13 Thursday Sep 2012
Another day in the countryside in a charming family home. Breakfast was a baguette and some tea. Lunch was plucked from the ground and made into ratatouille, served with a sweet cherry wine made at home and followed by a selection of cheeses
We drove 12 kilometers to the village of Pontigny for the Abby
Saint Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury has a shrine here
Next stop was St Florentin with it’s impressive stained glass. I was sure to sample a small Florentin cookie/candy which was delicious.
12 Wednesday Sep 2012
Woke up I the countryside and got an early start to get to Taize for the noontime prayer service. It was a moving experience to be with so many people from different places all singing chants of peace
Nearby, the town of Cluny had what remains of a very old Abby
Cluny Abby
Next stop was a castle
Following Burgundy’s version of a wine road, I enjoyed tasting fruity Chardonnay, Gamay and Pinot. I bought a bottle of Pinot Noir in the village of Chardonnay and learned how Louis XIV made Chardonnay famous.
We stopped in Tournus and saw a church built in the 900s
Tournus
The drive through wine country was picturesque, reminding me of home but scattered with many adorable villages.
Dinner was in Beaune, a perfect vacation spot for wine fans.
I took so many photos that I exhausted my camera battery. This blog post was created on the iPad with limited photos …. More to follow and be updated later
11 Tuesday Sep 2012
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I was on my own today. It felt good to be able to navigate the metro and the travel umbrella. It was a perfect day for a museum, but the Louvre was closed today, being Tuesday. I stood in a very long line in the rain… Speaking to nobody, observing everybody. A few guys were selling umbrellas. I had read that it was smart to get a museum pass to avoid the long line but it seems the pass must be used on consecutive days, and I plan on being in the country for the next few days so it seems I will experience more lines later in my trip. Oh well…. The people watching was actually excellent. A real showcase of cultures all getting along just fine with a common purpose, to view art. Politicians can learn a thing or two about diplomacy from international tourists.
I roamed around for a while without a map or audio tour… I am really not all that knowledgable of art… But when in Paris…
I was observing the posted no photo rule while all those around me snapped plenty of photos… So I didn’t get any of Van Gough and never managed too see the famous sunflowers. I finally made it to the 5th floor where they kept the good stuff and then I snuck out the iPhone and started to snap away – with a huge crowd of others doing the same. The impressionists Monet, Renoir and Degas we’re very popular
10 Monday Sep 2012
Posted in Paris, Travel, Uncategorized
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My first full day as a tourist in Paris was low key. My host went out and got a baguette and a chocolate croissant – not a bad start. Eventually, we made our way to the Bastille Metro stop – I really felt the need to see the Eiffel tower right away
My very first metro ride was quite entertaining – at the second stop a few musicans rolled a tiny PA onto the train and played some pretty jazzy tunes
This portable PA system was pretty awesome
When we emerged from the Metro we were suddenly in Tourist Central – every type of souvenir imaginable in many carts. Everyone had a camera and the buildings were all very impressive. I turned the corner and pow.. right there in front of me was the Tour Eiffel
I actually expected it to be much more crowded than it was – especially after reading in the guide books that many of the major tourist spots are closed on Mondays.
I was enjoying the statues – and so were the pigeons
Perfectly Parisian Pigeon
I felt obliged to take many photos of the Eiffel tower as I approached – they are all different angles, after all.
One would think to put on some pants before fighting bulls, no??
Here’s another naked dude, just hanging out looking at the fountains
The sky looked remarkably like the sky in Vegas’s Paris casino
Ok, here’s another view because I doubt anyone else has ever posted photos of the Eiffel Tower
Here’s my perfectly Parisian lunch at a quiet sidewalk cafe. I was happy this cafe had a view of trees and only light traffic
I had a much better shot of these two approaching, but some rude tourist popped out of the cafe and took my shot. I was going to give him my email address, but eh.. this one will do
This place looks pretty cool
Rue Cler – made very popular by Rick Steeve’s
Also picked up some berries to go with that cheese
10 Monday Sep 2012
Here’s some photos of the neighborhood where I’m staying. It’s pretty much a typical big city vibe here in the Bastille area.
10 Monday Sep 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
The apartment is in the Bastille area. It was the artist studio of my host’s great grandmother, meant to be a museum for her art work. It’s extremely Parisian
The dresser is older than my country and the red couch was a children’s bed from another century. It’s all very compact, as one would expect in Paris.
09 Sunday Sep 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
Leaving out of SFO was beautiful
Arriving into France – very exciting
Here’s the shadow of our arrival to Paris
I stayed up and visited until normal bedtime so I should sleep like a rock!!
07 Friday Sep 2012
The Paris trip is 18 hours away! It’s been months of excitement building to this point – It’s finally here. I do believe I’m ready! Next blog post will be from the Central European Time Zone!
