Dec 26

Cold, dark, and lonely, that's how I would describe Paris at 5 AM the day after Christmas. It was nice, however, as I retraced our steps from the previous day without the crowds of people. I truly enjoyed the solitude and the time to carefully look at the magnificent architecture and fantastic cityscape. Unfortunately, at that time of day the Tuileries Gardens were locked. I breezed by the Place Vendôme, another strike, as the column was covered during repairs.  Nonetheless, I had a great jog past ornate churches and through the quiet streets.

As noted previously, Paris conducts business as normal on Christmas day. December 26 was a full on mad house. Shannan and I arrived at the Musee du Louvre forty-five minutes prior to opening time. Many others arrived even earlier. We waited just shy of an hour before entering the world famous museum. Side note, Paris may well keep going on holidays, but they sure don't get started early. We could not find a cafe in our area that opened before 8:00am, sans the great American Ambassador of fast food, McDonald's. Luckily we caught onto the late rising concept early and purchased croissants and muffins the previous evening.

Our pre-purchased breakfast served us well while standing in line. Once inside we toured the museum for nine hours. After all that time, I already have a long list of pieces we missed. It looks like another trip to the Louvre is in our future.

Get going early. Run.
Tom

 

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Poking around Paris

Bon Jour!  Do they know it's Christmas at all? Shannan and I arrived in Paris, France around 9:00am. I was on the road for a mid-morning run by 11:00. The city streets teemed with activity. Local shopkeepers, tourists and Parisians carried on as if it were business as usual rather than a major holiday. Not much seemed out of the ordinary for this 25th of December compared to any other day. So much for opening gifts, sitting by the fire or being with family for a Christmas lunch. Masses of people were out and about during the chilly day.

Our quaint hotel was tucked in the Saint Germaine district. A quick jaunt on Rue de Seine took me to the Love Lock Bridge crossing Paris famed river. Along with a large number of others I had great fun looking at the tremendous number of locks. I hope all those folks remained locked in love. While gazing at the symbolic pairing of countless couples suddenly my musing ended with the sight of Notre Dame of Paris. Off I went. 

Long lines cued to enter the majestic cathedral renowned for is architectural grandeur and Hugo's equally compelling tale. I looked forward to visiting the sacred space myself during our stay. As for the moment, I had grown weary of zigging and zagging to maneuver among the crowd. I found the respite I sought as I dipped down a flight of cobbled stairs to run along the Seine. Time blew by in a whirlwind. I rushed back to rejoin Shannan and begin our official sightseeing venture. 

We retraced some of my steps, including the Love Lock Bridge. However, rather than turning toward Notre Dame we scurried off into the courtyard of the magnificent Musee du Louver. We ambled through the Tuileries Garden up to Cleopatra's Needle (a misnomer- It really belongs to Ramses II). For the holidays the city brought in a Ferris wheel much like the larger one sent to Atlanta earlier in 2014. From there we followed the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. Next, we made our way to the great icon of France, the Eiffel Tower. Along the way we went through two Christmas bazars and a horde of people. If I didn't know for sure, I would have never guessed it was Christmas Day.  Nonetheless, it was joyful indeed.  

See cities from the road. Run. 

Tom

2015 A Year of Excellence

Greetings!  Wow, 2014 proved to be a stellar year in health, career and happiness. Along the way Shannan really embraced fitness. Both of us took on a new outlook towards food from seed to skillet, and your travels close and far offered great opportunities to enjoy life. 2015 arrived poised to be far better on each of those fronts and more. We are ready for all the great things to come.

I’ve toyed with semantics over the years. New Year’s resolutions, goals, objectives and so forth. This year I have a short (short for me) list of “intentions.” I fully intend to achieve and maintain each and every one of them.  They are: 

1.    Think it. Do it!

2.    Make it Happen!

3.    Be Positive.

4.    Abs!

5.    Live In Beta.

6.    Create Space!

7.    Work the List.

May this year bring you and yours all you imagine. 

Tom

Good Things Keep Coming!

Greetings!  Visiting the Louver in Paris has long been on my list.  While in France and visiting her grand museum many wonderful things came to our attention. As we complete items on our list, be they personal accomplishments, travel or whatnot, it seems we uncover some other kernel of interest. To no surprise, the new item immediately gets added to the list. More often that not, rather than one thing being checked off, we tend to add to our list at a rate that made Fibonacci famous.  For Shannan and me, that’s a good thing. In fact, it is the thing. We try to live life to its fullest. As we do life continues to reveal itself to us in a variety of ways. What a joy!

Follow your bliss.

Tom