Paris Rip Off 2018

I was fortunate enough to spend several days in Paris recently,  this was before all the disturbances began.  This was not my first trip there and I felt reasonably comfortable trying to navigate leaving the airport and buying tickets for the subway system.  A helpful gentleman working at the airport directed me to another type of ticket.  This was good for 1 week and valid on subway, buses and trains throughout Paris.  Would reasonably get me from the airport to our hotel and everywhere we wanted to tour.

So we happily purchased the tickets and proceeded to board the next train bound for the city center towards our hotel.  About halfway there the train stopped and they announced something in French which I could not understand.  Then required all of the passengers to disembark.  That train left with a number of announcements happening.  Another train sitting on the next track was beginning to fill up, so we thought with these great tickets let’s get on.  A half hour later no movement and people starting to disembark. As a side note, it was raining the entire time but not cold enough to turn the rain to snow as it was when we landed.

We determined staying was not the best answer so we left the station to find a bus.  It was going to take 2 buses, but that was OK since our passes covered it.  Both buses were packed to the brim and standing room only with our luggage, but after a couple of hours we got there and checked in to the hotel.

Changed  shoes, refreshed and no luggage to take along we set out.  First stop was food and there were so many choices we just opted for the closest place.  Cell phones are both a blessing and a curse and we used one to help navigate.  Taking a subway to get to the Arc de Triomphe so we have a beautiful view of all of Paris.  We again opted for a bus for a portion of the travel since we could see all the streets and decorations and the beautiful  buildings.

Success.  We arrive and see lots of people at the base of the Arc, then a band starts playing the French national anthem.  We get to the base and see a very large military presence and lots of flowers by the eternal flame so something honoring or commemorating someone just happened. It is a lot to take in.  Next the hike to the top, 11 flights of stairs.  We see the Eiffel Tower all lit up with Christmas lights and the view is breathtaking.

Leaving we decide the subway is the best option and using our passes we go through the turn-style and towards our train.  There are 3 people in street clothes asking to see everyone’s pass so we show them ours and the guy said where is your picture and takes it right out of my hand.  I said what are you talking about, he said you needed to have a picture taken and put on the pass within 1 hour of purchase.  First we were told about this.  Upshot is he is looking for more than the purchase price of the ticket from each of us.  I am getting louder and louder, this sounds like the biggest scam ever.  I am not being friendly or polite or nice in any capacity.  He is not convincing me.  It takes all three of them non-stop  talking , a French girl crying because she was grabbed also, me shouting about being robbed in front of everyone, they kept saying we will call the police and we said OK bring them here.

End of story we paid the outrageous fee.  As I did curse their miserable lives to their faces, not good, and so out of character for me.  Back at the hotel we go online and find out this is a common thing and has been going on for a while.

Next morning ignoring what they told us we ask the front desk about the picture and they direct us to a store nearby.  Turns out the pictures are from a photo booth, but must be a very tiny size, so I now am the proud owner of 14 pictures I will never use.  Whole situation really turned me off on going to France.  Not a cheap transportation method,  it will be a very long time before I go back, if ever.  How sad.

Cornflower

Cornflower, it is a chicken or egg kind of question.  Is the color named for the flower or vice versa.  In any case a lovely shade of blue as well as a charming flower.  Also a color found in sapphire gemstones.

A field of cornflowers in bloom is a wondrous thing to behold.

Just a beautiful is a quilt that incorporates this lovely color.

Cerulean

Our color quest has taken us to Cerulean blue. Cerulean is a deep blue used by artists in oil painting as a good depiction of sky colors.

It was used by Monet in the sky and looks smashing in modern art as well.

In clothing this color looks good on almost everyone.

Very beautiful in a quilt as well.

 

Pacific Blue

With the color challenge I have the joy of recalling my first time to see the Pacific Ocean and the beautiful Pacific Blue. As a Midwestern girl, the ocean was a part of a bucket list that I did not know I had yet. In my 20’s I moved closer to the east coast and had the opportunity to see the Atlantic in various places.

We had our great lakes so what could I possibly need with an ocean.  It was just saltier than my lake. So not until after I was in my 40’s did I go to the West coast to see the ocean.  The ocean was secondary to seeing a good friend in Malibu who had an ocean view for part of the day.  Early morning was the joy of seeing the fog move up and down the hill. Then a car ride and a stop on the beach to put my toes in.

Out in the evening, seeing the ocean as a backdrop to activity in Los Angeles area was very fun.  Houses and restaurants overlooking the ocean.  As we drove around to do a bit of sightseeing, I felt the unknown, until then, difference in the air as we got closer and further from the ocean.

