4/10 --Friday -- Driven to
airport in SF by Dave Blaskovich who reported to Tom that we
had a group origami we were so excited. Good flight over;
arrived Saturday 10:00 amish, Metro to #30 Rue des
Gravilliers, met by Jim Buongiome (Jimbo) of Paris Connection
with keys and numerous soon to be forgotten instructions.
Apartment in very old building up very shallow stairs reached
through inside courtyard. Fireplace, large living room-dining
room, two bedrooms with loft. Two bathrooms with tub/shower,
shower and sinks; separate toilet room. Small kitchen with
trick coffee pot and very low cupboards over sink. Went out
for food shopping and two hour walk along the river Seine and
through the busy streets. Dinner: baguette, two cheeses,
tomato lettuce salad, cheap white wine and pastries. To sleep
about 8:00 p.m. Vanessa agreed to be our money person, to the
relief of the rest of us.
4/12 -- Easter Sunday,
chocolate eggs compliments of Lila. Breakfast of yogurt,
croissants, fruit, coffee. Out by 9:30 am to walk to Notre
Dame just in time for 10:00 am mass where we lit candles and
viewed the stained glass windows. Across Seine to Rue
Mouffetard for open street market complete with street
singers straight from Les Miserable. Stalls with flowers,
fruits and veggies, meats, cheeses, pastries. Creme at
outside cafe followed by Musee de Cluny, a medieval mansion
built in 1500 by Jacques d'Amboise, Abbot of Cluny, which
houses a combination of Gallo-Roman ruins, and the world's
finest collection of medieval art and crafts. Great
tapestries. After lunch of sandwiches and pomme frites at
cafe inside, upstairs off to Jardin du Luxembourg . The
garden is 60 acres in the heart of the Left Bank centered
around the Luxembourg Palace with octagonal pool. Beautiful
tulips, lilac trees, hyacinths, pink blossoming chestnut?
trees. At southern tip of garden, bronze fountain of four
women holding a globe representing four continents - the
fifth, Oceana, was left out for reasons of symmetry.
Dolphins, turtles, horses complete the Fontaine de
l'Observatoire created by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux in 1873.
Continued walking to George Pompidou Center which is closed
until 1999. Very modern, downright ugly building surrounded
by pool and sculptures. Next walked to Sainte- Chappelle to
admire Rose Window and 14 other stained glass windows. Built
in 1248 by Louis IX to house Christ's purported Crown of
Thorns and other relics; the second floor upper chapel was
built for royalty and friends while lower chapel was for
servants and commoners --incredible domes and architecture.
Headed home for cheeses, wine, baguette, and raviolis.
Apartment note: 4 phones, 1 toilet.
4/13--Monday, On the road
by 9:45 -- Musee de l'Orangerie, rectangular building with
huge Monet water lily series wall panels, Soutine, Cezanne,
Rousseau, Matisse, Picasso, Derain, Renoir, Sisley, Utrillo,
Modigliani. On way to train station to buy tickets for Tours
--- SNOW!! Lunch at Le Clocher, David Taggart's treat, onion
soup and salad, followed by more SNOW. Day started clear and
sunny so no umbrellas or heavy coats. Bought goodies for
dinner, great conversations about everything.
4/14 - -Tuesday, Leisurely
breakfast , off by 10:00 am walking and window shopping.
Street vendors (scarves, hair twister) Hard Rock Cafe for
gifts to TVG station for hour ride to Giverny (Monet's
Garden). Crepes for lunch, toured garden then house and gift
shop. Garden was bigger than we had anticipated and beautiful
tulips, pansies, daffodils, blooming trees. Bridges, lily
pads, studio, yellow kitchen, all impressive. To small town
of Vernon for dessert crepes and train back to Paris. Walked
back, window shopped picked up quiches, baguette, wine.
Dinner at 9:00 p.m.
4/15 -- Wednesday, Took
7:40 am train to Tours and rented car at train station.
