The Snyder Travels - Europe & More 2009/2010

Last Day in Sweden :(

2009-12-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Amanda and Lily left for Paris this morning but Dan, Nick and I have one more day to explore more of Stockholm. We left the apartment around 11:30 and went to the Hotorget subway station to head down to the archipelago known as Soldermalm. This island is known as SoFo - it is more bohemian than where our apartment is. Nick wanted to take us to a Vegetarian buffet restaurant called Herman's which is right on the Harbor. Unfortunately we couldn't get a table with a view but the food was delicious!!

We split up after lunch - Nick went to spend the afternoon with his friends, My and Erika, and Dan and I headed to the Vasa Museum. We walked over the bridge to Gamla Stan where we caught a ferry to the island of Djurgarden which is where the museum is.

The Vasa warship- sunk in Stockholm Harbor in 1628 just after setting sail due to insufficient ballast and too many cannons on the upper decks. It was salvaged in 1961, brought to the surface and reconstructed to 95% original. Now it is housed in a huge museum that is humidity controlled to preserve the wood

Vacation is now winding down. Time to go back to the apartment and do laundry, pack, etc. Heading back to the states tomorrow, getting into Portland late so we will stay near the airport and drive home on Wednesday morning or whenever we wake up!!! Nick is heading to PARIS to meet Eryn (on her way to Burkina Faso for a 3 month internship) and Amanda to celebrate New Years!!! How fun for them!!

Tuesday evening addendum - Had a 6 hour, excruciating layover, in Chicago. Arrived in Portland at 9:30pm and there was 4 inches of snow on the ground and more falling. Glad I reserved a room near the airport!!! Nick's luggage is lost in Amsterdam or Paris - so he is in Paris with no clothes - guess he will have to go shopping!!!

Absolut Ice Bar - Stockholm

2009-12-27T13:56:00.000-08:00

Stockholm Ice Bar - temperature is minus 9 Celsius. For 180 kronor ($25) you get admission with fur lined poncho and gloves and a very strong vodka drink. It is touristy but we just could not come to Stockholm without doing this!!

By the way, Amanda and Lily went to the airport today and discovered that she does not need her passport to go to Paris tomorrow - so they will be on their way and will deal with the US Embassy there to get the temporary passport!

Brunch Cruise in Stockholm Harbor

2009-12-27T06:52:00.000-08:00

Today we took a 3 hour brunch cruise in Stockholm Harbor and Lake Malaren. It's not really a lake but an inlet off the Baltic Sea where Stockholm harbor rests. The harbor itself is surrounded by beautiful and majestic architecture which has a lot of Russian features to it. High spires and turrets. They say that Helsinki has even more of the Russian influence. The cruise went from Stockholm up to Vaxholm, which is a quaint little summer town at the gateway to the archipelago.

The brunch was a smorgasboard of Swedish dishes - salmon, lox, an assortment of herring dishes, cole slaw, potatoes, etc. Saffron cheesecake for desert. I couldn't believe they did not have Swedish meatballs. I have to have some before we leave here!!

It was a wonderful day today with everyone together and it was a pleasant trip. The weather was cold but no snow, fog or rain in site.

Back in Stockholm!

2009-12-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

Got back into Stockholm around 6pm and met Amanda and Lili near Central Station. Dan and I went to the ICA for groceries and the kids went shopping for clothes. Met back at the apartment, relaxed and got rested up for dinner. We didn't want to go far so we went downstairs to a Lebanese restaurant called Tabbouli. It was marvelous! Moussaka, grilled prawns, fatosh, salatet rocca, halloumi, rakhat, falafel and eggplant.

Upstairs to finish the Yahtzee tournament. Girls went back out around 11pm!

Tomorrow we are going on a brunch cruise all around the Stockholm archipelagos.

Uppsala, Sweden

2009-12-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

Arrived in Uppsala on the train from Stockholm with only 2 hours of sunlight left in the day. This is the town that is where Nick has been studying since August. The population is 200,000 but it is a very quaint, small town compared to Stockholm. The Fyris river runs through the town with many little bridges to cross. If you look down into the river you will see bicycles that were not chained down, that have been thrown into the river by drunken college students. Nick promised me he never did this.

We walked through the town square - beautiful cobblestone pedestrian only streets and colorful buildings with hot dog, roasted almond and doughnut stands all around. What a beautiful downtown area - Eugene could learn a thing or two about downtowns from these small European towns!!

The picture below is of Dan and Nick having a French hot dog near the river!!

The largest cathedral in Scandinavia is in Uppsala. It is called the Uppsala Cathedral!! :) It has been around since the 13th century. The architecture is amazing. It reminded me of Notre Dame in Paris with knaves all around the inside of the church. But the spires are much higher than Notre Dame. The choir and organist were rehearsing for a concert tomorrow night and it was moving to sit and listen to them sing in this magnificent church!!

We walked up the hill to the Uppsala Castle, built in 1549 by Gustav Vasa. It doesn't look like your typical European castle, looks more like a very fancy barn. To the north of the castle though is the botanical gardens of Carl Linnaeus, who is the father of taxonomy and modern ecology. The gardens were covered in snow as you can see in the picture below but Nick said that in the summer and fall they were very beautiful!

We walked back to the town and had lunch in a small, intimate and cozy cafe that Nick had frequented with his friends, called "Cafe Linnaeus". We had cappuccinos and amazing sandwiches and deserts. He does know how to pick them!!

Christmas Day in Stockholm!

2009-12-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

The snow is melting on this Christmas day in Stockholm!! How sad. It doesn't feel like Christmas here in the apartment but when you go outside the city is all lit up. We lounged around in the apartment until noon and then headed out to see if anything was open to get some food. The wind is blowing about 25 to 30 mph and the

rain/snow mix is grueling. We heard drums in the distance and found a small parade of soldiers and horses.

Watched them for awhile and then headed to a pub that we saw was open.

They had the most amazing selections of pizzas I have ever seen. The craziest was banana, chicken,

pineapple and curry (all on 1 pizza). Weird, huh!! We ordered 3 pretty common pizzas: cheese, mushroom, shrimp, etc and took 2 back to the girls who were still sleeping after another late night out. Since there is only 5 hours of sunlight, we call them the "vampire girls" - they sleep until 2 when it is starting to get dark again.

We spent our Christmas afternoon playing games and watching movies with Swedish subtitles but in English - yea!

OK, the bad part is that for our Christmas dinner the girls wanted Max's - which is a Swedish fast food restaurant like McDonalds only they have falafel burgers and really great fish sandwiches. So, Christmas 2009 will always be remembered as the day we ate pizza and fast food in Sweden. I will be so happy when the stores are open again tomorrow!!!!

Julafton - Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

It is Christmas Eve in Sweden. This is when all Swedish families celebrate Christmas with traditional smorgasboards. This means that all restaurants, cafes and bars are closed and Jeannie did not get enough food yesterday to feed everyone until dinner. Oooops!

The girls were out until 5:30 this morning so we knew that they would sleep until 2 or 3 so Dan and Nick and I headed out to hunt down some food. I found 1 hotel that was still serving food in the bar (limited menu) with a limited yet expensive menu. So the 3 of us had lunch for around $80. They had no take away for the girls so they were out of luck.

Walked through Humelgaarden park - lots of fresh snow!! The kids were all sleighing and playing in the snow, what a lovely site!

