DUMB AIRPORTS

So now we are home and I have to admit that there is something of a downside to travel.  When we are having such a good time on our trip etc...one doesn’t let the negatives enter their minds...keeping up the happy times.  But........

One thing, not such a delicate subject, but your morning ablutions become evening ones...or afternoon....or anytime your poor confused system tries.  Soooooo inconvenient!  But the one that is the MOST annoying is the middle of the night one.  What the hell?  It just isn’t right sitting on the loo at three in the morning, bleary eyed, shivering and all confused.  Not right.

Another one is sleep...or the lack thereof.  Or weird sleep.  Nothing like laying in bed all night, and I mean ALL night with your eyes wide open, refusing to shut, and your brain zooming around into corners of your mind that you didn’t even want to know were there.  And then right around six in the morning you fall back asleep, dead, deep, out for the count, asleep.  The kind of sleep that you simply cannot function when roused and told to get dressed and go out into the city and walk for miles.  And then right in the middle of an important, very very expensive function of some sort your eyes roll up into your head, your head snaps forward and you drool, a long, very noticeable stream.  And god forbid you ride a bus.  Boom!  sound asleep!

Another one is hunger.  You get so violently hungry at the most inappropriate times.  Or, rather you can’t possibly eat a bite at the only time you are going to have to actually eat for a long time.  And whoever you are travelling with will be starving at the very moment you couldn’t possible swallow a bite.  So annoying!

When you are travelling in a country with a different language you can expect certain things will happen.  One thing that happened to us on a number of occasions was ordering food.  We were never sure what we were going to end up with, or two times, we ended up with nothing!  Not sure how that one happened.

And the grand daddy of them all, the trip home.  Poor April.  She had to put up with a very very annoyed and cranky mother on her trip home.  By the time we hit the airport I am done.  I just wanna be home and not in some ill thought out badly planned airport.  If I could be God for a day I would come down here and reorganize and replan all the airports in the world.  They ALL suck!

Yesterday, at the Montreal airport for example, we were sitting at gate A5.  Our actual gate had been changed yet again to A6 but there were no empty chairs there.  So we paid extra attention to what the little very Quebec accented attendant was saying over the microphone for gate 6.  But every time he made an announcement, a very loud general Air Canada announcement would blast through the whole airport totally obliterating anything our little guy was saying.  We totally missed the call for our row on the plane...in fact we were pretty much the last person on...and of course then there is no overhead room.  Grrrrrrr.....

By the time we had to walk the millions of miles in that airport, and spend freaking ages and ages in the longest security line you have ever seen (just as bad as the one we stood in, same airport, same security line, back on the mystery tour), my legs, feet, toes and back were on fire.  My backpack must have weighed a hundred pounds and my legs were charlie horsing. I could go on for ages about all the stupid things we ran into but I won’t.  Anyway, by the time we got on that plane I was in an awful stew and poor April was kind of shocked at how cranky I could get.  But, in my defence, I have paid some ugly consequences in the past when you don’t pay attention and things go south real quick.  I would love to just ‘wing it’ and have that oh well, ho hum attitude but past experience has shown me that shit can happen. 

Anyway, we got home safe and sound.  I spent the night on April’s and Myles’s couch and tonight I am going to be at Cookie’s.  The passport office is a no go...I need certain forms and have to mail it all away.  The IRS want the copy by Oct 3 but they will just have to wait.  And I am sure they will...they want my money.

TTYL

WALK WALK WALK...TIL YOU DROP

Well now, its funny how you can forget what you have done four days ago!

I know one day we decided to find four things April wanted to visit.  So we taxied to the first one and walked from there.

The first one was a 200 year old kitchen place.  What an incredible experience that was! The building reminded me of the old Home Hardware building in lower Lonsdale....until it burnt down.  There was pretty much anything and everything you could want for a kitchen.  April bought a small copper (heavy as hell) sugar pot.  I got squeezy bottles and tiny soya sauce dishes and a small spatula knife.  Loved it there.

Then we walked a couple of kilometres to a falafel place, a pretty famous place.  The falafels were amazing!!  So with full rolling stomachs we then set out to find a famous ice cream place she had read about.

There is an island in the middle of the Seine river connected to either side by bridges.  We walked down to the river and onto the island and found ice cream...and not just any ice cream!  Crazy crazy good and a long line up!  I got apricot and passion fruit and she got black currant and caramel.  Yummy!!

