Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore and ships

 

We have often visited and love the Shakespeare and Co bookstore. When we went to explore it for the first time on this trip, it was packed with a long line outside.

You might guess that we don't normally go for crowds. In fact, if we see one, we go absolutely the other way! So we did.

But next time we walked by, it was accessible, so I went in. I asked the staff for English Bibles (the store was in Paris). She weaved with me through the store, depositing me in front of a huge book. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God."

She dutifully pulled the volume off the shelf. I said "It is so huge!" She said "Well of course! It's the BIBLE!" Of so it was. And it contained a big introduction and all the non-canonical books. And this was Paris, so our luggage had already soared to new heights. But I bought it anyway.

The clerk stamped the store name on the inside. And of course, I bought a bag from Shakespeare and Co. It is quite a famous store, so I wanted a momento.

I am reading from it daily in my morning readings. It is the King James version, not my fave, but I am thoroughly enjoying reading it. It will last the entire year.

It is hard to tell from the photo, but this is a window in the roof of one of our hotel rooms! We could see the Moon and little else. The room was quite odd: it had a slanted inside roof, so we had to be careful not to roll out of bed. Also, not to hit our heads by popping up without thinking. Quite unique!

Sacre Coeur. We have a love/hate relationship with the hill leading up to the Cathedral, so didn't attempt it on this trip.

We got to tour 2 ships: Henry the 8th's Mary Rose (which sank in the Battle of the Solent, while Henry looked on.) It was very odd to tour this ship, as there were many twists and turns below decks. And stairs. And low ceilings.

That tour is when I learned the origin of the phrase: Letting the cat out of the bag. This involved one of the devious punishing tools: the cat o'9 tails. It was called this as it contained 9 strips of leather, with sharp glass and stones embedded in it. You can imagine the pain involved in having the cat whipped against your bare skin. Afterward, they would put this instrument of pain back into a leather bag. When next someone did something wrong, the Cat would be taken out of the bag to be used to inflict the punishment!

Here's a model of Henry the 8th. Not a nice man: 6 wives and only one wife survived: Katherine Parr. I am really glad I didn't live in that time!

We also went into the HMS Victory. Another ship not to be caught dead in. But we have a friend who is working on a model of this ship, so we wanted to visit. They are trying to rebuild it, so if you have spare change floating around...

There were other ships being worked on in the building near the other ships.

I am sorry to report that I can't remember the name of this ship. The Golden Hinde? 

Imagine being up in those riggings while it was at sea and so cold.

Thank God! A sign with the ship's name! We didn't get a chance to get on board.

Alex won the odd hairdo award that day.

I covered my hair and ears up because of the cold. Somehow, this hat got lost on our travels.

One of the Paris Metro train stations, underneath. 

It was often possible to find me devouring a pastry, although I tried to stay away from the sugary ones.

Yes, these are real phone boxes.

I have no idea what a humped pelican crossing is, but enjoyed the sign.

Maritime Museum

And my Ancient Mariner.

Not a great photo, but I enjoyed this Magpie in England.

Another bad photo, memorializing my new music box! I never had one as a kid. I look forward to eventually giving it to my new niece. As soon as she is old enough not to grab it.

My cousin and I love to do jigsaw puzzles. I emailed her while in this gift shop and asked LARGE or SMALL? She naturally assumed I was referring to clothing, but I was referring to puzzle size. We'll see if she reads this before it arrives at her house. Mine, above, has 54 pieces and took me 20 minutes. Hers  will probably take a bit longer. HAHA. Don't be mad Janet! I had to!

If you are reading this on January 3, look up after midnight near the Big Dipper. Perhaps you will spy the Quarantid Meteor Shower! I have seen 3 so far. A nice way to start off the New Year. Thanks for reading.

photo from phone

 

Pix of stuff and clothing

We found this fabulous store called Pylones. They had the most amazing items, like the colorful toaster. And Alex bought the alligator that helps you take toast out (see below the toaster). Whimsical. Unfortunately, they have no stores in the US, but you can buy from their website. www.pylones.com Very imaginative items. Well worth a look or a visit if you find yourself in France or England.

Every year, Galeries Lafayette has amazing Christmas trees in the middle of their store. So unique and creative!

I had a postcard of this photo one year. Someone saw it and said OH NO! ARE THEY TAKING THE TOWER DOWN?! HA. No, this was taken in the various stages of construction.

I am not good at keeping pictures of myself out of the photo. We were blessed with wonderful rooms. Somehow, they have figured out how to keep the noise out of the rooms...we never heard street traffic or other noises that might keep one awake.

A colorful melange of what we carried with us. 

We had to fill Alex's duffel and buy another bag to carry everything. This, with my wrist in a brace! But Alex did the lion's share of the carrying.

 

This bath made me crazy. There was no lip to keep the water in the appointed area! Most European baths at least had a lip or plastic wall around half the shower.

Not a big fan of these sinks.

Sumptuous bedding. We were happy to have 2 large beds.

And Alex tried to get Domo into everything. He likes to take him on our trips.

I came up with some amazing hairdos. I was due for a cut, so the hair really felt the need to be a sculpture.

The ambulances were right in front of our hotel in London. Hampton by Hilton. Great staff. (See laundry story later.) Luckily we were in no need of an ambo on our trip.

Double decker buses.

Because I have an interest in octopuses, even though not so much live in the water, people, especially my sweetheart, tend to find and report them to me.

Cold weather gear. The hunter's orange hat had warm parts that go down over your ears for added warmth. Which we needed!

We were busy so didn't have time to write to Santa. But this was available should we have needed the opportunity.

My cold weather gear: hat from the Mary Rose gift store, my home knitted scarf, my mittens (with my wrist brace, gloves didn't go over the brace, so mittens were necessary.) You rarely see me in Hawaii with long pants, but again much needed. And my boots: fake fur lined, zip up, and very comfortable. Since my first pair of shoes made my big toes turn black, I left them in a hotel for someone who fit them better.

Here is the hunter orange hat and Columbia shirt. Who knew we were such fashion plates?

Alex and I toured both the Mary Rose ship and the HMS Victory. His friend in California is building a model, so we will have encouraging comments for him. Note to self: NEVER do anything that makes me be arrested to serve on a ship like this. We also saw the Golden Hinde and Cutty Sark, but didn't tour the inside.

Somebody was trying on hats. hahaha.

Henry the 8th character. He had an actor pretending to be him, which we thought was amusing. I was also amused to note the codpiece...I seriously doubt he had the wherewithal for that codpiece. But if one mentioned such a thing in that time, they probably would have been killed.

I tried to make my ballcap viewable, without success. The hat says Warning! Old and grumpy. Which I am, sometimes. Gotta tell the truth.

We had to dry his socks. We never turned on a t.v. the entire time we were gone, so it got use for something.

This is the size of the Mary Rose...really amazing.

Octopus sculpture. Once you start looking, you'll be amazed how many octopuses are lurking out there.

Alex standing on the meridien. At the Royal Conservatory in Greenwich.

Oops. This one caught me with the gift shop bag. We also visited the planetarium and saw a nice show inside. Unsurprisingly, I asked the astonomer if there are any dark spaces for star viewing in London. The answer was a resounding NO! He did tell us a place to go to have better views, but we were leaving the next day, so didn't have the chance.
More tomorrow.