Stopping off in Andorra

We're ready to make our way to Spain.  It's a two day trip so we decided to spend one night in Andorra, a tiny country on the border between France and Spain.  We set our clock for 4:30am to get an early start.  I woke up at 4:20 and got up, what else could I do?  We had a quick breakfast, packed the car and off we went.  Tom set the GPS for Andorra and we beat the morning traffic out of Paris.  Off to a good start.  I turned on the radio and it totally messed up the GPS.  Being GPS novices, we couldn't reset it.  What's more important French radio or knowing where you're going?  So I got to navigate with the maps.
The French countryside is breathtakingly beautiful.  The acres and acres of sunflowers were magnificent.  The wheat fields were in neat rows or freshly cut, as were the cornfields and grapevines.

There was so much rain this Spring, everything was lush and green.  It was exciting to see the Pyrenees Mountains off in the distance, still with a little Spring snow left on the tops.  Skiing is the main industry in Andorra and there are lots of ski resorts in this small country.

When we finally arrived in Andorra La Vella the town where our hotel is we were hopelessly lost. We thought it was a small village and we would drive right to the hotel, not the case.  It was time to figure out that GPS, so we did, and sure enough it worked.  We found the hotel, checked in, got a bite to eat and hit the bed for another early start tomorrow.

Au Revoir to Paris

Today was our last day in Paris.  Tomorrow, early (5am) we leave for Spain with a one night stopover in the tiny country of Andorra (population 85,000) in the Pyrenees mountains.
We cleaned the apartment from top to bottom.  It's always good to leave things as good as you found them.
We took the bus,  then the train and then the tram to far northwest Paris in the La Defense district.

That's where we picked up our leased Puegeot.  It's a brand new car with only 1.7 kilometers on the odometer and it smells good too!  We filled up with diesel and came back to our neighborhood.

We had a last lunch with Riad at Le Morgane and came home to meet Andie, our landlady.  We visited and said our good-byes.  We ran a few errands and then it was time to pack.  How did we get here with 2 bags, a pull cart and a backpack?  We've added another bag, 2 boxes and a cooler.  After 3 more months, I wonder how much more we will accumulate.
We invited Donna to join us for dinner at an Indian Restaurant a couple of blocks from our apartment.  The owner serenaded us on his sitar.  Rumor has it he learned from Ravi Shankar.  We enjoyed the evening and bid good-bye to Donna.

Paris has been a wonderful experience.  The people have been genuinely friendly and helpful.  We hope to come back someday and revisit this enchanting city.  Thank you Paris for showing us a truly wonderful time.

Sunday in the Park with Tom

Sunday afternoon and the weather couldn't be more beautiful.  It's sunny and cooler with a slight breeze.  It's a good day for the park.  We like the Georges Bressens Park in our neighborhood.  Georges must have been quite a favorite in this area.  He was a French singer-songwriter and poet.

This park is a perfect place for people watching. We wandered through the grounds seeing rosemary and lavender growing, passed the fountains, the clock tower and a little waterfall.

There is a lot for people to do in this park.  Playgrounds of course, ponies for rides, ping pong and just relaxing.

Another staple in the park are the booksellers.

It's not Barnes & Noble, even though there are some new books, but most are old or even antique.  There are books of all types and also old posters and even old, really old postcards.  Always a good stroll.

On the way home, we stopped by a patisserie to check out the artisan breads and find an after dinner treat.

I couldn't resist a picture of babies on chocolate hearts.

A Special Good-bye

We are so sad to say good-bye to our very dear friend, Michele!  Michele, we couldn't have had nearly the wonderful time in Paris that we did without you.  You made our trip so much more than it would have been.  Many thanks, Michele (and Stephane, too).  We asked Michele to pick a restaurant for dinner.  She chose Chez Jenny and we met her there.  It's food from the Alsace region of France,  bordering on Germany--that means sauerkraut.  We had a very nice evening reminiscing about our time in France--wonderful memories!

Michele is off to her well deserved three week vacation as we are off to Spain.

Saying Good-Bye

As our days in Paris are coming to an end, we are having to say good-bye to our friends we've made here.  We gathered at one of our very favorite neighborhood bistros, with our favorite chef, Riad.  We introduced Donna, Soliel and Umpie to Le Morgane.  Riad again delivered his usual delicious fare.  We will miss the friends we've made here, but we will carry our good memories with us.

Paris-Plages 2013

Who knew Paris had beaches?  We had heard about the summer time beaches and saw several posters advertising such, so we headed for the Seine to see for ourselves.  And sure enough, beaches!

Paris-Plages (beaches) is a plan run by the office of the mayor of Paris that creates temporary artificial beaches each summer along the river Seine in the center of Paris and Parc de la Villette on the Saint Martin canal.  From July 20 through August, the streets on the banks of the river and the canal are blocked off and there are various activities, including sandy beaches and palm trees.  The bright blue umbrellas and beach chairs are sprinkled up and down the beaches.

People were sunbathing, building sand castles, playing  bocce ball, and playing in the misters.

French city-dwellers traditionally escape to the seaside or countryside during the summer, especially in August when the weather is very hot and humid.  However, many Parisians cannot afford to vacation at the seaside or countryside, so the beach comes to them.  The beaches were instigated in 2002 as a way to  relieve the misery of those cooped up in the sweltering city.

We saw a guy fishing along the banks, as for me, I wouldn't eat any fish that came out of the Seine.

There were lots of sunbathers, but no topless sunbathing is permitted, and no swimming in the Seine. It was fun to stroll along the Seine watching the young and old enjoying themselves on the beaches.

We stopped for a nice shady lunch by the Tullerie Gardens with an ice cream for dessert.

100th Edition of the Tour de France 2013

When I realized we would still be in Paris for the end of the Tour de France, I knew I wanted us to be on the Champs Elysees as close as we could get to the Arc de Triomphe.  We jumped on the Metro and headed toward the Champs Elyesse.  There were throngs of people, but we could still walk through the crowd.   Everyone had staked their claim to their best viewing spot.  You could tell many had been there for hours, when we got there around 5:30pm.  Yellow was the color of the day.

We walked through the crowd for a while and stopped to buy a Tour de France kit which included a T-shirt, cap, bandana, key chain, playing cards, wrist bands and tattoos.

 I wanted to get as close to the Arc de Triomphe as I could for a picture, so we walked in that direction.  I loved it that everyone was sporting their teams colors, such spirit and patriotism!

As we made our way toward the Arc, we looked for a choice viewing area.  Score!  A place right on the fence, right in front on the Arc, what luck!  Now we only have to stand here and wait for the riders to arrive, in--2 hours.

We were entertained by a parade of Parisian businesses, in their best parade vehicles.

It was really hot, but we didn't dare leave our most coveted place, even for water.  We could follow the riders on a big screen just to our left.  As the riders reached the Louvre and started up the Champs Elysees the first time,  eight fighter jets flew over the Arc de Triomphe, trailing the red, white and blue French flag colors.

As they came up the boulevard  you could hear the excitement of the crowd cheers moving up the street as they passed.  As you can imagine, when the riders made the circle around the Arc and raced past us, things moved pretty quickly.  I mean super fast.  The riders made the circuit between the Louvre and the Arc several times before reaching the finish line.

We loved the thrill of being there and seeing all the action, but water was a priority, so we went to find some.  After the race there was an awards ceremony, music, a light show and fireworks at the Arc de Triomphe but we elected to head for the Metro and home.