Letting Go and Feeling Naked Once Again…

Two years ago I wrote a blog, On Feeling Naked…, that revealed more of me than I really wanted to.   A lot has happened since.  This post, is a bit of a continuation on a tradition that I started back then.    It won’t deal with travel,  as most of you are used to from me, and neither will it have photos that may delight or appeal.  It won’t be long, or at least I don’t mean it for it to be so.  It’s a bit of a stream of consciousness so I perfectly understand if you – just about now – decide to leave.  

 

I twist it around my finger.  It is loose.  I slowly, very slowly start sliding it off.  My movement is fluid but comes to an abrupt halt as it reaches the nail bed.   I twist the band once again, close my eyes and, in one swift move, slide it into my right hand gripping it and surrounding it.  Three years ago my movements were reversed and I was sliding my mom’s wedding band on.  It took me almost two years  to be able to take it off.   I lost track of where it was after that and assumed I lost it.  In the first days of January of this year it surfaced unexpectedly.  I took it as a sign and decided that I would wear the simple gold band the first two months of the year as a tribute to the union that gave birth to me and made me who I am. Both my parents passed in 2010.  My mom in January and my father in February.  Today, the last day of February, it is time to take it off once again.

  I hate goodbyes.  Looking back a few years, it seems that I have been bidding farewell to so very much.  To places.  To life as I know it.  To sentimental bonds.  Every one of those separations, be they physical or emotional has brought me a greeting of some sort that has made me happy,  changed me and enriched me but I still am not fond of them.

The band is still ensconced in my hand.   I open my fist and am certain that I will not wear it again.  This time I must really let go.  The song from Disney’s Frozen, Let It Go, comes to mind and am grateful that it does,: for one line says: “Let it go, let it go and I’ll rise like the break of dawn…”

You will always be with me Mom and Dad  and I will forever be grateful for so much that you have given me.  You can let go of my hand now.  I need to take the rest of the journey alone.  

Fog Guides Me Back to What I Love

It suddenly gets dark in my home office and as I glance out my window I see… nothing.  An afternoon fog has cloaked the beach and the pier and has made them invisible.  I’ve been yearning for a reason to stop doing what I should be doing and haven’t started doing so in a move I have not done in a long time, I reach for my camera, get my iPod and head out without a second thought.

As I walk out to the pier the fog is still thick but it doesn’t stop the fishermen from going to their usual spot.

The lifeguards wouldn’t be able to see much if they were at their post.

The Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier in Long Beach is home to homeless, to fishermen, to seagulls, pelicans (and many other, unidentified by me, species), tourists, photographers and more.

But I am interested in what happens below it so I take the path downwards.  Where the fog does not seem to interrupt daily activities.

 

    

I don’t follow the path.  I go under the pier.   

First I look across,  delaying what I am sure will delight my camera and myself.  And it indeed does  

   

Am I somewhere else?  I must look back and check.   

And once I’m sure I am not lost I once again enter trancelike state.   

But my beach is being invaded…  

So I look the other way.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

To a spot of the beach where birds can play (or fight).   

Stare…    Where love is present and blind.  

Where a congregation is not unruly.

Well, maybe just a tad…

Where people come to de-stress…

Or ignore the waves and the beach altogether…

Where unfortunately, man leaves his tracks…

Where a father and son bond in daily exercise and share their path with seagulls…   

 I go back to the magnet that the pier has turned out to be for my camera.      On my way there these flowers on their last breath stop me in my tracks.  Is it an offering to Iemanjá, the Queen of the Ocean, in Brazilian culture?       So much to photograph I don’t seem to be able to still my mind or my steps.          So I go up the pier to where I started.  

 

 

Where I am reminded that I really haven’t been traveling at all.  

 

 

   

But somehow I do feel as if I have taken a short trip and as I leave the pier I feel recharged and ready to tackle what I had procrastinated in doing.    

Maybe…

 

 

 

 

Here’s the Key, Need to Get Back to the Rugby Game

St. Malo (or maybe it was just the mussels) has induced me into a sense of complete restfulness.  The day has been jam-packed with visual stimulation, emotional contentment, exercise and it has made me a bit tired.  I am longing for quietness and time spent relaxing doing nothing.

We have made a reservation at a farmhouse not far from St. Malo.  I am so craving the remoteness of it all, though I am a bit apprehensive as to how to get to it.  The owner has given us what seems to be an address.  Our GPS seems quite confused but we head in that direction and… do not find it.  We are on roads where only farmland sees us go and come and go and come back again.  GPS has given up on us and and we on her.   I text the owner in French on our French sim card/phone (so glad we have one) and he answers “My dear, not an address.  It’s the name of the farm.”  So on our way we see another farmhouse with people outside.  I get out and ask and they in turn ask me “Ah, you are the Australians that are going to stay at Dominque’s?” Yes… I mean no. Where is the farm? Don’t know how, but we reach it thanks to the actual Aussie at the wheel and guidance from above.

I am immediately in love.   The farmhouse attached to the main house is rustic but just exactly where I want to be.    The owner and an English-speaking friend are outside to greet us. A little fox terrier that can’t be dirtier and smellier if he tried is coming down the road.  Dominique introduces us to him. It’s the neighbor’s dog that comes to sleep with him to keep him company.  We are invited into Dominique’s home where he gives us a proud grand tour.  He has built it all by himself.  Even his Japanese garden is designed and planted by him.  The dog is trembling and I ask if he is cold.  No.  He has Parkinson.  A pang of remembrance of my mom and her disease hits me.  Is this a sign of some sort? My heart skips and I do not refuse the dog when he cuddles up to me, no matter how badly he smells.   We have tea.  We learn about my host.  I am charmed.  He has escaped the rat race after years with a company as their graphic artist.  He also suffered a devastating loss.  This is how he copes.  His visiting friend is building a cabin on the property and easing himself into farm life; he’s a commercial director.

