O Is for Ooh-La-La (and P is for Paris)

Ooh-La-La! We're in Paris

If I was to choose my favorite city, besides New York where I've lived for almost fifty years, there is no question that it's Paris. I fell in love with Paris in 1958 when I went to see the movie, "Gigi." I had little comprehension of the theme of Gigi, which was not appropriate for an eight year old, but I loved the music, the clothes, and above all I loved the look of Paris. I started to study French four years later and part of our study included learning about the geography of France, especially Paris. What began so casually at the movies became a life-long relationship with beautiful Paris. 

In French, Ooh-la-la literally means "Oh, there." But it can mean so much more, both negative and positive -- Oh my, Oh boy or simply, Wow! My first trip to Paris was in 1966 and my most recent was last April. Over the years there have been eight trips between those two trips. I've had the good fortune to stay in a number of different neighborhoods and become more familiar with my favorite city. 

One of my all-time favorite views

One of my favorite places in Paris is the Cathedral of Notre Dame, on an island in the River Seine. Unfortunately it wasn't open to visitors when I was there last year, as it was still under (re)construction from the 2019 fire. Happily it reopened in December and, though I have no set plans, I'd love a return visit to see this landmark.

The Cradle by Berthe Morisot

Another favorite part of a visit to Paris is visiting museums. Yes, there are museums in New York, but Paris is a treasure trove. I had a wonderful visit at the Louvre -- Ooh-la-la! -- but also loved my visit to the Musee d'Orsay, home of the Impressionist paintings. The museum was once a train station that became a wonderful place to display an extraordinary collection of Nineteenth century paintings.

Besides the landmarks and museums, I love just wandering the streets of Paris. When I say wandering, it's not exactly wandering. I generally have a destination, but I like to leave a lot of time to get where I'm going and just enjoy what may be down the street and around the corner.  This quiet corner was around the corner from my hotel last year and it was a total surprise for me. The building on the left is the Church of Saint-Sulpice, which dates from 1646. To the right of the church is a lovely and quiet plaza, which was a perfect place to people watch and edit my pictures of Paris. Ooh-la-la, what a treat!

But it's not all walking and museums. There's cafe au lait and croissants and cafes everywhere, and more than a few called me in. For most of my stay last year I had a small kitchen and my breakfast was close to my usual menu of yogurt and cereal. But lunch was my big meal out and most days included a snack stop at a cafe. 

My cafe lunch after a visit to the Louvre

As much as I love Paris we have to say adieu and go on to our next A to Z Blogging stop half-way around the world. Our next stop on our world tour is "Q," and it's the site of one of my favorite travel adventures. Please join us to meet a beloved travel buddy. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.  

When You Can't Be in Paris: Olympics 2024

I couldn't be in Paris for the Olympics, so I made my way to Rockefeller Center 

and the NBC Olympics Viewing Village

As we know I love Paris and I love the Olympics, but the two didn't come together for me this year. I was more than fortunate  to be in Paris a few months ago, but the logistics (and cost) didn't make it work for a return or later trip this year. Besides being glued to television coverage I enjoyed a visit this week to Rockefeller Center and the NBC Headquarters. What is usually the skating rink has become a giant Olympics Viewing Village. Even with the heat -- and it's been so hot and humid -- I had the best time. 

The Eiffel Tower -- in my backyard

My friend G was visiting and we had a wonderful visit. We enjoyed seeing the events on the giant screen, seeing the monuments of Paris and the photographs of the medal winners. Pep, Baby Leo Yo and Bingo (G's Baby Yoda) loved having a photograph with their Olympics favorite, Simone Biles. 

Pep, Baby Leo and Bingo having the best time

Since we've got Paris on our minds it's (more than) time for the Paris giveaway I meant to do in May, after I got back. I've got two magnets -- for two people -- and it's easy to enter this giveaway. Please leave a comment with your favorite Olympic event(s). I'll pick the two winners next Sunday, August 11. We'll go first with our favorite events. As we can see from the picture above we love gymnastics. I'm also a big fan of swimming -- Go, Katie Ledecky -- and track and field. 

These magnets could be yours

I'm back from Northern New York and as always it took a few days to get back into my routine. But this week I got to the gym, Pilates class, grocery shopping and (some) walking. It's been hot and humid and not conducive to a lot of time out of doors. I'm trying to get in my exercise and yet, not overdo it. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cool.

