Thoroughly enjoyed walking beyond the historic center this morning. The temp and sun were just right. Tried to find a chateau garden but never ran into it …… I’ll have to find it on another trip.

Otherwise, I walked by camping parks (Hutopia), gites (furnished rural vacation homes), inns, suburban outskirts and closer to Sarlat everything from a notaire office to a chiropractic office to the local CBD outlet. I was passed by both cyclists and others walking into the town for work. Very nice!

Found a nearby “namesake” street for Gene!!

A relaxing day of strolling the historic centre, walking into a local neighborhood and time in the piscine.

Rewarded by a beautiful ville after a train ride into the Dordogne valley. It’s a small enough cite that arrival at the train station finds us without taxi options to get into the historical centre we’ll be staying in. So……. a mile into town on foot with baggage! Perhaps our first “Lucy”! But as the trip was downhill it felt good to move and we treated ourselves to Aperol Spritz and a gorgeous charcuterie planchette unique to this region upon arrival to the Plaza Madeleine. Mary and I stayed here once before and remember it as an indulgent stay on our 2010 trip, but it is more luxuriant now and we’re staying several days!

And just to prove I’ve eaten something other than dessert……. Which is not to imply I didn’t have dessert…….

An excellent gazpacho prelude to the meal! (Which is of course the “entre” here to confuse you when choosing your “plat” or main!).

Another intimate favorite musee, the Rodin, is set in the Hotel Brion which became Auguste Rodin’s home in Paris. The sculpture garden begins with La Penseur (The Thinker), one of his most recognizable works. The garden is quiet and restful and you can tell from the fallen plane tree leaves autumn is not far off.

The Burghers of Calais are masterful representations of emotion. The Gates of Hell is fascinating and my immediate thought is that’s where I wish to send Trump post haste!

I appreciate his marble work, Basier, (The Kiss) and this time noticed his small works paying homage to the once beautiful but aging female body. Sculpture speaks to me.

Walked along the Rive Droite (Right Bank) and found the bridge, Pont Alma, Mary had read about and reminded her of her Aunt Alma. Walked among fallen chestnuts and enjoyed the Siene on the way back to our neighborhood.

Mary and I continued our afternoon in Parc Champ du Mars, viewing the Eiffel Tower and watching small groups of people picnic, take photographs and enjoy the space. We found a bench for people watching among some flowers and walking paths and just relaxed. Eventually made our way to a sidewalk cafe for tea and for Mary a chocolate chaud.

Gene and Mary treated me our last night in Paris to a birthday dinner at La Fountaine de Mars near our neighborhood. Famously the spot of a highly publicized date between Barack and Michelle on their first presidential trip to Paris, it is an unassuming bistro with a bit of a breeze this evening. I had a lovely duck breast in morel and fig sauce. And a very fine bottle of vin rouge from St. Emilon (an appellation we will soon visit). Though without candles, the desserts we shared were quite wonderful – a Floating Island of meringue and rum creme anglaise and a hazelnut layered confection. A fine way to end my celebration! Bon Nuit!!!

I enjoyed Paris largely on my own today. Which is to say that the biorhythmic patterns of my travel companions and I have not yet aligned. They say they were “sleeping” until 1pm while I woke at 4:30am.

But the gift of a morning in Paris is not to be dissed. Cafe and croissant in our tiny hotel courtyard, followed by a neighborhood stroll. Watching kids head to school, the youngest in their adorable uniforms. Walking to Parc Champ du Mars and the marvel of the Eiffel. I stayed largely on the Left Bank. Lunched at a local patisserie (the baguette sandwiches unparalleled here!!) and then headed to culture when the sleepyheads hadn’t showed themselves!

The Musee d’Orsay is one of my favorite art museums. A train station repurposed in the 1970’s, it is a bastion of impressionist art taking over where the Louvre leaves off. It sits on the Seine and has wonderful light in the sculpture hall. The train station clock gives it a timeless quality. I remember discovering it with Harold, visiting with Vicki, then Jesse and Mary. Great art is hard to beat.

The afternoon was beautiful as I headed back to Rue Cler. Relaxed with a drink until I found Gene and Mary looking for the same way to end the afternoon. Life is good.

Small traditionally French bistro dinner at Au P’tit Tonneau. Lovely food and service Nice end to the day!

Our travel went well. No cancellations, delays or baggage lost! But when you’re pining to travel it’s easy to forget what a long sit in the airplane seat it is to get here!

We’re well prepared to stay healthy (added masks and antigen tests to my packing list) and fully “armed” as our bivalent immunity kicks in!

Paris greeted us with nice weather and the familiar sites on the way into the cite and our Rue Cler neighborhood. It really is a lovely little area. I enjoy it each time I stay here. Vibrant and full of late night diners who we passed on the way to an early to bed evening. Feels so nice to be here!!

Bon Nuit!!

If it turns out I’m as rusty at blogging as I am at getting ready for international travel, it’s gonna be a rocky ride! Covid changed a lot of things …… certainly dampened my traveling spirit! But I’m ready in my heart and soul if not in my suitcase yet. I’m leaving tomorrow no matter what with traveling partners Mary and Gene. We’ve really just done west coast travel with Gene, but Mary and I will make sure he has the time of his life with what he refers to as “The Lucy’s” (that’s how he refers to our travel faux pas’ ala Lucy Ricardo of I Love Lucy fame and I won’t deny it’s sometimes been apt!) Next stop Paris! Voici de bons voyages!!!

