A Day in Paris

This was a day my Little Energizer Bunny friend, sometimes known as Vickie Smith, tried to kill me.

10,000 steps a day is a typical, bare minimum, kind of day for Vickie.

For me?  Pfftttt.  HAhahahaha!

This one chalked up around 17,000.

We wandered Rue Mouffetard, one of the oldest streets in Paris, and near our hotel.

Spotted the beautiful Église Saint Etienne du Mont.  If you saw the movie, Midnight in Paris, you'll recognize the church steps where Gil would wait for his evening ride back to the 1920s.

We passed the Hotel de Ville and spotted the carousel which was not in place back in 2019 when Donald and I went looking for it to include in our book Carousels of Paris.  

We passed Notre Dame.  Its magnificence always chokes me up a little.

Vickie and I saw it together in 2017 before the fire which almost completely destroyed it.

And we found Point Zero!  Yay!  

And 

Our bucket list destination of the day!

La Maison du Pastel has a fascinating history -

https://www.lamaisondupastel.com/home.php

 

Then, as serendipity stepped in, we happened upon Pompidou Center.  The museum is closed for extensive renovation, but we wandered around Stravinski Fountain.

Happened upon some graffiti I applauded.

And had lunch.

Croque Monsieur for me. 😘

Some more walking

I got a little happier than I should when passing Maison Francis Kurkdjian, home of my favorite fragrance ever - Baccarat Rouge 540 ❤

O

And, voilà, Musee Carnavalet.

Neither of us had visited this treasure previously and so happy we made it part of our "To Do" stops for this visit.

It is lovely.

And then a bit more flâneuring

Whew!  It was a day!

Parfait as the French would say.

Stuffed from a big lunch.

Foot weary from a lot of walking.  (Remember!  17,000 steps!!!)

Back to the hotel.

I think this was an afternoon/evening we grazed on what Vicki had brought to the hotel the evening before, kicked back, and relaxed.

I hope you enjoyed the day - more tomorrow!!

Today's poem by Mary Oliver

 “What we must do,

I suppose,

is to hope the world

keeps its balance;

what we are to do, however,

with our hearts

waiting and watching—truly

I do not know.”

       — Mary Oliver

More Paris. But First . . .

A fun thing happened on the way.

My pal David Chaudoir and I discovered we were going to be at the Atlanta Airport at the same time, so made plans to meet up depending on flights arriving as scheduled.  

And, the gods smiled.

We were able to spend a short, but fun, time together and Vickie and David got to meet for the first time.  

And then, next thing we knew, Vickie and I were on our way!  To Paris!  Squeee!!!

Let me just say here, for the record.

I hate flying.

No, I'm not scared to fly.

I just hate it.  If you did any flying back before the airline industry was deregulated in 1978, you might feel the same way.

Anyhoooooo . . .

We arrived safely, fell in love at first sight with our hotel, and the staff.  Had a bite to eat in the hotel breakfast room (ahhhh. . . croissants . . . ❤ ) and proceeded to explore our immediate neighborhood.

We had to wait a short while for our room to be readied while having espresso in the lobby.

I'm getting help with this info from Vickie - I'm a little foggy on the arrival details, truth be told. 🙃

I do remember getting to our room, loving it and our view.  

I think I remember that it was starting to rain.

And I think I remember we chose to just chill right there.  I may have dozed.

I think Vicki wandered out and returned with snacks and wine.  

Ah, Paris.

More tomorrow!

Today's poem by L. B. Thompson

 One of my favorite poems, and one I post here every year.

Variation on a Theme by King David

Praise to you!
Praise to you my snappy love!

Praise you in clean socks on a Queens-bound
train; praise you
for your famous avocado
sandwiches; Praise you from Brooklyn to blasphemy!

I've called the mayor to praise you; & a third-
base coach; even
that no-neck accountant
who doesn't have the decency to nod hello
has agreed to praise you!

Praise you with bongos and fine fancy
tea; praise you
with rhumba, tango & marmelade; praise
you with your knickers at your knees!

I praise you on Flag Day, & on whichever equinox
allows for the balancing of eggs;
I praise you with eggs!
Brown ones & jumbo & Faberge Tiffany blue!

On the white of your wrist I praise you;
on the vaccuumed throw rug; I praise you full-
page on Sunday! With faxes
& foxgloves & brushed cotton sheets;
with sky-write & timbrel &

wink! Let every soul
in the Battery Tunnel honk
her horn to praise you! Praise you
with ripe limes & wrestling mats;
praise you tax-free with agates and tin foil
& all sparkly things!

Praise you with foggy spectacles and Wisconsin green cheese!
Praise you to the afternoon of orthopedic sneakers;
praise you from poinsettia to piccolo!
Praise you & praise you & praise you!

My love,
from Brooklyn to blasphemy I praise you!

--L. B. Thompson

Home Again, Home Again!

 

And it's true; there's no place like home.

Paris is all the things . . . but still, there is no place like home.

Our home - My heart

Like any trip, there are moments.  Memories.  Stories.

I'll be sharing a lot.  

I'm going to start out with a statement of truth.  This from a woman who never misses an opportunity to share her thoughts about age.  "You're only as old as you feel."  "Age is just a number." Yada yada yada.

I am 78 years old.  I am not going to presume to know how anyone else feels at age 78, but I can tell you this - I am feeling  . . .  older.

My reflexes aren't what they used to be.  My mind not as sharp.  My body not as thin.  My mobility kinda sucks.  Getting up to a stable standing position after sitting for very long - oh, Lordy, what a struggle.  My legs scream nasty bad words at me when my brain alerts them to stairs and inclines.  My strength is waning and my balance done waned.  Toss in my hearing loss, and here I am.  Forget being a woman of a certain age.  Honey.  I am one old broad.

Does any of this mean I'm ready to hang up my traveling shoes?  

As much as flying has changed.  As brutal as sitting straight up in an uncomfortable seat on a plane seemingly impossible to find a happy medium between "way too hot" and "way too cold" - no.  Nope.  Not ready to hang up my traveling shoes.

Especially when there's an opportunity to travel with someone I love.

(A little unsolicited advice here <even though i truly do detest unsolicited advice> - do not DO NOT travel long distances with someone you do not love.)

And I do love my pal Vickie.  

a few years back

For now, I'm just going to tell you we loved our hotel!  Can't say enough good things about Hotel Les Dames du Pantheon.  Small boutique French cozy.  Parfait!  And having The Pantheon as our next door neighbor was "just right."

From our balcony

The choice we made to stay in The Latin Quarter was a great choice.

Over the next few days I'll be sharing photos and stories about our trip.

So, stay tuned!  And enjoy!

Now that I am back in Meat Camp with Donald and Annabelle, the thing at the very top of my To Do List is to get rid of this nasty cold I brought home with me.  Send some good healthy wishes my way, please!

Happy National Poetry Month

 

I am a little late getting to National Poetry Month, but at least I remembered it!  Last year it almost slipped completely by.

So.

Let's get this month started -