This is the last entry of this series to you all. The last album is very short, just a
couple of photos I took while we were waiting for our transfer and then
two more on the way to the airport. One has a red circle on it showing
our room balcony from where we could see the Eiffel Tower.
We
highly recommend that you know your baggage policy of the airline you
fly with. We misunderstood the policy and it cost us dearly, it was
almost cheaper to upgrade to business class. Customer service was also
fairly poor at the airport in France, what you think should be a fairly
simple process of gouging the tourists for scam money because your
baggage is over the limit took far too long. First they turn you away
at the check in so you can pay the excess somewhere else, then you go
back to check in to get the boarding passes. Assuming everyone does
their job properly it should be smooth. When they don't you can easily
waste an hour.
If you buy water to drink in an airport,
thinking you have bought it in a secure area so you should be able to
take it on-board, not always the case. Ask first at the airline
counter. We were fairly lucky only having a small amount left that was
confiscated after I drank most of the contents. In most cases you could
carry on secured water, at Dubai coming home the rules were changed
with no notice. The number of pissed off people who had to drink their
water they paid for was large. What was most ridiculous was that you
could empty the bottle, take it through, then refill it. And we went
through 3 security checks in the space of 50 metres just to get to that
waiting area for the boarding of the flight.
Luckily we had good
seats on every flight thanks to JM our then travel agent (funny story,
she graduated from Uni last year and I work in the same firm she does,
small world). Our final leg seats being right at the front of economy
with so much leg room we couldn't touch the wall even in the reclined
position. First class and business was upstairs, so leaving the plane
was a breeze, basically in the first 20 people off. It needed to be it
was a 13+ hour flight plus 90 minutes after boarding the plane waiting.
Apparently the control tower computers were on the fritz and everything
was being done manually. We sat in that plane for a very long time.
In between naps I managed to watch Star Wars episodes 1~4, including
re-watches of the bits I slept though.
Until we see everyone
over the coming days/weeks/months we've had fun bringing these updates
to you all, we hope you have enjoyed them. We're happy to be home
finally and by the time I send this I hope my 3rd load of washing is
done before I start my final one.
Sean and Lorraine
Daily Links
2016-07-27 Final Day
2016-07-26 Paris by Scooter (Day 2) Stuff and Things
2016-07-25 Paris by Scooter (Day 1) Montmartre
2016-07-24 TdF Final Day
2016-07-23 River Tour and Walking
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07.1 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
2016-07.2 Euro Holiday (new album as previous one full)
Google Compositions
28 July 2016
27 July 2016
Paris by Scooter (Day 2) Stuff and Things
Bonne Journée,
Today we decided to pay our respects to Mr Jim Morrison and Mr Oscar Wilde at the Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise. We had to scooter there as it is on the other side of Paris to where we are staying. This was a wonderful serene place with few tourists. Most of the photos are mine as I love these places. The first thing you notice as you enter is the number of family crypts. Some unfortunately have been broken open but they gave me an insight into the family and how they paid their respects to their relatives. Most had beautiful stain glass windows and alters inside, family photos and a few personal items.
It was surprising to see how inconspicuous Jim Morrison's grave was. It has been cleaned up and repaired numerous times. It is now surrounded by temporary fencing. Oscar Wilde's grave was a lot more flamboyant and another that was 'vandalised' by fans, particularly with lipstick kisses. It too was cleaned up and a perspex casing put around it. This hasn't stopped fans from kissing it as the perspex is marked with lipstick.
The cemetery is a beautiful tree lined place and I loved every minute of being there.
We then scootered around with no particular destination in mind.
We bought a lock yesterday and Sean, the big softie, scratched our names into it so today we locked it onto one of the many bridges crossing the Seine. Who'd have thought he had it in him.
It is our last night in Paris. It took me a few days to accept her as my heart belongs to Rome, but after having spent 8 days here and seeing as much of the city as we could possibly fit in, I am going to miss her. It's been wonderful.
This is our last overseas post, thanks for accompanying us on our journey.
Au Revoir
Lorraine and Sean
Daily Links
2016-07-26 Paris by Scooter (Day 2) Stuff and Things
2016-07-25 Paris by Scooter (Day 1) Montmartre
2016-07-24 TdF Final Day
2016-07-23 River Tour and Walking
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07.1 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
2016-07.2 Euro Holiday (new album as previous one full)
Google Compositions
26 July 2016
Paris by Scooter (Day 1) Montmartre
Bonne Journée,
Well we did it again, we hired a Vespa (red this time) and scootered our way around Paris outskirts. Firstly, of course, we had to ride up the Champs Elysees and around the Arc de Triomph. One last ditch effort for Sean to get it out of his system. We then headed for the artist district, Montmartre (train and walking time was too long so the reason for the scooter.) Montmartre is home to the Moulin Rouge and Sacre' Couer Basilica. It was also the stomping ground for artists such as Salvador Dali, Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh, so a must see experience.
Firstly the Moulin Rouge. Not very glitzy during the day and in a very seedy part of town but a must see non the less. The area around the club would be classified as a red light district with numerous sex shops and shows on display. We ventured into Rebecca Rill and it was everything you would expect and more. Titillating to say the least. And Sean's first ever visit to an adult store in his life.
We then took a walk to the Basilica which is located high on quite a steep hill. Unfortunately the paved road leading up to the Basilica is lined with cheap souvenir shops which detracted from it's postcard picturesque potential. However, once you reach the top the Basilica appears and is truly a 'Wow' moment. It is huge, ornate and unusually shaped compared to the usual Paris monuments. There are a heap of stairs leading up to it which we did not attempt (Sean's gummy legs). Instead we decided to head back down, get some lunch and then ride over to Place Du Tertre (the artist hub). It also was on a steep hill so we rode up to where we thought it would be, parked the bike and walked the rest of he way. After a few wrong turns, we found it, backing onto the Basilica. Doh!
The 'Tertre' is a small square lined with many restaurants, art galleries and of course, cheap souvenir shops. In the centre of the square is another restaurant and around it are many artist stalls selling their paintings. Majority were portrait artists offering tourists a sitting, others painted typical French landscapes and landmarks and then others sold their own interpretive creations. It was wonderful. You could just imagine the great painters being there when they were just starting out. Of course I supported one of the local artists, how could you not!
Since we were now at the top of the hill we ventured around to the Basilica and up close was just as 'wow'. Loved the gargoyles and the view looking out over Paris was stunning.
We eventually headed back to the scooter and took a leisurely ride back to the hotel. We did ride the road toward the Eiffel Tower which was fantastic. This big looming beautiful structure rising up toward you. It truly is magnificent.
Tomorrow we are off on another scoot around Paris. Not sure where to go as yet but have a few ideas.
Until tomorrow, adieu.
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
PS. We have been able to practice our French and the locals have been very accommodating when we try. Its lovely. Sean managed to use one of those public toilets without issue and dry shoes this time. Latest hat purchase tally for Sean stands at 12, he cannot buy anymore as we cannot transport them.
Daily Links
2016-07-25 Paris by Scooter (Day 1) Montmartre
2016-07-24 TdF Final Day
2016-07-23 River Tour and Walking
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07.1 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
2016-07.2 Euro Holiday (new album as previous one full)
Google Compositions
Well we did it again, we hired a Vespa (red this time) and scootered our way around Paris outskirts. Firstly, of course, we had to ride up the Champs Elysees and around the Arc de Triomph. One last ditch effort for Sean to get it out of his system. We then headed for the artist district, Montmartre (train and walking time was too long so the reason for the scooter.) Montmartre is home to the Moulin Rouge and Sacre' Couer Basilica. It was also the stomping ground for artists such as Salvador Dali, Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh, so a must see experience.
Firstly the Moulin Rouge. Not very glitzy during the day and in a very seedy part of town but a must see non the less. The area around the club would be classified as a red light district with numerous sex shops and shows on display. We ventured into Rebecca Rill and it was everything you would expect and more. Titillating to say the least. And Sean's first ever visit to an adult store in his life.
We then took a walk to the Basilica which is located high on quite a steep hill. Unfortunately the paved road leading up to the Basilica is lined with cheap souvenir shops which detracted from it's postcard picturesque potential. However, once you reach the top the Basilica appears and is truly a 'Wow' moment. It is huge, ornate and unusually shaped compared to the usual Paris monuments. There are a heap of stairs leading up to it which we did not attempt (Sean's gummy legs). Instead we decided to head back down, get some lunch and then ride over to Place Du Tertre (the artist hub). It also was on a steep hill so we rode up to where we thought it would be, parked the bike and walked the rest of he way. After a few wrong turns, we found it, backing onto the Basilica. Doh!
The 'Tertre' is a small square lined with many restaurants, art galleries and of course, cheap souvenir shops. In the centre of the square is another restaurant and around it are many artist stalls selling their paintings. Majority were portrait artists offering tourists a sitting, others painted typical French landscapes and landmarks and then others sold their own interpretive creations. It was wonderful. You could just imagine the great painters being there when they were just starting out. Of course I supported one of the local artists, how could you not!
Since we were now at the top of the hill we ventured around to the Basilica and up close was just as 'wow'. Loved the gargoyles and the view looking out over Paris was stunning.
