OK so not at home, in Palm Springs

Slowly baking this week in palm springs... Thinking the art director of the flintstones lived here. Have not found anything I dislike about the place. Ok, maybe the large cockroach that crawled into euan's pillowcase and died. But it was his bed not mine.

Pizza in front of the Castle SantAngelo

Rome! Wow!

Surviving easy jet and cheers

The snob in me (v) survived the discount airline from Paris to Rome. Actually not that bad but those of you that know me know my idea of roughing it is having to open the window of my five star hotel ;) but rome!!! Just arrived... already settled in. Bottle of pino waiting for us in our apartment. Yep already gone. Now sitting in a small restaurant with good access to the papal robe shop should we need one. First cheers and meal underway... Sigh

Shopping and eating in the marais

Great day of wandering aimlessly around our neigbourhood. Good shopping for me (v) especially! Sitting down for dinner. We've not had incredibly good luck this time in France when it comes to food. Well Duncan has! Although he is costing us a small fortune in duck. He's ploughed through at least €50 worth over lunch and dinner! Paul is thrilled though. Able to add something new to his menu. Euan even had a go at his own duck at dinner. Me? I'm ready to move on to Rome next! Slight temperature change will require multiple gelato stops!

The French are a Cruel Cruel People

We just roamed around the Conciergerie! First, and for quite a while a royal palace, but for the parts of French history, a jail for those who mostly became victims of The Terror and Robespierre, Most famously, Marie Antoinette and... Robespierre.

This is a blade that was used in executions in the 19 century, but the design varied little since the early days.

Final Paris Lunch - Ile St Louis

St Regis

Duncan had the confit of Duck again, V had a goat cheese salad, Euan, a bloody cheese burger and I went adventurous. I ordered the Anduellette sausage.

In the words of Ian ...barf... In fact super barf! The smell, the texture, the fact that when opened it looks like a a Chinese butcher. My experimentation stops here!

We Found It!

We looked for this location at the end of our honeymoon, 14 years ago. This was recommended when we arrived in Paris back then, and had one of the best meals ever! Oh, and Veronica feel for the owner.

Well, we can't be wrong, the inside seems perfect and we can see where sat before! I had remembered it as an Alsace restaurant. Its called Vins Des Pyrenees, so...

Now we have 2 kids and they seem less than interested. The truth be told, as many of you may know, we contend that Duncan was conceived in this fair city.

Will post again when we have our food. Have to go now as the wine is arriving...

Musee D'Orsy

Wow!

An old railway station rescued from eternal dereliction.

No pictures allowed! Strictly enforced.

This guy was outside. Fun!

We are no sitting with our backs to the Musee, right in front of the Legion D'Honneue, the highest honor that free French can confer. Cool!

Baguettes, Beer and Mexican Music

After walking from the Arch of Triumph to the Musee D'Orsy, some of are happier than others, but all agree its time to eat.

Spotted the red canopy of a cafe down a side street and headed for a nosh!

I don't expect all things French from a Parisian, but Mexican music?

Anyhoo...baguette's with ham and cheese and fries - better than uncooked chicken, hey Ian!

It appears some seem happier than others!

Tonight's Mission - Sleep

It's still rather hot here in Paris and as we are in an area that does not allow air conditioning, due to the affect they would have on the way the streets looked, our flat is a sauna!

As you can see from the picture, the street is alive with French parties, smoking, drinking and talking crap. Quite a lot of fun really!

So, we were tired from the traveling last night. It remains to be seen, in but a few mins, whether our packed full day has taken enough energy out of us to allow us to fall asleep, with the windows open, defending against the loud French and what appear to be a rave club!

Oh that's so sweet! The people walking by are having so much fun that they are singing some incoherent French pop song.

Up the Eiffel Tower at Night

So, here we are, live on the second level of the tower! Great view, can make out most of the important buildings.

Most importantly, we didn't line up for more than 10 mins, 'coz we bought tickets months ago. There has to be 5,000 people in line to get up here! Lined up round and round!!!

I don't think much of this object, nor the pyramid, but both are stunning, remarkable and important.

Mum, Sam and Fred drove us from Bishop’s Castle to Shrewsbury, and we arrived pretty much right on time for our train.  OK…so...the second and third legs of the trip were by train:  Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street and Birmingham New Street to London, Euston.  We then jumped a taxi from Euston to St. Pancras – those who know London will say “Euston and St. Pancras are close!  Why not walk?”  Bugger off!  It was the first official day of the Olympics, London was busier than normal (what’s normal for London?), and we were already tired and still had a long way to go.  So there!



