“There is no such thing as a small act of kindness.”

Scott Adams, the creator of ‘Dilbert’, finished the above comment with “Every act creates a ripple with no logical end".

I just read an article on the CNN feed found here which suggests social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter have proven beneficial as a way to get the message out to the masses – help Haiti!  And, the masses have responded!  The tweets, re-tweets, status updates, and FB group pages have prompted people to pull out their mobile phones and to send one very simple text message that triggers a $10 donation.

What started as something small - Hey, it’s only $10! - has made a far-reaching ripple such that more than $4 million has been donated to the American Red Cross’ Haiti relief program thus far.  Wow!

With the Canadian federal government’s announcement that they will match donations up to $50 million to Canadian registered charitable organizations, now is the time to act and create our own ripples.

As Adams also said, “you don’t have to be a ‘person of influence’ to be influential.” 

We can make a difference!  There are a number of charities that are offering legitimate ways to give (see link to CBC article).  These are just a couple:

Canadian Red Cross, donate online at:  www.redcross.ca/helpnow

Partners in Health: Haiti - Rogers Wireless and Fido customers can donate $5 by texting the word HELP to 1291.  Teaming up with ONEXONE, the donations are earmarked to go to Partners in Health: Haiti.

Reuters photo via dailymail.co.uk

Just when you thought it was safe…

Many people who have treasured memories in photos or important data will back-up those files on CD/DVDs for safe-keeping.  As we know, a computer crash could bring even the most reticent individual to tears accompanied by child-like temper tantrums.

So, you’ve done that.  You’ve been diligent about backing up the important files and one day you go back to retrieve one of those files and…what??!…you can’t?!  Huh?!

Check out this blog post by Jacques Giraud.   Interesting findings and may make us re-think how we store our data.

Excuse me ma’am, anything to declare?

Other than lots of great memories that I stashed away, yes sir…I also smuggled a nasty cold back into the country. 

I can guarantee the fashionable Parisian styles are not reflected in any way to the over-size PJ’s and fuzzy slippers that have been my wardrobe choice since we returned home.

Paris – Bonne Année - just a few more hours

After collecting all the fresh foods earlier in the week at the St. Germain market, we had everything we needed to make dinner at the apartment instead of going out to a restaurant. It was a great idea…very relaxing.

We made sure to dress very warmly for the evening and were on our way to the Champs-Elysées shortly after 9:30pm.  The crowds were already thick when we got to Place du Concorde.  People were singing, dancing, and drinking.  Every once in awhile we would notice a group of people all huddled together and then realized they were all standing on a metro grate and taking advantage of the warmth coming up through from the subway. 

The police seemed to have a significant presence, including a few with riot shields and shoulder protection (just in case).  Some of the stores had already boarded up their windows earlier in the day, but this is typical of many city stores when big, potentially rowdy, celebrations are about to take place.  We didn’t see anything that would warrant the use of it – everyone just seemed to be having a ton of fun, but better to plan for the worst.

The avenue itself was a sea of car lights and the sound of horns honking, but by the time we made it to the Arc du Triomphe and took a left towards the Eiffel Tower, things were significantly calmer (good for me, since I tend to get a little claustrophobic in crowds).  We, along with hundreds of others, were making our way to find a place along the Seine or one of the bridges for the best position to see the lights of the Eiffel Tower. 

With 10 minutes left to go, the tower was ablaze with a light show.  We had brought along a small bottle of Mumm’s and a couple of plastic glasses.  We were ready!

It’s hard to imagine that we were experiencing something similar, and yet so very different, a year ago in Amsterdam.  Who knows where we’ll be on December 31, 2010.  Whether we’re spending time with family and friends, or just the two of us exploring a new place…it is being together, arms wrapped around each other, grateful for our life together, and sharing hopes and dreams for the coming year…that’s what’s important to us.

Countdown begins…ten seconds to go…the lights make their way down the side of the tower, second-by-second until the cheers become deafening, the low barritone-like horns of the Bateaux Mouches (the tour boats of the Seine) were sounding, camera flashes everywhere, people kissing, and catching a glimpse of more than one ‘moon’ dancing across the bridge.  People stopped and took it all in.  The beginning of a new year…

2010 was upon us…Bonne Année!