We eventually headed back to the scooter and took a leisurely ride back to the hotel. We did ride the road toward the Eiffel Tower which was fantastic. This big looming beautiful structure rising up toward you. It truly is magnificent.
Tomorrow we are off on another scoot around Paris. Not sure where to go as yet but have a few ideas.
Until tomorrow, adieu.
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
PS. We have been able to practice our French and the locals have been very accommodating when we try. Its lovely. Sean managed to use one of those public toilets without issue and dry shoes this time. Latest hat purchase tally for Sean stands at 12, he cannot buy anymore as we cannot transport them.
Daily Links
2016-07-25 Paris by Scooter (Day 1) Montmartre
2016-07-24 TdF Final Day
2016-07-23 River Tour and Walking
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07.1 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
2016-07.2 Euro Holiday (new album as previous one full)
Google Compositions
25 July 2016
TdF Final Day
Bonne Journée,
What an action packed day it was. Today was the whole reason we organised this holiday, to see the Tour De France live! And we did!
Let me start from the beginning, this morning Sean hired a bike and rode around the course. I decided to sleep in and then do a bit of retail therapy. Unfortunately Paris had other ideas. At 9.00 am Paris was only just waking up and by 10.00 am I realised that they take Sunday off so no shops were open except the cafes. Undeterred, there was a farmers/flea market across the road from our hotel so I headed over there. The sights, sounds and smells certainly got all the senses working overdrive.
Sean and I met up at lunch, had a quick bite to eat and by 1.00 pm headed over to the Champs Elysees to try and get a good vantage spot. As we got closer to the course, the streets were blocked off and the police presence greatly increased. We even had to have a bag search, dispose of any liquids and have a pat down before entering the course precinct. As we walked along the Champs the police were conducting bag spot checks and of course we got checked again. (Mind you Sean rode the course in the morning without any security so it doesn't make too much sense to secure the area only a few hours before the race).
Finding a good spot wasn't as hard as we thought it would be and we quickly set up, Sean focusing his camera and me setting up our new Tour chair so I could sit for the next 4 hours waiting for it to all unfold. Unfortunately for us one of the water sellers left his bag and bucket unattended behind us so the police went into high alert and we were moved from our spot until they could investigate the "bomb scare". They found the water seller and we were eventually able to move back. We ended up getting a better vantage point because a fair size perimeter was cleared (not nearly large enough if a bomb had gone off mind you). The funny part of this is that only 10 minutes prior to the "scare" Sean was interviewed by CNN about the high security and basically said he thought it was overkill considering the course was completely open hours earlier.
At about 2.00 pm the ladies race came through which was quite impressive and around 3.00 pm the junior cadets rode past. At 5.00 pm the Tour Caravanne (TdF sponsors) came through but the Tour did not arrive until 6.30 pm. As we first saw the riders Sean went into overdrive and was snapping away like mad as you will see in the photos. Anything that moved, he took a picture of. I shot a bit of video as well so hopefully that will turn out. It was quite surreal seeing the race live. They did 8 laps of the Champs so we got to see them for about an hour which was great. Unfortunately we could not get near the finish line as the crowds had gathered there very early on in the morning.
Overall it was a brilliant day and the wait was worth it.
Lorraine
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
Now a word from Sean:
Look through the photos of today for the animations, because I placed the mini tripod in a fixed position on the railing, Google has created some GIFs of the riders that look good. Google did this while we uploaded the photos when we went out to dinner.
Funny Stories:
Another story we forgot from yesterday, you would have seen me (Sean) trying to use the public toilet, photos by Lorraine. So these things are along the street and you press a button to enter them, they are unisex, so one person uses them at a time. I press the button to enter, the curved sliding door opens, I step in. I then press the button to close the door with instructions in French I cannot understand. I then try to determine how to lock the door and it reopens. More instructions in French. I press the button it closes again, more instructions and what follows is a very Mr Bean period of time as I try to begin going to the toilet and the door sliding open. Lorraine eventually departs thinking it may be her presence outside making the door open. Eventually the door closes, more instructions in French, I finally get going (standing). And then half way through the action the toilet tilts up and disappears for cleaning. I of course strangle off the flow to much discomfort wondering WTF and then the rest of the cleaning action occurs, the floor of the toilet is literally flushed with water for those that miss. Well let me say the discomfort was enough that I missed a lot while trying to stand on tippy toes to keep my feet dry. Then the toilet reappears and I finish into it. Of course that is not the end. Lorraine has gone around the other side waiting and a lady decides she needs to use it, so presses the button to surprise me zipper down, old fella out trying to get everything back inside. She apologises, I laugh and we part company, her red faced and apologetic, me laughing my head off.
Daily Links
2016-07-24 TdF Final Day
2016-07-23 River Tour and Walking
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07.1 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
2016-07.2 Euro Holiday (new album as previous one full)
Google Compositions
What an action packed day it was. Today was the whole reason we organised this holiday, to see the Tour De France live! And we did!
Let me start from the beginning, this morning Sean hired a bike and rode around the course. I decided to sleep in and then do a bit of retail therapy. Unfortunately Paris had other ideas. At 9.00 am Paris was only just waking up and by 10.00 am I realised that they take Sunday off so no shops were open except the cafes. Undeterred, there was a farmers/flea market across the road from our hotel so I headed over there. The sights, sounds and smells certainly got all the senses working overdrive.
Sean and I met up at lunch, had a quick bite to eat and by 1.00 pm headed over to the Champs Elysees to try and get a good vantage spot. As we got closer to the course, the streets were blocked off and the police presence greatly increased. We even had to have a bag search, dispose of any liquids and have a pat down before entering the course precinct. As we walked along the Champs the police were conducting bag spot checks and of course we got checked again. (Mind you Sean rode the course in the morning without any security so it doesn't make too much sense to secure the area only a few hours before the race).
Finding a good spot wasn't as hard as we thought it would be and we quickly set up, Sean focusing his camera and me setting up our new Tour chair so I could sit for the next 4 hours waiting for it to all unfold. Unfortunately for us one of the water sellers left his bag and bucket unattended behind us so the police went into high alert and we were moved from our spot until they could investigate the "bomb scare". They found the water seller and we were eventually able to move back. We ended up getting a better vantage point because a fair size perimeter was cleared (not nearly large enough if a bomb had gone off mind you). The funny part of this is that only 10 minutes prior to the "scare" Sean was interviewed by CNN about the high security and basically said he thought it was overkill considering the course was completely open hours earlier.
At about 2.00 pm the ladies race came through which was quite impressive and around 3.00 pm the junior cadets rode past. At 5.00 pm the Tour Caravanne (TdF sponsors) came through but the Tour did not arrive until 6.30 pm. As we first saw the riders Sean went into overdrive and was snapping away like mad as you will see in the photos. Anything that moved, he took a picture of. I shot a bit of video as well so hopefully that will turn out. It was quite surreal seeing the race live. They did 8 laps of the Champs so we got to see them for about an hour which was great. Unfortunately we could not get near the finish line as the crowds had gathered there very early on in the morning.
Overall it was a brilliant day and the wait was worth it.
Lorraine
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
Now a word from Sean:
Look through the photos of today for the animations, because I placed the mini tripod in a fixed position on the railing, Google has created some GIFs of the riders that look good. Google did this while we uploaded the photos when we went out to dinner.
Funny Stories:
Another story we forgot from yesterday, you would have seen me (Sean) trying to use the public toilet, photos by Lorraine. So these things are along the street and you press a button to enter them, they are unisex, so one person uses them at a time. I press the button to enter, the curved sliding door opens, I step in. I then press the button to close the door with instructions in French I cannot understand. I then try to determine how to lock the door and it reopens. More instructions in French. I press the button it closes again, more instructions and what follows is a very Mr Bean period of time as I try to begin going to the toilet and the door sliding open. Lorraine eventually departs thinking it may be her presence outside making the door open. Eventually the door closes, more instructions in French, I finally get going (standing). And then half way through the action the toilet tilts up and disappears for cleaning. I of course strangle off the flow to much discomfort wondering WTF and then the rest of the cleaning action occurs, the floor of the toilet is literally flushed with water for those that miss. Well let me say the discomfort was enough that I missed a lot while trying to stand on tippy toes to keep my feet dry. Then the toilet reappears and I finish into it. Of course that is not the end. Lorraine has gone around the other side waiting and a lady decides she needs to use it, so presses the button to surprise me zipper down, old fella out trying to get everything back inside. She apologises, I laugh and we part company, her red faced and apologetic, me laughing my head off.
Daily Links
2016-07-24 TdF Final Day
2016-07-23 River Tour and Walking
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07.1 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
2016-07.2 Euro Holiday (new album as previous one full)
Google Compositions
24 July 2016
River Tour and Walking
Bonne Journée,
It was a bit of a mixed bag today. A few disappointments but a few highlights to balance it out. The tour that I had booked for this morning was not what we expected. Firstly the Eiffel Tower was not included which was a surprise and secondly the bus tour around Paris was pathetic. The bus did not stop at any of the tourist points so we could take photos and rather than the tour guide giving a monologue, it was done by a recording (I assume to cater for all the different nationalities). Fortunately the cruise along the Seine was quite good and we had a chance to see Paris from a different perspective. The weather was brilliant so we sat on the top deck for a maximum experience.
