When sisters come to visit!!!

So, the reason why I was MIA for a little bit is because my younger sister came to visit us in France!

She is my artsy, yin to my yang. We look nothing alike, have exactly opposite personalities, and grate on each others nerves and yet, I can't imagine my life without her in it (or any of my sisters or brother for that matter). Life would be too boring without the ability to see things through her eyes. She helps me break out of my comfort zone in a way totally different than with my husband.

You have husbands...and then you have sisters.

Seesters!

So this is a blog post dedicated to the top 15 photos from her stay with us, starting with a good cup of hot coffee-chocolate I had before she came to visit, I call it preparation, but some call it a caffeine addiction:

Whatever you want to call it, it's delicioso!

Okay, that done, now we can start the top 15 beginning with Paris

Pont des Arts, or the Lock Bridge, has a bag piper.

Looking out at the Louvre from behind the clock in Musée D'Orsay

Next stop: Chantilly

The Large Stables at the Château de Chantilly

Statue of Venus in the Gardens

The actual Château de Chantilly is just beautiful

The lone swan

My sister in a nutshell: whimsical and gorgeous.

A house that is both stunning and creepy in Chantilly

Last stop: Normandy France to see the wonder, Le Mont Saint Michel

On the bus to Mont Saint Michel passing fields of "Colza" or
Canola flowers, my husband's favorite fields here in France, after we took a train

The Mont Saint Michel in all its glory

Ivy wall

The happy couple on the steps of the Mont

Perfect morning in Normandy before the tourists arrived for the day

Majestic. There is no other word for this view looking out at the bay from the
Mont Saint Michel and no adjustment made to the photo either!

The best cloister I've ever beheld, only found on the Mont Saint Michel

And there you go! The top 15 from the past two weeks.
Consider it a blog postcard from me to you!
Until next time,

Bisous!

Sorely Behind in Blogging (a.k.a. April part 2)

So, hope you all weren't holding your breath from the last post to this one. (Sorry about that!) It's just, well, um...alright, no excuses. I just plain forgot to update. And I can't even blame it on being old either.

Anyway, without further ado, here's is Part 2 of K&R's visit to France!

Lest we forget who K and R are, here's a lovely shot of the two of them enjoying a Sunday afternoon in the Luxemburg Gardens:

The happy in-laws!

Now, off to Giverny!

You know, the home of this guy:

Claude Monet

We were truly blessed to have great weather that day. A little cloudy at first and then sun! We got to walk around Monet's gardens and even see his home.

The first thing you see when you enter.

 As we walked around the mini lake/pond where he painted his famous waterlilies, we came across his Japanese bridge!

This is what I call, "Monet in a nutshell"

 Continuing our walk, the air was lightly scented with the fragrance of Spring.

Mr. K's shot. He has a good eye, don't you think?

 Well, I know where Mr. K gets his good eye! Like Father, like Son!

The elusive K

As we left that day, I spied a gander of geese. No, not real geese (although that would have been cool). Topiary geese! How Beatrix Potter-esque!

I just keep thinking of the movie, "Miss Potter" when I see this

We had a lovely time and yes, we were sad to leave (who wouldn't be with all the gorgeous gardens around us!). But, we had something worth while to do that night: Dinner at Trocadero Plaza to see the Eiffel Tower!

Family shot!

If you can, eat at a cafe at Trocadero and then go see the Tower at night. So pretty. So worth it. Just do it!

 Even if a storm is coming in like we had that night.

The lighting is just neat!

We went to Disneyland the next day, but I didn't take any photos that day. Sorry! But, you can see the few I did take here.
And so the last day they were here, we went to, where else, Versailles Palace! They had seen the interior so we spent our day walking around the gardens and experiencing the loveliness that is Les Grandes Eaux Musicales (fountains running to Baroque music).

Daffodils anyone?

Some fountains for your fancy:

These last two aren't really fountains, but they were in an area with fountains...that counts for something, right?

It's called being in the right place at the right time.

To end the day, we had Italian Ice Cream (not gelato, basically soft serve) and it was YUMMY! 
Lucky for us, we could take a bus right back home from Versailles without all the hassel of driving.

Sidenote: I like the public transportation in France (when it isn't striking). When it works, it's perfect!