I understand some of my friends are interested in hearing about my preparations… so here they are.. in no particular order;
13 Monday Aug 2012
Posted in Marin County, Travel
Tags
Marin Cheese Factory, Muir Beach Lookout, Muir Woods, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, Samuel P. Taylor Park
Marin Driving Loop
This is the final driving loop developed for Franco Charles Babu in 2009 and shared with multiple coworkers visiting from India over the past few years. This driving loop also begins in Petaluma. Note there is a minor change between point E and F – they should be swapped.
The Marin Cheese Factory does tours, and it’s interesting to see how cheese is made.
This is a great place to feed the ducks.
Marin Cheese Factory
Driving through the town of Nicasio – it’s very cute, it has a “Rancho” which is now a bar owned by a retired music manager and a semi-retired blues singer.
There’s an adorable little church in Nicasio
George Lucas lives in this area – nestled in the hills is Skywalker Ranch – where Star Wars was born. As you drive through the trees from Nicasio on your way to Samuel P. Taylor park, you may be reminded of one of the Star Wars movies where they were battling the Ewoks.
Samuel P Taylor park charges a day use fee of $6.00. This is a state park. It’s got a nice picnic area.
Picnic Area
I’ve noticed that my map is wrong – you should go from Samuel P Taylor to Bear Valley trail. Turn RIGHT when you get to the end of the road instead of left like the directions say. You will be coming back this way when leaving thee Bear Valley Trail. (Switch E and F on my map)
The Bear Valley Visitors Center at Pt Reyes is interesting – it is the center of the famous 1906 Earthquake that pretty much destroyed San Francisco. You can see the actual earthquake fault. There’s a nice hike from there also – if you feel you have the time – if you would rather drive out to the lighthouse from here than hike – that might be worth your time.
Leaving Pt. Reyes you travel through Olema, past Bolinas Lagoon, there is a bird sanctuary
Stinson beach is a cute little beach town. It’s normally foggy – but it’s a good beach to walk down. Free parking.
Heading South on Hwy 1 from Stinson Beach you climb the hill on the way to Muir Woods National Monument, (more Redwood Trees). I think they charge an enormous entry fee and there’s normally no parking. It’s extremely crowded.
Muir Woods website;
Muir Woods
Also along Hwy 1 is Muir Beach overlook… really nice view from there.
The drive takes you into Mill Valley and you can join the highway 101 to come home
13 Monday Aug 2012
Posted in Sonoma County, Travel
Tags
Chateau St. Jean, Jack London State Park, Ledson Winery, Mayo Family Winery, Sebastiani Winery, Sonoma Cheese Factory, Vallejo Home
Just on the other side of the hill from Petaluma is the cute town of Sonoma. The crowds of people that go wine tasting normally go to the Napa Valley, so there are less people in Sonoma, but still it is crowded.
This suggested driving loop was developed in June 2009 – posting now in blog form at Prasanna’s suggestion
Sonoma Valley Driving Loop Instructions
Sebastiani Vineyards is very close to town and well established. They have tours, or self guided tours.
I could not seem to map it – but Buena Vista winery is very close by from Sebastiani if you are feeling adventourous. If you are in front of Sebastiani… go to he edge of the parking lot and turn right… at the end of that road turn left – there’s a fork in the road with little white signs with names of Wineries. Follow Buena Vista. It’s the oldest winery in California. Nice brick building.
Buena Vista Winery Web Site Link
On the square in the town of Sonoma is the Sonoma Mission and the Sonoma Cheese Factory – both cool places to see. There’s public parking on the square and also if you turn right at the mission and make an immediate left (follow little blue parking sign)
Keeping with my theme, here’s the websites;
Link to Sonoma Cheese Factory Web Page
General Vallejo’s home is another piece of history preserved whicih may or may not interest you
Jack London State Park is nearby and to be honest, I’ve never been there but if you were in the mood for a little hike, it’s right there. Jack London was a famous author who lived in the area.
I like Mayo Family Winery because it’s very small … and they make great wine. This isn’t one of those huge operations. They have won awards… good wine, nice people. (Sidenote – I first wrote this in 2009 for Franco Charles Babu and since then I have found that the Mayo Reserve Room is very special, it’s expensive but they offer wine and food pairings that are wonderful)
Mayo Family Reserve Room
http://www.mayofamilywinery.com/ Mayo Family Winery Link
Chateau St. Jean winery is very pretty – I’m not a big fan of the wine
Ledson winery is like a castle! It’s hard to get a spot at the tasting bar but I think the place is so pretty
Now you are at the northern end of the Sonoma Valley and you could just come back the way you came, but you could also just continue north and end up in Santa Rosa.
Luther Burbank Gardens in Santa Rosa is just something I put on the map to make the driving directions loop – but it you like gardens, you may want to stop there. Luther Burbank was the guy who brought us the Santa Rosa Plum.
There is also a Charles Shultz Museum in Santa Rosa – he’s the guy who did the Peanuts’ comic strip – Charlie Brown, Snoopy, etc.
Dana Dahling - a beginner's blog 