We are becoming Parisians!

Even though we have just been back for 4 days, we have done a lot of things. After arriving on Tuesday morning, we had a day of adjusting. We unpacked and napped and about 4 in the afternoon, I walked about a block to the salon Jon and I had spotted before we went to Seattle. I went in and had a pedicure! It was not much more than I paid in Poulsbo and had roughly the same things included ( feet soaked, nails manicured, scrub, moisturizer and polish) but it was done on the lower floor of the salon - not very glamorous! I did try to read the August edition of Elle in French! On Wednesday we slept late - jet lag caught up with us - and about 1 we headed out to Rue Cler, a wonderful village-like pedestrian only street with lots of shops. We are getting pretty good at taking the Metro to wherever we want to go and so we transferred a couple of times and got there. We enjoyed looking around and I took some photos of the flower stalls etc. Then we walked over to the Eiffel Tower. What an incredible structure! Currently it has been painted brown and looks wonderful! We just enjoyed the scene there for a while. The weather was gorgeous and we decided that it was the perfect time to take a Batobus (hop on, hop off boat) that goes from the Eiffel Tower down the Seine and back. So we did! We left the dock at about 6 and were back at about 7. A lovely day! On Thursday we got going a bit earlier and headed for the Louvre. We planned to visit 3 museums on each of two consecutive days with a museum pass. The Louvre is very imposing - one would need a week to see it all and that is if you had a guide to help you. So we settled for the Mona Lisa (doesn't everyone?) and then the Napoleon III rooms. We decided that since we would be in Italy, we could pass on the work of the Italians - same with the Greeks and Spaniards. Then we walked through the Tuilleries to Musee L'Orangerie, a smaller Impressionist museum. It's best known feature is Monet's original Water Lilies paintings. We saw those but also many other Impressionist works. Lastly we headed to Musee D'Orsay, the best known of the Impressionist museums. We went straight to the 5th floor where the bulk of our favorite painters' works are housed. We spent a couple of hours there, including some time in the gift shop. Then we straggled home - we were foot sore and ready to sit for a while! We ended up with a good dinner out at a close by restaurant and then headed for bed. Today was the second day of the museum pass - "use it or lose it" applies here. So we walked to the Picasso Museum which is about 1/4 miles from our apartment, only to find it closed until 2012 for renovation! After a few choice words, we found the nearby Metro and went to the Musee Armee, or Invalides Hotel. This is the national military training center for French cadets and houses the world's largest military museum. It is phenomenal! Most of you know that military stuff is not my favorite subject but we only saw half of the displays in 3 hours! Suits of armor dating back to the 1100s, weapons of all kinds, a fascinating exhibit on the two World Wars - extremely well done and beginning in 1871! - and finally Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb. Just a half block away is the Rodin Museum. We thoroughly, but relatively quickly, enjoyed that including the beautiful gardens. Then we walked back to Rue Cler, just a few blocks, to do some shopping this time. We were sitting at an outdoor table at a cafe Rick Steves recommends and Jon spotted Ted Cozine, a friend from Grace Church, walking by! We knew the Cozines were in Paris and had emailed with them about getting together so this was a great way to plan! They joined us and we're planning to get together next Tuesday. They showed us their darling apartment just above Rue Cler - a great location - and then we were off to the Metro again. Tomorrow we're planning to get an early start and finally get to Versailles! More later!

Some time at home

Today we are spending our last day in the Seattle area at Jessica's, helping her with Antonio and getting our Mariners/Seahawks fix. It has been a good 5 days at home with our time split between Jess' in Marysville and my sister Barbara's in Mountlake Terrace. The memorial service last Thursday went very well, with a larger turnout than we had expected. Thanks to those of you who were able to be there - I appreciate your support and love. And to those who sent their prayers and thoughts, thank you too! I am doing well and we've had a sense of peace because of those prayers. We were here at Jessica's also on Wednesday and for a while on Friday. Thursday was the service and Saturday we got together as a family again, with the girls in Mountlake Terrace and the guys at an air show and then happily watching the Huskies beat USC. On Friday we were also able to get to Redmond to visit with Andrew and his family, and to celebrate Ike's and Michele's birthdays. Then we went to Jolie's and had a good time seeing her family and eating a delicious dessert created by Lanze! So, we've done a lot but not had a frantic pace. Tomorrow we fly back to Paris via Air France, which we heartily recommend! The food is great!!! We're hoping to find our apartment just as we left it and no "adventures" during the journey. Thanks to those of you (Tom and Helga esp) for the recommendations of places to visit and eat in Paris - keep those coming, everyone! More in a few days....

