Well, you will be glad to know that Les and I are back in the good US of A now. We got back into SF mid-Friday afternoon and our good friend Eugene was kind enough to pick us up from the airport. 15 hours of travel is pretty exhausting, just so you know.
Couple of tidbits from our travel:
1) British Airways has the best overseas flight. It's like Jetblue where every seat has its own TV, so you can forget about sleeping on the red-eye because you can catch up on all the latest movies. I think I watched 4 movies: Angels & Demons, Gladiator (residual "hey, I was there! movies), the Soloist (was surprisingly a letdown), and part of the Hangover.
2) Security getting back to the states is insane. Thanks to the shoebomber, Richard Reid, the scrutiny and inspection that goes on at the airport is ridiculous. I think I have 1 shampoo or toothpaste bottle in every airport garbage can.
3) I think it's easier to overcome jetlag going east, than west. By the time we hit SFO, it was 230pm, which is about 1130pm Rome-time. Imagine having to have to stay up for the first day of class in Macro-Econ that same night from 6-9pm (or 3-6am). Nothing seems to make much sense at that point.
But all in all, once Les and I got back home and dropped our backpacks on the floor, we were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief that the trip was finally over. Relief? maybe more of depression. I guess it was a little heart-breaking to finally see the months of planning and excitement come to an end, but I guess that just means we can start the actual married part now. The good part is that we made it through 2 weeks of traveling together, so we know we can do it. Step 2 is sucking in other people to our future trips and slowly expand our traveling party. Asia next year, anyone?
Also, a good thing is coming back a few days beforehand to get adjusted mentally. I'm not sure if we'd be able to pull ourselves together for a workday if we came back Sunday. I know we spent most of the weekend sleeping and trying to acclimate ourselves, so without that, we'd be in serious zombie-like trouble. Although maybe we could have stayed in Rome another day, just so I didn't have to watch Cal get pummeled by Oregon for 3 hours on Saturday. I mean, seriously, did someone poo-poo in their wheaties?
That hard part about coming home though is having to catch up on the loose ends from the wedding. On the nice side, we finally got to open our wedding presents, so now we get to fiddle around with our toys like Henckel knives and the ice cream maker, but we also get to prepare the thank you cards and whatnot. That may take a while, but for now, thank you all so much for the lovely presents! Now, onto my eBay account...jk!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Final Day and Reflections
Well, it's finally here. The last day of our Honeymoon. Last day in Rome, and last day before we head back home and to reality. I wonder if we just accidentally missed our flight, could we just go backpacking around the world? We could, but I think our fish might not make it to next week. We better go home.
So today, being our last day and all, we decide to take it easy. The only thing on the agenda is to finally go check out old Rome and the Colisseum. After a pizza/lasagne lunch, we take the subway (which is much faster than a bus in traffic), and head to the Colisseum. Expecting to see a huge line, we were surprised that there was no line at all! Tip for tourists: go see the touristy stuff in the later afternoon, around 3pm. Apparently, everyone gets up early to see the attractions so the lines are ridiculous all the way until 2-3pm ish. Good thing we find this good ol nugget at the END of our trip, but oh well.
The Colisseum is actually pretty incredible. It's still smaller than Memorial Stadium, but pretty impressive for having been built almost 2000 yrs ago. I'm trying to imagine the Gladiator movie here, but I end up picturing football instead. I guess the Oregon game has got me a bit nervous.
After a few pictures, we check out the rest of Old Rome and its ruins. What is pretty amazing here is that there are excavations still going on in the ruins, and they are uncovering things all the time. I thought they would have dug up everything by now, but I guess it's hard too since most of downtown Rome sits on pretty much an old city. I'm not if they can, or want to.
I want to walk around more, but Les and I are finally starting to feel the old age and the 13 days of non-stop hiking. Legs are burning, and I think that lasagne for lunch is giving me gas. But we plow forward and see the rest of the ruins, including the racetrack known as Circus Maximus (the one from Ben Hur). We even run a little bit on it for pictures. I feel connected now to the city.
One final dinner now before heading back, and we take a chance on a restaurant called Wanted near the Cavour station. Food has been lackluster so far, but we actually end up with a pretty good dinner to end the whole trip. Nice wine, pizza, spaghetti with meatballs. On the stroll back to our hotel, we stop by to get our last gelato fix: pistacchio and walnut. They love pistacchio here, that's for sure.
So here I am, finally caught up on our Honeymoon Eurotrip blog 2009. I'll recap our trip when we get back to the states tomorrow, but some quick thoughts: Europe is much better than we expected. London was short, but enjoyable; Paris has awesome food; Venice is beautiful and unique; Florence has charm and character; and Rome has the best fountains around.
Les and I had a lot of fun out here, and I think I have enough pictures to help remember it when we get old. But I think the 2 weeks are just about the right amount of time to enjoy the world and get recharged. The funny thing is that vacations usually end up being more than we realize...it puts things into perspective being so far away from everything, so the important things really stand out. For one, I can't wait to see my family and friends again and to share our experiences...for another, sometimes the smallest things aren't worth getting stressed over...there's a brand new world out there to explore. Enjoy your life and appreciate the time and opportunity you have!
We'll see you all when we get back tomorrow!
Signing off from Rome,
David & Leslie
9.24.09
So today, being our last day and all, we decide to take it easy. The only thing on the agenda is to finally go check out old Rome and the Colisseum. After a pizza/lasagne lunch, we take the subway (which is much faster than a bus in traffic), and head to the Colisseum. Expecting to see a huge line, we were surprised that there was no line at all! Tip for tourists: go see the touristy stuff in the later afternoon, around 3pm. Apparently, everyone gets up early to see the attractions so the lines are ridiculous all the way until 2-3pm ish. Good thing we find this good ol nugget at the END of our trip, but oh well.
The Colisseum is actually pretty incredible. It's still smaller than Memorial Stadium, but pretty impressive for having been built almost 2000 yrs ago. I'm trying to imagine the Gladiator movie here, but I end up picturing football instead. I guess the Oregon game has got me a bit nervous.
After a few pictures, we check out the rest of Old Rome and its ruins. What is pretty amazing here is that there are excavations still going on in the ruins, and they are uncovering things all the time. I thought they would have dug up everything by now, but I guess it's hard too since most of downtown Rome sits on pretty much an old city. I'm not if they can, or want to.
I want to walk around more, but Les and I are finally starting to feel the old age and the 13 days of non-stop hiking. Legs are burning, and I think that lasagne for lunch is giving me gas. But we plow forward and see the rest of the ruins, including the racetrack known as Circus Maximus (the one from Ben Hur). We even run a little bit on it for pictures. I feel connected now to the city.
One final dinner now before heading back, and we take a chance on a restaurant called Wanted near the Cavour station. Food has been lackluster so far, but we actually end up with a pretty good dinner to end the whole trip. Nice wine, pizza, spaghetti with meatballs. On the stroll back to our hotel, we stop by to get our last gelato fix: pistacchio and walnut. They love pistacchio here, that's for sure.
So here I am, finally caught up on our Honeymoon Eurotrip blog 2009. I'll recap our trip when we get back to the states tomorrow, but some quick thoughts: Europe is much better than we expected. London was short, but enjoyable; Paris has awesome food; Venice is beautiful and unique; Florence has charm and character; and Rome has the best fountains around.
Les and I had a lot of fun out here, and I think I have enough pictures to help remember it when we get old. But I think the 2 weeks are just about the right amount of time to enjoy the world and get recharged. The funny thing is that vacations usually end up being more than we realize...it puts things into perspective being so far away from everything, so the important things really stand out. For one, I can't wait to see my family and friends again and to share our experiences...for another, sometimes the smallest things aren't worth getting stressed over...there's a brand new world out there to explore. Enjoy your life and appreciate the time and opportunity you have!
We'll see you all when we get back tomorrow!
Signing off from Rome,
David & Leslie
9.24.09
When in Rome...
T-minus 2 days til home. Today, Les and I had 1 big activity to do: check out St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Mind you, although this is really just visiting Vatican City, it really does take about 5 hours and wears the bee-jeezus out of you. With an early morning wakeup and a trip down to St. Peters Square (that took 1.5 hrs in that crazy Rome traffic that is only 4 mi away), we are ready to rumble.
Brief background on Vatican City, for those who don't know much about the homebase for Catholism: it's technically the smallest country in the world, with its own police, post office, and janitors. The cool guards get to wear something from a Halloween costume party too. Getting into the city requires going through extensive security like at the airp0rt, and dress code is a must. I specifically brought some pants to change into too (it was way too hot to wear it all day). Unfortunately, I probably should have worn the pants when I left because I had to change in the Vatican City bathrooms that has the hole in the ground instead of the toilets. Just so you all know, its extremely difficult to not let anything touch the pee-soaked ground while changing.
As we quickly walk through St Peters Square, I do my quick side quest and find the West Potente ground marker for the Air Altar (see old post about my Angels/Demons quest). Check. I feel somewhat accomplished for the day. Meeting the rest of the tour group near the train station, we all get a pair of headphones and a radio receiver so our guide can talk us along as we walk. Pretty cool. Now I really do feel like a tourist.
As we line up for security, I can't help but look at everyone else's attire to see if they are wearing pants like me. I spot some guys with John Stockton shorts and girls who look like they are about to go to a club. I can't wait to see them get turned away. We make it to the museums (yet again) and see what seems like the billionth painting I've seen so far. Catching my eye...hey! John Stockton shorts-guy is walking around! And so is club chick! Now, I'm upset. My pants are on fire it's so hot here.
