#PostfromParis – Day 6 Versailles, Palais Royal

April 26, 2014 Melanie 2 Comments

Today was our tour of the Palace of Versailles. We were to meet the bus that would take us there for the afternoon at 13:30 near Vedettes de Paris. We had plenty of time so did a walk about beforehand. There was a walking tour I wanted to do but because it’s only on Thursdays, I came up with a variation of it and we did some of it this morning starting at the Church of Saint Sulpice.

From here we walked to the Jardin du Luxembourg and took in the beauty of the manicured lawns and fountains.

Fontaine Medecis in the Jardin du Luxembourg — Fontaine Medecis in the Luxembourg Gardens

fountain in jardin du luxembourg — Fountain in Jardin du Luxembourg

palais du luxembourg — Palais du Luxwmbourg

manicured trees in jardin du luxembourg — Jardin du Luxembourg

It was a beautiful day so we walked from here up to the meeting place for the bus tour. While waiting, we encountered this guy.

When we had done these pictures, he offered to take one of us together but we’d seen him in action before already and he’d held people’s cameras for ransom until they gave him money for his services. We refused the offer and when he dropped a five Euro bill from the cuff of his jacket, told him about it. So we figure we saved him some money.

We’d seen these cute little rental cars scooting about in Paris. I can’t imagine driving here. Sometimes being a pedestrian can be scary enough.

We found the location where our bus would pick us up so went there to wait. It and the driver were there but we couldn’t board straight away, although we did get to board earlier than usual. I think “Able” had something to do with that.

While I was relaxing on the bus, Don chatted with the driver and checked out the bus. What can I say, once a mechanic – always a mechanic?

Soon we were on our way out to the Palace of Versailles.

There were so many people going through the palace that in places we were packed in like sardines. I can see why they have signs telling patrons to be aware of pickpockets.

This was one of the few unobstructed pictures I was able to get and that was only because you weren’t allowed in this room. You could only get as far as the barricade in the doorway and I squeezed my way there was people who had finished with their photos moved on.

When the tour moved upstairs, I was offered the use of the lift (along with a young mother with a child in a stroller) rather than climb.

A small portion of the gardens from one of the upstairs palace windows

There were a number of rude people touring the palace and they pushed past us, through us and practically walked over top of us – all for the sake of taking a photo. I bought a guidebook to the palace that I can peruse at leisure any time I want and can see the rooms entirely… not through a throng of people.

One of the couples on the bus (we had to wait for them at the beginning, too) was late getting back and the driver almost left without them. That time difference meant we hit rush hour traffic coming back into Paris. But in the end, the driver got his own back on them. He dropped us off on Pont d’léna directly in front of the Eiffel Tower rather than down below where he picked us up. He said it would be easier for me.

Not as many steps today (mind you, inside Versailles the pedometer didn’t register most of our movements because it couldn’t move) – only 14,045. Each day the leg gets a wee bit better.

#AtoZChallenge, England, Whitby

#AtoZChallenge – W is for Whitby

April 26, 2014 Melanie 2 Comments

Whitby

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Located in North Yorkshire, England, Whitby lies along the coast of the North Sea. The River Esk bisects the seaside town – the West Cliff is the bustling town, and on the other side of the river (East Cliff) stands the Church of St Mary and the ruins of the Benedictine Abbey.

Whitby - Church of St Mary — Church of St Mary and churchyard

Captain Cook learned seamanship here and a statue commemorating him stands on the West Cliff near the Royal Hotel.

In addition to the statue of Captain Cook, nearby is a whalebone arch to signify the town’s whaling history.

But that’s not all… the town has a connection to Bram Stoker. It’s claimed that it was this location that inspired his novel – Dracula, although the Scots would disagree as they feel it was Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire and the ruins of Slains Castle… but that’s another story.

And if you’re looking for some really unique jewellery, you have to visit the Whitby Jet Store.

#AtoZChallenge, champagne, Eiffel Tower

#PostfromParis – Day 5 pas de champagne en coupe lumineuse au sommet de la Tour Eiffel

April 25, 2014 Melanie 4 Comments

Sorry for the delay getting these posted. Internet woes, what can I say.

This was our most active day on the walking front. My leg was feeling much better. We started out morning with a cruise on the Seine.

ET champagne — Musee D’Orsay from the Seine

Back in 1910, when the Seine flooded, the waters rose so high that only his head was visible above the water. Since then the people of Paris judge the height of the river by how much of the statue is submerged.

Once a royal palace, The Conciergerie became a notorious prison and Marie Antoinette was kept there until she was executed by guillotine in Place de la Concorde.

