Day #138 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…More photos from Paris in 2014…Part 2 of the Palace of Versailles!!…

The famous Hall of Mirrors. This project was carried out by architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart and painter Charles Le Brun between 1678 and 1686.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 8, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.
The stunning artwork is found on almost every wall in the palace.

News is distressing: the explosion in Beirut; the Air India plane crash in Kerala, India; the ongoing increase in cases of COVID-19 throughout the world, all resulting in horrific loss of life, livelihood, and a sense of well-being can easily spin any of us into a flurry of worry and concern.

This is a statue of Marie Antoinette who lived in the famous palace with her children.

This morning, dear friend Kathy (and Don), currently at their home in Oahu, Hawaii, texted that the island is going back into extreme lockdown after an increase in cases when their numbers had been dwindling only weeks ago almost down to zero.

In the 40 years, it took to build Versailles, thousands of workers were employed to participate in the process. Louis XIV not only lived in the palace but was instrumental in its massive renovation. 

Their previous relaxed lockdown that allowed outdoor exercise and activities and some restaurant dining has resulted in a rapid increase in cases. As of today, they are in a complete lockdown until the end of the month.

This portrait of Louis XIV.

This has been the case worldwide as more and more reduced lockdown measures have precipitated increases in cases and subsequent loss of life. There’s no easy answer. It all boils down to personal responsibility and caring for our fellow humans.

It was challenging to aim the camera toward the ceilings when there wasn’t enough elbow room for properly aiming the camera.

In our old lives, before COVID-19, if we developed a severe cold or virus, we wouldn’t go to work, to public places, or spend time with friends and family. That is to say, most of us wouldn’t, preferring not to infect others. 

We believe this portrait was of Louis XIV when he was young.

Why would this virus cause any less concern when in fact, based on its easy transfer from one person to another, you’d think one would tend to exercise even more caution. So, we’d think. 

Louis XIV had this statue made of himself dressed as a Roman Emperor to enhance his image.  He was of short stature and wore tall wigs to improve the appearance of his height.  Others in his court were forbidden to wear a wig as tall as his.

Well, you’ve heard enough about this today and much more over the past many months, from us, from the news, and friends, family, and neighbors. We are all in the same spot, unable to predict what the future holds and how we can best protect ourselves and our loved ones, especially amid varying opinions from medical professionals.

King’s chamber and bed in the King’s apartment.

On another matter…our photos today are those taken from our post on this date, August 8, 2014, at this link. With more photos than we can post, we’ve selected a handful of our favorites from the interior of the Palace of Versailles in Paris, France. If you’d like to peruse the balance, please click the above link.

There were many photo-taking tourists in the Hall of Mirrors.

As for today, not much is different than yesterday and the previous days. We’re healthy, safe, and relatively content, considering these ongoing unusual circumstances.

The Queen’s bed.

Stay safe, stay healthy and stay diligent.

Photo from one year ago today, August 8, 2019:

Our final photo from Ireland was posted on our last day. Goodbye, Ireland. Thanks for welcoming us and for being so beautiful! For more, please click here.

Day #137 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…More photos from Paris in 2014…Part 1 of the Palace of Versailles!!…

This is my favorite spot in the gardens of Versailles. We stood in the pouring rain without an umbrella for 90 minutes during the garden tour, keeping our camera in a plastic bag to stay dry. By the time we entered the interior of the palace, our clothes were soaked through. It was worth every moment.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 7, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos from Part 1, Versailles. Tomorrow, we’ll share photos from Part 2.
Statue of Louis XIV at the entrance to the Palace of Versailles.

It’s hard to believe it was six years ago that we spent an entire day at the Palace of Versailles exploring as much of the stunning setting and property as we could in the pouring rain.

In the pouring rain, we walked all the way forward toward the palace only to discover we had to go to a side street to meet up with the tour group, another 10-minute walk. Also, the walk from the train station to the entrance was another 10-minute walk in the pouring rain.

We boarded the train across the road from our boutique hotel on a sunny morning with little concern with the weather. The reports looked good for a mostly sunny day.

The ornate gold embellished gates to the entrance to Versailles.

No sooner than we began the walk from the train station to the palace, it started raining. In no time at all, it was pouring and continued to rain for the remainder of the day, including the walk back to the train station and our hotel later in the day. 

