Archive for October, 2009

It’s almost that time of year again, time for NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month)! The challenge is to post an entry for every single day in the month of November. I was successful last year, but will I have enough energy and creativity this year? I’m not sure, but I’m ready to try!

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I did something this weekend that I don’t typically allow myself to indulge in. I saw a movie at the theatre. Even more unusual, I saw TWO movies in the theatres! Generally, I’m not a huge moviegoer. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching movies! However, I have a tendency to talk throughout the movie, which is generally frowned upon in public. In my own home, I can talk as much as I want, despite Andy’s protests. And as a bonus, home viewing tends to be much more convenient in all respects. I can multi-task during the movie, no gas money necessary, movie rentals are cheaper, and snacks at home are tastier, healthier, and also less expensive.

While the boys went golfing Saturday afternoon, us girls found ourselves in need of some entertainment. So, we headed to the Rave Movie Theatre by the Ridgmar Mall to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I absolutely adored the movie! Of course, I also loved the book back in the day. The movie was a hilarious rendition of the storyline I remembered as a child. I was a little concerned that the plot would be too focused on acceptable children’s topics and humour. But I can happily report that I laughed wholeheartedly throughout the entire movie. The characters are truly endearing and I cheered them on through all their challenges. I realize that it wasn’t a smash hit nor a Pixar film (which as we all know, generally takes first place in animated pictures), but I highly recommend seeing this movie if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted story.

Wouldn't you enjoy a nice shower of meatballs? I do love a good meatball!!

After a very enjoyable Saturday night spending time with our friends whom we haven’t seen in 2-3 weeks, several of us met up again this afternoon to see Zombieland. I hate horror films and spooky movie previews. Halloween is my least favorite holiday for that very reason. I have a fairly decent imagination that has a tendency to act up in the middle of the night. However, Andy really wanted to see the movie and promised that it was a comedy. In the end I actually did find the movie somewhat entertaining, even though I don’t generally enjoy subjects that go bump in the night. Strangely enough, the part that disturbed me the most is the disgusting viscous black liquid that the zombies kept spitting at people, not the fact that the zombies wanted to eat your brains. If you like blood and gore with a somewhat twisted sense of humour, this is definitely a film for you! I, on the other hand, am praying for a peaceful night of sleep with no zombie nightmares!

The world has been overtaken by zombies, what does one do to survive? I'm fairly certain I would be pretty terrible at the zombie killing problem. Does that mean I would be recruited into the undead army? **shudder** That doesn't sound pleasant...

With our adventure soon coming to a close, we took yet another train from Madrid to Barcelona. This last train ride was on the AVE, the high speed train line in Spain. This is a fabulous way to travel, the train goes up to 300 km/hour (186 mph). The seats are cushy, they show movies on board, the bathrooms are clean and smell nice, and I was actually a little disappointed when we had to get off! Since we had already been to Barcelona, I booked a hotel for us outside the city limits at the small beach town of Sitges for our last night in Europe.

I found out later on that Sitges is actually where the people of Barcelona go to escape the city. It is a charming little town with winding streets filled with local stores of all kinds, all leading to the ocean. Sadly, the weather was a little on the chilly side. This didn’t stop us from exploring and strolling down the boardwalk though!

Me on the tiny alleyways of Sitges, trying to find the ocean...oh there it is!

Sitges is really the perfect little beach town. I would LOVE to come back during the summer to enjoy these beautiful beaches.

Our hotel (Hotel Subur Sitges) was literally right on the beach. Actually, come to think of it, most of the major restaurants and hotels are on the waterfront. When I think of a beach town, Sitges is exactly what comes to mind. Our hotel room had a cute little balcony where we could enjoy a side view of the ocean. We even slept with the balcony doors open (Don’t worry, shutter doors and curtains closed!) so we could hear the waves crashing.

Our view from the balcony, we even ate our breakfast out there where we could enjoy the views.

Beach fun in Sitges!

We were definitely there in the off season, it was chilly cold! There were a few other tourists wandering around, we really got to see the locals in their element. We had a wonderful dinner at an outdoor cafe, all while enjoying the view of the ocean. I can’t believe our vacation is coming to an end! Though there were a few things that were out of my control, I wouldn’t have missed this experience for anything! I’m sad at the prospect of leaving Europe, but at the same time, I miss my home, my furry pets, and a language that I understand! Click here for all our Sitges pictures.