After our boat cruise, we walked along the Seine taking in some of the sights we’d seen from the water.

Almost every bridge or fence that has a place for a padlock has one on it these days. The names of lovers are written on them and the idea is that their love will last forever when the lock bearing their names is fastened to the object. The city of Paris comes along and cuts the locks off the bridges because when they get this filled, the wind can’t pass through and the bridge will begin to sway in the wind and become unstable.

Dinosaur skeleton at the Bateau Mouche docks.

On Avenue New York, a replica of the flame held by the Statue of Liberty stands above the entrance to a tunnel. Many people believe this is the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed and leave flowers (and padlocks on the chain barrier surrounding it) but it isn’t.

Since we didn’t have to be at the Eiffel Tower for our Behind the Scenes Tour (and jump the queue… ya right), we walked further along to Pont Bir Hakeim.

By now it was getting close to the time for our Eiffel Tower tour. We walked back and waited near the north pillar for our tour guide. While we waited, the wind came up and it began to rain. Not a nice place to be stood waiting to see if “maybe” (that was the word used by one of the earlier tour guides) our guide would turn up.

champagne — On level 2 of the Eiffel Tower

The wait to get tickets and get to the top level was going to be at least two hours, not to mention it would be that long to get back down afterwards. As much as I wanted champagne at the summit, I caved and we walked down the stairs from level 2 to level 1. Stairs and I still aren’t friends and going down is much harder than going up. Our guide said there were about 700 steps from the ground to the second level, so I figure we traversed about 350 give or take.

On one of our rest stops on the way down, I got this photograph of the Eiffel Tower elevator. Years ago, a man controlled the weight and speed of the elevators at the Eiffel Tower. He sat on a seat outside the carriage and turned the wheel one way or the other to make adjustments. Not my idea of a fun (or even safe) job. Now, a mannequin sits in his place so that people can see the technology from years gone by.

Whilst disappointed about no champagne en coupe lumineuse au sommet de la Tour Eiffel, we decided to find a place where we could buy a bottle of nice champers and we’d have it back at the hotel where it would be just the two of us and we wouldn’t be rushed.

A plus to the day was we were ‘downtown’ so got to see the Eiffel Tower lit up after dark. A tripod would have worked better but I tried to balance myself against the stone wall to keep the camera from moving too much.

Once an hour, on the hour, and lasting for five minutes the Eiffel Tower glitters. Lights randomly go off and on and it’s truly a sight to see. When I was in Paris in 2003, the main tower lights went out and it was just the glittering ones that were on. Either way, it looks amazing.

BTW, we walked a mere 27,467 steps today… and I feel fine.

#AtoZChallenge, leek, potato, soup, Vichyssoise

#AtoZChallenge – V is for Vichyssoise

April 25, 2014 Melanie 2 Comments

Vichyssoise

A French potato and leek soup served cold or heated.

How to make Vichyssoise…

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
3 leeks, bulb only, sliced into rings
1 onion, sliced
5 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
5 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

In a large stock pot melt butter over low heat. Add leeks and onion, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme, marjoram, bay leaf and stir well. Cover pot and continue to cook for 12 minutes.
Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.
Puree soup in blender or food processor and cool.
Prior to serving add cream. If you are serving this soup warm you need to reheat the soup slowly so that the cream does not change consistency.

#AtoZChallenge, Unicorn

#AtoZChallenge – U is for Unicorn

April 24, 2014 Melanie 2 Comments

Unicorn

A unicorn is a legendary animal with a large, spiraling horn protruding from its forehead. In folklore, it is always white but can look like a horse or a goat. This wild, woodland creature was a symbol of purity and grace and could only be captured by a virgin.

A mercat cross is the market cross which be found in many Scottish towns, cities and villages. The cross is a symbol of the right to hold a regular market or fair which was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. It indicated a burgh’s relative prosperity and marked the settlement’s focal point. In many cases, these crosses are topped with the Royal Unicorn.

There are more crosses with the Royal Unicorn, but these are a few.

Aberdeen Mercat Cross:

Edinburgh Mercat Cross:

Glasgow Mercat Cross:

And to end my post, here are the Irish Rovers to sing you out…

#PostfromParis, Champs-Élysées, Cimetière du Père Lachaise

#PostfromParis – Day 4 Cimetière du Père Lachaise et de plus

April 23, 2014 Melanie 6 Comments

This is a bit late getting posted but had problems accessing the Internet yesterday morning. Call me weird but I like to wander through cemeteries. I like to see the variety of the architecture of the monuments. And for doing just that, this is a fantastic place to do it! And you can do it from the comfort of your own home by visiting pere-lachaise.com.

