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an apartment in Paris

4/29/2022

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Click on any image to see larger
The little flower shop
Louis Vuitton Center
Biking the Bois
Why you
Should visit
should visit
Paris in Spring
The Living Room - I added the fabric and Paris Pillows
The Master bedroom
The guest room/office
Across the street a Boulangerie, Bikes and Bank
Rothschild Park and Chateau
The Billancourt Town Hall
For 2 months in the spring of 2019, a time before covid and when Notre Dame ignited, I took an apartment in Paris. Kind of. 

​I had visited Paris many times, but always traveling to or from somewhere for a week or so. I wanted to experience a bit of daily life, settle in and brush up my French. I was researching my book about Daisy Polk, so the perfect excuse to stay for a month+.  Originally I had reserved a two story flat in the Rue de Levis 17th Arr., but that fell through at the last moment, and I found a modern 2 bedroom apartment in Boulogne Billancourt with a large outdoor balcony and real elevator. Unheard of in my price point. Booked! (see the red heart on map)

Technically not Paris but a separate district, it is served by two Metro lines which makes coming and going to anywhere in Paris a breeze. Actually better than many locales inside the center that are only served by one line. This residential village neighbors the 16th Arr. of Paris proper, where I usually love to stay. That village ambiance is what I (and my guests) loved about Boulogne Billancourt. AND ... the bus or train to Versailles is a 20 minute ride from the front door. What's not to love? 

The trade-off for "modern" was charm, but not comfort. I've stayed in the walk-ups and squeezed my bags into elevators that were hardly bigger than a dumbwaiter. I never stay at big hotels, so if this was the compromise, I was pleased. And a quick fun shopping day in the tissue (fabric) shops below Sacre Coeur (I go there everytime ... talk about eye candy!), and I had some pillow covers and a few yards of fabric to cozy-the-place up. 


We also enjoyed bike riding (rental bikes across the street!), being so near the Seine, easy acccess to the Bois de Boulogne park, the Roland-Garros stadium, the Edmond-de-Rothschild park, and the new Louis Vuitton Center. For daily living, I could walk to every store and discovered a delightful nursery around the corner. So charming, I always took guests there to take pictures. 

​Would I stay in Boulogne Billancourt again? Absolutely.

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Rue de Levis
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Rue de Silly Boulogne Billancourt
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Villa Tugendhat: Mies Van der Rohe

10/11/2018

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Built between 1928-30, Villa Tungendhat stands today as a perfect assimilation of the creative genius, craftsmanship and design aesthetic of the architect Mies Van der Rohe. Long before he left for Chicago, this man was given creative freedom to create a home using all his then modern bauhaus ideas.

This Villa was the reason for my visit to Brno, Czech Republic. About 206 km southeast from Prague, this amazing property stands among other comparatively ordinary but lovely homes in a nice neighborhood in the hills above the City. And as with trains, planes and automobile's, I arrived late at the close of the day and the Director allowed me a private tour. As a former architecture student at Berkeley, I had written a paper on the Villa. I had written the director to make the visit. But to walk it without visitors, was a dream come true.
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The home feels as modern today, as it certainly must have then. From automated retracting glass windows, to walls of ebony wood and other precious materials, no detail was overlooked. Even the finishes on something as mundane as closet drawers, window coverings and use of linoleum for floors in the main space all serve to create a perfect union of form and function.

And the furniture! Everyone knows I covet a Barcelona Chair. Designed for this home by Lilly Reich.

The home implemented a steel load bearing structure allowing for open design, hot air heating and cooling system, electric windows, and a photocell at the entrance.

This is unique today, but in 1928? A marvel.

More Info: http://www.tugendhat.eu/en/villa-tugendhat/the-architect.html
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Barcelona - 3 Days in Catalonia

4/27/2018

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Camp Nou
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Sagrada Familia
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Hiking in Montserrat
HOTEL: We stayed in the K+K Hotel Picasso 4* Superior, Passeig de Picasso, 26-30  Ciutat Vella 08003 Barcelona. 3 nights ran @ $492 which was a great deal.
Pluses: It's in the Borne District (quieter than Gotic with charm and convenience), easy to get to from the airport (it's right between Estacio de Franca train station and Arc de Triomf Line 1 metro stop),  close to one of Barcelona’s best bars El Bar de l’Antic Teatre. It has a fantastic buffet breakfast ( important if you're an early riser and want more than coffee and a pastry. Why?  Breakfasts aren't a big deal in Spain, and most cafes open after 10 am). The hotel is right across from the Parc de la Ciutadella, and easy walk to everything. The public rooms at the hotel are lovely, even a guitar for your use. 
​Minuses: Don't expect big rooms, but great staff and public spaces make up for it.

WHAT'S the WHAT: Restaurants: Lunch is between 1 and 4 pm. Dinner is between 8 pm and midnight.
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Montjuic Fountains
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Funicular
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Poble Espanyol
Click the "Read More" button to see full Itinerary

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Spain - 14 days Barcelona to Malaga

4/27/2018

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PicturePalau Musica in Barcelona
Thanks to Norwegian Airlines I found some ridiculously cheap tickets from Oakland, California to Barcelona and out of Malaga for the return. Perfect. The plan was Spain from one coast to the other! I convinced my oldest son to join me.  Here is an overview of the trip. For details on specific cities, click on the links below.

From Barcelona  to Malaga hitting 3 separate parts of the coastline in 14 days. We rented a car on our last day in Barcelona and drove it to Granada. Then we took the bus to Malaga (An easy trip, buses depart every half hour). It gave us more flexibility in our travel, but was quite expensive compared to train or bus travel.  Your choice! 

