Too Mutch Stuff!

Pictures from Wednesday...

2011-05-26T14:40:00.007-04:00

Hi guys...this is a little quicker, I still don't like Blogger very much...things are a little out of order...but you'll get the gist. And here we go...

This is the Petite Palais.

Joseph at the entrance to the Petite Palais.

Me at the entrance to the Petite Palais.

The Grande Palais.

Me by one of the fountains at the Place de la Concorde.

One of the fountains at the Place de la Concorde.

The Arc de Carousel between the Tuileries and the Louvre.

The courtyard of the Louvre.

The Place de la Concorde (or Place de la Revolution where King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded along with thousands of others.)

Had to show Joseph "Winged Victory"...one of my favs.

Here she is...the Mona Lisa. She's very "tiny probably only 2ft x 3ft.

Another of my favs...Venus de Milo.

Joseph outside the Apple Store inside the Louvre. I didn't take a picture, but we went to Starbucks too!

Napoleon III's dining room. A display of his "apartment".

Louis XIV statue inside the Carnavalet Museum.

Marie Antoinette's fan in the Carnavalet.

Part of the garden in the Carnavalet Museum.

The Hotel de Ville. We went back for a better picture, but for some reason, they were building a giant tennis court.

The outside of the Carnavalet Museum.

Sorry some of these are out of order...not sure why they do that.

Enjoy!!!

Pictures from Tuesday...

2011-05-26T12:43:00.010-04:00

Hello all. Here are the pictures from Tuesday. I re-sized them to get them to upload more quickly. I hope they will be OK.

This first picture is from the top of the Arc de Triomphe looking down the Champs Elysees. You can just barely see the Louvre at the other end.

This is a replica of one of the carvings on the facade of the Arc de Triomphe.

View from the top. You can see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

This is the grave of an unknown soldier underneath the Arc de Triomphe.

A full view of the Arc de Triomphe.

A lion statue at the intersection of where the Catacombs is located.

Joseph at the top of the Arc de Triomphe with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Skulls and bones in the Catacombs.

A marker from the bones that were moved from the cemetery at St. Landry Church on June 18, 1792.

Joseph sitting "among" the bones.

A mandible with teeth still attached.

A water well inside the Catacombs.

Mary Jane, Parker and Tanner at Mary Jane's birthday dinner.

Joseph and Jodie at Mary Jane's birthday dinner.

For some reason the rest of the pictures disappeared, so I'll include them in the next post.

Enjo

y!!!

Pictures from Monday...

2011-05-25T16:31:00.008-04:00

I really dislike how Blogger works uploading pictures!!!! They don't upload in order and they take FOREVER. Anyway...here are some pics. Enjoy.

The Bastille Opera House.

The "July Column" in the Place de la Bastille.

The last remaining stones from the Bastille prison. They moved them to a little park nearby.

Place des Vosges. One of my favorite places. The architecture if so wonderful.

Victor Hugo's house at the Place des Vosges.

Place des Vosges.

Hotel de Ville.

One of the facades of Notre Dame.

Notre Dame.

A jazz group performing on the bridge.

Joseph in The Great Canadian pub on the Seine.

Place St. Michel.

Berthillon Chocolate Noir ice cream...yummy!

Day 6

2011-05-25T16:18:00.003-04:00

Wow...what a long day. We went to the Grand Palais and just viewed the exterior, but we did go into the Petite Palais. Some amazing stuff. We then walked a couple blocks to the Place de la Concorde, previously the Place de la Revolution, where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded. We then walked up through the Tuileries towards the Louvre.

Joseph and I sat for a little while people watching and a little bird fell out of one of the trees. It appears that he broke his wing, so Joseph picked him up out of the dirt and placed him in the shade on the grass. Poor little thing.

We then toured the Louvre...so much to see...you wouldn't be able to see it all if you were there from opening until close for weeks!!! We then went to Starbucks and the Apple store at the Louvre. From there we walked to the Palais Royal and then on to catch the metro to take us back to the Carnavalet. What a nice "little" museum. They had a lot of memorabilia on the Revolution and also some remaining items from Marie Antoinette which I really enjoyed.

Then it was back to the Hotel de Ville...but instead of them having all the tents and things removed, they were building what looked to be a large tennis court. Not sure what that was about, but now I won't be able to get a good picture of it. Oh well.

We then caught the metro and headed back to my brother's place and arrived home a little after 6 PM. We are both pooped! We aren't sure where we are going tomorrow. If my brother can work things out we may be going to Normandy on Sunday...so we'll see.

Signing out for now!

Day 5

2011-05-25T02:46:00.002-04:00

I'm a little behind on pictures, but it takes forever on blogger to upload. I'll try and get some pics uploaded today.

