My aunt Judy passed away two weeks ago. As posted here previously, she was diagnosed in February with cancer that had metastisized and was given a terminal prognosis. She spent two months in hospice care and passed quietly and peacefully.
Growing up, I have some very distinct of memories of Judy. First, she was a court stenographer for a good bit of her adult life, continuing on to become a legal secretary. When I was little, she would let me play with her stenographer's machine, trying to help me understand what the combinations of vowels and consanants translated to. She would do much of her transcription at home and had an early-model IBM Selectric typewriter which she also let me play with. I would watch her doing her transcription sometimes and I have never before and never since, seen anybody type as fast as she did.
Judy was also a voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction, and probably kept the Book of the Month Club in business for many years. Same for costume jewelry manufacturers as she had a thing for rings (most of which my daughter Molly has now inherited).
My most beloved memory, however, was that a few times a year, my brother and I would have a "date" with aunt Judy where she would take us to lunch and then to a movie or show. These were very special times. Judy was not a parent and treated us like adults, and we loved these ventures. The key is that Judy always took us to see something funny. It was not that Judy was such a funny person, but she had a deep understanding and appreciation of comedy - something that runs deep in my family. It was my aunt that took us to see "Young Frankenstein" when it opened in 1974, and she also took us to see Monty Python live at City Center, also in the 70's. We had such great seats that I could touch John Cleese as he cavorted in the aisles.
This past Saturday, my uncle Gary and I went to pick-up Judy's cremated remains. From the funeral parlor, we went to her apartment to start going through her things. While there, Gary's wife Gail called to tell us that the funeral parlor was frantic and that they wanted us to contact them immediately. Only one thing could have possibly inspired such a call and sure enough, when we checked the name on the box in the shopping bag that had been given to Gary, it wasn't Judy's. They had given us someone else's ashes.
Thankfully, the ashes were intact and we were able to come back and exchange them for Judy's remains. As I've said in the past, my family believes in finding humor in everything and since there were no unfortunate outcomes, we couldn't help but giggle at the circumstances, and believe that in her own inspired way, Judy had given us just one more laugh.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
A Conversation With Mikey
My 8 year-old nephew Mikey recently visited the Hirschorn Museum in Washington D.C. with his class to see a modern art exhibit. This is an excerpt of his conversation with my brother Doug after he picked him up from school that day:
Doug: How was the museum trip?
Mikey: GREAT!
D: Which artists' work did you see?
M: Lots. Pablo Picasso, Mary Cassat, and Jackson Pollack, who slides around painting with his butt.
D: Which was your favorite?
M: Andy Warthog
D: Did you see anything else while you were downtown?
M: Yeah, we went to the FDR memorial, which was really cool.
D: Do you know who FDR was?
M: Yes, Dad, of course I do. He was a President.
D: Do you know what FDR stands for?
M: Of course I do. His name. Franklin Delaware Rosenfeld.
Doug: How was the museum trip?
Mikey: GREAT!
D: Which artists' work did you see?
M: Lots. Pablo Picasso, Mary Cassat, and Jackson Pollack, who slides around painting with his butt.
D: Which was your favorite?
M: Andy Warthog
D: Did you see anything else while you were downtown?
M: Yeah, we went to the FDR memorial, which was really cool.
D: Do you know who FDR was?
M: Yes, Dad, of course I do. He was a President.
D: Do you know what FDR stands for?
M: Of course I do. His name. Franklin Delaware Rosenfeld.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Greetings From France - The Final Chapter
Friday, our last full day in France, was one of the most interesting and diverse.
We started out with local market day in Riberac, the nearest town of substance (about 10 kms away) to where Peter and Helen live. Local market have been held for centuries, with each town having its own day. Vendors did not have permanent storefronts, and instead they would move from town to town. It is the mountain coming to Mohammed. Riberac is not a town of note historically, but rather a commercial center for the area and market day serves as a social event as much as a shopping opportunity. The town square is closed to traffic and vendors selling everything from fruit & vegetables, to meat, fish, & game, to baked goods, and all of the local specialties (walnuts, honey, foie gras). The emphasis here is on fresh. There are also vendors selling household items, and some entertainment provided by a trio of clowning men who made their way through the area. It was great fun and although it harkens back to an older time before the advent of supermarkets, we were constantly brought back to the present by the fact that the French air force has a fighter jet training base nearby and very loud F-16s were performing exercises above us.
From there it was on to Les Eyzies, a small town that serves as a tourist base for the pre-historic attractions in that area of the Dordogne. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant called La Metarie, again taking a menu of local specialties including garlic soup, pate Perigourd, and confit de canard.
With our full stomachs, we went to the first of the two main pre-historic cave sites in the area, Grotte de Font-de-Gaume. Discovered in 1901, Font-de-Gaume is a cave about 250 yards up the side of a hill that contains some of the most amazing polychrome paintings and engravings. What makes them amazing is first that they are about 14,000 years old. The other amazing thing is that the paintings are all of animals and utilize modern techniques for representing the subjects in three dimensions. For instance, a very detailed picture of a horse, utilizes the natural curve of the cave wall, to represent how the hind quarters and rump rise from the back. It is hard to describe, but was probably one of the most exciting parts of our trip. The 45-minute tour is limited to 12 people at a time and must be reserved way in advance (hats off to Betsy who took care of this). The group size limits and other great care is taken to ensure that the caves are not damaged by the introduction of humans trekking through constantly.
The artists of these works did not live in the cave. Firstly, it would have been too dark and somber, and historians believe that it was treated as more of a sanctuary or holy site. It is believed that the artists worked in the caves by oil lamp, and this is supported by formations that served as natural chimneys for the smoke of these lamps. The tour was in French, but our guide spoke quite clearly and I was able to understand about 90% of what she was saying.
During the hour we had between our reservations at the two sites, Betsy made a quick visit to the Pre-Historic Museum (subject matter is very old - the museum is pretty new and very modern) in Les Eyzies. It was a glorious day and I preferred to wander through town in the sunshine.
Nearby is Grotte des Combarelles, another cave site but in this one, the figures are etched into the stone, rather than painted. There are pictures of horses, bison, wooly mammoths, and rhinoceroses among others. There is also an occasional humanoid figure. The guide for this site spoke much faster and with a bit of a lisp. I only caught about 70% of what he said.
What is very interesting and still perplexing to historians is that in each of these two caves, there are occasionally found (both painted and etched) a triangular pyramid-like geometric shape. It is the only geometric shape found in the area, though other geometric shapes have been found in other areas of Europe. It is speculated that these might have been symbols of particular tribes of people, but it begs the question why all of the figures are drawn in free-form and no other geometric shapes depicted.
I think UFOs landed nearby.
Since we had a bit of time, we chose to take back roads all the way to Peter and Helen's, and it was beautiful. We passed mainly through farm country on roads with very few other cars.
Returning to Chez Berczeller, Peter urged us to soak our weary bodies in their outdoor hot tub. The air temperature was hovering in the upper 40s and low 50s and I had never used a hot tub in such brisk weather. We tried it anyway and boy, was it a treat! No pun intended as Peter is an MD, but it was just what the doctor ordered. I stayed in longer than Betsy and when I got out, I had thought that I would be freezing, but Peter assured me that my body would still be warm for a while. He was correct, and I stood in a cool breeze surveying the valley from the stone patio and listening only to the sounds of birds chirping. It was one of those moments when you realize that life is good.
Another great dinner prepared by Helen was preceded by a single malt scotch tasting. Okay, so it was only Peter and I drinking it, but the whiskey, the food, the wine, and the company were a wonderful and warm way to wrap up our trip to France. We slept well that night.
Rising before the sun on Saturday morning, we made our way to the airport in Bordeaux in the rain. I have mentioned the rain before, but what is truly amazing is that I can now state categorically that it rained only 6 times during our trip, but never on us. Three times were while we were driving and three times during the night. We had amazing luck.
