End of Summer - a wedding and a birthday
:::: Pre- travel notification: we have been discusing this - should one or both of us die while abroad we do NOT want our flesh bodies to be transported back to this country for disposal. Ashes could be brought back (but not necessary - we are comfortable across the pond) - Thank you for respecting our wishes
27 August 2016
so okay I am a bit behind, it has been a rough couple of days.
Landed Thursday a little late (flights delayed) got the rental car and headed west along across the island. Stopped for lunch, Delta airline food was as bad as it always is, a small tavern by a public beach. Had a great moussaka with some local wine
That is Joan looking out from the deck of the restaurant
drove to Chania (or Xania) where we are staying for the next several days and spent hours driving around trying to get to our hotel; most of the roads are one-way and in the evening many get closed so the restaurants can set up tables in the street. Literally about 3 to 4 hours driving in circles 2 blocks from the hotel and no way to get there. Eventually parked the rental car in a parking garage across town and took a cab to the hotel.
so instead of arriving at 7 in the evening it was 11 oçlock local time - spent an hour or so drinking shots with my friends and off to crash.
Got up early Friday to retrieve the car - drove back to the hotel (bit easier without all the streets full of tables and chairs) and chilled out a bit (okay I figured, things will get better now we can settle in). Terry told us he and 4 or 5 of the guys were heading to a beach where there was a tavern where they have really freshh local seafood, cool, we said we would meet them there. Got lost for another 2 hours, stopped at the wrong beach, this was getting to be a bad habit, seemed like the trip was turning into being lost and driving and not much else. Well the second beach we found was the correct one, had a really good lunch of grilled octopus, fried squid, local red shrimp, and much raki (local moonshine). Ah this was more like it.
Up in the cliffs we saw wild black goats (I have a couple of pictures but they would not post well) and these white flowers growing out of the sand, very cool.
Then back to town to get changed, Terry’s parents were hosting a party for the out-of-town guests. A truely great feast, goat, lamb, chicken, spinach pies, roasted potatoes, salads, I lost track of the courses, mostly because I am a glutton and certain people wanted to get me very drunk. Bill kept pouring me shots of raki, but he was pouring himself shots of water. And one of Terry’s cousins (who I really got to like) was challenging me wine drinking glass for glass which is cool but he was not drinking moonshine only wine. I got smashed so NY was judged the loser to Crete (but it was an unfair contest - I will have a rematch!) - a great feast but I was not at my best.
Saturday - got up late, Joan was alredy out about town. I needed some cash and went out looking for a bank. Ran into Joan who wanted money for shopping. Together we found a bank, then headed to the market where she bought several pieces of linen. Walking around she wanted some grapes, the bunch she picked up was kind of small and the vendor laughed and said “that’s all you want, take it”’ tiny little champange grapes for free. I was still dehydrated from the over-ingdulgence of the night before and wanted a bottle of water. saw some liter bottles at one stand a picked up a bottle - how much I asked; six euro - six euro for water sez I (it is usually about 40 or 50 cents). he started laughing ( I looked at the bottle with no lable and said - this isn’t water right, this is raki (moonshine) a liter of moonshine for 6 euro, I had to have it
[edit - in Paris I realized it was not a liter of moonshine but 150 cl - a liter and a half, even better]
Eventually I got my water. All of Saturday’s planned events got canceled (dance lessons for the wedding, a trip into the moutains, all squashed) - Saturday was declared a day of rest; we had a 2 hour lunch at a seafood restaurant that Terry recommended, half way thru lunch he showed up with a 90 year old uncle and about 10 cousins. Nice way to spend the afternoon, eating fresh seafood and drinking ouzo, wine and beer. then back to the hotel where we hooked up with a bunch of other american’s in Crete for the wedding (I know most of them, Joan did not). Spent the rest of the day talking and drinking, and resting up - tomorrow is the wedding and I promised no drinking contests (but this is not settled, I will uphold New York’s honor another time).
sorry about the lack of photos, it has been a harsh 2 days, but I will get better.