Yesterday we went to the Arc de Triomphe and saw the beautiful panoramic views of the city. Following that we went to the Catacombs, but ate lunch first at the Indiana Cafe. I had a club sandwich which was fantastic. They used thinly sliced chicken, not chicken lunch meat. Joseph had chicken nuggets...still loves them. He said that they were really good and not like the ones you get at McDonalds.

After lunch we went to the catacombs and stood in line for an hour. It was around 3:30 when we finally got in and they close the line at 4 PM. The Catacombs was very interesting. It was amazing how many bones were piled up beneath the city! We got some pretty good shots even though we couldn't use flash...well I used flash at first of the stones...but when we got to the bones the attendant said we couldn't use flash.

Last night we went out to dinner for Mary Jane's birthday. I had lasagna and it was in a princess sauce that was wonderful. Joseph had pasta with a cheese sauce and he was in heaven.

Day 4

2011-05-23T15:31:00.004-04:00

Had a great day. We went to the Bastille area and saw the July Column then went down Avenue Henry IV to see some of the remaining stones from one of the towers which they moved. We then walked to the Place de Vosges. What beautiful architecture! We then walked to the Carnavalet Museum...but it was closed. From there we walked to Notre Dame and then went to the Isle St. Louis to see the St. Pierre Church and get a really small scoop of Berthillon Chocolate noir ice cream, which was to die for. So rich and tasty!

From there we went to a cute pub called "The Great Canadian" and split a small pizza and some wine and beer. We then traveled "home" and arrived by 6 PM. We had a wonderful dinner of barbecued chicken on the grill made by my brother and Mary made a mache salad and small little white potatoes baked with butter and honey. They were very tasty and I typically don't eat white potatoes.

I think tonight is going to be an early night. I'm really pooped. Joseph is taking a nap then going to get up at 2 AM to watch the Lightning game.

Pictures from Sunday...

2011-05-22T15:29:00.010-04:00

Sacre Coeur...

La Maison Rose in Montmartre...

Jazz group in Montmartre...

Oscar Wilde's grave...

Chopin's grave...

Jim Morrison's grave...

the courtyard at Jeff's to the right...

the courtyard to the left...

Joseph walking home with baguettes.

Day 3

2011-05-22T15:16:00.002-04:00

What a great day! Joseph and I went to the Sacre Coeur then walked around the Montmartre area, then got on the metro and went to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery...way across town. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We then came home and stopped off at the bakery and bought some baguettes and had a wonderful dinner. Jeff cooked burgers and these delicious sausages and we had salad which had mache lettuce. This is absolutely the best lettuce ever!!! I haven't seen it in the states, but I have seen the seeds for sale, so maybe I'll have to grow it! Sitting having some wine, and then took a break to read to Parker, my youngest nephew a bedtime story.

I'll try to upload some pics from today a little later tonight.

Day 2

2011-05-21T16:48:00.003-04:00

I slept in until around 9:30, then got up and had breakfast...these pastries and carbs are going to do me in!!! I checked emails and Facebook, then watched Parker while Mary Jane took Carson for tennis lessons. I got myself presentable, then Mary Jane and her friend Lisa and I went antique shopping in the Bastille area.

They had lots of great stuff...but everything was way above my budget. If I found something, I could have had Jeff's movers pack it with their stuff...but as I said, everything was WAY over my budget.

Had French bread, sundried tomatoes, and the marinated olives and spreads that we bought at the marche...yum!...and lots of French wine. Joseph and I will be going sight seeing tomorrow.

I'm having problems posting pics...so I'll try tomorrow.

Here are some pictures from our first day...

2011-05-21T06:54:00.016-04:00

The Hotel de Ville in the city of Neuilly-sur-Seine...

Joseph at the cheese stand...

the fruit stand...

the meat stand...

Mary Jane and Joseph getting marinated olives and tasty spreads...

the fish stand...

a side street in Neuilly-sur-Seine...

a view of the Eiffel tower at night with the twinkling lights.

Day 1 - Evening

2011-05-21T05:23:00.004-04:00

Jeff, Mary Jane, Joseph and I had "snacks" of bread, cheese, and meats along with some wine and beer in the courtyard then went to dinner at this quaint little bar called Bugsy's. After dinner we went on a driving tour around town a little and stopped at the Palais de Challiot to watch the Eiffel tower sparkle at 10:00 p.m. There is something magical about seeing the Eiffel tower lit with glittering lights. Simply beautiful! Then we stopped at a little restaurant and had some "refreshments". It was a nice relaxing evening.

Day 1

2011-05-20T10:18:00.002-04:00

Hello all. Joseph and I arrived in Paris today around 6:30 AM Paris time...12:30 in the morning EST. We got our bags and trucked it to another terminal to meet my brother who was arriving back from Orlando. We then spent at least 1-1/2 hours getting back to their place. There was an accident and it had everything backed up. People drive like maniacs!

