The pearly girls, joan, marion, judy, sandy, joanie, jan and myself started our NYC day as per usual having breakfast in our hotel. We had a full agenda and left for the high line walk at 9:30 , taking the subway to the starting point. The high line walk is an elevated walkway built on an old elevated railway that is approximately 2 km in length. It follows the Hudson River for the most part and has beautiful planted gardens all along the way. Being that it is early fall, the summer plants were mostly finished and there were plenty of grasses, asters, lots of different colours, styles and varieties. There are many resting places along the route and people can be seen stopping for a rest along the way reclining on chaises and benches. The garden way is also scattered with different art works from all over the world. We came across a sculpture of silver shoes in the bushes that were the art work of an artist from qualicum BC.
At the end of the walkway we entered the Whitney Gallery. The 7th floor was dedicated to American artists and we enjoyed, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Hopper and others. There was an interesting display of many different types of mobile art. Another floor was dedicated to artistic protest and we felt it was depressing to witness.
Leaving the gallery we walked to the nearby Chelsea Market where we had lunch in an Italian cafe, quite delicious pastas, salads and frittatas. All over the Chelsea area we visited many small art galleries, enjoyed a gelato and some windy weather. Soon it was time to head back to our hotel to rest up for the evening adventure.
We all met up again for drinks in the hotel rooftop bar before heading to the subway. Our evening was spent in the Bronx at the New York botanical gardens. This required a long subway ride including an 8 block walk to the gardens. We had purchased tickets to the night showing of the Chuhily exhibit and it did not disappoint ! Large colourful sculptures lit with floodlights were spread about the grounds. It was a magical sight! After our tour of the gardens and exhibits we returned to our hotel via bus/subway and bought some food at the deli on the corner. It had been a very long day.....fit bits were telling us it was over 25,000 steps!
We retired to one room and shared some deli food and wine before retiring for the night.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Friday, September 29, 2017
Day of Galleries
We spent a long time at the MOMA today, probably the favourite of all the galleries we have seen, and we have all been here more than once.
We witnessed a disturbing scene as we were about to end our time there.....a young woman was asked by a guard to leave the premises, she became argumentative and a tussle ensued.....it got quite violent as a number of guards rushed her and wrestled her to the ground and the police were on the scene.....we left not knowing what the problem had been.
Leaving the Museum of Modern Art (which I always find interesting that it is called " modern"art, ) we walked to,The Plaza Hotel where we were reserved for,high tea at 1:45. Tea was in the Palm Court which is a fantasticlly beautiful high ceiling room with giant palm trees and magicifigant flower displays, smartly attired waiters and exquisite table settings. We all ordered our own selection of tea and The NewYorker high tea., for the princely sum of $75 each. Brought to the table for each pair of us was the three tiered stand full of warm scones, assorted delicate sandwiches, and enough desserts for twice as many diners! We did our very best but could not eat all the desserts.. it was definitely a treat not to be experienced too often!
Leaving the plaza we walked to the Frick museum which was the residence of Henry Frick, an art collector who made his millions in Steel in Pittsburgh.
Another walk and we came to The iconic Carlyle Hotel ....and the Bemelmans Bar where the walls are painted with scenes from Central Park and from the famous children's book The Madeline's , by Lugwig Bemelman the illustrator. Ludwig and his family were allowed to live at the Carlyle for a year and a half in exchange For the art illustrations which dress the walls to this day. .after perusing the cocktail list we ordered our poison three .pisco sours, high and tight tequila, passion royal, earl grey martini, and one lone glass of white wine....the owner of which shall remain nameless.
After all this food and drink decadence we sauntered home picking up more wine on the way.
Another great day in the big Apple.
We witnessed a disturbing scene as we were about to end our time there.....a young woman was asked by a guard to leave the premises, she became argumentative and a tussle ensued.....it got quite violent as a number of guards rushed her and wrestled her to the ground and the police were on the scene.....we left not knowing what the problem had been.
