tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78774281427981963562024-03-04T23:01:05.184-05:00My life as an expat in ParisWe have recently accepted a 2 year assignment in Paris. We thought we would blog about our experiences.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-6424341042009221382012-07-16T22:31:00.000-04:002012-07-16T22:35:27.965-04:00The End of Another Chapter in Life(written on June 29, 2012)
Well, it is hard to believe that almost two years have passed since Jill and I embarked on the Paris adventure. Today, the physical connection to Paris comes to an end. It's hard to believe at this point that we really did it.
The adventure had all the gut wrenching emotions - anxiety of leaving our family, friends and home - sadness/concern when Gram died and Donna, Mom & Dad become very sick - loneliness when Jill was in the States - yearning to be at the Lake House - emptiness of missing holidays, birthdays and special moments with friends and family - fear of Fatima when we stumbled in at 2AM (not 3!)... But I wouldn't change it for the world.
As the saying goes - nothing ventured, nothing gained (besides the extra weight I put on)... I will always treasure the time Jill and I spent together - the wonderful world we discovered together - Paris friends - picnics- the secret places we found together - the family and friend visits (Bryan, Matt, Kaitlyn, Alison, Kyrstin, Bob & Joan, Jean, Maggie, Kelley, John & Sue, brother Dennis) - Madrid, Rome, Galway, London, Brussels, Bordeaux, Istanbul, Athens (more Hydra, Pyros and Aegnea), Barcelona, Prades, Bologna and Casablanca - "our boat" for wine and the wonderful Mother's Day lunch with the kids - Jill's technology transformation - yummo food - seeing old friends in Paris (Kevin, Johnny Mac and Susanne).
Professionally it was a success. I learned how to work with many different cultures, religions and the French. I saw Alstom's technology at it's best - I road in the cab of our newest high speed trains at 300+ kph, saw tramway tracks being laid in Algeria, visited customers who were pleased with us and saw us enter new markets in Romania. The time there also made me realize I'm ready to try a new line of work, leaving HR for a chance to run a factory.
I'm often asked what I'll miss. Of course there will be plenty and some I won't recognize for some time to come, but in no particular order -- access to all the cheeses (especially chèvre), excellent French wine for under $10, walking & finding a unique place, the view from "Passy" bridge, out for a beer with Mark, Jon, Adam & Alan, pizza with an egg on it, duck (canard), the markets, frois gras and dinner with Gary.
What I won't miss -- metro to/from work, Fatima shishing us, taxi rides to/from the airport, dog crap on the sidewalk, dirtiness of Paris streets, being confused by the language, mass in French and, most important, time spent away from Jill, kids, family and friends.
I went to Paris with 3 personal goals - 1/ learn about wines, 2/ learn French cheeses and 3/ learn French language. Two out of 3 is not bad. My French is still very sloppy.
So I close this chapter of my life and for that matter this blog. Just like the other chapters before it I believe it has transformed me into a better person.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-56189543431998601912012-03-26T17:24:00.000-04:002012-03-26T17:24:31.701-04:00An American Women in France -- post by KelleyBonjour ! That’s all the french I remember.... lol.<br />
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Well I must say that I had the most fantastic time, Thanks very much to both Mark and Jill. And my husband for letting me go. It was a short 8 days, but so much was accomplished. I didn’t imagine I could of seen and done as much as we fit in. The flight over was ok, and they even let me bring my own alcohol on the plane with me ,,,as long as it was under the liquid limit. So I enjoyed my rum and coke, movies, food and sleep over the long haul. I was even greeted with cameras and microphones when I got off the plane,,, for sure they were expecting my arrival , was I really the only american woman to have ever crossed the ocean and land in France ? Oh well,,, my dreams were only shattered a little. I had a good 40 minutes to ponder if my ride was going to show up ! HA HA <br />
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I was tired,, and the apartment was spinning a little, but after a short rest were on the road ! A nice little walk to see the Eiffel tower. Yes, its huge. The buildings are all so pretty, very old yet elegant looking. Not like walking in downtown Spencerport. But sort of the same with my friend back by my side on our ventures.<br />
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Over the course of the week, Mark had wowed me with all his restaurants,, I tried so many new things to eat. We wont mention the 5 lbs. I gained. Some of my awesome foods included, snails, sea bass, duck, lamb, french spaggetti(yummo), sushi, quiche, bread, cheeses, quail eggs, and the best olives I have ever had. Not to mention, the hot chocolate ! Notice how I didn’t mention wine ? Well I saved the best for last. I loved the wine. <br />
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We went on a really nice wine tour, and I learned a lot. Very informative on the wine region, and how to make champagne. I even found a red that I enjoy. After that, we went to Moulin<br />
Rouge, (feerie) the actual show. It was fantastic. By then , the wine was really , really good ! LOL The day after, we went to Montmarte and shopped around the street artists, and I actually found a canvass art work that reminded me of the show the night before. I just love it. The church was really something as well. We also visited Notre Dame, walked around beautiful gardens, and had cute lunches in side street cafes. ( with wine ) <br />
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The stores were very cool too, even very smelly. In a good way. I think Abercrombie and Fitch pumps there cologne out into the street and entrance way. I liked the smell though Jill almost needed oxygen to recover. It was a bit overtaking. Just to enter the building you got to have your picture taken with a young frenchman ! There is very cool bookstores, Public markets, cemetaries, antiques shops, zoos all to visit. <br />
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On one day, Jill and I took a train to Versailles, a really awesome place. We got to visit the king and queens palace and gardens. It was a real treat to walk threw there, so many beautiful rooms. Then we had lunch in the palace, followed by a wonderful stroll in the gardens (which of course had a little shack selling wine and treats way out in trails). I restrained and ordered water and a toblerone ! Miss Kelley cannot return being an alcoholic ! Already it was hard not to serve wine with the macaroni and cheese to my babies!<br />
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I also got to see where Princess Diana died, the tunnel looks just like it did on tv. When we drove threw it in a taxi, I actually looked behind me just incase to see if anyone was following or chasing us. ( you know, the whole first American woman traveling alone to France thing again !!!) my little fantasy for 8 days... ha ha <br />
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I almost even found a really nice huge gold band on the side of a street. But a woman picked it up before me and tried to hand it to me. She thought it was mine,,,, next thing I know, my elbow is in a death grip, my arm is being twisted BY JILL and shes yelling at me,,,, NO, NO, NO,,,,,keep moving. Some kind of a French scam she said,,,, darn it ! My growing stardom<br />
fantasy fell short that day, ha ha.<br />
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But all in all,,, I miss being there with my friends. Having coffee every morning with Jill again was the best, cant wait till they get home! Thanks for such a wonderful experience I will remember for the rest of my life.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-38979044404621754652012-02-05T14:47:00.001-05:002012-02-05T14:50:55.467-05:00January 2012 -- a posting by Jill<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Arial;">Now it is February 2012...January 2012 has gone by so fast! I think back and January is almost a blur, it will be hard to remember all that has happened in the first month of the year!<br />
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I had very mixed emotions upon returning to <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paris</place></city>. I enjoyed my six weeks home SO much! There is something so comforting and right about returning to the place that is home-your family, friends, neighborhood and village. It just feels good!<br />
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Anyway, Mark and I with Kate in tow flew to <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paris</place></city> January 4th. We arrived early morning on the 5th and had about a day and a half before we flew to <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Madrid</place></state> to take Kate to her study abroad adventure. She was excited but nervous and I tried really hard not to show or express how I was feeling...although I am terrible about suppressing my emotions so I probably wasn't very effective!</span></span></div><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;">We were leaving our baby in a strange country, but as our day in Madrid unfolded and we settled Kate into her apartment, I realized how much like her father she really is...fearless!!! From schooling in NYC to studying abroad, Kate just goes for it!!! She doesn't bog herself down with what could go wrong, but with what could go right!!! She is confident enough to realize she can deal with "stuff" when it happens, not if it happens-just like Mark! I guess she comforts herself with the knowledge that Daddy will be there to pick her up when she falls, but she is strong enough to continue on with bandaged knees...I am proud of my baby girl (young woman)!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpoe1Jdlrg4L664FaT5HaJYPN_v2AlkNv7LUguIweoGjVAt-x7JbcASjmMtrbrblrv2gW3mKm0ALvIpWSLj_EIn3CAz_99ErgLz7y1jyhMbMsCw1iRTUfXSnBCSRuaiHPa5kbzzBZoqsu/s1600/IMG_8297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpoe1Jdlrg4L664FaT5HaJYPN_v2AlkNv7LUguIweoGjVAt-x7JbcASjmMtrbrblrv2gW3mKm0ALvIpWSLj_EIn3CAz_99ErgLz7y1jyhMbMsCw1iRTUfXSnBCSRuaiHPa5kbzzBZoqsu/s320/IMG_8297.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE4_xCrip3VhzRLB26yrcIOY_u6JRdV1Blqs30EmwNKvfZTp2mGNPksr4m8mWrmL2n8QdJZzwiI001UA8LSGr62-tcv7HOYMGAuJTLMlO1MsY9ZMkx_QgzjLS2MLy3iWcgKJdEZaoNcR3/s1600/IMG_8285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE4_xCrip3VhzRLB26yrcIOY_u6JRdV1Blqs30EmwNKvfZTp2mGNPksr4m8mWrmL2n8QdJZzwiI001UA8LSGr62-tcv7HOYMGAuJTLMlO1MsY9ZMkx_QgzjLS2MLy3iWcgKJdEZaoNcR3/s320/IMG_8285.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Mark and I spent two days and one night in <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Madrid</place></state>. We were back in <city w:st="on">Paris</city> for two days and then we were off to <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Italy</place></country-region>. Mark had to spend one day in Savigliano and one day in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Bologna</place></city>. We arrived in Savigliano late Wednesday night. Upon arriving we have a call from the HSBC fraud department! It seems someone had compromised our <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">U.S.</country-region></place> account and was using our debit card! Thank God HSBC was on top of things and called us the same day charges were made-payments were stopped immediately!!! That taken care of, we had to find something to eat. It was 11pm and the hotel restaurant was closed. We weren't close enough to walk to the city center to an open pizzeria so the bartender went into the kitchen and made us a ham and brie cheese sandwich on toasted white bread. It was delicious with a glass of a nice Italian red wine!!!<br />
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Thursday night we traveled to <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Bologna</place></city>, a three hour drive. One of Mark's HR staff, Raffaella, drove us. Again we arrived late...we had reservations for dinner at a restaurant near our hotel. The restaurant owner kept his establishment open late just to serve us dinner!!! The dinner was definitely worth the wait! I had an eggplant roll stuffed with pasta and cheese-very good!<br />
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After Mark finished work on Friday we had the entire weekend to explore and enjoy <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Bologna </place></city>(I think of Oscar Meyer every time I write that!). I looked up a couple fun facts about <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Bologna</place></city>...it is home to the oldest University in the Western world. The <place w:st="on"><placetype w:st="on">University</placetype> of <placename w:st="on">Bologna</placename></place> was founded in 1088! In terms of quality of life in Italy Bologna ranks as one of the top cities! Bolognese sauce, a meat based pasta sauce is a culinary tradition in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Bologna</place></city>.<br />
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Mark and I had a great time exploring <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Bologna</city></place>. The architecture was beautiful and the food was great! I however spent the weekend sniffling, blowing and coughing my way around the city. The weather was damp and bone chilling cold... It was still fun! A couple comments about the food...we have not had good bread in any of the cities we have visited in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Italy</place></country-region>! Why is Italian bread so delicious in the <country-region w:st="on">U.S.</country-region> but in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Italy</place></country-region> we find no "Italian" bread as we know it? Another thing I've come to understand about the food, it was all very good-nothing surprising in favors, just plain old good Italian food! Then I realized what makes a food yummo (a term I stole from Rachel Ray)! When your mouth is experiencing an explosion of unexpected delicious flavor-it is the unexpected flavor explosion that makes a food yummo...just my opinion!<br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">It was nice returning home on Sunday night. I was exhausted and sick and had four days to recuperate before leaving for <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Casablanca</city>, <country-region w:st="on">Morocco</country-region></place>!<br />
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I will not assume that everyone knows <country-region w:st="on">Morocco</country-region> is located in <place w:st="on">North Africa</place> as I know of two people who were unaware!!! Anyway, Mark and I arrived in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Casablanca</place></city> Friday evening. An Alstom driver picks us up from the airport and drives us to our hotel on the beach! The drive was very interesting. We passed by many small farms, small markets and people riding bicycles. You would see entire families riding on these very small motorized bikes! A child would be in front of Dad who was driving, Mom would be hanging on to Dad and a small baby would be slung around the Momma's back! Of course there were no helmets...a different way of life! As we approached the city, traffic was horrible and the drive turned frightening! Oh my God it was the worst ride of my life! But we survived and made it to the hotel just after sunset! The hotel was beautiful and very Moroccan in color and design. We had a great room over looking a beautiful garden and the <place w:st="on">Atlantic Ocean</place>. The weather was fantastic...mid 60s and very little wind! Perfect! We had a nice meal in a traditional Moroccan restaurant. The chef was supposedly the best chef in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Morocco</place></country-region>-I don't know, maybe! We discovered a very delicious local red wine and enjoyed a bottle with our first meal in <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Casablanca</city></place>. Dinner started with a fish soup that was, yes I will say it...yummo! The unexpected flavor was the oyster in a half shell in the middle of the bowl soup! Tres bien! Then we had a lamb tangine and couscous. Tangine is a cooking method in a clay flat bottom pot with a funnel shaped lid that is used in the oven or grill. The evening ended with a belly dancer!!! How fun was that...<br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwe_I_UL0VjSZH_ZdBVFHMW3NXI38fxuM4cYaIioPDPZpv1__o6DLwLt81_hJekLBrEJEJ_ug4dvipkM0SHeHzxmOdYcnrFufAWruVVUPfd1lzg1fiypEDDvV5dbgallfW_xLNs5qTNTgT/s1600/IMG_8403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwe_I_UL0VjSZH_ZdBVFHMW3NXI38fxuM4cYaIioPDPZpv1__o6DLwLt81_hJekLBrEJEJ_ug4dvipkM0SHeHzxmOdYcnrFufAWruVVUPfd1lzg1fiypEDDvV5dbgallfW_xLNs5qTNTgT/s200/IMG_8403.JPG" width="200" /></a><img border="0" height="150" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLL5-1iytckYhe4gzXUv1usySC_2zhQfTo-BaQUf0jfU8K-9FGDavtXlNWEMugo6PbkK8raP71Vpk9x4ZXyphAOpe1DxqGNfhcVUyvEo6_uS1c_GALV0xlQVc1c1n4DsIkCnrcIrP1TPN4/s200/IMG_8413.JPG" width="200" /><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">We woke early Saturday morning and took a long walk on the beach. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and very little wind! The beach was full of men, young and old, playing soccer! They were everywhere and we were constantly dodging the players as they would run and kick the ball all around us! We headed back to the hotel to shower and start the day. We thought we would walk to the grand Mosque, The King Hassan ll. We walked about an hour or so and still only saw it from a distance! we taxied back to the hotel, had a great lunch of grilled fish then sat on the terrace, in the sun, skyping family and friends! Dinner that night was at a restaurant on the water that was recommended by Mark's boss. It was a French restaurant, the atmosphere and foods were fantastic!<br />