We then crossed the next bridge and found a taxi that took us to the Montparnasse Tower...a supertyduper 59 floor building with an observation deck on top.  Pretty impressive!  Then we skedaddled home, and walked to an impressive Italian restaurant nearby that we love.  Great day.

Yesterday we headed up to Sacre Couer (I can’t spell this thing), the most important basilica in Paris.  The shopping in this area is pretty good too...a little different.  So we went up a funicular, visited the church, had coffees and snacks and went shopping and bought tons of stuff.  One part was all artists painting away and selling their awesome artwork, which we did buy.  We then taxied to the Eiffel Tower and had dinner beside the river.  Afterwards (we waited until it was dark) we took an hour long night river cruise down the Seine.  It was truly amazing and magical.  We got home well after midnight and fell asleep pretty fast.

To be awakened this morning at some ungodly hour by the worst sounding crow you ever heard.  It was sitting in the courtyard just outside our open windows and it sounded like a horse throated drunken old man.  Over and over and over it cawed and cawed in that awful horrible voice.  Pretty soon people started to get mad at it and I heard windows slamming shut, stuff being thrown at it, yelling and cursing...but it would not budge!  Stupid old crow!

Now its time to get ready for the day.  Our last day:(  We are heading to the musee d’Orsay today.  We are going to have lunch in their beautiful restaurant and then take in some Monets, Van Goghs, Serrats, Cezannes, etc....TTYL

I was going to add pics but this internet is so freaking bad...thanks Europe  you need to get with the program....there is a possibility this won't even load.

MACARONS AND MORRISON AND MUNCHIES

Ahhhhh...gay Paree.  

I have read many a book over the years that include the quintessential little very French events.  This morning April ducked out before I was awake and came back with baguette (the pointy end kind) and provolone and prosciutto on rye and two cappuccinos.  How French is that?!  Or strolling along the cobbled walkways, ducking under colourful umbrellas.  Or popping into wee cafes for a few minutes to sip a strong milky coffee.  Or eating a flakey crumbly buttery croissant on the fly, from a street boulangerie.  All of it so French!

Yesterday we popped out to Eric Kayser, the most amazing bakery ever.  They sell the flakiest croissants, the crustiest baguettes, the tastiest sandwiches, fresh crisp salads, homemade soups and the most delightful array of colourful yummy desserts.  Its just around the corner and ever so handy!

Yesterday, after a wonderful breakfast/lunch at Eric Kayser, we got a taxi over to the place where we were to learn how to make macarons.

It took place in the chef’s apartment.  It was a simple and beautiful place with a lovely view.  There were four of us, the other two being women from Taiwan.  The chef was funny and very clear in his instructions.  One of the other women was filming the whole thing, complete with Asian dialogue...very annoying.  Later April told me that she was filming it for her blog.  Even more annoying.

But we made a bunch of macarons over the next three hours...such a complicated process requiring all kinds of specialty equipment, I can guarantee we will not be doing this at home anytime soon!!

But, as per usual, we arrived there about an hour early.  And April discovered on google maps before we left the hotel, that the cemetery that holds Jim Morrison’s grave is right behind the chef’s apartment!  So we went in, followed the people that were in there and found his grave.  It was kind of sad I have to admit.  There were a few people sitting there, playing the Doors and holding vigil.  All I could really think about was Wayne’s World and the song People are Strange was running through my head.  The cemetery itself was fascinating!  Very very old mixed with new.  I loved it.

When we left his apartment we had to walk quite a ways before we found a taxi stand.  One does not flag down taxis in this city.  You have to find a grey sign that says TAXI and get one there.  We came back to the hotel then went out to find food.  April went into the little store and bought baguette and butter and I found a little chinese take out place and bought dim sum.   

Now its the next afternoon and April has gone out to walk the city some more.  I am going to wash my hair, post this blog and then tonight we are off to the Moulin Rouge!!!  TTYL

JET LAG AND CROISSANTS

Jet lag is evil.  Its funny how sometimes when I fly over here it isn’t too bad and other times I am so whacked out I hallucinate.

This is one of those times where we both are hallucinating.  So what we have done is stay in bed and sleep as much as possible until close to noon.  The first day we went out, found lunch and came back to the room and lazed around all day.  I found a nearby grocery store and we keep the room stocked with baguette and french butter.  Unfortunately we don’t have coffee in here!

