Ahhhh... No Place Like Home... Sort of....

A full day at home, and I still can't believe the trip is over!  It was sooooo great to get home after our bus ride from Lambert at midnight or so.  I think the last time I looked at my watch in the school parking lot, it was 1:50 a.m.  Oy.

My Michele was there at the parking lot to take me home!!  She was a sight for sore (bleary? Half-open?) eyes, and after a big hug and a toss of the luggage into her car, we were on our way to my home sweet home.  We hauled the bags into the back door, and I opened the kitchen door into a house that was... sweltering.  Like the inside of a volcano.  Seriously, karma?  What did I do to you??  The temp in the house was 86 and climbing, and by the time the repair fella came, it was at about 88.  At that  point in the night, however, I just showered, opened all my windows to the nighttime breezes, and fell on top of my bed  into an exhausted sleep.

In the morning, at about 7:30, when I woke up, I called Webb's and left a message; at 8:02, I called again and the angel of mercy on the other end told me a repairman could come to me at 12:00.  What to do in the meantime? Play in my treasures! I unloaded my suitcases (which remained weight-compliant, btw, for the entire trip!), throwing much of it in the laundry and investigating and sorting all my souvenirs.  Unwrapping each piece brought back the delight of finding them the first time, and I can't wait to share my treasures with my treasured people.  Hope they like them!  Cuz there will be no returns....  :-)

Mom and dad came over, bearing Hardees and hugs!  We played in the treasures a little; they liked their gifts (I hope) and Mom and I then went on to Carbondale--pics to print!  Art to frame!  Food to buy!  Also, the house was hot--the repairman had come and fixed by issue (he told me what was wrong, but I don't remember what he said he did.  We'll just say he made the cool-y thing resume its blow-y business.  And it was good.)--so a trip to C'dale gave the house time to recover.  The pics I took were many!  1041, to be exact.  We stressed out the machine at Wal-Mart and were given marching orders and told to come back in a bit; I'll be going back tonight to pick up the rest of them.  Can't wait look at them all!  Good, bad, and ugly, I'll organize and sort tomorrow.  And then bore anybody willing  sit and look with my stories and memories.  :-)  :-)

Good night, dear friends, and thank you for reading and sharing with me!  It's been so much fun blogging!  I need a new project to blog....

Airport Fun

The Long and Winding Road

Just realized that the end of my last post did not publish! The "o" was supposed to say "orders to be in the lobby at 5:45 to catch the bus to the airport to get home." Yikes!! 5:45 is awfully early to be put together, packed, and coherent, but I am happy to report that all 46 of us travelers were ready to go--despite my own alarm clock betrayal!  I had it set for 4:30, but only woke up when Michaelann's phone went off at 5:00--pretty happy that I wasn't alone in a room *last* night.  Although.  There are worse places to be left behind than Milano....  At any rate, we all made it successfully through security and made it across the ocean without incident.  Yay!  However--while I know I have Beth's converter, I'm 86% sure I left my own in the bathroom.

Then New York!  Land of the free!  Home of the brave! Airport of the $8.98 Whopper!  Whatevs.  Sometimes a girl just needs a burger. With fries.  And a frosty Dr. Pepper.

We are currently in Atlanta, awaiting the St. Louis plane.  The New York to Atlanta plane was packed with people who are apparently unaware that it is possible, and even recommended, for people to bathe more than once a month.  The smell was pungent.  Ripe.  Wow.  I think you have to be actively trying to smell that bad.  Maybe it was a contest we were unaware of?  Hm.  Also, there were three very busy little girls who were eating Doritos out of a crinkly bag.  And crunching.  And drumming on a book.  And then singing.  There was no other solution.  I had to break out the teacher face.  Blessed silence after that.  Good thing I packed the teacher face with me.  Comes in handy.

After I find a Starbucks, I will be duly fortified to get on the next-to-last leg of the journey; when we land in St. Louis, there will then be a bus ride home.  Oy vey.  Who's the patron saint of patience?  Maybe will google it as I sip my white mocha caramel latte....  Mama, I'm comin' hoooooome........

A Rendez-Vous in Cuggiono!

Today begins with an easy wake-up call at 8:30 and breakfast at 9:00--what decadence!  Time to enjoy a lovely pain au chocolate and a coffee before the touring begins.  Ahhhhh...  Plus also time to people-watch and smile as they all figure out the orange juice automatic dispenser and the coffee/espresso/hot chocolate dispenser.  Sometimes being illiterate in a foreign country is confusing!  So many mystery buttons.  I saw a sign--a bumper sticker--on the back of a truck today that had a tree, a broken milk (or water?) bottle, and a fish.  I spent some time pondering this but I got nothin'.  Don't put broken bottles in trees because the fish will suffer??  Don't give drinks to fish because the trees will be offended??  Dunno.