" Lila the brave", with Vanessa as navigator, drove
us to three castles after brief walk through the town. Very
cold (35 or so) , rain on and off. Chinon, Azay-Le-Rideau,
Langeais were incredibly different. First one mostly a shell
from medieval period, Joan of Arc had passed through. Second
was 16th century estate though building dates back to earlier
times, a little shabby. Third was gorgeous - lots of
tapestries, furniture, site of the marriage of hunchback and
Anne B (wax figurines). Lila drove us back to Central Hotel
--typical Hotel 6, clean, beds comfortable but not the White
Swan as Lila had pictured it. Dinner at Restaurant la Gallois
on Tom --excellent onion sour gratinee, with cheese and
croutons to add, coc au vin, desserts all around. Mine was
pain- small cinnamons toasts with chocolate, honey and
strawberry jam for toppings. Slept in double bed with Vanessa
-- like a rock until 6:45 am!!!
4/16 --Thursday, met in
lobby at 8:30 am and walked to tea room for croissants and
coffee. Back to hotel and Lila drove to Le Clos Luce, the
chateau where Leonardo da Vinci lived his final three years.
Saw exhibit of his inventions then to Chateau de Amboise,
Chenonceau, and Chaumont. Had pomme frites and sandwiches for
lunch at 2:30 p. then headed to several local wineries for
purchases. Drove back to Tours arriving around 7:00 p.m.
Chenonceau is privately owned, very well tended, great flower
arrangements in every room, tulips in water can, huge red
amarylis, tulips in rectangular containers covered with shiny
leaves, huge vases of callas with blooming greenery. Black
room belonging to Louise de Lorraines. Vanessa had trouble
with Amboise which became Ambrose, Amborgine,etc. Dinner out
at Paula's restaurant, Lila's treat, great meal.
4/17 --Friday, checked out
of hotel and drove to breakfast. Wonderful cinnamon rolls,
hard bread, croissants (best ever), four kinds of jam, great
coffee, had whole restaurant to ourselves in Langeais. Sunday
drive in country, then returned car to Avis and changed our
train reservations for earlier departure (1:15 p.m.) Got home
and went out to Picasso museum, shopping, back for salad and
baguette dinner.
4/18 -Saturday, Great
breakfast, cinnamon raisin pull apart, yogurt. Out by 10:00
to Musee D'Orsay. Wonderful museum, small, fourth floor
Impressionists. To Rodin garden and museum --fantastic
sculpture in beautiful old house, also work by Camille
Claudel. Beautiful garden with full size sculptures. Lunch
pomme frites, sandwiches, creme. Walked and shopped til 5:40
p.m. NO RAIN ALL DAY. Out to 9:00 p.m. dinner at Cafe de Mars
(very good food), saw Eiffel Tower and back home at 11:30
p.m.
4/19 -Sunday, relaxed
morning. Off to Sacre Coeur and Montparnasse area where we
had omelets for breakfast at street cafe. Portrait painters,
huge crowds, carnival- like atmosphere, great view of whole
city. Inside of church was disappointingly dark when compared
with Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle. Walked to shops, and to
Louvre area then down Champ Elysees to Arch de Triumphe and
back. Glaces at pond while relaxing in lawn chairs then into
Louvre for an hour. Back to apt. for wine, cheese, veggies,
crisps before dinner. Out to dinner at Middle Eastern
restaurant, not many restaurants open on Sunday night. Back
to apt. for champagne and strawberry cake for birthday
celebration. Received Les Cinq Amies pin from Joey. Packed
and to bed by 11:00 p.m. so we can make taxi at 9:00 a.m. for
trip home.
4/20, Monday Jimbo met us
at 8:45 for keys and taxi/ van arrived at 9:00 am. Early to
airport for duty free shopping and then 11 hour flight home.
Saw The Rainmaker and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
and were force fed for hours. High School group made the trip
lively. Arrived early in SF and John Staples drove us home.
Even with less than perfect weather, we walked 10 miles a day
and all got along splendidly.
Great birthday in Paris !
Key words: origami, little, une baguette, croissants, creme, Ambrose, broken umbrella, missing glasses, cheap wine, little, meringue, weeping willies, UNBELIEVABLE.
Les Cinq Feet :-)
