I love Paris

Who doesn't??? Well, I know there are some who don't but, vive la difference, n'est-ce pas?

I was fortunate enough to go this past December, by myself, not on a tour. It was the third time. First time -- 1977, tour. Second time -- 2006, tour. Just a couple of days both times. But this time I stayed almost a week. I have decided I need to do this much more often.

Although I did visit some of the "must sees", I decided I had to go to some of the places that weren't on the tours the previous trips -- mainly, the Musee D'Orsay, Saint Chapelle, and the famous department stores that I had never visited -- Galeries Lafayette, Au Printemps, and Bon Marche.

I also was able to attend a pastry class for amateurs at the Pavillon Elysee of the famous patisserie Le Notre (that these are available I found on the wonderful blog "Paris Breakfasts").






This is the place. All decked out for Christmas with pink lights!!! As its name suggests, it's right on the Champs Elysees.

Laduree, also on the Champs Elysees, had purple lights, although it's hard to tell from this picture.




Since it was raining (it rained practically the whole trip, but, I told myself, my feet are wet in Paris), I stopped in and had a coffee and a chocolate cream puff.

Walking down the Champs Elysees is another thing I did this time that I had never done before. The Hotel Georges V, which apparently merits its own metro stop, is halfway between the Arc de Triomphe and the Jardin de Tuileries.

The Georges V was featured in one of my favorite movies for Paris scenes -- French Kiss starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. Another great movie for scenes of Paris is American Dreamer with JoBeth Williams and Tom Conti. And the Crillon was the starring hotel of that movie.

But back to MY trip . . .

I really wanted to see the inside of the Musee D'Orsay. I had viewed the outside of the museum on the previous visit on a trip up and down the Seine on a bateau mouche.

Once a train station, the museum houses a magnificent collection of impressionist art. The two clocks on the facade are backlit once you are inside the building . . .





And although the location behind this one has yet to be put to use, the other is the focal point of the cafe. The ornate station clock inside speaks of the grandeur of rail travel in the past . . .




The impressionist works are housed on the top floor and although I wasn't able photograph the artwork, the views of the city are living art.





A gorgeous time of year.

Next posting . . .

Sainte Chapelle and other pics of Paris.

Plastic Bag Soapbox

I was delighted by some pastel string shopping bags that were spotlighted in one of my favorite magazines -- Romantic Homes (April 2008 issue, theme: French Style, ooh, la, la!).




These are the fiesta-colored bags and I like them even better. And, although I love to shop, and I love pretty things, the website where these are for sale -- Reusable Bags -- is disturbing. This website, in addition to selling attractive, reusable shopping bags, is devoted to informing the public about the environmental dangers of plastic bags. At the top of the web page, there is a counter of the plastic bags being consumed this year and about 100,000 are added each 30 seconds or so. I was feeling pretty smug about my plastic bag usage, because, after all, I recycle. Or so I thought . . . recycling these flimsy plastic bags is not economically lucrative and, instead of recycling, many are sent to third world countries to be incinerated.

I have been carting my water to work in a reusable plastic bottle, taking my sandwiches in reusable plastic containers, but ditching the shopping bags was something to do in the future, when it became a priority, when I wasn't busy with other things. Well, after reading this, it has become a priority.

It's hard. Stores have set up check out stations to be efficient and immediately on scanning your purchases, cashiers automatically put them into a plastic bag. I have to ask them to remove them because "See, I have my own reusable bag . . .that you sold me . . .with your store's logo on it."

We need to become aware of what we are doing to the Earth. Check the website, check your conscience. Buy some pretty string bags (made of organic cotton -- but that's another story).

A visit to the conservatory

I was talking to a couple of fellow commuters the other morning who are avid gardeners. Anticipating Spring, talking about what is coming up in their gardens and what inspires them, the discussion turned to Bartholdi Park's riot of colors last spring. So, I visited the park today to see if it had anything to offer in February.





Nope, pretty bare. Yes, that is the US Capitol dome in the background. Bartholdi Park is on the Capitol grounds.







The beautiful fountain is dry. And in spite of the blue skies, the wind is blowing and it's cold -- my jacket is not up to the task. But across the street, there is refuge . . .




the conservatory, aka the United States Botanical Garden. It, too, is part of the Capitol grounds. It's warm inside, even steamy . . .




Misters for the jungle keep it humid




If you prefer dry heat, they also have a desert.




And they even have a riot of color because right now there's a special display of orchids -- "an alphbet garden of orchids"




Pretty Miltonias with their pansy-like faces . . .



f - is for fragrance,





and these cattleyas are right at home in the "fragrance" display . . .









Orchids can take unexpected forms like this Dendrochilum . . .




Lady slipper orchids, like these, are my favorites . . .




The front gallery where this show is taking place has two rectangular pools lined with orchids




There's nothing like phalenopsis for a variety of color . . .
and they're easy to grow, too.

And while the park seems pretty dismal in February, a foretase of the spring display to come -- Snowdrops in bloom.