30 August
okay - back in Paris, my home turf, good WIFI and sort of my home away from home. going to back up a few days, not a whole lot of pictures, I HATE taking pictures with my phone, next trip I bring my Fuji camera, oh well, I will do what i can this trip with the hated phone…
anyway so,
Sunday is the wedding, I need to apologize to the family, I am hung over from a 2 day binge, Joan is fuming, sort of my statis quo
we skipped the ritual of the kidnapping of the bride, and, after some rest and detox, showed up at the estate where the wedding would take place. Got to talking to one of the uncles after (actually many of them, I seem to have gotten a reputation) but this one Mercurio told me the estate was originally built by a Turk, he pointed out many architectural flourishes that meant it was turkish (I would not know the difference but I believed him). A pretty cool place, they had tables setup for 4 or 5 hundred people on this old estate
There were very strict rules about not taking any pictures during the wedding ceremony but as the night wore on the rule loosened up,
I know this picture sucks and if Terry ever sees it i will be banished from the partnership, I will never travel without my real camera again. Anyway that is the bride and groom and Terry’s mom (I could not believe her stamina - she seemed to dance forever).
I practiced the 5-step; the simplest of the greek dances but NEVER got out there dancing (guess that is in keeping with my nature).
They danced in a long ring and kept switching who led the ring, each leader dancing a different pattern and everyone followed, till a new person jumped in front and started a new pattern. As things wore on there got to be a ring within a ring. We did this (or watched at least) for many hours (Joan says we got back to the hotel about 3 AM - I seemed to have lost track somewhere) they were still at it and Terry said they would not quit till breakfast …
Chrysoula in traditional bridal outfit:
So that was my first real Greek wedding (or maybe Cretan which is Greek but also not Greek) …
Monday we headed back east from Xania to Heraklion - I plan on going back, maybe in February, summer is never my favorite time and the south Aegian makes that even more emphatic. - maybe in February I will lift a glass or a dozen with cousin Tsatos (forgive my spelling ;-) my friend and drinking competitor - and we will see whom is left standing.
Today was mostly traveling - got up at 5AM dropped off the rental car, and flew to Athens, then on to CDG and the train to Paris - 12 hours from hotel to hotel. Our favorite waiter is still at the Cafe Fountaine St Michele - he laugh when he saw us walk up with all our luggage from the RER/ Metro. Got our room at the Hotel des Saint Andres des Arts and Joan crashed. I headed next door to Vins et Terroir (formerly Gli Gline, probably our favorite restaurant in Paris) the manager asked after Joan, I told him she needed a bit of rest, maybe I could bring her by tomorrow. I ordered a bottle of Cotes de Provence and a 3 course dinner followed by a double espresso and a double Calvados - just like coming home.
will try to add some photos tomorrow (using the dreaded phone) - more to follow.
Wednesday 31 August
Got up earlier and read for a few hours, J is still conked out from the traveling I think. Needed to get out, so I hit a bank, bought a few bottles of water for the room, wanted flowers for the room but the flower market is gone (maybe moved, or just shut down, sad). A little after 1 o’clock we went out for a walk and some lunch.
The Latin Quarter was where the King’s musketeers were housed 300 years ago, last century it is where the students lived, not fancy but with a classic solidness. Stopped at a café with a Caribean theme. Joan had a large salad with feta cheese and chicken tandory style. I had a mixed platter, mostly cod done 4 different ways (tastey) but the real treat was boudin noir creole.
I eat blood sausage whenever possible, especially french (they do not use fillers like the irish and east europeans), what set this one apart from the common was the caribean spices, nice.
We walked down the Boulevard St Germain to the old church. St Germain des Prés was originally a monks monastery built in the 8th century (older than Notre Dame de Paris) though not so grand - just a monastery .
It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries - sacked 4 times over a 40 year period by the Normans (vikings) alone. Inside the organist was practicing, always a cool free concert when the organist practices, nothing religious just cool music echoing off thousand year old stone walls.
Leaving the church we saw Le Bonaparte - we’ve always had a soft spot for old Boney so we stopped in and split a bottle of Cotes de Provence
Sitting at the table sipping wine a Buddist monk came strolling along. I nodded to him and he nodded back and held up his bowl. I dropped in a 2 euro coin while he fingered his wooden beads and mumbled some chant. When he finished he struck the side of the bowl and it rang like a gong, not sure how that works, holding the bowl should muffle it but it was impressive; he nodded again and continued on his way. Walking back towards our hotel we stopped at Atlas, a more upscale restaurant about a block from our home base, we had coffees (and I had a Calvados, my favorite brandy these days).
We crossed the street and saw a placard on the wall which was pretty new (at least we hadn’t seen it in past years)
Reading that he was assassinated last January was kind of ominous, and when I googled him he was one of the cartoonist killed by the terrorist at Charlie Hebdo last year. You never know.
