Paris Part III

I love Paris.

The Paris I visited last week is so much cleaner than the Paris I visited 20 years ago. Though I was rather disturbed with some of the things that I saw during this visit.

I think there is a conspiracy theory thingee thing going on.

From the pictures that I took, I see a theme emerging. Follow me here:

The Eiffel Tower

The Code of Hammurabi

Some statue attempting to fly. Mercury??

A naked dude statue on a bridge.

Beauty in marble.

Beauty in whatever.

Did you notice that there phallic symbols and actual penis' all over Paris??

No wonder it's called the City of Love.

Paris Part II

After getting off the ICE train we found our way to the METRO and purchased a two day unlimited pass for the METRO underground subway. We made it to our hotel in "No time" and were off for our adventures.

Well "Rent a Kid" wanted to walk. She said, "Taking the METRO, we wouldn't see anything." She was right, but there are only so many steps a day these old bones can manage. I have heel spurs, and ankle that never healed correctly, and shin splints. It's a "BIOTCH" getting old. So I say to her that, "The more you walk me the less we might be able to see. She blew me off. So I follow, limping.

Well, she walked me all the way from the hotel to the Louve. A fair stretch of the legs. The hotel was located very near the Arch of Triumph and the Louve is, well far away from there.

We made it. Welcome to the Louve:


The "new" pyramid entrance. It wasn't there the last time I visited. I still feel it detracts from the outside of the museum, but what do I know. It made entering easy.

The Winged Victory.

Cupid and Psyche.

Venus De Milo.

Artemus.

All in all it was good. We ended up eating lunch in the Cafe of the museum. I introduced "Rent a Kid" to bread with gooey, runny French cheese. She liked it.

Two French ladies wished us Bon Appetite and when they left one lady gave us a coin for an espresso in the cafe.

Paris Part I

When I invited the "Rent a Kid" over for a visit I wasn't sure what would occur. I have known here since she was 4 and had spent a lot of time with her this past Summer, but... Ya don't know a person until ya live with them. Ya know what I mean?

She would be living with me, as my guest. Not me with her as her guest. Actually I was a guest of her Mother and Father, but we shared a bathroom so in a way I was her guest. Right?

Well we have done a lot of stuff in the past several days. I will back track on those days in a bit. I am just so excited about the time spent in Paris, I just want to skip ahead a wee bit.

I decided to take the train to Paris. Not just any train. The ICE train. The ICE mean Intercity Express. Back in the olden days, when we were here before that was a train that didn't stop at all the town between here and there. Now-a-days that means fast. Really fast.


My "Rent a Kid" getting comfy on the train. We're just getting started.




This is "Rent a Kid" when she realizes that we are now going 319 KPH. That translates to 196.5 MPH. Wee, just like a roller coaster, but flat and fast.

We're in the hotel room now and she needs to relax. Actually I need to relax. She walked me for miles. We bought unlimited METRO tickets for the time we were in the city, but she wanted to savor the flavor of Paris. So for the majority of the day we walked.

Right next to her bed is mine. I really want to be in it right now. I am a tired She Who.

More tomorrow.

I Asked Her If It Would Be A Raspberry Beret

So I am packing to go to Paris.

The "Rent a Kid" is so excited she is shaking.

We have our tickets booked and paid for the ICE (a very fast train to get us to Paris in 2 hours versus a 5/6 hour drive.) train and our hotel. The hotel is very near the Eiffel tower. Just off the METRO line. Most places in Paris are just off the METRO line. Gotta love living in a city with a METRO.

Our planned agenda include the Louve, Notre Dame, the Eiffel tower, Monmartra, and the Left Bank.

We will be in the heart of Paris so everything is just in walking distance.

The kid wants to buy a beret. I asked her if it would be a Raspberry beret. She said what?

Not a clue. I guess I am just old. I couldn't even find a Prince Youtube vidio to show it to her.

Trier/Paris

Well we ended up not going to Trier yesterday.

I got up early and started to research Paris and hotels an the ICE train and got lost in the details.

I kept going round and round with the Germany trains website. It wouldn't let me book seats on the train to Paris. Thinking that maybe the seat were all sold out I check other days. Nope. No luck there. So I requested seats a month from now. Same results of not being able to purchase seats.

Feeling really frustrated I called Spousal Unit and got his voice mail. I left a detailed message of all my frustrations and hoped he would get back to me soon.

