Paris, 11 December 2025

We got up at 6:00am, had breakfast, and got ready to leave. Catherine went down with us, and we found the taxi waiting. Then a 10-minute argument ensued between Catherine and the taxi driver, as the taxi company had not mentioned the extra charge for luggage (a few Euros). She felt it was a point of principle and after talking to three people on the phone at the taxi company, they finally agreed to the original price and off we went. Catherine is a brilliant and persistent person, and she was not going to give up with that taxi driver! 

It was seriously foggy and traffic was slow, but we had left extra early, so once we arrived we checked in and went to the gate. There we saw a cute little robot that had recycling and trash containers and moved around the seating area.

I got some chocolates for colleagues at the office, and we boarded our flight. Even though the fog delayed our departure, everything went smoothly and we arrived on time in Chicago. We went quickly through customs (thank you Global Access card!), and while waiting for our bags, some beagles came by to sniff our carryons for food and other items. They were cute but also very serious. We had a long trek to the domestic terminal and we arrived just as our flight to SFO was boarding. This was an older plane, with only first-class and economy, so we were feeling pretty squeezed after flying business class to Paris and premium economy from Paris to Chicago. Luckily we had slept on the earlier flight, and we watched a movie together.

We got our bags and headed to BART, feeling pretty tired, and got on the train. As we settled in and turned on our phones again, there was a message from Madeleine asking where we were. Slightly alarmed, we texted back, "on BART headed home." She said she was on her way to the airport to pick us up - a lovely surprise - so we got off at the next station, turned around and went back on another train, and met her in the parking lot. So nice to have a ride home with her and get to share updates. She had been staying at our home and taking care of Marley these past two weeks, and after all the travel, we were indeed glad to get home.

Paris, 10 December 2025

Our last day in Paris, sigh. A quiet morning, we started to put together our suitcases and packing gifts for the return trip tomorrow morning.

We took the 21 bus to the Tuileries and walked through the Marche de Noel again, this time getting a large raclette sandwich that we split, with some fries (why are the fries so good in France?). We got some macarons to bring home, and enjoyed the holiday spirit there. Since the weather was nice (in the 50s) we ate in the garden, and some inquisitive little birds came right up to us looking for food. I gave one bird a tiny french fry and from then on he thought he owned the bench. As we finished, some other birds approached, we put a few crumbs on the bench which he gobbled up, and when the other birds approached for theirs, he fought them off quite vociferously. We walked further in the gardens until the Place de la Concorde.

We decided to go to the Musée de l'Orangerie where Monet's huge water lilies paintings are, we had not been there since our 1997 trip with Barney’s parents. Unfortunately we had not gotten tickets ahead of time so we had about a half hour wait to get in, but it was worth it. Seeing these magnificent paintings again with no time constraint was wonderful. While most people walked by or took videos of the paintings, we sat and contemplated them, enjoying the subtle variations of the colors and brushstrokes. These painting are truly a national treasure, and nothing can replace seeing them in person. What a treat this was.

We then took the metro to another St. James store in the Marais to look for the sweater I was interested in. While I decided I did not want one after all, we did find the other one Madeleine wanted and got that for her for Christmas. It was nice walking through the narrow old streets of the Marais again, and as we strolled along, seeing many folks coming home from work, we got a few more chocolates at a small store, and we headed south to the Ile St Louis for old times’ sake. Walking along the north side of Notre Dame still mostly covered with scaffolding brought back more memories of that 1997 trip, including when Mary walked into an almost invisible glass door separating two souvenir shops, falling down and getting a black eye (luckily she was not hurt more badly). 

We decided to stop for an aperitif at the little restaurant we had gone to several times during that 1997 trip, which was just as charming as we remembered it. We walked up the main street, the rue de Ile St Louis, and found the building that we were staying in in 1997. We bought some pastries for breakfast at the little boulangerie across the street, where Madeleine went during that trip on our last day to buy a pain au chocolate all by herself, age 7! What a wonderful memory. 

It was time to head back and go to our last dinner, with Alexandra Choquet. We hurried to catch the 21 bus back to Catherine’s and who was on the bus but Martine, Catherine’s friend at whose place we have stayed a few times, and Isabel Catherine’s sister! We had a nice but brief chat, what a lucky coincidence. Back to Catherine’s to change and then a quick 15 minute hike to a restaurant called Le Verbelon to see Alexandra and her son Louis. It was great to see her again too, after five years, and Louis is now about to graduate from college with a degree in architecture. This was a very authentic bistro on rue Tolbiac, with only a chalkboard menu in French. We split a butternut squash tart to start, then Barney and I had a delicious hare stew with mashed parsnips, and split a profiterole. It was nice to catch up with Alexandra, she continues to enjoy her medical work at the senior home. Her older son Antoine is in marketing in Brussels, and the youngest, Benoit is training to become an actor. We had a fun time talking about travel and future plans. Again, another wonderful friend we made who had given us a look at another way of life. 