Now I am back at the hotel, drinking my Cretan moonshine and updating this log, Joan is taking a short siesta (?) I have a feeling I may have dinner alone again tonight ;-)
UPDATE: yes while she slept I went next door for a dinner (no pictures, I ordered escargot and confit de canard) but I left her a note and she joined me after a short time. after dinner we walked around and had ice cream cones- nice way to end the evening; now we are back in the room listening to crowd noise and New Orleans jazz from the street bands
á demain (until tomorrow)
01 September
It is a new month but still way too hot, cést la vie. Hit a laundry mat while Joan slept, found an old man’s bar and ordered café noir et Calva. In a restaurant if you order an esspresso and a calvados after dinner the espresso will be between 2 and 4 euro, the calvados about 11 euro. But in a café at breakfast time café noir et Calva (the exact same thing) is 4 euro total - gotta love it.
Joined Joan for breakfast: coffee with hot milk, hot chocolate, and baguette then we headed out for the day. Near the Odeon Metro station, the famous statue of Danton
He was sort of the Trump of his day. The intellectuals (Robespierre, Locke, etc.) were preaching a more democratic society for common people but Danton just wanted to overthrow the ruling class (both he and Robespierre were eventually guillotined)
Took the Metro to the northern areas of Paris and the Parc Monceau, a cousin of King Louis XIV, Phillippe d’Orléans bought up the land and dedicated it as a public park, and wanted to fill it with follies: a miniture egyptian pyramid, roman colonnade, a dutch windmill, a minaret, a temple of Mars, to be a bit of everything (poor guy he was also beheaded during the reign of terror following the revolution).
Walking south we passed some church that neither of us knew (will google it later)
and on to the Jacquemart-Andre mansion. You can stroll through the mansion, mostly preserved as it was (something like the Morgan Library in Manhattan), and renown for the kitchen/restaurant. Didn’t take any pictures of lunch, just one of the dinning room
and a few of the family’s living quarters - madams bedroom:
I was surprised by a backgammon set in the parlor
we spent about an hour touring the mansion and then the Metro back to St Michel
Down the block from our hotel the fountain of St Michael slaying the dragon, it is our local landmark, and the cafe next door is one of our favorite hangouts.
(a few glasses of wine and home to rest before dinner - Allard tonight, a hard place to get reservations for so we reserved a table 6 weeks ago, been a few years since we have eaten there, looking forward to it.
UPDATE: well not the evening I was hoping for. Joan had mentioned that Alain Ducasse had taken over the restaurant but I didn’t pay much attention. Checked out the menu earlier in the day and it looked about the same. Mostly I liked my dinner, complimentary cucumber salad with a mustard vinaigrette - Joan thought it was too much mustard, I liked it. We split a very nice duck foie gras. I ordered ris de veau (thymus glands of veal) and it was excellent and the sommelier recomended a Bordeaux for me and a Burgundy (lighter red) to go with Joan’s Ox cheeks. We both liked the wine selections. Joan’s ox was very tender and tastey but she thought her sauce was too over-powering. We did not stay for dessert or coffee. We walked down the street to have coffee in a street cafe and we were told the tables were for diners only. That is unheard of in Paris, you can stop in any cafe for coffee. Ended up walking to Blvd St Germain where we were allowed to order just coffees, cool, I added a Calvados to go with mine. Not a bad night but it should have been better. Now back in our room listening to the partying in the streets. The Latin Quarter is street music and drunks every night, mardi gras without the parades.
Tomorrow is another day, thinking of going underground to see the crypts - should be cooler down there, the heat is a real drag. more tomorrow
02 September
So I have always wanted to check out the catacombs http://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/homepage-catacombs-official-website
- the bones of over 6 million people, mostly arranged in decorative patterns such as the heart made entirely of skulls surrounded by leg bones. But to get down there is a stair case of 130 steps, and the public part of the tunnels is about one and a quarter miles and then more stairs back up to the surface - between my asthma and a bum heart not sure I could manage it.
So the crypt is an archeological underground site near the cathedral of Notre Dame - it sounds more manageable - going to find out. http://www.crypte.paris.fr/en/homepage
UPDATE:
So we are staying in Paris center today - set out along rue de la Huchette, lots of ethnic food: Greek mostly but also Italian, cous cous, frog’s legs, etc. Past by the shortest street in Paris, "The street of the cat that fishes”
Across the street is a famous Jazz club, but back in the day (the french revolution) - this was the hang out of the leaders of the resistance; they would bring in royal sympathizers, execute them and drop their bodies into a deep well - the basement rooms have been preserved exactly as they were during those times.
