Well, we arrived to London from Pisa just before midnight and after an hour waiting to go through Passport Control, pick up our luggage, and get downstairs to the train...we had missed the last train. Mom and I ended up having to take the National Express bus into town and jump off at Victoria Station to take a taxi to our hotel. It was 3 a.m. when we finally checked in - YAWN!
Yesterday we woke up early despite our late (or early, depending on how you look at it) arrival and took the tube to Knightsbridge to pick up goodies at Harrods. I found a special birthday present for Nathan who turns 1 shortly, as well as a great bargain on some of he holiday jam (strawberry and champagne!). The jam was on the wrong shelf that said it was 3 for the price of 2...so their mistake was my bargain, since they honored the "sale" price despite their error. Nice!
After we had finished our shopping George and Sarah met us downstairs in the VAT (tax free) office. We all took George's car to China Town and had a HUGE (I mean HUGE) dim sum lunch. It was so lovely to meet Sarah and see George again...since I think it's been about 10 years that we've known one another now.
We parted ways in Piccadilly Circus and Mom and I went to the cinema and saw a really weird film, "Three Miles from (Someplace)" - needless to say it wasn't funny like the advert stated. Oh well.
This morning we took the tube to Waitrose to pick up all of the yummy foods and treats I like that I can't get in the states. We stopped in at Boots as well to get a few things before heading back to the hotel. We had an early lunch of English Pasties (Mom = stilton cheese and steak, Me = mushrooms and chicken).
We're all packed and currently in the lobby of the hotel so I could login to turn in my rough draft essay for school and to write this final (so I think) blog update before I am back in Raleigh this evening at 10 p.m. if all goes right with the airlines.
Always sad to leave Europe, always sad to leave London...but I am looking forward to being in my own bed and seeing all of my friends again!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Florence..museums, gardens, and LOTS of walking
I start out today by getting hit by a motorcycle shortly after leaving the hotel. The guy said he was sorry, but boy did the sideswipe hurt. That adds to knocking my leg into the chair before seeing the Pope (I hate that I bruise easily)
We went to the Uffizzi Museum this morning and looked at all of the paintings for about 2 hours - no photos allowed.
I took pictures in the Sistine Chapel even though I wasn't supposed to. Mom took pictures the last time she went there and hers were all blurry, she said it was payback from God for taking the pictures when she wasn't supposed to...I guess my payment is getting knocked around by the motorcycle. Whatever.
We walked across the Ponte Vecchio bridge to the other side of the river. The merchants on the bridge all sold all kinds of jewelry but nothing that I could easily afford! We continued across and walked past the palace to the Boboli Gardens (it was like a death march up and down the hills in the blazing sun - ugh!) and then made our way back toward the Ponte Vecchio bridge for lunch. Mom and I both had mushroom pizzas and a beer for €7!
I found two cool shirts for myself after lunch and I picked up even more espresso to bring back home - yum!
This evening we went to the train station to pick up our bus tickets to take us to the airport tomorrow night. We're checking e-mail before we pick a place to eat dinner (outside) so we can enjoy the cool breeze and watch all of the people walk by.
Tomorrow we have plans to see the statue of David followed by a stop at LUSH (a London bath store, there's one in Crabtree Valley) since it is the only store that makes its own products, so there are special shampoos and such. There is also an almond cream that lots of the celebrities like made by nuns, so we will pick some of that up too from a store not too far away.
We are calling it an earlyish night tonight so that we can make sure we have everything done we want to do by the end of the day tomorrow and so I can write a rough draft of an essay that's due Monday morning at 9 a.m. Raleigh time. Bummer! But it shouldn't take long since it's just a draft.
We went to the Uffizzi Museum this morning and looked at all of the paintings for about 2 hours - no photos allowed.
I took pictures in the Sistine Chapel even though I wasn't supposed to. Mom took pictures the last time she went there and hers were all blurry, she said it was payback from God for taking the pictures when she wasn't supposed to...I guess my payment is getting knocked around by the motorcycle. Whatever.
We walked across the Ponte Vecchio bridge to the other side of the river. The merchants on the bridge all sold all kinds of jewelry but nothing that I could easily afford! We continued across and walked past the palace to the Boboli Gardens (it was like a death march up and down the hills in the blazing sun - ugh!) and then made our way back toward the Ponte Vecchio bridge for lunch. Mom and I both had mushroom pizzas and a beer for €7!
I found two cool shirts for myself after lunch and I picked up even more espresso to bring back home - yum!
This evening we went to the train station to pick up our bus tickets to take us to the airport tomorrow night. We're checking e-mail before we pick a place to eat dinner (outside) so we can enjoy the cool breeze and watch all of the people walk by.
Tomorrow we have plans to see the statue of David followed by a stop at LUSH (a London bath store, there's one in Crabtree Valley) since it is the only store that makes its own products, so there are special shampoos and such. There is also an almond cream that lots of the celebrities like made by nuns, so we will pick some of that up too from a store not too far away.
We are calling it an earlyish night tonight so that we can make sure we have everything done we want to do by the end of the day tomorrow and so I can write a rough draft of an essay that's due Monday morning at 9 a.m. Raleigh time. Bummer! But it shouldn't take long since it's just a draft.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Rome to Florence by Train
For our last remaining hours in Rome we took the metro to the Pantheon. More columns, but this time it was a complete structure! We discovered a great little cafe on a side street for lunch where Mom and I both had spaghetti with olive oil and garlic for on €5 - so we threw in a beer to make it a complete meal.
As we had already packed and left our luggage at the hotel, we took the metro back to retrieve our bags and dragged them to the Termini so we could catch our train to Florence.
