Hello Boomer Girlfriends!

We are back at home in our beautiful new condo with wonderful memories of Paris.

Such a beautiful city. A perfect city to spend time with the one you love. We laughed, we cuddled, we did our version of the bosa nova each morning (I bought a card for Dennis' birthday and it played the bosa nova) we met warm and helpful people from all corners of the world, we fell in love again, we saw the sites and museums and we ate and ate and ate, and then we ate some more.

I will post a few pictures later and tell you some stories. For now, it's simply good to be home again and back with my girlfriends at BWS.

Welcome back and I can't wait to see the pics, Anno. Your posts were missed around here. What was one of the nicest highlights of your trip? Tell Dennis we missed him too.

Welcome back, mon ami!!! Eagerly awaiting your holiday memories and photos.

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!
Anno, Dennis, our friends!
Gluklich zu sehen, je suis enchante,
Happy to see you, bleibe, reste, stay.

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome
Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret

Hey thanks for the welcome home!

I have spent most of the day downloading photos while poor old Dennis rests. I expect he will be down for a couple of days, at least.

First picture and a story:



We arrived in Paris at 8am. After an hours (Dennis says two hours)cab ride into Paris we arrived at our hotel and they let us go directly to the room. (A few days later one of the managers told me the rumor was Dennis looked like he was on his death bed the day we arrived ) After unpacking, I put Dennis to bed and I went for a walk. I knew we were somewhere near the Arc de Triomphe, but I wasn't sure where it was. I walked along this street and all of a sudden it was there, right in front of me. I cannot describe how breath-taking seeing this in person for the first time was for me. It's huge and detailed and over-whelming.

As most of you know, I have traveled a bit in my time, but I have never seen a city as beautiful as Paris. This was just an inkling of what we were in for during our two week stay.

Hi Anno! Waving madly at you!
You are so beautiful girl! What a figure! That impresses me more than the Arc de Triomphe. Are you going to write a series here! Oh goody!

Thanks, Edelweiss, although I felt HUGE in Paris. My gosh, don't those girls eat anything? The average waist size must be about 21 inches!

When we got further away from the center of Paris, people began to look like they ate a meal or two a day. One day, in Montmartre, I almost felt I was of average size. I am so glad that I don't live somewhere where I feel I have to starve to look good.

A big hello and welcome back, Anno!!! Dennis!!!! Soooo GREAT to see you LIVE in a FOTO!!!! Have been soooo thinking of you and Dennis!!!!

Can't wait to see more pics, Anno! How fun!

Ah Paris is right, by the looks of that photo. Can't wait to see more... Welcome home you two...

Bravery immortalised, Anno. I'd never cross that road.

Ahhh, did you bring some of that Paris air home to us, who sat here waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting 'til you got home...

I believe I am still breathing in some Paris air, gims

Are you kidding, Lola??? No way would I ever cross that road! We always took the long way around, on the outside of the roundabout. But can you really call it a roundabout? Ladies, I have never seen such an unorganized mess that intersection is. Cars going sideways, backwards, forwards, moving from one unmarked lane to another, at least four lanes away in one quick move. I even closed my eyes when the taxi driver went around the arc. Our seatbelts were always on tight, tight, tight.

Anno,
How glad I am 2 hear U had a great time. Tell Dennis hello and I'm happy that both of U enjoyed the trip. Loved the picture; looking forward 2 seeing more pics. I've never been to Paris but have been to Vicenza, Italy. Italians drive crazy, 2. I don't think any of them stay within a specified speed limit.
Prayers & blessings,

We went to almost all of the art museums. Dennis loved this, because in Paris, if you are using a wheel chair, you and one other person are allowed to cut to the front of the line and get in free! Dennis was in cheapster heaven.

And, we were able to get in front of the rope to see the Mona Lisa up close and personal. Cool.

Here is one of Napolean's rooms as seen from the Louvre



and just a few of Dega's ballerinas from the d'Orsay


The d'Orsay was our favorite, but the Louvre was extremely impressive.

I am so happy that Dennis got the "royal treatment."

