Family vacation in France: Day 7 in Paris

Oh Paris
From red to green all the yellow dies away
Paris Vancouver Hyeres Maintenon New York and the Antilles
The window opens like an orange
The beautiful fruit of light
(“Windows”)”
 ― Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet, writer, art critic, from Zone

Today, Thursday, June 21st, was our last full day in Paris. It was Summer Solstice, which means Paris celebrates with live music and revelry in the streets across the city. It was Jacob’s 18th birthday, which means he can now vote and drink wine in France, which is something that he did on a regular basis the rest of our vacation here. We also met up with friends from El Cerrito who were also visiting Paris at the same time. It was a special last day in Paris and summer day period.

Happy Birthday to Jacob, who turned 18 atop Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris! What a memorable birthday for you!

We got up early and returned to the Paris Catacombs, and we successfully got in with the second wave of entrants. “The ossuary known as the Catacombs was created in the late 18th century in abandoned underground quarries dating from the 15th century in the locality of ‘Tombe-Issoire.’ The first bones were transferred here from what was the largest Parisian cemetery at the time, the Saints-Innocents Cemetery, located in the ‘Les Halles’ district. The cemetery was closed in 1780, at the request of the municipality, due to concerns for safety. The Quarry Department, created by a decree of the Royal Council on 4 April 1777 with the aim of protecting and fortifying the Parisian subsoil, was put in charge of choosing and developing the site for the ossuary. Little by little, these former limestone quarries began to house the bones from all the cemeteries of central Paris, particularly during the urban development work carried out by Prefect Haussmann, up until 1860. Beginning in the early 19th century, the Catacombs were opened to the public, creating a wave of curiosity that attracted a growing number of visitors.”

The Paris Catacombs – enter at your own risk!

After a descent of stairs, we enter the depths of Paris and its series of pathways.

Apparently, something happened in 1859….

The organizers of the ossuary were very meticulous about stacking the bones and skulls. I was impressed!

And they were very creative in how they stacked the bones, too, in the Paris Catacombs!

Something happened in 1787, too, at the Paris Catacombs.

I can attest to the fact that this is a very popular attraction in Paris. The tour route is quite long. You access the galleries via a staircase of 130 steps leading to 20 meters underground. These long, narrow corridors follow the paths of the streets above ground. It was a fascinating tour, with only a handful of people being let in at a time, which greatly enhanced the experience of exploring the underground. I’m glad we went, as strange an experience as it was. It was literally like looking at the history of Paris as if they were layers of sediment, given the years listed for various events.

Clearly, we were enamored with the bones and especially the skulls, at the Paris Catacombs.

How many photos can one take of bones and skulls? Apparently a lot. I curated carefully, at the Paris Catacombs.

After we emerged from the underbelly of Paris, we walked back to Notre-Dame Cathedral and finally got a chance to ascend the towers to catch yet another view of the city from above. Isabella especially appreciated the ascent, given her affinity for The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

We’ve seen city views from the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and now Notre-Dame Cathedral. It never gets old.

Another view of the Seine River and one of the spires of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris.

The gargoyle’s view from atop Notre-Dame Cathedral Tower, Paris.

What these statues have witnessed through history! Notre-Dame Cathedral Tower, Paris.

The gargoyle atop Notre-Dame Cathedral, with the Seine River and the Eiffel Tower in the background, Paris.

One last sweeping view of Paris from atop the Notre-Dame Cathedral Tower, Paris.

We wandered around the Island of Saint Louis, which was fast becoming my favorite neighborhood of our time in Paris. The shops were so colorful and quaint.

Quaint street of shops on rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, Paris.

Sweet shop on rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, Paris.

More quaint shops along rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, Paris.

Puppet shop! On rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, Paris.

My friend Laura recommended this patisserie and ice cream shop. It was always closed when we came by. So now it’s open and we had to try to many flavors…. rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, Paris.

We chose well with our ice cream flavors! At rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, Paris.

