Orientation

See? There really is a statue of a rhino. It's outside the Musee d'Orsay. Whatever next?

I don't know why I found it funny to see Buffalo Bill's image on a Paris cafe. Turns out, Buffalo Bill, along with Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull and others took their Wild West show to Paris in 1887 and again in other years. They were a big hit. I spoke to someone who ate in this restaurant and they said none of the staff spoke a word of English. Funny.

Here is one of several cafes near the hotel, all of them had as many or more seats outside than in. How wonderfully French!

"I'm over here in the hydrangea bush." Can you name the movie that comes from? Don't I look happy to be in Paris? A nice lady passing through the garden took this for me. I just held out the camera and said, "Sil vous plait?" and she kindly obliged. Merci beaucoup!

Pink roses...my mothers favourite. See how the garden goes on forever?

Here are some shots of the glorious garden in the neighbourhood.

I'm standing in the middle of the street on the Champ Elysees to take this shot. It's OK. Everybody does it. It looks a little crooked but that's just my careless photography. It's not the "Leaning Tower of Triomphe."

A view up and under the Arc. So ornate! The city is filled with such ornamentation at every turn. And statuary galore! There are hundreds of statues all over town in various states of modesty. They must have run out of French to honour because I saw one of Thomas Jefferson and even a rhinoceros!

Time to scope out the neighbourhood. The Arc de Triomphe is huge! Those dots at the top are people! Funny story...my brother once got caught going round and round this traffic circle and couldn't find his way out it was so congested. He finally parked the car in the middle and left it, calling the rental agency to tell them where they could find their vehicle. He cracks me up!

Getting Settled in Paris

It seems the French don't eat inside if it is possible to eat outside. What a lovely, civilized custom. On every fine morning, the tables in the garden were set for breakfast with placemats, napkins and silverware. There was always a lovely buffet including creamy cheese, fresh squeezed orange juice, a melange of cold cuts, and of course, croissants. Mmm! A delightful way to start an adventurous day!

The hotel garden was lovely! The birds would sing their little hearts out from first light onward. Heavenly!

Here is the view of the little garden from my window.

Here's what my room looked like - very clean and neat.

Here is my charming little hotel. La Magellan is in a nice little neighbourhood with a gorgeous park nearby. I turn left out the door and a short stroll gets me to the Metro, RER(train), bus, and shops. Turn right and walk for about 10 minutes and I arrive at the Arc de Triumph. Very nice!

Getting Ready

Well, I should have taken French in school but I didn't. It's surprising how many very useful phrases you can learn in a month though. "Je voudrais" meaning "I would like" was extremely helpful. Entering any little shop, there was always a polite exchange of "Bon jour Madame/Monsieur." Very gracious. Many people spoke some English so it all worked out. I think my attempts must have been amusing, judging by the slightly suppressed smiles. I was told my accent was good so it must have been my grammar that cracked them up. How do I know if a Jambon Burre is a he or a she?

I bought some new clothes which were all too hot. It was over 30c every day! Paris truly does sizzle in the summer.

I ordered Euros from the bank which was too expensive! I should have just got them out of the bank machine in Paris.

The time for preparation past and the big day finally arrived. It was off to Calgary to catch my plane. I made it easily through security and turned to see Peter, Mike, Matt, and Emily enthusiastically waving me on. I did likewise, getting rather misty in the process.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

This is a special year. We are celebrating 30 years of marriage and I turn 50 in October. In honour of these occasions, Peter did a crazy, wonderful thing. He sent me to Paris! I once said that I would love to go someday to see all the wonderful masterpeices, especially the Impressionists. He decided the time was now. Peter stayed home to take care of the boys and to do some major renovations. Yes I went alone. Yes it was wonderful!

Our Little Eden

Here's the backyard. There are three apple trees. Two are crabapple and one is regular. In the Spring they were laden with blossoms! As we were picnicking beneath the boughs with family, the breezes sent fragrant petals snowing down upon us. It was magical!
Peter made that little play house into an art studio for me.
We planted that patch of earth in front of the garage to a veggie garden with lettuce, spinach and peas, along with grapes, blueberries and strawberries. We planted raspberries along the side of the house and there are a couple of clumps of rhubarb there too. We've had a few handfuls of strawberries and a few blueberries and lots of lettuce so far. Oh, there are also scarlett runner beans in the front so we have healthy nibbles here and there all around the place. A cozy little garden make it feel so homey!

The View

This is the view from our home. I love the green strip. On the path we see a delightful parade walkers, joggers, bikers, rollerbladers, and skateboarders. Also, a wide variety of doggies walking their people. It's as sweet and shady and peaceful as it looks. We've found our little Eden.

Home Sweet Home

Here is our home in Alberta. This is the pic I saw online. I fell in love with it before I ever saw it in person. We love it here! When the agent took us around the property it felt perfect. The birds in the backyard seemed to be wildly calling, "Live here! Live here!" Now we do!