Happy New Year

Wishing you all the very best from Paris!!

Paris – Day 5

Today was going to include a visit to the Centre Georges Pompidou – a modern art museum.  To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of some forms of modern art.  That doesn’t mean I don’t like it at all.  If I see a Picasso painting where the arm of a figure is where the leg might normally be and eyes are on opposite sides of the head, I might have a tough time understanding the mind that creates something like this, but it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment I get from seeing it.

But, there are some forms that I just don’t find appealing, confirming the fact that ‘art is in the eye of the beholder’ - nothing new there. 

While I didn’t have high expectations of the collections inside (although Picasso and Matisse pieces were represented), I was very interested in seeing the Pompidou Centre itself.  It’s like the building was designed inside out.  To have a building so modern amongst those that have been standing for hundreds of years…the dichotomy was worth the visit.

 

This is one of the art pieces on display (red-tone boards of varying length leaning up against 3 of the walls in the room).

We ended up rushing through the final few rooms, using the excuse of needing another jambon et fromage sandwich…right now!  (Actually, we won’t need to eat any cheese or bread for the next year.  We ate our quota in one week.  But…mmmmmm.  I wonder if they’ll serve cheese on the flight home.)

We walked through  Les Halles area and even caught a couple of young kids playing ping pong outdoors.

  

Since this was New Year’s Eve, many museums and historical sites would be closing early for the evening.  As it turns out, we had hoped to see Ste Chapelle church, but it will have to wait until next visit as we missed the cut-off by just a few minutes (we can blame it on jambon et fromage!…I am blaming weight gain on it, why not this too!). 

We’ve been to Notre Dame on a couple of occasions, including the tour of the towers, but we had never been to the crypt.  So, that was our next stop.  It really wasn’t a crypt, but rather an archeological dig that reflects the life of the people over many years – how they were able to heat their homes, the layout of the area in front of Notre Dame and along the Seine, and some insight into the day-to-day activities of the time.

That would be final ‘tour’ in Paris…New Year’s is almost here.

Paris - Day 4 (part deux)

The Musée du Louvre is a stunning building which has taken on various forms from its early days as a fortress.  From the edge of the Tuileries gardens where sculptures line the main path, through the Arched structure which recognizes the success of Napoleon’s armies, you reach Pi’s glass pyramid which was built in the late 1980’s – the main entry into the museum.

 

The museum houses some of the more recognizable and beautiful pieces of artwork.  Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is likely the most popular.  The piece dating back to the 16th century is kept behind bullet-proof glass within a climate controlled environment.

(image from Wikipedia)

Another famous piece is the sculpture Venus di Milo. 

While some rooms of paintings or sculptures allow easy access for viewing, both these pieces are often found in rooms that are crowded with those who want a glimpse of something they might have only seen in photos or read about in books.

It really is a unique opportunity to appreciate the historical significance and beauty of what these artists have created – in the artwork and the buildings themselves.

This was not our first time to the Louvre and I hope it won’t be our last.

Our dinner this evening was at Chez Janou – an eclectic French bistro located in the Bastille area of Paris.

It is an easy metro ride from where we were staying and after missing out on having dinner there last night, we were quite happy to get a reservation for this evening.  The food was incredible!!  But, wow…we have definitely gained some weight on this trip.  Just ‘looking’ at the chocolate mousse dessert that Mark had ordered (apparently, a specialty and highly recommended) added a few inches to ‘my’ waistline. 

Tomorrow, we’re off to the Centre Pompidou

Paris – Day 4 (part 1)

This was going to be a busy day.  We were about to tackle two of the largest museums in Paris – Louvre and Orsay, plus one short tour, and finally dinner at Chez Janou.

We had purchased Paris-Museum passes after seeing the very first line-up to get into a museum.  The pass allows you a separate entrance and in some cases little or no wait time.  If you do not have pre-purchased tickets or a museum pass, your wait in line could be a couple of hours…or more.  But, even with the pass, with the crowds we were seeing, quick access still wasn’t guaranteed.