I got to visit a museum with my mother too. There are some fantastic museums in Muenich. You got me going!
Great photos Anne. Love Dega's ballet figures. I thought he just painted them! Gee,learn something new every day.

That´s some splendor our friend, Napoleon, lived in! WOW!!!

DOOO keep the pictures coming..

Just awesome Anno, thanks for sharing with us that will never see it for ourselves up close and personal...

Degas's ballerinas were one of my highlights. And so many of some of my all time favorites, Van Gogh, Matisse, Renior, and Monet....sigh...Monet, what that man could do with paint...sigh....opps, sorry, I just went into dream land for a second or two

I will be happy to share anything you want, but I really hate boring people with pics. It's one of my pet peeves. I think it goes back to those dreaded Sunday night slide shows when we were kids.

I'll go and see if I can find something else you might enjoy.

We were at the Pompidou Museum when I looked out the window and saw this view. I knew why Lola suggested we go see the Sacre-Couer. Later, we did.

We LOVE the pics!! It's almost like being there. I think vacation pics are so fun to look at; they are more personal than a postcard or something. Share more!

I second Kathy's picture vote! It helps us to see the lovely vacation through your eyes.

And, I third that motion! That's a wonderful photo of Sacre-Couer, Anno. And, you managed to photograph The Ballerina as well! Is'nt she something? Did you have to take her photo covertly?

I'm waiting for you to tell us if you and Dennis managed to treat yourselves to frogs legs and escargot.

Okay, I will happily comply with your wishes. More pics to come.

The Louvre was open to photographs as long as you didn't use a flash. I was surprised.

While we did not eat escargot, we did see people picking off escargot at tombstones at Cimetiere du Pere-Lachaise (cemetery to the rich and famous). Here is a picture of my favorite tomb there.



It's a man holding and looking at a mask. I assume it is his own face.

Edith Piaf lies here. As you can tell she is much loved.

I was looking for my picture of Balzac's tomb, but I must have forgotten to load it onto photobucket. Here, instead, is the most beautiful tomb I have ever seen.

Oh, Anno, it's so nice to hear (and see) what a fantastic time you and hubby had in Paris....the things dreams are made of! Good for you! Thanks for the wonderful pics!

The tomb with the man holding his own mask gave me chills. Actually it would be a great theme for a spook story. Heh?

Did you walk through some parks? I remember one fountain in particular, with children running around in a circle holding hands. I loved that one. Do you know which one I'm talking about?

Anno, you've uploaded Chopin's tomb instead of Piaf's.

Lola, I will go back and rename my picture. So, Ladies, the great famous Chopin instead of Piafs was the person so greatly loved in the picture above. Across the street from the cemetary they had a few shops that sold flowers. Now isn't that a surprise!

Half way through the cemetary, after 2 weeks of taking pics, my cameras battery finally gave out. It was our last day and only the boat ride on the Seine was left, so I was okay with being done with pictures. But when I finally saw, up close and personal, how beautiful and different each bridge was, I was sorry I had forgotten our transformer.

Hannelore, I am not sure which park that was, but probably Tuileries? We had a difficult time with the wheel chair in parks (the wheels would get stuck in the sand and pebbles) so we gave up on most parks early on in the trip.

Later I will post the requisite picture of the Eiffel Tower.

My son went to Paris to a then girlfriends home.I sent a gift.A Celtic cross made in pottery.Typically Scottish.
The Mother disliked crosses..she attends a church that says
this is uneccepatable.
The girlfriend was studying holistic medicine so they put it on a tomb in the cemetary you visited.
So if by chance.........a green Celtic cross laying on a Doctor's tomb..what a coincidence it would be,
Mountain ash

The mask on the tomb

Is it possible that we all look our death mask in the face ?

The Eiffel Tower as seen by Ann and Dennis in June of 2008.
Voila!

Cool story, MA. I will look through my pictures and see if I find a cross. Now wouldn't that be something!

Anno, thank you so much for the pictures... some of us will never be able to visit Paris, or anywhere else as exciting. It makes it nice to see through another's adventures.