Leaving the Museum of Modern Art (which I always find interesting that it is called " modern"art, ) we walked to,The Plaza Hotel where we were reserved for,high tea at 1:45. Tea was in the Palm Court which is a fantasticlly beautiful high ceiling room with giant palm trees and magicifigant flower displays, smartly attired waiters and exquisite table settings. We all ordered our own selection of tea and The NewYorker high tea., for the princely sum of $75 each. Brought to the table for each pair of us was the three tiered stand full of warm scones, assorted delicate sandwiches, and enough desserts for twice as many diners! We did our very best but could not eat all the desserts.. it was definitely a treat not to be experienced too often!
Leaving the plaza we walked to the Frick museum which was the residence of Henry Frick, an art collector who made his millions in Steel in Pittsburgh.
Another walk and we came to The iconic Carlyle Hotel ....and the Bemelmans Bar where the walls are painted with scenes from Central Park and from the famous children's book The Madeline's , by Lugwig Bemelman the illustrator. Ludwig and his family were allowed to live at the Carlyle for a year and a half in exchange For the art illustrations which dress the walls to this day. .after perusing the cocktail list we ordered our poison three .pisco sours, high and tight tequila, passion royal, earl grey martini, and one lone glass of white wine....the owner of which shall remain nameless.
After all this food and drink decadence we sauntered home picking up more wine on the way.
Another great day in the big Apple.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Pearly Girls Take New York!
We arrived in NYC on Wednesday Sept 27 at about 5pm. After picking up our baggage we made our way to curbside for our pre booked car. We were disappointed that a smart looking driver in uniform Was not greeting us with a nicely letter sign! The van was kind of junky and there were other passengers as well! Never mind we arrived and nothing could dampen our spirits.
After sorting ourselves out in our rooms, which are quite lovely, we hightailed it to the 23rd floor for prosecco and snacks.
We had booked dinner at a restaurant in Nolita called the Emporium.......pizza recommended by Sandy's daughter and another friend and it did not disappoint! We saw quite a few interesting shops on our walk to and from. And so ended our first day.
Day Two
We are so busy, such a full schedule here in New York that I hardly find time to record our day! This morning after a quick breakfast at our hotel, The Westhouse, we walked to Central Park enjoying being out and about in the cooler morning air. It would be heating up as the day went on.
We took the subway to Nolita for our food tour, we were meeting our guide Bert at the Little Cupcake Shop on Prince Street. Soon we were off to our first stop, Emporio a pizza joint. But first at the cupcake shop we were treated to a fine chocolate cupcake with sprinkles. Interestingly we had a recommendation from Sandy's daughter Kelly to eat at the Emporio so we had done just that last night. Our guide was most entertaining and informative about the area and the food......pizza was cooked as we watched and then devoured! Next stop was the Tartinery where we were served a glass of red wine along with two sandwich offerings, a rare beef and a chicken dressed with a celery topping. The restaurant was below street level, down a wrought iron staircase, the walls were encased in a grid of iron squares from which lots of black and white framed photos were displayed.....a most interesting eclectic setting. At the Oficina Latina , a Latin restaurant, we were served a folded over pie containing short ribs. The decor here was a motorcycle theme, with a display of motorcycle gas tanks on the wall and shelves with old helmets. From there we moved to the Cafe Habana, which appeared to be an old garage turned restaurant......painted messages on the brick walled interior, an old Volkswagen bus was part of the decor. We were served a concoction of corn and cheese with a chipotle sauce, quite spicy.. ...to cool us down we finished with a delicious shot of icy cold watermelon juice. Our final stop was for a hand painted salted chocolate caramel, a new shop on the tour....of which I forget the name.
We next stopped at the Artist and the Flea for a little shopping.
The Neue (pronounced noise) was a small gallery with just a Klimt exhibition, we were most interested to see the painting "woman in gold" . As the gallery had no other works at this time we were just asked to make a donation instead of the usual fee.
