Thanksgiving Abroad!

For the past decade or so, I've celebrated Thanksgiving somewhere else in the world on more than a few occasions - Paris, London and Sydney.  Thankfully, there are large American populations in all these cities so it's not difficult to find a traditional meal and some camaraderie.

Although I'm home in Chicago this Thanksgiving, celebrating the holiday elsewhere has always lead me to beautiful spaces and places.  In 2010, my friend and colleague Rachel Piercey and I celebrated in Paris.  It was the coldest winter on record in Paris for more than 80 years and so being inside this day was especially important.

The Musee D'Orsay became our Thanksgiving home of choice and we spent almost the entire day there strolling through the various halls within the museum viewing collections of sculpture, paintings, photography, graphics, objets d'art and architecture.

We dined in the historic Restaurant, located on the first floor of what was once the Hotel D'Orsay, first opened in 1900.  It was incorporated into the museum when it was converted from railroad station to cultural icon in 1986. The building has a fascinating history - you can read about it here.

We were lucky enough to have a table right on the windows, where we could look out over the grounds surrounding the museum and across the Seine to the Place de la Concorde.  The day began quite overcast and yet we were treated to a golden view as we settled in to enjoy our very non-traditional Thanksgiving meal!

Today, I can hardly remember what we ate, and yet, there was room for dessert and so on this day of celebration and giving thanks, we indulged!!

OMG!! What a treat and decidedly not what one might expect to close out a Thanksgiving meal with - but scrumptious nonetheless!!

As you might expect, this was probably one of my most favorite Thanksgiving celebrations. I've had them in London and Sydney, and while I always manage to find fabulous food when I travel, it is this Thanksgiving in Paris that has etched its way in to my heart and soul.

It was a week where we celebrated Thanksgiving twice with nontraditional meals. Earlier in the week, we visited Jim Haynes at his Sunday night salon and celebrated Thanksgiving with a home cooked meal that was Spanish in origin.  It was a night of making good friends and finding others celebrating the holiday in an international setting - much like the first settlers who gave us this holiday. For them, America was an international setting and they were far from home!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone - wherever you are in the world - be thankful and enjoy!!!

PS: Here's David Lebovitz' wonderful Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine & Figs recipe.

Seeing Red ...

Red is always a hot fashion color no matter where you are in the world, and depending on which culture you're enjoying, red also has many meanings and provides a great deal of symbolism. But, the red I'm talking about can only be seen in just a few places in the world - mostly Europe and South America. Yes, I am talking about the beautiful and gentle red clay tennis courts that dot major cities on these two continents and for about an eight week period become the stage for a different kind of gladiator.

If you're heading to Europe, and you happen to be a huge tennis fan like me, then you already know where all the great tournaments are. But for those who are not die-hard fans and want to see a bit of sport as they wander across the European continent - taking in a pro tennis tournament right now might be one of the highlights of your trip.

Roger Federer at French Open 2009
Courtesy of guardian.co.uk

The Spring Clay Court season is just underway for both the men's and the women's tour beginning this week in Monte Carlo and culminating at the end of May with the French Open in Paris. In between, you can see tournaments in Rome, Madrid, Valencia, Bucharest, Nice, Munich, Barcelona and Dusseldorf; women's tournaments are also held in Brussels, Stuttgart and Strasbourg. For dates and locations, click on the drop down menus on the home page of the ATP World Tour website.

In many cases, you can pick up tickets at the gate, especially for the smaller city tournaments. But, if you want to visit The French Open or the Masters 1000 tournaments in Rome, Madrid and Monte Carlo, buy your tickets online beforehand. Monte Carlo is going on this week with three of the 'Big 4" in play this week - Djokovic, Nadal and Murray.  My favorite, Roger Federer won't rejoin his colleagues until Madrid, starting the first week in May.

If you're lucky enough to be there during the French Open, you will likely only be able to get general admission tickets but there's plenty to see the first week and though the middle weekend. Oh, and did I mention that besides great tennis, the French Open offers some of the most delicious 'stadium food' in the world? Be sure to get a burger and frites - you'll never feel the same way about a good ol' burger and fries again.

Take advantage of this while you can, as in June the players move to grass courts for a very short season that ends with Wimbledon. You can also see a grass court tournament in the US - at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI, which begins on Wednesday, July 8th, following The Championships. From this point on, the players will be in the US for our hard court season that culminates with the US Open in late August/early September.  I'll be enjoying the 'Big 4' in Cincinnati as usual.

