A Few Photos From France...

Of course I have a couple hundred photos already. I have edited them, cropped and removed unwanted "people" in the backgrounds. I try to keep up with the photos on a daily basis. There's not really enough time for that AND blogging. Sometimes there's not enough time for either. But, today, I woke up at 4:30 a.m. Here I am two hours later, finishing this post with all of my photos sorted. Here are just a few.

 We were in France 30+ years ago, but don't really remember much. Our hotel was very near the Eiffel Tower. We did plenty of walking, logging 15,000+ steps per day. I'm hoping that will help with the fact that I have veered off my program for the very first time in 7 months!

Okay, I don't really have the time to get these photos in order, so however they appear is how they'll be! I do not understand why they don't load the way I choose them to begin with. It's always so darn random! Frustrating to a person like me with such an organized mind! I spend way too much time doing them one by one---ordinarily. I do not have that time today, so here goes.

I wanted this picture to be last as this is a view from our Royal Suite on the Tapestry 2 Avalon cruise. The countryside is beautiful. Plus these doors open to the outside so you feel like you are sitting on a balcony.

We toured the catacombs for the first time. It was awesome!

Obviously, over centuries, the dead outgrew all the cemeteries. For many reasons, they decided to relocate the bones below ground---way below ground. I wish we had counted the steps down. We probably walked at least a half mile which was only a tip of  the iceberg as to how far it all extends. We "came up" several blocks away from where we entered. All the bones you see interspersed with skulls are femurs. The smaller bones are used as fill in the back. When they relocated cemeteries, they used a marker like above. So, even though you can't visit a particular gravesite, you can find the bones from that cemetery. Even famous people are all mixed in.

We put Nicky in charge of the food. Between him and Mary, my travel agent/friend, they picked some good restaurants. I LOVE sidewalk cafes. I just wish we had more of them here. As a side note, even the ones we picked at random were delicious. Before going to France I planned to have many traditional dishes from here: quiche, French onion soup, crepes, any "Louie" style salads, French toast, Monte Cristo sandwich, French fries, croissants and French bread. So far, I've had the soup (twice already), dessert crepes, a single croissant and the bread. Oh, the bread!! I was planning to be so good with everything. I am trying to have some controls--like dessert only once a day, or only one piece of bread. It's hard, but I'm not totally blowing it! I've been really missing my tea. I've had it at breakfast on the days we've had time to have breakfast. And, I've taken to making my own iced tea. The waiters look at me kinda' strangely when I ask for a pot of earl grey tea with a big glass of ice. I don't always get a big glass, but I've manage to make do. I told Steph and Nicky, that I choose tea over wine!

One day, we booked a private tour to the Loire Valley to visit the chateaus. There were several things I loved about this view in Ambois. 1. The river in the background. 2. The flowers growing out of the side of the hillside--I think it might be heather. 3. The rooflines and 4. That adorable garden in yard below.

Another interesting word: garden. My British friends refer to the graden like we refer to the yard or backyard. To us a garden is either flowers or vegetables--which is found in the yard!! 

Speaking of gardens, I thought it was interesting that even the houseboats managed to make room for one:

We took a little cruise through Paris.

We enjoyed the perspective of the city from the water.

I took this view of the Ambois castle from the garden.

I wanted this picture to load first on this post. This is a shot of the airport as we waited 2 hours. I've never seen such lines.

The two of us in Ambois. We have a hard time taking "selfies." He says I'm too short. I told him the problem is that his arms are freakishly short! (They're not. He has pretty normal arms!)

Chenonceau--we visited all of these when we were here 30 years ago. Since we only had an hour, I spent my time in the magnificent garden. Butch managed to find me. He said I made the right choice because it was so crowded.

Prior to boarding the boat, we had arranged for a tour of Versailles. We only had a half day, but still wanted to make the most of it. After this tour, I spent another hour in the garden. It was so peaceful---and away from the crowds. They had beautiful music playing. I could have spent the afternoon. There's nothing I like more than sitting in a garden and reminding myself of how lucky I am to be able to have these experiences in another country!

Just our luck. Just about EVERY place we visited had some sort of construction going on. We actually have reservations to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower next Monday as we return to Paris at the end of the cruise.

Chambord was actually the first of the three chateaus we saw.

Okay, that's "it" for my quick overview. Today, we go to Giverny to visit Monet's home and gardens. I can't wait!! Actually, I'm hoping to find some nice prints for our guest room redecorating. Remember, I'd aiming for a French farmhouse vibe. 

Still so much to report. Coming soon...