Post by Ella Our AirBnB in Paris was in the African quarter. The accommodation itself was “lived in” so the host’s belongings did clutter up the space. It was two bedroom, one bathroom with a separate toilet. I’d put it in the category of “ok”. One of the beds was pretty uncomfortable but the other…
Author: Ella
Small but mightily wealthy
Post by Ella The Principality of Monaco. The country is barely a dot on the map, occupying only 2 square kilometers. What country is smaller than Monaco one might ask? Only Vatican City. Previously annexed to the First French Republic in 1793, Monaco successfully gained independence in 1814. Monaco is a constitutional monarchy. Located 17km…
Nice in photos
Post by Ella We have been in Nice since Halloween and have a few more days here. Here are some photos taken around Nice.
Two carousels and a blockhead
Post by Ella Carousel de Nice. The first two level carousel I’ve ever seen. Music by Frank Sinatra. Carousel Garibaldi. A little more traditional with some bizarre accordion music. And then there is blockhead (aka square-face) titled “Thinking inside the box”. This massive thing stands 85 feet high and contains three floors of books, Designed…
The French do love a good carousel
Post by Ella Walking by the 10th or so carousel I’ve seen since coming to France, I wished I’d been taking pictures. Each is unique. The Carousel of Extinct and Endangered Animals that I posted about in Paris was probably the most unusual. Way back in sixth century Byzantium (today’s Istanbul), the concept of the carousel…
Fast track to Picasso
Post by Ella Expedition day. We took the bullet train to Antibes. 13 minutes. We barely sat down on our plush 2nd class upper level seats when it was time to stand up and get off the train. One way fare per person 5€. Practical Note. I’d managed to buy train tickets online the night…
Salade niçoise
Post by Ella I felt obligated to try a Salade niçoise in the place of its origin, Nice. I do love a good salad and the caprese salad I’d had on Halloween night was outstanding. The traditional niçoise salad is composed of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, niçoise olives and anchovies or tuna, and dressed with olive oil….
Pétanque
Post by Ella A few last notes about Paris. On our last day in Paris, after a fun time with Méliès in Bercy and admiring the joyful grave of Simone and Jean-Paul (I need to reread Simone and wouldn’t you know it…I live with someone who owns all her works 🤷🏼♀️), we headed into Luxembourg Gardens…
Ou un sort
Post by Ella Ghosts, goblins, skeletons, and witches…it’s Halloween in Nice! I am ecstatic to be out of Paris. Just walking off our EasyJet flight into the fresh sea air was rejuvenating. We couldn’t figure out how to get a one way tram ticket from the airport into Nice so we hailed an Uber. Checked…
Just go with it
Post by Ella We. ebbed and flowed today. I am a Monet fan so that’s where we started the day. The Monet museum lacked a few of the huge canvases I had remembered from 2018. But still, some inspiring works. The temporary exhibition of trompe l’oeil (“deceives the eye”) was unique. It was crowded but…
Random Oddities
Post by Ella The artist “Invader”, aka Frank Slama, started creating street art back in 1998. Mostly ceramic tile. Little mosaic pieces resembling items from the 1978 video game “Space Invaders”. I hadn’t noticed one until our stroll through Montmartre. And speaking of invaders, fungi are a strange looking species. We happened to walk by a…
Boho chic
Post by Ella Montmartre is known as the artist’s neighborhood and worth a few hours of exploring. The Sacre Couer is located up at the top of a hill and if you brave the 197 steep steps, the reward is a spectacular view. (Spoiler…there is also a funicular if your knees are too rickety). Many…
Larger than Life
Post by Ella Rodin’s realistic and giant depictions of the human body never cease to confound. The sense of tension in nearly every piece rarely fail to evoke emotion. Horror in the case of the Burghers of Calais when you know these six sacrificed themselves to King Edward III for the “greater good”. Passion when gazing…
Discord in the Cemetery
Today, we visited the ever popular cimetière du Père-Lachaise. Grubb was aiming to find the final resting places of several notable historical figures such as Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. The cemetery is huge, divided into…well…divisions. Numbered. One to somewhere in the 90’s. No, it’s not a grid. It’s like a kids drawing…
Unicorns and Sundials
Ahhhhh. That’s a big sigh of relief. No Louvre, no Versaille. We started the day at the Musėe de Cluny, specializing in medieval art. Not big on the “must sees” for most folk. Except Grubb. Plenty of room and quiet to enjoy the art. No one wanted a selfie in front of a carved wooden altar…