Sea Days have a way of blending one into another....treadmill, breakfast, reading ( on my third novel now), chatting with friends, occasional lecture, Trivia, lunch, lounging on deck, reading again, dinner evening show, drinks with friends, to bed and start all over again. Truly a relaxing and restful cruise.
We had the pleasure of celebrating Tina's birthday with Champagne in our cabin on the 25th! Dined at the rest of the specialty restaurants ( with inconsistent service). Have been a bit disappointed with the lack of evening activities, especially music venues (piano player in the Martinis Bar and string quartet in the lounge near the Main Dining Room before dinner). After the evening show, there is a program and dancing in the Horizons lounge - a large lounge on Deck 15 that is underutilized ( except for Trivia and such during the day).
Have enjoyed meeting new people and feeling younger than most onboard :). And can't believe that we only have one more day before we get to Miami. We have been blessed with good weather, reasonably calm seas and love being rocked to sleep at night.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Posted with Blogsy
Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canary Islands
What a delightful surprise this stop was! We walked into a charming town with lots of shops, old church, beautiful wooden balconies on many buildings, and views of the volcanic cliffs and mountains. Since we didthe national park and got our fill of volcanoes on Lanzarote, we didn't do the tour of the deep Caldera here....but heard it was beautiful from fellow passengers who did. Art bought his first requisite tee shirt here figuring that no one else that he knows would even know where this island is much less have a shirt saying La Palma :). We walked though town and along the waterfront and picked up a few souvenirs then headed back to the ship. Since sail away was scheduled for 2 pm and we arrived at 8 am, we had just enough time to get a taste of the culture and do our shopping.
Several Spanish naval ships were docked at the same dock and one had a gun pointed right at us - a bit disconcerting. On the way back to the ship, we stopped to watch the ceremony of a ship receiving its new captain...very interesting.
The weather has been beautiful...getting warmer each day and sunny. Relaxed onboard until time to meet Tina and Tim for dinner. Good show focused on Andrew Lloyd Weber music followed by a terrific and very funny singing and stand-up comedy act by Nolan, our cruise director. A very talented man from Ireland/Scotland who now lives in Eastern Tennessee.
Several Spanish naval ships were docked at the same dock and one had a gun pointed right at us - a bit disconcerting. On the way back to the ship, we stopped to watch the ceremony of a ship receiving its new captain...very interesting.
The weather has been beautiful...getting warmer each day and sunny. Relaxed onboard until time to meet Tina and Tim for dinner. Good show focused on Andrew Lloyd Weber music followed by a terrific and very funny singing and stand-up comedy act by Nolan, our cruise director. A very talented man from Ireland/Scotland who now lives in Eastern Tennessee.
Glorious Sea Days
So now we begin our favorite part of a transatlantic cruise - relaxing days at sea. Lots of activities on the ship ranging from lectures about the sea to cooking classes, card games, sunbathing, reading, wine tasting, putting tournaments, Bingo....you get the picture. Something for every taste! We really are enjoying the Spa terrace at the front of the 14th deck with double Lounges, peaceful music and a Tallassotherapy pool. We have access since we are in a Concierge Class cabin. Spent a good part of our first two sea days there! We've also worked at taking care of at least a few of the calories we seem to ingest all day by going to the gym and putting in our miles on the treadmill. So far, no weight gain even after 5 days in Paris, 2 in Barcelona and continuous feeding since we boarded the ship on the 15th! And that included a sumptuous brunch today!
Met a very nice couple from Arizona at Happy Hour at the Martinis Bar yesterday and had breakfast with them today! Making new friends is a fun part of cruising and we keep meeting such interesting people.
Enjoyed a lecture this afternoon by a geologist about projected ocean conditions during the 21 st century! Just the impact of the increased population projections was enough to give me pause!
Off to dinner at the Polo Grill tonight with a review tomorrow! Forgot to say that we did had turkey with the trimmings last night...nice try but really missed a real home made dinner and we were so grateful that our family indulged our wanderlust by coming for an early T Day before we left for Paris!
Met a very nice couple from Arizona at Happy Hour at the Martinis Bar yesterday and had breakfast with them today! Making new friends is a fun part of cruising and we keep meeting such interesting people.
Enjoyed a lecture this afternoon by a geologist about projected ocean conditions during the 21 st century! Just the impact of the increased population projections was enough to give me pause!
Off to dinner at the Polo Grill tonight with a review tomorrow! Forgot to say that we did had turkey with the trimmings last night...nice try but really missed a real home made dinner and we were so grateful that our family indulged our wanderlust by coming for an early T Day before we left for Paris!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Sunday, Lazarote, Canary Islands
Left the ship about 9:30 AM after checking with the Destination Expert re: getting a taxi to tour the Northern part of the island. We had been here about 5 years ago and loved the tour to the national park which contained lots of volcanoes. 95 € for a taxi to take 4 of us to two resort towns on the coast ( Playa del Carmen and Cabrera) and into the park. Quite a deal as the cruise line tour was $99 per person for 3 1/2 hours!
We left in just a few minutes on surprising good roads. The island is very clean - no litter, sidewalks swept clean ( in one place using a palm frond as a broom), and whitewashed buildings. Playa Del Carmen had streets lined with shops and restaurants and a lovely beach (bathing suit tops optional). Perfect photo op spot ... Then on our way to Cabrera, also on the water and with a large marina filled with sailboats, waterbuses, and chartered boats taking people around the coastal area. Menus posted outside of restaurants had very reasonable prices. Lots of tourists from Greece, Germany and Sweden according to our daily info sheet. Back In the taxi and off to the Timanfaya Naional Park (the terrain looks like it did after the last major volcanic eruptions in the 18th and 19 th centuries). The island has 100 volcanoes and is 70 miles off the coast of Africa - the most easterly of the Canary Islands.