Joseph and I went with my sister-in-law to an outdoor market...the marche. It was fun to see the fish, fruit, meat and specialty item vendors set up in the square of their town. They set everything up and tear it down three days a week.

We then came back and Joseph and I feel asleep on the couch. They are doing some major construction on the house next door...jack hammering a cement sun room...and we slept through it. In fact Joseph is still sleeping.

We will be going out to dinner tonight and enjoying some wine in the Paris atmosphere.

Until next time...

Only three more days...

2011-05-16T10:40:00.001-04:00

until Joseph and I leave for Paris. I can't wait to show him all the sights!

63 days and counting...

2011-03-17T09:33:00.004-04:00

until Joseph and I travel to Paris!!! I am also trying to stay on my "eating plan" and have started exercising again. Which is a step in the right direction. My exercise ball has been staring me in the face for months asking me why I've abandoned it...but this week I made it happy and put it to use again. It is amazing how sore you can get from doing 50 ab crunches.

Maybe tonight I'll take the dog for a walk, if I can find the leash! LOL.

I think I'll go to Home Depot at lunch time today and purchase an air compressor. I have a brad nailer that I bought from church member's yard sale...but I don't have a compressor...yet. I've been meaning to get one, so with needing to put the crown molding up...now is the time to do it!

66 days and counting...

2011-03-14T10:06:00.001-04:00

Only 66 more days till Joseph and I leave for Paris!

73 Days and counting...

2011-03-07T10:56:00.002-05:00

Only 73 more days until my son Joseph and I head off to Paris to stay with my brother and his family.

25 Years

2010-05-25T13:40:00.001-04:00

Today is my husband's and my anniversary. We've been married for 25 years. It's hard to believe the time has flown by so quickly. I hope we have at least another 25 years together!!!

Last Day in Paris...

2010-05-14T15:38:00.002-04:00

Mother and I went to the Rodin Museum and then went to Les Invalides. They both were absolutely wonderful! The Rodin Museum is in the middle of the city...and the gardens were wonderful. I really wish that the weather was better to see the splendor of the gardens...the buds are just about to burst forth.

Tomorrow we leave to come back to the states. I hate to come back to the states....

Versailles

2010-05-13T14:13:00.002-04:00

Today, my brother, his wife and three kids were supposed to go to Versailles with mother and I, but it was so chilly and Parker wasn't feeling well. So...it was just mother, Tanner, Carson and I. We didn't get there until mid-day, so we hit the palace first. I had seen it before, but it is still so beautiful. Mother loved it. We then went to get something for lunch. We were going to go to Marie Antoinette's Domaine, but we would have had to go through the gardens and they were charging since they had the fountain shows today. The only problem was that we missed the first show and Jeff was going to pick us up before the second show...so I didn't want to spend the money to get in the gardens if we weren't going to see the show.

All in all, it was a great day. The boys were really good and I enjoyed spending the time with them.

Tomorrow, I think I'm going to the Rodin Museum. Mother said that she's museumed out!

Update

2010-05-12T16:58:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, Mother and I went to the Musee D'Orsay. It was raining and we ended up having to buy our Museum passes prior to getting in. We had to stand in line to purchase them, then we had to stand in the "shorter" museum pass line to get in. It was still quite a long line. I guess it was because of the weather everyone wanted to do something inside. By the time we got into the museum it was lunch time, so we ate at the restaurant in the museum. Mother and I had the lunch special which was baked salmon with a vegetable ragu...which was absolutely wonderful! We even got desert which was a meringue with a caramel sauce...yummy!

We spent the rest of the day going through the museum and still not seeing it all!

Today Mother and I went to the Louvre...saw the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory and the Venus de Milo along with seeing the Italian artist wing and the Egyptian displays...3 floors!!!!...and then we had a so-so lunch at a cafeteria in the Louvre. Not a good as the Orsay...and just as much money.

We stopped at the shoppes and I got a mug at Starbucks for Dennis...shhhh...don't tell him. Mother and I both got a change purse made in Paris and a Paris Christmas ball made in France then we headed out to the Tuileries garden and then went to the L'Orangerie museum...the Place de la Concorde and then headed back home to my brother's place in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

We are headed off to Versailles tomorrow.

Sorry no pictures. I should have brought my own computer...but it was so nice not to have to lug it here. If I come back, I'll be sure to bring my own!

Checking in...

2010-05-10T12:00:00.002-04:00

Well our flight was an hour late leaving Tampa. We had plenty of layover time, so we weren't concerned about missing our flight...but there were at least 50 people that had to get re-routed.

We got into Atlanta without any problems, but we found out that our flight into Paris was going to be leaving an hour late. I thought that they'd make it up in the air, but we were at least an hour late landing in Paris on Friday morning, and it took us almost an hour to get through customs, get our luggage and meet my brother at the pick up area.

