After spending most of our time exploring the city of Prague and all her secrets, it was time to leave the city again and explore more of the outside cities that the country was trying to promote for tourism. These spa towns were rich in small museums, beautiful churches, excellent shopping districts and wonderful restaurants (where a lot of the staff spoke perfect English). The views were breathtaking and the historical sites amazing.
We were up again today at 8:00am (groan) and had to be at the train station early to catch our train to Kunta Hora, another small city outside of Prague. I did not have time to research the city so I was not sure what to expect. It was another interesting city with a lot to do.
Passing unusual artwork on the way to the train station
We had to make the train to Kutna Hora at a certain time early in the morning so that we could get there to start our tours of the churches and historical sites. There was no time for breakfast until we got to the station. When we arrived, we were given our instructions, ticket information and then were given about forty-five minutes to get something to eat and then board the train. I started to look around.
Our neighborhood had such interesting buildings
Before we broke for breakfast, I came across a Lego display of the train station and I thought this was very clever. Talk about details. Who ever put this together did a wonderful job because it really did look like the station and the traffic around it.
Lego set at the Train Station
Lego Display at the Train Station
The details on the display were very much real to the way the station appeared. It was something I am not too sure many people noticed as they dashed to their trains and destinations.
I did not want to get too far from where our meeting place was so I looked on the same floor. Most of the places just sold coffee and Danishes but I wanted more. I was starved and breakfast is an important meal to me. That’s when I found Paul, a French bakery similar to the ones I ate at in Paris. The concept was the same and they did have formula meals.
Paul at the Train Station
Breakfast at Paul at Plzenska 344/1 at the Train Station
The breakfast was excellent. I could not believe the quality of the food that was at a train station. I am used to the watered down version of bakery items that we see in the United States when I have eaten at Penn Station or Port Authority with the airy croissant or the tasteless muffins and dealing with it because those were the only options. The baked goods at Paul rivaled anything at the Paris bakeries.
The taste of the breakfast really surprised me as it tasted like the Boulangeries’ that we ate at the week before in Paris and I thought I would not see that again. The Quiche Lorraine was full of pieces of fresh ham along with the creamy eggs and the crust was so flaky and the apricot tart was one of the best pastries on the trip (see review on TripAdvisor). I later wrote on of the most glowing reviews on TripAdvisor and got the nicest response from the manager who was thrilled by the review. I guess you can make a small difference in the world.
The train was particularly packed that morning and we were all over the place regardless of the fact that we had reserved tickets. It would be the same way when we returned. The Czech’s keep it very organized in that when you buy a ticket on the train, you get to book your seat like you would on a plane. It made it so much easier for us.
After being packed in for over an hour, we got to Kutna Hora and took the bus to our first destination in a series of churches we would be visiting that day. Our first stop was the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. John the Baptist in Sedlec. The original church had been built between 1290 and 1320 and then burned to the ground in 1421. It lay in ruins until the early 18th century when it was reconstructed in the High Baroque style by architect Jan Blazej Santini-Aichel (Sedlec pamphlet).
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Kunta Hora
The Roman Catholic Cemetery Church of All Saints with Ossuary is together with the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. John the Baptist, part of the former Cistercian abbey established in 1142 (Sedlec pamphlet).
From the early 1300’s to the late 1400’s almost 40,000 were buried in the cemetery due to famines and disease. When the cemetery was being reduced in the early 1500’s, the bones were deposited to the bottom of the chapel. In the beginning of the 1700’s when Santini-Aichel was making renovations on the church, he created bone decorations and other decorations for the church (Sedlec pamphlet).
The statuary outside the church
When the church was purchased by the Schwarzenberg’s in 1870, they renovated the bone decorations and hired carver Frantisek Rint to complement the décor. He cleaned the decorations and added new ones to the church including the chandelier and the Schwartzberg’s Coat of Arms (Sedlec pamphlet). Since we could not take pictures inside, I took this picture of the bone decorations from their website (Church website).
The bone decorations of the Roman Catholic Cemetery Church of All Saints with Ossuary
The inside of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption was very impressive with its statuary and paintings. We were able to take our time and really explore the church with our tour guide. It did not look like many services were still held in the church and it was more for touring.
The inside of the Church complex where the congregation seems to meet only in the front part of the church.
The tours of the main chapel
While the front part of the church looks like it is still used for services, the back part of the museum looks like it is being used as a museum for pieces of the inside of the church on display. A museum within a church. Exquisite pieces are on display that stand on their own.
One of the church’s altars
The other altar
The wooden carved confession booth
Church statuary
The magnificence ceiling
When we climbed the stairs to the second floor of the church and walked through the upper part of the floor, the church was sponsoring an art exhibition of a contemporary artist. I thought the was an interesting use of the ceiling area of the church. Still being used for services, the church is being repurposed for other events as well.
After visiting both churches and the bone decorations creating quite a discussion amongst our group, we went to visit the third church on our list , the other UNESCO site, St. Barbara’s Cathedral. I have never seen a more beautiful church and I have been to ones all over the world.
St. Barbara’s Cathedral as we approached the church
St. Barbara’s Cathedral from the front
Walking on the side of St. Barbara’s Cathedral
A unique work of peak and late Gothic architecture. It’s construction was started in 1388 by Petr Parler and his workgroup. Construction was interrupted several times and the monumental cathedral was finally completed after more than 500 years of building (Kunta Hora Tourist Information Center).
St. Barbara’s School across the street from the church
The Shrine of St. Barbara’s Cathedral
The church altar
The holy water at the church
The inside of St. Barbara’s pews
In 1905, in some chapels late gothic murals with mining themes are preserved, the most prized can be found in Smisek Chapel (Kutna Hora Tourist Information Center).
The stained glass windows
The beautiful stained glass windows
Paintings on the walls
The detailed paintings of St. Barbara’s Cathedral
Just walking around the church for the afternoon was a treat. I have never seen such beautiful detail on a church before with all the colorful stained glass windows and elegant paintings on the walls. The churches in this town had so many interesting aspects of carvings and painting to them. This is what the silver mining money of this town bought.
The outside of the church was just as beautiful with all the plantings and gardens. The pathways around the church were so nicely landscaped and there was even a small vineyard on the pathway out of the church.
The views from the church is breathtaking
The vineyard by the side of St. Barbara’s
The saints line the walkway by the vineyard
The views from the church’s walkway
The views looking into downtown Kutna Hora were just amazing. The church was the showpiece of the town and it looked like a postcard.
Me at St. Barbara’s second floor of the church. I wanted to remember this beautiful church.
After we left St. Barbara’s, we had the afternoon to ourselves for lunch and touring. This was my escape time and I wanted to explore the town on my own. There were a couple of suggestions of places to eat as we were walking into town but I wanted to explore Downtown Kunta Hora first and see what it had to offer. It is such a great downtown with lovely shops and some great restaurants.
The Kutna Hora Town Square
While some of my classmates toured the city together, I walked to the middle of the downtown where we were meeting to catch the bus home and walked all the side streets of the town. It was such a cute little town. It reminded me of the towns in the Hudson River Valley with their unique architecture and wonderful restaurants. I just wanted to find something different.
The quaint downtown of Kutna Hora
These planters were blooming all over the square
As I explored the side streets and looked at the menus, I did not want to eat pizzas and hamburgers. I wanted a nice meal but something light because we were having our going away dinner this evening in Prague and I did not need a big meal inside me.
I had passed this open doorway on the side street and peeked inside to find an restaurant that had both an inside dining room and an outdoor café. The weather was so beautiful the entire time we were in the Czech Republic, warm and sunny and in the high 70’s it would be fun to eat outside. Plus they had an interesting lunch menu that was reasonable. This is when I found Restaurant Ctyri Sestry at Havlickova Namesti 512.
What a beautiful restaurant with excellent food and service with views of the gardens and the valley as well. I even had a little cat join me for lunch (I think he was a feral cat as he walked away while I was eating my main course). I was seated in the corner table in the garden area and talk about views. I had the most wonderful of the walled garden that surrounded me and of the valley below with its slopes and small villages.
The outdoor dining
The walled gardens
The walled garden
The beauty of the walled garden where I was sitting
4-
The menu of daily specials in which everything looked good.
The menu specials were very creative and were not the ordinary schnitzels and potato dishes I had seen in other restaurants. It was almost a fusion of Italian and French with a little Czech thrown in. I wanted something on the lighter side but still filling because it was still going to be several hours before we had dinner. So I chose the Cream of Broccoli Soup and the Pork Patties with fresh noodles. Everything was not only excellent but so well presented.
My first course was the Cream of Broccoli Soup
The Cream of Broccoli Soup
The Pork Patties with Fresh Noodles in a Soy Sauce
I had this cat sitting right by me in the garden and I was not sure if it was the owner’s cat or just a feral cat hanging around. I was friendly to it but did not encourage it with food. You can never be sure with a cat. The cat looked more like a kitten was looking at me as I was looking at him.
My lunch companion who never left the dining area
When I was done with my lunch, my little dining companion climbed the wall and walked away through the roof and the gardens. He then just disappeared.
After the wonderful lunch was over, I went back down to the downtown area and visited the pastry shop that was around the corner from the restaurant. I had passed it earlier when I was looking for a restaurant to eat at and I wanted to stop back. The pastries in their cases looked delicious. This is where I found the delicious pastries of Cukrarna U Kraba bakery.
Peeking in the window is what attracted me to the bakery
The amazing pastry case
Picking out the pastries I wanted to try
I was not sure what I wanted to try as everything looked so good but I decided on the one on the top right that was a Vanilla Cream filled Glazed Doughnut and the Red Velvet doughnut with a heavy glaze on the bottom right.
More selection to choose from
Indulging in the delicious pastries of the bakery. A Chocolate covered Red Velvet Cake and a Vanilla Cream filled French Cruller. Yum!
Other wonderful items line the shelves
After a wonderful meal and a phenomenal dessert, it was time to visit the merchants that I saw as I was walking around looking for places to eat. there are some wonderful shops in the town with a lot of handmade merchandise.
Visiting the shops
The beautiful handmade porcelains (was cash only)
An excellent gift shop (with hand made cards)
There was even a Justy’s Café Restaurant which I thought was a good sign
It was back to the town square after the relaxing afternoon of lunch and shopping in the town. The town square was just so beautiful to sit in and relax. It was so nice to just sit back and relax and enjoy the beautiful day.
The elegant statue in Town Square
Relaxing under the trees before the trip home
Admiring the town architecture
Admiring the town architecture
Even the stone walls are attractive here
We took the bus back to the train and the train back to Prague and then we walked back to campus when we returned to Prague. The professor gave us two hours to just relax before we left for our farewell dinner which we would be having at a wonderful restaurant in the Old Town section of the city, Manes Restaurant.
We had a Prix Fixe menu and I had settled on the Goat Cheese appetizer and for dinner I had the Asparagus Risotto. For dessert, we had a refreshing Lemon Sorbet. Everything was so elegantly served and the service at the restaurant was flawless. Everyone was so nice to us and we had the back room all to ourselves. Jana joined us on our last night in the city so it made it special for our class as she became part of our group. The menus were very reasonable.
The Appetizer Menu
Tomato and Mozzarella Salad
The Entrée Menu
Asparagus Risotto
The Dessert Menu
Lemon Sorbet with Fresh Fruit
Our Farewell group shot on our last day of class in Prague. I left the next morning for Palermo in Italy for my brother’s wedding.
Our group shot at our farewell dinner our last night in our Prague class
After the wonderful dinner as over, we took one last trip over the Charles Bridge to see the views of the skyline of Prague and one more tour of the Old Town section of the city. Talk about an excellent view of the city at night.
The Charles Bridge at night with the City of Prague behind it.
After our walk on the bridge, we got the other side and everyone went their own ways. I had to head back to the campus to pack and get ready for a long airplane ride to Palermo (with three stopovers and a ten hour layover. Groan!) We all said our goodbyes and went one our ways. What a wonderful night and what a great class. I learned so much from the experience and from the City of Prague. There is so much potential here and I can see a big influx of American tourism in the future.
I could not put a price tag on what I experienced between my Paris and Prague classes. It was a valuable experience that I will remember for the rest of the rest of my life. Now I just have to finish the homework for the class in Italy (I got an “A” in both classes).
Our second day in Prague was a productive one as we started the day visiting the NYU Campus in the Old Town section of Prague. I have to say one thing, the person who invested in real estate for NYU to create the campus was very forward thinking. They knew the neighborhoods to buy in and how trendy they would become. The dorms were in the “Williamsburg” section of Prague that I could see would be a neighborhood of the future as it was in the second stages of becoming ‘hipster’ and the classrooms are right in the middle of the historical section of the city.
Leaving the dorms early in the second morning in Prague.
I could not make up my mind with the pastries the second morning for either the fresh Apricot Cake or the Cream Cake so I had them both. God, the desserts here for breakfast are the best. Everything is made from scratch and made on premise and was still warm when they served it in the morning. I loved coming here for breakfast in the mornings. The courtyard was the best place to eat when the weather was nice.
The Apricot Cake
The pastries and baked goods here are excellent
The Cream Cake at Osada in our dorm complex
After another quick breakfast at the campus, off we went to visit the NYU Campus in Old Town Prague for the morning. We got an early start, so the cable cars were quiet that morning when we took the trip into the heart of Prague.
We arrived at the heart of “Old Town” Prague for a day of touring the main campus, having a meeting with the head of Prague City Tourism, Michel Drobik and then a tour of “Old Town” Prague with a visit to the famous “Astronomical Clock” and then a lecture and lunch at the new Manifesto Market with Senior Marketing Manager, Marc Felton. So, we had a full morning and afternoon planned for our tourism class.
The Prague Cultural Center
The detail of the Prague Cultural Center
The entrance to the Old City next to the Cultural Center
It was a quiet walk through this part of the city this early in the morning. I swear that we were the only people walking around this part of the city. It was like it had not woken up yet. It was like walking in Manhattan in the morning before everyone gets up for work. We had the whole city to ourselves. The restaurants were setting up their outside cafes so we got to see how the city comes to life and prepare itself for the day.
The unusual sculpture in the Old Town district
Old Town architecture
The architecture and decorations on the buildings were breathtaking. The pictures I took did not do this part of the city justice as there were so many beautiful embellishments all over this neighborhood.
The Golden Angel sculpture in Old Town
Old Town Square by the NYU Campus
Town Square by NYU set for lunch time
Town Square by the NYU entrance to campus
The NYU Campus building in Old Town Prague
The beautifully painted ceilings of the NYU Building are from Medieval times.
Waiting for the Astrology Clock performance that is on every hour on the hour.
Our group in front of the Astrology Clock
The Astrology Clock right before the 10:00am performance that has been happening for 600 years in the city of Prague.
After seeing the clock display, we met our tour guide for the afternoon, and she took us on a tour of Old City Hall and then we toured the Astrology Clock from the inside. That was a really interesting tour.
Old City Hall
Old City Hall Seal of the City
Doorway at Old City Hall
Touring Old City Hall with our tour guide
Old City Hall tour
The City Crest
The Old City Hall ceiling
We were then off to tour the Astrology Clock Tower and learn all of its secrets. Some of my classmates took the elevator but the rest of the took the stairs and really explored the tower. I thought the stairs really gave you a birds eye view of the tower and it’s inner workings.
