Paris with friends!

Seeing Paris by yourself, and sharing Paris with others are two very different experiences. Both to be treasured.
I will not have this become a traveloge of where all we have been and what we have seen. Many of you will get the pleasure (!) of listening to my ramblings when I return. The city is an amazing place, as I had heard from almost everyone I talked with before I arrived.
I will try my best to keep you all updated - by just be aware that getting to internet cafes sometimes becomes a challenge. We will be in Paris until this coming Friday, then will be taking a train through France to Venice, Italy! (Thank you, Bill!)
But until then, we have three more days and the weather is now sunny and warm with the many, many gardens beginning to show the glorious floral landscaping Paris is known for!

And life does go on . . .

There have been times on this journey when I have felt that I have been away from my "other" life for many, many years, and then times when I have felt that it's been just a few days.
I guess you never really get the opportunity to disconnect which is probably okay . . . however, the challenges I had at the beginning of this trip involving retirement papers, mail that was slow getting to my new address because of the sale of the house, and bank cards that were changed - meaning I had to use the card within two weeks to activate it, so it had to be fedexed overnight (!) - all of these things became reality checks that couldn't be ignored.
There have also been phone calls and emails keeping me informed of friends and the happenings in their lives . . . some with great sadness and others with great joy. It is at these times that I wish the miles were not quite so far. To those of you reading this, please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you, even if I'm not able to be there.

From Montmartre to Marais

With a fond goodbye I have left the tiny sublet in Montmartre for a small sublet in Marais where two friends ard joining me for a whirlwind tour of the heart of Paris.
For us, one of the most important aspects of "getting to know" a city is to take time to walk the streets, noting the beautiful boutiques, numerous cafès and exploring the hidden alleyways that often hold incredible surprises not found in the information guide books.
It's off the beaten path where you can often find incredibly delicious cheeses, chocolates; fresh fruit, vendors selling anything and everything . . .
Not to say that researching an area ahead of time shouldn't be done. We have a copy of DK Eyewitness Travel: Paris which has been wonderful!
While reading through this book, I noticed that the month of March on average has the least amount of rain, but can be prone to sudden hail storms . . . we had three such storms yesterday! The book is really very accurate and has a lot of useful information!

"To market, to market . . ."

Saturdays in Montmartre you can find several streets that go on for blocks with an open market.
Today there were stalls with fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh baked breads, fresh fish (with clear eyes - very important when buying a whole fish), rotissaire chickens, fresh beef and sausages, the most incredible array of cheese and olives, and fresh cut flowers.
The wonderful aromas emulating from this area have to be experienced first-hand - there are no words or pictures that can do justice to other than being here.
It really does feel like a weekend. At the City Hall I saw two different wedding processions. And across the street at the ?etro stop, there was a group of kilt-clad bagpipêrs performing.
I'm finding it easy to pick up on the appropriate etiqutte and attitude for waqlking the streets. Traffic signals are mere suggestions to both vehicles and pedestrians.
I've seen several cases of cars in the far lefthand lane deciding they really want to turn right. No problem, "Hey, I have my blinker on!" As well as cars that pull out into the middle of an intersection, then sit there trying to decide if they want to go straight, or turn in some other direction.
If the vehicle honks its horn, this really can be interpreted to say, "If I hit you, it's not like I didn't try to warn you." so you'd better move a little bit quicker. However, a note of caution - don't try to take on the city buses!
You also need to watch for motor scooters; because occassionally, the driver will decide the traffic on the streets is too crowded, so he'll move to the sidewalk.
I have also seen the ultimate in multi'tasking: manuvering a baby stroller on the crowded sidewalks, carefully avoiding the pidgeons, while walking the dog, talking on a cell phone and smoking a cigarette . . .
Back to the markets - I purchased some great looking veggies, fresh strawberries, kalamata olives, Cabrion cheese; stopped at a boulangerie for fresh-baked brioche; and splurged at a wine shop, purchasing a 2002 cabarnet Triple A Chàteau l'Enclos. Such a feast I'll have tonight!

Where are they now?

I have yet to find a section in Paris that does not refer to artists, writers, musicians of the past who lived here, created here, ate and drank here, and often died here.
The list of names is long and well-known.
People line up for tours to walk by the cafès, apartments and cemeteries . . . perhaps to feel a closeness to genius.
My question is - where are the yet-to-be-discovered creative people of this generation meeting? In the 21st century, does the technology of our time mean that the exchange of ideas no longer happens in smoke-filed rooms, drinking absynthe; but rather in chat rooms in cyberspace?
(And how will the tours of the future deal with that!?)

Ah . . .Paris!