Then back to Milano to check out the Duomo a little closer; we missed our chance to climb (and by climb I mean ride in the elevator) to the top f the church to look around yesterday because it was evening.  But today we hopped right on and got to the top with very little crowding!  Pics to follow; the view was pretty amazing.  I just want to meet the people who figured out the plan--which saint goes where?  How much carving?  How many spires?  How do we get marble up this high?  I did find out that during WWII, many of the famous spires (and there are hundreds) were removed to avoid the destruction of the bombing, and then replaced after Italy was liberated.  Amazing.

Then we went to Cuggiono to introduce our kids to their Italian counterparts.  It was truly a great day; we arrived in time for lunch--pizza!  Some of the kids laughed--they've eaten pizza every day at lunch (on their own time) since we got here, but I have not, so my belly was thinking "Squeeeee!  Pizzapizzapizzapizza!!!" And it was marvelous.  The waiter brought out drinks and then the pizzas started arriving--pepperoni and sausage and cheese, but also, like, asperagus and egg...  and red pepper... and tuna... and hot dog... and pepperoni with fries on top....  I tried as many kinds as my belly could hold, but we ended up with eight or nine extra whole pizzas!!  Apparently, in Italy, a person orders one entire pie just for himself.  Oof.  We don't eat that much in one sitting, but it really was cool to see all the varieties of native pizzas.  Yum!

Then to the Villa Annoni--the summer home a wealthy family left to Cuggiono for museum purposes--to poke around and see all the Cuggionese artifacts and history.  Really interesting--it's pretty clear that Herrin is very much a daughter city; the immigrants just picked up their home town and brought it to us.  We then were led to the city cemetery, where the kids were actually quite interested.  Every other stone had names we know:  Pisoni, Calcaterra, Oldani, Garavaglia, Quaglia, Guadoni... on and on.  The kids ran around taking pics of their own names and names of their friends--jackpot.  This was the goal of today--we want our kids to pick up the baton and carry the relationships forward into future.  Our guides today were Oreste and Ernesto, old and close friends, but also Guido and Matisse and Fabio... very young and olive-y skinned and handsome Italian boys who make it alluring for our girls to make connections and keep in touch.  :-)  We'll see what comes of this; we had a little meet--and-greet with lots of Herrinite and Cuggionese kids; I would love to see some homestays or exchanges begin happening.  Time will tell, but they're already adding each other on Facebook and Instagram.  :-)  Successful day!  Plus they took us to the local gelato shop (panne cotta this time--yum!!), so good news all around!

Back at the hotel, we had a lovely pasta, some chicken and fries, and ice cream (meh.  It wasn't gelato) and o

Pics!! Milano e Cuggiono

Verdict

Update:  The bed was pretty great.  It may have actually been the best sleep of my life.  It may also be that I am EXHAUSTED, but whatevs.... :-)

We're Eating Where??

Ciao, Lido!!  I always said that when I came back to Italy whilst NOT on a tour, it'd be to Lago di Como (Lake Como) because it was so beautiful, but now I'm TORN.  Lido is so chill and quiet and serene... perhaps I could start in Lake Como and then finish up in Lido to relax before the flight home. Ta-da!  Problem solved.

Today's morning was spent in transit, but the thing about transit in Venice is that it happens by water taxi.  So essentially, we had a lovely breakfast (forewarned is forearmed against the potted meat) and then had a lovely boat tour of the islands between Lido and the mainland to catch our next bus to Milano.  Sigh. Life is hard.  :-)

The bus ride was about three hours, but we took a couple breaks in the middle to break up the long journey.  The first stop was at a rest stop with restrooms, which is a good thing, because some of us needed to rest pretty urgently.  The second stop was at an Autogrille, which is a strange European gas stop/trinket shop/grocery store/luncheonette with fresh food served to travelers, and very often these stops are suspended right across the interstate--which means you have to remember the right exit, or you'll find yourself walking out the door that leads to the parking lot on the wrong side of the interstate.  :-)  The kids quickly figured out how to take advantage of the huge array of offerings at an Autogrille and we all boarded the bus happy and full.  We are always getting on buses full of food, and yet we are ALWAYS hungry and there's ALWAYS room for gelato.  Must be all the walking.  [Don't tell our tour guide, but we're on to her.  "A few steps" = a mile or more, "A European block" = thirteen dozen blocks.  We see you, Annemieke, and our feet are howling.  She also differentiates our pace--either "Parisian pace" or "American stroll"...  It's better, I can tell you, to walk like a Yankee.  ;-) ]  Sometimes a gas station will unexpectedly hit the spot.