Louis XIV had installed numerous fountains throughout the gardens when water was not readily available to turn them on. An intricate system was installed to facilitate the running of the fountains at a huge sum of money. Then again, all of Versailles depicts vanity spending in excesses beyond one’s belief. 

Although we were wearing lightweight rain jackets with short hoods, we hadn’t brought along umbrellas, which proved to be useless when they soaked through to our clothes.

The gardens went on and on for miles. On a nice day, it would have been marvelous to walk further into the garden independently.

We’d booked a small group tour through Viator, which would ensure we’d avoid long lines to enter the palace. No doubt, this was achieved when we didn’t have to wait in long queues. 

The flowers were the most exciting part of the garden for me and the sculpted gardens shown here.

However, with thousands of visitors at the palace, even on the rainy day, once we entered the exquisite property, it was shoulder-to-shoulder tourists slowing the pace to a near crawl.

The flower gardens were interspersed with neatly trimmed evergreens.

We toured the gardens first, per our tour guide’s instructions for our small group, but sloshed in our clothes and shoes for the several hours it took to see everything indoors and eventually get back to our hotel.

Astounding view! The crane in the photo is in an area where the palace is under renovation.

We put aside the discomfort of our heavy wet clothing with water dripping down our faces from our damp hair and relished every single moment.

The colors in the garden were a treat to behold.

In essence, in looking back now, the rain added an element that, now as we look back, made the experience all the more memorable. A sunny day indeed would have been more beneficial for the garden photos. 

Various pools adorned areas of the gardens.

We did the best we could under the circumstances, thrilled for the experience which ultimately proved to be one of our three favorite touring events while in Paris in this order: Palace of Versailles; gourmet cruise on the River Seine; and tour of Le Louvre, the most famous museum in the world. 

It took 45,000 workers many years to develop these gardens.

Photos of our other favorites, as mentioned above, will appear in future posts in the next several days. No doubt, Paris was an exceptional experience. Often, our readers assume we’re only enthralled with wildlife and nature. But, over the past almost eight years, we’ve often been in awe of many places we’ve visited without a single animal in sight. 

There were more areas to experience than the rain allowed us.  One could easily spend hours in the gardens weather providing.

Now, on day #137 in lockdown in this hotel in Mumbai, we’d enjoy seeing a tree, a market, or a flower, when in isolation, we only see these four walls and the walls in the corridors.

The tour guide explained that all of these plants in pots are brought inside the palace into one of the largest greenhouses in the world during the winter months.

A special thank you to many of our readers who sent us photos and stories of their visits to Paris. We love hearing about your experiences. If we haven’t responded to you yet, please bear with us. We will soon as we work our way through the countless numbers of email messages.

Can you imagine the kings and queens walking this path while chatting?

Today, it’s raining again. The ceiling at the end of one of the corridors is falling due to constant rain during the monsoon season. They keep repairing it to no avail. Surely, they’ll have to wait until the lockdown ends and construction workers can come to the property to make the necessary repairs. This doesn’t impact us one way or another.

Our tour guide explained that the design of this statue was poorly designed when the marble and bronze didn’t age well, resulting in constant maintenance.

It’s time to get back out in the corridor for my next walk when I’m sticking to my 5-mile, 8-kilometer goal most days.

Have a pleasant day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 7, 2019:

In Connemara, Ireland, as we wound down our 89-day stay, we spotted this pretty cow and her horns. For more final photos and tally of total expenses, please click here.

Day #136 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…More photos from Paris in 2014…Dining and a museum in Paris…Credit card chaos…

Tom, ready to dine at Les Ombres in Paris. We ate early, at 7:00 pm, when most French diners and tourists prefer dining after 9:00 pm.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 6, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.

Once we realized we’d be in lockdown for a considerable amount of time, we knew we had no option other than to post past photos from our prior almost 3000 posts which began on March 15, 2012.

At first, we jumped around searching for favorite photos but, as time marched on, we came up with a system we’ve generally followed by posting photos from the same date as the day’s post from another year in our eight-year history. For example, today’s photos are from August 6, 2014, and so forth.

These warm, cheese-filled buns arrived before dinner. Tom said they were good.

On a few occasions, we’ve varied from this plan when the photos we posted from a particular post didn’t appear attractive, our WiFi signal at the time prevented uploading photos, or it was a travel day when we didn’t post any photos at all.

Butter arrived at the table imprinted with “Marie Antoinette.”