Back at the apartment the girls were finally awake. They went back to the same hotel to get their food and Dan and Nick & I played games and watched movies. A wonderful Christmas treat!!

Tonight is kosher stew & more movies and games with everyone.

Hope all is well - we a lovely time here in Sweden!

Gamla Stan and Christmas festivals

2009-12-23T14:32:00.000-08:00

Amanda and Lili arrived at 1:15 am this morning. We all waited up for them. Thank goodness they were able to get here. The weather across northern Europe has stranded many travelers and even closed the chunnel. Slept well last night.

Waited in the apartment until 1000 for our

luggage to come and it finally

arrived - what a

relief!!

We strolled around Normalm and crossed the bridge into Gamla Stan, which is the old town. The roads are very narrow and the

buildings are all shades of yellow, red and brown. Very quaint!! We found a cute little Christmas festival outside in the square in Gamla Stan and we bought some Swedish Grogg and flavored honeys, Saffron, Cloudberry and Wild Strawberry and Vanilla!! Yumm. While we were there it started snowing lightly!

Then we walked over to the Royal Palace where they were having the changing of the Guard. It sits up high in Gamla Stan and overlooks Stockholm harbor. I bet it is very beautiful in the summer months - winter has its beauty but today was very overcast, cold and windy near the harbor.

Next we headed to Ostermalm and Amanda found a Kosher grocery store - bought some Kosher beef for Christ

mas eve dinner - wanted lamb for my lamb tagine but had to settle for beef. On the same street was Saluhallen which is a gigantic inside market with restaurants and all different fresh food vendors. It was very busy and quite impressive. We boug

ht some fresh cod, vegetable, spices and mango chutney so I could make Cheryl's Seychelle fish (although she makes it with chicken). Had our afternoon capuccino's and people watched for a little while. We have found the Swede's to be helpful but not very friendly - and quite rude at times. But if you ask a question, they all speak very good English and are usually ready to help. It is great to have Nick with us, especially in the grocery store.

When we left the Saluhallen, Nick and the girls went to the fashion district, Dan headed back to the apartment and I headed to the grocers, which is an amazing market in the basement of a store similar to Nordstroms - strange but wonderful at the same time. It costs 5 sek to use a cart but unbeknownst to me, if you return the cart you get the coin back. Live and learn, it was only about 75 cents! Also, the bathrooms cost 10 sek to use in stores. So, it is a good idea to have lots of change when you go out here! I didn't have Nick with me this time so it was an experience being in the store and trying to figure out what I was buying. In France and Italy, it was so much easier because many of the words I either knew or could figure out but Swedish is so different.

It is wonderful having the apartment and being able to cook meals. The apartment is 4 bedrooms and 2 baths with a wonderful kitchen and dining area. So much better than being cramped in a hotel room and having to eat out every meal. :)

Well, dinner was great and we are very tired tonight. Dan and Nick and I are sacked out on the couch and the girls are going clubbing!! More power to them (they took naps before dinner!)

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and everything closes here on Christmas eve because that is when the Swedes celebrate Christmas. So we will have a nice dinner here and play games! We have Yahtzee and Trivial Pursuit in Swedish (Nick will have to ask the questions!).

God Jule to All! More to come

Sweden with Nick but no Amanda

2009-12-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

Arrived in Stockholm 2 hours late with no luggage and Amanda is stuck in London tonight and could not get a flight out until tomorrow - they have to go to Munich and then up to Stockholm. Copenhagen was snowed in pretty bad and they even had to close the chunnel due to heavy snow getting sucked into the tunnel.

It was so great seeing Nick when we came out of customs at the airport. We went to the grocery store tonight and stocked up on essentials. The apartment is lovely and the city is all decked out for the Holidays.

More to come when I am not so rummy!!!!!

Christmas in Sweden!

2009-12-18T17:58:00.000-08:00

Off to Stockholm via Chicago and Copenhagen on Monday, Dec 21st. Will arrive on the 22nd and take the Arlanda Express into Stockholm, Centralstation. Rented a 3 BR apartment in Normalm city center. Nick will meet us at the airport and then Amanda and her friend, Lili, will meet us at the apartment later that night.

2009-09-18T18:22:00.001-07:00

2009-09-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home

2009-06-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we arrived in Eugene around 5:40 on June 18th. It was so good to see Nick!! I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and not living out of a suitcase but I do miss Paris already!

Boston to Eugene

2009-06-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Boston yesterday. Amanda came out to the Harbor hotel to spend the evening with us and see the pictures of our trip. It was great to see her again but sad to say goodbye. Can't talk about it too much or I will cry again.
We are at Logan and our plane is delayed about 30 minutes so we are just sitting and waiting to sit in a metal ship for 6 hrs. to San Fran then home to Eugene tonight around 5:30.
It will be great to see Nick and Tucker and sleep in our own bed. Nick has been doing a great job of holding down the home front and taking care of Tucker. It will be so good to see him!!!

Heathrow to Boston

2009-06-16T23:33:00.001-07:00

Last morning in London and this wonderful view of Westminster and Big Ben. All packed and ready to go to Heathrow by shuttle. It was going to be a taxi to Paddington station then the Heathrow express from Paddington which would have been about 34 pounds or the shuttle for 38 pounds which picks you up at your hotel and delivers you to your terminal. Holy cow, I will pay the extra 4 pounds for that service. If we had been staying close to Paddington station we would have taken the express but since we are on the Southbank this makes much more sense.
We loved staying on the Southbank. It is much quieter than the North bank of the Thames and the views are lovely. There is a promenade all along the Thames on this side called the Jubilee Walkway which we used every day.
Well, off to Heathrow!

Last Day in London

2009-06-16T01:23:00.000-07:00

Ah, back to the states tomorrow but we still have one full day in London left. It is a glorious morning, the sun is shining on Big Ben and Westminster and we are having our coffee and reading the paper before we head out for the day. Today is the Tower of London, cruise on the Thames and hopefully time for Covent Garden.
Ta Ta until later

Well, we are back in our room in time to hear the 6pm chimes from Big Ben. Today we accomplished most of our goals for the last day in London. We took a river cruise on the Thames from the Westminster pier to the Tower pier. Then we spent the whole morning at the Tower of London doing the tourist thing. I was hoping it would be more gory than it was but I guess they have to keep it clean for the youngsters. They had a really wonderful exhibit on Henry VIII and all of his weapons and armor. Does anyone know what a Shaffron is? It is my new word for the week. It has to do with horses in medieval times. You'll have to look it up!
We had lunch in the Tower of London at a little cafe called the Armouries Restaurant. It was very good food and extremely reasonable prices.
We left The tower and headed over to Tower Bridge to hike to the top viewing area which is the stretch between the 2 towers. They had a really nice exhibition of bridges from all over the world. I enjoyed that!! Then we headed down to the engine rooms - I didn't enjoy that!!! It's a guy thing.
We left Tower Bridge and went for a walk over to Butlers Wharf which is a nice area right on the Thames Southbank with cafes and shops. Found a Starbucks and had an ice cold latte - YUM!!
Then we walked to Hays Gallery - another nice place with shops and cafes on the South Bank. There are so many outside cafes here on the river - too bad Eugene is so behind the times! Next we took pictures of the replica of Sir Francis Drakes "The Golden Hinde". WE just kept walking until we came to the new Millenium bridge, which is a pedestrian only bridge with great views of St Paul's Cathedral.Also, the Shakespeare Globe theater is near here.
We stayed on the Southbank until we reached out hotel - we had walked over 3 miles! It was a beautiful day so it worked out just fine. That has been our usual mileage each day with some days being around 6 miles. It is such a great way to see the city. When you take the metros you miss so much being underground and the buses have to deal with the traffic. So, as long as we stay fit, walking is our preference.
We decided to eat downtairs at Chino's again since we have to get up so early to get to Heathrow. It is a Pan Asian restaurant with wonderful food. Then we will come up and pack and enjoy our room for 1 more night.