Car and bus traffic is monitored into the park...due to limited parking. We paid 8 €/ person for a 45 minutes bus tour of the park and its amazing scenery. Will post links to pictures later. Then off we went to briefly visi a Wine Bodega and souvenir shop and explore a bit of downtown Arrecife, the town near our dock. We paid our very nice driver who with minimal English managed to tell us a bit about each of the places where we stopped. Art finally found a pair of shorts....he had forgotten to pack any and the weather is getting warmer! Now he is set for our stop tomorrow at another of the 7 Canary Islands..
Back at the ship, we relaxed until time to dress for dinner ... Tonight at one of the specialty restaurants - Jacques - with Marilyn and Wally and Ann and Steve. Food was good with, as always, lots of choices and good service. Although we are really enjoying the many dining options and open seating on Oceania, we are missing some of our favorite things from Celebrity! Especially the evening cocktail hour for Elite level Captain's Club members and the specialty restaurants ( even though they entail an extra charge and are free on Oceania) clearly each line has its own best features.
Off to bed early since we weren't interested in listening to the Violinist who was the featured artist tonight!
We left in just a few minutes on surprising good roads. The island is very clean - no litter, sidewalks swept clean ( in one place using a palm frond as a broom), and whitewashed buildings. Playa Del Carmen had streets lined with shops and restaurants and a lovely beach (bathing suit tops optional). Perfect photo op spot ... Then on our way to Cabrera, also on the water and with a large marina filled with sailboats, waterbuses, and chartered boats taking people around the coastal area. Menus posted outside of restaurants had very reasonable prices. Lots of tourists from Greece, Germany and Sweden according to our daily info sheet. Back In the taxi and off to the Timanfaya Naional Park (the terrain looks like it did after the last major volcanic eruptions in the 18th and 19 th centuries). The island has 100 volcanoes and is 70 miles off the coast of Africa - the most easterly of the Canary Islands.
Car and bus traffic is monitored into the park...due to limited parking. We paid 8 €/ person for a 45 minutes bus tour of the park and its amazing scenery. Will post links to pictures later. Then off we went to briefly visi a Wine Bodega and souvenir shop and explore a bit of downtown Arrecife, the town near our dock. We paid our very nice driver who with minimal English managed to tell us a bit about each of the places where we stopped. Art finally found a pair of shorts....he had forgotten to pack any and the weather is getting warmer! Now he is set for our stop tomorrow at another of the 7 Canary Islands..
Back at the ship, we relaxed until time to dress for dinner ... Tonight at one of the specialty restaurants - Jacques - with Marilyn and Wally and Ann and Steve. Food was good with, as always, lots of choices and good service. Although we are really enjoying the many dining options and open seating on Oceania, we are missing some of our favorite things from Celebrity! Especially the evening cocktail hour for Elite level Captain's Club members and the specialty restaurants ( even though they entail an extra charge and are free on Oceania) clearly each line has its own best features.
Off to bed early since we weren't interested in listening to the Violinist who was the featured artist tonight!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Seville Saturday
Ship docked after a bit of rocking this AM, in Cadiz. Since this is an overnight port, we had booked a tour to Seville with a group from Cruise Critic. Seville is about 2 hours from Cadiz. Everyone was on time at the buses and we were ready to leave as planned at 8:30.... However, we were unaware that there was a Summit of countries from South America hosted by Spain in Cadiz. It was quickly apparent, after circling the same area twice, that we weren't going anywhere until 10 AM because the streets were closed to all traffic for security for the dignitaries from the various countries represented at the summit. Seems like politics continue to haunt us! Long story short...we finally left about 1015 as the cloudy day gave way to sunshine.
Arrived in Seville to more clouds rolling in....and rain on and off most of the day - a few times torrential. We thoroughly enjoyed the Placa Espania, walking through the quaint narrow streets and squares of the old Jewish, section, the Alcazar, and viewing the Cathedral ( the 3rd largest in the worl and the largest Gothic cathedral ). We had free time to shop for gifts and souvenirs, lunch ( for some...we had Gelato :)), and exploring the area. Very nice introduction to Seville with a good guide and tour director - it would be nice to return and spend more time in this lovely city.
After 1/2 hour spent searching for a missing person in our group....don't ask...we returned to Cadiz....had a quick drink in our room and decided that an informal dinner in the Terrace Grill would be just what we needed. Too tired to change for dinner or any activity tonight. The buffet was wonderful. Lobster and Salmon for me and Lobster and Lamb chops for Art - grilled to order with salads and baked potatoes.....much better than a 5 course dinner tonight. We joined Ann and Steve ( new friends) and enjoyed travel talk and getting to know them better....then off to catch up on blogging and looking forward to exploring Cadiz tomorrow with Tina and Tim and finding an Internet Cafe! The Internet fees on Oceania are outrageous so we will save those minutes for the sea days when we cross the Atlantic - thus the delays in posting my blog posts and checking email!
Must say that we are loving this ship and Oceania....looks like Celebrity has competition :)
Arrived in Seville to more clouds rolling in....and rain on and off most of the day - a few times torrential. We thoroughly enjoyed the Placa Espania, walking through the quaint narrow streets and squares of the old Jewish, section, the Alcazar, and viewing the Cathedral ( the 3rd largest in the worl and the largest Gothic cathedral ). We had free time to shop for gifts and souvenirs, lunch ( for some...we had Gelato :)), and exploring the area. Very nice introduction to Seville with a good guide and tour director - it would be nice to return and spend more time in this lovely city.
