Haute cuisine and Swiss Delights

This is the Swiss version of "Haute Cuisine"! It is a popular spot perched high on the mountain side. I didn't eat there as it's VERY expensive, but I did hike by and check out the deck view.

I have only gone on one hike as my energy level has been pretty low for physical exertion, but the desire still pushes me up, up, up! I had a wonderful day wandering the trails and resting long enough to do a small painting beside an incredibly turquoise tiny glacial lake. That is where the butterfly came and rested on my finger. More of his friends arrived later to tickle my legs, arms, and even the top of my head. I don't know what the attraction was, but they were certainly smitten! I also had a staring contest with a very large and neon-coloured dragonfly.

The huge Grandfather larch was a great find. He is perched on the edge of a very steep incline and looks as if he has been there since time began. We had a great visit! I asked if I could speak of him and and was granted permission and an audience!

So, I am back in the mountains of Switzerland after a rather stressful time trying to get here on time to start school. Apparently there are quotas for Eurailpass holders so I was not able to get a train from Paris to Geneva until a day and a half later than scheduled. Quel dommage! An extra day in Paris was great to have once I had figured out the logistical challenges of rearranging CouchSurfing lodgings and letting the school know.

I was extremely lucky that Frederique was willing to contact her friend in Geneva so that I had a place to go. Veronique was just as fun and welcoming as Frederique. I enjoyed a lovely evening with her walking the old part of Geneva and chatting while she sipped coffee and I had a chocolate sorbet. I am one lucky lady!
But now it's time to work - and work we do. Just getting up to school is a work-out. We have finished our first course (Social and Developmental Issues) and will begin the next one after a Community lecture tomorrow. I am wishing for more energy and time to work on things that I must present next week. Our first assignment was to tell our life story in a 10 minute artistic presentation.
Last night the moon was stunning as it rose up from the mountain like a pearl. Everyday there are new things to see that I didn't see or notice last year.

There are many vendors on the streets that parallel the river. This is one of the few artists that still sell their work there. most stalls now sell used books and junky souvenirs. Sometimes there will be original art, but mostly that looks like it has been whipped up as well. This particular artist is the one that I chose to purchase a small watercolour from.

And yes, this is the typical "c'est moi!" photo at the Eiffel Tower. It is a work of engineering and structural steel art, for sure. It's also brown. Which I didn' know. It is lovelier than I expected. I didn't go up, but rather chose to rest in the sun on the ground in the park with the gazillion other tourists. Only I decided to paint this lovely "old lady" instead of buying postcards.
I wanted to post the last picture with the caption of "It's smaller than you think!" but I couldn't get it in the right spot. And actually it was larger than I thought!

Notre Dame looks as if it was born there, thus giving it ownership of that portion of the Isle de France. It is a huge structure that is visible for a long way. The day I was there they were cleaning the pipes of the giant organ. It sounded a lot like Phantom of the Opera! The inside was dark and cavernous, but the windows were breathtaking.

The Louvre is the largest building I think I have ever seen. It wraps around an enormous courtyard and has many arches and entry points. I was lucky enough to stumble by on a discount evening so got in for only 6 Euro's. Things here are very expensive, but if you're frugal and creative and don't mind eating fruit, cheese and croissants from the vendors stalls, it's not so bad.

In the Louvre, I saw up close and personal paintings that I have only seen in picture books. To my amazement we were allowed to take pictures, even with flash (although I just couldn't bring myself to use the flash, knowing how damaging that can be to the works). I only had an hour and a half, but that was enough for my poor feet and to see some astounding sculpture, paintings and objet d'art.

I also had the pleasure of the company of this couple from New Zealand. We had a lot of laughs and conversation on the top of the tour bus as the gems of Paris went whipping by.

In Paris, it's all about the angels!
And the gold. There are angels everywhere keeping company with the gargoyles and the saints. The architecture is ornate and amazing. To think that all this has been there for longer than Canada has been a country! The dome is from the top of a large palacial building that once housed a hospital for soldiers and others suffering from infirmities. There is a tomb of one of the mighty under the dome.

Now that's a turtle! Or several, actually, that ringed a huge sculpture in the middle of this fountain. I have many more pictures, but not much time to download them.

On my first evening, I walked toward the Seine and was treated to some lively music by these buskers near the bridge. There are often music makers about - a sax player under the bridge, a floutist in the arch of the Louvre, or wherever tourists are likely to gratefully toss coins in their cases. I was no exception!

There are many open air cafes and stores along the streets in the heart of old Paris, just as one would imagine. It is a lively, crazy, busy place! The streets make no sense and I could get lost if I can't see the sun. It's like trying to find your way around a spider's web with more intersections at odd angles!

The Seine isn't blue and beautiful, but it does make a dramatic line through the city's centre. There are many bridges that lead to the Isle de France, each one a work of art on it's own with sculpures or cornices or whatever the engineer at the time was inclined to add.

Parisienne adventures

I arrived in Paris very weary but managed to make my way to the home of my couch-surfing hostess without too much difficulty, other than a long walk with too much luggage. My French is passable, but gives out on me when I'm frazzled! Frederique was a wonderful hostess. We had dinners together, I met her boyfriend, Jude, who was also really nice. I had my own room that looked out onto this darling little courtyard. I rested here the first evening just writing and taking pictures.