Musée d’Orsay was the first stop - housed in a beautiful rail station that was designed and built as a terminal for the 1900 World Exhibition.  It had ceased being a rail station several decades ago, when in 1986 it was opened as a Museum.  It still retains the look of a train station with its large open space and of course, a large clock at one end.

It would house some of the most amazing pieces of artwork – sculptures and paintings.  Degas’ bronze sculptures of dancers, paintings by Van Gogh, Renoir, Sisley, Monet, and Cezanne are just a few of the more recognizable artists.

We left the museum and decided to do a tour of the city sewers.  Yup, you read it…sewers, or égouts as they are known in Paris.

It seemed apropos that we did this tour at the time we did…because I had to go to the bathroom VERY badly and before showing our passes, I first asked if there were ‘toilettes’ inside.  Why wouldn’t there be?!  It’s a sewer! 

With that out of the way, the tour guide warned us “remember to wash your hands after the tour is over”.  OK, while the tour was informative and interesting, this was enough for me to know that I was in for more than I had expected.  I just hoped that the ‘odour’ wouldn’t follow us for the rest of the day.  

With an extra dose of hand sanitizer, there was no reason why we wouldn’t walk the streets of the famous fashion houses of YSL, Givenchy after that tour…mais oui!  No one was going to poo-poo that idea!  :)  There were very expensive cars (with drivers) waiting outside the likes of Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and D&G shops - a totally different world than the one most of us live in. 

But…time for Musée du Louvre…(to be continued)

Paris – Day 3

We were planning on a relaxing dinner at ‘home’ for New Year’s (some yummy sustenance before going out for the festivities) in a couple of days.  So, we located a wonderful covered market in the St. Germain des Pres area to purchase a few fresh vegetables, fruit, spreads, cheese, and pasta.  The market had everything we might want and it was a nice treat to spend some time testing our French with the locals.  

Knowing we were already in the area, we decided to head over to St. Sulpice church.  If anyone has ever read the DaVinci Code, you’ll know that St. Sulpice church played a role in the story line.  The church had begun being built in the 1600’s, but wasn’t completed until the 1700’s.  We arrived just at the end of a short service and so were able to walk around with ease.

After lighting a candle for Maureen’s mom who passed away just a few days before Christmas (hugs to you Maureen), we continued on until we found a nice little butcher shop close to our apartment and had them make some fresh jambon et fromage sandwiches (cured ham and cheese) for a quick lunch.

The weather continues to surprise us.  Each day they call for rain and then it holds off for all of our wandering around (although, I’m not sure if we’ll be as successful tomorrow).

We took the metro to Arc du Triomphe so that we could tackle the 284 stairs to the top for a beautiful view of the city, before it got too dark.

     

 

We had tried to have dinner at a restaurant in the Bastille district that one of Mark’s colleagues had recommended.  Unfortunately, we hadn’t even considered we might need a reservation. Thankfully we were able to make one for Wednesday evening.  So, a dinner in the Latin Quarter would be our final destination today – an ‘interesting’ establishment…but we laughed and enjoyed ourselves.

Looking forward to our museum stops tomorrow.

Paris – Day 2

Sleeping in…ahhh, this feels good!  There was no place we had to be, so we made it a nice and relaxing morning. 

We wandered through St. Germain des Pres and made our way over to Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte Chapelle.  Paris is much ‘busier’ than in our previous visits and line-ups to get into museums and other buildings of historical significance were an indication of this. 

The Louvre (which houses the Mona Lisa and many other prominent pieces) was our next stop…not to visit (we’ll do that later in our stay), but just to walk around.

 

We walked through Tuileries Gardens on our way to see an exhibit of Renoir paintings at the Grand Palace.

Finally, we took an evening stroll along the Champs-Elysées.  At one end of the avenue is a carousel (ferris wheel) and the other is the roundabout with the Arc de Triomphe in the centre

After a great dinner at one of restaurants along the avenue, we made our way back to the apartment to enjoy some hot tea and yummy chocolate.   mmmmm…did I say that I love Paris?!