Nice - Day 8, 9 and 10

Another early day awoke us as we started the final stretch in our European journey.  We carefully packed up all our belongings (although we realized we forgot a crucial item at the hotel) and hauled everything to the dreaded subway steps. A short metro ride took us to Gare Lyon where our train to Nice awaited us. We boarded our train and took our seats on the top level. The train ride was rather uneventful and we didn't understand a single message announced over the intercom. Before we hit the Southern part of France we zoomed along the countryside at nearly 200 mph! At the last stop, we departed the train and stood on the platform in Nice, France. This first thing I noticed, finally some warm weather and sun. Since our hotel was just down the street, we decided to walk the 10 blocks down to it. 


Our hotel was only 4 blocks from the beach and Old Town Nice. That's the only positive I can say about the hotel. I'll leave it at that, as I've already left a horrible review on several travel and hotel websites. 


From the hotel, we headed to the best place in Nice, the beach. The Cote d'Azur truly describes the scenery around you; beautiful blue ocean along miles of beaches, winding in and out along the coastline. From the beaches the land quickly elevates up into the French Alps with tree covered tops. 

Of course, Brad always loves a good photo with his favorite thing in it.....bikes. 

We walked along the coastline for about an hour and then found ourselves in Old Town Nice. This area had tons of restaurants, small markets, bakeries, stores, etc. Exactly how you'd imagine a small French City. We searched for a suitable place to eat, still intimidated to try out a full french restaurant again. To our surprise, and joy, we found an English Pub called Wayne's Bar. The entire staff was British, they served both British and French Food, and had great drink specials every single night! Needless to say, we ate there 2 nights in a row. 

The next day we explored the city further, diving into Old Town to explore the shops. I love to buy Authentic items when I travel so I was looking for something not touristy to purchase. I ended up buying a hand painted oil bottle that was full of color and will make me think of Nice any time I use it. 

On the 10th day of our trip, our plan was to take on the biggest part of our adventure, our own Epic Bike Ride. However, we arrived at the bike rental shop only to find out our pre-rented bikes were still at another shop and wouldn't be there until 2 pm or we could drive to the other shop to get them. With the skies darkening up and looking at the promise of rain, we asked if we could pick the bikes up in the evening and have them for the next day instead. I'm glad we did, otherwise we would have been really miserable in the rain in addition to the misery we would soon face. 


Stay tuned for Brad's guest blogger post about our Epic Bike Ride. My only comment about day 11 will be OUCH!!!!

Paris - Day 7

Our last full day in Paris was spent catching up on a bit of sleep and seeing everything we hadn't seen yet. Since the sun was out shining in blue skies we headed first to the most famous monument in Paris, the Eiffel Tower.

We made it to the tower in the late morning, after a feeble attempt to get up early was quickly defeated by the desire to lie in bed until 10 am. We expected long lines since it was the weekend and a beautiful day outside, but we were met with a nice surprise of short lines. Maybe it was because the signs said that the top level was "temporarily" closed and that we could only go up to level 2. We weren't thrilled about the notion of not going to the top, but we were satisfied with what we could do. About 40 minutes later, we cramped ourselves into an elevator and rode up to the 2nd level. 


The views were spectacular and you could discern different landmarks around Paris. Jardins du Trocadero.

Arc de Triomphe

However wonderful the views were, we hadn't satisfied our desire for height and that feeling of being on top of the world. So, next time you go to the Eiffel tower, don't believe the signs at the bottom saying the top is closed. If you make it to the 2nd level, they let you buy tickets to the top there and the line was super quick (<5 minutes). So after another short ride in a cramped elevator, we made it to the highest point in Paris. 


Looking down the Seine River. 

View of the Parc du Champ de Mars

My boy!

What a cute couple!