Now, as we work our way through the posts from the few weeks spent in Paris in 2014, we have more photos than we can copy. We’ve chosen those we hope to be interesting to our readers and have left the remainder behind. 

The menu at the French restaurant, Les Ombres, is situated near the museum. Tom chose the fixed price option at EU 68, US $91.

At the top portion of each post, in smaller font, we provide a link from which the day’s photos have been copied to today’s post. Please click on that link if you find you may be interested in seeing more photos, such as in today’s older link with many more photos than we could add here today.

Tom’s lobster, prawn, and octopus risotto were delicious but such a tiny portion, as to be expected in French restaurants.

Using Blogger as we do here, spacing issues ensue when too many photos are posted in a single day. Hopefully, with our new upcoming site, we won’t experience such an issue. We’ll see how that rolls out in the next month or so.

We both had the same main dish (entrée in French translates to “appetizer”), grilled salmon topped with shredded cabbage and a slice of cauliflower. These four bits of broccoli were no more significant than the end of a thumb. This consisted of my entire meal, not quite enough after a busy day of walking for hours. When we returned to our hotel room, we ate plenty of nuts after the small portions.

Our new site has been delayed due to the time it takes for the developer to move over those almost 3000 historical posts, one by one, a laborious and time-consuming process. We’ve put no pressure on the company to do so more quickly. After all, we’re okay in the interim.

Tom dessert. Below is a dollop of chocolate ice cream atop a spoonful of a chocolate sauce containing chunks of chocolate. At the top is a roll-filled chocolate cake with a Grenache frosting garnished with chocolate candy sticks. Each item consisted of no more than two bites. They appear more prominent in the photo.

On another note, yesterday morning, I received a notice from one of our credit card companies to contact us immediately with an issue. I couldn’t imagine what it was until I looked up the account online to see there was a charge for INR 12.72, US $.17, a definite red flag. The charge was for equine vitamins. We don’t have a horse in our hotel room in Mumbai!

Based on today’s exchange rate, our dinner bill at EU 116 was slightly under US $155. A 20% gratuity was included.

I knew from past experiences that this charge of US $.17 was a “test” for a fraudulent party trying to use our card to a more significant amount. They charged the small amount to see if it would go through. Once it did, they’d charge whatever they chose for a more substantial sum.

We have too many photos for one post about our experiences of the past 24 hours; a visit to Musee de Quai Branly. For more of our museum photos, please click here.

At the credit card company’s fraud detection department, our card was immediately shut down, resulting in the necessity of us contacting them. I reached the company hours later due to the time difference and informed us to toss the card, and they’d send us a new card via FedEx overnight to our hotel here in India.

Wood carving of mother and child.

Thankfully, we have plenty of credit cards as a backup, required for world travelers such as ourselves when we must charge large sums and feel safer with plenty of credit lines available at any one time. Primarily, we use the cards that provide the highest loyalty points, saving the other for emergencies.

These costumes were made centuries ago in preparation for Mardi Gras in Mexico.

We’re still waiting for customs to process the package we sent from Nevada to us here at the hotel. The new card may not arrive for a week or more in light of COVID-19 slower shipping times from the US to India. It could be several more weeks.

Many of the masks on display in the museum were intended to ward off evil spirits.

That’s all, folks! Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 6, 2019:

Tom was standing at the doorway to a house at the Connemara Heritage and History Centre and the Dan O’Hara Homestead. For more photos, please click here.

Day #135 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…More photos from Paris in 2014…Yes, I’m scared…

We spotted several merry-go-rounds while walking in Paris.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 5, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.
To the right in this photo is the City of Architecture and Heritage. On the left is the Palais de Chaillot.

Several readers have written inquiring why we haven’t taken advantage of a few available international flights flying out of Mumbai later this month. As it turns out, many of these flights are for repatriation purposes only, and others are flying to a few major cities in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, none of which we are interested in visiting at this time.