The cruise ended at the Eiffel Tower so we briefly thought about lining up to climb her but quickly dismissed that idea because of the 1000s of tourists with the same idea. I have to say, every time I go near the base of the Tower, I want to run away screaming. We decided to walk to a nearby park and have lunch (which Sean had pre-packed, what a good husband) on the grass with a view of the Tower. Much better and nicer. The park was clean with very few people or hawkers and the trees blocked out the view of the base.
From there we decided to head over to the Arc De Triomphe (Sean's holy grail). You have to walk under the road via a tunnel to get to it due to the 7 lanes of traffic that circle the Arc (entering traffic has right of way over exiting traffic which is quite odd). It is a huge beautiful monument and in the middle is the eternal flame for the unnamed soldier. At 6.30 every afternoon a group of ex military arrive to lay fresh wreaths around it. On the internal wall of the Arc are all the names of the architects and designers. It was surreal being there after seeing it so many times on TV during the Tour De France. We even snuck a little kiss.
We then headed down the Champs Elysesses. Apparently this road is one of the most expensive in Paris as it houses all the top fashion designers. Preparations were finishing for tomorrow's Tour. All the seating was done, the barriers along the road were up and the merchandising stalls were already selling fan packs and souvenirs (which of course we purchased one of each type). All very exciting.
Four and half hours later (9 kms of walking) we headed back to our hotel for a rest and dinner. We over indulged again and had Nutella crepes for dessert. Nutella is huge over here. They don't believe in selling small bottles of the stuff either. And I also saw chocolate Special K. Decadent!!
Tomorrow is the big day and the reason we planned this trip. The last stage of the Tour De France. Sean is beside himself with excitement and I am sure the other milliue of people who are going to be there will be just as pumped. The riders don't get into Paris until about 6.00 pm but I am sure all the good viewing spots will be gone by early morning. It's going to be a long day. So until tomorrow, adieu.
Lorraine and Sean
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
PS. Sean just remembered a few interesting moments he wants to share:
A few funny stories from this trip.
You may have noticed the pictures of the cafe seating previously and in the photos from tonight's dinner. It is literally like theatre seating with the people in the street cafe seating facing the street watching people go by and the people going by, watching the people in the cafe seating. AND you re not allowed to move the seating under any circumstances. You want to face the person you are with, you eat inside. Outside, its almost entirely side by side and if you move the chairs, you will be told to put them back. If you put items on the chairs either to reserve them or hold them, you will be told to remove the items. You cannot spread across two tables unless you are using all the chairs at the first table and need to spill over to another. PLUS you pay a premium for this seating and you must be consuming something, no sitting there sipping slowly.
Disney store on the Champs Elysesse, being frisked and bag checked on the way in, I refused the magic wand due to the pacemaker, but we were free to walk out unhindered.
Bag checks almost everywhere you go tourist wise, but laughably they hardly even check anything or even all the pockets in your bag. At one check the guy just said "Any knives?", I said "No", "Off you go then". WTF? Even when I refuse the scanner check (pacemaker), they don't even frisk me, just walk on through.
We have had to learn how to say "no" in many languages. There are beggars, gypsies and hawkers who are very persistent. They sell anything and everything, such as when its hot, they're selling water, then if it starts to rain, the water disappears and out come the umbrellas. When we see you in person we'll give you personal accounts of they're persistence and what they say suffice to say here is "no" in the various languages:
2016-07-23 River Tour and Walking
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
It was a bit of a mixed bag today. A few disappointments but a few highlights to balance it out. The tour that I had booked for this morning was not what we expected. Firstly the Eiffel Tower was not included which was a surprise and secondly the bus tour around Paris was pathetic. The bus did not stop at any of the tourist points so we could take photos and rather than the tour guide giving a monologue, it was done by a recording (I assume to cater for all the different nationalities). Fortunately the cruise along the Seine was quite good and we had a chance to see Paris from a different perspective. The weather was brilliant so we sat on the top deck for a maximum experience.
The cruise ended at the Eiffel Tower so we briefly thought about lining up to climb her but quickly dismissed that idea because of the 1000s of tourists with the same idea. I have to say, every time I go near the base of the Tower, I want to run away screaming. We decided to walk to a nearby park and have lunch (which Sean had pre-packed, what a good husband) on the grass with a view of the Tower. Much better and nicer. The park was clean with very few people or hawkers and the trees blocked out the view of the base.
From there we decided to head over to the Arc De Triomphe (Sean's holy grail). You have to walk under the road via a tunnel to get to it due to the 7 lanes of traffic that circle the Arc (entering traffic has right of way over exiting traffic which is quite odd). It is a huge beautiful monument and in the middle is the eternal flame for the unnamed soldier. At 6.30 every afternoon a group of ex military arrive to lay fresh wreaths around it. On the internal wall of the Arc are all the names of the architects and designers. It was surreal being there after seeing it so many times on TV during the Tour De France. We even snuck a little kiss.
We then headed down the Champs Elysesses. Apparently this road is one of the most expensive in Paris as it houses all the top fashion designers. Preparations were finishing for tomorrow's Tour. All the seating was done, the barriers along the road were up and the merchandising stalls were already selling fan packs and souvenirs (which of course we purchased one of each type). All very exciting.
Four and half hours later (9 kms of walking) we headed back to our hotel for a rest and dinner. We over indulged again and had Nutella crepes for dessert. Nutella is huge over here. They don't believe in selling small bottles of the stuff either. And I also saw chocolate Special K. Decadent!!
Tomorrow is the big day and the reason we planned this trip. The last stage of the Tour De France. Sean is beside himself with excitement and I am sure the other milliue of people who are going to be there will be just as pumped. The riders don't get into Paris until about 6.00 pm but I am sure all the good viewing spots will be gone by early morning. It's going to be a long day. So until tomorrow, adieu.
Lorraine and Sean
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
PS. Sean just remembered a few interesting moments he wants to share:
A few funny stories from this trip.
You may have noticed the pictures of the cafe seating previously and in the photos from tonight's dinner. It is literally like theatre seating with the people in the street cafe seating facing the street watching people go by and the people going by, watching the people in the cafe seating. AND you re not allowed to move the seating under any circumstances. You want to face the person you are with, you eat inside. Outside, its almost entirely side by side and if you move the chairs, you will be told to put them back. If you put items on the chairs either to reserve them or hold them, you will be told to remove the items. You cannot spread across two tables unless you are using all the chairs at the first table and need to spill over to another. PLUS you pay a premium for this seating and you must be consuming something, no sitting there sipping slowly.
Disney store on the Champs Elysesse, being frisked and bag checked on the way in, I refused the magic wand due to the pacemaker, but we were free to walk out unhindered.
Bag checks almost everywhere you go tourist wise, but laughably they hardly even check anything or even all the pockets in your bag. At one check the guy just said "Any knives?", I said "No", "Off you go then". WTF? Even when I refuse the scanner check (pacemaker), they don't even frisk me, just walk on through.
We have had to learn how to say "no" in many languages. There are beggars, gypsies and hawkers who are very persistent. They sell anything and everything, such as when its hot, they're selling water, then if it starts to rain, the water disappears and out come the umbrellas. When we see you in person we'll give you personal accounts of they're persistence and what they say suffice to say here is "no" in the various languages:
- English - No
- Italian - No
- French - No
- Russian - Nada
- Australian - Fuck off mate
2016-07-23 River Tour and Walking
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
23 July 2016
Versailles
Bonne Soir,
Another beautiful day in Paris.
Today we had booked a tour to see the Palace of Versailles. We decided to wait outside the hotel for the tour van to pick us up (Versailles is approx. 25 mins drive from Paris.) Big mistake. We have two resident gypsies that live across the road, under the railway bridge I assume. I must say they are persistent. The guy asked Sean to go into the hotel and get him a coffee. When we refused, the guy wandered into the hotel behind another guest. (To access our hotel you have a swipe card so without the card you can't get in). Reception chased him out and then it was the girls turn to give it a try. Now we understand why the hotel doors are locked at all times.
The Palace was amazing, a 2000 room extravagance created by Louis XIV (14th). Surrounding this mammoth palace are gardens that are just as expansive. They are manicured to perfection. It is easy to imagine the King and his wife taking court here. Three Kings lived in this palace, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI. The last Louis was married to Marie Antoinette. Only a few rooms are open to the public but they are certainly impressive, filled with paintings, statues and the piece de resistance was the hall of mirrors. Literally an extremely long hallway with one side covered in mirrors, mirrors at the time were ridiculously expensive so this was quite an accomplishment, around 5000 man hours to produce a pane of 0.5m x 0.5m, it has 370 mirrors. Understandably the people of France were quite ticked off that the Louis' were living such a decadent lifestyle at their expense so inevitably they had enough and dragged the King and Queen back to Paris and cut their heads off (guillotine). The people were supposed to come back and destroy the palace but it was a 9 hour walk to Versailles so they didn't really bother. The locals did however loot the palace taking nearly everything, but leaving the building intact. Fifty years after the revolution, sense prevailed and it was made into a museum and restored. Great history surrounding this town and the Palace.
