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Posted on July 17th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 315 people
Posted from Rome, Lazio, Italy.
After our adventure to the pharmacy in the early morning hours, we found ourself walking back go find wifi to post, on unsecured networks. Unfortunately we failed miserably at our attempt to wake up early. Around 05:30 I began having labor pains, or what I would equate to labor pains, which lasted a few hours. I napped a bit longer while the parents and Daniel entertained each other. They enjoyed conversation while I slept, learning about Marsha’s job, discussing holidays, and laughing a bit.
The parents and Daniel enjoyed Mimosas next door, from champagne and orange juice we picked up the night before, strolling back home. The three mimosas that Marsha and Daniel did them both in, though Marsha slept until 19:00. I awoke at 14:30 and our day to visit the Eiffel Tower began.
The Opera station, conveniently located next to the InterContinental Le Grande allowed for easy access to virtually all of the mass transit of Paris. The information person (Aqua Man) was very friendly, assisting me through when my ticket failed to work (yet again), and when Daniel looked completely lost. The Train 8 to the Metro C brought us to the Eiffel Tower in 20 minutes. Papa, Daniel and I arrived at the Eiffel, with sprinkles in the air, and a young couple in the park enjoying each others company in a very intimate manner.
The Eiffel Tower was a buzz, with street vendors, tourists, and others out for a stroll through the Champs de Mars. The line for the Eiffel Tower was an hour, with the summit opening back up as we approached to purchase our tickets from the ticket booth. While waiting, 2 police offers arrived on motorcycles, immediately the street vendors scurried like roaches in sunlight. Amazing to see how quickly they can pack up their belongings in a towel and depart quickly out of the area, only to return moments later.
The line from the 2nd Floor was 35 minutes, to arrive at the Summit. The queue was very narrow, I would be surprised how any person of significant wait would be able to pass through the queue. One would think that the views at the Summit would surpass those on the prior two levels, but the lower levels had an unobstructed view of the city, without the fence. Even with the light sprinkles, the trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower was memorable. When I went to the Eiffel Tower in 2008, my camera LCD broke in Prague, and Scott-E’s battery died. I am looking forward to the photos that Papa took as the official photographer of our vacation overseas. Upon exiting the lift, on the ground floor, we were warmly greeted by 15+ street vendors hounding us to purchase a variety of souvenirs. Daniel eventually gave in and picked up a few souvenirs key chains, with the normal price change upon selection.
A trip to the Eiffel Tower would not be the same without children screaming (like those sitting behind my row on the flight to Rome as I type this). The streets around the Champs de Mars are of urine, with many persons utilizing the trees as urinals within 10 feet from where we sat.
Our return back was greeted by a text from Marsha, that she was awake, dressed and ready to eat. A quick freshening up, and off to grab dinner at the Cafe across the street from the InterContinental. Our waiter was similar to the character in Ratatouilie, including the blowing of air to keep his hair out of his eyes. His English was understandable, and made it very clear to Daniel, Ladies FIRST when ordering, even if he was asking a question for her in french. The steak was not available, but then was available.
A final evening in Paris would not be complete without a visit to the Carnival for another crepe. Yearning for variety, we visited a different vendor, who seemed amazed at our request for chocolate and peanut better (Skippy!). She insisted that we did not want chocolate and peanut butter. The vendors in the carnival offered up Michael Jackson dolls as prizes, they were a bit scary.
Returning to the room at 23:50 revealed a pleasant surprise, we could see 1/3 of the Eiffel Tower from our view, and it remained lit until 01:00, when the beacon, and lights went dark after one final sparkle on the hour. It was a fond way to say Au Revoirs to the city of lights.
Posted on July 15th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 137 people
Posted from Paris, Ile-de-France, France.
In returning back from a walking adventure and dinner, I developed a headache which I thought a quick pharmacy trip could fix. A short 15 minute walk revealed the pharmacy, where you wait in line to tell them what you want.
