Blogs from Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe

12 MART 2024 SALI Teoman ın dediği gibi "Bugün benim Doğum günüm".. 78 koca yılı devirip 80 lik olma yolunda zorunlu adım olan 79 yaşına giriyorum.. Dünden oldukça yorulmuşuz biraz geç kalktık ..Kahvelerimizi ihmal etmeden bir şeyler atıştırdık ve yola çıktık .. Yağmur berdevam ..Glaciere den istikamet Les Invalides.. Bu noktadan itibaren artık tipik Paris turisti olduk … Paris şehrinin özlü sözü Latince şunu diyor : "Fluctuat nec mergitur" yani "Sallanır ama batmaz" (Fransızca: « Il est battu par les flots sans être submergé »). Bizdeki “hacıyatmaz “ diyebilirsiniz… Şehrin armasındaki gemiyi ,yani “Scilicet” i anlatmak için kullanılır. Bu gemi, Ortaçağ'da şehri yöneten güçlü "Gemiciler" (Nautes) ya da "Su tüccarları"nın kurduğu birliği sembolize eder. Şehrin koruyucusu, 5. yüzyılda Attila'yı şehr... read more

Well, here we are at the end of another spectacular vacation. This morning before our departure to Paris we visited The 101st Airborne Museum in Bastogne. We have been to many World War I and II museums, but this by far is one of the best. This three story building was constructed in 1936 as a mess hall for Belgium officers. In 1941-1944 it was in the hands of the German Army, and then after the end of the war by the United States and given back to the Belgiums. For those of you not familiar with the history of this area the Battle of the Bulge was fought here in Bastogne. The artifacts of the war that are throughout this museum are incredible. These, along with the scenes depicting the battle with life like figures, ... read more

Our route is commencing on the train to Glasgow, then we’ll be on our first flight for 4.5 years ....... to Paris, where we spend two nights before a further flight from Paris Orly to Yerevan, capital of Armenia. We’re celebrating Marion’s significant birthday, originally imagined to be a circular trip around the Black Sea. Odessa was high on the agenda. But recent events have changed our plans. So, because our trip to Georgia made such an impression we are now focussed upon the the adjacent mountains of Armenia for our next exploration. We considered travelling overland, but ended up back tracking on our vows to stop flying by air, opting for a fast, direct flight with Air France/KLM budget airline Transavia. We’ll have two weeks in Armenia, followed by one week in Georgia and a ... read more

The weather in Paris has gradually become warmer during our stay, with the high temperature climbing to 87 degrees Fahrenheit today. We definitely felt the difference as we walked around in the afternoon, but it was tolerable in the shade with the help of some cool breezes. We decided to take a river cruise on the Seine, an experience we have enjoyed on several occasions in the past (most recently with our granddaughter Ashley back in 2017). In order to save some wear and tear on Dee, we opted for a taxi ride from our cottage in Malakoff to the Pont Neuf, a bridge that spans the river Seine, at the western end of the Île de la Cité, in the center of Paris. The Vedettes du Pont Neuf, a company that offers one-hour river cruises, ... read more

This morning we woke to a light frost. It was below zero overnight, and that hits you after 5 weeks of warm sunshine. The bags were packed, they were overweight, so some careful rearranging will take place in our hotel room before we go to the airport on Friday. I jettisoned some books, alcohol, and like a boxer weight cutting before a bout, I think we will make it. Tim and Natalia had to go into their respective offices this morning ( so they do really work ) , so we dropped Natalia off, Tim unloaded us at the station, and continued on. The traffic is a slow crawl in the morning, and this is the norm. So I can only assume that we have a sister city thing with Luxembourg, and a study group of ... read more