Booking a tour is the best option for all the sites in Paris because you skip the line. The people queuing outside the Palace was again, phenomenal.
The rest of the afternoon we spent shopping. Mind you in the 1.5 hours we allocated to shop (I know, not much) I only visited three shops within 50m of our hotel. Sean wanders like a nomad and seems to be beating me again in the purchasing stakes. Will have to schedule more time within the next few days.
Tomorrow we climb the Eiffel Tower and take a boat cruise down the Seine. We also plan to scope out the Tour route tomorrow to try and work out the best place to be for maximum view and photos.
It's been another great day. Will talk again tomorrow.
Lorraine and Sean
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
P.S. Some funny stories we have forgotten to tell.
One night in Rome, Sean went to go for some shopping for groceries. As he crossed the road outside the hotel he encountered a beggar/gypsy woman wanting money. After saying no repeatedly she started bumping his elbow making kissy noises at him. He hobbled off as fast as he could totally freaked out.
When we were riding the scooter in Rome we accidentally went into an area reserved for transport vehicles like taxis, buses, horse & carriage, limos. Its only like this at certain times and Sean didn't realise this and was eventually stopped by a police barricade. On pulling up he says in his best Aussie voice "What's Up?", to which the cop says in broken english "You don't tell me what's up, is that how you talk to police in Australia?". At this time I really didn't want to tell him my attitudes to Aussie police so just said "Yes it is!". Gobsmacked he said "Well here, I tell you what's up! When I make this signal (twirling his finger in the air), you turn around". In Australia that is the motorbike rider signal for police are around, so he was just signalling his presence as far as I was concerned. We turned around and went on our way laughing and asking each other "What's up?".
Daily Links
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
Another beautiful day in Paris.
Today we had booked a tour to see the Palace of Versailles. We decided to wait outside the hotel for the tour van to pick us up (Versailles is approx. 25 mins drive from Paris.) Big mistake. We have two resident gypsies that live across the road, under the railway bridge I assume. I must say they are persistent. The guy asked Sean to go into the hotel and get him a coffee. When we refused, the guy wandered into the hotel behind another guest. (To access our hotel you have a swipe card so without the card you can't get in). Reception chased him out and then it was the girls turn to give it a try. Now we understand why the hotel doors are locked at all times.
The Palace was amazing, a 2000 room extravagance created by Louis XIV (14th). Surrounding this mammoth palace are gardens that are just as expansive. They are manicured to perfection. It is easy to imagine the King and his wife taking court here. Three Kings lived in this palace, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI. The last Louis was married to Marie Antoinette. Only a few rooms are open to the public but they are certainly impressive, filled with paintings, statues and the piece de resistance was the hall of mirrors. Literally an extremely long hallway with one side covered in mirrors, mirrors at the time were ridiculously expensive so this was quite an accomplishment, around 5000 man hours to produce a pane of 0.5m x 0.5m, it has 370 mirrors. Understandably the people of France were quite ticked off that the Louis' were living such a decadent lifestyle at their expense so inevitably they had enough and dragged the King and Queen back to Paris and cut their heads off (guillotine). The people were supposed to come back and destroy the palace but it was a 9 hour walk to Versailles so they didn't really bother. The locals did however loot the palace taking nearly everything, but leaving the building intact. Fifty years after the revolution, sense prevailed and it was made into a museum and restored. Great history surrounding this town and the Palace.
Booking a tour is the best option for all the sites in Paris because you skip the line. The people queuing outside the Palace was again, phenomenal.
The rest of the afternoon we spent shopping. Mind you in the 1.5 hours we allocated to shop (I know, not much) I only visited three shops within 50m of our hotel. Sean wanders like a nomad and seems to be beating me again in the purchasing stakes. Will have to schedule more time within the next few days.
Tomorrow we climb the Eiffel Tower and take a boat cruise down the Seine. We also plan to scope out the Tour route tomorrow to try and work out the best place to be for maximum view and photos.
It's been another great day. Will talk again tomorrow.
Lorraine and Sean
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
P.S. Some funny stories we have forgotten to tell.
One night in Rome, Sean went to go for some shopping for groceries. As he crossed the road outside the hotel he encountered a beggar/gypsy woman wanting money. After saying no repeatedly she started bumping his elbow making kissy noises at him. He hobbled off as fast as he could totally freaked out.
When we were riding the scooter in Rome we accidentally went into an area reserved for transport vehicles like taxis, buses, horse & carriage, limos. Its only like this at certain times and Sean didn't realise this and was eventually stopped by a police barricade. On pulling up he says in his best Aussie voice "What's Up?", to which the cop says in broken english "You don't tell me what's up, is that how you talk to police in Australia?". At this time I really didn't want to tell him my attitudes to Aussie police so just said "Yes it is!". Gobsmacked he said "Well here, I tell you what's up! When I make this signal (twirling his finger in the air), you turn around". In Australia that is the motorbike rider signal for police are around, so he was just signalling his presence as far as I was concerned. We turned around and went on our way laughing and asking each other "What's up?".
Daily Links
2016-07-22 Versailles
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
22 July 2016
Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
Bonne Soir,
Today we ventured off, by train, to see Notre Dame and the Bastille. We arrived fairly early at Notre Dame (9.00 am is early here) so we were not subjected to lining up to enter. I have to say it was one of the most breathtaking buildings I have ever seen. Besides the sheer size, the decorations on the outside were so intricate. Not sure the photos can do it justice. Inside was just as impressive with massive high ceilings and gorgeous stain glass windows. The only downside I had with it was that there were vending machines inside selling medallions and at the exit, inside the Cathedral, was a store selling souvenirs. When we left about half an hour later, the line up to get in was ridiculous, must have been at least 500 people waiting.
We then walked to the Bastille monument and found the markets were on nearby. Stallholders were selling everything from hats and clothes to fresh fish and meat. We met an Aussie couple who had been literally following the Tour De France around in a motor home and they too were here for the last stage on Sunday. It was nice to speak conversational english with another human besides Sean.
We thought we would give the Eiffel Tower another look so we headed back on the train. This time we approached it from Trocadero which is the water feature end (the one on all the postcards). It wasn't much better. The closer you got to the Tower, the worse it looked, more litter, temporary fencing, construction work and lots of hawkers. I think to truly appreciate the Tower, you have to see it from far away otherwise the whole romance thing dies the closer you get.
The day was much cooler (28 degrees). Hopefully it will stay that way for the rest of the time we are here. Much more pleasant for sightseeing.
Tomorrow we are off to visit the Palace of Versailles and then do some retail therapy in the afternoon.
Until tomorrow, adieu.
Lorraine and Sean
Daily Links
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
Today we ventured off, by train, to see Notre Dame and the Bastille. We arrived fairly early at Notre Dame (9.00 am is early here) so we were not subjected to lining up to enter. I have to say it was one of the most breathtaking buildings I have ever seen. Besides the sheer size, the decorations on the outside were so intricate. Not sure the photos can do it justice. Inside was just as impressive with massive high ceilings and gorgeous stain glass windows. The only downside I had with it was that there were vending machines inside selling medallions and at the exit, inside the Cathedral, was a store selling souvenirs. When we left about half an hour later, the line up to get in was ridiculous, must have been at least 500 people waiting.
We then walked to the Bastille monument and found the markets were on nearby. Stallholders were selling everything from hats and clothes to fresh fish and meat. We met an Aussie couple who had been literally following the Tour De France around in a motor home and they too were here for the last stage on Sunday. It was nice to speak conversational english with another human besides Sean.
We thought we would give the Eiffel Tower another look so we headed back on the train. This time we approached it from Trocadero which is the water feature end (the one on all the postcards). It wasn't much better. The closer you got to the Tower, the worse it looked, more litter, temporary fencing, construction work and lots of hawkers. I think to truly appreciate the Tower, you have to see it from far away otherwise the whole romance thing dies the closer you get.
The day was much cooler (28 degrees). Hopefully it will stay that way for the rest of the time we are here. Much more pleasant for sightseeing.
Tomorrow we are off to visit the Palace of Versailles and then do some retail therapy in the afternoon.
Until tomorrow, adieu.
Lorraine and Sean
Daily Links
2016-07-21 Notre Dame, Bastille, Eiffel Redux
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
21 July 2016
Louvre Walking Tour
Bonne journée,
Phew, what a big day it turned out to be. We were booked to do a walking tour of the Louvre this morning. It was going to take us 45 minutes to walk to the tour meeting point so we decided to test the Paris' subway train system. With Sean on the case, he quickly worked out train lines, ticket options and scheduling so a 45 minute walk turned into a 10 minute train ride. Cheap, quick and easy.
The Lourve Tour was certainly an eye opener. Originally a palace, it is made up of 3 buildings with 800 rooms brimming with artwork and sculptures. It is visited by 30-40,000 people a day! The tour guide said if you spent 3 minutes looking at every piece, it would take 3 months to see everything. Before we even got into the museum we had to go through 3 security checks. The number of people already there at 9.30 am was overwhelming. We had 'skip the queue' tickets so we didn't have wait to see anything. The major attractions of the Lourve were of course the Mona Lisa, the statue of Victory and the statue of Venus De Milo. The Mona Lisa is behind glass and roped off so you can't get too close. I was amazed at the number of people trying to see her, the crush to get to the front was ridiculous. The statues were the same, people everywhere trying to get a good selfie. The artworks were my favourite, I am a sucker for realism. It was interesting to hear the stories behind the paintings and how the artist structured the paintings. It is not just oils on a canvas, there is far more depth that what what you first see.