Remember this beautiful shop, Galerie Kara. We would return on our last full day from Versailles to Paris to get my “butterfly” earrings, rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, Paris.

Our last day walking on the many bridges over the Seine River and enjoying the beautiful trees lining the banks.

For the most part, Isabella and Jacob got along really well. They were best buds on this vacation. Sharing one of many moments on the bridges overlooking the Seine River, Paris.

Artful photo of the Seine River and colorful tables on the banks, Paris.

We met up with our friends, Yoko and Bruce Keilin, and their kids. Our sons were on the same traveling baseball team for several years, and Bruce and David were part of the coaching crew for the Hornets. It was really nice to meet up with them for dinner at Le Caveau de l’Isle (36, rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, 75004 Paris), where we had eaten a few nights before.

Yoko Keilin and me on the Saint Louis Bridge over the Seine River, Paris. It was windy and cold!

Sharing good wine with friends at Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris.

Taking a picture of Bruce and David. You can see Yoko and me in the mirror, Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris.

This salad looks familiar – it was delicious the first time, so I ordered it again this time, at Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris.

David’s meat and potatoes, Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris.

My duck confit and potatoes. I was spoiled with duck confit at the other restaurants, but this one was good, at Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris. Very artfully presented.

Afterwards, we walked around the neighborhood to hear the music and see the sites. It was freezing and windy, which was quite the opposite of the night before when it was hot late in the evening! We didn’t stay out late because we ill-dressed for this kind of weather! We also had to pack up, as we were heading out of Paris in the morning. We said good night to the Keilins and returned for one last night in our AirBnB apartment in such a wonderful neighborhood in Paris. I was really sad to be leaving this bustling, lively city. I can’t wait to return, but other parts of France beckoned to us. Happy Summer Solstice, Happy Birthday to Jacob!

A popular music act that we stayed and listened to on Summer Solstice, Paris.

A lively Summer Solstice celebration outside of Notre-Dame Cathedral with the Keilin and Enrado-Rossi families.

Family vacation in France: Day 5 in Paris


The last time I saw Paris.
Her heart was warm and gay.
 – Oscar Hammerstein II, American writer, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals

On Tuesday, we ventured to nearby Saint-Chapelle, a Gothic church built between 1242 and 1248 for King Louis IX – the only French king who is now a saint. Saint-Chapelle has the most amazing stained glass ever. Words can’t describe what photos can just barely do justice. The first floor, or basement, was built for staff and commoners. The ceiling is painted with fleurs-de-lis.

The Gothic architecture of Saint-Chapelle, Paris.

Detail of Saint-Chapelle, Paris.

When you first walk into Saint-Chapelle, you are enchanted.

Assuming this is Saint Louis? At Saint-Chapelle, Paris.

Then you climb the spiral staircase to the Chapelle Haute and you are overwhelmed by the 15 separate panels of stained glass. According to Rick Steves, there are 6,500 square feet of stained glass, which is about two thirds of its 13th-century original. More than 1,100 Biblical scenes are depicted, from Creation in Genesis to the end of the world. Taken together, you really have to sit back and take it all in, after taking all those pictures!

Once you come up to the main floor, you will be floored by the stained glass.

More stained glass beauty at Saint-Chapelle, Paris.

Another view of the stained glass, Saint-Chapelle, Paris.

One of the 15 panels, Saint-Chapelle, Paris.

Another awesome view, Saint-Chapelle, Paris.

Close-up of the stained glass center, Saint-Chapelle, Paris.

Detail of a stained-glass panel, Saint-Chapelle, Paris.

After taking our fill of Saint-Chapelle, we walked quite a ways to the Musée Picasso (Picasso Museum), which houses the largest collection of his work in the world. We are talking some 400 paintings, sculptures, sketches, and ceramics. The day that we came, however, a strike in the City kept only a part of the museum open. We saw what we could, which included several studies of Guernica (1937), Picasso’s famous painting of a Spanish town experiencing an air raid during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). We saw the original Guernica painting in Madrid, but we appreciated all the studies that Picasso had done leading up to the painting. He painted the original in Paris. Picasso stayed in Paris for the duration of the Nazi occupation of France.

