Saturday, May 30, 2009

Messages

I have an answering machine. I have children with friends who call and leave messages on said machine. Doctors' offices call and leave appointment reminder messages on said machine. Hardly anyone else ever leaves messages on said machine. I rarely check said machine, especially since our new phone doesn't display a large red blinking light when there are new messages like our old one did. I liked our old answering machine; I liked the large red blinking light and it actually worked to remind me to check messages on a regular basis.

I haven't checked messages since returning from Europe. I checked them today to listen for an old message from our son's soccer coach so I could get his phone number. (Last game canceled, needed to make arrangements to pick up trophies, etc.) Much to my dismay there was a message on there from my very best friend in college that she was in town and would be leaving by Friday, which was yesterday. I could cry. :(

PS: The best way to reach me is via e-mail.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Pictures!!



We arrived in London bone weary and late in the evening. After our long flight we were HUNGRY! We asked the cab driver if we could stop somewhere along the way for food; he suggested McDonald's. I'd rather starve! I don't eat McD's at home, I'm certainly not going to eat it while traveling, so we politely refused. Luckily we passed right by this place, which I'd heard of on Samantha Brown's travel show. We asked him to stop and we got there just before they closed for the night. I ran in and ordered fish and chips just like Samantha Brown did. We took it with us and ate after we got to Pax Lodge and it was delicious.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Barca!

The Barcelona soccer team (technically football, as I was corrected while in Europe) beat out Manchester United from the UK to win...some championship or something. I may not know the details but I'm happy they won because they are a great bunch of guys, as I found out during my research for our trip. First of all they are a symbol of pride for the Catalon people. When Catalunya was oppressed under Spanish dictatorship they were allowed a soccer team which usually lost in rigged games to Real Madrid. Didn't matter, the Catalons flew the Barca flag with pride because it was the only flag they were allowed to fly that represented their region. It was a substitute for the Catalon flag they really wanted to display, so it became an expression of the patriotism that was denied to them. Secondly, they have UNICEF on their jerseys. Look at the other teams- they don't have charities on their jerseys, they have corporate logos from big money sponsors. Club Barca could make money by selling that space but instead they've chosen to advertise a charity that saves children. How cool is that?

I'm kind of glad we weren't around for the celebrations, though; looks like it turned ugly right in the area where we were staying. Our hotel was only a few blocks away from Las Ramblas and the Columbus statue mentioned in the news. Yipes!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Planning Your Days in Europe or: Things I Wish I’d Known Before Our Trip

Not that one trip to Europe makes me an expert or anything, but there are a few things I figured out that I wish I’d known before we went. You’re on your own planning the big things, i.e. how you’re getting there* and where you’re staying, but after that you should give a little thought to how your days will go. There’s nothing wrong with serendipity, spur of the moment planning, and leaving room for spontaneity if you’re that kind of soul, but you’ll want to establish a basic structure based on operating hours and crowds in order to maximize your time abroad. Here’s what we found out during our recent trip to London, Paris, and Barcelona with day trips to Versailles, Giverny, and Figueres.

Hours:
The museums tend to be open during the day and close early, sometimes by 6:00 pm or even earlier. In Paris half of the museums and some attractions are closed on Monday and half on Tuesday. Many Paris attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe are open later in the evening, sometimes to 11:00 pm, but the same types of attractions close early in London. The hours listed are not necessarily the hours you can get in; they have “last admittance” times as well. Many Parisian and Spanish cafes are open late; we weren’t in London long enough to figure out their restaurant hours. We are night owls so I don’t know when the cafes open in the morning and we heard, but were not affected by, cafes closing in the late afternoon, after lunch and before dinner, in Spain and possibly Paris. We visited one attraction, Fort Castell in Figueres, Spain, right up the road from the Salvador Dali Teatro-Museo, that closed at 2:00 pm. Almost forgot- The Louvre has late hours twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays I believe, and we heard about a day while we were there when 10 of the museums were open late with free admission. (Unfortunately that was the day we were the sickest with colds so we didn’t take advantage of it.) Shops are closed on Sundays in Paris if you need supplies. We weren’t in London over a weekend so I can’t speak to that.

Crowds:
The crowds were HORRIBLE and one of our tour guides in Paris said the city would be mobbed in just another few weeks. I can’t imagine things being any worse! Some of the museums were so crowded you couldn’t even get close to a lot of the exhibits. We encountered the worst crowding in Paris on the weekends and Monday and on a Thursday at the Salvador Dali Teatro-Museo. My theory is that all of the locals come out on the weekend so things will always be crowded then, and as for crowding on Monday I’m guessing that since half of the museums are closed that day then everyone is packed into the same ones instead of being spread out, so the same will probably hold true on Tuesdays. As for the Teatro-Museo I have no idea why that was so crowded. Two of the other attractions in Figueres, Fort Castell and the Toy Museum, both within easy walking distance of the Teatro-Museo, were both practically empty. (This was a shame since they were both FANTASTIC places to visit. We discovered them by visiting the town tourist board and I’m so glad we did. The town itself was also very appealing; we blew a lot of Euros on gifts at a charming tea and chocolate specialty store and visited a couple of the cafes.) Crowds will also be heavy if there is anything special going on like the flower show we ran into at Westminster. It not only took us three hours to get in but obscured some of the very things we wanted to see.

Planning:
So given what you know about hours and crowds, now you have to plan your general itinerary for both days and evenings. My daughter and I were not interested in the “night life”, bar hopping and so forth, but we still wanted to have full days and things to do in the evenings. Our best days were occupied with museums until they closed followed by a show or a visit to the attractions that were open later in the evenings. Since cafes were open late we were able to eat afterwards, sometimes finishing dinner as late as 11:00. In Spain our late nights were spent at a classical guitar performance, dining at a tapas bar, and walking the length of La Rambla which is hopping with people and street performers way into the wee hours, at least on the Friday night we were there. (I have a feeling it’s like that most nights.) Our big mistakes were scheduling a matinee performance of “Romeo & Juliet” at The Globe (which we left early in order to see St. Paul’s before closing) and leaving some of the things we wanted to do the most until the last day in each city. (Leaving them to the last day cost us both the Tower of London and The Catacombs in Paris. Due to a three hour wait to get into Westminster Abbey because of a floral show on our last day in London we ran out of time to see The Tower; due to long lines and the “last admission” cut off when we went back for the second time on our last day in Paris we were not able to see The Catacombs.)