When I finally got into the heart of Paris, I realized that I had only been in "the suburbs". The city is HUGE! and so alive!
One thing I truly love about large cities is the energy and personality that radiates fro, the very core - each city having its own very unique feel.
Walking from the Arc de Triomphe, down Avenue des Champs Elysèes, through Jardin des Tuileries to Musèe du Louvre . . . you can understand why the City was redesigned years ago (from a mass of crisscrossing streets to long boulevards and beautiful gardens)- it's intimidatingly magnificent!
One of the "down" sides of being in a large touristy city is to always be wary of street hawkers and hustlers. I had heard to watch out for individuals aound the Sacrè Couer who try to tie a string around your wrist for good luck, then demand money. I admit, I pretended to be Deaf and they left me alone.
I have not headed into any museums as of yet. Apparently there are a choice of 172 museums and monuments open to the public . . . besides, the weather has been perfect for waling outside - 18°C [that's almost 70°F!].

On the Streets of Montmartre

The streets in Montmarte are fascinating. I actually envision that hundreds of years ago, so,eone took a handful of tiny spoked wheels, dumped them in a pile and laid out the streets according to where each spoke lay.
Streets diverge and converge from every direction. The good news is, the names of each street can generally be found on adjacent buildings at each corner. I highly recommend that if you plan to visit Paris anytime soon, get the 2007 Paris Pratique Par Arrondissement. This handy little booklet lays out all of the streets (even the short blocks!) in each section of Pasis, as well as providing information on mass transit (Metro, buses, trains).
Along the streets are hundreds of colorful little shops, boutiques, cafes, grocery marts, pastry shops, restaurants, and on, and on.
I've discovered my favorite pastry shop - not close to the apartment, so a great daily walk - that is small, unassuming and seems to be frequented by "the locals". I also have my favorite "Live Net" which is close by (so I can post these tidbits!).
Having recently seen a listing of the most expensive cities in the world, and noting that Paris is #2 on the list, I've opted to do the majority of my eating in the apartment.
The tiny kitchen works well for one person and I'm really enjoying being creative on a shoestring budget!
Two additional tips while walking the streets - watch where you put your feet. It seems the majority of Parisians in Montmqrtre own dogs, that they take for walks, and no one cleans up after the dog . . . it's especially tricky when there's been a brief rain shower!
The other tip is to carry an empty bag for possible food item purchases. You can get bags at the grocery stores, but you pay for them!

A "penthouse" studio

A great way to find temporary lodging for an extended period of time while on a holiday, is to check out housing online through craigslist.com or arbritel.com. (I'm sure there are others, but these are the two I've used.)
Currently, I'm staying in a studio located "just under the roof" as the student I'm subleting from phrasesit. Which ,eans a person walks up six flights of circular steps to get in or out . . . I plan my trips out, accordingly!
The view from the bedroom/living room/dining room window looks out on a small courtyard. In fact there are lots of windows in this tiny garret, so it gives the space a feel of lightness as well as being cozy.
Thisis truly what an efficiency apartment is all about: Every inch has a purpose and the occupant would not be tempted to over buy on anything: First of all; hauling anything up those steps would give you pause to reconsider any purchase. Second, once you got it there, you'd better be creative aboutwhere you're going to put it!
The apartment is located in the area of Paris called Montmarte. This district is located "up the hill" and is filled with mqny university students. It's also known as the art district and a person can often see street performers as well as sidewalk vendors of art.
For the next tzo weeks the apartment fits my needs. I'm even getting use to the idea that the shower is in the kitchen!

It's all about time . . .

[I'm typing on a French keyboard, which is slightly different from what I'm use to . . . so please pardon any mistakes!]
It's a somewhat long and not terribly interesting story as to why I have an international phone and the reasons have nothing to do with this particular posting.
What is key to this story is that going from Italy to Ireland, the time change is one hour. In Italy if it is 9:00 am; then in Ireland it is 8:00am. However, my phone was set for Italian time and did not automatically change with the air flight to a different time zone.
No problem - I would just convert the time in my head; after all, I'd been doing that for figuring out U.S. time since January.
When I made my flight arrangements for Paris, I wrote down the departure time, 9:45am, along with other pertinent information.
The night before my flight I figured how much time needed to be allotted in order to get to the airport via city bus, etc.
I don't like running late, especially when catching flights and as a result decided to set the alarm on my phone - just to be sure I didn't over sleep.
In order to allow plenty of time, I set the alarm for 5:00am. And here's how the day actually unfolded:
The alarm xent off qt 5:00 . . . Italian time . . . it wasn't until after I had gotten dressed, make-up on, etc. that I realized I had actually been awakened at 4:00am, Irish time.
No worries . . . plenty of time to get packed, eat breakfast, check emails, etc. . . After all, I would be catching the 7:15am bus to the airport.
The bus was running a bit late, but I figured I still had plenty of time.
Once on the bus I decided to recheck my flight number - the bus was sitting in rush hour traffic and not moving quickly at all.
There . . . written on the paper . . . flight time 9:45am [It's now 8:30 and we're not at the airport.]
I realized that even though I had written 9:45, in my mind I had converted it to 10:45 because I was heading back to a different time zone . . .
In the end, we arrived at the airport with 10 minutes to spare [there were three others on the sa,e bus headed for the same flight!]
I have arrived in Paris!