The weather was dark and gloomy (perfect atmosphere for cemetery wandering) and it spit rain the entire time we were there (another prerequisite of cemetery prowling). The sun tried to break through a few times but the heavy cloud cover kept it at bay.

When I was first here back in 2003, a security guard was posted at Jim Morrison’s grave. Now, a fence has been erected to keep people away from it. Obviously, it’s not keeping his ardent fans away entirely or how else would these flowers and other things end up on his grave?

Victor Noir is also interred here in Cimetière du Père Lachaise. I’m not sure where the story started, but apparently his bronze effigy represents fertility and women who wish to become preganant come and rub his crotch. It looks strangely amusing to see the bronze sculpture green with age except for that one polished area.

Oscar Wilde is also buried here and for years, women would kiss his monument. Now, a wall of clear Plexiglass surrounds it keeping the lipstick prints off. It was really strange seeing Oscar’s grave so clean after having seen it with lip prints of many shades of red all over it before.

After getting our cemetery fix, we decided to return to the Champs-Élysées but this time walk down the other side of the street. This is almost a must since there is so much to see on each side of the avenue.

when we walked by the Toyota dealership, we were surprised to see this race car in the showroom. You could go in and take photographs of it, selfies with it in the background, pretty much anything you wanted as long as you didn’t touch. There was a security guard watching to ensure that you didn’t.

Two doors down at the Renault dealership, it was the same thing except they had two cars in the showroom – an older F1 car and last year’s model. Again, a security guard stood watch.

We carried on down to Place de la Concorde again before deciding where we would go next. While waiting at one of the traffic lights, a guy on a bicycle when tearing through the crowd (still surprised how he didn’t hit anyone) and didn’t bother to stop for the red light. Big mistake. I didn’t see it but I heard the crash. Mr MR-K said he saw the bike go flying in the air and almost twice as high as one of the buses that was in the intersection. We both figured when we got there, he’d be laid out on the cobbles – dead – but no, he was standing, hopping on one foot and his legs were scratched, cut and bruised from the pedals of the bike. The taxi that hit him had a broken fog lamp.

Some (a lot of) more walking and we were at Hotel de Ville on our way to The Auld Alliance.

When we walked down Rue Francois Miron, we passed by the oldest house in Paris.

Thirsty now, we stopped in for a pint of the amber nectar – Caledonian 80. By now my leg was getting tired and a refreshing pint was just the ticket. We enjoyed our drinks then gradually worked our way back to the restaurant for supper and our hotel.

And that was it for Day 4. Oh, and if you can go by the accuracy of the pedometer (seemed closer to what it felt like), we walked 28,589 steps or 9.02 miles.

#AtoZChallenge, Travel

#AtoZChallenge – T is for Travel

April 23, 2014 Melanie 2 Comments

Travel

Travel is defined as the movement of people on foot, a bicycle, car, boat, or airplane. Whatever your preferred mode, the anticipation of visiting someplace new, or even returning to the same place is exciting.

We all have places we want to see, things we want to do on our “Bucket Lists”. I’ve been fortunate and have crossed a few things off my list of places I have to see. First on that list was my father’s birthplace in Scotland and the Orphanage where he was raised before he came to Canada. You can see some of the photos from that trip here.

Since that first trip, I’ve travelled back to Scotland six more times and each time have added at least one new ‘thing to see and do’ to my trip along with returning to favourite places and visiting family and friends.

I don’t know about you, but part of the excitement (at least for me) is in the planning stages. Choosing where to go, where to stay and what to do in the area.

travel - Old bridge at Carrbridge — Old bridge at Carrbridge

Carrbridge is a perfect example of someplace new and it was only because of the need for a public convenience that my husband and I found ourselves here. I knew of the old bridge and had seen pictures of it, but I since I was here I had to see it for myself.

What’s your favourite travel destination? Do you like the planning process?

General

Paparazzi Pair – Roxie Rebel’s Photographs

April 22, 2014 Melanie 2 Comments

Able Cane coming to you from the City of Lights. My capable cohort, Roxie Rebel, has been able to catch up with the world-famous author, Melanie Robertson-King.

So, Roxie, what can you tell us – or better yet, show us?

Well, Able, it’s been hard to get her photo without being spotted and even harder to get good shots with my best zoom lens broken. But this is what I’ve managed so far with what equipment I’ve got.

Thanks for… ahem… sharing those photos with us, Roxie. Hopefully, you’ll get your camera fixed soon so that you’ll be able to get some better pictures.