I made a necessary stop at the SPAR, a grocery store, for espresso to bring back to Raleigh and a giant bottle of water for the ride. I wish I had more room for more good stuff!
We had a delightful train ride from Rome to Florence this afternoon. It was so nice to sit back and relax (in the air-conditioning) while looking out the window seeing the sunflower fields, grapes, and hillside towns.
Our hotel in Florence is not too far from the train station and after we dragged our bags all the way to Hotel Paris, we were informed that the hotel was overbooked and that we would be staying at one of the sister hotels down the street instead. The hotel called a taxi for us and paid for our ride to the new hotel, Hotel Machiavelli. This hotel is much older than the one in Rome. The room itself is a loft style with the two beds on the lower level and a TV/fridge/couch in the loft area above.
After dropping our bags and regrouping, we wandered down the street to a large street market to see what was for sale. Mom got roped into one of the leather booths but never found a leather jacket that she liked. We saw quite a few purses, scarves, and other neat items but decided to have another day in the city (and more time to price compare) before we made any big purchase decisions.
We had a dinner of pasta, caprese salad, and mixed greens before heading back to the area by our hotel for some gelato from Bermuda Triangle Gelato. I had mint and chocolate while mom opted for the single flavor of pistacio. We both loved it!
Now I am typing from an internet cafe (€1 for 30 minutes) since it is cheaper than using the wi-fi from the hotel which is €8 for one hour.
We do not have a plan for tomorrow quite yet, but I am sure by the time you read my next post we will have walked around the city and back again.
For now, I need to go to the hotel and wash my hands, this internet cafe makes me feel very germy.
As we had already packed and left our luggage at the hotel, we took the metro back to retrieve our bags and dragged them to the Termini so we could catch our train to Florence.
I made a necessary stop at the SPAR, a grocery store, for espresso to bring back to Raleigh and a giant bottle of water for the ride. I wish I had more room for more good stuff!
We had a delightful train ride from Rome to Florence this afternoon. It was so nice to sit back and relax (in the air-conditioning) while looking out the window seeing the sunflower fields, grapes, and hillside towns.
Our hotel in Florence is not too far from the train station and after we dragged our bags all the way to Hotel Paris, we were informed that the hotel was overbooked and that we would be staying at one of the sister hotels down the street instead. The hotel called a taxi for us and paid for our ride to the new hotel, Hotel Machiavelli. This hotel is much older than the one in Rome. The room itself is a loft style with the two beds on the lower level and a TV/fridge/couch in the loft area above.
After dropping our bags and regrouping, we wandered down the street to a large street market to see what was for sale. Mom got roped into one of the leather booths but never found a leather jacket that she liked. We saw quite a few purses, scarves, and other neat items but decided to have another day in the city (and more time to price compare) before we made any big purchase decisions.
We had a dinner of pasta, caprese salad, and mixed greens before heading back to the area by our hotel for some gelato from Bermuda Triangle Gelato. I had mint and chocolate while mom opted for the single flavor of pistacio. We both loved it!
Now I am typing from an internet cafe (€1 for 30 minutes) since it is cheaper than using the wi-fi from the hotel which is €8 for one hour.
We do not have a plan for tomorrow quite yet, but I am sure by the time you read my next post we will have walked around the city and back again.
For now, I need to go to the hotel and wash my hands, this internet cafe makes me feel very germy.
Last morning in Rome
This moring we're all packed up and ready to leave our bags with the desk at the hotel. We are going to look around at a few more things (and maybe have another gelato along the way) before we have to go to the train station in the afternoon to catch our 3 p.m. train to Florence.
There is a SPAR grocery store in the train station, just like the one that was down the street from our house in The Netherlands, so I will be running in there for espresso and a number of other things (like train snacks!) before we have to leave.
It's another warm and beautiful sunny day in Rome!
Ciao!
There is a SPAR grocery store in the train station, just like the one that was down the street from our house in The Netherlands, so I will be running in there for espresso and a number of other things (like train snacks!) before we have to leave.
It's another warm and beautiful sunny day in Rome!
Ciao!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Audience with the Pope and Roma
This morning we started with breakfast downstairs at the hotel and then went by metro to stand in line and wait in line with all of the other “pilgrims” at St. Peter’s Basilica. We had to go through security screening and were then led into the Aula Paolo VI Auditorium (which holds 7,000 people at a time). As we were 2 hours early, we had plenty of time to sit and wait before the Pope made his entrance.
I was pretty curious how this was going to go down as the time got closer. In the middle of the seats there was an entryway like the football and hockey players come out of, I could imagine it without the smoke and giant TV screens Pope Style, but he chose to come out from a pair of double doors on the stage.
Cardinals from the respective languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, French, and German) introduced the visiting groups of the day to the Pope. In the English speaking group we were fortunate to have the Australian Girls Choir visiting and they sang Halleluiah when their name was announced to the Pope. It was very beautiful and something I am sure they will not ever forget!
There was a large group of Polish students sitting around us and then we seemed to be surrounded by Mexicans who were more than excited to see the Pope. This fact was pretty funny considering the Polish kids were very excited to see the Mexican people and we Americans were thinking, “Dang! They’re in Rome too!” I mean that to be in no way a derogatory comment, it’s just funny since the East coast has a large Mexican/Hispanic population and the Polish kids would probably be less interested with the Spaniards than Mexicans. After all, they had to come much further!
It was also very nice to see the recently married couples walk up individually after the formal audience was over so the Pope could bless their marriages. Most couples came in their wedding attire and some of the dresses were just beautiful!
