Second Half of the Journey- Montenegro!

Our taxi arrived at 5 a.m. to take us to the Paris airport. Gisele had coffee for us! Amazing! It only took 1/2 hour to get to the airport on the return trip, as opposed to the 2 1/2 hours into the city just a week earlier. There was no immigration check, just regular security, and we were off to Frankfort. It was a very dreary airport, but there was some entertainment. Airport employees rode bicycles through the terminals! We boarded our plane, anxious to get going to Vienna (only a 45 minute space between flights made us nervous!), and we sat on the tarmac for about 20 minutes. Lovely. Apparently, there was a passenger discrepancy. They counted and recounted people several times. I think they finally gave up and taxied out to take off!
 When we landed in Vienna, we were met by a man who escorted us through immigration and security, and took us by bus to plane side! We loaded onto the plane 2 minutes before the scheduled take off. We got into Podgorica about 15 minutes late, and I think it was the longest flight of my life!!  Factoring in a little puddle jumper plane, very small, and not one, or even two, but 3 screaming children for the duration, it's no wonder my ears were ringing! We had to go through Immigration and Customs upon arrival, which was no problem. We met Bogdan, the student who had invited us to visit his country, and took a taxi to the Hotel Kosta's.  Our unofficial guide, ( Bogdan), met us a couple of hours later, and we walked to one of his favorite restaurants. The food was really good, and we were told that the owner hires people in who want to train for food service careers. They were very young, but also tried really hard to give good service. The restaurant also has its own bakery, and their own butcher- so everything was done right there. We walked by the area where Bogdan's father had grown up- it's now concrete, part of a Government Office Building. We learned that most people don't own cars, so there is a lot of walking or taxi riding. We were really tired, so headed back to our room and crashed.
Our second day in Podgorica, we went to visit Mr. Asonovic's Music School, another part of the reason Bogdan's family extended the invitation to visit. We got a rental car, and arrived at the school, the Andre' Navarra School of Music. Mr. Asonovic had been one of his pupils, and had enjoyed an extensive professional performance career before opening the school, and named it in his former instructor's honor. We were treated to champagne, dried meats and fruit at the school, and I of course, took many pictures!

                                     Here we are, in front of the School, with Bogdan and his father.
We were able to listen to part of a rehearsal for an upcoming concert. These were high school students. As I understand it, they attend their regular High School classes in the mornings, and then study at the music school in the afternoons. It is a very impressive place. I took a photo of Mr. Asonovic at the top of the stairs leading to his office. Next to him is a portrait painted of him in performance.

After our tour of the school, and our snacks, we went back to the hotel to rest a bit before taking off  for our first guided tour of the area.  We went across a lake, and through a LONG tunnel, which had a toll, and from there we went to an island resort, which you could only enter if you were a guest. I DID get a few pictures though!

From there, we went to a town called Budva, which is old town on one side and modern on the other. This is also a beach area we planned to return to the following day when we were on our own.

The old town part was really interesting and full of tiny shops inside it. It's hard to explain, but it was sort of like a fortress of stone walls, with shops in every little cranny. We came back to Podgorica, and went to a restaurant that's name translated roughly, I am told- is kitchen. It was another meal of good food, and rather noisy clientele, and at least 2 or 3 different languages at once!

The following day, we were to set out on our own, and so after our breakfast at the hotel- which was interesting- luncheon sliced meats, bread, boiled eggs, and yogurt, and Turkish Coffee (not a fan!). Oh, and olives. As I said, it was interesting. We searched for a road map to no avail, and finally decided to go without one. (oh boy.) We found our way out of town with no trouble, went on to Kotor, and drove around Bay, where we had been the day before. We went back to Budva, and had fruit juice drinks on the beach.

Here I am at our little table with a fruit juice concoction of some sort. It was cool and good, and that's all that mattered! We sat there for a while and watched some divers just off the beach, and a film crew of some sort down the beach a ways, filming what we guessed to be a commercial. We then wandered around Old Town, and had gelato, then went over to the beach and staked out our spot. It was Montenegro's Independence day weekend. Don't we know how to pick them?! First we are in Paris during the inauguration of their newly elected President, and now here we are in the middle of a 3 day weekend holiday, and at the beach no less! We spent the afternoon on the beach of the Adriatic Sea. 