Then headed towards Notre Dame Cathedral, stopped along the way (like usual) at the Greek Orthodox church; last year we went in and Joan lit a candle for Terry and Chrysuola (bit of fore-shadowing there) today we only sat in the gardens catching our breaths - getting old is a bitch. Then on to the Cathedral de Notre Dame de Paris. The line was short so we went in, got pictures of St Therese (Karen’s saint) & St Jeanne d’Arc (Joan’s saint).
The first Friday of each month (whoa, that’s today) is a special mass at 3 PM where they bring out some relics (a nail from the cross, a sliver of wood from the cross, and the crown of thorns). Joan was definitely interested but we knew getting in would be an issue, by 3 the line would be very long. Went across the plaza to the entrance to the crypt - not nearly as cool (temperature-wise and maybe other-wise) as the catacombs, being 7 stories below ground the temperature of the catacombs never goes over 60 F there. At the crypt there was the actual village excavations from 2000 years ago, lots of historical info and in tandem an exhibit of gold (and some bronze and silver, mostly gold) coins from pre-Roman times through the French history. It was actually a cool exhibit but not cool temperature-wise, still 85 F.
At the end of the exhibit was an app that allowed you to format what a coin of you may have looked like if you were a roman emperor or a french king:
cool mustache?
anyway walked across the petite pont, one of the 9 bridges connecting the ille de cité with the main land. Had a late lunch (too late for 3 o’clock mass) and strolled back through the Latin Quarter. I love the old church of St Severin; they do not have more gargoyles than any other church, but for a (relatively) small place they have a great concentration of them
And again into the ethnic food district; if I had not just had lunch this small piglet would have been calling my name
A bit too early to head back to the hotel so we stopped at the fountain of St Michel to kill some time: Creme Brûlée (missed dessert with our lunch) espressos and Calvados - still too early to head home so a couple more glasses of wine.
mid-afternoon now, sipping raki (moonshine) and writing this while Joan has a siesta. Dinner plans still up in the air - good day so far - maybe the flea market tomorrow ...
03 September
Put the fllea market on hold and went to check out another of the royal chateaus: le Chateau de Vincennes. Like most of the chateaus it started life as a hunting lodge, couple hundred years before Versailles - more modest and sensible - where Versailles had furniture made of solid silver and woodwork coated in gold, Vincennes was built of stone and wood. Where Versailles had broad plazas as the approach, Vincennes has moats to keep people out.
The moat around the keep (dry now)
Still it was very impressive, the tallest keep in medieval times (over 53 meters tall), and many innovative embellishments.
Since it was the sturdiest place in the land, and based some of the king’s men-at-arms, the royal chateaus were often also the site of the prisons. Many famous upper class nobles who didn’t behave were locked up there for weeks, or sometimes years: Diderot, Maribeau, Jean Henri Latude, and the marqui de Sade who was given a life sentence for poisoning a prostitute but was transfered to the Bastille and released during the revolution (and many many lesser people - it was not uncommon for well to do families to petition the king to lock up a troublesome relative just to get rid of them quietly).
The chappelle is plain
but holds a tomb of le duc d’Enghien. A 31 year old royal with legitamate claims to the thrown, Napolean had him kidnapped and shot before a firing squad so there would be nobody in his way to declaring himself emperor .
Napolean’s soldiers left the body in a ditch by the mote but when Napolean was exiled Louis XVIII had the remains given a state burial in the chateau.
Mid afternoon we took the Metro to Place de la Bastille, the prison was torn down duing the revolution and now a column marks the spot
We had a nice lunch at the canal, then walked along the promenade
Then we took the Metro back to the left bank, nearly every day we stop by the fountain of St Michel for a few glasses of wine in the afternoon, and nearly every day we see the same stret musician playing an acoustic guitar.
He plays songs from Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, the Police, and others, as well as some original material - I always tip him large, I tell Joan I am supporting the arts, and live music. She has come to accept my eccentricities, I tip anyone we pass playing live music - this guy played some medieval stringed instrument - sounded cool
Back to the hotel for a shower and clean clothes (THIS HEAT SUCKS, never again will I go to Europe between May and October)
Dinner was next door at Vins et Terroir - I had miniture ravioli in cream followed by 7 hour lamb (extremely tender) Joan had a steak (which I helped her finish). Cheese cake, rasberry sherbert, coffees, Calvados, and a short walk
She is sleeping now, while I write up today’s adventures
04 September
Today the Marché du Puce - the giant Parisian flea market
Took the Metro line 4 to the last stop and walked north a few blocks.
the outer layers are all knock-offs of Nikes and cheap cloths intersperced with boths selling water pipes and other paraphernalia
worked our way in looking for any very old knives (I have 8 but always on the look-out), and absinthe spoons (used to be plentiful and cheap, now not a one to be found). Saw a vender with a machine that crushes whole oranges into juices, the same machine that our hotel in Crete had and it caught my eye. Pointed it out to Joan and she said, yeah look, and pointed to the awning, a Greek café
She had a coffee and I had a beer, back to strolling.
never did find an old cool knife (no surprise) or an absinthe spoon (that was a surprise - last year there were many) oh well, I did find (well she found) a small bowl which was low on my list but I still was happy to come away with something
if the writing on the bottom can be believed, 17th century hand painted - whatever, 3 euros and it is mine.
