Old Town

SONG -  I Can’t Stand the Rain by Tina Turner

https://youtu.be/X9bSL2S4POg?si=dHTBPT_MkdWKXeew

(So sorry - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but if you click the link above it will take you to Tina Turner singing “I Can’t Stand the Rain”

Day 25 - May 24

Another rainy day in paradise. What a surprise. So many Scottish people we have spoken with say they can’t wait for the cold, rainy weather. They are uncomfortable with warmer weather.  And that must be why they live in Scotland!

 I didn’t feel well at all this morning but Mr. B gave me a “Get-out-of-Jail-Free” card so I took some meds & went back to sleep and woke at 1 pm feeling better and up for going into Edinburgh proper. After an hour of trying to figure out a garage near city central where we could drive & then take a taxi into Old Town was proving difficult. I was trying to talk Mr. B into taking a break from driving and take a cab into town but no way. Mr. B was sure it would all work out (he’s like that)! On our way to our car, I stopped at the front desk to ask if there was a safe, clean place to park and the cute young girl suggested a taxi or a bus into town to which Mr. B said it would be perfect. Go figure!

Delightful ride into town and we were dropped off at St. Giles Cathedral. Pouring rain, so many people & so very many umbrellas but we jumped out of the cab and ran into St. Giles (after taking my heart photo! See above)

Amazing cathedral made even more incredible by luring me in with Vivaldi music being played inside.  

They are having a concert tonight and the ensemble that is playing was practicing to the delightful of all. 

I got to go into the Thistle Chapel which was on my list and found the angel playing bagpipes because everyone should be welcomed to heaven with bagpipes!

We started looking for a place to eat and after walking a bit settled on Deacon Brodie’s Tavern right on the Royal Mile. 

It was warm, welcoming and full of happy people. We ordered Steak & Ale pies for lunch/dinner. There was a couple next to us from Minnesota who we talked to for a while. I had never had a meat pie before (other than a chicken pot pie) and this exceeded my expectations. It was amazing!

After lunch, we went “waistcoat” shopping for Mr. B.  Originally I had him talked into a kilt but we finally settled on a vest.  He found a right, proper one too!

Goodbye Scotland for now…..

Ah, Spring....

Song - The Four Seasons -Spring - Allegro by Antonio Vivaldi

"The first blooms of Spring always make my heart sing."

--S. Brown

Returning to France Day 8

Song - Vivaldi a la Sainte Chapelle by Les Solistes Francais

We woke up early on Sunday to go to the big Paris Flea Market - Les Puces de Saint-Ouen which is only open Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  It's in kind of a dicey area just outside of Paris proper so I was glad we took and Uber there instead of the Metro. Once you are inside the market you're OK except to watch your purse and wallet (and I mean that in more ways than one ;-) )

A good idea that Sydney suggested for all of our outings was to take an iPhone photo of the map or directory so if you part ways you will have the information at your fingertips to regroup!

After the first stall that we stopped at (ribbons, trim & buttons), we did all go our separate ways as each one of us had different things that we were excited to look for.

 

 Some of the stalls were a collection of unrelated objects like the one above.

And others were carefully collected objects like the silver collection above. I personally enjoy finding unique pieces of silver for my own collection but I had never seen the spoon below. Do you know what it is?

I finally had to ask the shopkeeper.....and it's a fat-separator.  You put broth in the spoon & allow the fat to rise to the top, then you press down on the upper lever and the broth pours out of the bottom of the spoon but the fat stays inside.....supposedly!

And a portion of a linen collection.......but I couldn't find my exact initials on any of them!

Perhaps you could find portraits of your great-great grandparents?

Do you think I will have any trouble getting this alligator on the airplane?

 

I am sure packing this chandelier in my suitcase will be a cinch! 

We all came home with our little treasures.  I bought two bone handled knives and an antique white wild boar terrine.  Jackie & Sydney found paintings, etchings, 12 fruit knives, ribbons, fabric, pillow covers and loads of other fun things!

We headed home about 3pm as we had tickets for a Vivaldi concert later that evening inside Sainte Chapelle!

Dinner was across the street from Sainte Chapelle at Les Deux Palais - just salad and a Croque-Madame.

As it got dark we headed across the street to get in line for the concert.

It was magical.....the setting and the music!  The group that night was Les Solistes Francais with Paul Rouger playing the main violin and directing. If you are ever in Paris, I highly recommend you find out what concerts are at Sainte Chapelle and get your tickets early as it is usually a sell out!

Afterwards we ended up in the lobby of our hotel for a glass of wine & Sydney had a whiskey.....I tell you this because it ended up being so funny.  I kept smelling something and it wasn't good! And you know how you don't want to say anything in polite company? We were staying in a very clean hotel and what was that off odor?  Then Jackie began to smell it as well and it was getting worse.  Well, Sydney finally got the giggles and confessed that she was drinking a very "peaty" whiskey.  It was her drink and breath that we were smelling!

"Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite

 and furthermore always carry a small snake."

-- W. C. Fields

TBT

Song - Vivaldi's Winter - The Piano Guys

My cousin Susan with Missy and myself with Molly at the family cabin in Lake Tahoe - c. 1965

A snowlady that I made with my friend Jill on the same deck as upper photo - c. 2012

"I want to become acutely aware of all I have taken for granted" – Sylvia Plath