My classmate climbing the stairs up to the tower at the Astronomy Tower
Climbing the stairs at the Astrology Tower
Climbing the stairs at the Astrology Tower
The 600-year-old religious figures at the clock tower
I thought it was fascinating to see the puppets of the saints that moved around. I could not believe these were 600 hundred years old and still worked perfectly. They told us on the tour they have the clock maintained by a master clocksmith who knows the clock well.
The stained-glass windows at the Astrology Tower
Me at the top of the tower
The view from the Astrology Tower
The view of the people at the Astrology Tower
View from the Astrology Tower
After the tour at Old City Hall and at the Astrology Tower, we met with the head of tourism for the city of Prague. He gave a us a presentation on the direction of how Prague wants to see themselves to the outside tourist. I thought they could have done a better job with the presentation because I did not think it showcased it that well.
It could have had more pictures and a better game plan on how to move tourists around the city. There was so much more to see than just Old Town and the Astrology Clock building. They are wonderful but I experienced so much more without even knowing the city.
Our class with Mr. Michel Drobik from the Prague City Tourism Board
Our Group shot with the speaker
I thought the one thing the city was lacking was promoting the city as a whole not just the touristy areas of the city. There are so many great neighborhoods with places to shop and eat and things to do that foreign tourists would like to see. People sometimes want to ‘live among the locals’ and see a city firsthand.
We had been lucky that day in that we got to the clock tower and Old Town early so there were not so many tourists but later on it was elbow to elbow. When we visited the obscure parts of the city with our tour guide, Jana, she took us to regular neighborhoods where the locals live and there was so much to see and do there as well. I think there is more of the city people would want to see and that would become the theme of our final project.
We took another group shot in Old Town before we left for the Manifesto Market
We left the center part of the tourist area after the lecture and talk for a tour and lunch at the Manifesto Market Andel, a gourmet sustainable grouping of restaurants in a market like setting. I have seen concepts lie this in Brooklyn where a grouping of ‘hipster like’ restaurants with seating and really nice visuals like fountains and pools with gardens is the focal point of the visit.
We met with the Senior Marketing Manager who explained the concept to us. After lunch I discovered that the Google and Pfizer headquarters were just down the street near the cable car station so I understood why it was located here.
The inside eating area of Manifesto Market Andel with lounge chairs and pool with fountain
The Senior Marketing Manager talked with our group about the restaurants that they choose for the market complex, the sustainability practices that everyone has and the shared services that the market provides to all of its clients.
Senior Marketing Manager Marc Felton explaining how the Manifesto Market works and the restaurants and services that it provides to the community.
After the talk was over, we all had lunch at the market. I chose to go to Dirty Dog Barbecue, an American barbecue restaurant inside the complex. I had not had good barbecue in awhile and they had a dish called “Triple Sliders”, which was a barbecue pork slider, a hamburger slider and a fried chicken sandwich slider. The food was really good and the place filled up for lunch with a twentyish crowd of customers.
Ordering a slider combination for lunch at Dirty Dog Barbecue
The weather really cooperated that afternoon and it was a clear, blue sky sunny day. It was perfect for eating outside. The only thing about the Market concept that a lot of us questioned is what do they do when it rains or when the cold weather comes. There is no way to cover the complex and there is no proper roof to cover the restaurants. I am not sure how they have worked this out.
When lunch was over, we had the rest of the day to ourselves and everyone dispersed and made their own plans. Our tour guide let me know that the cable cars were just down the street and I could pick them up to head back downtown again. After I finished my lunch, I walked down the street and discovered why the Manifesto Market complex would work so well in this neighborhood.
I passed the modern complex building of several American companies and right at the end of the block was an American style mall right down to the third floor food court that was larger than anything I had seen in the United States lately.
The Google headquarters was a block down from the market
The modern four story Westfield partnered mall at the end of the block.
I felt like I had entered a modern American zone of the city. I decided that since I had some time I wanted to walk into the mall and see what the difference was between this mall and the ones at home. I felt like I had been transported back to Paramus, NJ. It felt so much like home down the people shopping there were dressed like everyone in America. They just spoke a different language and with the diversity now in New Jersey of residents, it was not far off Garden State Plaza near my home.
The food court on the fourth floor was amazing. They had restaurants that I had never heard of before serving all sorts of casual food both in their seating areas and the large communal seating area in the middle of the floor. Who was the most busy? The large McDonald’s both inside the food court and in the first floor outside cafe. I felt like I was home. I have to say one thing is that if I ever move here for school or business, I will never feel homesick.
After I walked the mall and walked around the neighborhood for a bit, with its modern skyscrapers and Americanized businesses, I took the cable car back to Old Town to take a longer tour of the city. I retraced my steps and walked back to the Astronomy Tower which was packed with people later in the afternoon. As a matter of fact, the entire Old Town district was filled with tourists one on top of another.
I watched the clock tower perform again and then took an extensive walk around the entire part of Old Town, touring all the nooks and crannies of the side streets and then walking around “Paris”, a street of fancier designed buildings that housed all the exclusive stores from Paris and New York. Between the architecture and the stores and just coming from Paris, it did look like a Parisian street on the right bank.
Passing the old Opera House
After walking around the city for the rest of the afternoon, I decided to head back to campus. I was not sure what cable car to take and then looked at the map that I had and I decided to walk back to campus and explore the city. That was fun. I did it all at my own pace and stopped where I wanted to stop.
The Old Town Square
Crossing the bridge into the older part of the city
Creative bars at the riverfront
How these tunnels have been reused as bars
The Tunnel bars
The Riverfront from the bridge
Looking from all sides of the Prague riverfront
The statuary by the riverfront in a little park
It was a wonderful way to explore the city. I walked at my own pace and walked down roads and through small parks. I was able to peek into the windows of stores and restaurants taking mental notes when I might be able to come back.
I got to admire beautiful architecture, make detours on the road and just followed my Google Map on my phone that took me things marked on the map. The city seemed quiet that afternoon so I had the sidewalks to myself. It was a interesting walk through the city as I got to explore both the old and new sections of the city and then took a second bridge to the other side of the city back to campus. I must have walked over five miles back to the “Williamsburg” section of the city to the NYU dorms.
Passing artwork in our neighborhood
Passing interesting street art in our neighborhood.
When I came back to our section of the city, I realized how close everything was and the walk was not bad at all. I really got to see parts of the city that tourists usually don’t see or just pass on a bus. I also got to explore more if our part of the city. We really had a unique neighborhood.
The artwork on the buildings
After a long rest in my room, I headed off to dinner at a Chinese restaurant around the corner from our dorm. The neighborhood had some interesting Asian restaurants and I wanted to try a lot of them before we left. We would only have two nights free but I got to try some of the neighborhood spots that I had passed when touring.
The Hunan Chicken with White Rice at Xing Wang was really good.
I was really surprised with dinner. The food was really good but it reminded me more of Americanized Chinese food than something really authentic. I think the concept of Americanized Chinese food is spreading around the globe. Even so, the Hot & Sour Soup was really good and had a nice fire to it from the chiles in the soup. The Hunan Chicken with white rice was also delicious. The service was so friendly too and the owners spoke perfect English which made ordering easier.
After a nice dinner, I walked around the neighborhood again and admired all the buildings and parks. NYU really picked a great neighborhood to put the dorms. It really was a great day of exploring the city and seeing how it has so much to offer not just to tourists but to locals as well.
On a recent trip to the grocery store, I came across an alternative to Hostess Fruit pies, which is one of my biggest weaknesses. JJ’s Bakery out of Erie, PA are now being carried by our local store and I had never seen this brand before. I bought their mini-Cherry Pies as a treat to myself. Talk about delicious with such a rich flavor in the cherries.
JJ’s Bakery Mini Cherry Pies
These flaky little pies are the perfect treat for a snack or after a big meal and you need something sweet. They are filled to the brim with sweet and tart cherries which makes the perfect dessert.
I saw online that they have other varieties of flavors so I will have to look out for them when I visit the store the next time…
On our third day in Prague, we got out of the city to visit the spa town of Karlovy Vary. Our professor wanted to show us tourism sites outside of Prague as a way of furthering our knowledge of the country as well as show us other places that tourists can visit when they are in the Czech Republic.
The entrance to the downtown from the train station is very impressive but old until you get further into the downtown.
We took a train ride out of the city and that was interesting as the train was packed with people both going into the town and leaving the town that day. Getting a seat was an adventure. When we arrived at Karlovy Vary I was not too sure what to expect. What I experienced was a beautiful spa resort town with gorgeous Victorian architecture, excellent restaurants and shops, a extensive history of the spa industry of the area due to the mineral water springs and a whimsical turn of the century luxury hotel right in the center of it all.
Arriving in Downtown Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic
When we first arrived, it was early in the morning. The City was just beginning to wake up and we had the downtown to ourselves. RIght by the train station, the city seemed a bit quiet but when we walked in the entrance to the downtown, I could not tell you how impressed I was with the beauty of Karlovy Vary. The Becherovka bottle statue would be our meeting place at the end of the tour at the end of the day.
The Becherovka Bottle would be our meeting place at the end of the day
The city is row after row of delightful Victorian buildings with the Beaux Arts style looking almost like a wedding cake with all the embellishments.
Touring the picturesque downtown in Karlovy Vary
When we arrived in town, we did not have time to eat breakfast before we left Prague so we stopped at a few places to see what we could find. We came across Coffee Republic, a small funky coffee shop similar to those we see in Greenwich Village and had breakfast.
What a great meal we all had! It was fun to stop and just relax on this glorious morning.
Republica Coffee was our savior that morning
It was just nice to stop and relax. We had a nice time talking to the owners who had very different sodas and desserts on their menu.
The inside of Republica Coffee
The pastry selection in the cases
Their drink selection had a the most unusual and delicious local brands to purchase
I needed my sugar fix for the long day of walking. I had a traditional Honey Cinnamon cake and pear juice drink. Since it was such a nice morning, we were able to sit outside in the outdoor cafe. The cake had layers and layers of goodness.
Now this is a breakfast! Honey Cinnamon Cake and a Classic Pear drink by Cappy
The seating was just like New York with the outdoor seating and over head umbrellas. Since it was so early in the morning when we arrived, we were the only ones in the coffee shop and pretty much kept the staff busy for that part of the morning. People loved it when our group arrived with twelve hungry people all the time.
Sitting outside was fun on a warm sunny day
My classmates that morning chilling out before our full day of touring.
After breakfast was over, our group walked the historical downtown on our way to our tour of the Mineral Baths complex. It was one of the most beautiful downtowns I have ever seen and it put Saratoga to shame.
Starting our downtown tour through the beautiful streets of Karlovy Vary
On our way to the tour of the Mineral Baths of the City of Karlovy Vary, which is what gave the town is point of the map for being a spa town, we winded through the Victorian laden streets admiring all the elegant buildings, pocket parks, fountains and statuary of the city. I fell in love with the area in just the first half hour.
The whole town was built after the Civil War and the start of the Industrial Revolution that followed that era. When King Charles IV discovered that the mineral waters cured the wounds on his leg established a spa here and that was the beginning of the town’s development. The Victorian architecture that is now well protected under historical guidelines was built when German, French, Czech and American tourists came here for treatment after the war.
The streets were lined with interesting independent shops, restaurants and bakeries including surprisingly enough a very popular McDonalds that was always busy. I could not believe how popular McDonald’s was in both France and the Czech Republic! Just shows the power of American cultural influence all over the world. Plus people really like the food.
When we reached the center of the town and discovered the most beautiful garden that had the most unusual feature, a garden that in the landscaping had the day of the week. They must have to change this every day but it was fun to look at.
The day of the week is done in flowers
We got such a kick out it that we had to take a picture
Walking through their downtown is just breathtaking with all the beautiful Victorian gardens,statuary, fountains and gorgeous architecture. One block was better than the other and I do not know if the people living here every get tired of this beautiful town.
All the gardens are so well-maintained
All the buildings look like a wedding cake
I just want to jump in their fountains and splash around
Touring the downtown by the obelisk
With every twist and turn of this
I don’t think there was a bad looking corner of this town.
Our first stop on the tour was going to visiting the Mineral baths and where the water flow was controlled.
The entrance to the building
Touring the flow of the mineral baths
Our class observing the flow of the mineral waters to the baths
Our group seeing how the mineral bath systems work in the building
The model of the mineral water system for the city
Mineral Water buildup
Our class group shot with Dr. K, our professor for the class
Walking through the pipes
The mineral water running through the system
What the mineral water does to products during build up
Our group shot when we were leaving the mineral bath tour of the water system. It was an interesting behind the scenes tour of how the whole system worked.
After the tour, we walked outside where the sunny, blue day was in full blaze. The flowering trees made quite the backdrop to the local Catholic Church. It was such a great day.
The beautiful landscaping accented all the beautiful buildings.
After the tour of the behind-the-scenes workings of the mineral baths, we then took a tour of the Hotel Prezident with its noted doctor, MD Sarova, who explained to us how the spa/wellness visits benefit clients from all over the world. This form of luxury spa treatment has been popular in Karlovy for over a hundred years and in a post-COVID world has found a spot of healing people.
Touring the various spa treatment rooms
The spa terrace used after treatments
This is when I just wanted to stop the tour and check in. I thought this was the perfect way to get better from any ailment. This seemed to me to be the perfect place to detox from all the problems that ailed people. With a view like this I would get better.
The relaxing view from the spa terrace
One toured the whole facility, the doctor sat down with us and explained how treatments worked, that there was a three-week treatment period to work with the body and some of the spa treatments that people used during and while having COVID. It was a fascinating lecture on the use of mineral water treatments, diet and exercise that makes people better.
Then we walked around the town and saw the various building that housed the baths, and it was like going back in time. Some looked like the famous Roman Baths and others looked like post-Civil War Victorian of the Gilded Age. It showed me the importance placed on getting better in an elegant and relaxed environment.
The Roman Baths built during the Victorian Age
The Roman baths in the Victorian Age
The Victorian Spa
The inside of the Victorian spa
In any era, I know that I would get better from a treatment like this. I think it is not just the mineral water and diet but the attitude that needs to change as well. Our approach to handle a situation is also part of the therapy that is given. The doctor had a lot of insights that day.
After our tour of the mineral baths and the spa it was off to the luxury hotel, The Grandhotel Pupp, considered one of the premier hotels in the country. What I liked about this town is that everything is within walking distance of everything else, so it was a quick walk to the hotel through the town.
The waterway in the downtown on our way to the hotel
Us touring the downtown on our way to the hotel
On the way over to the hotel we stopped for a sweet waffle or ‘wafer’ that the Czech Republic is known for in Karlovy Vary.
On the way over to the hotel, we stopped, and the Professor treated us to a waffle or known as a ‘wafer’ cookie that the city was known for. These thin little cookies were really good and very sweet. This was a great treat before lunch.
Guest Relations from the Grandhotel Pupp met us at the front door of the hotel and I was just floored by the luxury of the surroundings. Like the rest of the town, it was Victorian picture-perfect. It was like someone had dropped The Plaza Hotel into a small town. What a gorgeous hotel.
I was struck by just how beautifully decorated each room was and the details on all the features. This was Victorian splendor at its best. When we walked into the lobby, the detail work and molding was something I had not seen in an American hotel.
The Grandeur of the lobby where we met Guest Relations
Our group shot at the Grandhotel Pupp
After the introductions, we started on the tour which continued through the lobby and into the bar area off the lobby in which the staff was setting up for service. They glanced at us as they wiped down glassware that was already sparkling. The whole bar area was set up perfectly. After years in the fast casual dining segment of the business, I was not used to such perfection.
The bar area being set up for service
The bar ceiling
We then walked further inside the room to the Formal Dining Room and got to see the view from the Dining Room into downtown. The room was being set up for dinner that evening.
The Formal Dining Room
The Formal Dining Room set for lunch
The ceiling in the Formal Dining Room
We then moved on to touring a few of the bedrooms. Like in France, we started with the Presidential Suite. It was elegant but not overdone which was nice. It would not intimidate anyone.
The Presidential Bedroom sleeping area
The Living Room
The Bathroom really wowed everyone
We toured two smaller rooms but after seeing all this nothing compared to it. Then we moved to the spa area of the hotel which here was more for Wellness rather than getting over an ailment. We finished the tour on the back terrace where people were outside talking and chatting over drinks.
The Terrace Dining at the Grandhotel Pupp. I just wished we could have stayed over!
After we took a group shot with the Director of Guest Relations, we were off to lunch at Restaurant Diana, which stood above the city on the monorail system called the ‘Funicular’. We got the most amazing view of the city from this point. We took the monorail up the top of the mountain and stopped at a building that looked like one of the old Lodge Hotels in an American National Park.
The amazing views at the top of the mountain should not be missed
Our first stop when we reached the top was Restaurant Diana for lunch. I was not knowing what to expect and what we experienced was an excellent hearty lunch with wonderful service in an beautiful environment.
We sat down in a back table in a sun-drenched dining room and ordered. The waitress could not have been nicer to a large group of people and since it was quiet in the dining room that afternoon, we got a lot of attention. The food and the service were wonderful that afternoon.
The inside of Restaurant Diana
I had the Pan-Fired Pork Cutlets with a side of Bacon Dumplings. The dumplings were rather large and looked and tasted more like a small slice of bread rather than a traditional dumpling either Chinese or Pennsylvanian Dutch. We found out later in the week how they were made but I really enjoyed them, and it was a rather filling meal for a traditional lunch.
The Pan-Fried Pork Cutlet and Bacon Dumplings were delicious that afternoon.
We talked about the hotel tour and all the wonderful things to see in Karlovy Vary over lunch and then afternoon lunch of our tour up the Observation Tower. I could not wait to see the views. All I know was that I was going to take a very long nap when we got back to Prague. This was a heavy lunch.
The views from the tower were breathtaking and you really got to see the City from here. The forests that surrounded the city were just amazing.
Restaurant Diana from the view from the top of the tower
The City with the views of the surrounding forest
More of the surrounding city
The surrounding forest
The city in the distance
After the tour in the Observation Deck, we decided to walk down the hill/ Not the best move when you are wearing topsiders and the path is mostly not paved. It was a treacherous walk down in some spots, but we got back down in one piece. It was a good way of working off lunch.
When we got to the bottom, the Professor let us have the rest of the afternoon to ourselves so we could tour the town. I started to revisit all the streets that we walked down and wanted to see some of the shops and bakeries that looked interesting. I also took my time to admire the architecture in the town squares.
The wedding cake architecture of the buildings
The Repre Bakery at T.G. Masaryka 837/29 is just amazing for Czech pastries!
While walking around on my way back to the train station to meet everyone else I came across Repre, a wonderful bakery featuring the most delicious Czech pastries. What a selection of glazed and cream filled goodies! I could not make a choice on which one I liked so I got two of them. I got a
The excellent selection of pastries that I could not choose from
I was not sure of the names of these delicious desserts but the Chocolate one was filled with Mocha and Whipped Cream topped with a rich milk chocolate sauce and the other one is a glazed doughnut topped with extra thick icing and filled with vanilla and whipped cream.
I chose these two pastries and was in high heaven with each bite. The quality and flavor of these pastries was just excellent, and I could see the women who worked the counter were watching me with a big smile on my face. This is what I love about being an adult and can pay for my own things. You have choices.
After dessert was over, I kept walking back to the liquor bottle that was our meeting point, taking pictures of buildings, parks and fountains. It was just one nice thing to look at after another.
One of the unusual fountains that I came across on my way back to the train station,
Walking around the downtown
We met back at the meeting spot and took one last picture by 5:00pm so that we could take the train back to Prague. From not knowing what to expect to having an absolute ball in Karlovy Vary, I highly recommend this side trip out of the city for a restful and relaxing afternoon of touring and dining.
Another great day of touring! What beautiful weather we had too!
I woke up and the jet leg was not as bad this morning. I guess that day to myself was really helpful. I got all the laundry done, my work emails completed and got a good night’s rest and that was a big help. I woke up refreshed and ready to start touring the great City of Prague. Our Placemaking Tourist class in Prague was much different in perspective than Paris with more emphasis on experiences and less on the food culture (although that did not stop me from taking lots of pictures on food).
I started off with a light breakfast at this wonderful little cafe in the courtyard of the NYU Residence Hall called Cafe Osada, which would become my go to place for breakfast almost every morning we were in Prague. The pastries and the breakfasts were amazing!
Their danishes were always handmade and baked on premise and when you order them first thing in the morning, they were still warm. Everything I had from them during the week was excellent. I wish I could have tried them for lunch or dinner but we were always on the road with touring but still they were a treat at breakfast.
The delicious Cherry Pastry with Pear juice started off my first day of touring
The Cherry Pastry was to die for and it also came in Plum and Apricot
The Scrambled Egg breakfast I really enjoyed and it was visually stunning. Don’t underestimate salad for breakfast. It was delicious!
We started our day with our first (and only thank God) NYU class introducing us to the campus, to the City and to the culture of Praguel led by one of the NYU Prague professor’s and then a talk from the Head of NYU Prague campus. It was a nice way to start the class off.
After that part of the class, we were introduced to Jana Markova, our tour guide extraordinary, who would be our guide for the rest of the week. She had been born and raised in Prague and her family was in the tourism business so she would be our guide to corners of the city. She ran the business “Absolutely Prague”, her own touring company and she did excellent work throughout the whole week and became part of the gang with the students attending the class.
Ms. Jana Markova, the owner of “Absolutely Prague” and our tour guide for the week
After a quick talk from her, we would get our passes for public transportation and off we went touring the city of Prague by cable car. First we would be exploring the Castle District of the city and then part of Old Town and then a site tour of the Hotel. The would be a very nice afternoon with a lot of walking.
Before we left on our tour of Prague for the first day, we had our welcome lunch right down the road from the NYU Prague campus at Holesovicka Kozlovna, a wonderful Czech restaurant that I had passed my first night in Prague. It was a really nice lunch and a good way to get to know some of my classmates. Not everyone from Paris went on to Prague. There were only four of us who continued on from that class.
Restaurant Holesovicka Kozlovna at Delnick 1501/28
Our lunch, a traditional Chicken Schnitzel with Potato Salad
The menu had already been set for us so it did not take that much time to serve us. The food and the service at the restaurant were excellent and everyone enjoyed lunch. It was a little heavy for a long day of touring, but we needed the energy. We were told that the rest of the menu is just as delicious.
We were joined by Jana from Absolute Prague for lunch, and she helped lead all the tours for the rest of the week. She became part of our class, and she was the best! She assisted in leading our group to all our activities and did a wonderful job.
Our group shot at lunch.
Getting to know everyone over lunch
We started by taking the cable car from our hipster neighborhood to the Palace District. I was not sure what to expect but I was blown away by the architecture and the history of the area. The buildings were so amazing, and I liked how an elite community was built around the palace. We were lucky that we had gotten here early in that the streets and walkways are so narrow that it must be tough to maneuver them when at the height of the tourist season.
The cable car system around Prague is amazing. It got us all around the city the entire time in Prague.
The entrance to the Palace District in Prague
The entrance to the Palace District of Prague
Us starting our adventure in the Old Section of Prague.
We walked section by section through the complex passing former homes of elite families of Prague, some of whom still live in these homes. I can’t see people living in such a highly traveled section of the city but in houses that big you can stay away from the foot traffic.
The view of the City from the palace grounds
One of the old homes is now an art gallery
What I loved about this section of the city was the detail work on all the homes, light fixtures on the streets and in the small parks and fountains. You can see the craftsmanship in the stone and metal work that went into building this complex of homes and palaces.
The Castle Square leading to the main building
The light fixture in Palace Square
Statue in one of the squares leading to the Castle.
The Prague Castle
The entrance to the Prague Castle
When we finally arrived at the Prague Castle, the security was all over the place. People were running around taking pictures of the law enforcement protecting the place. We just bypassed them as we continued our tour of the complex, but I have to admit one thing, people seemed very respectful and didn’t pull the stunts that pull at Buckingham Palace by trying to harass the guards. I would not pull that in a foreign country.
Prague Castle was most likely founded in around 880 by Prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty (Přemyslovci). According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 m². A UNESCO World Heritage site, it consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from the remains of Romanesque-style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications of the 14th century. The famous Slovenian architect Josip Plečnik was responsible for extensive renovations in the time of the First Republic (1918-1938). Since the Velvet Revolution, Prague Castle has undergone significant and ongoing repairs and reconstructions (Prague Castle for Visitors-www.hrade.cz).
We then walked through St. Vitus Cathedral where many royal coronations and funerals took place when the palace was still in use by royalty. The stained-glass windows were gorgeous.
The Roman Catholic Church, St. Vitus Cathedral, in the Palace complex
The beautiful stained-glass windows at St. Vitus Cathedral
As we exited the Cathedral, we continued through the complex. The tour guide explained that the gargoyles that adorned the top of the church is something it was known for, and we used to redirect water from the top of the church.
The church as we exited it
The gargoyle on the church is something its famous for
Prague leader Tomas G. Masaryz
Walking around the Palace Square
A fountain in the one of the Palace Squares
Prague Castle Square
As we exited the complex after many stops, our group took a turn and we went on our site visit of the Agustine Hotel, a Marriott property, that is a historic luxury hotel in Prague. The unique architecture and its historic background is a much different Marriott than its more traditional partners.
The front of the Hotel Augustine, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Marriott property at Letenska 12/33 Lesser Town
Our meeting with the head of Guest Relations at the Augustine, A Luxury Collection Hotel
We started out meeting in the bar area off the main lobby of the hotel with the head of Guest Relations talking about business at the hotel and its history. We then proceeded to tour all part of the hotel’s guests’ spaces.
The Front Desk lounge
I love the sculpture throughout the hotel.
The hotel’s Meeting/Banquet area
The hotel’s restaurant dining room
The Terrace restaurant area that was popular that evening
Right off the hotel’s gardens is the Monastery where the monks live who help create
The Sundial Gardens inside the hotel and the Monastery off to the left.
The outside gardens with the monestery in the back
The tour included a visit to the Presidential Suite. This is the living room.
The bedroom of the Presidential Suite
We concluded the tour with a beer tasting in the bar dedicated to American singer, Debbie Harry. The monks of the monastery had been brewers of beer.
The hotel was interesting in its design being part of monastery complex and how it was incorporated into a hospitality complex. I thought the designer of the hotel did an interesting job with it.
Our class group shot outside the hotel with Guest Relations and our tour guide, Jana.
After the tour of the hotel was over, we continued to make our way through the complex and ended up at the Wallenstein Gardens right off the palace grounds. These beautiful gardens were an oasis from all the traffic walking around the complex. These breathtaking gardens were built in 1630 and have continued to inspire people who visit them.
Before we left the Palace complex, we visited the Lennon Wall, named after John Lennon after his assassination in New York City in the 1980’s. This has always been a wall of ever-changing art but was dedicated to the singer as it continues to change today. The artwork and messages change on a daily basis.
The end of the Palace complex on our way out. There was even a McDonald’s just outside the entrance.
After this extensive tour of the Palace and it complexes and grounds, we were on our own again for the rest of the evening and we all went off to do other things in the city. I went to campus and walked around our ‘happening’ neighborhood to find a place to eat.
I ate at Pizza Bistro Gallo Nero right around the corner from campus, a small pizzeria I had passed on my first night in Prague. All the pizzas coming outside to guests looked really good. It was such a beautiful night and the perfect night to eat outside. The pizza was fantastic, and I really enjoyed my dinner.
The outside seating of the Pizza Bistro Gallo Nero where I had my dinner that night.
I ordered a wood-oven fired pizza with Cherry Tomatoes and Parma Ham and it was excellent. The flavors combined so nicely, and the ingredients were so fresh. They loaded the toppings on the top of the pizza and the complexity of the flavors were in every bite.
The Parma Ham and Cherry Tomato pizza was delicious.
After dinner I got to talk to the pizza chef and asked if he was Italy. He told me in his broken Czech that he was born and raised in Prague, and he seemed to be happy that I thought he was Italian. I told him the pizza was excellent. I think I made his night.
I walked around our “Williamsburg” neighborhood that evening, exploring all the bars, restaurants and art galleries. It was too bad that we had things planned the next few nights as there were concerts planned and an art gallery exhibition the next evening. For the next time.
For our last full day in Paris, our last tour concept “Restaurants in Hotels” we would be visiting the Park Hyatt Paris, one of the gems of Hyatt International and lunch in Cafe Jeanne, one of the hotel’s casual restaurants.
We were lucky in that we got up later this morning than the other mornings because the morning was going to start with a walking tour of the Paris Opera House. I was not exactly thrilled by this and held off buying my ticket before I got there. There was no problem buying a ticket as they were sold at the box office it’s just that Galeries Lafayette was one block in the distance and I really wanted to see the store. I am glad that I went against this judgement because the self-guided tour was so outstanding. The building is truly beautiful.
The entrance to the Paris Opera House-Palais Garnier at Place de l’Opera
I can not describe the splendor of this building and the beauty of each detail of each room. This was a building that was meant to last the ages and meant to impress the people who attended the performances. Between the statuary, the gilding and the paintings on the walls and ceilings, the people who attended these performances were in a space that was meant to impress.
The entrance of the Opera House
The staircase at the entrance
The staircase at the Opera House
The opera was constructed in what Charles Garnier is said to have told the Empress Eugenie was “Napoleon III” style. The Napoleon III style was highly eclectic, and borrowed from many historical sources; the opera house included elements from the Baroque, the classicism of Palladio and Renaissance architecture blended together. These were combined with axial symmetry and modern techniques and materials, including the use of an iron framework, which had been pioneered in other Napoleon III buildings (Wiki).
The balcony
The ceiling at the entrance
The stairs and the ceiling
The self guided tour progressed to the second floor of the Opera House and the crowds kept growing. This is a very popular site to visit and I suggest getting there first thing in the morning for good picture taking.
The young woman modeling on the steps that morning
The second floor hallway
The second floor hallway
The second floor hallway
The details of the building continued on the second floor as I walked the hallways and the private rooms. There was even a small museum on the second floor with pictures, scripts, paintings of the stars and conductors who performed here and costumes. In the upstairs hallway, there was a display of the costumes of the ballet “Swan Lake”.
The “Swan Lake” costumes
A costume from the ballet “Swan Lake”
The museum was really interesting and had lots of information on the building and the shows performed here.
The museum
The second floor chandelier
The second floor hallway
The second floor ceiling
The second floor hallway
Performers and conductors got their praise here
The last part of the guided tour was the orchestra and stage area which was closed off as they were setting up for a performance. We were able to look in from the sides to see the grandeur of the seating area.