Yesterday we did finally leave and we hiked it down to the Seine.  We walked the Champs Ulysee or however its spelt and took pics.  Its always interesting here...the French are a little crazy and so animated.  The Italians can’t hold a candle to the French! 

Here are some of the things we have observed:  the French smoke.  Smoking indoors in public places has been banned, therefore there are herds and herds of people in every doorway puffing away.  Clearly banning it indoors has not deterred them at all.

They shout.  Their language is quite gutteral and harsh and they always sound like they are yelling at each other.

For every French citizen their are three police.  The president is in town right now so the police presence is insane.  Our hotel is right near where he stays so many streets are completely blocked off and streams of police are everywhere.

The French eat and drink and eat and drink and eat and drink.  What they eat, the quality of their food, the freshness, the cream and butter is extraordinarily high.  And the wine, oh lordy, the wine!!!  And not just wine but all kinds of spirits.  There are more little bars here than there are little children.  You can’t walk more than half a block without passing small bars, sometimes with only two tables and a stand up bar...always busy.  

We think we make and drink good coffee.  Compared to here we do not.  The coffee in this city is incomparable to any we get at home.  And they don’t use take away cups...you just pop into one of those ever so handy bars and order a cappachino or cafe au lait, stand at the bar and sip it down and go on your merry way.

The French do not seem to bother themselves with friendly manners.  The actual individuals you talk directly with are lovely, but the rest of the population that is passing by or busy working either ignore you or give you very disdainful stares.  This is not one of the ‘friendly’ countries, like Morocco or India.

The French ladies dress....so stylish.  Even wearing our best clothes that we so carefully selected and painstakingly don each time before going out, feel dowdy compared to the walking fashion plates here.  And the women are total bone racks.  I haven’t seen a chubby french woman yet.  All those croissants and butter and cheeses...how the hell do they do it?

Anywhooo, its time to don our best dowdy clothes and head out.  The cleaning ladies are bumping into our door wanting in...so we are off to the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero.  There is an aquarium near there too and we plan to stay over there until the Tower is lit up at night.  Its quite a hike so we had best be off.  I am not looking forward to the sore feet and aching hips and back at the end of this day!  TTYL

YOU CAN JUST SEE THE ARC D'TRIUMPH

WALKING THE CITY

HMMMMM.....TOLD HER TO TURN AROUND

EIFFAL TOWER AND THE SEINE

ONE OF THE MANY 'PONTS' IN THE CITY

DAY ONE.....FLIGHT OVER

So, here we go again!!  And I gotta tell you travelling with a young able bodied, clear thinking, speedy person is a much different experience than travelling with Spod was!  Bless his heart.

We decided to take a third suitcase for shoes, first aid kits, sewing kits, ablution kits, hairspray cans, hangers, clothespins, luggage scale, boots, coats, umbrellas and all things necessary, but usually not takeable due to weight restrictions.

From the moment we hit the airport, April has taken charge of that bag.  What a treat!!!

I like to have nothing with me after I drop my bags.  Nothing.  I am forced to take a small back pack with lap top and pills, but thats it.

Well Spod thought differently.  He would pack his polysporin, endless pills, book, sweater (not sweater but extra t shirt) cords and plug ins and an endless supply of lotions and potions.  That would be his drag along carryon suitcase.  Then he would have a backpack full of underwear, spare pants, socks, lap top and a book.  THEN he would have his cpap (gasper we called it) tote type bag.  I would tell him he can’t have three things.  He would puff up his chest, stick out his chin and in an important voice “Its medical equipment.  We are allowed medical equipment.”  

One day he got a hefty envelope from his cpap rep.  Upon opening it a big important imposing heavy duty plastic tag fell out.  Written on it were those magic words “MEDICAL EQUIPMENT”  Well shit, he was totally ecstatic!!  Ever after that he would put it on that cpap bag, rearrange it and rearrange it until it was at its most prominent visableness.  “Just let them try to tell me I can’t take this with me.  MEDICAL EQUIPMENT doesn’t count!!!” 