Wr are one of 13 people in line, we can see the Advil, just cannot get to it. Some 30 minutes later, still waiting to accomplish this task. Tick… Tick… Tick…
Travelers note, wait until 09:00 for normal business hours when in Paris and in need of medicine.
Posted on July 15th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 157 people
Posted from Versailles, Ile-de-France, France.
The RER C metro splits in 2 spots, with paying close attention we noticed the name of the train to be correct. After 30 minutes of going north, we realized we were on the wrong extension. A 20 minute stop in the French hillside was an unplanned tourstop. Another group boarded the train under the wrong assumption. We just arrived at the Chateau after 2 hours of train travel.
Posted on July 15th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 135 people
Posted from Paris, Ile-de-France, France.
Experiencing the Bastille Day along the park before the Eiffel Tower was absolutely amazing !
We arrived to the park at the Eiffel Tower at 18:30, allowing is to experience an incredible spot. The fireworks began at 23:00, just as the sunset behind the tower. The buzz amongst the crowd was amusing, a variety of languages , and a few singing Happy Birthday to France. The fireworks kicked off, several songs later was the conclusion. A memorable experience I will never forget in the city of Paris. Our return to the hotel took 90 minutes with very full metros along the way.
Posted on July 15th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 154 people
Posted from Paris, Ile-de-France, France.
Bastille day began with very heavy rain showers. The walk consisted of several quick stops to attempt to remain as dry as possible. Lunch was at a Bistro that had very good omelettes and desserts. With the down poor and lightning , the meal was stretched as long as possible. The cafe had free wifi but sadly we discovered it at the conclusion of lunch.
The walk to The Louvre was quick and wet. The Louvre was open for free for the holiday resulting in lines of 45 minutes to enter. While waiting we conversed with a masters student from Columbia, living in London, in Paris for 6 weeks. She was well versed in a multitude of languages and was very informative.
The Louvre was open for 2 hours once we entered, quick photos of the key exhibits will provide the memories to last a lifetime. At the conclusion of The Louvre, the sun was shining and another round of crepes was on the agenda. A beautiful day at The Louvre.
Posted on July 15th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 176 people
Posted from Paris, Ile-de-France, France.
The RER A provides a quick ride to Opera station connector, despite the very high temperatures an rush our arrival time. Check in at the InterContinental was efficient and friendly. Our room on the Executive level is spacious and well appointed.
The city was preparing for Bastille Day, with many closures and heightened security. We enjoyed dinner at a cafe, though it was a very expensive cafe, with 33cl of Coke being more costly then beer, and tap water at €4,00. Daniel realized he may have to curve his coke enthusiasm. Dinner, which was 3 croque Monsieur ‘s and an omelette was over €109. Average service , similar to the 2008 trip when we dined at that restaurant.
The Champs élysées was very crowded with many sidewalks closed. Sunset in Paris is after 22:00, which highlighted beautiful colors in photos of the Arc.
The parents returned back to the room, Daniel and I tool the metro to the Louvre which was very active at 23:15. Along the park before The Louvre, a free carnival was taking place. A sweet tooth was satisfies by a crepe with nutella and chocolate and a nutella filled beignet. Both were savory and delicious but the crepe trumped all of the sweets so far. The carnival adventure accompanied a ferris wheel ride in the same ferris wheel that is moved closet to the street for winter festivities. The crowd remained lively on our departure at 01:00, Returning to the hotel.
An amazing day, breakfast in Barcelona, gelato in Rome and dinner in Paris.
Posted on July 15th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 134 people
Posted from Versailles, Ile-de-France, France.
Along the bus back to the city we sidetracked to explore the beaches. The variety of beach goers made for a very interesting experience. From the fit and young to the topless elderly, a unique experience. The sea was refreshing and a restaurant along the boardwalk yields a tremendous view. Daniel and I enjoyed bellinis and pizza while people watching. Our walk back to La Rambla included a waffle covered in caramel syrup. Souvenirs were added along the way, and we returned back in the later hours of the night.