Then we arrived in our last hotel, an Ibis Hotel (with none of the sadness of our freshman lit short story; the only scarlet here is in the Ikea light fixtures).  The hotel is all modern Italian; very sleek and spare.  The brochure on my bed promises the best sleep of my life--TBA.  We quickly shed our luggage for a little bus tour with a Milanese guide in VERY fabulous shoes (I will have these.  Camel wedges with a colorful stacked wedge) and a VERY thick-a accent-a.  We actually got to go into the La Scala Opera House after we looked around the city from the bus--such opulence!!  Now my house will need some velvet and gold leaf viewing boxes with  crests.  Perhaps in my throne room?  Hm.  Anyway, we got to look at the paintings of the patrons and performers and peek  into the actual stage and audience area--never have I seen such grandeur.  Golden lion crests, city crests, Italian family  crests all in a sea of red velvet. With a huge chandelier.  I would love to show you pics, but only pics of the vestibule were allowed--but even that was beyond  incredible.  Such beauty!!

On to the Milano Duomo--the cathedral in the town square; it's called the porcupine cathedral because of the lattice spires all on top.  We walked from the La Scala to the church through the Victor Emmanuel Mall to get there, parading our kids through the line of Prada, Gucci, Mercedes (yes, Mercedes) shops without even having to fight their desire to go in; we could hardly afford to even look in the windows.  Pricey, pricey, but beautiful--and taking pictures there was allowed.  --For free. Which was the right price.  All the kids took a spin on the good luck bull in the middle--a good spin will bring good scores on exams, so everyone took a turn.  We'll see how that goes when their post-tests come around....   When the duomo came into sight for the kids as we walked to the end of the mall, I was in the back, but I knew the moment they saw it, because they all got their cameras and phones out and simultaneously oooooh'ed and aaaaaaah'ed and snapped pics; the duomo is one of the five biggest cathedrals in the world, and arguably, the most beautiful.  The spires look like a cross between lace and rock candy soaring out of the top, and the stained glass inside is just as awe-inspiring.  Lots of pics here, but the info I have is limited; the guides accent was super-thick, and listening through a walkie-talkie thing was near impossible.  Alas.  I'll google it to fill in the gaps when I get my pics developed.  Stay tuned....

Then a "quick walk" of a "few steps" to the Castello in the town.  Again, I missed much of the history, but something something king of the region, something something fortification, something something moat.  Details later.  Gelato now!!  Hazelnut today.  :-)

We shopped a little in the area, and then headed back home to eat dinner at our hotel:  Past, followed by what looked like Salisbury steak and croquettes,  then a most divine chocolate cake that looked like tiramisu but which was not tiramisu; there was mousse in it, and a creamy topping with caramel drizzled on it.  I'm a fan of the drizzled caramel.  If I were Doge, I would decide in my Decision Room that caramel should be drizzled over more things.

Now I sleep, mes amis, and tomorrow we meet up with our mother city connections!  Look for our kids to add more Italian students on facebook!  I hope we forge some lasting friendships tomorrow (feels like a playdate between our kids and their kids  :-) ).
  

Magnifico! Milano!

Some Church, Some Fire, Some Lace, Some Euros

Wake up!  It's St. Mark Day!!  We gathered in our little dining room today to discover some of our old favorites--chocolate croisants, yogurt, coffee....  But the kids also located the grapefruit juice masquerading as orange juice and potted meat masquerading as jam.  So that was fun to watch.  :-)  :-)  Anyhoo, everyone found something yummy and we reconvened near the docks  to catch our water taxi from our island of Lido over to Venice for a FULL DAY of DELIGHTS.

We first had a guided tour of the Doge's Palace--and I'll now be needing a Decisions Room in addition to my throne room.  In it, I will, as Doge, make all the decisions necessary to run my Republic and whilst thinking about my decisions, I'll be seated on a raised dais with three friends on each side of me.  But my seat is fancier, just to be clear.  The Doges (or Dukes, kind of) were the head of Venice when it was the richest port in the world; countries from the east and west came to buy and sell goods and create markets that created a strong and thriving economy.  His palace revealed the wealth and splendor--we just don't do enough gold leafing of ceilings in the states.  Maybe my classroom needs a little facelift to make it sparkle a bit more....