Keith found the water to be a bit cold. We both had to wade in it though- how many chances will I have to stick my feet in the Adriatic Sea?! We saw a parasailer, and a man snorkeling for fish. We saw him get one too! We had a nice afternoon of sun worship, and then went back to Old Town to get a collector's magnet for the frig. The vendor selling them also had handmade flutes- This was the best fun of the day, as Keith asked him if he could try one out, and the man was thrilled. And, Keith can play. I knew that of course, but the vendor had no idea. I wish I had gotten a picture of his face when Keith began to play. He was so excited, he handed him a double flute, and then they played together and had a small crowd before they were done! The vendor said, " Oh! MusicKan! Goot MusicKan!" It was great, and Keith HAD to buy one after that, but we got the magnet free. 

We ate at an outdoor restaurant called The Astoria, and agreed it was the best food of the trip so far. We headed back to Podgorica by way of a mountain road. There were so many gorgeous scenes to photograph, it's a wonder we ever got to the hotel!

The next day, we would have our personal guide again- and another trip to mountains, and a canyon. That's day 10, I believe. We took an unplanned detour, that turned out to the the best ever! We saw lots of farming and little villages, and really got a feel for the country. We also saw many signs that we dubbed, "Yield to the Cow!"

and then we discovered why!

and they were none too happy with us for driving on their road!

 Keith seemed to enjoy all the horseshoe turns, and we went through lots of tunnels, we kind of lost count at around 30 for the day! Some of them were tiny little guys, and some were fairly long with lighting. We passed a little tiny bridge that would take us to the National Forest the following day on our own. The scheduled trips out with Bogdan one day, and then going back ourselves the following day worked out beautifully. We were really glad to have gotten a rental car, as we certainly went all over the country in it!

Here is our cute little car on one of many photo op stops that day.

When we returned to town, Bogdan showed us his old high school, and it was very sad really, as it was in such disrepair, but kind of reflective of the country, or at least the parts we saw. We had dinner at yet another restaurant suggested by Bogdan's sister Marija. It was also good. The meals are all very meat heavy there, but for this meat and potatoes girl, that was just fine! 

Day 11 found us on our own again, and headed to Biogradska Gora National Park. We went shopping at a local market and purchased bread. meat and cheese for our lunch, and then headed out to find the tiny bridge!

We took a trail that wound around the lake and stopped at a picnic spot for our lunch. There were some people fishing, though I never saw anyone actually CATCH anything. Keith found a rock in the lake, and posed for a photo with his recently discovered walking stick

This was a gorgeous park, and I took gobs of pictures, but I promise I won't put them all in.

On our second trail, they were color coded, the first one was green, the second was red. We found a meadow on the second trail. It was also much steeper and muddier. We had to stop for an ibuprofen break too. There were a couple of trees that had fallen down recently and Keith found they made pretty good recliners!

We headed back down and left the park about 5 p.m. We really had spent the day there. On our way back to Podgorica, we were stopped by a policeman. Ah oh. He didn't speak English, and we certainly didn't speak whatever it was he spoke!! After a few exchanges of Keith shrugging , he said one word we could catch- passport- when Keith nodded, he waved us on.

Day 12 we met Bogdan at noon and headed to Cintje and a Monastery. We climbed to the top of the mountain, which was a long climb, requiring a few stops for me and my aching hip. We reached the top to find a monument to one of the Montenegran rulers. 

Bogdan was highly amused at me and my pictures, and kindly consented to pose with us. Once.  ;) We were stopped yet again, by another policeman making a random stop, but with Bogdan along, it went much better!

We continued on from there, heading to Black Mountain. Another monument on the top of another mountain, and 673 steps plus later, we were at the top!

Here's Keith looking at the steps- part of them were visible, but most of them were inside the mountain.