Beautiful sculptures at the City of Architecture and Heritage.
These flights are to locations that continue to see rising numbers of cases of COVID-19, which we’re striving to avoid. We have to wait it out here to ensure we can travel to desired locations with reduced amounts of viruses and have acquired experience handling outgoing and incoming international travelers.
Another photo of the museum at the City of Architecture and Heritage.
India is working diligently to ensure safe outgoing and incoming international travel. But in a few months, their systems will undoubtedly be revised to enhance the protection quality further. We’d relatively safely wait it out in the cocoon of this hotel than risk the virus in inexperienced environments.
This building reminded me of an area in Minneapolis, Minnesota, called “The Wedge.”
As all of us have seen since the onset of the virus, medical professionals and organizations have revised their recommendations for safety as more and more scenarios are studied. At this point, much of the information is still up in the air.
We stumbled upon the famous Peninsula Hotel, where the basic room is US $1500 per night, EI $1117.
But, so far, it appears wearing face masks, social distancing, and washing hands appear to be the universal consensus. But, what about using a restroom in an airport, let alone on an airplane on an extended or overnight flight? What safety measures will be exercised at security check-in, immigration, and while waiting in line to board the plane? What safety efforts will be enhanced as time marches on? 
We walked down the road as we approached the Arc de Triomphe.
How safe will it be to ride in a taxi to and from the airport? How safe is the counter at the car rental facility, let alone the rental car itself and the driver who drove the vehicle to us? 
 
Bottom line? What will be the consequences of spending an extra few months in this hotel lockdown compared to the rest of our lives, possibly extended by staying safe, especially since I am at high risk?
The Arc de Triomphe was a busy location filled with cars and tourists.
Here is information on those with high risk for COVID-19 from this site:
*People above 60 years of age with any of the following conditions: 
Chronic heart disease; hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, people
undergoing dialysis, chronic liver disease 
 Chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD), emphysema, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, or severe asthma 
 Chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neuron
disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability, or cerebral palsy 
 Problems with spleen, such as sickle cell disease or splenectomy
 Weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or
medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy 
 People with organ transplants and remain on ongoing immunosuppression
medication 
 People with cancer undergoing active chemotherapy or radiotherapy, cancers of
the blood or bone marrow such as leukemia who are at any stage of treatment
Midway through our walk, we stopped for beverages. Tom had a non-specialty beer, and I had bottled water. Total cost EU 14, US $18.80
I have indicated in red the comorbidities that apply to me at this point, most of which are at the top of the list. Of course, we must be cautious, as would be the case with anyone over 60 years old, even without these conditions.
From our vantage point, we could not see the name of this church, but we were fascinated with its architecture. 
So what if we are stuck in a hotel room as long as we’re healthy? It’s certainly a lot easier than being in a hospital ICU on a respirator. I remember what that felt like only 18 months ago in ICU, unable to speak and feel as if I was choking to death. No, thank you. 
The Flame of Liberty we passed on our walk. Behind it is the tunnel in which Princess Diana was killed on August 30, 1997. We drove through this tunnel in a taxi on our way to Le Louvre.
Perhaps, that awful experience alone inspires me to be all the more cautious. Maybe, when my heart rate was 260 BPM, I had to be anesthetized to have my heart electrically restarted (cardioversion) to become more stable. Perhaps, when I was trapped in the recovery room, alone for hours after surgery on my infected legs, when the power went out in the hospital, and the elevator wouldn’t work to take me back to my room. It’s no wonder that I might be a little scared. 
Many delis and bakeries line the boulevards.
Whew! I am grateful to be alive. There is no way I’m willing to take a risk and become infected with COVID-19, whatever it takes. And, I’m grateful to Tom for understanding where I am on this. He supports me 100% but certainly wouldn’t be quite as cautious if it weren’t for me.
Bins of delectable appearing treats in a Middle Eastern candy shop.
Each of us has the privilege of deciding how far we’ll go to protect ourselves and our families, within the guidelines of laws and our level of personal responsibility to those around us, in our cities, our towns, and even our backyards.
 We visited a local market to purchase nuts for snacking.
Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 5, 2019:

A pretty rainbow behind the Twelve Bens mountains from our holiday home in Connemara, Ireland. Please click here for more photos.

Day #134 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…More photos from Paris in 2014…

The Paris Statue of Liberty, the second of two replicas, is much smaller than the one in New York Harbor, USA.  See the quote below for details.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 4, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.
Unbeknownst to us, we discovered two replicas of the Statue of Liberty in New York’s harbor, the second of which is shown here, which we visited yesterday. The inscription is at the base of the Statue of Liberty. See link or quote below for details:
“The first (original) statue stands in the Jardin du Luxembourg. An information panel on the pedestal claims that it is a bronze model used by Bartholdi as part of the preparatory work for the New York statue; the artist offered it to the Luxembourg museum in 1900, and it was placed in the park in 1906. The date written on this statue’s tablet (where the New York statue has “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI”) is “15 November 1889” (November 15, 1889), the date at which the larger Parisian replica was inaugurated.