After the palace, we walked over the Bridge of Sighs to make our exit back into the courtyard.  The Bridge of Sighs sound so romantic, yes?  Nope.  It's the last patch of daylight a prisoner saw if he had been found guilty in the Doge's eyes.  He then spent his life in the windowless (but still flood-prone) cells of the prison.  Even as a completely innocent tourist, I felt the panicky claustrophobia as I followed in a single-file line across the bridge.  Oof.

St. Mark's Basilica was next on our long list today.  It is the heavy marble and mosaic cathedral at the end of the square, and knowing that the giant scenes on the ceiling are glass mosaics rather than paint boggles the mind.  Incredible.  Plus, St. Mark is buried there--except his head... which is in Egypt?  I think?  Anyway, it's not here.  As the guide says, "But there's nothing to do."  :-)  Her answer for any confusions--"there's nothing we can do about it, so don't worry about it."  I like her philosophy.  :-)

On to the glass-making workshop!  Our maestro, whose name I cannot remember, was INCREDIBLE.  He made a tall, fancy teal blue and clear striped vase with a handle and spout, just by flinging this hot stick of melted glass around. It was a tube, and he would puff air into it now and then to make the glass expand out of the end, all the while twirling and spinning the long stick.  Amazing.  And then he broke it!  ON PURPOSE.  He finished this gorgeous sparkly vase, and then crashed it in a million pieces back into the fire!  The other guide explained that it would have shattered anyway, because the maestro has to put the vase in several ovens at different temperatures to make it properly.  Okay, then.  The guide showed us his selection of genuine Murano glass--just for us--at discounted tour group prices of 500-2000 euros.  Mmhmm.  I purchased glass elsewhere.  It was gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but holy cow.  $$$

Now some free time!  My group of pals found a pizza shop that smelled divine and had a long line.  Two good indicators of a good choice... and we were right!  So SO good.  And I had a lemon soda--I'm going to have to see if we have lemon Fanta or something similar at home.  Once fortified, we meandered and got lost in the shops around Venice--once we made our peace with getting lost and being completely turned around, we got braver; every corner has a sign that points the way to St. Mark's Square.  It's comforting, and allows for a clear head to choose our purchases with confidence.  One could spend a FORTUNE in the canals of Venice... good thing I don't live here!!  To keep up our energy for the hard work of shopping, we made sure to practice good habits like stopping for gelato (got my pistacchio!!) and lemon sodas (not at the same time.  ew.).

The gondola rides!  We trooped back to the square and then into the twisy, turny streets of Venice and found the gondola place.  My boat, I feel, was the best, because our boat had golden lions on it (the symbol of St. Mark), our gondolier was in a good mood, and Brandy Miller got on with us and sang Italian opera songs--she's one of our most talented performers at HHS.  Her voice rang around the narrow streets and bridges and our gondolier joined  in--so much fun!!  And relaxing--shopping and gelato-eating can wear a girl OUT.  It was nice to sit in the little boat in the sunshine and breezes.  Ahhhhh....

The lace-making workshop was next on  the agenda, and even though I've seen it before, it is incredible to see lace made.  The presenter there showed us some exquisite pieces and told us how long (8 months!) it takes  to make and how many people (7!) work on one piece.   Each lady is in charge of one kind of stitch on every piece to make sure all the work is uniform and matching, and together they produce the finished work.  So delicate!  And SUCH precision.  Unbelieveable talent--and there is only one workshop left in Venice with professional lace-makers at work.

Then Annemieke (Anna-meek-ah), who is our tour leader for the entire trip, told us we had two hours until dinner.  !!!  Two hours to roam around and shop??  My group didn't know what to do with all that time--we've become accustomed to having 15 minutes to potty, eat lunch, and grab a souvenir  at any given place.  Two hours was too long for us--and I (with Mrs. Shelton and some of our girls) am a marathon shopper.... So we found a nice place to park for a while and have a little drink to wait for dinner. It was nice to rest a while--and let the credit card cool off a little.

Dinner!  Pasta!  Pork and potatoes!  Apple cake!  Deeee-lish.  Then back to the boat to head home.  Seemed to  me that the ride back was way shorter than the way there... but I guess that's how it works when you're excited to see something.  :-)

After a stroll on the beach in the evening (and another gelato--amaretto this time) we tuckered out sponsors all headed back to our own quarters.  [Come here--closer--I have a secret--shhhhhhhh... I've had my own room in Lido!  By some accident of fate and some room reshuffling, I ended up alone!  As much as I love the group of people here, it's been nice to have some space.  :-) ]

So there it is!  Venice is checked off the list.  Great day!