London and Sir Paul

2009-06-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

Headed out to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace with throngs of other tourists. Then we walked through St James Park and we were going to lunch at Inn the Park, a nice little cafe at the east end of the Park near Trafalgar Square. When we got to the restaurant was closed and the paparazzi was everywhere - Yoko Ono was there and someone else was coming. So I heard one of the security people say he's coming down the path right now. So Dan I I took off walking down the path and waited where there was no one else around. And here comes Paul McCartney with his 2 daughters, Stella and Mary. I walked up to him and casually shook his hand and he said "Ciao" to me and I said "Hello". WOW - PAUL MCCARTNEY!!!!
Should I wash my hand? He was there with Yoko, Kate Bosworth, Kelly Osbourne and a bunch of other British celebs that we have never heard of to launch "Meatless Mondays" to promote vegetarianism.
Since we could not eat at the cafe in the park we headed toward Trafalgar Square for fish and chips at the Silver Cross Pub. It was pretty mediocre fish and chips and the service was also pretty bad. Have you ever had fish fried with the skin still on? After lunch we went to St Martin in the Fields Church next to the National Gallery because I wanted to see the brass rubbing gallery in the crypt.
Then we headed to the Big Bus Company for out tour of the city. It was nice to just sit back and see the sights. We went by St Paul's Church, Tower of London, Tower Bridge,Westminster, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Whitehall, Hyde Park, Kensington and Knightsbridge, etc, etc. It was definitely a good way to see the city since our time is limited here in London.
We got off the bus for about 45 mins and went into Harrods to have some coffee and a snack. What an amazing and opulent department store. The cheapest purse I saw was 1100 pounds. There was a blouse that Dan and I liked and it was on sale - FOR 185 POUNDS ($265). Geez, who shops at these places. The architecture in this store is really beautiful though and it was enjoyable to sit and admire it over cover and cheesecake. One the 1st floor there is a shrine to Diana and Dodi Fayad. One of the escalators is called the Egyptian escalators - all the walls and acoutrements are done in an Egyptian decor.
Back on the bus and it started raining so we headed back to our apartment, it was 7pm by the time we got back and raining pretty hard. Looks like room service and a movie tonight!! We are pooped! 1 more day of being tourists.
I think we are both ready to be home!

1st morning in London

2009-06-15T01:48:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful nights sleep off and on, the temperature in the room was a little warm for us but it was a great bed! Woke up to a typical dreary London morning - the kind you hear about back home. Dan is out for a run along the Thames and I am relaxing with a cup of coffee on the balcony typing away on the blog. The Monday morning commuters are all below me scurrying about. I will, too, be one of them in another week. But, I can't complain since this has been the trip of a lifetime for us. Although I do hope to do it again, without so many stops!!

London OMG!!!

2009-06-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

I thought Paris was fantastic but London is amazing and everyone speaks English!!!!! We arrived to our hotel by London cabbie after getting off the train from Dover at Victoria Station. We both agreed that we should have come here instead of staying the night in Dover. Our hotel/apartment is fantastic - we have a 1 bedroom apartment overlooking the Thames with a view of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. See pictures!!!
When we arrived, there was white wine being chilled for us with chocolates in our apartment - we have no idea why but we were not going to question. I will take pictures of the apartment tomorrow so you can see what it looks like. We sat on our balcony for a while and then went out for a walk. The concierge at the desk told us about a Turkish restaurant around the corner and it had to be one of the top 3 meals we have had on this trip. I had lamb wrapped in pastry and Dan had Mediterranean shrimp. They brought a bowl of water with lemons and we were both perplexed until we realized it was to wash out fingers in - at first we thought it was some kind of Turkish soup. Stupid Americans!!!
After lunch we took a walk on the Southbank of the river under the London Eye and past about 5 bridges. We went up to the top of the OXO tower and had a drink and decided the view from our apartment was better than their view so we headed back to enjoy our room. There was a great festival going on down at the river celebrating immigrants. There was every food imaginable from every country (Ghana, Carribean, Ethiopian, Indian, etc). And lots of music and street performers.
We are back in our room relaxing and probably will just stay in tonight and enjoy the room with some room service.

To London we go!!

2009-06-14T01:58:00.000-07:00

Woke up in our lumpy bed in Dover to the smells of the English breakfasts being prepared and the sounds of the loudest seagulls we have ever heard. The breakfast was so good that we couldn't bring ourselves to complain about the lumpy bed. It was chock full of protein - sausage, ham, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, and toast. We could even see the coast of France from the breakfast room. It is raining lightly this morning so we are bypassing the Dover Castle and going straight away to London on the 11:22 train.

Crossing the English Channel

2009-06-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Left the apartment and walked about 1/4 mile to a taxi stand, took a taxi to the train station where there were gypsies everywhere. We really had to watch our backpacks and purse. Took the Eurostar to Calais Frethrun, which was a wonderful trip and then took a bus to the center of Callais where we caught a taxi to the Ferry terminal. Justg made the 3:25 ferry to Dover. The channel was very calm and the skies were beautiful with wispy clouds. It was a great day for crossing the English channel. Then the white cliffs of Dover came into view - how beautiful!!!

We got off the ship in Dover and we were able to walk to our B&B. We met Robert the owner who let us have the pick of rooms. We took a room in the back with a view of the white cliffs and the WWII secret tunnels used to evacuate soldiers from Dunkirk. The Castle here in dover is from Roman times - it is on the hill behind the B&B. We hope to have time to go there tomorrow before leaving for London.

Dover Castle

Tonight we walked along the Dover harbor and stopped into a Pub on the harbor called Collins Wood. We had a drink before heading to Dino's for dinner. It was recommended to us by the owner of the B&B and it was fabulous. Best Italian food we have had on the trip, even better than we had in Italy. Mama, Dino's wife, who is 77 years old, is the cook. They mixed up our order and when the waiter took it back to the kitchen Mama let loose and started yelling at him in Italian. Everyone in the restaurant could hear and there were many chuckles all around. We felt bad but the dish they brought out was beef kidneys and we were not going to eat that!! Mama even came out herself and appologized to us. All in all, it was a very entertaining dinner.

The B&B is not very good. Lumpy bed, poor lighting, bathroom down the hall and only a bathtub. But, we are only here for 1 night so it will do.
Off to London tomorrow.

Last Day in Paris :(

2009-06-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, today was our last day in the most beautiful city in the world! I am staying
for a month next time. We visited the Luxembourg Gardens today - bought
some baguette sandwiches and had a picnic in the park near the large fountain
along with about 100 Parisians and other tourists. They really love their parks here -
it is so nice to see
people out enjoying their parks. We stayed in the park for about2 hours then headed to the Pantheon.

