PARIS!

We recently spent a few days in and around Paris with our new American/Scottish friends, Steve and Carole.

We spent the first night in a little town north of Paris called Le Thillay - nice and way less expensive than Paris.

The next morning we headed for the city . . .

These photos are taken from atop Montparnasse Tower.  As Ross mentioned . . . it's the best view of Paris because you can't see the Montparnasse Tower :-)  

Some might call it a '70's mistake since the first brick was laid in 1970.  It's just a huge skyscraper and it really could be described as an eyesore.

Then, after 9 previous trips to Paris, we finally made it inside the Louvre (pronounced loo-vruh) Museum.  In case you were saying it wrong, like me.  Construction of the Louvre Castle began in 1202.  It has evolved since then serving as the royal residence and  . . . now a museum.

It was just as spectacular as we imagined with 555,000 square feet of art, but the architecture is a work of art in itself.

There were a few people there that day :) Here's the Mona Lisa.  Pretty small, huh?

Close up

The original of Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on 2 December 1804 by Jacques-Louis David.  Huge - 20 x 32 feet.

Close up

This is The Winged Victory of Samothrace.  It's also called the Nike of Samothrace because it's a sculpture of the Greek goddess, Nike.  The artist is unknown, but it's from the 2nd century B.C.

Did I mention there were a few people visiting that day?

And no shortage of these - the obligatory Asian tour group.

Here's Jim and Carole . . . blending in with one.

This is, of course, the famous sculpture known as the Venus de Milo.  It's actually of the Greek goddess, Aphrodite and is from around 100 B.C. 

This was also our first time inside Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris.  The Veneration of the Crown of Thorns just happened to be on that very day.  That just means they bring out the relic of the actual crown of thorns and walk around with it, I think.  Anyway, we were an hour early for it, sat around and waited and decided we'd rather go have a drink . . . so we did.

Then we headed over to Musee d'Orsay.

I just love this picture.

You probably know this is Whistler's Mother, but you may not know that it was painted by American painter, James McNeill Whistler.  It is one of the most famous paintings by an American outside the U.S.

Probably one of Pierre Auguste Renoir's most famous paintings, Dance at the Moulin De La Galette.

One of my favorites.  This is Plage Etretat by Claude Monet.

Here's a photo I took at Etretat last Spring.  Same place, just 135 years later.

This is the Sacre Coeur Basilica (Basilica of the Sacred Heart).  It sits atop Montmartre, the highest point of the city (Paris).

Steve and Carole striking a pose.

This church is old, but not nearly as old as most Roman Catholic churches we've visited.  It was completed in 1914.

This entire ceiling is a mosaic of little tiny tiles.

Then we headed to the city of Versailles.  This was our second visit there.

It just happened to be the day of their street market.  The flower market was really something.  This bouquet was being assembled for a man.  Some lucky lady got a big surprise!

I always like the flower market best, while Jim . . .

prefers the seafood market.

Then we headed over to the Palace (officially Chateau de Versailles).  Since we'd already toured the palace, Jim and I walked around the gardens.  The fountains were on at the Palace and classical music was playing all over the grounds.  It was a nice distraction from the heat :)  It was actually pretty warm that day.

Carole and Steve

and us enjoying a picnic at the Versailles gardens.

Somewhere in Paris  . . . check out the fantastic weather!

I just liked this picture of us.  That's the Louvre in the background.

We walked an average of 10 miles a day for the 3 days we were there.  Finally had to resort to this at the end of the last day!

We had a wonderful time, made numerous trips on the metro without getting lost, and we couldn't have asked for better weather or better company :)

One of my favorite photos - Steve, literally screaming, "American tourist" :)

Just for the record . . .

Although it's been a month since my last post, we are still alive and living in Belgium.

Our life here has become . . . not mundane, but perhaps more routine and we like it that way just fine.

Not to bore you, but here's what I/we have been up to lately.

We took a drive to check out the fruit trees.  The cherry trees are loaded this time of year.

Then, practically in the middle of nowhere, we come upon this bread and fruit stand.

We bought strawberries and a loaf of white bread.  I swear, the bread was practically warm and I'm sure the fruit had been picked that morning!   An odd and delicious find . . . in the middle of nowhere.

In a bout of boredom one day, I discovered this tile under some indoor/outdoor carpet in the entry to our bathroom - a bit outdated, but who can argue that anything's better than felt on the floor?  It's growing on me.

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Pause - the sun's out and I try not to miss one precious ray whenever possible.

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In a second bout of boredom industriousness, I rearranged the furniture in several rooms.  This is actually one of my favorite activities.

So, this is my tricep after my first fall in our house full of stairs.  It's one of a multitude of souvenirs from this one event - on both my feet, my ankle, my wrist, my forearm . . . pretty much my whole right side. This particular hematoma looks a bit like Norway, the one on my shin is a dead ringer for Congo (the big one).  Luckily I didn't fall very far, drop my iPhone, my new nail polish, nor the glass in my hand.  I did, however, spill perfectly good Disaronno.

Check out our little apple tree this year.  I counted 72 apples so our harvest should be up from 3 last year.

I also made a new flower bed in our yard.

Close up.

I wanted to use stones like the ancient ones already in our yard, but had to settle for what I could find.  I'm still looking for the real thing.

We also rediscovered an old favorite from the summer of 1996 and our life in Alexandria - the Salty Dog cocktail.  Excellent summer drink with the added bonus of being good for you . . . after all, when's the last time you drank grapefruit juice?

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Other than these exciting things . . . I've been playing White Christmas on the piano and have it just about good enough for a sing-along and Jim's been playing his electric guitar and when I'm not in the room, I can't tell if it's him or Carlos Santana :)

¡Salud

Change in Latitude

After an all too short visit with family in TX/LA, we headed for the Caribbean . . .

where we found incredible turquoise water with white sandy beaches,

sunny and warm every day,

no crowds,

palm trees and coconuts,

delicious food, 

happy hour(s) every afternoon,

wonderful sunrises and sunsets.

 I really hope we can visit Cancun again.

Be sure to make the video full screen and turn up the volume :)

And we're off!

To the States . . . to see family, be Oma and Opa in person, enjoy some sun and sand, and maybe even drink a bona fide margarita or two!

Tot ziens :)

PS  Happy Mother's Day to all you magnificent mothers out there!

Babelutten

Boy, have we been missing out!  

This may be the best candy I've ever eaten.  It's called babelutten and it's a bit like taffy and caramel only a lot better.  

These particular candies are made at a confiserie (French for confectionery) in Brugge, Belgium.  Started by August Verheecke, it has been in business since just after WWI.    

The original babelutte candy began in Belgium with Mother Babelute (aka Rosalie Desmedt).  She began making the candy in 1850 when she and her husband , a carpenter, moved to the Belgian coastal town of Heist.  

The recipe was passed down from Rosalie's mother - made from unrefined sugar, butter and glucose and cooked over an open fire.

More than 150 years later, the treats are a Belgian tradition on the coast and symbolize a holiday at the seaside.

According to their website, babelutte is the "Frenchification" of the word babblers which means the same thing in English - someone who talks too much.  

And naturally, like every single label in all of Belgium, it's in Dutch and French . . .

echte = real in Dutch

véritable = real in French

I am anxious to make another trip to Heist, Belgium on the North Sea and try one of Mother Babelutte's.  It can't possibly be better than these.

I got a few extra to share :)