P.S. To Beth--I can read your comments, but cannot reply!  So.  #1, The bread is amazing in Paris; hard and crusty outside and soft and savory on the inside.  Very much like a Parisian!  Hard to get to, but just a softy after you break open the shell....  :-)  And #2, I tried to get chocolate and coconut tonight, but the coconut bin  was empty!  Zut!!  But there's always tomorrow.....  :-)

P.P.S.  Our passport-less girl is now back in our fold!  Yay!  What a nightmare of reorganzing, but she's all good now.  Whew!!

Venezia!

A Tale of Two Cities

Au revoir, Paris!  Buongiorno, Venice!

After a 6:30 (A.M.!) meeting time to count heads and load suitcases onto our autobus, we set off for the Orly airport that would lead us to Venice today.  Easy-peasy day, right?  Just sitting on buses and and boats today.... Except a few of our kiddoes missed their wake-up call and threw all their stuff into suitcases and gathered themselves together within fifteen minutes.... Which put us a bit behind, but no worries!  We got to the airport with no traffic issues (mostly because it is Sunday and all true Parisiens are off in the countryside somewhere, escaping us tourists and all the crowds and heat) and made our plane with no problems.  After getting through VERY thorough customs, we were on our way.  The plane ride was probably lovely.  Smooth.  Picturesque.  I cannot report on this, because as soon as the engines started up, I was fast asleep (6:30 meeting time!).  A few z's later, and I'm in a whole new world!!  We took a water taxi to our hotel--a ride I found relaxing and refreshing,  but which put some of the kids to sleep (did I mention we all left Paris at 6:30? A.M.?).

A whole new world wherein I do not speak the language--but I do eat the food.  So far, I've had pizza, lasagna, chicken, salad, bread, and gelato.  Almost two gelatos, but milk and I are currently in a complicated relationship.  So, pistacchio gelato, you and I have a date tomorrow.

So we're actually staying on an island near to Venice--Lido.  Look it up on Google.  And then book a flight IMMEDIATELY.  This place is divine.  Tropical but thoroughly Italian; there's a beach AND pizza.  You won't be sorry.  The beach is perfect--I meant to go down, dabble my (newly pedicured lilac) toes in the Mediterranean, take pics, and head back to the hotel for a nap.  But the sand and salt and sun were too inviting, so I took my nap on the beach instead and loved every minute of it.  We  came back, showered off the salty sandy Mediterranean and headed to dinner.  After dinner a short walk, a chat with Cathy on Michaelann's balcony terrace, a group check of facebook, and a winding down of the day.

Tomorrow will see us in Venice; we'll tour the hopefully dry St. Mark's Square, see the lace-making and glass-blowing workshops, and ride in a gondola.  All while eating gelato, I sincerely hope.

Good night, dear friends and family!!  A special good night to my dad on this Father's Day!! I love you moster!!

P.S.  I can't get my phone to hook up to the wifi, mia mama; will try again tomorrow!

Italia!!

A Garden, A Fragrant Factory, and a Tower

Monet's waterlilies greeted us at the beginning of our tours today!  If I were Monet, I would have lived in Giverny, too.  It's all pastoral and quiet and picturesque--literally--I took about three dozen pics of his gardens and pond (which housed, by the way, a fish surely the size of the Loch Ness monster, by the looks of its splashes...) and house.  It's lovely there--lazily buzzing bees, the scent of the flowers (and mulch; ugh), the gentle breezes.... So now I'm going to need a French garden complete with willow trees and hollyhocks to go on the outside of my castle with a throne room.  Obviously.

After that, we drove back to Paris to go to a PERFUMERIE!!  A factory that makes PERFUMES.  French parfums FROM FRANCE.  Pretty sweet tour--no pun intended.  The lady who was our guide showed us the machinery that makes the essential oils that create the scent--primative vats and tubes, really; they've been used for hundreds of years.  She told us that the name of the factory, Fragonard, is the *only* perfume that is authentically French; made in France, sold in France.  Never exported.  Well, well, well.  So now mom and I are proud owners  some Fragonard perfume--I chose a scent called "Etoile," which means "star."  It has lovely light tones--summery and sweet.  The lady also explained how to wear perfume:  two spritzes to your pulses at the wrist, a quick bump together with the other wrist, then rub behind your ears and back of the neck, and if you are on a date, behind your knees.  So the scent follows you when you walk.  "All French women do zeese," she tells us, "to make zee men follow zee lovely ladeez."  I shook my head no to my lovely teenage ladeez; the last thing we need is for zee young men to follow.  Oy.  ;-)

