Exploring Europe

  Saturday April 2nd April fools...that would be me...a fool for returning to Paris when the weather is so unpredictable.  I am not kidding when I say that in the 5 days we have been here we have had 4 seasons. April first was extremely cold when I walked to the Louvre (4 blocks away) in snow, sleet and turn the umbrella inside out wind! I was Searching for my friend, who had the tickets.  Finding her was impossible.  Loads of people in dark coats covered heads and  umbrellas obscured faces.  Everyone indistinguishable from one another. A needle in a snow storm! When I could no longer stand the cold, I got in line and somehow got in the door without a ticket. Once there I could sign on to wifi and contact Roxanne who was still circling the I.M.Pie domes in bad weather!! The Louvre is all that you have imagined and more!  An endless u-shapped building dating back to 1200s. Formerly a palace that saw the reign of several until Louis the 14th transformed ...

 March 30, 2022 It rained quite a bit this morning. So, after a beautiful breakfast in the hotel restaurant, we crawled back into bed to wait for a break in the downpour.  By noon I'd had enough of our room and decided it was time we saw Paris...rain or shine!! We started our tour by walking to the Galeries de La Fayette shopping center where the city can be viewed from the rooftop. It was a good place to shelter from any bad weather. The walk was full of beautiful stores, eye candy galore and pastries...so many beautiful pastries!  My feet...both of them are not happy. I've stopped talking to them no matter how much they complain. How dare they decide that I should not walk as much as I desire!!  When I was here in 2015 they pulled the same trick and I ignored them and saw the city by foot anyway. It is frustrating to bring along such angry im"ped"iments. They are privileged to be making such a wonderful trip. Imagine the feet that have walked these streets over the...

 Airports in major cites are huge.  I appreciate the effort most airport architects must put into design and execution.  They could be sadist or comedians...perhaps a bit of both.  The hike to gates and to customs and baggage can be measured in miles. Or so it seems.  Wear comfortable shoes. Taxi drivers work hard. Most come from war torn or impoverished countries.  Many had to leave their home of birth to stay alive. Our driver to LAX was very friendly and asked us many questions. In the twenty minutes it took for him to get us to the airport we knew his history.  He came several years ago from Afghanistan with his wife and one daughter and five sons. In his country he was a successful businessman selling fur coats and hats. There he worked 5 days a week. Here he works 7 days a week with long hours.  He speaks 5 languages. His wife lavishes love on his two grandchildren and spends "too much money" on them. He tried having a shoes store...lost his...