May you live all the days of your life.

Jonathan Swift

---

So …. as I’m beginning this trip blog at the end of the journey, seems fitting that it’s the Irishman Swift whose quote speaks to me. It could easily be the caption for Victoria’s photo, though we called it “Embrace”.

There are layers of meaning to the trip to the U.K.

Victoria’s ashes have been gently given to the water at Urquhart Castle Bay by special friends, Scott and Brian – me beside them (July 10, 2019). It’s a place at which she was especially exuberant and joyful when traveling there following her FCO performances in England and Wales. She was delighted with each turn of the road and new view. Very free spirited. And feeling such aplomb at performing in historic or sacred spaces – solo and all. I can see that and a repetitive motif of open arms in her approach to life in that photo and place.

And here you can see we found the Scottish countryside where the photo was taken. A roadside viewpoint on Loch Ness (date 2016).

We spent the morning on Loch Ness in the care of a man almost a caricature of the perfect Scottish gentleman. Gordon was born on Loch Ness in the home he still resides in with his private jetty, and history and knowledge of Loch Ness. We had a lovely tour around the loch before he settled us into the shadow of Urquhart Castle to place Vicki’s ashes. They settled and turned so that it looked as though the beautiful package was sailing away from us.

I said our first celebration of Vicki’s life was about the people she loved and those who loved her. Created in large part by Brian and Scott. (September 9, 2018). Then September 24, 2018 Mom and I scattered ashes at McPhillip Beach on the Oregon Coast where some of Dad’s are, on his birthday. Honoring family and her Oregon home. And, for me, this place for a part of her is about the life she did not get to finish. The bliss yet to be lived. One more precious package is left.

Travel Partners

Scott and Brian agreed to accompany me on this journey. But in the interim both experienced other losses. And still they chose to join me. I cannot express what that means to me. I’d have made the trip alone, but sharing it with two Vicki loved so dearly means so very much. They have my grateful heart and friendship.

Closing this journey…

For a long while the words of the song she provided the solo beginning for on the chorale tour have been floating in my mind. I hum it and hear Vicki’s voice.

No time to tarry here, no time to wait for you, no time to tarry here for I’m on my journey.

No Time arranged by Susan Brumfield – Vicki’s solo included “Oh, I really do believe that just before the end of time, we will hear the angels singing in that morning”. I hope she heard angels.

Budapest …. the last days!

Just mostly knocked around the last two days of our stay here. Absorbing the district near parliament and returning to Buda for the National Gallery.

Parliament was closed one day and we saw school children performing songs and a little color guard pageantry. The courtyard was filling up with kids as we watched and unlike the US there weren’t many parents in the audience as far as we could tell.

Another touching sculptural piece along the Danube Promenade honored those Jews killed and dumped in the river (sometimes tied to one individual whom they shot and pushed in) after the Hungarian collaboration with the Nazi’s failed. There is a conflicted historical perspective demonstrated in Budapest. The Shoes honors victims, but this next memorial is protested popularly as symbolically blaming the German Nazi’s rather than the complicit Hungarian government for deaths.

I visited the National Gallery on my own. Found it interesting that it was curated essentially by wartime era and appreciated the impressionist work by Hungarian artists and the spacious building. There was a thread of social justice painting and sculpture in the ’20’s or so that seemed to ring of our current 1% dialogue – a sculpture called Homeless I especially appreciated.

I’d returned because I was intrigued by a photo exhibit called Every Past Is My Past. It started from a collection rescued from a defunct Kodak plant and expands still from photo finds and donations. As much family and community history was lost in war, some of it is restored in this photo collection. The collection is growing online as they attempt to identify places, people and dates in the photos they’ve found. It was fascinating. Real people from late 1800’s through the 80’s.

We used the subway more these days – we said because we were going from place to place across town, but it may have been our energy levels in the heat a little bit. No apologies. Walked miles and miles over these three weeks!! The Line 1 is actually a UNESCO Heritage Site as it’s the oldest electrified European subway (1896). Beautiful wood and tile stops.

Our final adventure was the Szechenyi Thermal Baths. We enjoyed the vintage hot spring pools, but I’m not sure it matches up to Rick Steves’ other 🔺🔺🔺 European sights. We tried everything but the lap pool and sauna. Our couple of hours there was enough for me, but I’ve never been very good at poolside. The most interesting part was figuring out how to get in! They were ahead of their time though as a water park. (No photos – wasn’t willing to risk my cell phone/camera. Life as I know it would end chaotically if it drowned and I failed to pack my waterproof shield😮)

But it pretty much looked like this postcard. Mary and I had agreed there’d be no bathing beauty photos anyway!

Final traditional dinner in our neighborhood.

With a strudel and lava cake finale!

And our adventure ends. I’m glad of this experience of Central Europe. It often made me thoughtful. And I enjoyed the people we engaged with. A good trip. And a good travel partner – thanks, Mary!

Pozegnanie. Rozlouceni. Ferwel. Bucsu. Farewell.

Headed to the airport in the morning early. The adventure is ending – with an easy trip home we hope. It’s been both a grand tour and a sobering experience. We’re glad to have made the journey.

This will have to do until I finish the last couple days blog on the plane trip. See you all soon!