Pont de Grenelle

This second Statue of Liberty in Paris is near the Grenelle Bridge on the Île aux Cygnes, a man-made island in the River Seine (48°51′0″N 2°16′47″E), 11.50 meters (37 feet 9 inches) high. Inaugurated on July 4, 1889, it looks southwest, downriver along the Seine. Its tablet bears two dates: “IV JUILLET 1776” (July 4, 1776: The United States Declaration of Independence) like the New York statue, and “XIV JUILLET 1789” (July 14, 1789: the storming of the Bastille). This statue is shown in the movie National Treasure: Book of Secrets as one of the historic locations.”

With the high cost of taxi fares in Paris and one great site following another, we were walking proved to be the best way to get around. We’d considered the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, but “hopping off” would still result in tremendous amounts of walking.

We walked on a bridge over the train tracks with the Eiffel Tower at a distance.

By walking, we could take our time, see many interesting points along the way and take photos at our leisure. By the end of each day, we were exhausted. 

A River Seine cruise ship, perhaps docked for the day to allow passengers to tour Paris.

Our boutique hotel, conveniently located near the Eiffel Tower, was an excellent starting point. It was always the return walk at the end of the day that was most challenging. I never complained.

Statue on the bridge of the River Seine.

At that time, I had no idea I was suffering from cardiovascular disease, but I pushed myself each day to forge ahead, never knowing why my legs hurt so badly. Tom was always patient when I often asked we stopped to rest along the way. Once I rested for a minute or two, I would be ready to carry on.

A River Seine cruise ship, perhaps docked for the day to allow passengers to tour Paris.

Now, as I walk the corridors each day from 8,000 to 10,000 steps, I still find myself struggling but require less stopping. At this point, I can walk about ½ mile, .8 km, non-stop. I don’t get out of breath, but I have to stop due to pain and cramping in my legs.

One of the popular Viking cruise lines river cruise boats.

Doing all this walking reminds me of our time in Paris, where we walked more than anywhere in the world except for the port of call tours from a cruise to St. Petersburg, Russia, in August last year, only six months after I’d had open-heart surgery and had yet to strengthen in my legs after two leg surgeries four months earlier. 

When in crowded tourist areas, Tom carried this pen in plain view to him as a deterrent to pickpockets.

But, even now, with all my daily walking, I’d still struggle to keep up with the long, non-stop periods of walking such as experienced on the St. Petersburg tour. We’ll have to accept this limitation that may continue for the remainder of my life in the future.

As we walked toward the more modern areas of Paris, we stumbled across this shopping mall.

Thus, my memories of those long walks in Paris were a mix of painful walking along with the thrills of the many sites we saw along the way. The only time we used a taxi was from the airport to our hotel; the round-trip visit to The Louvre; and to the train station to travel on the Eurostar (the “chunnel” when we left for London a few weeks later). On a stormy day, we took the train across the street from our hotel to travel to Versaille, our favorite sightseeing outing in Paris. 

The interior of the shopping mall could have been in any city in the USA or another country. We looked at cameras in an electronic store, but the prices were outrageous with the 40% taxes, including VAT.

A portion of our photos consists of scenes we encountered along the way on our daily walks, many of which may not necessarily appeal to most tourists. Yes, we saw the highlights, but we also treasured the sites we discovered by surprise every day.

The City of Light is mainly known for its historical architecture. However, many modern buildings occupy the skyline.

With the lack of interest in shopping and our restrictive way of eating, we still did a fair amount of window shopping. We never missed the full flavor of fantastic foods in Paris when we dined at a few upscale gourmet restaurants and many divine cafes.

This charming bag shop so well depicts Paris with its awning, quaint architecture, and highly-priced items.

Looking back, we’re grateful for the experience and the beautiful memories and are delighted to share some of our photos of Paris over the next several days.

A narrow one-way street with minimal parking for residents of these buildings. Driving in Paris and parking in Paris is difficult. We felt it would be pure frustration for a visitor to rent a car to see the city.

Stay safe, healthy, and hopeful.

Please click here for more photos from this date in 2014.

