The Postman called again.......

this time bringing me mail from Holland. The wonderful Nicolette of Dutch Comfort, said she loved the idea of postcard sending and asked me if I would like her to send me one...! She sent me two!!! :-)

Thank you so much Nicolette, it was a great joy to receive these....!!

In the top you can see the wonderful Tulips of Holland, brilliant colours, and the typical dutch windmills..

In the bottom postcard from Den Haag, is the Houses of Parliament to the right and on the left is the "Mauritshuis" The Royal Picture Gallery..very famous for a wonderful collection of old Dutch paintings..! In front you can see "The Hofvijver" known as the "Pond".

I hope that you vist her wonderful blog, not just to read about Holland but to see her fantastic Quilting too!!

Another great visit......

was to the Arc de Triomphe..we were in awe once again...how the workman manage to create this magnificent monument is beyond us. On reading the history the foundations took 2 years to build, and just look at the design in the arches!!

In the picture you can see a flame, This is The Flame of Remembrance on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and is a tribute to the dead, who were never identified in the First World War I and the Second World War.

After this we walked down the Champs-Elysées, looking at all the fantastic cafes and shops ..we were on our way to The Lourve and then to meet Leesa!

St Eustache....

Wherever we went we came across churches, they came in all sizes, but one thing was the same...they were all beautifully built and had stunning craftmanship. Inside and Out. We were in awe most of the time..sometimes we just sat and took it all in.

St Eustache was just one of the churches we visited, it was truly amazing..!

The Sculpture in the photo is called l'Ecoute by Henri de Miller...this is located in the square "Place René Cassin", just outside the church. This a popular area for people to take a break from their sightseeing tours, just to have a coffee, a sandwich or simply to rest the feet a bit. Long cement benches surround the square, and the lively atmosphere of this area makes it quite an enjoyable place to sit down for a few minutes.

In 1969, Paris’s ancient central market of Les Halles, having grown enormously, and congested, moved to Rungis, just on the outskirts of the city.

Les Halles dated back to at least 1183. St Eustache, where Louis XIV received his first communion, contains one of the most interesting and startling sculptures ever seen in a church: Raymond Mason’s ” Le départ des fruits et légumes du cœur de Paris, le 28 février 1969” (The Departure of Fruits and Vegetables from the Heart of Paris, February 28, 1969).

We had a brilliant day out, as usual, but this time we had to find our own way back. First time for everything..no problem..! Leesa had been with us just before our visit to the church, she had to head off to meet up with Alex to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Before we made our way home we had a walk up Rue Montorgueil, and a quick bite to eat in Caldo Freddo's, fantastic Paninis. Just right for us, as we were eating later...getting used to the French way of eating!

The Moulin de la Galette...

The Moulin de la Galette is a windmill situated near the top of the district of Montmartre in Paris, France. The area has been depicted by artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Ramon Casas, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso. The windmill has been classified as a monument since 1939.

I thought this windmill looked really cute, not knowing, until I arrived home and read up on it, that it was famous...!!

Another Lovely Postcard......

from another wonderful blogger....when I arrived home from Paris, on my mat was this postcard from Rosa...whos blog is Bell'Avventura..I do hope that you visit her blog, fabulous stories and photos of Positano. You can sit and dream of being in this wonderful place....ENJOY!!

Thank you so much. It really brightened my day, as I arrived home to an empty house (except the cat), as my husband was still on his travels with work!!

I love receiving and sending cards..a wonderful way to make you smile!

Fleurs de Paris

One thing that we noticed were the fabulous flower displays. These were everywhere..On the Markets, in the Parks, also in all the Florists. Absolutely stunning and such pride in their displays, even simple buckets of Tulips and other flowers..all lined up, just sitting pretty.

On the corner of the street we stayed in , is a fantastic florists. Truly amazing. We were in awe each time we passed, noticing new displays and little things they may of changed throughout the day. The shop is called JO FLEURISTE ..if you are ever in the vicinity of Rue de Longchamp 75116, pay a visit, you will not be disappointed.

Paris views.......

I took quite a few photos so I thought I will do a post or two with just photos..

The Eiffel Tower..........

is amazing! I was dumbstruck when I saw it. I have seen photos, but never could I of imagined what the Eiffel Tower was really like. This large iron structure looming over Champ de Mars......dark and gloomy, yet so magical. Lighting up the area by night, and then if thats not enough...the tower twinkles in the evening for 5 minutes every hour on the hour. This was originally 10 minutes, but the time has been cut for energy saving. The views are magnificent, stretching for miles. Awesome, Magnificent, and Unique.

Paris with Friends........

