Safely Across the Pond

Our adventure begins at 3:00 this afternoon which is a nice change from our usual early morning departures.  Driver Doug has volunteered to take us to the airport. Karen is still in her walking boot accompanied by her trusty cane so she has arranged to have a wheel chair meet her at each airport.  Very smart thinking.  We arrive with time to spare.  A quick trip to Seattle where we will hop on Virgin Atlantic flight #106 bound for London.  Every thing goes off without a hitch which is highly unusual for the Peterson's.  We board and are immediately offered a glass of champagne which we happily accept.  A toast to the up coming weeks!  Terry' arm rest is a little tricky so after setting our glasses down, he upsets the armrest and down goes the champagne, all over both of us!  We get that cleaned up and receive a replacement glass and hope that is the extent of any mishaps.  The flight crew couldn't be nicer and we settle in for a long trip.  Dinner is served which was actually quite tasty for airline food!  We watch a few movies, try to get some sleep and before we know it breakfast is making it's way through the cabin.  It has been a very smooth flight and the staff is attentive and friendly.  Kudos to Virgin Atlantic, I am impressed.  We disembark and make our way through immigration.  Karen and her wheelchair, along with her husband Dan, whiz right through while Terry and I take our place in line.  45 minutes later, we emerge, breeze through customs grab our luggage and make our way to the Uber stand.  Our driver is prompt and the 18 mile drive to our apartment takes a little over and hour.  We have been given instructions for access to the key and again everything falls into place.  The apartment is exactly what we expected and has everything we'll need for the next week.

Our view is of the Tower of London with the Thames River as a back drop.  Perfect!  It's now all of 1:00 and we have the whole afternoon ahead of us,

We unpack and discover we are bit parched .  Terry is in need of a nap so he stays behind while the 3 of us decide to check out the neighborhood.  Low and behold there is a pub directly next door.  A nice cold beer tastes good. We find a local market and stock up on a few necessities.  By now, we are hungry and return to the pub for dinner with Terry going traditional ordering beef pie with mashers and peas. The rest of us basic pub fare but it's all good and we are happy.

 We are officially tired and struggle to stay awake until 9:00 so we can be on local time in the morning.  Day done.  Looking forward to tomorrow.........

Dockside Crosses the Pond

It's been a couple of years since our last European adventure so we figured it was time to return.
This trip we will be seeing a different part of the continent, England and Italy are our chosen destinations.  Dan and Karen will again be our traveling companions.
                                       
 Terry and I have always experienced some sort of catastrophe while we are away, generally something related to the restaurant and last year our daughter was rear ended by a bus shortly after dropping us off at the airport. (she's suffered some back trouble but is working through that but the truck didn't fare so well) Anyhow, I'm thinking that Karen may have this element already covered as Ms. Karen recently had a Mis step and suffered a bit of a break in her lower left leg!  At this junction she is wearing the ever attractive black boot accompanied by a scooter and crutches.  Her Dr. thinks that by the time we depart, she may only be in need of a cane.  Here's hoping.  She is a trooper as I have stated before, and if we have to leave her sitting in an English pub for a time while the rest of us walk about, well, she's willing to take that one for the team.  However, our "walking pub tour" may turn into a hobbling tour.  (Glad we didn't book the bicycle tour)  Something tells me she'll make it work, but it's a cheap way to get out of having to carry your own luggage! 

We leave on April 18th and return on May 6th.  We will try to pack as much in as we can and I have received lot's of good recommendations from many of our friends at the Dockside.  The itinerary is London for a week, fly to Rome, rent a car and drive to Siena where we will call that our home base for touring the Chianti Region for 5 days.  Back to Rome to tour the city for a few days, a quick hop back to London where we will enjoy our last night of vacation.  Looking forward to all the exciting
adventures that lie ahead!

Our last days in Paris

With only two days left of our great European vacation we start this day with no particular destination in mind. The Hotel de Ville is just up the street from us and since it is French heritage days we are able to tour the this opulent building which isn't usually open to the public.The line is not long so we take our place and enjoy the entertainment provided by the band. This is not a hotel at all but is home to the mayors office and the local administration. Since 1357 it has been the location of the municipality of Paris. It takes almost two hours to wind our way through this museum like palace with its libraries, meeting rooms, senate seats, grand ballrooms etc. The woodwork on the floor is gorgeous and the chandeliers are stunning.

Reception Room Hotel de Ville

After completing the grand tour Dan and Karen decide to return to the St.. Germaine district to stroll the arts and clothing area.  They walk across the "LOCK" bridge where lovers from all over the world profess their undying love by locking their love forever with a padlock. An attraction that has become so popular, part of the bridge fell from the shear weight, so now lock bridges are popping up all over Paris.