WOW, the Pantheon in Paris is much more
interesting than the Panthe on in Rome and much larger. There is even a crypt
underneath it which we visited where many famous people are buried:
Alexander Dumas, Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau, Pierre and Marie Curie
and others. It is also right next to the Sorbonne so there are lots of students
everywhere. After this we needed our afternoon petite cafe so we headed
back to the park where there were 2 little cafes - we sat and had our cafes
and the philharmonic orchestra was playing in the park. How wonderful is that?
What a lovely relaxing day we had!!

Went back to the apartment to get a little rest in before heading out for a
shopping spree and one last trip to the Eiffel Tower.
OK, time to go shopping in Paris. Went to Les Halles and it was crazy, being it was Friday night. Didn't buy much, fashion is tres expensive here in the fashion capital.
Just heard about this impromptu dinner that happened last night on the
Place du Concorde with 10,000 Parisians. Here is the link:

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-269997

Took the metro to the Eiffel Tower and it was packed. Dan wanted to
climb to the top but I stayed down in the Gardens and waited.
Even with the line it only took him 1 1/2 hours to get to the top,
take pictures and climb down. He took the stairs to the 2nd level
and then you take the elevator to the top. He said it was twice as
many stairs as the Arc de Triomphe so I am that I didn't try it.
I would have had an asthma attack - damn asthma!!!!
It was a beautiful evening in the park!!!
We went back to the cafe that we had eaten in last
week on our first trip to Paris for the French Open
right on the Seine with a view of the Eiffel tower.
It was a magical last night in Paris. We sat there and had
our meal UNDER THE EIFFEL TOWER!!!!
How cool is that?











We took the metro back to St Michel (our stop)
and visited our neighborhood crepe place.
Both cousins were there and so was Johnny's
family so we took a family snapshot.
They would not even let us pay for the
crepes tonight so I gave the money to the
oldest daughter. She was thrilled!!!
Off to bed - busy day
tomorrow traveling
to the UK!!

Paris June 11th 2009

2009-06-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Woke up to a gorgeous morning, no more rain in sight. We took our time with breakfast in our little studio and then took the metro to Gare Austerlitz to buy our Eurostar tickets for Calais on Saturday. Then we headed to Notre Dame cathedral. It was very packed but the organist was practicing and it was mesmerizing being there. It doesn't come close to St Peter's Basilica in Rome though.

Next we headed to a little bistro with the friendliest waitresses we have seen yet and had sandwiches and salads. Everyone has been so friendly here, nothing like people have told us about. I even gave the waitress today a tip and she gave it back and so "no, no, no".
After lunch we headed to the Louvre which is enormous!! We started looking at everything in every room and decided that it would take a month to see everything so we sat down and decided what each of us wanted to see. So, without getting lost (thank God Dan is very good at maps) we went to the Mona Lisa (which is quite anticlimactic), Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory or Nike, The Dying Slave by Michelangelo, the Code of Hammurabi, Psyche and Cupid and some gorgeous sculptures too many to list.

By this time, our feet were killing us so we left (it was closing anyway) and headed out to the Tuileries which are the gardens attached to the Louvre. The weather was beautiful and there were so many people out enjoying the day so we pulled up some chairs next to one of the fountains and took a much needed rest.

OK, enough of this rest, we have got places to go and things to see!! On to the Musee D'Orsay for some Impressionalism. It is right across the Seine from the Louvre in the old Orsay train station. First things first, we had dinner right under the giant clock in the Museum at a little cafe, then went out on the terrace for some terrific views of the city. I was very excited to see Van Gogh's Starry Starry night but unfortunately it is on loan to the MOMA in NYC. Well, no worries, we had enough to see to keep us busy until they closed at 9:45. There were paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Manet, Millet, Renoir, Whistler, Cezanne and our new favorite Camille Pissarro whose paintings are absolutely amazing - and neither one of us had never even heard of them. My Grandfather even had an original of Jean-Francois Millet that is still in our family!! So this was a wonderful day of culture for us and what better city to see it in!!

We decided to walk back to see our friendly crepe makers downstairs from our apartment and on the way we saw hundreds of people on the Pont des Artes bridge over the Seine and it was all young people (ages 18-30) having picnics on the pedestrian only bridge. It was amazing. What a great placed for these kids to hang out. We so wanted to go get a bottle of wine and join them but don't worry, we didn't. Got a dessert crepe and headed home with a bottle of wine.
Until tomorrow - last full day in Paris!!

Paris June 10th, 2009

2009-06-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Ooh la la, we slept in until 1000 this morning. It was lovely but the weather was far from it and getting worse this afternoon. We had a great breakfast in our little studio and then headed out to walk from the Louvre down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe and then the Invalides where Napoleon is buried. The Louvre was extremely crowded today since it was closed yesterday so we may go later tonight. The Champs Elysees was amazing with all of the shops and car showcases. We saw the James bond car from his last movie at the Astin Martin showcase (I think)!! Duh, what do I know? Amanda, you could empty your bank account in 1 hour on the Champs Elysees. We ate at a little cafe on the Champs Elysees called La Deauville, had beef bourginion and chicken Forrestier. Next, the Arc de Triomphe. Thankfully there is an underground passageway to the Arc so you do not have to navigate the cars on the Charles de Gaulle Etoile. We climbed the 284 stairs to the top of the Arc and had a fantastic view of Paris, albeit very cloudy and starting to rain. We headed down and needed a petite cafe, which we have become very used to in the afternoon. Just a shot of very strong espresso! We were getting capacinos but here in Paris they are too expensive so we are adjusting. We walked to the Invalides and sat across from it sipping our cafe as the rain was coming in stronger and stronger. We rested our legs before starting for home - which was about 2 miles away. Well, we made it and we are pretty tired so we may not make it to the Louvre tonight after all. It may be melon, prosciutto and croissants for dinner!!

We decided to go downstairs and get crepes again for dinner tonight. The creperie is run by 2 cousins from Madagascar. They are lovely and very fun to talk to. Plus, they make delicious crepes. I had ham, cheese and mushroons in a cream sauce crepe. Dan had ham, cheese and egg crepe. And of course for dessert we had a nutella and banana crepe. Bought a bottle of wine and all was good!! We needed the rest for tomorrow.

2009-06-09T11:54:00.001-07:00

Left Bayeux this morning at 10:00 - had to say goodbye to our wonderful hosts, Jean and Anna
Lanchou. I cried when we left - they were so great, especially Anna. We hugged and kissed both cheeks twice!!! Then we drove to Honfleur but the weather was atrocious so we walked around the harbor with our umbrellas and had a nice lunch of omelets and Kebab, then headed to Paris. Drove our rental car into Paris with only 1 error which was easily corrected without hitting anyone or getting yelled at. Took a taxi to our apartment on Rue Dauphine (our lady taxi driver was from Cameroon) and climbed 3 flights of stairs to our adorable little studio apartment. It is small but larger than a hotel room in this part of Paris for 1/3 the price. We have cable TV, internet access, washer and dryer (all in 1) and free phone calls to the US. We found the local grocery store and bought our breakfast and snacks for the next 4 days. On the way home we found a creperie and pizza parlor just underneath our apartment. The crepe maker was from Madagascar and he made a delicious ham and cheese crepe for moi!!! Took everything upstairs and had a very nice and quiet dinner in our apartment.
We are heading out to do a little sightseeing and take a nighttime cruise on the Seine!!
Au revoir for now.

