Back in the US of A.

On Monday afternoon I packed my suitcase. I threw out  few more items of clothing to make room for all my treasures and zipped the suitcase shut.  I had left out clothes to change into he next morning and I also had a carry on bag that my sister Nan gave me many years ago.  It had wheels and was just big enough to hold some clothes.
Our plans for our last day was to pack and go out for a birthday dinner for Dona.  However it was only 3pm and the restaurants do not open until 7pm.  So decided to go for a walk.  When we left our apartment it was slightly misting but not bad.  We walked down to  Rue Monge street where we have often caught the metro.  We decdide to find out what was on the other side of Rue  Monge.  We walked for a few blocks and found  that there was a park up ahead.  As we approached I realized it was the Jardin De Plantes which is a park at the bottom of the Latin Quarter.  The main latin quarter park is the Jardin de Luxomburg.  I did not realize that the park was so close.  As we approached we also realized that it was a Zoo with real animals.  It also houses a botanical garden and a natural history museum.  The Park itself was very beautiful and amazingly there were some flowers still in bloom among some of the gardens.  The trees and other vegetation however were almost in the winter mode of stark naked branches.  We did have to pay a little to get into the the botanical gardens.  The plants in the big glass house appeared to be very old and reminded us that this park must be very old.  Older than our parks in the USA.  We walked around the park that had rows of plants that were native to France.  We saw a small cararusel that small children were taking a last ride.  There were many children in the park as school was over for the day and parents and nannies were giving the children a romp of the day.  It was starting to get dark at 5pm and Dona and I decided we needed to get back before it was dark.  We left the park and found our way back to Rue Monge.  As I stood in front of the Monge Metro station I looked at the map of the area.  Three people came up and were talking English. They were about Donas' and my age.  I asked them if they were from the USA and they said no they were from Canada.  They were from the great Canadian West.  We asked them if they had been to Rue Mouffetard street yet.  They said they were just on their way there.   We told them that it was a great place and they asked us if we had any recomendations.  Dona told them that she thought that every french bistro on the Rue was wonderful.  I told them that we were going that night to the one next to the Comfort Inn.  We bid them farewell and continued back to our apartment.   Back at the apartment we got ready and now it was 7pm and went to a restauran.  To our surprise when we got there, the people we had met on the street were there and they were just finishing their dinner.  They told us the restaurnant had been a great recomendation and that the food was great.  This restaurant was a little more up scale than the ones we had been to.  We ordered from the 18 Euros memu that included an starter, entre and dessert.  I had the snails for a starter.  Dona had never had escardo and she tried one and agreed they were tasty.  We had beef for the main course.  Tasty but a little tough. Dona had a creme brulee' for desert and I had a chantilly chocolate cake that turned out to be a fancy slice of cake with a vanilla sauce.  Very good.
We finished our dinner and went back to the apartment.  We tried to go to sleep but neither one of us could sleep very well as we were nervous we would not wake up at the right time to get to the Comfort Inn to take our taxi to the airport.
At 5Am I woke up and woke up Dona who had bearly been sleeping.  We got dressed, gathered our luggage and left our apartment for the last time.  It was 550am.  I slowly pulled my luggage up the slight incline.  I slowed down a few times.  We arrived at the destination at 6:15AM.  Wouldn't you know that would happen.  The Comfort Inn was not yet open and we had to stand there in the dark and cool night until the Morning reception person came and let us in the hotel to allow us to wait in the lobby for our cab.  Our cab came at 6:45 and we happily got in.  The cab was quick and our bill for the cab was only 52 euros.  This was better than the day that John and I took the cab early in the morning when the bill was 90 euros.  We got into the airport and found the right counters to check our bags.  It all went smoothly and with our bags checked we were free of the heavy luggage and now on to the gate for Dona's plane and also to look at the duty free shops to see if there were any last minute bargains.  At the Beverage section Dona bought some wine.  She thought that they would put it on the plane for her but that did not happen and she had to carry the two bottles to the plane.  We stopped and had our last capuchino and their version of American coffee.  There version is that it is very very strong.  We each had a croysant and another pastry and we enjoyed each bite.  Before we knew it, it was time for Dona to go to her gate for her plane.    We hugged goodby and agreed that the trip these past two weeks had been wonderful despite the rain.  We also agreed however that we were excited to get home to the USA.
As Dona's plane left at 1030AM my plane was not leaving until  150PM.  So I had a lot of time to wait.  I did this by finding the next book of the Lisabeth Salanger stories and sitting down and reading that.  I also had a last piece of Quiche and reminded myself that this was the last quiche I would have until I have lost at least 30 pounds or more.  The plane was on time and I found my seat.  It turns out that the plane was not completely filled and luckily I found that I could get a two seat section all to myself.  It was nice to have the room.  The little individual tvs had movies that I was interested.  I watched Sex in the CityII.  The flight was not as bad as I had feared.  The food was good and I did have a glass of Champaign and a glass of wine.  The steward and stewardesses were very nice.   As we came into detroit it was very gloomy and I saw snow flakes out the window.  But despite the rain and cold as I stepped off the Air France plane on to USA ground I felt a rush of excitement and pleasure that indeed I was home.  I had yet to take a flight to Chicago and a cab ride.  But all those activities went well and at 9:30PM my Irish Prince welcomed me with open arms.

Our last day

This has been a quiet day so far.  It is also Donas' birthday.  Our main goal was to walk up to the comfort Inn to see if they would book a cab for 7 am for us to go to the air port.  And yes they did.  I had been again worrying about getting a cab so we would not miss our flights.  the cab will come at 7.  The only thing I have to worry about is dragging my suitcase up the Rue Mouffetard hill in front of the hotel.  I figure if I leave at 6am I can walk slowly and will make it there before 7.  The walk is only about 3 blocks but it is up a slight hill, Remember John, and I have that big suitcase to pull.
Dona and I ate leftovers for breakfast and on the way back from the Hotel we stopped at a little cafe and we had a cup of Cappuchino and hot chocolate.  I now have my suitcase all packed.  Everything fits.  I have thrown most of my clothes away and will be wearing what I have left, tomorrow on the plane.  Throwing my clothes away?  Is that unthinkable.  No, many of my clothes I bought at thrift shops and since I have decided that this time (after Europe trip) I definitely will lose wt.  I will be buying new clothes at a smaller size when I get home.  Hear that Jacquie?
This is probably my second to the last enry of this blog.  My next entry will be from either John's house or the condo in Fox Lake.  Tonight Dona and I will go to a nice bistro to celerbrat her birthday.  I will tell you about it when I am back in the States.

