The Bold Soul

Our week in Paradise

I have actually managed to get most of the photos uploaded to Flickr, from our week on the French Riviera. [NOTE: These are the public photos only... if you're on my friends & family list, I'll be creating a separate Flickr set for the family photos and will let you know when they're ready.]

In the meantime, enjoy this look into what we did on our April vacation in the sunny south (besides deciding, officially, to get married)!

Zoo 'appy to zee you

One afternoon last week, we took the Little Guy to one of his favorite spots near Saint Raphael: the Frejus Zoological Park. Thought you might enjoy a break from all the mushy love stuff (or maybe not?) so here are a few of my favorite pix from that day:

This friendly little (by elephantine standards) pachyderm enjoyed the treats we tossed to him so much that when we waved goodbye, he waved right back!

Love the hair, dude!

I tried to get him to smile for me, but this hippo is too hip to get excited at every camera-toting tourist who comes along.

Beautiful tiger. And I was glad for the very high fence between us.

Frogs and snails and prairie dog tails? These industrious little guys aren't French, though... nope, they were imported from the American southwest, just another group of tourists who came to France and then never left.

Market Day

I love the open air markets you will find in every city and village in France. The spice vendor's display is so colorful and smells incredible!

Strawberries and white asparagus are in season! Yum!

So are the local small melons which taste so much better than the big cantaloupes I was used to eating in America.

And yes, it was one of these very melons that Georges "dropped" before asking me to marry him. He says this is probably the last photo I took before officially becoming a bride-to-be!

It's a hard life, but somebody's got to live it

Blue skies over the marina in Saint Tropez... parking for your big yacht is over to the right. Designer shops about two blocks over.

Or perhaps you'd prefer Cannes, where the big film festival takes center stage here every May, and where you can shop at Fred and Cartier while strolling on the beach-front promenade. Not too shabby.

 

For my money, I'd rather have something in between... a bit more secluded, with an incredible view and a pool.

Maybe she thought I wouldn't notice

Sunday morning, Georges and I were discussing a few random things: work, the kids, what kind of chateau we're going to own when I'm a world-famous author, what we needed to pick up at the grocery store... you know, the usual stuff couples talk about over the morning coffee. And so we added some things to our refrigerator shopping list:

That's "Chateau with turret: billiard (room), library, a round music room, writing room and wine cave", in case you couldn't read my hand-writing. Oh, and mustn't forget the kitty litter. Yes, we dream big around here.

Then Kyliemac came over to visit and join us for lunch. It's amazing what things mysteriously show up on your shopping list when someone thinks you aren't looking:

OK, OK... we get the hint. Just make sure to get your paint and fabric swatches to us by next Thursday. And will you require an en suite bathroom as well? Would you care to put in your breakfast order to room service now?

In place of central loving... I mean heating

Georges is still Dakar. I am missing my central loving amoureux. With flight delays, his very busy meeting schedule, a two-hour time difference and a lack of access to technology on his end, we've had very little means of contacting each other except for a few short emails -- and one very nice surprise SMS that I got this evening, while out having a nice dinner with Georges' daughter (lots of great bonding going on between us this week, which is wonderful). I'm still not sure how he managed to get an SMS to me, nor am I sure he received my reply, but it was lovely to get it.

So I came across this photo of a huge roaring fire in one of the beautiful fireplaces in Chambord and thought I'd post it to warm myself up a little.

Sans blague?

True or false? Are steam trains crashing through train stations?

The first one is actually the front of a train museum! Kind of fun and creative, don't you think?

The second image is a real photo of a real train that had brake trouble at the old Gare Montparnasse, Paris, on October 23, 1895. It crossed 30 meters of the concourse before crashing through the window. Only one person was killed, amazingly enough... un pauvre in the shop below the window.

Happy April Fool's Day and Bons Poissons d'Avril!

A Walk in the Park with Leonardo

Here are a few shots from our miracle sunny stroll through the gardens at Clos Lucé, Leonardo's last home in Amboise, France where he was given this house by François I who lived nearby at the Chateau d'Amboise. I said "miracle" because as we were driving there from Tours, and even up until we parked the car and walked up the hill to Clos Lucé, it was raining. A lot. Then it just stopped, and the sun came out long enough for us to walk around the entire gardens -- which I had not had the opportunity to do on my earlier visit last year when I only got a brief peek.