Finally, 3 hours later and through the maze, we make it to the Sistine Chapel. This is the holiest of holy chapels since the entire giant ceiling is painted by Michaelangelo and has the most famous artwork known to Catholics. The Creation of Man is the most recognizable, I think. It's the one where God is pointing to Adam and their fingers are about to touch, although it seems that Adam is being lazy and not trying very hard to stretch out his hand. I guess it's accurate...man is pretty lazy. Look at me.
The funny part about being in the chapel is that they force feed everyone in there at the same time. You're not supposedly to take pictures or talk, but everywhere I turn, someone is blatantly ignoring the rules and taking a snap. There are guards that roam the room to warn people, but they aren't much of a scare factor. Of course, there are the stealthy ones who point their cameras up from their waist, too. I think about doing that, just to see if I can do it. But Les doesn't want to get yelled at by Vatican Guards. Chicken.
Once we get out of the meat grinder, we get stuck out out in front of the giant basilica. Now, St Peters is the biggest cathedral in the world, and it is not kidding around. It's a good thing we ended our tour of cathedrals with this one, because it's the mother of all churches. I'm not going to bother explaining the enormity of this building, but suffice to say, I'm pretty sure it's longer than a football field. I wish I had a frisbee to see how far I can throw it inside.
Pretty much drained from walking all day, we head over and grab dinner. After that, we check out the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, but this time, at night. I think this is probably my favorite part of Rome...actually, probably of anywhere. Even better than the Bellagio Fountains. What's kind of cool is that everyone stays out at night too, so anywhere with a fountain will be hundreds of people lounging around, chatting, and drinking. Not a bad way to close out a long day.
One more day of the honeymoon to go, and not a day too soon. At least tomorrow, we can sleep in.
Brief background on Vatican City, for those who don't know much about the homebase for Catholism: it's technically the smallest country in the world, with its own police, post office, and janitors. The cool guards get to wear something from a Halloween costume party too. Getting into the city requires going through extensive security like at the airp0rt, and dress code is a must. I specifically brought some pants to change into too (it was way too hot to wear it all day). Unfortunately, I probably should have worn the pants when I left because I had to change in the Vatican City bathrooms that has the hole in the ground instead of the toilets. Just so you all know, its extremely difficult to not let anything touch the pee-soaked ground while changing.
As we quickly walk through St Peters Square, I do my quick side quest and find the West Potente ground marker for the Air Altar (see old post about my Angels/Demons quest). Check. I feel somewhat accomplished for the day. Meeting the rest of the tour group near the train station, we all get a pair of headphones and a radio receiver so our guide can talk us along as we walk. Pretty cool. Now I really do feel like a tourist.
As we line up for security, I can't help but look at everyone else's attire to see if they are wearing pants like me. I spot some guys with John Stockton shorts and girls who look like they are about to go to a club. I can't wait to see them get turned away. We make it to the museums (yet again) and see what seems like the billionth painting I've seen so far. Catching my eye...hey! John Stockton shorts-guy is walking around! And so is club chick! Now, I'm upset. My pants are on fire it's so hot here.
Finally, 3 hours later and through the maze, we make it to the Sistine Chapel. This is the holiest of holy chapels since the entire giant ceiling is painted by Michaelangelo and has the most famous artwork known to Catholics. The Creation of Man is the most recognizable, I think. It's the one where God is pointing to Adam and their fingers are about to touch, although it seems that Adam is being lazy and not trying very hard to stretch out his hand. I guess it's accurate...man is pretty lazy. Look at me.
The funny part about being in the chapel is that they force feed everyone in there at the same time. You're not supposedly to take pictures or talk, but everywhere I turn, someone is blatantly ignoring the rules and taking a snap. There are guards that roam the room to warn people, but they aren't much of a scare factor. Of course, there are the stealthy ones who point their cameras up from their waist, too. I think about doing that, just to see if I can do it. But Les doesn't want to get yelled at by Vatican Guards. Chicken.
Once we get out of the meat grinder, we get stuck out out in front of the giant basilica. Now, St Peters is the biggest cathedral in the world, and it is not kidding around. It's a good thing we ended our tour of cathedrals with this one, because it's the mother of all churches. I'm not going to bother explaining the enormity of this building, but suffice to say, I'm pretty sure it's longer than a football field. I wish I had a frisbee to see how far I can throw it inside.
Pretty much drained from walking all day, we head over and grab dinner. After that, we check out the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, but this time, at night. I think this is probably my favorite part of Rome...actually, probably of anywhere. Even better than the Bellagio Fountains. What's kind of cool is that everyone stays out at night too, so anywhere with a fountain will be hundreds of people lounging around, chatting, and drinking. Not a bad way to close out a long day.
One more day of the honeymoon to go, and not a day too soon. At least tomorrow, we can sleep in.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Last Stop, Rome
Holy smokes, are we at our last part of Eurotrip? Seems like a long time ago we left home. I guess it really does take at least a week to get into vacation-mode. At this point, neither Les or I can imagine being back in the states, much less at work in our cubicle. We could do this traveling bit forever. Or at least until we run out of money.
Before we head to our last destination, we must do one final thing in Florence before we go: see Michaelangelo's David. I heard it was an awesome sight, and it is. We lined up at 8am in the morning to catch a glimpse before we went to our train at 930, but apparently that's when all the older tourists go too. I forget they all like to wake up early and do things by 5am. Nonetheless, 30 Euro and 30 min later, it is well worth it. I even sneak in a quick camera picture before I get scolded for taking pictures.
Off to Rome on the Trenitalia (Amtrak in Italy) and 2 hrs later, right smack dab in the middle of the city. By the way, if you wonder what the rest of Italy looks like between the big cities...imagine the hills and tree backdrops from Gladiator, and rinse and repeat for 2 hrs. It's that hillsy.
Our hotel here in Rome is especially nicer, since it's our honeymoon and our last stop before we go home...so why not splurge a little? Marble floors and a that little toilet thing next to the real toilet. What is that anyways? I'm afraid to use it.
So first day formula: go find the tourist booth and get the Tour Bus pass for an all-day tour around the city sights. Nice way to get to know the city, we think. Few observations about Rome: 1) weather is HOT. at least more than Paris and London. 2) Traffic is horrible. Bay Area traffic is butter compared to this. 3) Gelato is around ever corner. Every corner.
Anyways, onto the tour, we pass by the Colleseum, Circus Maximus, St Peters Square, more Piazzas than the Dodgers, and tons of cars squeezed down tiny alleyways. We get off after 1.5 hrs before we're falling asleep and decide to hike it around on foot. We stop off at Trevi Fountain (which Caesar's has on the Strip...now I know), Pantheon, Castle of St. Angels, Popolo Piazza, Piazza Navona, and some other places. Now, due to my fascination with history tied with secret society/conspiracy theories, I embark on a side quest to see the Path of Illumination and Altars of Sciences as described in Angels & Demons. I find 3 today: the Piazza Navona statue/obelisk, the St Maria Popolo and the Earth sign, and the Castle of St. Angels angel. Pretty nifty. Tomorrow, it'll be St. Peters Square marker and maybe the Vittotorio one.
Rains starts again, and we head to a small ristorante before heading home. A little disappointed today since we haven't had delicious food yet, and everyone seems to praise Roman food as the best. Pasta = eh. Pizza = eh. Gelato = deeelicious. 2 more days for the city to impress.
Sistine Chapel and St. Peters tomorrow. Better bust out my cross necklace.
Before we head to our last destination, we must do one final thing in Florence before we go: see Michaelangelo's David. I heard it was an awesome sight, and it is. We lined up at 8am in the morning to catch a glimpse before we went to our train at 930, but apparently that's when all the older tourists go too. I forget they all like to wake up early and do things by 5am. Nonetheless, 30 Euro and 30 min later, it is well worth it. I even sneak in a quick camera picture before I get scolded for taking pictures.
Off to Rome on the Trenitalia (Amtrak in Italy) and 2 hrs later, right smack dab in the middle of the city. By the way, if you wonder what the rest of Italy looks like between the big cities...imagine the hills and tree backdrops from Gladiator, and rinse and repeat for 2 hrs. It's that hillsy.
Our hotel here in Rome is especially nicer, since it's our honeymoon and our last stop before we go home...so why not splurge a little? Marble floors and a that little toilet thing next to the real toilet. What is that anyways? I'm afraid to use it.
So first day formula: go find the tourist booth and get the Tour Bus pass for an all-day tour around the city sights. Nice way to get to know the city, we think. Few observations about Rome: 1) weather is HOT. at least more than Paris and London. 2) Traffic is horrible. Bay Area traffic is butter compared to this. 3) Gelato is around ever corner. Every corner.
Anyways, onto the tour, we pass by the Colleseum, Circus Maximus, St Peters Square, more Piazzas than the Dodgers, and tons of cars squeezed down tiny alleyways. We get off after 1.5 hrs before we're falling asleep and decide to hike it around on foot. We stop off at Trevi Fountain (which Caesar's has on the Strip...now I know), Pantheon, Castle of St. Angels, Popolo Piazza, Piazza Navona, and some other places. Now, due to my fascination with history tied with secret society/conspiracy theories, I embark on a side quest to see the Path of Illumination and Altars of Sciences as described in Angels & Demons. I find 3 today: the Piazza Navona statue/obelisk, the St Maria Popolo and the Earth sign, and the Castle of St. Angels angel. Pretty nifty. Tomorrow, it'll be St. Peters Square marker and maybe the Vittotorio one.
Rains starts again, and we head to a small ristorante before heading home. A little disappointed today since we haven't had delicious food yet, and everyone seems to praise Roman food as the best. Pasta = eh. Pizza = eh. Gelato = deeelicious. 2 more days for the city to impress.
