Travel – Page 11 – JimJohn.net

Travel: Paris 4, Montmartre, and Belleville walk

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.

The church dome overlooking the village artist’s square.

The exceptional beauty of the iconic church.

The view overlooking Paris from Montmartre.

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.

This church was often where the young Edith would sing on the streets for passing locals.

If you listen carefully you can still her Edith singing.

This plaque is mounted in front of the house where legend says Edith was born. Historical records show it was the hospital nearby.

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

Classic traditional cafe with innovative food, attentive service and affordable. It’s popular with families.

John selected a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for us.

John’s main course was a creamy mushroom risotto with watercress.

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

Travel: Paris 3, Musee Marmottan and the Latin Quarter to the Bastille

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.

Gustave Caillebotte, Rue de Paris, 1877.

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.

Travel: Paris walk 2, the Marais.

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.

Small by Parisian standards but elegantly serene neighborhood church.

A small period Palace repurposed for today’s needs.

One of our favorite spots in Paris, Place Des Vosges shines in the winter sun.

Four classic fountains await Spring and water!

The Marais is one of the oldest and still vibrant Jewish quarters in Paris.

Leaving our favorite Middle Eastern lunch spot. Note the John Wayne swagger!

One of dozens of peek a boo views in the Marais.

The iconic Pompidou Center is starting to show signs of age but still houses a world class modern art museum.

The ever changing examples of public art, this installment near the newly rebuilt and massively expanded Les Halles complex featuring shopping, entertainment and sports venues.

Tonight, dinner at one of our all time favorite restaurants (below). Bon appetite!

Today’s walk 3.8 miles.

Travel: Paris Walk

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.

Angel atop the massive bronze column in front of the Bastille Opera House.

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.

Notre Dame from the sunny side of the afternoon.

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.

Look closely at the bottom of the photo and you can see the road under water.

Ile St. Louis with stairways to the Seine River.

Note: our total walk was just over 5 miles. Time for wine!

Travel: London, A walk by the BAFTA’s and More

We learned this morning the 71st BAFTAs are tonight! BAFTA stands for British Academy Film Awards. It is sometimes an extra clue to the upcoming Oscar awards. This is the second time we have been in London for their awards. Both times by accident. The first time was several years ago at Leicester Square. This year is it being held at the Royal Albert Hall.

Here are a couple shots from today.

The Royal Albert Hall where public audiences are already gathered hours early.

The Albert Memorial is across the street.

Scores of reporters await access to the Red Carpet.

Morning coffee and a movie at the massive Westfield Shopping Center in Sheperd’s Bush.

John enjoying ramen at a favorite spot, Wagamama.

Jim at the Queen’s Gate in Kensington Gardens.

Travel: London February 2018

Good Morning!!

We started our late winter sojourn in London. Cool comfortable days with chilly nights. Spent Friday getting acquainted with Central London. We went to see the movie Black Panther at the massive Empire Theaters on Leicester Square.

Today it is expected to rain so we will head to the massive Westfield Shopping Center where there are 450 stores, two giant movie complexes and dozens of restaurants.

It is our last day in London. Tomorrow we take our first “Chunnel” to Paris where we have rented an Apartment in the Bastille neighborhood.

Here are some photos from our walk yesterday to the famed Borough Market South of the Thames.

Monument to the Great Fire of London opened 1677.

The Shard is now a 95 story landmark of Modern London. Tallest building in Europe.

Morning view of the Tower Bridge taken from the London Bridge, the ever changing skyline beyond.

The interior of the Southwark Cathedral dates back to 1207 AD where Shakespeare prayed while his brother Edmund rang the bells.

The famed and massive Borough Market with its food stalls, thirsty customers and fancy food shops has been operating for over 800 years.

A giant red balloon hovers over Covent Gardens, another iconic market, for an extended Valentines Day.

Belgo for lunch is one of our favorite restaurants in London. Belgian steamed mussels and frites and a pint of Belgian beer!

Travel: The Big Island of Hawaii, part 2.

It’s been super busy this week. We flew home last Monday and spent much of the week catching up on errands like paying bills, groceries, social commitments and such. We finally had some down time to edit photos. We hope you will enjoy.

Hawaii Part 2:

Chilling after lunch at Foster’s Kitchen, Kona

Cousin Niki at the opening of an ancient lava tube.

Time to relax on a warm breezy afternoon.

Massive active caldera at Volcanoes National Park.

Travel: The Big Island of Hawaii

We are visiting family on the big island of Hawaii! After a 6+ hour ride from San Francisco, we arrived to warm sunny skies and tropical breezes.

Yesterday we went for a drive to the North Shore, lunch at Bamboo in Hawi, then continued our drive before returning via the West coast to our cousin Niki’s home.

Here are some pixs!

Looking South down the coast from the highlands.

The end of the road in the morning mist, Pololu Valley Lookout.

Azure seas and Lapakahi State Historical Park.

Front yard view with Mauna Kea in the background.

Travel: Christmas Eve 2017, Wisconsin

Christmas greetings to everyone! It is Christmas Eve in Wisconsin. It is our first Winter Christmas at the lake house. The temperatures are below freezing and there is light snow on the ground. The lake ice is already thick enough for ice skating and winter sportsmen are already staking out space for fishing.

We received some feedback requesting more photos of John and I, so we will be adding more personal photos whenever practical.

In the meantime, we are enjoying the winter scenery and hope you will too.

Happy Holidays to all!

J&J

Dinner at Zesti, Hartland, WI. Front Left to right: Howard, Kay, Lucy, Jim, John, Jennifer, William, and Matthew

Granddaughter Lucy and Grandma Kay preparing traditional stuffed artichokes.

Grandson William and Grandpa Howard in the den.

Travel: Teotihuacan, City of Water, City of Fire exhibit de Young Museum, San Francisco

Just a quick update to all before we zip off to Greece and beyond tomorrow.

We had just enough time this week for lunch with our long time friend Kathleen Granderson. Here’s a great shot of the City from the Alameda shore.

We also had just enough time to squeeze in a look at the Teotihuacan exhibit from Mexico at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. It is an exceptional collection dating back to over 2000 years old and never seen before outside Mexico. The exhibit is showing through February 11, 2018.

This collection was discovered in 2003 in a long tunnel under one of the old pyramids outside Mexico City.