The house (above), with a model of Leonardo's helicopter invention in the foreground.

This was a model of the military tank Leonardo envisioned. Hey... who's that handsome man in the black hat?

The Prieuré, now used as a restaurant but closed for some renovations.

This is the interior of the pignonnerie which had 1,000 nesting alcoves... so on average it would hold 2,000 pigeons at full capacity, plus their eggs and young offspring. The building had a unique design: square on the outside, octagonal on the inside to allow for better air flow within the building; this was thought to create healthier breeding conditions. Fortunately it smells fine now, but can you imagine

The word you're searching for is: tranquilité.

A peaceful world, Clos Lucé.

In-Spired

The icing on the cake that is the Chateau de Chambord:

Everywhere you look, there are the most incredible towers, chimneys and belfries, all decorated so ornately. This one (below) is the top of the grand central double staircase. You can see a bit of the spiral:

As you can see, we had lovely sunny weather with a few fluffy clouds thrown in for better photo ops:

You think the chateau's exterior is completely symmetrical until you look more closely:

From the 4th étage you can access the roof-top terraces and see the details up close and personal:

And you get these incredible views over the chateau's property (bet all those royals felt really proud of themselves when they surveyed their domaine):

But here is my most inspiring and favorite view, the one that always takes my breath away:

Unexpected in February

In the cour where we live, some of the residents have created a lovely garden against one high stone wall with many potted plants and flowers. (Some of the children even discovered a huge cluster of escargots at the base of one pot the other day!) Seeing the crocuses and daffodils emerge is one thing. But what a lovely surprise to see these large pink blooms so early (too early, probably) in the season. It's not even anywhere near spring, yet... sure is nice to be reminded it's coming, though!

Bouquiniste

A time-honored institution in Paris are the bouquinistes, the book sellers with their green "box" stalls along the walls on either side of the Seine. They date back at least to the early 1800s and very possibly even before that.

Of course, nowadays there are fewer real book sellers and more vendors of tourist items like post cards, machine-reproduced "oil paintings" and prints of Parisian art posters (as well as postcards of naked ladies of all shapes and sizes -- also a time-honored tradition in Paris, oh-la-la!) But this seller, pictured above seated in a chair with his newspaper, was the real deal, with books and nothing but. I look forward to the day when I can browse a French-language book store or bouquiniste stall with as much pleasure as I would the English-language books at WH Smith. I need to be able to read French more quickly than I do now, though, as I already have a backlog of things to read in French where I am making very slow progress.

Coquilles at the Cluny

In the entrance courtyard at the Cluny Museum, this scattering of coquilles shells on the facade of the building caught my attention. Anyone want to take a stab at the Latin?

On the sunny side of the Seine

Whenever there is a bit of sunshine, you will find Parisians basking in it. It's one of the things I really like about Paris -- how the city dwellers take full advantage of nature in whatever ways they can, like planting flowers in window boxes. On a nice day, you'll see them, whether it's in one of the city's many parks and gardens, on a bench along a busy street, or on the sunny side of the Seine, they come out in droves to soak up every last ray. It makes the many gray days (that are part of the climate here) tolerable. This week we were lucky to have several mild and sunny days in a row, and people have been loving it!

Today, it's back to overcast and really cold, so it's nice to look at this photo that I took during our romantic picnic on Saturday and remember the warm sunshine.

View to a kiss

The incredible and very romantic view from the Pont de la Tournelle... after we kissed -- followed by Georges' hat nearly blowing into the Seine. Once he had retrieved the hat in a rather nerve-racking (for me, at least) manoeuvre which involved him climbing onto an outer ledge of the bridge (where, had he fallen, it was a 50/50 chance whether he'd have hit the water, or the stone quay!), and my heart started beating again, I was able to take a few photos.

Happy Valentine's Day, mon amour. I hope we will enjoy many more kisses from this bridge in our future (only without the scary going-out-on-the-ledge part, please). Je t'aime.

Gothique

Ceiling of the Chapel at the Cluny Museum. Really beautiful!

