Monday, June 20, 2011

The Best Video of the Trip

Getting a taxi in the evening is extremely difficult in Paris. We ended up giving on the Champs Élysées and taking the subway at 11:30 pm.

Earlier in the evening, as we were leaving the Eiffel Tower, Martha didn't even try for a cab. She secured one of those motorcycle rickshaws and the four of us crammed in, the three ladies in the open seat in the back with me squeezed in the front with the driver. Here's the very short video I took at the backseat as we began careening away.


YouTube Video


Location:Rue Saint-André des Arts,Paris,France

Eiffel Tower Sparking

Stunning sight.


YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Port de Suffren,Paris,France

Getting mooned along the Seine

Missed most of it. You can see them lifted their draws.

YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Port de Suffren,Paris,France

"The most romantic bridge in Paris"

According to the tour guide.

YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Port de Suffren,Paris,France

Cruising beneath a 400 year old bridge


YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Port de Suffren,Paris,France

Rockin' on the subways

Feel like I'm on the "A Train."


YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Rue de Rivoli,Paris,France

Yet Another Paris Church

Another Church, just blocks from St. Roch, has pretty poor curb appeal, but an impressive interior. Don't even know the names of the church, but clearly the church serves the Polish community.







-- Post From My iPhone

Mass at St. Roch's

I split off from the girls, who wanted to shop, to do some random sightseeing. I thought it might nice to find a church, since I slept in and missed morning Mass. Using google maps, I learned the closest church was the Church of St. Roch, right in the heart of the shopping area of Paris.

From the outside, it did not look promising. Homeless people on the steps with trash scattered about. I wasn't even sure it was open.

Turned to be a beautiful church on the inside. Huge murals over the many altars. It was uoriginally built in 1209, but the current structure appears to have been built in 1653. Typical of Europe that this amazing site is barely worth mentioning in tourist material.

Just as I arrived I noted the telltale signs of people rushing by me to the front of the church behind the main altar. Sure enough, Mass was about to begin.



-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Place du Carrousel,Paris,France

Paris Gardening Store

Went shopping today in a very unique gardening store. A little "high end," kind of like the old Smith and Hawkin. But what was truly unusual was the collection of stuffed animals on the second floor, everything from small rabbits to loons and tigers and bears. They even had a giraffe and a baby zebra. All formerly live animals. Prices ran up to tens of thousands of euros. Pretty creepy stuff. Picture of just one of multiple rooms below



-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Rue du Bac,Paris,France

A Rainy Day in Paris

At the corner of Rue Dauphine and Rue de L'Ancienne Comedie.



-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Cours du Commerce Saint-André,Paris,France

Sunday, June 19, 2011

More from the Parisian Flea Market


YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Avenue de la Porte de Clignancourt,Paris,France

More Singing and Dancing at the Parisian Flea Market


YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Avenue de la Porte de Clignancourt,Paris,France

Singing and Dancing at the Parisian Flea Market


YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Rue des Entrepôts,Saint-Ouen,France

Dancing at the Parisian Flea Market


YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Rue des Entrepôts,Saint-Ouen,France

Swingin' Jazz Fiddle at Parisian Flea Market


YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Rue des Entrepôts,Saint-Ouen,France

Edith Piaf Wannabee


YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Rue des Entrepôts,Saint-Ouen,France

The Parisian Flea Market Trio



YouTube Video


-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Boulevard Malesherbes,Paris,France

Parisian flea market

Charlie McCarthy and a friend.



-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Boulevard Saint-Germain,Paris,France

Paris Subway

Rumbling into the station.

YouTube Video

-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Boulevard Saint-Germain,Paris,France

Trying to Figure Out the Metro




-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Boulevard Saint-Germain,Paris,France

Nice brunch

The French know how to do brunch.






-- Post From My iPhone

Brunch at the Odeon

We returned to the Odeon for Sunday bunch. Scrambled eggs and bacon. It's chilly but sunny. Going to the catacombs. Apparently, not for the claustrophobic. Martha is anxious.








-- Post From My iPhone


Location:Cours du Commerce Saint-André,Paris,France

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Paris - Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral

I attended 8 am Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral on this somewhat chilly and overcast morning.  It was a very nice service, celebrated by two Black priests and with 34 congregants in attendance.  There is something extraordinary about the fact that the Mass is the same in every corner of the world, although it is very special in French.  I was able to follow the order of the Mass and the readings by using the "Breviary" app on my IPhone. 

Notre Dame is very similar to the Washington Cathedral.  Of course, it's probably the other way around. 

Mass was held in the front section with the congregation seated on either side of the altar. 

It was a pleasant way to begin our first full day in Paris.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Back to Berlin....Without my luggage

Arrived today for my second visit to Berlin. This time, I'm accompanied by my daughter, Bridget. It will be a combination of business and pleasure. I have business meetings in Berlin, but will go to Paris for the weekend, for my first visit to the City of Lights.

The first change I noticed from my last visit was how expeditious the arrival process was. We had a layover in Munich where we showed our passport. But there were no customs declarations forms to fill out. Just show the passport and move right on through. Berlin was even more expeditious, actually too expeditious.  We just followed the crowd off the plane, expecting to be herded to some large immigration line, followed by a customs line.  In so doing, we walked right past baggage claim and the next thing we knew we were outside security without our luggage.  Uh oh.  I knew that couldn't be good.  Going back through the exist would probably have caused them to shut down the whole airport.

Sure enough, we had to go to a special office at the other end of the airport.  After about an hour wait, we were told that our luggage didn't arrive anyway.  Over to another office at another end of the airport.  To my relief, they told me that the luggage was in Munich.  Didn't make the connection, but would be delivered to the hotel in the evening.  And that's the situation, as it exists.  Hope they are right.

Thanks to an unbelievably organized wife, I had a change of close in my carry on, so no stress.....yet.