The seating area
The ceiling of the orchestra seating area
Exiting the Opera House
Exiting the Opera House
When I left the building, these two faces stared at me as I left. The symbols that I see in many theaters. There was a wonderful gift shop at the end of the tour and it is worth visiting when you finish the tour. We all met outside on the beautiful sunny, warm Spring day. As soon as we collected everyone from our group, it was off to the site inspection tour of the Hyatt Park Regency Paris and lunch at Cafe Jeanne, the casual restaurant in the lobby. It was would be an eye opening experience for me being a former Hyatt executive. Let me put it this way, the Hyatt Regency Monterey looked nothing like this hotel.
We got such a warm welcome from Guest Services Manager , Chloe, who was our tour guide for the hotel. It was such an excellent and through tour of the Park Hyatt Paris that I felt like I was a member of the team. She was so welcoming to our Graduate Class and was so upbeat I was impressed from the start. What was interesting about the tour is Chloe told us that since it is an American hotel, everything must be done in English including emails. Everyone on the staff was Biligual and that the hotel was very popular with American tourists.
We started with a tour of the public rooms, hallways and the kitchen. Then we toured the restaurants, learned about the menus and had a wonderful talk with the chef. We toured both the restaurants that were open for the day and closed for lunch service.
The Lobby of the Park Hyatt Paris
The Lobby
The first part of the tour after touring the lobby and it’s beautiful furnishings, then we toured the open kitchen and the back of the house rooms for Banquets, the Employee cafeteria and back rooms.
The open kitchen with everyone getting ready for service
I got to stop and talk with the chef, who could not have been nicer and was fluent in both French and English. I found him to be a very nice guy in the short amount of time we got to talk.
We got to tour the first of the restaurants. Pur’, that was closed for lunch. The staff in the kitchen was preparing for the meals and preparing lunch service for the other outlets. The kitchen was as clean as a whistle and that shows the sign of people who care.
The restaurant was gorgeous and so beautifully decorated. It looked nothing like the restaurant we had at the Hyatt Regency Monterey except I have to admit our views of the golf course were spectacular. The eye and the attention to detail were top notch.
Then we were off to the explore the rooms. This is where the hotel truly shines. The rooms were so beautifully decorated and elegant but contemporary in their feel. This was five star without feeling fussy or over-done. Chloe impressed us with the Imperial Suite, the Hyatt’s take on the Presidential Suite. It was a large suite with several rooms including a massive bathroom, office space, large bedroom and dressing room and a connection to another room if needed. I would not have minded staying here.
The Imperial Suite Living Room
The Living Room in the Imperial Suite
The bathroom in the Imperial Suite
The bathroom in the Imperial Suite
The office in the Imperial Suite
Us touring the Imperial Suite
The bathroom in the Imperial Suite
The view from the Imperial Suite
After a tour of a smaller room, which was just as impressive but on a less grander scale, we headed back down to the lobby for a tour and lunch at Cafe Jeanne. That was very impressive. The Food & Beverage Manager came out to great us along with the Restaurant Manager. One thing I noticed about the management team at the Hyatt, they were all young under 30 years old and very good looking and well groomed. Not that we weren’t but we were an older staff at our hotel in the States.
Cafe Jeanne was located in the lobby of the hotel and had a very contemporary but casual feel to it. The two restaurants located here were both Cafe Jeanne and the
The food at Cafe Jeanne was excellent. It was plain bistro food that you would get at cafes in Paris but one notch up. The service was flawless and I could not believe the amount of staff they had running the place. When I ran the restaurant at my Hyatt, it was myself, two waiters, two cooks and a part time host. The server to guest ratio here was double that.
The artwork in Cafe Jeanne
At first they gave us a Prix Fixe with a lot of options that did not like but I think after meeting all of us, the chef let us order off the regular menu. That was something that I appreciated and enjoyed (Please see my review on TripAdvisor).
The menu at Cafe Jeanne
The menu at Cafe Jeanne. It was nice when they let us order off the full menu.
The meal was wonderful and so nicely prepared and served. I ordered a Croque Monsieur with a side of frites and a Coke. Everything about that sandwich was top notch.
The start of my meal
The freshly baked bread was amazing
The Croque Monsieur and frites for lunch
The Croque Monsieur according to the Food & Beverage Manager was based on the ones the chef was served as a child. It was spectacular.
Even the French Fries were perfectly prepared and served with elegance
What was nice was that both the Restaurant Manager and the Food & Beverage Manager stopped by to check on us and welcome us. I have to say that the staff here could not have been more friendly and welcoming to us. Lunch was excellent and we really had a nice time.
After lunch was over, we toured the rest of the hotel’s public areas and then said goodbye to Chloe and thanked her for a wonderful afternoon and tour. It is such a beautiful hotel and I can see why Hyatt takes such pride in it.
The hallway when we exited the hotel
The lobby of the Park Hyatt Vendrome
The detail of their public bathrooms right by Cafe Jeanne
The statue by the entrance of the Park Hyatt Paris
Our group shot with Guest Manager, Chloe of the Park Hyatt Paris
After the tour and that wonderful lunch, we continued to tour around the neighborhood. While we were touring our professor stopped at the Ritz Hotel Paris to see if we could confirm a tour of the hotel. Claudia, the Guest Relations Manager, another beautiful young French woman, came to greet us and take us on a tour of the Ritz Paris. Talk about contrasts in luxury. The Ritz is true old world luxury at its best.
We were only able to take a limited tour because they had a major wedding going on but Claudia took the time to take us through the restaurant outlets, the pubic areas and the shopping area called the “Hallway of Temptation”. The stores were amazing.
The Ritz Lobby and Terrace Restaurant
The lobby was old world luxury at its best. All the beautiful stonework and antiques in the lobby had an old world charm to it. This was the hotel many hotels after the Civil War emulated in major cities across the United States.
The “Champagne Tea” at the Ritz Hotel
We passed many of the Ritz’s restaurants but they were full and I did not want to look like the tacky tourist taking so many pictures so I took them of the ones that were not so crowded. It was tough as it was during the late lunch hour.
Here Claudia explained that at the Ritz, tea is not the emphasis but Champagne with the desserts is most popular. Here we see the champagne on ice in the front with the luscious pastries on the table. I would have liked to try that.
The Zodiac Bar at the Ritz Hotel Paris
The Zodiac Bar was at the end of the hall and was closed for the afternoon but we still got to glimpse of the beauty of the room. We did get to see the bar where Hemingway spent his time when he was at the Ritz but it was closed and Claudia asked us not to take pictures and we respected that. It is a tiny bar off the hallway and I did not think was as impressive as the other outlets in the hotel.
Our last stop before we left the Ritz Hotel was for Madeline’s at the Ritz Bakery. I did not know the hotel had this bakery but looking at the selection and the prices (which was three Euros per Madeline, I was not leaving without having one. I had three. One dipped in Chocolate, one filled with Lemon and another was a Caramel Cinnamon. I think that lasted one block before I ate all three of them.
Do not miss the delicious pastries and madelines here. They are well worth the money spent and are a real treat.
After we said goodbye to Claudia and thanked her for the wonderful visit, it was off to NYU Paris to present our project presentations. I had worked until 2:00am in the morning to get my powerpoint done correctly, get all my pictures and reviews downloaded and made my points on my tour of the specialty gourmet shops, bakeries and chocolatiers and then gave it my all. What annoyed me was that my classmates slapped together these lame presentations that looked like they had been done at the last minute and in some cases were and they were pretty bad in my opinion. This what annoyed me about the class, some of my classmates thought this was some type of vacation.
The pride and joy of my presentation: The group shot at the Statue of Liberty in Le Jardin du Luxembourg. Just what I wanted to represent the tour.
We spent the afternoon seeing each other’s Powerpoints and at least Bryan and Juan tried. The rest of them didn’t even put in any effort and Blaine, our film student didn’t even bother. He just showed a picture of the Eiffel Tower and explained his experience. This told me a lot about my classmates. At least I know that I put in the effort.
After we finished our Powerpoints, it was time for one final group shot that we took at the NYU Paris stairs. That was the last official shot we took as a class.
Our last official shot at the NYU Paris campus
After we left NYU, it was time for our Farewell dinner and my professor chose La Petite Periguordine at 39 Rue des Ecoles, near the Sorbonne University in the Latin Quarter. This was a typical French Bistro in every sense starting with the waiter who claimed he did not know English that well but talked like he was from Chicago. He had a Midwestern accent when he spoke English.
La Petite Perigourdine at 39 Rue des Ecoles 5th Arrd. was where we had our Farewell Dinner
It was a nice dinner but I did not think it our best. We had hit our budget so the choices on the menu that we had were limited. I had the Roast Chicken, which ended up being a leg and thigh, not my favorite part of the chicken but it was still good. We started off with a selection of Meat & Cheeses on trays with baskets of bread and for dessert I had the Grand Marnier Souffle. I had not had a souffle in so long and it was delicious.
Us waiting outside the restaurant for our table
The meal went by very nicely and we had a lot of laughs about the week. It had gone by so fast. I was leaving for Prague the next day so I was gone but most people were staying the extra day and they had planned a picnic for the next night on the green on campus. Some students were leaving to go to other countries and four of us were moving on to Prague for the next class.
My meal that evening:
The Meat & Pate Trays
The wonderrful bread we were spoiled with on our trip
The Roast Chicken was good but not great
The souffle was the best
After dinner was over (the waiter tried to push us along because he had another group coming in (and my professor told him we would leave when we were ready) and after my professor gave his farewell speech to us we left to explore the Latin Quarter for a bit before going back to the dorms. It was the end of a really great week experience in Paris. I guess I had been nervous for nothing.
Exploring the Latin Quarter after dinner
My class in Paris had been a real eye opener about culture, food, people, language and having an understanding on how people outside the United States live and their approach to life. It is a slower, more appreciative look at life that the French have about everyday experiences and they way they handle day to day living. I am not saying that everyone in Paris lives the same way but there is a behavior and routine that works for them.
I learned a lot about French living and I could handle it for a while. It was a great week!
Me leading the Culinary Retail tour with a group shot in front of Lady Liberty in Le Jardin de Luxembourg Park on May 24th, 2023
Well today I lead my tour on the ‘Gourmet Retail Shops and Stores’ in the Saint Germain section of Paris on the Left Bank of the city. This is one of the best and unique shopping areas in Paris with all sorts of quaint and quirky independently owned and operated shops with some of the most innovative concepts that I have seen in a while. I really had to do my homework and learn this neighborhood online as best as I could considering that I had never been to Paris before. It took a lot of time to research these stores and see when they were open. I prayed to God every night that we would have perfect weather for the walking tour and my prayers were answered. It was a gorgeous clear and sunny day and the temperature hovered around 67 degrees. What a day to walk!
We started our day at the Cafe Cercle Luxembourg at 1 Rue Gay Lussac right on the northern section of the Le Jardin de Luxembourg and it had a beautiful view on the park. I had planned something else but was pleasantly surprised by the food and the service. When I asked my professor later on why he chose this place was because “the door was open and we walked inside.” It’s an interesting way to choose a restaurant.
The waiter was not prepared for twelve people to enter the dining room at once considering there was only three small tables in the restaurant but like all the French waiters I met on this trip handled it like a pro. They had an “English Formula” breakfast that consisted of Orange Juice, a Croissant, a Hot Beverage (I chose Hot Chocolate) and two fried eggs with ham. Even though the croissant were slightly better the day before, the breakfast was wonderful and it was a great way to start the tour. The waiter started to kid around with some of the women at the table and it was said by more than one person commented that they liked them speaking English with a French accent.
The inside of Cafe Cercle Luxembourg that morning
the entrance of Cafe Cercle Luxembourg
The start to the perfect “English Breakfast”
The Ham and Eggs were so good that morning
There is nothing like a great breakfast to start the day
After breakfast was over, we walked a few blocks and visited the Pantheon which was right around the corner from the restaurant. This was perfect because most of the stores did not open until 10:30am and it would give us a chance to see more of the city. The Pantheon is located in the center of the “Latin Quarter” of Paris atop the Montagne Sainte-Genevieve in the center of the Place du Pantheon (Wiki/Tour guide).
The Pantheon has originally had been built as a church between 1758 and 1790 and was designed by architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot for King Louis XV of France. The king has hoped to dedicate the church to Saint Genevieve. With the outbreak of the French Revolution, the king did not live long enough to see its completion and over the years it had many uses. It is now used as a mausoleum and religious services. It is also a major tourist attraction (Wiki).
Entering the Pantheon
I was impressed by the architecture and by the statuary all over the building. This was a church that was meant to last the centuries which it has. I wonder if Louis XV ever realized what it’s future would be almost three hundred years in the future. In each of the corners, there are amazing details to the building. Since we had plenty of time, I just walked the entire building and enjoyed it.
The inside of the Pantheon
After we left the building, our professor explained the significance of the building in film as the steps were used in the film “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen when Owen Wilson kept being picked up by the carriage. I had not even thought of that.
The ‘Midnight in Paris’ steps at the Pantheon
Then around the corner was the small park and restaurant used in the TV show “Emily in Paris”. I would not have known that since I have never seen the show. What I love about Paris so much is the small parks tucked into neighborhoods and the tiny restaurants and shops that dot them.
You see this only in certain sections of New York City and like Paris, mostly the older sections. It was such a beautiful little park. Right across from the park where the restaurant is located where her chef boyfriend worked. It really is a great little neighborhood.
“Emily in Paris” Park: Place de L’Estrapade
“Emily in Paris” Restaurant: Ristorante Terra Nera
The “Emily in Paris” trailer-you will see these sites
It was then off to La Jardin du Luxembourg to start my “Culinary Gourmet Stops and Store” with my class. I was really nervous. I knew what I wanted to do and the stores and restaurants that I wanted to visit but my professor wanted me to change the tour and flip it so that we started the tour at the gardens and ended at Bon Marche Department Store instead of starting with Breakfast at Bon Marché’s Gourmet Department. I was scared because I had planned and rehearsed the locations that other day (we would get lost twice).
The entrance to the fountains at Le Jardin du Luxembourg
We started the walk in Le Jardin du Luxembourg, which to has to be the most beautiful park in Paris. It is a place that I would want to meet Audrey Hepburn for a stroll. It had been a former estate and palace that was now one of the most beautiful parks in central Paris.
Situated on the border between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, inspired by the Boboli Gardens in Florence, were created upon the initiative of Queen Marie de Medici in 1612. The gardens, which cover 25 hectares of land, are split into French gardens and English gardens. Between the two, lies a geometric forest and a large pond (Paris Tourism Office).
I can not tell you how in awe at the beauty I was of this park. It was more gorgeous than the pictures I had seen online. The fountains and the statuary and then of course the beautiful palace that was in the middle of the park. This blew Central Park away in a heartbeat and I still consider it one of the most wonderful parks in the world.
The beauty of the park was seen that morning by the palace in the park
The park had such amazing places to take pictures
The park is where I had originally wanted to end the tour with a picnic lunch from two of the cafes I had researched online. This was now the starting point after the wonderful breakfast and the tour of the Pantheon and the “Emily in Paris” sites. It is great when things work out in the end because it left us plenty of time to relax in the park and take our time taking pictures. Everyone in my class was floored by the beauty of the park as well as I was that morning. The pictures online do not do the park justice.
Our starting point in the park that morning was the Statue of Liberty located at the west side of the park. This statue I found out later on in my research is a copy of the original that has since been moved to a museum because of its age and maintenance but the statue has stood in the park since the original was created back in the late 1800’s.