As I said, earlier, K and R left the next morning. 
Sad that they left? Yep, not a dry eye in the appartment after K's prayer. Happy that they came? You betcha!
Will we see them again soon? Yes indeedy. September can't come soon enough! And this time it'll be in CA!

Woo hoo! CA is GRRRREAT! (Still doesn't beat FL though...I love my home state). And congrats to the in-laws for selling their CT home. Exciting times!

Guess that's all for now!
Bisous!

April in France-Part 1

Bonjour tout le monde!

Recent family visit explains the delay in blog updates. We had a visit from my in-laws, K and R, from the States.
Funny, their name almost sounds like a ranch name, huh?
"Welcome to the K & R Bar None. Reckon I'll see ya around..."
Hmmm...maybe not.
Moving on.

Anyway, they came in on a Saturday and left on a Monday, spending 10 glorious days with us! Here's a picture guide of a few of the activities we did.

Went to Paris to see the Paris Marathon and heard a drumline at the Place de la Concorde playing for the runners.

Can you feel the excitement?!

 Went to the Tuileries Gardens of the Louvre on our way to the Musée de l'Orangerie for Free Museum Sunday. It was there that we saw the gardens completely deserted.

I like to call this shot, "Empty Chairs at Empty Fountains"

Following that we walked to the Panthéon, but couldn't get in for free. So we passed on going inside but ate at a crêperie with this as our view:

Then we relaxed in the Luxembourg Gardens and got to hear a free live band concert performed by a CA high school on tour. So neat and the children were very talented.

The kids clinging to the railing were so cute. Band groupies. Got to love them!

Then off to St. Michel and St. Germain des Pres for some macarons and chocolate. At the fountain, there was a piano man. Very good too! I love Paris when it's good weather. All the musicians come out and the city just comes alive with talent.

Tuesday we went to Tours, France to see some châteaux of the Loire valley with an English tour guide.

The last time I was here was 7 years ago with my best friend, GNP, on a backpacking tour through Europe.

 Of course, we went to Chenonceau, which was a first for K and R, but a second time for Mr. K and myself. It's our favorite château though so we didn't mind in the least!

Twisted tree in the gardens

Lovely arrangement!

 After that we went to a new chateau called Clos le Lucé also known as the château of Leonardo DaVinci, great inventor and mentor to the French king, François the 1st.

The back of the château

One of the inner rooms

The grounds where his inventions were displayed

The chateau was neat, but the basement was cooler. It was there that you got to see his inventions up close in model form.

First bike and car

R and K admiring a tank

The best part for me? Seeing quotes of an Italian inventor on the walls in French.

Quick French lesson. Go!

Answer: Who can stop hatred except love?

 Okay, next one!

Answer: Science is the captain, and Practice, it is the soldiers.

 How'd we do? Not too shabby, I'd say. Smart man, he is.

Francois the 1st really liked Leonardo. So much so that he built an underground tunnel to access the chateau from Amboise to Clos le Lucé.

Amboise, viewed from the back of the château.

Underground passage linking the two castles.

Legend has it that Leonardo came over the Alpes from Italy into France on the back of a donkey carrying the Mona Lisa under his arm. Francois the 1st liked the painting so much that he bought it off of Leonardo paying full price. And this is why the Mona Lisa or "La Joconde" is in France to this very day.

Pretty neat, huh?

I guess that's all for now.

Tune in next time for April in France-Part 2, where we go to Giverny and Versailles.

Bisous!

Birthday Man meets Montmartre

   This past Sunday was my husband's birthday. Yes, his birthday fell on the best day possible: Easter Sunday!  (Thank you, Lord, for your gift of salvation!) And, because we also wanted to celebrate Easter in France, we decided to celebrate a little early. So his actual gift from me was on Saturday.

   I had us go on a very nice tour of Montmartre in Paris with a guide/actress from Australia through Sight Seekers Delight. We had, as our guide, Hanna.  She was amazing; Funny, insightful, and poignant. I highly recommend doing this if you get a chance. Mr. K was so pleased with it. Here is a glimpse into the beauty and wonder of the day.

Our tour started here, Place Blanche in front of the Moulin Rouge.
This is an actual photo I took of that day, not a postcard. It's just that cool.