Once we got to Jeff's house we got settled, then Mother and I went to the Eiffel Tower. When we got home, we decided to take a little nap and try to catch up on the jet lag. We had a typical French dinner of cheese, tomatoes, and bread with olive oil and basil...and of course wine. Yummy.

Saturday, Carson had his first communion ceremony and the came back, had lunch and started getting ready for Carson's birthday party...blowing up balloons, etc. My brother Jeff and his wife Mary Jane, my mother and I went to Montmartre and had dinner in this quaint little cafe, then went to the Au Lapin Agile for a French musical show. It was a little different. We had to sit on small wooden stools and after an hour and a half, we were ready to go. We walked up the the hill to the square and had a glass of wine, then took a cab back home.

Sunday we got up and blew up more balloons and decorated the courtyard for Carson's 8th birthday. They had 15 little boys at this party, so mother and I went back to Montmartre and toured the Sacre Coeur...back home, had a little champagne and then went out to dinner at Cafe La Jatte for mother's day. It was a wonderful evening.

Today, mother and I went to the Notre Dame and the Pantheon. They were simply breath taking. So much history. I had already been to Notre Dame, but not the Pantheon. The architecture is so amazing! On the way back to the metro, we stopped by a little cafe for a quick piece of pizza. We came back around 4:30 and decided to just relax for a while.

I'll try to upload pictures later if I can figure out how to do it from Mary Jane's computer!

The day is finally here...

2010-05-06T06:54:00.004-04:00

Mother and I leave today for Paris!!! My aunt and uncle will be picking me up at 9:30am and then on to pick mother up. I was able to get my boarding pass all the way through to Paris, but I couldn't get mother's because they changed planes on the leg to Paris and the seat that was confirmed doesn't exist. Arghh. I wish I would have known that before yesterday. There was nothing to do about it since it was within 24 hours of the flight. Oh well. The lady from AirFrance said that the flight wasn't sold out...so hopefully she can get an aisle seat.

Our flight to Atlanta leaves from Tampa at 12:20pm...then the flight to Paris doesn't leave until around 6:50pm. We'll have a little bit of a layover, but that's better than a short turnaround time...especially in the Atlanta airport!

Talk to you peeps later!

1 More Day!!!!

2010-05-04T21:14:00.002-04:00

Oh my...I'm so excited...and totally stressed out! Mother and I only have one more day until we leave for Paris!!! I decided to take the day off from work tomorrow so that I can get everything packed, get my nails done and have a pedicure and hopefully relax for a little while.

28 Days and counting...

2010-04-08T06:08:00.002-04:00

We are down to 28 days to go. April is going to be a very busy month for me, there are so many activities going on in our Beta Sigma Phi council...Advisory Board meeting, Legacy Tea, City-wide Rituals, Founder's Day. The month with fly by before we know it!

Heading back to Paris!!!!

2010-03-31T13:35:00.003-04:00

My mother and I will be leaving for Paris in 37 days. We'll be staying with my younger brother and his wife and three boys (under the age of 10) in Neuilly-sur-Seine which is west of Paris. I'm really looking forward to seeing them again...and spring time in Paris!!!!

Hopefully I will be able to see some of the things that I didn't see the last time I was there back in the fall.

I'm a little worried about the flight and all the circulating "sick" air. Coming back from Rome last year I caught a terrible URI and the virus attacked the nerves in my left ear, so now I have permanent severe neuro-sensorial hearing loss. It is very difficult only hearing out of one ear...you can't tell where a sound is coming from and it's hard to hear in a group when everyone is talking at the same time. I sure hope nothing happens to my "good" ear.

Such a long time...

2009-12-23T18:55:00.002-05:00

I still haven't posted pictures of Rome, but I've been under the weather since I got home from Europe the end of September. I ended up with a bad URI and then at the tail end of it, I lost the hearing in my left ear and ended up with Labyrinthitis. I was so dizzy I couldn't get out of bed for two days without well...for not a better sounding term..."tossing my cookies" and then had to wean myself from bed for the next week. Holding onto walls as I went...looking at a computer monitor was terrible. My eyes kept wanting to go in circles. Not a nice feeling. By the following Monday I felt good enough to sit behind a computer, so I decided to go back to work, but only with my husband driving me to and from work and that lasted for 4 weeks!

I'm finally driving again, but I still can't hear out of my ear and I am a little "bobble headed" at times. The doctor had me on several high dose rounds of steroids and antibiotics, but nothing has seemed to work, except I that I've gained 25 pounds!!!! I feel like a huge blimp! On top of everything else, now I'm depressed!

