WINK, WINK MONA LISA, DO YOU SMILE TO TEMPT A LOVER?

Our first full day in Paris had definites on our schedule starting with what would be the ritual croissant and museum visits. Day 2: the Louvre followed that evening with the Pompidou Center for a special David Hockney exhibit.

A lot of scandal of this modern
addition to the historic Louvre

Whether one has limited/ unlimited time one might want to anticipate how much time to allow to stroll/visit any museum. BUT when one is tackling the Musee du Louvre, Europe's oldest and largest, one could easily spend an entire day on just one floor/in front of just one painting.  So a suggestion might be to pre-decide which pieces of art are on the 'have to see' list.  Our top choice and everybody else's apparently is the ever popular Mona Lisa by Leonardo di Vinci which once graced Napoleon's bedroom and gained notoriety when it was supposedly stolen by Picasso from the Louvre. (BTW the robber ended up being an Italian carpenter.)

Our game plan was to arrive early and head straight to see the infamous smile of Mona Lisa. She even has her own guide signs to find her. And wouldn't you know all these other folks beat us to her?  I found it much more entertaining to snap a picture of them taking pics/selfies with the famous lady. Isn't this a hoot?

Don't forget to look up!

The bottom line is this 16th century U shaped palace is overwhelming with its humongous halls and countless stair cases. The Vatican is the only other European museum whose guests outnumber this Paris landmark. 

                                                  

Famous Renaissance to Romantic artists line the walls one after another. Knowing we would have the opportunity to see other examples of their work was comforting. 

SO much to see.

I hope this guy realized he didn't need to jump that he could return another day. Some folks just plan on returning over and over again.  It's wonderful if you have that luxury. Most of us never do. 

Leonardo di Vinci never thought much of this later piece of his art. Don't tell that to the throngs who flock to see her. Wink, wink. In fact, I zoomed in on her and I swear I saw her wink at me.

Most folks allow 2 hours as their max for a visit to any museum including the Louvre. If you have the time, take breaks, eat some lunch and give yourself the ultimate gift of enjoying the treasures of the Louvre.

Do you remember Nat King Cole's rendition of Mona Lisa? Take a listen :MONA LISA followed by Unforgettable which Mona Lisa has become throughout time. Who knew? 

HOP ON, HOP OFF: DAY 1

Some of the best travel advice I received was to be sure and take advantage of the Hop On, Hop Off double decker Paris city bus tour for an overview of the main sights. It was the perfect intro on our arrival day and if we hadn't been with Jim, a long time French resident who knew his way around the city, a two day pass would definitely have been the way to go for day 2 too. 

Due to our long travel day the 1 1/2 hour 8pm tour was ideal since we stayed aboard the entire loop accompanied by the prerecorded dialogue shock full of  historic interest.  In fact, there was so much to see, it was virtually impossible to take copious notes.  You will hear more about many of these sights in future entries. 

The moveable canopy top came in handy during our excursion as there were was an earlier light rain shower and during our ride some rain drops but the top opened up easily, allowing nice airflow and picture taking as you can see by this sampling of museums, monuments and government buildings.

Yes, perfect viewings of Paris from the upper bus deck above the bustle of traffic and people worked super well for these travelers. 

* During my research I learned the city bus Route #69, an east-west line is terrific for walkers as you can use your carnet ( tickets for bus/metro ) to stop at many of these sights. Do get on near the Eiffel Tower heading east to ensure a nice view from the bus. 

I would concur to use public transportation as the bus and metro routes are far superior than one finds in the States and can get you right to/within a couple blocks of your desired destination. Handy color coded route maps are available at the airport when you arrive/ the metro station/ some kiosks.

So welcome to Paris where we would spend 6 nights in order to see a lot of art during our Fantastic French 2 week adventure... To this visitor everything is art.

FOTO FRIDAY: PARISIANS AND BIKES

FOTO FRIDAY: Despite the fact the Tour de France ended on July 23rd on Paris's Champs-Élysées stage while we were there, one cultural surprise was the lack of seeing folks actually using bikes as a major form of daily transportation. Then again this is a major urban city and after witnessing its drivers , I don't blame its residents one bit in preferring other transportation methods.

The following shots are a couple favorites of a series of catching Parisians in their daily lives... A Mom and Her Two Kids.

So do you have a favorite bike shot to share? Send it my way and I will include it!

Last FOTO FRIDAY was Best thumbs Up Ever with an addendum.

YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW SOMEONE UNTIL...

There are so many endings to the saying "You never really know someone until..." and after having completed a 2 week visit in France with my friend Sally and her brother Jim, neither of whom I had travelled with before, I can attest to a lot of things you can learn about traveling with others and especially one's self.  In fact, isn't there a suggestion that couples travel together before getting married?  Today's travel uncertainties help bring out both the best and the worst in folks... 

Our very last day was the epitome of the travel experience. We had received some early delay emails regarding our return flight with the suggestion to still arrive 1 hour prior to the original flight time in case the scenario changed. It was a good thing we heeded Sally's suggestion to allow even more time. Hey, we had some euros to spend anyway and could fill the time with only 2 stops to travel from our airport hotel on the courtesy terminal train, it would be a no brainer.

