May 28, 3:20 p.m. (8:21 a.m. CST) Third Post

I am at my hotel near the CDG airport, a bit harried from the experience. My friend Fabienne had made a reservation for a shuttle to pick me up at my apartment today at 11:00. I waited an hour and finally called the company, only to be informed that the pick-up was for tomorrow. Actually the company's web site is extremely difficult to navigate. They demand to know the flight time and number--which we gave. Fabienne even called and spoke to an employee, explaining that while my flight was for the 29th, I was spending the night at a hotel the 28th. We also wrote that in the "Comment" space, as instructed. The woman I spoke to today informed me that they didn't have time to read the comments, and that I would have to email the company and ask for a refund--which I did. I also pointed out that their employees are not very observant. Why would I want to be picked up in Paris 20 minutes after my plane left CDG? I haven't heard from them yet, but to date I have quite an investment in getting to the airport.

I'm ready to come home!

May 28, 10:05 a.m. (3:05 CST) Paris

I'm back from having breakfast with Eunice and family. The family is on the way to see the Catacombs and then Versailles. Eunice has been having some fairly severe back pain, so she's staying at the hotel for the day.

I walked over to a cafe near their hotel, which was about a mile, so I already have two miles. I don't suppose I will be able to improve on that very much because the shuttle is due to pick me up in about 50 minutes. So it's "Good-bye Paris; Hello Roissy (the area where CDG is located)."

It was raining all the way over to the hotel and sprinkling a bit on the way back. I have heard that this spring is the coldest on record since sometime in early 20th century. When I was here last May, we had very little rain, and the temperature was mild most of the time. I have needed a coat almost every day in France, as well as my umbrella.

Something I forgot to mention about yesterday when we were in the Jardin des Tuileries, there were two goats eating the grass in a long ditch. Eunice's grranddaughter said that they were chained; however, my photograph does not show a chain. Those crafty French--what a great way to avoid mowing in a steep ditch.

I'm sure that I will think of several other things that I have forgotten, so I'll try to include them when I get home and my final blog with the best of my photos.

May 28, Paris 6:55 a.m. (11:55 p.m.)

I'm packed, bathed and waiting to walk over to the Isle Saint Louis and have breakfast with Eunice and family. Then I'll walk back to my apartment and wait for the shuttle to pick me up and take me to the airport. I'm hoping that he will drop me at my hotel instead of the airport, because I'll have to wrestle my luggage onto the airport shuttle that makes the rounds of all the hotels near the airport.
When I return from breakfast, I may do another entry--just because I will have to have something to while away the time. Perhaps I will even have something of interest to report.

May 27, 8:27 p.m. Par4is (1:27 CST)

I'm still in Paris, and I'm just back from dinner at Le Danton, one of my favorite restaurants in Paris. It's not terribly expensive--as Paris prices go--and it's close to my apartment. I had "Saute de veau," a petit picher of Cote de Rhone, and ended with cafe creme--a cup of strong coffee with quite a lot of cream in it--about the size of an over-sized tea cup--probably about 8 oz. I met the most delightful woman from California, a retired librarian. I'm not sure what her name is, but I have her email address and she has mine. We were both sitting at little tables in the window of Le Danton, which was an excellent place for people watching.
Speaking of people watching in Paris, I have seen some of the most chic women as well as some of the tackiest. Almost everyone is wearing skin-tight jeans or just plain tights, including some who shouldn't be wearing either one. I've seen lots of piercings and lots of tatoos, but probably no more than in the U.S. In the final analysis, there's probably no better place in the world to just sit and stare at the people walking by than in Paris.

My pedometer is now up to 16,549 steps and 7.31 miles. That's not a record for me, but it's probably close to a record for this trip.

I'm pretty much packed and ready to leave tomorrow morning at 11:00. I may be able to have breakfast with Eunice before I leave and before she leaves to go to the Catacombs with her family--then on to Versailles. I don't envy that trip, but her youngest granddaughter is in France for the fist time, and of course it's understandable that she wants to go to Versailles. Eunice has decided to sit in a cafe while they are in the catacombs. I think she's wise. Once through the Catacombs is enough--glad I did it, but I don't want to do it again. I still haven't been to Pere Lachaise--maybe next time.

May 27, 4:09 p.m. (9:09 CST) Last Night in Paris

I'm hoping that I've walked off some of the croissants, etc. that I have eaten while I've been in Europe. I just looked at my pedometer and it says that I have walked 13,176 steps today, 5.8 miles, and burned 397.2 calories.
I sent to the Louvre this morning with Eunice and her family. We mostly concentrated on the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian exhibits, with just a quick run through some French paintings like Corot and Delacroix.  I saw enough religious paintings in Italy, so I was happy with the 19th century French paintings. We were all pretty tired by 1:00 p.m. so we stopped in the Tuileries Gardens and had a sandwich.

At that point, I parted with Eunice and family and went in search of Emma Gilkerson's Pastry shop. I found it; unfortunately, it was closed. It will be open tomorrow, but I won't have time to return. Too bad. For those of you who don't know Emma, she was one of our Sister Cities scholarship winners several years ago. She studied in France and ended up marrying a Frenchman.

