Month: October 2025 (Page 1 of 2)

Sam’s second concert of the year was the Area Festival. It’s mostly promotion to keep kids in the music program. They gather all grades 5 – 12 and have them perform together to show the growth they can achieve. This year his school gathered at Ralston Valley High School.

All advice said to arrive 3 hours early for my flight. I woke up before my alarm and had no reason to delay the morning. I packed and left hotel before their breakfast service, around 5:15. It was raining lightly while I schlepped my luggage back to the shuttle, and back to the terminal. By 6:30 I was at my gate with 2 1/2 hrs to wait. I thought there would be a Monday morning rush, but I must be ahead of the crowds. The business lounge is great to have in these situations for food, WiFi, and quiet. I found a corner with outlets and ate breakfast slowly while watching some sewing and ballet videos. I’m glad I put my Annie Bouquet project in my carryon bag! My sock knitting project is good for planes and short bursts only (it gets boring).

After 4 gate changes I got on the plane to Frankfurt. The pilot said there was a lot of traffic. In Frankfurt I purposefully walked in circles for exercise and had lunch in the lounge. I wasn’t sure how to handle sleep. I wanted to stay awake the whole flight so I can sleep when I get to Colorado in the evening. But, as Sam says, sleeping is time travel. I aimed for a good nap after the meal service to match the plane lighting, and I got about 3 hours. The seats were spacious and comfortable (except the headrest).

it was a very long and bumpy descent into to Denver as usual. Immigration/customs was smooth and Ben picked me up with comforts from home! He brought me a large icy water, peanut MMs, and a hoodie! 💜 Now I’m home. I had a relaxing shower and watched an anime with Ben. Sam and Jack are taller than I remember. It’s good to see my three boys again. 💜. Except for the nap, I’ve been awake for 24 hours. I want to read/watch online a little bit before I go to sleep, but I’m having a hard time. I have disembarkment syndrome so the room is swaying and bobbing. I hope it goes away soon! Tomorrow I’ll tackle my laundry.

That’s the end of my tale! It was a remarkably smooth trip with plenty of happy occasions and great experiences. Good night!

This morning, it was daylight savings ending for Europe, so I got an extra hour! I had breakfast downstairs like usual, and then spent quite a while repacking my bags to fly home. I needed to check out and have the hotel hold my bags until I retrieve them this evening. I finished the job pretty early thanks to the extra hour. Sunday mornings are lazy in Paris, so I slowly made my way to Les Halles where some brand name stores might be open soon. It was a very strange mall set up and I got lost looking for a couple particular stores over and over. I’m really happy that I found the German (?) home goods store called Søstrene Grene. They had so many great affordable items!! I tried to hold back but I turned a corner and saw yarn!!! I did some back of the hand math to get enough of this thin cotton to make a lightweight summer short sleeve tee.

Before this trip, I found a vegan patisserie chain called Land + Monkeys. We hadn’t been around their locations yet, so this is one of the reasons I came to Les Halles today. Oh my!! The chocolat chaud with oat milk was so good!! The best hot chocolate I could drink without concern in years!! I’ll be honest, the pastries were subpar for Paris. I still enjoyed them and the lack of pill supplementation.

I needed to make my way northwest for a museum timed ticket. Along the way I enjoyed more art nouveau architecture in Samaritaine and popped into a cathedral across from the Louvre. I didn’t plan to visit the Louvre this trip, but the metro station made me feel like I did for just a little bit! Whoa, they have so many artifacts they just toss them in the public underground??

My parents and the internet highly recommended this museum, Jacquemart-Andre. I really liked it! It’s the home of a wealthy couple with a large art collection curated by the wife. They also have temporary exhibits and now it is Georges de la Tour. He was a painter specializing in chiaroscuro in the 1640s. Stef couldn’t use her ticket today and they don’t take refunds. I told the agent I had an extra ticket for a single person to use and she and the group in the “sans billets” line burst into excitement. Apparently I solved a problem. The joyful old woman from Berlin told me I was an angel and we chatted merrily while she pranced up the cobblestones to scan in on my phone. With the merry start, I was in a good mood and really enjoyed the mansion.