When the coolness and heights had gotten to us, we headed back down to the bottom to fight through the hundreds of Nigerians selling Eiffel Tower souvenirs on keychains. I'm not sure they understand that when I say "no" to the person standing next to them asking me to buy, that I'm not going to say "yes" to them 3 seconds later! We managed to find a spot to get some pretty awesome shots of the Tower from below. 

From the Eiffel Tower we headed to the other most famous spot in Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral. 

And this completed our trip to Paris. The next morning started our last leg of the trip, Nice, France!! Stay tuned for more!

Paris - Day 6

First, I must apologize for the length between posts. While we were in Nice, the internet was spotty at best and I couldn't get a reliable signal to upload photos on here. Now, that we are home, I can finally finish our story of our adventures in Europe!

Day 6 was another early morning start for us as we were once again headed to the metro to spend the day with royalty. We easily got on the RER C line and took it westward to the last stop, Versailles. After a quick 10 minute walk off the train, and a stop at the tourist information shop to buy tickets without the lines, we descended down the street to the famous palace of France, Chateau de Versailles.

This palace was completed in 1682 by Louis XIV following his desire to move his court and government from Paris to the countryside. He believed that by moving the seat of government from Paris, he would have greater control on the country and distance himself from nobility in Paris.  Following completion, only 3 French kings (Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI) resided here until the French Revolution in 1789. 

Upon arriving to the entrance to the Chateau, we thought we'd have a shorter wait due to having tickets in hand, but alas we still had to wait in a very long line to go through security! Luckily, it moved fairly quickly and we only stood outside for 20 minutes. We received our audio tours and were off to battle the crowds inside. 

Our first glimpse of the wealth of this palace was in the Royal Chapel. 

This chapel was used for daily mass, weddings, baptisms, and special ceremonies. Although you can't tell from this photo, the ceiling is covered in paintings depicting how the french monarchy believed they were chosen by God and through coronation became his "lieutenant" on Earth. The King sat on the second level gallery directly opposite the alter as to be above the public in the nave. 

From here we went through the history of France galleries, which was filled with various paintings of Kings and Queens of France, battles, and buildings. We then traveled upstairs to the King's State Apartments which consists of 7 drawing rooms each designed and dedicated to the planets gravitating around Apollo, the sun God (which was Louis XIV's emblem). The rooms were fantastic, but extremely crowded and difficult to get any photos as they were often dimly lit to preserve the paintings and furniture. From here you enter the most recognizable room in Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors. 

The Hall of Mirrors is very long room which is covered in mirrors on one side and huge windows facing the gardens on the other. This great hall was used for receptions, royal weddings, and ambassadorial presentations. The grandeur of this room is truly hard to appreciate with hundreds of tourist crowding the room, but you can get a good idea from the pictures. By far, this was the best room in the palace to visit. 

Directly off the Hall of Mirrors is the entryway to the King's Chamber. Louis XIV moved his bedchamber here to face the rising sun. If you look at the first photo of the front of Versailles, the 3 arched windows in the center on the 2nd floor, are the windows to this room and faced directly east. 

Directly off of the Hall of Mirrors, is the Queen's Apartments, which consists of 4 rooms, including her bedchamber. Each queen who occupied these rooms made small changes to the decor, however the rooms are preserved with it's last occupants style, Queen Marie-Antoinette. 

It was in this bed, that 19 children of France were born (in full public display!) And the most famous French Queen, Marie-Antoinette. Let Them Eat Cake!

After taking in the beauty of the interior of Versailles, we then ventured out to perhaps the most beautiful part of the palace, the surrounding gardens. 

Your first impression after walking out of the chateau is how vast the gardens is. From here, you can barely see the very end of the grounds. On weekends, the fountains are turned are turned on for brief periods throughout the day. By the time we made it to the grounds, the first period had passed and we had several hours before the next display started. So instead of walking around and seeing the nearly 50 fountains, we ventured over to see the Grand and Petit Trianon and the Queen's Hamlet. It was nearly a 30 minute walk to get to this area on the grounds, but well worth the exercise. 

