Dinner tonight somewhere off Saint Germain, not far from Notre Dame which is where we were when we got hungry. Shared starter: Escargot (snails) in a buttery pesto sauce. A first for Ella. Quite pleasant. On the right side of the plate you can see a clamp-like device that lets you hold the shell while you dig…
Author: Ella
Quest for the dodo
The dodo? At 103, mom decided learning to play the piano would be a nice challenge to add into her life. My brother, Mike, found a guy on Facebook marketplace and took her to look at a small selection of pianos. The next day, said piano was delivered. I dug into my old piano bench…
You asked…AI answered
Why so crowded in off season? Is there even an off season anymore? From Google’s Search Labs | AI Overview. “Major tourist areas are increasingly crowded during the “off-season” due to a combination of factors including the rise of remote work, increased accessibility through low-cost airlines, the impact of social media promoting popular destinations, and…
Local French dining
Tonight we headed for French cuisine right down the street at Le Robinet d’Or Restaurant & Bar Canal Saint Martin. I had roasted Camembert with honey to start and creamy risotto with scallops for my main. Delicious. Grubb had cassoulet of scallops in cream to start and flambéed kidneys with roasted potatoes as his main. Served…
Ella’s best of Versailles
Why is it that seeing things in a swarm of jostling, packed-in crowds is so enervating? Versailles was no less crowded than the Louvre and far different from the last time I visited. As I scanned the crowds, it was clear very few people seemed to be stopping to enjoy the many palatial rooms. As we…
Stravinsky for the win
Jam packed day along with jam packed streets. We began the day at the Musée du Louvre (Grubb will post about that, um, “experience”), twiddled through the Jardin des Tuileries, strolled the Champs-Élysées, eyed the Arc de Triomphe, hopped a metro to the National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture (being a spur of the moment choice,…
Thieb, a Senegalese treat
Yesterday, after our smooth arrival, we walked the streets for a few hours, perusing menus at various cafes until our eyes crossed and vision blurred. When we were at the end of our energy rope, we dottered inside a Senegalese eatery collapsing on a couple of metal folding chairs. Our friendly waiter explained the options. Thieb…
Mom’s birthday
Before I get totally immersed in Paris…a few days before our flight, we celebrated my mother’s 103rd birthday with a few family and friends. More happy birthday wishes mom! She is pretty darned amazing. The birthday gal in white.
Code after code
Post by Ella Smooth flight with a 1/2 empty plane, touch down at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport, 5 minutes in Border Control. It’s all automated: scan your passport, take a photo…does the photo match the passport? Yes? Done. We meet up with Ehtisham from “Welcome Pickups” to get a ride from the airport to our…
Beginning France
Here we are in Paris at the start of another travel adventure. Perhaps not as exotic or mysterious as our Argentina trip a few months ago, but still, it will be fun. Below is our route. Other than Paris, we intend to stay in the southern coastal region as we gradually make our way to…
Exit to the north
Post by Ella Last night (Thursday, May 2) we began the journey home with an 8pm flight out of Buenos Aires. On Wednesday, we did nothing. To be more accurate, I explored, Grubb slept. Grubb was under the weather so he spent the day in a restful pose. I walked around a bunch but since…
Odd facts we forgot to tell you
Who would want to visit…
Post by Ella the Japanese Gardens in Buenos Aires? Beats me, but we did. Underwhelming. We had spent an interesting couple of hours at the Eva Peron museum (Grubb will post on that) and thought walking around some gardens would be a nice change. Shoulda kept on going to the botanical gardens. We did stop…
View from our balcony
Post by Ella Not quite the same as the view from our Palacio Salvo 11th floor apartment in Montevideo.
Argentinian moolah
Post by Ella I did an overlong post on cash in Argentina way back at the beginning of our trip. But perhaps you are curious about what the pesos look like. There are also 100 and 500 peso notes. But we didn’t have any. ARS $1000 is in the ballpark of US $1.00. Carrying around…