Cher mes amis, Yesterday began about 9:30 when our guests, Michelle, Bill, and Isabella Shory came to us in Le Marais. They are staying in the beautiful and very Americanized Marriott on Les Champs, and we wanted to introduce them to true Parisian life in our apartment. After the “oohs” and “wows” to our 16th century apartment building, they […]
Bonjour, Monday morning in Paris was full of fun, at least for me. I convinced Bernie to seek out a concept store called Merci, rather famous it seems and right in our neighborhood. I was more enthralled than Bernie with the ambiance and unique displays. Here’s a quote from web site www.theinfatuation.com: “If you want […]
Bonjour, Sundays in Paris are my favorite as the morning quiet is unlike any other day. The traffic is minimal and many of the streets in the Marais become pedestrian only for Sunday afternoon shopping and strolling. There is an amazing desire for all good things to stay the same, but alas, they rarely do. […]
Bonjour mes amis, Saturday is always the busiest day of the week in Paris, especially in the afternoon, as people pour out on the streets for weekly shopping and playing. The weather is gorgeous right now…low 70’s with a nice breeze. Let’s hope it holds and we avoid the horrible heat wave we had last […]
Bonjour! It’s a very early day here for me in Paris trying to get body clocks, eating habits, and body systems reset. Always a challenge and more so with each year. Now, I didn’t say that we’re getting old, but that’s what we’re all thinking…Ha! It’s a lot for anyone at any age, but more […]
Bonjour mes amis, We had an awesome event last night for Le Dîner en Blanc in Decatur alongside the Tennessee River. The weather was near perfect though a bit warm at first. We felt raindrops only as we were departing on the bus at 10:15pm. The weather gods couldn’t have been nicer to us. Le […]
All – The link below will take you to the Mezza Luna promotion on the Diner en Blanc Decatur Facebook page! Please share with your friends and encourage them put on their favorite white outfit, to go to Mezza Luna and post a photo with #MezzaLunaHSV, #FlyHSV, #DEBDecatur2018 for a chance to win a […]
Dear Friends, Later this spring, a very special, exclusive, never-before-event is coming to our area…Diner en Blanc. You’ve heard me blog about this before from Paris… where everyone rushes to a secret, pre-arranged spot by invitation only to have dinner in the open air. Everyone dresses in white. We’ve gotten to see this twice in our […]
Dear Friends, Just a few more photos from around Vail village before we catch our plane out later this morning. A tip to those who plan to visit some day: fly into Eagle/Vail Airport if you can and not Denver International. DIA is a 2-hour drive to Vail and the smaller, regional airport is only […]
Dear Friends, I promised more photos from our trip to Vail so here goes. But first you might find it interesting to hear about what’s the same and what’s different about Vail from nearly a dozen trips through the years. What’s the same…the beautiful snowy trails on the mountain, the pricey shops and restaurants, the […]
Dear Friends, Snow skiing has been one of the most fun parts of my life for the past thirty years. And many of my ski trips were spent in Vail, Colorado with my friend, Jane Jattuso. Jane co-owned a lovely condo and generously shared her hospitality with me. As the years have gone by, Jane […]
Dear Friends, This morning I took Bernie to the airport for a journey to France without me. I feel a bit like a lost puppy as we’ve traveled there together for the last 15 years. He will be attending the funeral of his cousin, Jean-Paul Weiss in Alsace near the German border. He passed away […]
Dear Friends, Barbara Buice, my friend and golfing buddy of 20 years, passed away on November 9 after many, many months of pain and sickness. Though I miss her terribly, I am so glad that she is finally pain-free and at peace. The obituary in the paper was shy of telling her full story so […]
Dear Friends, It’s early on Monday morning and we are docked in New York City, ready to disembark. What a night! We hit a terrible storm with 15-foot waves again. Proud to say that neither of us got sick but it was close about midnight! I was dosed up on Bonine and another seasick medicine […]
Dear Friends, I’m sorry that my blogging has been so sporadic, but our internet connectivity has been hit or miss. So I’m doing the best I can. Our cabin steward just stopped me in the hall to let me know that he would be bringing in our veranda furniture for tonight because the weather is […]
Dear Friends, I posted some of these pictures on Facebook, but for those who aren’t on FB, here’s another rendition. We loved the town of Halifax, Nova Scotia and especially Peggy’s Cove, which is a tiny but scenic fishing village about thirty minutes from downtown. History abounds in this area for several reasons: 1. The […]
Bonjour from Canada! Bernie and I have been cruising down the St. Lawrence River and onto the Eastern seaboard for a 10-day cruise with the Burritt group. We’d love to share our photos with you. I’m very behind because if poor connectivity. Originally, we arrived in Montreal and were greeted at the airport by an […]