Last Day in Normandy

2009-06-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

Left around 1000 this morning for the American Cemetery in Colleville sur mer. It is only 15 mins from Bayeux. Very few people were there when we first got there. The first thing we did was go out to the cliffs and see Omaha Beach and the English Channel from this point. Then we went to the winged

memorial where the British RAF was having a ceremony to honor the Americans. It was such a moving tribute. There were 2 British Generals there with an abundance of medals on their chests. One was in a wheelchair and another was doing pretty well with a cane. They must be in their 90’s. I had to stop reading the messages on all the wreaths because I was becoming too emotional. It was wonderful to see all of the French people who came to the memorials, there were also Polish, British, Germans and of course, many Americans there. Then we walked the graves and went to the chapel. Behind the winged memorial is the Garden of the Missing. The last thing we did was visit the Visitors Center where they have a detailed account of the Normandy Operation and a short film by some of the family members of the servicemen that died on June 6th, 1944. We were very impressed with the whole American. Cemetery. It is also very nice to see all of the French and American flags being flown together from the houses in Normandy. They are very thankful for the sacrifices of the Americans.
Next we drove to Lounges sur Mer where there are German gun batteries still standing. It was raining pretty hard by this time so we just took some quick pictures and headed down to Arromanches-les-bains. This is where the British built a huge artificial harbor so that the supplies could be brought into the troops for the Normandy campaign. Parts of the artificial harbor ramparts can still be seen today. We were in luck when we arrived, it was very low tide and the ramparts were out of the surf and quite visible.
We had lunch of St Jacques (scallops) and moules (mussels) here in Arromanches at a restaurant called Juin 6. Then headed back to Bayeux.
Found an English newspaper so it is nice to finally get some news. We have had no TV and very limited internet for the last 5 days. I am having to ask our host to use the Internet to post my blog so I am hesitant to stay on too long.
Addendum: Right now we are at McDonalds eating dinner because they have free WiFi!!!
The last pictures is of our hosts Jean and Anna - tres chante!!

Bayeux June 7th 2009

2009-06-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Had breakfast in our hosts dining room again. We learned that the house we are staying in was occupied by the Nazis for 3 years then the British for 2 years. Then their family retrieved it back. It is a gorgeous house!! Huge and lots of passageways.
The weather was beautiful this morning so we decided to head out to the D-day landing sites. First we went to Point du Hoc where the US rangers scaled the cliffs just west of Omaha Beach. There are so many craters in the earth from where we bombed the Germans. Some of the German bunkers are still in pretty good shape here. Then we went to Omaha Beach where there are 2 impressive sculptures, one in the surf and one on the shore. It is such a moving experience being here, especially with all of the veterans. Our next stop was Colleville sur mer where the American Cemetery is but the crowds were unreal. Tour busses everywhere. There was no parking for a mile. So we decided to go back tomorrow on Monday since many people are just here for the weekend. On to Porte-en-Bessin, a cute little fishing village on the English channel although today it was so crowded with no where to park. We abandoned that plan too. So we went back to Bayeux and had lunch at a little café and waited for the parade to start. We met a man named Etienne at the café having lunch and he was with the Obama entourage for his visit yesterday to Normandy. This man was in charge of all the transportation for the Obama group while here. He works at the American Embassy in Paris. We exchanged phone numbers and he wants to get together with us while we are in Paris for drinks and to show us around. WOW!!!! We have met the most gracious people on this trip.
After lunch we watched some of the parade. It was a reenactment of the liberation parade through Bayeux in 1944. It was fantastic!
On to the Bayeux tapestry which was hand stitched in the 11th century telling the story of the Battle of Hastings with William the Conqueror. It is over 200 feet long. I now know everything I could possibly want to know about the battle of Hastings!!
Dan is pretty sick of eating in restaurants so we picked up sandwiches and cookies on the way home for dinner in our suite tonight. Oh and of course, a bottle of wine.

1st Full Day in Bayeux

2009-06-06T08:32:00.001-07:00

Had breakfast upstairs in our hosts dining room. Croissants, coffee and orange juice. Went to the Tourist Information to see what activities are scheduled for today. There are many Brits and Americans here in Bayeux for the celebrations. The newspapers all have Obama on the front page. He was in Caen this morning and this afternoon at the American cemetery in Couleville and on Omaha Beach. All areas are closed to visitors today because of this. So we went to the British Cemetery here in Bayeux where there was a very moving celebration with Prince Charles. This afternoon Dan and I split up for only the 2nd time on the trip - he went to the Normandy war museum and I went window shopping. Met back at 4pm for cappuccinos and back the house to rest before the big party in the park tonight.

Traveling to Nornandy

2009-06-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

Left Amboise this morning around 11am and headed toward Normandy. Went through Les Mans where the 24 hours of Les Mans is run every June. This year it will be June 13th and they are already preparing for it with barriers, flags and so forth. We drove part of the race track which is run on the regular highway. I hate to admit it, but we finally broke down and ate at a huge McDonalds in Les Mans. We needed something quick and full of protein so it was a “no brainer”!!
We finally made it to Bayeux around 5:30. We didn’t take the super highway because the tolls are around $40 for 4-5 hours of driving. Plus, you don’t get to see any of the towns when you take the super highways.
Bayeux is a very old Norman town - from the 3rd century AD. You can really see the British influence here. We are staying in old Bayeux, just 2 blocks from the Cathedral here. We have a 2 room ensuite in an old house from Napoleons’ time. We are on the bottom floor and the owners, Jean and Anna are on the top floor. The courtyard and gardens are beautiful!! We went for a walk in the town tonight after dinner at L’Assiette Normande (a Rick Steve’s suggestion). It was excellent and very reasonable. Yeah, they had escqrgot. It is 10:30 and just getting dark because we are so far north.
The Cathedral is all lit up at night and very awe inspiring!

Amboise France

2009-06-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful breakfast in the salon at the manor this morning. Our little rental car is siti9ng between a Mercedes and a Jaguar. I think we are out of our league in this place. Oh well (shrug, shrug as the French would do). After breakfast, we visited Clos du Luce, Leonardo da Vinci's last home before he died. They have wonderful models of all his inventions and the gardens are fantastic. The city of Amboise is so absolutely beautiful - I could very easily move here in a second!! The castle is right on top of us here at Manor des Minimes. This evening we drove to Chateau Chenonceau in the city of Chenonceaux. It is about 15 minutes from Amboise. Thank God for GPS in the rental car. There were only about 10 of us at the Chateau since the crowds were gone for the day!! It was lovely. The gardens, the castle and the river Cher!!!
We have met a wonderful couple from Liverpool (they own the jaguar)!! Trish and Peter, they are a riot!! We have exchanged emails and have promised to be in touch. Everyone here is so jealous of us going to the French Open - even the Jaguar owner!!!! How about that?
We had a lovely dinner tonight at a little French bistro just down the lane in the town square. The waitresss was jsut a kick - we got along jolly well. We have had a great time with all of the Frenchies!!! I guess if you are nice to them, they will be delightful right back.
Well, we leave this idyllic place in the morning - we will be back here in the future, for sure!!

Amboise - Beautiful town

2009-06-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

We awoke in Amboise on the Loire river in the Loire valley. The manor house we are staying in is just next to the Chateau Amboise. We are in the "Polyanna" room at the top of the manor with a view of the Loire river and the Chateau. What a glorious place - best room so far!!! We plan on taking it easy today and just seeing Amboise and the Leaonardo da Vinci museum and tomb, maybe this evening going to Chenonceux.