Paris, May 26, 6:57 p.m. (11:57 a.m. CST)

Seeing Christiane and Bernard today and having a meal with them was a real treat--as always. They seemed enchanted with the album, which is mostly about their granddaughter Eugenie, but Christiane and Bernard as well as Fabienne and Marc also appear a few times.

Our meal began with hors d'oeuvres (pate de canard and bite-sized pieces of quich) and aparatifs (champagne) on the terrace. There was no rain at all today, and the sun was shining. It was a bit chilly, but worth it for the wonderful ambiance. Next, we went inside and had white asperagus with a sauce made of creme fraiche and a little vinegar--what a treat. Of course there's always bread on the table. The main course, which the French call the entree was porc Orlof and spinache. Next came the salade and the cheese course, and last the dessert, a rice pudding. After the food came the espresso and a digestif--three choices of brandy. As you can see, the French know how to make a most enjoyable meal. Christiane is a wonderful cook, and I believe that Bernard is responsble for the porc Orlof.

A little after 4, we started back to Orleans, actually Fleury-les-Aubrais, a subburb of Orleans so that I could catch my train back to Paris at 5:27. Chaumont-sur-Tharonne, where Christiane live is about 35 k. from Orleans. The train was on time, and no one even asked to see my ticket. I caught the Metro back to the area where my apartment is located, and for once I was able to make the key work without too many tries.

I'm not sure what I'll do on my last day in Paris, but I'll try to think of something I haven't done before.

May 26, Orleans 10:05 am.m (3:10 am EST)

Fabienne and Eugenie were waiting for me when I arrived at Fleury-les-Aubrais station. We went directly to her apartment and she started lunch. Eventually, Mark and his son Quentin arrived. We began with pate on toast and an aperatif in the living room area, then went to the table for a rolled veal roast and little French green beans sauced with creme fraiche. Next came salad and cheese, and after that dessert: tiramisou that Fabienne had made. It tasted very similar to the tiramisou served at Cafe Maurice in Wichita. Of course, wine was served throughout.
Later, we went to Marc's apartment and from there walked into the center ville area of Orleans where a group that Marc knows was playing a rock concert at the Galleries Lafayette. Fabienne told me that this group is well-known in France and Canada. Marc had a long conversation with the band members after the concert. Fabienne and I walked around the area while Marc had coffee with the manager of Galleries Lafayette. I bought a set of porte-couteaux--little crystal things to rest a knife on at the dinner table. She had some, and I thought they were such a good idea--much easier than the American way of resting the knives on the plate after they have been used. (I stil remember being corrected by my ex for propping my knife on the plate as opposed to laying it cross-way on the plate.)

Today we will go to Chaumont to visit Fabienne's parents Bernard and Christiane. In addition it's "La Fete des Meres" today in France--Mother's Day. I'm looking forward to seeing them.

Fabienne seemed to like the photo album that I made for her--using all the photos that she has sent me since her daughter Eugenie was born. I also put captions uncer the photos. I made a duplicate for her parents, so I'm hoping that they like it too.

Eugenie turned three in February, and she is a very mature three-year-old--and very prretty on top of that. Before we came home from town yesterday, we stopped at a wine bar for a glass of wine and Marc ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell. Eugenie ate her share. She would take her little fork and work the oyster loose from the shell, then put the oyster in her mouth. Next, she would put the shell to her mouth and drink the juice. Fabienne told methat she also likes caviar. I told Fabienne and Marc that one day some guy is going to have a wife with very expensive tastes.

Yesterday evening, we had shrimp, calamari, and muscles and Eugenie ate some of each. She's so cute taking the shrimp out of their shells. I think she was more adept than I was. I have taken photos of her, which I will put on my photo blog when I get home. She's a realy charming child.

As I write, I'm eating a breakfast cookie. I read on the label that it has 4 g. of fiber. It's very tasty, rather crisp, and not too sweet. The French are very good at making things that are not over-sugared.

I forgot to blog about the young Frenchman in Paris who bought my breakfast at McDo's (What the French call McDonald's). We were both there a few minutes before it opened, and
eventually, we chatted. I was first up at the counter and I ordered "le formule," the full meal deal, consisting of an egg mcmuffin with cheese and bacon, coffee, oj, and 3 vienoiseries--little flaky pastries. I took out my credit card, and the young man handed the cash to the waitress. I protested, but he insisted. I thanked him "Merci mille fois" (thank you a thousand times), and enjoyed my breakfast. McDonald's, by the way, is the absolutely cheapest breakfast in Paris. In a cafe or a hotel, one might pay 11 to 15 euros for a cup of coffee and a croissant. The formule at McDonalds is 5.90 euros.

I'll be back in Paris this evening. My train leaves about 5:30, and it takes about an hour. Fabienne made a reservation for on a shuttle to the airport May 28, where I have a reservation at a hotel. It's 19 miles from Paris to CDG, and I have always feared a traffic jam and missing my plane if I come from Paris on the day of the flight.

