Between two business appointments, before returning to the hotel, you have finally managed to get an hour of free time… Here’s our quick guide to Paris, specifically for the traveller in a rush, to be sure you get the most out of your express visit to the ‘City of Light’.
To take in the sight of one of the best views of Paris – and thus the world – while enjoying a well-earned cocktail after a long day of work, head to the Tour Montparnasse. This unattractive tower features an aptly-named restaurant on its top floor: Le Ciel de Paris.
Simple, hearty food, focusing on the quality of the products and not on anything fancy, has found acclaim in the French capital in recent years. And the timing is perfect, because you can find the true heart and soul of Paris in its brasseries. New establishments are popping up to the delight of every Parisian generation, including young people, who are showing a true passion for this popular style of food “Made in France”, of which they are proud.
To be immersed in the heart of the spirit of Paris’s people, go to the Brasserie Lipp in the Saint Germain des Prés quarter. A true Parisian institution, this establishment has been open for 135 years and has welcomed everyone who is anyone in Paris throughout its life: from Saint Exupéry to Madonna, Lipp was and still is the typical Parision meeting spot for artists and intellectuals from all backgrounds.
When it comes to Paris, you can tell people about the Seine, which flows quietly in the heart of the Ile Saint Louis, the always lively terraces that waft aromas of coffee, croissants, or even beef bourguignon, the hustle-and-bustle of the Avenue des Champs Elysées…
Trust in the mighty power of your sense of smell to condense the ambient elegance and share it with your loved ones: the delicacy of a typical Parisian brand of perfume seems to be the most glamorous and romantic choice.
Last week my family and I set out on our longest road trip to date. Minneapolis, MN to Bloomington, IN. I can’t believe I didn’t discuss road trips in my earlier blogs . . . isn’t this the season dedicated to hours in the car eating junk food, listening to the radio and counting cows?! I feel like it’s a rite of passage for every American child, and mine were totally up for the challenge.
Backing out of the driveway, my hubby had ‘Holiday Road’ blaring from the speakers (all great road trips must pay homage to Nat’l Lampoons Vacation, whether Aunt Edna is with you or not) and both boys were armed with their favorite movies, headphones and snacks for days. I planned to use these hours to catch up on email, sort through photos on my phone and make sure our family calendar was on point when we returned. But, as always, motion sickness set in half way through my first email and in lieu of being productive, I counted cows.
I feel like when we travel, we throw all rules out the windows. Bed times, nutrition, screen time, all take a back seat to accommodate the road trippin’ timeline. So, when we made our first stop in Chicago, already past the boy’s bedtime, it was fitting that we entered the lobby of the hotel to some serious bass, dark lights and a bar full of 20-somethings in their finest “I’m looking for a date” fashions. The lobby bar was a total club scene and there I stood with my family, covered in chip crumbs, ice cream spills and backpacks full of stuffed animals and dinosaurs. (Parenthood sure does change a Saturday night.) We definitely cramped the cool-kids weekend vibes and found immediate refuge up a few levels in our room. My kids were thrilled to be up way past their bed time, ordering pizza in bed and watching the Olympics. And if that wasn’t good enough, just like in a movie, outside our huge picture window, over-looking Lake Michigan, a fireworks show erupted right in front of us and for the first time in 8 hours, we were all silent, staring out the window. What a treat!! I could get used to this. But all good things must come to an end and all good kids must hit the hay (as my dad would say), lights were soon out and we were all happily in bed.
The next day, we had breakfast in bed, went swimming in the rooftop pool and took the boys on the Navy Pier ferris wheel before packing back up. Next stop: Bloomington, IN. The home of Indiana University, my husband’s Alma Mater. He’s a third generation Hoosier and couldn’t be more proud. By the time we arrived on campus, he was already plotting out what fraternity our boys would pledge, where they will live on campus and how to get the best seats at Assembly Hall for a little IU Bball. (Side note: I really love his love of his school, but grooming our boys this early in life is just not fair to me and my hometown University of MN Golden Gopher pride. Not to mention, I’ll never stop crying if my boys move that far away from me. A counter plan to keep my boys in MN begins now . . . I’ll keep you posted on the progress.) We quickly jumped out of the car and did a walking tour through campus. Even though IU is a rival Big Ten school to my U o MN, I have to admit, that campus is beautiful!!! After a dinner at one of his favorite restaurants, my husband took the boys to the book store to load up on all things Hoosier red and white. Outfits, posters, stuffed animals (are you kidding me?? This is too much), my boys emerged from the store looking like the newest freshman recruits. We checked IU off our road trip list and got to bed, the next day we were taking off for destination number three.
Lake Wawasee, in Syracuse, IN is where my husband spent every summer of his childhood. Leaving IU and driving north to Lake Wawasee, my boys were already in their swim trunks, sunscreen on, ready to dive into the water as soon as we arrived. Pulling into the cottage my husband spent weeks at as a kid, we made this insanely long road trip, worth every minute. The lake is clear and clean, there are boats and jet skis and toys for everyone. And the cottage is a perfect setting to enjoy the final few days of summer.
My oldest, William, has a brand new Go Pro that he proudly wore as he jumped in the lake and sped around on the jet ski. James, our baby (fine. He’s almost 5, but will always be my baby) worked up the courage to make the giant lily pad his stomping grounds. We swam, boated, ate and repeated for 36 hours! It was mostly marvelous, with just a few minor meltdowns. I mean no family of four can go 36 hours without a few meltdowns over whose turn it is anyway and who was really responsible for dropping the brand new Go Pro and letting it sink to the bottom of the lake . . . right? Right. Other than a few minor mishaps, we returned each night to the cottage a brand new shade of tan (even though we wear a lot of sunscreen) and a whole new level of exhausted.