His neighboring farm has cows.  We make their acquaintance.         It’s almost 10 pm and it’s only now getting dark.  Magical hour is here…the sun is going down.

We settle in for the night.   The bedroom is on the second floor and quirky and fun.  To go up you open a “door” that is technically on the floor.    And the bedroom has a lamp made by the owner (as most of the farmhouse).    With a typewriter that reminds me that I write.  And a window  that looks out to the garden and the cows, and  the pasture and… I’m going to bed now.

We wake to fresh croissants, bread, a bottle of milk and tea at our doorstep.    I bring them into the kitchen.    And go out, still in my pj’s.  How liberating is that?

We are leaving today and I just want to enjoy every single moment of this peaceful feeling this farmhouse gives me.

I visit the cows and they are more curious about me than I of them.  I am thankful for the electric fence that separates us!

  

 I’m enjoying the outdoors so very much.  But we must go back in. I look to the side and back and everything, just everything give me this ahhhh feeling.     

I go to the room and pack.  As I go downstairs at the doorway are two sets of rubber boots!   Dominique is outside and he tells me that the boots are just in case we want to take a stroll in the back.  The weeds are overgrown and it may be wet so he brought us boots.  Since I am not going to take him up on this offer he takes me around his garden.    I so want to stay but we are continuing on today to Cap Frehel and Fort La Latte.  We say our good-byes.

At the Cap we find two lighthouses.  One, built in 1950 you can climb.  

  We do that and are rewarded with beautiful views.      

 From here we can also see the smaller one constructed in 1685.

On the way down the 145 steps I wonder why I didn’t make use of this chair when I was going up!  

 We walk the surrounding area.  

   It’s windy but I am thoroughly enjoying this walk.      

The water is crystal clear in places.

A school group listens their teacher intensely.  I imagine none have vertigo since they are pretty close to the cliff. 

We go towards where the car is parked to then drive to Fort La Latte.        

Forts of all kinds as well as walled cities fascinate me.  Something comforting about a place that protects itself from the outside world attracts me.  I choose to not think of the reason why a wall and such strong edifices are needed in the first place.  The approach to the fort is almost soothing.  You pass the caretaker’s home and continue down the path to the fort.      And here it is.    We enter through a drawbridge.  And as soon as we do there are cannons and other instruments of war/protection.    This is a bricole  The water is crystal clear here too.    The vegetation is so pretty.   

And the view from one of the towers is exquisite.

 

Once on the ground these daisies along the fence do a lot to keep a smile on my face.

     

And I just loved this mailbox on a house on our way to the car.    We drive and encounter Brittany’s idea of rush hour!  

We have made a reservation at a hotel in Sene:  Chambres D’Hotes Villa Sahara.  When we arrive it looks more like a house than a hotel.  Parking lot empty.  Note on door:  “If you arrive please call this number and someone will be here soon.”  We had paid through a website already so I call the number.  Yes, her son will be there soon.  He arrives and hurriedly opens the door, tells us he needs to go back to the rugby game.  Shows us the room and gives us the key.  Oh, and we are the only guests so we can consider the place ours.  So we own a B&B for a night.  :)      The key ring that he gave us even has an “L” on it.    In the morning we wake up to people coming in to make us breakfast and promptly leaving just to return before we leave onto our next destination!

An Archangel Burns a Hole in a Skull and Malo Isn’t really Bad at All

The morning was uneventful which is okay by me since the rest of the  day (and this post) is going to be jam-packed with visual delight.

We are renting (“hiring” in Aussie and Brit talk) a car and heading out to the coast.  Our first stop will be Mont Saint Michel.  I’m a bit nervous about the drive.  French drivers are really good but drive at lightning speeds.  Fortunately I won’t be driving.  Dean has bought a GPS for our journey so we won’t be getting lost either.  We don’t have much of a route set up. We are traveling, as always, waiting where the winds – in this case the wheels – will take us.  I like it that way though at times setting up good accommodations requires a bit of knowing our itinerary ahead of time.

I cross the street to buy some croissants and milk and coffee for the road. And we are off.

It’s a two-hour ride to Mont Saint Michel and it just flies by.  Before we know it we are approaching the very familiar site of Mont Saint Michel.   As we get closer the little spots I see in the distance turn into munching cows that concentrate solely on eating and disregard the island behind them.  They create a perfect photo-op that I can’t let pass by.     We park the Renault (which curiously enough has not been named by us) and take a shuttle bus  that takes us closer to the entrance and then walk to the island which is linked by a causeway, which makes it technically not an island any more.  A fact that does not deter from its beauty and impressiveness.  There’s a medieval town on the mount with its expected winds and turns and narrowness.    The hoards of tourists remind me that this has been, through the ages, one of the top pilgrimage sites for Christians.  The abundance of souvenir shops  lining the quaint (and exercise inducing) steep streets may make you forget that this place has much history, dating from when years didn’t have four numbers.  It also has a peculiar history.  It is said that before the abbey that’s on it was built in the 8th century, the Archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church. Seems that Aubert ignored the archangel so Michael burned a hole in the bishop’s skull with his finger.  The abbey was built afterwards.  First there is a little chapel we visit.    And then onwards towards the abbey. 