Do you know the way to Chatelet

Sunday November 14th.  I have become very good at finding my way around Paris.  i can read and decifer a Paris metro map in a blick of an eye.  Because of the continuous rainy weather, Dona and I never did buy a hop on hop off pass.  We used the metro to get around and  probalby saved about 35 euros.  However all we saw in between stops was tunnels.  I guess that is better than getting wet from the continuous rain.  This morning we decided to go to the Arch d Truimp and the Eiffle tower.  We were greeted as we stepped out of the apartment with a misty rain.  Since this was Sunday the flea market on Monge, about a block away was open.  Most of the vendors were selling fresh fruits, vegtables, fish, meat, cheese.  However a few were selling jewelery, sweaters and other tourist items.  I bought 2 of something but for the life of me I can not remember what they were. Oh I know it was 3  items that I bought for 5 euros each.  I was hoping that the vendor was going to discount the price as I asked him how much 3 would cost.  He said as if I was getting a discount "oh that is 15 euros"/  He got me, I bought and then I realized that I did not get a discount as they were 5 euros to begin with.
We then moved on toward Mouffetard street that had lots of tourist items for sale.  I spent about 111 euros and treasures  that will be Christmas presents,and Dona did not buy anything as she was making up her mind and could not decide.
After we took them back to the apartment we headed out to The Arch D Truimp and the Champs elysees.  When we got to the Charles d Gaule street we could see the Arch De Trump and we took some pictures.  As you will see when I get the pictures on the blog, the clouds were a little angry.  It was getting windy and again sort of misting.  We then walked down the Champs elysees which is like Michigan ave in Chicago and 5th ave in New York.  Lots of fancy shops and expensive souveneers.  I went into one shop and saw a lot that I might buy but the prices were not Mouffetard friendly.  We walked down the avenue and stopped and had a cup of coffee in a fancy modern cafe.  The furniture and decore was in pink and very modern.  Our waiter was very french and had the pout of a Frenchman.  You could see written all over his face"oh these Americans".  so I put all the charm I learned from my french class and he could not stay pouting for long.  When we left we bid us Auvoir with a smile.  I do not know if the smile was because he was glad we were leaving or he was happy with our little tip.
Back on the Champs elyees we came to Franklin D Roosevelt street where we turn right and headed for the Eiffle tower.  This street ran into the seine and then we followed the Seine to the foot bridge that leads close to the tower.  There were some batouboats in the water but they did not look inviting as the sky was gloomy and misty.  Actually the temperature was not bad and that made walking bearable.  We walked under the Eiffle tower.  Wonderful structure that it is and into the park between the Eiffle tower and the Invalides,  It would have been a beautiful garden if it had been sunny and still early fall but it is now November and rainy and muddy from all the rain.  We saw the potential.  We left the garden/park at the nearest metro station and took the metro back to the apartment. 
That night we went out to another French bistro and had a nice three course meal for 10 euros.    We went back to the apartment and drank wine and talked.  Bed was at 11 bells.  That term  is not French but I thought I would throw that in.

Time is running out

Can one still have a good time in Paris when it is raining?  The answer is yes, but it takes planning and a good attitude!  I am beginning to think Chicago weather is better than Paris weather. Saturday it rained or misted all day.  Dona and I had scheduled a tour to the Fountainbleu.  This is a hunting lodge of the kings that is outside of Paris, about 30 miles.  It was scheduled at 130 pm so we had plenty of time to get there.  As we were leaving the apartment we were a little optimistic that it was not raining but in no time we found out that we were kidding ourselves.  It rained all day and evening.  Luckily the trip to Fountainbleu was inside although it might have been nice to walk in the gardens.  Fountainbleu is almost as big as Versallies.  The gardens are not as large but there is a big forest around the property/  Fountainbleu was the summer residence for the Kings and Napoleon.  It is a hidden gem of a tourist spot.  I felt the tour was better than going to Versailles.  At least for the inside of the chateau.  The Fountainbleu rooms were much better restored and there were as many rooms that were as grand as in Versailles.  We could see the gardens from the windows and I am sure that in the summer they are grand too.  With the rain and all the leaves almost gone from the trees, the gardens looked a little bleek.  After our tour of the Chateau the bus went by a little town called Barizon/  This is a little town that looks like it is still in the 17th century.  It is a favorite haunt and place to paint for many painters, famous and not so famous. Dona and I both agreed that Fountainbleu and Barizon are places we would visit again and spend more time.  Next time whenever that m ay be.
We came home and decided to have a evening at a french restaurant.  We selected one and it was reasonable and food was good.  The restaurant was one of the many restaurants on Mouffetard street.  Tomorrow which is sunday we plan to go to some flea markets and to the Pompidue center to see the Modern Art museum.  Will it rain?.  Most likely.  My 30 dollar poncho from REI has paid for itself.  the umbrellas Dona and I bought at the Sacre Cour site have fallen apart and are useless.  I guess that tells us that we get what we pay for. 

Baby the rain must fall!

I have never known it to rain so many days in a row.  But C"est La Vie,  This is Paris.  This blog is about Thursday, Nov 11 and Friday Nov, 12.  On thursday morning I got up early, got my clothes together and took them to the laundromat which was only about a block away.  Yep you were right.  It was raining and also a little chilly.  But I was happy to get my clothes washed and got back to the apartment to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the warmth of the apartment.  Thursday is Vetrens day in the USA and also here in France.  All of the government buildings despite the rain hung out the French flag in memory of the soligers who fought for France:s peace.   Despite the rain and the fact that Dona and I were tired from the previous days activity of visiting Belgium, we decided this would be a good day to visit the Parthenon that is only about 3 blocks from our apartment.  The wind and rain were bitter as we walked there.  We first tried to visit the St. Geniveie Church.  St. Genive is the Patron Saint of France.  I had visited the church early in my first days of my visit to Paris and I was able to walk around.  But today the doors were locked and we surmised that they may have closed the church for renovation.  The Parthenon however was open.  This building goes back to the 13th century when it was felt that a building dedicated to France and its peoples history needed to be constructed.  Thought the centurys it has changed and continues to adds information regarding the history of France  and burial sites of important French figures.  It is a massive building and on this day it was cold and dark.  Since I had seen it and just wanted to get out of the rain and cold I found a place to sit and read while Dona walked around and saw the frescos reporting the history of France, starting from the invasion by the Huns,  She marveled at the pendulum that is attached to the top of the dome and reports the time by the movement of the earth.  She then visited the crypts in the basement. She was impressed by them as I had been on my previous visit.  We left the Parthenon and hurried home to the apartment, cursing the rain and cold.  We got back to the apartment and was happy to be in the warm rooms.  We sat and were reading when a knock came to the door.   As I did not want to open the door to someone we did not know and since we really do not know any one in Paris I asked though the door who was it.  The man voice on the other side said open the door.  I said no, who are you and what do you want.  He would not acknowledge who he was but started to rant and rave about how noisy we were when we would come into the building by slamming the door. and that he wanted us to stop making that noise as there were other people living in the building who wanted quiet.  Through the door I apologixed to him and he went away still spuddering.  Dona and I really do not remember slamming the doors and since we have been here we have not listened to the TV or the Radio.  However ever since his knock on the door we have been very careful and extremely quite when we go out.
Friday morning:   I slept surprisingly late.  It was 830 when I got out of bed and took a shower and washed my hair.  I woke up Dona and we had a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, french bread, salami and cheeses that Dona had purchased the day before.  Our plan for today was to go to the Orangerie Musee, which is near the Plance of Concorde and the Tullerie gardens. We took the Metro and found that it was still raining and a little rainny.  We happened to walk by the Paris Vision office and we decided to go in and book our trip to the Fountainbeu for Saturday.  I was surprised to find the office so near to the louve as I had gone a different way the past few times we had gone there.  The walk to the Orangeie musee was farther that I thought but it was a good walk for us.  We could always use the excercise.  We thought the muse entrance would be free because we thought that the ticket we bought for the D"orsay musee was good for 4 days at the Orangerie musee.  Wrong/  According to the ticket lady we had not requested at the D:orsay the right ticket to get into both musees so we needed to buy another ticket to the Orangerie Musee.  Finaly after getting our tickets and purchasing the audio headsets we were off to see Monet;s famous in the round paintings of his water lillies.  Two oval rooms, sort of in a figure 8 pattern display the long canvases of Water lillies.  The affect is truely delightful.  This building was built to display these works by Monet himself.  He painted these water lillies pictures toward the end of his life.  The building and plans were done at that time.  Unfortunately he died before the project was completed and he never got to see the wonderful rooms that his paintings now decorate.  This is a not to be missed musee.  It was breathtaking viewing these water lillies works.  The lower floor houses other important paintings by Remoir, Utrillo, Modgilando, Cezanne, Demain, Solline, and Piscasso.  The audio guides provided wonderful commentaries of the artists work and subjects.  also in another set of room was a exhibition of Photographs by Henry Kuln, who turned Phootgraphy inot an art form in the middle 1800s and early 1900.s  By the time Dona and I had looked and listened to all the commentaries we were pictured out and we left and decided to go back to the apartment.  Again it was misting and cold.  Back at the apartment we relaxed and took naps and read until about 7pm.  We then went out to surprising milder weather and no rain.  The temp now was about 60 degrees and the walk though no rain was wonderful.  We found a good restaurant that had good salads and enjoyed the meal.  We now are back at the apartment and ready to call it a night.  We look forward to seeing the fountainbleu tomorrow. It is only a 5 hr trip from 1 to 6 30. 
I must admit to all of you that I am wearing down and winding down to end this great trip.  There is only 3 days left that we have to visit Paris before we fly home on Tuesday.  We have our plans for those days and and we are hoping those days are sunny and without rain.!!!  One of those days it turns out is Dona;s Birthday.  Hopefully that will be a sunny day and an pleasant eventful day.