Next, Michaelann's daughters and some other travelers and I chose to go to the Paris Opera House instead of a too-quick shopping moment.  Holy cow.  Ticket money well spent.  It's the setting of the Phantom of the Opera, and inside is fancy beyond fancy.  Marble.  Statues.  Sculptures. Velvet curtains.  I'd try to describe, but the pictures will do more justice.  Rumor has it that an excavation project revealed a lake underneath--just like in the play.  We didn't tour under the opera house, but we did sneak into a balcony to snap some pics of the stage and the chandelier  over the audience seats.  So impressive!  Except the Chagall painting around the chandelier.  Weird.  Out of place... dare I say... ugly...??  I have pics.  You be the judge.  Anyway, on the way out (which is just beyond the gift shop, of course), I spied some other items  I'm going to need for my home--there were TIARAS for sale.  They were hundreds of Euo, but what else can I wear on my throne??

Off to the Eiffel Tower!  Pics from the deuxieme etage (second floor) to follow, but none from the top!  Too crowded to have time to get up the elevator and back down in time for dinner.  Bummer!  Kids were disappointed--and me, too--but my belly was wanting dinner more than the selfie at the top.  Also it was very windy.  And cold. "Brisk!" "Refreshing!" claimed the girls I stood in line with.  Hmph.  FREEZING, more like.  Dinner plans won out over getting up to the tippy top.  Next time!! Next time we get to the summit.

Well, time for  to get to bed!  Wake-up call at 5:00 am!  Gah!  Pray for my roommates.  Cannot guarantee a sunny disposition that early....  :-)

Monet's Garden and the Eiffel Tower

Royalty! Art! Cathedrals! Boeuf!

When one starts the day in a royal residence, a tone is sort of set.... How am I supposed to live life without a throne room?? I'm pretty sure that the throne room would be a fine addition to the yellow house--complete with velvet throne and gold filigree. Another gift idea!

We began the day at Fontainebleau, Napoleon's resting place on the way to Italy when he was inclined to leave Paris and head there.  He preferred it over the castles of Paris because it was "more homey."  Clearly, Napoleon's idea of "homey" and my idea of "homey" are not the same.  My homey does not have a ballroom... or  gallery with frescoes of my own self  in hunting and dining vignettes... or a throne room... or a tapestied bedroom with a petite little fence to keep out those I have not selected for my inner circle of servants.  Hm.  Obviously, a contractor will need to be alerted.  And someone need to get permits from the city of Herrin for me.  Tout de suite!  :-))

Next, a trip to Hotel des Invalides--Louis' hospital for wounded soldiers.  Today, it is still a convalescent home for soldiers, but also the final resting place for Napoleon and a museum for France's military history.  Got the obligatory shots of the altar and tomb, and then went off to the museum sections I hadn't seen before; the WWI and WWII installations were really interesting--we discovered we had stood in the same place Hitler had stood for his own money shot of the Eiffel Tower.  Eek!  Weird  and creepy observation.  Then we took a look at the Revolution exhibits that featured both the French and the American Revolutions, since the French helped us win ours.  All in all, even though I'd been here before, I found new things to learn and to see!  Good visit!  During my very pleasant visit, however, my friend and our sponsor Michaelann was at the American Embassy trying to get a new passport for one of our girls--whose passport was PICKPOCKETED!!!  Sacre bleu!!  Stay tuned.  She is still without a passport because the Embassy closed early (because it is Friday... and the weather is good... so everyone bailed... and they'll come back on Monday... probably...), but there is a plan in place and she will be fine.  No worries.  :-)

Then!  THEN! Sacre-Coeur was next on the to-do list.  It's the big "new" church on the hill outside Paris with the great view and the bright white stones--called "new" because it is only 125 years old.  A baby church!  :-)  I actually took a picture of the mosaics on the ceiling before the gendarme told me firmly that I was breaking the rules.  Oof.  Sorry!  Kind of....  It's always better to ask forgiveness than permission!!  I have  an actual pic of the ceiling of Sacre Coeur!  In my camera!  Rock on! Je gagne.  After some time admiring the cathedral, we wandered out to Place du Tetre where all the artists sit and paint portraits and scenery--one of my fave places in Paris!  I am bringing home a watercolor of some poppies (love the poppies in Europe) and also, for a change, some ink drawings of several places in Paris.  I have plans for all my pretties... assuming Hobby Lobby runs some sales!  Girlfriend will be BROKE when she gets home!  :-)

On to dinner--which is free--at La Poutre, called this because of the wood beams on the ceiling.  They served us boeuf bourguinonne (ugh.  Do not judge my spelling here.  I know it's off a letter or three... but it was YUMMY), an onion quiche, a fresh salad, and peach melba!  DELISH.  Very happy belly right now.  But the rest of me is exhausted and in desperate need of sleep.  Bonne nuit, mes amis!  A demain!!