Eating:
We were told you can’t get a bad meal in Paris. Oh, so not so. We got many, many bad meals in Paris, but it’s because we were eating in or near the tourist traps (plus I can’t order well to save my life.) I’ve learned from living in a city with a large tourist trap in the vicinity that tourist restaurants don’t have to bother to be any good; they always have a fresh crop of newbies to keep them busy. They don’t have to rely on the locals and repeat business so they don’t bother. We ate at museum restaurants (yuck) and cafes right outside the museums because we were in a hurry. This wasn’t a culinary trip, this was educational and I wanted to eat quickly and get back to it, much to The Eldest’s chagrin. There were exceptions to this rule, however- our best meal at a café in Paris was at the Musee Café across the street from The Rodin Museum. I was once again in a hurry and ordered the first thing my eye hit that sounded good, an omelet with potatoes. It was the best omelet I’ve ever eaten in my life!!! It was light and fluffy on the inside with a crunch to the crust; the potatoes were perfectly cooked until tender…I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. We went back to that same café and I didn’t like what I ordered the second time, though- a salad. I learned that I don’t like the dressing they douse their salads with in France! (And it’s not the red French dressing like Kraft sells, either; it’s a white dressing that’s a little on the bitter side.)

What I Will Do Differently the Next Time:
When I go to Europe again I’ll set up a chart of what I want to see and the hours, noting any days closed and weekends when crowding will be at a max, and cross reference that with a city map circling where everything is. Not that I’ll have to schedule every second, but if I have a chart and map I can look them over quickly each morning to decide what to do. I’ll book tickets for any shows I want to see for evening performances only. I’ll avoid Paris and the surrounding areas like the plague on weekends (Monet’s house and gardens were also packed on a Saturday). If staying in Paris for an extended time I’ll try to schedule as few weekends as possible, say arriving mid-week and leaving on a Friday for any stay longer than 7 days. I’ll also make dining reservations!

Where We Lucked Out:
The Eldest and her Spanish tutor saved the day as far as getting from place to place! I didn’t feel comfortable renting a car so we planned to get around via public transportation. Señor Octavio knew about our plan and found a metro map in the back of our Barcelona guide book and used it to review with The Eldest, working on how she would ask questions and comprehend answers about public transportation. In doing so she learned how to use a subway map so when we got to London she knew exactly what to do to figure out how to get us from point A to point B during our stay. She was an excellent navigator and only got us on the wrong train once in all three cities! This is something I never would have thought of prior to the trip, but take a look at the public transportation systems where you’ll be traveling if that’s how you’ll be getting around. Plan out a few practice routes, say from your hotel to a museum across town. Find your hotel on a map then find the closest bus stop and metro stop. Circle everything you are planning to see on a good city map as well, noting where the nearest stops are for public transit. Believe me, it will save you a lot of aggravation and wasted time after you get there.

*One thing I learned the hard way about getting there- AVOID CONNECTING FLIGHTS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!!! Making that little mistake cost us a day in London when our flight to New Jersey, where we were to catch the flight to London, was delayed by bad weather. If I’d stuck it out for a direct flight we would have gotten there without a day spent in the Holiday Inn in Newark, NJ. ~:-P Plus the international flights, at least on Continental, are a lot more comfortable than the domestic flights. The domestic flights are so cramped and uncomfortable it was torturous to be on them for any length of time at all. Additionally, the red eyes aren't only a bad idea for the potential lack of sleep (I can't sleep on planes) but also because if you miss it, there's not another flight going out until the next day. Make sure that whatever flight you book, there are later flights going to the same place if you should miss the first one. (And you can miss them through no fault of your own.)

I still have so much to write up about the trip itself, and I will, I will! Stay tuned. :)

Monday, May 25, 2009

Jet Lag

Jet lag is the pits! I thought I would adjust back more quickly since I was up for roughly 23 hours for the journey home (after about an hour's sleep the night before due to worry about possibly over-sleeping) but I fell asleep for the night around 9:00 pm last night. (My regular bedtime is around 3:00 am.) I was up when DH came to bed and thought I might go back to sleep but it didn't happen. So now I'm trying the jet lag diet thing- fast for 12 to 16 hours then a meal with protein. I have another hour or so to go; I'm STARVING!!! It seemed to work when we got to the UK; I went roughly 12 hours without eating then had a big meal and I was fine. I was really sleepy on the double decker tour bus the first day but then I didn't have any more problems, and in fact slept better than I usually do at home. (All the exercise.) We'll see what happens with it, but I'm hoping I adjust quickly since DH is getting a little cranky with me. ;)

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Almost Home

We're on the ground on the same side of the Atlantic as HOME!!!! Currently sitting in Newark Liberty airport and we are travel weary. I'm hoping to upgrade to business class because I just can't take another three hours mushed into those claustrophobic seats; I can't take it, I tell you!

I think I'm melting down here.

PS: We were NOT able to upgrade or get even slightly better seats or anything. :( It seems Continental wanted to put butts in the seats so they ran all sorts of special deals recently plus it was the start of Memorial Day weekend and the plane was PACKED. That 2 plus hour portion of the trip dragged on forever; it was harder than the almost 9 hour trans-Atlantic flight, especially after the 6 hour layover. I think the jet lag I'm dealing with is literally JET lag; it's not as much from the vacation and time change but more from the stress of spending so many hours traveling.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Last Day in Barçelona

Well, I had a great post typed in but it didn´t take.

Darn internet cafe.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

No Internet!!!

Tragedy of tragedies- our hotel doesn´t have internet. The Eldest and I hunted down an internet cafe and we´re both typing furiously since the place closes in 15 minutes. I have several updates typed into our laptop but no way to post them so they´ll go up after we get home late Saturday night. (Well, as soon as we recover enough to get on the computer!)

