The creator of goodmorninggloucester.org Lover of all things Gloucester and Cape Ann. GMG where we bring you the very best our town has to offer because we love to share all the great news and believe that by promoting others in our community everyone wins.
Sign up for Airbnb and get $40 off your first adventure. Here’s my invitation link and video tour I took of the apartment we highly recommend centrally located in the heart of Paris. Even if you don’t book right away, by signing up for Airbnb you’ll get a $40 credit added to your account when you do. Free money. No-brainer :
Even though we’ve been walking an extraordinary dinary amount every day I wouldn’t do it any other way. It’s the best way to experience each neighborhood.
The vestibule leading to our apartment on Rue de Lille-
Yesterday was calling for rain at noon for an hour then clearing. So we took the umbrella but didn’t use it on our walk from our apartment on Rue de Lille, next to Musee D’Orsay, down Rue de l’Université through the Esplanade Des Invalides and further to the Eiffel Tower. (Please forgive all the spelling mistakes the last few days. It takes a while and I’m trying to bang out the daily journal before Kate wakes up).
It was a little chilly after we stopped walking and were waiting on cue to get tickets for the car ride to the summit of the Eiffel Tower. Originally we were going to eat on the second floor of the tower but it was sold out for 12:30 and we didn’t want to stand around in the cold til 1:30 for the picnic at the restaurant “58”. As it turns out because we didn’t advance purchase tickets and we waited past the 1:30 in cue for the summit tickets so we could have done the picnic on the second level and it would have been less time waiting. At all the other attractions on this trip we purchased online tickets while we were en route with no problem but the picnic option was a bit confusing if it also guaranteed a seating so that was the deciding factor for us to pass.
The line was long but I’m glad we waited. The views were spectacular and the cart that brings you up was an experience in itself.
We were pretty hungry as it was about 2 PM when we finished up at the Tower and we hadn’t eaten so we started to make our way back to the neighborhood just south of Pont Neuf in Saint Germain Des Pres. That was one of our favorite neighborhoods -Rue de Buci on the left along with Rue Montorgruel on the right bank.
Along the way one of the many artists that particularly caught my eye was the gallery of Claude Boullé. His work reminded me of our friend Regina Piantedosi’s caustic work.
Late lunch was at Cafe De Paris, Kate got a salad and I got the fourth Entrecôte of the trip. Kate’s found a love for an Aperol spritz. I got to try a new bourbon that I read was a good one, “Monkey Shoulder” and it was great. I’ll be looking for it back home. People doing the no carb diets that are all the rage in the States should not come to Paris. The bread is just too good to resist and the incredible bakeries are on every street.
Cafe De Paris scene-
After lunch we walked across Ponte Neuf to the right bank so Kate could do some more shopping. She got another sorta retro jacket and we walked in and out of a bunch of shops along Rue Rivoli. I tried on a Stetson flat cap at one of the shops and passed on buying it because it was a little pricey and I’m regretting it. I could of course get something similar in the States but I liked the feel and color and material of this hat and it reminded me of the brown wide corduroy flat cap which was the only thing I took of my a Grandfather with the wharf (Captain Joe) when he died. I still have that cap and it still smells like him. I miss him and early this morning I woke up and was thinking about how great a man he and my grandmother Felicia were. How their house was so loving and welcoming even though he was such a larger than life guy. I shoulda got that Stetson flat cap and maybe somebody would have kept it after I die sometime down the road.
Anyway, after shopping we were close to 8 miles on our feet and we headed back to the apartment to freshen up before our last dinner in Paris.
Dinner was at Le Flores and looking across after dinner and laughing with my beautiful Kate I couldn’t believe how lucky I am to share this trip with her.
Day seven 9.1 miles walked.
Time to pack.
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Join us next week to help us celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary! Visit our website to view our special throwback menu and daily specials that we are offering for March 11th through March 15th. 🍾
Warm up with a Jazz Brunch at Feather & Wedge this weekend. Ipswich-based guitarist Harry Wagg. Harry will be performing a variety of traditional jazz, contemporary classics and original tunes!
Reservations highly suggested! 978.999.5917
Sunday, March 10, 2019
10:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Feather & Wedge, 5 Main Street, Rockport, MA 01966
The Metro really is awesome, especially using the Citymapper app. It takes the fear of getting lost right out of the equation. The Citymapper app asks you where you want to go, determines your location and gives you roughly ten different options-walking, bus, train, Uber, and others. It shows you on the cellphone map as you go along the route with the direction you’re headed. I highly highly recommend it, even if you’re just using it walking around Boston. It will always be downloaded on my phone. Available for iPhone and Android.