French Open

2009-06-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the French Open today. We saw a juniors match with Christina McHale from the USA on one of the side courts and then we went to Court Philippe Chartrier and saw Samantha Stosur from Australia beat up on Cirstea from Romania and Roger Fedderer and Gael Monfils - Fedderer beat the home town boy in straight sets.

We walked back to our hotel after the matches and took a taxi to get our rental car. Getting out of Paris during rush hour traffic was a nightmare but once we were on the freeway (although it was far from being Free - $28) we were feeling better about the decision to rent a car in France. We made it to Amboise around 11pm and we are all tucked into our beautiful manor room. Will post pictures of the chateau tomorrow.

Our story of the day!!!
We had just picked up the car in Paris and it was closing time at Avis so the guys were very anxious to get us out of there and their English was limited. We got no instructions on the car or how to work the GPS. The car was a little bittie Ford Ka (like a Kar, but from Boston). As we were heading out of Paris at 7:30 in the heat of rush hour, we decide to pull over and see if we are going the right way and try to get the GPS to work for us. So, Dan pulls over to the right and parks. All of a sudden a big guy on a motorcycle is banging on Dan's window. Well, we could not figure out how to roll down the window - there was no window button on the door. So we both shrugged our shoulders (as the French do) but the guy was yelling at us in French. So, Dan decided he probably should open the car door because we could tell the guy was not happy about something. Apparently, when we pulled over, he was trying to pass us on the right and we cut him off. We apologized profusely and finally he calmed down. What an experience for our 1st car rental in Paris!! By the way, the window opener was on the center dashboard under the AC vents!

Hope everyone is well on the other side of the pond!!!

Beautiful Paris!!!

2009-06-02T13:10:00.001-07:00

We had cappuccinos at this little cafe on the Seine with a view of the Eiffel Tower!!

Alles de Cygnes - an island in the middle of Seine (watch our for the merde!!)

Dan at the Champs de Mars

The French Statue of Liberty

Our hotel - Eiffel Kennedy

On our way to Paris

2009-06-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

We left Varenna on the 8:37 to Milan, caught the shuttle to the airport at 9:55 and got on a Lufthansa flight to Charles De Gaulle in Paris. Very nice flight - Lufthansa is a very classy airline!! Free drinks for economy class - WOW!
Flew over the Alps and over Geneva Switzerland. See pictures from the plane.
We landed in Paris at 2pm, found our way to the RER B which took us to Saint Michel station and then switched to the RER C to the Boulanvilliers station and walked about 300 meters to the Eiffel Kennedy Hotel. WE HAVE A VIEW OF THE TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER!!
Sorry to leave you we are going out now!!

Last full day in Varenna

2009-06-02T08:26:00.001-07:00

Our balcony!!

Menaggio square

Lunch in Bellano

Bellagio on Lake Como

Ahhh we love this area of Italy!!! The rain has left and we woke to another gorgeous day. We sent some things back home to lessen out load, got our train tickets for tomorrow and had laundry done today - the essentials!! We made a spur of the moment decision to rent a car and drive around the entire lake. We had to take the ferry over to Bellagio to rent the car. Maneuvering the streets of Bellagio to get out of town was the first difficult task. The streets are so narrow and there are people everywhere!! Luckily the car was pretty little too - a bright red Dihaitsu. The second task was driving on the windy roads around this area of the lake but Dan did a great job, although he did have to stop and have a beer at lunch to calm his nerves. It wasn't as crazy as the Rome drivers but they were going a lot faster. We drove up to the north end of the lake where the big sport is sailboarding and kite boarding. These guys were amazing, doing jumps with their kites and twists and turns. We took some movies but I will post pictures too. We stopped in Menaggio and had cappuccinos and tiramitsu (best ever). Menaggio is directly across from Varenna. We had to drive to the next town Candabbria to get the ferry back to Bellagio to turn the car in. It was a very relaxing drive for me - Dan can not say the same but it was good experience for when we rent the car for the week in France.
Got back to Varenna about 8pm and yeahh our laundry was delivered and all done for us at a hefty cost though. There is no self serve laundry in Varenna so not much choice.
We had dinner at Osteria de Varenna near our room - we both split an appetizer of Lake Herring - full of little edible bones and extremely salty. 1st thing I have had that I didn't care for. But, I did manage to eat the head, which Dan did not!!
Time to pack and get ready for our trip to Paris for the French Open.

3rd Day in Varenna

2009-06-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Breakfast again on the terrace of the hotel overlooking Lake Como. Dan left me here this morning to lounge in the sun on the terrace while he hiked up to the Castello di Vezio above the city. My calves were killing me from all of the stair climbing in these towns so he left me behind. He said the views of all the lake towns were gorgeous and he has beautiful pictures which I am posting. There was also a bird of prey area at the castle with falcons, owls and buzzards. While he was gone I walked the town looking for all of the essential places we will need before we head out on Tuesday - laundromat, post office, internet café, etc. Then back to the terrace to lay in the sun!!
This area of Italy is so relaxing although it is very busy with Italian weekenders from Milan today.
The rain has come to Lake Como this afternoon!!

Day 2 in Varenna

2009-06-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Awoke to a beautiful day on the lake. No rain in sight! How gorgeous and relaxing this is, especially after hectic Rome. We are sitting out on the terrace having breakfast, overlooking the lake. Even the breakfast is amazing here - all different breads and jams, prosciutto, salami, 5 kinds of cheeses and yogurt with fruit. And of course, cappuccinos. We met a lovely elderly couple from Sydney who were on an extended vacation and had just finished a French immersion program in Montpelier France before coming to Varenna and then off to Milan for the opera. What a life!!
After breakfast we walked the promenade and ended up at the ferry dock. So in a spur of the moment decision we decided to take the ferry over to Belagio to do some shopping and have lunch. The ferry ride was short but it was so wonderful being out on the water. Bellagio is much larger than Varenna and there are lots of shops and many more restaurants. We ate right down on the water at a very quaint restaurant with wisteria climbing everywhere and little finches that would eat breadcrumbs from your hand.
We walked toward the point of the peninsula that Bellagio sits on and landed in a cute little park where a lot of young people were having picnics. We met another elderly couple from Tucson, Arizona who were driving through Italy on an extended vacation, hiking and bird watching. There are so many interesting people here. We left the park and hiked up a cobblestone path thinking we were going to a bigger park that we were looking for and we ended up on the other side of the peninsula. Oops - wrong turn and 2 miles later. So we headed back to the town and went shopping and then ferried back to Varenna for our afternoon cappuccinos. The Italians say they can tell Americans because we are the only ones that would order cappuccinos after 2pm!!

After cappuccinos it was time for gelato on the waterfront. What a lazy life we are leading! Back to the room for a little siesta and some French Open results.

Tonight we had dinner at the hotel on the terrace. It was a prix fix menu where you choose between 2 appetizers, 2 main entrees and 2 desserts. I had prosciuto wrapped melon, lake bass with purple mashed potatoes and cheese on pear bread for dessert. It was heavenly!! Dan had the same except the panna cotta with berries and whipped cream for dessert. I bet this is making you very hungry!!
Tonight we are heading to our room early - it is 11:15.