The view was wonderful, but a bit hazy, unfortunately. We could see the Bay where we had been the first day, and also the lake we had driven across. It was very much a 'standing on top of the world' kind of feeling.

It was breathtaking in more ways than one! We went back down and paused for a Coke, which seems to be the soft drink of choice in Montenegro. The next night, we were to have dinner with Bogdan's family, so he directed us to where they lived, and we made plans to be there the next evening ( our last in Montenegro) .

Our last day, we lounged and walked around a bit. We wanted to find gifts to take with us to dinner, and discovered a florist shop right across the street from our hotel. With much pointing and gesturing, we were able to purchase a pretty plant for Mrs. Asanovic, and then set out to find some wine for our host. The car rental place wanted the car back before dinner, so we ended up taking a cab, and Bogdan came to the hotel and picked us up. We had a lovely dinner with them, and so much food!! I had raved about the fried potatoes we had, and was thrilled to discover Mrs. Asanovic had made some just for me at Bogdan's suggestion! We had a great time visiting, and with two translators, we were able to have conversations without any trouble, as Marija and Bogdan are both very good!

The wonderful Asanovic family

As we were preparing to head back to the hotel, Bogdan informed us he would meet us in the morning to escort us to the airport, and wouldn't take no for an answer! I was really kind of glad, as I'd wanted to give him an extra hug!

This was the scene out our hotel window our last day there.

We had seen Gypsies with horse drawn carts every morning, methodically searching through the dumpsters. We wondered if these were some of their horses!

One last look from our little balcony.

We got to the airport with no trouble, and Bogdan stayed with us until our bags were checked through. Keith and I both felt very lucky to have been able to experience a country through one of their own citizen's eyes. It was a blessing too, to see how lucky we are here in the U.S.

Our flights back went fine, relatively speaking. We got out of Podgorica, and into Vienna with no trouble, made our connection there with minutes to spare (!) and then into Washington D.C. where we had a 5 hour layover, and went straight for the first Starbucks we could find after clearing all the checkpoints, which involved lines, escalators, and a bus.The reward- Real coffee, and someone who understood what I said!! I was grinning so big my cheeks hurt. We ended up having a delayed takeoff due to storms, but we were almost home, so it didn't seem so bad. We got into Oklahoma City only a few minutes late, and our ride, Patrick, was there waiting. I've been happy to see my son on many occasions, but I almost teared up when I saw him standing there. Two weeks was a long time for me to be gone, and even with all of the exciting things we saw and experienced, this Dorothy still says, "There's no place like home."

More Paris!

 Picking up where I left off- our B & B was just a few blocks from the Pompidou Center, where there were sculptures representing Stravinsky pieces. Keith was anxious to go there! This museum was very unique in structure, with the escalators outside the buildings in tubes. You can imagine how well that worked for the person with a fear of heights!

We had lunch at another outdoor cafe, but this was right in the area of the Pompidou- next to the sculptures! It was easily the best food we had in Paris, called the Dame Tartine. We were entertained by a dog and his owner playing frisbie.

Our waiter was nice enough to take a picture for us! He also was pretty cute- coming to take our order          ( speaking French) I must have had the 'deer in the headlights' look, as he laughed and then asked, "menu in Spanish or English?" It gave us a good giggle.
We lucked out also, as this was our anniversary, and we just happened by a poster of a Vivaldi concert that night! We waited in line for almost an hour to see if there was anything available, and amazingly enough- we got in. This was at the Saint Chapell Cathedral, noted for its stain glass windows, and a place we had wanted to tour, but the lines were SO long- and security was really tight  and kind of frightening, military people with machine guns,( we'd find out why a little later), we gave up on it earlier in the day, only to find ourselves INSIDE at a concert that evening. The concert was lovely, and as an even more special surprise, a piece not listed on the concert was played, and it was Pachelbel's Canon, the piece that Kathy walked in to at her wedding!!  Yes, this Mom teared up.

We also toured the West Bank that day, and visited the Shakespeare Bookstore-

We became very fond of our double door entrance to the Bed and Breakfast- here are a couple of shots I took there.

