Paris: ooh la la.

"The Mona Lisa" ... "The Kiss" ... "The Thinker" ... etc. (Pinch me.)

We spent a fair bit of time on the Metro, thus I'm including a photo. Musicians playing violins, accordians, guitars, etc. in the Metro, on the bridges, in lanes. Loved that.

Bet you can guess.

Napolean's coronotation took place here.

Wow ... only 7 prisoners were freed when their mates stormed the Bastille.

In a secret garden during the cycling tour.

Louvre-ing.

Montmarte.

Small place, big hospitality.

Statue park in Paris.

Sacre Couer (The White Church) in Montmarte.

Liz, Ron and Shell with Eiffel.

First things first: shopping at a market in Belleview.

Ron and Liz at the Louvre.

Moulin Rouge. Note the queue to get in.

The Eiffel Tower is stunning. The Rodin Museum superb. Montmartre, Le Marais, The Latin Quarter, St. Germaine de Pris ... all exceptional. Sacre Couer, The Louvre, Champ Elysses, Notre Dame, the Seine (so many bridges) ... fantastique. One runs out of adjectives in Paris ...

Venus de Milo.

People: My brother Ron Meetoos, his fiancee Elisabeth, et moi. Famous sites speak for themselves; art's from the Rodin Museum and the Louvre. I walked and cycled all over, so there are also many street shots.

Only thing I didn't like about Paris: the temperature. Same thing with Montreal, and, come to think of it, Granada, where I am now ... sitting in a hostel in the Albaicin. I've been shivering since I left Canada ...

Liz, below, is from Riga, Latvia. She's fluent in four languages, and uses them all in Paris.

Oh! The photo of Ron and I wearing strange\dirty clothes in his tiny apartment (located on the island, spitting distance from Notre Dame and the Seine) is post-catacombs. That was a story ... we went down illegally (through a sewer grate) and got lost beneath the city ... long, scary,
certain I would die down there. Tell you more if\when I see you.

Oh again! Saw Jesus's Crown of Thorns (and got in line with the Catholics to kiss it) in Notre Dame. They only exhibit it one day a year, and we were there.

Montreal, March 2009.

No time to write while travelling, but here are a few of the important people and places: Johnny and Olga, Angela and Jacob (in Montreal).

Another Friday night watching the sun set and drinking wine.

A little crimson fire above the treeline.

The wine is compliments of Felix, in Pilger. It's Sea Buckthorn, also known as Haskap berry, which is being researched by U of S Plant Sciences guy Bob Bors, whom I was in touch with not long ago. (Someone I know well told me that Haskap berries taste like "a more interesting blueberry".)

It's strong wine; I'm getting a buzz. And for this I am thankful.

Friday night. My dog's foot is mending. I am mending.

It melts, it melts.

And what about "ER"! I've been a fan over the last several years, wish I could catch the final episode but shucks ... I'll be in Spain.

Hey, don't you love being the only vehicle on a country road in the dead of winter on one of the
coldest nights of the year? I do. The photo was taken south of Maple Creek. I loved the effect of the headlights.


Today I wrestled with a gate that had fallen off its hinges and the eavestroughing that's to blame.
(Thanks for helping me, Jerry).

Three days ago I painted a wall "Smartie brown." (It was either paint or cut off my long hair).

My house is very quiet.

I am very quiet.

Big hugs to my friend Mark Krasko, whom I dearly love. Kiddo, you've made my day.

No longer a virgin.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090227.wbkhawley28/BNStory/globebooks/home/

This appeared in the Feb. 27th, 2009 Globe and Mail.

(yippee)