Author: MaryG

Bucket List Progress: PARIS

~ MaryG ~ 8 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?
View all responses

Hello blogging friends. I’m back from Paris and it was definitely a highlight of the year! My husband was a real trouper and enthusiastically went “full tourist” with me. (I wasn’t sure if that would happen, but he really rose to the occasion, despite having bad knees. Thanks Mario!) I had been to Paris once during my semester abroad in Italy in the 80s, but I always wanted to return to Europe’s greatest city. I’m sorry Rome, London, Madrid…but Paris is just…PARIS. I’m extremely fortunate that this was my second bucket list trip of 2023. I also visited the Grand Canyon, for the first time ever, in June. (That trip was motivated by the passing of my dear friend from college in 2022. Carla loved the Grand Canyon and her ashes are spread there.)

But back to Paris. We bought six-day museum passes (at the recommendation of my new BFF Rick Steves) and saw a ton of stuff. Notre-Dame is still closed due to the horrific fire in 2019, but everything else was open and the entire city is gearing up for the 2024 Olympics. We had dinner in the Eiffel Tower, visited the Louvre, the Orsay, l’Orangerie, Sainte-Chappelle, Arc de Triomphe, Carnavalet Museum, Versailles, the Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb, the Sacre-Coeur, and the St. Germain-des-Pres. We took ubers, taxis and the metro and visited many neighborhoods including the Marais (my favorite), Rue Cler, Montmartre, Rue Monorgueil, the Left Bank, and the Champs-Elysees, which was all lit up for Christmas!

We ate in cafes, fine restaurants, Bon Marché (Paris’ oldest department store) and one Burger King. I’m very jet-lagged at the moment, but cannot resist sharing a couple photos.

The Eiffel Tower is painted a mustard yellow and they light it beautifully at night.
Sainte-Chapelle: stunning gothic, stained glass jewel
Enjoying the Champs-Élysées without cars. Arc de Triomphe in the distance.
The famous “Hall of Mirrors” in the palace of Versailles
Les Invalides (Napoleon’s tomb) in the beautiful City of Lights

Related posts:

Checking in from Paris

Street Scenes

Too much coffee?

The Makers

The Flinstones and The Phryges

Europe calls me – still

Google Translate tip

Be Inspiring. Be Likable. (And more Paris pics)

Experiences over stuff

Wordless Wednesday

Museum controversy

Paris

Paris Olympics: Venues Win Gold

Pop quiz

Checking in from Paris

~ MaryG ~ 2 Comments

What are your two favorite things to wear?

Bonjour from Paris! We’re having a great time, but it’s a little chilly. My puffy coat and headband are currently my two favorite clothing items.

They’re very busy getting ready for Christmas and the Olympics here. Very exciting! Sending good vibes and a delicious warm croissant to all of you, wherever you are around the world. 🥐 🇫🇷 🌍 ☮️

Family

~ MaryG ~ 1 Comment

Who are your current most favorite people?

Thanksgiving 2023

My family is the most important thing to me. If they’re OK, I can live my life and have fun doing things I like. If something is wrong with one of them, it’s hard for me to concentrate on anything else.

When I wake up in the morning, I sometimes think about all the people around the world who are struggling with so many things – from chronic pain or addiction, to loneliness, to war. I know circumstances can change for anyone, anytime, anywhere. I wish everyone could have at least one happy hour a day – pain-free, safe, loved.

On a related note, it’s been heartwarming to see some of the hostages released in Israel. The moment when they’re reunited with their loved ones is so powerful. I’m happy for those families.

Giraffes

~ MaryG ~ 4 Comments

What are your favorite animals?

I’ve always liked giraffes. I like their spots, their long necks and legs, their big eyes and eyelashes, and their gentleness. And the calves are so cute, wobbling around on those long legs. Maybe I’m anthropomorphizing, but I think giraffes are cool.

Now I know people have mixed feelings about zoos, but if an African safari is not in your budget, zoos are the only place you’re ever going to see a live giraffe herd. The very best giraffe exhibit I’ve ever seen is at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. You should make a point to visit, if you’re ever in the area. The giraffe exhibit is a real showstopper 🦒

Visiting the giraffes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, 2009

Related post:

Ginger the Giraffe

Drawing

Beach v Mountains

~ MaryG ~ 3 Comments

Beach or mountains? Which do you prefer? Why?

I’m a beach person. I love swimming in the ocean and sitting in the warm sand. I’m extremely fortunate to have a close and generous friend with a home near the greatest beach ever. Here’s the view of her beach, as you first see it from the dunes above.