Sistine Chapel and St. Peters tomorrow. Better bust out my cross necklace.
Biking and Cooking in Florence
With only day to spend in Florence, Les and I decided to do something different in this completely different kind of town. Sure, it had the museums and artwork (which city doesn't in Europe) but we wanted to really make this city memorable. So, we decided to break the monotony and do some cool out-of-the-pamphlet activities we found at our hotel: bike around the city and an evening cooking class. Best decision. Ever. Plus, weather has cleared up and rain is not in the picture...a nice breather after last night's rain scare.
Since the biking thing started in the afternoon, we spent the morning at the huge church in the middle of the city, called the Duomo (as in Domo Arigato). Its significance lies in the fact that it took about 800 years to completely finish or something. It's basically a huge green monstrosity that sits in the middle of town, with a dome that is about 20 stories high. We ended up lining up in some random line that took up the top of the dome through some tiny staircase and steep climbs that sorta resembled cave climbing. Don't go if you're clausterphobic. 463 steps, 2x as many steps as the Arc in Paris. Not a good idea for 10am and without lunch. At least you can see all of Florence from the roof, which is pretty nice.
Side note: it seems that the one thing Italy has a lot of is graffiti...on trains, buildings, churches, Duomos. No one seems to care. I am tempted to sign our names, but something about doing that on a historic church seems wrong. Plus, I don't want to have to worry about traveling back to Florence to remove the curse should something happen.
After the Duomo, we hit the Old Bridge that spans the river...basically a bridge that all these stores and jewelers sit on. It is famous for the statue of a guy on the center with a small iron gate around it. Well, on this gate lies the Wall of Locks, with many many small locks that couples sign their names onto, lock it onto the gate, and throw the key into the river. Supposedly means forever love from a folk tale, but I think it just means big money for the local lock salesman.
Ok, now bike riding time is up and we meet our tour guide at the store front in the middle of town. 4 riders and a guide total. Now this is the actual cool part. For 2 hours, our guide (who actually happens to be from Oakland, CA, went to Cal in 1998 when I graduated, and studied art or something) takes us around the small city of Florence on our pee wee herman bikes to check out and detail some history behind the city. Couple of cool tidbits: 1) 3 main families still run the city (politically, financially, like the Godfather), 2) Ferragamo, Prada, Gucci, are from Florence, and 3) the Old Bridge survived WWII and Hitler's wrath because he liked it and didn't want to bomb it to kingdom come. Bike rides through a town are actually pretty fun...just make sure you don't get into any accidents like the one that Les almost got into.
Finally, the cooking class part is actually the best part of the evening. We rush over to our meet point and find another 20 or so other people waiting for class. We head across the river to a cooking class kitchen where we break into 4 small groups of 6 ppl or so. For 4 hours, we learn how to make meatball zucchini appetizers, potato gnocchi, tomato sauce, and tiramisu. After which, we get to sit down and eat our own meal with some wine. I guess if you want to pay 60 Euro for food, why not make it yourself, right? The cool part are meeting people on your station...2 from England (Nigel and Sally - really typical British names, isn't it?), 2 from Toronto (Rinaldo and Leslie too...who met online, he's the jokester, she's the in-charge one...sounds like a couple we know... but funny thing is that he's also an Accenture guy so we have a tons to talk about).
Night ends, full from dinner, we head back home. I think it's Monday now? Tomorrow morning, off to last stop, Rome.
Since the biking thing started in the afternoon, we spent the morning at the huge church in the middle of the city, called the Duomo (as in Domo Arigato). Its significance lies in the fact that it took about 800 years to completely finish or something. It's basically a huge green monstrosity that sits in the middle of town, with a dome that is about 20 stories high. We ended up lining up in some random line that took up the top of the dome through some tiny staircase and steep climbs that sorta resembled cave climbing. Don't go if you're clausterphobic. 463 steps, 2x as many steps as the Arc in Paris. Not a good idea for 10am and without lunch. At least you can see all of Florence from the roof, which is pretty nice.
Side note: it seems that the one thing Italy has a lot of is graffiti...on trains, buildings, churches, Duomos. No one seems to care. I am tempted to sign our names, but something about doing that on a historic church seems wrong. Plus, I don't want to have to worry about traveling back to Florence to remove the curse should something happen.
After the Duomo, we hit the Old Bridge that spans the river...basically a bridge that all these stores and jewelers sit on. It is famous for the statue of a guy on the center with a small iron gate around it. Well, on this gate lies the Wall of Locks, with many many small locks that couples sign their names onto, lock it onto the gate, and throw the key into the river. Supposedly means forever love from a folk tale, but I think it just means big money for the local lock salesman.
Ok, now bike riding time is up and we meet our tour guide at the store front in the middle of town. 4 riders and a guide total. Now this is the actual cool part. For 2 hours, our guide (who actually happens to be from Oakland, CA, went to Cal in 1998 when I graduated, and studied art or something) takes us around the small city of Florence on our pee wee herman bikes to check out and detail some history behind the city. Couple of cool tidbits: 1) 3 main families still run the city (politically, financially, like the Godfather), 2) Ferragamo, Prada, Gucci, are from Florence, and 3) the Old Bridge survived WWII and Hitler's wrath because he liked it and didn't want to bomb it to kingdom come. Bike rides through a town are actually pretty fun...just make sure you don't get into any accidents like the one that Les almost got into.
Finally, the cooking class part is actually the best part of the evening. We rush over to our meet point and find another 20 or so other people waiting for class. We head across the river to a cooking class kitchen where we break into 4 small groups of 6 ppl or so. For 4 hours, we learn how to make meatball zucchini appetizers, potato gnocchi, tomato sauce, and tiramisu. After which, we get to sit down and eat our own meal with some wine. I guess if you want to pay 60 Euro for food, why not make it yourself, right? The cool part are meeting people on your station...2 from England (Nigel and Sally - really typical British names, isn't it?), 2 from Toronto (Rinaldo and Leslie too...who met online, he's the jokester, she's the in-charge one...sounds like a couple we know... but funny thing is that he's also an Accenture guy so we have a tons to talk about).
Night ends, full from dinner, we head back home. I think it's Monday now? Tomorrow morning, off to last stop, Rome.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
As You May Notice...
The time stamps on these dates may be confusing ..but I'm actually posting a few blogs at the same time in chronological order since internet has been sporatic here...so I have to go back in time and channel myself as it were a few days ago. Rest assured I will capture everythign that we've been doing and seeing, so you won't miss anything.
FYI, we're in Rome right now with finally a decent signal.
FYI, we're in Rome right now with finally a decent signal.
A Day with No Meaning, Really
So today was a trip that really was sort of a transition/travel day between Venice & Florence. Half-day here, half-day there. Turns out, there is really nothing special when you split a day right down the middle like that. Don't have much time to do something during the day or at night because the day is pretty much shot when you spend 3 hours on a train right smack dab in the middle.
So long story short, Les and I spend the morning in Venice walking around time one more time to take in the good weather and scenery. I try to wake up and do this picture tour around the island, but it's at 930 in the morning, and I'm allergic to waking up early. I think it probably would have been cool though. Oh yeah, remember when I said earlier that Venice is sinking? Well, probably faster than I thought. St Marks Square is starting to flood with water...so much in fact that they've put in tables and walkways for people to walk over. Yikes.
Onto the train at 2pm, and we make the 2 hr ride to old Florence. Florence is where the Renaissance started, so if you picture the artists/painters of the old school like Michaelangelo or Donatello or the other ninja turtles, that's what its like. Small cobble stone, red roof buildings, tight spaces, and lots of artsy stuff going on. But we don't see much of it, because its raining like crazy and we head to the hotel with our ponchos.
Not much time to do much except for freak out about the weather and hope for better tomorrow, and grab some dinner from a Tuscany restaurant. Fiorentino steak = good stuff. They actually cooked the rare meat to perfection (no send-back needed this time). Find a internet cafe and find out that USC lost to Washington. What is up with those guys, anyways? But at least Cal won a road game this year, and I'm starting to get excited about our tix to USC.
So long story short, Les and I spend the morning in Venice walking around time one more time to take in the good weather and scenery. I try to wake up and do this picture tour around the island, but it's at 930 in the morning, and I'm allergic to waking up early. I think it probably would have been cool though. Oh yeah, remember when I said earlier that Venice is sinking? Well, probably faster than I thought. St Marks Square is starting to flood with water...so much in fact that they've put in tables and walkways for people to walk over. Yikes.
Onto the train at 2pm, and we make the 2 hr ride to old Florence. Florence is where the Renaissance started, so if you picture the artists/painters of the old school like Michaelangelo or Donatello or the other ninja turtles, that's what its like. Small cobble stone, red roof buildings, tight spaces, and lots of artsy stuff going on. But we don't see much of it, because its raining like crazy and we head to the hotel with our ponchos.
Not much time to do much except for freak out about the weather and hope for better tomorrow, and grab some dinner from a Tuscany restaurant. Fiorentino steak = good stuff. They actually cooked the rare meat to perfection (no send-back needed this time). Find a internet cafe and find out that USC lost to Washington. What is up with those guys, anyways? But at least Cal won a road game this year, and I'm starting to get excited about our tix to USC.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Almost Missing the Plane to Venice
So mental note: don't make airplane reservations for 7am in the morning. Ever. That was the time of our flight out of Paris to Venice, to maximize our time in the city of canals. Bad idea. Les and I woke up at 415am as planned to make sure we had enough time to get to the airport, but turns out, the Metro doesn't usually open until 5am, and the trains don't get to our station until 5:40. Hmm. Using some pretty quick thinking, we hit the road on a taxi all the way to the airport, getting there a shade before 6am. Good timing right? Well, looks like Easyjet, the European version of Jetblue is a tad shorthanded with checkin people, and Venice is a popular destination. 30 min later, we are through and checked-in. Now, security. You would think Charles de Galle is a rather large international airport with ample room for security lines...not in this terminal. Again, leveraging Les' stature endowment, we cut through some slow cattle and get to the front. Onto the plane with 5 min to spare.