Leaving Rome and travelling to Varenna II

2009-05-30T08:15:00.001-07:00

We went to our favorite café near our apartment for cappuccinos and croissant this morning before leaving Roma. Then we went back to the apartment for breakfast and finish packing. Headed to the taxi stand near via del Corso but a taxi stopped and picked us up on the way. That was very lucky!! It is so hard pulling the luggage on cobblestone streets.
The train ride was very enjoyable - on the Eurostar. We traveled through Tuscany to Florence and then on to Bologna, finally arriving in Milano. The Milano station was crazy!!! Luckily the Varenna train was already there and we were able to board right away.
The trip to Lago de Como was uneventful until we reached the lake. It was beautiful and everything we expected. We arrived in Varenna at 1823 right on time. (The European trains are amazingly on time). What a great city!! There are staircases leading to all sorts of nooks and discoveries around every corner. The lake is very choppy tonight because it is quite windy. We had a fantastic meal at Vecchia Varenna right under where we are staying. We could not eat at our hotel because they are having a wedding tonight. Dan had lake trout, caught today and I had pumpkin gnocchi. It was all fabulous - plus a bottle of Italian wine, and of course, dessert.
Our room is up 4 flights of narrow stairs with French doors leading to a balcony overlooking the lake. We are posting pictures. Yes, those are the Alps in the background!!
Unfortunately it is suppose to rain tomorrow but no worries, we are prepared!!

Traveling to Varenna

2009-05-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Took the 12:30 train from Rome to Milan and changed to a commuter train to Varenna. The lake is beautiful and so relaxing after the hectic but wonderful atmosphere in Rome. Our room on the lake is up 4 flights of stairs and Dan had to carry both bags so we are now rethinking how much clothes we brought. We are sending some back by post on Monday.
We arrived in Varenna last night at 7 pm and freshened up then went for dinner at a very nice restaurant right on the lake. We drank a whole bottle of wine and I didn't have any allergy problems - must be those sulfites in the US. The wind was really whipping on the lake and our room looks out over the lake with french doors leading out onto our own private balcony. We will post pictures soon but right now I am having to use the hotels' computer and there is no way to upload them. Maybe tomorrow.

Day 3 in Rome

2009-05-29T00:25:00.000-07:00

Day 3 in Rome

Finally got to sleep in today - nothing pressing. We had bought breakfast items last night on our way home so we ate breakfast in our apartment. We can not figure out the coffee maker in the apartment so each morning after breakfast we go around the corner to the little café and have our cappuccinos. The waiters and waitresses now recognize us. It is quite nice!!
Today was ancient Rome! We visited the Roman Forum, Palentine Hill and the Coliseum. Beautiful views of the city from Palantine Hill. It is amazing to see the ancient ruins right in the middle of the city. You can just imagine what life was like in ancient Rome when you are walking through the Forum.
Dan is amazed by all of the scooters and motorcycles in the city. And the amount of polizia here is astounding. There must be 5 on every street corner. We have not seen any theft at all. I am sure they pumped up the police support because of the big soccer match last night. In fact, they closed all bars and did not sell any liquor at all last night. We could not even get wine with dinner!!
We came home after the Coliseum today and had our siesta, then headed out for our last walk through Rome. We went to the Spanish steps and sat with about 500 other people - mostly young students. It was a beautiful evening!! The we walked over to Piazza de Popolo which is the plaza of the People and along the Villa Borghese. We had our last dinner in Rome at a cute little Tratatoria near the Pantheon. We ate outside, of course, along the street under the stars!! It is truly amazing to see the throngs of people out in the city at midnight - even on week nights. All ages, from 15 to 75. Walking, talking, sitting in cafes or sitting in the piazzas around their monuments. They are truly proud of their city! After only 3 days in Rome we feel like we are already immersed in their culture and have adapted to their customs. We have our cappuccinos in the morning, then a little breakfast, then a very long stroll and sit in the piazzas, then lunch around 2 and a little siesta, then another stroll and then dinner at 10 with an even longer stroll. Truly the “Dulce vita“!!!
Off to Varenna in the morning via Milano!

2009-05-29T00:17:00.000-07:00

We got up early today and headed for the Vatican to take a guided tour of the Vatican Museum, Vatican Gardens, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Before our guide arrived we got to see Pope Benedict come out and greet the crowd for his Wednesday blessing. Our guides name was Gabriel (as in the Archangel J) - he has a Masters in Art History and was getting his Doctorate in Theology. What a wonderful tour guide for the Vatican!!! The museum was amazing - the largest collection of Roman antiquities in the world. In the picture gallery (the Pinacoteca) we saw works by Raphael, Caravaggio and Michelangelo. In the statuary, the Belvedere torso inspired Michelangelo in his depiction of Christ in the last judgment on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The Sistine Chapel was smaller than I had imagined. The custodians kept yelling silence to everyone so that we would not talk Sistine chapel and we were not ugly Americans. At
St Peter’s basilica was breathtaking! Michelangelo’s Pieta is right as you enter on the right and it is behind glass because a mad Turk tried to destroy it about 15 years ago with a hack saw. Bernini’s bronze baldocchino above St Peter’s tomb was very beautiful.
The tour lasted 7 hours so our feet were quite ready for a rest so for dinner we just stayed in the neighborhood and ate outside at Le Cave Ristorante behind our building.
There are so many outside cafes and restaurants here. There are at least 4 on every block!!! The weather has been hot and humid but at night it cools down and is wonderful for sitting outside with great people watching!!

Rome Pictures

2009-05-28T10:19:00.001-07:00

Vatican Tour

Hall of Emperors

Michaelangelo's Pieta

Laocoon

Pope Benedict giving the blessing

St Peter's Basilica

St Peter's at night

Castel St Angelo at night

Piazza Navona - our favorite place to be in the evening!

Trevi Fountain

Raphael's tomb in the Pantheon

Dan at the Pantheon

Rome Day 1

2009-05-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hello to all from Rome
Our internet connection has been quite sketchy in our apartment so they gave us a mobile broadband set up and that does not work in the apartment either (the building we are in is from the 17th century and the walls are 18" thick). So, we are sitting at a tratorria in front of St Ignazio church in Piazza de Pietra having dinner. They are probably going to kick us out soon since I am on my computer at the dining table.
We arrived in Rome yesterday morning at 7:05 without getting any sleep on the airplane. We took the train to the termini train station and caught a cab to the apartment. Our driver's name was Benedict "like the Pope" and he was very friendly and liked teaching us new Italian words. The drivers are crazy here and half of them are on scooters. The drive on the sidewalks, the pedestrian only zones and anywhere they can get their scooters.
After getting into our apartment, which is not near as nice as the pictures, we took off sight seeing. First we went to the Pantheon which is only 1 block from the apartment. We bought paninni's and ate them on the steps of the Pantheon. There are people everywhere since they are playing the soccer finals tomorrow night between Manchester United and Barcelona here in Rome. The Spaniards are a crazy bunch!!!!
The Pantheon is beautiful inside and impressive on the outside. We will psot pictures very soon.
We still were not tired so we decided to walk to Trevi Fountain, which is AMAZING and there were so many people. Everyone taking pictures and throwing coins in the fountain. I can't imagine how crowded it must be here in the summer months. The water in the Trevi fountain is so blue and the carvings are really amazing.
Everywhere we walk, we see ruins and statues from 1000's of years ago. There are obelisks that the Romans stole from the Egyptians and brought to Rome. Every corner you turn there is some form of antiquity. It truly is the Eternal City.
We went back to the apartment and slept for 4 hours!!!! That felt so good!!
On to Piazza Navona! What a place. There are 3 fountains here and the church of St Agnes which holds her skull in one of the naves. The largest fountain is the Fountain of the 4 Rivers. The piazza is filled with cafes and entertainers until the wee hours of the night. We ate at Cafe Bernini while being serenaded by strolling musicians.
After dinner, we decided to go for a little stroll. 3 hours later we had been all the way across the Tiber to the Castel St Angelo and the Vatican. They were all lit up and absolutely beautiful!!! The Vatican is quite a spectacle at night. Pictures coming soon.
Back to the apartment to sleep and prepare for our Vatican tour in the morning!!

