Sunday, July 19, 2009

Mountain getaway, July 10 - 12


Today is my 7th workday in a row. The price I pay to get a weekend in the mountains. The weather forecast was for rain, and Husband, wasn't sure if he wanted to go. But I needed to get away, if only to sit by the wood stove, read and play cards.
The two room cabin, which belongs to MaryAnn and Nils N lies on a point of land that sticks out into the Vinster lake, 1080 meters above sea-level, in the Jotunheimen mountains. There is neither elektricity nor running water and the outhouse is out in the barn of what used to be a summer farm. Up and down along the lake there are still summer farms in operation, milking goats and cows, both of which come to graze on the point of land where Skarstølen lies. It's a wonderfull place for the dogs, as they can run freely around the cabin most of the day, fenced in as they are by water on 2 sides and the fence on the third.

It actually didn't rain very much that weekend, though it was chilly when we arrived. Husband chopped wood and kept the fire going. I made sour cream porridge and in no time we were cozy. Time seems to stand still at Skarstølen. We read, played cards, took long naps and went for long walks. Lucy had her first encounter with goats on our first walk. On the second we saw a large flock of reindeer quite close by. On the open mountain moors, just dotted with occasional boulders Lucy just had to run. She would run and run in a big circle and suddenly she would be out of sight, which was a little scary as there might be sheep in the hollows, and we have no idea if she would try to chase them. She came back of course but we had to put her on a leash where the landscape was so open. Back at Skarstølen the cows from a neighboring summerfarm had gotten in by going between the end of the fence and the water and so we let the dogs chase them out: Lucy on leash, directing Topsy by voice.

We also had some nice visits with MaryAnn and Nils. MaryAnn has made an amazing flower garden with a stone terrace, waterfall and pool, little steps going up and down. It is quite wonderfull. Nils N is getting older, 81 now, and not very good on his feet anymore, but sharp as a whistle. It was good to see them.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Paris


The hotel:
Hotel Eden is in the Pigalle District, walking distance from Montmartre. Our room on the 6th floor was tiny, but clean, as was the bathroom. Very conducive to romance, you had to really cuddle up just to fit into the lift (which only went to the 5th floor). Also the beds were good sized and comfortable and took up about 90% of the room's floor space. The breakfast was simple but good: croisants, french bread, coffee, juice,and yogurt.Our museum pass was only good for 2 days, and most of the museums we wanted to go to were closed on tuesdays, so we spent tuesday exploring the city, then wednesday and thursday morning visiting museums, and all days enjoying the food.


Montmartre:
Tuesday we got up early and climbed the hill to Montmartre. It is true what they say, that when you wander the winding streets of Montmartre you feel like you are in a village rather than a city. There is even a vineyard. The grapes apparently are the source of a rather mediocre wine, but their harvest is thouroughly celebrated all the same. There is also a square with the last remnants of the forest of Montmartre. And of course the Sacre Coer church with a breathtaking view over the city of Paris. We were early enough to avoid the tourists, but too early to avvoid the stink of urine and the litter being swept up and washed away by the street cleaners.


The parks:
We visited 4 parks: Monceau, which is supposed to be the most beautifull in Paris, the tuillere gardens, the Luxenbourg park of literary fame (les miserables, the three musketeers) and the botanical gardens, with their charming little zoo called Menagerie, where many of the birds and animals were kept in old fashioned cast iron cages. Yes, the parks are nice, with impressive trees and splendid statuary, but the actual gardens were dissapointing. The french just can't do gardens like the english. I hate to say it, but the city gardener of Hamar does nicer flower beds. What is most "French" about the parks is seeing the people with their easels and their water colors.

Muse de la vie Romantique:
This was one of two free museums and it was just around the corner from our hotel. It is in a house set back from the street with flowers in the cobbled courtyard where Frederic Chopin and George Sand used to visit their painter friend Ary Scheffer. The museum exhibits personal belongings and portraits of the Scheffer and Sand families, while music by Chopin plays softly in the background.


The north bank:
The perfume museum is hidden in a side street to the Opera. It is the other free museum. I found it to be quite interresting, but ended up having to hurry through it, as it bored Husband to tears. He told me all the other husbands who had been dragged there by their wives exhibited similar signs of boredom. He wasn't terrible interested in window shopping at Cartiers and Dior at the Place Vendome either. Hmmm.

Espace Weleda:
Tuesday afternoon I had an appointment at the Weleda Spa near the Champs Elysee. It was an oasis in the hot and noisy city, with a water fall and plants and a couple of soft chairs in the vestibule. Unfortunatly all the magazines were in french, and Husband hadn't brought a book...but the massage was wonderful. Weleda has developed their own technique for a full body massage of 1 hr and 15 minutes. I chose the rose oil massage. Don't remember if it included the face as I fell asleep toward the end. They served a cup of indian tea with a couple of cookies to wake me up after.