Ah, beach

I do appreciate a mountain view and I’ve climbed a couple of them. My husband and I hiked/camped overnight in New Hampshire’s White Mountains a few times. (This was something he used to do with his friends before we met.) Man, that is HARD work. The exhilaration of reaching a summit is tough to match, but the pain of carrying a heavy backpack and trudging endlessly is not for me.

Atop Mt Garfield (elevation 4,498 ft) in NH in 1993
Same trip, different day
I think that was as close to a smile as I could manage with that backpack on.

And the winner is…BEACH

Sweet Potato Pie

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments

What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?

I make a pie that can be eaten for breakfast, dessert or snack. It was a hit at Thanksgiving yesterday and my son just had some for breakfast. I recommend buying some whip cream to spray on individual slices. (I like it better than the traditional “sweet potato casserole” with mini-marshmallows on top.)

I use Pillsbury pre-made pie crusts (in the red box); Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour
Sweet potatoes are a “superfood“
The hot pies smell great

Not Napoleon

~ MaryG ~ 1 Comment

If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why?

I was very excited to see the new film Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Joaquin Phoenix, because of my upcoming trip to France. We went on opening night.

Sadly, it’s not a good film. I’m sure it had a huge budget, but it just doesn’t work. My husband and I both fell asleep in different parts. It’s really boring, even with all those battles. I’m not sure what Phoenix was going for in his portrayal, but he comes off as a strange, quiet, boring creep.

The two most exciting scenes are when Marie Antoinette goes to the guillotine and when the soldiers at the Battle of Austerlitz fall through the ice.

Based on the film, I’d rather go back and meet Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France. I’d want to meet her during the fun Versailles years — you know, before they turned on her.

Catherine Walker as Marie Antoinette on her way to the guillotine in Napoleon (a bad film by Ridley Scott)

That Little Voice

~ MaryG ~ 2 Comments

Do you trust your instincts?

Yes, I do tend to trust my instincts. I’m not one to sweep things under the rug. The downside of that is that I sometimes overreact to things.

I think parenting is one of those areas where it’s important to trust your instincts. If you think there’s something wrong with your pregnancy, baby, toddler, child, teenager, etc., you should act on it. It’s better to be wrong, than to let a real problem go unaddressed.

Listen to that little voice inside your head.

What’s your birthstone?

~ MaryG ~ 1 Comment

What’s your favorite month of the year? Why?

June is my favorite month. It’s my birthday month and summer begins, which is a big deal in New England. Technically, summer starts at the end of May, with Memorial Day weekend, but kids don’t get out of school until June, so that’s when it really starts. Also, the summer solstice (the longest day) is on June 20, 21 or 22.

When we were kids, every girl knew her “birthstone.” I’m not sure how that got started, but it contributed to your feelings (good or bad) about your birth month. In my opinion, February has the coolest birthstone: amethyst. April gets diamond (which is actually a little boring). Other good ones are May (emerald), July (ruby) and September (sapphire). June was wishy washy. Sometimes it got “pearl” (lame! and not even a stone), but it often got “Alexandrite.” (I’ve also seen moonstone as the June birthstone, which is also lame. Though beautiful, moonstone is semi-precious at best.)

Nobody is really sure what an Alexandrite is, but apparently real ones are quite rare, valuable, and change colors (from pink to purplish blue). As a girl, I was given a birthstone ring with a supposedly real Alexandrite. I once wore it on a jungle gym and it got stuck on a protruding screw (oh the 70s!) and bent out of shape. (I dangled by the ring for a moment, then dropped to the ground.) A jeweler bent it back into a circle for me and I still have it. Occasionally, I wear it.

So, I love June. I just want to know if my Alexandrite is real and if not, I’d like a real one please. Mine does change colors, which is cool.

My birthstone ring

Boston’s best neighborhood

~ MaryG ~ 4 Comments

What is your favorite place to go in your city?

Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, particularly the Commonwealth Avenue mall, is my favorite part of the city. I worked in this neighborhood my entire career, starting with my first job after college at The Institute of Contemporary Art, when it was on Boylston Street.

Back Bay is so beautiful and so historic. Many movie scenes have been shot here. I’ve seen several of them underway over the years, with my closest brush with fame being a glimpse of Benedict Cumberbatch. He was shooting a scene for Black Mass at the Harvard Club. Cumberbatch played Billy Bulger, the brother of Boston’s most famous mobster — Whitey Bulger. I saw the film, but can’t remember if he got the accent right. They rarely do!

Commonwealth Avenue Mall by Robert Davis