The copy of the original “Liberty Enlightening the World”
This version of the statue was created for the Exposition Universelle of 1900 by sculptor Frederic Bartholdi of the original “Liberty Enlightening the World”-The Statue of Liberty. It was cast in 1889 and he then donated it to the Musee du Luxembourg. In 1906, the statue was placed outside the museum in the La Jardin du Luxembourg where it stood until 2011. In 2012, it was moved to the entrance hall of the Musee d’Orsay after it’s conservation and the statue we saw is a replica (Wiki).
This is where I wanted our group shot to be but we ended up having it at the beginning of the tour. With everyone in awe of the park and the beautiful weather on my side, I knew it would be a successful tour. I only got us lost twice (my Google Maps went down when my Internet service gave) but isn’t that the fun of a city like Paris? To get lost and see other wonderful things? It worked to my advantage as we were able to spend a bit more time at some stores and pass by others that had not been on the list. I learned a lot from the experience.
Our group shot at the Statue of Liberty in La Jardin du Luxembourg
After we left the park and all our picture taking, we started the door. The first time I took the wrong direction is when we left the park. They were landscaping the exit that I had planned right next to the statue and we had to go out of the southern entrance of the park. This is when we got lost for the first time. Google Maps was working fine and I got us on track immediately. We started the tour on the Rue de Fleurus with stops at Cafe Fleurus and Bread & Roses, two wonderful bakery/cafes right next to the park and two wonderful places to go to lunch.
Because it was so early, Cafe Fleurus was just opening up for a late breakfast/early lunch and we were able to take a peek inside this wonderful little cafe. This was one of the two places that I had suggested for lunch that afternoon for a picnic in the park. The food was highly rated on both TripAdvisor and Google and their pictures online were just amazing. The food looked so good and it was a small but very nice looking restaurant.
The Cafe was just getting really busy with people coming in for a late breakfast when we passed by so it was tough to get inside
The second bakery/cafe we stopped by that morning and my second suggestion for lunch for the original tour was Bread & Roses Cafe, another wonderful cafe just down the block from Cafe Fleurus. This delightful cafe was small also and is more for take out. This was another wonderful choice that had been recommended for planning a picnic in the park. I could see why with all the wonderful choices and the mouth watering pastries on display. There was a lot to choose from.
Bread & Roses Cafe at 7 Rue de Fleurus was also opening up for the day but their bakery section is opened early for takeout. Don’t miss their delicious pastries.
I led a quick tour inside the bakery section of the restaurant where the pastries were on full display. I was going to have the group stop but the bakery was getting really busy and I did not want to bug the staff with the lines that were there. Still it is place that I want to revisit again on my next trip to Paris.
The selection at Bread & Roses Cafe and the lines of people buying their delicious food
The selection at Bread & Roses. I was able to sneak a picture in of their savories in between the crowds.
The delicious bakery products were flying out of the store that morning they were so busy.
Even though we had just eaten breakfast and was still stuffed, I wanted to buy a few things here but I figured I would get back at another time. I will have to wait until that next trip to Paris to sample the delicious treats here. The sandwiches looked wonderful and their selection of beverages would have made the perfect lunch in the park.
We went on to our next and most popular location, Bakery Thévenin Saint Placide at 5 Rue Notre Dame des Champs, a excellent bakery at the corner of an intersection of Rue de Rennes and the Rue Notre Dame des Champs right off the Rue de Fleurs. It was a major intersection of many roads and the subway stop and came highly recommended on Google, TripAdvisor and the “Les Frenchies” videos as the “Best in Paris” for their croissants. I swear, no one was lying about that.
Bakery Thévenin Saint Placide at 5 Rue Notre Dame des Champs
When I talked about Bakery Thevenin Saint Placide (there was another branch closer to campus that I ate at the last day in Paris), I explained to everyone that these were voted the best croissant in Paris and that we had to try them. No one seemed to believe me so I said “If anyone wants to try them they are on me.” That got everyone into the store.
The inside of the Bakery Thevenin
I explained to the sales people at the bakery who we were and that we were NYU students on a Culinary Tour. I explained to the three women that I had read that they were the best croissant in Paris. She replied in perfect American English, “They are the best in the whole city. You have to try them.” I proceeded to buy seven of them for everyone who wanted to try them and then all three women started to talk to me in English about the bakery. The croissant (in both locations) were the best that I had when I was in Paris.
The wonderful selection of baked goods at Bakery Thevenin
Everything else in the case looked amazing as well including all the pastries and the sandwiches. One of the women in my group commented she wished we could have had breakfast there. I agreed and said we probably would have loved it. The staff was so excited that we came to visit.
To any doubters, they were the best croissant I ate in Paris!
From here I got us lost for the second time by walking up the Rue de Rennes instead of the Rue Saint Placide and then we had to double back. It is hard to control a crowd of eleven people some of whom are walking so fast ahead that they are missing most of the talk. Even Blaine did not have these problems even with the changes to his program but he did not have as many stops as I did.
We finally turned around and we walked up the Rue Saint Placide to make our next stop, the wonderful little pastry shop L’Etoile du Berger at 56 Rue Saint Placide. Since I had just filled everyone up with croissant at Bakery Thevenin, I just showed everyone the colorful pastries and the merchandising concepts of the pâtissiers’ of Paris. Each one of these unique shops beautifully displayed their products so nicely.
The beautifully displayed desserts at L’Etoile du Berger looked mouthwatering
Our next stop was supposed to be Le Cafe Pierre Herme but we had already had been to the other store the previous day and they were so rude to us, I just skipped it. We had already seen their concept anyway and tried the pastries in the other branch. There was nothing wrong with the pastries but the service. Oh God!
Cafe Pierre Herme Paris at 43 Rue Saint Placide we by passed
I made another wrong turn and we missed La Maison du Mochi, a Asian rice inspired dessert concept but we were beginning to run a bit late and we did not want to double back to the store. Maybe the next time I am in Paris.
La Maison de Mochi at 39 Rue du Cherchi-Midi we missed because we were now on a time budget but their reputation was excellent online.
We continued up the road and stopped next at La Meringaie Cherche-Midi at 41 Rue de Cherchi-Midi and I stopped in to talk to the woman working at the counter. I again spoke in French to her asking her if we could come in and look around.
La Meringaie Cherchi-Midi at 41 Rue de Cherchi-Midi
She only spoke French and let us come in. A couple of people came in to look around and I bought a bag of merianges to take out of the store so that we could sample them. I knew it would be tough on her to help us. She looked like she appreciated the sale.
The meringues were packaged so beautifully and there was a variety to choose from. I got a bag with raspberry crystals on them and passed them out to everyone. The group seemed to enjoy them. We would finish munching on them on the boat ride later that afternoon.
The beautifully arranged candies and treats on the shelves of La Meringaie Cherchi-Midi
Our next stop at the end of the block was Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse, a high end chocolate shop created by famous French chef Alain Ducasse 47 Rue du Cherchi-Midi. This is an extremely tiny store and we were only able to go in a few at a time but the store could not have been nicer and more generous to us.
Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse at 47 Rue du Cherchi-Midi
I explained to the woman who was working the counter that we were a group of students from NYU and I had not even finished the sentence when she said in perfect English, “Please have everyone come in and try a sample of the chocolates.” What a nice invitation from her and everyone in the group stopped inside and she gave each person a sample cube of the chocolate, which was very generous of the store since one piece is so expensive. They have me as a customer now.
The beautiful display of product at Alain Ducasse
The mild chocolate sample that I tasted was smooth tasting and was delicious. Since everyone got a taste and more people walked in the door after us, she got busy with them and I decided to head to the next store. Still I was able to look over their displays and they treat their product like a jewel in a jewelry shop. With such care and refinement.
The wonderful products at the chocolate shop
After everyone left the store very content after the light snack, we walked to the next store Mille & Un to look at their beautiful displays.
My classmate, Blaine in front of Millet & Un at 32 Rue Saint Placide
The wonderful sandwiches and quiches at Mille & Un
The bakery products like the other stores in the area were very impressive and I could see by this point in the morning, my classmates were getting hungry for more than samples and stopped in to get some baked goods. When I walked in, I was really impressed by the selection of baked goods and the way the products were displayed. I had to hurry everyone along as we had to head to the next store. Everyone was walking out with bags of pastries when we visited the next spot.
The delicious baked goods at Mille & Un
Our next store just down the block was Fruttini by MO and had another wonderful visit. This one was rather strange and proved to me that the Parisians like to test you. I stopped in and the talked to the woman behind the counter. I explained to her in my broken French that I was leading a group of students from NYU on a Culinary Walking Tour and could we come into her shop for a visit. She explained that she did not speak much English and I in return explained the same thing but with French and continued to talk in French.
The fun little dessert shop Fruttini by MO at 24 Rue de Saint Placide
I asked people if they wanted to try a dessert on me and that I wanted to treat who ever wanted to try something for a snack. That in turn had the whole conversation in English from then on. She really tested me but she and her partner were the highlight of the visit. One of the owners who pretended to give me a hard time Marie-Laure Pollet and her partner in the business, Olivia Berdah could not have been nicer to everyone and joined us for dessert and pictures.
Owner Marie-Laure Pollet talking to our class and taking our orders for dessert
The beautiful display of fruit and ices at Fruttini by MO
We sampled the Passion Fruit ice, the Banana ice and the Strawberry Fruit ice and they were very cleverly scooped out of the fruit, mixed with the ingredients and then put back very carefully in the fruit shell and frozen and then put on display. It was very different from desserts that I had seen before. The quality and the amount of time these ladies put into their product is just amazing. The displays were so unique.
Where the magic happens at Fruttini by MO
Two of my classmates with co-owner Olivia Berdah after having the Banana Ice dessert
My professor and classmate Blaine sampling the delicious desserts
The co-owners Marie-Laure Pollet and Olivia Berdah could not have been nicer to us and more generous with their time. They were both the highlight of the tour and I could not have been more appreciate of their kindness.
We had such a great visit with the owners of the store!
The “Les Frenchies” video that the ladies were talking about when I visited on their store
After the great visit and enjoying our wonderful desserts with the owners of the store, it was time to go to the last two stores. Our next stop up the block was Maison Paries at 9 Rue Saint Placide and I knew at this point, I was starting to lose the class as they were tiring of seeing so many bakery and pastry shops and wanted to head off to their lunches and take a break.
So we made a quick visit of it and looked at the displays of the store. No one was in the front of the store to talk to so we just popped our heads in the store and went to the last store before we got to The Bon Marche.
The selection of candies at the store
The selection of baked goods at Maison Paries
The wonderful chocolates at Maison Paries
We were beginning to run low on time before we got to The Bon Marche for our tour of the Gourmet Department so we had to bypass our last stop, a wonderful little chocolate shop Les Chocolats Yves Thuriès at 3 Rue Saint Placide.
Our last stop on the walking tour and one of my favorites that I had wanted to see for a long time was The Bon Marche, one of France’s leading department stores and home to one of the best gourmet grocery departments in the industry. La Grande Épicerie de Paris is the food hall at Bon Marche and was specially built to house the all the delicious foods and drinks in the department and on the upper floors all the houseware and decorative items of the store to complete your gourmet kitchen.
This is where I ended the tour for the afternoon. The store was crazy with customers as lunch hour in Paris was in full swing and everyone was coming into the store to buy their lunch for takeout.
I just concentrated on the very front of the store and told my group of the history of the store and how the department store built this particular section of the store because the department had outgrown its original department in the main store. We just walked around the entrance and the bakery and part of the grocery department because I had seen that everyone had had enough of the bakeries, dessert places and chocolate shops and wanted to get on with their lunch as well. I told everyone that this was a wonderful place to eat and they were now on their own for an hour before our boat ride. Everyone scattered to do what they wanted. I went into the store to explore the department more and have my lunch. What an amazing store!
The Bon Marche is nothing like its American counterparts, who got rid of the gourmet departments back in the early 1990’s during the recession. Macy’s and Bloomingdales led the way with their departments starting in the early 1970’s when both stores were renovated and Dayton-Hudson and Marshall Fields also once upon a time had wonderful departments as well. All of this ended in the 1990-1995 recession which between the buyout of American Department Stores by Campeau and the money crunch, the stores closed down departments with marginal profits.
At European stores like Bon Marche, it is part of the culture. This is part of the city grocery shopping experience. This department is not all gourmet foods but fancy grocery items that can be used in everyday cooking. It is a place you can shop for the weeks groceries but you would have to spend a bit more plus it is great for the tourist. Once department was more picturesque than the other.
The Bon Marche Petit Cafe where we ended the tour is perfect for coffee
The Bon Marche Prepared Foods Department where I started to look around for lunch options
The Bon Marche Fruit and Vegetable Department is colorful and well-organized
The Bon Marche Meat Department has its own butchers working cutting the meat in front of you
The Bon Marche Grocery Department
The Pasta Department at Bon Marche is extensive
The Deli Department at Bon Marche where you can get sandwiches
The Bakery Department where I eyed lunch
The Bon Marche Bread Department
The other Prepared Foods Department
The Bon Marche Cheese Department
Buying my lunch at La Cuisine was a tough choice
I had seen Anton Dupont eating the Croque Monsieur in the “Les Frenchies” video and I had to have that for lunch. They also warmed it up for me as well.
“Les Frenchies” Best Sandwiches in the winter-My inspiration for the stop
I went to the Bon Marche Bakery Department for dessert
I wanted the St. Honoré dessert but the woman took so long to come over and help that I ran out of time. She insisted that I order it at the Cafe next door and I did not have time for it. Well for the next trip.
The “Les Frenchies” video that I saw when I returned from my Paris trip
After lunch was over, I met the others for the boat ride on the Seine River. I finally decompressed after lunch was over as my tour was finished. I thought that everyone had a nice time and we had a good experience. We walked a lot of neighborhoods and visited a lot of stores and met many great people. We also sampled a lot of good food. I was just surprised that more people did not eat at Bon Marche. Their loss!
We walked around the Saint Germaine section of the city to meet up with everyone else who were eating a small bistro a few blocks away. I could not understand why they would spend that much money on lunch.
We met everyone else at Les Deux Magots who were finishing lunch
After we met everyone else, we walked to the boat ride on the Seine River. I like everyone else was exhausted at this point with getting up every morning and running around. I was coming down from a big high and I was just wiped out.
The Seine River sightseeing cruise down and around the city. We all were ready to fall asleep
Literally we were all blacking out on the cruise. I could see everyone nodding off. I knew I almost fell asleep a few times. If we were all not so nervous about pickpockets, we would have fallen asleep. Either that or had there been chairs, the whole group would have dozed off and missed all the sites we had seen on land. Still, it is an experience to see all of this from the river.
The Seine River is really beautiful
After we got off the cruise, it was time to start the other group’s tour of the Cafes. I have to admit it was not much of a tour. It consisted of them getting a reservation at a restaurant and confirming it. We walked around the Seine River again and passed the Eiffel Tower where we took more pictures.
Me after my tour, lunch and the river cruise. I was less stressed and could enjoy the rest of my trip.
We toured around the Right Bank for the rest of the afternoon and then prepared for dinner which I was not that hungry. We just kept eating. Dinner that night was at a classic French Bistro, Bofinger which was at 7 Rue de la Bastille and had been around since the late 1800’s.