We´re in Barcelona and enjoying ourselves immensely. The weather is a lot like home so we don´t have to bundle up every time we go out- yeah! This is a lovely city but intimidating since the bike tour guide mentioned that they don´t prosecute pickpockets, and if you have the misfortune to wander into a protest the cops will club you indiscriminately along with the locals who are actually protesting. And apparently protests are fairly common right down the block from our hotel... Yowsers!

I´m having some difficulty typing on this keyboard since it´s set up slightly differently than American ones. It has things like this ´ññññ for instance. çççç

Oh, well, my time is almost at an end anyway, so that´s all.

Lots of love to everyone and more when we get home!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Several Posts in One!

I can't believe how much I haven't posted yet! I've been writing the items below on and off for several days. If any of it is repeated my apologies; I'll edit after I get home. (And add pictures!!!)

Paris; Monday; The Louvre

We didn't have any specific plans for today although I was thinking of heading to Montmartre and Sacre Coure. That plan was scratched with one look outside- gray and drizzly and most likely cold. We decided to try for something indoors instead but museums were out because they are usually closed on Mondays. Since museums are about the only indoor things on our list, we double checked and found out The Louvre is open Mondays (closed Tuesdays) so that's where we decided to go. We raced out like a herd of turtles (thank you Lois for that analogy- it's far too accurate and The Eldest and I have been saying it repeatedly on this trip; cracks us up every time) and grabbed breakfast at a little shop on the way to the Metro, which we have all figured out thanks to our chance meeting last night with the couple from London. The Eldest once again navigated successfully to The Louvre. (She told me I have my sudoku puzzles that I enjoy solving; she has subway systems.) We didn't enter through the pyramid since the metro station is a part of an underground mall that's connected to the Louvre entrances. It's quite a set up down there! Food court, shops, Starbucks, you name it. We were directed to an office (set up in a shop-like space) where I purchased a 4 day museum pass for myself; The Eldest gets in free since she's under 26. The guy at the information desk said he thought I would qualify for the free admission too- what a flirt! Guess I can check “flirting with a Frenchman” off my “things to do in Paris” list. ;)

We finally got into the Louvre! Like everyone else, we went into the Denon wing first to catch the Mona Lisa. She is lovely; I'd been warned that she was small so she was actually a little bigger than I had envisioned. Prior to seeing her, though, we saw “Winged Victory” which is placed right at the top of a grand staircase; wowee wow wow, that's one impressive statue, even if it is headless. The third “must see” is the Venus de Milo and we went to where my Louvre guide book said she would be but she wasn't there after all. There was a temporary exhibit in that room so she's either rotated out for now, loaned out, undergoing maintenance, or moved somewhere else. Regardless, we didn't find her, but we spent a good bit of time looking at other statues from the same era. The Eldest even spent a little time sketching one of the busts, something on her Paris “to do” list. It was about this point when we got really hungry but the lines at the cafes inside the museum where a mile long. We wandered back out of the Louvre proper and into the mall area and finally discovered the food court. (I was determined NOT to eat at Starbucks!!) We ate at a Spanish tapas bar, so now we've eaten French croissants in London and Spanish tapas in France. Sheese. Halfway through the meal The Eldest started feeling sick, and then she got worse and worse, so instead of going back into the Louvre as planned we left. I was having a hard time of it anyway since the fibromyalgia was acting up. I would have pressed on (after all, how often do you get to go to the Louvre? I can give in another day) but with The Eldest also feeling ill we left. I would have liked to ask about the Venus and found another painting my dermatologist recommended for us to see, but we were just too wiped out to continue. Home again on the metro, and the end of our Louvre day.

Pax Lodge
I'm back tracking a bit here to write more about our accommodations in London. We stayed at Pax Lodge, a World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) world center. It was absolutely fantastic. The rooms were neat and clean (I think I've written about them already- they are kind of like dorm rooms) and the staff is so warm and friendly. Part of our Girl Scout Law states that we are to be a “Sister to Every Girl Scout” and they certainly made us feel like family. We even found ourselves referring to the Lodge as “home” while we were in London. I so wanted to hug all of the staff members when we left! I asked if we could get a picture with a couple of the girls before leaving and they went ahead and called as many staff members over as they could find. (I'll post the pictures after we get home.) There are a few paid staff members but many of the girls are there working on a volunteer basis. They are from all over the world and have five month shifts. The center pays for room and board and gives them a small allowance. The girls are encouraged to travel during their time off as well so it's a wonderful opportunity and something The Eldest may apply for when she's older. I am really going to encourage the girls in The Middle Child's Brownie troop to start working towards a trip to Pax Lodge when they are old enough; I can't wait to get back there myself!!

Wednesday Morning
Backtracking again here- as I was reading over what I've written already I realized I didn't say much about Hampstead where Pax Lodge is located in London. It's completely charming. The building we so admired next to the lodge was indeed a church, or used to be anyway. Now it's a studio of some sort. When we walk out of the lodge past the studio, then turn the corner heading towards the Belsize Park tube station, we pass a few row homes first then come upon a BP gas station followed by shops and cafes lining both sides of the street. There are so many places to eat! We stopped in at the Euphorium Bakery several times for croissants and pastries both for dinner on our way home and breakfast on our way out. We picked up “take away” from the Weng Wah House since we had to eat Chinese food in London at least once. There was a Kentucky Fried Chicken; we did NOT eat there. It wasn't free standing like the KFCs in the states; it was part of the row of stores. A couple of markets, Daunt Books, a bank or two, a flower store, some artsy stores, and so forth. The tube station fit right in as well and was just another part of the street. I went the other direction on the street once to find the post office to send a package of goodies home and that was even more picturesque, if you can believe it. There were the same shops lining both sides of the street but there were more trees and a few more homes interspersed along the way. While waiting for the post office to open (which was totally weird-I'm never up early enough to worry about things not being open yet!!!) I wandered into a bakery where I bought a baguette. After the post office I bought a pint of fresh Kent strawberries at the farmer's market that was setting up. (We ate the strawberries and baguette in the 3 hour long wait to get into Westminster Abbey, which is another post in itself. They were delicious; probably the best strawberries I've ever eaten and much better than even the freshly picked Florida berries. They had a softer flavor and texture than Florida berries.) This was our last morning in Hampstead and I so hated to leave; I'm totally head over heels in love with London.