Back at our hotel we enjoyed a glass of wine and a light snack before walking to the theatre district for Come From Away. This musical is about the planes of people who landed in a Gander Newfoundland on 911. The theatre was sold out and we could see a group of people sitting not far from us who were waving Flags, which we at first didn't recognize, they were Newfies! The play was very emotional and we doubted there was a dry eye in the house.
We walked back to our hotel marvelling at the wonder that is Times Square. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world. On our return we picked up wine and toasted our day and said goodnight.
After sorting ourselves out in our rooms, which are quite lovely, we hightailed it to the 23rd floor for prosecco and snacks.
We had booked dinner at a restaurant in Nolita called the Emporium.......pizza recommended by Sandy's daughter and another friend and it did not disappoint! We saw quite a few interesting shops on our walk to and from. And so ended our first day.
Day Two
We are so busy, such a full schedule here in New York that I hardly find time to record our day! This morning after a quick breakfast at our hotel, The Westhouse, we walked to Central Park enjoying being out and about in the cooler morning air. It would be heating up as the day went on.
We took the subway to Nolita for our food tour, we were meeting our guide Bert at the Little Cupcake Shop on Prince Street. Soon we were off to our first stop, Emporio a pizza joint. But first at the cupcake shop we were treated to a fine chocolate cupcake with sprinkles. Interestingly we had a recommendation from Sandy's daughter Kelly to eat at the Emporio so we had done just that last night. Our guide was most entertaining and informative about the area and the food......pizza was cooked as we watched and then devoured! Next stop was the Tartinery where we were served a glass of red wine along with two sandwich offerings, a rare beef and a chicken dressed with a celery topping. The restaurant was below street level, down a wrought iron staircase, the walls were encased in a grid of iron squares from which lots of black and white framed photos were displayed.....a most interesting eclectic setting. At the Oficina Latina , a Latin restaurant, we were served a folded over pie containing short ribs. The decor here was a motorcycle theme, with a display of motorcycle gas tanks on the wall and shelves with old helmets. From there we moved to the Cafe Habana, which appeared to be an old garage turned restaurant......painted messages on the brick walled interior, an old Volkswagen bus was part of the decor. We were served a concoction of corn and cheese with a chipotle sauce, quite spicy.. ...to cool us down we finished with a delicious shot of icy cold watermelon juice. Our final stop was for a hand painted salted chocolate caramel, a new shop on the tour....of which I forget the name.
We next stopped at the Artist and the Flea for a little shopping.
The Neue (pronounced noise) was a small gallery with just a Klimt exhibition, we were most interested to see the painting "woman in gold" . As the gallery had no other works at this time we were just asked to make a donation instead of the usual fee.
Back at our hotel we enjoyed a glass of wine and a light snack before walking to the theatre district for Come From Away. This musical is about the planes of people who landed in a Gander Newfoundland on 911. The theatre was sold out and we could see a group of people sitting not far from us who were waving Flags, which we at first didn't recognize, they were Newfies! The play was very emotional and we doubted there was a dry eye in the house.
We walked back to our hotel marvelling at the wonder that is Times Square. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world. On our return we picked up wine and toasted our day and said goodnight.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Driving South to Carefree 03/21/17
We left Vancouver a day later than planned. It was a 12 hour day which started out well. We usually get quite a few questions at the border when entering the Usa 🇺🇸. Much to our surprise this time we breezed through in seconds!
The I-5 was busy but fine. We had carefully checked the weather and chose our route accordingly, the Porsche is not equipped for snow having only summer tires. YEP, we ran into snow in Lassan Park. At first it was just rain but we could see from the side of the road it had snowed very recently. Soon the raindrops turned to snowflakes! They didn't seem to be sticking to the road so we pressed on. We came upon a works truck and stopped to ask him about conditions ahead; he assured us we would be fine as he had just plowed where we were headed, saying this was definitely not in the forecast.
