July 16 to 17 - Paris - All by myself….Wendy left this morning, so today is my day to sort and organize, and pack and last minute shopping. I have one errand left - to go to E. Dehillerin http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.e-dehillerin.fr%2F&ei=QfbTU7OMG83z8QX7iIHQDQ&usg=AFQjCNF2bvTnmZpFQfpOO57ZhFV-VMAWEA&bvm=bv.71778758,d.dGc&cad=rja , Paris’ best culinary store, near Les Halles. But I recommend you go in with a shopping list…this is no place to just graze. I wanted Canele forms - copper - and knew this would be the place to find them. They were less expensive than Bordeaux. Let’s just hope they work for me. If not, they sure are pretty. E. Dehillerin has the most extensive supply of copper pots and pans and just looking at their website is a treat. Put it high on your list of places to visit in Paris if you like ... read more

Bastille Day - July 14- Paris - Being here, in this city, on this day, has been one of my dreams. Kevin had been here four years ago with Harrison, but I couldn’t and was very jealous. So, HERE I AM! Two major events are on the schedule for us today - the Parade down the Champs Elysee and the fireworks from the Eiffel Tower tonight with the Lauder family, or most of them. Firstly, the parade. It was a military parade. Of the French military. OK, I can hear the sniggers…what military? So, JUST STOP IT. There were big guns with women at the helms, and little tanks, with men driving them. And there were firemen, and policemen, and ambulances. And there were fly-overs by planes and helicopters. And the President came down the street ... read more

July 12, 2014 - Versailles - Wendy and considered today to be one of the reasons for our trip, and we were putting in a lot of research to get just the right tour to satisfy us. Both of us are very well-read on the history of France that was influenced by this Chateau, and the people involved in this period, so we were wanting a tour that would provide us with a good and knowledgeable guide. We looked at the very expensive tour, 375 euros per person, but decided there was no way we could justify it…We wrote letters, phone calls were made, all options were considered in making the booking, and still we got it wrong. But more on that later… The tour left from the Tuileries area at 8:45 AM, and we were ... read more

July 11, 2014 - Paris - Firstly, please refer to my entry about our lunch today at L’Ebauchoir today. That event deserved a blog in itself. Since we had to work around two meal engagements today, we decided shopping was on the cards. After a perusal of Ile St. Louis on the way to dinner last night, we earmarked those places we needed to go. Also, high on my list was a trip to Eva Tralala, a French designer who I discovered years ago here in Paris and always like to pick up a little something. http://www.evatralala.fr/index.cfm After lunch, near the restaurant, was the needlework shop we had been in two weeks ago, so I had to load up on some more, didn’t I? And of course there were more sales, and more tee shirts, and ... read more

July 10, 2014 - Paris, again - Wendy and I came to the conclusion that two “older” ladies, traveling on their own, really need a personal “Jean-Sebastian”, aged about 25-30, to do everything, including carrying their vast amounts of overweight luggage, for them. Unfortunately, we didn’t have one of these, and were reduced to schlepping all our stuff up and down stairs in train stations. Next time, we say to ourselves…. Upon arrival in Paris, we arrived in our TINY Ile St Louis apartment and got settled in, which included rearranging furniture so that Wendy wouldn’t encounter hazards in the middle of the night…Kevin had picked up a couple of Groupon coupons, similar to GrabOne in New Zealand, and the first one was for Brasserie du Louvre, in the Hotel du Louvre, part of the Hyatt ... read more