We were supposed to leave Paris Tuesday morning (10/13/2009) on a train for Madrid with a stop in Irun, Spain. Unfortunately, there was a major delay while we were traveling to Irun. Something happened to the train tracks and we had to stop for repairs before we could continue our journey, but since the message was in French and Spanish, most of the announcement was lost on our American ears. We were readily assured that they had radioed ahead to the station and the continuing train would be held for us. However, when we reached Irun, the train to Madrid was gone.

After much panic, pacing, and waiting in line, we decided our best option was to take the next train, which had old uncomfortable overnight cars with a 3:45 am stop in Medina, Spain to change trains for a Madrid bound line. It was pretty terrible. Though we did lose one night of our hotel reservation, and we arrived on Wednesday morning at 8 am instead of Tuesday night at 9 pm…at least we got to Madrid! When we got to our hotel (Express by Holiday Inn in Alcorcon), we passed out for several hours before we dared venture out into the city.

Waking up refreshed, we took the metro to our first Madrid destination: the Templo de Debod. I was surprised when I discovered that there is an authentic Egyptian temple in Spain! Turns out, Egypt gave away several of their ancient temples as a symbol of gratitude to America (Temple of Dendur in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC), Spain (Temple of Debod), and the Netherlands (Temple of Taffeh) for helping to save some of Egypt’s monuments and artifacts from the threat of a flood caused by a dam that was being raised.

The Templo de Debod was situated in a beautiful and peaceful park.

A close up of the columns supporting the actual temple structure.

It's as close as I've ever gotten to Egypt so far! Me in the Templo de Debod.

After the Temple, we walked to the Prado Museum. Because we needed to sleep after our long screwed up train journey, we started our day late. This turned out to be a bonus! We got to the Prado at 6 pm, and guess what! Entrance to the Prado after 6 pm is free!! (FYI: the museum closes at 8 pm) That’s 8 euro/person saved! Plus, we still had plenty of fairly tourist free time to wander around. Let’s just say there is a lot of religious art in the Prado, plenty of Jesus pictures to go around! We also got to check out some of the royal family’s belongings in the museum vault.

Once we were kicked out of the Prado, we wandered along the Gran Via, the major shopping street of Madrid.

The lighted buildings are beautiful along the Gran Via.

For dinner, we made reservations at La Barraca, the premier paella and rice restaurant in all of Madrid. I would highly recommend making reservations if you’d like to try this famous restaurant. When we arrived, we saw several disappointed parties being sent away because every single table in the place had been booked. But all the hoopla was well deserved, the service was impeccable, and the food was delicious! We ordered the paella mixta, which included pork, chicken, prawns, mussels, squid, and cod. Yum!!

Our scrumptious Spanish paella, I do love rice!

Andy loves paella!

We were both so stuffed that we had to walk around a nearby park before heading back to the hotel to pass out. I love seeing the people of Madrid out and about in the evening. They love just sitting in parks with their friends, letting their dogs run about and socialize. What fun! Even though we didn’t get to spend as much time in Madrid as we had planned, I feel we still tried to be flexible and work with what we were given. In the end, we got a quick but good overview of the impressive Spanish capital city. You can click here to see the rest of our Madrid photos!

We started our last full day in Paris by trekking out to the Place de la Concorde first thing in the morning. The square is famously marked with a giant obelisk that was given to France by the Egyptian people back in 1829. It used to mark the entrance to the Luxor Temple and depicts the reign of Ramses II. Another very famous fact about this particular square is that the guillotine that beheaded Marie Antoinette used to be place here. Obviously the guillotine has since been removed, but if you are feeling morbid, you can find the plaque that marks where Antoinette’s head fell. I found this a little too gruesome, noted the historical fact, and moved on.

The enormous Egyptian obelisk that marks the end of the Champs Elysees.

I made a little mistake when planning our schedule, and we were forced to miss the Musee D’Orsay because they’re not open on Mondays. I’m bummed, especially since planning and scheduling is my specialty!! But I guess it just means we’ll have to return to Paris again in the future! So, we continued along to the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre. The Sacre Coeur is the highest point in Paris, the view is absolutely spectacular. Plus, since this cathedral is slightly less famous than Notre Dame, there was a much smaller amount of tourists. However, be prepared to climb a large amount of steps!

Huffing and puffing my way up the stairs to the Sacre Coeur Basilica.