La Nouvelle Année Chinoise

A peek at some of the gorgeous costumes worn by people celebrating the Chinese New Year with performances in front of the Hotel de Ville on Saturday. It's the Year of the Rat.

Freedom

Freedom isn't what I used to think it was. For one thing, it doesn't mean being on my own, without another soul to answer to. That isn't freedom; that's called "alone".

And freedom isn't found in walking away from a challenge simply because it might be new and unfamiliar, or because it might require a little effort, time and patience. I used to be brilliant at walking away when things got rough, because I mistakenly thought my freedom was going to be compromised. Oh, me of little faith.

I used to think that loving, really loving someone, meant I would have to give up my freedom, but now I know this isn't true. There is freedom to be found in love, a different kind of freedom. It is KNOWING you have still have choices, both as individuals and as a couple, but choosing the things that make you both happiest and will let you build the life you want, together. Sometimes you might choose the door on the left, the one on the right, or the one straight ahead. Sometimes one of you might lead while the other follows; then the next day the roles are reversed. Sometimes, one of you might be waiting for the other, or you might be the one eagerly hurrying to catch up. What does it matter, as long as you are choosing to go forward together?

The best part of freedom in love is that every day, we get to make the choice to love each other all over again. It can be new and fresh and exciting every day, when we choose to look at it like that.

It only took me 46 and a half years to figure this out. Better late than never.

In a nutshell

Pretty much sums up our entire romantic weekend. Wow, wow, wow.

[Window display at Sephora, Boulevard Saint-Germain]

Guess correctly and win!

I have been thinning out my library of books here in Paris, having made a commitment not to get any new books until I (a) finish reading some of the ones I already have and (b) hand off to others the ones I've already read and no longer want or need to keep. Faced with the prospect of packing and moving a lot of stuff across town at some point, and books being heavy to begin with, I am trying to be a bit ruthless with my collection here.

It was during this weeding out process that I came across two books I DEFINITELY do not need, as they are remnants of my former single status, B.G. (before Georges). I thought I could make a little contest out of passing them along to a new owner, instead of just saying "Hey, anyone want these two books I've got lying around collecting dust?"

And so... (drum roll, please) if YOU are one of the first two people to correctly guess the name of the above Parisian landmark shown in the photo, you will win one of the books:

• He's Just Not That Into You: The Newly Expanded Edition, by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
• Older Women, Younger Men: New Options for Love and Romance, by Felicia Brings and Susan Winters [shut up... I can hear you laughing over this title from here, especially as I did not end up with a younger man]

The person with the first correct guess gets to choose which of the two books s/he wants, and the second correct guesser will receive the other book. Both books are in excellent condition, no writing or damage. I will ship them anywhere in the world and pay for the postage but if I'm shipping outside of France I'll be paying for the cheapest (and therefore slowest) shipping with no insurance or package tracking. If you want it faster or want it insured or trackable, you'll need to pay me for the cost of the shipping. If it gets lost -- oh well, that's life; I won't be replacing the book, sorry. This is all in fun, anyway.

THERE IS ONE CATCH (there's ALWAYS a catch, isn't there?) Along with your guess/entry/comment, you have to tell me the entire blogging world WHY you are interested in winning one of these particular books. We want your juicy story! Are you dating a loser who's not into you -- and if so, what's up with that? Are you looking at people like Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher and thinking: "Hey, what's good enough for Demi is good enough for me?" Are you hoping to win a book for your single best friend or sister because you are sick and tired of listening to her bitch and whine about the jerks she's dating? It's OK to keep it brief and I don't need names or sordid details, but do make it interesting. Inquiring minds want to know!