Lace and Chocolate

I got up at 4 am on Wednesday, November 10th and woke Dona up.  This was to be another day of new adventure and enlightment.  We had planned to go to Luxemburg but decided Belgium would do.  The Paris Visions group in Paris offered a tour via coach to Brugge. Despite its cost of 134 euros we felt that it offered, safety, comfort, education and excitement.  We had to get to the Paris Vision office on Pyrimids street by 7 am.  As this was about 6 metro stops away from our stop of  Place Monge amd a three block walk we were not sure how long it would take us to get there.  And so in my obsessive worried way I decided that the best for us would be to leave the apartment at 5:30am so we would allow plenty of time to get there.   So as | mentioned I got up at 4am.  Dona will tell you that both of us were worried all nitht weather we would be able to wake that early.  We both reported to each other that we must have awoken every hour on the hour to check the time.  When I finally got up at 4 am Dona felt that she could be ready by 5 30 am if she still slept another 30 minutes.  It turned out fine as when we did leave at 530am, guess what time we got there.  We got there at believe it or not 6Am.   The reason being that there were very few people in the Metro station and on the streets.  The streets all the way to the office were dark and threatened rain again.  There were actual people riding the Metro and the cars were just enough to fill the seats but there was plenty of standing room.  We got to the door of the Paris Vision door at 605 and of course the door was locked and no one or bus was around.  Luckily there was a nice brassier that was open a few steps away.  I bet they open early just for those early birds who book a tour and get there early.  There was nothing on the streets that was open.  We ordered a cup of coffee and one small entre, despite the fact that I was not hungry.  I was just so gratefull that we could sit down that  I wanted to patronize the place with a few coins.  As we sat there, other people who looked like they might be taking a tour early in the morning came in. Finally it was time to go over to the office to check in.  Unfortunately as we walked out of the cafe door it was rainning quite heartly.  But as we knew we would be riding in a nice bus for over 3 hours we hoped that by the time we came to Brugge it would stop.  We checked in and although we had our passports as requested the lady who checked us in said most  likely no one would ask to see them.  When countries in Europe belong to the Euro state system, passports are not needed and people can come and go as they like.  However sometimes at the countrys border if they are looking for someone or feels some need they will stop the vechile and ask to see the pass ports.  If you do not have the passport then you will not be admitted in to the country.
At the Paris Vision office it turned out that there were many other trips leaving at the same time.  There was a all day trip going to St. Mont Michelle, another going to London and another going to the Chateau country.  And of course there was our bus going to Brugge, Belgium.  Our bus number 1 was filled with people, about 40..  It was a large and similar type bus that Dona and I had riden in on our Italy trip.  There were two main guides.  One guide spoke in English and French.  The other spoke in spainish.  Among the group I would say there were only about 8 of the group who spoke only English.  When the tour began the guide a dark haired lady in her 50s would give the information in French first and then English.
The format of the tour is that we would drive to Belgium, leaving at 715am.  After two hours we would stop at a auto stop to use toilettes and get some food if we desired.This was a half an hour stop.  Then after another 2 hr ride we would arrive in Brugge.  We arrived in Brugge about 1130am.  As you can imagine on the drive up there Dona and I dosed or slept.  I did get a chance to look out the window between little naps.  The country side was lightening up.  When we got out in the countryside away from Paris and her suburbs the landscape was rolling and filled with farms, with crops, and animals.  the landscapes was doted with trees that were not completely bear but had some colors of brown and once in awhile a orange colored tree would be mixed in with the other brown leaf trees.  There were also some trees that the leaves were green and had not changed color or lost all their leaves.
Dona and I were prepared for the rainy weather.  I had my sturdy poncho and Paris umbrella and Dona had a sturdy leather coat and an umbrella that we found in the apartment.  When we arrived it was not raining and there even was a little sunshine trying to peek though the clouds.  We all got off the bus and followed the tour guide.  We went over a bridge that lead to the walled part of the village.  Our guide passed out little maps of the city and told us that this town was about 35,000 people.  She said that it has many little canals and that the town is offtened referred to as the Venice of the North.    The walled part of Brugge she said was in the shape of an Egg.    She said that she would take us on a walking tour and then she would leave us on our own until 3:40 so that we could get lunch, shop for chocolate and lace and try the beer.  She said that Belgium at one time owned the Belgium Congo and that is how they became such an important Chocolate producer and exporter.  She said that Lace making went back bo early origins of the area and that today lace is still made by hand.  She said there are also lace making schools that people could attend in Brugge.  The town itself reminded me of a littel storybook town.  It was so clean, compact and filled with buildings that were well maintained.  Again I took many pictures that I will add to the Blog once I return home and get my son Nicks assistance.  In this town were cobble stone streets.  The main form of transportation is walking and riding a bike.  The town goes back to the 12th century.  many of the church structures and buildings go back to the 13th century.  At one time the canals were a part of a barge system that big boats from the north and south would come to deliver products that then would be distributed to other countries.  I do not know what happened to those trade routes but she said that the main harbor is now considered a lake.  There are however still these canals and mostly are used for boat rides for the tourists.  The village has several churchs.  The most famous is the Notre Dame church which has the highest tower in all Europe.  The tower as we were there is under renovation.  We took a tour of the church and inside is a sculpture of the Madana and Child by Michaelangelo.  It is rare to have this sculpture in this town as most of Michaelangelo's works are in Italy.  The buildings are of a flemish style and the main language of Brugge is Flemish.  We however found no  difficulty in understanding the flemish as most of the people spoke excellent english.  Flemish is a germanic language.  The guide said that our little tour and visit could not cover all the sights there are to see and that a return visit of 2 or more days would be enough time to see all the museums, sample all the beers and chocolate and enjoy the beauty of the town.    The beer of Brugge is famous as I guess Belgium brews about 40.50 different beers that are considered the best tasting beer in the world. 
Our tour guide dropped us off at one of the main squares which was holding a open food market.  It was to be open until 1 pm.  Dona and I walked around briefly looking at the different foods and flowers.  Dona bought some seeds for planting and I bought some sausage for tasting.  All of a sudden there was a strong downpour of rain and we ran for the nearest restaurant.  It was here that we had lunch.  We sampled the beer which I think was the best beer I have ever tasted.  We sat in front of a blazing fire and I had a dish of salad and herring and a bowl of onion soup.  Dona just had the onion soup.  The herring was delicious the soup was fair.  After this small meal we went to look at the shops.  We looked though the lace shops and I bought something for Nicks and Roses new baby to come in April.  I could not find the lace earings that I had received from Belgium almost 40 years ago.  The shops said that the earings are hard to find now a days.  There are chocolate candy shops everywhere and I bought a few peices and ate with relish.  We went to see the Notre Dame church and as we had time went to a tea house to have a cup of their hot chocolate and a dessert.  Very decandant.  The chocolate was served separate from the hot milk and the customer adds the melted chocolate to the hot milk to their taste.  The fancy dessert was wonderful.  The whole experience of this town was wonderful and enchanting.  There are cars that go though the streets but they are few.  What one fines in the streets are large horses pulling carrages for carrage rides and small tourist boats in the canals that are used for rides though the canals.  Each boat holds about 15 to 20 people.
After our hot chocolate and dessert it was time to return to the square the guide said she would meet us.    We all walked back to the bus that was waiting for us/  It now was about 4pm and the ride back to Paris got us there about 9pm.  We got back to our apartment by metro about 930pm When we got back to our apartment we had a dinner of cheese,croysants, fruit,  warm rotissori chicken, salad , red wine and salami.  We went to bed at 11pm.  It felt like it was 12 or 1 as it had been a long day.

