To See or Not to See

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Mama Cormier

…..at what cost would you see the Mona Lisa?

We’ve all seen pictures, videos and documentaries of the Mona Lisa. You may have read books about that mysterious smile or where the art piece itself is central to the storyline.

I’ve heard over and over again how small the painting is in real life and yet when I actually saw it I felt it was larger than I had imagined. Was it worth the long line-ups, the crowds and the close proximity to so many people during a pandemic?

I am not sorry that I saw her up close, well at least as close as you are allowed to be. I stood in line with our son but my husband didn’t. He saw the painting from the back of the room. What I am sorry for is all the art that I didn’t get to see or spend time with, as we hurried along the u-shaped galleries to get to the room where the Mona Lisa hung. I knew we were getting closer when the crowds got denser.

There is so much to see at the Louvre that you need more than one 90 minute slot. We were there at the end of the day and leaving Paris the next morning. Here are a few other art pieces that we managed to see.

Priority Admission at the Louvre

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Mama Cormier

…..walking with a cane has it’s advantages

When we travelled throughout Italy in 2016 with our 9 month old granddaughter we found that museums, galleries and restaurants bent over backwards to accommodate us. Six years later in France we’re finding the same thing except now it’s walking with a cane take gets us priority admission.

Back in April Kevin needed an emergency hip replacement and even though his recovery was remarkably fast he occasionally has balance issues. As a result and playing it safe he brought his cane with him on this trip to France.

On the day we went to the Louvre Kevin brought the cane, knowing that there would be a lot of walking. We preordered the tickets, thinking that would get us into museum without having to line up. We booked for the last time slot of the day and ended up in a line with hundreds of people in front of us. Our son was visibly upset. I asked him him if there was priority admission for people with mobility issues. He asked us to stay in line while he investigated.

Upon his return he told us to follow him and we walked directly to the entrance where security waved us through. This is something that all travellers with babies and mobility issues should know. Once inside I can’t say that the Louvre was easy to navigate, as there are lots of stairs but fortunately my husband was able to go up and down without too much difficulty. Had we investigated a bit more we would probably have found more elevators.

Monster Monday and Friends

Posted on April 4, 2022 by Mama Cormier

…looks like everyone wants to get on the plane with us on Wednesday

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Wacky Bird Wednesday – March 30, 2022

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….getting ready to fly to France is stressful

After not being able to travel for two years we’re all feeling a little anxious around here about getting on a plane.

Monster Monday – Coffee Cat

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….named by our visiting granddaughter

TGIFFF – Tonguely Stole a Tractor

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….March 25, 2022

Last weekend we were worried that Tonguely might get into some more trouble at College Royal at the University of Guelph. Well we were right. After making a few new friends he managed to go joy riding in a tractor.

Wacky Bird With Attitude

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….Kevin wanted me to post this one last Tuesday

Tuesday was a tough day for us. We heard that we were in contact with COVID on the weekend and we needed to take some rapid antigen tests. We’re leaving for France in two weeks and today our daughter is visiting from New Brunswick. The good news is that we’ve all tested negative.

So this bird was named Ticked Off Tuesday. Does he look a bit miffed?

We Found Tonguely

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….he found College Royal but I think he took a wrong turn

Hopefully he won’t get into any more trouble but there’s still another day left before the open house comes to an end.

Do you have any idea what kind of trouble he might get into?

College Royal and Tonguely

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Mama Cormier

…Tonguely’s been MIA for awhile on this blog

This weekend is the annual College Royal Open House at the University of Guelph. This is where my husband, Kevin and I first met. I was a student and he was visiting a friend who lived next door to me. We hooked up pretty quickly and he enrolled in the university the following semester. College Royal was always one of our favourite activities. We both belonged to a drama club, Curtain Call, that put on student written and produced shows every year during College Royal. Every year Collage Royal attracts about 30 000 visitors. https://www.collegeroyalsociety.com/

Now, as for Tonguely he seems to be missing. We’re pretty sure he wants to be there. Hope he’s not getting into any trouble.