France – Thoughts From The Passenger Seat

2024, hobbies, leisure time, life, Memories, photography, Travel, Writing

10/23/2024 Hump Day Photo

Posted on October 23, 2024 by nancyb422

I shared a picture from a trip to Paris I took in 2008 here and today, I’m sharing another!

Poor Saint Denis! He was the first bishop of Paris back in the 3rd century when Paris was still ruled by the Romans. At that time, Romans were not the Christians we know of today and they weren’t very happy with the number of conversions to Christianity that Denis was accomplishing.

So they took him to the Montmartre area of Paris and beheaded him. It was said that immediately after he was killed, he picked up his head and walked six kilometers north before he finally died.

This statue is in the Place Suzanne Buisson, a lovely park in Montmartre. We came upon the statue as we were heading down the winding streets of Montmatre after visiting Sacre Couer.

We would see Saint Denis again above a door of Notre Dame and again inside the cathedral.

2024, family, friends, life, Memories, photography, Travel

9/18/2024 Hump Day Photo

Posted on September 18, 2024 by nancyb422

Going back to my first trip to Paris in 2007. I was with my sister, her daughter, and their neighbor.

This was from our trip to Notre Dame. We were staying just over the river in the Marais District so we spent a good amount of time in this area.

I remember we took a tour of the church on Tuesday and while we were waiting in line to go into the bell tower we met some college girls who told us the best time to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower was in the evening. They were right! It was beautiful.

We had already visited Montmartre the day before and I love that I had it in the background. The gargoyles were so much fun and I have so many pictures of them! I wonder if they are ok?

2024, family, friends, leisure time, life, Memories, photography, Travel

August 7 Hump Day Photo

Posted on August 7, 2024 by nancyb422

I took a trip to Paris in May 2007 with my sister, her daughter, and their friend. We rented an apartment in the Marais District from a friend of mine from California.

Our apartment was about four blocks from the Seine and after we rested, we took off to look around. It was amazing to see all the beautiful buildings and that famous river we’ve heard so much about!

I like this picture because of the couple stealing some moments together on the banks of the river Seine. It is one of the first pictures I took on our trip.

Before we left, I studied the Rick Steves’ book on Paris and came up with a list of places we might want to visit. Everyone was willing to follow my suggestions! We went to the Montmatre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Père LaChaise Cemetery, the Louvre, Musee d’ Orsay, and Versailles. We really packed in a lot of sights in 7 days!

Back then, I was taking pictures on one of those small Canon SD600 cameras. I don’t know what type of phone I had back then but it must not have been very good if I didn’t use it for pictures. I took 305 pictures, they are still in my iCloud photos and I still enjoy looking at them and remembering our trip which means another one from this trip might show up sometime!

2023, life, Travel, Writing

A Love of Travel

Posted on July 16, 2023July 16, 2023 by nancyb422

Are you seeking security or adventure?

I’ve spend most of my adult life working towards being secure. We have a beautiful home that is now set up for aging in place with an addition and full bath with laundry on the first floor. We’ve built up our remodeling business to be successful with a second generation in place. I think (oh, be more positive Nancy!), I KNOW I am secure so I guess that leaves adventure!

I enjoy adventure! Actually I always have enjoyed adventure. My travel or event motto has been “I’ll try anything once. If I don’t like it, I don’t have to do it again”. Win tickets to see a band play briefly at 7am in New York on the morning news show? Heck yeah! Tickets to a NY Giants football game the Sunday after thanksgiving and we’re in a suite and my husband won’t go with our son? Of Course I’ll do it! Drive in the pouring rain to get there? You betcha!

We’ve been fortunate to have taken some pretty fun motorcycle vacations and there has been a lot of adventure in them! They started as motorcycle trips and then the other female in the group of 6 and I got involved with the planning. They became vacations that we used motorcycles as transportation.

2013 our first motorcycle vacation to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was a side trip to Chimney Rock. Begrudgingly made by the “travel director”. This is when I knew he would no longer be in charge.

I’ve been a willing participant to help with the driving when my niece moved from Connecticut to Pensacola Florida and from Connecticut to Las Vegas with sightseeing trips thrown in.

2011 Pensacola Florida to drop off my niece’s belongings, spend the night and then drove on to New Orleans for a few days. She drove back to Florida and my sister and I flew home.

My husband was never as willing to “give it a try” but I think over the years because of our motorcycle trips, he’s been more adventurous so I now I have a read and willing partner. He even planned our summer vacation at a cabin resort at Lake George with our boat!

October 2022, on our Viking Cruise from Paris to Normandy and back with my sister and her husband.

2022, Memories, Travel

Riding to Monet’s Garden

Posted on June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 by nancyb422

My husband and I took a Viking cruise with my sister and her husband in October of 2022. We started in Paris, cruised the Seine to Normandy and returned. It was really magical! We both agreed our favorite day was the round trip by bicycle to Monet’s garden.

We started the day in La Roche-Guyon and visited the town for 2 hours before taking off to Vernon and Monet’s Garden. It was delightful and I’ll share that excursion at another time!

We met our guide on the pier and everyone taking the bike ride was fitted for their appropriate bike and helmet. I applauded all the people that rode but some would have been better suited for the bus trip there. Not being mean, just truthful. We had a bike crash before we even got over the river. On the green in front of the pier there were monuments in recognition of the Allied troops liberating Vernon.

The ride was about 3-1/2 miles both ways! Luckily there are bike paths that we rode on. We did have to cross some streets and that was a little hairy! We stayed up close to the guide so we could ride freely and not fear crashing into the back of someone.

Once there, we stopped at the Elise Saints-Radegonde de Giverny (church) and we visited the burial site of Claude Monet and his family.

Then it was on to the grounds of Monet’s home. What a breathtaking sight! I had no idea what to expect and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. The sun was shining and the flowers were all in bloom. The colors were so vivid, I don’t think it was possible to take a bad picture. I selected some of my favorites to share.

A sample of the flowers and boats in the water

I was just lost in the scenery. I wasn’t worried about losing my people, we were all doing the same thing!

We made our way to the house and the garden around it.

We had a half hour left before we needed to meet our group, so my husband and I sat and had a latte and a tart as a snack before our bike ride back! We took a different route back and we thankfully didn’t have to cross any streets.

We gathered at a park and our guide and her helper had cider and the absolutely most delicious macrons I’d ever tasted in my life. It was so difficult not to eat them all right there! After our treat, we rode back to the boat and said our goodbyes.

From there it was dinner and a walk around the top deck to take in the full moon and think about the bucket list day we enjoyed.