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This chair is a good representation of this color, however, I think this quilt is the color and the feel of Pacific Blue.

100th Blog Post

I guess I am the only one truly impressed with this feat. When I hit the button to publish, no confetti fell from the sky nor did some band strike up the music.  It was just me sitting with my laptop and a total feeling of satisfaction.

I can say with full authority, that I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this. It was kind of like my turning 70, I truly did not plan for this to happen.  I thought I would put up some pictures of the adventures I was having as I was spending my summer in Alaska and turning 70 while I was there.

My original purpose was to communicate with my family in a simple fashion, so I did not feel the need to call everyone regarding my circumstances.  I found that I was getting way more feedback from strangers, than loved ones.  I truly have been enjoying the process of the research and the photography and the writing. I also think some of my skills in these areas has improved.

I did not expect this to become almost like a part-time job for me. I fully intended to stop when I left Alaska, that is no longer the case.  I have jumped into a bloggers universe and am trying to follow-up on a couple of challenges.

I am working on a weekly photography challenge and a daily color challenge.  The color challenge last for only 120 days otherwise that would take over everything else.  I am still doing some of my travel blogging.  In my case it all ties into my age, not getting any younger, and the adventures I am still in search of.

I hope that readers will continue on my adventures and I hope I inspire some of you to take your own adventures, however that presents itself to you.  Huge “Thank You” if you have read and or commented or like any of my posts.  Please stay with me for I truly feel “the best is yet to come.”

 

Blue Green

This is part of the Color Your World 120 day challenge and a difficult color to write about, because it fits into so many others. Depending on where in the color spectrum you have a paint chip card from the store you will have a variety of blue/green shades.

I like a blur of the colors to create that beautiful blue-green.

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So is it somewhere in the middle or off to one end or the other, I think like with art much is in the eye of the beholder.  Now here is a quilt I really like.

Outer Space

The color of outer space kind of baffles me.  Is it the color I see when standing on earth trying to see as far as I can above me, is it the psychedelic color that appears in my mind. Not having been in outer space, I can only take a cue from others on this.

As I look at the definition, I get lost and am grateful to those who understand this kind of thing. Neutrinos and low density particles mixed with electromagnetic radiation sounds like the Ghostbusters movie to me. So, I opted to do some of the fabric selection available now if you were making a quilt about outer space.

 

 

Sky Blue in My World

We are in the Sky Blue zone today.  Here in the Midwest we have gray skies and blue skies and sometimes that scary green sky before a tornado.  My favorite uncle used to say his favorite color was sky blue-pink.  It frustrated his children since there was no crayon for that, but as adults so many times we see a sky blue-pink and think fondly of him.

I made sure my picture had some contrast so the blue of the sky really bounces off the clouds and grass.  This is another place it would be easy to get lost in, just lay down on the grass and watch the cloud formations roll by.

The next time you see this sky, send sweet thoughts to my uncle, or yours.  Just hope you do it with a smile on your face.  My quilts also reflect the sky, both blue and blue-pink. (One is vintage, 1940’s, so in that color wave.)

Turquoise Blue in My World

Today our color for this 120 day color challenge is Turquoise Blue.  Turquoise blue brings to mind the sky, the sea and beautiful gemstones.  Many years ago when I was a teenager, a friend of my Dad and Mom had a rock shop.  He and his wife traveled to various parts of the country looking for rocks.  They brought them home and he cut and tumbled rocks, made jewelry and opened a small store where these items were sold.  I picked a turquoise ring to purchase.  And I still have it and wear it proudly.

Turquoise deposits usually form in iron-rich limonite or sandstone. Limonite creates dark brown markings in turquoise, while sandstone creates tan markings. These markings are remnants of the host rock within the turquoise, and can resemble splotches or veins. They’re called matrix. I really like the matrix in the stones and my ring does have this matrix

I think I could lie on the beach and look at the water forever, with a completely happy smile on my face.  It is such a calm and soothing color  The quilt I have selected is a combination of turquoise and brown and I really like those two colors together.

 

 

Aquamarine in My World

Aquamarine a color and a gemstone. The color is named after the gemstone and is a beautiful soft blue shade. The name comes from Latin meaning water of the sea. It is also one of the birthstones for March and is used to celebrate 19th wedding anniversaries. This amazing gemstone is mined mainly in Brazil, but also is found in Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Pakistan, and Mozambique.

There is also a lot of ancient lore surrounding this stone.  The more blue in a stone rather than green is considered a more valuable stone. Also believed to have been used in rain ceremonies when rain was needed to help the crops.

I love my vintage Ball canning jars and use them whenever possible.

This is a timeless pattern, in a new setting with the beautiful shades of blue to help create the pattern.