I've had a wonderful time, but as the time draws near to come home, I'm beginning to look forward to it.

Paris, May 25, 7:45 a.m. (12:45 am CST)

I'm ready to leave to visit my friends in Orleans--the Legentil family. It's been 1 1/2 years since I've seen them, and I know from photos that Fabienne's daughter Eugenie has grown and matured greatly since last I saw her.I will return tomorrow evening. I don't know whether Fabienne has wifi or not, so whether or not I blog between now and tomorrow night will depend on that.

I'm taking only a back pack, so the train will not be such a trial as it has been with the back pack plus the 25 inch suitcase--even though it is a spinner, which definitely helps--until it's time to go down stairs and up again or board the train. I swear, I'll not do that again.

My train leaves at 9:27 and it takes about an hour to reach Orleans, actually a smaller outlying station called Fleury-les-Augrais where Fabienne will pick me up.

From what I see through the slats in my shutters, it's still overcast and probably will rain before the day's out.

I hope everyone in Wichita, Missouri, and Texas is doing well. More lateer.
I hope every

May 24, 3:00 p.m. Paris (8:00 EST)

Eunice's family arrived about 8:00 a.m. at Charles DeGaulle airport. Eunice had stayed at a hotel near the airport last night so that she would be there to meet them. By the time they collected their luggage, passed through customs, and took the shuttle to the hotel it was after 11:00 a.m. I was waiting for them.

I had gone out to the Gare d'Austerlitz to buy my ticket to Orleans for tomorrow. I took the Metro back to Cite, where the flower market is. It was breathtaking, and I have lots of photos of flowers.

After Eunice and family got checked in and ready to move about we walked over to the Danton Cafe located on Blv. Saint Germain near the Odeo Metro stop. This cafe has become a favorite since we've been here. I'm sure that Hetty and I also took a meal or two there some years back. It always seems to be busy, probably because their prices are a little more reasonable than some, and the food is consistently good. Eunice's grandaughters and I had croque monsieurs--bread with ham and cheese, toasted under the broiler until the cheese melts and the bread is a bit crunchy--Eunice and Katy had salades Nicoise (in the style of Nice), which always consists of tuna, green beans (the little thin ones), boiled potatoes, black olives, and lightly dressed lettuce with anchovies draped across the tuna. Carl, Eunice's son-in-law had an omelette, and we shared a bottle of Bordeaux.
Afterwards, we walked to a bank so that they could get some money, then to the patisserie so that Eunice's youngest granddaughter could have some macaroons, then we came to my apartment. They were favorably impressed. Then we walked up to the Luxembourg Gardens, which will impress any American who admires beautiful flowers and trees. The French are wonderfully talented at creating beautiful gardens.

Since it is fairly cold and rainy, I came back to my apartment and left them to do as they pleased--perhaps go back to the hotel and rest. I don't think any of them slept on the plane coming over. I am now convinced that while I love Paris, I prefer it "when it sizzles," as opposed to when it's cold and rainy.

Paris, May 23, p.m.

Eunice and I made it to Paris--no problems. Eunice took a cab to the airport directly from Gare Bercy (train station), and I took a different cab to the studio apartment that I have rented for the next 5 days. Eunice is staying at the Ibis hotel near Charles DeGaulle airport so that she can meet her family--Katy, Carl, Channing, and Madeliene. They will come into Paris and stay at a hotel on the Isle Saint Louis--about a mile from where I'm staying.

It's raining in Paris, and I don't even want to go out. I went to Monoprix when I first arrived and got some basic supplies. I have a tiny little refrigerator, 2 burners, a sink, and all the basics for cooking. I confess that I didn't cook though. I have grown accustomed to lots of French cheese and baguettes and fruit--along with a nice Bordeaux wine--so that's what I'm having for my dinner this evening.
I'm going to meet Eunice and her family at their hotel at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow and hang around with them for a while.  Then Saturday morning, I will go to Orleans to spend the weekend with my friend Fabienne and her family. I have probably said in an earlier post that this year makes 25 since we first met. I was the group leader for 10 students from Wichita, each of whom stayed with a French family once we arrived. Fabienne, who was still at the university, was the group leader for 10 French students who came back to Wichita and stayed with their American families. The group leaders also exchanged; however, since Fabienne was still in school, she was still living at home, so I met her whole family. I'm actually closer in age to her parents than I am to her, but I have spent a lot of time with the whole family over these 25 years. Fabienne now has a 3 year old daughter--Eugenie (after the Emperess). I last saw her 1 1/2 years ago when Eunice and I traveled to France and she got to meet the Legentil family as well. For those of you who don't speak French "Legentil" means "the nice one." When I first heard that name, I said to myself, "I hope so." It turned out to be true. I'm sure that I could not have met a nicer family in all of France.

A little more about my apartment: I have one window, which is the old fashioned kind. There are two parts to the window and the parts open out on a little deck, which has a table and chairs. Unfortunately, the weather is not conducive to using that little deck/patio. Then there are the old fashioned shutters, also two, which open out. When I go to bed or go out, I am to close all, and I have a large metal bar to insert so that anyone trying to break in would have one heck of a time. The apartment is located behind 2 giant green doors. I haveto enter a code. then I come into another little area, and eventually use my key to open my door.

