Paris est TRES BIEN!!! (Blog Post 1 of 2)

Ah Paris...how I LOVE you!  I love your monuments, I love your "vibe", I love the feel of you under my feet!

Duane and I were able to spend three days there this week, and it was LOVELY!  Okay...to be honest, the first day is never as lovely as it could be, because jet lag is WRETCHED.  We left the cities at 4:00 Sunday afternoon, and arrived in the "city of lights" at 7:00 Monday morning, with ATTEMPTS at sleeping on the plane...but UNSUCCESSFUL attempts.  We caught the Air France shuttle to our hotel, Le Meridien Montparnasse, and, after showering and trying to wake up, headed out to explore the neighborhood.

It was drizzly and windy, but, a rainy day in Paris is STILL better than being at work in Minnesota, so we took our umbrella, and, upon rounding a corner up the street from the hotel, saw our first landmark...the eiffel tower!

I LOVE the Eiffel Tower.  There is something about it's grace and beauty that just touches my heart, and I actually GASP when I see it.  I have that response almost every time I see it, and, in Paris, you see it a lot, but EVERY time I saw it, it caught my breath (Duane thinks I'm crazy...).

After exploring a bit of Montparnasse, and getting our bearings, we headed downtown to explore the actual Eiffel Tower area.  Duane had never been to the top, and we didn't go up the tower on our last visit, so I was insistent that we do so this time.  He grumbled for a bit of the "standing in line for tickets" part, but I attributed that to no sleep and us both being a little crabby, and moved on.

The following are shots of the trip to the top (which Duane admitted afterwards was amazing thankyouverymuch):

Sacre Coeur from the second floor of the eiffel tower (and at "maximum zoom" on my camera)

I REALLY love the Eiffel Tower!

Look up there!! (These were images on a wall hiding some restoration work they were doing!)

The Trocadero below the tower

The Arche de Triomphe from the second floor

Champagne on the top of the tower

Les Invalides

After spending a couple of hours there, we went back to Montparnasse, explored a little further, and discovered that one of the Galleries Lafayette shopping centers (there are apparently two) was nearby, so we went in and looked around, then went back to the hotel, and were in bed by 8:00!!!

On Tuesday, we headed to Versailles.  Here's a little background:

"The Versailles Palace is located southwest of Paris in the suburb of Versailles. Originally this was the site of a hunting lodge for King Louis the Thirteenth (1601-1643, rule began in 1610). It was his son, Louis the Fourteenth, the Sun King (1638-1715, rule began in 1643) who expanded the imperial palace and decided to use much of the wealth of France to create Versailles on a tremendous scale of construction. From the early to mid-1660s onward, King Louis XIV had the landscape and garden architect André Le Nôtre, the architects Louis Le Vau and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and the decorator and artist Charles LeBrun participate in the design and construction of the Versailles Palace. The construction of the palace and the engineering and construction of the grounds and gardens around it was concentrated between 1668 and 1684, although some construction began earlier and continued to 1710. The Sun King Louis XIV transfered royal power from Paris to Versailles Palace in 1682 to weaken the aristocrats’ strength and increase his own authority, which helped him to concentrate his power. Versailles Palace was the home for the royal family of France from 1682 to 1789." - taken from www.historylines.net/history17th_cent/versailles.html.

I visited Versailles about 25 years ago.  My friend Dianne and I took a tour to Paris when she and Mark were living in Germany, and I was living in Japan, and Versailles was part of the tour package.  I didn't remember much about it, except that there were LOTS of paintings and frescoes, and overly ornate furniture.  Since it WAS a guided tour, it was quick, and "skimmed the surface", and we didn't tour the gardens at all.

This time, we went at our own pace, and, except for there being about a MILLION people wherever we went, it was beautiful.  Here are some shots of the palace:

The chapel

Close up of the celing of the chapel

The Hall of Mirrors

The king's bed

The queen's bed

The Coronation of Napoleon

The Hall of Battles

We actually went fairly quickly through the palace, because we were more interested in exploring the gardens behind the palace.  They are EXTENSIVE, and BEAUTIFUL!  The only BAD part of the tour (besides standing in line for an hour to get tickets), was that they have huge, ornate, gorgeous fountains throughout the gardens, but they don't turn them on during the week...only on the weekends... 