After the Lourve we wandered around the grounds for a while and then headed out to the Champs Elysees. There is a lot of construction along the road in preparation for the last stage of the Tour De France on Sunday. Of course we will be there for that.
We managed to find the ornate bridge that features in all the movies shot in Paris. It was a lovely bridge, not overly romantic for mid afternoon but gorgeous all the same. From there we headed toward the Eiffel Tower. I have worked out that the shopping district is around the Eiffel Tower as we did not see many retail stores in the precinct of the Louvre. Anyway I think we ended up at the "ass" end of the Tower as it was extremely disappointing to see. It did not look anything like the photos and postcards. There was a large park directly behind the tower. There were heaps of people lounging around but the grass was dead, the area was full of rubbish and there was quite a lot of temporary fencing around, not sure why. The police and military were out and about as well. Under the Tower itself was more fencing with lots of people queuing to go up. It was not the romantic location I had pictured.
It was a huge day of walking (7 hours +) so we decided to catch a pedicab back to the hotel, which was a bit of fun. When we eventually got back I had to google earth the Tower and it looks like we were at the back end. The front appears to have a lake and is far more picturesque so I assume that is the side where all the photos are taken. We are going back tomorrow to have another look and we are due to climb her on Saturday. Fingers crossed that is the case and if it is,they really should clean up her back end.
All said and done it was a great day. We are off to Notre Dame and the Bastille tomorrow and then back to the Tower for a second look. Thankfully the weather has cooled down considerably, had a little smattering of rain. It was only 30 degrees today instead of 34 that was Tuesday.
Until tomorrow, I bid you 'adieu'.
Lorraine and Sean
Daily Links
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
Phew, what a big day it turned out to be. We were booked to do a walking tour of the Louvre this morning. It was going to take us 45 minutes to walk to the tour meeting point so we decided to test the Paris' subway train system. With Sean on the case, he quickly worked out train lines, ticket options and scheduling so a 45 minute walk turned into a 10 minute train ride. Cheap, quick and easy.
The Lourve Tour was certainly an eye opener. Originally a palace, it is made up of 3 buildings with 800 rooms brimming with artwork and sculptures. It is visited by 30-40,000 people a day! The tour guide said if you spent 3 minutes looking at every piece, it would take 3 months to see everything. Before we even got into the museum we had to go through 3 security checks. The number of people already there at 9.30 am was overwhelming. We had 'skip the queue' tickets so we didn't have wait to see anything. The major attractions of the Lourve were of course the Mona Lisa, the statue of Victory and the statue of Venus De Milo. The Mona Lisa is behind glass and roped off so you can't get too close. I was amazed at the number of people trying to see her, the crush to get to the front was ridiculous. The statues were the same, people everywhere trying to get a good selfie. The artworks were my favourite, I am a sucker for realism. It was interesting to hear the stories behind the paintings and how the artist structured the paintings. It is not just oils on a canvas, there is far more depth that what what you first see.
After the Lourve we wandered around the grounds for a while and then headed out to the Champs Elysees. There is a lot of construction along the road in preparation for the last stage of the Tour De France on Sunday. Of course we will be there for that.
We managed to find the ornate bridge that features in all the movies shot in Paris. It was a lovely bridge, not overly romantic for mid afternoon but gorgeous all the same. From there we headed toward the Eiffel Tower. I have worked out that the shopping district is around the Eiffel Tower as we did not see many retail stores in the precinct of the Louvre. Anyway I think we ended up at the "ass" end of the Tower as it was extremely disappointing to see. It did not look anything like the photos and postcards. There was a large park directly behind the tower. There were heaps of people lounging around but the grass was dead, the area was full of rubbish and there was quite a lot of temporary fencing around, not sure why. The police and military were out and about as well. Under the Tower itself was more fencing with lots of people queuing to go up. It was not the romantic location I had pictured.
It was a huge day of walking (7 hours +) so we decided to catch a pedicab back to the hotel, which was a bit of fun. When we eventually got back I had to google earth the Tower and it looks like we were at the back end. The front appears to have a lake and is far more picturesque so I assume that is the side where all the photos are taken. We are going back tomorrow to have another look and we are due to climb her on Saturday. Fingers crossed that is the case and if it is,they really should clean up her back end.
All said and done it was a great day. We are off to Notre Dame and the Bastille tomorrow and then back to the Tower for a second look. Thankfully the weather has cooled down considerably, had a little smattering of rain. It was only 30 degrees today instead of 34 that was Tuesday.
Until tomorrow, I bid you 'adieu'.
Lorraine and Sean
Daily Links
2016-07-20 Louvre Walking Tour
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
20 July 2016
Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
Bonne journée,
I have taken over the email again.
Well we left Genevea this morning and took a train to Paris. (Our travel agent managed to grab a bargain for first class). This time the experience was so much better, they actually gave us snacks and drinks, we had private seats instead of sharing a foursome and there was plenty of room for our luggage.
We are staying in an apartment close to the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately they are doing roadworks outside our room, the L Train bridge is directly across the street and there is a McDonald's underneath so the frontage of the hotel was a disappointment. On the plus side, our room is extremely clean and comfortable with plenty of room for us to spread out, the glass doors block out the roadwork noise during the day and we have a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower from our window.
We have only done a little exploring today. Priority was to get a map of the city and buy groceries (we have a kitchenette). Studying our map, it appears the landmarks in Paris are not within close walking distance like in Rome. We are extremely close to the Tower but that puts us approx. 45 min walk from the Louvre, the Arch de Triomphe and Notre Dame. With all the walking we have been doing the past week, we are up for the challenge.
Meals won't be a problem though. Within approx. 200m we have so many restaurants to choose from we won't be eating at the same place twice. Tonight I had frogs legs and Sean had snails (we have had them before). The snails were tasty, the frogs legs tasted like chicken.
As I write this email, it is 9.36 pm and it is still bright outside. I am sitting by our window waiting for the sun to eventually go down so we can see the lights of the Eiffel Tower, not sure when that is going to be so it could be a long wait. The silly thing is I am watching the London news and the "live" news broadcast has the a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower all lit up and I'm sitting here looking out my window wandering what the?
Tomorrow morning we are visiting the Louvre (as part of a tour so we can skip the lines). Looking forward to seeing the Mona Lisa. After that it will be more exploring and getting lost no doubt.
Signing off now, still waiting the sun to go down.
Lorraine
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
PS. Its 10.02 pm the sun is only just setting and the Eiffel Tower is now ablaze with light and sparkling like a diamond. Yay!! Short 10 second video in the photo album.
Daily Links
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
I have taken over the email again.
Well we left Genevea this morning and took a train to Paris. (Our travel agent managed to grab a bargain for first class). This time the experience was so much better, they actually gave us snacks and drinks, we had private seats instead of sharing a foursome and there was plenty of room for our luggage.
We are staying in an apartment close to the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately they are doing roadworks outside our room, the L Train bridge is directly across the street and there is a McDonald's underneath so the frontage of the hotel was a disappointment. On the plus side, our room is extremely clean and comfortable with plenty of room for us to spread out, the glass doors block out the roadwork noise during the day and we have a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower from our window.
We have only done a little exploring today. Priority was to get a map of the city and buy groceries (we have a kitchenette). Studying our map, it appears the landmarks in Paris are not within close walking distance like in Rome. We are extremely close to the Tower but that puts us approx. 45 min walk from the Louvre, the Arch de Triomphe and Notre Dame. With all the walking we have been doing the past week, we are up for the challenge.
Meals won't be a problem though. Within approx. 200m we have so many restaurants to choose from we won't be eating at the same place twice. Tonight I had frogs legs and Sean had snails (we have had them before). The snails were tasty, the frogs legs tasted like chicken.
As I write this email, it is 9.36 pm and it is still bright outside. I am sitting by our window waiting for the sun to eventually go down so we can see the lights of the Eiffel Tower, not sure when that is going to be so it could be a long wait. The silly thing is I am watching the London news and the "live" news broadcast has the a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower all lit up and I'm sitting here looking out my window wandering what the?
Tomorrow morning we are visiting the Louvre (as part of a tour so we can skip the lines). Looking forward to seeing the Mona Lisa. After that it will be more exploring and getting lost no doubt.
Signing off now, still waiting the sun to go down.
Lorraine
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
PS. Its 10.02 pm the sun is only just setting and the Eiffel Tower is now ablaze with light and sparkling like a diamond. Yay!! Short 10 second video in the photo album.
Daily Links
2016-07-19 Au Revoir Geneve, Arrivee Paris
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
19 July 2016
Geneve
Bonne journée,
Well we are here in Geneve for the full day, two nights and we feel it is enough as there is little in the way of tourist attractions that we did not cover in a morning of walking. You'll see the main attractions in the photos. So today was wandering Geneve seeing sights and naturally purchasing items. I can now say I own a Swiss watch, pocket style of course, photos of it are in the album one of which features the stand I had custom made in Italy for my other watch, this watch actually has a free standing feature and looks awesome as you can see the internal workings as it ticks away, wind up off course.