How come you didn't bring one back to the Apartment?

  Terry and I were told that the art museum was also free today so we get in line go through security and come to find out the information was incorrect. While we have no problem paying the entrance fee we have to admit that neither of us has a true appreciation for the art we would be viewing so we opt out. Terry wants to check out the port/marina so we part ways as I find my way to the Jardin Des Plantes.   A beautiful garden with a zoo and the natural museum of history.  One could easily spend the entire day here but we have an appointed meeting time so I enjoy a nice stroll and head back to the batobus. D&K are disappointed that most of the shops were closed but they enjoy the day and satisfy their hunger with an Italian Mt. Vesuvius pizza for lunch. We head back towards the apt. with a stop along the way for T&K to grab a bite. French onion soup and a French burger. Karen spies a cute shop across the street and returns a few minutes later with a beautiful tile that will grace her kitchen and remind her of this fabulous trip. We haven't spent much time out in the evening as we've been do tired from our action packed days. Tonight we will head back to Notre dame to enjoy the lights and a bottle of wine. We are very continental as we sit out under the lights enjoying the day's end. It seems a little blasphemous drinking on the cathedral grounds but we are not alone and I figure a Hail Mary or two and all will be forgiven. (No offense intended to my catholic friends).

Notre Dame all lit up

Cheers!!!!!!!

 Our final morning finds Dan and Karen on a quest to pay their respects to Jim Morrison. It turned out to be quite a walk. After some searching they finally find the grave which is adorned with several tributes left by true blue fans. The cemetery was very tricky to navigate with its uneven, hilly very cobbled terrain but Dan is happy to have made the effort.

Terry has found a canal cruise and has booked us tickets for this afternoon. After a couple of subway rides we arrive at the dock.

All Aboard.....

Captain Terry is in his element and glad to be on a a boat on the water. We take our seats on the top deck as we get underway. We immediately enter a tunnel that takes us under the city and emerges about 20 minutes later to the first of several locks.

Emerging from the tunnel

So much history of  this water way involving the commerce of the city and how goods were moved through the canals. This is a very different view of Paris and we sit back and relax for the next couple of hours.

Enjoying the cruise

Good Friends, Good times

The weather has been very cooperative with just a few clouds but cooler than the previous days.  After disembarking, we are starving. Hop on the subway and make our way back to our neighborhood. We have a particular restaurant we are looking for (Foot of the Pig) but are unable to locate it so we randomly pick one of the busier places we come across and couldn't have been happier.  On this last night we go all out.  Dan has the chateaubriand, cooked to perfection. Karen always figures she can't go wrong with the special and she is absolutely right. Cooked shrimp served with an onion dish that is to die for.  Terry has veal scallopini and I have chicken in a decadent sauce with risotto. We happily retreat to the apartment to pack up for an early morning departure. Our driver will arrive at 7:00 am. 

We originally scheduled a 7:30 pick up but either the driver or Dan changed it to 7:00 and are we very thankful for that.  We comment how the traffic isn't so bad this time of day, but as we get closer to the airport things change rapidly.  We are deposited right up front but we now have to get ourselves to our appointed gates.  We bid farewell to our friends Dan & Karen as they are on a different flight.  We hug and kiss cheeks knowing that we will be rejoined back home, but it is the Parisian thing to do.  The kiosk check in isn't very clear and the man standing next to us is swearing up a storm. Yup, we are back in the company of Americans!  It takes about 45 minutes if not longer just to get through the line.  Finally we are relieved of our bags we're all checked in but now to find our gate.  Alas, a bit of a hike and a train ride later we seat ourselves at our gate with not really to much time to spare.  While we are not looking forward the the next 12 hours we are anxious to get home.   We miss our families and are grateful we had this opportunity.  Truly a trip of a lifetime! So many memories. Where are we going next?

Batobus adventure

So Relaxing

On the Batobus

We have decided to take the local advice and grab a bottle of wine and sit in the gardens and watch the people go by.  Chairs are abundant and we find a nice shaded spot where we enjoy a bottle of red as we relax in the gardens of the Louvre on this beautiful picture perfect afternoon.

This is what I'm talking about!

The Louvre in all it's splendor

The Batobus arrives

We enjoy a leisurely stroll through the Gardens

 We have also learned of the batobus which is nothing more than a bus on the water. Hop on hop off the eight stops along the way. Each stop is near a major attraction, ingenious. We purchase a 2 day pass for a very reasonable price and enjoy being above ground rather than underground. On our 2nd batobus trip of the day we are surprised to have a police boat following us at a high rate of speed.  We are even more surprised when it pulls up right next to us and two policemen board us.  There is a bit of a hub bub as the captain comes out from the helm and the 1st mate takes over the controls.  It seems the captain is having a medical issue!  It doesn't appear to be to serious as he is moving under his own power, but we come in hot to the next bus stop where the ambulance is waiting for him.

Paramedics to the rescue!

And yes the paramedics are just as cute here as they are back home. Probably cuter because everyone in Paris is pretty!  Anyway, a new crew comes on board and we are underway in no time.  We hope he is OK.  We get off at the St. Germaine Station where we will have some lunch and walk through the Luxembourg Gardens.  Everything is so well maintained and it appears as if people actually follow the "do not walk on the grass" signs. It is interesting to note that where people are allowed on the grass, it is so crowded.  I don't think Parisians have much opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures of the outdoors quite like we do at home.  But the upside is, they don't have to mow the lawn or prune the trees or tend the garden or weed or...... Well they wouldn't have time anyway, they are to busy smoking and drinking coffee!  We continue onto the Pantheon and make a quick tour however nothing is in English here so we try as best we can to decipher through the enormous murals what is the story being told.  We grasp a little and are still so amazed at the grandiosity of these structures.

The Pantheon

We leave just in time to get caught in a passing rain storm.  Timing is everything but at least it isn't coming down to hard and we are prepared with umbrellas and rain coats!  Time to head home but Karen and I will make a little detour to visit a friend of a friend who happens to have a Pop Up Art Gallery not far from where we are staying.  Buzz Siler has an Art Gallery on 15th and NW Marshall in Portland.  He is here for a few months enjoying the art scene of Paris.  He is a delightful gentlemen and it turns out he enjoys a good Taco Tuesday at the Dockside!  Small World.  We visit for a spell and are glad we made the time to stop by. He too was happy to have a little bit of home if even for a few minutes. By the way, he is a fabulous artist so if you get the chance stop by his gallery and take a look. As an added bonus he shares his space with a wine bar!

I love Paris

Today may be the last great weather day so we will try to do as many outdoor activities as we can.

We metro to the Champs Eleysses.  I have heard about this Champs, but I really have no idea what to expect.   It has been a mythical place up until now.   I've heard the term "strolling" used many times when speaking of the Champs so I think I have envisioned a beautifully tree lined, somewhat serene atmosphere. Color me wrong!  I'm not going to say I was disappointed, but I felt like I was transported to the upper east side only with about 50k more people.  Many American stores dot the real estate along the avenue. Fast food restaurants nestled next to ultra chic hotels.

Approaching the Arc

 However, unlike the upper east side, The Arc de Triomohe towers above and will be our destination for this morning.

Terry, Kathy And Dan at the Arc



crazy traffic



cool view

Ladies of Paris



Taking a break from the stair climb



The Dark spiral staircase



Karen loves heights! (Not) What a trooper

There is no line at the base of the Arc. Up the spiral staircase we go. 284 steps later we emerge from the dark passage out onto the beautiful sunny observation deck.


Basilique de Sacrecoeur

  From this vantage point  it is easy to see the activity down on the streets. We are directly above one of the busy roundabouts and it is quite entertaining to watch the traffic below. Three out of four of us are glad we are not driving in Paris!  We make the circuit and enjoy the views. After making our way down we jump on the metro to Montmartre.  Basilique du Sacrecoeur, the beautiful majestic cathedral sits above the city beckoning  visitors from around the world. We join the throngs and enter the beautiful enclave. Every church and cathedral we have visited has a little something different to offer be it the stained glass, the alter, the steeple. All are beautiful in their own right and I am generally awe struck by each one. A street mime entertains the crowd and gets applause from the tourists.  This is a huge art community and if you like you can have your picture drawn from one of the many artists that work the streets. I am so enthralled by the raw talent that I'm witnessing.

Karen and Dan inspecting the art

I however don't need my picture drawn so we move along.  Many many shops are found on the narrow streets that circle the artists plying their wares.  Time to move on. We are challenged (by me) to find the metro station.  You know how sometimes you make the wrong turn and you are not in the right hood anymore?  Well that's exactly what happened. All of a sudden we are in Harlem.  We don't feel threatened or scared but when we finally reach the metro station a big mob is attempting to jump the turnstiles. The security and police are now a huge presence. We flash our tickets to the security agent and walk rapidly to the platform. Beam me up Scotty. We land back home safe and sound. One small detour leads us to the grand dame........