It was a very comfortable place, and we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves.
The next day, Day 6 if you're counting- we had fresh raspberries and cream for breakfast, and took a baguette and cheese along on our trek to Montmartre. We rode the Metro for the first time that day-

This is part of Keith (!) on the Metro. We were really pleased to have navigated our way there, getting the tickets, and finding the right line to take us where we were going, and not without difficulty, as the first train we got on stopped at the next location, had an announcement (in French) and everyone got off! We followed with NO idea what was going on, but happily, figured out to wait for the next one which came through just a few minutes later. The line ran underground as well as above, so part of the time we could see the city whizzing by. It was a pretty neat experience. Similar to the NYC subways, but somehow more friendly and less frantic.

We went to La Basilique du Sacré Coeur, 

It again involved many steps, and this time- in the rain! Visitors were able to enter even during Mass, which I felt a bit uneasy about, but we did it anyway! It was beautiful, and the service was breathtaking- even though I didn't understand a word! Some things don't need language. Leaving there, we met 3 college age folks who heard us talking, and were SO excited to find English speaking people. It was really cute. They stopped for Keith to take my picture, and when I said "thank you!" the guys about fell over they were so happy to hear someone from America!

We found the Dali Museum that Keith really wanted to see, and Keith got an "old" ticket! It was a funny moment with the girl selling tickets.

Here is Keith studying some of the information- you can see a huge Dali photo in the background.

We left the Dali Museum and promptly got lost in Montmartre. It was pretty cool and rainy, so wandering lost wasn't very pleasant! Happily, I found a warm spot for our lunch, taking a cue from homeless in New York- we parked above a Metro grate!

Keith thought it was hilarious- I thought it to be pretty smart!

Eventually, we found the Montmartre Museum where Renoir, Utillo, LaTrec and Soutine had lived. We also met a Chat Noir- for real!

                                  and this poster was on display in the museum!
 We found our way back down the hill to the Metro, and found it to be much more crowded than the morning trip. We went back to our new favorite place, the Dame Tartine for our last meal in Paris, and then returned to the B&B to pack for the next leg of our journey-Montenegro. Our taxi was coming at 5 a.m., and our lovely hostess actually got up and had coffee ready for us at 4:30!!! We also found out that the new President's inauguration was the day before-that was why there was so much security and military with machine guns everywhere! Leaving Paris-  Next stop- Podgorica, Montenegro!

Paris 2012, The Anniversary trip continues

Day 3 started with the rue Cler street market, and breakfast at Cafe du Marche. Before heading to the Arc de Triomphe, we checked out the bargains at the weekend street market, with many vendors and all sorts of interesting things.

                                          She wasn't for sale, just minding the store!
It almost made me feel as if I was back home, with the flea market booths and odd random things to see. There were vendors with all types of things, but as you can imagine- the pup was my favorite sighting.

I was excited to find some light weight things to bring home from the market. This booth was full of embroidered items. The next booth had tons of vintage children's clothes, and I almost got a dress for Kahlan, but talked myself out of it. The woman explained, all in French of course, all about the dress- at least I THINK that's what she was saying!!
After a good amount of shopping-not so much buying, lots of looking, we found a taxi station and went to the Arc. The driver was SO helpful, explaining that you do NOT try to walk across the intersection, but take the tunnel. Good advice! And once again, our museum passes got us through quickly with little hassle. Meanwhile, 283 steps await our attention.....

That's 283 steps ONE WAY. I had to try to take a shot back down after we neared the top. And Oh my, was it worth the climb!

We made it to the top, and ran across someone who asked me to take her photo with her Mom. She in turn, took ours too! That happened often, and I really loved that people would do that for each other.

Here is a shot of where we were headed the following day, Montmartre....and more steps to climb!
I want to include my attempt of a photo explaining why you take the tunnel-

People waiting to cross an intersection with cars, buses, and various other vehicles- (note the little pink car in the photo)-and NO pedestrian crossing area, nor lights. Several streets converge at the Arc. Use the tunnels, people!!