 

From This Side of the Atlantic

 

Almost three weeks ago in Paris

Sunday, three weeks ago, I was in Paris and I took this picture. It's a park near my hotel and on the left is the Church of Saint Sulpice. It's a quiet residential area of Paris. Yes, there are tourists -- I was one -- but it's perfectly located to be far from the bustle and yet, just a half hour from Notre Dame. 

I am sadly remiss in sharing my Paris pictures. After I blogged last Saturday I started a post about my visit to the Musee d'Orsay, the Impressionist museum. I didn't finish it the day I began it, nor the next. Usually when that happens I leave the post as a draft and start a new post. I find that's the universe's way of saying, move on. But I didn't do that. I returned each day and stared at my post. I've now attempted to complete the post six times and the universe said, "Buttercup, move on." 

So I've moved on, with a picture of Paris -- perhaps, my favorite -- and a painting (below) from the d'Orsay, which may be my favorite from this visit. It's somewhat of a surprise that I'm home almost three weeks -- at least a week was lost to jetlag -- and spring is beginning to slip into summer in New York. 

The pace has picked up from the jet laggy first week back in New York. I've been to the dentist, several visits to Weight Watchers, desperately needed after beaucoup des croissants, and walks in Central and Riverside Parks. 

I'm beyond grateful that I was able to do  the trip to Paris, financially and in energy and ability. It's not something I take lightly. What a gift!

Now on to the rest of 2024. There's a long awaited wedding in Maine, a special birthday celebration for a dear work friend and a return to Wildwood, NJ for another Baby Yoda weekend. 

Before I close this long overdue post, The Cradle, painted by Berthe Morisot:

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a great week!

Bonjour, New York!

I love Paris, especially on beautiful sunny days

Greetings from New York City,

I'm back from Paris after a wonderful not-quite two weeks of museums, walking, croissants and cafes and a very fun day at Disneyland Paris. I also returned with a massive case of jet lag, and though I attempted to get back on New York time, my body wasn't having it. I was awake at six a.m. -- which is noon Paris time -- needed a nap in the afternoon and then asleep again around nine. I'm pretty much back on New York time and hoping to get through a post without falling asleep.

I've got weeks of posts, but in this first post-Paris post I'm going to include just a few of the high points. Seeing Notre Dame (above) was a thrill. It's a miracle that this 800 year old building survived a major fire in 2019 and is scheduled to reopen this December. It's completely closed to visitors while the reconstruction is taking place, but I was so happy to see it and visit the area. 

Do you smile to tempt a lover, Mona Lisa? 

It wouldn't  have been a visit to Paris without a visit to the Louvre and it wouldn't have been a visit to the Louvre without stopping by to see the Mona Lisa. The room was crowded -- very, very crowded is a more accurate description -- but I raised my phone way over my head and was able to get a clear photograph of "the lady with the mystic smile." I promise a post later this month with some of my other favorites from my visit to the Louvre. 

My good friend, Pluto

I was staying close to Disneyland Paris and decided to spend a day at Disneyland. I'd been there in 1992 and it was both much smaller and totally uncrowded. I was also thirty plus years younger. On my first visit I rode many of the rides and got to see just about all of the park. There were a few new rides I wanted to ride, but they came with a warning to people who had spinal issues, which left me out. I enjoyed a few rides, the beautiful gardens and best of all, meeting Pluto. Yes, I wasn't the only one of the Buttercupland Crew who met Pluto, Pep and Baby Yoda were along for the fun.   

Tomorrow we'll be visiting the Musee D'Orsay, which focuses on Impressionist art. It was a favorite part of my visit to Paris and there are two paintings in particular that I'd like to share for Mother's Day.

I've been away from blogging way too long and it's good to be back to writing and sharing my Paris adventures. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a sweet Sunday.

It's Time for Another Whirl on the Teacups

 

My first (and only) whirl on the teacups in 1992

One of my childhood dreams was a visit to Disneyland in California. Despite a number of trips to California I've never made it to Disneyland, though I have visited Disneyland Paris and Disney World in Florida. My visit to Disneyland in Paris took place in 1992 and it was one day of a longer visit to Paris. It was a lot of fun as the picture above confirms. 

The Eiffel Tower, in a photo now turning to sepia

It's been almost 25 years since I've been to Paris, though I was in France last spring, and a return trip has long been on my mind. Though I've traveled a lot in the interim I've tried to visit places that I'd never visited before, and Paris didn't meet that criteria. But this winter I thought about places I loved and wanted to return to. Sedona and Paris were at the top of my list. The trip back to Sedona last month with college friends was fabulous and later this month -- next week! -- I'm off to Paris. 

