The Return to Normal

We are back safe and sound in Nova Friburgo. After all the excitement and good food and excellent wines in France, we did not stay in Rio for the New Year's celebration on Copacabana beach. As you might imagine we were ready to just be home and to be quiet. Despite the lost luggage, despite the cold winds blowing and despite quite a few days of nasty rain, oh and despite going to the Louvre on two different days and finding it closed, I have no complaints about this trip. We did learn a couple things (subject to being forgotten before the next major trip) that could be useful.

1. We learned that it is better to be father away from the main tourist centers for sleeping and, especially in Paris, take the subway and busses wherever we want to go. The restaurants in the area of our hotel were pretty much family-tourist places, believe it!, pizza and sandwiches, beer and hot chocolate, and no really good bakeries for a pastry for breakfast, and rap music playing 24/7. My stomach just can not handle rap music at 9 am.
2. We learned that you should by the subway ticket for one week, you can ride everywhere on the metro system, as many time as you want - on both subway and bus system - and there are times when the ticket windows are not open, or at least no one is manning them and you have to have change to buy from the machines.... anyway do it once and then go where you want.
3. We think that you should go to Paris when you are young - like 45 or 50, don't wait for your 60s - this is a huge city, fast paced, energy absorbing - don't travel with young children, wait until your children at 10 or more and are really eating table food. It would be a shame to travel there then eat pizza because it is the only thing your kids will eat.
4. The week before Christmas there were less tourists (it seemed). Starting the day after through, when we left on the 29th there was a horrible mess of traffic and even with some museums closed the crowds walking around became 'confining' for me. So maybe seeing the city between mid November and mid December is a better time.

Paris is a beautiful city. The old and the new architecture are both spectacular. I almost went into visual overload with the beauty around me. And this was in winter with bare-branched trees and no flowers, can you imagine what it must be like spring or fall? Despite all this constant beauty I still found moments of profound joy, moments of pure beauty.  I can see why Paris is known as a city for artists. The colors (when the sun is shining) are soft and luminous. Here are a few shots, just a few to show you what was really beautiful for me.

 

I hope you enjoyed them.

 

     

 

 

 

Doors and Windows of Chartres

Yesterday, after making our way to Gare Montparnasse by subway, we took a train to Chartres. This small medieval town is about 1 hour by train southwest of Versailles. Its main attraction is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), it is considered to be one of the greatest examples of French Gothic architecture dating from the early 1000s. I am a bit saturated by looking at Gothic styled cathedrals and thought you might find it interesting to see a few doors and windows of that make up the personality of Chartres.

 

As we were walking (in circles) looking for the shortest way to the Cathedral, and then to find a restaurant for lunch before making our way back to the train station - the directions from the locals taking us back to the Cathedral several times - we passed by a museum of Glass. We can never pass up a small out of the way museum so we went in.... beautiful.  This was a school of stained glass making - the design and execution for both ancient art and for modern windows..... Part of the show was in the basement (subbasement) reclaimed from the wine cellar of the monks from the original cathedral.   another lucky find.

 

Tour to Bruges, Belgium

Several days ago we took the subway to the north train station (Gare Nord) to buy tickets to Bruges. There was mass Chaos at the station, and, to tell the truth, we just couldn't figure out which line we should be in....   We went back to the hotel and arranged to go with a tour group.  It was in the budget to take at least one tour so we were doing okay.  The tour left from their offices by the Louvre at 7:15 - we took a taxi to get over there, leaving the hotel at 6:30.  Neither of us slept knowing we had to get up by 5:45 and not trusting our hearing the alarm (wrist watch) or the Hotel call.... Okay so we both slept for 2 hours while the bus headed north. Rain and cold wind increased as we moved north, the temperature dropping from 5 degrees C to 3 at the gates of the city. Thankfully the tour guide kept quiet the first 2 hours, the sun was behind the clouds, the bus was warm and we slept.

Even on a day with intermittent heavy rains this small Belgium city is a delight. Ancient architecture has been carefully preserved. I can just imagine what it must be like in the spring. If you are able to travel in France take a day out to go north 3 hours, on beautiful highways (or the trains) and visit. There were stores with lace, chocolate and small wooden toys. Several of the original canals, and the city mote are still functioning. Boat rides are available.... not for me on a cold and raining day.... burrrrr.   

 

 

     

   

    

 

[small photos download is easier - click any to enlarge for better viewing ]

 

.....tomorrow we travel home. By the way Camillo's bag was with the reception on the 27th in the morning.... everything inside was whet but all there. Do you think it will do any good to complain with AF?

[aren't you proud of me to limit the photos.... I only took a hundred or so] 

Sacré Coeur de Montmartre - Paris

 

When Camillo and I visited Paris for 4 days back in '94, one of the sites that he made sure he showed me was the Basilica of the sacred heart in Montmartre or Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre.

 

     

I remember being up at the top of the stairs, I can remember climbing them or at least a lot of them. I don't remember being inside the basilica. Yesterday we went back up - by taxi this time - and only climbed the last 50 or so.  We stood in line to get inside. There was a massive crowd both inside and outside of the cathedral.  Photos were not allowed inside. Talking wasn't allowed (no one paid any attention to this there was quite an undercurrent of noise.)   I would have loved to show you the inside....  it has many mosaics of very intricate detail that only a photo could show you how beautiful they are. The no photo rule made no sense to me, even Notre Dame allows photos with no flash, but there was a bookstore that opened up directly into the nave that sold color photos cards (???) maybe there is a business reason for the rule.

  

  

 

We paid to go up in the bell tower, was worth the 5 euro each, and the 300 step climb.  You can at least get a good idea of the architecture up close..... enjoy.

 

(sorry for the order of the photos - the internet connection is so bad - every time I moved one around it became worse or the connection dropped and I lost everything.... patience is NOT my middle name) 

Eiffel Tower Under Christmas Lights

Last night we braved the cold and the subway to go watch the light show on the tower - hope you enjoy a couple of photos and a brief video.