A study of Guernica by Pablo Picasso, Picasso Museum, Paris.

Study of a horse and bull for Guernica, Picasso Museum, Paris.

Another sketch for Guernica, Picasso Museum, Paris.

Painting and study of woman weeping for Guernica, Picasso Museum, Paris.

Another study for Guernica, Picasso Museum, Paris.

After a leisurely outdoor lunch at Le Trés Or bistro (9 rue du Trésor, 75004 Paris), near the Picasso Museum, we trekked back to the Paris Archeological Crypt to learn about the Roman ruins from Emperor Augustus’ reign, the medieval village plans, and diagrams of early Paris. It was quite fascinating, especially the touchscreen interactive displays.

Lunch at Le Trés Or bistro , near the Picasso Museum.

Whatever it was, it was good! At Le Trés Or bistro.

Enjoying the trees at lunchtime.

Family selfie time after going to the Paris Archaeological Crypt, which is near Notre-Dame Cathedral.

For some reason, we indulged in Jacob’s search for the Eiffel Tower Lego set. We did not see it at the museum store. So we walked for a really long time to get to the Lego store in Paris. David calls it the Lego death march, which was exacerbated by my foot pain. My right foot was perfectly fine fit in my Dansko sandals, but the thick strap bothered a bone on top of my left foot, hence the discomfort on this long trek. As fate would have it, they did not have the Eiffel Tower, but they ironically had the Statue of Liberty – perhaps it wasn’t so ironic after all. Jacob purchased it, and we began the long walk back to our apartment.

Appreciating all the fountains I come across in Paris. Trying to remember if this is the one at the park where I had to rest my feet on our long walk to the Lego store, where we discovered that they did not have the Lego Eiffel Tower but they did have the Statue of Liberty. Go figure!

We walked this wooden footbridge over the Seine many times during our stay in Paris.

After such a brutal late afternoon, at least we knew we were in for a treat for dinner. Taking up on another one of Laura’s excellent restaurant recommendation, we dined at Le Caveau de l’Isle (36, rue Saint Louis en L’Isle, 75004 Paris) on Saint Louis Isle, in what has become one of my favorite areas in Paris. Another great recommendation!

A quaint street – rue Saint Louis en l’Isle.

Le Caveau de l’Isle, 36, rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, 75004 Paris.

Always start a meal with a good wine…. at Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris.

My shrimp/avocado/hearts of palm artichoke salad, Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris.

Main dish of duck with honey sauce, Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris.

Pear with dark chocolate sauce, Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris.

Chocolate lava cake with creme anglaise, Le Caveau de l’Isle, Paris.

A familiar sight – Notre-Dame Cathedral at twilight.

A Village in the Fields now available in eBook format

Books are no more threatened by Kindle than stairs by elevators.
– Stephen Fry, English comedian, actor, writer, and activist

For those of you who like reading in electronic format, with its advantages of portability and cost-effectiveness, I’m announcing the release of my debut novel, A Village in the Fields, which was published by Eastwind Books of Berkeley in September 2015, as an eBook. You can order your copy, at $19.95, at Smashwords.com. Check out the link here.

It’s my hope that an eBook version of my historical novel enables more Asian-American Studies professors to include my book in their reading list for their Filipino-American history courses. Desk copies of the eBook for the purpose of teaching are available. Please contact me at info@pattyenrado.com.

Enjoy your summer reading . . . into fall semester!

 

Porterville College C.H.A.P. presentation

It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed is you.
– F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer

I received the link to a presentation I had given at Porterville College on October 7, 2016, for PC’s Cultural, Historical Awareness Program (C.H.A.P.). The theme of my presentation was called, “Coming Home: Finding My Filipino-American Roots.” You can view it on the CCC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/xNQ16dnwb_o or click here. Enjoy!

Me and my book at the PC bookstore.

Returning to my alma mater!