There you have it - enjoy Spring and be sure to see some red, while you're at it!

PS: There are plenty of public and private club clay courts throughout Europe available for play - why not check out the red clay up close? Just remember to slide!

For Those Without Facebook Access ...

In this world so filled with technology, it's hard to imagine that some folks aren't on Facebook, but yes it's true not everyone is there. So for those folks who have tried to view the posts I did on FB, here's a repeat.

From Saturday, 20 October 2012

There's nothing like finding a brief respite in Paris when it's been raining all day long.  The skies have been cloudy and grey today, but after braving the crowd of rue Cler and rue du Bac, I wandered over to my favorite place in Paris for a spot of lunch and some peace: the garden of the Musee' Rodin, not far from the apartment I'm staying in this trip.

Musee' Rodin Gardens

Even in the rain - the gardens are beautiful, and to sit in the cafe, enjoy some warm fresh made soup and salad and gaze across the gardens - to me it is heaven on earth. Once I've done this - Paris at last begins to feel like home to me.

Strolling through the gardens after a pleasant meal and taking time to think like Le Penseur (The Thinker) and view some of Rodin's most exquisite sculptures that dot the garden - there's just nothing else like it. The next time you are in Paris - for just one Euro, you can enjoy this amazing escape from the hustle-bustle that is often Paris!

Walking down
rue St. Dominique, 7e

From Facebook, 20 October 2012

Here's the view down my street as I walk toward the apartment from the Musee' Rodin - you can see what a grey and rainy day it is - but La Tour Eiffel is managing just fine!  Me, too!

The Islands ...

I call these 'jo birds' -
they are in my colors -
black, white, red and grey!

Sunday was a day of exploring the two islands that sit in the middle of the Seine - the Ile de la Cite' and the Ile de Ste Louis.  Most people are more familiar with the Ile de la Cite' - it's home to Notre Dame, Ste Chapelle and the Palais du Justice, among others. I love the Sunday morning bird market that accompanies the daily flower market - it is such a mixture of sights and sounds, as birds chirp and cackle, along with the typical haggling over price that often goes on between sellers and buyers.

There are so many different kinds of birds - from loveable budgies to finches and everything in between.  The color combinations are often spectacular - and of course, you can also buy everything and anything you need to house and care for your bird.  In the US, we usually just buy bird food in a bag or box, but not in Paris.

At the bird market, you can buy custom made bird feed, sold from barrels, much like you would buy grain, fruits or other edibles at a street market.  It's amazing the lengths people will go to for their pets and Paris could never be accused of not providing the same "liberte', equalite' et fraternite'" for its furry friends.

While here on the islands, be sure to sit for a while in the Place Dauphine behind the Palais du Justice - perfect for getting away from the crowds and you'll see the island from a different perspective.

As well, walking along the Quai des Orfevres, I noticed the accompanying art piece on the side of the building "Hora fugit stat jus" - Time flies, stand right - as you can guess it was on the side of the Palais du Justice near a massive door marked Correctional Tribunal.

The Ile de Ste Louis is mostly a residential island but it is quaint and charming and even though it is dotted with shops and cafes, it is not very touristy.  It is quite a bit more quiet and mostly filled with locals.  The few visitors are merely passing through on their way to Notre Dame and the Ile de la Cite'.

By the time I finished here, I was starving and so thought I might find a place to rest and eat on the Ile de Ste Louis - but nothing grabbed my interest. I wandered across the Pont Marie and headed into Le Marais - beating the crowds by a few hours. After a week of rain, the day had turned to bright sunshine and surely the best was yet to come.

Fly Girl is Flying ...

WOW! I can't believe how long it has been since I've posted to this blog! Been too busy flying I guess but so sorry that I haven't been sharing my adventures with you.

I am about to take off to some of my favorite places with some of my travel clients -- beautiful Italy. We'll be hitting the sights in Florence, Rome, Venice and perhaps a few of the hilltop towns of Tuscany. If we're lucky, we'll find the time to sneak off to Milan.

When I'm finished in Italy, I'm training my way overnight to Paris where I'll catch a bit of the French Open, do a little business for some of my clients and then head to London before returning home in early June. I hope to be posting along the way and hope you'll be there right with me.

In the meantime, Ciao Baby!