Photo from one year ago today, August 4, 2019:

In Connemara, Ireland, with fresh fish caught and sold by the friendly fishmonger John, who showed up at our door every Tuesday morning, I made myself a dinner of sauteed garlic butter calamari and hake. My vegetables were on a separate plate. For more food photos taken in Ireland, please click here.

Day #133 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…Our original photos from Paris in 2014…

We were enthralled by the lights of the Eiffel Tower.  We made the video of the light show below.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 3, 2014, while in Paris, France. See the link here for more photos.
Check out our video of the evening Eiffel Tower light show!

With neither of us particularly interested in big cities, I surprised myself when at the onset of our travels in 2012, I mentioned to Tom it would be nice to visit Paris and London if, after all, we were on a mission to “see the world.” 

This view is from the corner near our hotel, a short distance from the Eiffel Tower.

How could one strive to travel the world without visiting these two historic cities rife with culture and art? The conversation never came up again until a year later when Tom suggested we go to Normandy, France, on a small group private tour while on a cruise docked in Le Havre. 

Statue on the bridge of the River Seine.

Although, at the time, not much of a history and war facts buff, I suggested a trade-off (with tongue in cheek). My compromise? Let’s do Normandy and then stay for 15 days each in Paris and London. Tom agreed. 

We assume this longboat on the Seine maybe a river cruise ship.

It didn’t take him long to realize he wasn’t the best negotiator in the world. My end of the “bargain” was considerably more expensive, time-consuming, and comprehensive. As it turned out, I, too, felt the power and emotion of visiting Normandy and have since changed my interests to lean toward Tom’s vast knowledge and interest in world history.

Driving into the city of Paris was an experience in itself.

No, he didn’t love the hustle and bustle of Paris, although he thoroughly enjoyed the sites we visited. But, overall, he felt more at ease in South Kensington when we stayed in the fantastic history and artsy area, away from some of the commotion in the center of London.

We were crossing the bridge over the Seine. Each day we walked no less than 5 miles, 8 km.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll share some of our favorite photos from our 15 nights in Paris and later the photos from our 15 nights in South Kensington, within walking distance of some of the finest museums in the world.

The streets were lined with one café, bistro, and restaurant after another.  We’ll never have trouble finding great dining establishments.

At that time, I wasn’t drinking wine, nor did I consume any foods restricted to my ongoing low-carb diet. In 2016, I decided to try drinking wine again, and from there, I’ve loved it. 

The lobby of our boutique hotel in Paris, across the road from the train station.

As mentioned, I haven’t had a glass of wine since February. Alcoholic beverages continue to be banned in India during the lockdown. Even if it becomes available in India while we are here, we’ll both continue to abstain until we leave here.

We were looking out the window of our hotel to the train station. We couldn’t have been in a perfect location.

Taxes on wine and other alcoholic beverages in India is 34% plus, prices are high. It’s just not worth it to either of us. We’ll wait until we get to Africa or another country to have an official “happy hour.”

Tom, standing in what may be the smallest elevator on the planet. It took a few trips to get out bags up to our room.

Of course, while in Paris, the first site we were determined to see was the Eiffel Tower, judged by the number of photos we’re posting today. It was more magnificent than we’d expected, especially at night, as shown in our video above.

As for now, the continuing dreadful news of the spread of COVID-19 throughout the world gives us little hope of getting out of here anytime soon. Each day, we resign ourselves further as to the magnitude of the imposed lockdown we continue to bear, along with others throughout the world.


This dinner salad was perfect for our late-night supper at a local outdoor cafe.

We pray for the safety of our loved ones, friends, readers/friends, and those suffering in every corner of the world, including those who’ve lost loved ones and have been stricken with this dreadful virus.

Stay safe.

Photo from one year ago today, August 3, 2019:

An island in a small lake in Connemara, Ireland. For more photos, please click here.

Day #132 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…Costa Rica in 2017…Fantastic bird watching!…

Pool Sun Deck - Outdoor Lounge Area
The most appealing veranda in the world for birdwatching and poolside lounging in Atenas, Costa Rica. See the still-active rental link here.

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 2, 2017, while in Atenas, Costa Rica. See the link here for more photos.

Tom is as content as he could be at La Perla de Atenas

We stayed at Bev and Sam’s gorgeous villa in Atenas, Costa Rica, only three years ago. We met the lovely couple while in Kauai, Hawaii, in 2015. We’d been to their beautiful home in Kauai, a former botanical garden, as shown in the links below.

The bed and bedding in the master bedroom were very comfortable.  