We took the double decker train from Musee D’Orsey straight into Versailles. Easy-peasy. Especially considering the the station is a couple hundred yards from our apartment. From there it’s a short walk to the opulent Versailles. Stopped off on a side street for a quick gyro from one of the many restaurants and then got to the gates of Versailles. The line looked outrageous, as if we’d never get in but it went pretty quickly and we chatted with some American and Canadian students that were studying in Berlin and they had a couple of months to travel Europe. God bless them for taking this time of their life to do what they probably wouldn’t have a chance to do until they’re really old. Grabbing life by the horns, love it. I’ve now been to Spain, Italy and France in Europe and can’t wait to see more of the world.
The palace is so over the top it makes you wonder where the wealth came from. Floor to ceiling marble, gilded woodwork everywhere, statues, enormous gardens, it must have been wild living in those days if you were royalty.
When reading travel guides and listening to Paris travel videos on YouTube before we came every single guide said to watch out for pickpockets. I’m talking probably 30 different things read or viewed and they all mentioned pickpockets. When that many people mention it, you gotta figure it’s a thing to be aware of.
This was day five and occasionally you’d see a sketchy person but NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER BIG CITY including Boston. In Paris most people walking around are people of means and dressed very nicely. Up to this point we hadn’t had any experience with the pickpockets.
So we settle in on the train back to Paris. Kate keeps her handbag zippered and in front of her and I keep my wallet in my front pocket. By the way there’s no need to carry large sums of money abroad. I’ve used my debit card everywhere.
Anyway, we’re settled on the train for the ride back to Paris and the car where in starts to fell in. We start to chat with an Iranian guy who I wouldn’t have known he was Iranian if he didn’t tell us, I’d have thought he was French. A group of teenage girls probably 18 years old starts to pass through our car. They looked like any other teenage girls would look. Not dressed any differently than my own daughters. The Iranian guy who was very nice to talk to suddenly erupted and started yelling at the young girls to get out the car. He started yelling”Gypsies! Get out of here! Pickpockets! Pickpockets!” It was startling to us and the other passengers. The band of regularly dressed clean looking teenage girls turned the other way and left our car. At the next stop he told us to look out the window of the train, that we would see them. The train starts pulling away from the stop and the pickpocket girls we’re running along side the train smiling and giving the Iranian guy the finger. The entire train car gave the guy that just startled them a big round of applause.
he told us,if you’re not aware and don’t take simple precautions like keeping your bag zippered and in front of you and not open your wallet in front of them to give them a Euro or two you can be safe with precaution. But if you’re dumb they are professionals that have never gone to school and all they know is this life. I understand that this story will turn people away because it’s a scary thing to think about, but in my opinion this is a non factor if you just use common sense. Cities like Paris or Rome are so beautiful and full of beautiful friendly people. We’ve had such great conversations everywhere we’ve been and all we’ve talked about is wanting to go to more places.
I can see someone reading about the pickpockets and saying to themselves “I’m never going there.” But you’d be missing out on so much and all it takes is a little precaution.
It’s the same way about traveling to Mexico. I feel safer in Playa del Carmen than I do on the streets of Boston but there a shooting in Mexico and the press makes it seem like there’s people on the street ready to kill you. I bet there’s more murders in the a City of Boston and it’s not going to deter me from traveling there.
So he headed back to Paris, specifically Rue de Montorgruiel, the pedestrian street with all the markets and cafes. We stopped at Bianco Pizzeria and got the most incredible antipasto plate ever with roasted vegetables, cheeses and bread.
After stuffing ourselves with the antipasto and doing some shopping we took the Metro home to freshen up and later headed to the Champs-Elysees for dinner and a bottle of wine.
One more full day.
7.8 miles walked on day 5
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Begin Your Reiki Journey With Thorough, Supportive Training Steeped in Japanese Tradition
First Degree/Shoden (Beginning Teaching) – 2 day, 15-hour training.**
2 Upcoming Opportunities:
When: Saturday, Sunday. March 23 and 24 and May 18 and 19
Where: Peabody MA
No pre-requisite necessary. Come with an open-mind and open-heart!
