13 March 2011

N.C., Paris — a balancing act

Sunday morning. I'm feeling like I'm over jet lag. It's true that the jet lag coming this way, from France to the U.S., isn't nearly as bad as the lag you feel when you fly from the U.S. to France. There's some explanation for the difference that has to do with flying with as opposed to against the movement of the sun.

A train pulls into the Sèvres-Babylone metro station in Paris

I do know that it's Earth that moving, not old Sol. Even here in North Carolina, we know that. Speaking of sun, it was bright sunny here on the Carolina coast yesterday, with temperatures approaching 65ºF. That's about 18ºC. Warm.

Crossing the Seine on the Pont d'Arcole, looking east

As for photos, I haven't taken any yet. I'm still working on the ones I took in Paris. Here are a few. In the evening, I took a walk across the Seine, past Notre Dame (the cathedral) and the Hôtel de Ville (Paris city hall). There too, the weather was pleasant.

Notre-Dame de Paris

This afternoon I plan to go to the beach with my sister and her granddaughter. It's supposed to be another warm, sunny day, and it'll be fun to take a walk on the strand. The beach here is 40 km long, running basically east-west, facing south.

L'Hôtel de Ville

That surprises people because (1) this is the East Coast, and you'd expect a beach to run north-south and (2) 40 km! 25 miles. It's a long stretch, and if you want to you can walk the whole length of it.

Notre-Dame always merits a second photo

Maybe I'll start taking some pictures today. So far, I've been content just to visit with family members. I ran into an old high school friend at the supermarket yesterday. I didn't recognize her, and she didn't recognize me, but my mother introduced us. It's been nearly 45 years since we graduated.

At the drugstore, my sister and I ran into a cousin who grew up with us. He told us to call his brother and tell him to get some oysters. Then we can have a North Carolina oyster roast one evening this coming week. Doesn't that sound good?

8 comments:

  1. Yes, it does sound good! Enjoy!

    Judy

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  2. Please describe a North Carolina Oyster Roast..."roast" oysters sounds unusual.
    Thanks!

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  3. The traditional N.C. oyster roast involves first building a small wood fire outdoors. Get some concrete blocks to make four legs and lay down a piece of heavy-gauge sheet metal on them over the fire. When the metal is good and hot, dump on a peck or a bushel of fresh oysters, cover them with wet burlap bags, and let them roast and steam. They'll open up and get a little bit of a smokey taste. Take off the top shell and eat the oysters out of the bottom shell as they are or with lemon juice, vinegar, N.C.'s own Texas Pete(a hot pepper sauce like Tabasco), or a ketchup-horseradish cocktail sauce. Drink ice-cold beer.

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  4. I love the métro stations in Paris although for the last few years it has become increasingly difficult for me to make the trek up and down those steps.

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  5. Welcome back home to North Carolina. I had some raw Stump Sound oysters yesterday for lunch. Good!

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  6. Sounds like you are truely getting a change of pace from your normal life! My Mother always said that was the point of vacations. Do something different and you will be supremely relaxed and ready to return to "normal".

    Build a sand castle for me!

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  7. Yes, that sounds like good eats for you, Ken! I bet it's fun to roast oysters the way you do over there in NC. Enjoy yourself.

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  8. Sigh . . . just seeing the stations of the metro makes me homesick -- and that one at Sevres-Babylone was one of 'ours'. I loooove the metro. Thank you for the memories. m a

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