Bonjour, It’s almost time to bid you au revoir until next year! Today, Sunday, after we pack, we’ll make a shortened trip to the Champs to see the parade and the gaggle of bicyclists as they make a few spins around the Arc de Triomphe for the final stage of Le Tour de France. I will not […]
Bonjour mes amis, Hasn’t it been fun being together for almost two months and allowing us to share Paris with you? We’ve loved it and hope we’ve taught you to see this wonderful city in a tender way. Life here is sometimes difficult, but so worth it in every regard. It’s not for everyone, I […]
Bonjour, Yesterday was wonderful…cool, breezy, and such a relief from the oppressive heat. Our plan had been to have a picnic lunch down by the river but some rain thwarted that just as it was almost time to go. We will try again today. Speaking of the river, we are a bit dismayed that the […]
Bonjour, Early yesterday morning, we got a few drops of rain which only served to create a steam bath outside for the rest of the day. It’s too hot to sleep or even to eat much. We resent these hot days as our visit winds down because it prohibits our usual circulation. We chose to […]
Bonjour, Yes, it was hot in Paris yesterday, a high of 93, but not too steamy to discover a few wonderful delights. Before the temps soared, I was out doing some shopping which I have saved to the end of our trip: a new pair of walking shoes and a new shoulder purse. The very […]
Salut! Some days in Paris are like days at home, rather mundane and ordinary, especially when temps begin to soar as they did yesterday. Looks like the heat will be with us today with 93 the predicted high. Maybe that doesn’t sound so bad, but consider no air-conditioning; and the heat takes on an entirely […]
Bonjour mes amis, Yesterday in Paris, we visited the renovated Hôtel de Crillon on La Place de la Concorde (number 10) which has been closed for four years for major structural changes and exquisite amenity upgrades. They have added a spa, enlarged rooms, enhanced the infrastructure, but much of the ambiance of the hotel many of […]
Bonjour, After such a busy Bastille Day, we enjoyed a very leisurely Saturday in Paris yesterday in great weather. For two old souls, Bernie and I have been running wide open, it seems, since we got here. There’s only one more week to go…just doesn’t seem possible that time can pass so quickly! One quick […]
Bonjour, We hit the bed at 1am last night after a very busy day enjoying one of the most colorful, festive days in France. By 10am, we were in position on the best bridge to watch the fly-over from the start of the parade along with a small crowd and even benches for seating. It’s […]
Bonjour, It is Quatorze Julliet, the 14th of July, or Bastille Day, here in Paris. It will be a wild, crazy, loud day and night as the festivities are many. We plan to assume our usual spot on the Pont d’Arcole, a bridge on the Seine, where we can watch the magnificent fly-by of the bleu, blanc, […]
Bonjour mes amis, Yesterday was a cool, cloudy day in Paris, remaining in the low 70’s most of the day. We assisted our guests with their laundry, and then Bernie and I did all the necessary grocery shopping for a party this evening in the apartment for friends and neighbors. Jim & Peggy Bilbro arrived […]
Bonjour, Today’s post will be quite lengthy because we have a treat for you. Bernie’s son, James, very much wanted to see the Dior exposition that just opened in Paris as did I so we made that our Tuesday project. It was showing at Les Arts Decoratif which is part of the Louvre palace on rue […]
Bonjour, Monday in Paris was cool and rainy, and we waked up to news that many parts of the city had flooded due to the violent storm the night before. Several subway stations were closed in some of the outer arrondissements as water poured down the subway entrances and right into the stations. It looked […]
Bonjour, Our time in Soultz was short but wonderful. We had our last amazing meal at noon from Chefs Laurie & Pierre (they work as a team to prepare all the food) consisting of a “starter” of langastinos and mango followed by wonderful roasted lamb and potatoes, then an “ice cake,” and of course du […]
Bonjour, Yesterday in Soultz was hot! We seem to bring the heat with us wherever we go. It must be the Alabama connection though I see where Huntsville has had storms, rain, wind, and flash floods. We did receive a thunderstorm last evening which has cooled down the weather for today. Merci beaucoup! Bernie and […]
Bonjour from Alsace, We were scheduled to leave Paris at 4pm on the 6th of July, expecting to be at our destination by 7pm. The TGV (high speed) train was an hour and a half late leaving Le Gare de Lyon because of a problem on the track. We never knew more than that, but […]
Bonjour mes amis, Yesterday, we had a new experience in Paris…a visit to the top of La Grande Arch in the modern section of Paris called La Defense. We have seen the Arch many times, but never gone to the top for the view. It was hot and hazy but very nice. Yes, the heat […]