Ok, onto Venice. Now, unless you've been living under a rock, Venice is super famous for being the city of canals, with gondolas and slick Italians with black pinstripe shirts rowing you across the blue waters. Heck, Vegas dedicated not 1, but 2, hotels to this venue. I will say this about Venice, it is very cool. Think Disneyland or Universal Studios. The buildings (if you've seen Casino Royale at the end) are something out of a theme park. The facades look like you are seeing them while on the way up Splash Mountain or strolling through New Orleans Square. Something is just not real about them.
Also, Venice is a magnet for cruise ships. You know what that means. Yes, it's a bit like hanging out at the Cal Neva in Reno or Thunder Valley. Many, many senior citizens boating from their day excursions aboard the Love Boat.
Venice itself is small. We walked pretty much the whole island within an afternoon, but the city is very quaint and cozy. Canals are everywhere, and buildings are tall, so carry a map because you will get lost. San Marco Piazza is the hub of activity, and all around that area are high end shops aimed at the high roller tourists. The food is not that great, which wasn't surprising since they obviously need to ship in groceries everyday or so. My day was made, though, when I found the church that was used in Indy Jones 3, where Indy goes underground to find the tombs in the sewers. Now, that was cool. It isn't a library inside though, fyi.
Hotel was pretty nice. It only has 7 rooms, and each with nice tapestry walls and high ceilings. The best part was the shower that had 10 individual nozzles for his-her pleasure. (eeps)
If you want to go to Venice, go soon because it definitely looks like it's sinking. The water is already coming up the walkways. But it looks like you can buy a decent flat for around $700k. Not bad.
Ok, onto Venice. Now, unless you've been living under a rock, Venice is super famous for being the city of canals, with gondolas and slick Italians with black pinstripe shirts rowing you across the blue waters. Heck, Vegas dedicated not 1, but 2, hotels to this venue. I will say this about Venice, it is very cool. Think Disneyland or Universal Studios. The buildings (if you've seen Casino Royale at the end) are something out of a theme park. The facades look like you are seeing them while on the way up Splash Mountain or strolling through New Orleans Square. Something is just not real about them.
Also, Venice is a magnet for cruise ships. You know what that means. Yes, it's a bit like hanging out at the Cal Neva in Reno or Thunder Valley. Many, many senior citizens boating from their day excursions aboard the Love Boat.
Venice itself is small. We walked pretty much the whole island within an afternoon, but the city is very quaint and cozy. Canals are everywhere, and buildings are tall, so carry a map because you will get lost. San Marco Piazza is the hub of activity, and all around that area are high end shops aimed at the high roller tourists. The food is not that great, which wasn't surprising since they obviously need to ship in groceries everyday or so. My day was made, though, when I found the church that was used in Indy Jones 3, where Indy goes underground to find the tombs in the sewers. Now, that was cool. It isn't a library inside though, fyi.
Hotel was pretty nice. It only has 7 rooms, and each with nice tapestry walls and high ceilings. The best part was the shower that had 10 individual nozzles for his-her pleasure. (eeps)
If you want to go to Venice, go soon because it definitely looks like it's sinking. The water is already coming up the walkways. But it looks like you can buy a decent flat for around $700k. Not bad.
Last Day in Paris
Our last day is Paris was nothing extravagant, since it was probably the first day we had to actually treat our trip like a vacation...which means, sleeping in. I guess all the museums and french cuisine has the effect of turkey.
With no itinerary set, we headed down to the Louvre area and relaxed by the massive gardens and ponds. After about 20 min of watching other tourists dose off with their heads bobbing back and forth in their garden chairs, we walked down to the Islands area where Notre Dame cathedral sits. Now Notre Dame is supposedly the most famous church in Paris, but also apparently the most well-run tourist shop too. There was nothing short of a gift shop and admission inside, and it makes we wonder why anyone would still go there for service since half the audience are tourists snapping away with their cameras. Even more weird is that the confessional boxes are clear glassed rooms, so everyone and their moms can watch you confess your innermost sins to the crowd outside.
Next, we headed to take the riverboat cruise on the Seine River to close out our Paris adventure. Sitting on the upper deck, we got to see Paris and its backstage life. What struck me the most was that the high school kids really have to place to hang out. Back in the states, they hang out at the mall or Starbucks, or at the park playing some football or basketball. But land in Paris is a premium, with no 24'hr fitness or big open parks to throw the pigskin around. So what do they do? Apparently, they hang out by the river and smoke all day long. No wonder the perception of French ppl are of smokers and artists, because that's the most accessible activity around.
The Paris leg of our trip has certainly been interesting and fun. We now head to Venice tomorrow, then Florence, and finally round out our trip in Rome. But before I sign off Paris, I think the most memorable part here was the bathroom shop in the Louvre mall. I mean, it was a boutique, complete with a vast array of multi-colored pastel toilet paper, a cleaner that wiped the seat after each customer (so you can't blame the pee-pee stain on the seat on the person before you), and a receptionist that directed you to your stall. I didn't have to go, but I sure went anyways.
With no itinerary set, we headed down to the Louvre area and relaxed by the massive gardens and ponds. After about 20 min of watching other tourists dose off with their heads bobbing back and forth in their garden chairs, we walked down to the Islands area where Notre Dame cathedral sits. Now Notre Dame is supposedly the most famous church in Paris, but also apparently the most well-run tourist shop too. There was nothing short of a gift shop and admission inside, and it makes we wonder why anyone would still go there for service since half the audience are tourists snapping away with their cameras. Even more weird is that the confessional boxes are clear glassed rooms, so everyone and their moms can watch you confess your innermost sins to the crowd outside.
Next, we headed to take the riverboat cruise on the Seine River to close out our Paris adventure. Sitting on the upper deck, we got to see Paris and its backstage life. What struck me the most was that the high school kids really have to place to hang out. Back in the states, they hang out at the mall or Starbucks, or at the park playing some football or basketball. But land in Paris is a premium, with no 24'hr fitness or big open parks to throw the pigskin around. So what do they do? Apparently, they hang out by the river and smoke all day long. No wonder the perception of French ppl are of smokers and artists, because that's the most accessible activity around.
The Paris leg of our trip has certainly been interesting and fun. We now head to Venice tomorrow, then Florence, and finally round out our trip in Rome. But before I sign off Paris, I think the most memorable part here was the bathroom shop in the Louvre mall. I mean, it was a boutique, complete with a vast array of multi-colored pastel toilet paper, a cleaner that wiped the seat after each customer (so you can't blame the pee-pee stain on the seat on the person before you), and a receptionist that directed you to your stall. I didn't have to go, but I sure went anyways.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
No More Museums in Paris, Please
I think we've done it. 7 museums in 4 days. Musee D'Orsay, Rodin Museum, Pantheon, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, L'Orangerie. There's actually like 20 more, but I think 7 is the most we can take before going insane. Les and I have gotten to the point where we just quickly walk through the museums and methodically turn our head left and right, seeing if anything catches our eye. We might stop at a piece where a lot of people are crowding around, because obviously, they know something we don't and thus, deserves our attention. The best decision we've made on this Paris trip though, is buying the advance museum ticket pass. 48 Euro and you can get through any line at any museum for 4 days. This is especially nice when the Louvre line is about 30 min deep. I like being able to smugly eye the people in line with their angry and envious stares, then briskly walk through the gate like I'm some rock star. Should've done some research, I'd say.
Today's goal was simple: check out the Louvre, the largest museum this side of the Mississippi. And probably the Atlantic. After a quick lunch at the cafe across the street, we headed through the side gates and into the belly of the beast, right below the giant glass Pyramid. It was noon, and the crowd was already about 500 people just in the main lobby.
Les and I really just wanted to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, and anything else would be a bonus. Seems like that's where everyone else wants to see too. 2 floors and about a 1/2 mile hike inside the labyrinth of hallways and corridors, we finally reach the main hall that houses the smiling lady. Of course, there's about a crowd of 6 rows deep, but good thing Les is of smaller stature, so she manuevers us to a pretty good viewing position. Let me just say, the Mona Lisa is not as small as people say. Now I've heard over and over again that "wow, the Mona Lisa is super small, or it's definitely not as big as you think it is", so as I prepared myself for the impending meet, I'd visualize the painting to be the size of a small notebook or business card. Well, turns out that picturing it small does help, because when I actually see it, it's a nice surprise that it is, in fact, a normal sized painting. The painting itself is interesting, but I'm not sure what the big fuss is about. She is definitely smiling, or smirking, which is also confirmed by the research study that used facial expression software to deduce with a 80% certainty she is having a happy day.
After the Mona Lisa, I resume my quest to relive my Da Vinci code infatuation by visiting the art and retracing the hero's night at the book's beginning. Madonna of the Rocks, check. The Rose Line marker on the ground, check. Bathroom where the tracer gets put on a bar of soap and thrown to the street below, eh, no check. There's no window in the bathroom. Liars.
We check out the Venus de Milo and then aimlessly wander the rest of the museum for the next 2.5 hours. Which brings me to my next question: who in their right minds can see the whole museum and actually remember what they saw? They say it takes something like 6 months to see all 5000 exhibits, and most people get probably 3-4 hours before they fall into a fetal position. Heck, after 2 hours in the stuffy and crowded hallways, the vomit-inducing smell of sweat and funk just permeates like crazy. Doesn't help that people have to climb like 50 steps between each level.