Contact Us for Details and to Register – 978-283-4258 or Email: info@dreamtimewellness.com
Usui Reiki Ryoho – a Japanese Healing Art/Method that originated in 1922 with Founder USUI Mikao Sensei of Japan. Komyo Reiki System: A Keep It Simple system of reiki as taught by Buddhist monk INAMOTO Hyakuten Sensei, based on Japanese aesthetic – Less is More.
Learn Reiki (ray-kee)in this traditional apprentice-style training. Class is offered in beautiful, peaceful settings surrounded by nature. Includes instruction, discussion, practice, meditation, attunements (Reiju,) manual, ongoing mentoring and much more. Learn the history of Reiki Ryoho, techniques for self-reiki and self-care, potential…
Where: Gloucester High School Field House, 32 Leslie O. Johnson Road, Gloucester
Who: Gloucester families and kids of all ages. Admission $5/family at the door.
What: The Power of Play Festival – a fun day of art, games, slime-making, gymja, legos, obstacle courses and so much more!
Research shows that play helps kids develop the critical thinking, communication, problem solving and collaboration skills that prepare them for life-long success. So let’s move, build, climb, create and have fun together!
Gloucester Education Foundation works with parents, teachers and community volunteers to drive innovation in the Gloucester Public Schools. We support programs ranging from music and theater; to literacy and art; to technology, math and science. www.thinkthebest.org
Hosted by Gloucester Education Foundation and Sponsored by Cape Ann Savings Bank…
This is my daughter Allie Rose Nicastro, she has been painting on her own for years… she is only 14 years old and is an excellent artist.
She was recently awarded an art scholarship from Bishop Fenwick and sells some paintings, saving her money for Fenwick next school year.
She is the sweetest little girl and I’m honored she is my daughter. I thought maybe you could use this on your page for the Art Spotlight section.
The Portrait of my father (Jerry ) and the painting of his former lobster boat “Rosa Lee” were given to my father this past October when he retired after over 50 plus years in the lobster/fishing industry at 72 yrs old.
ART OPENING at GLADSTONE in MANCHESTER on SATURDAY
In Absentia, an exhibit of photographs by Dale Goffigon will be on display at GLADSTONE jewelry and art gallery at 36 ½ Union Street in Manchester from March 9 – June 8.
The images are dreamy architectural portraits of old world elegance. Goffigon’s art is about perception. These are powerful glimpses of light, color, texture, and form, frequently of forgotten spaces. She layers her fascinating travel experiences on her background in textiles and weaving, sharing views that range from decay to opulence All is bound together by the artist’s sensitive ability to frame and capture haunting beauty.
Goffigon’s work has been published in The Redstone Book of the Eye and Connecticut Cottages & Gardens. She studied at Parsons School of Design, the International Center of Photography and the Center for Alternative Photography in New York.
A late start after a long night watching the soccer match.
Plan was to check out the catacombs. It was a 45 minute walk and after putting in 26 miles on our feet the past three days my feet were starting to bother me a bit but you see so much more of the city by foot.
We skipped coffee and food and got to the Catacombs around 1PM (desperately needing coffee and food). We settled on a place called Indiana which was a Place I’d seen in other parts of the city and served classic American fare. It was n’t terrible but out of all the memorable meals we’ve had since we’ve been hear this was very forgettable.
Right after we purchased skip the line tickets tor the catacombs and entered at 2PM. The remains of millions of dead Parisians from the 1700 and 1800s were stacked intracately under the streets of Paris where there was formerly quarried out limestone beds. It was incredible. Lots of people including Jen Goulart, Ken Hecht and Jim Ellis told us to go and we’re glad we did.
Took the Metro back to preserve the feet, stopped at a near The Louvre called Cafe Benjamin for a coffee and Irish coffee for Kate. Next shopping at a store called C&A where we got Kate a furry coat.
Next made 7PM reservations for dinner near the Arc De Triumph at Brasserie Baroche. Plan was to get tickets to go on top of the Arc at sunset to look at the views of Paris from up there. Beautiful views, $12 Euros for the ticket to get up and looked up to the left you see Sacre-Couer straight ahead, Champs-Elysees and to the right the Eiffel tower. It was beautiful seeing all this at the golden hour.
From the Arc dinner was at Baroche and was my favorite yet! The bread! Served warm it was soooo delicious. No need at all for butter it was scrumptious. I opted for all tapas- mushrooms stuffed with escargot in a butter garlic sauce, grilled octopus and breen ceviche in citrus and pomegranate. Kate got a chicken sandwich and French onion soup. Delicious, great service, I’d go back and recommend it to anyone!