Lorraine bought a fridge magnet cuckoo clock, along with other souvenirs. The funniest thing was when she spied a shop across the road and wanted to go in. Unfortunately they were closed and just as well. It was a bra shop of sorts specialising in unusual under garments for women, things like blow up push up bras, silicone hide your nipples stickers and other assorted things I cannot even remember because I was laughing so much.
We then had lunch at a very nice place where we shared a Siciliana pizza and had individual desserts. We have a policy now of not eating at a restaurant with white table cloths. White table cloths have come to mean potentially expensive and typically not as good as hole in the wall places. This was not hole in the wall, but it also did not have white table cloths. And it did not disappoint. Same with our main meal at the hotel restaurant, no white table cloths and seriously brilliant food, it was almost a shame to drink something after it and spoil the taste sensations.
On this a friend has said he will prepare asbestos suits for the re-entry back to reality, we are definitely going to need them.
After lunch Lorraine returned back to the hotel, well that is after she got lost on the way home through the park, then eventually found her way home, she gets lost in hotels getting out of the elevator. I hired a bicycle, well I used a bicycle as they have some scheme where you can have a very nice hire bicycle for 4 hours free and only pay after 4 hours or return it prior at no cost and get your 20 Euro deposit back. So I went cycling for 3 hours, enjoying the respect accorded to me as another legitimate road user with drivers showing me abject courtesy without the abject hostility and death passes.
I also have to shout out to KM and SA who over time have shown me their photography skills and while I am not at their level yet, a lot of what I am bringing to you is thanks to them and what little I have gleaned from them over time. Lorraine will sometimes get frustrated at me while I wait for the exact right time, for people/vehicles to leave the shot frame, for me to actually frame up a shot thinking of as much as I can to ensure the photo will be as good as I can get off the bat with some occasional editing, cropping post production. I cannot thank you guys enough for waking me up to better photography skills.
On that note after I dropped off the hire bicycle I went past Garage Sammy again and he had a visual feast of cars. Not going to say anymore, I'll let you see the photos I took suffice to say that one of the cars is shamefully an auto and how someone could do that to a car of this caliber is regrettable.
Tomorrow is first class rail ride to Paris.
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
Daily Links
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
Well we are here in Geneve for the full day, two nights and we feel it is enough as there is little in the way of tourist attractions that we did not cover in a morning of walking. You'll see the main attractions in the photos. So today was wandering Geneve seeing sights and naturally purchasing items. I can now say I own a Swiss watch, pocket style of course, photos of it are in the album one of which features the stand I had custom made in Italy for my other watch, this watch actually has a free standing feature and looks awesome as you can see the internal workings as it ticks away, wind up off course.
Lorraine bought a fridge magnet cuckoo clock, along with other souvenirs. The funniest thing was when she spied a shop across the road and wanted to go in. Unfortunately they were closed and just as well. It was a bra shop of sorts specialising in unusual under garments for women, things like blow up push up bras, silicone hide your nipples stickers and other assorted things I cannot even remember because I was laughing so much.
We then had lunch at a very nice place where we shared a Siciliana pizza and had individual desserts. We have a policy now of not eating at a restaurant with white table cloths. White table cloths have come to mean potentially expensive and typically not as good as hole in the wall places. This was not hole in the wall, but it also did not have white table cloths. And it did not disappoint. Same with our main meal at the hotel restaurant, no white table cloths and seriously brilliant food, it was almost a shame to drink something after it and spoil the taste sensations.
On this a friend has said he will prepare asbestos suits for the re-entry back to reality, we are definitely going to need them.
After lunch Lorraine returned back to the hotel, well that is after she got lost on the way home through the park, then eventually found her way home, she gets lost in hotels getting out of the elevator. I hired a bicycle, well I used a bicycle as they have some scheme where you can have a very nice hire bicycle for 4 hours free and only pay after 4 hours or return it prior at no cost and get your 20 Euro deposit back. So I went cycling for 3 hours, enjoying the respect accorded to me as another legitimate road user with drivers showing me abject courtesy without the abject hostility and death passes.
I also have to shout out to KM and SA who over time have shown me their photography skills and while I am not at their level yet, a lot of what I am bringing to you is thanks to them and what little I have gleaned from them over time. Lorraine will sometimes get frustrated at me while I wait for the exact right time, for people/vehicles to leave the shot frame, for me to actually frame up a shot thinking of as much as I can to ensure the photo will be as good as I can get off the bat with some occasional editing, cropping post production. I cannot thank you guys enough for waking me up to better photography skills.
On that note after I dropped off the hire bicycle I went past Garage Sammy again and he had a visual feast of cars. Not going to say anymore, I'll let you see the photos I took suffice to say that one of the cars is shamefully an auto and how someone could do that to a car of this caliber is regrettable.
Tomorrow is first class rail ride to Paris.
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
Daily Links
2016-07-18 Geneve
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
18 July 2016
Train Rome to Geneva
Bonne journée,
Today we took the train from Roma to Geneve via Milano. Whilst it was only coach class, it was still rather more pleasant than flying since you have more leg room, you can move around at will, no over the top security screening, no luggage restrictions, however the downside is that there is not much in the way of on-board services, the restaurant car was both expensive and only sit down, so that means leaving your luggage unattended.
The upside however was the scenery along the way, the photos just cannot do it justice and when you are moving at close to 300km/h, by the time you realise the photo opportunity is there you have missed it.
By the time we arrived in Geneve it was 7 hours without eating, we quickly grabbed a ham and cheese roll at the station and discovered the girl behind the counter is coming to Australia, Brisbane in September, small world.
Catching a taxi to the Hotel and we were absolutely thrilled to see the Hotel, it is impressive. Then we found out we had a free upgrade to the top floor corner room at the front of the hotel. See the picture to see Lorraine at the top waving to me on the ground floor. AJ, if you're reading this, tell JM she did a fantastic job in accommodation selection, both here in Geneve and Roma.
A short walk had us eating pizza and pasta at a nice place, though the service was lacking, the pizza was excellent, the pasta okay. After dinner, more walking and photos. You'll see a place called "Garage Sammy", a petrol station and possibly workshop. Sammy doesn't have chains to block the driveway when he is closed, he just parks the Rolls Royce across the entrance instead.
Tomorrow (Monday for us) will be walking and seeing the sights and there should be no shortage of photos, the internet speed in the room is awesome. Where in Roma it would take hours to upload photos, here its minutes.
Tuesday will be a short train ride into Paris. Apparently we scored a deal getting First Class tickets no extra charge, we like coach, we cannot wait to see what First Class is like.
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
Daily Links
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
Today we took the train from Roma to Geneve via Milano. Whilst it was only coach class, it was still rather more pleasant than flying since you have more leg room, you can move around at will, no over the top security screening, no luggage restrictions, however the downside is that there is not much in the way of on-board services, the restaurant car was both expensive and only sit down, so that means leaving your luggage unattended.
The upside however was the scenery along the way, the photos just cannot do it justice and when you are moving at close to 300km/h, by the time you realise the photo opportunity is there you have missed it.
By the time we arrived in Geneve it was 7 hours without eating, we quickly grabbed a ham and cheese roll at the station and discovered the girl behind the counter is coming to Australia, Brisbane in September, small world.
Catching a taxi to the Hotel and we were absolutely thrilled to see the Hotel, it is impressive. Then we found out we had a free upgrade to the top floor corner room at the front of the hotel. See the picture to see Lorraine at the top waving to me on the ground floor. AJ, if you're reading this, tell JM she did a fantastic job in accommodation selection, both here in Geneve and Roma.
A short walk had us eating pizza and pasta at a nice place, though the service was lacking, the pizza was excellent, the pasta okay. After dinner, more walking and photos. You'll see a place called "Garage Sammy", a petrol station and possibly workshop. Sammy doesn't have chains to block the driveway when he is closed, he just parks the Rolls Royce across the entrance instead.
Tomorrow (Monday for us) will be walking and seeing the sights and there should be no shortage of photos, the internet speed in the room is awesome. Where in Roma it would take hours to upload photos, here its minutes.
Tuesday will be a short train ride into Paris. Apparently we scored a deal getting First Class tickets no extra charge, we like coach, we cannot wait to see what First Class is like.
Au Revoir
Sean and Lorraine
Daily Links
2016-07-17 Train Rome to Geneva
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Others
2016-07 Euro Holiday (entire collection, includes Lorraine's iPhone photos I have previously missed)
Google Compositions
17 July 2016
Shopping Day Redux
Buona giornata (gidday in Italian),
Me again, hijacked for a third time.
Sadly today is our last day in Rome so we had to hit the shops hard and fast. We found a fantastic leather shoe store, who knew Italian leather was so ridiculously soft? Did a bit of damage there, Sean's collection is up to three pairs, mine two, plus a beautiful leather wallet for Sean. Handbags were also on the list and my collection has grown a little bit bigger.