I've had an MRI and a CT scan and they both came back normal...which is good...but is very perplexing as they still don't know what it going on. The doctor said I may never get my hearing back now which is a huge let down. This whole ordeal has been going on for almost 3 months now and I'm getting really tired of it...but I will persevere, there's not much I can do.

I read on the internet today about Eustachian Tube Disorder and a lot of the symptoms sound like what I have (except for the severe neurosensural hearing loss) so I'm going to print it off and take it to my ENT for my next appointment.

I can't believe Christmas is less than 2 days away! Yikes!!! I'm still wrapping a few presents which is very unlike me. I usually have everything done by no later than mid-month. Oh well. I'm sure everything will get done somehow.

Merry Christmas everyone and I hope that the New Year will be filled with good health and happiness!

No pictures...yet

2009-10-12T13:46:00.002-04:00

So sorry, but I guess sitting in the Fiumicino airport in Rome for 7 hours with the cold airconditioning pouring on me...or maybe it was the trip in the airplane coming back with the recirculing germs!!!! Any way...I got a terrible cold, then I ended up giving it to my husband! I'm finally feeling better, but it's still hanging on in my chest. It's hard to believe that we are back almost two weeks now! Time sure flies by.

Hopefully I will find some time tonight to upload some pictures. I'm going to put a PowerPoint presentation together...but I'm looking for some website that hosts a "slide presentation" of pictures.

Anyone out there know of one?

Pictures

2009-09-28T13:25:00.001-04:00

I will post some pictures once I get home...

And finally today...

2009-09-28T13:17:00.003-04:00

That brings us up to today. It was a FULL day of walking. We went to Santa Maria Maggiore church to see where the keep some manger fragments and where Bernini is entombed…then to San Giovanni in Laterano where they keep pieces of St. Peter and St. Paul’s…heads (of all things) that are enshrined in statues. Then it was off to St. Peter in Chains church where we got to see the chains that St. Peter was bound with in prison and the statue of Moses by Michelangelo.
Tomorrow, I’d like to go to the Pantheon…but I’m not sure what we’ll end up doing. We will need to take the last train of the evening out of Rome (around 11 PM) to the airport and then sit until 6 AM. We were planning on taking a bus to the airport around 3:30 AM, but the lady at the tourist information booth talked us out of it.
I probably won’t have time to go the internet café and blog…so we’ll say ciao for now and we’ll see you sometime when we get home.

Sunday's recap...

2009-09-28T13:17:00.001-04:00

On Sunday we got up really early to go to the Vatican Museum. When we got there the line was nearly 2 blocks long…at least! Someone came along trying to get people to join an English tour for 25 euros…since the museum was free since it was the last Sunday of the month, we decided to go for it. We were able to buck the line and get in within 5 minutes of the museum opening. We had a “cute” little old Italian guy for our guide. He was a little hard to understand, but it was well worth the money. Following the Vatican, we went to the Sistine Chapel…Phyllis and I jumped in with a tour group which allowed us to go through a back door and go straight into St. Peters. What an awe inspiring experience.

Following St. Peters we went to Castel Sant’Angelo which was originally Hadrian’s tomb and then later a castle and prison. We walked to and spent a little time at the Borghese gardens/park. Unfortunately when we called for reservations in advance they didn’t have any openings for a tour of the museum until October 2!!!...needless to say, we wouldn’t be here then. Then on to the Spanish Steps, window shopping at Guci, Prada…and other places that I can’t afford! We ended the night at the Hard Rock Café for dinner and to get a pin for my hubby’s…and Phyllis’ ex-hubby’s collection.

Saturday's recap...

2009-09-28T13:16:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we ended up walking past a mansion that was holding an open exhibit of their library with books back well in the 1400’s along with a Bernini sculpture that they had “decorated” with a water, fire, and air theme. It was pretty cool. They had faux books hanging from the ceiling with a crystal pendant hanging from them and they were interactive…so they flapped in the air.
Following this we went to the Victor Emmanuel Monument and walked up a bunch of steps…and then went through their museums. What a view at the top. We got to the see Trajan’s monument, the Roman market place and some of the Roman Forum. After that we walked to the Capitoline Museum and ended the day walking to the Trevi Fountain…which is an absolutely wonderful fountain, tucked in a little section of nowhere!

Friday's recap....

2009-09-28T13:16:00.001-04:00

On Friday, we went to the Coliseum. Phyllis didn’t want to go in, so I went in by myself. It was wonderful! I could just imagine the gladiators fighting. I then went to the Roman Forum…again Phyllis didn’t want to go, she just sat in a shady area outside the Coliseum and rested. I walked all over the Forum…over the bumpy cobblestones…only just barely falling on my face a few times! I just loved it. In my mind I could envision Caesar in his toga and the Vestal Virgins keeping the flame alit! It is amazing how they could build such huge structures in a day when there weren’t any cranes and OSHA! I just started up to the Palatine Hill when it was getting towards dusk, so I went back to meet up with Phyllis. I probably won’t get back to Palatine Hill…but what a great day!

We are having internet connection problems...

2009-09-28T12:50:00.005-04:00

What a busy couple of days. Phyllis and I arrived safely in Rome on Thursday afternoon, but unfortunately our internet in the hotel has not been working. The first day, they said it would be fixed the following day…then the following day it was working sporadically…then not. So we found a little internet café near the hotel. Not the nicest place…but at least we can have access to the “outside world”! So much for our plans of keeping everyone up to date as to what is happening!

Our room is tiny, but clean. I still can’t get over how many people in Rome smoke. The little old Italian guy that runs the front desk in the evening smokes like a chimney and it comes right up the stairs and I can smell it in our room. Yuck.

Anyway on our first day here, we just got settled into our room and walked around the neighborhood to get a feel of the area. Our hotel is located very near the Termini train station and within walking distance of many of the area attractions. We saw the Santa Maria delgi Angeli Bascilica and the Baths of Diocletian.

Our last day in Paris...

2009-09-23T17:46:00.007-04:00

Phyllis and I split up today. I wanted to go to the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery and the Sacre Coeur / Montmartre and she wanted to go to the L'Orangerie and the Luxombourg Museum to see the special Tiffany collection on loan.

At the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery I saw the graves of Maria Callas, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Edith Piaf, Moliere, Jim Morrison (pictured), Frederic Chopin (pictured), Heloise and Abelard (oldest residents of Pere-Lachaise), Collette, Gioacchino Rossini, and Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann (who redesigned the layout of Paris). It was amazing to see all the old statues and some small...but some huge grave sites.

It was then off to Sacre Coeur...yes, I climbed the steps to the level with some fountains and ate my sandwich there, then walked the rest of the way up the stairs. Although the church isn't very old...finished in 1919...it sits on the highest point in Paris, and what a view.

After the Sacre Coeur I walked through Montmartre. I saw one of Paris' oldest churches, built in 1147 founded by King Louis VI and his wife Adelaide. Then wandered through the town, checking out where some famous painters such as Picasso, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh used to live when they were getting started. I ended up at the Moulin Rouge.

Then I went back to our room to wait for Phyllis, but she hadn't come back yet, so it was back out to see the Eiffel Tower lit up and sparkling...what a sight...and then catch bus#69 for a "tour" to see some of the sites and monuments lit up at night.

Day 5

2009-09-22T18:20:00.015-04:00

It was another beautiful day in Paris. The temperature was a little chilly this morning as we left to head out to Notre Dame...but once we got to walking around it was quite comfortable. We toured the Notre Dame and then checked the line to go up into the tower, but it was way too long so we decided to move on. We then stopped at the Deportation Memorial.

After that we did a walking tour of the left bank including a monument to St. Michel, followed by the Palace of Justice, St. Chapelle with beautiful stained glass windows and the Conciergerie where Marie-Antoinette spent her last days prior to being beheaded.

After that we walked up to see the Henry IV monument then walked back to the Notre Dame to go up the tower, but unfortunately we just missed the cut off. We then went through the Notre Dame Crypt.

Check out the art deco metro station signage...

Another full day of walking...

Day 4

2009-09-21T17:57:00.011-04:00

Only 2 more days left to spend in Paris. What a busy day today. We went to the Eiffel Tower this morning and we ended up climbing up over 700 steps. At least we got to take the elevator down.

After that we walked to the Trocadero to get some full-height pictures of the Tower.

Then walked to the Arc de Triomphe and walked up 284 stairs and then down them!

Next we headed to the Louvre and saw a bunch of great art…especially some of my favortites…the Winged Victory, Mona Lisa, The Virgin of the Rocks, and Venus de Milo.

Then it was off to see the Place Vendome and the Opera House. Finally it was the Hard Rock Café. Yes, we ate at the Hard Rock Café.

What a day!

Day 3

2009-09-20T17:11:00.002-04:00

We got up this morning and the weather was really overcast, so we decided not to go to the Eiffel Tower. Instead we went to the Museum d'Orsay and then walked over to the Tuileries and the Place de la Concorde. We caught the metro to my brothers' place in Neuilley-sur Seine...and when we got off the metro...we went up the wrong exit...we were to look for a fountain in the square and unbeknownst to us there was also a fountain at the other end. Needless to say we probably had to walk a mile out of our way until we got back to where we should have been! In any case we got to Jeff's place and had some wine and wonderful bread, cheeses and spicy sausages...then went out to dinner. It was really great to see my brother and his family again. I haven't seen them since Christmas time last year.

Well...no pictures tonight. I'm exhausted...but I'll try to catch up tomorrow night!