Following our time with the “Papa” we went into the Sistine Chapel (yes, where I took pictures of the ceiling even though I wasn’t supposed to…whatever, I didn’t use my flash, I see no harm, plus the pictures are great!). We then went into the crypt to see the former Popes before making our way into St. Peter’s Basilica to explore. It was amazing to see that there were 3 former Popes on display, one looked like he was fake – needless to say, he hasn’t deteriorated much, the other two look quite dead.
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Roman Holiday”, our first stop after Vatican City was to see The Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verita) . If you lie, it’s supposed to clamp shut on your hand – it didn’t on mine! I’m always nervous sticking my hands in dark spaces, but everyone else was doing it, so I was ok in the end.
We walked up the road a little further and had the opportunity to see a number of Roman ruins – so fascinating that they are finding new ruins under the city nearly every time they dig. They certainly seem to be everywhere, that’s for sure.
Mom and I stopped at a little place for wine, salad, and pizza for dinner. We took our time enjoying dinner and the beautiful weather before taking the metro back to the hotel for the evening.
Tomorrow we leave Rome by train to visit Florence/Pisa/Tuscany for the next few days. Lots of pictures will soon follow these posts once internet is free again, but for now I need to keep it to words only.
I was pretty curious how this was going to go down as the time got closer. In the middle of the seats there was an entryway like the football and hockey players come out of, I could imagine it without the smoke and giant TV screens Pope Style, but he chose to come out from a pair of double doors on the stage.
Cardinals from the respective languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, French, and German) introduced the visiting groups of the day to the Pope. In the English speaking group we were fortunate to have the Australian Girls Choir visiting and they sang Halleluiah when their name was announced to the Pope. It was very beautiful and something I am sure they will not ever forget!
There was a large group of Polish students sitting around us and then we seemed to be surrounded by Mexicans who were more than excited to see the Pope. This fact was pretty funny considering the Polish kids were very excited to see the Mexican people and we Americans were thinking, “Dang! They’re in Rome too!” I mean that to be in no way a derogatory comment, it’s just funny since the East coast has a large Mexican/Hispanic population and the Polish kids would probably be less interested with the Spaniards than Mexicans. After all, they had to come much further!
It was also very nice to see the recently married couples walk up individually after the formal audience was over so the Pope could bless their marriages. Most couples came in their wedding attire and some of the dresses were just beautiful!
Following our time with the “Papa” we went into the Sistine Chapel (yes, where I took pictures of the ceiling even though I wasn’t supposed to…whatever, I didn’t use my flash, I see no harm, plus the pictures are great!). We then went into the crypt to see the former Popes before making our way into St. Peter’s Basilica to explore. It was amazing to see that there were 3 former Popes on display, one looked like he was fake – needless to say, he hasn’t deteriorated much, the other two look quite dead.
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Roman Holiday”, our first stop after Vatican City was to see The Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verita) . If you lie, it’s supposed to clamp shut on your hand – it didn’t on mine! I’m always nervous sticking my hands in dark spaces, but everyone else was doing it, so I was ok in the end.
We walked up the road a little further and had the opportunity to see a number of Roman ruins – so fascinating that they are finding new ruins under the city nearly every time they dig. They certainly seem to be everywhere, that’s for sure.
Mom and I stopped at a little place for wine, salad, and pizza for dinner. We took our time enjoying dinner and the beautiful weather before taking the metro back to the hotel for the evening.
Tomorrow we leave Rome by train to visit Florence/Pisa/Tuscany for the next few days. Lots of pictures will soon follow these posts once internet is free again, but for now I need to keep it to words only.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Rome
Today has been another long day of travels - busy and stress free. Our taxi arrived at promptly 6 a.m. this morning to take us to the Liverpool St. Station where we picked up the Stansted Express to the airport.
We bought our train tickets from one of the staff members and once he handed us our receipt he said pointing, “Well, that’s your train and it leaves in 30 seconds so you better hurry!” We did and even had a few seconds to spare before the doors closed.
At Stansted Mom and I had enough time to grab lattes for breakfast before walking down to our gate. We were able to board after only a few minutes of waiting in the queue and landed seats in the first row of the airplane, so no fighting for luggage space or a place to sit. Once we pulled away from the gate it wasn’t long before the captain came over the loudspeakers saying that we had brake trouble (more like “the emergency brake light is on and we don’t know why” problem) and had to return to the gate. We ended up being about an hour late but that was the good news because if they hadn’t been able to address our brake problem we would have had to change planes and there’s no telling how long that would have taken.
When we arrived at the Rome airport we took the bus into the city and then the metro to our hotel. Our room is very nice; Priceline didn’t lie when they said it was a 4-star so everything is tidy and new. After a short break to unpack and regroup, we hopped back on the metro and headed out to see the Trevi Fountain. It was packed but we managed to take a few pictures before walking down the steps to throw in our coins for good luck and a return to Rome someday.
I received a phone call from my friend Robert and we agreed to meet at the Coliseum at 6:30 p.m. for drinks – that gave us about an hour to see the Spanish Steps and pick up our tickets to see the Pope tomorrow at the Church of Santa Susanna. Mass is set to be indoors and we were told by the priest to arrive at least two hours ahead of the 10:30 a.m. start time. So it will be another early morning for us tomorrow!
We successfully navigated the metro to meet Robert at our set time. He had hoped to take us to an Irish Pub but we couldn’t find it as hoped and opted for a nice little café with a beautiful view of the Coliseum across the street. It was fantastic to see Robert, since I haven’t seen him since we were in high school at AFNORTH. He is doing well working at the UN here in Rome and hopes to continue work with a non-contract position. Very nice, I can’t help but be a little jealous he is still overseas and I’m back in the U.S. – I was born on the wrong continent, what can I say?