Getting a little closer to the Sacre Coeur. Sadly, there are no pictures allowed from the inside of the church. However, be assured that it is fairly similar to most of the other Gothic cathedrals we've seen so far.

Me and the rest of Paris, what a view!

I absolutely love the Montmartre district! It used to be where all the artists of the city (Picasso, van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir…etc) used to work and live. There are tiny winding streets filled with small local shops, galleries, and cafes. I could wander around there for several days, just window shopping and enjoying the scenery! With our tummies rumbling, we started hunting for a suitable restaurant when we stumbled upon the Moulin de la Galette. The actual restaurant is under one of the remaining two legendary Parisian windmills and just so happens to be both Michelin rated and Zagat rated. We had no idea that we were in for a treat and possibly the best meal we’ve ever had to date! Yum!

Andy and his delicious pork knuckle on top of buttery mashed potatoes in a mushroom sauce.

Me and my bass paired with a spring risotto and sauted vegetables. In the veggies, there was this small red berry looking ingredient that had the most surprising burst of tang. I can't figure out what it was, but it made the dish surprising and absolutely remarkable.

And for dessert, the most delectable tiramisu I've ever tasted and a tiny portion of berries topped with crushed pistachios.

We left the restaurant in love with Parisian cuisine. We have had the best experience with French food, and the Moulin de la Galette topped all of our expectations!

The historical windmill marks the location of our new favorite Parisian restaurant.

With our spirits high, we headed back into the center of the city to visit the Arc de Triomphe. It is in one of the biggest intersections in Paris and also marks the beginning of the famous Champs Elysees shopping street.

The Arc de Triomphe commemorates all the soldiers that fought for their country, particuarly during the Napoleonic Wars.

The French Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.

After a stroll down the Champs Elysees (in which I tried very hard not to look at all the beautiful things that I wanted to purchase and would have no way to pack and bring home…), we headed back to the hotel to rest. My feet were very sore after all that walking and climbing! In the evening, we headed to the most famous landmark of France, the Tower de Eiffel. Going in the evening makes for a much more special view of Paris, the City of Lights. Plus the lines are much shorter!

The Eiffel Tower at night is extremely difficult to miss...

Paris at night is a magical (though chilly) place!

Me holding up the Eiffel Tower...yes, I'm that strong.

We had an absolutely amazing time in Paris and have already started talking about coming back in the future. I sincerely doubt one can ever successfully do everything there is to do in Paris, there’s simply too much to accomplish! But I like to think that we’ll be back someday for a much longer amount of time. Four days wasn’t enough! Please click here for the rest of our pictures from our Parisian adventures.

I know I whined a bit about our Parisian hotel when I first laid eyes upon it. However, after a few days of getting used to our tiny living space, I’m starting to really enjoy it. The chilly weather is perfect for open window sleeping, so the lack of air conditioning makes no difference. The small and slightly shabby room is always thoroughly cleaned and the bed quite comfortable. As a bonus, all of the hotel’s staff is wonderfully friendly, they take time to ask about your day and are always available for suggestions. Besides, I’m in Paris! Why am I inside my hotel room for more than just sleeping/showering time?

After some research a few months ago, I discovered that the local farmer’s market (aka the Richard Lenoir Market) in the Bastille area is held on Sunday mornings. Since we’re suckers for an open air market, we decided to stop by for a look. My goodness, you could find anything at that market! We wandered through everything from clothing to toothbrushes, the most beautiful flowers to hand pressed bars of soap, freshly butchered meat (with feathers and fur still attached if you prefer it that way) to just out of the oven baked breads and pastries. The entire area smelled of roasted chicken and croissants. Yum! We had to use our limited amount of French to purchase a few items that I simply couldn’t live without. (black olives, a baguette, and some delicious cheese…surprise surprise, Angela found cheese!)

The most gorgeous dahlias in any shade imaginable can be found at the Bastille Market.

Me and my perfectly crusty baguette. Which by the way, this is completely NOT a Parisian stereotype. I've seen a huge amount of people walking around the streets with a baguette sticking out of their bags.

After dropping our purchases off at the hotel (less than a five minute walk from the market), we headed out to Chateau de Versailles for the afternoon. When I visited the Palace with my family many years ago, we made the mistake of driving. It wasn’t until we actually got there that my dad realized there was a metro stop right by Versailles! So this time, seeing as how we don’t have a car, we decided to take the said metro line. This turned out to be much trickier than we had intended. As I mentioned before, Andy and I have very minuscule amounts of French vocabulary in our repertoire. So, staring at the metro signs and screens for long amounts of time still gets us nowhere. After several tries, we finally got on the correct train and back on our way!