After escaping the Louvre, we walk down the giant garden area to the L'Orangerie museum. This is where Monet and Picasso lives, so it was worth a peek. Using our backstage passes yet again and drawing some hideous looks, we head through the tiny gallery. Monet has 2 big oval rooms that houses his 360 deg painting of a pond with leaves. Okay... not one, but 2 of them. Granted, they are big, but I think it'd be more impressive with a 360 deg LED movie theatre playing Lord of the Rings. Heading down to see the Picassos, I notice that his paintings aren't really weirdly abstract. In fact, only 1 of the 6 that I saw had the eyes and nose going funky and weird. The others were pictures of naked women. I guess they didn't have Playboy back then.
With 5 hours of museum walking in our systems, we decide to get some dinner across the river. Les has been reading Julie & Julia, and she is bent on looking for Julia Child's favorite restaurante called Michaud. After abour 20 min of searching the area where it should have been, we assume it's been closed by now and decide to settle on its closest possibility, a cafe on the corner of Universityand Jacobs. I again order my steak tartare and Les gets some pasta. I also get a carafe of wine because apparently it costs the same as a can of Coke, so my choice is pretty easy. The tartare so far in Paris has been pretty good, but today's version was something entirely different. Usually, the tartare comes in a shaped patty of raw beef, with a bunch of stuff inside. I'm never quite sure what, but I can take a guess at some ingredients. Well, today, I know exactly what's in it, because it was a do-it-yourself tartare. They slapped on a raw patty of ground beef with a raw egg yolk on top, and put some onions, parsley, relish, and capers on the side. Then they gave me a bottle of ketchup, worchester sauce, tobasco, oil, and some pepper. Well, randomly mixing the liquids and parts together while mashing it like a glob of play-doh isn't the most appealing part of home cooking. But, I will say that it turned out decent and now I can make my own tartare back home where it doesn't cost 20 Euro. I'm sure the cook was laughing through the window seeing if the Americans would try to make it themselves at the table.
After dinner, we decide to head back to our hotel about 2 mi away. It's not that hard of a walk after all these days, but our legs are starting to feel the compounded stress. We stop off to get some chocolates and consider buying a box to bring back home to our friends and coworkers, but ultimately decide against it. We won't be home for another week, traveling with it will be hard, and we'll probably eat it somewhere along the way.
We also stop by a shopping center near our apartment to do some of the famed Paris shopping, but soon realize that we don't really care about fashion too much anymore. There was a time when we'd spend good money for namebrand clothes and the latest fashion, but heck, we're married now and don't need to impress each other. In fact, it's only a matter of time before we start going out to dinner in elastic sweatpants and undershirts. This probably explains why a lot of dads start wearing shorts, New Balance shoes, and knee-high white socks. Comfort > Image. We are getting old.
Looks like they arrested the Yale killer guy. With a name like that, he's got to be guilty. He also looks like Shia LaBoef.
ps - We did get the right restaurant, as confirmed by my best friend, Google.
Today's goal was simple: check out the Louvre, the largest museum this side of the Mississippi. And probably the Atlantic. After a quick lunch at the cafe across the street, we headed through the side gates and into the belly of the beast, right below the giant glass Pyramid. It was noon, and the crowd was already about 500 people just in the main lobby.
Les and I really just wanted to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, and anything else would be a bonus. Seems like that's where everyone else wants to see too. 2 floors and about a 1/2 mile hike inside the labyrinth of hallways and corridors, we finally reach the main hall that houses the smiling lady. Of course, there's about a crowd of 6 rows deep, but good thing Les is of smaller stature, so she manuevers us to a pretty good viewing position. Let me just say, the Mona Lisa is not as small as people say. Now I've heard over and over again that "wow, the Mona Lisa is super small, or it's definitely not as big as you think it is", so as I prepared myself for the impending meet, I'd visualize the painting to be the size of a small notebook or business card. Well, turns out that picturing it small does help, because when I actually see it, it's a nice surprise that it is, in fact, a normal sized painting. The painting itself is interesting, but I'm not sure what the big fuss is about. She is definitely smiling, or smirking, which is also confirmed by the research study that used facial expression software to deduce with a 80% certainty she is having a happy day.
After the Mona Lisa, I resume my quest to relive my Da Vinci code infatuation by visiting the art and retracing the hero's night at the book's beginning. Madonna of the Rocks, check. The Rose Line marker on the ground, check. Bathroom where the tracer gets put on a bar of soap and thrown to the street below, eh, no check. There's no window in the bathroom. Liars.
We check out the Venus de Milo and then aimlessly wander the rest of the museum for the next 2.5 hours. Which brings me to my next question: who in their right minds can see the whole museum and actually remember what they saw? They say it takes something like 6 months to see all 5000 exhibits, and most people get probably 3-4 hours before they fall into a fetal position. Heck, after 2 hours in the stuffy and crowded hallways, the vomit-inducing smell of sweat and funk just permeates like crazy. Doesn't help that people have to climb like 50 steps between each level.
After escaping the Louvre, we walk down the giant garden area to the L'Orangerie museum. This is where Monet and Picasso lives, so it was worth a peek. Using our backstage passes yet again and drawing some hideous looks, we head through the tiny gallery. Monet has 2 big oval rooms that houses his 360 deg painting of a pond with leaves. Okay... not one, but 2 of them. Granted, they are big, but I think it'd be more impressive with a 360 deg LED movie theatre playing Lord of the Rings. Heading down to see the Picassos, I notice that his paintings aren't really weirdly abstract. In fact, only 1 of the 6 that I saw had the eyes and nose going funky and weird. The others were pictures of naked women. I guess they didn't have Playboy back then.
With 5 hours of museum walking in our systems, we decide to get some dinner across the river. Les has been reading Julie & Julia, and she is bent on looking for Julia Child's favorite restaurante called Michaud. After abour 20 min of searching the area where it should have been, we assume it's been closed by now and decide to settle on its closest possibility, a cafe on the corner of Universityand Jacobs. I again order my steak tartare and Les gets some pasta. I also get a carafe of wine because apparently it costs the same as a can of Coke, so my choice is pretty easy. The tartare so far in Paris has been pretty good, but today's version was something entirely different. Usually, the tartare comes in a shaped patty of raw beef, with a bunch of stuff inside. I'm never quite sure what, but I can take a guess at some ingredients. Well, today, I know exactly what's in it, because it was a do-it-yourself tartare. They slapped on a raw patty of ground beef with a raw egg yolk on top, and put some onions, parsley, relish, and capers on the side. Then they gave me a bottle of ketchup, worchester sauce, tobasco, oil, and some pepper. Well, randomly mixing the liquids and parts together while mashing it like a glob of play-doh isn't the most appealing part of home cooking. But, I will say that it turned out decent and now I can make my own tartare back home where it doesn't cost 20 Euro. I'm sure the cook was laughing through the window seeing if the Americans would try to make it themselves at the table.
After dinner, we decide to head back to our hotel about 2 mi away. It's not that hard of a walk after all these days, but our legs are starting to feel the compounded stress. We stop off to get some chocolates and consider buying a box to bring back home to our friends and coworkers, but ultimately decide against it. We won't be home for another week, traveling with it will be hard, and we'll probably eat it somewhere along the way.
We also stop by a shopping center near our apartment to do some of the famed Paris shopping, but soon realize that we don't really care about fashion too much anymore. There was a time when we'd spend good money for namebrand clothes and the latest fashion, but heck, we're married now and don't need to impress each other. In fact, it's only a matter of time before we start going out to dinner in elastic sweatpants and undershirts. This probably explains why a lot of dads start wearing shorts, New Balance shoes, and knee-high white socks. Comfort > Image. We are getting old.
Looks like they arrested the Yale killer guy. With a name like that, he's got to be guilty. He also looks like Shia LaBoef.
ps - We did get the right restaurant, as confirmed by my best friend, Google.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Day 3? in Paris: Getting Fat and Da Vinci Code
So Les and I have been pretty proud of ourselves so far, since we walk an avg of about 5 miles per day since we arrived in Europe. You pretty much have to since we have no car, and museums, city walks, getting lost, etc, end up requiring much foot moving. So of course, this much walking means a thinner waist and lost lbs, right? Well, normally yes, but not in Paris, the land of butter and cheese. I think today alone, we ate probably 6 different times, trying out the local flavor and eats, but we haven't been disappointed once. They are quite particular about their pastries and boy, it makes the Marie's donuts back home seem like day old bread. But, I digress...I'll move onto today's expedition and observations in Paris (Day 3, I think).
Today, Les and I decided to get an early start since we wanted to cover the rest of Paris on our bus tour. When people say you need at least a week to explore Paris, it's very true. London, we covered pretty much in 2 days, but Paris has so many museums, giant landmarks, restaurants, neighborhoods, shopping areas, that at least 4-5 days is needed. After a quick fruit and banana breakfast, we head off. Les has been complaining about being cold, so we decide to get her some gloves to wear around. Well, as luck would have it, we find a glove specialty store that gets her fitted with a nice pair of cashmere gloves for about 140 Euro. She is hestitant to buy them, until I offer to pay for it. Well, that should buy me some credit on the irritation meter.
Armed with her newly minted handwear, we head off to get our bus stop near the Place de la Concorde, which is the giant Monelith area where they guillotined everyone back in the day. Along the way, we pass by a nice patesserie (or pastry shop) so we decide to get a few treats for the day. Let me say this: when the pastries are wrapped in a Tiffany-like green bag with little rope handles, you know the food will not suck. It most definitely did not.