It was tense in places but we felt too committed to reverse. That little drama over we continued with our day. We ended up in Grants Pass at a Best Western......the desk clerk was very chatty telling us all about his life! He gave us a recommendation for dinner, The Wild River Pub, his directions were totally mixed up and we ended up finding it by pure fluke.
Next morning, day 2, we stopped at a nearby Starbucks and were on the road 🎶🚘👍again. We were enjoying the scenery and deciding on how long we wanted to drive. We got on the wrong road at one point and by the time we figured it out had done an additional 35 miles. We had been looking for an alternate route around Las Vegas, which required us to go from the town of Fallon to Hawthorne. En route we were held up for over an hour by a serious semi trailer accident, the semi had crashed through a guard rail, by the time we were able to pass by the remains of the semi left little to the imagination. It left one feeling quite ill. Next we entered the little town of Hawthorne. It is known for having the largest supply of ammunition in the world. We had wondered as we approached the town what all the structures were, and on the opposite end of town saw many bunkers built into the ground, more storage facilities......good to know we are prepared.
By this time it was getting late, for us and hundreds of others delayed by the accident. There were no hotels in Hawthorne, darkness was looming. We decided to phone ahead to the Best Western in Tonopah AND lucky we did as we booked the last room. We arrived in Tonopah at 8pm, dark and cold, but thankful. At 6,000 ft elevation we realized it could actually snow.....but it did not. We settled in and walked across the street to the Bbq eatery and shared a sandwich.
It had been a long day and the plan was to rise early and drive to Carefree the next day.
Day 3 we left Tonopah just before 8 am, it was a beautiful morning, cold and the mountains all around us were dusted with icing sugar snow. The cloud formations were spectacular, some like UFO's. The road was long and straight with desert on each side and ringed with mountains. I took a few photos of the clouds, grey, white, fluffy, dark, with a beautiful blue visible in places.
Many semis on the road again today and lots of traffic. We figured out how to avoid going through Las Vegas but decided it really wasn't much better traffic or time wise.
We arrived at our sweet little abode at 5 pm today......home sweet home.
The I-5 was busy but fine. We had carefully checked the weather and chose our route accordingly, the Porsche is not equipped for snow having only summer tires. YEP, we ran into snow in Lassan Park. At first it was just rain but we could see from the side of the road it had snowed very recently. Soon the raindrops turned to snowflakes! They didn't seem to be sticking to the road so we pressed on. We came upon a works truck and stopped to ask him about conditions ahead; he assured us we would be fine as he had just plowed where we were headed, saying this was definitely not in the forecast.
It was tense in places but we felt too committed to reverse. That little drama over we continued with our day. We ended up in Grants Pass at a Best Western......the desk clerk was very chatty telling us all about his life! He gave us a recommendation for dinner, The Wild River Pub, his directions were totally mixed up and we ended up finding it by pure fluke.
Next morning, day 2, we stopped at a nearby Starbucks and were on the road 🎶🚘👍again. We were enjoying the scenery and deciding on how long we wanted to drive. We got on the wrong road at one point and by the time we figured it out had done an additional 35 miles. We had been looking for an alternate route around Las Vegas, which required us to go from the town of Fallon to Hawthorne. En route we were held up for over an hour by a serious semi trailer accident, the semi had crashed through a guard rail, by the time we were able to pass by the remains of the semi left little to the imagination. It left one feeling quite ill. Next we entered the little town of Hawthorne. It is known for having the largest supply of ammunition in the world. We had wondered as we approached the town what all the structures were, and on the opposite end of town saw many bunkers built into the ground, more storage facilities......good to know we are prepared.
By this time it was getting late, for us and hundreds of others delayed by the accident. There were no hotels in Hawthorne, darkness was looming. We decided to phone ahead to the Best Western in Tonopah AND lucky we did as we booked the last room. We arrived in Tonopah at 8pm, dark and cold, but thankful. At 6,000 ft elevation we realized it could actually snow.....but it did not. We settled in and walked across the street to the Bbq eatery and shared a sandwich.
