Paris

Some things never change…. 

Staying in the Latin Quarter, food everywhere!

Lox salad? Yes please….I’m doing much better food-wise on this trip, pushing the vegetables more.

But sometimes you just gotta…

Two bottles and munchies on a 45 minute train ride….my man is prepared. 

Had to see Versailles…

This is one BIG crib….how did they find the littles in this place? 

Hall of Mirrors…

Exhausting day….had to recover with herring filets

The first professional bike race I remember (other than my hometown Tour of Somerville) was the 1989 Tour de France. Greg Lemond, only two years removed from a near fatal shooting accident, somehow entered the final day’s time trial 50 seconds behind the leader…..the race ended on the Champs D’Elysses, riding up toward the Arc D’Triomphe and back down to the finish. Greg gunned it, wrung every drop out of his time trial bike, making up 58 seconds and winning the Tour by the thinnest margin in history. 

Gave me chills to be standing at the last turn. 

A trip out to Giverny to see the homestead of Mr Claude Monét. 

Nice view of the tall thing on the bus ride back to town. 

Coco Chanel would come to Angelina’s every day….I can see why….the chocolate is beyond decadent. 

As was the pork roll paté, as my buddy Ken noted. 

A little, uh, shopping at the Galeria Lafayette flagship store. 

And, being so flush with cash, I then sent my laundry out. 

The night view never disappoints. 

Previous rider in my cab somehow managed to forget their huge suitcase in the trunk!! That’ll screw up a trip pretty quickly. 

Onward to points south. 

City of Stroopwaffles

First trip to Amsterdam!!!!

Feels good right off the train.  

A houseboat is never a bad thing…maybe. 

Plenty of room inside, quite comfy

I’m not a beer person, but this one tasted good. Maybe the scenery is to blame. 

The Skinny Bridge…courtesy of Diamonds are Forever…and Ted Lasso

Wasn’t sure about the tulip fields up front, but wow…

I wish my grass at home looked this good!!

I’m not sure what this musical instrument is called, but it was pumping out a nice Dutch version of ‘I’m So Excited’ by the Pointer Sisters. 

The waffles…oh, the waffles

Everyone knows that the 1928 Olympics were here, right? (I knew that in 1975, because library…)

The stadium had some sort of construction work going on, so I couldn’t go in the trackside entrance, but I snapped a few good shots from the parking lot. 

Walked around the perimeter, talked my way into an interior cubicle farm and got some close-ups of the track, then found an open rollup door for spectators…two flights of stairs and another open door, and I’m standing on the mezzanine level on the homestretch!

Now, for the important stuff…

The dough pressed probably 1/4” thin and cooked, then sliced BY HAND to half that thickness….that’s craftsmanship. 

That’s also caramel, Oreo pieces, and whipped cream. I could do this more often. 

Back to Ted Lasso…the S3 episode ‘Sunflowers’ was set here. One nice tribute was to trumpet impresario Chet Baker, who died here in the late 1980s after tempting gravity from this hotel window. 

Life on a canal is something…

As this local would attest…

Multiple European countries are leading the league in Italian food.

Not sure what this bottle was, but I asked for a prescription. 

Side trip to the coast, sort of. 

Flemish stew will stick to your ribs, for sure

Things are getting good!!