slidergirl

Now that I'm back from my month in Europe... Yes to using the contact lens cases for cosmetics. I have a patch on my nose that I put concealer on. I just need a little dab and having it in the case was perfect. Outside of my brow pencil and a light swipe of SPF moisturizer, this was the only "cosmetic" I used after I discovered 97+ temps and humidity was not a good environment for anything else on my face. One weird thing I discovered: Out of the 8 places I stayed, including the canal barge, only 1 place had a separate hair conditioner. 2 places had a combo shampoo/conditioner and the rest just had shampoo. It was so hot and humid that I had my hair up in either a pony or a clip each day so my hair didn't care that it was not conditioned but clean and frizzy. I almost bought a bottle in the pharmacy, but I decided to give my hair a vacation too and just let it do it's thing. But, when I go back again, I may put some of my conditioner in a Toob and pack in, just in case...

I leave Friday. It's a group of girlfriends - we've been getting together for a weekend every year since the late 70s. All I need for this one is a bathing suit, a pair of shorts and maybe 3 Tshirts. We're not going out to dinner, just hanging out at the house. BUT, I leave from there for my grand niece's wedding. So, I have to pack my stuff for that too. I'm using the tie-dye dress from River & Sky, my booties, and my trusty hat for the wedding and the pink hi-tops (my other ones need to be washed desperately) for the reception. I just need shorts and Tshirts for the non-wedding stuff. It doesn't matter what I pack, I have to check the bag since I'm taking some knives with me for part of the wedding present. Bought them at E.Dehllerin in Paris. Everyone needs a good chef's knife and a paring knife. Cynthia - welcome back from St Paul. Sharon - have a good time in MN. All I remember from a business trip to Mineapolis was the mosquitos the size of B-52 bombers! Heat + humidity is a bi!th. OOTD: a pair of running shorts and a tank top. I still have to do laundry today. Oh, it appears that I did lose lose a little weight or it re-arranged itself on my body. The denim shorts I got just before my trip fit not as tight around the waist. All that walking in the heat and not eating all that much - well, that is going to be hard to keep up! When I get back, I may have to start some hiking in the hills.

I flew back from Paris yesterday. It was a full flight. FAs were making announcements to please put little bags under the seat so that people in the back might have a chance at having overhead space. I was up front, so I didn't care. If i'm on a nonstop i'll check my carryon anyway to avoid the overhead scrum - it's now habit. I went for a month between France and Italy with my carryon and my backpack. I did a lot of trains, so it was important to be light and nimble. If something happened to my luggage and I had to wear my sweats, I wouldn't care and I wouldn't care what people thought. Never know if and when it's going to happen to you!!

Good afternoon all. I had a pretty good sleep. Went to bed at 9, woke up 4, watched TV for awhile, back to bed at 6, up at 9:30. And, so nice to have daytime temps in the upper 70s!! Lois - the iron infusion does not sound like fun. I sure hope it does you some good. Oh - on the medicare front: keep an eye on the new bill going through the Senate. One of the provisions is to limit out-of-pocket prescription costs to $2000. I don't know all the details since I just heard about it but it could help us all depending on how it is worded and if it includes all meds. I got up and went to my coffee store for a latte then on to the supermarket. Not a TJ's but I had a "holy cr@p" bill after just stocking up. Got to get on the unpacking, laundry and undoing the jet lag today. A little foggy-brained. OOTD: denim shorts and a gray tank. had on my hi-tops until I got back home, then they came off. Later!

Yes I did get the email both directions. Picked the fish each time. It was actually tasty. Today was a cod in a mild yellow sauce with baby bok Choy, carrots, potatoes and spinach. Potato soup and an arugula salad with tomatoes and mozz balls. Ice cream for dessert. I do have photos 😉 I was able to nap a little. Just listening to some music now. The pier K lounge wasn’t as nice as the pier M lounge (first time I haven’t flown out of there.). The duty free was meh and not the food options like in M. You didn’t miss much. I get free unlimited Wi-Fi and texting onboard with my T-Mo account. SLC has some local food stands now - not that bad. When more opens up my favorite Park City coffee place (Hugo) and restaurant that I get takeout from frequently (Vessl Kitchen) are going in. In the meantime get your coffee at Millcreek. Still have 1.5 hours left..

