Paris, Paris...oh do we love Paris

As usual we left NYC/JFK in the evening to arrive in the morning in Paris. A quick train ride and a short walk put us at our hotel just off Rue Jacob...in the 6th, our fav. A little alley between Rue Buci and Boulevard St. German with interesting stores and restaurants...the cobbled stones and old world feel make it one of our favorite strolls here in the 6th. A beautiful "little" building in Paris...the architecture and ornate styling of so much of Paris makes it a joy to explore. Only in Paris! no real idea what this scooter is all about, I doubt that it really went all over north Africa, but it was a fun sight nonetheless. Eglise (church) et jardin (garden) a Paris! Ruthie takes time to smell the roses...make that lilacs, in a lovely little jardin, in a church courtyard, just off Boulevard St Germain. Creative fencing in the garden...just a simple lattice of cut/trimmed tree branches, but it seems so perfect for this little jewel of a park. Statue and flower bed in Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris...it seems that all of Paris is planted just so it will bloom to perfection on or around Easter each spring ,and the perfection of these gardens is a thing to behold. The colors, the shapes, the textures, the perfect floral arrangement...it's as though someone were making flower arrangements, but all the flowers are still rooted and growing Close up of the flower bed...the color choices in the flower beds remind one of the color combinations/associations of the impressionists...Matisse, Bonnard, and such would surely approve. Another statue and flowers in the Luxembourg Garden Etc. Etc. with pink tulips It's spring and there is plenty of pink snow in Paris! Boys and their boats in the fountain at the Luxembourg Garden...there's actually a guy with a pushcart who rents boats to boys and girls for a day of "sailing" in the 6th. Not another statue with flower bed Color in the streets of Paris Haute couture in Wonderland...a lot of effort to highlight a "little black dress", but one must always remember the importance of "the little black dress" to the ever-chic Parisienne. Ruth loves the Place des Vosges in le Marais/Paris...it's a very family and neighborhood park entirely surrounded by three and four story apartment buildings, forever full of children and families... always a joy to sit and watch the flow of Paris for awhile. Fountain in Place des Vosges...there are four fountains like this, one in each corner, of the Place de Vosges, all bubbling with joy and sunshine. Marche des Enfants Rouge...one of favorite spots, discovered by accident while on an "off-day" ramble, this open-air market features a number of produce stands, many with an emphasis on "bio" - the euro equivalent of "organic" in the US - but the real treat are the prepared-food stands that are totally funky, charming, and delicious. The market name literally means "the market of red children" and refers to a 17th century orphanage where the children wore red uniforms. It was built in 1615 behind the buildings on the surrounding streets, and all the markets and food stalls are covered by tarps, and all the tables are in the open sunshine...a delightful ambiance in which to enjoy some eclectic food choices. Lunch at le Marche de Rouge Enfants...ah there's one of the red children now..just kidding. This is one of our favorites for a lunch in the sunshine...in the 3rd.

New York enroute...April 17 to 19

In an effort to split-up a long SFO>CDG flight, we spent 48 fun-filled hours in New York We stayed downtown with a direct view of ground zero. Work continues unabated to put up new structures. We love the food and ambiance of breakfast at Balthazar. A few minutes in the sun in Bryant Park, before a photographic exhibit at the ICP Every trip you see new sights in NYC...like this beautiful building All over NYC, the blossoms of spring enliven the urban landscape this delivery truck just screamed for a photo...it's a great fun logo and an interesting philosophical take on fish/meat in our modern culinary environment, sort of like slow food, eating locally, and eating seasonally. one of the great bridges of the world...it's always a treat to slide through the maze of cables and massive brick towers of the Brooklyn Bridge. our Air France flight was ready to head to Paris as the sun set at JFK...it always fun to know that a quick six hour flight will bring you to morning in Paris, ready for a new day of fun in one of our favorite cities.

We are on another trip to Europe and we're old hands at this...forget the "old", and just say we're experienced, very well experienced, at travel in Europe.   This trip will be shorter, Ruth has less time off.  The funny thing is this trip is planned, not to the minute, but planned, very planned.   Every accomodation, every train, every car rental....I even have reservations for every train.   We're going to breakup the long SF>Paris flight by stopping for a few days in New York, revisiting the old stomping grounds - Balthazar, ICP, Union Square Cafe, the Metropolitan Museum, MOMA, Italian Wine Merchants   So everything is planned...and I'm thinking back to our first trip, when we didn't know a thing, or where to go, or how to make reservations, or which neighborhoods to stay...clueless.   And there is a certain charm in winging it...forty years ago I did that for six full years back and forth between New Zealand and Nepal, every day a new adventure, never knowing where I'd go or stay or eat.   And at that age I loved, I craved, that adventure.   But now with less time and energy, it makes a lot more sense to be planned...but this trip is ridiculously planned! we're going fewer places, more intensive at each stop.  Five days each in Paris, St Paul de Vence (Provence) and Venezia, then a full week in a stone cottage in Umbria.  We know each of these, but this time we're doing things we've missed on previous trips....a full opera/ballet at La Fenice in Venezia, to the top of the Eiffel Tower, living/exploring back-backroads, vineyards, small farms, etc in Umbria.   So we have a well-planned trip and barring an Italian or French train strike, we'll have a flawless, "restful" vacation....the "rest" is for Ruth, I'm going for the "full".

This is our first shot at the blog thing...my intention is to let the pictures do the talking, but we'll both comment as needed or whatever.   There's little doubt in my mind that the pictures will carry a lot more interest than my verbal diarrhea.   Friends from Kodiak narrated their New Zealand blog with haiku....the perfect cure - fewer words, more meaning.   We may try a little haiku too....a poem for those that know 'em.   Oh god...here we go.