After 1/2 hour spent searching for a missing person in our group....don't ask...we returned to Cadiz....had a quick drink in our room and decided that an informal dinner in the Terrace Grill would be just what we needed. Too tired to change for dinner or any activity tonight. The buffet was wonderful. Lobster and Salmon for me and Lobster and Lamb chops for Art - grilled to order with salads and baked potatoes.....much better than a 5 course dinner tonight. We joined Ann and Steve ( new friends) and enjoyed travel talk and getting to know them better....then off to catch up on blogging and looking forward to exploring Cadiz tomorrow with Tina and Tim and finding an Internet Cafe! The Internet fees on Oceania are outrageous so we will save those minutes for the sea days when we cross the Atlantic - thus the delays in posting my blog posts and checking email!
Must say that we are loving this ship and Oceania....looks like Celebrity has competition :)
Sea Day - Friday
Glorious sea days...one of the reasons that we love transatlantic cruises! Breakfast at the Terrace Grill then off to do our own things...day full of Trivial Pursuit, Putting tournament, etc for Art and Laundry, reading, relaxing on our balcony for me. And, of course, chatting with old and new friends and eating and drinking for both of us. The welcome cocktail party consisted of complimentary drinks from 5:45 - 8 pm in all of the bars ( topped with a glass of wine to take to dinner for anyone who wanted one). Another delicious dinner and off to bed...early tonight since we weren't interested in the Violinist who was playing tonight.
Boarding Oceania's Riviera
Took a taxi from the Renaissance Barcelona to the port....double checked that our driver knew where the ship was berthed at Terminal S. Since we'd been on a ship at the port in the past, we realized as he went over the bridge to a different terminal that he was going the wrong way...we pointed to where our ship was clearly at Terminal S, at which point he did a U turn on the other side of the bridge, did not say a word or adjust the meter and took us to the correct terminal! No tip for him...hate being taken!
Our luggage was checked by the port personnel. While we were on lone, our friend Marilyn saw us and came over for hugs and hellos...we hadn't seen Marilyn and Wally in 2 1/2 years! Within 15 minutes, we were checked in, had our key cards and were onboard. Service was wonderful from the first moment. We were pointed to the Terrace Grill, found a nice table outside and had a very good lunch. Tina and Tim joined us when they boarded and in short order, the announcement came that the rooms in our category were ready. Our cabin is lovely, larger than we have had before, with a nice sitting area ( complete with a bottle of Champagne), bathroom with tub and shower (albeit a small one) and lots of storage space. We unpacked - reporting that one bag was missing ( it was delivered later in the afternoon), and toured the ship. It is really lovely with 4 specialty restaurants, Main Dining Room, Terrace Grill buffet, And Waves Grill. The pool deck is nicely laid out with terry covered lounge chairs, double lounges, and hot tubs. We are really looking forward to the coming sea days to enjoy all of the venues. We have reservations at all of the restaurants with friends and will review them as we enjoy them.
Art and I enjoyed a pre- dinner Martini and the pianist who took requests and played our favorite song 'Love Walked In' ( and one of Art's long time favorites - Scotch and Soda) for the first time then thanked us for introducing him to the songs that he now planned to include in his repertoire
We had dinner in the main dining room with our 4 friends and a couple that are friends of Marilyn and Wally...wonderful food, great menu variety, and excellent service! The show tonight was an Introduction to key cruise staff followed by an amazing Classical Tenor who blew us away with his voice and diversity of music.
Our luggage was checked by the port personnel. While we were on lone, our friend Marilyn saw us and came over for hugs and hellos...we hadn't seen Marilyn and Wally in 2 1/2 years! Within 15 minutes, we were checked in, had our key cards and were onboard. Service was wonderful from the first moment. We were pointed to the Terrace Grill, found a nice table outside and had a very good lunch. Tina and Tim joined us when they boarded and in short order, the announcement came that the rooms in our category were ready. Our cabin is lovely, larger than we have had before, with a nice sitting area ( complete with a bottle of Champagne), bathroom with tub and shower (albeit a small one) and lots of storage space. We unpacked - reporting that one bag was missing ( it was delivered later in the afternoon), and toured the ship. It is really lovely with 4 specialty restaurants, Main Dining Room, Terrace Grill buffet, And Waves Grill. The pool deck is nicely laid out with terry covered lounge chairs, double lounges, and hot tubs. We are really looking forward to the coming sea days to enjoy all of the venues. We have reservations at all of the restaurants with friends and will review them as we enjoy them.
Art and I enjoyed a pre- dinner Martini and the pianist who took requests and played our favorite song 'Love Walked In' ( and one of Art's long time favorites - Scotch and Soda) for the first time then thanked us for introducing him to the songs that he now planned to include in his repertoire
We had dinner in the main dining room with our 4 friends and a couple that are friends of Marilyn and Wally...wonderful food, great menu variety, and excellent service! The show tonight was an Introduction to key cruise staff followed by an amazing Classical Tenor who blew us away with his voice and diversity of music.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Wednesday - Nationwide Union strike
Nothing like sirens, cherry bombs, police and demonstrators to ruin a day planned to explore more of Barcelona! Extra security at the hotel and a letter from the General Manager warning us not to walk far from the hotel. Transportation shut down and the major telephone company closed. All of the shops on Las Ramblas and Placa Catalunya ( the main square) closed. Many restaurants either closed or opened for just a few hours. So our plans gone astray made us doubly glad that we had ziti a and Tim close by. Art ventured out and found a restaurant ( with good reviews from the hotel staff) open and just across the street. The four of us went to lunch and discovered an 11€ 3 course +drink lunch that was excellent. The owner Christian was originally from Spain but had lived in Chicago for 20 years AND loved to talk! We knew his life history before we were seated. And we were seated in an elegant rear dining room with white tablecloths, lovely table settings and, as we were the only customers, it was all ours :). Fabulous lunch with a main course of individual grilled small Sea Bass and the included beers that Art and Tim had were huge and included. What a find - I've already written the first Trip Advisor review that 336 Restaurant had ever received. After lunch we walked around a bit, took some pictures of the barricades and police and chatted in the lobby of Tina and Tim's hotel. Then back to our hotel until the opening of the Italian Restaurant we went to for dinner...seems like our trend this trip is to eat, eat, drink, eat and walk when we can!