  The abbey is built on the islet’s top point so it’s a bit of a climb.    It has a gothic feel to it.  The church    is more austere  than any of the other churches we have visited but if it doesn’t quite match the beauty of the others it holds its own by just where it is situated.        Before heading back in I am fascinated by how large the seagulls  are around here.  And how privileged they are to fly so high and have such an amazing place to land.    Once my eyes get unglued from the birds and the view, my imagination takes flight.  I can almost see the robed monks going from one side of the abbey to the other through this bridge.    And going about their chores around water source which has the largest faucet I’ve ever seen.    We go back inside to explore how the monks lived.  I like the simplicity and solidness of it all.           As usual, I am distracted by a window with a soft view of the outside.    But I concentrate on my steps in the inside for it is dark and a gentleman going down the steps has fallen.  

   I encounter the Archangel Michael in the basement.  He is a plaster replica of the one that is on top of the spire and he is the one I mentioned earlier who burned a hole in the bishop’s skull.  I certainly would do as ordered!  He is also a psychopomp – which I wouldn’t mention except for the fact that the name made me giggle – though the responsibilities of one are quite serious.  He leads the dead and weighs souls (didn’t know souls had weight) on the day of judgment and is often presented with a balance in the scenes of the Last Judgment. I would definitely want this guy on my side!!

It isn’t a sunny day but it almost enhances the feeling of going back in time.  The view, with the tides low around the mount, is a bit surreal.

  Another unique feature of Mont Saint Michel is that the bay around it has the highest tidal variations in all of Europe.  At low tide the Mont is surrounded by sand.  At high tide the water comes in at an astonishing speed, compared to a galloping horse.  In fact, Wikitravel has a warning that says that it is not unheard of for tourists to die after being cut-off by the tide if not crossing through the causeway.  It must be quite a sight but we didn’t stay for we were headed to Saint Malo.      I, quite the contrarian, have to look up as we are going down.  A door caught my attention and reminded me that this place was also used as a prison.  What a history!    As we descend the many steps we pass The Mere Poulard which cooks its famous mega omelettes on an open fire.  I was sorry I wasn’t hungry enough to eat there.  They looked really good, served in a really great setting.  But I am glad I didn’t for the reviews on yelp were pretty bad and at 28 to 60 Euros an omelette it would have been quite disappointing to not have an extraordinary meal.    One look back.

And we leave.    The Renault is waiting for us.    We have already paid for our ticket so Saint Malo here we come!

Saint Malo was recommended by a travel group I belong to, The Travelzine.  They said the walled city was lively and a good base to explore the area. We are not staying there (more on that later) but I am fascinated by walled cities and we figured it would be a good place to have dinner before we on to the farm.  We enter the narrow streets of the walled town and are at a loss to where to park.  A delivery van is blocking the street in front of us so I get out and ask him where to park.  He tells me to follow him and takes us to a municipal parking lot (car park for my Aussie and Brit readers) right next to the water and marina.  We cross the street to the city itself entering it through the Saint Thomas Gate.    We are rewarded with beautiful views as we climb the steps to walk the wall that surrounds the city.

    

I’ll just be quiet now, for the view captivates me and hopefully captivates you as well.

  Saint Malo.  Malo in Spanish means “bad” or “mean”.  This “malo” is good!!!

There’s a lookout point that has a telescope which points into the direction of areas I have some connection with.  The Falklands (Malvinas to the Argentinians and from where a lot of my friends are).  Rio de Janeiro, where I lived for 4 years.  Quebec, where two children of a family I considered my own live, one of them who I taught to drive.

A pool on the side of the sea that reminds me of Australia, a country I have learned to love because of who I love.    It’s not that warm outside but there are people enjoying it, diving from the board.   The city was not only walled but well protected.     I loved the city but later Brittany locals (the region the town is located in) would tell me that they consider it a “sad” town mainly due to its history and the fact that it is walled in.

Hunger strikes me and Dean knows me well enough to get me into a restaurant fast before I get cranky.🙂 So we dive into Le Lion D’Or.   I’m glad we did cause it had great reviews on Tripadvisor and I would add mine to them.  I had a really great huge plate of mussels that was delicious though the mussels were small and could not compare in size to the Tasmanian mussels a friend and I had at the Sydney fish market, though they were matched in taste.  The city is on the coast after all so I was counting on good seafood.  

Once we retrieve the car we are on our way to another real adventure… which I will tell you all about tomorrow!

A Market That Was Not, And Everything Else That Was

I’m going to the market. Not a mentionable fact except that the owner texted us saying that Place des Lices is a well-known market. People come from all over the area to it.  I am one that loves markets so, needless to say, I am not missing this one.  Dean is.  I head out alone.  It’s Sunday and the streets are deserted.   Almost seems set up for me to enjoy this town through my lens.

 Here comes the blue door deluge.  One I had not photographed the day before. 

 I reach Place des Lices in no time at all but find it as deserted as the streets.   I peek in and in fact the installation is there but no people around.   I walk back and I see a couple with produce and baguettes protruding out of their bags and I ask them if they know about Place des Lices and they tell me that the market was on Saturday.  I resign myself but also am grateful that it wasn’t on for there would have been hoards of people. This way, I got to enjoy the streets calmly.

At the turn of the corner I am reminded of my hometown.  

I roam around a bit and see that Saint-Pierre Cathedral is opened. In reality there is a sign that says it is closed between 11 and 2 today but the door is open and I go in.  Turns out it is closed for the public but open for mass. It’s only me and I’m pretty quiet so I tiptoe in.  Right after me comes a Russian tour group.  The leader seems unaware or doesn’t care about the fact that there is a mass going on and talks loudly to his group of around twenty.  I cringe.  But I am also technically ignoring the rules so I move around.