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Sunday we had to move inland. Mark had to prepare for work on Monday! Inland <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Casablanca</place></city> was very different from the beach! The city was not gorgeous by any means! It was under much construction and was very dirty. It was sort of intimidating with all the Muslim garbed men and woman. As we walked to the <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Medina</place></city>, the fortressed old city full of shops and such was a little unnerving. It was very crowded and people were bumping into us...I just held on to Mark's hand as tight as I could and tried to enjoy the experience of a new culture, one that was so very different from our own! We had a late lunch at an outdoor restaurant and again had very delicious tangine, this time beef! We also had a traditional Moroccan dessert and tea! While we were eating the call for prayer went out! Prayer towers are located all around the city and at certain times of day chanting starts, over loud speakers, calling Muslims to prayer. That was very interesting!<br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Monday night Mark, I and his team went on a short bus tour! We went back to the mosque that Mark and I tried to walk to but never made it! The King Hassan ll Mosque is beautiful! While we were watching the sun set and admiring the structure and enormousness of the mosque, the call to prayer went started. All the men went in one door( seemed like the main door), took their shoes off, went inside and knelt on the hard marble floor for prayer. The women entered a smaller side door...not sure where they went! After the mosque we went to the medina, the shopping area inside the walled in ancient city! We were told to leave our purses on the bus because of the pick pocketers and thieves (thought of Alladin)! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Rick's Cafe was next! For those of you who have seen the movie <city w:st="on">Casablanca</city> with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman know of Rick's Cafe, the American style restaurant in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Casablanca</place></city>. We had a very nice dinner and the evening was enjoyable! Home on Tuesday...YEAH!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQHHYrWfZ4t8ykIf2NT17lqR9Wzzez-ujaGXjZ9SEFspgGcsF-Jrus6sV8yPkaAjNeS9xmF4tOrXpwEsjFYrMu-2nnhx9Rrya8sRaiqOldHsY1pUSAmQ4STRmmKW5-QgiCX7Wo9tI7mxC/s1600/IMG_8610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQHHYrWfZ4t8ykIf2NT17lqR9Wzzez-ujaGXjZ9SEFspgGcsF-Jrus6sV8yPkaAjNeS9xmF4tOrXpwEsjFYrMu-2nnhx9Rrya8sRaiqOldHsY1pUSAmQ4STRmmKW5-QgiCX7Wo9tI7mxC/s200/IMG_8610.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">The month ended with a visit from Kate!! She may have needed her Mom and Dad...We had a great time enjoying <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paris</place></city> and visiting with each other!:)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">That was January in a nutshell! I will let you know what February brings...au revoir!</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLL5-1iytckYhe4gzXUv1usySC_2zhQfTo-BaQUf0jfU8K-9FGDavtXlNWEMugo6PbkK8raP71Vpk9x4ZXyphAOpe1DxqGNfhcVUyvEo6_uS1c_GALV0xlQVc1c1n4DsIkCnrcIrP1TPN4/s1600/IMG_8413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLB_UKgityi-cPQxH0BDXz7658BW_B1w0D0HlQwKCXaAWARWdOud9dEcVE7taUg2-x2B5I_fESQbM-2Y4_w4Pb9LKQxeGoFbkJsBn8-RAZGDDcJI9LvYuWX_OchD5y7V4hDXYwuGkHLae/s1600/IMG_8491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLB_UKgityi-cPQxH0BDXz7658BW_B1w0D0HlQwKCXaAWARWdOud9dEcVE7taUg2-x2B5I_fESQbM-2Y4_w4Pb9LKQxeGoFbkJsBn8-RAZGDDcJI9LvYuWX_OchD5y7V4hDXYwuGkHLae/s200/IMG_8491.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbZc3TQigO2sG7ChqfKFuQdVTqTpH74RuBptrdEX58XQ3Y00W6t29To6sTrVKjAvQgbny_G6uYY9pLdHL41taStXpXxMUWvPQ0-nIacVDgDGJXb6OqYvZjBnx0uuvh98BX6IZg2ED5ofh/s1600/IMG_8423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7QqTL7pFbwJvadiQekYmHwjRt09nw_1-4LnVnxWn0Im1-sZDS2muxcjsrBW2c90IRbVgsPsc1bzKSoeco2foGzz0qAgtjwj81EuHPkOi3gM0IKxSAaY4AAU_BxLhTTsBIDyxRk1VV1Od/s1600/IMG_8315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-33476166463807799922011-11-07T14:33:00.000-05:002011-11-07T14:33:35.428-05:00Maggie's Paris Experience -- a blog by Maggie <br />
Let me start off by saying that I have amazing friends and am GREATFUL to them for this opportunity.<br />
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Having a 3 hour layover in Newark wasn’t so bad since my gate was between the ladies room and an Irish Pub. Upon arrival in Paris I tried using a payphone to call & tell Jill I was on my way but couldn’t figure it out!! I showed the cabbie my paper with the address and off we went. We pulled up in front of the apartment, or what I was hoping was their place and I was looking around when the window’s of an apartment opened and I saw my friends! So very cool. We hit the road, going to a spot for me to see the Eiffel Tower ~~~ WOW as all I thought. What a sight and we were blocks away. Me being the bad tourist I left my camera at the apartment, AKA why there are no pictures posted on face book! After lunch at an outdoor café we went to Arc‘d Trumpih. It was a little crowded in the stairwell but we managed & the view we got ~~~ amazing. By this time we needed a rest, ok a glass of French wine. We headed down Champs Élysées and had a drink, or two. I can say we did savor those drinks since they cost a pretty euro. We realized it was a long way from Union Street ~ So amazing to be drinking with my friends in Paris. We walked along the river and again past the Eiffel Tower ( I never got sick of seeing it from different views) That night we had dinner at Gary’s (La Petite Tour) and I was happy to finally meet their new friend. I could not read the menu and had to rely on Jill & Mark ~ they did not mislead me.<br />
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On Thursday we went to Disney Paris, much to Jill’s dismay! We took the train, right to Disney’s gate. I can say Disney is Disney but it was an experience. It was a full day doing both parks but we survived. The parks look the same as in Florida, especially Main Street but the castle is very different and some of the attractions are not there (I did miss the Country Bear Jamboree). The train trip home was an experience in itself. Without thinking we left at 5pm and hit rush hour traffic. Needless to say it was not pleasant, it was HOT, CROWDED, & the train has no AC! We had to stop a few times and just sit and wait to let other trains go. I thought we’d never get back to the apartment. After having a drink we went to an Italian Restaurant(yes in Paris). After dinner we walked to see the Eiffel Tower at night. We had drinks, caught up and waited to see the tower twinkle, When the lights went out for the night was a good time for us to go! Actually before that would have been a good time but ~~~~~<br />
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We decided that Friday would be a good day to take it easy. After breakfast we walked around the neighborhood and went to the grocery store, in the mall!!! After wandering a little more we stopped for crepes ~~ Nutella ~ it was great & I could go for one now! When Mark got home we ventured out for our evening ~ Notre Dame & a pub crawl (odd combo I know but it worked) When we got to Notre Dame it was closed for the evening but I stood in awe admiring the outside and gardens. When we crossed the bridge we stumbled upon a Food & Wine festival so of course we had to stop & check it out. We ate, drank & listened to an oompah-pah band. We then moved on to an Irish Pub where I felt obligated to take the glass I was drinking from (who knows why) The music was good but we had pubs to see, beer to drink and food to eat (ok so I had to have dinner, before I took any more glasses! Didn‘t work since we went to a another pub & I had to have the ½ pint glass I asked to buy and the bartender told me I could have it! We had dinner at an outdoor café that had wonderful Beef Burgundy. <br />
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Mark went to the bakery and got us croissants for breakfast and off we went. Jill & Mark know the underground way into the Louve so there was no waiting in line. Again another WOW moment for me. The place is huge. Of course we wanted to see the Mona Lisa and headed that way first. Finally seeing her in person was something else, but to be honest I thought the picture would be bigger and I was disappointed that it’s kept behind glass & you have to stay behind ropes about 3 feet away, There is so much to see we had a hard time deciding what wing to visit. We left the museum and walked thru the gardens to an outdoor café for a beverage and rest. Or next stop would be Montmartre, an artist community high atop a hill overlooking the city. I know I keep using the word amazing but it covers so many things I did and saw. <br />
Sacre Coeur is a beautiful church, and the view from the front steps is awesome. While sitting relaxing I watched the place across the street making crepes. I became intrigued with an egg & cheese crepe. After dinner the weather had started turning and we had to buy tourist umbrellas! We decided to walk down the hill and then on thru Moulin Rouge. We played it safe & kept in the walkway in the middle of the street.<br />
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Sunday we went to church @ Notre Dame (ok the one by Jill & Mark’s not the famous one) Mass was the same so it was not all that hard to follow along Watching the children wander during mass was different. We walked to breakfast and I had a crepe with egg & cheese, not as good as a Nutella one but good just the same. Mark had pizza with an egg so of course I had to try. We went to the Market to get dinner, deciding to eat at home and watch the Bills game. Back to the day ~~~ went to Notre Dame to see the inside ~ another awesome moment. We walked home via the Eiffel Tower. This was my first time being right at the tower and it was just amazing. Standing under the Eiffel Tower was such a cool moment in my life. After having a drink on the river and looked at the tower more it was game time. The evening was capped off with a Bills win.<br />
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A word of advice for any trip, don’t save something you want to do for the last day ~~~ We started the day by taking a cab to the Harley Davidson shop, that Tom wanted me to visit. I found the location before I left home and had directions. The down side was that I did not pay attention to the store hours and once the cab pulled away we realized the store was closed on MondayL I do have pictures for him and hoping that within the next year Jill & Mark will want to visit the Bastille area on a day besides Sunday or Monday. We took the metro to the Eiffel Tower, being quite proud of ourselves for buying our tickets from a machine with no help. It was so crowded they closed the top of the tower!!!!! After waiting for an hour we went to the mid level and honed in on an American Tour group, we followed them around and learned a few things. It was quite amazing and could actually pick things out in Jill’s neighborhood. We decided to walk down the stairs, the exercise was good for me. Sadness was setting in because we had to go home and pack and that meant my trip was winding down. After dinner we called it an early night since it would be a long day of traveling on Tuesday. <br />
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Mark & Jill were leaving for Greece Tuesday morning so we cab’d to the airport together. It was fun being at the airport as it was coming to life and watching all the people, which I did after I took a couple hour nap. Not sure I was much company to Jeannie & didn’t do much to calm her flying nerves. It was nice to see our rides waiting for us in Rochester ~~~ it was especially nice for me because Billy & Joannie had just flown in for a weeks visit.<br />
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Paris is an amazing city and I’m a lucky person for the opportunity I had. I highly recommend anyone visiting Jill & Mark.<br />
Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-69113194542185704972011-10-22T07:35:00.001-04:002011-10-22T07:37:58.824-04:00Another new adventure -- Brussels, Belgium (a blog from Jill)Another new adventure...early Thursday morning high speed train ride to Brussels,Belgium. I was very excited! I really enjoy traveling by train, especially a high speed train!!! And since it is Mark's line of work, it is important to support the train and metro business! There is no hassle traveling by train...you can pack what you like and carry anything on the train with no worries! You arrive 20 minutes before departure, find your very comfortable seat, get settled and relax while speeding through the French country side-what could be better than that? One hour and 20 minutes later, we arrived in Brussels. We walked through the train station, out the door, crossed the street and there was our hotel-how convenient!<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Historically Brussels, the capital of Belgium, was a Dutch speaking country. But over the 19th and 20th centuries Brussels became increasingly French speaking. Most people of Brussels are French speaking today, but both languages are evident. The street signs, menus and such are written in both languages. I must say I was very fascinated by the Dutch language. It was fun to listen to and I couldn't help but think about my Dutch ancestors! At one point of our trip, Mark and I tired, wet, cold and exhausted from traipsing around the city found a very beautiful large cathedral(Cathedrales Bruxellensis SS Michaelis et Gudulae). We went inside to look around and as luck would have it, mass was beginning. Being wet, cold and good Catholics we decided to stay and participate in the mass of this beautiful church. We took our seats, got out of our wet coats and settled in...a very young Priest started to speak and much to our surprise he spoke Dutch!!! We are very used to listening to mass in French, but this was our first mass in Flemish. I was thoroughly engrossed in listening to the homily, the Priest seemed so joyful in his presentation...he spoke and sang so nicely-only wish we could have understood what he was saying!!! It was a pleasure to attend this mass and shake the Priests hand when it was over...a very memorable experience!!!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Brussels City is quickly becoming one of the top 5 destination cities to visit in Europe. Katie was just telling how she learned about it in one of her classes this semester! Mark and I found it fun and interesting...the architecture was very similar to what we see everyday in Paris, but you could see many, many Dutch influences. The Grand Place or Grote Market (in Dutch) is a beautiful old city square. Traditionally the Grand Place was a market place were people came to sell and buy food. Now, beautiful old buildings stand in its place...the Maison de Roi or King's House, the Hotel de Ville or town hall with it's gothic tower is often mistaken as a church or castle! I can attest to this-Mark and I both thought it was a church! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>In a narrow alleyway not far from the Grand Place is the Mannekin Pis or peeing boy fountain. I was surprised to find the peeing boy to be so small, only about 1 1/2 feet tall. So much was made of it being such a huge tourist attraction, I thought it would be much larger!!! It was still fun to see. We just happened to notice a bar kitty corner to the statue called the Mannekin Tavern. We stopped and enjoyed a very fine Belgium beer. I believe I tried a local beer made by the Tappist Monks...it was a Belgium blonde beer. I found I really enjoyed the blonde beers. The fruity beers were very popular-SWEET and fruity! They were good in very small doses! Of course, around the corner were several waffle stands...We had to try the waffles! Yummmmm...the waffle had banana, strawberries, whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate!<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The food was very good too! What I read and found to be true is that the food is very French in style with the larger serving sizes of Germany. Our first meal in Belgium was at a restaurant that cooked all it's meat on an open wood fire. As you walk in the door of the restaurant, the meat was cooking on the wood fire grill, juices were dripping and smelling delicious! Mark and I were hooked...the place was busy, but they had a table for two. I ordered the lamb chops with garlic, cheese potatoes and vegetables. Mark ordered an Argentinian beef filet and baked potato. We agreed dinner was delicious!!! Too much of everything though, we couldn't eat it all:(</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div>There aren't many foods that are traditionally Belgium...waffles, beer, chocolate and mussels with fries! Mark really enjoyed the mussels! The come to the table in a small cast iron pot and they were cooked perfectly-he had a hard time finishing them but he gave it a good effort!<br />
