behind the counter and it was hugs and kisses around!  He just handed over our key (no need to show ID, evidently we are memorable :) and we came up to crash.  

Sharon is out cold and I'm still pecking away, waiting for the crash that is inevitable.  I've now been up for 24 hours straight.

I think that's it for me.  Au revoir!

The Lovely's

What an amazing four days this has been staying at the historic Mission Inn in Riverside, CA.  First we received the surprise call that we had been unexpectedly upgraded to one of the Presidential Suites at no additional charge from our standard room and, yes, they'd be happy to provide a roll-away cot for Lori (who slept in the living room).  We hosted the entire family (about 16) yesterday before and after swimming which was a mad house and such fun.

Finally they all went to their various homes and the five of us were left in relative peace and quiet (Gary, Shon, Lori and our favorites, Ron & Ellen Wellborn).  We enjoyed the remainder of our Sunday evening on the front patio -- which is available to any and all hotel guests to enjoy.  We also have a private deck out the back which overlooks the Spanish courtyard, but it is small, long and narrow.

We have enjoyed a lovely and lazy Monday.  Coffee on the front patio which started out with cold weather that gradually warmed up to the point of moving to the shady areas until we decided it was time for breakfast.  We went downstairs around 10am for a delicious breakfast in the main dining room eventually heading for Velma's around noon.  She was pleased to have they company and we chatted for almost two hours.  When it was clear that she needed to nap, we dashed off to grab a light snack.

By the time we returned all the kids and grandkids has converged on house and it was chaos all over again.  And suddenly Lori was surrounded by four "short people" who wanted to sew with her.  She had captivated them on the first day by teaching them how to sew hexies, which are her latest passion.  She is working on sewing 3200 hexies to make a quilt.

The adults gathered in the living room relegating the kids (and the pied piper) to the dining room to wait for the pizzas to be delivered.  After dinner we enjoyed outside activities until it was time for cupcakes from the Mission Inn's bakery.  After successfully sugaring up the children, we decided it was time to leave!

We returned to the hotel and to the Presidential Suite to have a final farewell toddy before separating until we see each other again.  We poured drinks around and decided to enjoy them on our outside patio.  We exit the front door ... and horrors ... there is a couple sitting in the area we wanted to be... so I said, "Hi lovely people, we're going to join you!"  

You know, people are funny.  Some would find that entertaining and invite us in, others would not want company.  I was only briefly concerned with what sort of people this couple would be.  Turned out they were the friendly kind.  Turned out they were semi locals -- they live in Yucaipa and were celebrating their 25th anniversary.  

They thought my introductory statement was just fine and welcomed us into the circle.  We laughed and made jokes, they had looked into our suite the last time they were here and had poked their noses inside when housekeeping was in there but wanted the "grand tour" which Lori was happy to provide.  Well, since it was their anniversary we used their camera and took pictures of them sitting on the bed and in front of the fireplace so that they could tell their friends that they had been in the Presidential Suite.  We probably spent two hours laughing, chatting and photographing them.  They were delightful ... and lovely!  This was a wonderful end to a wonderful trip.  Family We can be stressful, family can be joyful, family can be comfort.  Family can be wonderful.

Meet the Lovely's:

As they were leaving I grabbed the quart of organic strawberries from the fridge and offered it up as an anniversary gift.  The one thing the grandchildren (locusts) didn't consume the previous day, "Enjoy!"  A great fun ending to a very fun trip!

Happy Birthday, Velma!  I'm glad you turned 95!

Very Presidential

We have been on the world's longest drive to Southern California which when Gary is driving typically takes 12 hours (my record was eight and a half, don't tell my nephew the CHP).  Today we got here in 14!  One accident after another landslide after two cars in the next lane tried to share the same space next to the truck in front of us LOUDLY exploded a tire next to back up and slow down and wrecks everywhere.  We learned about a huge accident on the grapevine just as we passed the exit to Tehachapi so we took a later detour and found our way there.

At some point in the never ending flat desert the phone rang.  It was Gary's brother, Ron.  I put him on speaker because Gary was driving.

"Hi, the Mission Inn just called to let me know that they have upgraded your room to the Presidential Suite."

Yea, right!

"No, seriously," he assures us.  "And it's complimentary!"

"????  Sweet!"

Then there is Gary's voice in the background ... "does it have two beds?"

(oh yeah, Lori)

I called to verify and yes, indeedy, we had been upgraded, Ron and Ellen still had their room on Sunday, there had been no mistake, and yes, they would be happy to provide a roll away.

Well, okay then!

It's been many moons since I've stayed at a 4 diamond resort and this is one to a tee.  What a lovely property!  Yes, I've been here many times to various events, it is especially beautiful at Christmas with the decorations, but I've never been a guest at the hotel.

The Inn boasts several Presidential Suites that are decorated to specific eras, ours is the Alhambra Room.  You enter a large heavy oak door into a great room with a piano at one end and a large fireplace at the other.  On the piano side is a large dining table with six very comfortable chairs.  The chairs and a sofa are artfully arranged around the fireplace making a cozy conversation area.  Beyond are french doors leading to a private balcony overlooking a lovely dining area.  The bedroom is enormous with two alcoves, one with a seating area, the other has a small desk where I sit writing as I overlook our balcony and the three floors below.  Beyond is the large clock with figures and animals on a rotating base beneath, much like a lifesize coocoo clock.

It's beautiful here!

Oh yes, we're here for a family gathering.  Gary's Mom will turn 95 on Sunday.  I'm so pleased that the family is gathering for a joyous occasion.  Happy Birthday, Velma!