Haussmann & the Revival of Paris Bonjour, Yesterday, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the grand boulevards of Paris, including Boulevard Haussmann, Boulevard Capucines, and Boulevard des Italienes. If you plan to come to Paris or have already been, take five minutes to read the attached article. Baron Haussmann created the Paris we all know […]
Dear Friends, Since most of you are spending your time enjoying the long holiday weekend in the USA, I will do a collective post over a few days. On Sunday morning around 11am in Paris, it was 58 degrees, cold and rainy. Incredible. I believe we are having what is usually a cool, wet June […]
Bonjour mes amis, Inevitabley, we are tourists, mais oui? And we still enjoy what some locals might find rather gauche. Our attitude is to embrace what is fun and enjoyable regardless of how it might rate on the Parisian sophistication scale. Dinner at Le Train Bleu is an example and was our way to create a […]
Happy July to everyone, We continued our fun days with Brooke and Kayla amid a cool, rainy Saturday in Paris. Temps hovered in the high 60’s. One of the “must-do’s” for Brooke was a cup of chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) at the very famous tearoom, Angelina’s, on rue de Rivoli. There are several locations in Paris […]
Bonjour, It’s truly amazing to experience the switch in Paris weather, from 100 degrees last week to mid-60’s this week. We pulled out long pants, coats, raincoats, sweaters, scarves and made a day at Montmartre with our two very pleasant guests. They are so courteous, thoughtful, appreciative, and congenial with no whining, complaining, or second […]
Dear friends, Meet Brooke and Kayla who arrived in Paris midday yesterday. Brooke is Debbie Dryer’s daughter, and she and Kayla were in the same sorority in college and best friends. Kayla works in South Carolina in the medical field, and Brooke lives and works in Atlanta as an industrial engineer for AT&T. They came […]
Bonjour mes amis, It was a rainy Tuesday in Paris after all as we finally got the steady downpour over several hours in the afternoon. That, of course, curtailed our activity, but not before we made a trip to rue Mouffetarde in the Latin Quarter near Le Sorbonne or Paris University. It’s a delightful, quaint, […]
Dear Friends, It’s Tuesday morning here in Paris, and we have a few raindrops…only a few. The city needs rain badly as it’s only rained one time since our arrival on June 1. Everything is dusty and dry with some of the leaves dropping from trees. Hopefully, the day will bring a good downpour and […]
Bonjour mes amis, Yesterday was a perfect weather day in Paris under beautiful blue skies and 70 degree temps. At least once while we’re here, we try to make a service and communion at the American Cathedral of Paris. I have written about it so, so many times. It’s high Anglican, gorgeous but not gaudy […]
Salut! The weekend began with a bit of trauma for me. I collected some of my dresses, blouses, shorts, and capris to wash on delicate cycle…only to forget to put the water temperature on cold. So you know where this is going…everything including my white blouse and capris came out a teal blue like one […]
Bonjour, Yesterday, after putting the family into a taxi, we started our day by meeting some new friends, Clive and Carolyn, who are from the UK, follow our blog, and have enjoyed our book. We had an espresso and pastry in the area, shared our stories which are a bit similar and accepted some lovely […]
Bonjour, It’s Friday morning and as the kids leave for Alabama, the temperature is about 60 degrees! The heat wave finally let go last evening around 8pm which led to a better night’s rest, hopefully, for everyone. We spent our final day yesterday in the Louvre which for the most part is air-conditioned, though there […]
Bonjour mes amis, Can one have a miserable day in Paris? Yes, it would seem so when the temps soar to 100 degrees in no air-conditioning or what the Parisians call “un canicule.” The longest day of the year didn’t turn out so well for us. We had such anticipation of sharing La Fête de […]
Good morning everyone! I hope you’re reading this in the cool of air-conditioning wherever you are, and sympathizing with us who are sweltering in the heat of Paris! Poor us, right? Well, maybe not. I’d rather be here in the heat than just about anywhere, but there appears to be no end in sight. We […]
Bonjour, Between 94-degree weather and another terrorist attack, perhaps it was a good day to be out of Paris and into the sweet peace of Normandy. Our weather was much cooler with ocean breezes most of the day…and an intimate look at French countryside for the family. Nothing is quite like winding along tiny French […]
Bonjour, A quick hello this morning before we head off to Normandy via train/rental car for another hot, hot, day in France. It’s supposed to go up to almost 90 today! Our agenda was full yesterday as we zipped around to places on the list of “must-see’s” for the family. I’ll let the pictures tell […]