Day 2

2009-09-19T16:13:00.016-04:00

It got a little chilly last night with the windows open, but it felt wonderful! I got up at 7:30 and started getting ready. Phyllis woke up when I got my shower. Thanks goodness I brought a dual voltage hair dryer. The one they have in the room would have taken me at least an hour to dry my hair! With both Phyllis and I having to dig through our suitcases and trying to find everything we needed, it took us 2 hours to get down to breakfast.

We ended up making a sandwich to take along for lunch and then headed out for the Gare de l'Est to get our Museum Pass and a carnet of metro tickets. Then we were off to buy our train tickets to Versailles. We got on the RER Line C train...but as we discovered, we got on the wrong one. We ended up getting off the train...getting on another one to go back to one of the stops and then had to walk about a mile to Versailles. We did get to see the quaint little town of Versailles though.

Both Phyllis and I were at the Chateau before...but seeing it again, it was still outrageously opulent!!! Here's Phyllis at the main gate and a picture in the main courtyard. Louis the XIV's bedroom is on the second floor where the three arched windows are located.

The history and architecture is fabulous...with gold leaf everywhere. Typically the gardens are free, but today since they also had the fountains on...they charged an additional 8 euros. Oh well...it was something that I never saw before, so I guess it was worth it.

We also walked to the Grand Trianon, the Petite Trianon and Marie Antoinette's Domaine. Louis and Marie Antoinette used to go to to get away from the limelight of the Chateau. The Grand Trianon was a wee-bit smaller, but still opulent. Marie Antoinette's Domaine was very quaint and country cottage-like. They obviously aren't keeping up with the maintenance on those structures...and you couldn't actually go into her domaine structures.

We left around 7:30 p.m. and got back to the Gare de l'Est around 8:30 p.m. without any incidents. We stopped at a local restaurant and had a bite to eat. Tomorrow we are going to do a little sightseeing in the morning and early afternoon and are going to my see my brother around 5 PM. Well better get some shut-eye so we can get moving early!

Signing off for now...

Our first day is almost over...

2009-09-18T15:57:00.007-04:00

Here are two pictures taken from our hotel. One is the view of the closest intersection a half a block away and the other is an apartment complex across the street with a cute little courtyard.

We had a little excitement today. Apparently they had a Palestine demonstration right down the street. Not sure what that was about. By the time Phyllis and I got down there, it had dispersed, but here are two pictures.

We ended up going to Garde d'Est, the train and metro station and looking around to get a lay of the neighborhood where we are staying. I was able to find a cable for 5 euros...which wasn't too bad. The first one was 29 euros...there was no way I was paying that. A euro is about $1.50 right now. Thus we have pictures!!!!

I bought a bottle of French wine and then we ended up getting salads and fresh baked bread (aka...large pizza dough bread sticks) at a little pizzeria a couple of blocks away. The wine is the cheapest thing here! LOL. Everything is so expensive due to the poor value of the dollar.

We are planning on going to Versailles tomorrow to see the Chateau, the gardens and Marie Antoinette's Cottage/estate.

Stay tuned for pictures!

Bonne nuit.

We are here...

2009-09-18T09:51:00.002-04:00

We left Atlanta last night around 11:00 pm and arrived safely in Paris at 1:30 pm. My brother Jeffrey picked Phyllis and I up at the airport and delivered us to the hotel. The room is nice and cozy with three sets of French door windows overlooking the street. The weather is absolutely beautiful here...right now it is 73 degrees with off and on sun.

We are getting unpacked, freshened up...and then are going to go check out the area.

Unfortunately I don't know if I'm going to be able to upload pictures as I didn't bring the cord. I thought the computer had a slot for the picture card...but it doesn't. I'll have to see if I can locate one somewhere. :(

The Start of our Grand Adventure

2009-09-17T06:47:00.002-04:00

The day is finally here! We will be leaving Tampa around 4 PM...and then head for the Atlanta airport. Our flight there doesn't leave until almost 11 PM, so we'll have a long layover. It will give us some time to eat dinner, relax and compare notes of what sites we want to go to.

My brother Jeff will be picking us up at the airport...which will be a big plus as it will give us a little time to figure out metro and train schedules!

I am so excited...Au revoir mes petit amis!

Only one more day...

2009-09-16T05:38:00.002-04:00

until our grand adventure! Stay tuned for daily updates as Phyllis and I experience Paris and Rome.

4 Days and Counting...

2009-09-13T15:46:00.000-04:00

until Phyllis and I leave for Paris!!!

16 Days and Counting

2009-09-01T06:48:00.001-04:00

Only 16 more days until Phyllis and I leave for Paris!!! There's so much to do...and unfortunately I will have to spend the weekend before in Omaha on business.

this is a test

2009-08-31T10:03:00.003-04:00

Checking to make sure that I can upload pictures to the site...in preparation of my trip to Europe.

Check out this great kit...