Following drinks and tapas we took a walk around the Coliseum before saying goodbye for the evening. If schedules allow, we’ll meet up with Robert again tomorrow to either visit him at the UN or to have pizza and wine (either option sounds great to me!).
Now back at our hotel room, it’s time to get situated and somewhat unpacked since we’ll be here for more than one night.
I hope to have more pictures posted tomorrow after mass with the Pope!
We bought our train tickets from one of the staff members and once he handed us our receipt he said pointing, “Well, that’s your train and it leaves in 30 seconds so you better hurry!” We did and even had a few seconds to spare before the doors closed.
At Stansted Mom and I had enough time to grab lattes for breakfast before walking down to our gate. We were able to board after only a few minutes of waiting in the queue and landed seats in the first row of the airplane, so no fighting for luggage space or a place to sit. Once we pulled away from the gate it wasn’t long before the captain came over the loudspeakers saying that we had brake trouble (more like “the emergency brake light is on and we don’t know why” problem) and had to return to the gate. We ended up being about an hour late but that was the good news because if they hadn’t been able to address our brake problem we would have had to change planes and there’s no telling how long that would have taken.
When we arrived at the Rome airport we took the bus into the city and then the metro to our hotel. Our room is very nice; Priceline didn’t lie when they said it was a 4-star so everything is tidy and new. After a short break to unpack and regroup, we hopped back on the metro and headed out to see the Trevi Fountain. It was packed but we managed to take a few pictures before walking down the steps to throw in our coins for good luck and a return to Rome someday.
I received a phone call from my friend Robert and we agreed to meet at the Coliseum at 6:30 p.m. for drinks – that gave us about an hour to see the Spanish Steps and pick up our tickets to see the Pope tomorrow at the Church of Santa Susanna. Mass is set to be indoors and we were told by the priest to arrive at least two hours ahead of the 10:30 a.m. start time. So it will be another early morning for us tomorrow!
We successfully navigated the metro to meet Robert at our set time. He had hoped to take us to an Irish Pub but we couldn’t find it as hoped and opted for a nice little café with a beautiful view of the Coliseum across the street. It was fantastic to see Robert, since I haven’t seen him since we were in high school at AFNORTH. He is doing well working at the UN here in Rome and hopes to continue work with a non-contract position. Very nice, I can’t help but be a little jealous he is still overseas and I’m back in the U.S. – I was born on the wrong continent, what can I say?
Following drinks and tapas we took a walk around the Coliseum before saying goodbye for the evening. If schedules allow, we’ll meet up with Robert again tomorrow to either visit him at the UN or to have pizza and wine (either option sounds great to me!).
Now back at our hotel room, it’s time to get situated and somewhat unpacked since we’ll be here for more than one night.
I hope to have more pictures posted tomorrow after mass with the Pope!
Leaving London...
I have about 20 minutes until the cab arrives at 6 a.m. (1 a.m. Raleigh time) to take us to the Liverpool St. Station so we can head to the airport by train. I suppose I should pack...
Monday, September 21, 2009
From Balleroy to Paris
Well, if the drive from the Dinard airport in France to Balleroy wasn't clue enough about the drama of road trips without a GPS, today's trip to Paris was an eye-opening experience in WHAT NEVER TO DO AGAIN.
As stated earlier, we had no GPS in our rental car. The good bit was that the giant "Paris" signs on the highways are very obvious and frequent, so the first leg of the trip wasn't bad at all.
With the good, comes the bad, and getting into Paris to drop the rental car at Gare du Nord was nothing but bad. So just when we thought things were going well we took the wrong highway and that sent us on a wild goose chase into the city.
We ended up at a toll road that was entirely underground and once we got into what was starting to sound familiar Dad was swerving around bikes, motorcycles, and buses - he ended up going down a street that was one way and in the wrong direction of course. And to make matters more stressful, there were two French police officers on motorcycles waiting at the next intersection. The two officers yelled in French and Dad did his best "I don't speak French and I don't understand your streets" face - and thankfully the officers just assisted us in making a U-turn rather than handing us a citation.
About 1.5 hours later we made it to Gare du Nord (which should have been a 10-minute drive from the highway exit), but then couldn't figure out where to drop our rental car in the parking garage, add on another 30 minutes and we finally just double parked in the Avis lot where Mom and I abandoned Dad with the luggage to find someone to help. Thankfully that was the right move to make, as we found the Avis desk in the train station and were able to leave the car where we had parked illegally (our things were out after that and the keys turned in, who cares what happened next!).
Even though we were far behind schedule, Mom was still insistent that we try and take the metro to the Eiffel Tower since Dad has never seen it. This too was not a wise choice and after buying 3 round trip tickets to the tower and back, we went to the metro and ended up turning around to return to the train station (the last thing we needed at this point was to miss our train to London).
So, with about 1.5 hours until we needed to board the train to London, we walked up to the street outside the station to find a place to eat (AND drink after a car ride like that). Mom and Dad ordered giant (100 cl) beers and I had the smallest one I could order. I didn't like anything on the menu and as we were in Paris I couldn't leave the city without having my favorite ham and cheese crepe.
I was lucky enough to find a small stand about 5 blocks from where Mom and Dad had stayed to eat lunch. My crepe was perfect and that made just about all of the day's stress leave my system (the beer helped too).
The train to London was uneventful, which we all needed. The EuroStar took about 2 hours to arrive in London and we made our way to Knightsbridge as soon as we got off the train.