The evening restaurant opened at 8:15 and there were actually other people who had ventured out and were there before us. We had been told that the main demonstrations would be from 6-9. We did see lots of people demonstrating on TV but little damage or violence. Saw films of rubbish burning and of a Starbucks set on fire, but that was all. Wondering what they had accomplished ( strike was against austere plans and for a separate Catalonian state). Much ado about what loomed like no gains and some sad tourists who had their vacation day spoiled. We did meet a very nice couple from Ft Lauderdale at breakfast. They will be sailing with us tomorrow!
The evening restaurant opened at 8:15 and there were actually other people who had ventured out and were there before us. We had been told that the main demonstrations would be from 6-9. We did see lots of people demonstrating on TV but little damage or violence. Saw films of rubbish burning and of a Starbucks set on fire, but that was all. Wondering what they had accomplished ( strike was against austere plans and for a separate Catalonian state). Much ado about what loomed like no gains and some sad tourists who had their vacation day spoiled. We did meet a very nice couple from Ft Lauderdale at breakfast. They will be sailing with us tomorrow!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Tuesday - leaving Paris; Arrive Barcelona
Talk about things going like clock- work! Wake- up call on time; taxi on time; quick ride to Orly airport; easy check- in at Vueling airlines and plenty of time to go to Starbucks - yes. There are Starbucks all over Paris including the airport! Unfortunately, may stomach had decided that it was not liking all of the rich food I had ingested over the past 5 days...so all I had was tea :). Plane left on time and arrived on time to the beautiful, almost empty BCN terminal. Our luggage arrived promptly. With no crowds and no immigration or customs ( traversing from one EU country to another), we were in a taxi and on our way into Barcelona in just a few minutes.
We admired the beautiful, well kept highway to the city and were at our hotel in about 20 minutes. And our room was ready. The staff at both the Renaissance Paris Vendome and the Renaissance Barcelona are warm, friendly, helpful and just plain wonderful. This hotel is beautiful, modern, has a lovely restaurant for our included breakfast due to my Marriott Rewards status ( as it was in Paris ).
Note: the next day there was to be a country- wide union strike with demonstrations against the austerity measures by the newly elected government ( as well as the petition by separatists for Catalonia to become a free country).
I sent email messages to our friends who were also arriving in Barcelona today. Tina and Tim met us in the lobby of our hotel ( after their nap to make up for the long red eye flight from Houston) and we set out to walk to Barceloneta to have Paella dinners at Con Majo near the beach. We got lost on the way and were an hour late for our reservation. No problem! We were seated at a nice round table in an attractive room ( surprised by the spacious, attractive room with elegant table settings. I had pictures a typical beach type restaurant. Very good shellfish Paella; best part was catching up with 2 of our favorite friends! Taxied 'home' and slept well!
We admired the beautiful, well kept highway to the city and were at our hotel in about 20 minutes. And our room was ready. The staff at both the Renaissance Paris Vendome and the Renaissance Barcelona are warm, friendly, helpful and just plain wonderful. This hotel is beautiful, modern, has a lovely restaurant for our included breakfast due to my Marriott Rewards status ( as it was in Paris ).
Note: the next day there was to be a country- wide union strike with demonstrations against the austerity measures by the newly elected government ( as well as the petition by separatists for Catalonia to become a free country).
I sent email messages to our friends who were also arriving in Barcelona today. Tina and Tim met us in the lobby of our hotel ( after their nap to make up for the long red eye flight from Houston) and we set out to walk to Barceloneta to have Paella dinners at Con Majo near the beach. We got lost on the way and were an hour late for our reservation. No problem! We were seated at a nice round table in an attractive room ( surprised by the spacious, attractive room with elegant table settings. I had pictures a typical beach type restaurant. Very good shellfish Paella; best part was catching up with 2 of our favorite friends! Taxied 'home' and slept well!
Catch - up Monday - Les Invalides, Tour Eiffel, walk along the Seine
So...on Monday, we decided to forego our plan to do a Discoverwalks in Monmartre. It was our last day in Paris and we wanted to go to the Rodin Museum, the Eiffel Tower, and do the Vendettes de Pont Neuf boat ride on the Seine. It was a mildly cloudy day and off we went on a nice walk through the 7 th arrondissement to the Rodin Museum. In my haste to get going, I neglected to check my list of days on which museums are closed....you got it, our only views of Rodin sculptures was the back of the Thinker over the wall and from across the street and one other piece through a glass window :(. Since this was the most important place on Art's list, I was mortified! So instead we walked across the street to Les Invalides to view Napoleon'ss tomb in the main Chapel ( quite a magnificent building and amazing memorial. Then we used audio- guides to traverse French history from Louis the 14th through Napoleon the III. Really a wonderful exhibit. Les Invalides is such a large museum that it would take many trips to see it all. We left to walk to the Eiffel Tower which we had seen from a distance from our first day and almost every day. It was much larger than expected and quite an engineering and architectural feat. Current renovations are underway to create a new first floor. But took lots of pictures anyway and the walked across the bridge to Trocadero ( for the best views of the whole tower). It was getting cold and very gray so we decided to walk to the nearby Branley Museum ( covered with lots of foliage and a garden in front). Guess what? It was closed on Mondays as well! Our list of what to see on a return visit gets longer :)
We walked back to the Place de la Concorde along the Seine stopping to admire and take photos of the Pont Alexandre along the way. By the time we reached the Rue de Rivoli ( near our hotel), our feet and tummies were complaining loudly. To quiet them down, we decided to have a late lunch at the Imperial Cafe ...wonderful decision! I had a Kir Sauvignon and Onion Soup and Art a Croc Monsieur ( decadent fried ham and cheese sandwich) with, of course, French fries - which tasted like American fries :). Delicious, excellent service and outrageous bill worth every penny.