My next target was a well reviewed banh mi shop. It was ok, but I wouldn’t go back there. The shop I love in Broomfield is called “Paris Banh Mi” and Im glad to know that I can eat a better there on my special sandwich days than in actual Paris.

during lunch I got an update from my friend. Our plan was to meet in the afternoon when she was done with Versailles for a quick hello to the whole family. She thought she was going to be back in Paris around 3 o’clock. At this point she told me we could meet near her hotel at 4 o’clock. I know there were some complications with getting their camper van parked somewhere, and she seems to run late a lot of the time. I had made a list of ideas last night for what to do today in case I had some free time. There were a couple museums on my list, but I don’t think I could go there without rushing through. Studying the map, I saw that the Palais Garnier was between me and our meet up point. I knew there were several shops around there. That would be fun to look through. Everyone told me the shops are closed on Sunday, but that seems to be only the small, old-fashioned businesses. It would’ve been great to explore some passage ways today instead of these brand stores, but I was happy to have anything open!

it was time to meet my friend, and I was almost there. It was a quiet neighborhood unknown to me, but familiar because of the naked ladies and monuments 😉 unfortunately my friend messaged me that she wouldn’t be able to make our appointment. She tried to come up with another plan and negotiate, but I didn’t have time. I needed to get back to the hotel for my luggage and get to the airport hotel before it got too late. It’s ok though. We have spent a lot of time together this week, and I know we will keep writing in the future, so I’m happy with the way things ended.

Before going to the hotel I made a stop at another Land+Monkeys to warm my hands and get food for dinner. On the metro, I noticed a woman with a water bottle that had an Enhypen and Seventeen sticker on it. I haven’t seen a single symbol of K-pop this whole trip! I was very nervous to mention it, French people don’t seem to talk to strangers, but I was actually listening to a seventeen song at that very moment, and couldn’t let the opportunity slip. It turns out she’s a 22 year-old au pair from Oklahoma and we like a lot of the same groups! Was super excited that I said hello. We got off at the same stop and continue to chat for a while. She even walked me down to the street to the café and we took a picture together! Engenes and Carats united! It was a very sweet way to end my visit in Paris.

I sipped my hot chocolate while reviewing the airport route and retrieving my luggage. With my huge IKEA bag of dirty clothes I made the trip to my hotel without too many wrong turns. I had my vegan Mediterranean sandwich (tough bread, delicious fillings) a citron tartelette (meh). and a “cigare” from a middle eastern shop in the fancy GL food shops (soooo good).

More packing, a little rest, a lot of planning, a lot of photo editing and blogging, and now I’m ready to sleep! I have to wake up around 5AM, but approximately 20.5 hours later I will be home! It’s been an amazing adventure with so many good memories. But I really miss home and I look forward to being there very much!!

I made a short list of things I want to leave behind: 1) perfumed soaps and lotions and people and rooms 2) complicated trash sorting required 3) so much dairy! 4) having vertigo swaying when at rest from all the time on planes and trains.

And a list of what I miss: 1) my family. 2) my bathroom 3) dancing / yoga 4) ADA compliance codes 5) having a large drink with me all day 6) wearing sweatpants and a hoodie.

Once again, we had a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and then met downstairs to leave for Versailles! The train ride there was fairly easy and pleasant. When we arrived, it wasn’t clear where to lineup. Stefanie went for clarification and was told that the palace opening was delayed and that we should enjoy ourselves in the garden. Second guard explained further that there was a technical problem and they expected it to open, but in the meantime, we were free to enjoy the gardens. So we did that! It was a brisk day, but I was delighted to find a rainbow in the sky! The gardens are vast and they must be amazing in spring and summer. Despite the season, I managed to find a lot of beauty in the plants, and of course the sculptures. Around 1030 we made it back to the palace entrance and we’re told that they continue to have trouble. They said the palace will “ remain closed until midday, at least.”