The Grand Trianon was originally constructed to allow Louis XIV to leave the pomp of court life and retire to a more comfortable lifestyle with his mistress. Napoleon Bonaparte also restored the palace during his rule and stayed here often with his wife. The palace is made of pink marble and has additional gardens surrounding it. 

King Louis XIV's bedchamber, although revamped by the wife of Napoleon, still contains some of the original decor in the columns and paneling. Most of the furniture in the room was removed during the Revolution. 

From the Grand Trianon, a short walk takes you over to the Petit Trianon, best known as Queen Marie-Antoinette's private residence. This is the only place in Versailles were the Queen was able to design her surroundings according to her personal taste, after she obtained the grounds as a gift from her husband, Louis XVI. 

Although the inside of the palace is unique, very little is able to be seen. What's perhaps my favorite part of Marie-Antoinette's grounds is her hamlets and farm. The grounds are frozen in time and much of the original buildings haven't been restored, which makes the grounds really feel like back in the 18th century. 

The rustic style of the Queen's house is true country charm. It consists of 2 buildings joined by wooden walkway. 

This staircase mesmerizes me for some reason. You can just imagine how it looked some 200 years ago when Marie-Antoinette came down them in the early morning to sit out by the lake. 

The mill was used to grind grain and also for washing. 

Another interesting fact about this hamlet is that the farm is still functional and grows crops, keeps cows, and other livestock. 

We continued to walk around the gardens from the hamlet and saw lots of beautiful scenery. As you can tell, this area is perhaps my favorite part of Versailles, or possibly even the whole trip. 

Can you see my man trying to hide in there?

From Marie Antoinette's special estate, we traveled back to the main grounds of Versailles to catch the fountain display before we headed back to Paris. Nearly every fountain spurted to life at 3:30 pm and would continue to flow for 1.5 hours. We figured the easiest way to navigate through the gardens was to start at one end and work back towards the Chateau and the exit. 


The first fountain we stumbled on was the Encelade Grove. 

The Lantona Fountain and Parterre

The Obelisk Grove

The Starla Fountain Grove

And just a cool shrub!

After walking around for another 45 minutes or so, we had enough and our feet were screaming at us. So we headed back to the train to return to our home, Paris. We did get off the train at the Eiffel Tower and thought of trying to go up it, but the lines were loooooooong and it was cloudy out. Got a few photos, which didn't turn out well. Don't fret though, we ventured back to the tower the next morning and I'm glad we did! Check in for Day 7 soon. 

Apologies

I must apologize for how behind I am in updating my blog. I realize that we are on Day 9 of the trip and I'm only up to Day 5! I know everyone wants to see photos (especially the parents) and keep them up to date. Some days I can take up to 150 photos, and then to go though them and pic out a few to process and post, can take me about 2 hours to do. On top of that I'm usually pooped at the end of the day. As soon as I get home, I plan to post a ton more photos on my Flickr site so you can see more of what we saw on our trip. For now, please accept these few photos and the stories behind them. 


Until Day 6, Au Revoir!

Paris - Day 5

We woke up this Friday morning before 8 am again with the intent on getting moving to see the sites early on in the day to avoid crowds. After looking at our hand map of the Paris streets we figured it would be an easy stroll to the Louvre. We took the tube up to Notre Dame and would walk the rest of the way. Somehow, we got turned around at Notre Dame and ended up heading away and on the wrong side of the river of the Louvre. We finally figured out our mistake and got headed back in the right direction. What seemed like a few blocks walk, turned out to be quite a hike (note to self: Paris maps are deceptive). To add to our frustration, neither of us had eaten breakfast yet, and my cranky partner was making that verbal. 


We finally arrived at the Louvre, and despite all the guidebook saying that going first thing in the morning is the best time to avoid crowds, it was a zoo!! It proved to be difficult to get a great photo of the area. We really wanted to get some evening photos with the pyramid lit up as well, but we just couldn't stay around that late. 