Dumbo will be waiting in Disneyland Paris

There will be a return to Disneyland, but also visits to the Louvre -- can't go to Paris without time at the Louvre -- the Musee d'Orsay -- and the amazing collection of Impressionist art and the Marmatton, dedicated to the work of Monet. What else will I do? I predict coffee at cafes, a trip (or two) to my favorite ice cream store on the Ile St. Louis and time spent enjoying the beauty of Paris. I will also be meeting friends who live in France and are graciously making the trip to Paris. 

I'm just about ready, though there are still a few errands to go. It's a busy while before I leave, but so enjoying a beautiful spring in New York. It's tulip time and they're lovely this year. I promise a tulip post to come. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and happy spring!  

  

I Love Paris in the Springtime (and the Summer, Fall and Winter, too)

Let's go to Paris, with one of my favorite literary friends, Babar 

Right now my plans to visit Paris are only in my dreams, but I'm dreaming of Paris. I've got no date in mind -- next fall, next spring or maybe the following fall or maybe some time after that -- but it's the  trip of my dreams and I don't want to put it off into never. 

Usually when I do a post I use my own photographs, but my last trip to Paris was before the cellphone camera and there are very few pictures for all the  times I've been to Paris. So I'm calling on one of my favorite literary friends, Babar, who is very familiar with Paris. Babar has put together a guide to his favorite spots, and they're also among my top spots, too. 

We'll begin our visit by stopping by the Louvre Museum, which may be the top tourist spot in Paris. We'll look out for the Mona Lisa, pay our respects to Venus de Milo and stop by one of my favorites, Veronese's The Wedding Feast at Cana. I'd love to spend my entire trip to Paris at the Louvre and with so much to see, I think it's possible. But let's move on to the other top spot, The Eiffel Tower.

And there it is. the Eiffel Tower! We're taking Babar's good advice and walking as much as we can. In my dream trip to Paris the weather is sunny every day and it only rains at night. This is the exact opposite of a two week trip I made to Paris in 1981 and it rained at least twelve out of fourteen days. I still loved Paris in the rain, but I love it so much more in the sunshine.  

 

After all of our sightseeing and walking means it's time to participate in one of the great joys of Paris, a visit to a cafe. Cafe de Flore and Deux Magots are in one of my favorite neighborhoods, Saint Germain de Pres. They're well known and well located, but there are many (many!) cafes that may not be as famous, but still have delicious food and are great places for people watching. 

We've had a wonderful day (or two) so far in Paris and just as Babar suggests we'll spend the next morning lazing on the banks of the Seine. Maybe we'll have a croissant and a coffee as we watch the river go by and dream of our next days in Paris. 

I've got many more places to visit in Paris -- Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and its over 1100 stained glass windows, the Ile St. Louis and the best ice cream in Paris at Berthillon, the Impressionist paintings at the Musee d'Orsay and trips to the Palace of Versailles and Monet's house and gardens at Giverny -- and I haven't done any research about new places to see. I think there's a lot more to see and do than the week or ten days that I've had in mind for my dream trip. I may just have to take Babar's advice and dream about living in Paris.  

Now that I've shared my dream trip, what's your dream trip? Is it a return to somewhere you love or a trip to somewhere new you've been dreaming about for a long, long time?  

While I'm dreaming of Paris, I'm going to be enjoying New York in June. I'm looking forward to a friend' s visit later in the month, a concert next week and simply enjoying warm and sunny weather. I may not get to the cafes in Paris, but I look forward to enjoying iced coffee outdoors in my own neighborhood, with no planes or passport needed. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great June. 
 

Blogging From A to Z: P Is for Paris and Pep LeMonkee

 

With thanks to Cole Porter, "I love Paris every moment..."

Several years ago I decided to analyze my affection for the city of Paris. I remembered that my interest in visiting Paris (and especially seeing the Louvre) began even before I started to study French in seventh grade. As I pondered I realized that I saw Paris in images from the movie, "Gigi," which was released in 1958.  I loved the music, the colors, the clothes and the wonderful cinematography of the film. In retrospect it was probably not a great choice for an eight year old. In addition there were any number of inappropriate topics in the movie. But they went right over my eight year old head and what remained was my love of Paris. 

Nine trips later, I still love Paris. I haven't been back to France since 2001, but I'd like (at least) one more trip back. I'm sure it's changed, and as New York has, changed a lot. But Paris is on my list of five places I'd like to return to. I've got no set plans, and despite American tourists being permitted to travel to France after June 9 (if numbers are under control) I'm not quite ready for a trip quite yet. I think next spring may be just right.

Now going from the sublime of Paris to the (not quite) ridiculous of everyone's favorite monkee, Pep. When I began to think about my favorite things that started with "P," pizza, Paris and Pep came to my mind first. I am a huge fan of pizza, love Paris, but Pep and all of his pals helped get me through the Pandemic. I couldn't post about my favorites without a shout out to dear Pep. 

Pep's got Carolina on his mind, remembering our visit to Charleston

Though Pep's enjoyed driving through New York City in his new red car, he's eager for a trip out of town, too. Pep will be joining me on an adventure next week and we're both getting excited for new scenery.   

We're coming to the end of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and clearly, I will not be completing it this year. Last year I extended into May to post "Y" and "Z, and I will be posting "R" for Rhode Island and "W" for Washington, Connecticut, as promised, in May.  Now that I'm totally out of order I'm posting "Z" tomorrow -- it's a fun favorite! -- and "T" on Saturday. It was relatively easy to do the challenge last year, as I was in my apartment almost all of the time. But this year, thankfully, so many things outside of my apartment were doable and I did them. I was back to the gym, visiting museums, getting together with friends and catching up on medical appointments, some long delayed. Tomorrow night I will return to my first in-person synagogue service in thirteen months. It will be socially distanced and there won't be the opportunity to socialize before and after the service, but I'm so excited to be part of the in-person service

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a fun weekend.   

N Is for Normandy

This stop on our A to Z trip is Deauville, Normandy

We've gone 5700 miles from the Amazon to a destination that's the exact opposite in almost every way. We're in Northern France in the area best known for the D-Day landing beaches. We're going down the coast of France about an hour from Omaha beach to Deauville. Deauville is a beautiful beach resort town two hours north of Paris. If this photograph looks vaguely familiar it's because the Impressionist painters often painted in the towns near Deauville. 

One of my favorite activities when I'm traveling -- and when I'm at home, too -- is going to markets. The market at Deauville was one of my favorites, with beautiful vegetables, fruit and flowers. Normandy is a center of agriculture for France, especially known for its production of dairy and fruit. It's the home of Camembert cheese and  Calvados, the spirit distilled from cider. 

 I wish I could have taken home jars of the raspberry jam. 

I didn't do any cooking while I was in Deauville, but I'd love 

to be able to shop for those beautiful vegetables today.  

As long as we're in France and only a few hours away from Paris, let's take a quick trip to Paris. I haven't been in Paris in almost twenty years, but I was there a number of times from 1981 to 2001. Ironically, it was the place I visited the most because I absolutely love Paris, but I have very few pictures of those wonderful visits. I do have a few pictures and these are two of my favorites. 

This is the Church of St-Merri, a Sixteenth Century Gothic style church, surrounded by Pop Art sculpture. It was named for Saint Mederic, the Patron saint of the Right Bank of Paris. Paris is divided by the River Seine into the Right Bank and the Left Bank. 

  L'Arc-en-Ciel, a Rainbow in the sky over Paris, and a rainbow is my wish for all of us!

I've had the best time returning to Normandy and Paris. I hope you've enjoyed it, too. We're staying in Europe for the next stop on our itinerary and it's just a quick hop from Paris. But after "O" we've got some long distance travel. Rest up, friends,  we're going to have a busy week, literally circling the globe. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love and wash your hands. 

Once Again, We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Content



The façade of Notre-Dame de Paris, Our Lady of Paris 

July, 1990

 

I had the pictures ready to do the post for "I" this afternoon when I saw an alert on my phone about a fire at Notre-Dame. I turned on the television and have barely turned it off the rest of the day. I did spend an hour or so going through pictures of travels past. Despite having been to Paris nine times, not one of those times was in the cellphone era. I did take pictures, but usually no more than two or three rolls of film with my instamatic camera. I've got a good number of grainy, out of focus pictures and only three or four of Notre-Dame, one of my all-time favorite places anywhere. This is the best of the lot.