We left Oxford at 7.00 am by the Express X90 which took us to Baker Street and from there we caught the Tube to St Pancras. We checked in very easily, easier than I thought, waited for the Eurostar. We caught the 10.25am and we were whisked off to Paris and arrived at 13.50pm. It was a brilliant journey.

Dawn Caroline and Leesa

Leesa was there to meet us, which was brilliant, and Dawn arrived just after! As we were travelling I said to my friend Caroline, I know I have seen Leesa's picture, wonder if I will recognize her!!! No problem... !! Had a coffee and a chat, and off we went to our apartment, which is in the Trocadero area....but before we got to the apartment we had to get a look at the Eiffel Tower. We were amazed at just how huge it is, you have to see it too believe it!

We discovered a Manifestion going on. Expatriate Tamils have been demonstrating around the world against the Sri Lankan government's conduct of the war against Tamil Tiger rebels. I had no idea about any of this, I do watch the news, not heard about it!

We went to the apartment after all this excitement, met the owner, had a chat, got the keys etc etc and off we went. We went back to the square and made our way down towards the Eiffel Tower, to Pont de l'Alma.

We caught the Bateaux-Mouche towards Notre Dame, got off, walked around, had something to eat and then walked back..ready for some sleep, to start the next day!!!

Such a wonderful start to our holiday. I still cannot believe I have been, what took me so long! Meeting Leesa and Dawn was brilliant, so warm and friendly,they both just couldn't do enough for us. Also Dawn was preparing for her own holiday to Germany the next day, and Leesa for her trip to Austria. Thank you so much for all that you did.

Hi All.....

We are back from our fantastic trip to Paris....lots to do, editing photos etc etc... before I do my posts.....

Me at the top of Eiffel Tower!

Its Holiday Time......

and my friend Caroline and I are going to PARIS !!!!

We are going to meet up with a few bloggers...Leesa, Barbara, Dawn and Carolyn. And will be meeting at Aimee's Teashop. I think there might be one or two more people but not sure. Just how amazing is this!! We are going to have so much fun..chit chat, coffee, wine, food and meeting great people.

It all started with Carolyns trip to Paris and Leesa emailed me to see if I could arrange to be there too! I thought it was very sweet of her to think of me. At first I didn't know if I could go, money, timing etc, but thought no I really want to do this so I put all my effort into sorting arrangements out. My friend Caroline said she would like to come with me, which was great, and plans just took a few weeks. Found an apartment to rent, sorted travel, and hey presto.

Leesa and I have been in touch by email back and forth and we have also chatted on the phone a few times...and what a laugh we have had.. Leesa has been amazing, helping us with plans, maps etc..Thank you Leesa.

Camera ready..walking shoes...and off we go! See you all when we return.. Take Care.

More Handwritten Post!!!!

My letter box must be wondering what is going on :-) First a letter from the lovely Britt-Arnild and now a letter and a postcard from the lovely Leesa in Paris....Thank you so much Leesa...it made my day!!

Leesa's blogs are amazing...she has three....News from France which I love, all about her life in France, Friends , Shopping, Cafes and much more ...Let The Sunshine In ...the title speaks for itself..if you want some brightness in your day, it will not disappoint you..beautiful photos and Cupcake Princesse....Leesa has started to teach how to make cupcakes, so for anyone over there in the Paris area, wishing to learn...Leesa is just the person....!!!!

I hope you call into visit her blogs....Enjoy !!

It is truly amazing how the "World of Blogging" brings people together... How good friendships can start and open up a gate to a new path. I mustn't forget my good friend Sally, who got me on the road to Blogging....and to think I nearly gave up..!!

ps I also had a letter from my Mother-in-law...so sweet!

A Handwritten Letter..........

appeared on my mat this morning. It was from a lovely lady called Britt-Arnild. Her blog Britt-Arnild's House in the Woods is so inspiring and warm. She gives such a great insight in to her home country of Norway with fantastic photos.

Just over two weeks ago Britt-Arnild did a post called I travelled the World, or - Do you want a Handwritten letter? I just thought how wonderful it would be. So I left a comment, received and email asking for my address..and waited. I did not have to wait long at all. I was very touched.

How Britt-Arnild does it, I just don't know. She has a family, she works, she travels with work, and she also has 4 other blogs...and she finds the time to send special letters to her blogging friends too!!!

If you would like to call in and see her great work...her other blogs are:-

My Year in the World

The Blue Bookshelf

Britt-Arnild's Blue Garden

The Blue Cafe

I would just like to say a huge Thank you to Britt-Arnild. Such a lovely letter, I am pleased that writing helps you overcome the loneliness that can come with nights in hotel rooms. I feel for the people of Norway at the moment, it is still cold and snowing there. Lets hope that Britt-Arnild and her family get a bit of "spring" at Easter when they get away for a break!