I looked at the time and realized that going to Trier for the day was outta there. It was 10:30 and "Rent a Kid" was still in bed. I also wanted to get Paris all lined up. Time was running out for securing reservations. Paris is the only thing the Kid wanted to do while here. So I got her up. Told her to get dressed to go to base.

Well in the end we got the ICE train tickets and a hotel reservation and are going to Paris.

More to follow.

She Made Major Eye Contact Yesterday

Email to my "Rent a Kid's" mother. Being a mother she worries. Being a mother that hasn't really done a whole bunch of traveling she really worries. Guess what, I'm her other mother. Like I don't worry too?

Hey Kiddo,

I have your baby. I was a meanie yesterday and kept her up till 7:30 so she could adjust to the time change quickly. We had a nice drive home from the airport and after unloading the car went exploring for a bit. I took her to a couple of stores and showed her a little of the area. She now has a new "crack" ..... German Fanta soda. It is totally different than the American Fanta. Not as sweet.

I got her up at 10:00 this morning and she is good to go.

We went out and about again today. I took her to lunch at a favorite restaurant next town over. She had salad and pizza and enjoyed it. Then we went to Ramstein and the Asian market and took some pictures around the town. Then we hopped back in the van to get some money exchanged and to the commissary for dinner meat and then to the BX. Looking for souvenirs and stuff. She bought a silk kimono robe and bib type thingee. Beautiful pattern and fabric.

Drove home and I put together dinner and we are both cyberspacing right now. She to you and Grandma Martie and friends. Me to you.

We plan on spending the day in Trier tomorrow. Trier is a beautiful medium sized city. Its claim to fame is that it is the oldest Roman city in Germany. The Roman gates are still there and the town square is also gorgeous. Will have a nice lunch and then come home.

We haven't found her an American GI that is cute in a uniform yet. Though she made major eye contact yesterday. Tee Hee.

Love ya and talk to you soon.

She Who

Me Being A Ditzoid Is One Scenario That I Can Live With

Whew. I just got back from the airport.

I got up early this morning to go get my "Rent a Kid" from the airport. She is my Gal Pal Tammy's daughter. You know her father as Mr. Determination from earlier posts. Well anyway, "Rent a Kid" was going through a rough patch and I said, "Come on down." So she did/is. (I borrowed her for a Mother/daughter banquet years ago and she has been my "Rent a Kid" ever since.)

So with much anticipation, I got up and did all that boring morning stuff really early this morning. I am an early riser, but have been slacking recently. Why get up so early when the snuggly bed calls to me?

I anticipated that she would be thirsty so I packed some water, got my GPS system out of the van, and was good to go.

I looked outside and said, "Oh yuck, Its raining. Can't I ever go to the airport when it isn't raining or snowing?" I hopped into Blackie and off I went. Blackie is fun to drive, so I was looking forward to the drive up and back. On the autobahns, Blackie is really, really fun to drive. Little Black Mercedes roadsters are like that.

I made it to the airport in plenty of time. I took the time this morning to check the flight schedule and verified that the plane was landing 1/2 hour early and planned accordingly.

I walked into the Arrival area 5 minutes after the plane landed and knew it would take her about 1/2 hour to collect luggage and go through customs.

So I waited. And waited. And waited. An hour after the plane landed, I still didn't have my "Rent a Kid." I called Spousal Unit. He recommended I give it another 1/2 hour and then page her in the airport. "She probably was having a problem with her luggage." He is a wise man so I did what he suggested.

No "Rent a Kid."

By now, I am in PANIC mode.

I call Spousal Unit again. "Go home and call Tammy and see if she emailed me and I missed it or if she missed a connection." He went home.

I go up to the airlines counter and am told the airline personnel have already gone home. I REALLY lose it.

A few minutes later my pocket starts to vibrate and ring. It is Spousal Unit. He says, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you got to the airport in a timely manner and had a good practice run on going to the airport."

"The bad news is that you get to do it again tomorrow. I checked the itinerary and she leaves today and gets in tomorrow morning."

That is the best news he could have given me at that time. Of all the scenarios running through my head, me being a Ditzoid is one scenario that I can live with.

To My Boys, Kisses, Love, Mom

Happy Mothers Day to all.

May your day be wonderful.

I miss my babies. Not that they are babies anymore.

To Charlie and Alex. I love you and miss you.

Kisses.

Love,

Mom

Man, Was I Miffed

OMG it just took an hour and a half to load 5 pictures. If anyone out there in Cyber land can give me some hints. Please do. I sit here and get old waiting for them to load. And ya all know from my recent posts that I have a really full social calendar. LOL. I wish.