 We got there a little early so I got a small mocha at the Starbucks and we sat outside gazing across the plaza in the frigid cold. France gets pretty chilly in the early morning hours, or up on a hillside.

Say, who is that dapper man sitting in front of Starbucks like it was his
birthday or something? Oh yeah, that's my man!

We had just about had enough of the cold and my mocha was finished, so we got up to look for our guide. I was talking to Mr. K, saying that I didn't know how we would find our guide, but maybe the person would have a sign, when, she walked right up to us! It was great! She was so nice and friendly and her Australian accent was so cool (I love accents, by the by). We were then joined by four other people: a mom with two teenage kids and a woman travelling alone.

Off we went! Up a hill and voila, a very famous café! 

Amélie Poulain's café

 I liked the movie Amélie. They just recently showed it on French TV. No subtitles because it's in its native language, French. It was a good excercise in comprehension.
Anyway...
I couldn't resist this beautiful flourist shop:

You can almost smell the roses.

Continuing on, we happened across a lovely building:

We don't know what building this was, but it was so cool with the teal bricks!

Monmartre was home to the many artists that we know and love today: Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, etc. In the past it was the countryside of Paris; but now, it's one of the places with the highest rent. Poor artists have no chance here today, or so we were told.

Because of the artists that stayed here, some places are singled out as hits to see. We came across Van Gogh's room where he stayed with his brother, for a time:

The door

Where you see sunflowers, that was Van Gogh's room

Moulin de la Galette from afar, where artists hung out
partied up until the 30s

Turning a street, we were introduced to the artist hotel, where many would share a room and an attic. One person would sleep in the room while the other would work in the attic and then they would switch. Saves on rent, n'est-ce pas?

 We continued our walk and were told delightful stories about two statues in bronze, where it's good luck to shake hands with the man from Le Passe-Muraille by Aymé and Dalida, where it's good luck to, er, well, we'll let the other slide for now.

This lady is Dalida, a great singer of
disco to the French

Good luck handshake.

Continuing on, we passed the house that Utrillo did a lithograph of, the Pink House:

Turned to look up the street and wow, what a sight!

Sacre Cœur is in the distance!

But first the Lapin Agile, a popular pub of the artists back in the day, where they could get something to eat by giving a piece of work as pay.

 By the way, did you know that Montmartre has a vineyard? Yep.  It sure does. They make a Beaujolais red  wine every year. Fun factoid.

So French!

And now, the moment you all have been waiting for. *enter fanfare sound here*

The Sacre-Cœur!

Absolutely magnificent, isn't it?

 And some vintage type photos too, because it just told me to do so.

Backside

Frontside

 So pretty, and we got a chance to go inside. Wow. The ceiling is absolutely stunning.  Unfortunately, it's forbidden to use a camera or phone inside to take photos, so there is no proof of what I say other than my good name. Trust me on this one. See it!

We tore ourselves away from the majesty of this monument and found our way to Place de Tertre, or now known as the Artist's Square:

You can just feel the energy here

This was such a treat to see. Everyone was selling their art here. We wished at this moment that we could afford a piece of art to hang in our apartment, but alas, we will have to content ourselves with the memory of the lovely canvases.

Descending down the hill, we made our last and final stop at Le Mur Des Je T'Aime, or the I Love You Wall. Created as a monument to love, it is a meeting place of lovers in Paris.

There are more than 250 languages to say "I love you" here.

"Love is disorderly, so let's love!"

 And thus ended our tour. I say it was lovely.

Mr K, me, and the guide

It did not, however end the day. Taking the metro we left for Montparnasse to find a crêperie.

Also featured in "Amélie"

And the road of all crêperies in Montparnasse is, none other than, Rue Montparnasse:

See that little orange sign on the right, there?

 

That's our new little crêperie that we like! So good, excellent price, and the best Celtic Kirs around (made with cider and cassis and raspberry).  The crêpes are delish and we even got a fidelity card. We will most definitely come back.

We returned home shortly afterward and had fondu and cake. (by the by, a framboisier is great!)

So ended a great birthday out for Mr. K. 

Happy 29th, dear one!

Thanks for reading!

Bisous!