Back at the hotel, we found that Internet service was still out, packed up, make arrangements for a 6:45 AM taxi to Orly for our flight to Barcelona and a 5:45 wake-up call :( Then we walked over to the nearby boulangerie for sandwiches and pastries for dinner in our room. All in all a busy, fun day despite missing some sights. Certainly wish that we had a few more days...but already planning for "next time".
Since the Eiffel Tower's lights sparkle for 10 minutes on the hour, we walked back over to the Place de la Concorde (about a 10 min. walk) to find a place to watch. It was a cold night but perfect for watching the tower sparkle even though we were a distance away. A perfect ending to a very good day!
Today's pictures:
We walked back to the Place de la Concorde along the Seine stopping to admire and take photos of the Pont Alexandre along the way. By the time we reached the Rue de Rivoli ( near our hotel), our feet and tummies were complaining loudly. To quiet them down, we decided to have a late lunch at the Imperial Cafe ...wonderful decision! I had a Kir Sauvignon and Onion Soup and Art a Croc Monsieur ( decadent fried ham and cheese sandwich) with, of course, French fries - which tasted like American fries :). Delicious, excellent service and outrageous bill worth every penny.
Back at the hotel, we found that Internet service was still out, packed up, make arrangements for a 6:45 AM taxi to Orly for our flight to Barcelona and a 5:45 wake-up call :( Then we walked over to the nearby boulangerie for sandwiches and pastries for dinner in our room. All in all a busy, fun day despite missing some sights. Certainly wish that we had a few more days...but already planning for "next time".
Since the Eiffel Tower's lights sparkle for 10 minutes on the hour, we walked back over to the Place de la Concorde (about a 10 min. walk) to find a place to watch. It was a cold night but perfect for watching the tower sparkle even though we were a distance away. A perfect ending to a very good day!
Today's pictures:
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| 2012-11-12 |
Monday, November 12, 2012
Arc de Triomphe, L'Orangerie, Musee d'Orsay
We awoke to another forecast of rain later in the day, but, also to the sun peeking through the clouds. So after a light breakfast, we, against the advice of our doorman who thought we should take the Metro, walked down the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe. It was a 40 minute walk and a bit of a disappointment to see, as we had been forewarned, that the stores and many restaurants could have been found in any major city. Not nearly as elegant as I had hoped. But it was fun to see the Arc coming closer as we walked. However, when we arrived and went down to the tunnel under the busy road that brought us to the monument, we found that no one was allowed to go up amidst the preparations for Veterans Day tomorrow. And...the nice day was turning cloudy, windy and threatening! We started to leave, when Art noticed people on the top so back down we went, my knees complaining all the way, flashed our Museum passes and, due to my trusty cane, were directed to the lift! Up we went to great 360 degree views of Paris. Took lots of pictures and really enjoyed the experience...then, down we went and took our first trip on the Metro ( thanks to Julie for sending us her left over tickets). We took line 1 to Concorde station, exited and walked to The museum L'Orangerie to see Claude Monet's Water Lilies.
What a remarkable setting...two large, oval rooms holding 8 panels inspired by the water garden at his home in Giverny. Monet donated the paintings to France after the First World War to give Parisians a peaceful haven. You'll have to see them yourself to experience the effect of these large panels on the psyche. Unfortunately for me, today the museum was crowded...often friends have told me that they were there with just a few quiet others! But lovely nevertheless. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed.
We then walked about 10 minutes via a pedestrian bridge across the Seine to the Musee D'Orsay...the one I had been looking forward to the most because it is in a magnificent building that was an old train station and has a wonderful collection of impressionists. We had a nice lunch in the museum's cafe then spent several hours viewing the paintings and sculptures. We left hoping we will return again before we leave. Walked through the Tuileries on the way back to our hotel with a slight detour to Place Vendome - home of fancy hotels and jewelry shops (saw a pair of diamond and ruby earrings for 13,600 € but decided to leave them for someone else :). Time for an afternoon nap.
Took Metro to the Reed restaurant for dinner. Another good suggestion from both Trip Advisor and Foder's. Very small, as in 6 tables, quaint little place. The owner is the chef, waitress and hostess (came from Canada 20 years ago and, after working as a chef in several places, opened the restaurant a year ago. Art had a tomato and herb tart and Osso Bocco and I had Risotto with sage pumpkin and Parma. Both were excellent. Tartin for dessert was shared and excellent as well. Had an interesting time trying to buy Metro tickets with an information agent who didn't speak English and a non-English speaking young French man who showed us how to use the ticket machine with a combination of charades and a few words of English...like 'charge' to pay. We are beginning to get the hang of the system and made it back to the hotel easily. We found that the Internet is out so will hopefully post this tomorrow. Only 2 more days when we'd like to stay another week :)
Arc de Triomphe, L'Orangerie, Musee d'Orsay
When we left the memorial, we crossed the bridge to the Ile St Louis, wandered the lovely streets and shops - including our first taste of a Macaron. Not as impressed with these cookies as so many others are :). Finally crossed back to the Right Bank and wandered the streets of the Marais - the traditional Jewish section since the 13th century. Today it is a multi-cultural area with a significant Orthodox Jewish community, a large gay community, and a Chinese community. We were meeting a guide fron the DiscoverWalks group who was to lead us on a walk through the Marais describing its history and pointing out important buildings. Since we're were early, we stopped in a tiny neighborhood cafe for baguette sandwiches and a glass of wine.