There seemed to be a bit of confusion on the reservation and we ended up having a large table upstairs. Our captain was terrific and spoke great English.
The restaurant starts the meal not with bread but with pretzels that shows it German roots
They had a wonderful Prix Fixe menu and I decided to have the Fish & Chips, which seems to be a big bistro item and I started my meal with Escargots, which I had not had in years and they were excellent. They were loaded with garlic and pesto inside and as the sauce.
The Escargot at Bofinger was excellent
Thank God there was plenty of bread to soak that up. The fish and chips were perfectly cooked and came with a large side of French Fries. For dessert, I had the Floating Islands, which are Meringues in a Vanilla sauce. Some of my counterparts did not get them and didn’t want to eat them. I thought they were good.
The whole meal was wonderful and we had such a good time. The Captain and the back waiters did a good job at our table and the restaurant was not kidding when they said it would fill up. The place was packed by 8:30pm. The Parisians really do eat late in the evening. The restaurant was still going strong when we left at 9:00pm.
I collapsed when we got back to the dorms. It was a long day but a productive one. I could not believe the weather had cooperated so well and we had such a good tour. I was proud of the fact that I led a tour of a city I did not know where I did not know where I was going and it worked out so well. Later when we had the class wrap up at the end of the week, everyone in my class told me how much they enjoyed it and with all the sampling of the items we tried. People were still talking about the desserts at Frutti by MO and the croissants at Bakery Thevenin. I thought they were amazing too.
The New Kamboat Bakery & Cafe (or just Kamboat Bakery) is one of the liveliest bakeries in Chinatown. I started visiting the bakery after seeing videos on YouTube mentioning it for a great place to have a snack.
Since then, I have been visiting often after class for their Roast Pork and Cream filled buns, Curried and Pepper Chicken Puffs, Egg Tarts and other bakery delights that I enjoy for lunch and for snacks.
The bakery section at Kamboat Bakery
The selection of baked goods and entrees is extensive and there are all sorts of puffs, tarts and twists filled with sweet and savory fillings including roast pork, hot dogs and even breakfast sandwiches.
Kamboat Bakery also has a selection of rice rolls and entrees over…
I do not know where time went. One day I am cutting the lawn in 70-degree weather and the next day it is 32 degrees, and everyone is freezing. The weather has been going up and down like a yoyo and everyone is getting sick right before the holidays. Every other day the weather was changing, and this is the way the temperature would be every day for the month of December. One day it is Spring or Fall and the next everyone is bundling up.
Don’t be fooled by all the pictures and activities. There were a lot of late nights, a lot of driving and a lot of arranging to pull the holidays off this year. Teaching three classes and taking four classes in Grad school on top of volunteer work that I was committed to and getting ready for the holidays and all its expectations I had a lot of nights where I did not go to bed until two in the morning. I would study on busses and in hotel rooms and I never worked like this before in my life. Still it was a Merry Christmas and I consider myself a lucky person to see all these wonderful things.
All I did was run in and out of New York City every week for classes and work. There were so many historical sites that I wanted to visit over the holidays to update previously blogs that every moment of my day was taken up with touring. Still, I enjoyed taking my time to walk to school through Greenwich Village. The residents and merchants here know how to celebrate the holidays.
Christmas in Greenwich Village. I saw this home after class and I knew Santa was on his way
Walking past the train station on the way back to Port Authority was even festive.
With Grad School taking up so much of my time and I just finished all my presentations at Bergen Community College where I work (please see all three Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. projects), it’s now the final project for Grad School and getting ready for the holidays that are taking up my time. It is only two more weeks.
Thanksgiving with my cousins and aunt at the Lambertville Inn
Christmas started for me right after Thanksgiving with my family when the next day we had Christmas Tree delivery for the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association. We had 390 Christmas Trees delivery and we emptied the truck in one hour. By 10:30am, we sold our first Christmas tree and by the end of the first weekend, we sold 134 trees and 8 stands. We just missed last year’s numbers. It had rained most of Sunday so we missed that afternoon and evening of that day.
Christmas Tree drop off is right after Thanksgiving at 8:00am the next morning
The guys on the Men’s Association after we finished tagging and unloading the trees
Friday was a busy day selling. It often amazes me how many trees sell that first weekend. Last year we sold out in 11 days and people were disappointed that they had to wait. Many said that this year, they arrived early to get the tree they wanted. Even with the rain on Sunday, we did very well and were anticipating another get year (we sold out by December 9th on the morning shift).
My blog on Christmas tree drop off for the Men’s Association:
I knew it was Christmas when my neighbors set out all their decorations
The next evening after Thanksgiving was the Annual Parade and Tree Lighting ceremony in Downtown Hasbrouck Heights. Since we were opening the tree stand and I was on leave from the fire department this year, I did not go. Instead I stayed at the tree stand that evening and sold trees on my first split shift. We sold 44 trees on the first day of sales.
The Christmas Tree at the Circle in Downtown Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
The Gazebo at the Firemen’s Circle Memorial in Downtown Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
I have to admit, Thanksgiving weekend and the subsequent week were all about grad school. We would be wrapping up classes in two weeks (classes ended on December 14th) and I had three major papers due, one for each class. With the exception of my Data Analytics class, I had one partner on each paper I really did not know if I could count on so there would be a lot of extra work to do.
Heights Bar & Grill at 163 Boulevard became a place to relax and unwind with a pizza and a drink
Heights Bar & Grill was very festive during the holidays
My post birthday dinner became my pre Christmas/post class dinner
The next weekend was Sinterklaas weekend, and I knew I had to be in Rhinebeck and then Boonton, NJ for the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association Christmas Party that I committed to last month. When you’re on all the Executive Boards of these organizations, you have to be there.
Still on the way back and forth to classes starting from mid-November until classes ended, I enjoyed my walks from the Port Authority to the NYU campus in the Village to admire all the decorations, display windows and Christmas tree setups all over the Village. Even before Christmas started, this section of the City is very traditional ‘Old New York’ and when it is all ready for the holidays it puts you in the Christmas spirit.
Christmas in Greenwich Village really kept my spirits up between classes
Selling Christmas trees in New York City was not difference from us but in prices.
The window displays in the Greenwich Village stores and boutiques were really creative. I loved walking all the side streets to discover what shop owner did that was so different from the others and these are some of my favorites. They really cheered me up as the pressure of the assignments built up.
Window display in the Village after they changed from Halloween to Christmas
Window display in the Village
Window display in the Village
Christmas display inside and outside at Greenwich Village store
More Christmas trees for sale on lower Seventh Avenue
The Washington Square Park Christmas tree was so beautiful both during the day and night. It was so nice to pass every evening I was coming back from class. It really put me in the holiday spirit especially when I was stressed out on my last three research papers of the semester. I took the time to just walk around the park and enjoy the cool air.
The Washington Square Park Christmas tree by day
The Washington Square Park Christmas tree at night
In between classes and work, I had to decorate and get my own house ready for the holidays. I have never worked so hard trying to pull off the holidays with so much going on in my life. Still I thought the house looked very nice. I decorated both the living room and dining room and it looked really festive. It was too bad there was no time for entertaining. That and the fact that everyone else was so busy, it made it impossible to do anything.
I keep it simple but elegant in my house
For years, I used to have a Christmas dinner but with everyone’s schedules and COVID still around, I am finding more and more people don’t want to get together. Again my schedule was no better this December. Still I worked my own “Santa” magic with other things I did for friends, neighbors and family.
From December 1st to the 31st, my feet never touched the ground. From unloading trees for the Men’s Association to watching the ball drop to completing three major projects for my job at Bergen Community College to the three major papers at school, my laptop followed me everywhere and was prominent in each of my hotel rooms as a worked on every business trip for my work with this blog. Who says that life is boring? The fun began as it does every year with Sinterklaas weekend in Rhinebeck.
My blog on Sinterklaas/ The Snowflake Festival weekend in Rhinebeck Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Six:
I had to plan Sinterklaas weekend like D-Day. I had a major presentation on the Metaverse when I returned back on the next Monday night so I had to finish the framework for the paper the Friday night before the parade. I was visiting the Culinary Institute of American to interview one of my old chefs at the college but I was not able to get in touch with him.
Still I was able to leave a message for an appointment and then tour the campus. I forgot how beautiful the campus is and I never saw it during Christmas time. I had been on my Externship my first year at the CIA so I never experienced the holidays at the CIA.
Roth Hall decorated for Christmas
The Christmas tree in the outside courtyard
I did not have any plans that Friday evening and I looked at the papers and saw that there was a Snowflake Festival in Downtown Kingston, NY. So that evening after a nice nap at the hotel, I headed there for the evening. It was just what the doctor ordered. It was a cool but not cold evening full of activities and lots of Christmas decorations and a festive environment.
Downtown Kingston, NY the night of the Snowflake Festival
It was a nice evening of Christmas activities, horse drawn carriage rides, visiting the firehouse, beautifully decorated windows of the local merchants and people just having a good time amidst COVID problems and a bad economy. People ‘needed a little Christmas now’ (Please read the blog below on the Snowflake Festival and the Sinterklaas Parade).
The line to see Santa was impossibly long. I think everyone needed him this year.
The Christmas tree in Downtown Kingston, NY
My homebase for the weekend was the Quality Inn Hotel in Hyde Park, which is becoming a tradition with me. I love the location and the comfortable beds. If you get a room facing the field to the right, you can see the stonewall that lines the property. Plus, they have the best fresh waffle station every morning.
The Quality Inn Hyde Park at 4142 Albany Post Road
Sinterklaas morning was a really gloomy day. Even if the weather outside that morning was gloomy, the spirit of Sinterklaas was in full swing inside the Beekman Arms Hotel for the Opening Ceremony.
The Opening Ceremony at Sinterklaas with Founder Jeanne Fleming and the Pocket Lady
The animal being celebrated this year was the porcupine and this was his home in the courtyard in Downtown Rhinebeck. This wise woman told us his tale.
The “Into the Light” show at the local church
The parade is the highlight of the evening and we lucked out that night as the weather broke by the afternoon. The sun started to come out and it was a much nicer evening with a cool but not cold feel and you could see the stars out on this clear evening. The parade is always exciting especially as we walk down the hill into Downtown Rhinebeck.
The parade begins at the Starr Library
The serpents are always a big hit at the parade
The stars always lead the parade down the hill
I marched at the end of the parade so all I saw was everyone’s backs. The crowds were not the same because of the weather that morning but they were still pretty large once we got into the core of downtown. Because of the weather earlier in the day, I could tell we had a more local crowd which was nice because Downtown Rhinebeck can only handle so many people.
All the characters come together at the closing ceremony
I swear that this parade like selling Christmas trees goes by faster and faster every year. I come to Rhinebeck in the Spring and the Summer and it just seems like I am counting the weeks until it starts all over again. After the parade was over, I stopped at Village Pizza for a few slices with the last of the parade stragglers. There were maybe three families eating a late dinner. By the time I warmed up and finished my pizza I walked around the downtown one more time. It was so quiet and peaceful with the exception of the saxaphone player who plays downtown at night. You would have never known there was a parade that night.
My review on TripAdvisor on Village Pizza in Rhinebeck, NY:
After a very sound sleep, I ate breakfast and enjoyed the waffle bar. Then I headed down to Boonton, NJ for the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association Christmas Party that we were hosting at the home. Again, the year seems to go by fast.
The Executive Board the day of the party (I’m third to the right)
Because of COVID, the party is more subdued and families are still not allowed back with any great crowds. Still we had a DJ and Jerry Naylis’s daughter and granddaughters entertained the residents of the home. We really had a nice afternoon.
The Naylis family entertaining the residents
After the party was over, a few of us went the Columbia Inn for dinner. There was only a small group of us this year because again many of the guys were worried about COVID and large crowds. Still we toasted in the holiday season and after dinner, it was right back home to do my homework for school and classwork for my students. It would be never ending for the next three weeks.
The week between Sinterklaas and the next weekend of the Mills Mansion Party and exploring the decorated mansions to update my blogs for work, classes in both schools took a frenzy of activity on. I had to finish papers on the Metaverse and complete my White Paper on the Travel Industry and we started our paper on Mapping the Rockaways. I don’t think I ever went to bed before 2:00am every night for the next three weeks.
The “Dining on the Metaverse” paper required me to run around and interview chefs on the what their thoughts were on the Metaverse. I first went to the Ivy Inn in Hasbrouck Heights and talked with the Chef/Owner Jack. His thoughts on the Metaverse in dining were pretty strong and I needed a second interview so back to the Culinary Institute of America I went to talk to my former Chef at the college. He just happened to reach out to me that week so I stopped in to see him late on Friday.
The Ivy Inn at 268 Terrace Avenue in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ decorated for the holidays
I had an offer to revisit the Brinckerhoff Homestead the next afternoon before they ran a Afternoon Tea fundraiser to take pictures of the home decorated for Christmas for work and was able to get a last minute invitation acceptance for the Mills Mansion fundraiser, I decided to spend the night again at the Marriott in Fishkill, NY. It would be another long weekend of running around. So I booked a room at the Marriott Courtyard Fishkill, where I had stayed twice before and it would be close to all the sites and headed Upstate.
The Marriott Courtyard Fishkill at 17 Westage Drive & Route 9
I got up to the CIA before 4:30pm and walked around campus and enjoyed the Christmas lights again. The campus was starting to wind down for the holidays as the students would be leaving for break in a week and a half but the restaurants were busy with weekend reservations and by 4:30pm, I stated my interview on “Dining on the Metaverse” with the last chef I had before I graduated in 1998. I had not seen the guy in almost 25 years. Still he was just as nice as he was when I had him as an instructor and we had a good interview for almost two hours.
The campus was at twilight and it showed its true beauty next to the Hudson River.
The Culinary Institute of America at sunset
The Christmas tree lit at the Culinary Institute of America
We had our interview and it was nice talking with a Instructor that I had a lot of respect for years ago. It was nice of him to meet me after almost 25 years.
My TripAdvisor review on my lunch at the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe:
We bullshitted for the first hour and knowing that I had to be at the Mills Mansion by 6:30pm (the party was only going to 8:30pm), we had to get down to business. We spent the next hour talking about the effects of dining on the Metaverse and what it could do to the business in the future. His thoughts were pretty much the same as the Ivy Inn but it was an engaging conversation and I was able to take notes and write that section of the paper before I left for the weekend. Then it was off to the Mills Mansion for the Masquerade Cocktail Party fundraiser. That got my mind off a lot.
I had not been to a fundraiser here for the holidays since 2018 (COVID and work stopped me from going in the past) and it was a last minute thing I was able to attend. The President of the Friends of the Mills Mansion graciously let me come since it was sold out. I did not get there until almost 7:15pm by the time I left the CIA and got to Staatsburg and then had to park all the way down the hill.
The entrance to Staatsburgh, The Mills Mansion at 75 Mills Mansion Drive the night of the party
I was not too keen on wearing a mask since I had to wear glasses but I still had a nice time. The band was excellent and the singer wore an outfit that looked like it was from the early 1920’s. The food was wonderful and they had nice passed appetizers and wine and champagne to drink. The mansion’s Dining Room was decked out with masks and everyone was dressed to the nines. I had not seen people so dressed up in years. It was so impressive to see how elegant the evening was like something out of the mid-1980’s. No one had dressed up this much in years and it made the whole event feel so festive and special.
The band with the singer with the 1920’s outfit
I was able to catch up to people I had not seen in two years (since the last Afternoon Tea lecture in February of 2020 right before the shutdown) and we had a nice time talking about what had been happening over the last two years. It was a nice evening to get my mind off school and work. I slept so soundly that night when I got back to the hotel.
It was a very elegant party that night
The Mill’s would have been proud of this party
The day after the interview and the party, off I went early in the morning to visit the decorated mansions and take the tours. The Brinckerhoff House was my first stop and I would not be there long because they had a fundraiser at 1:00pm and I promised to be there, take the pictures and leave because they would be busy for the rest of the afternoon. The house looked just as pleasant as it did when I visited it over the summer but the nice part was the fireplaces were going giving that house that winter smell of firewood and pine.
The Brinckerhoff House at 68 North Kensington Drive at Christmas
The house was set up and decorated for an Afternoon Tea fundraiser
The Christmas tree at the Brinckerhoff house
I only stayed for about an half hour as volunteers were showing up to assist with the event and then I was off to my next house which was the Vanderbilt Mansion. This was a big weekend for the decorated homes and I figured I should visit them since I would not have time in the future.
The Vanderbilt tour was booked solid as people had the same idea that I had. I got on the 1:00pm tour and off we went to tour the mansion. I had been there many times before but never to see the Christmas decorations. When I had visited back in 2019, they were taking the decorations down when I got there. By the time we left, most everything on one side of the house was gone. Today though, the mansion was in its full glory.
The Vanderbilt Mansion at 4097 Albany Post Road in Hyde Park
The house was tastefully but not over-decorated as Fredrick Vanderbilt and his wife never used the home for Christmas. They were in Manhattan for the Christmas and the beginning of the social season that would last from Christmas to about Easter when everyone would head to their Spring homes in the country or in Florida.
The entrance hall to the Vanderbilt Mansion
The Dining Room set for a formal Christmas dinner
The Living Room with the family Christmas tree
The full tour of the mansion was very interesting and you got to hear the stories of Fredrick and the last years of his life. He simplified matters, sold all his other homes and moved here until he passed away. He wife had died and he stopped the social swirl and concentrated on his job with the railroad.
After the tour was over, the tour guide told me that FDR Estate was having a big Open House that day and that I should head over before they closed at 5:00pm. Myself and pretty much everyone on my tour headed over to Springwood, the home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Springwood Mansion at 4097 Albany Post Road in Hyde Park, NY
The first floor was decorated as it would have been for FDR and his family’s last Christmas when he was alive. The decorations were taken from old pictures of the house the year that he passed.
The entrance hall of Springwood decorated for Christmas
The library decorated for FDR’s last Christmas
The Dining Room was set for Christmas supper
The mansion again like the Vanderbilt Mansion was tastefully decorated but not overdone. The library had a tree with decorations and the many presents that the large extended family would have opened that day. The Dining Room was set for the family dinner with a children’s table in the back. It would have been a nice family affair.
We got to tour the rest of the house and head back to the Visitors Center for Hot Chocolate and cookies that they set up in the snack shop. That evening around 6:00pm, the Bard College music department was putting on a recital but I had to leave right after the tour as I had a tone of assignments and homework that I had to do for both colleges. At least I was finally able to see both mansions in their full glory at Christmas.
As I left the Vanderbilt and Roosevelt mansions, I passed Downtown Hyde Park, NY which has a small downtown with about two blocks of historical buildings and admired the lights and how the businesses decorated the lights and buildings. I stopped to take a picture of their Christmas tree which was ablaze with lights on this snowy night. It really did look like Christmas.
Downtown Hyde Park, NY
The Hyde Park, NY Christmas tree a block from downtown
I got home early that night to finish my papers on the Metaverse and my White Page on the visitors we had to our Travel Trends class. It was an uphill battle that night and on Monday for both presentations. We got a “B+” on the Metaverse paper and an “A” on the White Page and in both classes I got an “A”. The Mapping project would go on until December 22nd. It would take five revisions and a lot of late nights. We were able to pull out a “B+” on the Mapping paper of the Rockaways right as my own classes were ending.
That last week of school Monday classes ended and after the Tuesday class my classmates wanted to go for an evening of Karaoke. I had papers to grade when I got home so I declined and took a walk up to see the tree and clear my head before heading home.
Christmas in New York City is always a pleasure and with the City opened back up to tourism, it made it exciting again. The anticipation of Christmas in Manhattan is something to experience if you have never done it before. It all started for me when I declined a karaoke night with my classmates and went to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. I just needed a walk after my Data Analytics class. It had been a rough semester. Just seeing the tree put me in the Christmas spirit.
The Tree as we call it in Rockefeller Center December 2022
I walked around Midtown along Fifth Avenue, looking at Saks Fifth Avenue’s windows, admiring the lights and looking at the skyline. I forgot how beautiful this area of the City is at night. It was a mild Tuesday night when I was walking around and there were not too many people around. the tourists had not arrived in full swing yet. Being a Tuesday night, it was relaxing being able to walk around the Rockefeller Center area without the crowds.
The side streets were particularly elegant
West 58th Street in its glory
The Plaza Hotel in all its glory that night
I saw this playful sculpture along with others on Fifth Avenue but it was near my old haunt FAO Schwarz
This was the best display window at Bergdorf-Goodman on Fifth Avenue
Still what stood out to me on that glorious evening was the beauty of Midtown Manhattan at night. Even though it was still early in the evening, it might have well been 11:00pm because the streets were so quiet that evening. This is why I love Manhattan.
The beauty of Midtown Manhattan at night
The Plaza Hotel and Bergdorf-Goodman shined that evening
This little trip to Midtown after class really cheered me up. It had been a long semester and I needed this little Christmas break from school. It really put me into the holiday spirit. On my way back to Port Authority to head home, I passed the New York Public Library on my way through Bryant Park to see the Christmas Village
Outside the New York Public Library where the lions were decorated for the holidays.
As the school year ended at Bergen Community College and classes were wrapping up, I was getting tired of giving the traditional quizzes so for Quiz Four I gave all three classes from Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. The students were asked by Corporate to arrange the company Christmas Party. They were asked to create the Invitation, the menu with an appetizer, main dish, dessert and a signature drink.
Then were asked to create a Christmas Corporate message and two classes were asked to create an original Christmas song. It is amazing what a group of students can accomplish in an hour. Everyone in all three classes got an “A” and I did not have to drag home quizzes to grade. I will remember this quiz in the future.
The Paramus Business 101 Team’s idea for the Corporate Christmas Event
The Marketing 201 Team’s Ideas for the Corporate Christmas Event
The original Christmas song from the Marketing 201 Team for the Corporate Christmas Party
The ideas that the students came up with in ONE HOUR were just fantastic. This is why I love being a College Professor when you can get this type of creativity out of your students.
This Christmas message won the competition from my Business 101 Lyndhurst Team
As we put the revisions to the Mapping paper for my Data Analytics class and I prepared the final exams for my students and graded my other classes work, I planned another trip to the Hudson River Valley to visit the rest of the decorated mansions on my list and update all my blogs for work. This was a long and very productive weekend. It would be capped off with a last minute Historical Christmas concert at the Bergen County Historical Society. I had not been to one of these in three years.
The Marriott Courtyard Fishkill is where the adventure began. I revisited Staatsburgh (The Mills Mansion) and Wilderstein and then on Saturday I went to the Meiser Homestead in Wappinger Falls for their Holiday Open House. I had to time everything perfectly because I had to be in Manhattan for a Christmas concert at Carnegie Hall at 8:00pm. I timed everything perfectly.
The Marriott Courtyard Fishkill was decorated nicely for Christmas
The Marriott did a nice job decorating the hotel for the holidays
I started my trip on a snowy Friday afternoon (it was funny that the weather was just cloudy down by us) and I made it for my 11:00am appointment to see Staatsburgh. I had been to the Mills Mansion fundraiser the week before but the whole house was not open that evening and I had only been there for an hour. Now I was able to tour the house at my leisure. I was even interviewed for the local papers by a woman who was doing an article on the decorated mansions of the area.
I returned to Staatsburgh on snowy cold afternoon so the mansion was pretty quiet for touring. There were only two people on the walking tour of the mansion that afternoon. The roads up to Hyde Park were not the best.
Staatsburgh-The Mills Mansion at 75 Mills Mansion Drive on that snowy afternoon
It was nice to tour the house in peace and quiet. The party the week before had been a lot of fun but you could not see the rest of the house. All the rooms were so beautifully decorated, and the Dining Room was decorated to the hilt with masks, the theme of the party the week before. Since there was only two of us touring around, I got interviewed by the local paper by a reporter doing the same thing I was doing, visiting these beautiful homes. Visit my blog, VisitingaMuseum.com to see all my stories on my visits to these beautiful mansions.
My last stop that evening was to Woodstock, NY. I had planned to come this year for the parade but with my brother coming in for Christmas that changed my plans. I figured this was the last time I was going to be able to come up before the holidays. So I braved the slush and snow and drove the long roads up to Woodstock. It never disappoints me.
The Village Square at Woodstock, NY during the holidays
The Woodstock, NY Christmas tree is always interesting
After dinner, I slept so soundly at the hotel again. The Marriott Courtyard in Fishkill, NY is in the perfect location with Route 84 and the mountains right behind it. Easy to get to the highway home but still the best views when you wake up.
The amazing view from my hotel room at the back of the hotel facing the mountains
I had to rush to go on the 10:30am tour of Locust Grove, the former home of Samuel Morse, that I wanted to photograph before I left for the Meiser Homestead. There was not time to eat this morning. Thank God I had some baked goods in the hotel room.
The Christmas tree in the formal Living Room in the Tower section of the home
The Dining Room at Locust Grove at Christmas
The Billiards Room at Locust Grove at Christmas
I toured the whole house in our private tour at 10:30am. There were so many people on the tour, they called a special docent in to run the tour and we had the house to ourselves. Ehtel lead the tour and we took time to enjoy each room. Then it was off the Meiser Homestead for their Open House.
The Mesier Homestead at 2 Spring Street in Wappingers Falls, NY
The Foyer at the Meiser Homestead decked out for the holidays
The Living Room with the Christmas tree
The Dining Room set for Christmas lunch
Downtown Wappingers Falls during Christmas
The Wappingers Falls Christmas tree in the downtown
After I returned home from the Meiser Homestead Open House, it was change clothes again and into the City I went. I did not have much time to do anything in the evenings when classes were going on at NYU so after the semester was over and my third class was finished for the semester at Bergen Community College, I got a last minute ticket to see NY Pops at Carnegie Hall with singer Ingrid Michaelson. What a concert!
I had not been to Carnegie Hall since 2019 in pre-COVID and this always is a tough concert to buy tickets for but I snagged a Saturday night ticket in Row H on the aisle (I have long legs) and it was fate.
The entrance to Carnegie Hall at 57th and Seventh Avenue on the night of the concert. Our concert is to the left.
The inside of Carnegie Hall decorated for the holidays. The crowds were getting settled into the theater.
The stage at Carnegie Hall decorated for Christmas
The excitement built when I entered the hall and it was all decked out for Christmas. It was a site to see. The surprising part was how casual everyone was dressed for the evening. I was really thrown by this especially at the holidays. My seatmate was also dressed to the nines and she made the same comment. She introduced herself and I thought it was funny that a recently married woman would come to the show by herself but there we were acting like two single people.
The beauty of the stage that night just as the NY Pops members started to come on to the stage
Ingrid Michaelson and her fellow singers on stage
The whole concert was amazing and Ingrid Michaelson was fantastic that evening. What I thought was funny was the end of these concerts end with a sing along with Santa on stage and that did not happen this time. She ended the show with one of her signature songs. Maybe her Friday night concert had that. Even though, the concert was excellent and I shared the two songs below that were my favorite from the show.
This was my favorite song from the concert “Christmas Valentine” a new classic. This was written by both Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz who performed it that night on stage.
The other great song from the concert was “Christmas Time is Here”:
“Christmas Time is Here” by Ingrid Michaelson
Even though it was a almost a two hour concert, it just seemed to end very quickly. After the concert was over, I just exploring the area around Lincoln Center. What a beautiful evening it was right before Christmas. People were talking in the local parks, admiring the Christmas lights in trees all over the neighborhood. Christmas tree stands were running in full force as people were decorating their homes on top of the their busy schedules.
Christmas tree sales by Carnegie Hall
For both lunch and dinner I returned to Amore Pizza cafe at 370 West 59th Street, which is down the road from Carnegie Hall. I swear that their food is the best.
I stopped in for a slice of Meat Lovers Pizza which was more than enough before the show and after the show I was still hungry. I went back and had a Chicken Parmesan Hero, which was good but it had been made from chopped fried chicken breasts instead of a freshly fried breast. It was good but not as good as the pizza was that night. After dinner, I just walked around Midtown and down Fifth Avenue admiring the windows.
The Meat Lovers Pizza at Amore Pizza Cafe is excellent
The weekend was not finished yet as I had an early morning walking tour of the Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow and then I had a Christmas concert at the Bergen County Historical Society in River Edge. Since I had to extend my leave with the fire department, I missed the first “Santa Around Town” in eighteen years. This on top of the fact that I was supposed to run it. With my work and college schedule, I had to ‘cry uncle’ and give it up which really disappointed me. I had some really good plans for it. In the end only thirteen guys showed up out of fifty and they had a fire call before the event ended. Thank God it was just a block chimney.
I left for the last day walking tour of the Philipsburg Manor before the house closed for the season. I was on the last walking tour of the house. Since the house was not insulated and the weather gets bad for the winter, the house will not open again until April. So I was hoping to get some picture taking in and see the decorations. The house was not decorated for the holidays but still the tour was interesting.
The Philipsburg Manor house 381 North Broadway in Sleepy Hollow, NY
The tour was about an hour and we had indoor and outdoor activities that we got involved with cooking hardtack, touring the house and grounds and helping in the barn beating out the wheat seed. When the actors who worked at the site (who must have been freezing their butts off because it was cold that morning) told us and demonstrated the work that had been done on the estate, this was hard work! This was a working farm and business transport spot, not where a family lived and entertained. When Mr. Philips was on property, he was here for business and nothing else. The staff ran this farm.
Us making Hardtack at the outdoor oven
Our visit to the barn where were loosening the wheat seeds. This poor woman was out there all morning in the cold!
The tour was about an hour and I thought that the house would have had some Dutch Christmas decorations but again the tour guides and historians said that the house for business and visiting not for the day in day out lives of the family. Still it was interesting. After our tour finished, I toured the gift shop and then headed home to get ready for the concert.
The Bergen County Historical Society at New Bridge Landing brought back their indoor concerts for Christmas including opening the Blackhorse Pub (The Campbell-Christie House) for dinner before and after the concerts. It was so nice to come to this again. The crowds were a little light at the second concert at 7:45pm on a Sunday night but it made it more fun that we could still socially distance from each other and there was plenty of space to spread out.
I started the evening early at the pub eating my dinner before the concert. The pub had a limited but very nice menu based on what foods that may have been served at the time period (with a modern twist of course). There was Shepard’s Pie, a Ploughman’s Plate, Onion Pie, Trifle and Dutch Cookies and desserts on the menu..
The Campbell-Christie House at 1209 Main Street in River Edge, NJ at the Bergen County Historical Society
The Campbell-Christie House was used as the “Blackhorse Tavern” for the evening where pub food could be ordered for dinner. It was really beautiful that night with all the tables a glow from the candles and the room decorated with holly, garland and wreaths for the holidays.
