Today we explored Evora more in depth. We began the day with a City walk including a talk at the local university, and a visit to the local cathedral and the small Franciscan Church of San Francisco, also know as the chapel of bones.
We later spent midday at a local Portuguese Cooking school where we prepared lunch for each other, half preparing appetizers and first courses and the others preparing the main course and desert. The wine flowed, so did the laughter, it was a delightful meal.
Yesterday we traveled from Lisbon through the countryside to Evora. The weather was gloomy and rainy most of the day. Surprisingly our stops included a welcomed break in the rain.
We explored Arraiolos, a village with a quaint museum of ancient tapestries. Midday took us to Monte da Ravasqueira, a delightful complex with a great Carriage Museum, a winery including a delicious lunch and a gift shop where we purchased some excellent wines.
By mid afternoon we arrived at our hotel, Pousada Convento de Evora. Built in 1485, a hotel since 1965. All in all, a delightful day.
The weather has cooperated over the last couple days. The showers have evaporated for the most part, except for the occasional squall. Our last two days have been unexpectedly nice.
Yesterday was the first day of our Portugal/Spain tour with an orientation walk. The evening was focused on the Bario Alto neighborhood and a tapas dinner. Our fellow travelers are a good group.
Today we went to Sintra. This was our second visit to the area but it felt as though we had never been before. After a nice lunch in Sintra, we drove to the Pena Palace, an expansive hilltop castle built on the ruins of an ancient monastery. It was built by Don Fernando II. It is also a World Heritage Site.
We arrived mid afternoon yesterday after a two hour flight from Paris Orly airport to Lisbon. We were pleased to be greeted by mild weather.
After settling in, we decided to explore our immediate neighborhood. The mix of old and new (or renovated) seems everywhere. Little shops and restaurants are only a block away from the stores featurering Global Brands.
After a great night’s sleep, we decided a walk was in order. We decided to explore the hilly Alfama District, one of the oldest parts of the city.
We refreshed ourselves on the subway system and four stops later we were at the waterfront facing a daunting climb/walk/hike up a formidable hill to the Se Cathedral, originally built in 1150 AD. It was damaged over the centuries by three earthquakes and finally rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake.
Next we continued our walk farther up the hill top of the Castelo fortress and the old neighborhoods nestled against the walls. It was a rewarding walk that made sure we knew we weren’t in Paris anymore.
The rewards for scaling these hills is view after view.
Total distance 4.7 miles, 22 flights of stairs.
It was a particularly cold but clear day with a bitterly cold breeze. We were determined to make the best of it and visit a couple of old favorite sites we have not seen in a very long time.
Our first stop was Sainte Chapelle, built in 1242 to 1248. Today it is considered to be the most beautiful church in Paris. What is remarkable is the enormous volume of glass and light. It is truly stunning.
Our next stop was Musee Jacquemart Andre. A private residence that became an art museum bequeathed by the owners. It holds an extraordinary collection including paintings by Rembrandt, Botticelli, Uccello, and several others.
Upon arrival we decided a bite to eat was in order and we took advantage of the museum’s wonderful cafe.
Now the house and collection.
You cannot go to Paris without a visit to the Arc de Triomphe.
Today’s walk: 5.4 miles, 16 flights of stairs.
Tomorrow we fly to Lisbon for the next leg of our journey. Thank you Paris. Hello Portugal!
Much love to you all,
J&J
It was yet another cold but sunny day in Paris. Today we literally hiked up to one of the most popular and scenic parts of Paris, Montmartre and its glorious Basilique du Sacre-Coeur.
Next was a visit to the neighborhood of Belleville. Another hilly area settled by working class people for centuries northeast of the City Center. It was made popular by the beloved Edith Piaf, who sang on the streets of Paris as a girl and was widely popular during her life. Today, it’s still a diverse working class part of the city.
Soon it’s time for lunch. Our favorite in the area was closed but we stumbled upon a new discovery and managed to get a table. It was a delightful surprise. Add this to your list when you next visit. Moncoeur Belleville 1, Rue Des Envierges 75020 Paris, http: moncoeurbelleville.com
It was a fun day with a long walk through a part of Paris many visiting folks overlook. Walking distance was 5.6 miles and 20 flights of stairs!