We met Justine at 230 and along with 4 women ( a mother and adult daughter, a woman from Germany, and a Chinese woman). We spent an enlightening 2 hours with Justine who was delightful, engaging and knowledgeable. At the end of the tour, she took a group picture for their Web site (see above) answered any last questions and walked us to the Pompadou Center...a strangely modern building dedicated to modern art .... Justine helped us to find the location of the restaurant where we had reservations for dinner (just a couple of blocks from the Centre Pompadou. Wonderful afternoon.
Dinner tonight was at yet another Trip Adviser recommended restaurant 'L'Ange 20' on a tiny narrow street near rue Beaubourg. We arrived early and had to wait in the cold for 15 minutes until they opened ;(. But. Oh the wait was worth it! We had the best meal of the trip ( Art said that his duck was the best he ever had!). We shared une carafe de vin rouge ( Bordeaux ) and a goat cheese salad, I had Cod and Risotto (again). And we shared a wonderful piece of Mango Cheesecake. A lovely young couple from England who were celebrating their 1 st wedding anniversary, sat next to us in the close quarters typical of a french resturant. we really enjoyed chatting with them and the owner, over our meals. A real winner of a day, so to celebrate, we walked back to our hotel 30 minutes on a cold clear night! We think that we walked about 8 miles today!
Deportation Memorial, Il de Sainte Louis, Le Marais
the downer was to find, when we returned, that the Internet was still out! :(
Pictures for the day
What a remarkable setting...two large, oval rooms holding 8 panels inspired by the water garden at his home in Giverny. Monet donated the paintings to France after the First World War to give Parisians a peaceful haven. You'll have to see them yourself to experience the effect of these large panels on the psyche. Unfortunately for me, today the museum was crowded...often friends have told me that they were there with just a few quiet others! But lovely nevertheless. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed.
We then walked about 10 minutes via a pedestrian bridge across the Seine to the Musee D'Orsay...the one I had been looking forward to the most because it is in a magnificent building that was an old train station and has a wonderful collection of impressionists. We had a nice lunch in the museum's cafe then spent several hours viewing the paintings and sculptures. We left hoping we will return again before we leave. Walked through the Tuileries on the way back to our hotel with a slight detour to Place Vendome - home of fancy hotels and jewelry shops (saw a pair of diamond and ruby earrings for 13,600 € but decided to leave them for someone else :). Time for an afternoon nap.
Took Metro to the Reed restaurant for dinner. Another good suggestion from both Trip Advisor and Foder's. Very small, as in 6 tables, quaint little place. The owner is the chef, waitress and hostess (came from Canada 20 years ago and, after working as a chef in several places, opened the restaurant a year ago. Art had a tomato and herb tart and Osso Bocco and I had Risotto with sage pumpkin and Parma. Both were excellent. Tartin for dessert was shared and excellent as well. Had an interesting time trying to buy Metro tickets with an information agent who didn't speak English and a non-English speaking young French man who showed us how to use the ticket machine with a combination of charades and a few words of English...like 'charge' to pay. We are beginning to get the hang of the system and made it back to the hotel easily. We found that the Internet is out so will hopefully post this tomorrow. Only 2 more days when we'd like to stay another week :)
Arc de Triomphe, L'Orangerie, Musee d'Orsay
Sunday
So...amazingly, we both overslept and and then found that the Internet, which went down last night, was still out and no one knew when it would be back up. After a quick breakfast (we were just in time to still have breakfast), we walked to the Pont Neuf and crossed to the Ile de la Cite. Checked out where the Vendettes de Pont Nuef Seine cruise boats leave, so we know where to go when we take the cruise tomorrow, took pictures of another couple and they took one of us, and walked the length of the island past Notre Dame to the Deportation Museum. Marilyn and Bob had recommended it to us after their Trip last year. A very moving experience...this very austere monument to the 200,000 French people who had been deported by the Nazis and complicit Vichy government was enhanced by the hall dedicated to the 76,000 who had died. The walls contained quotes with the one over the doorway saying. Forgive but never forget. All 76,000 names are engraved on the walls of the Shoa Museum ( much like the names of Czech Jews on the walls of a synagogue in Prague).When we left the memorial, we crossed the bridge to the Ile St Louis, wandered the lovely streets and shops - including our first taste of a Macaron. Not as impressed with these cookies as so many others are :). Finally crossed back to the Right Bank and wandered the streets of the Marais - the traditional Jewish section since the 13th century. Today it is a multi-cultural area with a significant Orthodox Jewish community, a large gay community, and a Chinese community. We were meeting a guide fron the DiscoverWalks group who was to lead us on a walk through the Marais describing its history and pointing out important buildings. Since we're were early, we stopped in a tiny neighborhood cafe for baguette sandwiches and a glass of wine.