 

Like so many of my favorite things I took this beautiful church somewhat for granted. In my mind it was both monumental and eternal and it would always be there if I traveled to Paris again. But I learned the lesson once again of how life can be ephemeral, and some days all we have left are memories. Thankfully, a great deal of the structure of Notre-Dame remains and it will be rebuilt. I'm hoping that one day I can take my favorite walk in Paris. I will begin with a visit to the beautiful heart of the city, Notre-Dame de Paris, rebuilt once more. I'll slowly walk to my favorite island in the River Seine, the Ile Saint-Louis. I'll spend an hour or two exploring the streets and taking photographs of the seventeenth and eighteenth century buildings. I'll finish my perfect Paris afternoon at my favorite ice cream store anywhere, Berthillon, eating ice cream and watching the Seine flow by.  

 All hearts are with you, Notre-Dame de Paris. 

  

I Love Paris

Paris first captured my heart when I saw "Gigi" in elementary school. I started studying French in junior high school and my dream was to visit the city we studied. I've had that pleasure, nine times over. I've stayed in different neighborhoods and enjoyed each trip. I'm not sure what year this picture was taken or where I was standing, but with my little point and shoot camera I captured a rainbow over Paris. I've shared Paris with my mother and with friends, wandering the streets, drinking coffee in cafes and enjoying art in dozens of galleries and museums. I love Paris. I shared this photograph early in my blogging career to celebrate Bastille Day.

I had a very different post almost completed for today. I was going to write about a trio of romance novellas for Fiction Friday. But with the first "Breaking News" late this afternoon my heart, prayers and thoughts are in Paris, and Fiction Friday will wait for another Friday, one I pray will be calmer.

Let us join in a chain of prayer around the world for the people of Paris and especially for those being held hostage. Tonight we are all French.
 

Happy Bastille Day

Rainbow Over Paris

Bonjour Mes Amies!

I'm not sure what year this was, but I know that the franc was still the currency of exchange in France. I have been fortunate to be able to travel to Paris a number of times. I loved being able to rent apartments in three different neighborhoods and enjoyed being once removed from being a tourist. Wonderful, wonderful memories!

I haven't been in Paris -- or anywhere in France -- in over ten years, but it's back on my list. I want to see Paris again. I want to sit in cafes and visit the Louvre. I want to eat ice cream at my favorite ice cream place anywhere, Berthillon, and enjoy their exotic ice cream flavors. I'm not sure when I will get back to Paris, but Bastille Day, the day of the French National Celebration, is a great day to remember how much I like Paris.

Sweet Saturday Wishes!

"Julie and Julia"

When I visited Washington in March I saw Julia Child's kitchen at the Museum of American History. I was so taken with it that I even blogged about it and posted one of the photos above. Tonight I went with my friend, Mary to see "Julie and Julia" which is both about how Julia Child came to write "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and how Julie Powell of Queens, NY (the neighborhood near my office) wrote a blog about cooking all the recipes in "Mastering the Art..." in a year.

I loved it! It's about food (and extraordinary food), Paris, blogging, New York and stars one of my favorite actresses, Meryl Streep, who is extraordinary as Julia Child. It's also about finding the thing in life you love to do and doing it with joy and passion. And dear readers, it was filmed at Silvercup Studio, which I wrote about earlier this week.

In the one degree of separation...Meryl Streep and I overlapped for one semester in college. I spent my junior year at one of the men's colleges that was thinking of going coeducational -- and did the next year -- and Meryl was there the year before I got there and my first semester. We didn't know each other, but there were only 70 there, so I pretty much knew who the women were and even then she was an outstanding actress and very beautiful. It came as no surprise when she was starring in movies a decade later.

And my only experience cooking from "Mastering the Art..." came one Thanksgiving. In a total break from tradition a friend suggested we cook goose stuffed with prunes and foie gras. It took hours and involved such actions as stuffing the prunes with foie gras, intricate and labor intensive. The result was delicious, but very rich. I have happily returned to turkey in the years since.

Wishing you all, dear gentle readers, joy in all that you do.

"My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold... ...

...a Rainbow in the Sky"

This is the sky over Paris after a rainstorm and this is my belated Bastille Day post. I've been saving the picture to use for Bastille Day, but it seems appropriate today, too. Have had some very good news about my aunt. We are "guardedly optimistic" but she is showing tiny signs of improvement! They're tiny, but markedly real and despite not wanting to get too excited, I am excited, very excited!

Thanks, all for your prayers and good wishes. They are appreciated more than I can express.