Friday Morning in Paris
After playing Hard Core Tourists for a few days, The Eldest and I are sleeping in and taking it easy for the morning. We're joining a walking tour of Montmartre later on, but for now we're resting our weary bones. This tourist stuff is hard work!

Yesterday we took the Fat Tire Bike Tour of Versailles. We started out with a bike ride from the tour offices to the train which was an adventure in itself. Wending our way through Parisian traffic with 20 other bikers- well, we made it safely, thanks to Crystal, our tour guide extraordinaire. Prior to the train she took a minute to turn our handle bars so that the bikes would have a smaller profile so we had to walk them the last little bit. We also had to carry them down a flight of stairs- yipes! The Eldest and I had a little trouble with that one, not because of the weight of the bikes (they are heavy) but because of the awkwardness. We made it most of the way then Crystal gave us a little bit of a hand for the last few steps. After that we “stormed the train”, as Crystal said, in groups of 4 per car and off for the 20 minute trip to Versailles.

Once we arrived our first stop was a food market that's been in continuous operation for a bazillion years. It's the kind of market I've always dreamed of! Fresh everything, bakeries and butchers and produce stands and wine shops (which we didn't visit) and cheese shops; I was in heaven. I went to the bakery Crystal recommended first, of course, and loaded up on pastries and bread. After that a stop at a stand that sold a variety of items where we picked up some filled pastries and cheese, then to a produce stand for some strawberries. After that I bought an umbrella for yes, once again, it was RAINING. We're getting the kind of weather here I expected of London- every day gray, gray, gray, lots of drizzly rain, and cold. (We've decided we're sending Uncle Mark a howler when we get home for telling us to travel this time of year.) On a lucky day the sun might peek out for an hour or so but other than that it's been all gray all the time. :(

We regrouped after shopping and started for Versailles. Crystal gave us a lot of information about the grounds and French history over the course of the tour but my favorite tidbit is the story of the current master gardener for Versailles. It seems he's a bit of a rebel in that he has introduced sustainable gardening techniques to the grounds. He's cut back on pesticides and that alone has brought back the birds, which apparently fled the area for many years when they were using heavy chemicals all the time. I'm so thankful because the sounds of the birds added so much to our visit! The guy caught some flack for it, too, since he also, as Crystal said, decided that if “begonias don't grow here naturally then we're not going to have begonias” and that caused a bit of an uproar. Crystal also talked a bit about the difference between French gardens, which are very manicured because they want to show they can control nature, and English gardens, which are more go with the flow of nature.

We biked through a gilded gateway and entered Versailles. We entered a back gate so we found ourselves in a more natural area where we couldn't see the palace itself. There were large fields with horses and sheep to the left and wooded areas to the right; our path was lined with neat rows of trees on either side. We made our way to the “Hammo”, or hamlet, Louis the XVI built for Marie Antoinette. We were on the back side and couldn't get a good look at it, unfortunately. Our next stop was the...can't remember the name of the place, possibly Grand Trianon, but it was a regal outbuilding for the palace where they would have plays and fancy dinners and so forth. There was a lot of very expensive marble. Next we went to the Petite Trianon, and I think that's where Madame Pompidou's house was. One of the Louiss built it for her (she was his favorite mistress) but she died before it was completed so it became Marie Antoinette's hang out. We pedaled on over to our picnic spot at the end of the Grand Canal with an incredible view of the palace at the other end. The worst of the rain was over but it was still drizzly and wet; we made the best of it and sat on the ponchos we bought at the tour company offices. I have to say that was one of the best meals I've ever eaten. The strawberries were perfection, the cheese was mild, which is how I like it, and the pastries were flaky and delicious. Several of the other folks on the tour bought wine at the market so they were enjoying that as well. (I don't drink.) The word idyllic comes to mind; a picnic by the Grand Canal at Versailles must be the definition of that word in the dictionary. When we finished lunch we hopped back on our bikes to ride through the pathways on the other side of the Grand Canal. Words can not do justice to how wonderful that ride felt. Birds were singing all along the way, the sky cleared and a cool breeze was blowing, the grounds were green and lush, and there was a sense of camaraderie among the tour participants (a few of the others were a little buzzed) that made it so refreshing. I felt so at peace with the world! Psychiatrists should prescribe a bike ride at Versailles to anyone who is feeling blue or angry; it's impossible to feel those feelings in that place, especially on a lovely spring day.

Once we got to the palace itself, Crystal gave us a little French history then turned us loose to explore the palace and gardens. The Eldest and I picked up audio guides and went around the rooms. After the grounds they were somewhat anti-climatic. Lovely, yes, but the whole place smelled of cat pee. There were tons of portraits of dead kings and queens. There were cracks in the ceiling and damage to the wood parquet floors so the place is somewhat run down. The Hall of Mirrors is interesting. There was a sculpture of Diana, Goddess of the Hunt there that was the same as the two at The Louvre; it was fun to say “hey, there's that same statue again”! We went through the palace then stepped out into the gardens for a moment. There was a fountain turned on but it was a bunch of garden hoses all hooked together to make a sort of column. I'm guessing it's someone's idea of “ART”. ;) Oh- speaking of the fountains, I was a little disappointed that the main fountain in front of the palace, the really super famous one, was off. I bet it's stunning when it's on.

The day continued and the tour ended with a train ride back to Paris, where I signed up for the Montmartre walk. This is turning out to be a very physical vacation!!

Friday: Montmartre Walk

After a quick lunch at a touristy (translation: mediocre in this case, poor in others) cafe across the street from the Moulin Rouge, we met up with Jean Paul, our walking tour guide for the next 2 hours. He took us by all the artist's haunts and was full of the latest info. Did you know, for instance, that it was recently discovered that Van Gogh did not cut off his own ear? He was horsing around with Gaughin, a fencer as well as an artist, and Gaughin did it. Van Gogh covered it up so Gaughin wouldn't get in trouble. They found out from some letters where Gaughin thanks him for covering it up, or something like that. All those arty types were hanging out, getting in trouble, and coming to tragic ends in Montmartre; The Eldest was captivated. (I was too, I must admit; Jean Paul made art history interesting.) What wasn't so captivating was the guy who was hitting on The Eldest. I shut him down with a sharp “I don't think so; she's 15” and was rewarded with an agonized “MOTHER” for my trouble. ;) He left us alone for the rest of the tour, though! (She didn't want the guy's attention; he was a little drunk and quite the jerk. She was just embarrassed that I announced her age to the entire group that way.)