And what trip would be complete without the notorious point and shoot shot of the pyramid. 

Whoops, missed the pyramid a bit. 


We took the historical entrance through the pyramid and down into the bottom of the Louvre. It was unbelievably busy! We had been thinking about buying a museum pass to allow us access to other museums in hopes of saving money, but ended up working out how little it would save us and then we'd be forced to rush through attractions to get our money worth. We bought our tickets and then found a place to sit and get a bit of breakfast before the hungry monster reared his ugly head. Our plan of actions was thus decided among a chocolate muffin, waffle, and coffee: hit the big ticket items first to avoid the mid-day chaos (as if it wasn't already crazy) and then wonder around other areas. From the lower ground floor (-1, or as we say basement) we headed towards the Denon wing and up to the 1st floor (2nd floor for us). After walking down a long hallway you stand at the bottom of a wide marble staircase which leads up to a breathtaking sculpture and something I was very excited to see. The Winged Victory of Samothrace. 

This headless and armless Greek Goddess Nike (Victory) has extraordinary detail in her clinging drapery (note the belly button) and is believed to be honoring a sea battle. 


As you continue past the goddess and head down the great hall, you enter the Italian paintings sections, which ultimately leads to the worlds most famous painting; Mona Lisa. The room that houses the Mona Lisa is quite large for such a small work of art. After fighting the crowds (and I mean that literally) I was able to get within 15 ft of the large glass display with a nearby guard to snap a poor photo with glass reflection. Sorry. 

To say I've seen it is cool, but honestly I'm not sure I'd fight to see it again. But for the sake of all you brave souls willing to read this, I knew I had to do it. 


We wandered around the halls observing paintings that we know little about since everything was in French and I've never taken an art class in my life. I was fascinated by the sheer size of the paintings and the amazing detail and colors involved. My favorite part of the museum had to be the Greek/Roman antiquities, including wonderful sculptures of the gods. Here is a few select photos I took. 


Aphrodite, known as Venus de Milo

Athena, goddess of wisdom and strength.

Hermaphorodite Sleeping (Hermes + Aphrodite)

Capital from the Apadana, Palace of Darius I. These capitals composed of 6 rows of 6 columns  to hold the ceiling of a vast chamber called the "Apadana". 

After being their only 2.5 hours, we needed a break and a sanity break from the throngs of crowds with screaming school kids. We decided to leave the Louvre for a break and take the metro (feet burning at this point) up the Champ-Elysees to see the Arc de Triomphe. Of course, like many attractions we have visited in Paris, some construction is underway and obstructs a unobstructed view. 

At least the construction screens are painted to look like the wall!

From here, we slowly walked down the Champ-Elysees back towards the Louvre. We stopped at Starbucks for a latte, stopped at Sephora and witnessed all the employees having a dance off to Michael Jackson's Save the World, and checked out the Grand and Petit Palais.  We made it back to Louvre around 4:30 pm, just before it started to rain. I snapped a few more photos of the area around then Louvre. 

We went back inside hoping this would have lightened up in the density of people....nope! We went back to the smaller sections including Napoleon's apartments, where there was very few people. We were debating whether to go back to the Greek section and look at things again since we rushed earlier with the crowds, but our feet would have no such involvement in continued torture. So we said good-bye to the gigantic palace called the Louvre and headed to St. Germain area again for some dinner. This area of town has an abundance of ethnic eateries, so we ventured to try some greek Gyros. 

What's better than a pita, gyro meat, yogurt sauce, and french fries!!

He he. He always gets the photos of the first bite!


And to finish off the night, crepes of course!!

I tried Crepe Nutella banana! Delish!


Our day was over with at this point, as walking any further would have continue to eat away at our already blistered feet. I guess the benefit of the walking, we haven't gained any weight from the crepes!


And a sneak peak for Day 6: