Going to Vienna

Leaving Paris

Took our time getting up this morning. The plan was to go down and recon the train stations and then tour the cemetery for Jim Morrison's grave.  I decided to look up and see exactly where the grave was located in the graveyard. Lo and behold, this is not where he was buried.  Somehow, someone gave us the wrong info and we just assumed it was right.  He is buried over by the cemetery near the Bastille.  With that out of the way, this gave us a bit more time for catching up on emails and trying to get our stuff together for this Vienna biking excursion.  I am bit concerned because the info that we got when we signed up doesn't seem to jive with what I received a day before we left the country and didn't really get a chance to go through.  Geoff is not worried - Geoff never worries.

Anyway, we did perform our mission of finding the train station that will take us to the airport this afternoon.  It was a bit further than we thought. We noticed that a bus that stopped on a corner near our hotel goes right to the station.  Fabulous, no schelping through the Metro or hauling stuff through the crowded streets.  Happy with ourselves for getting that together, we decided to do a quick tour of the cemetery. A mix of all faiths are here - many famous people along with people lost during the war. Took a few photos of the more interesting stones we found.  We saw as much as we had time for then went to lunch.  Popped into the neighborhood brassiere for a bagette sandwich - wrapped up half for the afternoon travel excursion.

Got back to the room in time for the 2pm check-out (which we were very grateful for) ad it was off to the bus stop.  Made it to the RER just in time for the train to Charles De Gaulle Airport.  We weren't sure which terminal we were headed for when Geoff spotted a young man with wings on his lapel.  Paolo, turned out to work for Air France and was very helpful and friendly.  We chatted the whole way to the airport.  Found our terminal and it was pretty smooth sailing until we hit Vienna.  By now it was 7:30.  There was confusion about getting the train to the hotel and then we just said uncle and got a taxi.  Had a great driver who gave us a mini tour of the city at night.  The ride was worth every penny.  We are now at our other freebie hotel, which I do not recommend.  We are only here for one night so it is not that bad.  It does happen to be very clean and that is a big plus. Tomorrow we go to the hotel where we meet up with our other biking companions. 

Just called "Big Brother" - it was good to hear his voice.

Next time ... Exploring Vienna

Versailles - Not So Much

NOTE:  New photo album:  Paris Part 2

Woke up to brilliant sunshine, which was a welcomed change of pace for us.  We took our time enjoying the luxury of not having to be anywhere. There will be plenty of that next week when we are back on the bikes. The first decision was Versailles or no Versailles.  We thought about the getting there, the crowds, and all that endless opulence, and decided to stay in the city and do some more sightseeing at our own pace.  Besides, after seeing what they did to the Louvre after 40 years, I wasn't too thrilled to see what has happened to the Palace - probably surrounded by Starbucks and MacDonalds.  That settled, we had a GREAT day!

After a quick yogurt and coffee in the room and  a leisurely shower, we were ready to hit the pavement.  Today the plan was to start out at Sacred Coeur, high on the hill at Montmartre.  As we were going to the bus stop, the aroma from the pastry shop beckoned us and we just had to have a morning cafe with a little something.  Got on the bus which took us passed the Louvre - good thing we went in the late afternoon yesterday.  This morning the place was crawling with people.  The line to get in was wrapped around outside for what seemed like miles.  We weren't sure which stop to get out and we wound up a bit further a field then we had planned.  This turned out to be a good thing.  Had a nice quiet stroll up to the church - no tourists.  We wound up at the back end and had to walk around - Bam!  That's where all the tourists were.  Not too interested in fighting the hoards, we took some pix, enjoyed the view.  Opted for a crepe and fries for lunch and sat down on a bench at the bottom of the hill.  Had to walk through the crowds to get down to the avenue to figure out our next stop - the Moulin Rouge.

Walking down the Boulevard de Clichy - which has a lovely walking path down the center, we passed through Place Pigalle (getting it's name from Pig Alley).  This part of town is lined with sex shops and I don't have to say what else.  Got to the Moulin Rouge, sneaked a peek inside and took some more stupid tourist pix.