Book signing after the presentation.

48-hour whirlwind East Coast weekend: the Boston Book Festival and the Boston Filipino-American Book Club

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
 – Robert Frost, American poet, from “The Road Not Taken”

Waiting for my red-eye flight to Boston at Oakland International Airport.

In mid-September, Grace Talusan, Fulbright Scholar, English professor at Tufts University in Boston, and winner of the 2017 New Immigrant Writing for Nonfiction by Restless Books, contacted me to let me know that the Boston Filipino-American Club (BFAB) was going to be reading my novel, A Village in the Fields, for the month of October. Grace, whose memoir, The Body Papers, will be published in the Fall of 2018, asked if I would be willing to Skype with the members at their October 29th meeting following their traditional brunch. Absolutely, I let her and book club founder and artist Bren Bataclan know.

At some point in October, my husband, David, suggested that I use up points and fly to Boston the weekend of the book club meeting. At first, I dismissed the idea. I’m not spontaneous, I pointed out, echoing a famous line of mine from my college days. But as the days went by, I started to warm up to the idea. However, I didn’t want to burden anyone with my visit. When I finally reached out to Grace and Bren, they were enthusiastic and welcoming of the visit. So I booked my flight and was looking forward to the trip. My job has been very stressful these past few months and I pulled two near-all-nighters the week before my planned visit. In fact, that Thursday evening, I worked until the early morning. I wasn’t sure then if it was a good idea to be going away. But David noted that I needed to get out, that being around book lovers would be a welcome change and just the community that I needed to be in the midst of.
So I took the red-eye from Oakland to JFK in New York and caught the next leg to Boston. (An aside: It turned out that the woman sitting across the aisle from me was headed for the Boston Book Festival. Her publishing company, New York-based Other Press, was hosting a tent, which is where she brought up recognizing me on her flight. She noticed that I was reading Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere.) Grace and a good friend of hers picked me up at the airport, and we had a nice breakfast at the Eastern Standard, an elegant French-period appointed restaurant on Commonwealth Avenue in the heart of Kenmore Square, which is on the other side of the highway from Fenway Park. Afterwards, Grace dropped me off at Copley Square, site of the Boston Book Festival, a one-day event of talks and panels, tents filled with myriad publishers, and book signings! I was in heaven and the weather was perfect – fall chill in the air, changing colors of the trees. There were multiple sessions that overlapped, so I had to make some difficult decisions.

Fall at the entrance of the Eastern Standard restaurant.

Of course, I had to get a picture of me near Fenway Park (courtesy of Grace Talusan).

Rapping with Shakespeare.

My introduction to the festival was listening to The Shakespeare Time-Traveling Speakeasy. During 2016-2017, Shakespeare to Hiphop (literary performers and TEDx Boston alumni Regie Gibson and Marlon Carey) partnered with the Boston Public Library to celebrate the great bard. The result is The Shakespeare Time-Traveling Speakeasy: “an all-new presentation combining American jazz-funk-country-pop and hip-hop with poetry, song, storytelling, rap, and Shakespeare’s own words.” Their performance was entertaining and crowd-pleasing.

Checking out the different tents and publishers.

Food truck at Copley Square.

I walked around the tents, checking out the various local presses, and then I walked over to the Church of the Covenant to hear the fiction keynote featuring Claire Messud and Jacqueline Woodson discuss their recently released coming-of-age novels, The Burning Girl, and Another Brooklyn, respectively. Both read excerpts from their novels. According to the book festival program: “The mutability of memory, the swift passage of time, the use of stories to make sense of experience, the treacherous landscape of female adolescence, and the simultaneous vitality and volatility of teenage girls’ friendships – these are common threads that run through these narratives, as both writers draw perceptive, unsentimental portraits of young women growing up and growing apart.”

Church of the Covenant.

What a thrill to hear Claire Messud and Jacqueline Woodson read from their new works, and in such a beautiful setting as this old church.