2009-05-23T21:47:00.001-07:00

Boston

2009-05-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

Boston - 1st leg of the trip. Got in very early this morning (1 am) and got to the hotel. We were upgraded to a deluxe King room so that was a nice bonus. Slept in till 1000 and met up with Amanda at Boston Gardens. We toured the historical part of the city and had lunch on Newbury street at Charleys. Ate outside on the patio, it was a great day. Took Amanda back to the hotel so she could rest and Dan and I headed out for a Harbor boat ride over to see the USS Constitution and the Boston skyline from the water. We walked over to the North End of Boston and did part of the Freedom trail. Saw Paul Revere's House and the Old North Church. Had dinner at a great Italian restaurant called Papa Razzi's with Amanda. Good start to a great vacation!!

2009-05-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

2 more days!!

2009-05-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

Dan has completed his last Italian class and now we can at least ask where the toilets are when we need them in Rome!! We signed up for Italian cooking classes when we are in northern Italy - 5 hours of wine drinking, cooking, speaking Italian and eating!!!
It is getting very exciting being this close to our departure after months of planning.

Change of Plans

2009-05-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

We have been reading very poor reviews of the B&B that we reserved in Rome so we decided to rent an apartment just 1 block from the Pantheon in a beautiful area of Rome. It is very close to Trevi Fountain and the Roman Forum and just over the Tiber from the Vatican. Much more central!! Here are some pictures of the apartment!

Obama visiting Normandy when we are there!!

2009-04-03T12:38:00.001-07:00

We just heard that Obama will visit the D-Day beaches with President Sarkozy when we are in Normandy!! That is good news and bad - we might get to see him but tighter security for traveling about.

Pictures of where we are Staying

2009-03-17T15:10:00.001-07:00

Click on each picture to be taken to the web site for that accommodation where you can see more pictures!!

Less than 2 months to go!!!
We leave Eugene on May 22nd. From May 22nd - 25th Starting out in old Historic Boston to visit Amanda. Staying at Jury's Boston near Copley Place and about 5 blocks to Boston Common and downtown Boston.
This hotel used to be the Boston Police headquarters.

Then on to Rome on the Red Eye - we get into Rome at 7:50 in the am!! Hopefully we can sleep on the plane. We are staying at the Beldes Guest House near the Vatican. Note the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the background. The picture is of the rooftop bar!!

After 3 nights in Rome, we will take the train to Milan through Florence and on to Varenna on Lake Como. We will stay on Lake Como 4 nights and might take a day trip to St. Moritz, Switzerland. We will be staying at Albergo Milano in Varenna. Very Peaceful!!

After 4 nights in Varenna we will fly from Milan to Paris for 1 night at the Eiffel Kennedy hotel so that we can atttend the quarter finals of the French Open.
After the French Open, we will rent a car in Paris and drive to the Loire Valley to the city of Amboise on the Loire River. We will stay at the Le Manoir les Minimes - shown below. We would like to stay here for 3 nights but it was only available for 2 so we will head north to Normandy from here.

We are not sure if we will go to Mont St Michel or right to Bayeaux on June 5th. Whatever we decide, we will go through LeMans so that Dan can drive part of the LeMans track.

We will definitely be in Bayeaux (1st city liberated by the US on D-day) on June 6th for the 65th anniversary of D-day. We found a very nice B&B right in the center of the city. Hôtel La Tour du Pin.
They will be having a parade and a dance the day we arrive. We will spend 3 nights in Bayeaux, doing day trips to the D-day beaches, the memorials, cemetaries, etc. We would also like to go to the city of
Honfleur, which is on the English Channel about 4o miles from Bayeaux. See picture below!

After our time in Normandy we will travel back to Paris for 4 nights. We rented a studio apartment 2 blocks from the Seine and the Pont Neuf in the Latin Quarter. I wanted to be able to cook and not have to deal with the rude Parisian waiters very often!!
The apartment sits above a Chocolatier on Rue Dauphine and is in a 15th century building. Note the stone walls. I am really looking forward to this destination!!

June 13th we will take the train to Calais and ferry across the English channel to Dover for a 1 night stay at the Loddington House hotel which sits under the white cliffs of Dover!

June 14th we will take the train into London to Charring Cross station and then the tube across the Thames to Plaza on the River. We are spending our last nights in Europe by splurging for a 1 bedroom apartment right "on the river Thames". We are hoping for the view below but we will see what we get a view of - the building is trianglular shaped so 1/2 the views are of Westminster and the other half are of Kensington. But, we won't be spending very much time in our room anyway!!

June 17th we will head back to Boston, have lunch with Amanda and fly back to Eugene. Exhausted, I am sure.

Keep checking back for all the details as we travel across Italy, Switzerland, France and England!!

Getting Closer

2009-03-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the trip is getting closer!! We are really getting anxious to start this journey. We have changed our itinerary slightly. We will lay over in Dover for 1 night on our way from Paris to London - the B&B's are delightful there and very reasonable and we would like to walk around the town and explore.

More on planning

2009-02-11T11:17:00.000-08:00

We have all of our lodging reservations complete!! We are staying at some pretty wonderful "kick ass" places. There will be lots of pictures posted as we go. Still have to buy our eurail passes and reserve the rental car but we still have 3 months to get that done. Work has been pretty busy lately so have not been as concentrated on the trip these last few weeks, which my family has been pretty happy about!! I was a little crazy there for awhile!!

Itinerary revised again!

2009-01-31T23:27:00.000-08:00

So, when we are in Paris on June 2nd, we realized that the French Open quarter finals will be going on soooooo, we are getting tickets for the 1 day and going to the French Open. Hoping to see some big names. It starts at 11:00 and then we will take the 19:00 train to Amboise to stay and see the chateaus. It is getting closer every day!!

Itinerary revised

2009-01-19T23:23:00.000-08:00

We decided not to take the train from Varenna to Lyon and instead will head to Paris and rent the car from there. It is only 1 hour longer on the train because it is the TGV train (Fast!!!) and we wil be closer to the chateaus!! Au revoir for now

Prep work

2009-01-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

Dan and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary in June 09. We are planning a trip to Europe for 31/2 weeks starting in May. Our itinerary includes: Boston to visit our daughter Amanda, Rome and Varenna on Lake Como in northern Italy. Then we will travel to Lyon France where we will rent a car for a week and travel through the Loire valley then to Mont St Michel and Normandy for the 65th anniversary of D-day on June 6th. We will return the car in Paris where we will stay for 4 days then to London and home.
Preparing for this trip has taken an enormous amount of time. It has consumed 75% of my waking hours. But I am sure that it will be worth every minute spent on it!!