All the information we had obtained prior to our trip told us that getting a bank account in France would be a time consuming experience. In one sense this has been absolutely true, and yet in another it has been a revelation about the current state of world banking. We knew to just go from […]
Arthur, concierge supreme!
We’re staying at the Adagio Paris hotel in Vincennes. Although it’s east of the city center about 6 miles, we picked it for an arrival address because it was reasonably priced and had good reviews. What we’ve discovered is that people in Vincennes always recommend Vincennes as the best place to stay. They like that […]
Waiting for the Super Bowl
The game’s doesn’t start until after midnight here in Paris, but we’re ready – all our friends are here for the big party, and it will be live on Channel W-9. Taco Bell was out of snacks so we had to make do with what was available.
Bill Nelson
My father, Bill Nelson, passed away a year ago today in Pekin, Illinois. It’s one of those things that got me moving off my place secure in a life of work that would go on forever. I brought along a couple of Dad’s coats as a way of bringing him with me, sharing with him […]
[Notre-Dame de Paris] Ringing in the new: a new set of bells for Notre-Dame’s towers
Our first day in Paris we saw a motorcade parading some huge church bells. It turns out to be the new bells for the Cathedral at Notre Dame, part of the Church’s 850th Anniversary Celebration. It turns out that the replacement bells installed in the 1850’s after the revolution weren’t so great. Now the music […]
Leaving life behind
Every Thanksgiving the Wall St Journal runs an editorial (The Desolate Wilderness) that tells in part the story of the Pilgrims voyage to America. They leave behind all their friends and all that they know, and go forth into a life unknown with few resources and little help besides each other. In our small journey […]