We left the Arc and continued our journey down the Champs Elysees. What a neat stretch of road!! But this caught my eye-a Queen based 'disco'. No, we did not go back that evening.
We also found an interesting display room for Mercedes, and Keith found his car!

I have to admit though, that one of the more noteworthy things we ran across that day, was a talking toilet. Yes, I do mean talking- and yes, I had to try it out!!

This was in a little park right off the sidewalk of the Champs Elysees. We also saw stamp sellers there, and  a tiny area where for one euro, they would let you push your child on a swing!

We went on from there, to the Musee d' Orangerie, where there was an exhibit of Debussy that Keith was especially interested in seeing. Unfortunately, it was another no photos allowed location. Inside, we saw works by Picasso, and the Debussy display was really neat, with original manuscripts and scores on display. Wow.
We went back to rue Cler and had a pastry from a bakery whose customer service leaves much to be desired. We changed for dinner, and went to the Cafe Constant. This place was packed in so tight, it was actually difficult to get your fork to your mouth without bumping the strangers at the next table. We had read that French speak very quietly, and certainly understood why! Everyone could hear everything!! When our 'house white' wine arrived, it was red. Eh. We really just wanted to eat and get OUT of there anyway! Day 4 found us on our last day in that area. We bought quiche from a street vendor who warmed it up for us. Very nice folks there. Keith was absolutely thrilled to find this man-

He was singing, and we just loved it! We gave him a bit of money in his cap, and then Keith bought a cd also- and he generously took a photo with me too!

We called a taxi, and checked out of the Hotel Beaugency, heading to Broussard and our next experience in Paris. A Bed and Breakfast run by Giselle, who had quite a list of instructions for her guests!! After we settled in, we walked to the Louvre. Yes, I did just write that. I, Skyline grad. of 76, went to the Louvre. Take that, class prophecy! The only thing I wanted to be certain to see, was the Mona Lisa. Let me take a moment here to explain this place. It is HUGE. It is amazing. And I still can't believe I was there.

One of the entrances allows you to go the roof. This was amazing to me, just the structure of it! And we aren't even IN yet!! Already, my country girl self is screaming inside my head! "I'm actually HERE!"

We were not the only ones there! The building itself is gorgeous and a work of art as well.

A ceiling. I so wanted to be able to capture the absolute awe I felt as we walked through the areas, but there is just no way to transfer it to a photo. Once we got the maps- yes, maps of the museum, we could plot our way to the paintings I most wanted to see, and here they are!

The Lacemaker, has always reminded me of my Grandmother, and there she is! The Mona Lisa!!
I had to sit down after I saw her. I am still in shock, I think. Really. Mona Lisa. In front of me!
So, after wandering for another couple of hours, and finding some things on Keith's list also, we were pretty much ready for something......different. We found a Starbucks and sat down and had a coffee! Whew.
As we left, we heard a jazz duo, which of course, Keith had to go check out. We made a few purchases along the sidewalk and then Keith found a hat shop.

We went from there, to an outdoor cafe and had a pizza, and returned to our B&B and pretty much crashed.
Day 5- Happy Anniversary! We had coffee in normal sized cups and a lovely breakfast before heading out to Notre Dam. I voted against the 400 steps to the top. We had a Rick Steves book that suggested walking tours, and sort of followed one, with our own interpretations. Saint Louis Island is wonderful and blessed with many shops, not the least of which was an ice cream shop where I ordered in French and actually got what I thought I was ordering! Yay!!

I am holding Keith's while he took the picture- really I didn't order 2!! But Yum. The shop is in the background. The last photo for today is of locks we saw on bridges.

My understanding, is that this trend started at the Pont des Artes, and they were all removed some time ago- now they are beginning to fill back up again. The other bridge is the Pont de l' Archeveche'. The 2 bridges represent different 'love'. One of them is for couples in a committed relationship, who write both their names on the locks and then throw the key in the Seine. The other bridge is for "lovers", and have a single name on them. You can see them from blocks away, shining in the sun, and no, we didn't leave a lock, but if we had known, we definitely would have, it was our anniversary after all!!