I was secretly delighted. This is what makes traveling in adventure! In fact, Ben and I are enjoying an anime called Zatsu Tabi which emphasizes this aspect of travel. I felt satisfied that I saw the gardens, that I had been to Versailles, and now I had a reason to return to Paris someday. My companion was much more upset. She had planned to go with me today, and also with her family who are meeting her for another week of Paris. She tried to reach out to them to figure out if it to go with them tomorrow, because the staff told us our tickets would be good anytime today and anytime. She tried to encourage me to come back with them tomorrow, but I firmly told her I was quite satisfied and did not want to spend another day in Versailles. On the way to the train station, we paused for some refreshment and to sit and research. I really wanted to eat a banh mi sometime, so I looked up some potential restaurants. We also thought it might be useful to see if we could use the tickets, we have for tomorrow at a museum today instead. With the plan in place we headed back to Paris. First, we went to the restaurant, and after settling in, when they took my order they said they do not any ANY banh mi today! So we backtracked a few blocks where we had passed a string of Middle Eastern restaurants. We found a nourishment at Kouskous, which was really good!

on the way to the museum I stopped at a clothing shop they only have here. The green blouse I wore to the ballet is from this company, Sezanne. I was hoping to see some more items in person and maybe check my size for future purchases online. Unfortunately, the store is bad reviews were earned! For some reason, they keep most of their merchandise in stacks on the wall, and you have to wait in line to get someone to pull them down, and they frequently don’t have sizes or colors. They were hardly any options to look at on the racks. Disappointing. This was followed by another disappointment when the museum would not honor tickets for today. Thus it was decided that I would come alone tomorrow to our appointed time, and Stefanie would spend tomorrow morning with her family in Versailles, we will meet up in the afternoon. Actually, I was hoping to have a day to myself in Paris, but my companion was very insistent while planning this trip that we spend 100% of our time together while I’m here. So I’m kind of happy about the change of plans, and looking up destinations for tomorrow by myself.

We took a train (got slightly lost, google was misleading) to the southeast for a museum that was on my list for possible empty periods, the Musee Carnavalet. On the weather, we passed by an another random, amazing, very old monument (this city is chock full of them!) and stopped at a patisserie for a pastry (the city is chalk full of them!) Afternoons are not the best time for walking slowly through museums, but I quite enjoyed it! This was actually my first museum of the trip. It was really well laid out with a lot of interesting artifacts. We walked through chronologically from the ancient times to the 1900s.

We walked through the shops of Le Marais and bought matching brown sweaters at Muji. Suddenly, it was pouring rain! We’ve been doing good this whole trip! Just a few sprinkles here and there. Luckily, we both had our rain jackets. We zipped up and shuffled to the nearest good looking restaurant (this city is chock full of them!) I ticked off another menu item on my list of things to eat in Paris, French onion soup (without cheese gratin), and rounded out the meal with a steak, potatoes and salad. The rain pretty much stopped, and we made our way back to the hotel, passing by the monument for which our hotel’s street gets its name. We sat in the lobby, sharing photos and recalling good parts of the day, and talking about our ambiguous plans to meet up tomorrow afternoon after she and her family come back from Versailles.

Ha! I got my post done before midnight! Plus it’s daylight savings change tonight for Europe, so I get a bonus hour of sleep! I’m going to do a little more research for tomorrow and then hit the hay. À bientôt!

(I’m having tech problems tonight, I recommend you go down to the next post to read and see the first half of the day and notes on the second, then come back for the afternoon and evening pictures here.) (also, in case it wasn’t clear, only my companion enjoyed wine tonight!) (I’m not sure what I wrote, I’m so tired. Signing off after these upload!)