Found the same café where we ate last year, ordered wine and jambon de sanglier (a dry ham made from wild boar), followed by andouillette and frites (couarsely chopped stomach linings and intestines stuffed into the colon - has a strong flavor and some cafés warn off americans but I eat it when I can) Joan settled on the french fries and a little of the ham. At the cafe the next table over were two Scots, Alice and John. They were debating if we were British or american and asked us. That led to several discussions, where they traveled, where we traveled, what movies we like blah, blah, blah. They were apparently moving to spain - didn’t like the idea of the UK leaving the European Union and said spain was cheap (like New Yorkers moving to North Carolina?)
Gave them my biz card just for an email - actually ran into them at another cafe having pastis (very strong anise flavored liquor) - small world.
Then the usual: Metro to St Michel, some wine, stroll to the hotel, evening plans non-existent.
05 September
Today was the final day of our 5-day unlimited Metro (subway) pass, so we tried to hit a few different parts of town. Headed deep into the left bank to start, the Parisian “China town” Joan was hoping to find a particular tee shirt for her brother, one she saw on somebody on the Metro a day or two before. Didn’t see any tee shirts of any kind. Chinatown is a real misnomer - The district was restuarants of mostly indo-china origin (Many Vietnamese, then Cambodian, Laotian, Thai) really nothing to do with china, and not the street sellers like in NY, just restaurants - there was a nice park (seems every area of Paris has a nice park - somewhere to sit and catch your breath
and she did buy herself a pair of esperdrillas (canvas and rope shoes favored by fishermen and artists prior to sneakers) for under 6 euros - bought myself a pair on-line before traveling and they were in the $50 range so that was a bargin.
As a last resort, there was a sort of “mall” 130 stores (none of them were selling the kind of tee shirt she was looking for) but the interesting thing was on the roof of the building - we weren’t sure if there was on-going construction or if this was some kind of urban sculpture on top of the place. it did not have the look of real work construction - no cranes, no workmen, just stuff
Next the Metro to the end of Metro line 6 - and the Arc de Triomphe
We had both been there before but never climbed to the top, the rain was falling harder now and we did not climb this time either, maybe next year. The eternal flame to France’s fallen was cool, seen it before but some things you need to be reminded of.
So now it is after 1 o’clock and we are soaked and tired - lunch time and we do not have many hangouts on the right bank (rive droite). I picked a place and she said it was too ritzy and touristy - she picked a small place on a side street, good choice, had a long relaxing lunch and dried off a little. The rain let up some so we walked along the river heading to the Jarden des Tuileries - the huge open space west of the Louvre. She knows I like heights about as much as I like hot weather - not at all but she said this had to be her birthday present - what could I say, we did the giant ferris wheel
Wasn’t as scary was it was a few years ago, and i did get a few photos, even a topless Tour Eiffel (due to the on going rain)
Walking towards the Louvre the gardens became more formal, but we became more fatigued …
Ended up hiring a pedi-cab to take us back to St Michel for our ritual afternoon wine to end the outing
06 Sep 16
joyeux anniversaire mon amour vrai
we started out this morning for the Jardins du Luxembourg, with a stop at St Suplice, the second largest church in Paris
The Luxembourg gardens are a great place to do nothing, the Palace was built 400 years ago by Marie de Medici, widow of King Henri IV. The palace is now a government building but the surrounding gardens, fountains, and grounds are great for sitting, reading, feeding the ducks,… there are basketball courts, tennis courts, hundreds of statues; over the years this is where i come to when i need a break from museums and sight seeing.
No big plans for the day, we had lunch at le Bonaparte, afternoon drinks at St Michel and then did something new, took a sightseeing boat ride along the Seine; there are 37 bridges in Paris, and much history along the shores of the Seine - some pictures, no commentary here.
Joan on the Pont Neuf with a few of the “love locks”
Dinner at Vins et Terroir again, a quiet day for madame’s birthday and our last full day in Paris
until next year