Hit the Eiffel Tower, which after 3 days of seeing it again, still is pretty cool. Really, Vegas doesn't do it justice. As we head up to the top, I realize that I am still afraid of heights, but feels pretty cool when I pretend that I'm Superman and flying upward. I think one person laughed when I had my arms up. Up here, Paris is actually very big. Think Russian Hill times 100. All the buildings are mostly apartments of about 5 stories high of the same architecture, with cafes and specialty shops lining the ground floor. I think that's why food is so good here...with space being so limited (not too many big restaurants or chains), cafes, pastry, bakery shops are all that could really fit in the fronts. With so many around the corner, they need to compete on quality to stay around. which means, we win.
Next up, the Rodin Museum. I have no idea who this guy Rodin is, but Les is bent on seeing this guy for some reason. Well, turns out he sculpted the Thinker. The museum is a bit different than the other places we've been too...it's like a garden with his works all over the place. Here, I learn something else about us...we can go a good solid 40 minutes of museum walking before boredom sets in and we start taking pictures of us mimicing the artwork. It helps pass the time trying to squeeze in a pose or 2 between the museum people walking around. I feel a little disrespectful for some reason to the artist, but heck, they should have put in more entertainment for us in the beginning.
Lunch-time now calls for a cafe stop near the museum, and I resist the urge to get another Steak Tartare. Les gets an omelette with cheese and I get a simple hot dog. Simple foods right? Nope. I don't know how the French make omelettes, but when I make them, it don't taste like that. Heck, even my hot dog was made with a fresh baguette and tons of melted cheese on top. Did I mention that I'm lactose intolerant? The toilet will be punished later.
So now that we've gone through the major sites, we head over to St. Sulpice a few blocks away. Why here? Well, it's one of the key plot points in the Da Vinci Code, and yes, I'm a Dan Brown groupie. His books are pretty formulaic plot-wise, but I do like the historical references (real or made-up). Anyways, this is the church that houses the famous Rose Line and the monolith inside the church where the evil dude tries to find the keystone, only to be duped and gets mad and kicks some ass. As we go in, I find that we're definitely not the only Da Vinci Code book lovers as a pretty good crowd is already taking pictures of the pieces. I'll admit it was pretty awesome, whether or not the history is accurate or not. But I become more convinced when I read a sign that the Church posted up saying the book is not real, and that the line and monolith are astronomic tools used to measure the winter/summer solstice. I smell BS. I start looking for more clues to Jeebus and his wife.
Not finding any, unfortunately, we head a few blocks over to the Pantheon. But a side story here: one thing about France is that people LOVE to smoke. They'll smoke at cafes, walking down the street, while riding a scooter, and sometimes while on a bike with no hands. Committed they are. Well, all of this smoking outdoors struck a chord with me when we first got here, so I wanted to live like a Parisian and smoke as well. Well, here's where it gets dicey. For 3 days, 3 DAYS, I cannot find a dang place that sells cigarettes! How weird is that? Everyone smokes like a chimney, but no one sells them! People must roll their own or something. Well, at this point, I don't really care about smoking but I'm on a personal quest to get that which eludes me. Finally, after trying so desperately to see if I could find the answer myself, I ask the shopkeep where to buy them, and he points me in the direction of a tobacco shop. How anti-climatic. We end up getting a pack, but I smoke one and stop. The chase was really the fun part I guess.
Ok, back on track: Pantheon. It's basically another big ol building with tons of columns and arches, and domes. I don't remember how many pictures I've taken over the past 3 days that show the exact same thing, and how I'll ever tell it apart, but I guess it'll prove that I was there when I lose my memory down the line. The only cool thing is that it houses the graves of famous French people, like Voltaire and the Braille guy. The Braille guy has a nice little plaque that has, of course, braille along his name. And of course, everyone does the required swiping of the fingers across the braille as if they could read it. Including me. Now, boredom again sets in and Les and I converse about how many possible hidden trap doors or rooms there are. I try to look for some clues, but I give up soon after.
Day is coming to a close, so we head back on the bus, but not before getting more fattening pastries for the road. I rationalize that the French are not fat after eating these foods all the time, so it must be ok with us too...plus, these are fresh foods, and not packaged ones like home where it contains high fructose corn syrup that makes us fat. Makes sense, right? Drive around the south-east part of Paris; this time by the Bastille where the prisoners escaped or something. Not sure, but this is probably the most boring tour leg so far. But good news, Green Day is coming to Paris October 3!
Now that the busses are retired for the day, we have to hike it back to our hotel from the Lourve area. 20 min later, and we make it to our little hotel, and crash out onto the bed. An hour later, wake and run to the gourmet food store down the block for some dinner. Tomorrow, we finally hit the Louvre. It better be good.
Today, Les and I decided to get an early start since we wanted to cover the rest of Paris on our bus tour. When people say you need at least a week to explore Paris, it's very true. London, we covered pretty much in 2 days, but Paris has so many museums, giant landmarks, restaurants, neighborhoods, shopping areas, that at least 4-5 days is needed. After a quick fruit and banana breakfast, we head off. Les has been complaining about being cold, so we decide to get her some gloves to wear around. Well, as luck would have it, we find a glove specialty store that gets her fitted with a nice pair of cashmere gloves for about 140 Euro. She is hestitant to buy them, until I offer to pay for it. Well, that should buy me some credit on the irritation meter.
Armed with her newly minted handwear, we head off to get our bus stop near the Place de la Concorde, which is the giant Monelith area where they guillotined everyone back in the day. Along the way, we pass by a nice patesserie (or pastry shop) so we decide to get a few treats for the day. Let me say this: when the pastries are wrapped in a Tiffany-like green bag with little rope handles, you know the food will not suck. It most definitely did not.
Hit the Eiffel Tower, which after 3 days of seeing it again, still is pretty cool. Really, Vegas doesn't do it justice. As we head up to the top, I realize that I am still afraid of heights, but feels pretty cool when I pretend that I'm Superman and flying upward. I think one person laughed when I had my arms up. Up here, Paris is actually very big. Think Russian Hill times 100. All the buildings are mostly apartments of about 5 stories high of the same architecture, with cafes and specialty shops lining the ground floor. I think that's why food is so good here...with space being so limited (not too many big restaurants or chains), cafes, pastry, bakery shops are all that could really fit in the fronts. With so many around the corner, they need to compete on quality to stay around. which means, we win.
Next up, the Rodin Museum. I have no idea who this guy Rodin is, but Les is bent on seeing this guy for some reason. Well, turns out he sculpted the Thinker. The museum is a bit different than the other places we've been too...it's like a garden with his works all over the place. Here, I learn something else about us...we can go a good solid 40 minutes of museum walking before boredom sets in and we start taking pictures of us mimicing the artwork. It helps pass the time trying to squeeze in a pose or 2 between the museum people walking around. I feel a little disrespectful for some reason to the artist, but heck, they should have put in more entertainment for us in the beginning.
Lunch-time now calls for a cafe stop near the museum, and I resist the urge to get another Steak Tartare. Les gets an omelette with cheese and I get a simple hot dog. Simple foods right? Nope. I don't know how the French make omelettes, but when I make them, it don't taste like that. Heck, even my hot dog was made with a fresh baguette and tons of melted cheese on top. Did I mention that I'm lactose intolerant? The toilet will be punished later.
So now that we've gone through the major sites, we head over to St. Sulpice a few blocks away. Why here? Well, it's one of the key plot points in the Da Vinci Code, and yes, I'm a Dan Brown groupie. His books are pretty formulaic plot-wise, but I do like the historical references (real or made-up). Anyways, this is the church that houses the famous Rose Line and the monolith inside the church where the evil dude tries to find the keystone, only to be duped and gets mad and kicks some ass. As we go in, I find that we're definitely not the only Da Vinci Code book lovers as a pretty good crowd is already taking pictures of the pieces. I'll admit it was pretty awesome, whether or not the history is accurate or not. But I become more convinced when I read a sign that the Church posted up saying the book is not real, and that the line and monolith are astronomic tools used to measure the winter/summer solstice. I smell BS. I start looking for more clues to Jeebus and his wife.
Not finding any, unfortunately, we head a few blocks over to the Pantheon. But a side story here: one thing about France is that people LOVE to smoke. They'll smoke at cafes, walking down the street, while riding a scooter, and sometimes while on a bike with no hands. Committed they are. Well, all of this smoking outdoors struck a chord with me when we first got here, so I wanted to live like a Parisian and smoke as well. Well, here's where it gets dicey. For 3 days, 3 DAYS, I cannot find a dang place that sells cigarettes! How weird is that? Everyone smokes like a chimney, but no one sells them! People must roll their own or something. Well, at this point, I don't really care about smoking but I'm on a personal quest to get that which eludes me. Finally, after trying so desperately to see if I could find the answer myself, I ask the shopkeep where to buy them, and he points me in the direction of a tobacco shop. How anti-climatic. We end up getting a pack, but I smoke one and stop. The chase was really the fun part I guess.
Ok, back on track: Pantheon. It's basically another big ol building with tons of columns and arches, and domes. I don't remember how many pictures I've taken over the past 3 days that show the exact same thing, and how I'll ever tell it apart, but I guess it'll prove that I was there when I lose my memory down the line. The only cool thing is that it houses the graves of famous French people, like Voltaire and the Braille guy. The Braille guy has a nice little plaque that has, of course, braille along his name. And of course, everyone does the required swiping of the fingers across the braille as if they could read it. Including me. Now, boredom again sets in and Les and I converse about how many possible hidden trap doors or rooms there are. I try to look for some clues, but I give up soon after.
