Marci and Steve Go Back to Europe

The last day of our sixth time in Paris (probably a total of 55 days) and the weatherman called for rain, pretty much all day. So what will we do, where will we go? We knew that a long leisurely lunch was out of the question as we had plans tonight for a great dinner with Laurent and Miguel.  We considered the architecture/design exhibit at Chaillot but we’d seen Eames chairs and Graves kettles many times already. I thought about the D’Orsay but we’d done a few Impressionist museums this trip already. I even thought about doing nothing but....really...it’s Paris and that would have been embarrassing. Finally Steve said, OK, we are going to the Louvre, it is the perefect way to pass a rainy day, it’s huge and we will see all the things we have never seen there.  We awoke to gray skies giving way to a bit of blue, happy we could get to the metro before the showers. We knew where to get off and then quickly checked our phones to recall the old Rick Steves tip for the alter...

Dinner last night was just a ten minute walk, following the Marci school of city touring which says : “run around all day, anywhere you want, take public transit everywhere, but once you are back at your hotel, be it 6 or 7 or even 8pm, just walk close by for dinner”. I always pick the neighborhood to stay in first and then I pick my hotel. I don’t mind running all day, but once the day is done I want to be near lots of good places to eat dinner.  Astier, a bistro in the 11th, qualified on the location and the Good Eats. Again, the food sounded simple, like my beet gaspacho with crunchy veggies. The deep purple was rich looking and the flavors layered and fresh.  Steve started with the pickled herring and I think he was quite surprised when the waiter delivered and LEFT on the table a  quite large glazed terracotta container of herring, a serving spoon and fork, a bowl of small potatoes and a basket of bread.  Then he left. Clearly this was an all-you-can-...

We flew into Orly on Sunday at 1PM and taxied to the 11th arrondisement, to our borrowed flat compliments of Laurent, though he was still hard at work in Barcelona. He had sweetly arranged for his partner Miguel to greet us and show us around our spacious new digs which included a large terrace with a view of the Eiffel Tower. It had been an easy travel day and we were ready to go out and explore a bit. We knocked on Miguel’s door (we are in their second flat next door) and invited him out for a drink. Fifteen minutes and a quick clothes change later we were off, Steve and I expecting to go to any one of the small bistros nearby. But Miguel was ready to show us some sights and before we knew it we were walking through Place de la Republique, where on this particular day it was the Algerian comminity’s turn to protest, something political; we were not sure what. Miguel, our new best friend in Paris....He loves Disco!!! We eventually found our way to the Marais, a very bustling ...

So, you were told that this item was seen in the window of a shop in Girona, Spain  ( arguably the trendiest dining capital of the world - see the #1 restaurant in the world, El Celler Can Roca :  https://m.cellercanroca.com/ ).   Many great and imaginative guesses, but only a few close enough to call correct..... The shop was a Hearing Aid store.... Here are the rest of the pictures -   I thought perhaps they were hearing aids for kids ....Marci knew better, and went into the store to confirm - these are custom-made, molded to your ear EAR PLUGS.    Per the store :  They are for either 1) swimming , or  2) “sweet dreams” ( exact quote ) , so to get a good nights rest.   First close correct answer was by Richard P., who can pick up his bottle of Cava in Santa Fe anytime he wants.....the prize includes lodging.... Thanks to all who played.   Steve  

A very quick recap of our last 24 hours, mostly to create a diary for myself for future reference. Last night was our much anticipated dinner at Bodega 1900 , a restaurant owned by the chef of the former El Bulli, Ferran Adria.  A recreation of a typical 1950’s bodega featuring innovative tapas and vermuth (that’s how it is spelled here) aperitifs, it was a 35 minute walk through Las Rambla, El Raval and into Sant Antoni, which is to say touristy, pickpockety, gritty, and then somewhat more gentrified areas, in that order.  Seated with all tourists at 7pm, the only spot we could get, we started with vermuth and olives - well, not really olives. They were two spheres, olive green, each on a wooden spoon to be popped in your mouth to explode with a piquant juice, a bit of molecular gastronomy.  We had razor clams, and a Russian salad, followed by an unusual cured-spiced beef, the highlight of the meal ( served cold and sliced tissue-thin, like a Spanish Jamo...