This evening, just a short time ago, we went to Covent Garden and had dinner at my favorite pasta restaurant in the world - Pasta Brown. I've been going there since I was 13 and I couldn't imagine not eating there if I'm in town! I had a wonderful penne with sun-dried tomato pesto and arugula.
I just got out of the shower and am very comfortable in my PJs as I get ready for bed this evening. We have a taxi coming to pick us up at 6 a.m. so that Mom and I can get to the airport to catch our flight to Rome.
Now, it's off to bed...
As stated earlier, we had no GPS in our rental car. The good bit was that the giant "Paris" signs on the highways are very obvious and frequent, so the first leg of the trip wasn't bad at all.
With the good, comes the bad, and getting into Paris to drop the rental car at Gare du Nord was nothing but bad. So just when we thought things were going well we took the wrong highway and that sent us on a wild goose chase into the city.
We ended up at a toll road that was entirely underground and once we got into what was starting to sound familiar Dad was swerving around bikes, motorcycles, and buses - he ended up going down a street that was one way and in the wrong direction of course. And to make matters more stressful, there were two French police officers on motorcycles waiting at the next intersection. The two officers yelled in French and Dad did his best "I don't speak French and I don't understand your streets" face - and thankfully the officers just assisted us in making a U-turn rather than handing us a citation.
About 1.5 hours later we made it to Gare du Nord (which should have been a 10-minute drive from the highway exit), but then couldn't figure out where to drop our rental car in the parking garage, add on another 30 minutes and we finally just double parked in the Avis lot where Mom and I abandoned Dad with the luggage to find someone to help. Thankfully that was the right move to make, as we found the Avis desk in the train station and were able to leave the car where we had parked illegally (our things were out after that and the keys turned in, who cares what happened next!).
Even though we were far behind schedule, Mom was still insistent that we try and take the metro to the Eiffel Tower since Dad has never seen it. This too was not a wise choice and after buying 3 round trip tickets to the tower and back, we went to the metro and ended up turning around to return to the train station (the last thing we needed at this point was to miss our train to London).
So, with about 1.5 hours until we needed to board the train to London, we walked up to the street outside the station to find a place to eat (AND drink after a car ride like that). Mom and Dad ordered giant (100 cl) beers and I had the smallest one I could order. I didn't like anything on the menu and as we were in Paris I couldn't leave the city without having my favorite ham and cheese crepe.
I was lucky enough to find a small stand about 5 blocks from where Mom and Dad had stayed to eat lunch. My crepe was perfect and that made just about all of the day's stress leave my system (the beer helped too).
The train to London was uneventful, which we all needed. The EuroStar took about 2 hours to arrive in London and we made our way to Knightsbridge as soon as we got off the train.
This evening, just a short time ago, we went to Covent Garden and had dinner at my favorite pasta restaurant in the world - Pasta Brown. I've been going there since I was 13 and I couldn't imagine not eating there if I'm in town! I had a wonderful penne with sun-dried tomato pesto and arugula.
I just got out of the shower and am very comfortable in my PJs as I get ready for bed this evening. We have a taxi coming to pick us up at 6 a.m. so that Mom and I can get to the airport to catch our flight to Rome.
Now, it's off to bed...
Breakfast and into the car for Paris....
Time for breakfast! I'm packed except for my computer, so I'll go ahead and say good morning before we drive off to Paris.
The next time I should post will either be in Paris or from the train.
Thanks for reading!
P.S. I'm still losing the game of Gin against my Mom - argh!
The next time I should post will either be in Paris or from the train.
Thanks for reading!
P.S. I'm still losing the game of Gin against my Mom - argh!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Mont St. Michel
This morning we had breakfast a little later than yesterday and we were joined with another visitor of the B&B, Ken, and his wife. They are from California and really neat people (for my HR peeps reading this blog, Ken created and sold HR metrics companies earlier in his career, he said he’d school me if I wanted to learn), so we enjoyed our conversations before we all left to take on the day.
A place that has been dear in my Mom’s heart for a very long time is Mont St. Michel. It is basically an island with a causeway that is also a huge mountain with a Monastery on top and in winds down to the coast of the land with buildings that have now been transformed into hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, and souvenir shops. It is really something that is hard to believe exists even when you’re staring right at the mountainous island land mass.
Today also happened to be the second highest and lowest tides of the year; so in addition to that just looking cool there were many religious pilgrims that came to walk out onto the sand an easy ¾ mile distance from the island to pray, chant, and sing. You don’t see that in Raleigh, huh?
So like I said, the Monastery is on the top of this mountain. We took an audio tour since today visitors entered free. I took a load of pictures, all which will hopefully be uploaded by Monday evening UK time, so around lunch for all my readers. On our way down we stopped in a few shops, I picked up some French sea salt for cooking when I get home, but other than that there was a lot of tourist junk. The restaurants looked nice enough but because we decided to eat late, lunch was no longer being served, so we just stopped for sandwiches on our way back to the B&B.
I’d easily go and visit Mont St. Michel again if the opportunity presents itself. It is just an incredible feat of architecture and design that something so complicated could be built and still exists today on such nonconventional piece of land.
We’re having breakfast with the other B&B visitors tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. and then we’re all leaving for Paris. I hope that this final car ride it’s excruciatingly painful as the right here was, but at least I’m in the back seat and can try to fall asleep if it starts to get ugly.
If we leave after breakfast as planned, we should have 5-6 hours in Paris before we take the train (EuroStar) back to London where we will arrive just in time for dinner.
I am hoping that George and Sarah will be available for dinner – so if you’re reading this, please call or text so we can figure out a time to get together.