It had been a long day and the plan was to rise early and drive to Carefree the next day.
Day 3 we left Tonopah just before 8 am, it was a beautiful morning, cold and the mountains all around us were dusted with icing sugar snow. The cloud formations were spectacular, some like UFO's. The road was long and straight with desert on each side and ringed with mountains. I took a few photos of the clouds, grey, white, fluffy, dark, with a beautiful blue visible in places.
Many semis on the road again today and lots of traffic. We figured out how to avoid going through Las Vegas but decided it really wasn't much better traffic or time wise.
We arrived at our sweet little abode at 5 pm today......home sweet home.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Wild West Days - Cave Creek Az Nov. 2016
We spent the afternoon in frontier town. This place is buzzing every weekend, never more so than today. People really get into it, wearing all the western gear. Almost all are wearing cowboy hats, lots for spurs on "real" cowboy boots. Guns are in evidence as well.
We start off at the Grotto Cafe where we park and walk to frontier town where we stop to watch a western show with seven cowboys....well done! We continue on to the end and on the return decide to stop in at the American Legion. Now this was an establishment that we have never visited, but always planned to check out. Today it was packed. There were a lot bikers, and a very good band. Everyone seemed to be wearing cowboy gear and a lot had Harley labels on their shirts. We were enjoying the atmosphere and people watching, listening to music from the Eagles and others.
Then a woman got up to the mike on the band stage and quiet was called for. She had a story to tell. It was about today's veteran hero, her daughter. The person standing beside her on the stage actually looked like a young man wearing a ball cap. The mum started her talk saying her daughter was born and had challenging health issues that continued on through her life to the time she joined the army. She spoke of her military life, service to her country and her bravery. Now her girl has cancer again, and it is terminal, she won't survive it this time. The mothers voice broke but she continued on. A hat was passed around the bar for donations, not for her girl, but for the homeless vets association in Cave Creek.
It was an emotional moment. The band started up again and Tina and her mum danced together, Tina removed her ball cap to bare her bald head, and her large black glasses made her look so young and vulnerable but she smiled big. I noticed a friend taking a video of their dance....what a memory that will be. We had to choke back our emotions. We left thinking about the sacrifice so many Americans have made for their country and we're grateful for their service.
We start off at the Grotto Cafe where we park and walk to frontier town where we stop to watch a western show with seven cowboys....well done! We continue on to the end and on the return decide to stop in at the American Legion. Now this was an establishment that we have never visited, but always planned to check out. Today it was packed. There were a lot bikers, and a very good band. Everyone seemed to be wearing cowboy gear and a lot had Harley labels on their shirts. We were enjoying the atmosphere and people watching, listening to music from the Eagles and others.
Then a woman got up to the mike on the band stage and quiet was called for. She had a story to tell. It was about today's veteran hero, her daughter. The person standing beside her on the stage actually looked like a young man wearing a ball cap. The mum started her talk saying her daughter was born and had challenging health issues that continued on through her life to the time she joined the army. She spoke of her military life, service to her country and her bravery. Now her girl has cancer again, and it is terminal, she won't survive it this time. The mothers voice broke but she continued on. A hat was passed around the bar for donations, not for her girl, but for the homeless vets association in Cave Creek.
It was an emotional moment. The band started up again and Tina and her mum danced together, Tina removed her ball cap to bare her bald head, and her large black glasses made her look so young and vulnerable but she smiled big. I noticed a friend taking a video of their dance....what a memory that will be. We had to choke back our emotions. We left thinking about the sacrifice so many Americans have made for their country and we're grateful for their service.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Home again, home again 🎶🎶🎶 jiggity jig.
We left Paris early this morning, not knowing what to expect with traffic, strike activity etc. All went smoothly, we were super early, and our flight was delayed slightly. I had lots of time to get my vat refund.