This is such a contrast with the security that we had in Beaune. The apartment was inside a gated area. We had a key to the gate, but the key to the apartment was a joke. The latch was about a 1/4 inch long, maybe less. We tried and tried to lock it, but we could always turn the door knob and open the door. So, we devised our own security system. We put a stool in front of the door every night, and sed a try of glasses on it. We have photos, which I will post when I get home. Obviously, no one tried to enter while we were asleep because each morning, the glasses were still sitting on the stool.

It is now 7:45 in Paris--12:45 CST--and I think I will sign off for tonight. By the way, I love getting comments--or emails. Now that I'm on my own, I miss Eunice. 

May 23, Leaving Beaune

Eunice and i are packed and waiting for our landlord to pick us up and take us to the train station. It's a little after 9 a.m. so we have a while to wait. We're watching BBC and just heard that Chinua Achebe just died. He wrote Things Fall Apart, which is a really strong novel about European colonialism in Africa. If you haven't read it, I strongly recommend it.

We are still discussing how to handle getting Eunice to the hotel at CDG without having to take her heavy suitcase. At present, I am recommending that she come with me to the studio apartment that I have rented in Paris, leave her suitcase there, and take a shuttle to the airport, taking only her backpack. We'll see what she decides.

The weather here has warmed up a tiny bit and it's no longer raining. We have enjoyed Beaune, particularly the Hospices de Beaune and the wine tasting, but we would have enjoyed it more, had it been warmer and drier.

I will probably blog again this evening from my studio apartment after Eunice leaves and it's too dark for me to go out.

More later.

May 22, Beaune

It is now 12:15 p.m. in Beaune, and Eunice and I have just finished lunch. This morning, we did a little shopping--bread, wine, a potato, and creame for our coffee. We buy a package of 10 little creamers that do not have to be refrigerated. The coffee is so strong that even I take cream in my coffee. Eunice usually makes the coffee, and she has adopted the French way of making very strong coffee.

Then we came back to the apartment and left our purchases before going to the wine caves of Patriarche, pere et fils for some serious wine tasting. As luck would have it, Patriarche is located directly to the east of us, so we just walk about 2 blocks and turn left. At some point in our tour, we read a sign that said that we were passing under the streeet on which our apartment is located. We were given a little taste-vin, which was ours to keep. We're really feeling pretty official now, but then the wine has just about worn off. Some of the wines that we tasted were 40 euros per bottle, so we're not likely to buy any wine of that quality, and I'm not sure that our taste buds are soffisticated enough to appreciate such wine--but we did like it.  We were surprised that we were just turned loose with our little stainless steel taste-vins to walk through the caves, stopping from time to time when we saw a bottle on top of a barrel with an electrified candle. The whole place was very dark. I will include photos of the place when I am home and can manipulate my camera and my computer better than I am able to manipulate this *%&@$#! tablet. Back to dark and spooky: at some point Eunice drew a comparison between the Catacombs in Paris, which we visited 1 1/2 years ago, and the caves. The big difference, we agreed, was stacks and stacks of bottles instead of stacks and stacks of bones and skulls. So, I guess you could say that we enjoyed our wine tasting adventure more than we enjoyed the Catacombs. We often talk about our adventures and ask each other if something or other qualifies as an adventure.
After our wine tasting, we came back to the apartment and I fried some more thinly sliced potatoes in butter, then made an omelette in the same pan. We devoured this fare with one of the baguettes and plenty of butter. I am determined not to leave behind very much of the butter, which is wonderful. We left quite a lot in Florence, a bit less in Paris, and we're well on our way to finishing the butter that we bought here in Beaune.

I just read this to Eunice and she suggests that I mention the cafe where we ate breakfast the first morning here and stopped again today after our shoppping for a cafe au lait. It is clearly where the locals come to exchange gossip. One man was there at one of the sidewalk tables with an English Mastiff. We noticed that the huge dog was drooling from his dewlaps and decided that neither one of us would like to have such a dog.

May 21, Beaune, France, 2:00 p.m.

Eunice and I visited the Hospices de Beaune this morning (or Hotel-Dieu de Beaune), which doesn't sound nearly as interesting as it is. It was established in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor and needy. What surprised me was that it was still operating as a hospital into the 1950s. It was a fascinating museum. After we finished the tour, however, we got lost and had the devil of a time getting back to our apartment. Finally, we asked directions of a young Asian woman who took us within a block of our apartment. We have vowed to write directions as we go places from this time on.
We had already done our grocery shopping, so when we came back, I made some fried potatoes and an omelette. Eunice had picked up a bottle of win, so we had the fried potatoes, the omelette, the French bread, then second course, more French bread, a half peach each with cheese: bleu d"Avergne and Brie. Eunice, official plongeur, is now doing the dishes because I cooked the meal. That is our usual arrangement. I like to cook and Eunice doesn't mind washing dishes.
More to come---maybe.

