Schengen Area

Arriving at CDG/Paris last week I noticed the signs stating Schengen Area. There was no paperwork to enter the country only the showing of a passport. We lined up at the Foreign Passport line and not the Schengen Area Passport line. The entry through Immigrations and Customs was very simple. No papers to declare what you were bringing into the country. I did not understand the concept but since the question of immigrants from Italy into France from North Africa but now do. Travel between countries in this agreement is without immigration restrictions.

Paris in May

Went off to Paris for a week and have a few thoughts, pictures, details and stories to share:

The Air France flight over was uneventful for me but not Dominique Strauss-Kahn. I didn't see him taken off the plane but row 35 doesn't have quite the view of first class. The flight back was even nicer with Sean Penn on board but didn't see him either until baggage claim in JFK. Even row 11 doesn't have a good view of first class. The only solution to that problem is money! 'It doesn't cost any more to travel first class you just can't go as often.'

Had a wonderful week with excellent weather. Walked around the city, took the metro many times and the bus once [a first for me]. The Hotel Villa Luxembourg is on rue du Montparnasse, a section of Paris that I had never visited. It was a great place with numerous restaurants and cafés. My restaurant blog is filled with places to eat in that area.

Aside from restaurants, two highlights of the area are the Montparnasse Cemetery and the weekly market. The cemetery, though no way near as large as Père-Lachaise, is filled with the graves of important people in French history and pop culture.

Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir

The weekly market is held at the Place Fernand Mourlot in the 14eme. This is at the Edgar Quinet Metro stop. There were stalls with fruit, vegetables, clothing, cheese, soap, handicraft, hats, etc.

This was a great experience. Being able to see what everyday people have within their grasp. Fresh produce and the best of merchandise for one's daily life in Paris.







Another market we ran into was the biannual antique and used furniture in the area of Montmartre.

And then there is just walking around...my favorite pastime in Paris. So here is a mix of pictures, some labeled and some not. Enjoy! Go and see this wonderful city on your own.

...and how do I get out of this parking spot...

DaVinci Code stuff.....

Rose Line in Ste. Chapelle

North Point at Palais Royal

The short version of the Louvre Museum tour. 

Staircase in the Pyramid

Inner Courtyard

Mona Lisa

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Venus de Milo

RAW Rock Tour [CT]

Spent a beautiful sunny spring day with Real Art Ways on a ROCK TOUR with Dr. Robert Thorsen. We left RAW at 10am and returned about 2:30. 'Thor' led us through varied rock formations around the state. He is teaching at UCONN and is really the to-go-to expert in this area on geology and rock walls. Olu Oguibe the artist responsible for 'Mgbidi, New England field  stones', an installation from last year at RAW was also with us. We traveled to Somersville, Crystal Lake, Stafford Canyon, Storrs, Horse Barn Hill Road where we ate our bag lunches, and then on home via Bolton Notch.

blognote: Tora Buttaro was our group leader and the tour went off like clockwork [a unique clock! to say the least].

Montclair Art Museum [NJ]

The second part of our Wadsworth Athneum tour was a visit to the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair Center, NJ. The best part of the museum offerings that day was the Andy Warhol exhibit dealing with Cars. The docent was excellent and we learned a lot of new information on Warhol's work for the press. The rest of museum which specializes in Native North American Art was quite well done.

Edison Factory and Estate Tour [NJ]

Visited Thomas A. Edison's factory and Glenmont Estate in West Orange, New Jersey [shown here] today on a Wadsworth Atheneum tour. The house was quite large and Victorian. He lived here in splendor with his second much younger wife, Mina. When entertaining, he would leave the details to Mina while he snuck away to his laboratories. The factory and the laboratories were  down the hill and across the street.

bloginfo: We listened to music played on the original machines.