We had to change terminals in London with a tight connection.......which turned into a long one as we were again delayed. The airport was incredibly busy, we had to wait in line for a seat in a restaurant.....beer and English fish and chips, which we shared, made up for it.
We then went to the British Airways counter to see if we could buy an upgrade. The upgrade price would have doubled the original ticket price.......a bit too rich for my Scottish blood! Really, our seats were not bad....already an upgrade to euro traveler. We were surprised and delighted to receive a complimentary upgrade to business class at the gate., which meant a pod bed! Yahoo!
We are now home and tomorrow the laundry begins, back to reality.
I always love arriving in Vancouver to the smell of the cool fresh air......home😄
Thanks to all family and friends for reading my blog, I enjoy writing it.......and reading it later myself.
Muriel
We had to change terminals in London with a tight connection.......which turned into a long one as we were again delayed. The airport was incredibly busy, we had to wait in line for a seat in a restaurant.....beer and English fish and chips, which we shared, made up for it.
We then went to the British Airways counter to see if we could buy an upgrade. The upgrade price would have doubled the original ticket price.......a bit too rich for my Scottish blood! Really, our seats were not bad....already an upgrade to euro traveler. We were surprised and delighted to receive a complimentary upgrade to business class at the gate., which meant a pod bed! Yahoo!
We are now home and tomorrow the laundry begins, back to reality.
I always love arriving in Vancouver to the smell of the cool fresh air......home😄
Thanks to all family and friends for reading my blog, I enjoy writing it.......and reading it later myself.
Muriel
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Last day in Paris
This morning we decide to forgo the hotel breakfast and walk to the nearest Starbucks. Not that we are addicted, but it has been 3plus weeks since we have seen a Starbucks. Of course I always have to check out the merchandise and I was happy to find two espresso sized mugs, one with Paris on it and the other with France. I'm getting quite a small collection!
Next on our agenda was a walk to the Pere Lachaise cementary where many famous people are buried...including Mozart, Jim Morrison and many many others. I have had this on my list of to do things for at least the last three visits to Paris.......! We decided to walk as the distance according to google would take us 41 minutes. Along the way we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch......quite a delicious salad passed by our little table on its way to someone else....I said to the waiter, I'll have what he is having. The restaurant seemed to be from another era, an old fashioned photo took up the entire back wall, the kitchen was hidden from the seating area but there was a very busy little window where the cook,rang an old fashioned bell when he had placed a meal on the shelf. The staff seemed quite amused that I was taking photos.
We weren't far now from the cementary and I was so sure I was finally getting to see it! Not so! At the gate there was a couple of officials who told us it as closed, just for the day because of heavy rain, and that all the parks and gardens were also closed, but would open again tomorrow. This did not make sense and we thought it was probably that the workers were on strike in sympathy with the transit strikers. A disappointment, but I will try again next time.
We walked back towards our hotel and at the Place de Vosges park there was an interesting display. First we saw large bags of wool(sheep) in its raw form, next it was spun into spools of thread, then into bolts of cloth on a large loom. The fabric was beautiful and fine. Finally there was a section of finished products, clothing, pillows, blankets. Jackie, if you are reading this....I took photos for you!
We sauntered on towards home with a stop at Cafe Hugo....famous as it is on the spot of Victor Hugo's maison. Monsuir Hugo is most famous for Les Miserables. Jeff had a beer and I had a hot mulled wine. While we were there we saw a group of soldiers pass by wearing camouflage and carrying heavy artillery. We had also seen a noticeable presence of the same at the airport and several other times about the city.
A rest was in order before we would venture out for a fresh air walk. We walked to the river Seine, which is just a few blocks from our hotel......we were quite shocked to see the extent of the flooding. Normally you can walk along the waters edge on a probably 20ft wide sidewalk, and there is also a road beyond the sidewalk where two lanes of cars can pass under the bridges. All of this was completely under water! We crossed over to Ile St Louie on one of the bridges , everyone, Parisiennes, tourists alike were taking photos with cameras and iPhones, it was quite a sight to see.