May 21, Beaune a.m

We woke up to a cold apartment--outside temp was 48 F. We fooled with the "chaufauge" and it heated the bathroom (toilet room is separate) so it really is a bath room. We had nothing to eat, so we went to a place that served petit dejeuner (breakfast) and ordered the "formule," which consisted of cafe au lait, orange juice, a pece of baguette, a croissant, butter, and jelly. There was a very nice lady who waited on us--one of those French women whose voice is half an octave higher than any American woman's and very soft, as well as ultra polite.
The grocery store didn't open until 9:00, so we killed about an hour with breakfast. The grocery is very small, but we managed to buy eggs, butter, coffee, fruit, a big potato,some tomatoes, 3 kinds of cheese, and some pate de compagne. On the way home we stopped at the pastry shop/bakery and bought 2 baguettes and 2 croissants because the bakery will be closed tomorrow.
The apartment seems to have warmed up while we were gone, so we're quite comfortable. We are both thankful that we brought sweaters and scarves as well as our trench coats. We've been doing lots of layering to keep warm. I know that you back in the mid-west will not feel very sorry for our whining about the cold and drizzling rain. We stop whining when we hear about the 90+ temperatures that you're having back home.

May 20, p.m. Beaune, France

Well, you would think that we would have learned by now that we just need to bring a little tiny suitcase with 2 pairs of jeans, 2 tops, 2 braws, and 2 pairs of undies--one pair of shoes. You should have seen us with our 25 inch suitcases, our back packs, and our purses. Of course, we had to lug everything down the stairs to go under the tracks. Then there are the narrow aisles. In fact, we could very well have missed our train to Beaune. We had to change at Dijon, and we were told that the train was 10 minutes late. We stood waiting for the train on the tracks to move and the late one to come. Finially, I went over to a man in an SNCF uniform and asked him "Comment est-ce on va savoir le vrai train a Beaune?" (How will one know which is the train to Beaune.) He told me that the one on the track was the train. Then we had to drag our luggage up onto the train and try to find a seat. We were exhausted. Then when we finally arrived in Beaune, we had to drag the damn things down the stairs under the tracks again. Fortunately, our landlord was waiting for us with a sign with both our names written on it. Eunice had asked me what did I suppose he would look like when we were almost here, and i told her that he might be anywhere from Frederico (Our Italian landlord that we were both in love with. I think I mentioned that before. Unfortunatly he was married and we're old :-( )!) Now I'll finish my sentence--between Frederico and the Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Actually, he seems very nice, but we've not fallen in love with him yet.
Can anyone tell that I'm feeling kind of kooky? Eunice is taking a photo of our dinner--if youcould call it that. The landlord told us that the super market is closed already. Since we had a large lunch at the Gare de Lyon, we don't want to go to another restaurant tonight, so we're eating what we brought from Paris: a few pieces of crackers, a bit of goat cheese, 1/2 an orange each and 1/2 a banana each--with the bottle of wine that the landlord left. So, that's all for tonight. It is 6:50 p.m. here and 11:50 a.m. CST,

May 19, p.m. Paris

As has been our habit for breakfast, Eunice went to the pastry shop and bought the flaky apple pastries while I showered. One of our big problems was how to make arrangements for a taxi for our departure tomorrow. (We're going to Beaune, which is located in Burgundy). I called one of the taxis that I found in the yellow pages, but it was a recording, telling me how to push certain numbers for the time we wanted to be picked up, but the only thing I hate more than speaking French over the telephone is listening to French over the telephone. I eventually gave up and we went down stairs and asked the gardien for help, but she was no help at all--her advice was to go to the corner and try to hail a taxi. Eunice, genius that she is, came up with the idea of going to a hotel and asking the desk clerk to help us. There just happens to be a 3 star hotel nearby, and we marched in and Eunice began asking him how to make arrangements for a taxi tomorrow. He heard her accent and immediately began speaking English--he had spent a good deal of time in Australia and was as comfortable in English as he was in French. He called and made a reservation for us for 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. He was very polite, but emphasized that if we didn't show up, he would have to pay for the taxi. We assured him that we would be there. In fact, we have already b ought him a Cote d'Or candy bar (Belgian chocolate) as a little token of our appreciation.


After some discussion, we decided to visit Quai Branly, a marvelous museum not far from the Eiffel Tower. I believe it was built while Chirac was still president. The front of the building has plants growing on it, and there is a garden in the entry way that is full of plants--lots of ferns and low growing plants, as well as larger ones. The architecture of the building is as interesting as the exhibits, and the exhibits were phenominal. They were all preimitives from Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Americas. It is a museum that features indigenous art, cultures, and civilizations from the above continents. It opened in 2006.

On the way to the museum, we came to a flea market, which was fascinating. I bought a little figurine made of white porcelain. It's a bit erotic. An angel (they're all male I think) is about to kiss a reclining nude woman. It looks a bit Rodinish to me, but Eunice says that it's too delicate for Rodin. Anyway, I like it. It's another one of my little treasures, and the fact that I bought it at a Paris flea market makes it special.