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Saturday,the only full day we had to sight-see was very rainy! The rain and damp just seeped through our bones, but we made the most of it and enjoyed ourselves. We were prepared for the weather with raincoats, umbrellas, and rain boots and managed to do a full day of walking, touring and shopping!!! Our stay in Brussels was great, the train home was relaxing and best of all we arrived in Paris safely and on time!<br />
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We spent this past Saturday in Paris and had a very nice day. We started the day with coffee and breakfast at home. Went to Inno for groceries...had to carry large, very heavy bags home. We had a quick lunch and took the JILL train to Le Jardin des Plantes-a very beautiful garden of flowers, small trees and even a few vegetables. We found the zoo(menagerie), a labyrinth to a lovely gazebo at the top of a hill. We walked and watched the children having so much fun crawling through the bushes of the maze and we sat and enjoyed the view when we reached the top!<br />
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We continued on our journey to Rue de Moufftard, a fun street full of little shops, brasseries, restaurants and bars. We continued our wanderings past l'eglise St. Genevieve, the Pantheon to le Jardin de Luxembourge. From there we walked to the latin district and had dinner at Le Latin-one of our favorite, consistently good, inexpensive restaurants! We took the RER home. It was an enjoyable, long day in Paris!!! We have to start traveling outside the city of Paris to other areas of France(Normandy, Champagne or Provence). Maybe this weekend...So far Fall has been beautiful-cool, crisp beautiful sunny days!!!<br />
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Tot ziens("toht zeens")! See you later in Dutch:)<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oEd2pXgkjGN-A6HMk8yNkxZ-Ca_8mm50rs0E3TqarQXnSmNOTjvqQmpS-iI24BMhf5KXfFU0PpJaGclxff5B7LGSMZ2KvEHqYysnJxYITGrPR3SHrHd2yxN5BtcMXsMC2uGB15NoO-GQ/s1600/IMG_7784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-72917343282042007142011-10-09T05:05:00.002-04:002011-10-09T05:05:25.282-04:00A Visit to Paris -- Post by JeanMy trip to Paris: I had no idea really what to expect. I didn't really get a chance to think about the trip until about 2 weeks prior to going. Then.....I couldn't stop thinking about it. I practiced my French at work. I must say i think i impressed them....or was that i annoyed them. By this time i was not nervous about the flight at all. I may have used up all my nerves over the summer. The flights were great. So I did take alot of pictures and yes i journaled every night.<br />
So..First i want to say thanks to Jill and Mark for making this trip truely an experience i will cherish. I loved it and didn't take a minute for granted.<br />
The first day: Really no plan- but it was amazing. I got to see the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. You would have thought it would have been a horrible day because just as we got to the Tower it began to down pour. Hopped a boat on the Siene river. Got off at the Notre Dame stopped and had drinks on a little restaurant/bar boat until it cleared up.We had a wonderful view of Notre Dame. The thing that really stood out on this day was it was 9/11. We ended up walking through the Latin District and went to a couple bars...nice. We were at a Canadian Pub and the football games were on....couldn't get buffalo but they began to play taps for 9/11. The very, very noisey bar suddenly started to become quiet slowly until there was complete silence. The silence lasted until the announcer came back on. It brought chills.........And the no plan thing...there never was a plan and if there was a slight plan it made Mark very uneasy. The no plan thing allowed us to really experince Paris not just see it. So Mark kudos to the no plan plan.<br />
Day 2: Me and Jill spent the day going to the market. Had lunch.. I went on a limb and ordered the American salad...i know.....pretty risky..I got to see the whole neighborhood it was great. And the grocery store..and the parks. All the nannies with the kids. Jill and Mark made dinner ...then a walk to Le Passy( Local Pub) very nice and Mark's friends (the bar tender) and well.... all the workers.They made me feel very welcome. Walked to the Eiffel Tower at night. It was lit up and sparkling.... just amazing and beyond words. We sat by the Siene river and had a drink looking at the Eiffel Tower....really.really.....couldn't believe my eyes!! <br />
Day 3: Went to the mueseum d'orsay. Me and Jill took a taxi. I think we took some one elses as we were in line to get into the museum and Mark called stating the taxi service wants to know where we are because they are outside the apartment waiting for us.....ooopps.Loved the museum although I realized how little i remembered about my art history. But i soaked up every detail and was thoroughly in my element. So we walked back.I had to pee bad.....i knew we had to go towards the Eiffel tower. That is all i knew but seeing it made me realize relief was out there.......Suggestion..have a toilet some where along the Siene or do as the Parisiene"s do... just go!!!!Oh yeah i ran into a Simba puppy.He started to run the other way then i talked to him and he came running to me. It was like in slow motion.....and jumped on me and licked me..at that point i asked the gentleman walking him if i could pet him.......Me and Jill stopped at LePassy and had a drink....my feet hurt..we had too!<br />
Day 4: Maggie arrived...I was looking out Jill's French window's and i saw this lady looking up at the windows. I was wondering what she was looking at......then realized it was Maggie. Magie was great she would do this little clap every time she saw something new....it made me smile. We went to Tracodora (sp?) sorry Jill and Mark,had lunch.Maggie saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time. (CLAP) We walked to the arc of triumph (CLAP)...amazing. The views,...see pictures. I tried to walk up the stairs so not to disappoint Bryan. Well the earth began to spin,air thickened and my only thought was i had to get out of there...why you ask. It is a narrow,winding staircase that has no windows..no nothing. I began to work my way down....I think i knocked down a couple people...and then an elevator........stairing me straight in the face..up i went!!!We walked down<br />
Ohhhhh that famous street...all the expensive stores are on...it was a really pretty walk,went past the Grand Palace........just amazing. We had to stop and have a drink..my feet hurt....Then we met up with Mark and went to Gary's for dinner. Great way to end the night.<br />
Day 5: DisneyLand Paris----the colors were awesome. Kids you have to go. Rides are the same but very different. The train takes you right there. Loved it...and Jill was a great sport. I think maybe,maybe even really enjoyed it...Maybe ...Had dinner at Dino's a quaint italian restaurant --the pizza was yum...but kind of an emotional night. We went and had drinks in Tracadora and at one point the Eiffel Tower disappeared....Funny story. Jill thought she ordered a water but the waiter brought her a glass of wine. I said to Jill. ".Don't worry it happened to Jesus too."...........well we thought it was funny.<br />
Day 6: Experienced my first Crepe (CLAP)...delicious....with nutella...Had a relatively easy morning...went to the mall. i ordered a cappucina..well i thought i did...i spoke my French and put in the order. I was very proud of myself but he then asked me something.. i have no idea what so i said Qui....I am not sure what i said yes too and then this<br />
cup of foam arrived....with a splash of coffee on the bottom...I am sure he had no idea i was from the states! Waited for Mark and took the subway to Notre Dame...ran into a festival. Great time....had a couple drinks. Then went to an Irish Pub and listened to a musician. We thought he was great so bought his CD...well i listened to it the other day. It had to be the atmoshere..........Notre Dame is beyond amazing. I must say i teared up when i went inside.<br />
Day 7: Went to the Louvre via train. The train goes right under the Louvre. Loved it......Loved it....The building and cielings alone are amazing......the art work what can i say. It was a dream come true. Then took a taxi to Mt. Marc--church on the hill (CLAP) oh what a view....... ate at a quaint restaurant and sat next to a couple from Scottland. And when i say next to... i am using that loosely as you pretty much sit with them..tiny,tiny places. We had a great conversation.... Oh and Mark he talks to all the taxi drivers. He ask were they are from and because he has been all over he is able to talk to them about their home land. I loved listening to them.<br />
Day 8: Went to church...I again teared up and was extremely entertained by the children there... They play in the confessional, run around so funny and so different. The services exactly like an American service with the exception it was in French. I was able to follow along....Truely enjoyed it.Went to the outside market,stopped at a pub--my feet hurt . Had some more French beer...nice.Went to the Eiffel Tower and had a drink by the Siene River. Then went back to watch the Bills win and eat the market goodies.<br />
Day 9: Maggie,Jill and myself were on a mission to find the Harley Davidson Store. By subway...Jill and Maggie navigated and I followed. WE found it...caught the right subway,got off at the right spot and.......it was closed...closed no........felt really bad....I think Maggie still clapped that little clap though....By this time my ankles were the size of a softball...extremely painful. Brought me to tears on a couple of occasions.throughout the trip....but i wouldn't have changed a thing....I experienced Paris ...the language,the people, the sights and the history. I saw the little things as well as the attractions. I looked at every door, every garden, every building. As i said earlier..much earlier i didn't take anything for granted. I know how lucky i was to experince a new culture...It was amazing!!If you are on the fence about going don't be.....Oh yeah and i met Fatima.....I loved her too..a little intimidating maybe but when you drop a whole can of beer on the floor and a glass table top....one might complain...Maggie(CLAP) Jill and Mark thanks......for a great experience.<br />
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Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-71203613591325875602011-10-04T15:37:00.007-04:002011-10-04T16:00:10.074-04:00Another Life! --- blog from Jill<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKa1BSAS-jr1oDQei76Dn2RwppHtR9Gv02WOjs10Y9ACi8oyGZk-RUcaPN23PcdA1oADPK4CLA5ahaHXlMMkUOrHrCp8T0kuIRf93IJf6VHr4nKZ3t4yRnwsrSElKHk62e9wV5ieuiA_WI/s1600/Jill+%2526+Maggie.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKa1BSAS-jr1oDQei76Dn2RwppHtR9Gv02WOjs10Y9ACi8oyGZk-RUcaPN23PcdA1oADPK4CLA5ahaHXlMMkUOrHrCp8T0kuIRf93IJf6VHr4nKZ3t4yRnwsrSElKHk62e9wV5ieuiA_WI/s200/Jill+%2526+Maggie.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdKaEPQds_nUO90aKXYySjCVDHcyhyphenhyphenz_hzDk64LKMU-9vyY4zTgqfPMhDEf6gUj9RAtGaQwfdgzXQiTxzYsJZrduFqTY1jZPKKw_yLA4FoTE5opKNgWBVRqAnW1volZfBO9PZJuy_o9Lp/s1600/Jill+%2526+Jean+at+Le+Passy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdKaEPQds_nUO90aKXYySjCVDHcyhyphenhyphenz_hzDk64LKMU-9vyY4zTgqfPMhDEf6gUj9RAtGaQwfdgzXQiTxzYsJZrduFqTY1jZPKKw_yLA4FoTE5opKNgWBVRqAnW1volZfBO9PZJuy_o9Lp/s200/Jill+%2526+Jean+at+Le+Passy.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl-itBhnYMrN33q6UZ1OdEmd-YhTD5YRNX40rYTq5al8B6z9lUydnKGI4-ZpoK76IubGP8m-mhas9l9EA7n7yz44N2pQ20ysPS3SipnKLwEhQ0HZAmS0D7u49dNy9LPmv0vTTRC6fL-mS/s1600/Group+at+La+Petite+Tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><img border="0" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl-itBhnYMrN33q6UZ1OdEmd-YhTD5YRNX40rYTq5al8B6z9lUydnKGI4-ZpoK76IubGP8m-mhas9l9EA7n7yz44N2pQ20ysPS3SipnKLwEhQ0HZAmS0D7u49dNy9LPmv0vTTRC6fL-mS/s1600/Group+at+La+Petite+Tour.jpg" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QX2jasISinnpUTG8DwiVQtXIhkh-TbLOkqp7_ruiuLM2fAkaz0A8gVJuRZLq9LIe1QdPIZf9NRcEIb6G19WvX-lSjXy6uYVddNP0AaMeHfgtI0aK5otGc-zHK4DfGPNYLbYeYkOSqgZ7/s1600/Jill%252C+Jean+%2526+Maggie+Le+Petite+Tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QX2jasISinnpUTG8DwiVQtXIhkh-TbLOkqp7_ruiuLM2fAkaz0A8gVJuRZLq9LIe1QdPIZf9NRcEIb6G19WvX-lSjXy6uYVddNP0AaMeHfgtI0aK5otGc-zHK4DfGPNYLbYeYkOSqgZ7/s200/Jill%252C+Jean+%2526+Maggie+Le+Petite+Tour.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxzfiTBz0StHCKZIon0KYvJ3WDHELq-zsecnXIqHfaVwiBKgK3h0KsfRzIMHNNZkDwasYlltjDqD9gsy4F5jReKg0KnFkF14KBS7VQpXqWXBKSMLdNvRL8toKNvoqZ1bFgrSbZ5xPbpla/s1600/Maggie%252C+Jean%252C+Jill+%2526+Mark+at+Montmart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxzfiTBz0StHCKZIon0KYvJ3WDHELq-zsecnXIqHfaVwiBKgK3h0KsfRzIMHNNZkDwasYlltjDqD9gsy4F5jReKg0KnFkF14KBS7VQpXqWXBKSMLdNvRL8toKNvoqZ1bFgrSbZ5xPbpla/s200/Maggie%252C+Jean%252C+Jill+%2526+Mark+at+Montmart.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;">Back to <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paris</place></city>...another world, another life!!! So glad Jean came back with us and Maggie followed shortly after! It is always fun to share our <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paris</place></city> adventure with family and friends. We had a great time visiting all the usual tourist attractions and even some not so usual...just experiencing Parisienne life! Maggie would clap with delight every time she saw something wonderful and Jean quietly snapped picture after beautiful picture! We truly enjoyed experiencing <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paris</place></city> through their eyes...all eyes are<span style="color: white;"> welcome!</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;">I planned on writing about <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Athens</city>, <country-region w:st="on">Greece</country-region></place> but I had an interesting experience at Monoprix this morning! Monoprix is a small Walmart so to speak. It has a little bit of everything from clothes to groceries and I went to pick up a couple of small items. The lines were long and there was a woman who wanted to "cut" the line. I don't know why, I couldn't understand her reason, but I could figure out it upset everyone else in line...all these dramatic French women, speaking at the same time with a very hostile attitude and presence!!! What to do...My natural inclination would be to let her go in front of me, but I was afraid everyone would gang up on me! I wouldn't be able to defend myself except with "Je parle anglais"or "Je ne comprend pas," so when the lady stood in front of me, I gently tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the back of the line. She spoke to me, I said "Je ne comprend pas" and she went further back. I must say I was a little bothered by this whole event, but in the end I felt like I had assimilated a little into the French culture...I fit in:) Even though I would have been more than happy to give her a place in line!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2O0CnpXBpHDOMSiePZeUPnv1lvOk_l2tUtyQzqYt7W9r9FJj_Zz5SY7auCNxzLubPIt-FlLiyyq4apnP0OHAI5uLIWnWvQukWdmssOhehU7Wy4qxL7-bATui4DRcFgjJJqjvXLG2916r/s1600/IMG_7222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2O0CnpXBpHDOMSiePZeUPnv1lvOk_l2tUtyQzqYt7W9r9FJj_Zz5SY7auCNxzLubPIt-FlLiyyq4apnP0OHAI5uLIWnWvQukWdmssOhehU7Wy4qxL7-bATui4DRcFgjJJqjvXLG2916r/s200/IMG_7222.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Everyone knows <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Greece</place></country-region> is really struggling economically right now and of course the government and citizens see things very differently! The citizens peacefully protest or strike at whim and we were able to witness both these events! On Thursday of our visit all taxis, metros and buses were on strike and Sunday, the air traffic controllers went on strike. I'm still not sure how we were able to fly home with no one watching the skies, but we arrived in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paris</place></city> safely with only a couple hours of delay!!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br />