I noticed that we still paid full price to get in, so felt TOTALLY rooked...but...a garden in France, even WITHOUT fountains, is still better than being at work in Minnesota!  Here's a "map" of the gardens behind the palace (to show you how extensive they are):

                              

There were outdoor cafes sprinkled throughout the gardens, and we found a LOVELY one near the main path.  Here's a shot of Duane waiting for his croque monsieur:

There were many different gardens to explore, and we spent HOURS walking through them (my feet may never be the same again!).  The following are photos of some of them:

After Versailles, we took the train back to the city, got out at the "Invalides" stop on the metro, and explored the area around the Grand Palace, the Petit Palace, and strolled for a bit down the Champs d'Elysee:

The Grand Palais

The door of the Petit Palais

We got back on the metro, went back to our hotel, and headed back out for dinner.  There was a LOVELY little cafe up the street from our hotel.  We'd walked by it a couple of times, so decided to try it.  Meals in Paris are "relaxed".  For American tastes, this translates to REALLY SLOW, but the food was wonderful, the ambience delightful, and, it doesn't HURT to slow down, relax, and enjoy the experience...so we did.  The cafe even had a "resident cat" to pet while we were waiting for our food to arrive.

After dinner, we walked around the "roundabout" near the cafe, and saw the following view of the Eiffel Tower (and yes, I gasped again!).  I'd like to say that the shot is "fuzzy" because I was going for a romanticized feeling...the truth is, my camera SUCKS at night shots (and this is when the battery decided to DIE...):

Seeing the Eiffel Tower at dusk, helped us decide that the Montparnasse Tower, which is located right outside the Galleries Lafayette, was a MUST.  I had seen advertisements for an outdoor observation deck on the 56th floor, and thought it would be fun to go up.  I'm SO GLAD we did.  This was DEFINITELY one of the highlights of the trip!  Seeing Paris lit up at 10:30 at night leaves NO doubt why it's called the "city of lights".  It was GORGEOUS!  To add to the beauty, it was a full moon, and, except for a few whispy clouds, the sky was clear.  WOW!!!

Here are a few photos that I found on the "tourmontparnasse" website:

                           

                           

                          

We finally got back to the hotel around midnight, and collapsed into bed around 12:30...what a DELIGHTFUL day!!!

ANOTHER Iowa Visit!

Last Sunday, I drove to Iowa...AGAIN...but this time to go to mom and dad's on the WEST side of the state. Dad had gone back to the doctor for a checkup, and they found that the aorta in one leg had become 65% blocked, and the aorta in the other leg had become 85% blocked, so he was scheduled to go into the hospital in Des Moines on Monday. They were going to "hydrate" him for six hours, then do the dye test to see whether angioplasty and stents would solve the problem, or if he'd need bypass surgery again.

So...we spent the day at Mercy Hospital again (SO would be fine NEVER seeing that place again!), and, after long hours of hydration and the angioplasty, they discovered that one leg was FINE, but that the other was 95% blocked.

They determined that a bypass was not necessary, but, instead will do some sort of "scraping" after Labor Day, in which they will scrape out scar tissue and some cholesterol, and then he SHOULD be good to go for awhile.

After the day in Des Moines, we all headed back to Tingley to recover (dad mostly, but the rest of us from the long day of waiting!).

Tuesday, I spent most of the day in dad's pickup, driving. Duane had purchased an 8 foot X 2 foot Northwest Airlines sign on e-bay. It was a "pickup only", which was fine, because the seller was in Des Moines.

A few weeks ago, I attempted to cram the sign into my Alero...it SO didn't fit, so I made arrangements to come back this past week, with a pickup, to pick it up. PROBLEM was that the seller moved to West Des Moines between visits, and, for reasons UNKNOWN, sent the sign to his mom's house in FORT DODGE (100 miles from Des Moines).

So...I ended up driving TWO AND A HALF HOURS from Tingley to Ft. Dodge, in dad's HUGE pickup, IN THE RAIN THE ENTIRE WAY, and spent 10 minutes there loading it into the back of the pickup, then drove TWO AND A HALF HOURS back to Tingley...ugh!