Day is coming to a close, so we head back on the bus, but not before getting more fattening pastries for the road. I rationalize that the French are not fat after eating these foods all the time, so it must be ok with us too...plus, these are fresh foods, and not packaged ones like home where it contains high fructose corn syrup that makes us fat. Makes sense, right? Drive around the south-east part of Paris; this time by the Bastille where the prisoners escaped or something. Not sure, but this is probably the most boring tour leg so far. But good news, Green Day is coming to Paris October 3!
Now that the busses are retired for the day, we have to hike it back to our hotel from the Lourve area. 20 min later, and we make it to our little hotel, and crash out onto the bed. An hour later, wake and run to the gourmet food store down the block for some dinner. Tomorrow, we finally hit the Louvre. It better be good.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Day 2 in Paris: Lessons Learned
So we're here on Day 4 of our EuroTrip, and day 2 in Paris. Today, I learned a few things:
1) 2 Steak Tartare meals are the most I can take per day
2) People usually start with their left foot first going up and down stairs
3) The French are poor at transportation planning
The days are starting to become a blur...Les and I keep forgetting what day it is, or how far along in our trip we are. I think it's Tues, the 15th, and about 4 of 14 days into the trip. We can't believe how much we've done so far and we're probably going to be exhausted for about 2 wks when we get back. Speaking of which, coming back home will be very difficult...much less going back to work.
Anyhow, today we slept in a bit which was nice. We happen to be pretty close to the shopping area, so I had to buy a longsleeve undershirt since it's been chilly here. $16 Eur at the Gap and we're on our way. Across the Paris Opera House, which is the biggest in the world I think, we stop at a cafe where they sell, *gasp* steak tartare (my new favorite dish since Napa introduced me to it and seeing it from the movie Wall Street). Les doesn't like seeing the raw meat but let's me enjoy it anyways. I'm going to try to sneak it into her turkey sandwich one day so she can enjoy it as much as I do.
After lunch, we head onto the Paris Tour Bus and head around North Paris. Apparently we get on the wrong route because now we get a first hand tour of the Red Light District and pass by the famous Moulin Rouge. It looks more glamorous in the movie, but I guess the rampant homeless and druggies walking around sort of dispel any notion of grandeur. Les doesn't want to go tonight even after some prodding.
Finally we get on the correct bus and head to the big touristy sites, like the Madeleine (a giant church that looks like the Parthenon), the Louvre-er, Notre Dame, and the Musee D'Orsay. First, the Madeleine church is HUGE inside. I know there's a bunch of history and symbolism in the architecture and sculptures, so I do my best Robert Langdon impression to try to find some hidden marks or directions. The only thing I find is a large donation box that sits next to the organ. What a disappointment.
The Louvre-er is closed today (Tuesday), but still a lot of people loiter in the area. Same for Notre Dame, where a long line had formed to get in. No Touchdown Jesus at this cathedral unfortunately. Crossing over the Seine, I can see the river banks that look just like the scenes in Ratatouille. If you haven't noticed, I draw a lot of my references from movies and/or cartoons. My whole association memory is based off those things, sadly.
Finally, we get off at Musee D'Orsay and walk around the old Train Station-turned-museum. Pretty nice, but I'd admit that I probably don't appreciate artwork as most ppl. Les seems to enjoy walking through and reading at most pieces. I only get excited when we make it to the top floor and I recognize some of the major pieces, like Van Gogh's self portrait and Whistler. I do the requisite picture taking of the art so I can show everyone that I was there and the actual painting looks exactly like it does in the books.
With the museum now closed, we hop back on the bus and head to Champs Elysses, which connects the giant Monelith and the Arc de Triomphe. Before we hit the Arc, we grab dinner at a nearby restaurant, and guess what? They also have steak tartare. This is where lesson 1 is learned. You really can have too much of a good thing, and it's starting to upset my stomach.
After dinner, we head to the Arc and take the 248 steps up the staircase. Holy moly...my legs are about to fall off but that's where lesson 2 is realized. People start the staircase with their left foot first, as shown by the immense worn out areas on the first step, left side. Interesting. Les and I take some pics at top, and again, do a few panoramics across the landscape.
The Arc is pretty impressive, until I find out that apparently a lot of other countries have their own Arc too...heck, Rome has like 3! Also, you can get your own by giving yourself one. I think Romania gave themselves one for just participating in WWI. Come on now. That's like giving yourself a Certificate of Appreciation at work for just showing up.
Heading back down, we hang out the Arc base to watch the biggest turnabout in the world in action. Wow, those French drivers just go. No brakes, just go. Need to get to the other side of the 12 avenue merge? Don't worry, just turn 90 deg at 30 mph and gun it. Trust me, they will stop for you. It's like the snowboarder rule: just be responsible for whats ahead of you...the ones behind have to watch out. (btw: the Eiffel Tower has a cool sparkly light show at 9pm for 5 min)
Finally, Lesson 3 about the bad transportation planning in Paris is learned on the way back home. I still don't know which subway tunnel, train, or route to take because I swear we take a new way home everytime. Each station you need to take the RER, then the Metro, then go back and forth b/w each area with your ticket, but your ticket can be invalidated along the way, and so forth. A lot of parts are quiet and empty, which reminds me a lot of Cloverfield when the group has to find refuge in the subway stations for safety and then all the creepy crawlers come out and attack. Then I think about where I would run and how I would fend them off. I have a vivid imagination.
Finally make it home and now we rest our feet and plan for tomorrow. Whoa, Patrick Swayze died?
1) 2 Steak Tartare meals are the most I can take per day
2) People usually start with their left foot first going up and down stairs
3) The French are poor at transportation planning
The days are starting to become a blur...Les and I keep forgetting what day it is, or how far along in our trip we are. I think it's Tues, the 15th, and about 4 of 14 days into the trip. We can't believe how much we've done so far and we're probably going to be exhausted for about 2 wks when we get back. Speaking of which, coming back home will be very difficult...much less going back to work.
Anyhow, today we slept in a bit which was nice. We happen to be pretty close to the shopping area, so I had to buy a longsleeve undershirt since it's been chilly here. $16 Eur at the Gap and we're on our way. Across the Paris Opera House, which is the biggest in the world I think, we stop at a cafe where they sell, *gasp* steak tartare (my new favorite dish since Napa introduced me to it and seeing it from the movie Wall Street). Les doesn't like seeing the raw meat but let's me enjoy it anyways. I'm going to try to sneak it into her turkey sandwich one day so she can enjoy it as much as I do.
After lunch, we head onto the Paris Tour Bus and head around North Paris. Apparently we get on the wrong route because now we get a first hand tour of the Red Light District and pass by the famous Moulin Rouge. It looks more glamorous in the movie, but I guess the rampant homeless and druggies walking around sort of dispel any notion of grandeur. Les doesn't want to go tonight even after some prodding.
The Louvre-er is closed today (Tuesday), but still a lot of people loiter in the area. Same for Notre Dame, where a long line had formed to get in. No Touchdown Jesus at this cathedral unfortunately. Crossing over the Seine, I can see the river banks that look just like the scenes in Ratatouille. If you haven't noticed, I draw a lot of my references from movies and/or cartoons. My whole association memory is based off those things, sadly.
Finally, we get off at Musee D'Orsay and walk around the old Train Station-turned-museum. Pretty nice, but I'd admit that I probably don't appreciate artwork as most ppl. Les seems to enjoy walking through and reading at most pieces. I only get excited when we make it to the top floor and I recognize some of the major pieces, like Van Gogh's self portrait and Whistler. I do the requisite picture taking of the art so I can show everyone that I was there and the actual painting looks exactly like it does in the books.
With the museum now closed, we hop back on the bus and head to Champs Elysses, which connects the giant Monelith and the Arc de Triomphe. Before we hit the Arc, we grab dinner at a nearby restaurant, and guess what? They also have steak tartare. This is where lesson 1 is learned. You really can have too much of a good thing, and it's starting to upset my stomach.
After dinner, we head to the Arc and take the 248 steps up the staircase. Holy moly...my legs are about to fall off but that's where lesson 2 is realized. People start the staircase with their left foot first, as shown by the immense worn out areas on the first step, left side. Interesting. Les and I take some pics at top, and again, do a few panoramics across the landscape.
The Arc is pretty impressive, until I find out that apparently a lot of other countries have their own Arc too...heck, Rome has like 3! Also, you can get your own by giving yourself one. I think Romania gave themselves one for just participating in WWI. Come on now. That's like giving yourself a Certificate of Appreciation at work for just showing up.
Heading back down, we hang out the Arc base to watch the biggest turnabout in the world in action. Wow, those French drivers just go. No brakes, just go. Need to get to the other side of the 12 avenue merge? Don't worry, just turn 90 deg at 30 mph and gun it. Trust me, they will stop for you. It's like the snowboarder rule: just be responsible for whats ahead of you...the ones behind have to watch out. (btw: the Eiffel Tower has a cool sparkly light show at 9pm for 5 min)
Finally, Lesson 3 about the bad transportation planning in Paris is learned on the way back home. I still don't know which subway tunnel, train, or route to take because I swear we take a new way home everytime. Each station you need to take the RER, then the Metro, then go back and forth b/w each area with your ticket, but your ticket can be invalidated along the way, and so forth. A lot of parts are quiet and empty, which reminds me a lot of Cloverfield when the group has to find refuge in the subway stations for safety and then all the creepy crawlers come out and attack. Then I think about where I would run and how I would fend them off. I have a vivid imagination.
