Well, this is the last part. We are sitting on the TVG racing towards Paris and not only the end of the trip, but my 70th birthday. I raced through all those other birthdays like the TVG train with out pause. Seventy, though is a big number and it has made me stop and think about what is left in my life. I am not fearing the end is near or any of that stuff. I know lots of you that are reading this have blown through 70 and racing on through life and that is what I intend to do. But, it is time for reflection for me I guess. I have done more than many will do in several life times. Most did not want to do what I have done .When you think how the world has changed, it just stops me to contemplate what is next.
So, I guess that is enough of that.
We got up early....or Vicki got up early as I am always up early. The train leaves at 8:45 and I had scheduled a Uber pickup at 7:50 to 8:05. Our bags were packed, so we just had to zip them and take them downstairs. We paid the 10 Euro a day city tax, almost as bad as Pinellas county tourist tax, said goodbye to Paul the desk manager and went in to the dark and rain to wait for our ride. I pulled out my phone to make sure that the Uber was set right. However, I found I had booked for PM and not AM. Now you know you see the reoccurring theme here and why I wrote the paragraph above. I cancelled that ride and called for a new one. Within five minutes a beautiful Mercedes Executive Class pulled up. The nicest car I have ridden in in a long time. In the short ride Vicki was talking purchase. I explained that, yes it was a beautiful back seat, but she had not been in the back seat of one of her cars since high school.
Boarding was painless and there was plenty of luggage space, despite the train being full. Two days ago it was summer with temperatures in the 70's and now winter had arrived. It was foggy, cold and rainy and stayed that way until we arrived in Paris where the sun was out but the temperatures were in the 50's.
I really enjoyed the ride. However, it was not high speed. Most of it was at normal speeds and we did not crank it up until we were about two hours out of Paris. We still arrived fifteen minutes late. And by some mysterious action the length of the train had doubled between Milan and Paris.
A Uber ride through sometimes heavy traffic and we were at 37 Ave des Ternes. David, the Cobblestone greeter, was there to meet us and show us around the apartment but once he recognized us he just covered the highlights and asked if we had any questions. We are almost exclusive with Cobblestone now as there are no mysteries. There is always the things you need like coffee, sugar, condiments, laundry and dish soap, etc. and a bottle of wine and a candy bar and everything is clean and in it's place. There is a slight premium for this service, but after you drag in from a long overnight flight from America or Africa, all these little things count.
We went down to the shopping street and picked up a some cheese and a baguette and settled in for the evening. We really feel at home here.
The track board. Tracks are not assigned until about 15 minutes before departure. When the Paris track was put up, everyone standing waiting walked to that track.
We brought our own food. That salad in the bucket was a bust.
When we came to the first stop in France the police came on and checked documents but not all. They were definitely profiling.
Paris Gare de Lyon station.
Best Birthday in Paris!!!!
I was up early just "being" in Paris. Had baguette with a little ham, some coffee, read my book.
Vicki got up and we were discussing what we might do today. The coffee in the apartment is not very good so she said "I am going to need an espresso". So, about 10:30 we left the apartment and walked around the corner passing a perfectly good cafe with glass heated indoor seating and I suggested there. She said no, the one next door, much smaller, looked better and she wanted to set inside since it was so cold. She told me to wait on the curb while she went in to check for a table. None of this was out of the ordinary behavior pattern. She stuck her head out and she said she had a table for us. I walked in to a small space, a little darker than most cafe's and followed her around a corner to a table in the back corner. Here is where the knock down shocker came in to play. Setting in the back corner table were Walt and Hellen Driggers our great friends from St. Pete. They had been in Oslo on business with Norwegian Airlines and flown down to Paris a few days earlier. He had even rescheduled a meeting to make it here. I can honestly say I have not had a bigger surprise since the last time I heard bullets penetrating the skin of an airplane and, let me tell you, that is one big surprise. I don't know how many times I hugged and kissed them but it was a lot. I even did a happy dance. It was so exciting that the mother and daughter at the next table got in on the act.
I was a shocked!!!!!!!!
The coffee surprise!!
But wait........there is more, but we will get to that later.
After coffee and I calmed down we set out on a walk to see Paris. Our apartment is just down from the Arc de Tromphe, so we headed up there and down the Champ-Eylseese. We strolled along looking at people and windows in the big stores. Before the Place de Concordia there was a temporary in door art show so we strolled through it. There was some great art. We could have stayed there much longer as there was some fantastic art but we had places to go.