Now, a little game of Gin with my Mom before we head to bed… We’ve been playing before bed each nice in France and while I lead the first night, she’s seriously whipping me now. Wish me luck!
A place that has been dear in my Mom’s heart for a very long time is Mont St. Michel. It is basically an island with a causeway that is also a huge mountain with a Monastery on top and in winds down to the coast of the land with buildings that have now been transformed into hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, and souvenir shops. It is really something that is hard to believe exists even when you’re staring right at the mountainous island land mass.
Today also happened to be the second highest and lowest tides of the year; so in addition to that just looking cool there were many religious pilgrims that came to walk out onto the sand an easy ¾ mile distance from the island to pray, chant, and sing. You don’t see that in Raleigh, huh?
So like I said, the Monastery is on the top of this mountain. We took an audio tour since today visitors entered free. I took a load of pictures, all which will hopefully be uploaded by Monday evening UK time, so around lunch for all my readers. On our way down we stopped in a few shops, I picked up some French sea salt for cooking when I get home, but other than that there was a lot of tourist junk. The restaurants looked nice enough but because we decided to eat late, lunch was no longer being served, so we just stopped for sandwiches on our way back to the B&B.
I’d easily go and visit Mont St. Michel again if the opportunity presents itself. It is just an incredible feat of architecture and design that something so complicated could be built and still exists today on such nonconventional piece of land.
We’re having breakfast with the other B&B visitors tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. and then we’re all leaving for Paris. I hope that this final car ride it’s excruciatingly painful as the right here was, but at least I’m in the back seat and can try to fall asleep if it starts to get ugly.
If we leave after breakfast as planned, we should have 5-6 hours in Paris before we take the train (EuroStar) back to London where we will arrive just in time for dinner.
I am hoping that George and Sarah will be available for dinner – so if you’re reading this, please call or text so we can figure out a time to get together.
Now, a little game of Gin with my Mom before we head to bed… We’ve been playing before bed each nice in France and while I lead the first night, she’s seriously whipping me now. Wish me luck!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Beaches of Normandy
Today we woke and had breakfast at 8 a.m. and it consisted of juice, yogurt (the most delicious and non-yogurty tasting Raspberry yogurt I have ever tasted, we have it VERY
wrong in America…they need this recipe), an egg, and a chocolate croissant (yes, we had a choice and I chose right with chocolate for breakfast!).
We drove about an hour to the American Cemetery in Normandy. There was a beautiful visitor’s center that had been built since my parent’s last visit, so we looked at the pictures of soldiers who were killed and survived the lengthy battle.
Once we had spent enough time wandering through the graves, we slowly and carefully made the hike down to Omaha Beach. It was incredible to imagine the soldiers climbing their way to the top of the hill through the thick brush and strong tide. Amazing.
For our next stop, we went to Sainte-Mère-Église. This church is famous because during WW II soldiers parachuted into the city, accidentally, and one had his parachute caught on the church’s steeple. The church still has a dummy and parachute hanging from the steeple – the people of the town are very thankful for the Americans and many shops lining the streets around the church sell American flags, 82nd Airborne souvenirs, and other US paraphernalia. We stopped in at a local bar where we all bad beers and I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch (with frites of course!). There was even a picture of a Special Forces soldier that used to work for dad on the mantle of the fireplace – small world.
Dad went to the war museum when we finished lunch while Mom and I wandered in and out of shops (I didn’t buy anything).
Pointe de Hoc, where the US Rangers scaled the cliffs with ropes to attack the Germans, is such an odd but fascinating stop. The US ships and aircrafts dropped bombs along the coastline to attack the Germans. So when you are standing on the coast where the battle took place, the land looks more like the surface of the moon with craters than any place on earth I have ever seen.
Our final stop for the day’s excursion was Utah Beach. Unlike at Omaha Beach where the tide was high and we could just barely walk along the shore, at Utah Beach the tide was low and we walked out about ½ mile. We found a group of oyster farmers tending to the oyster beds and while we wandered I picked up a couple of neat shells I hope to bring back with me to Raleigh. As of right now, since they were still alive with I found them, the shells stink (yes, I did take the little creatures out with sticks)…so I will have to wait and see how that one goes.
We made it back to Balleroy in time to have a late dinner at a local restaurant before returning to the B&B for the night.
Whew! Hopefully I will sleep better tonight now that my body is a little more used to the time change.
wrong in America…they need this recipe), an egg, and a chocolate croissant (yes, we had a choice and I chose right with chocolate for breakfast!).
We drove about an hour to the American Cemetery in Normandy. There was a beautiful visitor’s center that had been built since my parent’s last visit, so we looked at the pictures of soldiers who were killed and survived the lengthy battle.
After walking through the center, we made our way to the cemetery and I can only compare it to what it felt like for me to be in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. There were crosses for as far as the eye could see, and mixed in among the crosses were Stars of David for those Jewish soldiers that were killed in the war.
Once we had spent enough time wandering through the graves, we slowly and carefully made the hike down to Omaha Beach. It was incredible to imagine the soldiers climbing their way to the top of the hill through the thick brush and strong tide. Amazing. For our next stop, we went to Sainte-Mère-Église. This church is famous because during WW II soldiers parachuted into the city, accidentally, and one had his parachute caught on the church’s steeple. The church still has a dummy and parachute hanging from the steeple – the people of the town are very thankful for the Americans and many shops lining the streets around the church sell American flags, 82nd Airborne souvenirs, and other US paraphernalia. We stopped in at a local bar where we all bad beers and I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch (with frites of course!). There was even a picture of a Special Forces soldier that used to work for dad on the mantle of the fireplace – small world.Dad went to the war museum when we finished lunch while Mom and I wandered in and out of shops (I didn’t buy anything).Pointe de Hoc, where the US Rangers scaled the cliffs with ropes to attack the Germans, is such an odd but fascinating stop. The US ships and aircrafts dropped bombs along the coastline to attack the Germans. So when you are standing on the coast where the battle took place, the land looks more like the surface of the moon with craters than any place on earth I have ever seen.
