Category: just do it already
New Years Resolution Part Two
New Years Resolutions Part One
La Tour Eiffel
The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair, it has become both a global and cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 7.1 million people ascended it in 2011. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.
The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930. Because of the addition of the antenna atop the Eiffel Tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 17 feet (5.2 m).
The tower has three levels for visitors. The third level observatory’s upper platform is at 279.11 m (915.7 ft) the highest accessible to the public in the EU. Tickets can be purchased to ascend, by stairs or lift (that means elevator to all you non British speaking folks), to the first and second levels. The walk from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. Although there are stairs to the third and highest level, these are usually closed to the public and it is usually accessible only by lift.
The line for the elevators was too long for our liking so we bought a ticket to walk the stairs. I can’t remember how much it was but no more than 10 euros. And the climb began! Up and round and up and round we went. Finally we made it to the first level! It was much higher than I thought it would be. Like everyone else, we snapped some pics.
You can see Sacré-Coeur in the background
.
.
And a lovely picture of us! I have this new habit of sticking my tongue under my teeth for some reason. But aren’t we adorable!?
We decided to keep going. Up to the second level. Yeah, we’re cool like that. That was about another 300 steps and we were getting high! As in elevation, my friends. I am usually fine with heights but I was getting a little dizzy and trying not to look down. Possibly it was being more claustrophobic with the people climbing the stairs up and down alongside me but the stomach was starting to do some flip-flops here and there. We arrived at the second level and took a quick walk around. Snapped some more pics …
.I took this one leaning back as far as I could. After that, vertigo kicked in and we had to GO! On the walk back down 600+ steps, Jeannette joked that we should start telling everyone, “Sorry, it’s closed.” I laughed the entire way down. Miss my Jeannie!
So there you have it. Maybe next time we will go to the top but maybe I will chicken out. Or maybe we will just hang out at the restaurant for hours and have several beers – will that make vertigo better or worse? Whatever the fact, time for you to climb the TOWER.
Sant Joan Festival
It’s that time of year again! Sant Joan festival in Spain. Many different versions around Spain – tonight in my sleepy Mallorcan town we will be heading to the beach for some BBQ, lighting LOTS of candles around us and possibly dip our toes in the ocean. This is all to celebrate the summer solstice.
BUT the best one to experience is in Menorca. The Sant Joan festival in Ciutadella. Which is CRAZY! Looks super cool but I would rather have the tamer version of it. And it allowed me to come into full contact with the horses! Something I doubt would be possible for me at the Sant Joan festival.
Check out these pics from the Sant Joan festival in Ciutadella. Insane in the membrane.
and this …..
Wowzers. That is A LOT of people. But that is the Sant Joan fiesta. Es normal.
The smaller festival that I attended the other year in Menorca was in Es Mercadal and called Sant Marti. The horse is the common hero of all the local saint’s day festivals celebrated in all the Menorcan villages during the summer and clearly shows how authentic the island customs are. The drivers and horsemen, dressed up in the outfit called “de just” (of the just man) in a combination of black and white and they ride Menorcan-race stallions in a long procession or parade (qualcada) which goes through all the main streets and squares of the town.
During the two days of the holiday, strict protocol is observed, mixing religious acts which are closely observed, with moments of collective fun especially during the “jaleos” which take place in the main square and where the horses, horsemen and public take part to an equal extent in the show.
And this Jaleo is what we went to on Sunday morning at 11 am in the Plaça Constitució. It was, in a word, fantastic. First, the riders rode in a procession through the street showing off themselves and their gorgeous horses. And then the fun begins! They ride into the public circle in twos while the spectators (me!) try to touch the horse while it rears up. This went on for about an hour. I am allergic to horses. Seriously, all I have to do is look at a horse and I start to get welts on my face and arms. But after 15 minutes I was ready to get into the game. Screw allergies! It was so much fun.
and
and
If you get a chance to go to the Sant Marti or the Sant Joan festival I highly recommend it. And make sure you wear clothes that can get dirt, sand, horse slobber and more on it. NO HIGH HEELS! No. Muy ridiculo – and don’t think I didn’t see it.
Happy Summer Solstice! xo
Happy Earth Day!
Hey! It’s Earth Day, earthlings. What do you do to help save our world?
While I know I can do more, here are some things I regularly do:
1. I have a compost pile which I use for soil around my trees and new plants or flowers. I get such a strange satisfaction to throw in my leftover vegetables, fruits, etc and then mix it all up. It is amazing to see how rich and dark the soil is when I get around to using it. It works!
2. I recycle. Full stop. I recycle everything – plastic, paper, glass. If it can be recycled it goes in my recycling bin where once I week I take it to the bigger bins that Spain has placed everywhere around Mallorca.
3. I pick up litter. I definitely do this around my neighborhood. On my way to the trash I pick up things on the ground, in the lots nearby – here there are usually three big trash cans within a block or two away that the garbagemen come by to empty every day except Saturday. That’s right folks, even on Sunday. And I do try to do a monthly bike ride on the sole purpose of picking up trash around my town and dropping it in the recycling bins.
And then there are random things – recycling household things for teaching – toilet paper rolls to make into owls or whatever animal we are learning about, taking things to charity (clothes, furniture, appliances) and who knows what else.
I do try to be conscience on my ecological footprint. So, please, do the same! It is the only earth we’ve got!
.
Love Is Love
Way overdue…. Love Strong!
Some TLC For Your Breasts
Using hot guys to make us remember to do a breast exam!?
That is totally fine by me.
My friend tagged me in this video (rethink breast cancer your man reminder) – and downloadable APP! And while the video/app is informative, educational and “eye-catching”, it also hopefully serves a purpose – DO A MONTHLY CHECK ON YOUR BREASTS! And if you can’t do that, a yearly mammogram.
My friend who tagged me lost her mother to breast cancer at the tender age of 12 or 13. I can barely remember it. Except for a vivid memory of her mom in her bedroom wanting to see my friend as soon as we had come home from school and she had been waiting to see her children. I remember walking into that dark bedroom with my friend. Her mother gave a smile and held out her hand and asked how school was, I am pretty sure we answered in the usual “fine, boring” way. She was a very sweet woman and I remember she smiled and nodded as we walked out of the room while telling her we were going to go play.
But a few months later she died. And I went to her funeral with my family at the Christian church in our hometown. I must have blocked it out because I don’t really remember it. My mom tells me we went and I was very distraught, but mostly for my friend. I am so happy that this sweet friend of mine now has a beautiful family and is still part of my life after all this time.
My mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer twice and had a mastectomy of one of her breasts. My father was also diagnosed with breast cancer and had a lump removed. So obviously, I try to check myself as often as possible and get regular checkups.
But I never want to make such a downer on things so I really loved this video my friend tagged me in. Who doesn’t want to be reminded to get their breasts checked by hot guys? Watch the video, download the app, give yourself some TLC and fight breast cancer.
.
GOING NINETY MILES 