By Stefanie’s request we purchased at the breakfast option at the hotel, so we started our day with a hearty meal. The weather was colder than planned. When I was packing for the trip forecast were hovering between high 60s low 70s in Paris. Alas, today, the high was 54° and windy. At least no rain! So we rearranged our plans to visit Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, so Stefanie could get a hat. The stores are packed with designer goods with a beautiful dome ceiling. I probably bought the cheapest thing there, a single crescent moon earring for €19. We went to the Terrace on top for our first look at the Eiffel Tower today (many more to come). We continued our shopping down to the Passage

(the mobile version of this website won’t let me edit sections if I click out. So this looks weird and I’m goin to backtrack)

before the passageway, I made a stop at Book-Off, that secondhand bookstore we discovered in Japan that often has K-pop goods. The New York store didn’t have any, and I haven’t seen a single K-pop idol since I arrived, despite all the fashion and perfume ads. Surprisingly this one had a large collection of old albums. But no other merch, and the photo cards they had were pretty poor quality. Mostly fakes and dirty pieces, lots of copies of unpopular idols (Taeil).

. . . Passage Choiseul where there are many unique shops. I would have eaten at any of the restaurants in there too! More my familiar style of a quick sandwich, bowl, or wrap in a casual setting, lots of Asian choices too! However I had in my mind that I should have a quiche today. We found one outside the passageway, but not before I stopped in Annie Bouquet to get more wool! Mom purchased this kit for me when she discovered the shop on her trip to Paris. Rather than request for additional supplies by mail, as the shop owner had offered, I brought it myself! Annie (?) the owner was so kind! I explained in broken French the reason I was there, and she was delighted to help me. Not only did she want to give me more dark green, the color I needed to resupply, she decided I needed several more and reached here and there in her cupboards to find the exact matches. I also asked her how to finish the project to make the finished case. She brought out an example and gave me detailed (which I filmed a recording of her hands while she spoke so I can remember how to do it.)

Lunchtime! I found a veggie quiche and a delicious (but far too big) pistachio and apricot tart. Oh my gosh, it’s already 1115 at night. OK I’m gonna do less typing and more photos. After our café lunch, we walked over to Notre Dame (the sun came out!!!), the stores in Ie st Louis, and then got in line for our tickets for.Sainte Chappelle.

and then we went to the Cathedral. It was gorgeous absolutely stunning.

We took the metro to Les Bateux Mouches for our boat tour. I got a citron et sucre crepe on the bridge to warm my hands. Stunning views were had while on a boat. Enjoy the pictures in the next post. I’m having tech problems tonight and I don’t want to risk losing what I have so far by reloading. So let me continue typing and I’ll post pictures separately.

after the boat ride, we walked to the Eiffel Tower to get a closer look. We didn’t really have a plan at this point, it seemed a little early for dinner. So I suggested we walk over to Rue Cler and have a look around. Most of the shops were closed, but I was surprised how many were still open. The cheese shop, the butchery, flowers, and many takeaway shops. I bought macarons to eat later. I also had a good laugh at the products inside this American store called the Real McCoy. They had a huge stock of canned pumpkin! We double back to an Italian restaurant we had earlier and had a long dinner. I ordered lasagna, which came with a huge amount of cheese on top. I tried to scrape most of it off, but let’s just declare today a cheese day between the lasagna and The quiche. I encourage my friend to have a glass of wine because she was eyeing it. She really loosened up and we had a great conversation. Maybe because of the wine, it took a while to pack up and pay 💰 the bill and exit the restaurant. We walked over to the Eiffel Tower to catch the sparkles at the top of the hour Enjoy more photos in the next post!

(I’m using dictation for this, because it is already after midnight. We were out late at the ballet, and then I indulged in my separate room with some time and catching up at home. Anyway, the dictation might seem different than my previous posts is all I’m trying to say.)

this morning we woke up extra early to drive with rush-hour traffic to our train leaving at 8 AM. It was raining heavily. The TGV train to Paris was very nice! We had first class seats that were wide and comfortable. I enjoyed watching the French countryside change from forest to fields as we got closer to the city. I was surprised the route took us all the way to Bordeaux! So I practically went from one side to the other. I wish we had been close enough to see the western bay. According to the train conductor, because of the rain our train was slowed. So instead of a four hour journey, it took a little over six hours. We had a simple lunch on board from the café in car four.

