JOHN STEINBECK SAID;

People do not take trips, trips take people.

Bob Ford assassinated Jesse James in a most cowardly way. Bob Ford was offered amnesty and cash reward if he would assassinate Jesse James. Bob Ford was one of the most recent acquisitions of the James gang, along with his older brother, Charles Ford. They went down to visit Jesse James. Inside the house, Jesse walked over to a table and placed his guns there. Then he walked to a picture on a wall to dust it off or adjust it. As he was doing this,  Bob Ford shot him in the back of the head. The governor who offered Bob Ford amnesty did pardon him so Bob Ford was not punished for the killing but the money he received was much less than the original offer. I believe the bounty reward on Jessie James was listed as $5,000 but Bob Ford received much less. For about a year Bob Ford and his brother posed for photos and acted in a lying, false play depicting the killing of Jesse James. But every one knew that the play did not tell the story in the true dastardly way of the assassination. Every where they went, Bob Ford and his brother were taunted. Because of this and the fact that Frank James sought out revenge for the killing of his younger brother Jesse, Charles Ford committed suicide. Eventually Bob Ford settled down in Las Vegas New Mexico and Creede Colorado starting up saloons. After starting the saloon in Creede, the saloon burnt down in a most debilitating fire that destroyed most of downtown Creede. Bob Ford then set up a large tent with a saloon inside. Just a few days after that, Edward O'Kelly arrived at the entrance of the tent. Then some one rode up to O'Kelly on a horse and handed him a shotgun. Edward O'Kelly did NOT  shoot Bob Ford in the cowardly way that Bob killed Jesse James... Edward O'Kelly walked into the tent and called out "hey Bob". When Bob Ford turned around, he took two shotgun blasts to the chest and died instantly. These photos are of the first burial place of Bob Ford on a lovely hill overlooking Creede Colorado. 

Freya Stark said:

To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world. 

Pablo Picasso at Opera Garnier 2018.

The Parade Ballet exhibit in Opera Garnier in Paris 2018 had works and photos of Pablo Picasso because he was working with Sergei Diaghilev and Jean Cocteau for the ballet. Here are 5 of the photos I took at the exhibit. My photos include a couple of Pablo Picasso paintings, photos of Pablo Picasso and others, and 2 of the bulky looking costumes that he created for the ballet type play. The costumes actually did work very nicely for the dancers who wore them. You can watch the ballet play on YOUTUBE. It is quite interesting. Erik Satie was the composer of the music for the ballet. Jean Cocteau wrote the script for the scenario. Sergie Diaghilev was the artistic director of the ballet company that performed for the ballet play. Pablo Picasso worked on the two costumes that I photographed and he also worked on the sets along with other famous artists like Coco Chanel, Salvador Dali, Georges Braque, Jóan Miró, Maurice Utrillo. There were a few others who corraborrated but these are the only ones that I know about from other works that they created. 

My last posting was about Pablo Picasso and some of his paintings, drawings, and costumes that he created for the ballet "Parade". Actually, I did take a couple of well known paintings that Pablo Picasso created at other times than when he worked on the setting and costumes for the play. I do not know why they were included in this exhibit, but voila, they were there so I photographed them. I think it would be expedient to include a short slideshow with some of the interior mural paintings which are amazing. I think the interior is Baroque Heaven. Paintings in the Grand Foyer include creations that depict important events in the history of music. Paul-Jacques Aimé Baudry was the painter. Apollo is depicted receiving a lyre instrument and he is surrounded by the zodiac in a painting by Jules-Élie Delaunay. There is so much more, there are probably whole books describing the interior of this opera house.

Earlier I posted photos of Pablo Picasso works and photos of photos of him with Sergei Guiladev and Jean Cocteau. Now for some more photos of Opéra Garnier itself because the amazing beauty of the place is everywhere.  It was built for an emperor after all. Here are slideshows for both interior photos and exterior photos. One slide show will feature Farida posing in front of a bust on a pedestal. The bust is of the operas' architect himself. The Grand Staircase is featured in the other slideshow and that staircase is grand indeed.

Just look at this building, it epitomizes the archetectural style known as Napoleon III style which seeks to have every space covered with paintings, freizes, busts, or scultptures. Something  like 90 painters and sculptors contributed to the buildings' marvelously grand images. Above the facade, you will see Apollo flanked by depictions of Poetry and Music. I think Apollo is holding up a harp which is also covered in gilt gold. By the way, gilt gold will be seen constantly while visiting this opera house. At the ends of the building above the facade are L'Harmonie and La Poesie which are both made of copper and covered with gilt gold. You can also find busts of many famous composers and I even recognize a few of them like Beethoven, Mozart, and Rossini. Many of the statues around the building are well known also because many are from Greek or Roman Mythology (same thing, just change the names).  Sorry about the funny people in these photos. This truly is  one of the most iconic buildings in Paris and one of the most iconic opera houses of the world. It first opened on the 5th of January 1875 which was 100 years 5 months before I graduated from high school.

This is Danmarks' National Museum for ships, ship building, and maritime history/archeology.

Shipbuilding occurrs at this Museum in Rosgilde, Danmark. If you are able to stay in Rosgilde for several months, you could probably watch the building of a ship from beginning to end. They use traditional tools and techniques  here. 

The salvaged ships are from the Skuldelev underwater archeological discovery where 5 ships were excavated around 1962. Skuldelev is in Roskilde Fjord which I posted photos of earlier on another page because we had a picnic there. The ships are of various types, some being warships, and some being cargo ships. They were deliberatly sunk by the vikings in Rosgilde Fjord to help prevent attacks. This sinking occured around 1050 C.E. and there are 9 other ships that have been more recently discovered but information on them is still forthcoming because the excavations there are ongoing still. 