Next on our list was the Opera House, which is the largest theater for lyric opera in the world.  Apparently everyone was at the churches because there weren't too many folks at the Opera House.  This place is amazing.  They were doing rehearsals and we caught a few lighting changes.  We took our time and enjoyed the view from the terrace, as well as being able to see where to catch our next bus.  Leaving the Opera House, I bought two small paintings from a very nice artist.  I hope he actually painted them and they were not made in China!

Our last stop was the Rodin Museum Gardens.  Again we (I) sort of miscalculated our bus route and we wound up walking a ways through St. Germain-Pres.  Not bad, since we hadn't hit this area before.  Took mainly back streets and came across some lovely neighborhoods.  Made it to the museum a little after 4pm.  Admission for the garden is only 1 euro  and well worth it.  At the end of the day, it is great to walk around, take in the sculptures, have a cafe, and put your feet up and relax on the chaises.  Today they were gearing up for a big dinner for the delegates from Azerbaijan.  The gates close at 5:45 and that was just perfect for us.  We went out to the main boulevard and caught the Metro 13 directly to our hotel!  One last stop for some morning croissants and we are now back in the room.

Headed out to a small restaurant in our neighborhood  that I found on the internet for dinner which specializes in Southern French cooking.  Unfortunately, it was too small and the place was packed.  Can't get in till 9pm.  We walked a bit further down the through the many outdoor bistros and turned down a side street.  Found another South of France restaurant that seemed very good.  The menu looked great.  Geoff had this cold meat salad that had duck stuffed with fois gras, a slice of  loaf guinea hen loaf, and a hambone.  I ordered the Coqu au Vin made the traditional way with rooster and scalloped potatoes with a small salad.  A delicious real French country dinner.  We are getting much better at picking dining options.  Stay away from the main drags!!

After dinner, we went to the Montparnasse Tower which is right down the street.  It is 210 meters high and has 360 degree views of the city.  The elevator goes up 56 stories in 38 seconds.  So we have more night shots of the City of Lights.  Don't think we would have gone out of our way to go up here but since it was in the neighborhood it was a cool thing to do.  The restaurant is being renovated otherwise we might have eaten at the top.  However, we were pretty pleased with our meal.  Stopped at the market one more time on the way back for a  yogurt for dessert and the morning to add to our croissants.

We are very used to being in Paris and getting around now.  It all feels very comfortable, which means that it must be time to go. All in all I'd say we did great on our own, We were never stressed with crowds or lines.  Our location also turned out to be very convenient.  It was great being close to buses, trains, and the metro plus having access to all the cafes and restaurants.  Our flight to Vienna tomorrow is not until 5:35, the hotel will let us check out at 2:00 which is great.  We have saved one more event for our last day.  This hotel borders the Montparnasse Cemetery which houses Jim Morrison's grave.  We will wonder through there after breakfast.  Have lunch and then be off to yet another country, language, and culture.

Next time.... Vienna

City Lights

WOW! What a day - lunch at the Eiffel Tower and dinner at the Louvre.  Sounds terribly romantic, but honestly, we are so exhausted we can hardly move.  But I am getting ahead of myself.

Breakfast was in our room this morning.  The plan for the day was to try to stay out all day and see the city lights at night.  The first stop was the Eiffel Tower.  Walked down to the Gare and hopped on the bus. We got close enough to walk.  It was still relatively early, so the crowds weren't that bad.  Bought a ticket for the summit.  Lucky to have the sunshine for the views.  Stopped on the 2nd floor on the way up and then stopped at the 1st level coming down.  Here they show a film of the tower and have lots of information about this structure.  1710 stairs to the top!  That beats the Bruges Bell Tower's 366.  Ate lunch at the 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant and had a cafe toast to Deidre's 40th birthday.  Walked all the way down to the ground level and headed out for our next stop.