Walking back to the apartment we realized what a busy and socially fulfilling trip this has been. We packed our suitcases, realizing we had an amazing number of gifts and books etc. to take home, but luckily we had underpacked so we had plenty of space. After a final long chat with Catherine, during which she called to order am 8:00am taxi for us, we headed to bed to get up early for our departure. 

Paris, 9 December 2025

Another late morning, relaxing. 

Today we planned to go to CityPharma, the famous cosmetics and beauty pharmacy which sells all the top brands for low prices ... we have list from Madeleine of some things she would like so we have a purpose in going.  

But first we went into St Germain des Pres, the oldest church in Paris. I love its polychrome columns and ceiling. This was the first time we had been in a church during a sunny day, and the the light poured in through the stained glass windows, projecting rainbows of color across the columns, it was so beautiful. 

Then off to the pharmacy, which was packed in tiny aisles about one person wide, though Catherine said it was much worse in the summer as it is famous among tourists. Luckily there were many people to help us find what we were looking for, and it was so packed and warm I couldn’t wait to get out to the fresh air. On the sidewalk we saw an amazing piece of public art, which appeared to be an explosion from underneath with a fountain, that looked rather like a skateboard ramp. 

We headed to Montparnasse station, where there was a St. James store, to get a sweater for Madeleine  the one we had gotten her years ago at Mont St Michel had worn through. After some try-ons (trying on wool sweaters indoors when I was already warm was not fun but I persevered), we found one that was what she wanted, and we ended up getting a pullover shirt for Barney, too.

Catherine headed home, and we were off to the Rodin Museum, which we had been to many years ago. Located in a large old mansion, there are some penthouse apartments across the street ... I wondered at the beautiful view they must have of the extensive gardens. The gardens are filled with casts of many of Rodin's most famous sculptures, including "The Kiss", "The Thinker", and "The Burghers of Calais".

Next, back to Catherine's, to change for our big dinner at the restaurant Le Train Bleu at Gare de Lyon. We had made a reservation at this gilded, well-known restaurant, and luckily Anne (Catherine's daughter) was able to join us. We had a wonderful dinner, framed by the festive, theatrical presentation by the staff. While our reservation was at 7:00pm when they first open, by 8:00pm it was completely full and busy. The huge dining room was crowned by huge, beautiful paintings of the many locations that the trains from this station use to travel to, mostly in southern and central France. It was truly a feast, with all kinds of elaborate serving, like the crepes suzette for the table next door with a huge flame going up several feet. Our Baba au Rhum dessert was delicious, and when they poured the rum over it, Barney asked if they could give us a glass, and the waiter left the whole decanter! After desserts and coffee, we headed back to Catherine's. It had been a very full and wonderful day.

8 December 2025, Paris

We woke up late - real luxury ... and decided to go with Catherine to the Musee de la Marine. 

Located in a stunning building by the Trocadero, we had a view of the Tour Eiffel as we went by on the metro. The museum had a wonderful exhibit on Magellan's voyage, told through video and a graphic novel style, since there were very few artifacts from the trip. The multicultural crew was somewhat untrustworthy of each other and there was a mutiny and at least one execution en route to southeast Asia .At the time there were no maps past Buenos Aires, so after they crossed the Atlantic they were quickly in unknown territory. The connection they found, what became the Strait of Magellan, also included Ushuaia where we were earlier this year. Then on to what he named the Pacific Ocean where they sailed for 105 days without seeing land and with limited food. When they got to the Philippines, Magellan was killed by an indigenous chief, though it was almost a suicide as he was upset to find that the Mollucas, the spice islands which he trying to teach, were in the Portuguese sphere of control and not the Spanish, who has funded his trip, so he considered himself a failure. A fascinating story, and I did not know that he died em route. The rest of the museum was equally interesting, with amazing shop models, figureheads of enormous proportions, information on navigation, shipwrecks, and more.

We headed back to Catherine's to change for inner, and headed to Randlagh station (named after an Anglo-Irish noble, not sure why) to see Yurko and Marynka. We met Yurko and Marynka in Oakland, where they lived a couple doors down from us while Marynka was doing a postdoc at USF. Now she she is based in Paris, at the OECD working on anti-corruption investigations. her recent work led to some arrests in Ukraine of corrupt government officials. They now live near the Bois de Boulogne, so we took the metro there and Yurko met us at the metro. We walked to their apartment and got to meet their dog, Sir Charles who is very sweet. We had a nice dinner at Le Bois, and talked politics until the week hours, than back to Catherine's.

Paris, 7 December 2025

 After a nice breakfast with many delicious jams, the next morning we headed back to Paris, lots of traffic as folks are preparing for the holiday weekend. Nathalie and Thierry were planning to take Margaux to the Tour Eiffel after they dropped us off, and they were so nice to bring us right to Catherine's gate. 