now I am in my final destination, Paris! The metro ride to our hotel was fairly simple, our hotel is in a great location thanks to my parents recommendation. Our rooms were not ready yet. So we dropped off our luggage and started walking around town. Already we found a beautiful kitchen/dining shop, a vintage clothing shop ( nothing I was interested in purchasing), very spooky Halloween stores, and a patisserie that I could not resist. Oh, but before shopping we got food! Stephanie was so excited to see a Thai restaurant that had Chinese food. She lived in China for three years and says Toulouse, does not have any good Chinese restaurants, only a couple take away places without seating. At this restaurant, I had a chicken peanut satay that was so tender and delicious, Served over green curry rice. Oh, the rice! We eat rice, maybe four times a week or more. I didn’t realize how much I missed eating chicken and rice with chopsticks! So after the shopping and dinner, we got a call that our rooms were ready, and we went upstairs to refresh ourselves before going to our big event of the day…

… tickets to see Giselle at the Palais Garnier Opera house! Swoon! Aside from the exterior being under construction, it was perfect. The theater is magnificent. I was gob smacked by the opulence and beauty. I left in that one blurry photo of me because it captured a girl behind me making a face like I felt. We arrived plenty early to walk around the palace and soak up the architecture. Of course, I had to look closely at the costumes and admire the craftsmanship and creativity involved. Then there was the ballet itself! Absolutely exquisite. The footwork was so articulate and beautiful. Our Giselle had the most lovely lines. Everything was light and airy, the jump so high the beats so crisp. At intermission, we chatted with a couple behind us, an older couple married 10 years, one from France who was a dancer and had auditioned to try to get into this company, and the man from the UK, who said their love of dance is what brought them together and that they go to see shows here often. They were very and offered some insight. When we introduced ourselves and I said I was from America he said “obviously” not sure if he was joking or insulting me, but at least he was smiling. Some interesting things about the experience: the audience doesn’t clap nearly as much as American audiences do. It makes the show a lot faster when you’re not pausing between every song to clap. Pretty much only after principal variations, coda and pas de deux, and and at the end – where they did three full sets of bows for the entire company, and then the principals in front of the curtain. Only a few people in the rear orchestra and balcony did a standing ovation. Oh, also they didn’t clap during the dances, except one time. Our dancer playing Albrecht in Act did at least 16, and possibly 24 crazy jumps (I didn’t count, just guess based on the music). They were entreche-six, but I swear they looked like he was doing four beats, so entreche-huit?! Crazy!! oh, I could keep going on and on about the dance, but it is almost 1 AM and I made plans to meet for breakfast at 8:30, so I really need to turn off the lights and go to sleep. Good night! I hope there aren’t too many spelling errors in this!

Like the day before, we immensely enjoyed the hotel breakfast buffet. Then we grabbed our bags and took the metro back to the main train station. This was much easier than arriving, now that we understood the terrain and ticketing.

When we arrived in Narbonne the display was blank where our train’s platform should have been listed. I got a Coke Zero, now ten minutes to the departure time, and the display platform was still empty next to our route number. 8 minutes left, 6 minutes left. Now in a tiny corner the sign flickered “delayed 1h40m”. What?! The station agent was irritated and told us to get on the next train to Toulouse. It sounded like the train we booked was undersold, so they cancelled it? But why no warning or alert? We had reserved first class seats, and now piled onto a regional transit train with open seating. I was pleased we quickly had a solution, and overall only a 30 minute delay to the final destination. Stefani was very upset though! She assured me this would never have happened in this manner if we were in Germany! She notified her family and was confused about how we will get home, because her husband has a meeting and could not pick up at the new time. I assured her that there would be taxis at the train station to get us home. To make matters worse, there was a passenger common to American public transport- the confrontational mentally-ill person who yells in your face. My friend said she had never had an encounter like this. I shrugged it off but it really rattled her. To be honest, I was more impressed that other passengers called security, and within two minutes he was escorted off our car. Even so, my poor friend was beside herself! I reassured her all was well and we continued our pleasant conversation, filling in details of each others lives and how our cultures differ.

