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EUROPEAN TRAVEL: AIR, SEA, LAND

One theme of European travel is just getting there. Once there more themes kick in. Why? Why not. So far it’s been riding bikes, cruising rivers and canals, the clocking miles and miles on my shoes and sandals. I’ve been practicing bike riding in the gym, not for leg conditioning but seat conditioning. The plan […]

FRENCH PRESS IN THE MORNING AND RICK STEVES HISTORY

I noticed the French press in the sidewalk restaurants one Paris local said cost $100K in fees for table rights. Tight stadium seating from one place to the next looked formidable, but not to Rick Steves fans. Stadium seating? All eyes forward in most cases, but what’s to see? Traffic, on foot and in cars, […]

BOOMER LOCKDOWN: TALKING ‘BOUT MY GENERATION

The saying of ‘you get a better look at America from the outside’ has never been more true for the coming boomer lockdown. I’m on the outside, the France side, and I finally found the right look I’ve been searching for. What I see is the Eiffel Tower showing it’s dazzle, like the biggest continual […]

PARIS PURCHASE: WHAT YOU CAN’T BUY

The most important Paris purchase on a mission to harvest cultural material? It’s a bad question because the big things aren’t for sale. The key is remembering the important parts.

NOTRE DAME UPDATE FROM OREGONIAN IN PARIS

How do they fix broken stone and burned timbers? It looks like this:

FRENCH TRAVEL WITH OREGON AND IOWA

French travel started out bumpy. I found my seat on the second plane, the long haul plane out or Minnesota. But it was occupied. That’s no way to start. Simple adjustment, right? But the lady had the same ticket for the same seat. At least that’s what she said. Then we all looked at our […]

PARIS RIVER: HOW WATER MAKES THE CITY

The Paris river divides the city like the Willamette divides Portland. But instead of an Eastside / Westside divide, Paris goes with Right Bank and Left Bank. One method means knowing the compass, the other is much more simple. Think of finding a place with directions that include east, west, north, and south. I’m already […]

PARIS NOTES AND LESSONS LEARNED, SO FAR

The top pic is the view from the hotel window. One block of Paris notes to work from is not enough, but it shows a consistent theme. I’m picking my new apartment out in these buildings, except mine is on the back side, the Eiffel Tower side. From my window there’s a tower view of […]

WHAT TOWER TOWERS OVER EVERYTHING? ONE GUESS

Some Guy said he ate lunch underneath everyday because it was the only place he didn’t have to look at it.

BRAGGING ABOUT COOKING SKILLS? NEVER, BUT IT STARTS WITH A DRUMBEAT

Bragging about cooking skills is worse than listening to someone else bragging when you know you’re better. The only thing worth bragging about is keeping people out of the emergency room after eating something you cooked. I don’t brag about my cooking skills for a reason, and it’s not because I’m serving raw or burned […]