<span style="color: white;">We did witness a very large public protest at the Parliament building one evening. A large number of people were gathered in the square and were speaking loudly over a public address system. I was nervous because there was a large police presence and I couldn't understand a word they were saying...it was all Greek to me(ha-ha)! Everyone participating or simply observing where calm and well-behaved, so we continued on our journey...<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The first night of our stay in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Athens</place></city> was spent with the Alstom team-Mark's peers and boss! We had a great time visiting the <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">New</placename> <placename w:st="on">Acropolis</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Museum</placetype></place> and seeing the Acropolis and Parthenon! Simply amazing...beautiful in daylight and incredible views at night! Built high on a hill, you can view these amazing sites from almost everywhere in the city! After the museum we traveled by bus to a restaurant on the water in Pirreus-one of <place w:st="on">Europe</place>'s largest seaports. It was dark so we weren't able to witness the beauty of the area, but the restaurant on the water had beautiful evening views with the boats and lights. Mother nature also provided us with a spectacular thunderstorm! My first meal in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Greece</place></country-region> was nothing short of amazing! We started with calamari, eggplant dip and a boiled salad. Oh and some sort of little fish that were too "fishy" for my taste. All else was very good. Boiled salad is a typical salad or so I assumed because I saw it on several menus...some sort of boiled greens, served cold with crudités and cheese. Dinner was a pasta and lobster plate served with chunks of lobster and a fresh tomato sauce...delicious! Fresh fruit platters were an incredible ending to this delightful meal.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: white;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: white;">The second night Mark and I walked around <city w:st="on">Athens</city> and found our way to Plaka, the ancient city of <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Athens</place></city>. It was beautiful with the views of the Acropolis and Parthenon. The sidewalks/roads are made of marble and everything else of stone!!! </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1c16dpL0BlrHTffp8SRSMenWFztecpouzycWH19r_KKjGHmBBKc4Rte_FLz0yokWzpek07uHbTF7Bs3rYe7GHDOg5TXN_XD5KWHj9j_O-d-eMLcv1N3ILYcVPphvtsEAJCRRFSgX9-DvD/s1600/IMG_7261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="200" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1c16dpL0BlrHTffp8SRSMenWFztecpouzycWH19r_KKjGHmBBKc4Rte_FLz0yokWzpek07uHbTF7Bs3rYe7GHDOg5TXN_XD5KWHj9j_O-d-eMLcv1N3ILYcVPphvtsEAJCRRFSgX9-DvD/s200/IMG_7261.JPG" width="150" /></span></a><span style="color: white;"><span style="color: white;">On recommendation from one</span> of Mark's co-workers we found a restaurant called Stroffi's and had another great meal! We had Greek salad, eggplant dip and stuffed grape leaves as starters and had goat and potatoes cooked in parchment paper to share for dinner. The eggplant dip was amazing and the Greek salad was beyond amazing...chunks of </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: white;">tomato, cucumber, green pepper and sliced red onion, kalamata olives, a thick slice of feta cheese, a sprinkle of dried oregano and drizzle of virgin olive oil all served with delicious bread, not pita-yummo(sorry Kyrstin)! Mark really enjoyed the grape leaves-reminded him of his childhood growing in the Lebanese neighborhood! The goat was good, a little gamey-I guess it was what I expected goat to taste like! After dinner, a spot opened up on the roof and we were able to have expresso under the open sky with views of the Acropolis! How fun...</span></div><span style="color: white;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuG6PykHlAX7ZJ3YS6riTPww5JvaLj-IolZ7-adeNxhQ-rn836TX-IYogxzrBEDliTiFezYVahOTlznlrdbFpDHVnE6Ip0S5s7nRLbaY39s5gSC4-uETWSCjWUSkurIwNjPjvNlhAfZF35/s1600/IMG_7281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuG6PykHlAX7ZJ3YS6riTPww5JvaLj-IolZ7-adeNxhQ-rn836TX-IYogxzrBEDliTiFezYVahOTlznlrdbFpDHVnE6Ip0S5s7nRLbaY39s5gSC4-uETWSCjWUSkurIwNjPjvNlhAfZF35/s320/IMG_7281.JPG" width="240" /></a><img border="0" height="200" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKV9sJFOrNt6R2WlLTUPRIOnznTBsmpuwa14-Ctz91EY2N1_bMrkajtSpRHGoLRqUrmrurIrMifh2zdPqv4rmPZweR4Sy2tnA3dObM2GOsl5DihMISz1P0DFe13ZQWdM7QETJ1-wYyhgt/s200/IMG_7283.JPG" width="150" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Zjx9MyKVioLX3Ohg6bEGMGOsC2rtiu1GOqwbTH9qwPPfVZreUGV2DeAAqo78VhyphenhyphenaT_lAw6yhXFOlLdCOx94vkKwey8b8wPmaY9c_Csq4ZD_EOY39pkgHRwxE4NDT9hyC97PSs3kqnqpC/s1600/IMG_7252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Zjx9MyKVioLX3Ohg6bEGMGOsC2rtiu1GOqwbTH9qwPPfVZreUGV2DeAAqo78VhyphenhyphenaT_lAw6yhXFOlLdCOx94vkKwey8b8wPmaY9c_Csq4ZD_EOY39pkgHRwxE4NDT9hyC97PSs3kqnqpC/s200/IMG_7252.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiommI_beJ6uSXkcMRxB4tMaZcaP58ElJDHEC7DNqfluEHg9j-pHbbCrwdhXjazJt38DtPC4xOBvvudZhGNeaLqBYXaGLMimaBM20YkpA-1HFrlhZyJata0DkzGFoX20AZhyphenhyphenApeL2wpC-CP/s200/IMG_7357.JPG" width="200" /> <img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdeEbkNyNN43NP5jrrTr4SCuWvgsT7NOqEGilpJ8hNZxEyHKlVbc9mVSThz-b0r2DObUFAEujRHTOcZmAr3dkTCq4s0h5y7gHD4sJXLepIXYEFj0hIxAxogZyOPUqYurZWmdRyRI4EhbC/s200/IMG_7285.JPG" width="200" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXy9BrdhPp2wg_eIOEr7TNOY7XUqBILTrMH0ucc7syD4-aGHmdVAMdxIG0_QwmQOAMLGWfjH5qDXz8kMRLky0dLVQS07VTjw_ItwcbHuCxLHB8_zk-fvt_rGnaUtkhBP-vkaiKiqCXRM-e/s1600/IMG_7308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXy9BrdhPp2wg_eIOEr7TNOY7XUqBILTrMH0ucc7syD4-aGHmdVAMdxIG0_QwmQOAMLGWfjH5qDXz8kMRLky0dLVQS07VTjw_ItwcbHuCxLHB8_zk-fvt_rGnaUtkhBP-vkaiKiqCXRM-e/s200/IMG_7308.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: white;">The fresh herb basil is everywhere in Athens...in small pots on restaurant tables, in large planters on the street-all different shapes, sizes and types of beautiful, fragrant lovely basil! Mark and I love the smell of basil-it awakens the senses and just makes you feel alive! <br />
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The weather was spectacular! It was very warm (85 to 95 degrees), no humidity with a slight breeze off the water!!! Perfect! The architecture was mostly modern in style with only a few old buildings in traditional style left and the "new" art, graffiti was often times unsightly and not artistic at all! The beauty of the mountains, endless blue skis and incredible blue of the water is what you enjoy and remember about <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Athens</place></city>!<br />
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My favorite place of all was the <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Greek</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Island</placetype></place> of Hydra!!! We took a 12 hour boat cruise on Saturday and visited three islands-Hydra, Poros and <place w:st="on">Aegina</place>! All wonderful islands, but Hydra was our favorite. It was built on the side of a hill right off the beautiful crystal blue waters of the <place w:st="on">Mediterranean</place>. I can't even explain the gorgeousness of this place! You have to boat to the island and the donkey is the traditional mode of transportation...the roads are not large enough for cars to travel on! It is like walking into the past, one hundred years ago! Spectacular!!! We would love to go back and spend a few days on this island...if unable, it was a joy to experience if only for a couple of hours!</span> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVUMboHyOhK_wla1gyCjPZjt8y-3OCYDBe5D3g0-CB9zpt5Q7fhKYl93Nh0M9RjwEg4mbB8ZYIP68r7gv3OVFCXMwBV_tiuzyjsK4ThOqZ2GIPtLfri_T64wDMDMyvjpcpa6oUC6U8vww/s1600/IMG_7498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVUMboHyOhK_wla1gyCjPZjt8y-3OCYDBe5D3g0-CB9zpt5Q7fhKYl93Nh0M9RjwEg4mbB8ZYIP68r7gv3OVFCXMwBV_tiuzyjsK4ThOqZ2GIPtLfri_T64wDMDMyvjpcpa6oUC6U8vww/s200/IMG_7498.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxHtU44raiReIq5e0lGX2JzdDbDRLLME_mVuS3QW7RimSOxmruTFcnnNZuY0sCXePrpBCS5JWkLx887fJMwSB8qZ19L54NReEOxgMHhY3_3nP3I7yM427ey_UmBAbMHcXDnNV_p7q2M0s/s1600/IMG_7484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxHtU44raiReIq5e0lGX2JzdDbDRLLME_mVuS3QW7RimSOxmruTFcnnNZuY0sCXePrpBCS5JWkLx887fJMwSB8qZ19L54NReEOxgMHhY3_3nP3I7yM427ey_UmBAbMHcXDnNV_p7q2M0s/s200/IMG_7484.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjbCB-jQ_0OotIWPOrvqzVq9MrI9ipCnN_oI9xMGvPch76pN-xKpyRvCUCzD3Ih6kYUExhps34JSZCAm2qgmvEu-uSZDgC6BHHZUlP-pOqIExYaF6hfV5PI182iDEbOeIDzd9VfjrMKGf/s1600/IMG_7492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjbCB-jQ_0OotIWPOrvqzVq9MrI9ipCnN_oI9xMGvPch76pN-xKpyRvCUCzD3Ih6kYUExhps34JSZCAm2qgmvEu-uSZDgC6BHHZUlP-pOqIExYaF6hfV5PI182iDEbOeIDzd9VfjrMKGf/s200/IMG_7492.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVUMboHyOhK_wla1gyCjPZjt8y-3OCYDBe5D3g0-CB9zpt5Q7fhKYl93Nh0M9RjwEg4mbB8ZYIP68r7gv3OVFCXMwBV_tiuzyjsK4ThOqZ2GIPtLfri_T64wDMDMyvjpcpa6oUC6U8vww/s1600/IMG_7498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHyTEmqAgvxXlTe9LOQ0k_HztY9l86nyPzUPLjA8GamkMNPb9OfkCmJQIlC1xv9Vzyw1zWjMJhy85w1mD8XBgrk8UJi_pUM7VUN6qzQmkCsRmTE_7JRzjIibBJjMnMsjCd9hd6HC5zqyF/s1600/IMG_7505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHyTEmqAgvxXlTe9LOQ0k_HztY9l86nyPzUPLjA8GamkMNPb9OfkCmJQIlC1xv9Vzyw1zWjMJhy85w1mD8XBgrk8UJi_pUM7VUN6qzQmkCsRmTE_7JRzjIibBJjMnMsjCd9hd6HC5zqyF/s200/IMG_7505.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_bGhUkmHOXeEZ4rCF3Jf9g8hbQkykTZEi-Ab49qPEq_HQcEezgWHi5jtw0TLLDeRCISWo49Mij78Fe7OEXKEm8Rl8jWeAL9X0loBvR35J4i3P3ozLDpemVmCk1WnZZIT6NMRWZDHMOGg/s1600/IMG_7515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_bGhUkmHOXeEZ4rCF3Jf9g8hbQkykTZEi-Ab49qPEq_HQcEezgWHi5jtw0TLLDeRCISWo49Mij78Fe7OEXKEm8Rl8jWeAL9X0loBvR35J4i3P3ozLDpemVmCk1WnZZIT6NMRWZDHMOGg/s200/IMG_7515.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxa1ALi63WkeMGBxC6Kf5t3ZLyXPdMBBYZLVh3iR9G0t5Sr4KcKQeLBk0MSeOTbEh5qMMjsxJkVjMd8_SjX4HDQwpl9fYkdvxLLSUlTrwaGvTtW1rQTs7cIawwEk_1OCxlXVfWZMYN04e/s1600/IMG_7522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxa1ALi63WkeMGBxC6Kf5t3ZLyXPdMBBYZLVh3iR9G0t5Sr4KcKQeLBk0MSeOTbEh5qMMjsxJkVjMd8_SjX4HDQwpl9fYkdvxLLSUlTrwaGvTtW1rQTs7cIawwEk_1OCxlXVfWZMYN04e/s200/IMG_7522.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><city w:st="on"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Brussels</span></city><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">, <country-region w:st="on">Belgium</country-region></span></span></span></place><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial;"> is our next trip. We leave Thursday and are traveling by high speed train! Mark has been there once, but it rained torrentially his entire visit. We are hoping for better weather :) I do have some research to do...all I know about <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Belgium</country-region></place> is that it has very good fruity beers and fantastic chocolate! My favorites...<br />
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Yasou or ahdeeoh!!! Goodbye in Greek ;)</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div>Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-32921620919147912011-08-10T16:31:00.001-04:002011-08-10T16:31:00.485-04:00A Mid-August Evening in Paris<br />
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Note to all... Don't visit Paris in August. Everyone is on holiday, shops and restaurants are closed and not a lot of people around. Not a problem, because I'm scheduled to leave in a week's time. But i still would appreciate sharing a beer with someone. So with that said I decided to go to Le Passy tonight for a beer.<br />
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As it turned out I had 4 or so. I finished my first beer and Henric, the manager/owner brought me a new beer with complimentary appetizer. About half way through I met a guy at the bar. His name was Harry and he was from London. We shared another couple of beers and another complimentary appetizer. We had a nice chat. Found out he lives on Kleber Avenue and hangs out at a pub on Kleber with his "mates". His pub plays jazz and blues. Best night is Thursdays. We agreed to meet in September when we get back. Be ready Jean and Maggie, could be a crazy night with a bunch of Brits!!!<br />
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Picked up a quick Chinese takeout. Too lazy to cook. When I got to the apartment I met Fatima. She was enjoying the evening outside the front door. No kidding, we spent about 20 minutes talking in French. She volunteered to tend my plants while I was in the U.S. I gave her warning that when I came back I would have 3 ladies with me. Of course we laughed about the potential noise it would bring. She says I'm quite as a mouse. Any way, Jean and Maggie better be on their best behavior...<br />