As I leave Ireland . . .

There has been a four day layover in Dublin while waiting for my flight to Paris on Tuesday morning. I'm still "hosteling" at the moment and have a great location within walking distance to almost everything a person would want to see.
The weather is sunny about every other day, so it's possible to get a balance of sight-seeing and reflecting on what has been seen, as well as planning for the next step.
I was really lucky the day I visited Dublin's Writer's Museum. Not only was the walk through the museum [with the audio tour] worthwhile, there was also a special one-man presentation featuring some of Dublin's most well-known writers - Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, and Oscar Wilde, to mention a few.
Well, it's on to Paris!

Reflections during the trip to Donegal County

There are two very memorable details I have of Ireland - beyond the incredibly beautiful and diverse country, and the heart-warming, ingratiating people. These are the Irish bus service and the fact that food ordered in the pubs comes to you hot. [More about food later.]
To travel the perimeter of the island, a person can either rent a car - keeping in mind the Irish drive on the left hand side of the road and drive very, very fast - or take advantage of the transit system.
We opted for the buses and found that they run to their schedule, are very clean, and will pick people up and let them off just about anywhere.
The drive from Doolin to Ballybofey [a small town in Donegal County where we were able to stay for four nights in a 5-bedroom home above a pub!], went through what is called the Burren Way. This area has high rocky [limestone, I think] hills and occasionally you see patches of fir trees - packed together so tightly I doubt a deer could walk through them.
At one time the landscape of rolling green hills use to be sprinkled with stone houses topped with thatched roods.
These have given way to the construction of new homes - keeping in style with the former beauty of previous buildings. I particularly love the brilliant use of color on both the buildings and the doors.
Homes are painted every imaginable hue of the rainbow and if the building happens to be built of stone, the door is painted a bright red, blue, yellow or green.
Comments regarding food - I don't really have a handle on what Irish cuisine might be, but I've noticed there's no shortage of potatoes. [Most food items seem to be breaded and fried.] Not to say that there hasn't been a few good meals.
Some surprises have been in ordering what I think I might be getting and what is set before me: vegetable soup [which is really pretty good] is a bowl of pureed vegetables - with a potato base. A side salad can best be described as a plate of a variety of 'sides' - Cole slaw, beets, mashed potatoes, hard boiled eggs covered with Russian salad dressing, and a few greens tossed on the plate for color.
Be that as it may, the time I have had in Ireland has been wonderful and I can't wait to share pictures!

Hosteling

If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive way to lodge while on holiday, there is often the option of international hosteling.
This experience reminds me of a cross between dormitory living and summer camps.
The hostel where I stayed in Doolin was great. There were at least three dorm rooms with three bunk beds each, including a small bathroom in each room.
Guests have access to an equipped kitchen - you buy your own food - dining area and sitting room that has a toasty warm stove.
That weekend I met people from Belgium, France, Germany and Canada. Some of these folks were there because of the festival, others just happened to show up.
There are also numerous Bed and Breakfasts [B&B's] in the area, and if you are willing to pay twice the costs, you get a lovely private room and wonderful meal in the morning.
Several of the travellers I met mentioned they save their money for the last night of their travels just to stay at a B&B.

Laying of the Wreath

On Sunday was the memorial mass for Micho Russell and laying of the wreath at his grave site in the old cemetery behind the church.
It was a blustery cold day, but about 50-60 family, friends, and music lovers attended the wreath laying.
It was about an hour after this service we learned that the elderly gentleman who had welcomed visitors to the service had died of a heart attack.
We were saddened to hear of his passing. However, the hostel owner's husband pointed out, "He had just had communion, he was surrounded by family and friends. He died in his favorite pub with a whiskey in hand and two lovely ladies by his side. He didn't linger in a hospital for months. How great is that!"

"Luck of the Irish"

Doolin, Ireland was mentioned as a 'must see' destination and so that's where the journey headed. What an incredible coincidence that the weekend I was there was the 12th annual Micho Russell Memorial Festival. [Micho Russell, a native of Doolin, had been tragically killed in a car accident. He was an extremely talented musician know throughout Ireland for playing the Whistle.]
This festival is held every year, the last weekend in February, and draws music lovers of Traditional Irish Music from all over the world. I met a woman from Boston who has attended this event annually. As she phrased it " . . . hmmm . . . Aer Lingus or psychotherapy . . ."
There are three main pubs in town - O'Conner's, McDermott's, and McGann's. Music played almost continually in all three pubs, from morning into the night.
The instruments used in traditional Irish music include piano-accordian,concertina, whistle, violin, banjo, guitar, bohran [a hand-held drum that is my personal favorite!], pipes and flute. The songs tend to be about love or strife - often the hardship and tragedy of the potato famine.
The weekend festival also offered a town concert of music, followed by food and wine; and Irish set dancing - similar to American Square dancing - also followed by food and wine.
Once the music starts, you see heads bobbing and hear feet tapping, all in unison to the cadence of this mesmerizing sound. It completely draws you in!