OK, Let's Jump to the End of the Trip - Vienna!

After 2 months in Paris, then a week in Budapest, Leslie and I made our way to Vienna for a brief stay before flying back to Paris to catch our flight home to Vermont.

Only a day and a half in Vienna, we walked our little tootsies off, enjoyed some modern art (and a special show by her long ago professor at Pratt, Alex Katz!) in the architecturally gorgeous Albertina Museum. Let us not forget the lunch in the museum's excellent restaurant (not to mention the "not to be missed" bathrooms!). Oh, and the first night, we enjoyed a show that gave us a fun sampling of classical music, opera, and ballet, and great fun with the camera.

I will go back one day. For now, enjoy some photos. Please note that for some idiot reason, there is a big black blank spot in the middle of the slide show. When you reach that point, please just put your cursor on the slide button and advance it to about 3 min 30 second spot and view the rest. I will get better at this. I promise. Budapest and Paris is yet to come!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca6Zc30KhVg

Wendy

Very simple post, thanks to Marcella, about just one little piece of our day yesterday.
Check it out: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/05/24-1

We would do well to do these kinds of events in the U.S. to help bring people into closer touch with the sources of good food.

I'll add more later. xxoo Wendy

Paris - From a New Point of View

Bonjour et Bon Paques, even though a bit late! There are little Easter eggs and bunnies in all the shops...mostly chocolate bunnies in the patisseries. Delightful.

Arrived on April 1st. No fool here. This IS the place to be this time of year!

My trip was smooth and lonnnnng. Pleeze! remind me to NEVER again get a flight from Burlington to Chicago to Frankfurt to Paris. What was I thinking??

Amazingly all the last minute snaffus at home got worked out, the tank from the solor hot water system, is now fine. The security system got installed. The locksmith got me back into my house ($95 later) and all the tax forms got completed and mailed in, both for Dan's estate and my own taxes. Whew.

The BluVan connection went just fine. Because of traffic, I probably waited about a half hour to 45 minutes. There were a few others waiting, too. It was funny to see all the people on the side walk holding their computer printed confirmation email in their sweaty little hands. So, I knew I was in the right place.

The apartment was a welcome site, although getting settled was strangely silent without the bit of hustle and bustle that would happen when Dan and I would be unpacking, sharing excitement, and deciding how long we would nap before walking out into the neighborhood to get reacquainted with the place. Comfortable and beautiful, though. A nice place to be.


Paris has been cool, although pretty mild today. I'm glad I took my raincoat liner.

This first week is a strange, take-it-easy kind of week as I feel the absence of my very best friend and love, Dan. After much consideration, working to get details attended to around his estate, I decided to move forward and do the trip that we had planned to do together. I am in the process of finding a new rythym and a new way to be "myself," and no matter where I am, that process will be going on. So being in Paris feels like a good place to be to continue the discovery and finding a new peace.

My friends Véronique and Frédéric have been very welcoming with their emails, Skype calls and then invitation to their home on Easter Monday. And I got to meet my "new French boyfriend," Clément! Pétit Clément is now 3 months old, and what a handsome boy he is! Of course, he has just the perfect parents to help him grow into the healthy baby he is.



Véro prepared a lovely dinner for us all and I contributed a chocolate fish fill with goodies from the nearby patisserie. From what I understand, the fish in April has a special meaning. Well at least it does on April Fools Day, or Poisson d'Avril. The prankster will stick a paper fish on his unsuspecting friend's back then delight in the trick he has just played. The friend walks around unsuspectingly while the others can just laugh. Fred and Véro and I could just laugh at the silly chocolate fish all tied up in a bow.


Wendy