Walking back to the hotel we decided to take a horse drawn carriage ride around the Colosseum. The driver explained a few of the ruins as best he could but the joy was watching him gesticulate to the various other horse drawn carriages. His language and gestures were priceless.
The roads around our hotel have been blocked off to traffic since early morning. The reception staff said that Bruce Springsteen is doing a concert at Circus Maximus. We have a great vantage point to hear it. The festivities started mid morning.
This trip has been a truly wonderful experience, now the challenge is trying to pack all our stuff into one suitcase because we have to catch the train tomorrow so keeping the luggage to a minimum is the goal, not for any other reasons than management. The train does not have a luggage limit for standard sized items, but they also do not secure your luggage. We have bought a bike lock to lock them all together on the train. We are heading for Geneva and will be there for two days/nights before heading to Paris on Tuesday. I'm hoping Paris will be as lovely as Rome.
Ciao for now.
Lorraine
PS. Trying to cross the road in Rome on a pedestrian crossing is probably far more dangerous than driving. Even though you are on a crossing, no one stops so you have to just confidently walk out (or wait for an Italian) and hope the traffic stops. I have gasped out loud quite a few times trying to cross. Sean just charges across.
Also, they have little fountains everywhere no bigger than fire hydrants. They constantly flow with cool water so people can take a drink or fill a water bottle. With the heat we experienced early on in the week, they came in very handy.
Daily Links
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
Me again, hijacked for a third time.
Sadly today is our last day in Rome so we had to hit the shops hard and fast. We found a fantastic leather shoe store, who knew Italian leather was so ridiculously soft? Did a bit of damage there, Sean's collection is up to three pairs, mine two, plus a beautiful leather wallet for Sean. Handbags were also on the list and my collection has grown a little bit bigger.
Walking back to the hotel we decided to take a horse drawn carriage ride around the Colosseum. The driver explained a few of the ruins as best he could but the joy was watching him gesticulate to the various other horse drawn carriages. His language and gestures were priceless.
The roads around our hotel have been blocked off to traffic since early morning. The reception staff said that Bruce Springsteen is doing a concert at Circus Maximus. We have a great vantage point to hear it. The festivities started mid morning.
This trip has been a truly wonderful experience, now the challenge is trying to pack all our stuff into one suitcase because we have to catch the train tomorrow so keeping the luggage to a minimum is the goal, not for any other reasons than management. The train does not have a luggage limit for standard sized items, but they also do not secure your luggage. We have bought a bike lock to lock them all together on the train. We are heading for Geneva and will be there for two days/nights before heading to Paris on Tuesday. I'm hoping Paris will be as lovely as Rome.
Ciao for now.
Lorraine
PS. Trying to cross the road in Rome on a pedestrian crossing is probably far more dangerous than driving. Even though you are on a crossing, no one stops so you have to just confidently walk out (or wait for an Italian) and hope the traffic stops. I have gasped out loud quite a few times trying to cross. Sean just charges across.
Also, they have little fountains everywhere no bigger than fire hydrants. They constantly flow with cool water so people can take a drink or fill a water bottle. With the heat we experienced early on in the week, they came in very handy.
Daily Links
2016-07-16 Shopping Day Redux
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
16 July 2016
Shopping Day
Bongiorno All,
Not much to report today. Early on we decided to go our own ways, me on bicycle, Lorraine on foot. By a quirk of fate we managed to bump into each other mid morning and agreed to meet for lunch. I had decided the bike was too much for my back. No suspension, dodgy bike and cobblestones were no match for my lower back, so I returned the bike and was not charged for it as we had hired the Vespa for 48 hours, so the owner waived the bike hire of 3 hours. So a big thumbs up to "Bici & Baci" for the ease of hire and wonderful service.
So we ended up shopping together and bought up a storm. Some things are surprises so no details in order not to ruin our fun of the reveal, suffice to say I now own some very nice hand made Italian shoes, some shirts and shorts, another couple of hats to add to the collection and last night I scored a bottle of Laphroaig for the equivalent $60AUD, an absolute steal. Its hard work sipping this slowly while I type. We also bought some very nice art pieces and I had a hand made stand made to order by a metal worker to hang my pocket watch from.
Shopping and rest day tomorrow before taking the train to Geneva on Sunday. Maybe not many photos, though I do want to wander around at night to get some night shots in.
Ciao
Sean and Lorraine
Daily Links
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
Not much to report today. Early on we decided to go our own ways, me on bicycle, Lorraine on foot. By a quirk of fate we managed to bump into each other mid morning and agreed to meet for lunch. I had decided the bike was too much for my back. No suspension, dodgy bike and cobblestones were no match for my lower back, so I returned the bike and was not charged for it as we had hired the Vespa for 48 hours, so the owner waived the bike hire of 3 hours. So a big thumbs up to "Bici & Baci" for the ease of hire and wonderful service.
So we ended up shopping together and bought up a storm. Some things are surprises so no details in order not to ruin our fun of the reveal, suffice to say I now own some very nice hand made Italian shoes, some shirts and shorts, another couple of hats to add to the collection and last night I scored a bottle of Laphroaig for the equivalent $60AUD, an absolute steal. Its hard work sipping this slowly while I type. We also bought some very nice art pieces and I had a hand made stand made to order by a metal worker to hang my pocket watch from.
Shopping and rest day tomorrow before taking the train to Geneva on Sunday. Maybe not many photos, though I do want to wander around at night to get some night shots in.
Ciao
Sean and Lorraine
Daily Links
2016-07-15 Shopping Day
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
15 July 2016
Vatican Day
Bongiorno All,
Photos finally finished uploading.
Today we are going our separate ways as Lorraine is not a cyclist and I want to experience Roma by cycle.
Hopefully more stories and photos after today.
Ciao
Daily Links
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
Photos finally finished uploading.
Today we are going our separate ways as Lorraine is not a cyclist and I want to experience Roma by cycle.
Hopefully more stories and photos after today.
Ciao
Daily Links
2016-07-14 Vatican Day
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
14 July 2016
Vespa Day
Hi All,
Day 4 of our Roman Holiday and today was devoted to the Vatican. Did you know that Vatican City was declared its own country in 1929 by Mussolini and has a population of 800 people.
Anyway enough of the facts, this was another magnificent structure. Scooting through the gates of the Vatican City, which is surrounded by giant brick walls, you come across a large walkway, lined with shops of course, that leads you straight into a massive open space. This space, or the "Square" (it's round), is surrounded by the Vatican, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. Statues of saints adorn the tops of these buildings and in the centre is a large obelisk. Refer photos because my description does not do this City justice.
Inside these buildings are exquisite works of art dating back to the 1400s. It is amazing to see that the color in these paintings are still so vibrant and alive. They look like they were painted yesterday. The Sistine Chapel is truly a sight to behold. Again, amazing color. You could stare at the ceiling for hours and still not see everything. Photos are not allowed in the Chapel and you must cover your shoulders and legs before entering. They do give you a disposable shawl if you haven't brought your own.
St Peter's Basilica was to me, the most impressive. It was exquisitely ornate with large marble statues (one made by Michelangelo which was behind glass - this particular statue was vandalised by an Australian in 1972 who thought he was Jesus Christ. He smashed parts of the statue but they were able to restore it using every broken piece. No additional marble was used so it is still an original), massive oil paintings, a pure bronze altar and a corpse of a pope embalmed in bronze. Again, truly magnificent an hopefully our photos will show this.
After the tour we had lunch at a tiny hole in the wall Pizzeria. We sat outside on the street in what can only be described as two old school chairs that had their side desk. The pizza was served to us on a plastic tray on a bar stool. It was brilliant. The street itself was picturesque, straight out of a postcard, complete with checkered tablecloths and plant covered windowsills. This is such a great City.
Lorraine and Sean
PS. Forgot to mention, we noticed that a lot of the doors on the old buildings are quite small and there was a tiny one in the Vatican Museum. Found out that Italians used to be very short, my height short so the doors are all made for people like me.
PPS The photos take ages to load up as the internet in the hotel is notoriously slow, so the commentary is for today, photo links will come later after they have loaded. The latest link below is of the Vespa day of riding.
Daily Links
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
Day 4 of our Roman Holiday and today was devoted to the Vatican. Did you know that Vatican City was declared its own country in 1929 by Mussolini and has a population of 800 people.
Anyway enough of the facts, this was another magnificent structure. Scooting through the gates of the Vatican City, which is surrounded by giant brick walls, you come across a large walkway, lined with shops of course, that leads you straight into a massive open space. This space, or the "Square" (it's round), is surrounded by the Vatican, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. Statues of saints adorn the tops of these buildings and in the centre is a large obelisk. Refer photos because my description does not do this City justice.
Inside these buildings are exquisite works of art dating back to the 1400s. It is amazing to see that the color in these paintings are still so vibrant and alive. They look like they were painted yesterday. The Sistine Chapel is truly a sight to behold. Again, amazing color. You could stare at the ceiling for hours and still not see everything. Photos are not allowed in the Chapel and you must cover your shoulders and legs before entering. They do give you a disposable shawl if you haven't brought your own.