He also had a cane.  Now I don’t know about you and me, but this slow moving, not overly co ordinated, oblivious to his surroundings older man was not going to be able to swing three bags with only one available arm and hand.  But guess who, with careful planning I might add, had two arms and hands free.  Yeah, that would be me.  So I would end up with a medical equipment bag in one hand,(which he would actually tell me how to carry so the MEDICAL EQUIPMENT was more obvious) a drag along suitcase in the other and herding a distracted slow moving Spod.  Travelling with April is completely and entirely a different experience.

Another thing that happens with April is attracting young gentlemen.  All of a sudden here nice youngish men are all friendly and talky talky with us.  Oh they talked to me lots, but their eyes didn’t really leave April!  We picked up one in Vancouver.  A super nice guy about forty years old.  He was very funny and quite charming and interesting.  A lovely distraction.  But he ended up sitting in the same row of three seats as us!  I groaned in my head...I think April did too.  The guy was a talker....five hours to Toronto?  Egads!!  But as soon as he sat down he put on headphones and watched his ipad all the way.  Whew!! 

April and I pretty much were glued to the window the whole way.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky all the way to Toronto so we really saw Canada!

We switched to Air France in Toronto.  Now, I am totally flumoxed on how this happened, but when I bought the tickets back in May, they were really cheap.  I was amazed at how cheap.  I then went on Seat Guru to pick our seats, and I discovered that front rows (not first class of course) were available.  So we got two seats in row 11.  That turned out to be two rows from the front and something called premium economy.  The seats were huge...so much space that the drop down tables had to be doubled.  There were first class headphones, not those awful earbuds but real over the ear headphones, for each seat.  And beside the extra large screen on the back of the seat in front of us was a special holder holding bottles of water.  We had awesome fluffy blankets and full wonderful pillows.  The flight attendants handed out zippered purse size bags full of socks, eye thingies, chap stick, toothbrush and toothpaste, mouthwash etc...  Like I said, I do not know how that happened.

Before we left I arranged for a driver to meet us.  He didn’t.  After forty five minutes of

READING MAPS

BREAKFAST GARDEN

EATING FRENCH BUTTER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG LONG TIME

waiting and trying to phone we gave up.  We got a taxi and it took a full hour of awful traffic, scary scary taxi driving to get here...and here is the most awesome beautiful hotel.  Its old old old and rickety and totally charming.  I put some pics on facebook, I will try here but the wifi is awful.  Today I think we are just going to motor around and get our bearings.  I slept all night but April didn’t so right now its nine in the morning here and she is sound asleep and I am starving!  TTYL

WHY ME? WHY NOT THE NEIGHBOURS?

I am taking Shannon’s advice and typing this out in Bean.  I hope the type is big enough.

I’m about to whine.  Back, waaaaay back, when Anne and I were first friends, everytime something negative would happen to her she would whine, “why me?  why not the neighbour?”  Its become a victimy statement that we use around here on occasion.

So I am using it....why me?  A couple of days ago my little toe and the one next to it hurt when I stretched my toes out.  Odd.  And as the couple of days passed the pain moved to the bottom of my foot right to the back.  And it freaking hurts.  I am taking naproxin (left overs from my recent misfortune) and icing it.  In three days I need to be able to walk all over Paris.  I have a feeling its due to my new runners.  Won’t be taking them.

I think I have everything under control now.  I have finished packing and basically checked everything off of my Paris list.  As I mentioned before, April convinced me to go shopping and I bought all those gorgeous fall clothes.  Wool capes, fringed sweaters, pretty warm tops to go with tights etc.   So I had the whole crapload matched up and piled on the dining room table ...all ready to organize into my massive big suitcase.  Then she texts me and tells me that its going to be 33 degrees all next week in Paris.

Now, I read about six different articles on line about what you should and should not wear walking about Paris.  And the one thing they all emphasized royally was no runners and NO SHORTS, under any condition!  Well screw them.  I don’t like being hot!  And I don’t care if I am pegged as a low class red neck tourist.

So I removed half my hot clothes and packed the remaining half in half the suitcase.  The other half I filled with my short shorts and cool tops and sandals and running shoes.  I will change for dinners, if we are near our hotel.  

Its been a busy few days.  Purchasing euros, purchasing medications, mailing death certs and Rev Can demands to Aryn, paying bills, looking after a broken legged Russian friend of Monte’s (a delightful house guest), cleaning the house for the house cleaner, Kiwanis meeting, trip odds and ends shopping blah blah blah.