It was back on the bus to the Champs de Elysees.  Walked up to the Arc d' Triumph and hung out there for a bit.  No desire to go in and walk up to the top.  The Louvre was next.  This time we took the Metro because we couldn't quite figure out the bus route and the big M was right there.  Well a lot has certainly changed in the 40 years I last saw the Louvre.  I have to say I am not a fan of the Pyramids.  We are learning that the French are a bit unorganized. We bought our tickets in a small shop in the underground on the way up to the museum.  No one ever checked them!  There were signs everywhere saying no flash photography and people were flashing away like crazy.  We found the same kind of disorganization at the Eiffel Tower as well.  It was chaos moving the crowds of people to and from the elevators.  Anyway, back to the art.  Yes we saw a lot of it and most of the highlights.  Check out the Paris photo album for new pix.

Leaving the museum, we ended up at the Tuileries Garden and sat down with a cafe.  We were beat.  Walked down to the fountain and put our feet up.  We made our way down to the Concorde where the Egyptian Oblisk sits in the middle of the intersection.  There is a nice overlook where we sat some more and just enjoyed the sunshine. One of the great things about this city is that there are chairs and benches everywhere.  It was getting on to dinner time, so we strolled back to the gardens and sat at a cafe.  Geoff had the fish of the day which turned out to be skate.  He loved it.  I had the onion soup.  Got back to our perch in time to catch the sunset going down by the Eiffel Tower - 1/2 hour later the skies darkened and the city lights popped on.  What a sight.  Geoff went nuts trying to get some decent shots.  As we were going to the bus, the Tower started this disco light thing and lit up like a Christmas tree.  Crazy.

Caught the bus and made it back to the hotel in 15 minutes.  Decided to do some laundry in the bathtub.  They have these nice towel warmers which are great for drying clothes.  Tucked into bed now waiting a bit and will try to call Deidre to wish her a Happy Birthday.

Next time ...Versailles?

In Seine

Fell  asleep at around 10pm and then we were both up at 1:30am.  Hey, the Pats are playing the Dolphins! We were able to stream the game on our trusty netbook.  I made it to just past half time and G got through the whole 3rd quarter, when he knew they were on their way to victory for sure.  It was pretty neat being able to see it live.

Back up at around 8am and first order of business was to get yet another room.  I won't go into details but that room was marginally functional.  The bed was great but after that nothing worked.  Luckily, they transferred us to the same side of the building and this room feels like a suite compared to the other one.  Needed to kill time so they could make up the new room, so we headed out to breakfast.  Lots of bread, wrapped up the left over croissants for tomorrow.   On the way back, I decided it was time for a hair cut.  One of the problems with these long trips is that my hair turns into a mop!  So I now have a Paris do - very short - should hold me till I get home.  Not as short as the Fiji cut but close.

Quickly changed rooms and we were off  to explore Paris!  We charted a walking plan through the back streets down to Notre Dame, going through the Luxemburg Gardens and stopping for a photo-op at the palace.  The Pantheon was also in our path.  Arrived at the left bank with Notre Dame towering across the river.  Walked around and decided it was as good a time as any for a Jerry B. tribute in the Seine.  Across the way, we saw the Hotel de Ville looming.  This houses the administration.  Took a stroll around there to see what we could see.  Turned out there is a big shopping mall right there.  Shopping is crazy in this town.

While the rest of the tourists are crowding the many, many churches, we found yet another Jewish History Museum.  It was a great presentation of not only French Jews but all European and Russian Jews.  This also tied in with our printing museum, see the first Torahs printed.  Our Picasso experience talked of many of the artists that were in France at the time of the war - Chagall being one.  Most of them settled in the area where we are staying, Montparnasse.  All of these museums and exhibits have been off the beaten path with not so many tourists and certainly no lines.  It is rather refreshing.  However, tomorrow we take on the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower!

It was after 4 by the time we got out and decided to get back.  Being on the other side of the city, thought it would be best to use our transport card instead of walking.  Both pairs of feet were pretty beat.  Actually found a bus that took us straight to the hotel.  Much more civilized than the Metro plus you get to see stuff.  The bus left us off at the Gare Montparnasse, which is a huge train station.  Looked around in there hoping to get some information on how to get to the airport on Friday, but it was after 5 and info was closed.  Stopped off at the supermarket for the makings of breakfast in our room - so we don't have to keep spending mega euros just for bread and coffee.  All we need now is a spoon!  Probably "pick" one or two up at dinner tonight.