The Rules for Contest Entry:

• You must make your guess/contest entry via blog comments only. No direct email "entries" will be accepted because I want to keep it fair for everyone.
• One entry per person please.
• Guesses that do NOT contain a decent "story" (see above paragraph, "THERE IS ONE CATCH...") will be ineligible to win, even if you guess correctly. Hey, if I am paying for the shipping you have to give my readers SOMETHING. I will be the sole judge (or "soul" judge) who will decide if the "story" is eligible -- so don't try any lame tales like "I just thought the book might be interesting to read" or "I am too cheap to pay for my own copy of the book".
• You must supply a valid email address with your comment. Don't worry, I'll be the only one to see it. Without a valid email address, I can't arrange for shipping.
• Do not include your mailing address or phone number in your comment unless you want some crazy person out there to make a note of it. If you've won, I will contact you directly via email and we'll privately exchange the necessary information for shipping purposes. I promise not to give your personal information to anyone else other than the post office; I understand the importance of privacy.
• I reserve the right to cancel the contest altogether, without notice and for any reason without limitation. Like, for instance, if no one guesses correctly (or even enters at all) and I am stuck with these two books anyway.
• There are no other prizes, no cash awards, and no fame or fortune in it for the winners.

Just think how happy Georges will be to learn I am getting rid of these two books. And so creatively, too. I promise to post the answer to the "mystery photo" and the first names/nicknames of the winners, too.

OK, people -- the contest is officially open for the next TWO WEEKS (after which time comments will close and the contest is over)! Guess away (it's not quite the most recognizable building in Paris) and may the best blogger win!

Let there be peace

On a morning walk recently, the Eiffel was slightly fogged in but still provided a nice backdrop for this Peace monument at the end of the Champs de Mar.

Monkey business

As the "grand finale" of animal photos from our visit to the Jardin des Plantes ménagerie last weekend, here was my favorite part: the Singerie, or Monkey House. They didn't have as many different types of monkeys as I had hoped, but of course, the orangutans were the most interesting. And how soulful are her eyes, this one (above).

This isn't the best photo I've ever taken (way too blurry) but I couldn't resist sharing the major POUT on this one's face. She was rather shy before this and had her face covered with her hands. Can't say I blame her... she must have hundreds if not thousands of people gawking at her all day long. Fortunately the zoo forbids flash photography in the indoor spaces so as not to startle or upset the animals.

Of course, the picture wouldn't be complete without a youngster in the group. I have no idea how this giant bucket got all the way up onto that large horizontal pole, but this little girl, Tamu, was having a ball ducking down into the bucket and playing with the ropes, and then popping back up again. She was quite a crowd pleasure, especially when the bucket started to fall because of her climbing antics...

And sure enough, the bucket finally fell down a level and she had to drop down with it...

But she made it safe and sound, with the watchful (and so lovely) eyes of her mother who was in the pen next door.

I love being able to see the animals in a zoo, but at the same time it saddens me that they aren't out in the wild where they belong. Maybe some day I'll get to go on one of those safari tours in Kenya or somewhere like that.

What would Caesar think?

This is what's left of les Arènes de Lutèce -- the Gallo-Roman era arena that dates to the 1st century A.D. For centuries, it was lost -- somehow covered over during the reign of Philippe Auguste -- until it was discovered again in the 1860s.

It is not a particularly impressive site nowadays. Attached to more "modern" Parisian apartment buildings and tucked away inside a small park, if you didn't know it was here you might not notice it at all. There are some small square enclosures with gates that I'm sure are where the lions or other animals were kept (and released to feast on Christians or criminals). Getting to the bottom from the top is a bit tricky - I found a way down by going over the left, then up some stairs to a higher level, then found a winding, steep staircase that leads down into that wide "entrance" you see just right of center in the photo.

Today, it's a place where kids come to play basketball or football, and the pétanque players were out in force, too (a nice flat sandy area is all they need). A lot more tame than in the Roman days, I must say. It's a bit sad that it's reduced to this, given it's one of two Roman sites still in existence in Paris (the Roman baths at the Cluny being the other).

Well, now I've seen it. I can check that one off my tourist list.

So cute I want to take him home and cuddle him and hand-feed him a pain au chocolat

... because all that bamboo has to be a bit boring. Right after this, he climbed up into his little cubby hole and took a nap. Maybe the reason pandas aren't very robust is because they don't have enough chocolate in their diets.

It's not easy being green

I'm not a big fan of reptiles (and that includes several of my ex-boyfriends), but this little guy just caught my eye at the Jardin des Plantes. He seems rather "zen" to me.

Sticking to the "green" theme, here are a few other interesting characters:

In search of one BIG saucer of milk