Rainy days and sundays always gets me down

This is Tuesday not sunday and so I am only down a little bit because of the rainy day and night.  Yesterday was Monday and in the evening after a nap Dona and i went for a walk toward the Parthenon.  I wanted to buy some socks and gloves to keep warm as I figure if I am warm and dry in this chilly weather I will still enjoy Paris.  We found a reasonable shop along Mouffetard street and each of us bought some gloves.  I bought some long socks.  With purchases in hand we walked a little further on Mouffetard street toward St. Genivienes church and the Parthenon where many great frenchmen and women are buried.  Like Pastuer, Votaire, Maria Curie and other politicians that French people study about in their history lessons.  I had been inside with John and saw the inside of which I told you about in early blogs.  It was closed as we walked by and I noticed that if you are a citizen of Paris or France the admission is free.  If not you pay about 8 euros.  Down from the Partheon we were able to see the Eiffle tower.  We were going to eat in but we decided as we walked home, it no longer was raining, that we would stop in this little quiche cafe and have a peice of quiche and dessert.  It was very reasonable at 13 euros which included a glass of wine each.
Tuesday morning,  Dona wanted me to get her up early and I woke her at 8.  Our plan was to go to the Paris Vision office to sign up and pay for the day tour to Bouge, Belgium.  It took us about 45 minutes to  get there.  It is close to the opera.  We signed up and decided to walk near the Opera building.  When we were walking around the building we saw the laffette Galleries which is a big department store, sort of like Marshall Fields use to be.  In one of the buildings it had a big christmas tree.  Arround the tree were open balconys of the above flooor.  This is a very expensive store and so after browsing a little we left.  I chdcked the map and figured out how to get to the Musee D;orsay,  We got off at the Louve stop and walked though the court yard.  This is the first time Dona had seen the pyrimid and she was a little disappointed as it really is not much.  However she was very impressed with the Museum D;Orsay which is the old Orleans railway station turned into a museum.  It houses 18 and early 19 century works by French and German painters.  Sculptures and painters.  A wonderful museum.While we were getting a drink , oranbe press,at the cafeteria we saw the girl from alaska we met on the train we took from Nice.  She is in Paris until Saturday.  Small world as neither of us expected the other to be at the O;rsay museum today. Look  up the D;Orsay museum under Google to get a better understanding of its collection.  At 530 dona and I were out and out  wore out and we took the metro home.  We are now home and in a few minutes I am going to bed.  We had a delightful dinner of cheese, salami, rotiscerie chichen, salad and fruit.  Well I am exhaused and we have to get up at 430am to leave here at 530 to get to the tour company office to meet the bus that will take us to Belgium.  Bon huit!

Singing in the Rain

Yup, it is raining today.  And it is also cold!  Our plans for today was to include going to Notre Dame, Sainte Chappelle and hopefully the modern art museum in the Pompidiu center.  We brought our umbrellas withus and they were in imediate use as it was raining.  We went ot a bougerlai for a croysant and Dona got the tomatoe and eggplant quiche.  We had to take the Metro to Chantelet and transfer to anothere line.  The walk between 7 and line 4 was some distance.  We arrived at the Cite Stop off of line 4 and saw the Church of Sainte Chapelle in front of us.  We found the entrance but it had a line.  The line moved slow s it was first a security check before you could purchace your ticket at 8 euros.  Despite standing in the cold and waiting once we got in it was worth the wait. Sainte Chappelle is beautiful and it is not called the glass cathedral for nothing.  After that visit we went over to Notre Dame and toured that church.  they had a section open that I had not noticed before called the Notre Dame Treasury.  It cost 3 euros and there were all sorts of important artifacts the church has collected thoughout the years.  As it was cold and rainy after we left Notre Dame we headed for a cafe for a hot chocolate or coffee.  We went to the nearest one and what we did have was a hot spice wine to warm us and a crepe.  Dona hd a lemon crep and I had a banana crepe. Unlike my Irish Prince it turns out that I like everything I eat in Paris.  Of course that  can also explain why he is thin and I am not!  After fighting the rain, cold and metro trains we are now home and in a warm apartment.  It is warm in the apartment and now after a little bit to eat and a warm cup of coffee I am ready for a nap.  Later our intention is to go to the cheese store to pick out some cheeses and buy some take away food, as they call it, for our dinner in the apartment.  This has been the third day of rain. Hopefully it will clear up tomorrow!