The sign is now in mom and dad's storage unit in Tingley (see above picture)...NO IDEA how it's going to get from there to here...that's a problem for another day!

The rest of Tuesday was spent making wild plum jelly. Dad and I had gone out looking for wild plum trees Sunday night when I got there. Someone else had been out foraging, so the "leftovers" were small and sad looking. Nevertheless, we managed to find a bunch, and I was able to make 20 jars of jelly.  I took the following photos with my cell phone.

After making jelly, I headed next door to pick crabapples to make a few batches of crabapple jelly.

Wednesday, I got up, packed, and headed back to the cities.  I stopped at Cost Plus World Market in Des Moines, since the THREE stores in the twin cities closed a couple of years ago, and that's the closest one now....(grrrr...), and stopped at an antique mall in Des Moines as well, where I found a cool rooster coloring book (vintage, of course!), and a Wolverine tin barbecue toy. 

I didn't even know Wolverine MADE a tin barbecue!  OF COURSE I had to buy it to add to my collection.  I've never seen it on e-bay, and, when trying to find a picture online to post...couldn't.  Here's another substandard photo from my cell phone...

                           

When I got back to the cities, I was getting ready to make the crabapple jelly, I checked the cupboard, and found that I still had about 18 jars left from last year, so decided to do something else with them.  After looking for recipes online, decided to slice and core them to "set up" as pie/crisp filling.  I found an EXCELLENT recipe:

6 cups of sliced unpeeled crabapples

1/3 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Add all ingredients to large kettle.  Boil on high for 1-2 minutes.  Place in sterilized jars and seal with canning lids.

When getting ready to bake (in pie or crisp):  Add 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to filling.

For crisp:  Mix 2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons butter.  Pour crabapple filling into greased glass baking dish.  Combine topping ingredients and pour over tip.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

For pie:  Place bottom crust in pie pan.  Add filling.  Place top crust over filling.  Slit top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, covering edges with foil until last 10 minutes of baking to prevent over browning of crust.

Here are a couple of photos of the "fruits of my labor" (pun indended!):

It's COMPLETELY sad to admit, but canning stuff is really THERAPUTIC for me...and I really feel like I've accomplished something when I'm finished!  The wild plum jelly is also something I do to honor my grandmother, who, for YEARS AND YEARS had jars and jars of it stored in her basement for all of us to enjoy!

Here's hoping YOU were able to spend time with family (although hopefully NOT because of a medical issue!) recently, and that YOU had a chance to "put up" some yummy produce to enjoy during the dark, cold days of winter!!

The Scottsboro Boys

Duane and I spent the morning at the Guthrie Theater, at a workshop called "How'd They Do That?".  I have to admit, having been in many shows, a "behind the scenes" tour wasn't very high on my "To Do on a Weekend" list, but it was actually pretty cool!

I was a little concerned when we took our seats and looked around...mostly old people and "theater groupies"...but once the set designer started talking, and the prop mistress showed us some of the magic she had worked transforming everyday objects into period prop pieces, followed by a tour of the lighting design, I was hooked.  I LOVE theater, I LOVE being part of the theater community, and I LOVE sharing the experience with other like minded people.  The highlight of the workshop, though, was the Q & A session with four of the actors from the show.  They were eloquent, and passionate, and very enjoyable to which to listen. 

I have to admit that I've never heard of "The Scottsboro Boys", and need to do more research on this tragedy, but it basically revolves around 9 black men who are falsely accused of raping 2 white women.  They are tried, and convicted, and they go to prison.  Most of them are eventually released, but fade into obscurity.  This musical (??!!) tells their story, and immortalizes their HORRIBLE treatment.

It's told in minstrel form, with minimal scenery (15 chairs...period), and includes a bunch of glitzy dance numbers (the team behind it's creation also wrote "Cabaret", and "Chicago").  It opened off-Broadway, is being "workshopped" here, and will then move to Broadway this fall.

Here's a YouTube video with John Kander, who wrote the music for the show:



A very dark subject, and a very intense plot, but I REALLY want to see it now!  If you're in the Twin Cities area anytime between now and September 29th, see the show...you WON'T leave unmoved, or unchanged!!