Name This Mouse

Look who was at our local bookstore.  The girls thought he was so creepy that they wouldn't even pose with him.  Sylvia did get him to sign one of our books.  He spoke French, but the books are first written in Italian.  Confusing.

The Impressionists' Paris walking tour

Caillebotte: Paris Street; A Rainy Day, 1877. The Art Institute of Chicago

 Before we moved here, I bought a walking tour book that promised to take you through "The Impressionists' Paris."  Yesterday was a beautiful day and the girls stayed at school for lunch, so I headed to the area around the train station, Gare St-Lazare.

 Here is Place de Dublin.  Not nearly as lovely with all of the traffic.  The pharmacy in the painting is still a pharmacy.

This is a cropped photo of Manet: Gare Saint-Lazare, 1873, National Gallery of Art, Washington

 The painting shows a little girl watching the trains at Place De l'Europe.

Caillebott: The Pont de l'Europe, 1876, Geneva, Musée du Petit Palais

I also wandered around and found Caillebotte's and Monet's apartments.  I had not been in this part of town before and it was great to wander around on a sunny day.  There was a street with several shops  that specialize in making stringed instruments.  I should have taken some photos.

We are excited that a Canadian friend has moved to Paris for several months.

She came by last night and shared some Domino's pizza with us.  We followed up our healthy meal of pizza with some lovely desserts that she brought.  The desserts were most appreciated and made our meal a little bit French.

Busy Weekend: Girl Scouts and Famillathon

 These cookies are called lunettes.  They are basically enormous sandwich cookie with chocolate in the middle.

 These served as last week's Friday pastry.

 We have been enjoying a string of sunny days.  The girls and I spent last weekend in a church  basement helping with the American Girl Scout open house.  Lillian got to carry the Paris flag in the flag ceremony.

Sylvia got to tell the everybody what to do.

 We had so much fun at Famillathon last year that we returned this year. 

We played Mölkky. 

Sylvia was a fabulous score keeper.

The guy in charge of wheelchair basketball said the girls couldn't play because they were too little.  They had played last year and there was a little boy Sylvia's size playing while we were watching, so we were not too pleased.  The guy in charge told us we couldn't play and then went off to shoot some hoops on the empty court.  GRR!  I further ruined the afternoon by not allowing the girls to rollerblade as they had last year.  I just couldn't deal with the shared helmets.  My fear of lice may be slightly crazy, but I am doing all I can to avoid them.

Luckily, the American Library is nearby and we were able to go and check out some books.  Books heal all wounds and we were able to chill and to cheer up.

Journées du Patrimoine 2013, etc.

Last weekend, was  Journées du Patrimoine. 

Last year we went to the archives.  This year, Pierre signed us up for a treasure hunt starting at the Grand Palais.  We stood in line in the rain for a half hour, listened to the directions, and were handed our ipad like device.  We went outside and it began to pour rain.  We took our first photo, the device shut off, and it began to rain harder.  We are smart and we are quitters.  We threw in the towel and looked for something else to do.

 Petit Palais

 

 According to Wikipedia: The Panthéon (Latin: Pantheon, from Greek Πάνθεον meaning "Every god") is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve and to house the reliquary châsse containing her relics but, after many changes, now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens.

 This distinguished Canadian and American citizen has some nice new glasses.

We walked through the crypt and saw many famous names.

 Outside, you could learn how to carve stone. 

 Girl Scouts  has started.  We hosted Lillian's first Junior meeting.

 I am doing all sorts of French things.  

I bought some ramekins and made individual potpies (3 chicken and one vegetable).

I keep nagging the girls to write postcards.  Instead, they assembled this "temporary installation."

France: MuséoParc Alésia

 We had seen big posters in the metro advertising the MuséoParc Alésia. 

In history class last year, Lillian spent a lot of time studying about the Romans and the Gauls, so we thought it would be cool to go.  It is located deep in the Burgundy countryside, in the Côte-d'Or.  There are green rolling hills scattered with very old and picturesque villages.  I would love to return and to explore the area some more.

I aligned myself with the Romans.  These guys were big and I wanted to be on the winning side.