Even the trip to the airport was pleasant. First of all, filling up the gas tank before returning the car, I calculated that even at $5.50/gallon for diesel, our big - by French standards - car got about 50 miles to the gallon (combination of diesel engine and manual transmission). Our other observation was that it seemed like any available space in and around Bordeaux, had grapes growing on it. At the airport, a small patch of land (maybe 15 X 15 feet) in the corner where the terminal building takes a jog to the right, had grapes growing.
Domestic airport security seemed to be less rigorous than US standards as we boarded our flight from Bordeaux to Paris. Arriving in Paris, however, we went through a more detailed security procedure, including being asked a series of questions at the boarding gate by security personnel. At neither airport, however, did anyone have to remove their shoes.
We had about 45 minutes to kill in the Air France lounge and had a celebrity sighting. Well, maybe not a celebrity, but Kato Kaelin certainly stood out with the even more un-natural coloring of his hair. Remember him from the OJ Simpson case? At least we did. And at least he was not on our flight.
A smooth flight home and we were re-united with our kids by 6PM on Saturday.
All in all, it was a great trip. We spent time with people we love, doing interesting things, seeing beautiful places, and eating wonderful food. Exactly what a vacation should be. Okay, so I would have preferred some spa time in there at some point . . .
Thanks for reading.
We started out with local market day in Riberac, the nearest town of substance (about 10 kms away) to where Peter and Helen live. Local market have been held for centuries, with each town having its own day. Vendors did not have permanent storefronts, and instead they would move from town to town. It is the mountain coming to Mohammed. Riberac is not a town of note historically, but rather a commercial center for the area and market day serves as a social event as much as a shopping opportunity. The town square is closed to traffic and vendors selling everything from fruit & vegetables, to meat, fish, & game, to baked goods, and all of the local specialties (walnuts, honey, foie gras). The emphasis here is on fresh. There are also vendors selling household items, and some entertainment provided by a trio of clowning men who made their way through the area. It was great fun and although it harkens back to an older time before the advent of supermarkets, we were constantly brought back to the present by the fact that the French air force has a fighter jet training base nearby and very loud F-16s were performing exercises above us.
From there it was on to Les Eyzies, a small town that serves as a tourist base for the pre-historic attractions in that area of the Dordogne. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant called La Metarie, again taking a menu of local specialties including garlic soup, pate Perigourd, and confit de canard.
With our full stomachs, we went to the first of the two main pre-historic cave sites in the area, Grotte de Font-de-Gaume. Discovered in 1901, Font-de-Gaume is a cave about 250 yards up the side of a hill that contains some of the most amazing polychrome paintings and engravings. What makes them amazing is first that they are about 14,000 years old. The other amazing thing is that the paintings are all of animals and utilize modern techniques for representing the subjects in three dimensions. For instance, a very detailed picture of a horse, utilizes the natural curve of the cave wall, to represent how the hind quarters and rump rise from the back. It is hard to describe, but was probably one of the most exciting parts of our trip. The 45-minute tour is limited to 12 people at a time and must be reserved way in advance (hats off to Betsy who took care of this). The group size limits and other great care is taken to ensure that the caves are not damaged by the introduction of humans trekking through constantly.
The artists of these works did not live in the cave. Firstly, it would have been too dark and somber, and historians believe that it was treated as more of a sanctuary or holy site. It is believed that the artists worked in the caves by oil lamp, and this is supported by formations that served as natural chimneys for the smoke of these lamps. The tour was in French, but our guide spoke quite clearly and I was able to understand about 90% of what she was saying.
During the hour we had between our reservations at the two sites, Betsy made a quick visit to the Pre-Historic Museum (subject matter is very old - the museum is pretty new and very modern) in Les Eyzies. It was a glorious day and I preferred to wander through town in the sunshine.
Nearby is Grotte des Combarelles, another cave site but in this one, the figures are etched into the stone, rather than painted. There are pictures of horses, bison, wooly mammoths, and rhinoceroses among others. There is also an occasional humanoid figure. The guide for this site spoke much faster and with a bit of a lisp. I only caught about 70% of what he said.
What is very interesting and still perplexing to historians is that in each of these two caves, there are occasionally found (both painted and etched) a triangular pyramid-like geometric shape. It is the only geometric shape found in the area, though other geometric shapes have been found in other areas of Europe. It is speculated that these might have been symbols of particular tribes of people, but it begs the question why all of the figures are drawn in free-form and no other geometric shapes depicted.
I think UFOs landed nearby.
Since we had a bit of time, we chose to take back roads all the way to Peter and Helen's, and it was beautiful. We passed mainly through farm country on roads with very few other cars.
Returning to Chez Berczeller, Peter urged us to soak our weary bodies in their outdoor hot tub. The air temperature was hovering in the upper 40s and low 50s and I had never used a hot tub in such brisk weather. We tried it anyway and boy, was it a treat! No pun intended as Peter is an MD, but it was just what the doctor ordered. I stayed in longer than Betsy and when I got out, I had thought that I would be freezing, but Peter assured me that my body would still be warm for a while. He was correct, and I stood in a cool breeze surveying the valley from the stone patio and listening only to the sounds of birds chirping. It was one of those moments when you realize that life is good.
Another great dinner prepared by Helen was preceded by a single malt scotch tasting. Okay, so it was only Peter and I drinking it, but the whiskey, the food, the wine, and the company were a wonderful and warm way to wrap up our trip to France. We slept well that night.
Rising before the sun on Saturday morning, we made our way to the airport in Bordeaux in the rain. I have mentioned the rain before, but what is truly amazing is that I can now state categorically that it rained only 6 times during our trip, but never on us. Three times were while we were driving and three times during the night. We had amazing luck.
Even the trip to the airport was pleasant. First of all, filling up the gas tank before returning the car, I calculated that even at $5.50/gallon for diesel, our big - by French standards - car got about 50 miles to the gallon (combination of diesel engine and manual transmission). Our other observation was that it seemed like any available space in and around Bordeaux, had grapes growing on it. At the airport, a small patch of land (maybe 15 X 15 feet) in the corner where the terminal building takes a jog to the right, had grapes growing.
Domestic airport security seemed to be less rigorous than US standards as we boarded our flight from Bordeaux to Paris. Arriving in Paris, however, we went through a more detailed security procedure, including being asked a series of questions at the boarding gate by security personnel. At neither airport, however, did anyone have to remove their shoes.
We had about 45 minutes to kill in the Air France lounge and had a celebrity sighting. Well, maybe not a celebrity, but Kato Kaelin certainly stood out with the even more un-natural coloring of his hair. Remember him from the OJ Simpson case? At least we did. And at least he was not on our flight.
A smooth flight home and we were re-united with our kids by 6PM on Saturday.
All in all, it was a great trip. We spent time with people we love, doing interesting things, seeing beautiful places, and eating wonderful food. Exactly what a vacation should be. Okay, so I would have preferred some spa time in there at some point . . .
Thanks for reading.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Greetings From France - Part 6
I have to stop talking about what wonderful luck with the weather we have been having, because it is at the expense of the French. They have been having a drought and there are parts of the country under severe water restrictions.
That being said, it was another great day! It did rain a bit on our way home, but we were on the Autoroute (French equivalent of an interstate) with no traffic. It also rained just before we went to bed, but this morning (Friday) it is clear and sunny.
We started out by driving to Sarlat in the heart of the Dordogne. Sarlat is one of the biggest towns in the area, having grown up around the original medieval city. We ventured into the old part of town and it reminded me a bit of Tuscan villages. Stores everywhere hawk foie gras and duck confit as this is the section of France from where it all comes. We had a lunch of local specialties in an outdoor restaurant. These included a garlic soup, an escargot cassoulet, pate, magre de canard, local sheep's milk cheese, and walnut cake (this is also the region that produces most of France's walnuts).