Any way I promised some pictures of the countryside with the rape seed in bloom. I sorta kinda got some, but where I could safely stop for pictures was not really the best vantage point for a photo Op. Here is what I got. Grumbly tummie and all.

This is on the top of the mountain where I live. I am at the soccer field looking across over. Da Toni's restaurant is just to my back. Did I mention Da Toni. Must have a Da Toni salad.


This is also on top of my mountain.

This is one of the safer places to pull over to get out to take pictures. See the rape seed blooms towards the top of the photo?

This is also on the top of my mountain. The rape seed is over on another mountain. Today was really hazy. Sorry.
This is on the street where I live. My house is directly across the street from the house in the middle of the picture. The street bends a little to the right. Da Toni's is directly to my left. Da Toni's salad. Have I ever mentioned how good it is?

Maybe I am fixated on food 'cause the outing today was almost a total bust. We went antiquing and the place was closed. It was too early to go to lunch so I suggested going to a flower place right down the road. Which had a coffee/bakery right next door. So we had coffee, which led to kuchen, which led to no lunch.

Man, was I miffed. I was looking forward to some soup and salad.

So I Know How To Get There Too

Went walking yesterday. OMG halfway into the walk I wanted to die. I don't know what's going on, but the butt, the hips, and upper thighs were really burning. I think we are picking up the pace of the walks and I need to get used to the faster walk. I think.

I also went to one of the play groups yesterday that young moms have to socialize the kids and themselves. I knew all the gals that would be there so felt comfortable going. I really got to meet the munchkins and interact with them. The convo turned to me wanting and needing a baby. NO, NOT NOW. NOT ANYTIME IN THE FUTURE. I really don't want to raise a grand baby at this point in my life. The munchkins are cute and fun, I just don't want any of my own now.

I got home and barely had a chance to boot up the 'puter when I got IMed by a gal pal. She was supposed to be leaving late Summer/early Fall. Because of a glitch the family will be staying another year. Yeah for me, Boo for her. She is so ready to go back to the land of Wal-mart.

I fixed a really tasty dinner last night. Buffalo chicken wings, baked in the oven, spaetzle with cheese, and a huge salad. Major hit with the Spousal Unit. Might need to put the chicken wings on the rotation of dinners. Super easy to fix too.

Today I was super lazy. So lazy that I didn't shower until I got an email that said I was welcome to the Freecycle items I requested. I replied that I could be there as soon as I got cleaned up and fly over the mountain. I showered, dressed, grabbed a bottle of water, programed the GPS and off I went.

Going over the mountain was absolutely breathtaking. The rapeseed is in bloom. Whole fields of brilliant yellow with a backdrop of deep luscious green. It was the first time driving this road so I wasn't comfortable stopping for pictures. Will try to get some tomorrow. Cause......

I was able to "Kill two birds with one stone." Tomorrow I am meeting some ladies I have befriended in Spousal Unit's section and we are going antiquing and then to lunch. Where I went for the Freecycle items today is just past the Antique Store. So I know how to get there too.

It Is A Salvation.

I've been in a different, weird place recently. Spousal Unit has been super busy at work, so I have been left to my own devices. That is sometimes not a good thing for me. My devices can get rather "outer space. "

Luckily, I didn't go too outer space recently. I planted my garden, pulled lots of weeds. Did I mention lots of weeds???? I really want to meet the landscaper that put this place together. He/she sucks and really needs to refund any commission they earned. Can you say killer dandelions half as tall as me where the weed block was all cut up? The place isn't even a year old. ??????

I went out to lunch with a couple of gals I have met on the Internet. The group is growing. We are the "Ancients." Gals with no munchkins during the day. Can you say day trips and coffees and luncheons. That sounds so shallow.

But, for us gals that haven't been able to find gain full employment, it is a salvation.

I Did Mention That It Is My Only Vice?

I missed my nail appointment today. My only vice. Really, my only vice. At least the only vice I admit to. Tee Hee. Really bad form on my part. I needed the nail appointment. Stat.

The gal that does my nails had been visiting in the States for several weeks and I have been nursing them along for too many days.

And I missed it today. It was not my normal time and I didn't write it down and I really screwed up. I finally got her on the phone and I had 20 minutes to get there and it is a 35 minute drive. Even with Autobahn speeds I couldn't have gotten there.

Yuck. I have to rearrange my day tomorrow to get the nails done. I did mention that it is my only vice?

I am so lame.