Tomorrow is our last full day in Paris. We will be spontaneous since we have no plans at this time. Monday we fly to Lisbon for our next adventure.
J&J
Today was another great day. We visited an incredible museum, Musee Marmottan. The collection is housed in a 19th century mansion. It’s the largest collection of Monet’s paintings anywhere in the world. It was the gift of Michel Monet, Claude Monet’s son. The collection included Monet’s personal collection of Camille Pissarro, Pierre Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley.
It is a “not to be missed” site by any art appreciation visitor to Paris. Photography was permitted without flash much to our surprise. Here’s some of our favorites.
Apologies: The collection included too many to record details.
The Monet’s:
The Water Lilies: (and at least a dozen more)
The House:
And of course, we rewarded ourselves with lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Brasserie Balzar!
Following lunch we walked back to our apartment. Total distance, 5 miles.
It was another chilly day in Paris but the sun was out again making all things brighter and beautiful. Today we decided to visit another old neighborhood, the Marais. Due West of our rented apartment in the Bastille.
We love the variety of history and architecture, the jumbled narrow streets, the unique shops and restaurants, and its quirky character.
Tonight, dinner at one of our all time favorite restaurants (below). Bon appetite!
Today’s walk 3.8 miles.
We woke up to chilly morning sunshine and decided to explore the city of light with a walk. We hopped on the #68 bus from the Bastille Opera House to the Eiffel Tower where we would start our walk.
We wandered through the shopping neighborhoods, Rue Saint Dominique near the Effiel Tower and the Esplanade des Invalides.
As the noon hour neared, lunch was on our mind. And near by was an old favorite, L’Ami Jean, 27 Rue Malar, 75007 Paris (Reservations 0147058689). It has been several years since our last visit. We were pleased to see its become quite popular with travel writers and food critics and we were able to be seated without a reservation. Lunch was excellent.
Time for more walking. We made our way over to where Paris all began, Ile de la Cite. It was like visiting an old friend. Notre Dame never looked better.
Just north is the Hotel de Ville (City Hall)
Heavy winter rains caused flooding in Paris recently. The waters have receded somewhat but many roads and walking paths are still under water.
Note: our total walk was just over 5 miles. Time for wine!
Black Panther
This is another hit from the Marvel Studios folks. This one explains generations of kings of the African nation of Wakanda, the secrets of the royal family and its court. And there are more than a few who want to over throw the king and his family and so on…
The acting is quite good. Chadwick Boseman makes a perfect King. Michael B. Jordan is even better as the rival. Lupita Nyong’o is great as the guardian warrior. Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett both deliver their characters. There are at least another dozen actors that round out the cast. The visual effects are quite remarkable. The script is unique with several nice surprises.
Both critics and audiences like this film. So did we. It was refreshing, new, different and inventive. We saw it on a giant screen at the Empire Theater on Leicester Square. The film is rated PG-13 for prolonged scenes of action, violence and a brief rude gesture. We noticed a sizable number of youngsters in the audience. It is listed as an Action & Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy. It runs 2 hour, 15 minutes.
Rating 
Early Man
From the Aardman Animation Studios, this stop-motion animation is about the clash between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. The animators used 273 puppets in the production. Its ultimate focus pits the two tribes in a “football”/”soccer” game and the stakes for the cave men is their home valley. It’s no mistake the valley is Manchester!
It has the right mix of silly, naivete, charming and intelligence. The commentaries on the then/now social culture are a hoot.
The leading voices include Eddie Redmayne as the voice of caveman Dug. Tom Hiddleston is the voice of Lord Nooth. Maisie Williams is the voice of Goona. Timothy Spall is Chief Bobnar and Nick Park is the voice of Hobnob. At least another dozen English actors round out the cast.
It’s rated PG for rude humor and some action but there is nothing there to keep the kids away. In fact, in our audience, the kids got the puns and humor without missing a step.
The grenre is listed as Fantasy/Action. It runs 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Rating 