Our final stop for the day’s excursion was Utah Beach. Unlike at Omaha Beach where the tide was high and we could just barely walk along the shore, at Utah Beach the tide was low and we walked out about ½ mile. We found a group of oyster farmers tending to the oyster beds and while we wandered I picked up a couple of neat shells I hope to bring back with me to Raleigh. As of right now, since they were still alive with I found them, the shells stink (yes, I did take the little creatures out with sticks)…so I will have to wait and see how that one goes.We made it back to Balleroy in time to have a late dinner at a local restaurant before returning to the B&B for the night.Whew! Hopefully I will sleep better tonight now that my body is a little more used to the time change.
Friday, September 18, 2009
B&B in Balleroy
This evening we made it to the B&B in a very small village called Balleroy. There is an old castle here that is owned by the Forbes family. Evidently old man Forbes was a great guy who loved to visit this town in France and would frequent the local pub, greet his neighbors, and dote on his house staff. Everything we’ve discovered about his children, since his passing, is quite bland – they fly in on a private jet at Christmas to give out the Christmas bonus to the house staff and then roll out of town. So much for making good of the family name; it’s such a shame, the castle is so beautiful.
Mom and Dad have a room on the third floor which is really like an attic room to any of us Americans. It has a tiny door, like the one in “Alice In Wonderland” that you have to duck and squat through to enter the bedroom. I’m luckier with a room downstairs with two twin beds and plenty of room to spread out my things. While I don’t have a bathroom attached to my room, there’s one down the hall that I have all to myself.
That’s all for tonight, it’s time for some allergy medicine and a good night’s sleep.
Mom and Dad have a room on the third floor which is really like an attic room to any of us Americans. It has a tiny door, like the one in “Alice In Wonderland” that you have to duck and squat through to enter the bedroom. I’m luckier with a room downstairs with two twin beds and plenty of room to spread out my things. While I don’t have a bathroom attached to my room, there’s one down the hall that I have all to myself.
That’s all for tonight, it’s time for some allergy medicine and a good night’s sleep.
"What did we do before we had GPS?"
You know, I hear people asking themselves and others the question: "What did we do before we had GPS?"
I used to wonder myself having always remembered having Map Quest, Map Blast, or Google Maps of some form ever since I could drive.
Having not been on a family road trip since that time, I have now experienced such a situation and know the answer to the often posed question.
So what did we do before GPS?
WE FOUGHT!
Let me just note in this post that I have no desire to ever go on another road trip where my Dad is the designated driver in a place that he is not completely familiar with on every level possible.
In order to partake on the next overseas adventure with my parents, my Mom has threatened me with the fact that I MUST learn how to drive a stick shift if I want to take another trip as a family.
Evidently if I drive, none of this bickering would have happened.
Whew, now I really wish I had felt comfortable driving a car with standard transmission...this trip requires earplugs if we're in the car.
I used to wonder myself having always remembered having Map Quest, Map Blast, or Google Maps of some form ever since I could drive.
Having not been on a family road trip since that time, I have now experienced such a situation and know the answer to the often posed question.
So what did we do before GPS?
WE FOUGHT!
Let me just note in this post that I have no desire to ever go on another road trip where my Dad is the designated driver in a place that he is not completely familiar with on every level possible.
In order to partake on the next overseas adventure with my parents, my Mom has threatened me with the fact that I MUST learn how to drive a stick shift if I want to take another trip as a family.
Evidently if I drive, none of this bickering would have happened.
Whew, now I really wish I had felt comfortable driving a car with standard transmission...this trip requires earplugs if we're in the car.
Trains, Planes and Automobiles (In that order)
We left the hotel this morning after I chose to sleep in for breakfast while giving myself just enough time to stop into Harrods for a cheese scone, my favorite and only 39 pence (so less than $1 – beat that Starbucks!).
Mom and I had to find a way to compact our luggage from three items (purse, carry on bag, and checked back) to two (carry on and checked bag), so we did our best to make the temporary changes to not have to pay an extra bag fee with Ryan Air and all three of us were off – dragging our luggage through the tube stations until we reached the Liverpool Street station where we picked up the Stansted Express train that would bring us to the airport.
As usual, with my Dad in tow, we were incredibly early in checking in so we spent time wandering through the Duty Free shops and sat down at the airport bar for beers and a snack before our flight to France. We picked up lunch at Pret A Manger to bring on the plane and by the time we decided to walk down to our gate it was time to board.
The flight to France was just under an hour and we landed 5-minutes before we were due to arrive. The trouble began there when it took over an hour of waiting in line at the Avis counter for our rental car. Mom had requested a GPS, but for some reason they couldn’t find one for us, or a map (Mom: Do you have a map? Avis Jerk: No, I have no map for you). Customer service, ahhh, welcome to France.
We did finally get a car, and after Dad figured out the parking break we were off on a 2-hour drive to Balleroy.
Mom and I had to find a way to compact our luggage from three items (purse, carry on bag, and checked back) to two (carry on and checked bag), so we did our best to make the temporary changes to not have to pay an extra bag fee with Ryan Air and all three of us were off – dragging our luggage through the tube stations until we reached the Liverpool Street station where we picked up the Stansted Express train that would bring us to the airport.