Time to shower and head for the streets but first we called Geoff's dad since today is his birthday.  Another great tool from the netbook.  Our dinner decision making is getting a bit better.  Tonight it only took us about an hour to pick a spot that looked like what we wanted.  What we wanted was escargot.  Wound up a place just down the street.  We dined inside instead of with the smokers who sit outside at the little cafe tables on the street.  They were even playing French music.  We shared an order of fabulous snails with a wonderful goat cheese salad. After dinner we headed down through our little theater district for some gelato so that we could keep the spoons for breakfast.

Back at the ranch all tucked in, I turn on the computer and Richard B. is skyping me from Venice.  He is one of the folks joining us in Vienna for the next leg of our journey.  While I was on skype, I noticed Linda, my friend in Switzerland, was on - so I skyped her and we chatted for a bit about Paris and Italy. She had just gotten back from Sicily.  Going to turn in now, hoping to have lunch at the Eiffel Tower for Deidre's birthday!

Next time ... More Paris

The Left Bank

Sitting on the high speed Thalys train to Paris from Brussels right now.  Having just finished our lunch courtesy of our B&B. Since the Europeans serve cold cuts and cheese not to mention mounds of every kind of bread with their breakfast, we are getting really good at smuggling out sandwiches. Although, our hostess looked at us a bit odd when we asked for mustard yesterday.  She remarked "That's different!"

We watched a movie on the laptop last night. Had a good night's sleep. No one else at the B&B to make any noise.  After breakfast, we packed up our stuff and made sure that we knew where we were going and the connections to make. Also how to get to our Paris hotel from the train station.  Said our goodbyes to Jane and hiked down to the station. Boarded an earlier train to Brussels then we had originally planned.  This left us with a little more time to figure out where to go to get the Paris train in Brussels.  Figured it all out without too much trouble.  The train was already at the track, found our seats and viola!  We are on our way.  The ride is only about 1:30 hours.

The weather was rather bleak when we left Bruges but as we travel, the skies appear to be getting brighter.  Or maybe I am willing them to be brighter.  Leaving behind the beer, chocolate, frites, and wafels, we are looking forward to arriving in Paris for another leg of our European adventure.

Would love to hear from any of our barge pals to know if you made it back home OK.

later...

Got to Paris and was deposited at the Gare de Nord - went to the info counter and bought a 5 day metro pass - hopped on the #4 and I immediately had flashbacks of being back in NY.  The culture shock hit hard, especially when we exited the Metro at Montparnasse.  It looked like Times Square. It took a while, but we eventually found our hotel.  Nothing to get too excited about.  We changed rooms to one off the street - didn't care for the jack hammering too much.  This room is quiet, clean, and the bed is the best one yet!  Plus it was free, so we aren't complaining.

After a rest, we ventured out to find some dinner.  We are in the heart of some kind of theater district on the left bank - lots of outdoor cafes and lots of people.  We were in and out of practically all of them - looking at menus and getting totally ignored. Decided that authentic French food was far too rich for us and kept looking for some middle ground.  Finally got went into some place that had a decent menu and actually waited on us. Very friendly, the food was good.  I had to send my steak back because it was like leather and then I got a terrific piece of meat.  Geoff got crispy bream which is a white fish.  The wine here is unbelievably expensive considering it all comes from this country.  I don't get that at all.

Paris at night

Not too many pictures, we were too bushed to do much of anything. Took one night scene leaving the restaurant. Tomorrow, if the weather is good and that is a big IF, we might do a bike tour of Paris. Right now we are tucked into our very comfy bed looking forward to getting a good night's sleep.

Next time ... Touring Paris

A Little Picasso and Then Some

NOTE:  New pictures in "In Bruges" album

Took our time getting out of bed and down to breakfast.  Speaking of down, we climb 52 stairs to get up to our room and then go down the same way.  You don't want to forget anything when you leave.  It was cloudy then sunny then cloudy then rain, etc, etc.  Another good day to stay inside the museums.  This being Sunday a lot of shops were closed and the tourism didn't seem as heavy.  We would have liked to climb the bell tower but it is very tight up there and I don't do good in close spaces.  Anyway, we figured we get in our 366 steps just getting to our room!