The inside of the church is being repaired.  At the very end the congregations prays.  

If a cathedral has a life of its own, this one is not trying to impress but does. It is dark and uses much wood in its decor. It almost imposes introspection and demands you to stay and pray. I don’t but walk as close to the altar as I can without disturbing the congregation.    On the side aisles (I am sure there is a proper word for the passageways on each side) there’s darkness from the paneling and I get this desire to just sit and close my eyes.    The stained glass is beautiful though it is not the main attraction in here.    

Before I leave I pass a little altar.   The name of Lourdes catches my attention.  My parents and I visited  Our Lady of Lourdes when I was around 6, footage that I recently saw. I don’t quite understand what it says but I have the urge to light four candles here to the Virgin.  2 for my mom and dad and 2 for Dean’s Nan and mum.  I am sure that they are looking down, protecting us as we go.     

As I leave, I take a last glance – as I usually do. 

I continue my exploration.  This wall is not pretty but anything that was built between the late Third Century and early Fourth Century has to have my respects even if the expensive and expansive wall that surrounded the city was soon to be found almost useless.

    

  Wall art / graffiti again reminds me of Los Angeles.

  And what would this blog be without a little more on blue doors?  

This little tabby cat comes up to me and follows me as I reach the main plaza once again.  He gives up after a block.  

I reach home and am greeted with a nice cuppa (cup of tea).  Dean leaves to get a GPS for tomorrow we are renting a car for the next portion of our trip.  First stop is Mont St. Michel.

I am left to explore our home. This place we got through airbnb (I know I am sounding like an ad but it has afforded us some incredible opportunities to stay at wonderful places and meet such interesting people) is certainly not the most luxurious  though it is quite large and has really good vibes.  The bathroom is fun.  You have to go through a saloon-type door to take a shower.  Inside a sign that says its wombat crossing. :) The owner has a lot of knick-knacks from Southeast Asia  and that already makes him way cool in my book.  He also has tons of books some of the greats in Spanish literature. And how not love a place that has antiques   that remind me of my little store and one which Tutu has claimed for his perch.  He is pretty stubborn just like this collectible bull which is my astrological sign.   Outside there is a kiddie park  that is for exclusive use of the building we are in, and on the other side is the park we visited yesterday.  In the middle some city work building and I catch a worker taking a break.  

I would cover the same ground I did this morning again, for when Dean returns we go out to dinner.  We settle in an Indian restaurant  where I have a vegetarian dish of spinach.   It was delicious.  We chat at length about the town with our Nepalese waiter.  He tells us how he came to Paris first and is now in Rennes.  How there isn’t much to do but he loves it here.  I may have to agree with that!!

As Walter Conkrite would say: “And that’s the way it is.”  Good-night.

A Blue Day :)

We arrive in Rennes.  The apartment owner, an IT guy for public television there, meets us, gives us the key and we crash.  Train travel just seems to tire us much. We barely have enough energy to go to the local Carrefour to buy some essentials (directions given by the sweetest old lady carrying a bag of groceries).  Wish I could have photographed her.  Her smile just illuminated an otherwise plain face that has not weathered the passing years well. Her bent over body by the weight of the bundle and the crushing force of years on her shoulder generously stopped to guide us. A good omen.

We sleep.  We wake. After almost four weeks in Paris (with some side trips) it is kind of odd to be in another city. The day is beautiful and there is just no excuse not to go off and explore.

There is a park right next to us and it seems to be an oasis, a place of peace.  It is. As soon as I enter I notice this wall of climbing roses that is really beautiful.     I’m liking this Parc Hamelin Oberthür  quite a bit.  Would you believe this is their community center?     One heck of a building  I direct my attention to a game that is being played and that I absolutely have never seen before.  Just blocks of wood involved here.  Does anyone know what it is? I didn’t want to interrupt the players and ask. Now I am regretting not doing so.

I should have warned you but I have acquired a new obsession which is blue doors. So you will see a lot of them. Please just resign yourself to it.🙂    This town, as many others, has a Rue de Paris – where we currently reside. Something like Main Street in the United States or 10th Street (my GPS could always find one in every city and state.) I wonder how Daisy (my GPS has a name) is doing. This one caught my attention because it is blue but primarily because the graffiti turned into little hearts.    I warned you, so here is another blue door along with windows to match.  I cross the street to photograph a garden by it.  That balcony up there seems just perfect to have some cheese, a baguette and wine at.     This single family home stands out.  The front gate made of iron and flanked by beautiful yellow roses, my mom’s favorite.    So toughtful of this town to place another sign so that I won’t get lost. This one is so French and almost Parisian in its white and black design.   Another beautiful home.  This is also a standard in France.  Rent-a-bikes.  First half hour is free and then you pay a nominal fee.  Wish I knew how to ride.  I can hear you snickering… please stop. I have a balance problem that never allowed me to learn. Really. 

I think it’s a blue themed day; this car made everyone turn their heads.      Yep, definitely a blue day.  This is the door to the municipal pool.  How cool is that?

And of course the sky is as blue as it gets.     We walk on and it makes me laugh to see this signage.  I thought Los Angeles parking signs were complicated!   We enter the street and it turns out to be such a wonderful surprise. 