I couldn’t stay for any book signings afterwards. I would have had to stand in a long line, considering how packed the church was for their keynote. I dashed back to Trinity Forum to catch the “Voices of American: The Immigrant Experience Through a Writer’s Eyes” session, which featured Ha Jin, Marjan Kamali, and Grace. I have read Ha Jin’s books, including Waiting, which won the National Book Award for fiction in 1999. I picked up Marjan’s novel, Together Tea, which is about the matchmaking exploits of an Iranian woman’s parents. And I look forward to Grace’s memoir to come out next year. Grace read an excerpt about her father’s childhood in the Philippines that was gripping, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. My heart was literally in my throat as she read, which is how I define meaningful storytelling – the kind that stays with you, that you turn over and over in your head at night and for days. The three panelists talked about being immigrant writers, and while Marjan wished to be thought of as a writer and not “labeled” as an Iranian-American writer, I applauded Grace’s response: There are few Asian-American writers; she is more than happy to take on that mantle to draw more attention to the stories of Asian Americans, of Filipino Americans.

A very packed room for Ha Jin, Marjan Kamali, and Grace Talusan.

Marjan Kamali signing books after the session. I forgot to take Ha Jin’s up-close photo!

Once I briefly met Ha Jin and Marjan, I dashed to the Boston Public Library. I wasn’t able to catch the session “Fiction: Missed Connections,” with Eshkol Novo, Celeste Ng, and Lily Tuck, but I decided that getting their books signed was more important. I ended up reading a good chunk of Celeste’s second novel, Little Fires Everywhere, on my long plane ride back home the following evening. It’s a beautiful novel, both in character revelation and insight and in her writing. I wasn’t familiar with Lily Tuck, but I picked up her latest novel, the slim Sisters, which I read in one sitting that night. I appreciated the structure of what I consider a novella, and I learned a lot about crafting intense short scenes/chapters. Another writer to read more of her previous works!

The front of the Boston Public Library.

Courtyard in the Boston Public Library – a building we didn’t go into when my family and I vacationed in Boston in 2010.

Lily Tuck signing her slim novel, Sisters, for me.

Celeste Ng signing her new novel, Little Fires Everywhere, for me.

I completely missed “Freeman’s: The Future of New Writing.” John Freeman, literary critic, poet, and former Granta editor, is a childhood classmate of one of my favorite local proprietors, Jen Komaromi of Jenny K. I wished I could have attended, but it was time for me to head on over to Bren’s place in Cambridge. I caught a Lyft and met my gracious hosts, Bren and Bob, in their beautiful turn-of-the-century flat. The trees had already changed colors and it was cold. Perfect fall weather. Bren grew up in the Bay Area and is now a successful painter and muralist. He and Brian share the distinction of being one of the first couples to be married in Massachusetts when same-sex marriage was legal. While they had a dance performance to attend that evening, I was perfectly happy to cozy up on the couch and read Sisters in one sitting. And then cat-nap and catch the World Series.

Thinking of my daughter, Isabella, as I took a picture of the hare statue in Copley Square minus the tortoise.

Old South Church across from the Boston Public Library.

In the morning, after my error of telling Bren and Bob that the weekend before Halloween was Daylight Savings time was discovered, we had enough time to right the ship, get ready, and head on over to hosts Rory and Jane’s home to enjoy a Sunday brunch and discuss my novel. I was in awe of all the great food that was on the table. What a wonderful tradition of a having a potluck brunch with Filipino food such as puto and a rice dish that was supposed to feature Spam (Anna, who brought the dish apologized for not being able to find the tin of Spam in her kitchen). I met some wonderful people and new friends. I felt so welcomed. Rather than drain me, my short whirlwind weekend energized me. I was surrounded by books, book lovers, writers, my Filipino American community, warm hospitality. What more could a writer ask for? Maraming salamat, dear new friends!

Meeting host Rory Dela Paz and Anna (courtesy of Bren Bataclan).

Enjoying Filipino food and conversation (courtesy of Bren Bataclan).

New and long-standing members of the Boston Filipino American Book Club (courtesy of Bren Bataclan).