We packed our bags and prepared for our departure from a very beautiful and inviting, Barcelona.
Posted on July 15th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 904 people
Posted from Versailles, Ile-de-France, France.
The hop on hop off tour proved very useful for the second day of exploring Barcelona. After another late night, sleeping in felt restful and part of the vacation experience. A site to be seen was a naked man with tattooed on clothing , which we unfortunately saw twice throughout the day.
After boarding the bus, we ventured up to the Art Museum, where we explored the grounds. The humidity was high along with the temperatures. The area is saturated with escalators, allowing a walk from the street to the museum and continuing on to the Olympic Stadium.
The Olympic Stadium capacity is 55k spectators and has a view overlooking the skyline. The tv broadcasting antenna resembles an Olympic torch. Construction was occurring and many of the items from the 1992 games were in poor condition. The stadium was beautiful and the Olympic Caldron was a dominating yet small icon, shadowing the stadium. The cafe provided a simple but adequate lunch offering for us.
Papa and Marsha continued back to the Palace at the University. Daniel and I walked outside the stadium and through the hills surrounding the city. While the bus tour provides shuttle from the museum, the walk was relatively short and housed several gems along the way. The Olympic Museum was closes for Mondays, but the path along the way brought us to three additional sites. On the road, a small park housed a statue amongst many trees and benches. The smell of the plants in blossom was incredible and unforgettable. A small fountain with cascading waterfalls provided a quick and refreshing splash in cold water. Our final destination was a sky lift which changed lines and delivered us to the castle on the hill. This military installation was used throughout the multiple wars as a defense to the city of Barcelona. High atop the gardens the skyline was impressive, view of the Mediterranean, airport and seaport. With the bus pass, travelers can enjoy 2 euros off the lift ticket price. Across from the bus stop at the castle, the 1992 Olympic Diving and other non race pools resides. One can see the faded Olympic logos on what is now a community pool.
Posted on July 11th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 117 people
Posted from Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain.
Google.com doodle changed today in celebration of the World Cup match between the Netherlands and España. Another fun and creative doodle from the folks at google.com.
Posted on July 11th, 2010 by Douglas and viewed by 131 people
Posted from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Good Evening from Espana,
The fireworks are currently going off outside the window with Espana scoring the first goal at the World Cup in South Africa. The apartments upstairs, downstairs, and people along the street are loudly cheering.
The time difference made waking up today slightly easier, up at 09:15. After eating a fresh pastry and orange juice, we visited the Barcelona Tourist location at PT Cataluna. We explored the city via the City Bus lines, sitting upstairs for the Blue line and downstairs for the red line. Lunch was near the University, yummy Gnochi with four cheese sauce was served up. This allowed us to see a variety of locations throughout the city,, from Gauti Catedrals to historical BCN Olympic Venue locations. Tomorrow we will return to a few to explore more in depth.
After exploring the city we returned back for a quick break, and allow the parents a nap. We returned back out for Gelato, exploring, and dinner. I enjoyed Mint Chip, Chocolate and Dulces De Leche Gelato.
After venturing through the Barcelona Catedral during mass, we wandered to grab Sangria in what I would call a Keebler Elf Pub, with small tables and all. We then went back to La Rambla to have dinner at the Plaza. The crowds began to form outside pubs, with 100?s of people sporting the flag of Espana in around them as a flag, in their shirts, jackets, pants, etc. Dinner was an enjoyable hamburger, and the night was very entertaining with friends and family. The walk back yielded a person “celebrating” with my father while slipping his hand in his pocket to try to steal his belongings. Luckily, we saw from behind, and he was able to quickly see what the persons motives were.
The M80s are going off outside my window, Congrats to Espana for winning The World Cup, 2010!!! I would imagine a great sense of pride and celebration is starting throughout the city as I type this at 23:05.
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