The Blackhorse Tavern for dinner
After dinner was over, I had plenty of time to explore the gift shop and wonder around the property to see the other decorations. The other buildings on the property were closed that evening but still decorated so I followed the lantern filled pathway and looked at the decorations.
Before the second concert that evening that I would be attending at 7:45pm I wondered around the museum part of the Steuben House where the concerts were taking place. The exhibits were set up with a holiday/Christmas theme in mind. One display was on a candy maker who once had a store in Downtown Hackensack.
Bogert’s Candy Shop in Downtown Hackensack closed in 1934
Decorating the house both during the Revolutionary War and during the Victorian Age was a very extensive affair of preparing the house for entertainment. Garland, holly and pine would have been important to decorate with but it was the Christmas ornaments of the Victorian age and trimming trees with ornaments that would have made the tree very festive.
There were also displays on entertaining during that time period and soldiers lives while the war was going on and what would be needed. It could be lonely at the holidays.
We started to settle in as the second concert was about to start. The room was decorated for the holidays with a combination of Victorian and Revolutionary decorations.
The ballroom at the Steuben House
We were then treated to a concert by the great Linda Russell whose interpretations of Revolutionary Christmas songs is well known. We had a hour long concert of favorite songs, talks about the times and a history of the music itself. She shared with us her insights towards the holidays of New Jersey versus New England and their Puritan ways. Thank God we knew how to party then too.
Linda Russell (to the far left) and her group entertained us for the evening with songs, talks, a few jokes and a wonderful night of excellent music.
“I saw Three Ships Sail In” my favorite song from Linda Russell
We were entertained for about an hour and got time during the intermission to talk with the musicians who shared their experiences with us and about the musical equipment that they were using that evening. It was an interesting talk and a wonderful concert. I highly recommend visiting the Bergen County Historical Society during this time of the year. They do a nice job with this concert and the site is so beautifully decorated for the Christmas holiday season.
Before my the last day of classes at Bergen Community College on December 22nd, I made one last trip into the City before I left for my mother’s. The house had to get cleaned and the laundry had to get done and I got all my errands done before I left. I just wanted to walk around and get my mind off both colleges. It had been a long semester and I was burnt out. The City could not have been more beautiful.
Christmas on Park Avenue
Park Avenue was lined with Christmas trees lighting up before it got dark
Homes on the Upper East Side were beautifully decorated for the holidays
Homes on the Upper East Side were decorated so nicely and some blocks there seemed to be a competition for whose house was nicer.
I went to Rockefeller Center one more time to see the tree and it was like a madhouse so I just looked at it from across the street and continued walking around the Upper East Side down to the Cornell Club where I relaxed for a bit before I went home. People would start taking their decorations down after the holidays and I wanted to take one more glimpse of the neighborhoods before that happened.
The Empire State Building from the Flatiron District
Christmas Eve morning, I visit the cemeteries and pay my respects to my family before I leave for my mother’s. I think it’s important to pay your respects. After fighting the crowds at Mills Bakery on Christmas Eve morning to get a Seven Layer Cake and breakfast cakes and doughnuts for the next day, I left for Rehoboth Beach. I swear the roads were really quiet and it was the first time that I got down to my mom’s in three and a half hours.
Mills Bakery at 275 Valley Boulevard in Wood Ridge, NJ had the most festive cakes, pies and cookies for the holidays
I had just seen my mother in September after the Firemen’s Convention but this was the first time since 2019 that we had spent Christmas together. COVID has really wreaked havoc on the holidays.
Christmas Eve and Day were spent at my mom’s which we have not done since the pandemic. It kept us away and it was strange not having a family get together for three years. It was nice to get together as a family again. On Christmas Eve, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner and the place was a madhouse.
Confucius Chinese Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, DE
My review on TripAdvisor of Confucius Chinese Restaurant:
Even with all the crowds, it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the meal and not have to do anything. I slept so soundly that night knowing that I did not have to be anywhere for a month.
My mother really decorated the house beautifully.
The House at Christmas.
Jane set the table so elegantly.
Cooking this year like in 2019 is now a family affair. My Mom relinquish some control of the kitchen over the last couple of years as dinner was getting to be too much for her to do alone so we all help now. My brother and I coordinate the schedules and plan the menu with my mom and we each did part of the meal and cooked it. This is what the Team work produced:
The Appetizers and Desserts being prepped for dinner:
Mom should be hired by Nancy Meyers to do visuals for her films.
The Potato Croquettes that I prepared for dinner, the Broccoli Casserole and the homemade Apple Pie my mother prepared for dinner (my mom makes the best pies).
We were all getting ready to cook our portion of Christmas Dinner.
My mother preparing the Sauteed String Beans
Me preparing the Potato Croquettes (which by the way were a big hit I think I look like a French Chef).
My brother getting the Roast carved before the start of dinner.
My Mother with the final Christmas dinner that was the Team effort
Christmas Dinner 2022 and everyone loved it! The dinner was Roast Fresh Park, Potato Croquettes, Apple Sauce, Broccoli Souffle and Sauteed String Beans.
The Desserts were Homemade Apple Pie and a Seven Layer Cake that I brought from Mills Bakery. My brother also made all the Christmas cookies.
My family on Christmas Day after dinner (minus my younger brother and his kids).
We had such a nice time with my mother and her friends at dinner and it was a nice quiet and mellow Christmas. It was what I needed after a long school year.
The day after Christmas while my brother headed to New York City, I took the ferry from Lewes to Cape May to spend the night and admire all the decorations all over town. I only spent one night in Cape May but with how relaxing, beautiful and quiet it was that evening I felt like I had been there for a week. I always say in my blogs that the only town to rival Rhinebeck, NY at Christmas is Cape May, NJ.
I took the ferry the next day from Lewes, DE to Cape May, NJ and thank God the weather was nice. We had really light waves and the trip went by really quick. We got into Cape May in a little over an hour and a half. Since I did not have to check into my hotel and it was getting late, I decided to head over to Sunset Beach and watch the sun set. That really relaxed me. In any weather, I swear the beach is always full of people doing the same thing. It was relatively warm that day and when I got to the park, people were playing miniature golf at the little range they have there. I thought that was amusing.
The sunset was fantastic! The weather had really cleared that evening and the colors were so entrancing.
The sun preparing to set that night
The hues at Sunset Beach make this place very special
I just stayed until it got a bit dark and then I headed to the hotel. I stay at the Chalfonte in the winter time in their Souther Quarters (the regular hotel is not insulted and closed until May) and I always enjoy the rooms with their cheery shabbiness and the way the place is always decorated for the holidays. You have to like these old hotels.
The Southern Quarters at the Chalfonte Hotel at 301 Howard Street
I have been coming to the hotel for Christmas for the last several years and last year when COVID again shut things down for Christmas, I stayed here while visiting my younger brother in Rehoboth Beach when he came for a visit. I love Cape May at Christmastime.
The hotel has that festive home away from home feeling with poinsettias around the hotel, Christmas candies and chocolates at the front door and Christmas lights around the building.
I like the shabby chic of the place
My room was really nice and the bed was so comfortable
The room has just been renovated but still had a water spot on the ceiling. That is the charm of the Chalfonte. It reminds you that it is an old hotel. I ventured out to the downtown and the Washington Mall that evening to see the true magic of what makes Cape May a Christmas town. All the lights, trees and decorations make sure that Santa does not miss this town.
The town square with it’s Christmas tree in the bandstand and white lights all over the little part are whimsical and magically as you walk through them. It always reminds me of “Whoville” in the “Grinch that stole Christmas”.
Cape May Town Square at Christmas
The bandstand and Christmas tree are amazing at night
The Cape May Christmas tree
I spent a good part of the my evening admiring the lights of downtown and of Washington Mall which is the downtown section of Cape May. The whole neighborhood was ablaze with lights, decorations and beautiful Christmas displays in the windows. Cape May knows how to decorate for the holidays.
The Washington Mall at night
The Washington Mall in Cape May decorated for the holidays
Our Lady of the Star Sea Church at 525 Washington Street in Downtown Cape May
After a long walk picture taking everything in the downtown from every angle (I have pictures that I ended up using for other sites), I went back to the room to relax. I just sunk into the pillows and went out like a light. I woke up two hours later and got to bed. I slept so soundly again.
The next morning was rested and ready to go. I had my usual post-Christmas game plan. I started with breakfast at the Mad Batter, a local well known restaurant in Cape May and the food is always excellent. I have eaten here several times and I highly recommend it.
The food and the service are always very good. That morning there seemed to be only one waitress on the floor and I swear that this woman handled the dining room like a pro. The service was flawless and she never panicked.
The Bacon and Cheese Omelet with home fries was outstanding
After breakfast was over, I gathered my things at the hotel and dropped off my keys and then spent the afternoon visiting historical sites. Most everything I was surprised were closed so I took exterior shots to update my blogs.
While walking downtown, I saw that Our Lady of the Star Sea, the Catholic Church in the Washington Mall was having service at 11:00am. Since I did not go to church services on Christmas Eve or Day, I went in for the post-Christmas services. I was surprised how crowded they were that morning. I found out that a young new priest has just come from the seminary and started that day. I found him very inspirational and very enthusiastic.
The church was so beautifully decorated for the holidays
Our Lady Star of the Sea for the Christmas holiday season
After church services were over, I toured around Cape May. I had a noon time appointment at the Physick Mansion to see their Christmas decorations so I stopped at a few of the museum around the downtown area but again all closed.
The Physick Mansion tour at the holidays I have taken many times and it is one of the nicest homes decorated for the holidays. Many people would not have decorated every nook and cranny of the house the way this is but like Locust Grove, it gives you an idea of how the Victorians celebrated the holidays.
The decorations were amazing and the house was decked to the hilt for the Christmas holidays. We got to tour the entire house and every room has such festive garland and Christmas trees. The family seemed to know how to celebrate the holidays.
The Living Room at the Physick Estate
The Dining Room
The Parlor with the ‘Tabletop’ Tree in the corner
We went room by room with the tour guide explaining how the family would prepare for Christmas and the preparations that would have to be done by the staff for guests and for the family dinner. There would be many trips to Philadelphia department stores for gifts for the family. You felt on the tour that the family had just left for the day.
After the tour, I headed over to West Cape May to see the Cape May Lighthouse and was surprised that it was open that day. With everything else being closed, it was a treat to be able to climb it again. The drive in was nice as people decorated their homes nicely and being a warm day around 50 degrees (Christmas just seems to be getting warmer), I drove around for a bit to admire them.
The entrance to the Borough of Cape May Point decked for the holidays
The outdoor Christmas display in West Cape May
The Cape May Lighthouse and grounds were really busy with visitors and being such a warm day many were walking on the beach or admiring the park. Several passed me as I climbed the lighthouse which I had not done in a few years. The view on this clear sunny day was great.
The views from the top were so clear and beautiful and being so clear you could see the entire surrounding community.
The view from the top of the Cape May Lighthouse
After climbing up and back down, I passed more people who I could not believe were complaining on how hard it was to walk it. I got up in about ten minutes with a couple of stops and then was back down again once reaching the top. It is not that hard and is well worth the trip up.
Watching the time, I wanted to visit the farms in the area but Rea Farm was closed for the season so I headed to Beach Plum Farm, which has become quite the tourist stop since my first trip to Cape May. It is such a picturesque farm but it looks very planned. When I first started coming here is was a more local farm. Now it looks like a gourmet shop and it has gotten more expensive.
The entrance to Beach Plum Farm at 140 Stevens Street
I toured around the gift shop and admired the beautiful displays of gourmet foods. The place was almost empty as I could see that they must have had a very good Christmas. There was some serious restocking that needed to be done.
The wonderful gourmet items at Beach Plum Farm
I ended my afternoon feeding the chickens before I left the farm. God they were so excited to see me. I just had a little feed and they ran all around me like groupies. I guess this is how the farm feeds them. It was the best quarter I spent on the trip.
The chickens were a very excited bunch that afternoon
Before I left Cape May that day for home, I visited Sunset Beach one more time to enjoy the weather. The beach was pretty crowded again as everyone waited to see the sun set again on Cape May. Like I said before, you can see this a hundred times but it is never boring.
Sunset Beach on a warmish sunny day attracts a lot of visitors
From Sunset Beach, I headed home. I stopped for a quick slice of pizza on the way and then I had to leave Cape May (until the next time). There was a lot to do and I had places that I wanted to visit before the holidays were over. I could not believe how much work I got done on this two day trip to Cape May. I got to see a lot.
In the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I made another trip around the City. Since I did not have to return to classes until the end of January, I was able to take my time and explore around campus and the Village. Christmas was still in full swing.
Christmas in Greenwich Village
Decorations in one of the pocket parks on Greenwich Street
Homes decked out for the holidays
Townhouses decked out for the holidays
I also made a special trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the Christmas tree and decorations before the museum took them down after the Epiphany. I love seeing them every year. It still is a big attraction at the museum and you have to visit it before that first weekend in January is over.
The Metropolitan Museum of at at 1000 Fifth Avenue:
My last holiday event before school started again was Epiphany services at the Reformed Church of Paramus and visiting my father for his birthday. It can be sobering but I try to still celebrate his life and going to this church puts me into the Christmas spirit.
The Paramus Reformed Church in Ridgewood, NJ
Christmas services at the Paramus Reformed Church
The Paramus Reformed Church’s decorations by Route 17 are always tasteful
After services were over, I stayed and joined the other parishioners for Tea and snacks after the service and talked with other parishioners. It was nice to sit back after a long holiday season and just relax. After services were over, I went to pay respects to my father for his birthday (which is the reason why I come here for church as its on the way home). The cemetery was filled to the brim with wreaths and grave blankets so even though it was a cemetery, there was still a festive feel to the fact that so many people paid their respects to their families.
My aunt took me out on the last day of the Epiphany weekend for my combination birthday/Christmas present dinner to the Ivy Inn. What a nice evening we had and it was the perfect way to end the holiday season. The Chef/ Owner was not there that day but we were able to discuss with the staff the paper I wrote on the Metaverse. They seemed amused by it all (see my review on dinner on my TripAdvisor review above by the Metaverse paper story).
The Ivy Inn decorated for Christmas
The beauty of the dining room decorated for the holidays
The delicious salad I started with
The delicious Penne with Sundried Tomatoes and Sweet Sausage that I had that evening
My aunt and I shared this wonderful Zeppoles with Chocolate and Raspberry sauces
It was a magical evening with good food and company in a festive environment. I really needed this with all the running around with school, work, blogging and research that I had done from Thanksgiving to the Epiphany. It was a lot for one person to pull off and somehow I managed it all. I am lucky that I have supportive friends and family.
I had the entire month of January to relax before the whole thing began again for Spring Semester and that is all I wanted to do. It didn’t quite happen that way but I finally got time to myself which I needed.
My work for my blogs took me all over New York and New Jersey, visiting small towns, admiring Christmas decorations and supporting many community events. Please visit my other blogs DiningonaShoeStringin NYC@Wordpress.com, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com and VisitingaMuseum.com to see all the updates, more detailed stories on the mansions and events and all my updated pictures.
I got my final grades by the end of the semester and it was straight “A”‘s. This was the first time in my life I ever did that! Don’t even ask me how I pulled this all off!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The Empire State Building from the NoMAD section of Manhattan just off Broadway
mywalkinmanhattan 