Outside the hotel an overburdened harried Asian gentleman needed help with his many parcels and, fortunately, we had time and hands to spare to aid him onto his platform and train. He was so very appreciative and I hope he made his flight. 

We found our train on the opposite track which arrived shortly thereafter. Yet when we disembarked, there blocking the escalators up to our desired terminal were not very friendly looking security personnel with their walkie talkies, shaking their heads no. A couple more trains deposited more travelers into our station when the bilingual announcements began: "This station is now closed. FIRME. Please read information boards." No information boards. I had started eyeballing the space, calculating how many more bodies could fit comfortably into the space. How edgy would folks become with the possibility of missing their flights/ late arrival to work/ missed breakfasts?  During the hour wait body odor started to grow and waft in the air.  Would I find and destroy the speakers where the obnoxious message kept repeating itself ? Did we need to be reminded we were caged? 

Minutes seemed to tick by so slowly, yet folks behaved. Nobody started yelling/ complaining loudly. I knew my thoughts were on surmising whether this was a bomb scare/ threat. Large glass panels surrounded us. Not a very good place to be stuck in at all. Folks discussed the possibility of a dignitary...  The guards didn't help ease any of our concerns/thoughts. 

Finally, we were allowed access up the escalators as we joined the throngs of others from all sides of the blocked terminal area. Now the Disney like lines to get baggage tags were enormous slowed by tempermental machines, a personal exit interview, baggage drop off and more security check points before even heading to to the gate. 

We learned when they say you don't need your passport anymore to still keep it in hand.  We had left the hotel at 9:30 ish and finally arrived at our gate at 1pm. 3.5 hours later. Sally, my traveling companion, was a trooper and we were surrounded by tired folks who didn't panic, push nor raise their voices. OK, truth be told, one kid was hit by his father as those surrounding the family raised eyebrows. We were all tired but it's our choice how we behave, isn't it? 

20 minutes before another delayed boarding time allowed a bathroom visit (with a line, of course) and a little shopping therapy helped. Didn't have time to spend all those remaining euros... So, if you need some euros, be sure and let me know.

CHICKENing OUT

Due to travel I must admit serious doubt as to time/energies to add entries/have daily access to WiFi for the next two weeks.  I'm not exactly 'chickening out' with the 5 day entry challenge but will leave you with some pretty magnificent chickens from the Stockholm Arts Festival this past Saturday. These femo clay teapot chicken beauties didn't get their feathers as ruffled as I am deciding what to take with me on the across the big pond adventure. 

Two weeks will fly by and I'll be back in the End of the Rainbow Valley in a NY minute with my Natureman and stories and sights to share... 

                                    Au revoir mes amis...

FOTO FRIDAY: BEST THUMBS UP EVER

FOTO FRIDAY is a photo of the best 'thumbs up' ever. It was the most welcomed one because it was almost 3 weeks ago I had given up hope. 


Given up hope not on a person but on the fact I wouldn't have to replace my camera. On our anniversary trip the rough waters of the Root River got the better of us and our canoe capsized a hundred feet from our landing. We were okay minus some bruising and some items floating down to the next town but but my camera water proofing did not not surpass the unexpected dump. 

Drying, opening up all that could be dried, removing the battery and card right away didn't hurt, but my camera still wouldn't work. After a search on line I opted for the rice solution route and stuck the camera in our rice tupperware container immediately upon returning home. 

There were daily numerous trials still with a foggy view and lens. Very sadly, I conceited defeat but just for the heck of it decided to leave it in the sealed container and go on with life.

As I was packing for my upcoming trip, I spotted the rice container out the corner of my eye and thought, What the heck? Even if it was 3 weeks, one more try.

And do you know what? After replacing the battery and card the lens extended and I could see out the view finder and the digital screen. I ran in to show Natureman and he gave me the good ole thumbs up and it was the best one ever.

Have you had any best thumbs up stories lately? Do tell.

* It turns out a water spot behind the lens appears as a blur in full sun. My kids were kind enough to buy me a new camera to take with me on my recent trip. xoxo

Last week's FOTO FRIDAY was SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE SIGNS from that same fateful trip.

ANOTHER GUY IN MY LIFE...

If truth be known there's been another guy in my life for the last 5 months. In fact, my friend Nancy introduced us. He's not really a mystery as he has been with me in the car anytime I head anywhere. I haven't been trying to be secretive about our relationship. 

Let me first say Natureman 

Time to grade the drive again...

does know about how much time I have been spending with this guy but Natureman has been super busy with the garden and regrading our road after all these rainfalls. He knows this guy has been in every room of our home and Natureman hasn't even said anything about this guy coming to bed with me. No kidding.

This guy's initials are R.S. and he's actually very well known. A friend even ran into him recently on a trip to Ireland where I am sure he was doing something for work. He travels a lot and probably has been in a lot more beds than I can fathom... 

He has been super helpful with this upcoming trip to France. His expertise is all encompassing and cultural advice, immeasurable. His staff does a lot of ground work but folks follow his advice the world over. I'm sure you've heard of him as you can't have a better guide for your travels.

Perhaps you've seen Rick's work? 


Yes, his last name is Steves. Travel guru extraordinaire and his travel guides are priceless.

You didn't really think I'd cheat on Natureman, did you?  Another man in my life? No way. There's only room for one 'man' in my heart and that's Natureman.