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Going to the U.S. In a few days!Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-74408996859529322112011-08-07T14:35:00.000-04:002011-08-07T14:35:49.244-04:00Visit to Constantine, Algeria<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-KRiciAp72oHWiHHlSsmZQD16zQBeCarCvlcKEneA-VZI526L2J6WsoxxSF3R8LBqcW2gjrKivqWPVPqejDHkmSayrsDk2dD8S8Y42OA_Y1-Kk7M_8hvL2gZtrUMNK_VQgBKNoGtBnKM/s1600/IMG_7160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-KRiciAp72oHWiHHlSsmZQD16zQBeCarCvlcKEneA-VZI526L2J6WsoxxSF3R8LBqcW2gjrKivqWPVPqejDHkmSayrsDk2dD8S8Y42OA_Y1-Kk7M_8hvL2gZtrUMNK_VQgBKNoGtBnKM/s200/IMG_7160.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8flrp0mkpBVJaJJ50lX9Om5T-gSB5zLsGTWDqSnQRPX_gQH2o2hCjeO30X35mbFBeLrOxVdXJ7pAYVhsah7S6ltoV0cBuythkQVKmJNDJRMYd_rLZsseI_p0ohxs4Y1m431cc4JOed22j/s1600/IMG_7158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8flrp0mkpBVJaJJ50lX9Om5T-gSB5zLsGTWDqSnQRPX_gQH2o2hCjeO30X35mbFBeLrOxVdXJ7pAYVhsah7S6ltoV0cBuythkQVKmJNDJRMYd_rLZsseI_p0ohxs4Y1m431cc4JOed22j/s200/IMG_7158.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_SoCKq6n78_HjObSpDkBHb-rAaWlixQZDFx01KWOBpHN-jflfcRt4AKsalSi4-_HBxn81uBaEKZa6A6omw_F0syAA5ArYInCVbok0Ne0Y20I6mioUAmjEYdHD-4-RM4F0MxU7W_X_pb4/s1600/IMG_7162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_SoCKq6n78_HjObSpDkBHb-rAaWlixQZDFx01KWOBpHN-jflfcRt4AKsalSi4-_HBxn81uBaEKZa6A6omw_F0syAA5ArYInCVbok0Ne0Y20I6mioUAmjEYdHD-4-RM4F0MxU7W_X_pb4/s200/IMG_7162.JPG" t$="true" width="150" /></a>I have been traveling around the world for a number of years, visiting many different countries and cultures. This past week I had the chance to go to Constantine, Algeria. Constantine is a historic city that at one time was key to the battle between the Romans and the Ottoman Empire. If you ever visit the city you can quickly see why they would want to have the city... it is on a mountain overlooking the territory in all directions. Very strategic.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This visit was different for me compared to my other travels. This time I had to stay on a secured base camp. See, Constantine is considered a very conservative Muslim city. To the east a few hundred miles, in the mountains there are known terrorist groups. There was not real threat to me or our employees, but we take a very conservative approach to these types of things. Nonetheless we have our expatriate employees and any visitors live on a base camp. The base camp has 3 levels of security. The first is the office buildings, second the dining area and support buildings and the third is the living quarters. You have to use a special badge to enter the areas. The living quarters are small bungaloos with 3 rooms -- living/kitchen area, bedroom and bathroom. Nicely kept, clean and air conditioned.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnnR2rIduySv5E5FfmwNa8g1v2TYrX-BVoGRd2iNgjYCbi9roRZYvU8sfwajUz3ES9vZa5uwQReszTjwIJttuDn3kIeauW4d-qvW1ZKwblnHUGVSP10jlWG3FoDbMvTvFIej5mQCI_tEb/s1600/IMG_7137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnnR2rIduySv5E5FfmwNa8g1v2TYrX-BVoGRd2iNgjYCbi9roRZYvU8sfwajUz3ES9vZa5uwQReszTjwIJttuDn3kIeauW4d-qvW1ZKwblnHUGVSP10jlWG3FoDbMvTvFIej5mQCI_tEb/s200/IMG_7137.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogecORNdn7zeSdKb_qUZr19ARgGi2SsTmIkXjNDkD1iNUk8fbjpHEKEOp9H845HuJwshrJI8oDb9kCDEpoidaHWTgo3nieRc13aeFAk0hvgQZp-n88CG5xNgGKBnVLN0MFSZsT9VTZixF/s1600/IMG_7185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogecORNdn7zeSdKb_qUZr19ARgGi2SsTmIkXjNDkD1iNUk8fbjpHEKEOp9H845HuJwshrJI8oDb9kCDEpoidaHWTgo3nieRc13aeFAk0hvgQZp-n88CG5xNgGKBnVLN0MFSZsT9VTZixF/s200/IMG_7185.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a>Prior to going, I did experience a bit of anxiety. Many of our employees have gone there with no issues, but it was my first time going there. I didn't know what to expect and I prayed a lot that it would be a "no issue" visit. Much to my relief I found the experience to be very nice. The people at the airport / passport control were very helpful (with my miserable French skills sometimes it is difficult). In Algeria they don't speak a lot of English, mainly French and Arabic. I can understand the French, but not too good with Arabic. I couldn't believe how friendly and helpful they were.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4Fi_0EeuXbpQWPSZ_BwBNvj5A8oe1X0fhWNIVduK_0AjC-nZbsixgCq3C3h4byl8gSLH1u4b6dp6mUKQhEXXAnpFsUtHQZogak9nGOzBnD5uqAEnHZMh5kBMcMVQ7eus1WzHy3iH19s_/s1600/IMG_7191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4Fi_0EeuXbpQWPSZ_BwBNvj5A8oe1X0fhWNIVduK_0AjC-nZbsixgCq3C3h4byl8gSLH1u4b6dp6mUKQhEXXAnpFsUtHQZogak9nGOzBnD5uqAEnHZMh5kBMcMVQ7eus1WzHy3iH19s_/s200/IMG_7191.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a>Shortly upon arrival I'm picked up by a driver and taken to the base camp... ok, when I say base camp what are you thinking. 1945 army barracks??? Again, much to my surprise the base camp was very welcoming. Clean, well kept and non-threatening. I found the experience to be very good. Some of the guys complain about the noise because the walls are so thin, but I had no problem sleeping.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6KmzpdsZ8EWQlJhOSYUkJV5xbwRKuEZn9KJvXZMZBl5X488pc3pXXW5TTBMdneMs1ueHVxkvyB5Avg8-xLtUk0OxgELzyQbUAcEnuFkmD01FWD6Ymx20sGJHkM3vjIoKQ7FRipNWQAyr/s1600/IMG_7198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6KmzpdsZ8EWQlJhOSYUkJV5xbwRKuEZn9KJvXZMZBl5X488pc3pXXW5TTBMdneMs1ueHVxkvyB5Avg8-xLtUk0OxgELzyQbUAcEnuFkmD01FWD6Ymx20sGJHkM3vjIoKQ7FRipNWQAyr/s200/IMG_7198.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a>For dinner that night the group of us had an old fashion barbeque -- lamb chops and sausage! It was a homemade grill, but well done. Our cooking utensils were a bit primative, but got the job done. The night was beautiful, the wine was good, food was perfect (except for this "dip" that was like garlic flavored cool whip) and the company was enjoyable -- even if I had to use my French.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In the end I really enjoyed my visit to Constantine. The local people were very accepting of me, they wanted to know about my feelings of Constantine and Algeria, and were surprised to learn this was my 6th visit to Algeria. I guess not a lot of Americans go to Constantine. I will remember my visit to this very conservative Muslim city, what made even more interesting is it was Ramadan. Taught me another lesson of cultural and religious tolerance / acceptance.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">A couple of pictures looking out from the base camp...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoga51dJMWG8PhMzs13N3VWJYDlM1aj9fUQ5JPAlFwW2vxcwiVsD-Ftaq7-En5RGZiViOhgJnwj-JO8Z8KOOLi4GlHFoFZ9Ne_KpvmTsdwKT2Y9i0lZlPlv5JF-4wo58mXbHFC75QsdYu/s1600/IMG_7193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoga51dJMWG8PhMzs13N3VWJYDlM1aj9fUQ5JPAlFwW2vxcwiVsD-Ftaq7-En5RGZiViOhgJnwj-JO8Z8KOOLi4GlHFoFZ9Ne_KpvmTsdwKT2Y9i0lZlPlv5JF-4wo58mXbHFC75QsdYu/s200/IMG_7193.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3fgxLyPNJr8zhneklPH46_fNbCJCh-ZQL0-cwUy3QtUIrbruhZ3_XS6Y_nhfaArC8nuca8zBe_HGCzhATMMPmfMlDq7CUSfidg_triSQiLuS5dvj-TRbTJG3EboqXErj3aVZP2hpHkMN/s1600/IMG_7139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3fgxLyPNJr8zhneklPH46_fNbCJCh-ZQL0-cwUy3QtUIrbruhZ3_XS6Y_nhfaArC8nuca8zBe_HGCzhATMMPmfMlDq7CUSfidg_triSQiLuS5dvj-TRbTJG3EboqXErj3aVZP2hpHkMN/s200/IMG_7139.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWKrUUn9RGrIhtsN4GpCh_GJrufmTJSt4KJQ_bZ3S2ia86WSmk1qtoVAmnIf-VIF6jjmdyhNSEPX8aufLc-yUqpqB0Ixl0kBUNMGOIiM6RcZEJ1Rb-aEdPBujpxVDsbuPfEMjbN3ZgHuN/s1600/IMG_7189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWKrUUn9RGrIhtsN4GpCh_GJrufmTJSt4KJQ_bZ3S2ia86WSmk1qtoVAmnIf-VIF6jjmdyhNSEPX8aufLc-yUqpqB0Ixl0kBUNMGOIiM6RcZEJ1Rb-aEdPBujpxVDsbuPfEMjbN3ZgHuN/s200/IMG_7189.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a><br />
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</div>Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-2954183273157501002011-07-28T16:24:00.000-04:002011-07-28T16:24:57.749-04:00Summer in ParisRight... what summer??? The weather has been terrible. Sorry for all of you back in Western NY, but here it has been regularly in the 70s and rainy. The whole month of July has been gloomy. Any way...<br />
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July in Paris starts the Summer Holdiay season. Just like Christmas, everyone takes off and the place becomes a ghost town. There are signs in Le Passy saying they are closed on Sundays in August, many of the shops have their curtains pulled with signs in the window and even Le Petite Tour (Gary's restaraunt) will close for the month.<br />
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Knowing that the closure was near, but uncertain when, I went to Gary's for dinner tonight. I don't typically go to a restaraunt alone, but I thought it would be good to visit my friend's establishment before the holiday. I decided to eat at the bar because it is more interesting then sitting alone. Gary was having dinner with his in-laws (belle mere & pere) right next to me. When I arrived he greeted me with open arms and a glass of wine. We chatted for 20 or so minutes about the restaraunt is closing for the month of August. We had a chance to discuss reservation for the Fall when Jean & Maggie's visit. He assured me that he would have something on the menu for Jean.<br />
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It was a very nice evening. I met Gary's in-laws, had a great steak (he will put it on the menu in the Fall for Jean) and a couple glasses of wine. When it came time to pay, of course Gary took care of the wine and I had a chance to wish him and the staff a nice summer holiday season.<br />
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I found it amazing to realize that businesses can just shut their doors for this time of year. It is just not here in France. In Italy all of our operations shut down for 3 weeks and the people disappear to spend time with their family and friends. In Spain they shut down the whole month of August. As I learn more about the South Europe / Latin way of life, I wonder why can't we (as Americans) find a time to shutdown, unwind and relax.<br />
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I hope everyone makes the time to spend with those that care the most without the hustle and bustle.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-42846839128616570902011-07-26T15:56:00.000-04:002011-07-26T15:56:34.226-04:00A recap of July<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbBMPOlaSC0Ho5F5vcY_gfknaFRbjWQ0jG8vhqXXWiAO4zvLCB4ZaERSyQJ4bC9RuO17Wnnbi284zjMLvez6eEAdLKRj7uQukAYLkw4SDi6RWsqaf_6uI5EKu6TokcEs-iShJLVPTEO6R/s1600/IMG_4657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 192px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 231px;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbBMPOlaSC0Ho5F5vcY_gfknaFRbjWQ0jG8vhqXXWiAO4zvLCB4ZaERSyQJ4bC9RuO17Wnnbi284zjMLvez6eEAdLKRj7uQukAYLkw4SDi6RWsqaf_6uI5EKu6TokcEs-iShJLVPTEO6R/s200/IMG_4657.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a>Wow, it's been alonnnnnggg time since I wrote a blog entry. I didn't realize until yesterday when I was telling Kelly, my assistant, the key story. Needless to say she laughed quite hard.<br />
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Anyway, there is so much that went on in the last month I don't know where to start. No way I can write with the immediate emotion and memory of the moment, but I'll recap.<br />
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As some of you know, I went home (to the Lake House) for the Fourth of July. I flew home on Friday and back on Tuesday. Being with <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMPBFV8cIg6Rk0rs4V66fOQU-vQ5zW4n54FRJ1GZYo5mfKgtcuseyig43_y5477ziIDTIKD71P6wa47JbiERf9BPpDWq6L4v8ANLvK6pASmWl5TWWyKjl39Qej3okYXtpL9oUMZUq9p1q/s1600/Buildings+of+Amsterdam+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMPBFV8cIg6Rk0rs4V66fOQU-vQ5zW4n54FRJ1GZYo5mfKgtcuseyig43_y5477ziIDTIKD71P6wa47JbiERf9BPpDWq6L4v8ANLvK6pASmWl5TWWyKjl39Qej3okYXtpL9oUMZUq9p1q/s200/Buildings+of+Amsterdam+6.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a>family and friends at the lake for those few days was incredibly relaxing and rejuvenating. Problem is, it made me realize how much I miss them. Fortunately, I'm back home in a few weeks.<br />
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A week after returning from the U.S. we had a four day weekend, the 14th of July. This is equivalent to our 4th. I decided I didn't want to stay in the apartment for the long weekend, so I took a few days and explored Amsterdam (Netherlands, Holland, Dutch - all the same). It was very nice. My hotel was on the edge of the "Red Light" District. I'm sure back in the day it was a bit more racy, but now it was more tourist. You still saw hookers in the windows and cannabis is legal, but it was more interesting, then exciting. I know now where all of the hippies from the 70's went. I swear some of the people looked very familiar to me. Unfortunately it rained terribly on Thursday and drizzled on Saturday, but Friday was spectacular. On Friday I spent 6+ hours to explore the city. For sure it is a city Jill and I will visit.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFS3gSH1_DKABPO07_wDXI64JNo25O5uc3teQB8O-od443p7530ZhNCJoIrY5tmnbUQm6XIJzeSnH3gwNwWguYvZin9JjPv2ihxj6XUorUZjTwp3acXX0Bn0K0xSc-ih1HTZuSs7GFT30y/s1600/Streets+of+Amsterdam+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFS3gSH1_DKABPO07_wDXI64JNo25O5uc3teQB8O-od443p7530ZhNCJoIrY5tmnbUQm6XIJzeSnH3gwNwWguYvZin9JjPv2ihxj6XUorUZjTwp3acXX0Bn0K0xSc-ih1HTZuSs7GFT30y/s200/Streets+of+Amsterdam+4.JPG" style="cursor: move;" t$="true" unselectable="on" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9gLjDKZrrWuv73-2PQk3dLVRFlt7utVol3fX7FhvzCIA5e6vdCUrtox_3Dav60dCT7lcsXvcgXWKeU2xc_6E_kzM0DPyh-ja4Jm1SXv2RiW8w-vFFqGJ7cvNzE0_UPRAWzvI0lu_5p3Y/s1600/Red+Light+District+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9gLjDKZrrWuv73-2PQk3dLVRFlt7utVol3fX7FhvzCIA5e6vdCUrtox_3Dav60dCT7lcsXvcgXWKeU2xc_6E_kzM0DPyh-ja4Jm1SXv2RiW8w-vFFqGJ7cvNzE0_UPRAWzvI0lu_5p3Y/s200/Red+Light+District+3.JPG" t$="true" width="150" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWoZQoQcuyOcrk0w5ULtTsDeyBvPFk8Cm-qd9zZqtg1_a_ByczkQHEalkJNTYNrCRA5DWQVmL83C3wwid2kAgnagKinbLPUQ1MKMrY3zao_Maqf36a9QCnDfGQbZpOLH83D06_nSUFtVj/s1600/Canal+%25233a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWoZQoQcuyOcrk0w5ULtTsDeyBvPFk8Cm-qd9zZqtg1_a_ByczkQHEalkJNTYNrCRA5DWQVmL83C3wwid2kAgnagKinbLPUQ1MKMrY3zao_Maqf36a9QCnDfGQbZpOLH83D06_nSUFtVj/s200/Canal+%25233a.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This past weekend the excitement was Le Tour de France. Sunday was the finals here in Paris. I decided to take the walk down Champs Elysse to watch the race. Only remembering that Matt said the end was on the 24th, I had to look up the details on line. The crowd was crazy, people wearing Viking helmets and their national flag, I would have thought I was at a Bills' game. People were picnicking along the street, cheering for their favorite racer or team. A lot of people were there. I was fortunate, I walked all the way down the road and then, due to my laziness to walk back through the crowd, I decided to park myself under the trees, across from the Palace, just behind the finish line. I had perfect view of the big screen TVs and a nice view of the spot, just after the finish line. The race itself wasn't too exciting. You only see the riders for a second and then they are gone. Incredible how fast they go. But the award ceremony was neat - it was right in front of me.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54wd2LxKJaXMoTYYI7S6G3JRwPwYcY4QG6jvR3Ff10adnsX1T227kZAsbd1AJPkbDfI4O6BO6vGn_JwgwdzaL4L4NEo8Z5Z1048Zd1bzuGHExvbgiT1u6TBcqYolYw-ymYdVrA7XaA-fe/s1600/IMG_7004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54wd2LxKJaXMoTYYI7S6G3JRwPwYcY4QG6jvR3Ff10adnsX1T227kZAsbd1AJPkbDfI4O6BO6vGn_JwgwdzaL4L4NEo8Z5Z1048Zd1bzuGHExvbgiT1u6TBcqYolYw-ymYdVrA7XaA-fe/s200/IMG_7004.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQu6keUySUp9vVr3xbL3PogRkzL-6L3VoYPvK_vVvpFYCPdnHpkrFZt8BCHB_DgrhjQ5A5u_K1UUwXO6YtGA4XPtssMwmXlYOkV3TeVhLerqo2fy1XJ34KFY1QpffHBH6q42t5_UFuFii/s1600/IMG_7130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQu6keUySUp9vVr3xbL3PogRkzL-6L3VoYPvK_vVvpFYCPdnHpkrFZt8BCHB_DgrhjQ5A5u_K1UUwXO6YtGA4XPtssMwmXlYOkV3TeVhLerqo2fy1XJ34KFY1QpffHBH6q42t5_UFuFii/s200/IMG_7130.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></a> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7I0OdyFn1As0KmzVp38bwf3cqVd3mZyp_onta9WKddAkQxswDjrCWxKwJxVfZ25BizR5f7tK4ar8qlGntxxXB6BBKNgPj-_CtStqA23vb-YQqDNtNErQ_PISGceTt0OQGMEiHLj3zhz-/s200/IMG_7041.JPG" t$="true" width="200" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I will try to become more diligent in my writings...<br />
</div><img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFS3gSH1_DKABPO07_wDXI64JNo25O5uc3teQB8O-od443p7530ZhNCJoIrY5tmnbUQm6XIJzeSnH3gwNwWguYvZin9JjPv2ihxj6XUorUZjTwp3acXX0Bn0K0xSc-ih1HTZuSs7GFT30y/s200/Streets+of+Amsterdam+4.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 91px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 485px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-18844893182149195082011-06-26T14:08:00.001-04:002011-06-26T14:08:55.277-04:00A Bike RideOk... when was the last time you went for a bike ride?<br />
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For me, it has to be 7-10 years. I always liked riding bikes. I can remember when I was younger (probably 35+ years ago), the 6th street gang (Pam, Lisa & Brian E., Patty S., Larry S., Eddie & Banger E., brother Beaver and myself - maybe some more but I can't recall) made a ride from Olean, NY to Bradford, PA. It was a nice summer day and we had nothing but our youthful energy to pull us over the mountain and back. Coming down the hill i remember going so fast it scared me (if i recall right, Larry was bumped by a passing car). Can you imagine today letting a group of pre/early teens riding their bikes 20 miles to and from, unsupervised and "just for fun"? That adventure holds a lot of it's own stories, not the point of this one.<br />
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Today I discovered a new and physically challenging way way to see Paris. Here in the city they have a bunch of bikes available for a minimum fee. They are strategically placed around the city so the public can use. On Rue de Passy there is a "depot". So I decided to try it - it is something I've wanted to do since my arrival. After about 10 minutes of fumbling with the payment machine, I was on a bike.<br />
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The bikes are not sleek racing bikes, but have comfortable seats, 3 speeds, hand breaks (that work) and a basket. Once I was on the bike I had flashbacks to my youth. I rode through the various areas of Paris, the 16th, 7th, 6th, 14th and 13th. Very enjoyable, a bit exhausting and most important liberating. Seeing Paris on a bike could be a hidden secret that I need to explore. I highly recommend it!<br />