As usual, with my Dad in tow, we were incredibly early in checking in so we spent time wandering through the Duty Free shops and sat down at the airport bar for beers and a snack before our flight to France. We picked up lunch at Pret A Manger to bring on the plane and by the time we decided to walk down to our gate it was time to board.
The flight to France was just under an hour and we landed 5-minutes before we were due to arrive. The trouble began there when it took over an hour of waiting in line at the Avis counter for our rental car. Mom had requested a GPS, but for some reason they couldn’t find one for us, or a map (Mom: Do you have a map? Avis Jerk: No, I have no map for you). Customer service, ahhh, welcome to France.
We did finally get a car, and after Dad figured out the parking break we were off on a 2-hour drive to Balleroy.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
How about a nice ride?
Staying in Knightsbridge has exposed me to quite a few nice cars in just one afternoon alone. I haven't seen one car with a dent or flaw!
Perhaps a bit of rest is in order
Dad too made it safely to meet us at the club this afternoon. He wanted to go to Harrods to pick up a snack and then Mom and I were off to Bond Street/Oxford Street to visit M&S to check for good sales. Sadly, we left with nothing but two sandwiches, one for Mom and one for Dad, and sparkling water. We made our way back to Knightsbridge and I finally got the sushi I've been craving at Yo! Sushi.
My parents and I had every intention of stopping into a nearby pub for after dinner drinks, but when we finally made our way there the pub was so full we couldn't even open the door without hitting one of the patrons. It appeared that there was some sort of wedding reception going on, so we walked a bit more before deciding to return to the club for the night.
We leave for Normandy tomorrow afternoon, but should have time to wander a bit before we need to head to the airport.
After only having about 2 hours of sleep in the last two days, I'm going to call it a night! But first I need to show you how nice it was this evening on our walk...
Knightsbridge
After hauling bags through trains and underground cars, we have finally made it to the S.F. Club in Knightsbridge.
Mom and I are still waiting for Dad to arrive (he should be here about 2 p.m. London time), so we're considering finding something to eat and possibly some coffee to help us stay up seeing as it is 5:45 a.m. in Raleigh right now.
Short and sweet - we made it to London safe and sound! More to come later!
Mom and I are still waiting for Dad to arrive (he should be here about 2 p.m. London time), so we're considering finding something to eat and possibly some coffee to help us stay up seeing as it is 5:45 a.m. in Raleigh right now.
Short and sweet - we made it to London safe and sound! More to come later!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
BOS-tunk
It is a few minutes past 5pm and I am now in Terminal E at BOS. This is the most chaotic and unorganized terminal I have ever been to in my years of traveling. There was one line for security that had at least 200 people winding through the check in areas to get to their gates. I noticed an “Expert” line for Business and First class travelers that couldn’t even be seen in the mass of travelers, so I took it rather than wait with the others. I made it all the way to the front, the TSA woman took my boarding pass and passport, and I had my shoes back on before 3 people in the regular line had been ushered through the metal detectors. Sometimes you just have to be a little ballsy; it paid off for me this time!
Now that I’ve located a power cord to plug in my laptop and cell phone, I just have to wait patiently until it’s time to board and I can find my mom. Her cell is turned off, otherwise I’d let her in on my secret short line.
Also interesting to note, I asked about an upgrade to first class. I was in luck, a $1400 special! Evidently there is more than one definition for the word “special”…
Now that I’ve located a power cord to plug in my laptop and cell phone, I just have to wait patiently until it’s time to board and I can find my mom. Her cell is turned off, otherwise I’d let her in on my secret short line.
Also interesting to note, I asked about an upgrade to first class. I was in luck, a $1400 special! Evidently there is more than one definition for the word “special”…
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Too many things to do, not enough focus to complete anything...
Well, the time for my trip has finally arrived. I am so excited, I can't pack! I'm trying to distract myself with homework and laundry, but so far only the washing machine is doing work.
I've taken out my passport, two empty suitcases sit open on my bedroom floor, and that's about it for now.
Sadly, my Dell Mini laptop is still in the repair shop (seeing "operating system not found" is every laptop owner's dream, right? Thank God it was still under warranty!) and it will not be making the international flight. I'll have to do with it's older sibling that has as battery that lasts long enough to microwave a Lean Cuisine before needing to be plugged in again. This should be interesting!
I am all checked in for tomorrow's flights. When I land in Boston, I have the extreme pleasure of meeting up with my friend Maura who used to live in Raleigh. A 5-hour layover has never been something I've looked forward to, but seeing Maura is going to be great.
As for the remainder of this evening, I'm foreseeing midnight and 1 a.m. flash before my eyes and not my eyelids. Here's to hoping productivity on some level finds me soon!
I've taken out my passport, two empty suitcases sit open on my bedroom floor, and that's about it for now.
Sadly, my Dell Mini laptop is still in the repair shop (seeing "operating system not found" is every laptop owner's dream, right? Thank God it was still under warranty!) and it will not be making the international flight. I'll have to do with it's older sibling that has as battery that lasts long enough to microwave a Lean Cuisine before needing to be plugged in again. This should be interesting!
I am all checked in for tomorrow's flights. When I land in Boston, I have the extreme pleasure of meeting up with my friend Maura who used to live in Raleigh. A 5-hour layover has never been something I've looked forward to, but seeing Maura is going to be great.
As for the remainder of this evening, I'm foreseeing midnight and 1 a.m. flash before my eyes and not my eyelids. Here's to hoping productivity on some level finds me soon!
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