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Saint Chappelle

On the Île de la Cité in Paris, tucked away to the side of the Palais de Justice sits a medieval building, very tall and thin, with thick walls and gargoyles watching from high above.

The entrance is rather mundane, open to a large room with cement floors, fleur-de-lis decorated pillars, and a statue of an ancient French king.

Along one side of the room is a kind of marketplace, with various…

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National Readathon Day

This coming Saturday, I’m going to join in National Readathon Day from noon to 4pm. Not that I need an excuse to read!

To learn more about the event or the National Book Foundation, click here.

Goodreads is also participating by providing a way for readers to tag the books they will read on this page. So if you’ve been looking for a good reason to pick up a book, this could be your ticket!

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NaNotThisYear

Well, that didn’t turn out quite how I’d planned. I don’t think I’m cut out for Nanowrimo. At least not in November….I love the concept of it. An entire month focused on making writing the priority? Perfect. But maybe not in November. Maybe I need to try Camp Nanowrimo in April or July. Or maybe I need to just not go nuts in one month, and concentrate instead on keeping my daily appointment with…

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Nanowrimo, Two Days In

Nanowrimo, Two Days In

Well, it’s begun. It’s just as crazy as it was last year. I can’t say this is my favorite way to write. It feels too much like cramming for a big final, and I’ve never been that type when it comes to studying.

As I woke up on Saturday morning, I reminded myself to take this day by day and think of it in small steps. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by looking at the whole. So far, it’s working. I…

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Nanowrimo, Here We Go

Nanowrimo, Here We Go

Last year, I attempted Nanowrimo. If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s a rather crazy challenge to write at least 50,000 words in 30 days. That’s 1,667 words per day, so if you’ve read 2K to 10k by Rachel Aaron, maybe it’s not so crazy. For me, it’s crazy. I’m lucky to hit 1,000 words in a day.

People do Nanowrimo worldwide every year. There are even two other challenges during the year…

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Conciergerie: Palace to Prison

Conciergerie: Palace to Prison

Just a few blocks’ short walk from Notre Dame Cathedral on the Ile-de-la-Cité stands a rather grand building behind a gold leaf gate. The main building is the Palais de Justice. On either side of this building are two places I highly recommend for visitors to Paris: Saint Chappelle (left), and Conciergerie(right). We’ll get to Saint Chappelle another time, but today I want to focus on the place I…

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Rediscovering Columbus Day

It amazes me that after all the truths we have learned about Christopher Columbus, we still have a holiday called Columbus Day.

The ideas of discovery and learning are wonderful concepts for a holiday. We should understand the significance of exploration and progress in world history. It’s just unfortunate that Columbus was chosen as the icon for this concept.

Everyone knows Christopher Columbus…

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The Louvre, Part Deux

The Louvre, Part Deux

Found on Samothrace in the Aegean Sea, Winged Victory dates back to the 2nd or 3rd century B.C. It arrived at the Louvre in 118 pieces. I didn’t notice the cracks. All I saw was a beautiful headless figure with wings on the deck of a sailing ship in a huge gallery.

Set at the very top of a grand staircase, the statue is bathed in beautiful natural light shining down through high circular skylight…

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The Louvre

Eidos Interactive released a Tomb Raider game called Angel of Darkness in 2003. I played it on my PS2, and my favorite thing about it was the use of the Louvre as a location for three levels. (Controls were a little klunky, which were totally improved in Tomb Raider Legend.)

When I decided to go to France, the Louvre was the first item on my list. But not just because of the video game.

I wanted…

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My Favorite Book?!

There’s another list thing going around facebook, asking people to list the 10 most influential books on their lives. I’m not much into those lists on facebook, but it got me thinking. Then I saw this post on fellow LARA member Mia Hopkins’ blog, and thought: blog post! So here we are.

It would be absolutely impossible to pick just one book as my all time, perfect, favorite book. I’ve been a…

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My Favorite Movie

Sometimes I think about all the movies I’ve seen and try to decide which is my favorite. It’s really hard to do. As with books, I prefer movies that immerse me into a different world. They have to have a good story, compelling characters, and emotion.

My current top five are Pride & Prejudice, Star Trek, The Shawshank Redemption, Galaxy Quest, and The Princess Bride. But I can’t stop there.…

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Brussels to Paris, First Class

Brussels to Paris, First Class

After bidding the Hotel Mozart in Brussels adieu (or tot ziens since they speak both French and Dutch), I dragged my rollaboard carry-on down the cobblestone streets and across the cobblestones of Grand Place to the subway station on a sleepy Sunday morning.

After wasting €4 in the ticket machines trying to buy a €2 one way pass, I realized all the entry gates were standing open. No charge on…

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Outlander, aka My Happy Place

Outlander, aka My Happy Place

As Pocket Jamie and I watched this week’s episode of Outlander, I was giddy. And as I’ve come to expect, the hour went much too quickly and I was left wanting more. It almost makes me want to wait a few weeks so I have more than one episode to watch at a time. Almost.

I don’t recall exactly when I read Outlander for the first time, but it’s always been one of my favorites. History, romance,…

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A Quick Taste of Brussels

A Quick Taste of Brussels

When I decided to visit Brussels, I had two goals: find some good Belgian chocolate, and eat a real Belgian waffle. These were excellent goals. I recommend them if you ever find yourself in Brussels.

I started with Musee du Cacao et du Chocolat, a museum of chocolate just off Grand Place. It’s a tiny building with (I think) three levels. It reminded me of an old town house with slightly steep…

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Brussels' Grand Place and Manneken Pis

Brussels’ Grand Place and Manneken Pis

There are two things every tourist seems to visit when visiting Brussels: Grand Place and Manneken Pis.

Grand Place is a large, open cobblestone square bordered by looming 18th century guildhalls and the very grand (and tall) Brussels City Hall built in the 15th century.

  Does this statue remind you of Wonder Woman, or is it just me?

Things my tour book didn’t tell me about Grand Place:

The…

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Guest Blogging at California Dreamin'

Guest Blogging at California Dreamin’

I’ve been asked to blog over at the California Dreamin’ writers conference site about my recent experience at the RWA national conference. (Yes, all those books came home with me from San Antonio.)

In lieu of a regular post here, please join me over there!

I’ll be back here next Monday, see you then…

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Traveling on Eurostar

What’s the fastest way to get between Paris and London? I’m pretty sure the answer is by rail, through the Channel Tunnel (aka the chunnel). I chose to travel on Eurostar. From the first time I heard about the trip, I wanted to take it. Where else can you speed through a tunnel deep under the Atlantic Ocean for 20 minutes?!

For my trip from Paris to London, I booked a Standard Premier quiet car…