By tomorrow this time (7:00 p.m.--12:01 p.m. CST) we should be in Beaune, perhaps sampling some of their Pinot Noir--or Chardonay, should we be in the mood for a white.

May 18, p.m. Second Try

For some reason, only a few lines of my post were published. This blog can be very frustrating.
I will give a shortened version of what I wrote the first time.
We visited "Les Jardins des Plantes" this morning after breakfast. I can't remember how many hectares are involved in this garden, but it has been open to the public since the 17th century, having originally been a royal garden. It is lovely with young mothers pushing prams, little old ladies and little old men, as well as joggers, and just plain tourists. It was a little early for the roses, although several were in bloom, and most were fragrant. Probably our favorite were the poppies. Orange was the predominant color, but there were also yellow, white, and even pink ones. In fact, the poppies dominated this visit. If you want to know more, Google "Jardin des Plantes" and you will be inundated with interesting information. Among other things were some prize photographs, mostly involving frogs and water. They blown up to about 30 by 40 and there must have been 20 or 30 of them.
We came back home for lunch and a nap. Then we went to Galleries LaFayette to try and replace a little plate that I left in the microwave too long--no luck. To make matters worse, the Metro was packed. We should have known better than to have gone on the Metro at this time of day.
We intended to have dinner at the Polidor--the one that is featured in Woodie Allen's "Midnight in Paris," but we were turned off by the sign that said "No Credit Cards." We are being very careful with our cash since I lost my debit card. We ended up eating at "The Clou de Paris," a restaurant that is not famous, but serves very good food which is less pricy thatn Le Polidor. We asked the waiter why it was called "Le Clou de Paris," (The Nail of Paris) and he explained that it was because they are so close to the marker in front of Notre Dame, from which all points in France are nmeasured. You can also buy a book at Shakespeare and Company, which is located across the river from Notre Dame, and they will stamp the front page "O Killometres."
We had planned to go to the jazz club tonight, but it's been raining in Paris. That, plus the red wine that we had with dinner has probably made us content to stay home and get into our night clothes.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Paris. We take the train to Beaune May 20th. We sometimes wonder why we don't just stay put, since we so dread packing up and moving again. 

Carol Traveling: May 18, p.m.

Carol Traveling: May 18, p.m.: Eunice and I have had a delightful day. Eunice went to the local patissierie for a chausson aux pommes--a very flaky pastry filled with app...

May 17 p.m.

Eunice and I have had a busy 24 hours. Yesterday evening a little after 6:00 we took the Metro to Frenchie's Wine Bar and stood in line for 20 minutes or so until they opened. Standing in line is necessary if one wants to be in on the first seating. We met Cathy and Pete (Cathy's my Master Gardener friend), and spent more than 2 hours eating samples of food--quail with a mixture of potatoes and cauliflower--pureed. It was tasty, but very small servings. We also had 2 or three other things--all with bread, and finally coffee and dessert. We, of course, had wine with the meal.

This morning, we met Cathy and Pete at the Saint Michel Metro stop and took the Metro to Poilaine bakery--Google it if you haven't heard of it. Then we rode the Metro one stop and stopped at the covered market and bought wine, fruit, lettuce, tomato, creme fraiche, and a couple of cheeses. We came back to the apartment and had a feast.

After they left, Eunice wanted to go to Galleries LaFayette to buy some shoes like Cathy's. They are really cute. We were so tired, however, that we took a wrong Metro and had to double back. By then the Metro was so crowded that we felt like sardines. We're home now,and a nap is in order,. If we feel like it later, we will go to the jazz club. More later.

May 16, a.m.

For some reason, Eunice and I were both really tired yesterday afternoon, so we came home and took a nap after a nice lunch down at the corner at the Danton Cafe and walking over to the Isle Saint Louis to get Eunice's debit card from my friend Cathy, who just came in from Wichita. It could be that we drank a picher (pitcher) of red wine with our delicious lunch. Well we woke up about 7:30--after the market was closed--so we had to go to Monoprix (France's answer to Target) and arrived about 30 minutes before they closed. We got a baguette, some brie, some chevre, some of the most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen, and some eggs. For our dinner, we had an omelette with the bread, cheese, and strawberries--and some more red wine, of course.
This morning, we're going to join Cathy and her husband Pete to go to a museum where they have a display of netsukes, which are tiny little sculptures (with big prices). Eunice had read a book about them last year, and Cathy is aware of them. These little sculptures are from 2 to 15 cintimeters in height and were originally decorations for belts on kimonos. Some are made of ivory, some of wood, some of metal. A silk cord can be passed through two holes of these little netsukes. This may be as much as most people want to know, but if I find some information that seems interesting, I will include it in this afternoon's blog.
If you can't wait, Google "netsukes." BTW, some are erotic!

