My Expanded Itinerary

Gloria on her balcony in Nice last August.

Three more nights to sleep in my very own bed and some cleaning up after Hurricane Irene before I am off on Junket 2011 on Wednesday.

Marcel and Renee in Strausbourg 2007

Since I last wrote, I have been able to extend my trip two weeks, so Metz, France, Alessandria, Italy, and more time in Paris have been added to my itinerary.
When I visit Metz in October, I will again be staying with Marcel and Renee Megel. Marcel was the exchange student to Weston High School in my senior year. Thanks to the internet, we were able to reconnect prior to 9/11. When I was planning a trip to Paris with my friend Carol, I emailed Marcel to see if we might meet for lunch or dinner. I did not check to see how far it is from Paris to Metz. Well, it is 173 miles! Marcel and Renee very kindly invited Carol and me to stay with them. We were there for two nights, and had a wonderful time talking with them and enjoying visiting Metz and Nancy. I've visited since, and have met all of the grandchildren; it will be great to see Marcel and Renee again. Renee used to teach German, so we communicate via my pidgin French and Marcel's translation.
I will take the train from Metz to Milan via Basel, Switzerland, to visit Gloria Demarchi, whom I had visited in Nice last summer. We first met when she had her wonderful looking condo in Genoa on the home exchange site. I never did get to Genoa, but we have stayed in touch. It will be great fun to see her again also!
I will fly out of Paris to return home, so I will spend my last few nights with Pascale and Yves who stayed with me maybe four years ago. We'll go to have lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise, which is where Renoir painted the Luncheon of the Boating.http://www.restaurant-fournaise.fr/Page_welcome.htm It may be very touristy, but, I AM a tourist!:)) (Pascale has warned me that it may not be too charming.) I first learned about this in Susan Vreeland's historical novel, The Luncheon of the Boating Party.
So I am packed and ready to leave....I have no idea how often I will be able to update this blog, but I look forward to sharing this trip with you! Hope to hear from  you as well!

Countdown....

Well, I am taking a short break here in West Seattle, as I help Peter get his house ready for his new roommate who is moving in tonight. I do LOVE the gardens in Seattle!
Two weeks from Wednesday I will be off to Paris. Things are pretty much in place, although I just got an invite to stay with Pascale and Yves who stayed with me maybe five years ago. They live in a quiet Paris suburb 15 minute from the center. I am not sure that our schedules will mesh....I certainly hope so, as I would love to see them! It was such fun to meet them when they came to Boston.
Probably the only other thing I want to do before I leave is look on-line to see if there are any concerts I want to attend. The main reason I am going to Prague and Vienna is because my high school friend (YES!) Nancy Foster will be there. She is taking an Allegro Tour, which arranges for their clients to pick certain musical events to attend. I have ALWAYS to attend Strauss concert in Vienna, so I will be looking for that. Of course, one "should" attend a Mozart concert in Salzburg!
Off to  have lunch! Thanks for your comments!

Planning for My Next Trip to Europe

Charles Sumner said, "The thought of going abroad makes my heart leap." So started David McCullough in his new book, The Greater Journey Americans in Paris. And doesn't this quote speak to me?!

I bought my Boston to Paris Alitalia tickets for my  2011 junket in January. Now my departure date is this month, as I will leave on August 31st and return on October 4th. Originally I planned to stay in France and explore places I had not seen. However, interesting options presented themselves along the way. So I will fly into Paris via Rome and take the train to Stuttgart for three nights. Then I will be in Berlin for four nights. The rest of the trip will take me to Granville, France, in Normandy, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, and four nights in Paris before I leave. Much of this trip will be via train, as I purchased a Railpass. So now I am finalizing details and getting ready. But first I am off to Seattle for the week....
Hope you will travel along with me....:))