I am sure I am forgetting something here but if I remember I shall do another post.  TTYL

TOO MANY THINGS..(WHINE)

I am so pissed off!!!!!!!!!!!!  I wrote a whole blog post...a big juicy long one and the damned thing simply disappeared...even after I saved it and everything.  This isn't the first time this has happened too.  I am so mad!  There is no way I can re write it...not in the mood.  I will do a post tomorrow.  TTYL

FRONT DOOR SHENANIGANS

I was in the kitchen the other morning.  I had a large bag of filleted sockeye...still needing the scales scraped off.  I am making lox.  As I busily scraped away I heard a loud thump, then bang bang at the front door.  Thats odd I was thinking.  It was early and there was no way it was Monte.  Maybe a delivery?

So, knife down, I wipe my fishy scaly hands on my clothes (the hip part of my shirts are always crusty by the end of the day) and head to the front door.

I swing it open and ...nothing!  WTH???  Oh well. I head back into the kitchen and start scraping again.  Bang Bang Thump Thump!!!!  Jeez!!  There was definitely something going on at the front door!  So knife down again and this time I dash to the front door and whip it open.  And I totally scared the crap out of about four magpies, attacking the four Native masks I have hanging there!  In fact they knocked one clean off the wall!  What the hell would magpies have against those masks?  For the next hour I had to chase those suckers away from pecking the heck out of them!  Finally I left the front door open (and it was freaking cold out) and that seemed to finally deter them.  Go figure!

Its about nine in the morning here.  April and Myles are staying for the weekend.  Last night before bed I set the bread machine up on timer.  At seven this morning it wasn't going.  Dang it!!  I will have to read the instructions again.  But I turned it on and now the house is smelling like an awesome bakery!  We bought fresh peanut butter and Smuckers raspberry jam yesterday so methinks there will be a tasty breakfast this morning!  TTYL

WELL IT WASN'T ME

Yesterday, Thursday, the fridge guy came.  He made arrangements to be here by 12 noon.  At 2:30 I phoned that office number and he answered.  When I asked when I should expect him he didn't even remember talking to me!!  Jeez!!  I got a wee bit testy and he said he would come right away.

So he arrives, no apologies, comes in, looks at it and goes poke poke on the screen on the front of the fridge and goes..."there you go"  I go What??? Apparently, some very tall person leaned on the screen and put it into demo mode.  Clearly that was not me.  Part of me is very relieved it wasn't more serious, and part of me is pissed off that its that easy to make catastrophic changes without knowing it.

Shannon arrived, almost on time, on Tuesday.  We went out for a quick bite for lunch, as I have no food in this house.  We then settled into chairs and visited.  Poor girl.  I am pretty sure I bored her stiff.  But she is a very rare person in that she is not only up on all the latest news and events, but has opinions and shares them.  I love that.  We didn't always agree but that just made it better.  I shamelessly cornered her the whole time she was here just to talk and share ideas.

We did go for one drive!  I decided to take her over the Rose Hill road from just up the hill here in Knutsford over to Valleyview.  It isn't really a long drive, maybe half an hour if that, through high grasslands (beautiful), light forest, dirt roads, cattle country...I love it.  But somehow I took a wrong road and ended up doing a giant circle ending up right back where we started!  I have never driven it from this side before, clearly!

But on this drive I spied a house for sale.  I fell in love instantly with it.  It is pretty isolated, views out over the grasslands, log!!!! house, my fave, and perfect.  There is something about that house that just sucks me in!  I really really love it.

So this morning I decided to phone the realtor and arrange to see it.  Just to see it mind you.  And when I pulled up the MLS listing to take another look and get the phone number...it had sold. I almost cried!  I don't think I will ever find another house as perfect as that one and I was not even really looking for one!

Another call I need to make here shortly is to a travel agent.  I am going to go to Mexico with Kathy and Kerry and the crew they go with every year.  I can't wait....some of them are pretty fun!!!  And the place we are going to looks amazing.  Its the Grand Serenes.  It has a reef out front so swimming in the ocean is stellar, and they have a long canal/river winding through it that you tube on.  And from what I hear the food sounds amazing.  

Well, Alice, the housekeeper, is due to show up at any moment.  I had better finish cleaning the house to get ready for her.  TTYL