Then, we were off to Domme, a city built on a high hill overlooking the Dordogne River. A 13th century village, its sole purpose today is for tourism and it is understandable why. A beautiful drive up the hill takes you to one of the gates of the walled city. Once inside, the quaint village and shops surround a park set on the edge of the cliff with gorgeous views in three directions.
Next stop was Chateau Castlenaud, a castle not far from Domme. Originally built in the 1200's, the castle has been added to through the 1600's. We were able to go through most of it and I think that it was probably the first time I have ever been in a castle. I was more interested in the history and architecture, but there are a lot of exhibits having to do with weaponry and what was worn during battle (think armour and chain-mail). Again, glorious views of the Dordogne valley were provided. My main observation was that the people of the time had to have been shorter and with smaller feet as traipsing up and down the circular stairs within the castle's towers was an exercise in foot placement and could have been claustrophobia-inducing for some.
Leaving the castle, I had my first (and so far only) negative experience with driving stick. I stalled out on a hill (facing up) - a classic test for those learning to drive a manual transmission car. It was an anxiety-producing event as there were blind curves both in front and behind and my frantic efforts to get us out of there kept causing me to accidentally try and get the car started in third instead of first. After about 5 minutes which seemed like an hour, we were again on our way, but not without my sweating bullets.
On to another chateau at Beynac-et Cazenac. I decided to sit this one out and catch up on my reading - especially since I was a bit tired after doing battle with that hill. Betsy went in and was not very impressed so we were on our way agin shortly.
Our last stop of the day was in the town of La Roque-Gageac. It is not really a town, per se, because the 449 inhabitants live in homes built into the side of a cliff along the Dordogne River. It is quite an amazing sight, especially given that the origins of the town can be traced back to the 700's AD. You are free to climb up the paths that lead to the charming little homes, and take in the beautiful view.
I never thought that I would encounter rush-hour traffic in the French countryside, but that is exactly what happened. We had to drive back through Sarlat which, as I have mentioned, is one of the bigger cities in the area. We must have sat in stop and go traffic (made all the more fun with a manual transmission . . .) for over 15 minutes.
We made it home a few minutes late for another wonderful meal with Peter and Helen - confit de canard, along with an Austrian wine from the village in which Peter's dad grew up and more local cheeses. A good night sleep was then had by all.
I don't know if I will have a chance to post again before returning home. Today we are off to a local market and then to some pre-historic caves. We leave very early tomorrow morning to make our flight from Bordeaux to Paris, connecting back to NYC. Will blog once more about trip in the next few days. Thanks for reading!
That being said, it was another great day! It did rain a bit on our way home, but we were on the Autoroute (French equivalent of an interstate) with no traffic. It also rained just before we went to bed, but this morning (Friday) it is clear and sunny.
We started out by driving to Sarlat in the heart of the Dordogne. Sarlat is one of the biggest towns in the area, having grown up around the original medieval city. We ventured into the old part of town and it reminded me a bit of Tuscan villages. Stores everywhere hawk foie gras and duck confit as this is the section of France from where it all comes. We had a lunch of local specialties in an outdoor restaurant. These included a garlic soup, an escargot cassoulet, pate, magre de canard, local sheep's milk cheese, and walnut cake (this is also the region that produces most of France's walnuts).
Then, we were off to Domme, a city built on a high hill overlooking the Dordogne River. A 13th century village, its sole purpose today is for tourism and it is understandable why. A beautiful drive up the hill takes you to one of the gates of the walled city. Once inside, the quaint village and shops surround a park set on the edge of the cliff with gorgeous views in three directions.
Next stop was Chateau Castlenaud, a castle not far from Domme. Originally built in the 1200's, the castle has been added to through the 1600's. We were able to go through most of it and I think that it was probably the first time I have ever been in a castle. I was more interested in the history and architecture, but there are a lot of exhibits having to do with weaponry and what was worn during battle (think armour and chain-mail). Again, glorious views of the Dordogne valley were provided. My main observation was that the people of the time had to have been shorter and with smaller feet as traipsing up and down the circular stairs within the castle's towers was an exercise in foot placement and could have been claustrophobia-inducing for some.
Leaving the castle, I had my first (and so far only) negative experience with driving stick. I stalled out on a hill (facing up) - a classic test for those learning to drive a manual transmission car. It was an anxiety-producing event as there were blind curves both in front and behind and my frantic efforts to get us out of there kept causing me to accidentally try and get the car started in third instead of first. After about 5 minutes which seemed like an hour, we were again on our way, but not without my sweating bullets.
On to another chateau at Beynac-et Cazenac. I decided to sit this one out and catch up on my reading - especially since I was a bit tired after doing battle with that hill. Betsy went in and was not very impressed so we were on our way agin shortly.
Our last stop of the day was in the town of La Roque-Gageac. It is not really a town, per se, because the 449 inhabitants live in homes built into the side of a cliff along the Dordogne River. It is quite an amazing sight, especially given that the origins of the town can be traced back to the 700's AD. You are free to climb up the paths that lead to the charming little homes, and take in the beautiful view.
I never thought that I would encounter rush-hour traffic in the French countryside, but that is exactly what happened. We had to drive back through Sarlat which, as I have mentioned, is one of the bigger cities in the area. We must have sat in stop and go traffic (made all the more fun with a manual transmission . . .) for over 15 minutes.
We made it home a few minutes late for another wonderful meal with Peter and Helen - confit de canard, along with an Austrian wine from the village in which Peter's dad grew up and more local cheeses. A good night sleep was then had by all.
I don't know if I will have a chance to post again before returning home. Today we are off to a local market and then to some pre-historic caves. We leave very early tomorrow morning to make our flight from Bordeaux to Paris, connecting back to NYC. Will blog once more about trip in the next few days. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Greetings From France - Part 5
Today was a transition day.
We packed up our things and left the Marriott bound for the train station in Montparnasse. Again, our luck with weather continued and we also had good traffic kharma. The president of Portugal had been in town, tieing up traffic whenever his motorcade went somewhere. We passed the George V where he was staying just prior to his gridlock-producing departure and we arrived at le gare in only a few minutes.
The train ride itself was beautiful, watching the scenery change from urban to suburban, and finally to glorious fields of green. A quick 2 and one half hours later and we were in Angouleme from where we were picking up our rental car.
Many businesses in France are closed from 12PM to 2PM for lunch - similar to the Italian siesta period. This includes the Hertz office in Angouleme. Knowing this ahead of time and not wanting to wait an hour for our car (we arrived shortly after 1PM), Peter Berczeller had called the local Hertz office a couple of weeks ago and told them that we were on a tight schedule and had to get to Riberac for a wedding. Voila, the papers were waiting for us at the hotel next door.
I don't remember whether we had reserved a compact or intermediate size car, but my elite status at Hertz gained us an upgrade to a Citroen Picasso. The Picasso is a five-seater with a large hatchback trunk and is not much smaller than our Toyota Matrix at home. We fit ourselves and all of our bags in quite easily. After about 10 minutes trying to figure out some basic necessities like how to turn on the lights and wipers, and figuring out what the warning light on the dashboard meant (Parking Brake Is On!), we took off. Bear in mind that I have not driven stick in about 20 years and we only had a couple of stall outs. By the end of the day I was much more comfortable.
Heading south, we first visited the 16th century town of Brantome. Normally crowded with tourists, we managed to hit the area during off-season and enjoyed this sleepy little town on the Drone river. It was also a challenge for my new driving skills - trying to combine getting used to stick shift with understanding French road signs, and navigating streets in towns like Brantome meant only for a horse and carriage at most. We survived.
While I could only take in the scenery when we were on a straightaway, what I did see was absolutely gorgeous. When you view the masterpieces produced by the Impressionists, this is the area that is the subject of their paintings. Even the light and the way it plays over the landscape is magnificent and reminds me of the quality of the light in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Betsy had accurately predicted that I would love it and I can understand why people eschew Paris for a trip to the French countryside only.