According to their website:

Alesia is where, in 52 BC, the famous confrontation took place between Julius Caesar’s Roman army and the Gallic tribes led by Vercingetorix.
The summer is drawing to a close and it’s already been six years since Caesar conquered the Gallic territories (the Gallic Wars). Vercingetorix, heading up the Gallic coalition, is trying to halt the advance of the Roman general. After an attack to no avail, Vercingetorix seeks refuge in the oppidum of Alesia, the stronghold of the Mandubii people. The Romans pursue them and launch the siege of the stronghold. They set up their camps on the hillsides around and build two fortification lines with ramparts, towers and traps. The first fortification line, 15 kilometres long, surrounds the oppidum, making it impossible for the Gauls to leave. The second one, 21 kilometres long, protects the Roman camps from the imminent arrival of an immense Gallic relief force. After a long wait, battle is eventually waged on the plain. The Romans are caught between two lines of fire. Projectiles rain down from their war machines and Caesar calls on his legionaries and auxiliary forces, archers, slingers and German cavalry– who deliver the final victory into his hands. Vercingetorix is taken prisoner and carted off to Rome. A year later, in 51 BC, the Gallic War is over, and the Gauls set to become Gallo-Romans.

 We arrived in the late afternoon, and were unable to take advantage of all the park has to offer.  There is a large dig in progress that you can observe, but we simply didn't have the time.  We did have time to catch the last demonstration of Gaul and Roman dress and fighting.

 The museum was finished in 2003 and is well done.  The audio guide is interesting and there are lots of touch screens with detailed information.  I should have taken more photos inside of the museum.

 We drove through a  lovely village and up to the top of a hill to find this famous statue of Vercingetorix.

Again, from the website:
To commemorate the successful completion of the archaeological digs at Alesia, Napoleon III commissioned a gigantic statue of Vercingetorix from the sculptor Aimé Millet. The statue, made of sheet copper and standing 6.60 metres tall, was erected in 1865. The stone pedestal is seven metres tall and was designed by the architect Viollet-le-Duc.
Vercingetorix’s face, inspired by the young Napoleon III, and his attitude express resignation after the defeat. The portrayal is awash with anachronisms, for the pearl necklace is pure fantasy, and the breastplate, sword and straps clasping the breeches belong to other eras ... The end result fits the stereotype disseminated in the 19th and 20th centuries by popular prints and school textbooks: mustachioed Gauls with long hair, wearing winged or horned helmets, with a penchant for war and hunting and living in huts. All misconceptions now brought to light by archaeological finds and analyses of ancient texts.

We got up early the next morning and drove.  We wanted to beat everyone else returning to Paris and to avoid the inevitable crushing traffic jam that goes along with La Rentrée.  It worked.  We made it home early and had time to unpack and relax before Pierre returned to work and the girls returned to school.

France: Chamonix Mont-Blanc

We got up early to drive to Mont Blanc; visibility is best in the morning.

We took the tram up to the top.  I grew up skiing and did not think that the height would bother me at all.  I was wrong.  In my old age, I am very cynical about any engineering.  The metal cables seemed way too thin to me.  There is also a point near the top where the whole tram swoops down and back up again as if someone has snapped a rubber band.  Everyone else made the "OOO!" sound you hear people making on roller coasters.  I gripped the bar more tightly and prayed as I watched my life flash before my eyes.

It was freezing at the top.  We wore all of our clothes and were better prepared than a lot of the people riding up with us, but it was still cold.  Sylvia was cold and unhappy and I was still shaking from the ride.  The restaurant and shop at the top seemed very precariously perched on the mountain.  Also, all of the stairs leading to the various decks, were made of metal mesh, so you could imagine your body falling all the way to the bottom (or, at least, that is what I was doing).  The view from the top was amazing.

You can take an elevator through this cliff and up to the very top.  Sylvia and I stayed below as Lil and Pierre ventured higher.

Haute-Savoie, France

 All the traveling was catching up with us and we knew that soon we would be back in Paris and back to work and school.  This was the perfect place to recharge.  The family who runs this bed and breakfast lived for a number of years in Brazil.  The rooms are decorated with a combination of Brazilian and French details.  The family took very good care of us.

 This green area is surrounded by very high mountains, but you can't see any in this picture.

Sylvia enjoyed owner's granddaughter.  One day when I went down to check on her, I found them both in the kitchen helping to make a secret dessert for our dinner. 

 There was an enormous bookshelf full of magazines and comic books!

Hikers!  Le Grand Site Sixt Fer à Cheval

 This hike took us along a valley.  We saw a few waterfalls, some remains of glaciers, and some mountain goats.

 Suspension bridge

 mountain goat

MAAA!

 

remains of a glacier

Happy hiker

Lovely, lovely hike.