Back in Pibrac, Carl-Phillip made us a simple petit-dejeuner and I cracked open my first Orangina of the trip. I tried to lay low the afternoon. Stefanie had so many things she wanted to do together during our “free afternoon” but also needed to attend to house work and pack, both her Paris bag and her children’s things. (Florian is taking the kids on a camping road trip to Paris, meeting us Sunday evening. After I depart their family will continue to explore Paris for the rest of their school vacation time. ) I encouraged my friend to do what she needs to do without worrying about me, but stayed close by so she didn’t feel abandoned We both did laundry and had a cup of chicory – no coffee or caffeine, just chicory root. She said it is a favorite and offered me to try and I liked it a lot! Later she convinced the kids to accompany us to the grocery store. I was curious and she needed to restock anyway. The kids gave me good candy recommendations to bring home! Also I bought some chicory. I looked it up and I think in the US we only a version from New Orleans with coffee also?

After a quick stop home we walked to a restaurant in Pibrac to meet Florian after work. They explained that this bistro is connected to the boucherie next door. They close the shop at 12:30 and walk over to open the bistro for lunch, and back and forth each day. So they assured me the meat is top quality. On their recommendation I ordered the duck with today’s legumes, endives, in place of frites. I was pleased they let me pay for dinner as thanks for their hospitality. Then back home to finish packing. And that was the day! Tomorrow we wake extra early for our 8am train direct to Paris (no finicky connections this time 🤞).

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel including quince jelly, jambon, and more pastries. A quick taxi ride took us to Park Guell. We hiked to the top and admired the views, then spiraled around to the main building area. While interesting and beautiful, we both agreed it was not the style we would want for our own home. But it made for beautiful photos.

With the city downhill, we decided to explore the city by walking back to the hotel and beyond. I found a yarn shop and bought some yarn for socks! I liked a French skein but it’s a brand available in Colorado, and I’m not in France, so I chose a more unique skein from Katia. We needed to rest and met that with some light snacks and an outdoor table. Fortified, we continued on to La Rambla. She helped me pick out a sweater and kerchief from a European chain store “Mango.” We bought chocolates at the shop we sampled last night.

We shopped away the plan to siesta. So we had to speedwalk back to the hotel for a 20 min break and to unload our treasures, then speed walk to Sagrada Familia. We made it perfectly on time – both for the ticket entry window and the afternoon glow through the windows.

Stefani wanted paella before we left, so I looked up a well reviewed restaurant not far from the cathedral. We also ate tomato bread, peppers prepared similar to blistered shishitos, fried artichoke, and chicken paella. Another delectable dinner! It was only 8:30, early for Barcelona citizens, but we chose to walk back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the return trip tomorrow morning. It was a great day!

We woke up to a wet, rainy morning. Stefanie made crepe batter and then handed the work to Carl-Phillipe, who provided a hearty breakfast! In a flurry of extra whipped corner driving (“with this Monday bank traffic”) we were delivered to the train station for our 4 hour journey to Spain. I enjoyed watching the scenery change. We had nice seats for the first trains but had to connect to a different train and lower class in Narbonne for the remainder of the journey. But it was still fairly pleasant. Also at Narbonne we popped out to grab snacks at a corner market. The landscape became more and more “California” to me, and the sun came out! At Barcelona Sants station we got fairly lost, but kind strangers helped us fumble to the right train to our hotel.

After unloading and refreshing we immediately walked to tapas! We went to Babula as the concierge recommended. Delicious, every single bite!

satisfied, we hit La Rambla (with all the other tourists) and admired the architecture while popping in stores. Along the way I spotted the Josep Bouquer market and Stefani clapped her hands in joy because it was closed every time she tried to go in her last visit. We shared some more small bites and she almost bought some jambon to take home.

Our final destination this day was la mer, and we found her! Perhaps darker and colder than is ideal. Nevertheless we doffed our shoes and chased the waves, then walked down the shore. It was delightfully childlike. Afterward we washed our feet and walked all way back to the hotel. Our legs are tired but it was as reading to eat and walk so much after a morning train ride, and the water was nice too! Time to sleep again.