Saturday, May 17, 2008

Green With Envy


I've been surfing around the Paris and France blogs and I have to say that I am totally jealous. One blogger's title asked that we not hate her because she lives in Paris. How could I not? I don't live in Paris! Yet! On the other hand it's great that I can see how others feel about France and Paris and I have not been disappointed. I am a psychotherapist and think I'll start doing research on Paris addiction. It must be a disorder that requires regular treatment. Hmmmm. I wonder if my insurance covers Paris therapy.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Winged Victory


She's in my "About Me" section but the picture doesn't do her justice. So, I've repeated her here. This sculpture is always the highlight of my trips to the Louvre. When I come around the corner and see her standing majestically at the end of that long hall I am always in awe. I've taken numerous pictures from all angles and still don't have one that I really like. I guess I'll just have to go back and maybe someday get pictures without hundreds of people surrounding her. On our last trip we saw the excavated foundations of the original castle. That was amazing and it was so cool to see that almost every stone had a mason's mark on it. We first thought the boats and hearts on the stones were graffiti but, hundreds of years ago the person who finished each stone autographed it. There's so much more about the Louvre but I'll go back to that later.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

A Great Place to Stay


On our first trip to Paris we stayed in a bed and breakfast that I found online. It was nice but not in the best area and we shared a bathroom, which we don't like. The second time we went my wife found a place that looked very promising. It was called the Maison Zen and is actually a Zen training center. The website looked nice so we booked it. Not being very knowledgeable in getting around Paris yet we took a chance we would like it. Well, it is about three blocks from the Bastille Metro stop and the new Paris Opera. It is in a really cool little neighborhood. It's a couple of blocks from the Gard du Lyon and there are many restaurants, stores, patisseries, boulangeries, etc. within walking distance.
When we got there we were very pleased. It is behind a steel garden door inside a courtyard, making it very private. Everyone there speaks English although they are from many countries. We were taken to an efficiency apartment that had just been remodeled. It was small but it had a very comfortable bed, kitchen area with fridge and microwave and a full bathroom. On our last trip we returned there and brought friends. Oh, did I say that we paid only 1,000 Euros for 11 days in 2007? Great little place. Go to http://www.maisonzen.com/ to check it out. I just did and found they have a new website. It looks even better.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

My First Blog about Paris


This is going to be a fun site and I hope to get a lot of interest and comments. One of my primary desires is to be able to travel to France and around Europe for a considerable part of each year. Perhaps to even rent or buy a flat in the Paris area. Some of the things I want to address in future blogs are: A really nice place to stay in Paris. Utilizing the services of Eurrail. The amazing museums. The food. A few of the Restaurants. Our favorite boulangerie. Parisians and the bad rap they get from us. And I'm sure I'll find more. I will also be taking questions.