A Day in Paris by myself!

I thought myself very brave to catch the train back into Paris to see the Turner Exhibition at the Grand Palais on the Champs-Elysees. I walked from the station in Paris, St Lazare, to the Grand Palais, without much drama, asking a gendarme on the way if I was on the right track. He, and a few of his friends were guarding something very important. He was very tolerant of where I was pointing to on my map which happened to be just at the end of the street. Tourists!!!

The exhibition was worth the short queue. We were entertained by a man playing the clarinet at the base of the stairs.







Lovely to see the Arc de Triumph and the Place de la Concorde another time on such a sunny, very warm day.






On the way back I had time to have a look in some shops along the Bd Haussmann. I went into Au Printemps-Indooroopilly Shopping Town eat your heart out!!! The most beautiful everything with a price tag to match of course. I was waiting for someone to come and ask me to leave. Everything was sooooo sumptuous.

Ladies who lunch in France

A wonderful lunch with a group of women who get together to lunch! A mixture of nationalities, English, Irish, Welsh, American, Scotish-ladies who have married French men. Amazing to hear them drift in and out of English and French. The conversations were as varied as their nationalities.
A 12noon lunch that finished at 5.
The host for the day is Kay, on the left and my friend Elizabeth is on the right.
Wonderful to be able to have a look around Kay's house.A very old cottage that has faithfully been restored. She was very generous in letting the Aussie have a look around upstairs. There was a bedroom right at the top, quite spacious but you climbed a small ladder to slide into the bed right at the top.

Another wonderful opportunity to visit a village in Normandy with such fun company.

Rouen

Rouen is about a half hour drive from Boubiers. Lots of time to take in the Normandy countryside.A very modern church stands where Joan d'arc met her death. The cross I was told is where she was burnt at the stake.







We walked down the cobbled streets, lots of beautiful old buildings.
Also lots of lovely 'wee' shops to browse through. Elizabeth and her friend Madeleine ( who is Scottish) made wonderful companions for browsing on the 2 occasions we went to Rouen. We lunched at the same cafe each time. A line for buying the bread and one if you were staying for lunch. We bought olive and raisin bread to take home each time.





This building almost looked like lace work. Some of the buildings were badly damaged in the war, the resorations are still ongoing for some.




Walking along the cobbled streets looking up above the shops. Lots of interesting things to be found down the cobbled streets.

Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet

A beautiful day in Normandy.














































Driving through the village of Giverny

Finding time for a hair cut

Elizabeth dropped me off in a village, Chaumont-En-Vexin, close to Boubiers to have my hair cut. Thankfully she had time to come in and chat with the young girl who was to be my hairdresser. She had no English and me no French. At the appropriate moment she asked, Stop? and all was well!!

I had about 1 1/2 hours so walked around the village. Found a little market in a car park, bought a baguette at the bakery and wandered back to the cafe next to the haidresser to hang with the locals. Some were already sitting up at the bar drinking beers, chatting and watching me order a coffee.




My Hairdresser and Coffee Shop












Walking through the village



A house for sale in the Real Estate Office-Don't think the snow would be a selling point for me!




Walking up to the Church




Having coffee at the coffee shop. Elizabeth described my choice of baguette as 'ordinary'! Thought I looked very French.

Strolling Around Boubiers

Who would have thought!

Now you can learn how to pronounce it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114623996&sc=emaf

What was to be a short stay for Dick in Boubiers turned out to be nearly a week. But what a beautiful place to be stranded.

Elizabeth's Courtyard before dinner. It stays light for ages which seems to push the day longer and we have dinner late of course.


Elizabeth's house in the village - Boubiers, about 1hr from Paris by train





Why this photo- no planes!!