Notre Dame. Words cannot describe so I won't even try. Pictures are not allowed in the Cathedral so we don't have any to post. I'm not a religious woman but I felt compelled to light a candle for all my loved ones who have gone before me.  A peaceful moment for sure.  Another exhausting day. Time to retreat and put our feet up and reflect on another glorious day. I am so grateful.

Walking Walking Walking

 

Kathy

Karen
 

 Leisurely start to our day.  Dan and I cook breakfast and Dan fully approves of the bacon and eggs we prepare. Not quite the Dockside, but as close as we can get.  We have been challenged by the appliances provided here.  9 hours to do a load of laundry, Dan suggests we use the towel warmer in the bathroom to dry our clothes.  It works like a charm. 2 days for the fridge to get cold, at least the coffee machine and the toaster work to our expectations. OK we're ready for the day ahead.  Terry and Dan have a 1:30 date with the top of the Eiffel Tower.

 The four of us catch the metro and make our way to the ET.  We enjoy the surroundings at the base of the tower, all the tourists make for great people watching.  Karen and Kathy have other plans. We have chosen to go to the top of the 2nd tallest building in Paris, the Montparnasse.

 It's about a 40 minute walk so we set off with plans to meet the boys in a few hours. This is an entirely different part of Paris, perhaps the equivalent to 5th Ave. in NY.  The views from the 56th floor are  beautiful.

 We have a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower and a panorama of the entire city.  We spend about a half an hour taking in the sights, identifying land marks and marveling at the beauty of the city. I'm sure Dan & Terry are doing the same thing across town.  When we are done we find the elevator and 38 seconds later we are on the ground floor. After a cold beer we look for the nearest metro station to meet up with D & T.  We somehow miss the metro station and we make an unintentional side trip to the Bon Marche. The nicely dressed security guards at the store entrance should have given us a clue. This store houses all the high end designers.  Karen checks out a scarf which looks very similar to one she owns and is stung by the price tag.  We are definitely not in Kansas anymore.  We make a hasty retreat and continue on our long walk back to the ET.   Finally after a few miscalculations, we arrive at the appointed meeting place.  The four of us begin to make our way to another metro station and get  


Flash Flood

 caught in a passing thunder storm.  The rain comes down  in torrents. It lasts for only 10-15 minutes and we were lucky enough to find a construction site that gave us shelter from the storm.  After the storm passes, we continue to walk and walk and walk. Where the hell is the metro?   Ahhh 20 minutes later we find it around a hidden corner.  We enter the station and still have to walk another 10 minutes to actually get to our train.  Back to the neighborhood we go.  We find a nice café, have a great meal, stop at the market and finally after logging about 8-10 miles today, arrive home. Day is done.


Paris is ONE BIG CITY!!!!!

 

 





 Dan's Panorama from the Eiffel Tower

What a gorgeous Day to visit the Tower

D & T yucking it up before their tower tour

View from the observation deck of the Montparnasse

Paris by Bike

We awake to our beautiful first day in Paris.  The sun is shinning and the temps promise to be in the 80's.  Dan found an outfit that has an English speaking guide that will take us on a bike tour of the city. Not an easy task.  We meet up with Paul at Notre Dame Cathedral and because we don't have a reservation we have to wait to see if there's room for us.  I appreciate the "Greek" in Paul as he comments that "As the owner, I'll make room for you because I want your money".  I love you Paul!  We're in!  We are then introduced to Adam who will be the guide for our group of 8.  A couple from Chicago and a couple from Australia will be our bike mates. We mount our steeds and set out for a 3 hour tour, yes a 3 hour tour.  Adam is a great guide and shares so much history as we wind our way through the narrow back streets of Paris. Traffic is as crazy as ever and Terry has a little confrontation with a motorcyclist.  It is comical to see these 2 guys yelling and gesturing at each other, neither knowing what the other is saying, but they both feel better after letting off a little steam.   As before, we are bombarded with information, sometimes too much to digest but we take it all in and try to remember as much as we can. Doesn't really matter, it is such a beautiful day and being right in the heart of the city on a bike no less, is such a thrill.  Upon completion of the tour we return to the bike barn and say goodbye to Adam and Paul.  We have had a marvelous morning.

I had wanted to see the 200,000 twinkling lights that memorialize the French citizens who were deported to the concentration camps during WWII but it is closed for the season.  Guess I'll have to come back.  Instead we visit the holocaust museum which is equally moving and emotionally exhausting.

We are spent.  Time to return to Rue Du Temple.  Appetizers and a glass of wine are an appropriate end to this memorable day.