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By the way... riding a bike after so many years is not hard, give it a try.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-17110592497337271132011-06-18T06:52:00.000-04:002011-06-18T06:52:00.195-04:00A Soiree in Istanbul<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQy0tg9nrVBIvYXWFipKW-kuuMm03QZDbdf3EgKfqDwd8HkykckHU-Nu_D-Q5o6i_uyzxr4t4VDxf8AI4wA80o0DY0HG1EYbwSIOlCSVKMXiMu4Ty_YAc7VzjWF92tUyz3K7oYcAyn1R_/s1600/Istanbul+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQy0tg9nrVBIvYXWFipKW-kuuMm03QZDbdf3EgKfqDwd8HkykckHU-Nu_D-Q5o6i_uyzxr4t4VDxf8AI4wA80o0DY0HG1EYbwSIOlCSVKMXiMu4Ty_YAc7VzjWF92tUyz3K7oYcAyn1R_/s200/Istanbul+water.jpg" width="200" /></a>I arrived in Istanbul on Wednesday morning after a very early flight from Bucharest. It was a nice day, sunny and 80 degrees. Our driver met me at the airport. There are few things in life more comforting than being picked-up at the airport by a driver, but after a long three weeks of traveling, this was nice. He drove us along the water on the European side. It takes a few minutes longer but much more enjoyable.<br />
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When I got to the office, our country leader invited me to a formal Turkey-French Soiree (Chamber of Commerce meeting). We spent 7+ hours in meetings, I am road weary and would prefer to sleep. I gave a lame excuse... I didn't bring a tie. Of course he had an extra one so I had to say yes.<br />
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I don't know if you have ever been to something like this, but it is usually average food, lots of presentations with polite applauds and long. All I could think about is 3 hours of French and Turkish business gibber-jabber. On top of being tired I thought I was in for one long boring night.<br />
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My attitude took a dramatic turn for the better when we arrived. First, it was outdoors, next to water. We could watch the cargo ships (big boats) and cruise liners up close and personal. Second, we had wine and appetizers (fresh olives and Turkish hazelnuts). True there were guys in tuxes and ladies in gowns, but right then I was enjoying the moment.<br />
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The dinner was nothing to write about and the presentations were in French & Turkish. After that it got better. The presentations only lasted 30 minutes, the moon came out over the water and the wine kept coming... <br />
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All that alone was worth the lack of sleep, but then there was a concert. Candan Ercetin a top recording star in Turkey gave a 2 hour concert during the meal. She had a ten piece jazz and blues band and her voice reminded me of a mix between Nora Jones and Susan Tedesci (yea, I know, a crazy combination). I would guess she is in her early 40s. She wasn't Lady Gaga or Madonna, but everyone in the place knew her and her music. People were singing, dancing, clapping and waving their napkins to every song. She sang in French, English and Turkish. The last 20 minutes of the show was nothing but traditional Turkish music. The whole time on stage she danced and swayed and played with the audience. In case you couldn't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed it.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96iCpSVHyQQSmtsejhe_XDMAttm6pFYmD0cfiZojIGJ_N9uIYOv2sNjKAqnVHVvUEGq0-S-ItKAMKUEv6DefejMf_sTvaRKew1XByaEPGlKiSRYAMijrcVOvFoZkpKvjP52nt-S82d5x1/s1600/Candan+Ercetin+Concert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96iCpSVHyQQSmtsejhe_XDMAttm6pFYmD0cfiZojIGJ_N9uIYOv2sNjKAqnVHVvUEGq0-S-ItKAMKUEv6DefejMf_sTvaRKew1XByaEPGlKiSRYAMijrcVOvFoZkpKvjP52nt-S82d5x1/s200/Candan+Ercetin+Concert.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
One of the moments I will remember for a long time was when she finished a song and told us she would take a short break as the mosque was about to call people to prayer. She know sooner walked off stage and the prayer chants started from the local mosque prayer tower. I was extremely impressed with the respect for religious observation, something I'm told Istanbul is famous for. Could you imagine that happening at a concert?<br />
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On my way out of the office today my friends presented me with a CD from her. I can't wait to go home and load it on my iPad. I'm sure when I hear it, I'll close my eyes and remember one of the best business events I ever attended.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-78302790726716389292011-06-08T15:18:00.000-04:002011-06-08T15:18:12.886-04:00A Quick Visit of North AfricaNow that Jill is back home in the U.S., I am back to my hectic way of traveling. Any one who has done business travel with me knows that I like to be quick and light. I pack the minimum, carry a small bag, schedule lots of meetings and spend only one or two days per location. I typically go to the office at 8 AM and leave for the hotel or dinner at 8 PM. Not sure why I do it that way, but I feel it works for me.<br />
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June is a full month of travel for me. Last week, Thursday and Friday, I spent time in Athens, Greece. With the manner that I travel you don't see much, but I did sneak in a very nice dinner across from the Acropolis. Very cool scenery as this sits on a hill overlooking the city. We didn't go in, but I understand it is over 2000 years old. I'm sure some of you will Google it and let me know exactly. I returned Friday night so I could do some laundry.<br />
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On Sunday I flew to Cairo, Egypt for 2 days. The hotel was next to the Nile River and overlooked Tahrir Square. That's the best I could do for site seeing this time. It was HOT and HUMID. On my way to the airport at 7AM it was already approaching 90 and I was sweating in the car with the AC on. The sun shining on me was baking me.<br />
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For those that don't know (until Sunday I didn't) Tahrir Square was a primary site in the recent Egyptian revolution. We all watched or read about this event, but I had a rare occasion to have a meal with someone who participated in it, albeit from afar. She described for me the emotions of the 20 or so days. I read on Wikipedia that the news agencies called Cairo a war zone. But what I heard wasn't the violence we associate today with places like Libya or Syria. I'm sure for those who lost loved ones it was traumatic. But to hear my colleague describe it, I was proud for the Egyptian people. From her point of view... The government brought in people (gangs are what she called them) to create fear. Normal citizens were banding together to protect their neighborhoods. I heard how her husband stood outside at night with broom handles, sticks and big rocks to ensure peace in the neighborhood. She told me how Muslim and Christians guarded each other during their specific prayer times to prevent the bad guys from disrupting the prayers. She shared how local companies provided material to construct the make shift village in Tahrir Square. And as she told the story her eyes welled with tears and you could feel how proud she was of her country. It was a lunch I will remember for a long time. To sit with her and hear the stories made me realize how lucky I am to have grown up in the U.S.<br />
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I flew back to Paris from Cairo on the 9:15 AM flight so I could catch a flight to Algiers, Algieria at 4:15 PM. I spent last night in Algiers and took a plane today to Tunis, Tunisia. No stories from Algeria, but maybe tomorrow I will hear of Tunisia's revolution.<br />
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Tomorrow night back in Paris for the weekend. Next week it is Bucharest, Romania and Istanbul, Turkey. Week after that is Italy (Rome, Bologna, Milan and Turin). The last week of June has me 3 days in Algeria again and then.... Fourth of July weekend at the Lake House! Can't wait to see Jill and the kids!!!<br />
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I know it sounds like fun... But it's a job.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-3944303462817694902011-06-03T01:46:00.001-04:002011-06-03T01:46:11.844-04:00KeysAs many of you know, I have decided to start running/jogging again. Last night after a long day of work, I decided to go out for a run. It was a beautiful evening - 65 and sunny, so I ran towards the park that Jill and I picnicked in. It was the best run I remember in a long time, even when I stopped 6 or 7 years ago. My legs felt fresh, no pain or heavy breathing, just a smooth striding run.<br />
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When I run I have to take my apartment keys with me, so I put them in my pocket, roll my pocket and tuck them into my shorts. I've never had any problems with it... that is until last night.<br />
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I finished my run and started a slow walk to cool down. I don't normally do this, but decided to get my keys out a block before home. Reached into my pocket and there were no keys! A calm panic overcame me, but I quickly decided to retrace my steps and look for the keys. The whole time I'm looking I'm praying for help. In order to get into the apartment I have to pass through 3 doors. The first one is easy because there is a code, but the other 2 need the keys.<br />
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After looking and praying for an hour, I decided to go back home and see if someone could help me. Bear in mind, this is my worst nightmare - locked out of my apartment in Paris and having to sleep on the street. No keys, no wallet, no access to cash, no ID, only a business card in my pocket.<br />
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I use the code to get in the first door and gently knock on the second hoping someone would come. Not sure what I'd do once I got in the second door, but I was taking one step at a time. To my good fortune or God answering my prayers, Fatima came to the door. I explained to her what happened - my English French, her Portuguese French - it took a bit and I'm sure in a movie it would be comical.<br />
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Because she wasn't sure what I was telling her, she put the two of us in elevator (which is barely big enough for one of us) and we went to the 5th floor. She knocked on the door, the people let us in, they were English speakers and I quickly shared my plight. There was an older couple with a guest and they just finished dinner, me in my sweaty running stuff and Fatima. The guy looked up a number for SOS Keys, an emergency service for just these types of things, and gave the number to Fatima. On the way out the guy said, "it's expensive."<br />
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Fatima and I went back down to the ground floor... I used the stairs. She called the place and they said they would be there in an hour. Ok, no problem I can wait. So I asked Fatima how much for the service. No kidding... She quoted €1,600 (almost $2k)!!!!<br />
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For those that know me well know that I went into mental overdrive to formulate a new plan because there is NO WAY I would pay that. It was then I remembered I left my front window open. It was only 10-12 feet up, if we can get a ladder I can climb through the window. Fatima quickly grasped my plan and we started to look for a ladder. Who has a 20 foot ladder in Paris???<br />
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Fatima, once again, came to the rescue. She trotted across the street, went in the building and brought out a friend to explain the situation. The guy was finishing dinner so he asked us to wait for 10 minutes. I was willing to wait a couple of hours if he could find me a ladder. While, long story short, he arrives, goes in our building, comes out with a 10 foot ladder and we proceed to extend it along side the front of our building. We get it up and it's ages feet short of being comfortable, but I'm not stopping now. I scurry up the rickety ladder to the top rung and shimmy myself the remaining 3-4 feet over the ledge and into the apartment. <br />
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I felt like fricking Rocky at the top of the stairs, throwing my arms into the air and dancing on my toes!!!<br />
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Ok, I really didn't do that, but mentally that's what it felt like. I got the keys, some cash and my wallet. I thanked the guy with a 20, then ran down the street to withdraw some cash. I came back and gave Fatima a 50. All was right with the world.<br />
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Funny how in my nightmare the heroine became Fatima.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-45975601584606939372011-05-23T15:40:00.000-04:002011-05-23T15:40:48.267-04:00Return to ParisWell the mini vacation is over and I'm on the plane going back to Paris. It is truly with mixed emotions that I return. We had a VERY busy time home. I can't believe how fast it went and I feel bad I didn't get to visit with many friends and family. The scheduled events all went off without issues. One kink in the plan - Donna broke her hip our first night home. The timing was good because we were home so Jill could visit / help.<br />
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Now as I sit on the plane I wonder why am I doing this. I really enjoyed being home and don't look forward to spending the summer alone in Paris. For sure I will immerse myself into my work. As Jill says... No distractions. The positive side is that I've decided to start running again. Jill and I are doing a weight loss challenge during the summer separation. I am committed to return to the U.S. for the summer break 20 pounds lighter. It should make the lake house more enjoyable. We'll see...<br />
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If anyone is going to be in Paris this summer, be sure to look me up.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-3617080018966462642011-05-11T04:38:00.003-04:002011-05-11T04:39:55.151-04:00A Break from FranceAfter 5.5 months it is now time for us to go back to the U.S. Of course for me it is only a 10 day visit. Jill will stay for the summer. I'm not sure what it will be like to be back in the States. But It will be nice to not have to practice my French every day, I need a little break. We are very excited to come "home" home.<br />
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We have a busy 10 days and I apologize to anyone we don't get to this visit. We arrive late today, dinner with Bryan & Kyrstin. Tomorrow AM I drive to NYC to pick-up stuff from Kaitlyn. Brother Dennis is suppose to ride with me. We'll spend the night, pack her stuff, get it to the storage and drive back home on Thursday. Friday we drive to Meadville for Matt's graduation on Saturday. Sunday back home, Monday is Nicole's confirmation. And I'm exhausted just thinking about it all.<br />
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I wonder how many times we'll greet people with bonjour or say merci to the waiter or ca va to someone who asks how we're doing. Oh well -- it will be nice.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-52659901149872865602011-05-01T12:23:00.001-04:002011-05-01T12:23:45.751-04:00Steak TartarLast night Jill and I went to Le Petite Tour for dinner. On Friday night we stopped there to make reservations and have a drink at the bar. It was pretty hectic, but Gary (the owner in case you have forgotten) took good care of us. I had a cognac and Jill had a glass of Sancerre (one of our favorite white wines). Before the night was over we were treated to a bellini (my spelling probably wrong, but its made with strawberry sorbet mixed really well with champagne), the remainder of a bottle of wine that someone else didn't finish and I don't remember what else... When we went to leave Gary claimed it was his treat. So we spent a couple of hours in good company and had free drinks! Doesn't get better then that, unless you go back the next day for dinner.<br />
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On Saturday we went back. When we were seated Gary brought us complimentary glasses of champagne. During our previous visits we talked with him about trying steak tartar. Both Jill and I were not certain we would be able to do it, but we went for it. Gary made a special appetizer sized dish for each of us. It came out mixed with onion, scallions, worchester sauce, Tabasco and garlic. Gary serves his with a raw egg yolk on top (which you have to mix into the dish) and a delicious pesto sauce decorating the plate. Jill called it yummo and I must agree with her.<br />