I bought some wine corks and another corkscrew at Cite du Vin. Nothing else from Bordeaux. well, Delta said to be at the airport 3 hours ahead. So I rolled out of bed at 6am, showered and zipped up my bags. Left the room about 6:57. Walked to T2C, checked my bag, went through passport control and security by 7:25. In the Air France lounge and enjoying breakfast by 7:30!!! My flight is at 10:10…. Yes, it is a nonstop to SLC. My driver already called last night to verify my ride home. I’m not going to hit TJ’s until I get back from the wedding trip. I think I can deal with regular supermarket food until then. OOTD. My overalls, white T, pair of the new socks and my hi tops. Head adorned with my trusty hat. The sneakers are dirty from the roller bag running over them all month. More on that in my wrap up later.

Sitting on the train from Bordeaux to Paris. Last day in Bordeaux was fun: some church outsides, oysters for lunch at the Marche du Capuchins, a craft beer for dessert and window shopped on Rue St Catherine. When I got hot, l’d duck into a store. Galleries Lafayette had both overalls and hi tops on display mannequins! I have to try to get to sleep as soon as I get to the Sheraton at CDG - I have to get up at 6am to be able to start the check in process at 7am for my 10am flight. The powers that be still say 3 hours for procedures. Hoping it’s faster than that so I can dive into the Air France lounge for a bite. Later!

I’ve been in France and Italy for a month (leaving tomorrow). Every place I went, from the Med to the Adriatic to Florence to Bordeaux to Paris and places in between, it was stinking hot!!! I did it because a barge trip I went on was the 2nd week of July. I sure hope I lost weight because I was sweating like Rudy Giuliano all day. You know it’s hot when it’s still 96 at 9pm… Sometimes businesses will close for awhile in August so they can take their vacations. Go in September

That crepe was da bomb. Buckwheat is way better than the white one. Better depth of flavor. The crunchy edges- I could eat that all day. That dog was pretty cute. It would take 2 tries to jump high enough to get in! my photos are strictly “point, shoot and pray”. They are still better than what my old SE did. Quick porn. Joint down the street had modules frites as the special. Decided to eat there rather than wander more. Yummy choice. With a spritz.

Nothing that I would disqualify it for. I’m not meant for the Parisian style, I think. That wall seam just bugged me. I would put the room out of order for a day and run a line of matching ribbon down the seam. Done and would look much better. My eyes went to that seam all the time. Remember that I did room inspections for luxury hotels…. I would stay there again just for the location.

I forgot to mention that the hotel is in a good spot. Even at midnight I felt comfortable walking around. Le Comptoir is an easy 7 minute walk away,

TGV and OUIGO are both part of SNCF. I just did a OUIGO train from Paris to Bordeaux. I say OUIGO is like a LCC airline. The overhead is only big enough for a purse and maybe a SMALL daypack. A very small big bag storage. No in between seat space. I spent 3 hours with my roller carryon and my pack taking all my space and I had my legs up on the bags. Not comfy but all I could do. From now on, I will wait for a TGV. The price is worth the space.

I just left Paris today. Stayed in the St Germain area. I thought it was a great area. Metro and RER access. Easy walking around. Very active still at midnight. I felt perfectly safe walking around and back to my hotel at midnight. Don’t know price points around though. Stayed at Hotel des Marrionniers.

Hmmm. Maybe I am still too picky. Definitely what I’d call “Old French”. Lots of florals, some flowered carpet that matches floors in the walls in hallway. Bedroom walls covered in fabric and needed repair on one vertical seam that bugged me. Antique furniture but modern bathrooms. I’d say a step up from “basic but clean” but I’m not used to 3 star accommodations yet. A true single room with a twin bed and desk. TV on top of 5’ tall wardrobe at foot of bed. Enough room to not feel crowded.