Dinner tonight was at yet another Trip Adviser recommended restaurant 'L'Ange 20' on a tiny narrow street near rue Beaubourg. We arrived early and had to wait in the cold for 15 minutes until they opened ;(. But. Oh the wait was worth it! We had the best meal of the trip ( Art said that his duck was the best he ever had!). We shared une carafe de vin rouge ( Bordeaux ) and a goat cheese salad, I had Cod and Risotto (again). And we shared a wonderful piece of Mango Cheesecake. A lovely young couple from England who were celebrating their 1 st wedding anniversary, sat next to us in the close quarters typical of a french resturant. we really enjoyed chatting with them and the owner, over our meals. A real winner of a day, so to celebrate, we walked back to our hotel 30 minutes on a cold clear night! We think that we walked about 8 miles today!
Deportation Memorial, Il de Sainte Louis, Le Marais
the downer was to find, when we returned, that the Internet was still out! :(
Pictures for the day
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| 2012-11-11 Deportation Memorial, Ile de St. Louis, walking tour of Marais |
Friday, November 9, 2012
The Louvre, Notre Dame, and Saint Chappelle
Tough night, last night....woke up at 1:30 AM and couldn't fall back to sleep...finally took a Benedryl at 2:30 and woke up at 8:30. So much for my plan to be at the Louvre when it opened at 9. Reminded self that our schedule was flexible so settled for a lovely and leisurely buffet breakfast, included with our room. Then off we went for a 10 minute walk to the Carousel entrance to the Louvre...another terrific suggestion from my TA friends! Quickly through security, bought tickets to the morning English speaking tour, and took pictures while waiting for 11:15 start. What a wonderful decision it was to do this tour. Terrific guide who toured us through areas we might not have found on our own while giving us a fascinating history of both the building and the paintings/sculptures/artifacts as we moved through the crowds. We had audio boxes and it was a group of 8 so we heard everything and had personal attention. We also saw the big 3 - Venus de Milo, Winged Victory and, of course, Mona Lisa - without having to find them on our own!
After the tour we walked across the Seine on the nearest bridge and followed the river (admitting the sights and architecture) along the way. Crossed over to ile de la Cite near Notre Dame. We enjoyed the quiet walk (taking pictures along the way) through this magnificent Gothic Cathedral, sat and listened to the service for a short time - mostly to give our legs a rest :). We stopped at a Creperie stand to have our first Paris crepes for lunch (shared a fromage and jambon - ham and cheese - and a Nutella) and, after licking our lips, walked to nearby Saint Chapelle to see the much praised 13th century stained glass windows. They were truly amazing - even the much newer (15th century) Rose window! But most amazing was the fact that I climbed the narrow circular stairway to the 2nd floor -with the help of my new trusty cane) and, more difficult, back down again.
As if we hadn't done enough walking today, we decided to walk back to the hotel to rest before heading back to the Louvre to see Napoleon's Apartments before our dinner reservations at Au Vieux Comptoir not Far from the museum. Museum passes are already working out well for us. Being able to pop in again whenever the mood strikes us or visiting a museum that we hadn't planned to visit whenever we wish is great.
So...as we left the hotel to return to the Louvre, the skies opened up. Our ever efficient doorman gave us a large umbrella and off we went. Rain stopped after a few minutes and we were soon at the Louvre where we had to check (free) our dangerous weapon - the umbrella! Found our way to the Napoleanic apts...lift was not working so my poor knees trekked up 2 long flights of stairs again. Very opulent dining and living spaces although we never did find any bedrooms. After 1/2 hour or so, we headed towards the restaurant I had booked due to Trip Advisor reviews....the GapS wasn't finding the address and my printed google map was for the return trip...hard to read in reverse - I think we are map impaired. After stopping several kind locals ( several of whom did not speak English), we found a nice young man along with his wife and 2 children who said we were headed in the right direction. So on we went. We, of course, found it in clear view once we reached the correct corner. And, once again, a perfect experience. The lovely co- owner ( her husband is the chef) greater us like long time friends, remembered that I had recently had a birthday, presented us with complimentary champagne as a birthday gift and was simply charming all evening. Service and food were sublime. Art had Beef Bourginon and I had Scallops and we shared our first Fois Gras as a appetizer. A carafe of vin rouge was delicious...Baba Rhum ( the only miss of the evening) was shared along with Espressos to end the evening. In Paris, coffee is served after the meal not with dessert and we went with the local custom. Walked 25 minutes back to the hotel in mild rain most of the way, turned in our borrowed umbrella and were glad to hit the bed. My feet are still saying thank you after our 4-5 mile hike in various weather conditions and on hard concrete and cobble stone streets.
After the tour we walked across the Seine on the nearest bridge and followed the river (admitting the sights and architecture) along the way. Crossed over to ile de la Cite near Notre Dame. We enjoyed the quiet walk (taking pictures along the way) through this magnificent Gothic Cathedral, sat and listened to the service for a short time - mostly to give our legs a rest :). We stopped at a Creperie stand to have our first Paris crepes for lunch (shared a fromage and jambon - ham and cheese - and a Nutella) and, after licking our lips, walked to nearby Saint Chapelle to see the much praised 13th century stained glass windows. They were truly amazing - even the much newer (15th century) Rose window! But most amazing was the fact that I climbed the narrow circular stairway to the 2nd floor -with the help of my new trusty cane) and, more difficult, back down again.
As if we hadn't done enough walking today, we decided to walk back to the hotel to rest before heading back to the Louvre to see Napoleon's Apartments before our dinner reservations at Au Vieux Comptoir not Far from the museum. Museum passes are already working out well for us. Being able to pop in again whenever the mood strikes us or visiting a museum that we hadn't planned to visit whenever we wish is great.