At the conclusion we found ourselves at Sacre Coure, a lovely church with over 300 steps to the top; heaven help us. It's smaller than Notre Dame and considerably younger but just as lovely. The view from the top, since Sacre Coure is on a high hill in Paris, is unequaled. You can walk all the way around the dome so you get a panorama of the city. The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the hideous Montparnasse Tower, the hills in the distance, all of it is visible from up there. They even have a few gargoyles, but not many. There are two statues flanking the entrance; one is Joan of Arc and the other is some king who was responsible for getting the Crown of Thorns to Paris.

After visiting the church and dome we hung out for a while on the steps that flow down the hill for a good distance, divided by plazas along the way. There was a singer with a guitar and microphone giving a concert that we sat in on for a bit. He was running an open mic so he would sing for a bit then people from the crowd would jump up and sing while he passed the collection cap and sold CDs. (Yes, we bought one; he was good.) The Eldest got up and sang!!! She did a great job; I have pictures! This is the one time I was wishing for a video cam but the still pics will have to do.

We followed this up with a stroll around a couple of blocks of tourist shops in the area. We were accosted by artists wanting to draw our portraits just about every other step. We ate dinner at a touristy (translation: awful) cafe where the waiter flirted outrageously with me. He told me I look like Meryl Streep, his favorite actress. Sheese. I already checked off flirted with a Frenchman on my list of “Paris Must Dos” so this was totally superfluous.

When we left the shops we had a gauntlet to run going back down the steps in front of the church toward the metro station; it was ridiculous! The Eldest overheard some people on one of our tours talking about a scam where guys with string will come up to you and ask for your hand then they tie string around your wrist and won't let you go until you pay them 10 euros. Sure enough, there were guys with string all over the place. They were aggressive with it, too! The Eldest was a little ahead of me and one of them approached her but she just kept walking; I got pissed and just started saying “NO” in an angry don't mess with my kid voice; it took several nos but they backed off. Jerks. As we walked on we saw one of the guys with a young couple tying colorful strings around the guy's finger, then I guess he was going to do the same to the girl but we didn't stick around to find out. We found the Metro and headed back to the hotel to pass out.

Fellow Travelers:
One of the pleasures of travel, and I know I'm repeating, is meeting fellow tourists on the journey. On the way home from Montmartre on the metro we met 2 sets of fellow travelers. First an older woman with 2 teens in tow asked us in broken English if we knew how to get to Versailles. We tried to help her and a stunning young blond woman overheard and helped out; good thing because we were like the blind leading the blind! It turns out the older woman and teens are from Argentina and the young woman is an au pair living here but from Germany. A little bit later, while we were on the train, I overheard a group of 3 women talking about where they were and where they were trying to go. I recognized the stop they were trying to find as one we had to pass so I struck up a conversation with them. They were here with a writer's group taking a literary themed tour but they were separated from their group and trying to make their way back to their hotel. The Eldest, our navigator, confirmed that they were going in the right direction. We exchanged cards so I hope we'll be able to keep in touch.

Tomorrow we bike in Giverny and see Monet's gardens!

Argh!

Computers are a pain in the butt. :-P I'm typing my posts into Open Office then I cut & paste during the paid internet time purchased through the hotel. Open Office has decided to be temperamental, which is unfortunate since I'm typing on this little teeny itsy bitsy keyboard and my fingers keep hitting the wrong button, esp. when I try to hit the right shift key. It's poorly placed, to say the least.

Suffice to say, we are continuing to have a lovely time even though the weather is the pits, we took a bike tour of Versailles yesterday with Fat Tire Bike Tours that was fantastic, our feet hurt, our thighs hurt, and we're taking a walking tour of Montmartre this afternoon. Hard Core, man!! ;)

More later when I can play around with Open Office and fix the posts I was typing up. It's something to do with the formatting; I'll straighten it out then paste the longer post about Versailles. (There may be a few other posts too; I'll check where I left off.)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Hard Core Tourists!!!

We went to 3 museums and one monument today; we ARE Hard Core Tourists! At least that's what I kept telling The Eldest whenever she would moan about her poor tired feet. My feet are just kind of...feet? What feet? I can't feel them anymore so I don't have to acknowledge their existence, right?

We started the day at The Orangerie, a lovely museum featuring two rooms with Monet's Water Lilies. I was shocked at how I responded to them- I teared up. I was so overcome with the beauty of them, how perfectly displayed they are in their rooms, the sunlight streaming in through the filtered skylights. They were breathtaking. And very large! The rooms are oval in shape and the paintings take up the entire wall space. We're going to see more Monet on Saturday, which I'm excited about, when we go to Giverny to see his house and gardens.

Our second museum of the day was the Rodin, after a lunch at a very Parisian cafe across the street. We sat outside and watched the world go by, and coughed at the cigarette smoke, and had the best meal since we've been here. We made our way to the Rodin and I was once again blown away. The gardens where many of his sculptures are housed, including The Thinker, were so tranquil and leafy and green, even if his "Gates of Hell" are in one corner. As I was walking around admiring his works, the birds were chirping and the wind was swaying the trees. There are manicured sections of the gardens but my favorite was a more forested area off to one side. An oasis in the middle of Paris.

After The Rodin we walked across to Les Invalides and the Dome Church that houses Napoleon's very elaborate tomb. We explored the church for a while then left to go back to the hotel for a much needed nap.

After our nap we dragged ourselves back out to The Louvre again. We didn't get to see as much as we would have liked the first time we went so I was anxious to go again. We found Venus de Milo this time and she is lovely. We went around one floor of the Denon wing then over to see a small portion of the Sully wing. We never made it over to Richeleu. Dinner at the mall food court outside the Louvre then home.

I'd like to write more but I'm running out of time.