The next stop was Chateau de Puyguilhem. By the time we had reached there, I was tired from the stress of my new driving responsibilities and the tour was in French only, so Betsy went and I was quite content to spend a bit of time on a beautiful spring afternoon reading my book.
After the tour, we made our way towards Riberac and the home of Peter and Helen Berczeller. Located in the rolling hills outside of Riberac, their home - originally built in 1630 - has a Tuscan feel in terms of the archictecture. It is a large and beautiful home that looks like a lived-in museum. Filled with objets d'art and the things that one collects over the course of a lifetime, it is at the same time a warm and hospitable oasis. The kitchen, where we had a wonderful dinner, is my favorite room as it combines modern conveniences with a large table and fireplace that just feels like home. Betsy and I are staying in "le pigeonnier" (thanks to Sabine for the spelling correction!), a separate building in which the owners of such homes in the 16th century kept their pigeons. The larger the "pigeonnier", the more wealthy a man was presumed to be. Peter and Helen, our most excellent hosts, have turned it into a guest cottage.
There is no bathroom in the small building where we are staying and so we must walk a few feet outside into the main house to use the facilities. I had to do so in the middle of the night, but had to just stop, look, and listen when I made it into the cool night air. The sky was clear with an abundance of stars, but the most amazing thing was the silence. It was absolute. As much as I appreciated and was in awe of it, the city boy in me eventually came out and it actually made me feel slightly uncomfortable. In New York, even at 4AM with no traffic at all, there is still a palpable hum and I guess that is what I am accustomed to. I returned to bed thinking, "It's quiet. Too quiet."
More later.
We packed up our things and left the Marriott bound for the train station in Montparnasse. Again, our luck with weather continued and we also had good traffic kharma. The president of Portugal had been in town, tieing up traffic whenever his motorcade went somewhere. We passed the George V where he was staying just prior to his gridlock-producing departure and we arrived at le gare in only a few minutes.
The train ride itself was beautiful, watching the scenery change from urban to suburban, and finally to glorious fields of green. A quick 2 and one half hours later and we were in Angouleme from where we were picking up our rental car.
Many businesses in France are closed from 12PM to 2PM for lunch - similar to the Italian siesta period. This includes the Hertz office in Angouleme. Knowing this ahead of time and not wanting to wait an hour for our car (we arrived shortly after 1PM), Peter Berczeller had called the local Hertz office a couple of weeks ago and told them that we were on a tight schedule and had to get to Riberac for a wedding. Voila, the papers were waiting for us at the hotel next door.
I don't remember whether we had reserved a compact or intermediate size car, but my elite status at Hertz gained us an upgrade to a Citroen Picasso. The Picasso is a five-seater with a large hatchback trunk and is not much smaller than our Toyota Matrix at home. We fit ourselves and all of our bags in quite easily. After about 10 minutes trying to figure out some basic necessities like how to turn on the lights and wipers, and figuring out what the warning light on the dashboard meant (Parking Brake Is On!), we took off. Bear in mind that I have not driven stick in about 20 years and we only had a couple of stall outs. By the end of the day I was much more comfortable.
Heading south, we first visited the 16th century town of Brantome. Normally crowded with tourists, we managed to hit the area during off-season and enjoyed this sleepy little town on the Drone river. It was also a challenge for my new driving skills - trying to combine getting used to stick shift with understanding French road signs, and navigating streets in towns like Brantome meant only for a horse and carriage at most. We survived.
While I could only take in the scenery when we were on a straightaway, what I did see was absolutely gorgeous. When you view the masterpieces produced by the Impressionists, this is the area that is the subject of their paintings. Even the light and the way it plays over the landscape is magnificent and reminds me of the quality of the light in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Betsy had accurately predicted that I would love it and I can understand why people eschew Paris for a trip to the French countryside only.
The next stop was Chateau de Puyguilhem. By the time we had reached there, I was tired from the stress of my new driving responsibilities and the tour was in French only, so Betsy went and I was quite content to spend a bit of time on a beautiful spring afternoon reading my book.
After the tour, we made our way towards Riberac and the home of Peter and Helen Berczeller. Located in the rolling hills outside of Riberac, their home - originally built in 1630 - has a Tuscan feel in terms of the archictecture. It is a large and beautiful home that looks like a lived-in museum. Filled with objets d'art and the things that one collects over the course of a lifetime, it is at the same time a warm and hospitable oasis. The kitchen, where we had a wonderful dinner, is my favorite room as it combines modern conveniences with a large table and fireplace that just feels like home. Betsy and I are staying in "le pigeonnier" (thanks to Sabine for the spelling correction!), a separate building in which the owners of such homes in the 16th century kept their pigeons. The larger the "pigeonnier", the more wealthy a man was presumed to be. Peter and Helen, our most excellent hosts, have turned it into a guest cottage.
There is no bathroom in the small building where we are staying and so we must walk a few feet outside into the main house to use the facilities. I had to do so in the middle of the night, but had to just stop, look, and listen when I made it into the cool night air. The sky was clear with an abundance of stars, but the most amazing thing was the silence. It was absolute. As much as I appreciated and was in awe of it, the city boy in me eventually came out and it actually made me feel slightly uncomfortable. In New York, even at 4AM with no traffic at all, there is still a palpable hum and I guess that is what I am accustomed to. I returned to bed thinking, "It's quiet. Too quiet."
More later.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Greetings From France - Part 4
Another spectacular day in Paris. Sixty-two degrees and sunny. Supposedly, the rain comes tomorrow, just as we are leaving for the Dordogne.
This was the first day that Betsy and I have had to ourselves. Not that we didn't immensely enjoy the company of our family and friends, but it was nice to spend some time together alone.
Started out with a walk to Le Madeleine, stopping along the way at some of Betsy's favorite food haunts including Fauchon, Hadrien and Maison de la Truffe. We then wandered over to a children's wear store near L'Opera that Betsy had been tipped off to. I have mixed feelings about this stop on our itinerary as we are now carrying two very heavy bags of children's clothes on to the Dordogne and then back to New York. Granted, they were a great value and my kids will be incredibly well dressed, but c'mon!
Speaking about our kids, we are somewhat disappointed that they don't seem to be missing us. We take it as a sign that we have raised them to be emotionally strong individuals and have provided excellent care for them in our absence. Either that, or we're lousy parents. It would be nice, however, to have at least one tear shed . . .
After buying out the clothing shop we continued East to the Bourse area and found a local fresh market. We wandered some more and ended up at a simple little bar for a simple little lunch which was all our simple souls desired. Nothing fancy, just good food and good wine (yes, we have quickly become quite accustomed to having wine with every meal lunch and dinner).
For the afternoon, we each had our own agendas. Betsy wanted to find some seeds for vegetables and flowers she can't find in the US and I wanted to sit for an hour or two with a cup of coffee and a book, and watch the world go by. The problem was that I volunteered to drag the bags of kid's clothes (remember those?) back to the hotel first. It wasn't the long walk laden with packages that was causing me concern, but rather that I wanted to find a cafe afterwards that was far from the maddening crowds of the Champs Elysees and devoid of tourists. As it happened, I did not have to go too far and found a nice little cafe in a residential area on Avenue Marceau. There were no tourists and no one speaking English. Even the waiter continued to speak to me in French after I butchered my conversation with him. I spent a lovely hour there.
Later, more walking around and shopping in the area with Betsy before meeting up with Sabine for dinner way out East not too far from the Bastille. It was a bistro that had been mentioned in the April issue of Gourmet magazine and lived up to its description as having "inexpensive but fabulous food".
It is now Tuesday night (actually, very very early Wednesday morning) and our visit to Paris draws to a close. Tomorrow, we take the TGV to Angouleme, pick-up a rental car, and drive to our friends' house in Riberac in the Dordogne section of France. It has been a long time since I drove a car with manual transmission, so as long as I don't burn out the clutch my next report will be from there.
Au revoir.