Waiting for the Virgin Express in Birmingham

The fabled Eurostar!  St. Pancras has been updated from my childhood, wow!  Clear security and passport control, then enter the lounge – real nice.  Up the ramp after the train is called and queue at the front do of your assigned carriage.  What a bloody dump the train was!  Clearly these 18 carriages have been used since the start!  The trip is unremarkable, other than when you pop of the tunnel, aka, arriving in France, and of course, the ultimate prize for the day of travel – Paris!

Duncan looking at France and Listening to Hedley



Veronica and Euan waiting for Paris

We left my sister’s house at 8:30 am and arrived in Paris some 8 hours later – a normal work day. 

No sooner we were off the Gare du Nord platform we were accosted by a taxi driver, he insisted on waiting until we had made contact with the chap who was to open the flat for us and then took two bags and started off to his taxi, or so we thought!  Instead, he walked out of the front of the station, across the street to a taxi rank, where he proceeded to sell our trip to a real taxi driver.  Once he found one to take us, he put the bags in the truck and asked me for 5 Euros!  This, of course, was in addition to the f*%#ing taxi fare of 23 Euros not the 12 Euros originally promised, which was charged to us by a very grumpy taxi driver. I would consider us fairly well travelled! Maybe just not this time! 

The flat is great and has the smallest lift ever!  A little smaller than we would want and as the pictures show it, but no bigger than expected.  It’s right in the middle of the Marias, the area of Paris where Marie Antoinette used to roam, a noisy, party location, oh, and the gay district in this superb city.  We are not more than a 4 minute walk from where Veronica and I stayed on our Honeymoon, 14 years ago!

The views from the Flat are better!

After we settled, we went off in search of a shop to get a few groceries, including toilet paper – as the French seem to use a single sheet per poop, no hand-shakes here! We were able to get some cheeses in a bog-standard corner shop, Monop, that you can only get at specialty cheese shops on Calgary – Roblochon!  A half a wheel cost us 3.50 Euros.  We have decided to fly to Paris if we want cheese, instead of paying Janice Beaton prices!

Food, and wine, in-hand, we headed back to the flat, climbed the 3 stories, put the key in the lock and…nothing!  The bloody door wouldn’t open!  We tried everything for the best part of half an hour.  We would have phoned the chap who let us in but my phone was in the flat.  If you could imagine 4 tired people who had been traveling for 8 plus hours and just wanted to sit down, have a drink and change before going out to dinner – not happy.  We did have Veronica’s purse, so could have tried to find a hotel.  As it happened, there is an American lady renovating two flats below us – Veronica says we are going to buy them both, huge and fabulously – who was fairly gentle when explaining to us how to use a key!  Now we know how to open a door!  Foolish Canadians, eh?

The Offending Keyhole

The Lock

We didn’t drink the wine then, we are drinking it now.  Just opened it – they should identify desert wines a little better – horrible!  Right down the drain!

Dinner was a fab place called Les Philosophers, still in the Marias.  Euan had cheese on a Baggett, Veronica had a Caprese Salad, Duncan – Boeuf Poivre and I ordered one of my fav’s Canard Confite – they had lamb – I still have three more nights in Paris.  Big step for Duncan to order a steak with a pepper sauce, he loved it but swapped it for my Duck – right after he tasted it.  Great night, decent food.

Duncan unable to emote while eating

Euan rather likes eveyone elses...

Italian Food in French Style

Duncan's food being eaten by me!

Out of Focus Duck!

Just in case you were wondering, when we got back to the flat, we were able to open the door – thank you!

Missing a few dates in England, will add later...



Bishop's Castle Church

Saint John's Parish Church

Lynchgate (1894)

Church - Note War Memorial in forground.  Tower is much earlier construction

Door on West side

The Faces found on Chruchs are said to be of real people!

Tower

Cross atop Church

Interior looking forward

Fab Window

Detail of Wondow

Another Fab Window

Under the Wood is a crypt from 1600 and 1700 century that Fred and Alex fixed when it was discovered.  More pictures to follow - I hope!



Rather sad angel at grave of 19 year old boy who died in 1914!  The grave marker said nothing of WW1, but...