54 rue de Turbigo

Bon jour! The title of this entry is our address while in Paris. It is in the 3rd. arrondissement, if you know Parisian organization. The third is good because the lower the numbers, the closer that neighborhood is to the center of Paris, Ile de Cite, and the Seine. We are gradually getting to know our neighborhood, although we still take two maps with us whenever we go for walks (Rick Steves' Paris map and a neighborhood map from our landlords which could be more accurate!) We have a nice boulangerie (bakery) across the street from us that provides us with fresh croissants most mornings. There are several cafes close by as well. Yesterday we went to Giverny, Claude Monet's home where he painted his famous bridge and gardens. It was just like the paintings! We had a great day for the trip. We went with a tour company here in Paris. It was a half day trip by mini van. The driver was a young French man with very good English. It was so interesting - in the van were Jon and I, a black woman from Vancouver BC, a family of 3 (parents and daughter in her mid 20s) from Brazil and a couple from Israel! We have noticed over and over how international a city Paris is! The driver did a great job of telling us about Paris and what we were seeing as we drove through and out of the city. We saw the lovely countryside, including castles and quaint villages. One of the advantages of being with a tour is that one gets into the site through the group entry, which we did. Many folks were lined up at the regular admission spot. The day was mild, partly sunny and very conducive to photography. We went to the famous bridge first, then through the gardens into his house, and lastly sat on a bench in the garden for a while. We got caught in Sunday night, everyone- coming- home- from-Normandy, traffic, but still back into town in time for dinner at an Italian restaurant on the left bank recommended by our driver. On Saturday we took the Metro to the Champs Elysee to see the famous shopping area and then walk back via the Tuilleries garden. The Metro is still a bit confusing and we have to watch carefully to be sure we are taking the correct train in the correct direction. Happily we haven't made an error yet, although we've come close! We are also still figuring out how to work these European appliances. The laundry is done by a combination washer and dryer; our landlord helped us to get that going since the only manual was in French. It took us 3 attempts to run the dishwasher and today I got the vacuum cleaner working after about 20 minutes. Thankfully the coffee maker was a Krups product and worked the first time! We've worked out the telephone but could find manuals for that in 6 languages, none of them English! We're beginning to realize how tiring traveling on one's own in a foreign country can be!!! It does take a lot of flexibility and good humor to survive as a tourist and I say this in a country in which the language is at least a bit familiar; I hope we're alive after Poland! More later...a bientot!

La Belle Paris

Bonjour from Paris! We made it to our apartment last night after our flight from Oslo. We made some friends that I hope we'll continue to correspond with on the tour, as I have mentioned, so it was a bit sad to say goodbye. Our flight was uneventful, thank goodness and we landed at Orly just fine. Paris was cloudy and a bit rainy then but by noon today the sun had come out and things were looking up! Our apartment has a living/dining area, a reasonable size kitchen, bathroom and bath. We have 3 sets of French doors with windows that open onto small balconies, one in the bedroom and two in the living area. We're on the fourth floor. We met a young woman who lives on the second floor. She and her mother helped us last night with a couple of lock issues. We took them flowers today to thank them. We also stocked up on some food and paper basics, tried to orient ourselves with some maps of the city, and then walked the several blocks to the Seine and Notre Dame. It was wonderful! Today one could go into the church for free, which we did, and it was just as beautiful as we remembered it to be. We had dinner at a small cafe (Cafe Panis) just across the Seine from Notre Dame. We plan to eat most breakfasts and lunches using food from the apartment and eat dinners out. We don't have a schedule yet of when we'll do what. We do want to get out of town to Chartes and to Versailles - we haven't seen either before. We'd also like to get to Normandy but we're not sure how to do that. Maybe join a tour somehow. Next Tuesday we'll fly to Seattle and then come back the following Monday, so we have 4 days before we leave and then about 2 weeks after we get back. I have posted a some of the photos that I downloaded from my camera from Norway and Finland. The moon photo was one I took on an evening walk in a small town from the ship Polarys. It's not all that unusual but it was just soooo beautiful! The picture of houses by the water was taken in Trondheim, I believe. I think that was my favorite city. It has a university and is hilly with lovely views; it just had a nice "feel" to it to me. The last picture was taken in the narrowest part of Trollfjord. It was misty and so the blues and greens are muted, but it was an amazing place! So narrow! We kept guessing about where the captain was going to go next because there didn't seem to be any way to turn! I hope is well with everyone at home. Au revoir pour maintenant!