Back in the Marais district in the St Paul area we wandered through a few shops, I purchased a black beret, I had left mine in the hotel the last time I was in Paris. A shop selling Mexican Ices.....their version of ice cream, with less calories they say. Jeff tried the peanut butter while I had a coconut. The shop was not busy, it being a cool and rainy day, and we chatted with them.....telling the we were going to have falafels for dinner.....they recommended l'As on Rue Rosier., but warned us there would be a line up!
Again we returned to our hotel.....seniors need rest after all the walking! We had a beer at the American Bar across the street from our hotel and then walked to the Jewish district which was not more than a few blocks and joined the line up at L'As. Jeff declared it the best meal he has enjoyed on the entire trip.
And so ended our last day in Paris and the last of our vacation. Tomorrow, strikes willing....we fly!
Next on our agenda was a walk to the Pere Lachaise cementary where many famous people are buried...including Mozart, Jim Morrison and many many others. I have had this on my list of to do things for at least the last three visits to Paris.......! We decided to walk as the distance according to google would take us 41 minutes. Along the way we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch......quite a delicious salad passed by our little table on its way to someone else....I said to the waiter, I'll have what he is having. The restaurant seemed to be from another era, an old fashioned photo took up the entire back wall, the kitchen was hidden from the seating area but there was a very busy little window where the cook,rang an old fashioned bell when he had placed a meal on the shelf. The staff seemed quite amused that I was taking photos.
We weren't far now from the cementary and I was so sure I was finally getting to see it! Not so! At the gate there was a couple of officials who told us it as closed, just for the day because of heavy rain, and that all the parks and gardens were also closed, but would open again tomorrow. This did not make sense and we thought it was probably that the workers were on strike in sympathy with the transit strikers. A disappointment, but I will try again next time.
We walked back towards our hotel and at the Place de Vosges park there was an interesting display. First we saw large bags of wool(sheep) in its raw form, next it was spun into spools of thread, then into bolts of cloth on a large loom. The fabric was beautiful and fine. Finally there was a section of finished products, clothing, pillows, blankets. Jackie, if you are reading this....I took photos for you!
We sauntered on towards home with a stop at Cafe Hugo....famous as it is on the spot of Victor Hugo's maison. Monsuir Hugo is most famous for Les Miserables. Jeff had a beer and I had a hot mulled wine. While we were there we saw a group of soldiers pass by wearing camouflage and carrying heavy artillery. We had also seen a noticeable presence of the same at the airport and several other times about the city.
A rest was in order before we would venture out for a fresh air walk. We walked to the river Seine, which is just a few blocks from our hotel......we were quite shocked to see the extent of the flooding. Normally you can walk along the waters edge on a probably 20ft wide sidewalk, and there is also a road beyond the sidewalk where two lanes of cars can pass under the bridges. All of this was completely under water! We crossed over to Ile St Louie on one of the bridges , everyone, Parisiennes, tourists alike were taking photos with cameras and iPhones, it was quite a sight to see.
Back in the Marais district in the St Paul area we wandered through a few shops, I purchased a black beret, I had left mine in the hotel the last time I was in Paris. A shop selling Mexican Ices.....their version of ice cream, with less calories they say. Jeff tried the peanut butter while I had a coconut. The shop was not busy, it being a cool and rainy day, and we chatted with them.....telling the we were going to have falafels for dinner.....they recommended l'As on Rue Rosier., but warned us there would be a line up!
Again we returned to our hotel.....seniors need rest after all the walking! We had a beer at the American Bar across the street from our hotel and then walked to the Jewish district which was not more than a few blocks and joined the line up at L'As. Jeff declared it the best meal he has enjoyed on the entire trip.
And so ended our last day in Paris and the last of our vacation. Tomorrow, strikes willing....we fly!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)