Talking about my book (courtesy of Bren Bataclan).

Members of the Boston Filipino-American Book Club and their tasty spread hosted by Jane and Rory Dela Paz.

Saying goodbye to this artistic couple, photographer Alonso Nichols and memoirist and fiction writer Grace Talusan (courtesy of Bren Bataclan).

The garden transformed

May I a small house and large garden have;
And a few friends,
And many books, both true.
– Abraham Cowley, 17th century English poet

So it begins. Spring has arrived and after last year’s disappointing gardening season, I knew a new beginning was in store this year. We are in the midst of a big landscaping project. We started with the side garden in late February – revitalizing the dahlias by digging them up, separating the tubers, replanting them in amended soil, and installing a new sprinkler system. I anxiously checked out the side yard every few weeks. In April, to my great delight, the soil broke as the dahlia plants slowly made their way to light. With great care, I sprinkled Sluggo and diatemaceous earth around the sprouts. I even came out in the evenings and early in the mornings to scrap slugs off the leaves onto the flagstone.

Dahlias sprouting in the pots.

Fledgling dahlias in the side yard in April.

Dahlias in pots and in the ground in the side yard.

Nurturing the dahlias with Sluggo and diatemaceous earth rings around the plants.

Then I hurt my back playing with our dog, Sammy. I couldn’t walk, drive, or move much. So for weeks I was unable to tend to my garden. And then after Mother’s Day I came down with a nasty virus. I’m still not quite over it, but I was able to get out this Memorial Day Weekend to work on the yard – placing the pots in the backyard, weeding, and pinching back buds so that the dahlias will give me big blooms. The leaves are still being eaten, so I need to take care of those insects, but after being absent from the side yard for weeks, I was pleasantly surprised to see how strong the stalks are.

An April birthday bouquet for Kelly – the calla lilies were starting to expire and the alstromeria were going bonkers.

Mother’s Day bouquet for my mother-in-law, Ann. One for Kelly and one in my heart for my mom.

A May 21st bouquet for Kelly reveals the first dahlia from the garden!

Close-up of the first dahlia, surrounded by hydrangea, dianthus, and alstromeria.

Another close-up with a delicate hydrangea.

One more close-up.

To date, 88 plants have sprung up. One dahlia – the orange and yellow ones in a pot – has bloomed. And more will be ready within a week or so. I have committed to the two school auction bouquets this year – my last year with Korematsu Middle School (as Isabella enters high school in the fall) and El Cerrito High School. One of the moms who got the Korematsu weekly bouquet is a repeat winner. She got it two years ago. She split with another family, so even though they agreed to have a bouquet every other week, I’m going to see if I can do two bouquets for each family each week for 10 weeks. And then the third one will be for the high school auction winner. And finally, this year I gave as a birthday present a weekly bouquet to my friend Kelly. Let’s see if 88 plants can give me four bounteous bouquets for 10 weeks, starting the first full week in June. Fingers crossed.

I was asked to make three bouquets for the graduating senior baseball players’ families, which I happily obliged for the May 3rd game.

I was able to use the watsonias from our front garden, even though the flowers were on their way out.

A little scabiosa and our neighbor’s succulent purple plant.

Just enough to make three bouquets at once.

The alstromeria will soon be giving way to the dahlia bouquets.

The ginger plants are sprouting like crazy, too. This ginger plant anchors this Memorial Day Weekend arrangement.

I’m really looking forward to this gardening year. In the backyard we will have six planting beds. Two for vegetables and four for flowers. I’d like to expand my dianthus garden. We’ll see what else the garden will grow this year. It should be a beautiful, colorful summer of flowers.

A healthy crop of dahlias.

A bit uneven as not all of the tubers sprouted.

I spent the weekend weeding and pinching back buds. I was heartened to see how thick the stalks are.

Even the dark corners are sprouting dahlias!

Fingers crossed for these vigorous dahlias!

The side yard dahlia garden is resembling the healthy garden of 2013.