But first, another blue door.  The little cobblestone street we are on is super narrow and it’s not pedestrian only so it becomes a tango dance between cars, scooter, people, and café signs.  All careful to not kick each other in a misstep. In fact, Dean needs to move this sign, as we sit in our chosen bistro, so that this car could go through.   The meal is fantastic.  I have a salmon salad and a fried fish.  Just ultra yummy.  No guilt, for by now I have lost any feeble attempt I may have made on this trip of continuing to keep a healthy, low-caloric diet.   Once well fed we carry on to discover some more.    And discover we do.  A little festival of sorts  where farm animals and their babies are brought so that children and adults can see them.  Also there are fresh, organic, farm offerings of eggs, meats, jams, and breads as well as crepes and sorbets, but we have eaten so we pass by rapidly.

This little piggy went to market…. Remember the children’s rhyme done on their toes?

These are La Limousine cows. Original from Limousin and not the ones you can ride on.🙂

These are examples of La Blonde D’Aquitaine.  

We continue on.  What?   And topple onto the most wonderful circle of buildings that I am smitten with.    

We enter an ice cream place that is all natural.  Sounds good.  And oh my gosh, was it!!!  Probably the best I’ve had on this trip.        I am loving the view of the plaza as well.  On home we go.    As we walk a little balloon is floating in the air. We turn into children and play volleyball with it for a while.  Can’t show you photos because I was way too busy having fun!  This square signals that our street is not so far away.  

And I can’t resist but bring you another blue door before I close mine to sleep. 

Memory Left Behind Brings Me Back

I left a memory card behind at one of our places. That’s bad.  Left it at our houseboat, Soleil.  That’s good.  I have been in contact with the new guest there and she has agreed to hand me the memory card – which the owner of the boat set aside for me – this morning at 10.  I wake up early and instead of hanging around I head out the door at barely 7:30.   I get lost going to the bathroom in my own home so this venturing out alone is a big thing. I usually get to where I am going… eventually.  But today everything runs smoothly. I expected to see lots of commuters but, to my surprise, they are not out yet.  I exit at the Trocadéro station instead of the Passy station (which is closer to the péniche) or Bir-Hakeim (which is closer to the Tower itself) so that I can enjoy the Trocadero Gardens and the walk, with the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine on the horizon, on my way to the dock.   The surroundings of the French icon are almost deserted.  This pigeon and I are the only ones perched on the ledge. Only difference is that he can’t be bothered with the tons of steel and looks the other way while I can’t get my eyes off it.

I descend the stairs and look back.   I am feeling like I own the place.  As I turn the corner a reminder that there are others who this belongs to more than me.  A man and his dog in what seems a daily routine.  A statue that is impassive as to my disappointment.   Another that seems as entranced with the tower as me.      And another reminder that the area belongs to those whose daily routine includes it. 

Is this a plea, made through graffiti, from the City of Love for me to love her or to just love?  Regardless, yes on both counts!   

I descend the stairs that will take me to Port Debilly,    where the little houseboat I called home is. It’s still early but I will check if perhaps they have woken up and can be found enjoying a cup of coffee on the deck.  The weeping willow marks the spot.    The roses in the garden under it have bloomed.  I call out to Fifi (aka: Yaya) but she is nowhere to be found, as neither are the new inhabitants of Soleil.  I head in the opposite direction past the bridge.  I follow the jogger  at a much more relaxed pace. My step is slow but my heart beats fast. This city energizes me. No roses to smell on this side but lots to focus my eyesight on.  A statue peeking from between the branches of a tree.      And the Statue of Liberty raising her torch from the prow of a boat, oblivious that she is only a mini-me version of the one in the New York harbor and that she is being overpowered by the Eiffel Tower.   I have to make some time till our rendezvous and it occurs to me that the new guests, which have moved in only yesterday afternoon, would appreciate some good croissants to start their day.  I know of an excellent pattiserie close to the boat so I head to my familiar underpass to reach it.    In it there is a homeless man that has parked his mobile home of shopping cart and bags for the night here.  I almost feel like I am barging into his home but still try to take a photo unnoticed.  Unfortunately the result is a blurry mess. 

My gaze is directed up when I come out of the underpass.  That apartment on the tippy top would be kinda nice to live in.   I’m on Rue de L’Alboni  where I will take the steps up,

passing the Passy station that doesn’t hold the best of memories.  Click here to read about it.  As I prepare to cross the street I spot this couple with their dog that seems so in sync both in color-matching clothing as in direction of their gaze.    Think I’ll have my morning coffee there before going to the patisserie. I cross the street.  Spot a familiar face on that billboard.   I sit and enjoy seeing the city wake up around me.   I go buy the croissants and return towards Passy  to descend the rose flanked   stairway  

I cross Kennedy Avenue.    And go into the underpass again.  The homeless guy has relocated. It is now being used by business people in their bikes.    Half of the recently married couple that is staying at the boat is saying good-bye to her husband as I approach.  They are a lovely Irish couple on their honeymoon.  I give them some pointers on the area, hand them their croissants, they hand me my memory card and I head back hoping that the world hasn’t woken up, that I can return home with a conviction that Paris and I had a thing going on if only for a little while.    But that was not to be for as I climb the stairs I see the tourist are out in droves.  This statue just seems to shrug and say “What did you expect? They are always here!”   I go back into the metro and amuse myself taking photos of the different stations.  In 1999 the programme Renouveau du Métro was implemented, renovating designs, styles and decoration of the different metro stations. Still a work in progress.  Each station has its own “identity”. The benches are all in one color at each station to help recognize them at a glance.  République is yellow.   Belleville (as is Trocadero -please see above) is green.  My station Pyrénées, at least until today, is orange.   And, of course there is the confused one…  The metro’s tiles are beautiful in all of the stations.    The interminable stairs that take you to many floors above are a constant in all. Some with escalators and some without.     I exit   and reach the yellow door  of the building in just a few steps. I still get a thrill of using my key or code to a place that I feel as ours in a city that becomes, at least temporarily, one we call home.