Thanks, Anno! It was fun viewing your pictures!

Even in photos, the Eiffel never fails to take my breath away, Anno. How on earth did you manage to take such a lovely photo of it from base to top? I envy your skill with the camera. Funny story: When my children were little, I tried to take a photo of them before it and could not manage the same shot as you have. A Frenchman tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Mon Dieu Madame, ze Eefel ees too high for your foto camera, better a postcard, eh?".

I was across the river, Lola. It's the only close-up I could get of the entire tower.

We saw the Eiffel first when we were in the taxi coming into Paris. Then we took a bus tour around Paris (my was that difficult with a chair!) and saw it again. We never did get up the Eiffel, the lines were intolerable. I also got a good picture from the Pompidou. I will post that, too.

At the top of the Eifel Tower they have a VIP restaurant,...in which I sneaked in because there was no other bathroom up there. And as Anno mentioned,…the line is forever long just to ride up the elevator.
At the restaurant, a door man actually took my arm and led me to the bathroom. I thought that was so hilarious. I can't remember what I said to get in;...maybe he just saw the desperate look in my eyes.

Ha ha EW..that 'I gotta go now' look. I am loving these pics and PLease, please keep 'em coming. I won't get bored.

The Opera Garnier was one of my favorite delights. Every step around the building I saw more beauty. Here is a picture of the street lights that are on one side of the building.

Hi Edelwiess. The resturant was closed when we went there. Drat! And then I tried to use the public bathroom that was closed. Finally, we crossed the bridge, took the picture and than literally ran down the Sienne to get to a resturant. I made it just in time! We decided to order two gin and tonics. That pee cost us 70E! Seems we stopped somewhere that Ben Franklin and others had visited. Sheese, our dinner budget shot on a drink.

OH I love the pictures!!! Makes me feel like I was there with you and Dennis!

Edith Piaf..what a voice!!! What music!!! je n´regrete rien..or something like that, don´t quite know how to write it..even if I studied french for 4 years, a long time ago.. .. and I so agree with what she is singing there! I regret nothing...

I love that woman's voice and words. I tried to upload a video from you tube, but I couldn't figure it out. Ah, well.

Edith Piaf and La Vie en Rose. I chose that song because I don't find it as sad as "Je Ne Regrette Rien". Hope you like it as well. Je suis content.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-sUzR71wpQ

But, here's "Regrette Rien" all the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5MUs9l66oY&feature=related

Thank you, Lola. I know I can always count on you!

Anno, is that a street light on the womans head? So cool!!!

Yes it is, Chatty. There were 8 or 9 of these ladies along one side of the Opera.

Oh my goodness Anno! These are beautiful. I am sure you and Dennis had a great time and found time to see inside each others heart and Paris is the place to do so.

So glad you had the time to experience it. How is Dennis doing? Are you doing okay also?

Yes, Sandpiper, we had the time to see inside each other's heart. I love the way you say this.

Dennis is hanging in there. The trip wore him out, as we knew it would, but he is coming around again. Me, I am on vacation from school, so I am okay right now. I am concerned about both of us once I return to work in August, however.

I just checked out your blog. Fun!

Just getting cought up with this thread. Thanks for sharing photos. I'm hoping Kathy does the same when she returns from Ireland, and the queen from Alaska.

Anno, I admire you so. Many would have known how tired Dennis would be and chosen not to go. But look at all you two love birds would have missed....

Yes, Dotsie, I do hope everyone who vacations posts stories and pictures. Ireland is on the top of my list of next vacations, and I loved Alaska.

Thanks, Dots. It was a struggle for me to make the decision to go. But we both so love travel, and it brings us closer and more loving each and everytime we go somewhere. I believe travel brought us together and I just can not take that away from us until I absolutely, positively must. We are already planning our next vacation.

Good for you! Can't wait to hear about it.

Holy Cow...Wow...how absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. I am so glad you got the chance to do this with your husband...isn't Europe beautiful? You have a drop-dead gorgeous figure, girlfriend...you go girl!!!

Oh, gosh, Dee, thank you.