We had to stand in line for so long that we actually got the “we pity you because you’re so late” discount into the Palace, saved us six euro! (Note: I know I suggested skipping the audio tour in the Louvre, but do NOT miss it here at Versailles. Plus, it’s free with your entrance fee) I’m not really sure how exactly to explain the grandeur that is Versailles. If I only had one word, I think it would be “gold”. Man they loved the color gold! Everything is gilded, painted, framed, showcased, and highlighted in the shiny yellow hue. The king’s quarters were hugely elegant and supremely gold. The dauphin’s (the French term for crowned prince) quarters were a miniature replica of the king’s quarters, but just as gold. The Hall of Mirrors is amazingly huge and heavy with historical importance…complete with golden maidens and children statues holding up the candelabras.

Look, even the roof of the Versailles Palace is covered in gold!

Hey look, it's me in front of a gold framed fireplace and the gold gilded door that I came in through...

Gold framed painting on the ceiling? Check check!

Andy in the gold bordered Hall of Mirrors. You can vaguely see the golden statues along the sides of the hall...

I know that each and every single room had its own significance, but after awhile, all that grandeur starts to get a little old. At what point does it become gaudy? I’m not sure… But to top it all off, you’re being shoved in every direction by overbearing tourists speaking every language known to man making it difficult to breathe, let alone walk! I started to get a little cranky…that is until we stepped out into the gardens. I absolutely love spending time in the Gardens of Versailles. No matter how many other tourists are present, there is always more than enough space to accommodate everyone. The flowers are gorgeous and the fountains are completely serene. We took a lot of pictures, but you simply can’t understand the scope until you’ve been there yourself! (Oh, and if you go after 5:30 pm, you can get in for free. Down side being that you only have 1.5 hours to wander…)

This is looking out from the back of the Palace, can you imagine having this in your backyard?

Me enjoying the flower gardens of Versailles

I love topiaries! It kind of looks like I was partially eaten by the third topiary...

Just as we were leaving the Chateau de Versailles, the rain began to fall. Thankfully, we were on the train/metro for most of the trip home. We randomly picked and stopped at a local cafe for dinner. What a tasty idea! So far, I have yet to have an unfabulous meal in Paris. I absolutely do not want to know how much butter, cream, and mayonnaise went into each dish, but I will happily indulge in ignorance.

Big slab of beef in a delicious mushroom incorporated sauce, a light salad, and french fries. It confused me when the potatoes came out cut like thick potato chips, but actually turned out to be french fries. Delicious!

With the rain continuing to fall, I’m happily bundled up in our hotel room contemplating our plans for tomorrow, our last full day in Paris. There’s so much that we’ve covered, but still more to see! You can click here for all of our pictures in Paris.

Paris is probably one of my favorites cities. I have found the people to be much friendlier than most people give them credit for, you can not beat the amazing sights to visit, the food is absolutely delectable, and the very feel of the city is relaxed yet refined at the same time. When we woke up this morning, there was a light drizzle. No matter, we got ready for a long day and headed for a nearby cafe to have a lovely breakfast of chocolate croissants and steaming hot espresso. It’s a perfect way to start any day!

What does one do when it’s raining in Paris? Hit a museum of course! And what better museum to visit than the Louvre? The Museum’s collection is currently held (and has been since 1692) in the Louvre Palace, the home and fortress to King Phillip the Second. It was King Louis the Fourteenth who chose to live primarily in Versailles (which we’re headed to tomorrow) and maintained the Louvre as a stash for his private art collections. It was during the French Revolution that the National Assembly decided to open the art exhibits to the public. Well, good for them! This allowed us to see some of the treasures that early kings had plundered, curators have since acquired, and generous contributors have donated. However, since it was built as a palace, the Louvre building in and of itself is quite remarkable. It’s hard to comprehend the sheer size of the place!

Us trying to find the entrance to the Louvre, where can that pesky glass pyramid be?

Found it! Me in front of the Louvre Museum's entrance, the infamous glass pyramid.