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The rest of the meal was just as good. I had one of the best fish dishes and Jill did her normal salmon dish. We had a bottle of the wine we sampled the night before. When that was gone Gary brought us a half bottle of a Chablis that he had opened for someone else. <br />
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The fun started when we finished our main dish. Seated next to us was a couple from Australia. We heard them speak English and they were trying to figure out the menu. Jill leaned over and started a conversation that kept us there until almost midnight.<br />
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This morning we met them at church and due to some confusion mass was delayed so we went for a coffee together. Just goes to show, if you're open to meeting new folks the world is full of nice people.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-91808698164567712672011-04-17T16:53:00.000-04:002011-04-17T16:53:41.966-04:00Sunday Picnic -- A blog by Mark<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXErofxLNOWi8FW-8UXiKgxbRDez8hA2yxQqh50SMa3P_Y65mStZc-HIHLpVXxRjrx9D50QswXOM3_S5XEOJcPZeUF-ZpEWjmwE2aMEoWwzOhlVa8ByNyM4uhLj5imJZ9CNGpsYiAnmUaw/s1600/IMG_6649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXErofxLNOWi8FW-8UXiKgxbRDez8hA2yxQqh50SMa3P_Y65mStZc-HIHLpVXxRjrx9D50QswXOM3_S5XEOJcPZeUF-ZpEWjmwE2aMEoWwzOhlVa8ByNyM4uhLj5imJZ9CNGpsYiAnmUaw/s200/IMG_6649.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKXYqZOTXasOyjeVG1hhaDPWOiZF6YhMbeCQHLQovDhO9HUtevKGrtJsb18VHEm8y-gSG2KTnpjZT-D5i6oj1Hv0G39lp6FzAqLPszAK1pr0ACXKYuYD7bdol_uEoGF8wDFRtGoDr9lLi/s1600/IMG_6648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 232px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 195px;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKXYqZOTXasOyjeVG1hhaDPWOiZF6YhMbeCQHLQovDhO9HUtevKGrtJsb18VHEm8y-gSG2KTnpjZT-D5i6oj1Hv0G39lp6FzAqLPszAK1pr0ACXKYuYD7bdol_uEoGF8wDFRtGoDr9lLi/s200/IMG_6648.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTa7Turdbb9z_bR_BXq7tLkDDjx_jKAsCEX37u3G1XLbQA2MTZT7rkUFEbRN4VfGvn5m1AJ-2rbhyphenhyphen8BlPFULDCCiyJpRkGQxpy4iX4MrQ5jJQD7SqPkRArUuX_1gREPKKqlVRI70r-bdR/s1600/IMG_6650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTa7Turdbb9z_bR_BXq7tLkDDjx_jKAsCEX37u3G1XLbQA2MTZT7rkUFEbRN4VfGvn5m1AJ-2rbhyphenhyphen8BlPFULDCCiyJpRkGQxpy4iX4MrQ5jJQD7SqPkRArUuX_1gREPKKqlVRI70r-bdR/s200/IMG_6650.JPG" width="200" /></a>Today Jill and I decided to have a picnic dinner at the park at the end of Passy & Paul Doumer. This is a great little park where there are lots of kids, dogs and families enjoying the sunshine. We went to the market yesterday and today after church to get cheese, multi-grain baguette, artichoke hearts, stuffed peppers, stuffed artichoke hearts (ok, so I really like cheese), a stuffed Greek pastry, a chocolate desert that was to die for, fresh strawberries and raspberries and a bottle of white wine. To tote our stuff for the picnic we bought a nice wicker market basket.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5ZzICgahJ8qG5J7kc79C4-fZp3iWDUZHrCmYkFuRTWb3g7RHdsDvusAsT6XbjmR8hM0ychU9VjISyP-enEsk-LPwNwC_IXb0MyXIvRA7IjsiBAMEDNCy75w3djlexa7Ri0stehWSp_jh/s1600/IMG_6656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5ZzICgahJ8qG5J7kc79C4-fZp3iWDUZHrCmYkFuRTWb3g7RHdsDvusAsT6XbjmR8hM0ychU9VjISyP-enEsk-LPwNwC_IXb0MyXIvRA7IjsiBAMEDNCy75w3djlexa7Ri0stehWSp_jh/s200/IMG_6656.JPG" width="200" /></a>We pack the basket, brought the iPad for music, the wine was significantly chilled, a blanket, books and sunglasses. We walked to the park with our basket. At the park there was all sorts of action, so we set up our blanket, opened the wine, kicked off our shoes and enjoyed the sunshine. It was a lot of fun watching the kids, dogs and pony rides.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohQqsw7en1nk1aDLbAfQpbydJ7B5XySeFEk1kBk5h6q_FnarQmHkG5Ho6_Y2krDpMMUtLcEQP-eAf5mH8TT2X8QqhR80C2tsWgzScH0LfyQVA5LLWx6ZzJKSEpucVVZtXWk6ompfXU4vr/s1600/IMG_6654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohQqsw7en1nk1aDLbAfQpbydJ7B5XySeFEk1kBk5h6q_FnarQmHkG5Ho6_Y2krDpMMUtLcEQP-eAf5mH8TT2X8QqhR80C2tsWgzScH0LfyQVA5LLWx6ZzJKSEpucVVZtXWk6ompfXU4vr/s200/IMG_6654.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_DTBDYfF_yMLWM5VtGUi01n8zylndImqri3kp8pkgUy1eQJU4c1s_yBpmQHHTV6cUvYR5-O0ngr-srpkmG4pxPwt2pA8JN-3vpXhB9tLeiH89sbCmWdqIVmf8GFJ-K5HMpY-MPW52Krp/s1600/IMG_6664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_DTBDYfF_yMLWM5VtGUi01n8zylndImqri3kp8pkgUy1eQJU4c1s_yBpmQHHTV6cUvYR5-O0ngr-srpkmG4pxPwt2pA8JN-3vpXhB9tLeiH89sbCmWdqIVmf8GFJ-K5HMpY-MPW52Krp/s200/IMG_6664.JPG" width="200" /></a>After awhile we decided it was time to eat... We start to unpa</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">ck the food and Jill realizes she left all the cold stuff in the refrigerator. Oh well, we were able to enjoy what we had with us. The wine was good, sun was warm and lots of funny kids and animal moments. All wasn't lost, when we came home we finished the picnic.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVIKbEOlu3PEdTfHIj2vo68wz_8nw5JBNaiI2glpDoOKMMtJb-Lnaii9rOZ59ITdKjlPg5XwS0SLkCs-hbJu7QVwpCL3nADQu5eTfgbELYND7MNJJbhzyvBeQGz4MShfGvzpdNehgqunU/s1600/IMG_6680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVIKbEOlu3PEdTfHIj2vo68wz_8nw5JBNaiI2glpDoOKMMtJb-Lnaii9rOZ59ITdKjlPg5XwS0SLkCs-hbJu7QVwpCL3nADQu5eTfgbELYND7MNJJbhzyvBeQGz4MShfGvzpdNehgqunU/s200/IMG_6680.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zgyELtvzHWUPaGXk93jhth2UTNs5H_a3AfxpM8S6oU8H4QJcedc1CQv30uvrxHmBtk0c1JBGOENYbH-fvM5Poc6bUzXldPm7o-EL_VXfJjgtcbnGu-ket11D6M4I9igbStprjAAiuiTR/s1600/IMG_6652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zgyELtvzHWUPaGXk93jhth2UTNs5H_a3AfxpM8S6oU8H4QJcedc1CQv30uvrxHmBtk0c1JBGOENYbH-fvM5Poc6bUzXldPm7o-EL_VXfJjgtcbnGu-ket11D6M4I9igbStprjAAiuiTR/s200/IMG_6652.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
So in the end we had two picnics today and both were enjoyable. It is so fun to have these moments together.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-71756157892081116272011-04-09T07:06:00.001-04:002011-04-09T07:07:08.378-04:00Kaitlyn's Visit to Paris - a post from KaitlynWell I guess I should finally blog about my trip to Paris since I have some time. Not only was it my first trip to Paris, but it was my first trip traveling alone! After a flight change the night before and an hour delay then another hour delay on the run away I got to Paris without any glitches and only 20 minutes later than our planned arrival (how that works out after being 2 hours behind beats me). As most of you know I know absolutely no French so once we got off the plane I decided just to follow the crowd since I didn’t know what the signs said, which this plan worked great until I was looking for where to get my bags and Mom and Dad see me and wave… so naturally I go to them and Dad goes, “Did you get your bag?” (a) Dad didn’t tell me before hand anything about baggage b) dumb question I obviously wasn’t rolling my suitcase and c) they waved at me so I thought that’s where I had to go, so after going back through the doors and getting my suitcase we can leave the airport.<br />
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So that first day (Friday) I was there (I got in at noonish) we went to the apartment then we walked around the neighborhood. Before dinner we went to get drinks at Le Passey and being in Paris I was old enough to drink! And the bartender made me the special of the night a blue laguna! Then we got dinner at somewhere I don’t remember…I think we did sushi the first night (?) and we went home and watched tv and I passed out and slept forever. <br />
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The second day I was there we went to the market and bought all kinds of good stuff like cheese and strawberry tarts and olives and gnocchi! Then we went home and took care of the groceries and Mom and Dad made lunch while I napped (still jet lagged) then after lunch we went shopping! My favorite thing to do :) I don’t remember what it was called (since I don’t know French) but Dad mistakenly made the rule “If you like it buy! We are not coming back” which I took full advantage of and got 3 shirts, a skirt and a dress (thanks Daddy)! <br />
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Then we went to a restaurant for drinks that was by the shopping center. For dinner we went to this actual French restaurant and I tried snails!!!! They were good too! They tasted like clams! And I had filet of beef for my entrée and chocolate mousse for dessert! It was all VERY good!<br />
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On Sunday we woke up and went to church. I liked watching the little girl that was running all around the church because she reminded me of me at that age. She got the arm grab just like I did! After church we went to lunch and got mommy flowers for the apartment. After that we went to the Louvre and that was AWESOME! Reminded me of the Da Vinci Code! Unfortunately I was still jet lagged and was very sleepy and did not fully enjoy the experience do to my sleepiness. After we walked the little park area outside of the Louvre and got drinks and I got ice-cream! Then we went home and I napped and Daddy made dinner of gnocchi in an Alfredo (Dad comment -- it was gorgonzola sauce) sauce with ham and peas and it was delicious! Then we watched Julie and Julia (well Mom and Dad did… I fell asleep).<br />
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Monday: Mom and I did some exploring and shopping (both of us got shoes!) and had lunch at Le Passey where I had sea bass and it was fantastic! We also took a walk to the Eiffel Tower and layed in the grass and sat by the river, where we made a friend from Bali of all places! She was back packing across Europe and asked me to take a picture of her and a boat. Then we went to the apartment and rested until Daddy got home from work. Once Dad was home we went to Le Passey for drinks and went to the Chinese restaurant for dinner. I tried duck that night and it was so good! After dinner we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower! That was so much fun! It twinkled while we were going up it, which I was VERY excited about! <br />
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Tuesday: Mom and I went to the Arch de Triomphe. Which to Bryan’s surprise there was an elevator that we got to use (it was closing in like an hour for lunch). At the top Mom and I took a lot of pictures and talked then we walked down the stairs. And me being a dumb dumb had a very difficult time walking down the stairs and got really dizzy because I can’t walk down stairs without looking down and had to go super slow (Mom made fun of me the WHOLE way down!). After we walked down Champs-Elysees and did so more shopping. Then we walked to the palace and down by the river back to the apartment. This day it was so hot that I wore a tank top and was still sweating! While I was hot however all the people that live in Paris were still wearing winter coats. For dinner I think we went to La Matta and I let Dad pick for me because I couldn’t decide between the spaghetti with meat sauce or pizza with an egg on top… he choose the spaghetti… it was delicious! For dessert I had this HUGE ice-cream sundae! And I walked out of the restaurant practically unable to move! WAYYYY too much food!<br />
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Wednesday: Mom and I stayed in and relaxed for the day. We got a visit from Fatima…that was interesting since I know absolutely no French and Mom only knows a little bit. What I got from it was she told me I was pretty, she liked my necklace, asked me about what I thought of Obama and told me Happy Birthday…she was there for 45 minutes and that’s all I got. Then when Dad got home we went to see Notre Dame and had dinner in the Latin District. It reminded me of a black market with all the people trying to get you to come to their restaurant. At dinner I had the BEST goat cheese salad and beef bourguignon which I was not the biggest fan of…too much like stew which is too close to soup and for dessert I had crème brulee. Then because I somehow hurt my leg we went home and did not walk around every much. <br />
Thursday MY BIRTHDAY!: I woke up to Mom bringing me mimosas in bed and then she made me nutella on toast things and we layed in bed and watched T.V. until it was time for Dad to come home. For lunch we went to this Irish pub with a REAL Irish man as the owner! I had my first Guinness which I proudly finished! And I had AMAZING salmon! Then after we ate we moved to the pub where we talked with the owner and this crazy lady with a picture of a man exposing himself and had more drinks. Dad had some super expensive whiskey, Mom had a KillKenny beer and I had Baileys (we’re so Irish). Then after lunch we went back to the apartment and I napped. We met up with two guys that Dad works with for drinks at Le Passey before dinner and had a good time there. For dinner we went to Le Petite Tour and I had the lamb and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO delicious! And for desert I had something that I am not even going to try to spell since I cannot pronounce it, but Gary the owner made sure there was a candle on it for me to blow out. It was a good birthday!<br />
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Friday: My last day… I don’t remember what we did... Mom and I went grocery shopping for Nutella and chocolate for me to bring back to share with my friends (who loved it!). And we went to Le Passey for lunch and I got raviolis but the appetizer size not the meal size (language barrier) and for dessert I had chocolate molten lava cake it was the best thing EVER! For dinner we went to La Matta again and I tried the egg on my pizza. It was good but I didn’t think it was anything special. Then we spent the rest of the night just packing and watching T.V. as a family.<br />
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Saturday: Dad and I left the apartment at 6 a.m. for the airport. That morning I heard words come out of my Mom’s mouth that I never thought I would ever hear! She wanted Dad to leave the iPad because she would be bored and didn’t want to use the laptop! She was very distraught about this too…it made me laugh (sorry Mom). Then at the airport I made through check-in and said good-bye to Dad and made it through security to my gate where I only had to wait about 30 minutes (compared to my 5 hours on the way there). I got home in enough time to nap, shower and pick Ryan up from the bus station!<br />
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It was a long week in Paris but it was a great way to spend spring break! <br />
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Things that happened that I don’t remember when they happen: Mom had her first crepe, I got a leather jacket, I tried foie gras and did NOT like it at all!Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-37639277045984324532011-04-07T13:27:00.003-04:002011-04-07T13:39:21.711-04:00To Eat or Not To Eat??? -- A blog by JillToday I walked to the corner store, the Monoprix, to pick up a few groceries. I had quite a sac full to lug back to the apartment and by the time I got back and walked up one flight of stairs, I was sooooo out ot breath...last year at this time I was in such good physical condition!!! What happened???? Oh yes...living in Paris and traveling around Europe as if I'm on one long extended vacation and I guess I've been eating like itl!!! I will only live in Paris for a short time so I better enjoy it, right??? And to quote Julia Childs, "I love to eat, that's what I love to do~Eat!!!"<br />
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Even though we walk quite a bit, I guess I just eat and drink more...I am uncomfortable in my skin and clothes AGAIN! I was so hoping I had the eating and exercising thing figured out last year. To think I have to start all over and fight this battle again...Ugh!<br />
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I try to eat healthy most of the time, but it is difficult!!! When we were in Madrid, Mark took me to dinner with his work group to a very cool restaurant right outside the King's Palace. The King in fact occasionally eats lunch in the very room we had dinner. Anyway, I think we had five courses of food, plus wine , bread and coffee! It started with a warm lentil pudding like substance with fois gras and pine nuts(not my favorite); then we had cooked sliced potatoes with thinly sliced raw scallops drizzled with olive oil; next was a serving of cod with spinach and potato gnocchi covered in a light cream sauce; after that we had a chicken leg stuffed with sausage! The coup de grace was a rhubbarb tart! I could barely walk out of the restaurant to get a taxi back to the hotel! We didn't have a choice in the menu, the food was served and we ate it!!! Except for the lentil thing it was all very delicious...Oh~I forgot a serving...it was wild mushrooms served in a cream sauce with a raw egg on top! I took a large gulp of wine, mixed the egg into the mushrooms and ate. It was so yummy! Now if I was counting calories and not opening myself up to all these wonderful experiences and taste sensations, I would not have known how wonderful a raw egg tastes when mixed with cream and wild mushrooms! And Julia would be so disappointed in me!!!<br />
