Travelog for: Orpheus

Hi,

This week Sigfrido had to attend a conference in Paris so I went with him . It was fairly boring for a few days as I could never go out and the view from our room wasn’t very exciting .



But today, after a hearty breakfast ...



...we had the chance to walk a bit around the city. Our first stop was the Jardin du Luxembourg from where we could see the Montparnasse Tower...



...and even La Tour Eiffel half hidden between the trees.



Later we walked around the Latin Quarter.






We stopped a bit to play in this park...



...and refreshed ourselves at this fountain.



As we kept walking we reached Notre Dame Cathedral .



We walked a bit along La Seine...



...towards the back of the cathedral from where we could see the spire and the rampant arches.



Later we found all these love-padlocks tied on this bridge ...a fashion imported from Rome I believe.



As we kept walking we reached one of the entrances of the Ecole Polytechnique.



We went on wandering around...



...until it was time to stop and fill the tank .



Our last stop of the day was the back of the Pantheon.



After that it was time for us to go picking up our baggage and heading back to Rouen .

Hi,

Having been a few days out of town, today we had to take care of the laundry and Sigfrido and I were assigned the task of carrying the detergents ....but I have a feeling that in the travelling arrangements I somehow got the short end of the stick .



Later we had to load the washer...



...and fold back the clean clothes.



Back home the working day wasn’t over . We had to take care of our dinner and opted to make a real Italian polenta.




Sigfrido explained me that you can only prepare polenta in a special copper pot . Stirring it was hard work...



...but eventually we were ready to enjoy our meal .




And we even had some small chocolate eggs leftover from yesterday for dessert .

Hi,

Today we came back home from another trip , alas, a photo-less one .



As we had been away for a while there were not many supplies at home, but Sigfrido managed to find some frozen microwavable food.



Not really nouvelle cuisine, but good enough .



And then Sigfrido and the other residents made me a surprise : not only they remembered that today is my birthday,  but they even prearranged a TV size cake . The portions were not exactly generous, but there was enough for everybody .

Hi,

Today Sigfrido had to be in Paris early in the morning for work, so we spent the night in an hotel . The view from the window wasn’t very nice...



...so we checked our route and went out.



We passed by the church of Saint Sulpice ...



And roamed a bit the streets of the Latin Quarter.



I even got a glimpse of the Pantheon in the distance.



But, eventually it was time to get to work, hard work .



As the printer was a bit slow...



...we decided to check out the window. It turned out that we had a top floor office with a wonderful wiew ...



...and perfect for sunbathing .



Later on we got hungry and ate some baguette , making a bit of a mess.



Hopefully no one will notice .

Hi,

Today we were in Paris again , but, since we didn’t need to be there too early, we took a train from Rouen in the morning.



Once in Paris I managed to take a few photos. I saw Notre Dame in the distance ,...



...walked around the Latin Quarter...




...and stopped by the College De France, apparently a very important school .



I fancied going inside to take a look, but the gate was closed and the gentleman in the courtyard ignored me completely , how rude .



To avoid getting in trouble at the office , today we opted for filling our tanks before getting to work.



The rest of the day was long and boring, but on the way home I managed to take a final shot with the Pantheon in the sunset .

Hi,

Yesterday we were in Paris again, mostly busy at work, but this morning I had a chance for another City tour before heading to the train station. I walked a bit around the Jardin du Luxembourg ...





...where I found this lovely fountain...



...while this lion allowed us to take a picture with him .



Later we looked at some shops. It seems there was a completion for who was selling the weirdest stuff .





Moving on we walked a bit along the river...






...until we reached the Louvre...



...where we stopped to rest and enjoy the sun .



On the way back to the train station I thought we should have stopped for a refreshing pint ...



...but Sigfrido pointed out that we were late, so I took another couple of photos passing by the Val the Grace hospital before diving underground into the RER.

Hi,

Today it was time to travel again . I passed through Paris Gare du Nord station...




...and fell asleep on my way to the airport . And when I woke up I was in Italy with my friend sammino and all his guests !

Hi,

Today we had a very important football match to watch: the Euro Cup semi-final between Germany and Italy . An artist like me doesn’t really care much about sport, but sammino told me that today I was an Italian supporter...and a crazy one too .



By the time the teams came on the pitch, there were easily identifiable German and Italian camps in front of the TV, and emotions were running high.





As Italy swept Germany away we were very happy...




...and sammino went a bit wild on the celebrations .

Hi,

After just a few days, Sigfrido and I said goodbye to all our friends here and started travelling again .



Before I jumped in my travelling quarters sammino gave me a big hug and wished me a safe trip .



Off we go again !

Hi,

After saying goodbye, we went to the train station and headed for Roma . They view from the train was nice...




...but we must have forgotten about the travelling supplies as we spent all the trip without food . So when we arrived at destination we quickly checked how was the view from the window...



...and then went straight to the kitchen.  After wandering around...



...we eventually found something edible . A lovey bowl of salad...



...and some delicious fruit .



Now, that feels better .

Hi,

Today I  managed to take a little stroll around the city.  First I stopped at the philharmonic house and thought that maybe I could have gone inside to practise my singing , but unfortunately, the door was closed .



So I kept walking around until I reached Porta del Popolo...



...and from here Piazza del Popolo .




Here I admired the twin churches...



...and the Egyptian obelisk .

Hi,

Today it was time to leave and go back to France. Luckily, this time we planned in advance for potential food shortage during the trip by heaving a rich breakfast .




Once at the airport we explored a bit around. The food court looked interesting...



...very interesting .



And the tables were quite strange too.



Of, course, we couldn’t just look at the food without trying something .



With a full belly we eventually reached our gate and got ready to travel home .

Hi,

That was a short stop here in France. Just arrived and already in another airport ready to leave again . As it was the first time at Orly for both Sigfrido and myself we explored a bit around.





Later we checked the time of our flight.



There was still plenty of time so we looked a bit at the planes...




...and refilled the tank .




Eventually we boarded the plane and got the wonderful surprise of being given a free tablet to enjoy the in-flight entertainment .



As it turned out, the tablet wasn’t really free and the flight attendants came back to grab it before landing . Luckily we have eaten all the food so they couldn’t steal that back .




Eventually we landed in a place that I know well, Newark airport ! It looked like I was going back to the location of my very first trip, so both at the station and on the train I was so excited that I couldn’t stop looking out of the window .

Hi,

Today I wanted to have immediately a walk around Princeton, so I got a hearty breakfast ...



...and got out.




I passed by the IAS...



...and headed towards downtown. On the way I saw some familiar old building ...



...and went around the golf course. I kind of remembered that the balls can fly erratically around here, so I kept a safe distance .




I passed by more nice buildings,...




...but my daily goal was to reach Nassau Hall and visit an old friend of mine .



One of the tigers guarding the main entrance !



At frst she didn’t recognize me and said I have changed since we last met, but after that she was very nice and we spent the afternoon chatting ...although it seemed to me that she kept throwing inquisitive glances at Sigfrido as if she wasn’t convinced about who I was .

Hi,

I have been here just a few days and I am already working . Today it was laundry day. First we checked the instructions...



...and selected the program.



Then we had to wait, so we explore a bit around. We stopped playing at the kids corner...



...and checked out the “library” .




Moving on we noticed that someone had posted socks on the notice board ...



...so we decided to just wait in a quiet corner until the washer was done.