Loraine, Ric, Rach and Rob
In April, we left the ship for our annual pilgrimage to St. Barth’s. It is definitely our favorite Caribbean Island and we shared a beautiful villa with four good friends. Then it was home to the States for taxes and family visits. We got to spend quality time with each of our 6 kids and all but one of the 12 grandkids. We sent the parents away on a four day vacation while we moved into each of their homes. School and homework, soccer, lacrosse, guitar, violin and piano lessons, pasta and pizza making, ballet and recitals, hockey and HS play practice, carnival rides, Cirque de Soleil and trampoline outings, driving lessons (yikes!), acting as the class “mystery reader” and a geography fair – we were busy all of the time. It was a great few weeks, but it sure felt good to sleep past 6:00AM when we were done!
Then back to the Ship in our beloved France. We spent a few days in beautiful Bordeaux with dear friends we haven’t seen since I retired. A very educational tour of the wine country ALMOST converted me from beer. But once I heard that tannins break down proteins, causing the saliva ducts to close and thus making a wine taste dry, I decided to go back to Coors Lite. Actually, I’ve always liked Bordeaux wines, and I have a new appreciation for the subtleties of how they’ve kept the quality so consistently superior over the last 250 years.
Next on to Paris – Debra’s favorite foreign city. We’ve probably been there 25 times, but I was always working and never really got to savor its beauty. This time I did a little homework to figure out how it came to be so scenic.
In 1848, Napoleon III, the first democratically elected president, finally took on the project to improve the city and hired George Haussmann to develop and implement a master plan. In 1852, when NIII’s term-limit was reached, he decided democracy was over-rated and declared himself Emperor (clever). Pressing on with the city improvement plan, he took “eminent domain” to a new level; it was more a “demolish and build new” than a “rehab.” Over 17 years, Haussmann was empowered to convert narrow streets, pitiful sanitary conditions, and severe over-crowding into what was the foundation of today’s beautiful Paris. Water and sewer systems, wide boulevards, buildings limited to six stories, trees and parks – he was a visionary whose plan was implemented long after he was fired, albeit at the expense of the population of the time. I’m sure we’ve all complained about rigid zoning and building codes when trying to build or improve a property, but when in Paris you can appreciate the benefits of such an approach.
We do love France. We’ll have to visit more often, even if by land!
D & D Adventures 