A Month in Paris and a few weeks elsewhere 

There are benefits to a long stay like this month in Paris That are not apparent in the course schedule, purpose Become evident as time passes. With just two days left in our journey and seven weeks behind us I am aware of how at home I feel and the fact That returning to our permanent home is not urgent.  We-have Traveled Almost every subway line and can make transfers with a glance as we are swept along with the crowds. I am Such Treated with curtesy Each one because Because of age and cane and we know how to make connections with ease. Now we are on a railroad car to go to Reims and again we-have lost the anxiety of our first ventures. We just walk in to the station and the train to ease it like it is routine. (Footnote here is this process They Asked for our passports qui we have-nots-been carrying. It worked out fine goal Reminds us That we are still officiellement foreign.). We greet friends Who come to visit and find shops and streets with ease. This is what we hoped for. We Know That we are not Parisian aim We Can Those Who guide visit with ease. Kate Develops her language capability and the knowledge I Reinforce That I am lucky to Learned-have one language. Purpose-even with my language limits there is no sense of discomfort Being Surrounded by Reviews another language. We know the stores in our neighborhood and where to get what we want. The park is a place of comfort and familiarity. I Know That we-have not gone to all the museums and That is fine. Museums are fine and we enjoy going to some, purpose They Are not our objective. What Has really pleased us is walking through Neighborhoods and exploring the small streets and avenues. As the train leaves our Eastern and glides behind the city We Can Recognize Where we are and Where We-have-been. This is amazing and pleasing Both. I am so happy to-have Kate willing to share and to explore Both committed in my mission. There is no doubt That her presence HAS made ​​our stay Easier and more productive. I am not a solo traveler, I need to talk and share my thoughts. Her calming effect really helps. More as she is willing to just walk, wander, explore and as I am. She aussi connected with So Many of our European family And They brought` new energy and ideas. They added to the time We had and to our evenings and pleasure. We had one more week with American family members; the first week in Paris after-Bavarian our travels. They gave us a feeling of familiarity and the strange feeling of Being Their hosts. Which is why It was so large That Jerome and his family Invited to us Their home and gave us a true Parisian welcome and Stephane extended it to Brittany. There is Reviews another part of this trip That is so different from past long trips to Europe. It is the ease of the cell phone and the evenings When I share my photos. I get names and ratings from friends all over the world. Isolation is no longer hand of the experience. It has-been Replaced by sharing and caring. What an amazing change this is. So what stands out as we near the end of our seven weeks is not a place or a work of art; nor is it a gold flower store, goal Rather the sense of place. It is the elusive feeling of Being someplace and not feeling like a total stranger. It is the wonderful knowledge That I will miss Paris and it will always be a place Where I can spot Reviews some of my dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Munger Trail - Willow River to Moose Lake

Image
The Willard Munger Trail - named for one of the environmental heroes of MN is our neighborhood bike trail and the place I get my biking exercise and conditioning.  I thought it would be good to share some of its highlights and pleasures.  So here is a look at the trail and what I enjoy. The small towns that prospered during the days when the trail was a railroad track and the country moved by Steam Engine are just a shadow of what they used to be, but that shadow is filled with surprises and fun places to explore if you give yourself the time to engage in the setting, as well as the peddling.  Willow River is our little home town and the Mercantile is over 100 years old and still meets many of our needs.  It is a place for refreshments and Peggy Sue's is a local restaurant that makes a great lunch or dinner stop. There is also a local park that provides you with a sense of the RR past. The trail is very straight like most RR grades and lacks hills except between Rutledg
Read more

Sense of Place

Image
GOING NATURE’S WAY By Kate Crowley I am intrigued by the idea of Sense of Place; to feel completely ‘at home’ in one particular place.  I have read that people who grow up on the Great Plains feel claustrophobic when they are in forested environments and in reverse,  people who have grown up surrounded by forest find the openness of the plains unnerving, with nothing to break the view to the horizon. I grew up in the city, but the Minnehaha Creek and Parkway were just two blocks away and I spent countless hours playing and exploring there.  The city lakes were within biking distance. The Mississippi River was just blocks away from the apartment where I lived the first four years of my life.  When I was 36 I married Mike and moved to our current home and it was perfect.  When my dad first visited us in our new home, he said, “Kate must think she’s died and gone to heaven”.  This is where I am supposed to be.  Scientists who have studied the evolution of humanity have proposed
Read more

Rain threatens birds

Image
WINGIN’ IT By Kate Crowley As the floodwaters recede, a stunned and relieved populace can finally stop holding their collective breath. Throughout southern Carlton County and all of Pine County there is a sense of disbelief that only four years after a major flood event, it has happened again.  At our home we measured over 8” of rain in less than 24 hours. This is what the word deluge was meant to describe. Others said it felt like they were in the middle of a monsoon. Thankfully there was no loss of life in our region, but property damage and loss was significant for people who have in some cases finally recovered and remodeled after the flood of 2012, which was said to be a once in 100 years flood when 8 to 10 inches of rain were spread over three days. Here in Willow River, there was fear that the small dam holding back the waters of the river would fail, with catastrophic results. Roads throughout the two counties (and into Wisconsin) were hard hit and the cost to repair
Read more