It was bittersweet packing up for our final voyage, not only because I simply adore time with my three boys, but also because Syracuse, IN to Minneapolis, MN is no joke. About 10 hours, with stops and a nasty rain storm, to get back to home sweet home. But on our way home, there was definitely a sense of pride from all four of us. The kids were thrilled with the new adventures and are already plotting ways to permanently eat breakfast in bed. My husband was beaming with pride that his family had a blast in his favorite state. And I, to be real honest, am thrilled that I was able to keep this family unit in one piece, without massive meltdown for a total of 1000+ miles across the Midwest. Phew.
So, ICC announces the groups for the 2015 Cricket world Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand. (more…)
That was a clinical performance from the England side today against Australia at Edgbaston. England choose to bat after winning the toss. England openers had slow start as they lost their captain early for a low score. Bell and Trott steadied the ship with useful partnership as they reached the half way stage, at one point of time they were looking good at 170-1 from 30 overs and were aiming at 300. But thing didn’t go well for them as kept loosing wickets at crucial times, at the end they managed to get only 270 runs on the board from their 50 overs. Competitive score with 30 runs short from England’s point of view. Australians were happy as they restricted them for a lesser score, thanks to their bowlers who came to the party at the right time of the innings. Australia started their innings with the most destructive openers in world cricket and were hoping for a good start to follow a desperate win against the English men to get some confidence going before the much awaited Ashes series and to get going forward in champions trophy.
Watson and Warner played a watchful innings this time but that proved costly as they fell in wrong time that too in a quick succession. Hughes and Bailey tried to consolidate the innings with a partnership as Hughes played some delightful cover drives for fours and kept the score board going, Bailey took the responsibility to play till the end to get over the line for his team, they were looking good even when they run rate was increasing all the time. Tredwell who replaced the big boots of Swann got rid of Hughes with a quicker delivery that nipped back in at no time caught Hughes in front of the stumps. Australia had a lot of batting to come though but the decisive moment came when Anderson took the ball and knocked out Mitchelle Marsh and Mathew Wade in one over leaving Bailey the lonely Aussie at the ground. This rapped up the match for England as there was nothing much batting to come though the Aussie tail enders were no mugs with their bats, Bailey felt after very quickly and Faulkner showed some resistence at the end to make sure that batted through the 50 overs without getting allout and he was successful in doing this as Australia ended their innings at 221/9 in thier 50 overs of quota.
Ian Bell of England named Man Of the Match for his 91 runs of 115 balls who helped England to reach that score.
Fixing is not a new word in the world of sports. Accepting huge amounts of money, expensive accessories, and gifts from match fixers (bookies) to perform poorly which leads to their team’s defeat is regarded as fixing in Sports. Commitment towards nation, towards people who believe them to be their super heroes, who believe that these sportsmen will make them proud by winning, that belief that commitment that feeling disappears, nullifies because of fixing.
What makes life even more beautiful, exciting is its unpredictability. We never know what’s in stake for us the next moment. Fixing in sports takes away that excitement. Fixing in sports is like fooling people. Cheating millions of people just for money is a no good thing. But why do they do that, why the money, the wealth becomes more than respect towards nation, love they get from the people. Well there are some reasons.
We are living in the 21st century where money and only money is most important. Desire to be rich is not wrong but taking shortcuts to achieve what u want, to fulfill your desires is certainly wrong. People who fall prey to match fixing are basically the one who want to be rich overnight. Values morals doesn’t matter, the only things that they think about is being rich and hence involve in match fixing.
Cricket being an obsession in our country is certainly the most talked about sport. Over the past decade, Indian cricket has been rocked by scandals related to match fixing. What is significant here is that most of the cricket match-fixing scandals that have occurred in the last decade have had to do with the Indian subcontinent. In the year 2000, the whole nation was startled to hear the names of well known cricketers like Salim Malik, Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar’s involvement in match fixing. While Ajay Jadeja faced a ban from cricket for five years, Manoj Prabhakar was disqualified from holding any post in the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), and Azharuddin, Malik were awarded life time banishment from cricket. It’s not only our cricketers but also crickets from countries like Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka, Australia have been involved in fixing scandals.
Latest fixing scandal is IPL. With several players already being punished, we can expect many more shocks. So there is a need to curb, stop this match fixing, and make the sport pure in all aspects. The era when we had Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman was the golden era for Indian cricket. There is no dearth of talent in our country, but sportsmen need to get inspired from our cricketing greats, follow their values, and learn from them.
Self realization is important. Young cricketers need to realize the importance of commitment towards the people who believe them and the nation. They must understand the fact that money is not everything. Respect is what matters.”Let your conscience be your guide”.
Betting in our country is Illegal. But in the UK, where sport betting is regulated and a thriving industry, there are rare instances of player involvement in match fixing or even scandals of this nature. To tackle the problem, experts have suggested that legalization and regulation of gambling is probably the best solution. Banning is not going to help, as it will only motivate the industry to operate underground, as is the case with India, where the illegal gambling industry is worth almost 2,000 crore rupees. However, the public should demand solutions to match fixing.
Law makers of our country are very keen to bring out new a law which strictly punishes the people who indulge in match fixing. As viewers all we can do is hope.
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