The Rohrbaugh Forum
Miscellaneous => The Water Cooler -- General Discussions => Topic started by: yankee2500 on October 07, 2011, 05:22:56 PM
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We took the tour of the Jamison Distillery today and I received my certificate as an official taster, it was a tough course but I toughed it out. ;D
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0209.jpg)
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Way to go John. I'm sure that was an enjoyable course, even if it was tough. ;D
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Quite likely you will need to brush up on this topic frequently to maintain competence. ;D
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Quite likely you will need to brush up on this topic frequently to maintain competence. ;D
I thought that might be the case so I bought a bottle of the Distillery Reserve (12years old) this is only available at the Distillery.
I was looking at the 20 year old Whisky but the $365 a bottle price brought me back to my senses. ;D ;D
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John, I am truly impressed, and a bit envious to tell the truth. I am not so certified . . . yet. Becoming so was just added to my "Bucket List."
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Why not be triple certified and finish the course at Bushmills. You're on a roll in the auld sod.
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I don't think we will make it to Bushmills before we leave for Paris.
I'm looking forward to the trip to Paris, were flying to London and riding the Eurostar (high speed train) to Paris, only 2 1/2 hours and speeds up to 196 mph. :D
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Happy chunneling.
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John:
If you're feeling flush, make reservations for dinner at Le Tour d'Argent, 15, quai de la Tournelle, 75005 Paris, and prepare to be amazed -- not only by the wine and food . . . but also by something called "le chèque." ;)
http://www.latourdargent.com/reservation/restaurant
Bon appétit.
But especially, don't miss the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Hotel. That one should be considered a shrine.
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Richard I just did a little on line investigation into Le Tour d'Argent and it appears if we ate there after paying the bill we may have to skip going on to Rome. :'(
Now if you would PM me your Diners Club card number..... ;D
But thanks for the recommendation.
We will check out the Hemingway Bar. :D
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John. While in Paris, I know the Eiffel Tower is a given, however, do enjoy; fantastic! :D
(http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss197/kjtrains/Paris_Effel.jpg)
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When you have had enough of Three Star Michelins here is one for just good, simple, basic fare, prix fixe, and three Paris locations:
http://www.relaisdevenise.com/
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One more piece of unsolicited advice: by all means visit Musee Marmottan, a small out of the way Impressionist museum near Bois de Boulogne. There are some incredible Monets there and much less stressful than the Louvre.
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I don't think we will make it to Bushmills before we leave for Paris.
I'm looking forward to the trip to Paris, were flying to London and riding the Eurostar (high speed train) to Paris, only 2 1/2 hours and speeds up to 196 mph. :D
John. Where are you? Are you now in Paris?
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Yes we are in Paris, yesterday we visited the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. Quite an amazing church.
The area is all hills with lots of stairs. ;D
Very nice here but much harder to communicate, I guess I should have paid more attention in French class when I took in High School. ;D
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0274.jpg) (http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0315.jpg)
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Keep those pictures coming, John! Great! :)
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Here are a couple everyone will recognize.
It was a cool and rainy day today, the first bad weather day we have had since we got here.
The first two are great but the Notre Dame Cathedral is just amazing.
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0458.jpg) (http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0455-1.jpg)
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0408.jpg)
A little info on Notre dame.
Notre Dame Cathedral (full name: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, "Our Lady of Paris") is a beautiful cathedral on the the Île de la Cité in Paris. Begun in 1163 and mostly completed by 1250, Notre Dame is an important example of French Gothic architecture, sculpture and stained glass.
The Notre Dame is the most popular monument in Paris and in all of France, beating even the Eiffel Tower with 13 million visitors each year. But the famous cathedral is also an active Catholic church, a place of pilgrimage, and the focal point for Catholicism in France - religious events of national significance still take place here.
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There is a stone in front that marks point "zero" in Paris from which all distances are measured, both highways and streets.
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There is a stone in front that marks point "zero" in Paris from which all distances are measured, both highways and streets.
Here's a picture of that stone.
(http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss197/kjtrains/PARIS1932009-2432009158.jpg)
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That is a beautiful stone and it took me a few trips to Notre Dame to discover its significance. I love the cigarette butt in the top right corner of the photo.
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I've got a photo of the stone without the cigarette butt, however, liked this one better. ;D
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I can tell you the the cigarette butt is not the worst thing I've seen on the street, :o Paris is a very dirty city.
In some sections there are corn cobs littered about because street venders grill corn on a large tin can in a shopping cart and sell it.
Here is one such vender.
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0336.jpg)
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Grilling corn is not the only thing I've seen Parisians do on the street. I was once walking along a side street just off of the Champs-Élysées when I happened to pass a Citroën 2CV (that little econo-can we used to call a "Deux Chevaux”) parallel parked by the curb. The couple inside, completely oblivious to any passing pedestrians, were giving a French twist to the words of that old 1970s bumper sticker, "If this van's a rockin', don't come a knockin'."
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I have also witnessed that scene many times in the Bois de Boulogne in cars with the windows covered in sheets from the inside.
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Spent the day at the Louvre yesterday. The picture is behind glass and it is hard to get a good shot.
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0507-1-1.jpg)
This is one of the rooms from Napoleon's apartment.