Sunday in Paris

It is Sunday November 7.  Last night the shops and restaurants on Mouffetard street were hopping and full of people.  Sunday morning it looked like everyone slept in. We ate a little breakfast of sweet bread toast called  light brioche tranchee bread and coffee.  Our intention was to go to Sacre Cour.  It was very gloomy outside but we were hopeful that it would just stay gloomy and not rain.  We decided not to get a ticket for the hop on hop off bus but would take the metro.  I had a map from when I had been in Paris two weeks ago and I figured out what stops and changes we needed to take.  We first went to the ATM and the Tabac to get money and the metro tickets in a packet of 10 that was much cheaper than buying individual tickets.On the way to the Metro we say an outdoor market that was under tents and there were all sorts of stuff for sale.  As we wanted to get to Sacre Cour we did not stay long.  We were able to breeze though the metro stops and arrive a block away from the funiicular that would go up to the Sacre Cour Bascillica,  We walked down a street that I remembered from my last visit to Sacre Cour and as I remembered it was full of tourist shops and a cookie store.  At this time it started to rain hard and Dona and I realized that we needed to buy some umbrellas. Each of us bought a small umbrella that said Paris  all over it.  I am sure that true Parisians do not buy umbrellas saying Paris all over it.  I guess you might say this umbrella told everyone we were from America..  What can I say; C est la vie!  anyway it was good that we had the umbrellas as it was raining very hard.    We took the funicular up which was only cost on metro ticket going up and one coming down.  It saved a lot of stair climbing.  The view from the top is great except when it is foggy and raining.  The sunday I had been to Sacre Cour with Lisa it had been a beautiful day and they were having a festival around the church.  One of the fellows on the  Italy trip told me that the day I was there , he was there too, and Sacre Cour was having what they call the festival of the Harvest.  Well there was no festival today.  We did get to see the beautiful inside of the church and I bought a little book about it.  It was worth the visit and the rain.  We took the funicular down and looked for a restaurant Dona s granddaughter had told her about.  She had sent Dona the name and address and I scoured the map and found the street and directions.  The restaurant was a place that had fondue on the menu and we had a beef fondue that was very tasty.  We sloshed in the direction of the metro and took the Metro to our stop on Monge street.  The street market was now gone until next sunday.  All that was left was empty boxes of garbage from the stands. Back at the apartment we both took naps.  We woke up about 7 pm in time to go to a little Italian restaurant that both John and then Lisa had gone to.  Dona had Eggplant parma and I had wide noodles Bolonaise.    Those entrees were also very good.  We came back to the apartment had a glass of wine, talked some and went to bed.

Back to Paris

On the morning of  November 6th  dona and I ate a small breakfast at the hotel and headed toward the Nice train station.  Our train was to leave at 10:35 in the morning and we were traveling 1st class.  1 class only cost about 20 euros more and we both felt after our trip from Rome we deserved some luxury.  Our railroad car was the first car and we had to walk a long way on the platform.  The train arrived on time and we go on.  the seats were great and I had plenty of room for my big suitcase.  We met on the train a lady who came from Alaska who had been a month in south France learning French and seeing the sites.  She came and sat in our area as at that time seated in the seats were only Dona and me.  We talked about learning French, what we saw when we were in Nice and what it was like back home in Fairbanks Alaska and Chicago.  The conductdor came up to us and said we were talking to loud and please lower our voices.  We did not think we were talking to loud but we obiged him and tried to talk softer..    The train  got into Paris at 4:20 and we headed for the taxi stand.  It was raining in Paris and there were many people in line waiting for a taxi.  We did not have to wait to long and before we knew it we were in a taxi heading to mouffetard street. I had rented for us a similar apartment for Dona and I close to the other apartment.  I would have taken the other apartment but it was not available..  The owners directions were that this was a pedestrian walkway off of Mouffetard at the 104 address.  Part of Mouffetard street is closed on saturdays and the cab could only take us to about a block from the pedestrian walkway called Passage des Postes.  I figured out the other day that this passage is called this because if you take it the other way it leads to the post office.  When we found the passage, I was not sure which door to put the code.  I also was confused as to the fact that their was no gate to the passage.   I did see doors however that had the entrance key pad..  The instructions were that the door was on the right.  I tried to press the code into some of the doors but the doors did not budge.  I saw a man and a child go into one of the apartments and I asked him if he knew where the apartment might be.  He said that their were a number of apts in the areas that were used by tourists and he told me not to be discouraged.  I went across the passage and put in the code and it worked.  I then looked for a door with a lock box.  There were no lock boxes.  The owners directions said that it would be on the first floor but the apartment door that was in that building did not have a lock box that I could use my code to get the key.  There were steps and I climbed the steps to see if any other doors might have the look box.  None of the doors did.  Poor Dona had to follow me around as I was checking the doors. She stayed in the halway of the door that the code had worked.  I saw a door on the other side of the passage that I had not notice before.  Could it be that the code would work in that door too.  It was worth a try.  Voila, it worked and I saw the door on the inside had a lock box.  Huray I found it.  I put in the code and it worked too.  I unlocked the door and Dona and I now had a place to stay for the next 10 nights.  I was so happy and relieved that I figured it out.  We got the luggage in and looked around.  The apartment is on the first floor with no steps leading up to it.  That is a plus!  The apartment had a kitchen with a dinette table and a preety large couch.  The computer,Tv and efficency kitchen is under a loft that holds a queen zize bed.  The stairs up to the bed looked a little more sturdy than the other apartments lovv.  Then there was the other bedroom with two bunks.  the top bunk is very high up and I doubt if Dona or I will ever use that.  The bathroom was similar to the other bathroom in the other apartment.  We looked in the refrigerator and found that the previous tenant had left us some cheese.  Delicious bree cheese.  We had some crackers from the lunch ,the place from Rome had packed for us, and we sat there eating cheese and crackers and some salami that was left too.  These tidbits were very tasty!  We then decided to take a walk and go the mexican restaurant that i had told Dona about as we were not that hungry after eating the cheese and salami.  We found the mexican restaurant that Glenda and I had gone to before.  We both got chix burritoes and beer. On the way back to the apartment we stopped at the grocery store where we picked up some fresh groceries of coffee, milk, eggs bread, paper towels and a bottle of water.  Cona bought some wine, and beer.  We left for the apartment but when we got there I had a difficult time remembering again what door it was.  I remember what the tour director said about Venice. Everyone gets lost for 2 minutes and then they find their way.  I figured if I could find my way in Venice, and I did, that I could remember or find the right passage and door. Sure enough I found the right door and all the codes worked.  We both agreed that the apartment is very cute and useful. Neither one of us stayed up long and we both headed for bed.  Dona slept in the little bedroom with the suitcases and the bunk beds and I climbed up into the loff.