Arrived Paris

May 15
Eunice and I took a night train to Paris. The train was late arriving in Florence--15 or 20 minutes. We had very little time to board and find our berth. We found what we thought was ours and settled in. Within a few minutes, someone knocked on the door--a young woman in an SNCF uniform (Syndicat National des Chemins de Fer-French National Railway System). She asked for our ticket, which we showed her, and she informed us that we were in the wrong berth. Our ticket was 1st class and several cars away. So she helped us with our luggage and we moved ionto a much nicer berth. Shortly a young man in uniform came and helped us turn the seats into beds. He also informed us that we should take our tivcket to the dining car and get our champagne, and that we were entitled to breakfast in the morning. We went for the champagne right away and brought our little plastic wine glasses back to our berth and used them to drink our lemoncello, We had bought a very small bottle in Florence (They call it Firenze)--just enough for each of us to have a sample. It didn't takelong for us to go to sleep. We both woke up a few hours later and read for a while, but both dozed off again. I haven't checked to see what the distance is between Florence and Paris, but it was about a 12 hour train ride. The train is so much more comfortable to ride than an airplane. It's just getting on and off the train that is the difficult part. Again, we havemore luggage than we should have and it's heavy.
We arrived at the Gare de Lyon and first thing had to go get another withdrawl so that we could pay the rent--no problem. That is until we arrived at the apartment (in a cab), paid the rent, and I realized that I no longer had my debit card. The only thing I can think of is that I dropped it in the cab floor when I took out the money to pay him. I haven't figured out just what to do yet because it's still not time for Credit Union of America to be open, and their online chat doesn't work until they are open.
At any rate, we are safely installed in our apartment in Paris--the same one that we had in the fall of 2011. Eunice has had her shower, and now it's my turn. More later

The Lost is Found

I am so pleased with myself. From past experience when one of the people on one of the Sister Cities trips who had his card sucked into an ATM and I talked until I was blue in the face trying to persuade the teller to return it with no luck at all, I thought my time and energy would probably be wasted. But...nothing ventured, nothing gained. I took my passport over to the bank where the ATM was located and approached the teller: "Parla inglese?" I asked in the most timid voice possible. She replied, "A little." I carefully explained that I had mistakenly inserted my credit card into the ATM instead of my debit card, and asked if it would be possible to retreive it. She spoke to her boss, who took my passport and his key and removed my card from the machine. So, I have my credit card with a chip in it again. I'm in business!

May 13
Well, Another catastrophe! Oh, it's actually not a catastrophe, more like a vexation. I've been taking 250 euros out on my debit card every day so that we'll have the rent money for Paris. Tonight when I stuck my card in, thinking it was the correct card, it got sucked into the machine. It was my credit card, not my debit card. Fortunately, I have another one, but that was the one with a chip in it. At any rate, I finally realized what I had done and put my debit card in and out came the 250 euros. My bank told me that I could draw out $500 per day, but the ATMs here will only allow 250 euros in 24 hours--$324-327, whatever the rate is for the day. Anyway, Eunice thinks we're even now. I suppose she's correct. We both have our moments.
Enough of my  problems! Eunice and I just got back from the Chianti region of Italy. We visited a vineyard and had a fairly elaborate tasting with hors d'oeuvres. We were there about two hours, touring the winery, then tasting about 4 different wines. One thing that we really enjoyed was the scenery on the way. It looked like all the photos that we see of Tuscany. Yesterday when we went to Pisa, we were disappointed in the scenery, not at all what we were expecting. We took lots of photos, so, as promised, I will do a blog entry when I come home with photos and annotations.
Tomorrow evening at 9:30 we take a night train to Paris, arriving about 9:30 a.m. We're both excited about that, as well as our meeting with my friend Cathy and her husband Pete. We have made several plans with them--a couple of dinners, a tour of Poilaine Bakery, a shopping trip to the St. Germain Market, and the Caveau de la Huchette (jazz club). More about all that in a couple days.

May 12,
Eunice and I went over to Brunelleschi's Duomo this morning, We were not able to go inside because they were having Mass. Unlike French Cathedrals, Italian Cathedrals evidently don't want tourists wandering up and down the asiles during their services--even if they might spend a euro to light a candle or something. We did go inside the Baptristry, which was interesting, but we didn't stay long. What we enjoyed the most was the Museum, which houses the original "Gates of Paradise," designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti. They were originally on the outside of the Baptristry, but hey were seriously deteriorating, so they were removed and renovated, then housed inside the museum. We also saw Michelangelo's Pieta in that museum as well as lots of other interesting sculptures. Perhaps the most interesting were replicas of the models for the cathedral as well as replicas of the scaffolding and some of the tools.
Since we had arranged for a trip to Pisa at 1:30, we headed toward the meeting place and stopped and had a nice lunch of pizza, wine, gelato, and "coffee American." I hate to complain, but these Italians do not really understand what is American coffee.  We drank it anyway and even enjoyed it.
The trip to Pisa took about 1 1/2 hours. Both Eunice and I had anticipated seeing the Tuscan countryside, and I suppose we did, although we were both a little disappointed. I suppose we're just dyed in the wool Francophiles. We were expecting this countryside to look like the south of France and it doesn't. Perhaps the monetary troubles that Italy has had has prevented them from keeping up appearances.
We did, however, enjoy Pisa and its leaning Tower. In the area is a Baptristy, a Cathedral, and the leaning Tower. I have lots of photos, but my Samsung Tablet doesn't seem to want to display these photos. When I get home, I will do one more blog with photos and short notes.
We got home a little after seven, stopped by the ATM and the grocery store, and you wouldn't believe the line we stood in to pay for a mellon and some Gorgonzola, which is absolutely wonderful. The melon as well as the Gorgonzola are wonderful. We have eaten lots of cheese, prosciutto, and melon. This morning for breakfast,we had "French toast" or as the French callit "pain perdu (lost bread). The only coffee maker we have is an espresso pot, so I made espresso and heated up a lot of milk. We didn't have any syrup, so we had apribot jam on it--very tasty.