Monday, May 11, 2009

The Louvre and Pax Lodge

Paris; Monday; The Louvre

We didn't have any specific plans for today although I was thinking of heading to Montmartre and Sacre Coure. That plan was scratched with one look outside- gray and drizzly and most likely cold. We decided to try for something indoors instead but museums were out because they are usually closed on Mondays. Since museums are about the only indoor things on our list, we double checked and found out The Louvre is open Mondays (closed Tuesdays) so that's where we decided to go. We raced out like a herd of turtles (thank you Lois for that analogy- it's far too accurate and The Eldest and I have been saying it repeatedly on this trip; cracks us up every time) and grabbed breakfast at a little shop on the way to the Metro, which we have all figured out thanks to our chance meeting last night with the couple from London. The Eldest once again navigated successfully to The Louvre. (She told me I have my sudoku puzzles that I enjoy solving; she has subway systems.) We didn't enter through the pyramid since the metro station is a part of an underground mall that's connected to the Louvre entrances. It's quite a set up down there! Food court, shops, Starbucks, you name it. We were directed to an office (set up in a shop-like space) where I purchased a 4 day museum pass for myself; The Eldest gets in free since she's under 26. The guy at the information desk said he thought I would qualify for the free admission too- what a flirt! Guess I can check “flirting with a Frenchman” off my “things to do in Paris” list. ;)

We finally got into the Louvre! Like everyone else, we went into the Denon wing first to catch the Mona Lisa. She is lovely; I'd been warned that she was small so she was actually a little bigger than I had envisioned. Prior to seeing her, though, we saw “Winged Victory” which is placed right at the top of a grand staircase; wowee wow wow, that's one impressive statue, even if it is headless. The third “must see” is the Venus de Milo and we went to where my Louvre guide book said she would be but she wasn't there after all. There was a temporary exhibit in that room so she's either rotated out for now, loaned out, undergoing maintenance, or moved somewhere else. Regardless, we didn't find her, but we spent a good bit of time looking at other statues from the same era. The Eldest even spent a little time sketching one of the busts, something on her Paris “to do” list. It was about this point when we got really hungry but the lines at the cafes inside the museum where a mile long. We wandered back out of the Louvre proper and into the mall area and finally discovered the food court. (I was determined NOT to eat at Starbucks!!) We ate at a Spanish tapas bar, so now we've eaten French croissants in London and Spanish tapas in France. Sheese. Halfway through the meal The Eldest started feeling sick, and then she got worse and worse, so instead of going back into the Louvre as planned we left. I was having a hard time of it anyway since the fibromyalgia was acting up. I would have pressed on (after all, how often do you get to go to the Louvre? I can give in another day) but with The Eldest also feeling ill we left. I would have liked to ask about the Venus and found another painting my dermatologist recommended for us to see, but we were just too wiped out to continue. Home again on the metro, and the end of our Louvre day.

Pax Lodge
I'm back tracking a bit here to write more about our accommodations in London. We stayed at Pax Lodge, a World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) world center. It was absolutely fantastic. The rooms were neat and clean (I think I've written about them already- they are kind of like dorm rooms) and the staff is so warm and friendly. Part of our Girl Scout Law states that we are to be a “Sister to Every Girl Scout” and they certainly made us feel like family. We even found ourselves referring to the Lodge as “home” while we were in London. I so wanted to hug all of the staff members when we left! I asked if we could get a picture with a couple of the girls before leaving and they went ahead and called as many staff members over as they could find. (I'll post the pictures after we get home.) There are a few paid staff members but many of the girls are there working on a volunteer basis. They are from all over the world and have five month shifts. The center pays for room and board and gives them a small allowance. The girls are encouraged to travel during their time off as well so it's a wonderful opportunity and something The Eldest may apply for when she's older. I am really going to encourage the girls in The Middle Child's Brownie troop to start working towards a trip to Pax Lodge when they are old enough; I can't wait to get back there myself!!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Lots of Stuff

Write about how cool it is to turn a corner and find an ancient street.

The above sentence was a note to myself to remember that I wanted to write about how totally cool it is to turn a corner and find yourself centuries away from modern life. Just a corner, one corner off a main thoroughfare with all of its hustle and bustle, and you're on a narrow cobblestone street with brick buildings leaning over the road at all angles, an old pub “est. 1684”, and yet another stunning church with wrought iron gates surrounding a lush green courtyard.

OK, I really love writing all this up, but we're on the train to Paris and it just started moving, so I'm signing off to look out the window until it gets dark. I want to drink in every bit of the countryside as we travel through it!

Now I'm typing from our room in Paris. Our room on the 22nd floor of a luxury hotel in Paris. Close your eyes and imagine the view from the 22nd floor! We can see another huge building a few blocks away, but apart from that we can see all the way from where we are on the Left Bank to Montmartre; it looks like a romantic fairy tale castle on a hill lit up from below. The Eldest and I are itching to get out there but our feet can't take anymore until we've rested a bit. We agreed that we would stay in tonight and actually it seems the wisest course of action since we drove by a large police presence and demonstrations on our way here. It didn't seem to bother the locals though; they were out in droves. Apparently this is a big holiday weekend so everyone has taken to the streets.

Sunday Night:
I posted earlier today and now I'm typing on Open Office to cut & paste later. I've found that it can be a little challenging to blog from the road since you never know when you're going to happen upon internet access and then, if you can get internet from your hotel, you're too tired to deal with it after a long day out and about. And oh, what a long day it's been! We took the fantastic bike tour I wrote about earlier then, after hanging out in the tour offices for a while, we walked back to the Eiffel Tower and went up to the top. Yes, it was amazing and beautiful and we had superb views of Paris at night. We didn't linger for long since it was cold and drizzly; our hotel room and bed suddenly held irresistible appeal. The only problem proved to be getting back there! We wandered around trying to find the correct bus stop but it was no where to be found. I knew we needed the bus going in the opposite direction from the morning bus, but there wasn't a stop on the opposite side of the street. We decided to wait at the stop where we were dropped off and asked the bus driver or just take the bus all the way around its route if need be, then we got a lucky break. A couple came up to the bus looking for the same number bus we were waiting for and they happened to mention, in English, that they were trying to get to Montparnasse like us. We chatted and discovered that they were indeed staying at a hotel in the same general area as ours. They said they were going to look for the correct stop down the street. We said goodbye and they went on their way. The Eldest said we should follow them! I hesitated at first then agreed with her so we chased them down and asked if we could tag along on their search. They said it would be OK; HOORAY!!!! They weren't quite sure where they were going but knew how to figure it out a lot better than we did. We stuck with them like glue! We didn't have a ticket for the Metro and they even helped us with that. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers, and if they read my blog (I gave them my card w/ the URL on it) then a million thank yous!!!