The Viking Ships Museum (Vikingeskibsmuseem) has more than 40 ships with some being original ships from earlier years and some being reproductions from recent years. They represent many types of ships from all over Scandanavia. Most sit on the water and tours are conducted with a few replica ships. There is one large war ship reproduction that you can sit in as you wish. One of the photos in this slideshow was taken while I sat in that boat. Of course, the excavated ships are all inside the climate controlled museum building where the gift shop is. You will enter the gift shop and queue up to purchase the tickets for the museum and movie that they show there. There are some really nice magnets that I bought there with vikings and ships depicted. There are also the troll like figures that are well known in Scandanavia so I bought one of those also. The museum also has a few eating places, a traditional tent home that vikings used, and lots of park areas for relaxing on the grass. It really is a nice place to spend the day there. We walked there from central Roskilde through a nice neighborhood which took only about half hour. It was a very nice day. 

Photos from the top of the Hop On Hop Off bus around Paris.

The Hop On Hop Off bus around Paris has 4 routes. A map that comes with the Paris PassLib' package will show the routes with distinct colors. There is the red, the blue, the green, and the yellow route. We rode on the red route through Montmartre,Opéra, Grande Boulevards, Gare du Nord, and Gare du l'est, then we connected to the blue route to reach Rue Rivoli. We got off the bus at the Louvre Museum to spend about 5 hours there. These photos include a Morris Column, an arch at Port Saint Denis, Opéra Garnier, Godiva Chocolate Shop next to a French boutique shop, La Cure Gourmand, and a statue of a French revolutionary officer.

La Cure Gourmand is not a rival to Godiva Chocolate Shop, although they also sell chocolates because they focus on biscuits, cookies, pastries, and Madeleines. Every thing is made by their own hands and sold internationally. I believe that they offer free shipping with orders of 40 euros or more.

The statue of Louis Desaix can be found on the north facade of the Pavilion Rohan which is a wing of the Louvre Palace or museum. He was a captain who eventually became a general who became aquainted with Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy. 

Morris Columns can be found throughout Germany and France. They were invented in Germany but in France, they are called Collone Morris because Gabriel Morris held an advertising concession with the columns when they were first introduced to Paris. Sometimes you can watch the posted advertising rotating inside the columns 

North west of Santa Fe NM.
North west of Santa Fe NM.
Photos of the Rio Grande River Gorge bridge with Farida.

The distance of the bridge from the river is about 600 feet. That distance makes this bridge the 10th highest bridge in USA. If you have watched the movies Natural Born Killers, Twins, and Terminator: Salvation, then you saw this bridge.

You can reach this bridge by driving 10 miles northwest from Taos, New Mexico on highway 64. There is plenty of parking on both sides of the bridge so everyone is able to go walk on the bridge and take photos. It does not get crowded at all, we were there the first week of August and there were only 3 or 4 other parties at the bridge at any one time. It is completely free, unlike many more famous bridges, and there are no gift shops to spoil the pristine nature of the area. It was built around 1965 so it is not an especially old bridge but it is beautiful. It has even won an award or two for its beauty. It looked just like a long span truss arch bridge to me but if you take in the whole of the Rio Grande Gorge, then yes, this is one very beautiful place. 

28th anniversary dinner at La Plazuela Restaurant in La Fonda Hotel, Old Town Santa Fe NM. The appetizer is a rather large scallop on top of a huge meatball made of bison.
It is free access to everyone and wheelchair accessible.

Those big orange rocks and cliffs are sandstone. Hiking through this park is magnificent. It is wheelchair accessible. We are on the west side of Colorado Springs CO. The founder of Colorado Springs, General William Jackson Palmer, urged his friend , Charles Elliott Perkins (the head of Burlington Railroad at the time), to buy some land in this area and settle down here. Mr. Perkins did buy some land and he built a summer home. But the majority of the land was left open as a public open space for the publics' free access. By the time he passed away, he had accumulated almost 500  acres and his sons who inherited the land donated it to the city of Colorado Springs with the stipulation that it will remain open to the public with free access and that liquor would not be sold or consumed in the park, and no buildings would be built within the park unless the buildings had to do with the protection and maintanainance of the land.

At Paravicinis.

Paravicinis is in Old Colorado City. Old Colorado City is between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the world. Long live Paravicinis.

Old Colorado City is between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. Paravicinis is one of the best Italian Bistros in the Colorado Springs area and one of my favorite restaurants. The food is excellent; family recipes, with homemade sauces.  Chef Franco Pisini was featured on the Food Network with his Arancini which is pictured here in this slideshow. FANTASTIC is all I can say about the Arancini. It really is great eating at Paravicinis Italian Bistro and we will eat here every time we visit Colorado Springs. 

The restaurant is very popular with locals so there will often be a wait of 5-15 minutes. Reservations are definitely recommended for dinner. We went for lunch and dinner. We had reservations for dinner but not for lunch. We did not intend to eat lunch there that day but we wanted to drop by before our dinner there so we could ask about gluten free for Farida. After talking to the hostess and a manager about the selections for her, we looked around and decided to just stay there for lunch too since we were told that the wait would be only 5-10 minutes. The photo of the food here is from lunch. The Arancini is just one of the meals that makes Paravicinis Italian Bistro famous.

For dinner. Farida ate Grilled Salmon with Risotto instead of pasta because Risotto is gluten free. I ate the Gnocchi Bolognese. We also had a glass of Rose, hot tea, Pasta e Fagiole soup, and a Spumoni for dessert. This all came to $65.71 and was completely worth it. I did take a photo of our dinner but the photo came to too dark. Every one can google it. 😄😄