I don’t know the name. It just sprung into my head with Tucci.

I was just in Bologna last week. I’ll highly recommend the Aemelia Hotel. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the Center. Nice rooms and fantastic staff. It is a pretty drive down to Ravenna.

Didn’t Stanley Tucci visit some restaurant near Termini that had some historical link to a pasta???

My dermatologist told me to allow my skin to have a vacation also! Wash and a sunscreen. Let the skin breathe. The past month here in Europe has been brutally hot. After the first day, I stopped everything but the sunscreen and brow stuff. Anything else was just melting on my face. Did not want to look like Rudy Giuliani!!! Besides, a hat and sunglasses hid everything.

Real fast here. Leaving for the train in an hour. Cynthia - I know you were intrigued by the garden area at the hotel. I took 2 photos for you. It is a nice little place for breakfast. Usual French petit dejuener: croissant, mini baguette, juice, caffe crème, yogurt. There was also some meats and cheese, scrambled eggs and bacon.

I’m using my new iPhone 13 Pro. Spent all my winter tip money on it. Got the Pro because it has the 3 lenses instead of the 2 on the 13. Some outdoor shots are done “blind” because the screen gets too dark in the sun. I keep the flash always off to prevent accidental flash where prohibited. Pretty idiot proof. I will have to study more on how to best use it.

Rarely do I do 3 courses like that, but it was so good and light that I decided to go for it. A couple came and sat next to me. They ordered the hard boiled eggs appy. Looked really good- eggs cut in quarters (2 of them) with some sauce over them. I went to the restaurant across the street from Le Comptoir for brunch, Breizah Cafe. I had read about it before the trip so it wasn’t a blind pick. Crepes are what they do, buckwheat crepes. I got the ham and Comte cheese with an egg in the middle. Again I chose wisely. Yummy. I wanted to keep going and get a dessert crepe, but I resisted. Proud of myself for that. Did a little church trip in my walking today. I hadn’t been to St Chappelle before and I wanted to see how Notre Dame was faring with reconstruction. At one point my body said “you need to eat”. So I went to the touristy cafe outside of St Chappelle and got a croquet monsieur. Don’t judge. Totally worn out today. A good time in Paris. The St Germain area is a fun area to base in. I never felt uneasy walking around, even at midnight. Tomorrow it’s off to Bordeaux.

Dinner porn. One of the places I wanted to eat at was open and doesn’t take reservations so I went and got in line. Didn’t take too long. Excellent dinner! Some of the best tomatoes I’ve had in a long time. Perfectly seared tuna. Rhubarb under a mound of Vanilla cream. Spent an hour trying to go half a mile back to the hotel. At midnight I gave up and took the taxi ride of shame. Not sure why I have so much trouble following walking directions on Map…

Cynthia - it isn’t an REM cover. Written by Matteo and 2 others. spent 7 hours walking around Paris. Everyone was out and about. Jardin Tuileries was full of people enjoying a sunny day. The plaza around the Louvre was jammed. I did get to my kitchen store and picked up a couple of new knives. Yes, I am checking one bag (I’m nonstop). Found a place that had good big salads and fresh juices. Got an Asian style chicken salad and a passion fruit and lime juice. Nice and light. Not sure if I am doing dinner or not tonight. Have to check if my restaurants are open tomorrow. I ended walking by the restaurant with my favorite icon and he has a friend now. The Pig’s Foot - aka Au Pied Del Cochon. If anyone wants to buy those Louboutin hi tops for me, only 695EU…😉 Some pix from today’s wandering.

I bought them because I do more than fly. I use trains, rental cars, leave luggage at a hotel if I am too early or will leave later.

Cynthia - this Fall on Me is the one he and his son did for his next to last album. Don’t know if it is a cover. And Perfect is the Ed Sheeren song. Bocelli and Sheeren performed it on the album. lois- sorry about the blood draining. I absolutely hate the needle in the hand! At least they found a place. I have a couple of days here in Paris and a couple of days in Bordeaux before heading home for a few days.