Out-Takes From Nancy

Cities always provide the most out-takes, and Nancy was the only city we spent much time in last June; its Musee des Beaux-Arts was a gold mine...

Used to be you'd see these signs all over France, and
Europe; now everybody has a phone, and there's an app
for everything

Among the many antique stores in Nancy, this one particularly good
on Art Nouveau glass; Vicki drooling at the window

Great selections, but probably not many bargains

Outside the Made In France Sandwicherie...

So many choix...

Not all the buildings in Nancy are Art Nouveau

Street cleaning with Le Glutton

Our campground in Nancy...the sign notable for mentioning
the boulodrome

Tinkerbell when the Lost Boys are not around

Vaping was very different in those days

One sees the little "Spectacles" structures all over France,
usually just advertising; this is the first one we've seen made
into a WC

Belly jewelry

Why they hate us

One of the better French murals

The basic 224 types of chairs

Medieval stretching exercise; the personal coach on

the left is saying "keep your back straight and remember

to breathe...1...2...3..."

Really colorful and lurid Judgement

Adoration of the Toes

A convention in Flemish portrait painting was to
paint a fly on a deceased subject; I thought I was 
really on to something until the fly flew away 

Jesus not turning the other cheek with the money lenders

Right in the middle of the museum's 18th century
collection was this, at precisely the corner pictured,
entitled Waiting for Godot

Early depiction of Daenerys Targaryen; before she bleached her hair

Mourning for Fideau

Sic transit, Gloria...if only he'd patented his invention...

Paris Costco

We had learned of Paris' Costcos (two!) on our first visit to Rueil-Malmaison back in May and had vowed to see one of them. Both are way south of the central city and long Metro rides from where we lived in the 6th. The Costco at Poncault, near Creteil, however, was nearly on our way to Melun, our next destination, so we had to stop for a look and a taste. It was crazy busy, as one might expect--the French appear to love it and are demanding more, particularly in Lyon--we wandered around, savoring the familiarity, and bought ourselves a poulet roti, some frites, a baguette, and a bottle of Rhone red for a repas in the parking lot. After Costco, we drove on to Melun, south of Paris, to spend the night and next day at the nice campground there, La Bel Etoile, packing, cleaning, and readying the camper for its return on July 3 to the rental agency in Rueil-Malmaison. After a night at the CDG Holiday Inn, United and its affiliates on July 4th flew us back to the States, and, eventually, our former home in Missoula, MT. Another adventure was about to begin.

The exit line

Pretty much like any Costco, except en Francais

And some items perhaps not common in the US

The only disappointment was the wine section...very limited, and
none of the great French wines...almost as if they had decided not
to compete

Five years ago would have been a scandal...

Main attraction

Lesser attraction

That's 3+ lbs of the best roasted chicken ever, for $6.51

Our repas in the camper; actually, it was dejeuner...

The desserts were from a patisserie in Sens

Our last photo from 2023 in Europe...La Bel Etoile is right on the
Seine, in Melun, well south of Paris, where the river traffic is freight
and not river cruise tour boats...

Sens And Its Cathedral, 2023

July 1st was our last day of touring in Europe for 2023. From La Ferte-Loupiere we continued toward Paris, stopping at Sens for a look at its cathedral, the first totally Gothic cathedral. We had visited Sens cathedral before, in 2013, on a gallop around the Ile de France, looking at nearly all the earliest Gothics. We had just finished The Great Courses series on Gothic cathedrals. We were impressed then and were now again. It's a beautiful city, Sens, and a great cathedral.

Old Sens...another wonderland of beautifully-carved
half-timbered buildings

The cathedral, begun in 1137, finished in the 13th
century; the design of the Master of Sens, who obviously
knew all about what Abbot Suger was doing at Saint-Denis

Organ and rose window

Cute devils; and proof I always take pix of the same
things

Becket window

Eustache window

Prodigal Son window

Chartres-like blue in the chancel

Rare dorsal view

Nice capitals here and there

The Celestial Concert window

Helpful map of what, when, and where; note
the tiny transepts, a later add-on

Moving right along, Sens' beautiful market hall, across the square

And its Mairie (city hall)

And a great city center park, near where we parked; rain had begun,
and it was time to move on...