This was the first day that Betsy and I have had to ourselves. Not that we didn't immensely enjoy the company of our family and friends, but it was nice to spend some time together alone.
Started out with a walk to Le Madeleine, stopping along the way at some of Betsy's favorite food haunts including Fauchon, Hadrien and Maison de la Truffe. We then wandered over to a children's wear store near L'Opera that Betsy had been tipped off to. I have mixed feelings about this stop on our itinerary as we are now carrying two very heavy bags of children's clothes on to the Dordogne and then back to New York. Granted, they were a great value and my kids will be incredibly well dressed, but c'mon!
Speaking about our kids, we are somewhat disappointed that they don't seem to be missing us. We take it as a sign that we have raised them to be emotionally strong individuals and have provided excellent care for them in our absence. Either that, or we're lousy parents. It would be nice, however, to have at least one tear shed . . .
After buying out the clothing shop we continued East to the Bourse area and found a local fresh market. We wandered some more and ended up at a simple little bar for a simple little lunch which was all our simple souls desired. Nothing fancy, just good food and good wine (yes, we have quickly become quite accustomed to having wine with every meal lunch and dinner).
For the afternoon, we each had our own agendas. Betsy wanted to find some seeds for vegetables and flowers she can't find in the US and I wanted to sit for an hour or two with a cup of coffee and a book, and watch the world go by. The problem was that I volunteered to drag the bags of kid's clothes (remember those?) back to the hotel first. It wasn't the long walk laden with packages that was causing me concern, but rather that I wanted to find a cafe afterwards that was far from the maddening crowds of the Champs Elysees and devoid of tourists. As it happened, I did not have to go too far and found a nice little cafe in a residential area on Avenue Marceau. There were no tourists and no one speaking English. Even the waiter continued to speak to me in French after I butchered my conversation with him. I spent a lovely hour there.
Later, more walking around and shopping in the area with Betsy before meeting up with Sabine for dinner way out East not too far from the Bastille. It was a bistro that had been mentioned in the April issue of Gourmet magazine and lived up to its description as having "inexpensive but fabulous food".
It is now Tuesday night (actually, very very early Wednesday morning) and our visit to Paris draws to a close. Tomorrow, we take the TGV to Angouleme, pick-up a rental car, and drive to our friends' house in Riberac in the Dordogne section of France. It has been a long time since I drove a car with manual transmission, so as long as I don't burn out the clutch my next report will be from there.
Au revoir.
Greetings From France - Supplement
There are some odds and ends about our trip that I have neglected to include in my daily journaling and therefore offer them here.
Betsy's Quest for Chocolates
I don't know if this have ever happened to you, but inevitably when we have traveled in the past, there is always an article about our destination in a magazine or newspaper immediately after we return. Since we planned this trip so far in advance, however, we have been able to keep our eyes peeled for articles of interest for this trip. For instance, the NY Times ran a brief blurb in the Sunday travel section a few months ago about the neo-Impressionism exhibit at the Musee D'Orsay.
That being said, Betsy has been scouring not only traditional news sources, but of particular interest to her were articles that appeared in food and travel magazines such as Bon Appetit and Gourmet. Consequently, she came armed not only with names of restaurants, but also very high-end chocolate shops.
We have been on a chocolate hunt and although I have not yet seen the film "Sideways", I suspect that we have had a similar experience but with chocolate instead of wine. We have visited many shops and to be honest, although I have always been satisfied with a Hershey bar, I have a new appreciation for the finer points and subtleties of very fine chocolate. We have spent much time in these shops, discussing with the staff the varieties and flavors. It has often taken us 15 minutes to choose 6 pieces, and another 15 minutes to sample them and discuss them (at roughly a dollar for each very small piece, it's a good thing that we only sampled 6 at a time). I never thought that I could have such discussions over chocolate, but the flavor blends that have been achieved by these master craftsmen is truly amazing.
Things That Have Changed In Paris
It has been 12 years since my first visit to Paris and 9 years since the last time that Betsy and I were here together. We have noticed the following changes:
More Casual
Paris has become more casual . It is still the fashion capital of Europe (and some would argue, the world), but people seem to be dressing more casually. Part of this appears to be the adoption of American styles of dress, including more youthful fashions and the American Business casual uniform of kakhis and an oxford shirt. Not good or bad - just different, but it does make it harder to pick out the American tourists as some of the French now blend in with them.
Less Smoking
It used to be that one would notice a restaurant because it did NOT smell of smoke, and there was nary a "No Smoking" sign to be seen anywhere. Now, the reverse is true. Restaurants have separate smoking and non-smoking sections, and most people are not smoking. It is to the point that one notices when someone is smoking in a restaurant instead of an often pervasive haze. Everywhere else, there are "No Smoking" signs present and fewer people in general smoking.
Quicker Pace
Not that Paris was ever slow, but life seems to be moving faster, mirroring simiar changes in America. This is particularly evident in the number of foods available "A Emporter" ("To Go") and the number of people eating sandwiches as they walk at lunchtime. Even at Fauchon, the bastion of fine food, the wares were originally food that you would take home and cook. They have now converted virtually all of their sales space to prepared foods and meals that you can simply heat up at home or office.
Even Smaller Cars
Cars have always been smaller in Europe, and particularly France, due to the narrow size of the streets. Add to this the exceptionally high cost of gas (about $7/gallon) and the premium for parking, and the need for even smaller cars has gotten greater. When I was here 4 years ago, Renault's "Twingo" was very popular. It is a 4-seater that is roughly the size of a Volkswagon Beetle. Now, the popular small car is the "Smartcar" - a two seater that is shorter than a motorcycle. Imagine the front of a minivan, with the driver and passenger sitting high, but cut off immediately behind the seats and no trunk. For city driving and parking, it is especially convenient. To give you an idea of how prevalent small cars are here, I saw a Mini Cooper and it looked HUGE.
Improved Hygienic Technology
I don't know if it is a sad statement that I have noticed two improvements in the bathrooms of France. First of all, many newer toilets offer two different types of flushes - a low volume flush and a high volume flush. Presumably, this is an effort to conserve water based on what it is one is flushing. The other improvement - one that is near and dear to my heart - is that the technology to produce softer toilet paper has apparently started to catch on in France. It still ain't Charmin, but it isn't sandpaper anymore either.
That's all for now. More braindroppings as they occur.
Betsy's Quest for Chocolates
I don't know if this have ever happened to you, but inevitably when we have traveled in the past, there is always an article about our destination in a magazine or newspaper immediately after we return. Since we planned this trip so far in advance, however, we have been able to keep our eyes peeled for articles of interest for this trip. For instance, the NY Times ran a brief blurb in the Sunday travel section a few months ago about the neo-Impressionism exhibit at the Musee D'Orsay.
That being said, Betsy has been scouring not only traditional news sources, but of particular interest to her were articles that appeared in food and travel magazines such as Bon Appetit and Gourmet. Consequently, she came armed not only with names of restaurants, but also very high-end chocolate shops.
We have been on a chocolate hunt and although I have not yet seen the film "Sideways", I suspect that we have had a similar experience but with chocolate instead of wine. We have visited many shops and to be honest, although I have always been satisfied with a Hershey bar, I have a new appreciation for the finer points and subtleties of very fine chocolate. We have spent much time in these shops, discussing with the staff the varieties and flavors. It has often taken us 15 minutes to choose 6 pieces, and another 15 minutes to sample them and discuss them (at roughly a dollar for each very small piece, it's a good thing that we only sampled 6 at a time). I never thought that I could have such discussions over chocolate, but the flavor blends that have been achieved by these master craftsmen is truly amazing.
Things That Have Changed In Paris
It has been 12 years since my first visit to Paris and 9 years since the last time that Betsy and I were here together. We have noticed the following changes:
More Casual
Paris has become more casual . It is still the fashion capital of Europe (and some would argue, the world), but people seem to be dressing more casually. Part of this appears to be the adoption of American styles of dress, including more youthful fashions and the American Business casual uniform of kakhis and an oxford shirt. Not good or bad - just different, but it does make it harder to pick out the American tourists as some of the French now blend in with them.
Less Smoking
It used to be that one would notice a restaurant because it did NOT smell of smoke, and there was nary a "No Smoking" sign to be seen anywhere. Now, the reverse is true. Restaurants have separate smoking and non-smoking sections, and most people are not smoking. It is to the point that one notices when someone is smoking in a restaurant instead of an often pervasive haze. Everywhere else, there are "No Smoking" signs present and fewer people in general smoking.
Quicker Pace
Not that Paris was ever slow, but life seems to be moving faster, mirroring simiar changes in America. This is particularly evident in the number of foods available "A Emporter" ("To Go") and the number of people eating sandwiches as they walk at lunchtime. Even at Fauchon, the bastion of fine food, the wares were originally food that you would take home and cook. They have now converted virtually all of their sales space to prepared foods and meals that you can simply heat up at home or office.
Even Smaller Cars
Cars have always been smaller in Europe, and particularly France, due to the narrow size of the streets. Add to this the exceptionally high cost of gas (about $7/gallon) and the premium for parking, and the need for even smaller cars has gotten greater. When I was here 4 years ago, Renault's "Twingo" was very popular. It is a 4-seater that is roughly the size of a Volkswagon Beetle. Now, the popular small car is the "Smartcar" - a two seater that is shorter than a motorcycle. Imagine the front of a minivan, with the driver and passenger sitting high, but cut off immediately behind the seats and no trunk. For city driving and parking, it is especially convenient. To give you an idea of how prevalent small cars are here, I saw a Mini Cooper and it looked HUGE.
Improved Hygienic Technology
I don't know if it is a sad statement that I have noticed two improvements in the bathrooms of France. First of all, many newer toilets offer two different types of flushes - a low volume flush and a high volume flush. Presumably, this is an effort to conserve water based on what it is one is flushing. The other improvement - one that is near and dear to my heart - is that the technology to produce softer toilet paper has apparently started to catch on in France. It still ain't Charmin, but it isn't sandpaper anymore either.
That's all for now. More braindroppings as they occur.
Greetings From France - Part 3
Well, our third day in France started out well.
The Marriott continues to amaze me as a bastion of America on the Champs Elysees. I really did not come to France to have USA Today in front of my door in the morning! At least it's the International Edition which means that the weather page covers European and Asian locales instead of US cities. Oh well . . .
We started out another atypically beautiful day by visiting the Picasso Museum in Le Marais with Sabine and Claude. It is a great museum that truly gives one a sense for the scope of his work through the years and in all different mediums. As mentioned previously, there was a special exhibit comparing the work of Francis Bacon with his inspirations in Picasso's work. It was a special treat to visit with Claude who is an artist and art educator. She pointed out things about both content and technique that I might have missed otherwise and was a good companion with which to discuss my observations.
Claude left us there and Sabine, Betsy and I met my cousin Marc for lunch at Le Souffle. Betsy had found a write-up of the restaurant which specializes in - can you guess it - souffles! We had a souffle tasting menu which consisted of an appetizer souffle (we all had morrels), a salad, a main course souffle (I had seafood, Betsy had foie gras), and a dessert souffle (I had mandarine orange, Betsy had apples with Calvados). The meal must have had 73 egg whites per person.
Sabine left us after lunch and we wandered East with Marc with our original intention to get to the flower stalls near Chatelet. We were almost there when we ran into people we know.
Now Paris is not such a huge city, but it isn't small by any means. We were walking near the Seine just East of the Louvre when we literally bumped into Alon and Betsy Kasha. Alon went to college with Betsy's brother Mark and he and his wife Betsy later ended up living on the same floor of the same apartment building as Mark in the mid-90s. They have been friends for a long time and we had forgotten that they recently moved to Paris. They were on their way to pick up their children Sarah (6) and Simon (5) from school, and so we joined them. It was a treat to do something as ordinary as picking up kids from school, and Sarah and Simon are sweet, bright, funny and adorable. They spoke almost no French when they moved here in September and are now as fluent as their classmates. It is always amazing to me how easily kids can learn foreign languages.
We accompanied the Kasha family back to their beautiful apartment on the Left Bank (Interior design is one of Alon's many talents) for a visit and to embarass my brother-in-law Mark. Alon called Mark in his office in NY regarding another matter. Mark told Alon that Betsy and I were visiting Paris and Alon asked why Mark had not had us look them up. Mark responded that "It wasn't necessary" and Alon then placed his sister Betsy on the phone.
'Tis a small world.
Cousin Marc left us to meet his boyfriend Stephane and Betsy and I walked back towards our hotel through the Tuilleries. There was a beautiful late afternoon sun and plenty of people enjoying it as we walked through this gorgeous urban oasis. Before stopping at the hotel, we went to visit Samuel, Sabine's son who works at one of the family's art house movie theaters on the Champs Elysees. We got a tour of the theater including my first ever visit to a projectionist's booth. Now, I was a geek on the AV squad in school, setting up old Bell & Howell 16mm movie projectors in classrooms. This was geek's wet dream and I was like a kid in a candy store. I have a new found respect for those in the business as the process of showing films requires a skill of which I was not aware.
It was then off to meet Marc and Stephane for dinner about as far South in Paris as you can go without crossing the city line. The restaurant, La Regulade, was another treat (Betsy was 2 for 2 yesterday!) - a small but bustling and homey restaurant where you were close enough to other tables to join in their conversation. A good meal was had by all.
The day, unfortunately, ended on a very sad note. While at dinner, I received an e-mail on my Blackberry from my uncle Gary. My aunt Judy had passed away that morning. As noted in previous posts, my aunt had been diagnosed with cancer about 2 and a half months ago with a terminal prognosis. She was moved into hospice care with a prediction that she would live for approximately 3 to 6 months. We all knew from seeing her that it would likely be even less and she proved us right. Consequently, we were emotionally prepared. I had visited with my aunt every week since her diagnosis and saw that she was quietly slipping away. She is now at peace and hopefully keeping my father and her parents company in a better place.
More later . . .
The Marriott continues to amaze me as a bastion of America on the Champs Elysees. I really did not come to France to have USA Today in front of my door in the morning! At least it's the International Edition which means that the weather page covers European and Asian locales instead of US cities. Oh well . . .
We started out another atypically beautiful day by visiting the Picasso Museum in Le Marais with Sabine and Claude. It is a great museum that truly gives one a sense for the scope of his work through the years and in all different mediums. As mentioned previously, there was a special exhibit comparing the work of Francis Bacon with his inspirations in Picasso's work. It was a special treat to visit with Claude who is an artist and art educator. She pointed out things about both content and technique that I might have missed otherwise and was a good companion with which to discuss my observations.
Claude left us there and Sabine, Betsy and I met my cousin Marc for lunch at Le Souffle. Betsy had found a write-up of the restaurant which specializes in - can you guess it - souffles! We had a souffle tasting menu which consisted of an appetizer souffle (we all had morrels), a salad, a main course souffle (I had seafood, Betsy had foie gras), and a dessert souffle (I had mandarine orange, Betsy had apples with Calvados). The meal must have had 73 egg whites per person.
Sabine left us after lunch and we wandered East with Marc with our original intention to get to the flower stalls near Chatelet. We were almost there when we ran into people we know.
Now Paris is not such a huge city, but it isn't small by any means. We were walking near the Seine just East of the Louvre when we literally bumped into Alon and Betsy Kasha. Alon went to college with Betsy's brother Mark and he and his wife Betsy later ended up living on the same floor of the same apartment building as Mark in the mid-90s. They have been friends for a long time and we had forgotten that they recently moved to Paris. They were on their way to pick up their children Sarah (6) and Simon (5) from school, and so we joined them. It was a treat to do something as ordinary as picking up kids from school, and Sarah and Simon are sweet, bright, funny and adorable. They spoke almost no French when they moved here in September and are now as fluent as their classmates. It is always amazing to me how easily kids can learn foreign languages.
We accompanied the Kasha family back to their beautiful apartment on the Left Bank (Interior design is one of Alon's many talents) for a visit and to embarass my brother-in-law Mark. Alon called Mark in his office in NY regarding another matter. Mark told Alon that Betsy and I were visiting Paris and Alon asked why Mark had not had us look them up. Mark responded that "It wasn't necessary" and Alon then placed his sister Betsy on the phone.
'Tis a small world.
Cousin Marc left us to meet his boyfriend Stephane and Betsy and I walked back towards our hotel through the Tuilleries. There was a beautiful late afternoon sun and plenty of people enjoying it as we walked through this gorgeous urban oasis. Before stopping at the hotel, we went to visit Samuel, Sabine's son who works at one of the family's art house movie theaters on the Champs Elysees. We got a tour of the theater including my first ever visit to a projectionist's booth. Now, I was a geek on the AV squad in school, setting up old Bell & Howell 16mm movie projectors in classrooms. This was geek's wet dream and I was like a kid in a candy store. I have a new found respect for those in the business as the process of showing films requires a skill of which I was not aware.
It was then off to meet Marc and Stephane for dinner about as far South in Paris as you can go without crossing the city line. The restaurant, La Regulade, was another treat (Betsy was 2 for 2 yesterday!) - a small but bustling and homey restaurant where you were close enough to other tables to join in their conversation. A good meal was had by all.
The day, unfortunately, ended on a very sad note. While at dinner, I received an e-mail on my Blackberry from my uncle Gary. My aunt Judy had passed away that morning. As noted in previous posts, my aunt had been diagnosed with cancer about 2 and a half months ago with a terminal prognosis. She was moved into hospice care with a prediction that she would live for approximately 3 to 6 months. We all knew from seeing her that it would likely be even less and she proved us right. Consequently, we were emotionally prepared. I had visited with my aunt every week since her diagnosis and saw that she was quietly slipping away. She is now at peace and hopefully keeping my father and her parents company in a better place.
More later . . .
Monday, April 11, 2005
Greetings From France - Part 2
We are very lucky! Thankfully, Sunday morning Sabine turned on the TV and was reminded that the Paris marathon was being run - and on the Champs-Elysees, right in front of our hotel. We knew that here was no way that we would be able to drive into Paris and drop our bags at the hotel, so we drove to the RER station - the commuter rail system - in St. Germain and took a 25 minute ride to L'Etoille - the Arc de Triomphe - which is only a few blocks from our hotel. We are staying at the Marriott Champs Elysees, again for free, using points I have accumulated through all of my business travel. It is a 5 star hotel and the only disappointment is that everyone speaks English (guest and staff).
I have been doing better than I expected with my French. I find that when someone speaks to me in French, I respond in French, and the same with English. Sabine and her sister Claude have been very good about making sure that I practice by sometimes switching to French, and speaking clearly and slowly. I have surprised myself by how much comes back so quickly.
Our room at the hotel is small to average size by US standards, but huge by French standards. It is a fine hotel, but we spent only a few minutes there before heading out to our first stop - the Musee D'Orsay. By the way, I am using a computer at the Marriott now to write this and they are equipped with American-layout keyboards. Yet another reminder that we are in an American hotel, but I can type much faster on it. The only downside is that I don't have French accented characters.
We had tickets for the neo-Impressionism exhibit at the museum and consequently were able to jump a line of about 200 people. The exhibit was wonderful and very well-laid out. The audio guide was available in French only so only Sabine and Betsy took one. My French was good enough to allow me to read the placards in the exhibit so I did not miss much. It was well organized and the largest collection of the style that I have ever seen. Since the movement started in Paris, much of the subject matter was local. We had lunch in a cafe at the top of the museum, overlooking the Seine through the face of a large clock (the museum was once a rail station).
Sabine left us there and Betsy and I took a long walk along the Seine, crossing over at Ile de la Cite to stop in Notre Dame. We have been there before, but no matter how many times one sees it, it is easy to be amazed by the size and grandeur. There were countless candles lit for the pope and there were organ auditions being held while we were there, adding to the majesty.
From there we continued to Ile St. Louis and sampled some Berthillion's ice cream - the best in France and native to Ile St. Louis. We dawdled through the wonderful shops and sidestreets in the area and made our way to Le Marais - the Jewish section of town.
When Betsy lived here many years ago, she dated Sacha Finkelsztajn who now owns one of the most famous patisseries specializing in Yiddish and Jewish products (They are even listed in the Michelin Green Guide as a highlight). We have visited the shop in Le Marais several times on previous visits and were excited to find Sacha's father at the store. He and his wife had adopted Betsy as their own when she and Sacha were dating and he and his wife were so pleased to see her and spend some time chatting with us. We were sent on our way with a very heavy box of sweet treats.
We then went to meet Sabine, J-F, two of her children Sammy and Nicole, her mother Laura and her sister Claude for dinner. We ate at a Morrocan cous-cous restaurant in the 8th and it was truly a treat. As many cuisines as one can sample in NYC, it is still hard to find a good, authentic cous-cous and we enjoyed both the meal and the comapny, sampling some Algerian wine in the process. There is also an uncanny family resemblance between Betsy, Sabine, and Claude. If you saw them individually, you would never guess that they were related, but when they are lined up next to each other, the resemblance is uncanny - especially between Betsy and Claude. Whenever we are together, we take a picture of the three of them to show how it continues through the ages. Molly once looked at one of the earlier pictures, turned to Betsy, and asked if that was her sister.
One of my favorite aspects of Paris is that it is the most walkable city I know. New York is very walkable, but Paris is prettier and more charming. Consequently, we took the Metro only once, and that was because we were running a little late to meet the family for dinner.
After a day in which we walked several miles, we got to bed around midnight and although Betsy is still asleep in the room (it is 8:30AM local time), I seem to have adjusted quite well and quite quickly to the time change. We are also lucky in that the weather forecast when we arrived indicated rain for our entire time in Paris, but we have not seen any yet. Yesterday was somewhat overcast and today is supposed to be sunny and 62 degrees. Ahh, April in Paris!
Today we are off to the Picasso museum for a special exhibit showing how the artist Francis Bacon used many of Picasso's works as inspiration for his own. We are meeting my cousin Marc for lunch at a restaurant called Le Souffle for a 3 course meal, each one consisting of,you guessed it - a souffle! I shudder at what my cholesterol count will be upon our return.
More tomorrow!!
I have been doing better than I expected with my French. I find that when someone speaks to me in French, I respond in French, and the same with English. Sabine and her sister Claude have been very good about making sure that I practice by sometimes switching to French, and speaking clearly and slowly. I have surprised myself by how much comes back so quickly.
Our room at the hotel is small to average size by US standards, but huge by French standards. It is a fine hotel, but we spent only a few minutes there before heading out to our first stop - the Musee D'Orsay. By the way, I am using a computer at the Marriott now to write this and they are equipped with American-layout keyboards. Yet another reminder that we are in an American hotel, but I can type much faster on it. The only downside is that I don't have French accented characters.
We had tickets for the neo-Impressionism exhibit at the museum and consequently were able to jump a line of about 200 people. The exhibit was wonderful and very well-laid out. The audio guide was available in French only so only Sabine and Betsy took one. My French was good enough to allow me to read the placards in the exhibit so I did not miss much. It was well organized and the largest collection of the style that I have ever seen. Since the movement started in Paris, much of the subject matter was local. We had lunch in a cafe at the top of the museum, overlooking the Seine through the face of a large clock (the museum was once a rail station).
Sabine left us there and Betsy and I took a long walk along the Seine, crossing over at Ile de la Cite to stop in Notre Dame. We have been there before, but no matter how many times one sees it, it is easy to be amazed by the size and grandeur. There were countless candles lit for the pope and there were organ auditions being held while we were there, adding to the majesty.
From there we continued to Ile St. Louis and sampled some Berthillion's ice cream - the best in France and native to Ile St. Louis. We dawdled through the wonderful shops and sidestreets in the area and made our way to Le Marais - the Jewish section of town.
When Betsy lived here many years ago, she dated Sacha Finkelsztajn who now owns one of the most famous patisseries specializing in Yiddish and Jewish products (They are even listed in the Michelin Green Guide as a highlight). We have visited the shop in Le Marais several times on previous visits and were excited to find Sacha's father at the store. He and his wife had adopted Betsy as their own when she and Sacha were dating and he and his wife were so pleased to see her and spend some time chatting with us. We were sent on our way with a very heavy box of sweet treats.
We then went to meet Sabine, J-F, two of her children Sammy and Nicole, her mother Laura and her sister Claude for dinner. We ate at a Morrocan cous-cous restaurant in the 8th and it was truly a treat. As many cuisines as one can sample in NYC, it is still hard to find a good, authentic cous-cous and we enjoyed both the meal and the comapny, sampling some Algerian wine in the process. There is also an uncanny family resemblance between Betsy, Sabine, and Claude. If you saw them individually, you would never guess that they were related, but when they are lined up next to each other, the resemblance is uncanny - especially between Betsy and Claude. Whenever we are together, we take a picture of the three of them to show how it continues through the ages. Molly once looked at one of the earlier pictures, turned to Betsy, and asked if that was her sister.
One of my favorite aspects of Paris is that it is the most walkable city I know. New York is very walkable, but Paris is prettier and more charming. Consequently, we took the Metro only once, and that was because we were running a little late to meet the family for dinner.
After a day in which we walked several miles, we got to bed around midnight and although Betsy is still asleep in the room (it is 8:30AM local time), I seem to have adjusted quite well and quite quickly to the time change. We are also lucky in that the weather forecast when we arrived indicated rain for our entire time in Paris, but we have not seen any yet. Yesterday was somewhat overcast and today is supposed to be sunny and 62 degrees. Ahh, April in Paris!
Today we are off to the Picasso museum for a special exhibit showing how the artist Francis Bacon used many of Picasso's works as inspiration for his own. We are meeting my cousin Marc for lunch at a restaurant called Le Souffle for a 3 course meal, each one consisting of,you guessed it - a souffle! I shudder at what my cholesterol count will be upon our return.
More tomorrow!!
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Greetings From France - Part 1
Betsy and I finally left on our very first vacation without the kids on Friday 8 April (notice use of European dating format . . . acclimating already). I'll try to blog at least a couple of times while away. Much will depend on access to a computer, as well as my ability to get used to a French keyboard layout (Typing just this much so far has been quite a challenge!)
We left on Friday evening after securing the kids with my in-laws. They were so excited at the prospect of spending the weekend with their grandparents and the week with their favorite babysitter, Isabel, that our departure was more of an afterthought, and that was just the way we hoped it would be. We, of course, were a little bit more shaky having never left them for so long. Much of that anxiety was washed away when Betsy got to experience Delta's BusinessElite class of service. I travel a lot (which is how we got the miles to fly up front) and have flown in BusinessElite, but Betsy had never had the pleasure. Betsy actually slept for a few hours and I managed to doze for a bit.
Jean-François, the husband of Betsy's cousin Sabine, was kind enough to pick us up at the airport and take us to their house in Marly le Roi in the Paris suburbs. They have a great big light-filled contemporary house in a beautiful suburb that is similar to the NYC suburb of Westchester. We had the opportunity to sit and schmooze with Sabine who is the best possible combination of cultures having grown up on NY's Upper West Side until she was 13 before moving to Paris. She is one of my favorite people in the world and although her daughter Nicole still lives at home, two of her three sons came over for lunch to see us, including Amelie - son Louis' fiancée. Everybody enjoyed the Kraft macaroni and cheese we brought - a perrenial favorite in Sabine's house which is difficult to find here!
Betsy has always been pretty fluent in French. She has been taking a refresher conversation class the past few months, and it shows. Her French is superb and makes my feeble attempts to converse sound like a 2 year-old.
We spent the better part of the day just catching up, but given that it was a glorious - if not chilly - afternoon, Betsy and I took a walk around the neighborhood before joining Sabine for a short drive to the town of Saint Germain en Laye - the hub of the area. We met up with my cousin Marc and his partner Stephane who live in St. Germain and the 5 of us bopped around the lively little town. We sampled some outrageously good macaroons which were even better than Laduré's and then walked the grounds of the castle where King Louis XIV was born. There is a beautiful view overlooking the Seine with Paris in the distance.
For dinner, we headed into Paris with Sabine and J-F to a bistro owned by Alain Ducaisse for a meal of Lyonnaise food. The food was quite nice but the rumour we had heard - that it was quite popular with Americans - was very true. There was more English being spoken there then one would normally have found in a New York restaurant!
Well, Betsy and I actually made it through a pretty full day day without a nap and got a good solid night of sleep. I am hoping that we will adjust fairly easily to the time change. Today we move to our hotel in Paris for 3 nights and have tickets to the neo-Impressionists exhibit at the Musée d'Orsay. Tonight, we meet up with Sabine's mother Laura and sister Claude for some good Morrocan cous-cous.
More later when I can. A bientot!
We left on Friday evening after securing the kids with my in-laws. They were so excited at the prospect of spending the weekend with their grandparents and the week with their favorite babysitter, Isabel, that our departure was more of an afterthought, and that was just the way we hoped it would be. We, of course, were a little bit more shaky having never left them for so long. Much of that anxiety was washed away when Betsy got to experience Delta's BusinessElite class of service. I travel a lot (which is how we got the miles to fly up front) and have flown in BusinessElite, but Betsy had never had the pleasure. Betsy actually slept for a few hours and I managed to doze for a bit.
Jean-François, the husband of Betsy's cousin Sabine, was kind enough to pick us up at the airport and take us to their house in Marly le Roi in the Paris suburbs. They have a great big light-filled contemporary house in a beautiful suburb that is similar to the NYC suburb of Westchester. We had the opportunity to sit and schmooze with Sabine who is the best possible combination of cultures having grown up on NY's Upper West Side until she was 13 before moving to Paris. She is one of my favorite people in the world and although her daughter Nicole still lives at home, two of her three sons came over for lunch to see us, including Amelie - son Louis' fiancée. Everybody enjoyed the Kraft macaroni and cheese we brought - a perrenial favorite in Sabine's house which is difficult to find here!
Betsy has always been pretty fluent in French. She has been taking a refresher conversation class the past few months, and it shows. Her French is superb and makes my feeble attempts to converse sound like a 2 year-old.
We spent the better part of the day just catching up, but given that it was a glorious - if not chilly - afternoon, Betsy and I took a walk around the neighborhood before joining Sabine for a short drive to the town of Saint Germain en Laye - the hub of the area. We met up with my cousin Marc and his partner Stephane who live in St. Germain and the 5 of us bopped around the lively little town. We sampled some outrageously good macaroons which were even better than Laduré's and then walked the grounds of the castle where King Louis XIV was born. There is a beautiful view overlooking the Seine with Paris in the distance.
For dinner, we headed into Paris with Sabine and J-F to a bistro owned by Alain Ducaisse for a meal of Lyonnaise food. The food was quite nice but the rumour we had heard - that it was quite popular with Americans - was very true. There was more English being spoken there then one would normally have found in a New York restaurant!
Well, Betsy and I actually made it through a pretty full day day without a nap and got a good solid night of sleep. I am hoping that we will adjust fairly easily to the time change. Today we move to our hotel in Paris for 3 nights and have tickets to the neo-Impressionists exhibit at the Musée d'Orsay. Tonight, we meet up with Sabine's mother Laura and sister Claude for some good Morrocan cous-cous.
More later when I can. A bientot!
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