We saw the lights We saw the lights

We leave shortly for a 6 week sojourn in Michigan for the holidays, so no blog entries until next February probably.  Our final post for 2012 is a pictorial display of the holiday lights in the City of Light, Paris, and also Tours (which is our neighborhood)

Please click on this link below to see the magic of Paris at Christmas

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvafmw_illuminations-des-champs-elysees-21-novembre-2012_news&start=2

The children mail their letters to Santa here

Little chalets form the Christmas market

And now ladies and gentlemen, the animations:

We wish you all Joyeuses Fêtes et Bonne Année.  See you in 2013.

Voyage en Espagne Part 4

Then we were on to the birthplace of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit Order.  As many of you know, Ron attended a Jesuit high school UofD in Detroit and Xavier University in Cincinnati and was greatly influenced by their philosophy and teachings.

Ignatius of Loyola 1491 – 1556 was a Spanish knight from a local noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and was its first Superior General.^[2] Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation. Loyola's devotion to the Catholic Church was characterized by unquestioning obedience to the Catholic Church's authority and hierarchy.^[3]

After being seriously wounded in the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, he underwent a spiritual conversion while in recovery. Thereafter he went to Manresa, where he began praying for seven hours a day, often in a nearby cave, while formulating the fundamentals of the Spiritual Exercises. In September 1523, Loyola reached the Holy Land to settle there, but was sent back to Europe by the Franciscans.

Between 1524 and 1537, Ignatius studied theology and Latin in Spain and then in Paris. In 1534, he arrived in the latter city during a period of anti-Protestant turmoil which forced John Calvin to flee France. Ignatius and a few followers bound themselves by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In 1539, they formed the Society of Jesus, approved in 1540 by Pope Paul III.

An altar dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, a co-founder of the Jesuit Order

Francis Xavier was born to an aristocratic family in the castle of Xavier in the Kingdom of Navarre on 7 April 1506 according to a family register. He was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534. He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time. He was influential in the spreading and upkeep of Catholicism most notably in India.

Ron will always treasure this experience

Finally, our last stop on the way home from Spain was at Biarritz at the elegant Hotel du Palais originally built by Napoleon III for Empress Eugenie 

http://www.hotel-du-palais.com/video_palais/palais.html

This trip was stimulating in so many ways.

Voyage en Espagne Part 3

Kristine Swenson grew up on Quarton Lane and married a dashing Spaniard, Joaquin Frias.  He moved to Birmingham Michigan to raise their family and runs a Spanish language program in Birmingham serving individuals, students, travelers and corporate interests  http://spanishinternational.com/  248-971-0465.  Luckily for us, at the very time we were in Madrid, so were they, visiting Joaquin's family and introducing his parents to their newest granddaughter, Maria.

Joaquin's father is 90, and they shared memories of Francisco Franco's reign

We went for a special snack of churros and chocolate - the thickest chocolate shy of being mousse

Ron adored all the novelty acts that populate one of the main squares Peurta del Sol



The clock is the famous clock all Spaniards turn their eyes to on New Year's Eve, guzzling down a grape to each of it's twelve chimes at midnight. 

Lastly, we ended up at a bar drinking and singing

Voyage en Espagne Part 2

Next we arrived in Madrid and were overwhelmed by its beauty

Literally everywhere there are statues and monuments that are stunning which make Madrid one of the most beautiful cities we have seen

We stayed at the Ritz Madrid where Ron experienced his first high tea

Potato chips on a silver platter

Attending the Spanish Ballet was exciting with traditional ballet and Spanish influence with castanets and fans adding to the splendor

We discovered green pumpkins

Notice the colorful Spanish tiles on the underside of apartment balconies to add to the beauty of the incredible Spanish architecture

Voyage en Espagne Part 1

Our first destination on our trip to Spain was Elciego in Basque country in Northern Spain.  We visited the Guggenheim in Bilbao and then stayed at a Frank Gehry designed hotel:

We visited a small picturesque town in the area named LaGuardia

 Public art display

Narrow medieval streets

Can you see Barb at the bottom of the photo?

Naturally we had to partake of the local Rioja wine at a pub

and the pinchos

A pincho (Spanish: [ˈpintʃo], literally "thorn" or "spike") or pintxo (Basque: [ˈpintʃo]) is a snack, typically eaten in bars, traditional in northern Spain and especially popular in the Basque country. They are usually eaten in bars or taverns as a small snack while hanging out with friends or relatives; thus, they have a strong socializing component, and in the Basque country they are usually regarded as a cornerstone of local culture and society. They are related to tapas, the main difference being that pinchos are usually 'spiked' with a skewer or toothpick, often to a piece of bread. They are served in individual portions and always ordered and paid for independently from the drinks.

Lastly we stumbled into a small town, Santo Domingo de la Calzada with a truly magnificent cathedral. Everywhere we went in this town there were chickens displayed in fabric, in chocolate and Ron even got into the "spirit" of Santo Domingo himself.

The story goes that a young male pilgrim was falsely accused of stealing a silver cup and hanged.  When his parents inquired of the constable about him, the man replied that the son was as dead as the chicken on his dinner plate before him.  Whereupon the chicken jumped up and grew a beak and feathers, and the son was found alive still hanging from the noose.  For over 500 years a hen and rooster have been installed in an altar area for 2 week stints, which is why we heard cockadoodles while we toured the magnificent cathedral