Goodbye Norway

Greetings from Oslo! This capital of Norway is a glorious city of many museums, water, and wonderful buildings. Like most European capitals, it is an old city. We have learned about many famous Norwegians and their skills, talents and often, courage. In our two full days here, we spent the first morning taking a city tour during which we stopped at the Vigeland Sculpture Park, which is interesting, in part, because the artist produced all his work under contract with the city. They believed in him enough to give him the land and pledge to take all his work ahead of time and he committed to give his work to only them. His theme is "the circle of life" and much of his work deals with human life from birth to death. He also created a maze that folks can walk. It is in the cement and goes all the way around a huge fountain that he created. I would have liked to do that; maybe next time. In the afternoon, after lunch, we went to the Resistance Museum at the fortress. We spent 1 1/2 hours there and could have spent more but the museum closed at 4. We made our way back to the hotel and spent time having wine and pretzels with our friends Ron and Jonel Glass, both of whom went to Carleton a few years after Jon did. Then the four of us joined our other friends, Leon and Anne Szczesny, and the 6 of us had dinner together. Norway is VERY expensive as a rule ($6 for a coke) and that was our special dinner of the trip so far! This morning, after breakfast at our hotel, we headed for the Bygdoy peninsula and its several museums. We took bus 30 and got off at the open air folk museum. Here are gathered many old buildings from all over Norway; it reminded me of our 4th. grade trips to Pioneer Farm! The best was a stave church from the 1200s. Then we went to the Viking museum where 3 preserved Viking ships are displayed. These date from AD 850! They have been wonderfully preserved and where necessary, restored. There are some stairs in various places that you can use to get up a bit higher than the sides of the ships. All three had been used as burial vessels and many objects survived because each ship had been buried in clay. Most interesting were the sleds (3 of them) and a bucket with a brass "Buddha looking" head at each end of the handle. After this museum, we had lunch at a nice outdoor cafe and then headed on to the Kon Tiki museum. There were Thor Heyerdahl's vessels, the Ra and the Kon Tiki! The display was excellent and included a short movie about the Kon Tiki's voyage. I remember being fascinated by the great adventures as a young teen and was thrilled to see the actual rafts. The Fram museum was next door. This huge ship holds the record for going furtherest north AND south. These feats were accomplished about 100 years ago. We decided to take the small commuter boat back across the bay to the downtown area, which was fun. Since we arrived back there about 4:15, we walked a short distance to the Nobel Peace Museum to see if it was open. It was, until 6, so we went in. The best part was the small theatre where short videos were shown, one after the other, about the winners, common themes, and how the prize is awarded every year. We were mesmerized! We stayed until 6 and then found a restaurant that had been recommended to us where we had dinner. Now we're back in our hotel room catching up with things! I must say that Grand Circle has chosen our hotels well. They have all been well located, especially the ones in Bergen, Helsinki and here. They've been on quiet side streets but within easy walking or bus distance of all the major sites. Tomorrow we pack up and head off to Paris!!! It was 79 degrees there yesterday which sounds wonderful after the 60-65 degrees and windy weather we've had here. (No rain though!!) More from la belle France later!