May 11, p.m.
Eunice and I had a tour of the Ufizzi Galleries this afternoon. We had signed up for a tour, and our guide was fabulous. We suspect that he might be a retired art history proffessor. He was very dramatic and had excellent English. We spent a good deal of time in a gallery of paintings on wood from the 13th century--religious, of course. Next we spent in the Botticelli room with the "Birth of Venus" and "The Allegory of Spring," which he spent lots oftime on. We also saw a couple of DaVincis and ended up with a marvelous Michelangelo painting.

We stopped for pizza on theway home. We've been taking all our meals in the apartment, saving the restaurants for Paris. We have not had any more strange men coming to our door, and we are looking forward to our trip to Pisa tomorrow.

May 11,
I will try once again to use the blog.
We are still having a wonderful time in Florence. Our City Tour yesterday with our wonderful guide ending at the Michelangelo Museum was very enjoyable. This morning, we walked over to the Boboli Gardens that are behind the Pitti Palace, home of the Medici family who ruled Florence for 300 years.
While it was an interesting experience, we were a bit disappointed. There are lots of beautiful trees, grass, and statuary, there are few flowers. These gardens are unlike anything one would see in the U.S. or in France. I have photos which I will post when I return home. Somehow my Samsung Tab 2 doesn't upload them fast enough on the blog.

We returned to our apartment about 11:00 after buying more bread and cheese and had lunch. We still had half a mellon--cantelope type, but much sweeter--which we ate with prosciutto, accompanied with an assortment of cheeses--chevre, ementhaler, brie, and gorgonzola--and Italian bread. I made salade dressing and we dressed an assortment of lettuce. What a nice lunch--with a liberal amount of chianti, of course.

We will tour the Uffizi Gallery this afternoon, so I may add another blog this p.m. if I find that I have something of interest to say.

Arrived safely in Florence

Eunice and I have arrived in Florence and our apartment is wonderful. My bedroom balconyoverlooks the Arno, and the Ponte Vecchio is about a 1/2 block in the distance. We will do a walking tour tomorrow morning, and i will take photos to post. Right now I'm very tired because I haven't slept since I woke up Wednesday morning at 5 am. It is now Thursday 10:30 a.m in Wichita.
Stay tuned in.
Glad to have a follower--Pat Dooley. Got your message, and it was nice to hear from someone from home.

Traveling Again--May 2013

According to the information on my blog, I haven't entered anything since May 24, 2012. I'm not sure that I remember how this works, but since I'm leaving May 8, 2013, I decided that doing a trial run from home might be a good idea.
I'm traveling with my good friend Eunice Ellis this time, and our itinerary is as follows: Leave Wichita at 11:00 a.m. May 8, arriving in Atlanta at 2:06. We leave Atlanta at 3:10, arriving in Charles DeGaulle airport at 6:10 am.m May 9. We leave CDG at 7:20, arriving in Florence Italy at 9:20 a.m.

We have an apartment overlooking the Arno, near the Ponte Vecchio. We will be there until May 14 when we take a night train to Paris, arriving May 15 a little after 10:00 a.m. We have an apartment there, which we rented in the fall of 2011. It's located on rue de l'Odeon in the Latin Quarter. Again, we will spend five days there. On May 20, we will take a train to Beaune in Burgundy (La Bourgogne) where we have an apartment for three days. We have been informed by the people in charge that it is in the center of town and that we will not need a car. We return to Paris May 23, and Eunice will go to a hotel at the CDG airport so that she can meet her daughter Katy, son-in-law Carl, and granddaughters Channing and Madeliene. I have rented a studio apartment on rue de Conde, one block over from the apartment on rue de l'Odeon. This is the same street that I lived on when I attended summer classes at the Sorbonne in 1984, so it's an area where I feel comfortable. Eunice will be able to leave her large bag in my studio apartment and just take her back pack to the hotel at the airport. When they return, they will be staying at a hotel on the Isle St. Louis, which is walking distance from my studio apartment. That weekend--two days later, I will take the train to Orleans to spend Saturday and Sunday with my friends the Legentil familly, with whom I stayed in 1988. So this is our 25th anniversary.

The photo on the right was taken in 2011 at the home of Bernard and Christiane Legentil. Their daughter Fabienne is in the center, Eunice on the left and Carol on the right. Eunice in the photo below is in the same apartment where we will stay this time, enjoying some bread and cheese along with some French wine to wash it down.