Leaving Nice

As I last left you the tour van that dona and |I were riding in was long overdue to return to our hotels.   Silvio said he was making progress in getting us back to Nice but he had no idea how soon that woud be.  He got into Nice and he spotted the Tram which is one of the modes of transportaion in Nice.  He offered to let us out and take tohe tram to our hotel which would only take a few minutes.  but none of us budged as we did not know where we were and if the trams were even working.  Silvio was stuck with us.  We felt safer with him.  Remember the reason for this dilema was that the French Presidnt was meeting with the Chinese President in a hotel and restaurant near our hotels.  Silvio was surprised that we did not take up his offer as he was very flustrated and worried about how we would get back.  He thought the tram was a good solution. He said to us  WOULD ONE OF YOU LIKE TO DRIVE THE MINI VAN AND I WILL TAKE THE TRAM.  We all of course laughed at this except for the Japanese who were not speaking.
Amazingly after this attempt to get us safely to our hotels their was a break in the traffic and he was able to get within a block from the Austrailian ladies hotel.  He said that they would be sleeping closer to the Chinese president than most people ever had the chance.  The French president would fly back to Paris but the Chinese Presidnet would stay in Nice and go to Portugal in the morning.
He then found a way to get close to the hotel of the Japanesse couple and the Brazillian couple.  We bid them a farewell.  Now Silvio was able to drive us strait to our hotel door.  we asked him if he knew of a good restaurnt near by and he showed us one a block away that looked like a alpine log cabin.  We bid him farewell and took his picture which hopefully before Christmas you will be able to view on this blog.  After dropping off our purchases at the hotel, we proceeded to the restaurant, Silvio pointed out to us.  We had a delicious meal there.  Good recomendation Silvio

The runaway tour bus or Gillians Island revisited

On this day my 3rd day in Nice, dona and I scheduled a guided tour of the area.  We were very excited about it as we would not have to worry about finding the right buss, getting lost, and having to walk a long way.  It was good to be able to leave the directions, driving and parking to someone in the know,  We had a wonderful guide, named Silvio. He has been living in Nice about 2 years.  He is actually Italian and from the Northern part of Italy:  He however knows a lot ablut the area and is able to speack several languages.I do not think however he knows Japanese:  He is a good driver too.  He has a wonderful sense of humor which kept me smiling.  If you ever get to Nice, book his services: He works for Med tours.
But on with the tour.  To our luck Silvio picked us up first at our Hotel Trocadero:  This was good as we had the first choice of seats in his mini van.  We chose to sit in the middle seat section.  He then went to pick up two Australian ladies from a hotel overlooking the Medteranean.  this is the road called the Promenade Des Anglais,  This was a much more expensive hotel than our hotel  he told us as we were picking them up that the Chinese President and the French President, Mr Sarzosy were meeting that day between 3 and 9 at a hotel close to the hotel these ladies were staying at. He said he thought they were meeting to strenghten relationships with the two nations. He said that there would be lots of military and security in the area and that we mignt have a hard time getting back to Nice.  He said with tongue in cheek, that we might not get back tonight at all as there was talk of protesters that might close off Nice.  At that moment I thought he was joking.  The two Austrailian ladies names were Slyvia and Alma.  They appeared to be friends traveling together.  Slyvia was in her 50s and Alma was around 85:  Alma was actually a native of italy and had lived in the Florence area.  Unfortuanately I never found out how she happened to land in Austrailia.  the next people he picked up was a young japanese couple:  I do not know if they spoke any English.  During the trip I did not hear them say one work to the guide or to each other.  They never spoke to ask a question but during the trip they always managed to get back to the van on time and seemed to follow Silvios directions.
Our first stop on the trip was a town calle  Eze.  Eze was a typical walled medieval city.  It is the location of a Perfume factory.  The town had narrow lanes and winding streets.  It was on the top of a hill with a stoned wall around it,  Before we walked the streets of Eze we went on a little tour of the perfume factory, Here a lady was our guide.  It was very interesting and she explained how perfume came to be.  Apparently in the days of  Louis the 14th, ladies wore leather gloves to be fashionable.  But the leather had a bad smell and so they made perfume to make the leather smell better.   The name of this perfume factory was called fragomont.  The perfume factory guide was very good and also a good salewoman too,  I say this as we all had a chance to purchase some perfume items and I bought quite a few items.  After the tour we went to the streets of Eze and saw the enchanting village and had a chance to purechase some more items
The next stop on our tour was Monaco and Monte Carlo.  This was very exciting.  As we were driving along the coast and into the mountains surrounding Monaco, Silvio showed us the road that Prince Grace had been in a fatal accident.  Of course everyone in the van knew about Grace Kelly.  Except maybe the Japanese couple who were in their 20s and did not talk.  In Monaco we saw the beautiful Cathedral where all the nobility including Princess Grace and Prince Albert are buried.  Our guide explained to us the very wealthy and profitable life style of those individuals who come to Monaco.  It is a millionaries or billionaires haven.  they cater mainly to the rich.  He showed us the palace and we saw the changing of the guard. After seeing this we had time for a bite to eat and we found a smal cafe which had pizza. We split a piece of pizza and had some mineral water.  I thought it was quite good.  However the Australian ladies had a similar sandwich and asked us if we liked our pizza.  I  told them mine was good.  They had not liked theirs.  They asked me if I liked the pizza I had in Italy.  I could not lie and I told them that I did like the pizza I had in Italy but that I liked the pizza I get back in Chicago better.  I do not think this made the Australian lady from Italy happy but this comment led to a conversation about food.  we came up with the concensus that going to new places one must look at it as a cultural experience.  I told them that I love Italian food and that I know that if it were not for the Italians inventing pizza and pasta I would not have the delicious italian food at home to eat.  Bravo the Italians.
Our next part of the trip was a drive though Monaco and past the the Casino, Monte carlo where he said only the wealthy really gambled.  He said the casino was only open from 2pm to later in the night.  He said that a cup of coffee in the area would cost about 20 euros.  He said that middle class people were not encouraged to partake in this rich life style.  He said that the rich are the people who makes  Monaco rich.  He showed us the road and drive of the Grand Prix.  From Monaco we drove back to Nice to pick up another couple for the afternoon part of the tour.  This was a couple from Brazil who did not speak english.  But Silvia was able to speack to them in Spainish.  Dona and I know a little Spainish and so we could make out a little of what they said.
Our next stof was a town called Antibes where there is a harbor that is set up with slips for only the most expensive yatchs or  I might call them leisure ships for the rich.  He let us walk around the yatchs  which were enormous and very unique. They reminded me of the yatchs that the travel channel  and the wealth channel shows of the rich and famous.
 The next stop was the colette drive in cannes.  This is the drive that leads up to the auditorium of the Cannes film festival.  When the Cannes film festival occurs every spring, only the rich and famous can afford to stay in the hotels.  He showed us a hotel called the Hotel Carleton wher Cary Grant and Grace Kelly stayed and filmed the film TO CATCH A THEIF.  The theather that the films are shown is not a lavish building.  it is actually quite plain but around the building are sqares in the walkway of the famous entertainment people who have visited there.  I found a hand print of my favorite actor, Gregory Peck.  I placed my hand print on his and found it to be a perfect match.  I also found bo Derecks hand print and I matched that too.  LOL
The next stop was a town in Provence called.Saint Paul de Vence.  It is considered the jewel of Provence.  Provence is an area in south France where many of the french impressionist and followers feel is a perfect place to paint because of the climate, colors and enviroment.  This is another walled village on top of a high mountain.  As we came into town Silvio showed us a restaurant where the owner in the late 1800s would take payment from the artist for their meals in the form of their paintings.  He would do this when the painters were poor and out of money.  The restaurant owner made a fortune from the paintings as the Artists became famous.  The town had many narrow streets that could not allow a car to drive down.  bikes and motor schooters would only beable to go down these lanes.  On the narrow streets were many shops which sold art works, jewelery, clothing, table cloths and other tourist items,  dona and I had a delicious cone of gelato. Yum. before we got back in the van.
This concluded our tour and as we were waiting for the others to come down from the town, Silvio told me he was worried about getting back and if the city of Nice was tied up ecause of the \presidents visit.  He said me might have to stay the night somewhere as we might not beable to get back in Nice.  I did not seem to be concerned and I told him to think positive.  He gave me a  reluctant smile.
Back in the van and on the way back to Nice it turned out that the highway was very backed up.  He told the group that the road he usually took to Nice was closed.  He warned us that it might be along way to Nice and that we might eventually have to stop and pull off the road somewhere.   He said that usually it only took 20 minutes but now it had been a hour and we were still in traffic. 
So here we were 9 of us in a mini bus and a clear picture of where we would end up that evening was unknown.  We knew this was not Silvios fault and so we encourage him to do his best but that we had confidence in him.  Or so we told ourselves.  Silvio then tried to go another way and he seemed to slip though the traffic the back way.  None of us of course knew where we were.   I kept humming to myself the Gilligan;s island theme.   Read my next blog to find out how and when we got back to our hotel.