SIMPLIFIED ITINERARY
BARCELONA 3 days
Day Trip to Montserrat Option
BILBAO 1 day 
MADRID 2 days
TOLEDO  1 Day
CORDOBA  1 day
SEVILLE 2 days
Ronda - Day Trip 
GRANADA 2 days
MALAGA 2 days

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Discovering Croatia - Itinerary

10/15/2016

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PictureThe beauty of Krka National Park
GO!
Go before they are on the €uro, or members in the EU and the prices skyrocket. Go while they have not burned out on tourists - who despite our best behavior, can wear down the most hospitable of hosts. To me, it has the best of Italy and Greece combined.  Go, Go , Go.

Croatia has got so many things going for it, I can't even begin to list them all.
  • An amazing coastline - check
  • Friendly people who speak many languages - check.
  • Cities, parks, nightlife, amazing food and historic sites - check and double check.
In fact, so much history that you can't miss it. It's got movie sets (Game of Thrones), Roman palaces and coliseums, great wine (and beer - Pliny the Elder lived in the Pula/Istrian Peninsula) and great highways to make driving the entire country a breeze. I've even shared my "8 Amazing Day Itinerary" with you to make planning a cinch.

Click the "Read more" link below to see full itinerary


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Basque Country - Bilbao, Spain

10/15/2016

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We drove from Barcelona to Bilbao via Pamplona. You could just as easily fly, but the road was easy and the views were beautiful. 
We rented a Hertz - Compact 4/5-Door Car Manual. and picked it up at Calle Viriat 45, Barcelona, It was $167  with $88 in additional comprehensive insurance. Barcelona to Pamplona  took about 5 hours and we arrived @1 pm. We had lunch and a walkabout. We left Pamplona around 3 pm and arrived in Bilbao @ 5pm. The terrain changes dramatically when you head over the mountains into Bilbao. It is green and lush and beautiful. Down down you head into the City of Bilbao along The Nervión river (Basque: Nerbioi) which runs through the city of Bilbao into the Cantabrian Sea (Bay of Biscay). 
The Guggenheim
The Nervion
The Square
Old Town
Puppy
Outside the Museum

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Croatia Waterfalls and other amazements

10/15/2016

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Turn on sound. The start features a singer we listened to in Dubrovnik. There is music in every city at night.  The first waterfalls are in Krka National Park. Bring a suit ... you can take a refreshing dip. The second and much larger park is further North in Plitvice National Park. No swimming here. But worth the trek to this magical place. 
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Do you have the Travel Gene?

1/15/2016

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"A travel gene? Who knew genes can compel some of us to wander the earth, seek new adventure and hate to sit still?  In my family we referred to it as "ants-in-the-pants". Well now new science and migratory history explains that some of the human population is just naturally coded to "get up and go". All thanks to ADD and long alleles. 

This is possibly the best news ever ... for me.


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Dining in Paris

10/6/2015

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Dining Tips in Paris by David Leovitz
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NOTE: David Lebovitz has a wonderful Foodie Site that I highly recommend if you want to find great spots to dine. The following is from his site and I couldn't have written it better myself.
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Visiting and dining in Paris all boils down to one rule: How You Get Treated is Directly Proportional to the Way that you Behave and Present Yourself.

It’s taken me a few years to get used to the fact that I can’t run to the corner bakery for bread wearing sweatpants and flipflops, nor can I wolf down pastries on the métro without getting disapproving stares. So don’t be afraid to dress a bit better than you would at home and to practice a few words of your high-school French. Believe me, even the feeblest attempt at a little French will take you much further than you can imagine in Paris.

Here are some tips and answers to many commonly asked questions:
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Water and Wine
It’s never required that you order a pricey bottle of water and almost every restaurant and café will give you a carafe d’eau (tap water). The only exceptions are fancy places where ordering bottled water is standard practice. If you want to order a bottle of water, ask forgazeuse (with gas) or plat (flat, without gas). Be sure to specify when you order.


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Visiting France for the First Time

10/6/2015

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"Ahhggh", exclaimed your niece when you mentioned you'd like to see the top of the Eiffel Tower. She went to school for 3 months in Paris and assures you this is just "too touristy" for her. Well, while I agree that the lines and the crowds make this one of my less favorite tourist attractions, I say "Go for it!"  Just know that with some planning, you can make visiting Le Tour Eiffel and more of your Paris visit a bit easier. Here are a few Paris Tips:

Paris Tip 1- Le Tour Eiffel

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If you want to do more than walk beneath this marvel of engineering, you can avoid the lines altogether by pre-purchasing your ticket to the top. Eiffel was a genius engineer and business man, retaining the income from the tower for his company to this day. The trick is to know EXACTLY when you are taking that ride. Your ticket is good for a 15 minute window only. Too restrictive for some -  But it may save you 3 hours of line sitting. 

Paris Tip 2 - What Passes to Buy in Paris


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    Who Goes There?

    I have circumnavigated the globe a few times. I don't do backpacks. And I don't like tour groups. 

    ARTICLES
    Boulogne Billancourt  Apartment
    Barcelona - 3 Days in Catalonia
    Spain - 14 days Barcelona to Malaga
    Discovering Croatia - Itinerary

    Villa Tugendhat: Mies Van der Rohe
    Basque Country - Bilbao, Spain
    Croatia Waterfalls amazing
    Do you have the Travel Gene?
    Dining in Paris
    Visiting France for the First Time
    Paris, France - in 3 Days

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  • Artwork
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