Guingamp and the Countryside
You know the saying, you can take the boy out of Iowa but you can’t take France out of the boy. Or something like that.
Tag: France
Hell’s Own Fire
Among the most moving sights in France are the ubiquitous monuments to the huge number of dead in various French wars, particularly World War One. Every town and village seems to have its monument, and on most of the monuments in these places, there are listed the names of young men who died, “Morts Pour La France.” These monuments draw me in for some reason, and I’m compelled to read […]
The Last Two Days in Paris, Day One
If only for the sense of completion, voilà the last two days in Paris: On Sunday Suzie had arranged to see her French conversation partner and some of his friends for lunch. As the boys were off on their own, this left me with a free afternoon all to myself. I decided to go to the Louvre again, because I love it and still feel after 4 or 5 visits […]
Omaha Beach is Peaceful and Solemn and Sad
Yesterday we visited several of the sites associated with the American invasion of Normandy in June 1944. We didn’t know what to expect; we supposed that they would be touristy and crowded with Americans. Much to our surprise (and delight), it was nothing like that at all. We began by driving to Omaha Beach, below the small village of St-Laurent-sur-Mer. What we found was a long, curving, peaceful expanse of […]
Our Day at the Tour de France in Paris
It didn’t disappoint, but like all good travel days, this one was improved make more memorable by the several wonderful people we accidentally became acquainted with along the way. I had researched suggestions for the best viewing spot. The Champs Elysees is obvious, since you can see the riders go both ways each circuit, but it is also the most crowded. Several sites suggested the Rue de Rivoli, adjacent to […]
Sore But Happy Feet
What a great, great day in Paris. Following a good night’s sleep, we got up and out by 11 a.m., slowed down by blogging Dad, and took the Metro to the Opera stop. Our mission — our once-every-trip experience with Orange, the French mobile phone company. We had three phones left over from our last trip, and in order to revive them (and thus be able to let the boys […]
My Favorite Museum in Paris
I took the bus today to my favorite museum in Paris, the wonderful and interesting Musee des Arts and Metiers in the Marais. The fact that it’s my favorite museum probably proves that deep down (or maybe not so deep down) I’m a real nerd, as the museum is completely dedicated to the history of science and technology. The museum contains the collection of the Conservatoire National des Arts et […]
Le Laboratoire de Phonétic, Mon Cauchemar
So I returned, after my horrible first experience at the Phonetics Lab, for a second session, because I’d paid for it (mostly) but also because I thought maybe the second time would be more useful and not quite so discouraging. Wrong. If anything, it was even worse. I was greeted this time by a friendly, vivacious, middle-aged woman whom I’ll call “D”, who asked me for the results of my […]
Maybe It’s Time To Go Home
Today had to be the low point of my time in Paris. Where to begin? Well, first of all, I’m getting sick, or am sick, or am fighting off sickness, I’m not quite sure which. I’ve picked up Suzie’s cold, which makes me feel like I’m running at fifty percent. This morning I woke up and my throat felt like sandpaper and I wondered how I could possibly get out […]
A Very Luxembourgeoise Thanksgiving
Last weekend we drove to Luxembourg to visit a friend of Suzie’s from high school. Longtime readers will recall that we made the same trip during our last visit to Paris, and encountered there the horrible Vaches Sauvages de Flaxweiler. This time, the plan was to have (belatedly, on Saturday) a real American-style Thanksgiving, with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, the whole, real deal. The trip had an inauspicious […]