I take the steps instead of the elevator.  I lie face up for a brief moment admiring the moulding in this old building.   Open the closet to start packing.   These old buildings rarely have closets and most buy an antique one to match the architecture. Sometimes because it is cheaper than buying an Ikea one (which is huge in Europe).  I close the pink Ikea curtains that coupled with the old mirror, and maybe my not so good eyesight, gives my skin color a soft hue which is quite glorious.  Will miss that combination.🙂  One last look at the entryway/kitchen.  And we are off to train station to take the TGV to Rennes where our next adventure will begin or, better said, where our adventure continues.

We are not leaving from Gare du Nord which is massive, chaotic at all times, and where someone tried to scam us.  I am grateful for that.  We are leaving from Gare Montparnasse which isn’t as big but to my dismay, upon arrival, turns out to be as chaotic as Gare du Nord.  What I also notice is that at these major hubs the signage is not the greatest so we roam around a bit with our luggage in tow before we find where to buy the tickets.  We both have the same method of travel which usually is no method at all (though at times we do plan ahead) and it serves us well in the most part except when buying tickets on the train. The Eurostar was bought months in advance and was quite reasonably priced.  The ticket to Rennes was bought on the day and we end up paying almost double if we had bought it ahead of time.    Our train leaves in 35 minutes  so we wait.

The train is comfortable and we settle in for our two-hour ride. 

As the train lulls Dean to sleep the clouds have my gaze and my imagination starts weaving stories of what may lie ahead.

 

Versailles and Toto in One Day

We wake up early (this is becoming a pattern it seems) and head to the metro that will take us to the RER train which we will take.  Looking through the window, and past the bars in the wagon, I see a flash of an image of a weeping willow that will be forever ingrained in my psyche and my heart for it is under it that our péniche, Soleil, resides.  The dark clouds, the drizzle outside and the quickness in which we pass it do nothing to dampen the happy feeling had.

I take a quick photo and it is a bad one but here it is.   

After catching a glimpse of my little haven in Paris, a houseboat I considered my palace, we are going to Versailles, a palace with much greater notoriety, grandeur, and appeal. A fine drizzle does not cease for the full half hour the train ride takes. I wonder if it will dampen our visit.   I will soon find out since we are here.  We are promptly directed to cross the street for tickets which isn’t quite the truth since it’s a tour company where you buy a tour/ticket combination.  But it has headed us in the right direction and we follow the crowd.  It’s around 10:00 am and even with the bad weather and being a weekday, there is a huge amount of people as we approach the Chateau de Versailles.

There is a huge, interminable line to enter The Palace so we decide then and there, as we wait in line to buy the tickets, that we will visit the gardens first, rain and all.

I entertain myself with how they have chosen to decorate the area where you wait in line, or as my Brit an Aussie friends would say: where we queue up.

We get our tickets  and as we walk to the gardens I find it a bit unsettling that there are guards/army guys with rifles all over.  I laugh internally because these very official looking guys were merely on a break and heading to the cafeteria.    This I don’t find unsettling at all… the gardens flanked by the palace are impressive, the dark skies and rain not being able to lessen its impact.

But just in case I have forgotten to look down Dean points to what at first glance looks like little colorful buttons on the fence. On close inspection they are little snails which are probably just loving this weather where no one stops for them. Suddenly escargots in butter and garlic (a dish I actually like) doesn’t seem so appealing.

Yo dude… look up!

So after this demand from the little cherub above I concentrate more on the statues we pass as we walk.  Le Printemps (Spring)    is in the right time of the year, since summer hasn’t officially started, but it feels like fall -cool and rainy.  But perhaps daybreak,  represented here  may bring a sunny day.

The gardens cover such a huge expanse. 

They are impeccably manicured and for now a bit deserted for not many want to walk under the light rain.  I’m not cold yet so I am truly enjoying the semi-solitude it gives us

 Lonely paths. 

The plants and flowers in the garden are beautiful.  You can also find flowers of the inanimate kind. 

Though I have a green thumb I lack the skill of shaping a tree to do this:   I can only imagine how incredible the water fountain show is coming out of these.    This path just charmed me.  From nature we go into The Grand Trianon.  “A little pink marble palace with delightful gardens” is how Mansart, the architect, described it in 1867.   We find Empress Marie-Louse’s bedroom.  Originally it was Louis XIV’s bedchamber but she is the one that furnished the place as it is today with the exception of the bed which belonged to Napoleon.  It’s a little too pink for my taste.  The Room of Mirrors, the furniture was sold during the Revolution and replaced by Napoleon. The archduchess Marie-Louise, Marie-Antoinette’s great-niece, whom the emperor married after divorcing Josephine used it as her drawing room.  I rarely carry a mirror in my purse.  Don’t think I’d like a room where I couldn’t avoid looking at myself!    Don’t remember if this was in it but since we are on the subjects of mirrors… This is the family room. Doesn’t seem too cozy to me.  Even all this opulence does not stop me from diverting my gaze towards the outside.    To have a peek of Marie-Antoinette’s private life we go to her estate which, compared to The Grand Trianon, is almost rustic in feel. At least the hamlet is.   Starting with the Queen’s Garden.    

