May 31: Wash Day & Musee Marmottan Monet

This morning we did the wash. We went to the local Laundromat and figured out how to pay in the central area with the help of the attendant. We started our small load and then took a walk around our neighborhood. When we got back we met a young man who asked if we spoke English. We did of course, and told him all about how to do the wash.

This afternoon we went with Wade, his cousin Pete and Christine to the Musee Marmottan Monet. What an amazing collection they have of Monet's late work and other paintings from his collection. I had my Berthe Morrisot consciousness raised. Her work is amazing and she was a beautiful woman.

In the basement they had an exhibit of the work of Jean and Raoul Dufy. These two brothers painted the same subjects with very distinct styles. I love the work and there was a lot of it. Another new appreciation on my part.

Afterwards we went with Kristine for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Then we walked along the Avenue Mozart looking at stores. We stopped to buy cheese and chocolate. We window shopped at many other stores along the way.


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May 30 Afternoon: Eiffel Tower

After a quiet rest at the hotel we took off again for the Eiffel Tower. We arrived in the early evening and waited in line to take the elevator up. Then more lines to go to the top. It was a great sight with Paris all around us.


















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Location:Rue Gustave Flaubert,Paris,France

May 30 Morning: Marche des Puces

Today we woke late and just made it to breakfast at our hotel. We walked to the Metro to travel to Porte de Clignancourt where there is a flea market on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. It is a huge market and we couldn't have seen it all in a week. But we did manage to find one of the two writing instrument dealers and to purchase two lovely old pens from her. After several hours of walking we got very tired and decided it was time to head home. We stopped at a kosher deli for lunch on the way home.


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Location:Rue Gustave Flaubert,Paris,France

May 29: From Friesland to Paris

We took off early for the airport in the camper. It took about two hours to get there. We hugged Ian and Jerien goodbye. We really enjoyed our stay with them. It is so great that Ian will be coming again next year. Still we were sad to be saying goodbye.

Our flight was easy and nobody even bothered to weigh our bags. As usual there was quite a bit of schlepping of bags but we used carts whenever we could. We decided to spring for a taxi to get to our hotel in Paris. The driver dropped us at the wrong hotel but it was close to ours so all was well.

We settled in and unpacked. Then I heard Wade's voice and went out to meet him. After he got Tonie settled he took us out for a beer. Then he walked us to the metro and went with us to La Cite. We walked to Place Dauphine, a quiet park where we found a nice restaurant. Wade took off and we ordered dinner and began talking with an Aussi couple at the next table. I had an unusual salad with chicken gizzards, duck that looked like bacon and pate. It was actually quite delicious. Arvin had lamb chops. He had to send them back because they were too rare. But then they were perfect. We also met a bright young Russian gal who spoke perfect English and who was about begin her thesis for a Phd at U Mass in Bio-Engineering. She had been to Bellingham to visit a friend who moved there.

After dinner we walked around a bit near the Pont Neuf and then headed back to our hotel via Metro. We got to bed a bit after midnight. We were very tired but happy to be settled in Paris.


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May 28: Home and Leeuwarden

We spent the morning at home relaxing. We continued the game of Mexican Train that we had started the night before with Ian and Jerien. At the end Arvin and I tied as winners. We packed a lunch and headed to Leeuwarden to go to a crafts show held in the old prison. Each vendor had a cell from which they sold their crafts. We had a lovely talk with a young woman who has a buisiness taking old US T Shirts and remaking them into recycled clothing. Quite fun. I took a photo of the yellow stairs between the two floors of vendors.

On the way out we stopped at an exhibit of photographs by four Friesland photographers who specialize in the inland sea. Wonderful work. Then we visited the prison museum where we met Stefan Kraan who had been imprisoned there in the 1970s for refusing to join the army. He was quite famous for this at the time and there was an exhibit about his protest.

Next we went to an open house of the Provincial Government Building. They have restored the wonderful old hall where the representatives meet. Built around it and another old building is a new building. We walked all over inside of it. It is huge. The last picture here is what we saw of the parts that were not complete yet. We had a long talk with one of the builders. The new building will be heated completely by heat brought up from the earth beneath, compressed to increase the temperature and piped through all the floors. Very green and an interesting way to reuse energy. We walked back to the camper in pouring rain. It was a wet end to a great day.

May 27: Sneek

After a quiet rainy morning at home we took a train to Sneek. We have been on the ring road around this city many times but not to the city itself. The name is fun. It looks like "sneek" but sounds like "snake." We've been having fun with wordplay around this name.

We walked past the gate and around town, dodging raindrops as we went. Then we stopped at a tavern for a bite to eat. We continued on through a square where I saw the fellow with the elegant dog. Then on back to the train station.

We had a lovely dinner together at Ian and Jerien's house. After dinner we took a walk along the local river and watched a beautiful sunset.

May 26: Trip to Texel Island

Today we went to Texel Island with Ian and Jerien. We drove in their camper and took a ferry to the island. It was an amazingly windy day.

We drove past some nature preserves where we saw Sandwich Terns and many other kinds of birds. We stopped at another bird spot for a lunch stop and a walk.

Next we drove on to Oudeschild where the sail boats, part of the Schutteraers Race, were due to arrive. This was a happy coincidence as though Jerien had read about the race, none of us quite realized we would be there for the arrival of the first boats. The wind was fierce and we learned that some of the boats had lost masts and had other problems and had left the race. We walked out on a windy jetty to watch several of the early boats arrive. The boat in this picture was the fourth or fifth boat.

We watched until the wind got too much for us. Then we drove to visit a windmill at De Bol. We passed cyclists who were part of the Schutteraers Race as well. This race involves sailing, biking, more sailing, running, more biking. It reminds me in a way of the Sea to Ski in Bellingham.

We visited the lighthouse at De Cocksdorp and then went to a fabulous Indian restaurant called the Taj Mahal in De Koog. Yummy!

We drove home in driving wind and rain. When be got back to Ian and Jerien's house we learned that the remainder of the race had been canceled. The sailboats had not been allowed to continue sailing form Texal to the next island. I can understand why.

May 25: Bugs, Shopping and Meeting Jildau

We spent a quiet morning. Woke late. Had a relaxed breakfast. It was the day of my 500th photo on the blipfoto.com site so I went searching for subjects. The sun was out and insects were plentiful in the garden.

Ian returned from work and he, Arvin and I drove to Leeuwarden to do a bit of shopping and sight-seeing. Arvin found a book. I bought a plant for Ian and Jerien. Mostly we walked and explored the city.

We went home and soon Ian and Jerene's daughter Jildau arrived with her boyfriend Sander. Jerien also returned from work. We had dinner and much laughing and talking together before they needed to head home. Sander had to get home since he was due at work at 5 am tomorrow.