rude awakening

and now we'll need a lot more therapy... what a life. (What if he finds out he has fleas?)

bus tour of Paris

France- this summer. That means Paris, too, right? I wasn't in France to be a tourist- not even close. BUT our hosts graciously took us into Paris for a day- how could you not see Paris? I mean- we had a choice- Shop or Tour of the City. This isn't an easy choice, of course... ;) But even I can get this one right- see the city. No question. (I figured something out, too- You can't see Paris in a day- you have to live there for a year, say, and go out often...run your legs off... That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to see it in a day if you get the chance, though.) Once again, I've waited a bit too long to do these pix and I can't quite remember what everything is... (cough cough) But- Here we go!

first sighting of the Arch of Triumph (accompanied by a bit of construction/sidewalk repair)... commissioned by... Who Else? Napoleon, of course. He left a huge mark on France (he was a Corsican by birth, though- did you know that?) Napoleon did not live to see the arch completed. looking up at the underside of the arch

and out from under it (I love sky shots- always have... can't help it... can't explain it, either)

this one is because... (ta-dummmm) There Are Gypsies In Paris Too... just as pesky and determined to beg rather than work as here... a bit cleaner, though.

and there was a mime... his Pharaoh costume must have been boiling hot this day...

first view of the Eiffel Tower we didn't get off the bus here- there were crowds and heaps and gazillions of people there and we had a train to catch later- but this shot- I just loved the legs of the tower framing all the people and a bit of the city... and I like the dark/light contrast

Good-bye Tower. We enjoyed seeing you. Good luck hanging out in the sky.

the military academy (Guess who studied here? Right- Napoleon. One of his teachers made the observation about him when he was a student here: Under the right circumstances he will go far.) I liked all the people hanging out on the mall... reminded me of my college days.

cool tree, eh? (I can only assume that was the point of this pic...) there were lots of trees

looking onto an island in the middle of the river. Built right up to the water's edge it was. We crossed the Seine River several times.

Notre Dame

this shot? hmm- the sidewalk below (from level 2 of a double decker bus)... did I take it because it reminds me Ukrn sidewalks? Where they set up stands of all kinds and sell everything under the sun? Could Be....

the Seine again. Loved these bridges...

and this shot? Well, this one is the street. :) Taken because... Because this street/bridge is paved with stones taken from the demolition of the Bastille. Wiki link for Pont de la Concorde this made a big impression on me because: Lviv legend has it that when the Red Army finally took Western Ukraine, the Soviets pulled down the 'High Castle' of Lviv (a beloved local landmark) and paved the city streets with the stones from it... to demoralize and break the will of the people...

our busthis was where we got off the bus... ahem... Do you know what this is? well, this is inside that building... which just happens to be a huge shopping center... *grin* Galeries Lafayette

straight up to the dome

had coffee on the roof of the shopping center... these next are overlooking Paris from the roof

the opera house across the street

Eiffel Tower in the distance

from here, it seems the city goes on forever... however, when we asked Mr Coffee Shop Waiter the population of Paris he said:

I don't know- it's a small city, 9 million?? I'm from Cairo...we have 30 million.

Oh, I see.

Opera house again... must have liked that... or is this really a shot of the sky???

annnnddddddd- back on the metro (subway)... which contrasts rather interestingly with ours here in Kyiv... which has about twice as many people on it at any given time. (Well, it's a lot more crowded, for sure...)

So Long, Paris. I loved meeting you and hope to see you again some day... but I'm glad I don't live ummm in you... and I'm really really glad I don't have to drive up and down your streets... lovely as you are.

the case for coffee and other vital facts

see this? you know what it is....


my relationship with coffee is so off again/on again, so up and down... so
love/hate, inconsistent
I quit it for one reason or another... and then I smell it
or I see it
or I think about it

and I'm back.
I did realize long ago that I have a limit... of like 1 (or max, 2 cups) a day after lunch...my tummy and nerves just can't take more

I've been helping a local clinic meet their 3rd quarter 2009 budget lately... and as a favor, a way of saying Thank You they took my blood pressure a couple times.

• with coffee: 110/70
• without coffee: 100/60

I'm back on coffee. Just a small cup a day. One small strong delicious cup a day. Today's had 1/2 tsp of maple flavoring, sugar and milk in it... it was.... ahhh- it put a smile on my face and gave me strength to think again.

In other news- I'm trying to get the house cleaned. Like really cleaned. I have COMPANY coming... not the 'snoop-around-is-the-corner-behind-the-tub' clean company, the kind that just makes you want to have stuff spit-spot. THIS kind of company:

That lady there? The beautiful one (holding the amazingly gorgeous baby)

She's my mom... and she's coming to this side of the Atlantic in not quite 2 weeks! (that'll put a smile on your face with or without coffee!)

And she's bringing this character along:

that would be my oldest brother! I'm still grinning in sheer happiness, surprise and delight...

Now- I need to go; besides cleaning, I need to come up with a little itty-bitty (cough) list of stuff for them to for them to fill their suitcases with...

random summer shots

in a Paris train station. Apparently the mom can do this all by herself. I was worried about how she managed such a thing- I mean- What if the baby fell out before she got it all tied up?? Just the thought makes me nervous...Wouldn't you love to walk through this gate to go home? I mean....
or how about this one?

random summer shots

someone not only visited Marks and Spencers, they brought along these...and were they ever wonderful... I could get used to them in Ukr, we call this 'shashlyky'; a pleasant surprise to find this on the lunch menu one afternoon in France! Hot off the grill...
and the point of this pic???? I think it was the grill... hmmmm

inside the house was this piano. We became great friends in very short order. It was fantastic. I totally monopolized it and could have stayed all night... (this is significant because playing piano is more for my nerves and relaxation... it won't do for you what it does for me... which is why they're glad I didn't stay all night)

this was an instrument from (Nepal? I think that's it). Makes a ringing sound, similar to running a moist finger around the rim of a crystal goblet but lower in pitch...

this kid was cute to nth degree. and this evening, she chose to wear a frond wreath of some sort... oh- and she smiled! (at the time, I even knew her name)

it's amazing who you run into... I was there, fyi, when they were 'getting to know each other'... back in the day... now they're old married folks... amazing...

and one more kid shot. She was great! And she can carry on a 5 person conversation, complete with gestures and facial expressions... all by herself. (and I used to know her name, too...)

random summer shots

I loved this old well so the lid was removed so I could have a look-see
chock-full of ferns at the top... who'd've thought? :) there was a lot of lavender around...

and this was often

full of bees andbutterflies!

and there were roses

quite a few, actually my favorite view, for some reason. tried to crop out the ladder but lost too much of the pic, so just left it. (I'm no good at photo-shopping, so don't suggest that)

let's see- this was rosemary and (a few other things...)

and some pretty cool ivy crawling around

and did I mention the lavender?