Chateauneuf du Pape

I'm back!! 

Another long break from the blog

but this time back with LOTS of photos. 

I was gone for nearly a month

mostly in France

two weeks of which were spent in Provence. 

This first blog/set of photos 

are from the charmingly sweet town of Chateauneuf du Pape

which means New Castle of the Pope. 

You've no doubt heard of it 

because it's famous for its red wines. 

It sits about 12 kilometers from Avignon

and its castle was begun in the 14th century for one of the popes

who lived in Avignon. 

But the very first mention of it 

is in the 11th century

so lots of medieval remnants. 

Flowers everywhere

and a medieval street that leads to the castle ruin at the top. 

Lots of eateries and tasting rooms

And as with most of these little medieval towns,

the view at the top is spectacular. 

There was construction going on at the top

so didn't get photos of the castle ruins. 

After lunch in town, 

we visited a chocolaterie just outside of town

where we paired a few red wines with chocolate. 

And visited the Musee du Vin

which will be included in another post. 

But the biggest news about my trip

was my visit to the cave of Mary Magdalene

(said to have spent the last 30 years of her life 

in a cave in Provence.) 

That will be a big post of its own as well. 

Some of you know that I've included Mary Magdalene in my novel

so to visit her cave was a remarkable research trip for me

as well as my own personal pilgrimage

(both to honor the Divine Feminine.) 

Needless to say,

I'm very excited to have been there

and am still processing my experience.

But I'll be sharing more France and Greece photos

before that blog post arrives. 

Till then, happy summer! 

(All photos copyright Kirsten Steen)

New York, New York!

A few more photos from our trip to New York recently. 

We stayed right near Times Square

so ended up walking it every day on our way to and from the subway

or riding through in a cab.

No one can miss Rockefeller Center.

Parking in NYC!

(I'm not even sure how they do this.)

The Waldorf Astoria and Park Avenue.

Had to get a shot of the stunning stained glass window 

of the Annunciation at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The Annunciation is actually one of my favorite scenes

so took several ...

...most of which were from the 

Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Big fireplaces are my thing

and I loved the statues adorning this one.

(Also at the museum.) 

The beautiful entry hall...

And exterior. 

Below is Hatsheput, meaning Foremost of the Noble Ladies

who is known as being one of the longest ruling women

and most prolific builders in Egypt.

We actually went to The Met twice 

and I spent my entire second visit in the Egyptian exhibit... 

Ogling the painted interior of  mummy cases.

His and Hers!

The Egyptian Sky Goddess Nut depicted in this interior

revering the sun 

as well as giving birth to it. 

Nut is the mother of both Isis and Osiris.

According to Wiki, 

Osiris' popularity went all the way into Roman times. 

Below are some photos of Roman earrings. 

We also visited the Museum of Natural History

which of course is endlessly fascinating. 

I remember reading a book when I was young

about a kid who hides and gets locked into the museum overnight.

Now I've been told that the museum does overnight slumber parties

for grade school kids. 

What an amazing and fun experience that must be! 

Best slumber party ever!! 

This meteorite was found near Oregon City

about 2 hours from where I live, 

standing a little taller than the average person. 

And of course, Central Park is always one of our favorite destinations. 

I've been gone quite a bit from the blog

and this week I leave for the South of France

where I'll be making a little pilgrimage which I'll reveal more about later.

So barring any internet issues,

I should be posting photos while I'm there. 

I'm also using my time there as a bit of a writing retreat

to try to get my novel ready for beta readers. 

So wish me luck.

And see you in Provence! 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen) 

Greek wedding in New York

Just a few photos this week of our time on the East Coast recently. 

First time ever at the Boathouse on Central Park Lake.

There isn't much I don't love about Central Park.

Between going to the park and museums,

a Broadway show, Times Square and Greenwich Village,

we were there for a Greek wedding. 

The beautiful ceremony was held in a traditional Greek Orthodox church

in Stamford, CT. 

Inside the church was a painting of one of my favorites

found all over Greece:

St. George and the Dragon. 

I always enjoy seeing how people decorate the end of the church pews

and loved their use of lavender and olive branches. 

 The beautiful white cake was also decorated with
olive branches and blue flowers.

At the top, the same love birds
the parents of the bride
had on their own wedding cake.

And the very same glasses they toasted from
many years ago.

What sweetness!

The reception was held at the lovely

Davenport Club in New Rochelle

with a veranda and stunning water view. 

The food, the people, the view 

were all outstanding

and we were ecstatic to be included

and share in this family's joy.

One last one of Central Park

and there will be more photos to come next time

with shots from the City and some of my favorites from the museums. 

Until then, happy spring to you and yours! 

(All Photos Copyright: Kirsten Steen)

L'Etoile Venitienne

Just a photo today. 

Have been AWOL quite a bit lately on my blog

so thought I'd at least give you a little eye candy while I'm working on the next post. 

This is a restaurant we met my sister at for lunch during our most recent visit. 

Sadly I did not get any indoor photos which had a fun 

mirror picture of the canals of Venice. 

We were recently in New York for a wedding

and will soon have a post with photos of that trip. 

Til then, Happy Monday! 

*********

L'Etoile Venitienne

20, Avenue Kleber

75116 Paris

33.1.45.00.68.19

Metro: Kleber on the 6 Line

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Bon Anniversaire Eiffel Tower

Happy 126th Anniversary of the opening of

the Eiffel Tower today! 

Took these photos with my cell phone during our last visit.

So while not the best camera,

I love the colors. 

This is what it looked like when we emerged from

the Musee du Quai Branly 

after spending the afternoon there.

I had no idea about all the lights and colors

until we came out to this magic. 

And speaking of magic,

March is my birthday month

and a wonderful month it's been.

I got to spend a week at my writing retreat on the coast

with special favorite writing gals.

And last week, we spent a long weekend 

in Napa/Sonoma with friends 

for someone special's 80th birthday party. 

And as always happens in my birthday month,

my favorite season, Spring, arrived in full beauty and...magic. 

Happy Spring to you...

and I promise more Paris photos soon. 

**********

Quai Branly Museum

37, quai Branly

75007 Paris

Tel." 01.56.61.70.00

Tues, Wed and Sunday

11am-7pm

Thurs, Fri and Saturday

11am-9pm

(All photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)