To see their fantastic property in Kauai, click on each of these two posts here and here, where we took many photos while visiting their home for “Movie Night.” 

In most cases, we’ve stayed in vacation homes with water views. But, the valley and mountain views in Atenas were all we needed at that point. 

By coincidence, our first Movie Night was on our 20th wedding anniversary. But with many friends we’d made arriving for their event, we decided to celebrate our anniversary on another night.

The massive grounds are landscaped and maintained to perfection.

On other occasions, we visited Bev and Sam at their home. Since our place in Princeville was too small for entertaining guests, I insisted on bringing homemade dinner and dessert on one occasion. 

Lush vegetation and greenery on the grounds surrounded us by the mountains, hills, and valleys. The property is located at an elevation of approximately 4000 feet (1219 meters).

While visiting on one occasion, they shared that they’d recently purchased a fabulous property in Costa Rica, and if in the future, we ever wanted to rent it, they’d give us the “friends and family” discount.

After completing the stunning Costa Rica property, it was about a year later that we rented it for almost four months. We cherished every day and night in the fabulous property.

We didn’t have trouble finding grass-fed beef in Costa Rica if these skinny cattle are any indication. The meat from grass-fed cows is tough but so much healthier. 

Costa Rica allows US citizens to visit for 90 days. Subsequently, we had to do a border run for the fourth month. We flew to Managua, Nicaragua, staying at a nice hotel and seeing a few sites for a weekend. However, that trip wasn’t particularly memorable. We were happy to return to the villa a few days later.

While living there, we only had a rental car for a few weeks, off and on. The cost of renting a car in Costa Rica was outrageous, but taxi fares were relatively affordable. We’d planned long road trips for those times when we had a rental car and used a taxi for shopping and local sightseeing. It all worked out well.

With thick cushions to use for these chairs, we certainly managed a daily dose of Vitamin D.

The highlight of our time at the villa was bird watching. The property, located in a canopy of massive trees and vegetation, left us constantly looking for stunning birds we’d never seen anywhere in the wild. 

If you scroll through our archives from August to November 2017, you’ll see some of the unique birds we enjoyed while situated on the fabulous veranda, often spending hours in the pool and hot tub, day after day. 

Kitchen with 2 Islands and Bar Stools
Fantastic kitchen with two islands.

Without a doubt, it was the most beautiful pool-time we’ve spent anywhere in the world, besides the infinity pool abutting the ocean in Sumbersari, Bali, in 2016. 

Although we only had a few social engagements with locals in Costa Rica, we thoroughly enjoyed our alone time poolside and constant bird watching, walking through the cultural village of Atenas and the local park. It was a memorable time.

Enjoying the Pools at Night
Evening pool and veranda view.

Gosh, we’d certainly love a place with a private pool right now. We need some Vitamin D and a little color on our pale skin after months indoors.

So it goes. We carry on with hope. We pray you are hopeful as well!

Photo from one year ago today, August 2, 2019:

Sunset across the bay in Connemara, Ireland. For more photos, please click here.

Day #131 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…Sightseeing photos from Phuket, Thailand and Saigon, Vietnam in 2014…

We arrived at the pier and main entrance area to Chalong Beach. Here’s information about this bay from this site: “Chalong’s muddy East Coast shoreline makes it rather unsuitable for swimming, but it’s an ideal and natural spot for yacht mooring. As well as the Boat Lagoon, Yacht Haven and Royal Phuket Marina, Chalong is a center for intense boating activity. Early mornings and late afternoons are the busiest times at Chalong when diving and day trip groups are bundled on and off boats. The Ao Chalong Yacht Club, which organizes regular sailing races, makes its base here, and its bar is a favorite spot for sailors to swap yarns and party.  Chalong’s most noticeable feature is its 720-meter long, seven-meter wide jetty, which replaced the rickety old wooden pier in 2001. A parking area and several restaurants, shops, tourist information kiosks, and open-air waiting areas have been built to serve the many visitors. There’s also a one-stop customs, immigration, and harbormaster service to assist visiting vessels, as well as a new marine rescue center.”

Note: To all of our readers visiting our site via a smartphone, please click the “View web version” tab under the word “Home” at the bottom of the page to access the web version enabling you to access all of our archives on the right side of the page. We’ll be updating our site shortly, making these extra steps unnecessary. Thank you. 