Heading into town, we passed by the famous Dumon Chocolatier.  Had a peek around and watched as the chocolate was being made but it was a bit too early for sweets.  Grabbed the tourist pictures. Maybe we will be back for the chocolate later.

Retracing yesterday's steps, I got some pictures of all the outside of the museums, so we will remember the names.  It looked like it might start raining so we popped into the Picasso exhibit -- this was really terrific.  We got the audio guide and learned everything there is to know Picasso and his techniques - along with some other masters, Dali, Matisse  to name a few.  This is a private collection and not usually seen by the general public.  It was extremely well done.

From Picasso it was down the street to another museum housing Flemish masters. This ticket was also good for the neighboring museum -- more walking, more art -- most of which centered around religious figures.  We packed up a lunch from breakfast and ate on a bench in between art museums.  Next stop was back to the antique fair for a real Belgium wafel.  Tres yummy, but one will last us a lifetime.

Decided to walk to the extreme other end of town to take a look at the Jerusalem Church and the lace museum - both of which were closed.  Finally got back at around 3:30 and we are now resting up before meeting Cora for dinner.

Just back from a terrific Bruges dinner.  We ate at outside at Poules Moules and ordered a serving of mussels for the three of us plus a goat cheese salad.  The mussels come in this giant pot and the salad was huge, and of course, you get frites with everything.  Good thing we only ordered one serving.  It was a very fitting meal for our last night in Belgium.  Said our farewells to Cora - I do hope she keeps in touch.  She is a gem and I am so glad we met and have remained friends.

The bells were ringing again on the walk back.  It seems like there are always bells going off in this town. Before going to our suite, we decided to go across the street from our B&B and take an after dinner walk through the park along the canal. It turned out to be a lovely evening, although there is a definite chill in the air. We are now back in our room.  We leave for Paris tomorrow taking the 11am local train to Brussels and then the big train to Paris.

Next time... The Left Bank

In Bruges

The sun finally made it's way out this morning.  After finding our way to this wonderful B&B, I immediately updated the blog.  With that done, we ventured into the streets of Bruges.  Our first stop was an open air market, mainly for locals. Walked around and took in the local color.  Next we walked down to the historic center of town and hopped on a canal boat tour before things got too crowded.  It was a nice ride with some good history and great photo ops.

On board we noticed an antique flee market along one canal, so we headed for that as soon as we disembarked.  Ran into Carol and John and ate our sandwiches (compliments of the Magnifque) on a bench before going our separate ways.  We were all still carrying left over Mars, Milky Way, etc kind of chocolate from the ship.  John looks around and says "Here I am in the chocolate capital of the world eating a KitKat bar!"  We all broke up laughing.

Bruges has several museums - we started with the hospital museum - lots of paintings of healing, mainly religious, and there is also a display of some very old instruments.  For the price of this ticket, it also got us into the old apothecary museum.  This was fantastic.  So sorry we couldn't take  pictures.  This ticket somehow also allowed us into the archaeological  museum.  Another interesting museum was the Gruutshuise.  This is a huge house that was owned by a very rich man built next to The Church of Our Lady.  This guy was so rich, he had a room built so that the shutters of the window open up into the church!  Again, no pictures, but it was pretty cool.

Slowly made our way back to the B&B after a cafe.  Got Lucy on Skype and that was fun talking to her.  Freshened up and started out again to meet the gang for dinner.  As usual, we had a great time and wonderful food.  Made plans to meet Cora for dinner tomorrow night - we are now just three.  The three of us took a walk after dinner to scope out where to go tomorrow night.  We were told to go to the fish market area if we want good mussels - so that is where we will meet.

Walking around Bruges at night is beautiful.  G bought one of those tiny tripods and started taking some really nifty night shots of the Bell Tower and City Hall. Back to the room by 9:30 and we are looking out our window at the famous Church of Our Lady fully lit.  Should sleep good tonight.

Next time....A little Picasso