Keeping Paris Alive

As the trip  continues to be more in the past, I've been thinking of all the ways I keep my memories of Paris alive in my everyday life.  Often it's planning my next trip and I will continue to update my restaurant and sights to see lists so I'll be ready when the opportunity arrives.  I read lots of blogs and websites that keep me in touch with life in France, entertain me and hopefully, teach me a few things along the way.  My favorite is French Word A Day by Kristen Espinasse and I've been reading it for many years.  She has a special talent for telling a story, is a marvelous photographer and has helped to increase my French vocabulary tremendously.  My other favorite is Parler Paris by Adrien Leeds, another I've been reading for many years and the site that I found the apartment we rented.  Another way is through books so I thought I'd list a few of my favorites.  First are the Aimee Leduc murder mysteries by Cara Black.  Aimee is a Private Detective in Paris who runs Leduc Detective Agency, located on the rue de Louvre.  Above is a picture I took on rue de Louvre - interesting coincidence?  Some of my other favorite books are:
Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard
The Secret Life of the Seine by Mort Rosenblum
On Rue Tatin by Susan Hermann Loomis (all of her cookbooks are also great)

Tour de France

Place St Michel

Bell Tower of St Etienne-du-Mont

Outside St Eustache in Les Halles

Musee d'Orsay

Watched the finish of the Tour de France this morning so I've had my daily Paris fix.  It's fun to watch them ride and know exactly where they are and remember I was in maany of the same spots two weeks ago.  Worked on pictures all morning - enhancing, straightening and making notes as to where and when they were taken.  Next is to get Gary & Sharon's pictures and Anthonys which should total 1500 or so.  Will then have to weed through them and decide which I want as I didn't take a lot of pictures that any of them did so we wouldn't have too many duplicates.  These are a few more of mine.

Home and Thinking About Paris

Foie Gras

Veau ris (Sweetbreads)

Scallops

Veal Tournadoes

White Fish

Cheese Plate

Duck Breast with Foie Fras Sauce

Creme Brulee in chocolate crust

We've now been home for a week and I've been thinking a lot about the trip in the past few days.  It's always great to be home, but I always miss Paris when I'm not there.   I'd love to get up and go to the boulangerie for a palmier & croissant rather than my bowl of cheerios, be able to sit at an outdoor cafe at least once every day and stand on a bridge and watch the Seine flow by.  Right now I'm reading David Lebovitz's "The Sweet Life in Paris" so I'm still hanging on to a connection and laughing at many of his observations.  Last night, friends were asking about some of our meals and I finally told Peter that he had veal sweetbreads at Nicholas Flamel - he took it quite well and still admitted they were good.  During dinner that night, Greer had commented that she thought she could eat almost anything served to her except sweetbreads, at which point, I almost choked, knowing that's what Peter had for his first course.  These are the pictures of that meal.

The Eiffel Tower

The American Cathedral

This one got turned around again

Pictures

View from the right bank  

View from Pont au Double

Dragon at fountain in Place St-Michel

Interesting art work on building

Invalides

Home Again

It's now Tuesday and I think I'm getting back into my usual routine although I'm still waking up early in the morning.  The trip home was uneventful.  Called for a taxi that would hold 4 people and 4 bags and it pulled up to the curb as we were coming out of the building - less than 10 minutes.  Almost no traffic on the way to the airport and all flights were on time.  We got a wheelchair for Peter which makes it so much easier and moves you through security and customs quickly and easily with no standing and waiting.  Were home by 8:30 and Miles and Brisco were waiting for us along with a clean house.  Miles was fine - he had his appendix out the Wednesday after we left and his first day back to work was the day we got home.  We were very tired and the flight from Chicago seemed like forever.  The trip was great, everything I'd hoped for, but  it is always nice to be back at home!

Houses & Apartments

Typical Street

Apartments & Houses

Latin Quarter

Tour Jacques

Pictures from July 5th

Building commemorating Heloise & Abelard on
Quai aux Fleurs, Ile de la Cite

Saint Gervaise, 6thC

Hotel de Ville from the back

BHV Department Store

Rue de Rivoli

Fountains at Hotel de Ville

St Merry, completed 1552

Fontaine des Innocents, 1549