It’s The Petite Trianon  is beautiful inside and is impressing me more than The Grand Trianon.  Perhaps because it has a music room with a harp and a theater (which we did not see).    And a billard room with the biggest pool table I’ve ever seen.  Her bedroom sitting room.

Once outside, the light rain is no more. It’s graduated to a Rain with a capital R.  There’s a little shuttle bus/choo-choo-train that shuttles people for an additional fee between The Grand Trianon, Marie-Antoinette’s Estate and the Palace which we decide to wait in line for rather than walk the miles in between under the rain.  In back of us in line is a family from San Diego who we chat with.   Arriving to the Palace we find the line has dwindled to nothing and silly of us, thought the crowds had too. Nope, once inside it feels like there are a million people which makes it a bit harder to enjoy.     

I think if this guy, Henry D’Aguesseau, – a French Chancellor -says to stop, I definitely would.  But for now I have another window to look out of.   What’s this?  A souvenir shop in the middle of the Palace and among antique statues? Me don’t like.   I’m sure that Michel de L’Hopital, a statesman from the 1500’s, would not approve either.     This is what I had to battle with to take the previous photos.  Ugh, claustrophobia may be kicking in soon.

 Without the crowds.

With it.     Beautiful with or without people.

Without crowds.  

With crowds.    That was the Mars salon which is a planet and also a God of War. A bedroom.   

Probably the most famous room of all:  The Hall of Mirrors.  Merely a passageway and waiting room and an over the top feast for the eyes. 357 mirrors adorn the 17 arches in this room. A paradise for those who like to see themselves reflected.        

I like the figure of a goth girl strolling through it looking ahead, not much interest displayed.  

This is me, bringing you yet another photo. :)   And now to the Queen’s Antechamber where the family had its meals.   Can someone show me how to fold napkins like this please?  What a beautiful door.  One that may lead me outdoors and even though the rain hasn’t ceased it is starting to look really like paradise just to be able to get away from the hustle and bustle of the thousand of tourists swarming around.  

     Yes, I want to be out there!  So a sculpture later, which clearly depicts a lung,   and we are out.  Yay!

I’m hungry (Isn’t that rare?) so again I do not complain when we head into the first fast food we find which happens to be another upscale McDonald’s where a few Americans are talking and saying that these Frenchies are going to feel very disappointed if they go to one of our McDonald’s.  Yeah, they probably would but they would like the prices.   Into the RER we go.  It will take us back home. This one doesn’t want to let us forget where we came from. Seems that it is trying to be as ornate and over the top as Versailles.  :)    We get to the apartment,      quickly change and off we go again for we are going to see Toto!

We take a cab and follow the people. The Zenith Center (Le Zenith) is one of the most important concert halls in Paris.  

What a fabulous day and what a way to end it.  We dance (we were practically on stage) to the tune of songs like: Rosanna, Africa, Hold the Line and I’ll Be Over You, taking me back in time!!  

Finding a New Obsession… or Two, or Three.

We move again.  This time from a hotel to another apartment.  It is also the day that my scene will be shot.  The day starts relatively early for us since there is quite a bit to be accomplished.  For now I lazily get out of bed and go down to the café for breakfast.  A sacred ritual that must not be set aside even in the most hectic of days.  Must not let a heavenly croissant and noisette wait long. I watch daily life pass us by as I sip and go over my lines mentally.   Then it’s onward to finish packing, doing my hair and getting into a taxi to our next home.  We get one quickly.  On the way he tells us that the neighborhood we are staying at is very much a village within a city.  I’m liking the sound of that.  We have been given instructions to ring the bell of the apartment owner’s neighbor and that she will give us the key and let us in.  Filming starts at 1:00.  It’s 11:30 and no one answers the bell. I breathe in and try not to think that I still have to find my wardrobe (for the shoot) in the suitcase, iron it (after searching for the iron in a new place), get make-up ready, hair retouched and centered for the scene.  We text the guy.  We wait. I breathe. I entertain myself with the floor tiles which are old and I really like.  He texts back from California where he lives. That amuses me. I’m in his place in Paris while he is in my hometown. He, on the other hand probably isn’t amused since I think it’s about 2:00 am for him when we text.  We ring her again and she finally answers.  So we go in, and my mad dash begins.  Clothes found.  Iron inexistent.  Ring neighbor. May we borrow your iron?  Check.  Iron.  Good that I don’t have to search for the adapter. Go over lines. Make-up done. Hair retouched. And is it a film wrap (end of filming)?  No. It barely has begun. We film. I grab my camera when they do the other actress’ close up.   They shoot my close up and then it really is a wrap!

The next day I wake up to my usual calm self. I look out the bathroom window and see the usual windows with flower boxes that I so like to look at. 

