The Bridge of Love

One of my memorable birthday events was to visit the Pont des Arts. If you thought romance was passé in Paris, all you have to do is look at Paris bridges to see it is being displayed in full force.  A couple writes their names on a padlock and locks it onto one of the bridges.  Then they throw the key into the Seine River as a symbol of their undying love.  Some say the only way to break the seal of love brought on by this love lock act is to find the key and unlock the padlock.  Of course, that is nearly impossible, since the keys lie at the bottom of the river.

A French tour guide was overheard explaining the phenomenon to her enthralled group.

“There are two bridges in Paris with the locks, you must be very careful which bridge you put your lock on because Pont des Arts is for your committed love, while Pont de l'Archevêché is for your lover.”

Continuation of Anniversaire Voyage

The actual day of my birthday, 12 avril, the hotel delivered the following unique confection

That's me - adventurer, enthusiastic and full of energy (when I am not napping that is)

Opposite side of the golden candy plaque

Then it was off to L'Empire de la Mort - the Paris Catacombs

It's the haunting resting place of more than 6 million French citizens.  You sink deep into the tunnels of Paris and cover over a kilometer of catacombs littered with human remains. The Paris Catacombs were built as limestone quarries, which were mined for the building of some of Paris' most famous buildings and bridges. After the mid 1700s, the quarries were used to deal with Paris' overcrowded cemeteries, and 6 million bodies were transfered from the cemeteries to the catacombs.  In order to maximize the storage capacity of the quarries, the exhumed bodies were simply stacked on top of one another in different rooms in the Catacombs creating many miles of human-bone walls. 

Throughout there are comments on our existence or lack thereof

After all that we needed some relief and dined at the elegant Laserre restaurant to finish the celebration
Sandre 

 Prawns

Mac n cheese avec truffles

 Turbot

 Lobster

 Desserts galore

Now it's on to 65

Mon Anniversaire

If the Beatles raised any concern about turning 64, it all vanished with our wonderful stay in Paris for my birthday. With our flexibility, Ron and I are able to take advantage of last minutes deals on the internet at memorable hotels.  This time we scored with a trip to the Plaza Athénée.

We were lucky to be upgraded to a lovely suite

Breakfast was included as well

The first afternoon I spent at the Dior Spa in the hotel

Then we dined at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée

The next day we spent at the Musée  Jacquemart André - one of the small jewels we discovered.  A private couple collected Rembrandts, Van Dykes, Donatellos and Botticellis among many many others.  There is also a charming café in the dining room of the mansion.

Upon our return to the hotel to our surprise was a treat of fruit and champagne

The celebration continues in the next post

Joyeuses Pâques

Easter arrived in Amboise in all its Spring glory.  We strolled by the market on our way to St. Denis Eglise.  All the little chicks and rabbits were on display.

Next we attended services

We returned home to a bevy of our blooms flowering.

At last it was time for the Easter feast of lobster, ham and assorted treats with friends Alexis and Lotte

We finished the perfect day off watching UofM defeat Syracuse in the Final Four with friends Amah and Amélie

Paradise continued