It was determined that the group was hungry so I led them past to the US Embassy to Rue Saint Honore in search of a place to eat. It is Sunday so many places were closed be we found the Le Castiglione. This is one of the more upscale type cafes. The food was excellent though I chose snails and french onion soup, just because. The food was excellent, but the waiter made it a special event with his humor and wit.
Sam the waiter
Now the "more" part.
Walt and Hellen had become friends with Windy Lyn, from the panhandle of Florida, a few years back when they had taken one of her food tours in Paris. Windy is quite a character. She had just graduated from college, was engaged, had a job with Southern Living Magazine as a writer and had come to London to do some work. She had three days off and came to Paris. She never left. She called her dad collect, (for young people, that is when you pick up a phone attached to a wire line that runs from Paris to the US, you dial "0". A real person comes on the line and you tell them to stick the person answering the phone with the bill, which in those days, was significant) and gave him the news. That was 29 years ago. You can read more about her here https://www.wendy-lyn.com/about/ .
Anyway, Walt and Hellen had arranged for Windy to entertain me, or us, for the evening and my birthday. We met her at six in a area away from the center part of Paris at Clamato restaurant. It is owned by the chef's of the Michelen starred restaurant next door called Septime. Septime is famous not only for the food but the price. The chef owners wanted everyone to enjoy haute cuisne so the prices are just normal prices. No 200 euro dishes here. If you could get in you would pay 40 euro's for lunch and 80 euro's for dinner with eight course fixed menu, plus 40 for paired wines. It was closed and even Wendy, who knows all the chef's in the world, could not have gotten us in anyway, since it is booked months in advance. At Clamato we had numerous shared little plates and three bottles of wine. From there we walked over to a tiny wine bar owned by the same people. Another bottle of wine and some great sliced meat. We met three young up and coming chef's. One works at Clamato, one is starting soon at Septime, and the third works at another restaurant altogether.
chef sam, chef robert, chef sofus
Roberts birthday was today, the 28th. There is a story about the t-shirts I will tell later.
It was a magically evening. From being surprised by great friends to being entertained by Jimmy Buffet,s cousin and friend to every named chef in the world and more, Wendy.
Walt and Hellen I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the greatest gift one could get for his birthday, your friendship.
October 29, The Real Birthday
Today I will call a bust. Rain, wind, cold, and old man staying out past mid-night and getting up at 5am and a wife did not get up until after 10 and a way way to large lunch we failed to accomplish any of our goals for today. After the massive lunch, that was not supposed to be, we walked from the apartment to the Petit Palace only find it closed. Then I did something I have done less than 4 times in Paris, and one was yesterday after midnight, we took a taxi home. Other than to and from the airport it has been a thing of pride for me to walk, bus, or metro to or from my destination. All the reasons above drove me to the taxi. Back home early afternoon we enjoyed a pleasant winter day in the apartment.
The lunch that killed me. Cassolet!
rental share electric scooters.
rental electric scooters
Why is this lady hiding her face. She is ashamed. She did not bring a hat. Hellen loaned her hat. We just got a picture of Hellen standing bear headed in the falling snow in Oslo.
I'm thinking I would be cute in a tuto
Taxi home
lemon drop martini
the official cake
The Last Day, Oct 30
Tomorrow we head to the airport early in the morning. A shame as we just hit our stride today. Despite rain, wind and cold we hit the streets and walked. Up to the Arc de Triomphe. They are setting up for a big parade to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, know as Armistice Day. This is going to be a grand event and I had considered staying or coming back until I heard that President Cheeto Head is coming. If they let him in. First stop, the Petit Palace that was closed yesterday. They have a photo exhibit among the art and I found the photos just down right ordinary. We did watch as they moved statues around and place them and that was interesting.
Goodbye to the art and we are off through the Tuileries Gardens to the Louvre. For Paris, you can call it deserted. From the Louvre we headed into the Maris and the first stop is for a coffee. We selected a nice outside seat under a heater at the Grand Palace Hotel on the Place Colette and enjoyed an espresso with excellent service.
Remember the picture of the three chef's in the Lao Siam tshirts? Well, the rest of the story is that they claimed Lao Siam as the best restaurant in Paris. When three young chef's endorse a restaurant and wear their tshirt I felt I should try it out. However, after a group meeting we decided we really were not up for Asian and it was a long way away.
