Cruising along the Seine River

<<< from my adventures in Laure Ferlita's An Imaginary Trip to Paris class >>>

Laure planned a surprise for us today – an amazing dinner cruise on the River Seine. Talk about an unforgettable adventure! We glided along the river for 4 hours, to the sounds of an onboard Jazz band, as we enjoyed an unforgettable three-course French dinner. I’ll never forget the scrumptious dinner and flamboyant dessert! We cruised in a ‘Bateaux Parisien’ boat, which had a glass roof and panoramic windows, giving us a great view of Paris from the river. These boats go up and down the Seine River all the time. We departed just before sunset from near the Eiffel Tower  and sailed along the Left Bank. After dinner we returned along the Right Bank back to the Eiffel Tower. On our return, I was stunned to see Paris in lights including the Eiffel Tower. What an evening to remember!

The Old Man under the Bridge

<<< from my adventures in Laure Ferlita's An Imaginary Trip to Paris class >>>

Several of my traveling companions ventured out to walk along the Seine River today. I was amazed to learn that there are 37 bridges across the Seine River within Paris!  When they returned, I overheard them chatting about the 'old man under the bridge'. They had stumbled on him during their walk. In their eagerness to remember him they each painted an image of him. I was certainly impressed with their paintings and how they had captured the old man. 

I decided that it was my turn to venture out and get a look at him myself. Tonight I finally decided to take on the sketching and painting challenge ... but I think my patience was limited and I'm not so happy with my results... Maybe next time I'll slow down and be more patient -- and pay more attention to the paint drying....


P.S. The old man is part of the decorations that are part of the architecture of the bridge.

Imaginary trip to Paris: My visit with Pan

<<< from my adventures in Laure Ferlita's An Imaginary Trip to Paris class >>>


It was a lovely Fall day in Luxembourg Gardens. I wandered over to see the statue of Pan that I had heard so much about. I was happy to find a bench that I could sit on for a bit while I admired all of the colorful flowers that surrounded the statue. The air was fresh and cool, and there were sounds of birds in the air. It was a beautiful scene, and one that was certainly a challenge to try to capture on paper.  

Reflections of our first day in Paris

<<< from my adventures in Laure Ferlita's An Imaginary Trip to Paris class >>>


Wow... it seems that our first day has just flown by. Hard to believe that we were all scattered across the US a few days ago, and now we're traveling together and exploring Paris. I'm so excited ... but I must find a way to calm down and get some sleep before tomorrow morning!!

A walk down the alley

<<< from my adventures in Laure Ferlita's An Imaginary Trip to Paris class >>>


I enjoyed our walk around Paris today. It was a treat to get out and move after the long day of travel yesterday. Luckily I wasn't the only one in a mood for a walk, and I thoughly enjoyed your company while we  walked some of the streets of Paris.

I remember when we turned down an ordinary alley and discovered the colorful planter of flowers. Several of us remarked at how unexpected it was. It was sort of like finding a prize on a treasure hunt. I wonder what we'll find tomorrow.

Breakfast in Paris

This is my first page for my Paris class.  There is a small group of us that are traveling together (i.e. classmates).  It is fun to see everyone's images and get feedback from one another. 


Paris is lovely this time of year ...

Columbus Day

While driving to work this morning ... I heard the following on the radio:
  Its Columbus Day ...
    Discover something ....


Sounded pretty catchy.... and I've been pondering the suggestion all day.  I think what I'm discovering these days is lots of interesting things about Paris in the Imaginary Trip to Paris class that I'm taking.... Its so fun!! 


What are you discovering today???