Some Pics! From the Bateaux-Mouches and Dinner...

Addendum

Forgot my agonies from yesterday!!  First, my old reliable suitcase is on her last leg--one of her WHEELS fell off!  So anybody looking for Christmas gifts... I need a size 26".  Just throwing that out there.  :-)

Also!  I lost my little pouch that housed my milk pills, bandaids, and Dramamine.  Oh, la la.  No big deal--not like we're in the land of milk and cream and cheese or anything.  Walking on our feet.  Or on floaty-boat buses.  Whatevs.  :-)  But so far, so good.  Have milk pills in (one-legged) suitcase, and mind over matter for blisters and car-sickness.  I got this.  Bring the floaty-boats!

On to Hotel des Invalides today!  And then Fontainbleau!  It's about time I get to visit a castle--it's been over 24 hours.....  :-)  :-)

The Ecstacy! The Agony!

Today we began our adventures at the Trocadero Square, which is where one can take the money shots of the La Tour Eiffel!  We took our obligatory pics of the whole group, the leaping in the air with joy pic, the selfies, and the artistic turning the camera at funky angles pics.  So, check!  Eiffel Tower pics done.  On to the bus tour!

The bus took us all around the major sites of Paris to show us what's what.  We had a professional guide to tell us all the stories and all the history of France--and no matter how many times I've taken the bus tour, I always learn new stuff.  Delightful!  We went down the Champs Elysees, which is an amazing view--like in the movies, but in real life!  :-)  Both sides are lined with sycamore trees and FABULOUS shops (Louis Vuitton, etc.) which we could only admire from the bus.  Sigh.  The Arc de Triomphe is the jewel at the end of the Champs Elysees, and we got a good look at it from the bus as it circled... and circled again... in the big floaty-boat bus....  Deep breath of relief as we got out of the circle and onto the lovely straight streets.  :-)  It really is easier to see the Medieval structure of the city from the bus rather than on foot.

Notre-Dame was our stopping place, and it was as powerfuĺ today as it was the first time I stepped in there with Mandy O'Halloran nine summers ago.  The smell of the church is a mix of insense, candles, aged wood and stone, and something indefinable and French.  There is a hush in the sanctuary as people shuffle around, looking invariably upwards.  There is much to see upwards--the Rose windows, the Gothic arches, the blue paint with the gold-leaf stars that twinkle with the candles....  It is easy to miss the art at eye level in the effort to absorb all the beauty on the ceiling.  I always take a moment to myself in Notre Dame, away from the group, to spend some time with my sister and my God.  I light my candle for her and take a moment to reflect on the fact that it is because of her that I travel; losing her at 25 was a wake-up call:  life is very short.  Life is too short not to travel and to do those things you've been yearning to do and to see what God and great men have given our world.  Go get your passports!  Get on a plane!  Pray in Medieval churches--God has been listening to prayers there for centuries.  I'm sure he hears us better there....

Because the church is so close, I (along with one of my precious students and my Michaeĺann) hopped across the bridge and went into the SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY BOOKSTORE!!!  That's been on my to-do list for YEARS.  Pics and treasures purchased to follow.  Lunch today:  a crepe with ham and Emmenthal cheese that I ordered all by myself in French!  With a fizzy Orangina.  Yum.  Eaten outside across from the bookstore with a view of the cathedral and with the smell of lavender from flower garden....  Not a bad for a summer Thursday.  :-)

Next, we visited the Louvre!  Which was, as always, overwhelming and all too quick, and which is where my camera ran out of juice!  In my best French, I asked everywhere if they had my kind of battery, but no luck.  Ah, well.  My rìde on the Bateaux-Mouches was made more pleasant by just watching and relaxing and enjoying the moment.  

Dinner was weird!  But good!  Au Bon Couscous--Moroccan food and drink:  couscous with chicken, raisins, chickpeas, and a super-spicy sauce on the side (thank goodness!).  Dessert was yummy--sticky and figgy?  With maybe cassis?  Anyway, it was good pastry, served with a hot tea with MUCH sugar (or maybe honey?) And mint.

Just another day in paradise!  Wake-up call at 7:30!  Bonne nuit de Paris!!