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0493.jpg)
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That's a great shot of the Mona Lisa, John. Thank you for posting it.
I remember when "The Lady" was loaned for 27 days to the National Gallery of Art in D. C. back in January-February 1963. I was then preparing to report to OCS, but was one of the lucky half-million who managed to file by her during that time.
http://www.nga.gov/past/data/exh222.shtm
Apart from the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile, I find it amazing how her eyes seem to follow you as you pass before her.
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Spent the day at the Louvre yesterday. The picture is behind glass and it is hard to get a good shot.
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0507-1-1.jpg)
This is one of the rooms from Napoleon's apartment.
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0493.jpg)
Excellent, John! Thanks!
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Here are two from the Louvre that are rooms from Napoleon's apartment. The table on the right will seat about 40 people.
You don't want to ask the person at the far end to pass you anything it might be spoiled before it got to you. :o ;D
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0498.jpg) (http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0493.jpg)
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It's good to be Emperor -- at least until you underestimate the Prussians and fail to cover your right flank at Waterloo.
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Magnificent, John; absolutely georgeous place; pass the potatoes, please. :)
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Thanks for the pics!
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Really poor internet at the place we are staying here in Rome, I haven't been able to get on in several days. Pics would be out of the question for now as they would take for ever to load.
I will try to get to a Wi-Fi site in the next few days to get a faster connection. :D
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Really poor internet at the place we are staying here in Rome, I haven't been able to get on in several days. Pics would be out of the question for now as they would take for ever to load.
I will try to get to a Wi-Fi site in the next few days to get a faster connection. :D
John. Figured that was the case. Good to see you getting through. Continue to enjoy. :)
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The connection here is by Bluetooth with the use of a Dongle and only my Wife's MacBook will work with it (hers is newer than mine)
Anyway Rome is awesome the people are great, the food is great and the sights are unbelievable, the Coliseum and other ruins are fascinating. The old architecture is hard to believe they did it with crude hand tools and I can't imagine the time involved to carve all that stone with the detail it has.
If I get my computer to a Wi-Fi spot I'll post some pics.
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The connection here is by Bluetooth with the use of a Dongle and only my Wife's MacBook will work with it (hers is newer than mine)
Anyway Rome is awesome the people are great, the food is great and the sights are unbelievable, the Coliseum and other ruins are fascinating. The old architecture is hard to believe they did it with crude hand tools and I can't imagine the time involved to carve all that stone with the detail it has.
If I get my computer to a Wi-Fi spot I'll post some pics.
Good to hear from you, John. Hope you get to a Wi-Fi.
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OK here is one everyone will recognize.
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0694.jpg)
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Ave Caesar, qui morituri te salutant.
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Now that is one place I would to see!
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Well we are back in Dublin and headed back to NC on Saturday. We had our Thanksgiving dinner today at the Brazen Head Pub (Turkey, Ham, mashed potatoes, carrots and cabbage and Baileys Cheesecake for desert also a couple of pints of Guiness)
The Brazen Head Pub is the oldest Pub in Ireland.
Here is a little info on it.
The Brazen Head is officially Ireland's oldest pub, dating back to 1198. While it is unclear how much of the original 11th century coach house is still intact, there is a palpable sense of history within these timeworn walls. If you are looking for the true Irish pub experience then the Brazen Head Pub should be your first port of call.
1198 :o :o
The meal was great and the atmosphere was wonderful.
We visited St. Peters in Rome before we left and it is truly an amazing structure, you could spend two days looking at all the sculptures and paintings along with the fantastic architecture.
The place is enormous and every inch is decorated with elaborate moldings, sculptures, paintings etc.
Here are a couple of pictures I took.
(http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0832.jpg) (http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0822.jpg) (http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0787.jpg) (http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0841.jpg) (http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp216/yankee2500/IMG_0857.jpg)
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Excellent pictures, John. Good to see some more of Rome. Thanks!
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Well we are back in Dublin and headed back to NC on Saturday. We had our Thanksgiving dinner today at the Brazen Head Pub (Turkey, Ham, mashed potatoes, carrots and cabbage and Baileys Cheesecake for desert also a couple of pints of Guiness)
The Brazen Head Pub is the oldest Pub in Ireland.
Here is a little info on it.
The Brazen Head is officially Ireland's oldest pub, dating back to 1198. While it is unclear how much of the original 11th century coach house is still intact, there is a palpable sense of history within these timeworn walls. If you are looking for the true Irish pub experience then the Brazen Head Pub should be your first port of call.
1198 :o :o
The meal was great and the atmosphere was wonderful.
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John:
It is amazing to consider that the Brazen Head Pub was established during the last year of the reign of England's King Richard I ("Richard the Lionheart"). At the time, Richard's youngest brother, John (the Prince John of "Robin Hood" legend), was Lord of Ireland, having been so named in 1177 by his father, King Henry II.
That is one historic place to raise a pint . . . or three!
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We have had a great time and saw some truly amazing things but it will be good to get back to the USA, as interesting as it is over here there's no place like home. ;D
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We have had a great time and saw some truly amazing things but it will be good to get back to the USA, as interesting as it is over here there's no place like home. ;D
Always great to pull in the driveway! :D