I must say one of the most pleasant things about this trip has been the random conversations we've had with fellow travelers. We also enjoyed chatting with a couple and their son at the bike tour offices. They gave us the scoop on some things that they enjoyed while they were here which we appreciate.

Oh, as much as I want to keep writing, I'm too tired. Good night for now. :)

Paris

We got in last night and were feeling very lost and culturally shocked, but we took a guided bike tour that was a BLAST and now we feel so much better!!! Paris may be OK after all. ;) The hotel we're staying in is lovely (thank you to my friend who got us really good rates!!) and the room is fantastic. (I'm actually posting this out of order- I typed some posts into Open Office but haven't had a chance to get on line to copy & paste onto the blog, and now I'm on a public access computer so I can't do it now. I'll get them on later, with more about the room.)

Paris is lovely if you don't look down and have a clogged nose. There are so many trees but not much in the way of grass or ground cover. There are gardens here and there and grass in the parks, of course, but just along the streets there's not much in the way of landscaping except the trees. It's pretty stinky, and yep, lots of trash. I saw one girl just drop a liter bottle on the sidewalk when she wsa done with it; they need our Crying Native American campaign over here! The day started out really cold (to this Floridian, anyway) but warmed up, then got chilly again. We've seen the Eiffel Tower but haven't gone up in it yet. We met the bike tour there and now we're in the tour office; we'll go back and go up in the ET when we're done here if it's still open. I'm hoping we can catch a river tour after that, but I'm not sure. I'm going to ask here if ít's better to take the tours at night or during the day and let that be our guide. I'm kind of nervous about getting around here; there are apparently some rough areas and I don't know where they are or how to avoid them, and we're going to be out at night.

Well my 10 minutes are almost up so I'm signing off now. Lots of love to everyone and we miss you all!!!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Update from London

Travel Lessons for Today:

~ Any activities requiring reservations should be scheduled for as late in the day as possible.

How we learned this one: I booked theater tickets to see “Romeo and Juliet” at The Globe for the 2:00 showing with dining reservations for 12:30 at The Swan. This took up the most useful part of the day and meant we were not able to see The Tower of London or Westminster Abbey, both of which we really wanted to get to and both of which close early. A three hour show starting at 2:00 means there isn't time to do anything afterwards. We wound up leaving early (Juliet just found out that Romeo killed Tybalt) in order to catch St. Paul's Cathedral. (It's OK, we know how it ends.) If I had scheduled an evening performance, however, we would have been able to squeeze a lot more into the day.

~ Do not get non-refundable tickets for the train.

We decided we both really, really love London and we love where we are staying, and with the day we missed we want to stay here two days longer. Our room is available here but the train tickets are non-flexible, meaning we can't change them. The Eldest and I went all the way to the King's Cross/St. Pancras station to find that out. (Yes, we saw Platform 9 ¾, which has a plaque about Harry Potter and half a cart sticking out of the wall.) We both walked around depressed about it for the next few hours. I hate Continental.

~ Blister pad band aids and double socks are super helpful.

I don't have blisters but there is a spot where my right shoe rubs against the side of my ankle. It was getting really sore so I put the blister band aids there, followed by the 2 pairs of socks, and I made it through the day. The 2 pairs of socks also helped out with that layering thing. The weather here alternates from freezing, drizzly, rainy, miserable yuck to almost warm and absolutely lovely.

~ London is a really, really cool city.

When we were walking from the tube to The Globe we had to pass by St. Paul's. I asked Abi if she wanted to ditch our lunch reservations and go through St. Paul's instead since it was right there, then go to Westminster Abbey after watching part of R & J. She said OK so we asked someone how to get into the cathedral and he said we couldn't because something was going on, and oh look, here's a parade! Then out of nowhere here comes a marching band followed by some other marching units followed by three Rolls Royce limos with official looking types in funny outfits. The guy said he thought Prince Charles was at the ceremony so we were excited to think it might be him. I took pictures of the cars as they went past then showed them to a guide at St. Paul's later when we were able to get in. He said no, the Prince wasn't in any of those cars. His limo has a special raised roof in order to accommodate hats. (!!!)

We enjoyed the part of the show we watched. Did you know thatched roofs make a lot of chaff? It was windy today so the chaff was drifting down all through the performance like a light snow. (The Globe is an open air theater.)

OK, I would love to type more but I'm falling asleep at the keyboard. The Eldest zonked out some time ago and I think she's down for the night, so time for me to snooze too.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Our Luggage Arrived!!!

It's now Thursday and our luggage FINALLY arrived- hooray!!! And when I opened up my suitcase I found everything was wet- so not hooray. I was mentally cursing the TSA folks who opened my bag (the lock was undone and there was a note that they had searched it) for spilling water in there, but I realized it was my own darn fault. I packed a travel iron/steamer and I thought I had never used it, but apparently I have and left water in it, like an idiot. Sigh.

Regardless of the luggage situation, we're having a wonderful time. London is an amazing city. I love Trafalgar Square and Harrod's and the theater and tea and the tube and everything! I have so much to write about but I have to get to sleep so we can get up early and get going tomorrow. Goodnight and mind the gap!!!

London Calling

Tuesday Night
We're here we're here! We FINALLY made it to London although the same can not be said of our luggage. Yes, in addition to causing us to miss our connection, thus losing a day of our vacation, Continental failed to get our luggage on our plane. I've been living in the same shirt for 2 days now, including using it as my night gown. I'm usually pretty good about packing enough in my carry on to get through a couple of days in just such an emergency but I forgot night clothes this time. :( Too tired to type anymore; that's all for now.