Catherine was home, so we unpacked and chatted about our travels and relaxed a bit, did some email and jst visited for several hours until it got dark.

Catherine is tired these days from her illness, so we went on our own to rue Daguerre to what she always called "headquarters" for dinner. The street was busy as usual, and recalled fondly staying there one some years ago, right in the middle of the wonderful food. We dined inside as it was getting quite cold. Barney accidentally ordered an entire bottle of red wine, which the waiter thankfully took back and gave him just a glass. We had oeufs mayonnaise, a French traditional dish which I liked but Barney did not care for. He had a flavorful lamb with haricot verts, and I had a pasta with jamon and truffled cheese. Skipping dessert, we had a ncie walk in the mist back to 79 rue de la Santé, and headed to bed.

Loire Valley, 6 December 2025

Up early for a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs, fresh breads and jams and butter and good coffee, and a small tour of the chateau. It has clearly been the work of decades for them to restore this building.

 We headed out to Chambord, our next stop, a home of François, though he never finished it (it took another 200 years!) and did not spend much time there.  It has an unusual Greek cross design with extremely ornate windows and it an impressive, soaring presence. The special double-helix staircase design of da Vinci (who was close to François) means that two people can walk up different sides of the staircase and never meet, though they can see each other through the openings, as we did. 

 

We went through the decorated rooms, each one more beautiful than the last, including one with a tree decorated with teacups and teapots, and ended up on the top terrace with a breathtaking view.  We had a nice lunch at a cafe on the road from the chateau.

After lunch, we headed to our last stop, Vaux-le-Vicomte not far from Paris, a truly stunning place with a difficult history.  The owner and builder, Nicolas Fouquet who was Louis XIV's finance minister, brought together architect Louis Le Vau, landscape designer Andre le Notre, and decorator Charles le Brun to put together a stunning place to honor the king. Unfortunately, the king saw it as competing, and had Fouquet arrested by his successor (Colbert) and imprisoned  for life. Louis XIV then went on to use the same three luminaries to design his new place, Versailles. The gardens are enormous and particularly spectacular. The interior was even more amazing than the other we had seen. The animated polar bears, the undersea-themed giant tree and huge anemones, and much more We arrived in time for the wonderful light show on the side of the building, which was of course stunning, and then had the chance to tour the interior. Like the other châteaux, it too was decorated beautifully with different themes in every room.   Afterwards, I got a squirrel ornament for Larry, the squirrel being Fouquet's symbol and a favorite of Larry's.

That night, we stayed in a fairly modern B&B Nathalie had selected, and had dinner at a local place near an 14th century tower and fort in Entourloupe. Again, we were the only English speakers in the room, which was great, and we did our best to stay in French with Nathalie, Thierry, and Margaux.  Barney has the chocolate volcano and we share the paté maison. Back to the B&B for a good night's sleep, after 17,000 steps!

Loire Valley, 5 December 2025

Up early and ready, we meet Nathalie and Thierry around 8:00am, it has been 8 years since we've seen them and they look unchanged!  We headed off in their car to drive to the Loire Valley for two days of visiting châteaux. We drove about 5 hours, chatting in Franglish all the way, then had a lovely lunch at a bistro in Amboise. We then headed up to the château Cheverny. They had told us that the châteaux were decorated for the holidays, but we had no idea how utterly gorgeous they would be, each with different themes in different rooms. Leonardo da Vinci has spent time here, so I got a decoration of him in the gift shop.

After Amboise, we headed to Chenonceau, where Barney and Madeleine and I had been 30 years ago. it spans the river and is a pleasure palace, not built for defense, although it served as a served conduit for Jewish citizens during WWII to get to the other side of the river and safety. 

It too was decorated in the most amazing way, with a long hall of white trees spanning the river, a penguin overseeing the table in the kitchen, and a lighted jellyfish in a sitting room.

Nathalie and Thierry's daughter Margaux then met us, driving up from her university in Pontoise to meet us. We headed out into the middle of what seemed like nowhere, to a 13th-15th century manor house/chateau where we would sleep that evening. Nathalie and Thierry had stayed here early in their relationship, and it had been lovingly restored by a couple for the past 40 years.

What a delight! We felt like the lord and lady of the manor in a room so large it was about 80% the size of our house (Barney paced it off). A huge fireplace, a non-working grand piano, a beautiful four-poster baldocchino bed, a sitting area, and windows onto the interior courtyard, plus a modern bathroom. It was very special.

For dinner, we drove about 20 minutes to the only open restaurant in the area, recommended by the woman who runs the chateau. It was wonderful, attuned to the local reputation for hunting and game and area called La Sologne. We had stewed hare and beautiful desserts, no one spoke English, and I got a couple of new circle towels with the motto of the area. Back to our chateau and the enormous room for a really good night's sleep.