Blogging My Dreams

For some reason, for the last 6 days I have been unable to post any photos on to my blog. Even typing this message is like watching what I would imagine an old teletype was like. Pause, click, one letter, pause again. Just to let you know I have so many photos and experiences I want to share so will keep on trying and hopefully will get it figured out. Murphy’s law, technical support for WordPress has been on a retreat during this entire time and state they will return tomorrow, fingers crossed!!

The first photo is the view from our apartment, so nice to have a veranda right on the water, what a wonderful place for breakfast. The second is one of my favorite walks which is the Fondamente Nove, this was taken just as the sun was coming up. The third I took from the vaporetto and the fourth is the Fondamente Nove again, this is the walk we take every morning to go for coffee and croissants at our favorite cafe.

No matter where you turn, no matter what street or alley you go down you are sure to find a statue. It almost becomes overwhelming trying to capture and remember all you see. Here are a few of my favorites from around Paris, some from the streets and others from the sights we have visited.

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1) Van Gogh “La Nuit e Toilee. As I looked at it I heard Don McLean

2) The giant clock with Sacre Couer in background

3) The main floor of the museum (originally a train station)

4) Whistler (mother)

5) Part of the Louvre through the clock

6) View through the window

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A few shots I took of the EIffel Tower. Yes, some of the shots I was laying on the ground to take. It is such a fascinating work of art.

I have found that my most favorite time to walk around Paris is just as the sun is starting to set, the weather starts to cool down and everything seems so peaceful.

  We spent quite a bit of time walking through the Luxembourg Gardens. They were just as beautiful and impressive as I had heard. When we first arrived there were only a few people, but within an hour it was packed with locals, tourists and students that were all spread out enjoying lunch.

The building was originally the palace of Marie de Medici and is now used as the Senate. The fountain was commissioned by Marie de Medici.

 

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

We arrived in Paris at 10:30am so our flight made it a little earlier than scheduled. We had a good flight, with not too much turbulence and were able to sleep so we were ready to go when we landed. This time we rented a cute little apartment through Airbnb located in the first arondissement. It is on Rue St. Honore, which has quite a few restaurants and bars and very easy to reach most sights.  About three blocks from the Louvre!

That afternoon we spent figuring out where everything is, getting some food items from a small grocery store nearby and getting lost in an underground shopping mall that is attached to a metro stop. The thing is huge!

We have been touring around pretty much non-stop since we arrived and have seen so much already! I will try to share as much as possible and post some photos as we try to get to know Paris.

 

 

Monday, August 8th, 2016

We are just starting to get ourselves in gear for the next big trip.  This time we will be heading first to Paris where we will spend ten days taking in the sights and just enjoying being in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  I can’t wait to sit at one of the cafes and watch the beautiful people stroll by.

I have only been to Paris a couple of times, but one of the things that has stayed with me over the years is just how beautiful the people seem to be and how they all seem to be dressed so well. No sweats and t-shirts for those guys. The men seem to have just stepped out of a magazine, lovely leather dress shoes, smart jackets and tailored pants and shirts. The women do their country proud with their cosmopolitan look. Each lady seems to have just stepped off of the runway with their lovely quality clothing and style.  It made such an impact on me that I am trying to put together clothing that will at least allow me to fit in a little. Generally when I travel it is more about the comfort and how much I can fit into a small carry on bag. This time, still the small bag but more thought going into the styling. I am sure I won’t be able to compete with these lovely people, but at least I can hope not to stand out as much.

While there, my two objectives will be to see how many antique fairs I can find and to try to get some decent night shots with my camera. I am excited to see if I can find any of the old linens and dishes that I have seen others come home with. I have also been trying to study up on how to take the best night shots. Last time we were there, I tried to capture the wonder of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night from the river but it turned out to be a blurry mess. Wish me luck this time.

After Paris we get on a plane and head to Venice for four days.  Those of you that have read previous posts know that I believe Venice is one of the most magical places in the world, right up there with Disneyland! We have been often enough that I feel at home when walking around the city. Of course we get lost, what would be the fun if you didn’t!! We did a pretty good job last year of correcting our direction enough to be able to get around so have high hopes for this time. We try to stay away from the tourist areas unless it is early morning or late in the evening, staying more to the locals areas. Can’t wait!

We are then heading on via train to Cortona, which is where we feel most at home when we are in Italy. We get to revisit all of the old haunts, reconnect with dear friends there and fool ourselves into believing that we belong there, at least for a short time. If dreams came true, we would own a place there and spend part of each year there. We truly have fallen in love with the area and its people. We have some very precious, lasting friendships that we have developed over the years and it is like going to visit family! While in that area, we will, of course revisit Rome, go back to Orvieto and Florence and see what else we can add to the adventure.

Our next part of the trip will take us to Germany. Here we will get to visit with our son and two granddaughters for nine days. We don’t do too much in the way of touristy things when we are in Germany because it is more about catching up with the family and doing day to day things with them.

I can’t wait to start the final stage of packing, tickets are booked, agenda in place, restaurants researched! Less than a month and we will be on our way.

I will be writing blogs and sharing photos so I hope you will enjoy them as I try to share our adventures along the way.

Sunday, June 12th 2016

Every year, just before the summer turns the fields brown, the local shepherd starts bringing in the sheep to clear the fields.

They seem to be hungry the entire time they are awake and it doesn’t take long for them to clean up a field.

It is such a joy to come home and see all of these beautiful faces looking at us. They always seem to have the look that seems as if they are asking what we think we are doing there.

When the shepherds bring in the sheep they let them run down the streets and have several dogs that guide them into the appropriate fields. It is such a wonderful sight to see all of them taking up the entire road, and amazes me how they are able to keep them all controlled.

We have been lucky to have them come twice a year for the last few years so we are able to enjoy them longer. I wish we could have them as permanent residents of the surrounding fields!

One of the closest fields is packed full of all of the new birth arrivals this year! They are so adorable!

As this blog is primarily about things that I believe enrich our lives, I wanted to share some of the photos of these wonderful, temporary neighbors of mine. I hope you enjoy them!