St Peter's Basilica was to me, the most impressive. It was exquisitely ornate with large marble statues (one made by Michelangelo which was behind glass - this particular statue was vandalised by an Australian in 1972 who thought he was Jesus Christ. He smashed parts of the statue but they were able to restore it using every broken piece. No additional marble was used so it is still an original), massive oil paintings, a pure bronze altar and a corpse of a pope embalmed in bronze. Again, truly magnificent an hopefully our photos will show this.
After the tour we had lunch at a tiny hole in the wall Pizzeria. We sat outside on the street in what can only be described as two old school chairs that had their side desk. The pizza was served to us on a plastic tray on a bar stool. It was brilliant. The street itself was picturesque, straight out of a postcard, complete with checkered tablecloths and plant covered windowsills. This is such a great City.
Lorraine and Sean
PS. Forgot to mention, we noticed that a lot of the doors on the old buildings are quite small and there was a tiny one in the Vatican Museum. Found out that Italians used to be very short, my height short so the doors are all made for people like me.
PPS The photos take ages to load up as the internet in the hotel is notoriously slow, so the commentary is for today, photo links will come later after they have loaded. The latest link below is of the Vespa day of riding.
Daily Links
2016-07-13 Vespa Day
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
13 July 2016
Walking Tour
Hi all,
I have hijacked today's email as my husband has failed to capture the true magic of this place.
Stepping out of our hotel everyday is like stepping into the pages of a history book. Every street, every alley, every lane way, every terrace tells a story. All are filled with ancient ruins, majestic statues and exquisitely old architecture. Around every corner holds a surprise, little lane ways opening onto grand piazzas or alleys leading up to huge churches or government buildings. It truly is breathtaking. My favorite place so far is the Piazza Navona. It has three fountains in the centre and a large chapel at one end that rings its bells at midday. Around the piazza are many different cafes and restaurants and in the middle are artists selling their wares.
Our adventure to the Colosseum was mind blowing. Although it's history is filled with death, the architecture and sheer size of the building is a credit to its makers (see Google Compositions for a panorama). The Romans obviously didn't believe in doing things by halves.
The food is fantastic. It's light, fresh and leaves you wanting more. There is no 'heavy' feeling after the main meal which means dessert is always a 'yes'. My taste buds have definitely gone into overdrive.
Today we decided to hire a Vespa and scoot around the sites that are just too far way to walk. Cudos to my husband whose ability to retain directions is second to none. In the short time we have been here he has managed to get a very good handle on the lay of the land. No matter where we go, he always knows how to get home (he does this when we walk as well, I can wander off anywhere and he knows exactly where we are). It was great to be back on the bike and he handled the scooter like an old hand (for god sake don't tell my mother). It was hair raising and invigorating battling the Italian traffic. The roads are extremely wide but with only two lanes marked. Each lane has at least a 4 car width but there are no dedicated lanes so cars going in the same direction all merge together and then throw in the mix 100s of scooters and you have Italian traffic. Brilliant!! By the way, there is no such thing as four wheel drivers or utes here. Everyone drivers a small car, most popular being the smart car. Space, and for that matter parking is at a premium so you need to be able to squeeze into the tightest spaces. We saw sites we never would have if we had to stay within the radius of our hotel. Photos to come. (Take note that the colour of the vespa had to match my new yellow handbag).
Oh and ladies, the shopping is fantastic and the Italian men are very helpful.
Will hijack the blog again tomorrow.
Lorraine (and Sean)
Daily Links
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
I have hijacked today's email as my husband has failed to capture the true magic of this place.
Stepping out of our hotel everyday is like stepping into the pages of a history book. Every street, every alley, every lane way, every terrace tells a story. All are filled with ancient ruins, majestic statues and exquisitely old architecture. Around every corner holds a surprise, little lane ways opening onto grand piazzas or alleys leading up to huge churches or government buildings. It truly is breathtaking. My favorite place so far is the Piazza Navona. It has three fountains in the centre and a large chapel at one end that rings its bells at midday. Around the piazza are many different cafes and restaurants and in the middle are artists selling their wares.
Our adventure to the Colosseum was mind blowing. Although it's history is filled with death, the architecture and sheer size of the building is a credit to its makers (see Google Compositions for a panorama). The Romans obviously didn't believe in doing things by halves.
The food is fantastic. It's light, fresh and leaves you wanting more. There is no 'heavy' feeling after the main meal which means dessert is always a 'yes'. My taste buds have definitely gone into overdrive.
Today we decided to hire a Vespa and scoot around the sites that are just too far way to walk. Cudos to my husband whose ability to retain directions is second to none. In the short time we have been here he has managed to get a very good handle on the lay of the land. No matter where we go, he always knows how to get home (he does this when we walk as well, I can wander off anywhere and he knows exactly where we are). It was great to be back on the bike and he handled the scooter like an old hand (for god sake don't tell my mother). It was hair raising and invigorating battling the Italian traffic. The roads are extremely wide but with only two lanes marked. Each lane has at least a 4 car width but there are no dedicated lanes so cars going in the same direction all merge together and then throw in the mix 100s of scooters and you have Italian traffic. Brilliant!! By the way, there is no such thing as four wheel drivers or utes here. Everyone drivers a small car, most popular being the smart car. Space, and for that matter parking is at a premium so you need to be able to squeeze into the tightest spaces. We saw sites we never would have if we had to stay within the radius of our hotel. Photos to come. (Take note that the colour of the vespa had to match my new yellow handbag).
Oh and ladies, the shopping is fantastic and the Italian men are very helpful.
Will hijack the blog again tomorrow.
Lorraine (and Sean)
Daily Links
2016-07-12.2 Walking Tour
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
12 July 2016
Morning Ramble and Lunch
Bongiorno,
Well we went rambling today on our first day. Up early for a brief walk at 6am before breakfast, then from 9am until 2pm we wandered the streets taking pictures and had lunch in Piazza Navone. Food was absolutely awesome. We saw heaps and took lots of photos. Back for a nap for a few hours and we're about to go out again wandering in the evening when it is cooler. It was 39 degrees today and its so funny Lorraine got sun burnt and I didn't.
Photos from this mornings ramble, everything you see here is within walking distance of our hotel.
Ciao
Daily Links
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
Well we went rambling today on our first day. Up early for a brief walk at 6am before breakfast, then from 9am until 2pm we wandered the streets taking pictures and had lunch in Piazza Navone. Food was absolutely awesome. We saw heaps and took lots of photos. Back for a nap for a few hours and we're about to go out again wandering in the evening when it is cooler. It was 39 degrees today and its so funny Lorraine got sun burnt and I didn't.
Photos from this mornings ramble, everything you see here is within walking distance of our hotel.
Ciao
Daily Links
2016-07-12.1 AM Morning Ramble and Lunch
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
Ramblings
Bongiorno All,
Link to this mornings wanderings, about to upload our walking tour pictures to a new album while we adjourn for evening refreshments. This morning was more walking through Roma with shopping followed by lunch, pics of dessert are awesome.
This afternoon we did a walking tour of the fiora and Colosseum precincts of around 3 hours duration. I know now I have mastered the management of pain when I can ignore back spasms and a numb right leg for more than 2 hours. Pics of this to come later. For the moment, here is this mornings pics.
Ciao
Daily Links
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
Link to this mornings wanderings, about to upload our walking tour pictures to a new album while we adjourn for evening refreshments. This morning was more walking through Roma with shopping followed by lunch, pics of dessert are awesome.
This afternoon we did a walking tour of the fiora and Colosseum precincts of around 3 hours duration. I know now I have mastered the management of pain when I can ignore back spasms and a numb right leg for more than 2 hours. Pics of this to come later. For the moment, here is this mornings pics.
Ciao
Daily Links
2016-07-11.1 - Ramblings
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
Arrived Safely
Hi All,
We made it last night, but other than letting family know we had arrived we were tired. Around 26 hours of traveling and for me personally 49 hours without being in a bed. I got up Saturday morning to walk the dog then went to an EOFY party sat night, home to get in a taxi to the airport and then 26 hours of traveling. It was awesome.
Links to the few travel photos we took, early morning walk reveals plenty to see in Rome, so should have a ton of photos tonight to send through.
Ciao
Daily Links
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
We made it last night, but other than letting family know we had arrived we were tired. Around 26 hours of traveling and for me personally 49 hours without being in a bed. I got up Saturday morning to walk the dog then went to an EOFY party sat night, home to get in a taxi to the airport and then 26 hours of traveling. It was awesome.
Links to the few travel photos we took, early morning walk reveals plenty to see in Rome, so should have a ton of photos tonight to send through.
Ciao
Daily Links
2016-07-10 BNE-DXB-ITA
Google Compositions
11 July 2016
In Dubai
We have arrived in Dubai and waiting for our transfer flight.
Emirates flight was awesome, I can see why people fly with them, on time, pleasant staff.
Damn its hot and we're inside in the A/C, 44 degrees Celsius outside.
Next email will be from Rome at our accommodation, evening our time, haven't worked out the time difference for Brisbane/Eastern states.
No photos to share just yet.
Emirates flight was awesome, I can see why people fly with them, on time, pleasant staff.
Damn its hot and we're inside in the A/C, 44 degrees Celsius outside.
Next email will be from Rome at our accommodation, evening our time, haven't worked out the time difference for Brisbane/Eastern states.
No photos to share just yet.
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