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Another night in Madrid, Tonio a friend of Mark's who is spanish and lives in Madrid recommended an argentinian restaurant for us to visit. The restaurant is owned by a cousin of Tonio so he called and made reservations for us...9:30 Saturday night. We get to the restaurant, Basilicos, and we are the only ones there until almost 10:30pm~that is the time the spanish start eating dinner!!! You could tell we were tourists arriving so early in the evening...Anyway, they served real argentinian beef which is supposed to be the BEST beef and a charcoal grill to cook it!! We started the meal with a large antipasti of grilled vegetables(see~I was trying to make an effort towards healthy eating) and had the best filet mignon I've ever eaten!!! It tasted so good...a real charcoal grill! Let's not forget the cream fraiche with fresh herbs to spread on crunchy little garlic toasts and the chocolate gelato for dessert!<br />
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Oh my, I get full just thinking about it!!! I could go on and on...I think I will tell you of one more food experience...Sunday after visiting a huge flea market, we happened upon a very interesting restaurant/spanish bar called Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas. We walked in and it was so cool we knew we wanted to enjoy a sangria and tapas here. The sangria was sitting in a large wooden barrel on top of the bar, so we planted ourselves at the bar and enjoyed a true spanish experience...the sangria was 1,40 E and every time you ordered a drink they gave you a free tapas. You remember that tapas is a small bit of food served with wine, right? Anyway our first small plate of food was paella and it was very good. Then we got two fried smelt(Mark enjoyed those) and another plate of paella! We ordered a plate of mushrooms and grilled asparagus. All delicious and a very fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon! The ambiance and decorations of the bar added to our enjoyment:)<br />
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So, I guess I should relax and enjoy all culinary experiences, continue to try to eat healthy most of the time and walk, walk, walk!!! Bon appetite!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmHtzyi8TqsKOg0jpo_KEJbD7IuM2VCU4XKFqIn262CU1n2OLCIbvsLHVCGcH07WCKMyJRLxF7ihGZb-qq0BBLSAz5znLMasp2BUg-3WOMRmcsPaPoP68t2aRipsWTTpR2XtVacb_7lYH/s1600/IMG_6604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmHtzyi8TqsKOg0jpo_KEJbD7IuM2VCU4XKFqIn262CU1n2OLCIbvsLHVCGcH07WCKMyJRLxF7ihGZb-qq0BBLSAz5znLMasp2BUg-3WOMRmcsPaPoP68t2aRipsWTTpR2XtVacb_7lYH/s320/IMG_6604.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-7052398587812430672011-04-07T00:36:00.002-04:002011-04-07T00:36:57.051-04:00First Time Visit - A Blog From AllisonMy Trip to Paris with the Darrows<br />
First off, I just want to thank Mark and Jill so much for inviting me to Paris to spend a wonderful and experimental trip with them! I had a blast and won’t soon forget all the wonderful food, wine, beer and adventures we dove into. I also really enjoyed telling people after break that I went to Paris and seeing their faces light up with questions and “wow I’m so jealous!” This trip definitely was a great experience for me because I really got a chance to open up and try things I had never thought I would get the chance to do before. <br />
Before going on the trip, Matt and I created a bucket list. Here it is:<br />
-try escargot (did it!)<br />
-go to the Louvre (did it!)<br />
-Climb the Arc De Triumph (did it)<br />
-See Notre Dame (saw it)<br />
-Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower (FINALLY did it!)<br />
-Eat pizza with egg on top (sadly no : ( )<br />
-Eat duck and Oysters (yes, I didn’t enjoy Oysters)<br />
-Champs Eles’ee (did it)<br />
-try Croque Madame (had it and it was delicious!)<br />
-Visit ‘the market’ (didn’t do it)<br />
The first day I arrived in Paris seemed like a blur. We landed in Charles de Gaulle, Mark picked us up and we went to the apartment. Soon after we got lunch and partook in a mini bar crawl. I tried hanging tough with Mark and Matt, but by the second pub I almost fell off the stool and chipped my tooth on my beer glass. <br />
On the second day we went to the top of the Arc de Triumph to take in the view of the city. The climb to the top made me a little dizzy because the staircase was spiraled and extremely narrow. I had to force myself to look straight ahead the entire walk because of the dizziness I felt. The trip down was even harder and people kept walking around me because I was going so slowly. The view from the top was extremely beautiful and I think that’s when it really hit me that I was spending a WHOLE week in Paris!<br />
One of the things I noticed when we were in Paris was the amount of pigeons that surrounded the streets and trees. Matt, Jill and I were walking through a park in the city and Matt felt a light thud on his head. He kept imagining that bird poop had landed on his head earlier that day, so I didn’t think anything of it when he asked me to look. There on his head was a huge plop of guacamole colored pigeon poop. It started running down his hair and I had to run away because I thought I would throw up. He kept asking for tissues or anything to clean up the mess and finally sighted a bathroom where he was able to splash some water in his hair. The rest of that week we all walked a little more cautiously under the trees. Matt would yell at pigeon passer bys to stay away. So FUNNY!<br />
I would have to say my favorite part of visiting Paris was all the great food and drinks I got to try. Matt and I kept coming up with excuses to drink as much delicious champagne as we could. Before and after every meal we all shared wine, beer and coffee or espresso. It took me a while to get used to the strength of some of the espresso and I started off drinking Café Ole, but by the end of the trip I began to enjoy espresso as well. I would have to say the best food I tried on the trip was rabbit. It didn’t seem right to eat such a little helpless and adorable bunny, but once I took a bite I was in love! I have never tasted a meat so rich and tender. That same night we also had a mouth watering dish of cheesy potatoes and delicious white wine which may have contributed to the ambiance, but I still would have to say I enjoyed rabbit the most. Some of the other foods I had were smoked salmon (delicious), escargot, pizza with mushrooms, ham and tomatoes, duck, quiche, Croque Madame, and Oysters. I really enjoyed the escargot, but I just couldn’t get my mind off of what I was actually putting into my mouth. I quickly shoved each snail in my mouth, chewed fast and swallowed. I was proud of myself for eating these little creatures but I am not sure if I would ever try them again. Matt and I also both agreed that eggs should now be put on everything from sandwiches, salads to pizzas. The eggs in Paris just tasted so much better than eggs here in the U.S.<br />
Sometime during the trip I got a strong craving for dark purple grapes. We searched the markets and grocery stores, but couldn’t find them. Finally on the second day of our search we found them in a nearby grocery store. There was mold all over them! Grapes were not meant to be : ( so instead I ended up buying fresh raspberries and it all turned out alright because once we got back to the apartment we plopped raspberries in our champagne and enjoyed an early afternoon cocktail. <br />
My most monumental accomplishment on the trip was climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We walked by the structure everyday but I didn’t actually believe I could make it to the top. I have always been scared of heights and had a panic attack on the mini Eiffel Tower at one of Ohio’s theme parks. I ended up lying on the floor of the elevator when we got to the top and refused to get up until the elevator took me to the bottom. Considering I was uncomfortable on the way up and down the Arc de Triumph, I didn’t think there was any way I would be able to make it to the top of the actual Eiffel Tower. Day after day passed by and I told everyone “I won’t do it today, but I will tomorrow” thinking that I could talk my way out of it once we reached the end of the trip. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to see the city from the top, but I didn’t want to ride an elevator all the way up. Finally the day came; I can’t remember if it was Tuesday or Wednesday. Matt and I decided that we would go after dinner. We waited in line for an hour and a half and I was alright the entire way through until we got to the ticket booth. I told Matt I only wanted to go to the first level but he talked me into buying tickets to the top. Finally once we got through security I started my freak out. I turned away from the elevator and told Matt that I wasn’t going through with it. I started walking away but he pulled me into the elevator, talking to me the entire way to the second level. When I got off the elevator I grabbed onto the nearest sturdy object and locked my arms around it. Matt kept reaching his hand out to me but I wouldn’t move. I yelled at anyone who got close enough to me to not touch me. I finally ran over to the side and took a quick glance before wrapping my arms back around my safety pole. That’s when I told Matt I was finished and wanted to go back down. “You don’t understand Matt, You’re being unreasonable!” Needless to say this happened in front of crowds of people. It was very embarrassing. Finally we got into the elevator, I put my face in Matt’s chest, and we made it to the top. By that time my anxiety went down because I realized the top of the tower was closed in. A panic attack aside, the trip to the Eiffel Tower was worth it. <br />
Thanks Again for the Wonderful Adventure! <br />
Allison<br />
Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-1787683565491157992011-04-02T04:58:00.002-04:002011-04-02T05:01:11.830-04:00A Collection of Thoughts from MarkJill and I have both been experiencing a blog blah writer's block. We have so much we want to share but every time we start to write it, nothing comes out. So I'm just going to ramble...<br />
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We just finished a two week run with the kids visiting. Kate was here for her birthday. We took to an Irish pub for lunch and nice French dinner. She was able to try her first Guinness. I leave for her to write about as she still owes her blog.<br />
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On the morning I took Kate to the airport, two hours later I picked up Matt and Allison. We had a great time with them. I'm pretty sure we wore them out. They both have been working so hard on their final project for college. Between that, the travel here and the long days of touring they left here exhausted. Again, I'll leave to them to write about.<br />
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This afternoon Jill and I are on a plane traveling to Madrid. I've been there only once and of course my world traveling companion will make her initial visit. We look forward to exploring the old city together. Maybe take in a Flamingo dance or something intriguing like that. We'll see. Maybe it will give us more to write about.<br />
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My French classes are going well. I have a good tutor who is tolerant of my sloppy French. However bad it is, it is way better then when I arrived. This round of lessons (30 hours since January) is almost over. Three more sessions. I'm not sure I'm going to go to round two. It takes a lot of time and summer is soon upon us. Right now it's a "no", but we'll see. I do ok in the "hood" so any more will just be showing off.<br />
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Wishing you all well and hope to see you in Paris soon.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-33092310340980333772011-03-23T17:55:00.000-04:002011-03-23T17:55:08.813-04:00Old FriendsOn Sunday we had the good fortune to meet up with an old high school friend of mine, John McCarthy, and his family. He was in town for a long weekend. Funny how small the world is now that we have social networking. He knew we were in Paris because of Facebook, sent me a message, we exchanged phone numbers and, viola, we are meeting under the Eiffel Tower. We got to visit for 30-45 minutes and split ways again. It's probably been 7-10 years since we last saw each other. I hope it doesn't take that long for the next meeting. <br />
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I can't remember if I wrote about it or if Jill did, but we had a similar encounter with Kevin Kenyon and his wife. Kevin and I played baseball and worked at McDonalds together. We haven't seen each other since 1979 or 1980. The funny thing was that Kevin grew up in the same neighborhood as Jill's cousins, so they were able to reminisce about cousins, friends, aunts and uncles. Dad, not sure if you're reading this, but Kevin played first base for the Yankees (Babe Ruth league, not the real deal). He remembered you and Milt Brown as coaches, remembered that you smoked cigars. We had a couple of dinners together. It was great fun to share stories from "back in the day".<br />
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While I'm on the subject of Facebook, I had another exciting connection occur. One day I received a friend request from an individual who I could not place. I racked my brain for a few days and finally remembered it was the sister (we called her Pid) of my Navy buddy, Earnie. When Jill and I were first married Earnie, JM (and Lori) and Tom all hung out together. Earnie helped us setup our first Christmas tree (Jill has a whole story on that). We haven't seen nor heard from him since 1986 when I left the George Washington Carver. We often wondered about him. Any way, I "friended" Pid and got his phone number. I decided to call him and we had a 10-15 minute chat, just like old times. Of course I was excited to have talked to him, so I called JM, but he was golfing. However I did have a nice visit with Lori.<br />
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And of course I would be remiss if I didn't mention my regular Skype chats with my lifelong buddy, Larry. Technology can be amazing...<br />
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Which brings me to my point for this entry, reconnecting with old friends is richly rewarding. Just a reminder to all who read this, we are getting older. Take the time to find an old friend and give them a call or arrange a short get together for coffee or a beer. You'll be glad you did. You never know, maybe it will bring you to Paris.<br />
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I highly recommend it.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877428142798196356.post-28019096820370475132011-03-11T16:22:00.000-05:002011-03-11T16:22:49.319-05:00Well... Today Kaitlyn arrived to visit us. It was so exciting to see her. Jill and I left for the airport around 9:45 AM. This would put us at the airport right on time. Unfortunatly, Her flight had been changed to a later flight (and different airline). After the initial anxiety we recovered and locked in the flight. We were at the gate waiting for her.<br />
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She arrived an hour late, but we knew there would be a delay from Flightstats.com. We got there, had an expesso and watched the board for her plane to land. Not a bad way to await her arrival. We catted and waited for her. We were in the first row waiting for her arrival. There was a door that blocked our abilty to see the people coming in. Periodically we would see people waiting to get through passport control. There were automatic doors in front of us, so we anxiously waited to see her. During one of the door openings, we saw her. How exciting! A few minutes later she came to the door. Yeah!!! I dont know why, I realized she didn't have her suitcase. After a quick exchange and welcome, she went back through the doors to get her bag.<br />
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After another 15 minutes, she arrived... Kaitlyn is now with us in Paris and I am so happy.Mdsporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13985549644279033968noreply@blogger.com0