The Hurtigruten experience

We disembarked in Bergen today. What a wonderful, beautiful trip we had going south from Kirkenes to Bergen! We saw glaciers, waterfalls, incredibly narrow fjords, quaint villages, and modern cities. We met new friends from Nuremburg, Grenoble, various cities in Norway and other European countries. I even tried out my fledgling French on a lovely woman named Claudette! (And she at least pretended to understand me!) The Polarys is a lovely vessel and very comfortable. Our room faced the bow and so we could watch our progress from our own room. Of course we could also go to the observation area on deck 7 with it's wall to wall windows and comfortable seating! This was our first cruise but we had heard about the food on cruise ships. This was not the normal type of ship, as it is a working postal and freight vessel, but we had wonderful breakfast and lunch buffets, and dinner was seated and served to us by a very efficient wait staff. It was 3 courses and was presented beautifully and tasted gourmet! We saw Laurie and Gary Axling in Trondheim! We had an excited reunion and they sat with us while we had breakfast aboard our ship. We talked and shared experiences for about half an hour and then we set sail and they headed off to explore the city. It was so much fun to meet good friends away from home like that. They are just beginning a month long adventure - if you see them after they are home, be sure to hear about it!

Bergen is a large and interesting city. It was Norway's first capital and has been in existence for about a thousand years! There are many lovely old buildings and on our city bus tour this afternoon we saw many of them. Our guide Craig also took us on a walking tour around our hotel which is perfectly situated next door to the Hanseatic League area (a commercial trading group that thrived hundreds of years ago) and the fish market, which is really an open air public market. We also went on the funicular to a high point and got a wonderful view of the city, the fjord and the islands. Tomorrow morning we go on a half day tour to the outer island area of Bergen and then have the afternoon to do more exploring on our own. There is so much to see and do!

Meanwhile back at home, we found out that Jessica had to have her gall bladder out very unexpectedly! She is okay now, less than 24 hours after the surgery. It is agonizing to be here when she really could use my help! All of you parents know what I mean. I am really glad that we will be home in a couple of weeks and I can see for myself that she is okay.

On Sunday we are off to Oslo via "Norway in a nutshell". We go cross country from Bergen to Oslo using various types of transportation and seeing many beautiful sights. I'll post again then and tell you all about it. Take care of yourselves and all you teachers out there have a fantastic start to your year!

We have crossed the Arctic Circle heading south

Good morning! A little less than an hour ago, we crossed the Arctic Circle heading south. We had been north of it since leaving Helsinki. Amazing! We have learned that the north is warmer than Alaska and Siberia because of the Gulf Stream and the North Sea. That is not to say that these are warm areas - it feels like winter here now. It rained much of yesterday but happily that did not change the beauty of the scenery; in fact it made the fact of where we were more real. Yesterday we saw what is supposed to be the most beautiful of the passages we'll see on the ship - Trollfjord. The ship went into an unbelievably narrow canal and did a 180 turn in place. There were steep high sides of rock all around, with waterfalls tumbling down. We tried to take pictures but the overall effect was impossible to capture. If you have a chance, goggle it or look it up some other way and check out what we saw.

A couple of days ago, I found out that my mom has passed away. We expected that would happen while we were gone and made all the preparations that we could before we left. My sister has been there to begin taking care of details but we will be returning to Seattle on September 15 for the service etc. We will fly back to Paris on the 21st. Thank you for the kind thoughts and prayers that I know you will send our way.

I'll write more in a couple of days from Bergen. Between now and then we will see our friends Laurie and Gary Axling in Trondheim! What fun to have that to look forward to! Au revoir!

Norway

Hello again everyone! It is September 1 and we have been on the Hurtigurten ship Polarys for 2 days now on the Norwegian coast. We had a wonderful time in Finland, both in Helsinki and in the north country, Lappland, home of the Samis. Last Saturday we spent the whole day learning about the Sami culture. First a trip to the Siida museaum in Inari for a lunch and then guided tour of the very well done museum. Then to a great souvenir shop where I purchased my leather and silver Sami bracelet - thanks Marsha Rova for the idea! Finally we went to a reindeer farm owned by a Sami family. We saw the reindeer, tried to learn to lasso one, and then had a traditional meal.