After dinner a quick stop into Longchamps on Champs-Elysees for a new bag.
From there, the Metro home as we wanted to get back to even after our late night on Day 3. We stopped for some cheese, a bottle of wine and Prosecco at the corner store (the same one we circumvented twice in the pouring rain the night before) then headed to the apartment. Kate wrestled with our newfangled washer dryer while we watched a couple of episodes of the new Netflix series “The Bodyguard”.
We’re devouring this city and loving every minute of it.
8.1 miles walking today bringing the four day total to 34 miles.
Today we have Versailles in our sights.
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Nothing speaks to warm weather like late summer nights on the porch. Sitting with friends and family, watching the last light of the day disappear behind the horizon and the feel of that cool summer breeze. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. Although we may be in the dead of winter, summer isn’t really that far away. Installing interchangeable panels from Upstate means you can get out there even sooner. Get started on building or remodeling your porch to make the most of this year!
We started the day with a walk in a different direction than the ones we’ve been taking from our neighborhood just to explore more. Walked down Saint-Germain past quite a few shops and cafes, that could be said about any neighborhood And it’s fun window shopping along the way. Although the cafes are mostly open, the restaurants are pretty much empty right up until noon.
After settling in for lunch we headed to The Louvre. If you know about Paris probably third behind the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triumph in popularity is The Louvre, the world’s largest collection of art.
It is massive. Ginormous. Getting there early was key because we only waited on cue for about 15 minutes to get in but when we were leaving the lines looked outrageous.
So much to see we winded our way through the Sully and Denon sections, marveling at the mummies, tombs, Murals and paintings. Found our way to the massive room where The Mona Lisa is displayed. It’s a massive massive room and the Mona Lisa is a relatively tiny painting. I guess you’d be regret going through and not laying your eyes on the world’s most famous painting. Does it make someone sound dumb if they tell you they don’t get why this particular painting is the world’s most famous? The entire museum is just incredible.
After the Louvre I was determined to find a place that was playing the Champions League soccer match between Paris St Germain and Manchester United. Fired up the trusty strip Advisor App on which a user had suggested Frog et Rosbif was a place likely to have the game on.
As it turns out it was3PM or so and after the 25 minute walk we find out the game doesn’t start til 9PM. We sat down anyway as Frog et Rosbif is also a brewery. Kate got an Aperol spritz and I fell in love with their Ginger Twist beer. The game didn’t start til 9 PM but there were English fans from Manchester United pouring into the place and they were getting after it at a pretty ferocious pace 6 hours before the game was to even start. We chatted with a few of them learning that most of them actually came from all over Europe but were all Man U fans. There was no way we could drink all day and keep up with these animals.
Our server from the Ukraine who spoke perfect English mentioned a fun place to check out called “Player One”. It’s got oversized classic video games to play. We walked about fifteen minutes down Rue Saint-Denis and Kate was in heaven. Stayed for a bit and then started our walk back home.
On the long walk home we discovered Rue Montorgueil. It’s a pedestrian area that’s a permanent market with cheese shops, bakeries, salumierie, all kinds of food and wait for it……..cafes and restaurants! I really love this town. When we come back I’d like to stay up here in the second arrondismont. Kate’s still sleeping but she’d probably tell you she’d prefer where we are staying because it’s quieter.
We made our way back to the apartment to freshen up and head back out to Frog et Rosbif to watch the soccer match. We got there by Uber and the crowd of Manchester United fans all dressed in black had grown considerably. And they were LOUD. I was there to cheer for PSG and my favorite player Mbappe. We met a knowledgeable soccer fan Pierre and a couple of other PSG fans that we sat with and had a great time. The bar was crazy. Each side trying to drown out the other with victory chants. I was surprised the place didn’t get wrecked as there was an air of danger in the Man U large mob. Lots and lots of fun. PSG lost and got knocked out of Champions League in a wretched way with little time left on the clock and a penalty kick.
Uber home and we got let out of the car where I thought was close to a corner store where we could pick up a European outlet as ours broke but got off course and it started to pour. We went around the neighborhood twice trying to find it in the pouring rain only to finally find it and it was closed. Good for a laugh and the memories. Total miles walked day 3= 8 miles.
Here’s the pics-
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First Degree/Shoden (Beginning Teaching) – 2 day, 15-hour training.**
Where: Gloucester High School Field House, 32 Leslie O. Johnson Road, Gloucester
Good Morning Gloucester 