The thing you must realize about a museum with such a massive amount of artifacts, objects, and pieces of art is that you simply can NOT see everything in one try. The best strategy is to pick out things you MUST see and then just wander around leisurely taking in whatever treasures you may discover. Of course, we saw the famous Winged Victory of Samothrace statue, the Mona Lisa, and the Borghese Gladiator. But obviously, the more popular an item is, the more hoards of people also want to take a photo ofp the same object. My favorite places and works of art are in the lesser galleries, ones that you just happen to find on a whim.

In the African Art Exhibit, I decided to pose like this plucky little totem pole. Not a great job since I can't keep from smiling and my hands need to be more vertical, but it was fun!

Andy's turn! Not too shabby! Though perhaps next time he could grimace more and put down his map?

We've decided to buy up this little gem of a property for when we're in Paris, previous owner: Napolean Bonaparte. But does it say "Welcome to the humble but luxurious maison de Trommer"?

With this being my second visit, I have several tips for future Louvre visitors.

1. Try to get to the museum early, the lines get long very quickly. If at all possible, look into the Friday night (6-9:45) visits. It’s cheaper (only 6 euro compared to its normal price of 9) and much less crowded.
2. Never eat when everybody else wants to eat. The cafeterias are delicious and can be decently priced, but get there early or late, never right at noon. (Also, ask for a carafe of water…not the expensive bottled variety)
3. Don’t bother getting the guided electronic audio tour. We were excited at the prospect and paid 3 euro/person for these fanciful gadgets. Turns out, you can only learn information about certain key pieces. Most of the smaller galleries have no audio info at all! And to top it all off, both of our stupid devices broke down halfway through! But due to our technical difficulties, we did get a free voucher for a tour at Versailles! Instead, I would try the introductory tour led by a Louvre staff member (something I just found…too little too late, but hopefully you can get some use out of our blunder)

After we reached a museum overload (right around five hours), we headed to the Jardins des Tuileries behind the Louvre. Despite all the rain in the morning, the day shaped up to be absolutely beautiful. We spent time just wandering around the gardens and enjoying the brisk autumn afternoon.

Me in the Jardins Des Tuileries with the Louvre still in the background. Nifty huh?

I heard that the Jardins des Tuileries were designed in the classical Italian style by Catherine Medici herself. Though I can't tell the difference between the different classical styles of gardens, I do know that I love the neatly lined, rectangle shaped row of trees.

Next up, we walked to the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. This is probably my favorite Gothic cathedral. The architecture is absolutely gorgeous and it has such an air of importance. Plus, they use REAL candles for prayers, not the hokey electronic ones like they did in Barcelona. The flickering of actual candles everywhere gives the sanctuary an eerie and mysterious feel. Though the “flatten your Notre Dame coins here” machines have been newly added since the last time I visited…and are admittedly a little tacky. But somebody’s got to pay for the hunchback‘s plastic surgery! (you did know that Victor Hugo‘s novel is one of the reasons why the French decided to restore the cathedral instead of tear it down, right?)

Notre Dame Cathedral in all its glory, look at all those flying buttresses! Okay, maybe you can't see the flying buttresses in this shot, but I do like saying that...

Actual members of the Notre Dame Cathedral are preparing for the Saturday evening mass.

After Notre Dame, we limped home (it was a long walking day!) to quickly wolf down a street vendor’s delicious gyro concoction and change for our evening river cruise down the Seine. I also have a couple of tips for those of you that have heard of these famous Seine River Cruises…

1. If you’re only in Paris for a short amount of time, definitely look into a river cruise (day or night). You’ll get a fairly decent view of all of the most important sights in Paris within an hour and 20 minutes.
2. We went with the company, Bateau Mouche, mainly because we could buy a discounted ticket from our hotel. There are several boat lines to choose from. Do a little bit of research beforehand as to which will be cheapest for you.
3. Make sure the tour includes an ENGLISH translated version of the guide. Thankfully, most of the boats now seem to have several languages. This makes for a fairly shallow explanation in each language, but still entertaining nonetheless.
4. Bring a jacket. It gets fairly chilly on the boat if you’re upstairs where the better views are.
5. The boat tends to move a little too fast for decent pictures, especially at night. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the views!

The Eiffel Tower is lit up every night, sometimes in different colors, themes, and light displays. Check YouTube if you feel inclined to see the variations...I'm sure they're available.

There you have it, our first full day in Paris. It was absolutely perfect and I can’t wait for more Parisian fun tomorrow. Till then, click here for all our photos in Paris so far (there are many more that I haven’t posted here…)