Sunny Nice

It is November 4th and it is wednesday.  We are still in Nice and today we went to the Russian Orthodox church, booked a tour for tomorrow by motor coach to see Provence, Connes, Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Tropez.  We also in the afternoon walked on the Promenade des Anglais and Unites Estats, which is a long boardwalk that goes along the beach in Nice.  The beach is very rocky but despite the cool temp of 65 their were many sun bathers and swimmers.  As I mentioned the beach is not a sandy beach but made up of small rocks.  The view of the Medeterraeon is beautiful.  On the promenade there were many people.  many had cute dogs and there were some small children with their parents.  We noticed that there were many people in our age range and older.  The day was very sunny and as i mentioned comfortable.
We had wanted to go to the beaux arts musee but it took us so long to find it that we were tired out when we saw it on top of a hill.  We also saw a bus stop with the right bus connection and we choose the bus. Beaux Arts will have to wait for us to come back to Nice.
Currently it is about 630 and the restaurants are not open yet.  Dona is taking a nap and I am here of course blogging.
I talked to John and of course Dona and I were interested in who won the elections in Ill.  He said that the gov race was still up in the air but he thought Quinn will be the winner.  We read the newspapers from the New York times and an English paper that said that Obama was humbled by the outcome.  We are both glad that Nancy Pelosi will no longer be the speaker of the house.

It is getting nicer in Nice

Nice is nicer.   Dona and I have decided to stay in Nice and see the French Riviera in stead of going to Carcassonne.  We were able to book two more nights at the Hotel trocadero which turns out to have bigger and better rooms than the Ideal Bristol which is next door.  Internet connection however is not good in the room.
We both were exhausted and I have to admit despite the tiny room at the ideal Bristol the beds were wonderful.  My idea  was to sleep late but I first woke up at 6, went back to sleep, awoke at 7 went back to sleep and then woke up at 8 and stayed up.  Dona and I took deliciously hot showers and got dressed and went out to look for a place to eat breakfast. 
We found a place across from the train station that served American Petite dejeuner.  Which is French for American breakfast..  It consisted of ham, three sunny side up eggs, toast, orange juice and coffee.  Very good.
We went over to the train station to find out if the train would go directly to Paris and what time it left on aturday.  As of that time we did not know if the Hotel Trocadero would be able to put us up for thurs and Friday night so we said we would come back to book the tickets.
At about 1130 we checked out of the Ideal Bristol and went next store to the Hotel Trocadero and told them that we would like to book two extra nights.  This was fine with then and they gave us this key to 452.  As  I mentioned it is a nicer room than what we had at the Hotel Ideal Bristol and 20 euros cheaper
The room has some features that the Bristol did not that makes us feel more secure, like a safe. We unpacked our suitcases a little and I put the computer in the safe.
We then went to the Train station to book our trip to Paris on Friday.  We are in a first class seat and it will be interesting to compare those seats with the 2nd class seats.  It only cost about 20 dollars more than the 2nd class seats.
Then we had the task of figuring out how to get to the two art museums we wanted to see.  The guide book says that next to Paris, Nice has more important art museums than anywhere else in france.  The two museums we wanted to see were the Musee Matisse and the Musee Chagal.  The problem being we did not know the bus system and how to read the map.  Luck again for us we were near transportation  bus information and we asked the lady at the tourist information in the train station and the lady in the bus transportation office.  Between the two we at least had some idea of how to get to one of the musee.  First we went to the Musee Matisse.  It was in a lovely park where men were playing that game with balls they throw to hit another ball.  There were several men out in the park playing.  They must have all been retired or on Holiday as it was 1pm.  The musee was in a big red brick building.  It has a sizeable collection of Matisise’s work.  I learned a lot about the artist. His life and his works. Then the next problem we had to face was how we could get to the musee chalgal as now it was only 3 pm and we had plenty of time because these muse’s do not close until 6.  We figured out the bus line and a lady who spoke only French came over to us and told us in French that we were confused and pointed to the bus we needed.  She must have understook English and heard us talking but could only talk to us in French.  Anyway I somehow understood what she was trying to say and we did find the right bus stop.  The bus only cost 1 Euro.   We arrived at the Musee Chalgal.  It is the national museum of Chalgal’s work and it has a magnificent collection with audio guides explaining the symbolism behind his paintings.  It was an excellent museum in design and contents.  Apparently Chagal was alive when they planned the building and he had some say in the design and what pictures would be displayed.  We stayed until it closed and figured out the bus route back.  We got back to the area of our Hotel about 615 and we were thirsty.  Dona wanted a Beer and I just wanted something cold and refreshing.  We did not find a bar but found a coffee spot where we both had some sort of refreshing orange drink.  As we walked down this busy street we saw a Mcdonalds and a KFC.  John would have liked this. We wanted to eat dinner but the restaurants do not open till 7.  So I suggested we look for just a bar.  We finally saw a real bar that served alcohol and I had a glass of wine and Dona had a budwiser(which was the cheapest beer on the menu)  We sat at a little table and watched the Nicien’s walk by.  We agreed that the people in france dress diffiferently than in America.  We have not seen one boy with pants falling down.  And most of the women are now wearing tall fashionable boots..  We enjoyed our drink and I noticed it was now 730 and we could go eat. 
We picked out a French restaurant called Café Tuscun.  It had a French menu and I wanted Dona to get her taste of French food.  While we were eating dinner a series of police cars and men went running by.  A strange sound came from the streets and we never figured out what it was.  It was however a little unerving as the streets now were emptying out.  Even the owner of the restaurant could not figure out the problem.
We both agree, that the day had been lovely.  The weather was sunny and a perfect temperature and no trains to catch or luggage to haul

Nice is nice!