Day one--Flight and arrival

We have officially survived the first leg of our journey!  The plane ride was unexpectedly easy--I planned to take my Dramamine to knock me out, but Mother Nature did the job herself.  I got all my gadgets and books all set up around me and promptly nodded off into my tiny pillow.  Not, mind you, that it was the very best night of sleep in my life; I would arrange myself all comfily against the window (score! Got the window seat!)  only to wake up scrunched down into a tiny English teacher ball.  But, anyhoo, my record of no jetlagging still stands!  We landed at about 2:30 Paris time, and hit the ground running.

First stop--the hotel, a trip made more interesting by the taxi cab strike being held today for a while.  It wouldn't be Paris if somebody wasn't striking for at least a piece of the day....  :-)  C'est la vie!  A little more traffic than usual, but we were not thwarted!  Hotel is small but clean--smells a little weird, but whatevs.  We're in Paris!!  Also, it's close to an ATM and a grocery store that kindly sells my favorite candy--Daim--a delightful toffee crunchy treat coated in chocolate.  Don't look for any leftovers....  A girl needs her walking energy....  :-)

We hiked the kiddies down to the Paris Opera House--the site of the Phantom of the Opera's unrequited love and deeds!!  We couldn't go in--they were having An Event, but we peered inside and then sat on the steps to enjoy some free entertainment. A brave fella was singing and playing his guitar near the steps--lots of Beatles' covers with mostly the right words--and then THEN he asked for volunteers from the crowd to take his guitar and sing a bit.  Never accused of being shrinking violets, our girls stepped up and sang a little Adele--and earned him more in tips than he was getting for himself!!  :-)

For dinner tonight:  a lovely egg and ham quiche, followed by some kind of chicken kabobs (curry??) with fries, and then a dessert of frozen custard.  The typical way to eat fries in France is with mayonaise, but tonight, no condiments of any sort.  !!!!  How are our American kids supposed to even eat these fries??  Seeing their consternation, our waitress produced a bottle of ketchup with a dimply and patient smile.  Sadly, in her effort to help us out, she only brought one bottle for a group of 45 hungry kiddoes... the kids were good to use it sparingly--mostly because "it tastes weird--like the dipping sauce at Mackie's Pizza."  :-)

On the agenda next:  shower!  Sleep!  Get ready to run our legs off tomorrow!  Au revoir, mes amis!

Nous sommes arrives!!

We've landed!!  Smoothest of flights ever!  Didn't even have time to play with my toys or read or watch the (pretty good, actually) in-flight movies!!  Snoozefest all the way over, merci Dieu!

More later! Dinner!  Sightseeing!  Leg-stretching!!

At the Airport!!

So our bus has gotten us to Lambert, and we're waiting for all the kiddies to get checked in. Confession: I LOVE airports!! The bustle, the people-watching, the shopping opportunities.... Tis all a delight. Am excited to get inside the main part of the airport where all the good stuff is!! More shortly--photo ops right now (of nervous Nellie flyers, ready, sort of, to get the show on the road)!

T-16 Hours

EEEEK!!!  I just KNOW I won't be able to sleep AT ALL tonight!!  I've been checking  items and tasks off my (multiple, bulleted) lists all day, and my bathroom scale is getting a workout--so far, even with all my clothes, bottles, electronics, books (Z is going with me!), etc., I'm under the weight limit (whew!).  Kitties have been deposited at their grandparents' house, mail and ferns and yard have their caretakers, and my bestie will be delivering me and my weight-compliant luggage to the school parking lot!  Have plastic and passport, will travel!

Can't decide what, exactly, I'm looking forward to most.  Tonight was book club night, and one of my dear ladies hugged me good-bye and with her bon voyage wishes, told me that we were doing a good thing, showing the world to our kids.  She knows that opening up the globe by traveling with these students will make them be life-long, fearless travelers--and, as she is about so many things, she is right.  I think, then, what I'm looking forward to most is watching the kids realize what all the fuss is about.  They don't know it yet, but tomorrow begins their careers as citizens of the world.

So, as I lay me down to sleep, I'll be dreaming of crèpes, gelato, and teenage smiles.  :-)  Can't wait!!

Packing! Preparing! Praying! Purchasing!

Just made the last of my pre-flight purchases! A new tiny keyboard that attaches to my tablet.  Am quite in love.  So far, my luggage weighs 459873958798579 pounds.  Must reduce.  After I'm finished playing with new tiny keyboard....

Take 2!

Currently typing from my tablet to ensure I truly know what I'm doing.....

Preparing for The Trip!

Test, test, test!  Checking to make sure I do, in fact, know how to work my own blog.