Today’s photos are from the post from August 1, 2016, while in Phuket, Thailand, including some photos from our tour of Saigon, Vietnam. See the link here for more photos.
The tour information and sales building were surrounding the area, a popular tourist location. Life jackets are ready on the sidewalk for the next tour group.

When we aren’t particularly enjoying a region in a country, we tend to feel less interested than usual in heading out sightseeing. Invariably, we force ourselves to jump into the car and venture out, most often with a plan in mind.

Tourists dine, shopping, and stay undercover while awaiting their boat tours.

Of course, there have been many times we’ve headed out without a plan other than to drive to and from a certain point of interest known for incredible scenery. Often, along the way, we’ve found many treasures.

The entrance area for tourists to access the tour boats.

In all, we’ve hardly taken off on a road trip and been disappointed since we both revel not only in the astounding feats of nature but also in the “small things” which in every country, every city, every region, are in abundance.

Tourists were preparing to load the boats.

Thus, the repeat photos we’re sharing today are from a day’s outing in Phuket, Thailand, which in yesterday’s post, we explained that we didn’t love as much as many other places we’ve visited over the past many years.

We walked a portion of this long pier.

It would be wonderful if we could get out and walk the streets of Mumbai to search for those unique sightings. Instead, we’re left with the photos we posted in February (after the train tour) and the first half of March while on a portion of our private 55-night night tour, which ended abruptly due to COVID-19. See our archives for the photos from those months.

Another pier in Chalong Bay.

Due to the virus, no leisurely walking is allowed in the streets when the city is buttoned down due to the lockdown with many restrictions. Subsequently, we remain trapped in our hotel room for an indefinite period. 

No motorized vehicles were allowed on the pier.

A few readers have written inquiring why we haven’t walked the grounds of the hotel. Based on the way the hotel is situated with an underground parking lot, there’s nowhere to walk other than the drive-up space in front of the main door. 

Then in 2016, Tom had worn this pair of tennis shoes since we began our journey over 45 months ago. It took them to fall apart to this degree to inspire him to purchase a new pair.  It was less about being frugal and more about his lack of interest in shopping. Thank goodness, he gave these the heave-ho at the shoe store. 

Plus, hotel management prefers staff and guests to stay safely in their rooms to avoid possible contamination. There hasn’t been a single case of COVID-19 in this hotel since we arrived on March 24th, the day the lockdown began.

Tom’s new tennis shoes, most likely knock-offs. At that point, he had no choice but to purchase after checking out three stores in Saigon before arriving in Thailand. I negotiated these down to VDN $300,000, US $13.45. Surprisingly, the quality seemed promising, but if they only lasted for a short period.

The only time we’ve left the floor is when we go downstairs to pay our bill, which is upcoming again on August 3rd. I usually handle this task and head downstairs, never sharing the elevator with anyone, wearing a face mask, and maintaining social distancing from the markings on the floor in front of the registration desk, never leaning on or touching the counter space.

The shoe stores appeared to have all knock-offs. Kong, our guide on the Viking Mekong River cruise, advised us to negotiate, which we did.

Our room keys and our credit card were sanitized in front of me before they were handed back. Once back in the room, I scrub my hands, arms, and Fitbit with soap, along with the two key cards and credit card, tossing my mask for a new one. 

On our last day in Saigon, we stopped at the lacquer factory on a bus tour with the cruise passengers. These are popular items travelers often bring or ship home after visiting Southeast Asia. Since we have no home, there was no point in purchasing, although many passengers did so.

Every few days, I use a clean washcloth, covered in hand sanitizer, and clean my phone, case, and laptop. Tom does the same. Our door handles, both sides, are sanitized daily by our room attendant, who also sanitizes the room phones, TV remote, and all surfaces. It feels clean.

The craftsmanship appeared to be of high quality if one could use such décor in their homes.

Not much new on the agenda today. We finished binge-watching a few excellent series, Reign and Australia’s 800 Words. Now we’re watching season 9 of Suits and the hysterically funny Catastrophe (Amazon Prime). 

We wondered if these pretty plates were suitable for serving food or merely decorative. One never knows when purchasing products such as this if lead-based paints are used in production. 

Otherwise, all is well. No news on international flights resuming. Thanks again, dear readers/friends, for all of the supportive email messages!

Stay safe.

Photo from one year ago today, August 1, 2019:

Family of four walking along the road in Connemara, Ireland. For more photos, please click here.