Punjabi in Paris – Day 5 – Vast Versailles

1-DSC_1773 — Imagine you’re a peasant looking desperately for bread, or at worst, cake. You pass by this gate. Would you or would you not mutter darkly under your breath?

So here we go again. Another travelogue. This time to a hunting cottage of the Kings of France. Now if you’re thinking about a run down, ramshackle wooden cabin in the woods, remember:

This is France
It had a Revolution ( The Revolution ) yup! Capital T, Capital R. Long before the Ruskies, the French showed the world how it was done. In spectacular fashion. “Here your Majesty, if you please. Step up right here. Now, sire, put your head here, like so… Oui, Oui. Allez, Monsieur Bourreau!“
Among the reasons for The Rev was royal excess.

Gold topped lodge – I think this is the side entrance….. yeah!

Right! Stage set, then. Off we went, (more…)

February 25, 2016
Travel / Memoirs
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Punjabi in Paris – Walking Woes

I’d known about the walking bit. In fact, I’d gone out of my way to buy some comfortable walking shoes. But, as the poet Burns said, the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley. It was entirely my fault and the fault of my map-reading skills. Apparently, I’d forgotten a lot in the 40 years since I was an Eagle Scout.

1-DSC_1504 — Oh look! There’s that strange iron grid tower again. It’s everywhere !

Our first full day in Paris was supposed to (more…)

December 16, 2015
Travel / Memoirs
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Punjabi in Paris – The Monastery at Mont St Michel

Day 9 of The Great Trip dawned bright, sunny and warm and off we went in our Renault 308 to Mont St Michel on the first leg of our Normandy trip. From the Paris suburb of Neuilly-Plaisance to Mont St Michel is a good 4 hour drive.

We took the slightly northern route that skirted past Rouen and Caen on towards Avranches. As we came off the country roads running through the flat lands of Normandy we (more…)

August 4, 2015
Travel
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Happy Fifth Anniversary!

Today is, according to WordPress, and WordPress should know, the exact day 5 years ago when The SloMan signed up at WordPress and stared at the screen thinking “What is this blog thing and how do you go about blogging?”
Since that day, 5 years ago, The SloMan has seen much activity. Over 2 years ago, he merged (more…)

April 21, 2015
Humour / Writing
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Punjabi in Paris – Groundwork and Gruntwork

<This is Part Three of the Punjabi in Paris series. Read the first two, too! Part 1 and Part 2 may be found, you guessed it right, congratulations!, by clicking on the words Part 1 and Part 2. Not these ones, the ones earlier in the sentence, the ones that are in blue, the cursor becomes a hand when you place your mouse over them..> As the Boeing took to the skies above Toronto, I was struck…

July 21, 2014
Travel / Memoirs
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Punjabi in Paris – Final Frenzy

<Read earlier post here> Somewhere in the last week, The Beloved Bangalan, realized that we hadn't figured out the cost-benefit ratio of internal travel. Local transport within the city. Renting a car for intra-city travel made as much sense as driving your own car in New Delhi or Calcutta. I suspect a slight hesitation to trust my notoriously middle-finger based driving skills in a strange city in a far-off land. So of course a spreadsheet was produced…

June 30, 2014
Travel / Memoirs
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Paunchy Punjabi in Paris – Writer's Intro

Well, there you are, my dear folks. I've been there and "done" Paris, but did not get a t-shirt. Most of them had glittering fronts that said "I {heart symbol} Paris" in small rhinestones and, as you already know by now (or should), rhinestones are not right for my idiom. The trip was stressful in the planning, exhausting in it's execution, exhilarating in it's aftermath. To give you a sense of the level of stress, consider the…

June 17, 2014
Travel / Memoirs
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Paunchy Punjabi in Paris – Writer’s Intro

Well, there you are, my dear folks. I've been there and "done" Paris, but did not get a t-shirt. Most of them had glittering fronts that said "I {heart symbol} Paris" in small rhinestones and, as you already know by now (or should), rhinestones are not right for my idiom. The trip was stressful in the planning, exhausting in it's execution, exhilarating in it's aftermath. To give you a sense of the level of stress, consider the…

June 17, 2014
Travel / Memoirs
0 Comments