Finally make it home and now we rest our feet and plan for tomorrow. Whoa, Patrick Swayze died?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Almost Miss the Train to Paris
Well, now we catch up to today. We finally get hit by the jet lag and wake up after 10 hrs of sleep. Unfortunately, it seemed to hit on the morning that we have to travel to Paris on the Eurostar. Train leaves at 11am...wake-up time at 920am. And we are about 40 min away, haven't packed, or figured out exactly how to get there.
After jamming everything into the bags, checking-out quickstyle, and running to the tube (see, I'm British, I am!), we finally get to the terminal about 1040pm. Fly thru security and push our way to the crowd and somehow ending up near the front of the line. This is why you should use a backpack and not a roller. Farewell London, and thanks for letting us cut in line.
2 hrs later, right into Paris. Watch for pickpockets everywhere and be cautious of everyone. esp. them little kids. Bathrooms cost 1 Euro to use. Good thing they don't serve as much Indian food here as they do in London. They could make a fortune.
Our hotel here is in the Opera district; again, in the shopping/ritzy area of Paris. It's kinda nice but it's amazing how ppl take fashion so seriously here. Even the homeless are dressed better than me. and that's not being sarcastic. I'm now 1 for 3 on the Honeymoon line....apparently, she wants to help but they are completely booked. I can't believe the nerve of some places not giving us free stuff just because I tell them we're on a honeymoon. selfish I tell you.
We go buy some food, wine, cheese, and baquette at the gourmet store down the street and I attempt to use the 2-yrs of French from high school. I can only really use Bonjour and Parlez-vous Anglais?, which in itself is remarkable that I rmember. I can only imagine that I look like a retard when they respond with a question before I get to the Parlez-vous part though.
Head over to the Eiffel Tower for the glamourous night shot, which looks pretty cool and not exactly the same as the Vegas version. A bit bigger, I think. I just watched European Vacation so I'm trying to think how that dog jumps from the ledge all the way to the River below, when it's so far away. Anyways, got some good pics before it starts raining like crazy and we ran it back to the subway.
Get back home, eat our homemade/bought dinner and finally get to check some email. Sweet, Cal wins! Go Bears!
After jamming everything into the bags, checking-out quickstyle, and running to the tube (see, I'm British, I am!), we finally get to the terminal about 1040pm. Fly thru security and push our way to the crowd and somehow ending up near the front of the line. This is why you should use a backpack and not a roller. Farewell London, and thanks for letting us cut in line.
2 hrs later, right into Paris. Watch for pickpockets everywhere and be cautious of everyone. esp. them little kids. Bathrooms cost 1 Euro to use. Good thing they don't serve as much Indian food here as they do in London. They could make a fortune.
Our hotel here is in the Opera district; again, in the shopping/ritzy area of Paris. It's kinda nice but it's amazing how ppl take fashion so seriously here. Even the homeless are dressed better than me. and that's not being sarcastic. I'm now 1 for 3 on the Honeymoon line....apparently, she wants to help but they are completely booked. I can't believe the nerve of some places not giving us free stuff just because I tell them we're on a honeymoon. selfish I tell you.
We go buy some food, wine, cheese, and baquette at the gourmet store down the street and I attempt to use the 2-yrs of French from high school. I can only really use Bonjour and Parlez-vous Anglais?, which in itself is remarkable that I rmember. I can only imagine that I look like a retard when they respond with a question before I get to the Parlez-vous part though.
Head over to the Eiffel Tower for the glamourous night shot, which looks pretty cool and not exactly the same as the Vegas version. A bit bigger, I think. I just watched European Vacation so I'm trying to think how that dog jumps from the ledge all the way to the River below, when it's so far away. Anyways, got some good pics before it starts raining like crazy and we ran it back to the subway.
Get back home, eat our homemade/bought dinner and finally get to check some email. Sweet, Cal wins! Go Bears!
Day 2 in London: Tourist Time
So if you haven't noticed, I'm writing from my perspective since Les is reading Julie and Julia, so you guys can see if from my viewpoint. Lucky you.
Grabbed the camera and hopped on the double decker bus to tour thru London. yes, ugly american at the extreme. Les is making fun of me of trying to mimic the British accent, but I swear its just natural.
Went to Buckingham Palace which is apparently only open during the summer when the Queen bee is in Scotland drinking scotch. They pass out headsets for an audio tour, which I can imagine makes everyone walking thru the tour like mindless zombies. once, i start laughing during the tour so ppl wonder which part I'm on.
after another fish and chips lunch, we head back on the bus to go by Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and stop at London Eye. It's basically a big ferris wheel that takes 30 min and costs about $30 ea...I mean 16 lbs. I took a cool panoramic shot, and I'll post later. Next, river cruise to Tower Bridge. I think I'm the only person who still remembers the Tower of London from a Chip & Dales Rescue Rangers episode.
Over the Thames River and to the waterfront fair. I think I found out where the Koreans hang out. Walking around the riverfront, I'm imagining what it used to be like before the high-rises condos and waterfront bars sprung up...I'm sure it wass something out of a Sherlock Holmes novel. Dark corridors and misty cobblestone alleys. Les thinks I'm morbid.
To end the night, head to an Indian restaurant since Les thinks London is good at Indian food now. hmm, yeah, I would have to agree. even better, no fire spewing #3 afterwards. I like London.
Grabbed the camera and hopped on the double decker bus to tour thru London. yes, ugly american at the extreme. Les is making fun of me of trying to mimic the British accent, but I swear its just natural.
Went to Buckingham Palace which is apparently only open during the summer when the Queen bee is in Scotland drinking scotch. They pass out headsets for an audio tour, which I can imagine makes everyone walking thru the tour like mindless zombies. once, i start laughing during the tour so ppl wonder which part I'm on.
after another fish and chips lunch, we head back on the bus to go by Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and stop at London Eye. It's basically a big ferris wheel that takes 30 min and costs about $30 ea...I mean 16 lbs. I took a cool panoramic shot, and I'll post later. Next, river cruise to Tower Bridge. I think I'm the only person who still remembers the Tower of London from a Chip & Dales Rescue Rangers episode.
Over the Thames River and to the waterfront fair. I think I found out where the Koreans hang out. Walking around the riverfront, I'm imagining what it used to be like before the high-rises condos and waterfront bars sprung up...I'm sure it wass something out of a Sherlock Holmes novel. Dark corridors and misty cobblestone alleys. Les thinks I'm morbid.
To end the night, head to an Indian restaurant since Les thinks London is good at Indian food now. hmm, yeah, I would have to agree. even better, no fire spewing #3 afterwards. I like London.
Day 1 in: Shopping like no ones business
Not that we bought anything, but holy cow, there are a lot of shops in this area. Like I'm talking about Rodeo drive + Michigan Ave + 5th ave + Serramonte Mall. There's this place called Harrod's which is like London's claim to shopping fame. 5 floors that combines Best Buy, Macys, Toys r Us, and some other big storess that I can't remember. Les wanted something to remember it, so she spent a whooping 3 lbs for a xmas ornament. we shoulda got a box for souvenirs to give away. I also saw a 103" plasma tv that was playing Casino Royale for $70k pounds... or $130k. yum.
But the really cool thing about the night was the Fish and Chips. srs bizness. half a fish. deep fried. i cried.
also very cool that asians here have british accents. all of a sudden, so do i.
But the really cool thing about the night was the Fish and Chips. srs bizness. half a fish. deep fried. i cried.
also very cool that asians here have british accents. all of a sudden, so do i.
Arriving in London
Ok, so to start off, England apparently uses pounds instead of Euros, which can cause some problems. First, don't bother calculating how many dollars equals a pound, because in the end, all you will do is say "I paid what for a can of Coke?" Just pretend pound is a dollar and you'll be much happier.
When we reached our hotel in Kensington (this is like the richy-rich area of London), I tried the "we're on our honeymoon, gimme free stuff" question, and surprisingly, we got a free upgrade to their biggest rooms. Nice! this makes it really 1 for 2 since I tried that on the British Airways flight and the counter lady offered a 1st class upgrade for $300 instead of $2000. Not sure if I will count that as a freebee, but I'll say no.
Time-change wise, we're only about 9 hrs ahead so after red-eyeing it, we were ok in terms of sleep. nothing a boddington's can't cure...
When we reached our hotel in Kensington (this is like the richy-rich area of London), I tried the "we're on our honeymoon, gimme free stuff" question, and surprisingly, we got a free upgrade to their biggest rooms. Nice! this makes it really 1 for 2 since I tried that on the British Airways flight and the counter lady offered a 1st class upgrade for $300 instead of $2000. Not sure if I will count that as a freebee, but I'll say no.
Time-change wise, we're only about 9 hrs ahead so after red-eyeing it, we were ok in terms of sleep. nothing a boddington's can't cure...
Paris + Wifi = Catching up on email
welp, Les and I made it to Paris today, starting our longest leg of the Euro-tour 09. We'll be here for 5 days, and just completed 2 days in London. London is a much cooler than what Friends depicts it as, surprisingly enough. But to put some chronology to this blog, I'll post about london first. which will probably show above this post. here we go...
Friday, September 11, 2009
Europe in 20 hours
We need to start packing, but too much to do. Wrapping up work, planning, etc. This is going to be a rough day tomorrow. London, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome in 14 days. Do-able? We'll find out.
Pictures from the wedding are uploaded to Picasa and sent out to people. Turned out pretty good.
This is my view from the altar. Is it inappropriate to take pictures while getting married?
Pictures from the wedding are uploaded to Picasa and sent out to people. Turned out pretty good.
This is my view from the altar. Is it inappropriate to take pictures while getting married?
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