This is Able Cane signing off from Paris.

#AtoZChallenge, 4RV Publishing, A Shadow in the Past, Aberdeenshire, Books, Brand, characters, Novels, Paranormal YA, Shadows from Her Past, stone circle, Writing, YA fiction

#AtoZChallenge – S is for SHADOWS FROM HER PAST

April 22, 2014 Melanie Leave a comment

Shadows from Her Past

I’m currently sitting at just over 62,000 words in my first draft and my target length is 85,000. This book hasn’t progressed as quickly as I had hoped but I’ve not totally thrown in the towel yet, either.

I don’t have a cover to show you but as the book hasn’t progressed to that stage, I can’t.

Here is the cover image for my first book. I see my name and the title Shadows from Her Past exactly how they are here. Keep the ‘author brand’ continuity if you will.

I also see the past and present being represented much as they are here but, shall we say, in a more modest setting. Present looking into the past and the two characters who are most important to the heroine appearing with her in the mirror’s reflection.

What do you think of my vision?

Blurb for Shadows from Her Past:

Sarah finds herself back in her time without her husband, Robert, and adopted daughter, Jenny. When she sees visions of them appear, Sarah doesn’t know if it’s her imagination or if they’re really there trying to break through the constraints of time and space.

David Robb, a student doctor at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary who has been assigned to her case, bears a familial resemblance to Robert. Sarah develops feelings for him but also feels like she is betraying her husband, despite them being centuries apart.

Will Sarah make a new life with David in the present, or will she find her way back to her husband and daughter in the past?

~~~~~~~~

Keep coming back for news regarding Shadows from her Past. In the meantime, you can purchase book one in the series – A Shadow in the Past in paperback from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chapters, and local bricks ‘n mortar bookstores.

If you’d prefer to buy it as an ebook, all you have to do is click on the logo of your choice to download it. The link for all the amazon domains is the same, you just have to change the .co.uk to your own.

#PostfromParis, Eiffel Tower, Opera Garnier, Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Paris, Place Vendome

#PostfromParis – Day 3 Parc des Buttes Chaumont +

April 21, 2014 Melanie 5 Comments

I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying by. Day 3 already. After breakfast we headed to our first destination of the day – Parc des Buttes Chaumont. We’re becoming quite familiar with the metro stations and are finding it easier to get around in the underground maze of tunnels and tracks.

When we got off the metro at the Buttes Chaumont stop, we were rescued from walking up 300+ stairs to get out of the station by a young woman who told us that there was an elevator available to get you to the top. I know I would never have been able to climb that far.

We knew there was waterfall in the park so when we heard the rushing water, we walked in that direction. This one wasn’t the one we expected to find but it was pretty.

waterfall in butte chaumont — One of the two waterfalls in Parc des Buttes Chaumont

After a brief stop here for photos, we walked across the viaduct and made our way to the Temple de la Sibylle. I might look like I’m walking at a good pace in this photo but not really. Thank to our pedometer, we’re able to keep track of our speed which ranges from .7 to .8 mph. Almost a snail’s pace.

On our first day here in Paris, we walked from our hotel to Sacre Coeur so you can see how far we are now from there.

After enjoying the view, we made our way back down the hill from the Temple and across a bridge which bounced up and down with each step we took. Of course, someone who shall remain nameless thought it would be great fun to jump up and down to really get it bouncing and while I was attempting to take a photo. Yeesh…

We walked down this set of stairs so that we could walk under the viaduct we had walked on earlier.

After walking under the viaduct, we heard the roar of waterfalls again so continued in the direction of the sound. This turned out to be the one we were looking for in the man-made cave complete with stalactites hanging from above.

butte chaumont — Waterfall inside the cave

After our “fun” in the park, we returned to the metro and headed off to our next destination – Opera.

From here we walked to Place Vendôme. It being Sunday (and probably even more importantly Easter Sunday) the shops were closed. This is an area of exclusive ones, too. Had Cartier’s been open, I likely wouldn’t have been able to get my picture taken standing so close to the place. When I was here in 2003, security guards stood at every entrance.

place vendome — Standing outside one of the Cartier locations

Back to the metro and over to Trocadero…

We walked down to street level along the river to the Pont de Bir Hakeim, crossed back to the Rive Gauche and made our way back to the Eiffel Tower to see where the statue of Gustave Eiffel is located where we’re to meet for our Tuesday tour.

By now we were getting hungry and in need of a WC, so we continued down along the river and stopped at La Frégate for a late lunch/early supper. Very nice place and we’ll likely stop in again before we go home.

And that’s day 3…