So, we decided to head to up Le Regent. We have been going to this little hole in the wall for years. After the first visit we went back and walked for an hour and never found it. Determined to re-discover it, back in the US, I combed through pictures and finally was able to determine it's location.
Rediscovered we have been at least once on every trip. We squeezed, and do mean squeezed my fat ass, in past the bar to a very small corner table looking at the street. I right off we noticed that things had changed. The waiter was not a big English speaker, but we got the jest of the menu. Especially when half of the items had hamburger in the name. A staff member came over asked what we would like in perfect English. Vicki ordered the tartefille and the staff member recommend the lamb chop for me. As we waited for the meal we talked about how it had changed and we were not comfortable with menu and decided it was off the must do list. The food that came out was excellent. We passed on desert and as we were enjoying the coffee the wait staff came back out to visit. We asked if the restaurant had changed hands and she said yes about a year ago. We learned that the "staff" was named Emily and now runs the restaurant. It has belonged to her grandmother who had rented out since 1995 but last year handed it off to Emily. "No", she says "hamburgers are not on the menu everyday. In fact the whole menu changes everyday depending on what is available fresh." We visited for awhile and Le Regent is back on the "must visit" places.
From there we headed off walking to were Walt and Hellen had stayed to look at the a craftsman exhibit across the street. We walked a little in the neighborhood and through a little market that was closing and then headed back to the Metro. We took the M3 to the M2 walked down the Ave des Ternins, did a little shopping, and were back in the apartment around 5. Not sure how far we walked but in hours it was many and great.
the apartment window
arc de triomphe
champ-elysees
julia
playing in the water
the grand palace
across the street the petit palace
photo
art
photo
art
photo
art
photo
art
I did not get the photos at all.
champ elysees
in front of the louvre
standing room only
Emily owner/chef
a huge store of nothing but ribbon
the coolest taxidermy shop ever
one thing about the facebook generation, they will pose for a picture in a heart. This started with one and she called in all the others.
valet parking for ......
...this take away shop for the rich and famous
that is cooked lobster at over $100 a pound
Back Home to the Ugly Politics
The trip home was painless except trying to get into the neighborhood. Our area has become the go to place for Halloween. Both sides of all the narrow streets were lined with parked cars. Sadly, we were to tired to participate.
It was a great trip. Made new friends, saw new places and that is what it is all about. Heard a great quote recently from a wealthy southern couple who took their new jet and flew around the world. The stereotype of that type of person does not led you to believe how caring and open they are to the world and the people in it. They have a wonderful out look on people and cultures and said "we went looking for neighbors and found cousins". I think that is a wonderful statement. I heard myself when they were talking repeating what I have said many times, "they are just like us just trying to get and make sure their children have a better wold to live in".
That leads me to the political part of this trip:
Sadly our country is turning the other way. There is not going to be a better world with the hate that is being spread by our President. Already hate is rising it's ugly head again with his encouragement. Win at all cost is not what this country was all about. I was born on foreign soil and that makes me a immigrant in his eyes, but a good one because I am white. Fear is not the answer.
It was a great trip. Made new friends, saw new places and that is what it is all about. Heard a great quote recently from a wealthy southern couple who took their new jet and flew around the world. The stereotype of that type of person does not led you to believe how caring and open they are to the world and the people in it. They have a wonderful out look on people and cultures and said "we went looking for neighbors and found cousins". I think that is a wonderful statement. I heard myself when they were talking repeating what I have said many times, "they are just like us just trying to get and make sure their children have a better wold to live in".
That leads me to the political part of this trip:
Sadly our country is turning the other way. There is not going to be a better world with the hate that is being spread by our President. Already hate is rising it's ugly head again with his encouragement. Win at all cost is not what this country was all about. I was born on foreign soil and that makes me a immigrant in his eyes, but a good one because I am white. Fear is not the answer.
When I was still flying I got to know
some congressmen from Ohio that I shuttled back and forth from Ohio to
DC. In the mid-90’s three of them, 2 republicans and democrat, told me
they were leaving public service because congress has changed and they all did
not want to do it anymore. I asked them what changed and they all said it
had moved from to civilized work environment and everything had turned to
personal attacks. They all blamed it on Newt Gingrich.
This is a report on Gingrich and how it
did it. Call it fake news if you wish but I have first hand knowledge
that it is correct.