The latin quarter:
Here too, the streets are narrow and winding. The main problem with trawling the streets in Paris is that the traffic is terribly noisy, especially on the boullevards. The famous Champs-Elysee is a 10(!)lane highway, the Arche de Trionph lies in a 6 lane roundabout. Whereas in the rest of Paris lunch is served between 12 and 2 pm, and dinner between 8 adn 11pm, in the latin quarter service is non stop and menus range form 12 to 25 euros for a 3-course dinner. There are crepe places on every corner. Nutella crepes seem to be the most popular judging by the jars of nutella. The favorite fast-food seems to be gyro.

We found the the centaur by Cesar at the place Carrefour Croix Rouge. While looking for it we passed a waldorf toy shop full of wonderfull toys. Made me wish I had grandchildren. Behind the the St Germain church (oldest in Paris) we had strawberries in the quiet Place Furstenberg, one of the pockets in Paris where you can get away from the bustle and the noise of the traffic.


The churches:
Another way to get a break from traffic noise is in the churches which are mostly open to the public. The St Severine church has some very nice stained glass windows. The Madeleine churchis built to look like a greek temple, with a traditional catholic interior. When we visited it was decorated outside and inside with modern religious sculptures - in contrast to the classical and traditional form and decoration of the church itsself.


French cuisine:
On the first day we had lunch in a covered walkway called Gallerie Vivienne. Here is a tea house called "a priory the" where we ate a delicious vegetarian lunch. As a matter of fact 4 of the 5 lunches on the menu were vegetarian. I had the quiche, while Husband had the zuccini stuffed with hot goats cheese. Hot goats cheese has become Husband's favorite french food: he has had zuccini, eggplant and crepes stuffed with hot goats cheese as well as hot goats cheese in salad. Our second lunch was on the Isle St Louis, where a large Salad (his with warm goats cheese, mine with fried chicken livers) cost 13 euros (compared with the 3 course menus for 15 euros that we had in the latin quarter thereafter. It was as part of these that I made sure to order french classics such as snails and frogslegs. When I had snails I had to ask how one was supposed to eat them, and the waiter kindly gave me a demonstration. My favorite desserts were crepe with honey and walnuts and cream puffs filled with ice cream, with whipped cream and hot chocolate sauce on top.


The Museums:
Wednesday we started by taking the metro to ile de Cite, one of the 2 islands in the Seine and the heart of the original city. We wanted to visit St Chapelle, the private chapel of the kings that lived in the medieval castle there (which is now the justice department). We were a little early and sat for a while in the place dauphin at the western point of the island, watching a parisian play with his dog. St Chapelle is gorgious. The stained glass windows are spectacular! One of the gems of Paris. Another museum in the medieval part of the "palace of Justice" is the Conciergerie, a museum that records the life of wardens and prisoners held there during the french revolution, among others, Marie Antoinette. Afterward we crossed over to Ile st louis where we had lunch and walked along the quai. We crossed over and visited the botanical garden and the small but charming zoo. Our next stop was L'orangerie in the Tuillere gardens. In 2 oval rooms the water lily paintings of Monet are beautifully displayed as murals on the walls, lit by natural daylight. These are in my mind another of the gems of Paris. We visited the Louvre also, but it is simply too big, to full, too overwhelming. I prefer the smaller, simpler exibits.

Thursday morning we visited the Cluny museum. This is the 3rd gem. The museum is in what was originally part of a monastery built on the ruins of the ancient Roman baths in Paris. The museum has a wonderful collection of medieval art and items of daily living, and it is not only weapons and armor though there is a little of that as well. There are dishes, jewelry, books, religious paintings, statues and carvings, great carved chests and smaller coffers; one room devoted to gold workings, another to the art of stained glass windows; and tapestries: throughout the museum are tapestries documenting life in the middle ages. And of course especially beautifull are the Unicorn tapestries which are exibited in a room on their own. In the excavated baths is a small section devoted to the Roman history of Paris, with statues and personal items found during excavation.


It was hot and sunny during our whole visit: 90 degrees more or less. On one street corner we saw a beggar begging for food money while his cat and his dog lay stretched out sleeping in the sun. Hot, tired and thirsty we were looking for a likely cafe on the second day, when web stumbled across a Starbucks! A frappucino in the comfort of a couple of cushy arm chairs hit the spot. Though I hate the golden arches, Starbucks is an american institution that I would welcome anywhere. If only they had Starbucks in Norway. The coffee you buy at cafees here is terrible!