From Los Angeles to Toronto to Brussels to Paris

 Time for a new adventure.  It is May 2015 and we are returning to our 1929 barge in Burgundy, France.  Preparing for this season was challenging.  Entering our 4^th season you would think the preparation would be easier.  Not yet.  We are dragging four huge suitcases plus heavy backpacks through three airports, a taxi, two train rides and then another taxi.  Two suitcases are clothing for three seasons.  The other two are filled with things we need for the boat.  Some items are less expensive back home, some are better, and some we simply can’t find in France. 

We tried a new airline called Jet Airways.  The price for business class tickets was so much better than any other airline that we gave them a try.  We were pleased.  Jet Airways is an Indian airline flying from Canada to India with a stop in Brussels.  The seats were comfortable and my dinner was surprisingly delicious.  I had an Indian meal with the various side dishes.  The whole meal was full of flavor with just enough heat (seasoning) to make it interesting without being overbearing.  The only disappointment was that the first class bag they gave us had no earplugs or eye shields. 

I have a new favorite museum “Foundation Louis Vuitton.”  It is rare when I can say I love the building as much as the art it houses.  The Frank Gehry building is breathtaking in its design and construction.  Forgive me if I have included too many pictures, but I just can’t do proper justice to what was created.  As for the art, they are claiming to have an unprecedented selection of major works that have shaped the history of modern art. The art and building sing together.  Or should I say they sail together. The exhibition is called “Keys to a Passion.”  Tom and I were both hugely impressed by the collection shown in this exhibit.  Although long I will list all the artists being displayed with a few of their paintings, for you to get an idea of the magnitude of what we saw.  Bacon, Bonnard, Brancusi, Delaunay, Dix, Gallen-Kallela, Giacometti, Holdler, Kandinsky, Kupka, Leger, Malevitch, Matisse (The Dance), Modrian, Monet (Water Lilies), Munch (The Scream), Nolde, Picabia, Picasso (Woman with Yellow Hair), Rothko (Black, Ochre, Red Over Red), Schjerfbeck (self portraits of her aging), and Severini.

We celebrated Tom’s 65^th birthday in Paris.  Lunch was at Faust, which is under the Bridge Alexander III.  The bread was delicious.  The soup wasn’t great and the fish course was ok.  Dinner was amazing at Josephine Chez Dumonent.  We will definitely eat there again.  Their Boeuf Bourguignon is out of this world, and their grand marnier soufflé perfection. We were rushing to dinner as we were a few minutes late.  Unfortunately Tom didn’t see the curb and tripped.  He landed on his face!  I think he received a mild concussion, black eye, sprained wrist, and skinned knee.  He is fortunate it wasn’t as bad as he sounded when he hit the pavement.

Louis Vuitton Museum

We found this guy on a walk.

Bullet holes in buildings remind us of the history of Paris.

Fish dish at Faust.  The fish was perfectly grilled and once everything was mixed together the flavors improved.

Tom has an admirer on the Pont Alexander III

One shot of the interior structure of the museum.  Notice the play of light and shadow which is constantly changing.

A view of the back of the museum.

Capturing the views of Paris through the Louis Vuitton structure.

Tom's birthday celebration.  Icing his face at dinner.

Magnificent fields of mustard.

Symphony in the Subway

Our Luggage

Tom's birthday black eye which is healing.