So...as we left the hotel to return to the Louvre, the skies opened up. Our ever efficient doorman gave us a large umbrella and off we went. Rain stopped after a few minutes and we were soon at the Louvre where we had to check (free) our dangerous weapon - the umbrella! Found our way to the Napoleanic apts...lift was not working so my poor knees trekked up 2 long flights of stairs again. Very opulent dining and living spaces although we never did find any bedrooms. After 1/2 hour or so, we headed towards the restaurant I had booked due to Trip Advisor reviews....the GapS wasn't finding the address and my printed google map was for the return trip...hard to read in reverse - I think we are map impaired. After stopping several kind locals ( several of whom did not speak English), we found a nice young man along with his wife and 2 children who said we were headed in the right direction. So on we went. We, of course, found it in clear view once we reached the correct corner. And, once again, a perfect experience. The lovely co- owner ( her husband is the chef) greater us like long time friends, remembered that I had recently had a birthday, presented us with complimentary champagne as a birthday gift and was simply charming all evening. Service and food were sublime. Art had Beef Bourginon and I had Scallops and we shared our first Fois Gras as a appetizer. A carafe of vin rouge was delicious...Baba Rhum ( the only miss of the evening) was shared along with Espressos to end the evening. In Paris, coffee is served after the meal not with dessert and we went with the local custom. Walked 25 minutes back to the hotel in mild rain most of the way, turned in our borrowed umbrella and were glad to hit the bed. My feet are still saying thank you after our 4-5 mile hike in various weather conditions and on hard concrete and cobble stone streets.
And we're off!
Our favorite chauffeur, Ellen, picked us up on time and dropped us at the door to American Airlines...very nice desk agent printed our Chicago to Paris boarding passes and surprised us with the news that our seats had been changed ( we no longer are sitting in front of the lav), had a nice lunch (waitress Sandra -no relation to Sandy, the hurricane, was a delight), boarded on time and left just a few minutes late. A good start to a wonderful trip!
Little sleep as always, but a pleasant experience.
Arrived at CDG on time. Took less than 5 minutes to get through Passport control...for some reason, there was no check of our luggage...however the belt that delivered the luggage to us broke down causing a 20 minute delay. Not to worry...the driver from Inter Shuttle ( which I booked in advance ) was waiting for us (with a sign with our name) just as we came into the exit area. We were quickly transported from the airport to the highway to Paris where we immediately got into a slowly moving traffic jam...very glad that I didn't have to watch a taxi meter ticking away!
We were in a hurry to exit the airport and, therefore, didn't stop at an ATM machine. Our very nice driver stopped at 2 different ATM locations, both of which rejected both of Art's cards :(. So we arrived at the Renaissance Paris Vendome with 40 Euros left over from a previous trip and US$. The desk clerk converted some money for us and we were able to pay for our transit to the hotel. We were amazed at the helpfulness and friendliness of our driver and of all of the hotel personnel!
We were upgraded to the room I had requested...quiet facing an internal courtyard (not the Irish Pub across the street) and with a stand-up shower not just a tub. The room would be ready in an hour and a half, so out we went...walked to the Tuilleries on this gray day for pictures, then across a bridge to view the Seine and our first views of the Musee D'Orsay, L'Orangerie, and Place de la Concorde. We stopped at the L'Orangerie to buy Museum Passes to go with the one that Julie gave us and then back to the hotel to check.
A quick look at the room and we were off to our 1 PM reservation for lunch at Le Soufflé ( highly recommended by Tina Nolan and Trip Advisor). Fabulous! Since all we had eaten was airline breakfast ( need I say more?) we splurged on the Formule - a special 3 course plus a glass of wine and coffee menu for 25€. Worth every Euro and then some! Will add a link to pictures later as I'm running out of steam. After lunch we walked to a local boulangerie to pick up sandwiches and dessert for a light dinner in the room, took naps and showers and relaxed in anticipation of our first full day in the city of lights tomorrow.
Weather today....high 40s/low 50s and cloudy - NO rain!
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| Entrance to Tuileries |
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| Art - Rue du Rivoli |
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| Me - Tuileries |
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| First view of the Seine and Musee d'Orsay |
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| Our room - Renaissance Vendome |
Thursday, November 1, 2012
6 days to go!
In 6 days, we'll be in Paris! That is, IF airlines are up and running, American is still flying and no other 'natural environmental hazards' get in our way. Back from a wonderful family wedding in Boston in time to unpack, do laundry and pack again. This time for a 3 week trip entailing hotels, weight restricted baggage on our European regional flight from Paris to Barcelona , and a national strike by unions in Spain on November 14th (the day before our cruise departs Barcelona)!
Today we had a lovely pre-birthday lunch at our favorite local Italian restaurant (Il Bosco Ristorante) in Davidson with our close friends Marilyn and Bob (with a toast to Bob's good health report from his doctor this week). Now to get our trip documents in order and our cruise bags packed. Our carry-ons for PARIS and Barcelona are ready to go. The only thing NOT under control is the weather in Paris...cold and rainy much of the past week with a similar forecast for the coming days. Marilyn has agreed to take the weather on as her project....bless her!! It's a good thing that we never let the weather dictate the quality of our trips...umbrellas are packed and rain jackets will go into the big suitcases just in case....
Stay tuned for our upcoming saga!!
Today we had a lovely pre-birthday lunch at our favorite local Italian restaurant (Il Bosco Ristorante) in Davidson with our close friends Marilyn and Bob (with a toast to Bob's good health report from his doctor this week). Now to get our trip documents in order and our cruise bags packed. Our carry-ons for PARIS and Barcelona are ready to go. The only thing NOT under control is the weather in Paris...cold and rainy much of the past week with a similar forecast for the coming days. Marilyn has agreed to take the weather on as her project....bless her!! It's a good thing that we never let the weather dictate the quality of our trips...umbrellas are packed and rain jackets will go into the big suitcases just in case....
Stay tuned for our upcoming saga!!
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