We are off to the Sacre Coeur but knowing us, there will be a lot side trips before destination.  Already after coming out of the metro  I see so much to photograph.  An old car  that seems to be positioned just right for people to capture it on film.  I find it amusing that it is parked next to a café that is called Le Progrés (progress).  Is it trying to say something to this antique car?  Would love to identify what kind of a car this is. This building caught my attention  not so much by its architecture but because it was on the top of a steep street and would probably have the best views. I find the balcony  that I would like to look out of every morning (second after the deck from our beloved péniche, Soleil, on the Seine.) We are in Montmartre; I’m hungry.  Grant you, no relation of one thought to the other but in my mind there is, for as soon as I see a place to eat my pace quickens and ends up in this café, Le Carrousel, which has gotten terrible reviews but I found really good with great friendly service.  I do notice, as I am heading there this group of women that have stamped on their T-shirt my feelings about this city: “J’adore Paris!” Once my tummy is full  we continue our exploration of the area. I’m enjoying seeing bits of life happening around me.  A woman kneeling down to get water from a fountain for her dog.   Streets so steep it seems that they are going right into other buildings. Signs that make me think and laugh internally.  Imagining a conversation that goes somewhat like this:  Hi! Where are you staying? At My Hotel in France. Really?  Which one? Just My Hotel in France. Oh?  You own one?  Buildings that keep on making me look up.    Then off to see a street, rue Cavallotti, that a friend had mentioned to me that when the shutters are down, art comes up.          Aside from the shutters I look into the few stores that are not shutter closed.  I love the mannequin on the window of a vintage clothing store with the reflection of a building on the glass.   A Do Not Enter sign made cute by graffiti.  We walk on and bump into Le Moulin Rouge.  The plaza is teaming with tourist, tour buses, people in line to go in.  I would like to see a can can dance but the place is crazy expensive and we have already done something crazy at Les Jules Vernes so I content myself to look from the outside.  Loving the red car in front of the place matching with the Moulin. As usual I find a window to be amused by.    We walk a bit more. Loving the ups, downs and curves.     And enjoying seeing an old windmill on top of the restaurant Le Moulin de la Galette.  Wait, a windmill?  Yep, one of only two remaining from 1717 (from 14 originally).    Did you know about D.E. Inghelbrecht? He was a pretty famous self-taught composer and director and we pass the building he lived in where he also has a statue commemorating him.     We are starting the roundabout climb to the Sacre Coeur.   I have a feeling this restaurant has been photographed a lot.  I look up, as always, and photograph one of its windows. It has a flower and bull (symbol for Taurus which is my astrological sign). 

Here is probably the most bought souvenir image Tournée du Chat Noir and just in case you have been wondering as to the history, as I was, click here. More windows.   And please say it ain’t so… a Starbucks amongst all this?   A gallery window to counteract.   Wall art of something I couldn’t possibly have in this town.  And more wall art of something that rhymes with it, but could be closely linked to it in reality.  Repression often brings depression. 

I’m learning so much about people I didn’t know existed.  Now we see the house where Maurice Neumont, a lithographer and painter who made propaganda posters, died. And I am loving the door.    

I may have a new obsession with street art.    

I try not to dilly dally though, because the Sacre Coeur is just ahead.   I go into the basilica remembering my mom. The view from up here has always been so magnificent. 

We eventually make our way down passing the carousel.  Frankly the view looking up isn’t half bad either! 

    

I wonder if this guy ever gets tired of his view? His apartment faces the basilica.  

Well, time to go back home so we get on back into the streets,  into the metro,   and are able to reach home with enough light to look out the window onto a garden in the sky that our neighboring penthouse has.  

I know I have said this before but I do love this town!!

A Paris Return

The day for another departure.  This time it is Tutu that is having a bit of an I-don’t-want-to-leave! fit.  Now that he has found a companion, he is not looking forward to the new destination.  But, alas, he has no choice, and in he goes into my suitcase after bidding farewell to his new pink friend. I head to the kitchen.  Look out the window,  wash a few dishes and I am ready. We go to the Amiens Station one more time.  At Gare du Nord, still a bit frazzled when I finally find a ticket booth (see my post about that day here) I find myself tired of speaking or attempting to speak French so I ask in English for 2 round-trip tickets to Amiens.  The woman asks me in English if I can make the one leaving in 5 minutes, I say no, next one is in 30 minutes, I say great, she asks how many and I repeat 2 round-trips to Amiens. She gives them to me.  So when we go to the Amiens station we go straight to the train that takes us back to Paris.  On the train the ticket-taker comes, we hand him the tickets and oops, not a return ticket after all.  Oh sorry, so here is our fare.  Not enough? What? We each get charged 25 Euros fine for not having a ticket. Lesson learned to check and recheck tickets… maybe.

Today, instead of using airbnb, we have decided to check into a hotel, Super Hotel, (Super for super tiny rooms perhaps?) next to Pére Lachaise where we will be filming tomorrow. We are staying only one night. The place is miniscule.   Tutu goes into a corner still complaining about being alone.  But the neighborhood is lively and I like it.  The réalisateur (I think in French it has a nicer ring to it than “director”) scouts the neighborhood he is already quite familiar with.  I chill.  We reunite and go to dinner. I just love these very Parisian bistros.  And the bonus was that the food was quite good.       The morning of filming starts off in a very laid back way. We have coffee  at our local café since we can’t make it in the room. Of course, accompanied by the proverbial croissant which is flaky airy and delicious pretty much everywhere.   So much so that all I could photograph was this empty plate.    Today I have no responsibilities but to tag along so while they prepare to film, I laugh at Parisian parking skills.  Seems that they feel that they can park anywhere!   But on close inspection, he has a ticket or a warning that he will have to contend with!    The filming begins.   My attention goes to windows with flowers.  And as we walk to the next location, of balconies loaded with figurines I’m partial to: elephants.    We enter our next location.    Gratefully, it does not rain though it does threaten to at times.   I walk around.  So sad to see some mausoleums bordering on being neglected.  v I continue to roam and come to a moving tribute   to those who perished  in concentration camps.

Filming goes on.    I am again saddened by a mausoleum of what seems to be a young boy.    Looking up, something that seems so out of place.    The statues and their poses capture me.  

Before I realize it, it’s a day’s wrap.  We leave.   

It’s been good.  We open our laptops, play a bit on them, and then go off to eat in a neighborhood Indian restaurant which was surprisingly terrific.  Back to the hotel and tomorrow we shall move on to our next location. Where to next…?