Morning in London
It's now Wednesday and our first morning in the UK. I didn't sleep enough but a couple of hours will have to do; we have all of London to explore so there's no time for sleeping! :) Blog entries first though since it is a little early to do anything quite yet. It's just after 5:30 am London time, 12:30 am at home, and I'm exhausted but wide awake. The Eldest is up too. She jumped up and peeked out the window and said “it's so pretty”! I looked out of the window and it is indeed gorgeous. We are facing a large brick building next door that looks like a church or something, although maybe not since I think where we're staying is tucked into a residential area, and beyond that a vista of the city. A Londoner we spoke to on the plane said that where we are is very upscale, actors and so forth live in the area, and I can see why! Our room is cozy and comfortable; it's like a small dorm room and very clean and tidy. The night staff person who checked us in last night was as sweet as she could be and very helpful. It made us feel so much better after all the difficulties we had in getting here.

Lessons Learned
Every time I travel I take notes so I can do it better the next time. I'm not a super experienced traveler by any means, this is my first trip of any consequence, so I'm learning as I go for sure. I am big on my creature comforts, though, so I will take any steps I can to make whatever circumstances I find myself in as comfortable as possible. I've been kind of worried about handling this trip with the fibromyalgia and I've had some problems so far but nothing too unbearable thanks to a lucky break on the London flight, which I'll get to in a moment.

The cramped quarters on the plane from home to Newark made me absolutely miserable, especially my back, but I survived. I think missing our connection may have been a blessing in disguise as far as that was concerned, even if we missed time in London; the forced break in a hotel was a big help since I was able to lay down and rest my back. The plane to London offered just a wee bit more room and what a difference that made, especially since our lucky break meant there was a spare seat between the two of us. That happened in a funny way! I recently read a book about survival stories and the author said he always checks for his life vest when he flies. I checked for mine and it was there. The Eldest checked for hers and it was there but missing the strap to pull it out. We notified the flight attendant and she verified that indeed, there was no strap and no way for The Eldest to pull out said life vest if there was an emergency of any kind. She said The Eldest would have to move since she had to be in a safe seat, especially for take off and landing. The sweetheart of a guy next to us said he would move; he was traveling alone and it didn't matter to him where he sat. He wound up on the aisle seat across from us and I kind of thought he would move back over after take off but he didn't, so that gave us a lot of extra space. I needed it desperately, as it turns out. The ability to shift positions and move around makes a huge difference to me in terms of reducing muscle soreness and back pain so I got through the flight pretty comfortably.

Carry On Baggage
I over packed, of course. Not that I actually have the suitcase with all of the items I over packed with, but I even over packed the carry on items. We're allowed one carry on and one “personal item” such as a purse, so I figured I would put my purse and the other things I wanted on the plane in a giganto duffel bag, in addition to my Zuca carry on. The duffel contained my purse, a hat, a jacket, a travel pillow, a blanket, a folding mini travel foot rest, two blow up travel pillows, my orthotic Birks, (thank heavens I didn't put them in my checked bag), and another smaller bag with my Kindle, my journal, a couple of very compact guide books, and my important travel documents. It doesn't sound like it would be very heavy but the blooming thing weighs a ton and takes up way too much space. I didn't use the foot rest or the two blow up pillows, I didn't look at the guide books, and I didn't need the hat (but I will and it wouldn't go in my suitcase so I had to carry it in the duffel). I didn't use the Birks on the plane but they were essential afterwards. I can ditch a few items for the return trip but not much. I can check a second suitcase on international flights so for our return DH suggested I buy another suitcase in Barcelona. I think that's sounding like a really good idea and I'll put the items I didn't use on the plane in there. I'll be able to check the hat, blow up pillows, foot rest, and guide books, at least. That doesn't seem like a lot but hopefully it will make a difference.

At the Airport
Arriving in a new country was quite the experience. I made a mistake in not rushing off the plane. With all of our carry on luggage I didn't want to fight the crowds getting off so I decided we would just hang out and go last. Big mistake. Since we took our own sweet time getting off the plane everyone else was LONG gone by the time we got into the terminal. That meant we didn't have any crowds to follow so we had to figure out where to go on our own! At least we were able to read the signs, which helped, unlike what we'll have to deal with when we leave Barcelona. Apparently we were one of the last flights in because everything was shutting down as we got to it. There were only two guys left checking passports, for instance, and baggage claim was mostly over and done with. There were still a few employees at baggage claim so we were able to submit our lost luggage claim at least. When we left baggage claim my understanding was we would have to go through customs but we missed it! We walked by one person who just waved us along and that was that, then we were out of the terminal looking for a way to our hotel.

In upcoming posts:

The cab ride and jetlag plus all of our further adventures!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Travel Woes

So far on our journey, things have not gone well. We should be in London already but we're sitting at gate 74 in Newark Liberty airport after spending last night at a Holiday Inn. We lose a day in London which is a huge bummer, but it may be for the best since it gave me a chance to rest my back. Which hurts. We're going with the flow, though and rapidly losing our "Newbie Traveler" status. We've definitely leveled up, as Abi pointed out last night. She gave us credit for one level; I say we get at least 5 for the overnight thing.

We've been trading stories with other diverted passengers which has been interesting. We shared a shuttle ride to the hotel last night with a newlywed couple trying to get to Lisbon for their honeymoon. Another woman on the same bus had been traveling for 4 days now. She didn't say specifically where she was from, only "an island in the South Pacific" and she's heading to Connecticut. That's some serious traveling. And she had a kid with her! Another couple was heading to Rome before catching a cruise. The bus was full of people who also missed their connections, so if misery loves company there was plenty to go around. :-P

The Eldest and I are sharing our new lap top. It's a teeny little thing and so cute, but a bear to type on, at least when it comes to hitting that left shift key. Everything else is OK, but everytime I go for that I hit something else and wind up closing the page. I'm too tired to deal, so that's the end of my posting for today!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Birthdays

Happy birthday to my OLD husband, who celebrated #?? 2 days ago (but he's still a total stud) and to my mom, who is a May Day baby! :)

Hardee Har Har

The Niece told me this one:

It was once said that a black man would be President when pigs flew. Indeed, 100 days into Barack Obama's presidency, Swine Flu.

It's a groaner, for sure. ;)