2009-07-01T05:55:00.007-04:00

There's a great kit at Sunshine Studio Scraps. It is called Catch the Rainbow by JACQUEscrapper. Check out all the wonderful colors.

Go CATCH it here!!!

http://www.sunshinestudioscraps.com/...6&cat=0&page=1

In honor of Memorial Day

2009-05-24T13:58:00.001-04:00

Email Obfuscator

2009-04-24T09:13:00.004-04:00

I wanted to try this out...it deters spider programs from grabbing an email address that is listed on your web posting and collecting your email address for spammers. It fools these programs, since the email address is written in code, yet it will appear as an email address, but it does allow persons to actually see the email address in the post. The link this website is: http://alicorna.com/obfuscator.html. You enter the email address and it will "obsfucate" it and then you copy and paste the code into your website.

jmutch@tampabay.rr.com

As you can see...it works!

Almost two days down...

2009-04-21T17:24:00.006-04:00

And I'm going pretty good. I decided to cut out my glass or two of white wine in the evenings...after a tough day of work, its nice...but I think it was hindering my progress. When I'm "feeling mellow" I tend to eat things before thinking about it. I've walked the dog the past two mornings. I have to get up at 5 AM when I do, but I do feel better after I'm done. It's just darn hard to get up that early!!! Good thing I have my trusty iPod. I love that thing...and can't "live" without it. I'm addicted. I borrow books on CD from the library...so it's free entertainment. Sometimes I have to wait quite a while for something to come in, but it sure beats paying $25 bucks or more on a new set.

I've got a City Council meeting for my sorority (Beta Sigma Phi) tonight. I'm running for corresponding secretary...I should say, I'm the only one running...I must be crazy. Oh well, the worst part is getting the roster completed by the end of August...then I only have to deal with the blood bank duties each month. This years theme should be a fun one...I can't say what it is yet, because we aren't supposed to know until this coming Saturday...but I do!

I'm participating in a Slow Scrap...hosted by Scrap Orchard and Gotta Pixel. This is the third week's entry. This is only my second digital scrapbook page that I've ever worked on...so I'm pretty proud of it. I used for the most part Amanda Heimann's Lazy Daisy kit. This is my granddaughter Zoey on her first birthday. Isn't she a cutie...she'll be turning 6 already at the end of May. I can hardly believe it!

The colors in this kit are just perfect for her outfit. I love, love, love this kit. I like anything that Amanda makes...I like her "style". We've got one more week to go on the scrap...I'm anxious to see what they tell us to add this week. I'm sure some type of journaling and a title. We'll find out tomorrow, I guess.

Recommitting Myself

2009-04-20T12:35:00.000-04:00

Arghh....I'll be turning the big 5-0 this year and I really wanted to lose some added baggage and get down to my goal weight. I was really doing well until my husband and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas for his Sertoma Regional Conference at the end of February. I ended up gaining 6 pounds while on the cruise and the worst of it I lost my focus and willpower! So I'm drawing a line in the proverbial sand today and am recommitting myself to my goal.

I only have a little over 2 months until my birthday and have 31 pounds to lose to get to my goal. I probably won't be able to attain it...but I'm going to give it my all and if I can lose at least half of those pounds, I will be OK with it...but then will still strive to take it off. I may not make it by my birthday...but I need to do this for my health. I have a family history of high blood pressure and strokes...so it is essential that I do this for ME and my FAMILY.

I wish I could get my husband to understand this as well...and I know it sounds bad...but I guess he just doesn't care. But he is under a lot of pressure right now and with the economy it looks like he'll be out of work in a couple of months (he works for a commercial real estate-type company that deals in low income housing ventures), as it appears that they will eventually have to file for bankruptcy. If he loses his job...I know we'll get through this. It just might take a while. We are pretty well prepared, but it is still scary especially for a 58 year old man.

We followed the Dave Ramsey: Total Money Makeover a couple of years ago when we were $51,000 in debt...NOT including our house. I'm not kidding!!! It was really bad. We were able to buckle down (as Dave says...get gizelle intense) and I am now proud to say that we are totally debt free (not including the house) and we have built up a nice emergency fund just in case. In addition, we have additional funds saved up that we were going to use to do some remodeling of our house...but we are holding off until the economy improves. I encourage anyone who is in debt to read this book. You can do it. It takes a lot of self control and determination...but you can do it! It changed our whole way of thinking.

Anyway...so far today I have been able to control my eatting (of course the day is young!)...but so far so good.

My Son's Birthday is TODAY

2009-03-24T15:04:00.000-04:00

My son turned 21 this morning at 1:09 AM. It's hard to believe that he is that old. I can still remember the day he was born! Wow time sure does fly.

My first blog...

2009-03-22T11:41:00.000-04:00

Well...here I am getting into this digital world.