This morning of November 1th Dona and I bid goodby to Glenda as she was leaving Rome for home by air and Dona and I were leaving Rome for Nice by train.  We left the hotel at 6am to get on our train at 715.  We were there of course too early and had to wait to board our train at 7.  The train station was about a half a block from our hotel and despite the huge suitcase I had and Dona's suitcase it was not difficult to get to where our train would depart.  Our goal is to get to Carcassonne, France which is a walled medieval village in the south east part of France.  We could only get tickets to Nice and the agent told us we would have to get tickets to Carcassonne when we arrived in Nice.  Our trip consisted of 4 transfers.  Rome to Milan. Milan to a town outside of Monte Carlo and then two suburban trains to Nice.
The train experience was not an easy one.  It took us from 715am to 7pm to reach our destination of Nice.  We are booked in a hotel for one night and we are going to another hotel for another night in nice.  The reason for the move is that the hotel we are in is booked for tonight.  Last night when we were out to dinner we went to another hotel to see if we could get a reservation for tonite and they had one.  We asked to see the room and it was much bigger and cheaper than the room we were staying.  So on the 2nd we stayed in the hotel Ideal Bristol and tonight we will be at the hotel Togerdero which is next to the Bristol 

The rest of Italy and back to France

 I feel my blog is going to rack and ruin as I have been having trouble getting internet time and even time to sit down to write a few lines.  However now that I am finished with the tour and on my way back to france I will have more time to write.  Let me fill you in now about the last days of the Italy trip.
Sicily:  When my friend Glenda and I signed up for this tour, I had been a little skeptical as to how much I would enjoy Sicily.  For me this part of the trip would be a new set of places to visit of which I had very little knowledge.  I expected a low inhabited island where Michael Corelone hid from the enemy mafia bosses in New York in the movie the God Father.  I expected to see sheep, men walking around with machine guns and families having festive dinners.  However the Sicily that I did see was beyond any of my expectations.
As our ferry pulled into our dock at Palermo, my eyes were greeted by a huge bustling city.  On the right side of the city was a big mountain that overlooked the city.  As we got off the ferry and into our bus, I was amazed that this city was probably as large as Naples.  We did not stay long in Palermo, as we were to visit a Cathedral and Arab-Norman Palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace.  Let me give you a brief description.  I have always wanted to see Greece and Turkey for their beautiful bystantine style churches.   By visting these structures I felt like I these churches were an extention of those churches.  And indeed they were.  It turns out that the Greeks and Turkish influence was in Sicily before the Romans had time to inject their influence.  Also the Moslems or the Moors were also a part of Sicily before the Romans came along and ran them off.
Our day ended with free time to wander the area of Mondello which was a city on top of a hill.  Here some of my friends from the tour tried out the local version of Cannoli.  Our guide had told us where the best shop in her opinion was and we all flocked to the bakery.   We had a choice of a small cannoli or a large cannoli.  I choose the large size as I knew this would be the one and only time I would sample this delightful treat.  Cannoli for those who do not know is a sweet cheese filled pastry shell.  The shell looks sort of like a small taco shell but it is sweeter.  The shell is made first and then the sweet cheese, which is a Ricotta and other sweet ingredients whipped is piped into the shell.  The cheese to me tastes like a cross between  a white frosting and sweet cream cheese.  This is a very decadant and rich treat.  The cannoli I had cost 3 euros.
After we all had time to walk around and make our purchases it was back to the bus and back to the busy city of Palermo.
Our Hotel in Palermo was right on the blvd that overlooked the harbor.  In front of our hotel and next store were parks.  Glenda and I had a lovely room with a view overlooking the park and harbor.  Their were many huge palms trees adorning the street and parks.  Some people went over to the little botanical garden next to the hotel for a walk.  The park accross the street had been filled with families and soccer games enjoying the sunday,  In the evening most of the people had left but their was a small fire works display to mark the day.
October 25.  This day held more surprises of Sicily.   We said goodby to Palermo early in the morning and the bus took us to visit a salt mill near Marsala.  I had no idea of what a Italian Salt Mill would look like and I was surprised to see beds of  narrow canals and very old fashion windmills scattered among the canals.  When we disembarked the bus we were given a little tour of the old mill and they demonstrated how the salt in days of yore had been harvested and milled.  Aparently salt is still harvested in the area as their were many hills of salts neatly in rows.  At this site their was a store that sold salt, wine and olive oil.  Near the shop was a restaurant that served lunch for those tour members wishing to eat a lunch of antiposto salads.  I was one of those individuals and the various salads were absoulutely delicious.  It was here that I purchased a little cookbook of Sicilian cooking so that someday in the future I can make some of those salads.
From the Salt Mill area, our bus took us to Agrigento where we took a spectacular walk though the Valley of Temples.  It was at this spot that I wished that my handsome Irish Prince was by my side as it was on this tour that we saw the best restored greek temple.  Apparently the Greeks were living in this area 700 BC and built these beautiful temples.  These Structures rival the Greek structures as can be viewed in Athens and Delphi.  Our guide on this tour was very knowlegible and I know John would have been facinated by the history and remains of the structures that had survived 24 centuries.  Let me repeat that 24 centuries ago!
This Valley of Temples was actually on a hill and the guide pointed out a small structure along the roadside of a Cross that had been erected many years ago when a Pope, and I believe it was Pope John had come to the area for a visit.  He blessed the area and told the Mafia to get out of Sicily.  The guide however mentioned to us that the Mafia did not take the speech to heart and continues to remain active in Sicily.
October 26: Taormina Area
October 28: Back to the main land and stay in Sorrento.  Downtown Sorrento and a Sorrento Musical.
October 29:  Beautiful Capri and the drive of the Almalfi coast and Positano.
October 30. Back to Rome and a wonderful farewell dinner and the illumination tour of the city.  I got to see the Vatican light up at night and the Guide pointed to the window of the Pope's bedroom.
Good by to tour group and a few more days in Rome.
The hop on hop off bus in the rain.
Opera evening.
Hotel near the train station.
Washing my clothes at the near by laundrymat.