Thanks for keeping up!!
September 18, 2008
Who wants pictures?!?!?
Sorry for the delay - there's that whole "moving in" and "getting work" and settling down, and phew... Anyway, we have TWO albums for you. One is exclusively of "Squishy," the mascot for Tucows (where Chuck works), and one is a highlight album, from the almost 2700 photos we took. A full online album will be put up once we find space, but without comments or captions. Enjoy!
September 5, 2008
Home at last!
Ok, so things aren't exactly going up in the correct order. Weren't we supposed to fill in all the highlights about Rome when we could? Well, getting home was a bit more of a priority. Anyway, since I'm sure you're chomping on the bit, let's fill you in, shall we?
Sure enough, we saw the Colosseum, and paid a chunk extra to get a tour / bypass the line / get a free photo with a "gladiator" package. Really wasn't all that much more, and as a bonus we also got admission and a tour of Palantine Hill. Now, while the Colosseum is a whisp of its former glory, it is still amazing to see it, walk around, and get some history. Some truly gruesome things occurred in that place! Palantine Hill and the Roman Forum was more of a history lesson than anything else, but we did see what is possibly the home of Romulus, dating back to about 800 B.C. Some increible ruins! The rest of the day was just wandering, heading into Trestevere (near the station), and relaxing.
Next was the Vatican - we had heard horror stories about the lineups, some being as long as 3+ hours! Several people we had met in our travels said they had themselves waited for a long time, or had talked to someone who had. What to do? So we decided this was all we were going to do that day, just in case. We get to the Vatican City, and have to go through security. There were a few people in front, but this didn't take very long - through the metal detector, scan our bags, and off you go. Next was purchasing tickets, which was another brief affair, with a mere 2 people to wait behind. So, the question now was - where were the infamous lineups? Guess we got lucky (although, we had heard a comment the day before from a tour guide about how this was a slow travel year, something about the US dollar being low, etc). So the Vatican itself? Huge, interesting collection, but a bit overwhelming! From there we sauntered into St. Peter's which also had a lacklustre lineup. However, this was breathtaking, and well worth the price of admission (which was, well, free!).
Chantelle (who is awesome, thank you!!) had given us a little walking tour, which we took the next day. Starting from the Vatican we wandered neighbourhoods - the east bank of the Tiber down from the Vatican; Trestevere for some awesome pizza, cute boutique shops, and a surprisingly dingy church on the outside with a remarkable mosaic filling (Santa Maria in Trestevere); into the Jewish quarter to look at some weird and whacky architecture (Roman column on your construction site? Incorporate it into your plans!); then on to the Piazza dei Fiori, the Piazza Novona, and The Pantheon. This last building alone was worth the trip to Rome - mind bogglingly beautiful, in wonderful condition (unlike many of the other Roman buildings which have had their marble removed for other projects), and with the sun shining through the hole in the ceiling, well... enough said.
The rest of Rome was just wandering around, seeing this and that, checking out neighbourhoods, eating gelato and going into kebab shops for falafel, and not eating Italian food (a month straight of pizza and pasta had us wanting something different). We had quite a bit of Indian food, as it turns out. We had a small scheduling fubar that had us staying in Rome for a day longer than we expected, which was fine, just another dingy hostel, and another day of beautiful sunshine before heading back to Belfast. When we learned of Zoom Airline's demise, we managed to easily find a return flight, although on the 4th instead of the 1st, and we had to fly out of Dublin instead of Belfast. Still, our travel agent was fantastic in finding us something incredibly cheap. And, if we're lucky, the credit card company will be able to get us some money back, for services not rendered from Zoom (or some such).
Belfast was quiet - they have had a record breaking summer for rainfall, and this trend continued when we got back. We didn't realize how good we had it weather wise until we got back to Ireland. All told, we were rained on twice in our whole trip throughout France, Spain, and Italy. In Belfast, it rained every single day!! We spent more time with Kelly's awesome, amazing, and wholly hospitable family, and even got a chance to meet some of her other cousins that we had not yet gotten a chance to see. We also had a fancy lunch at the Merchant Hotel, and when at Dundrum Castle saw some medieval historian types who let us shoot some arrows on real English longbows! I love Kelly's family, and pretty much every Northern Irish person we met - they're all so NICE!
Our trip home was uneventful, just a looooooooooooong day. We were up at 5:30am, picked up at 6:30am, caught a bus from Belfast to Dublin Airport at 7am, in Dublin Airport at 9:30, checked in and through security, flying by just after 12 noon, then after an hour layover in Montreal, we landed in Toronto at about 3:30pm (which was actually 8:30pm for us) before getting through the terminal and customs and baggage and meeting my mum for a lift home. We got back and settled at home by about 5:00pm (or 10:00pm in Belfast, if you're keeping track). A mere 15 or 16 hour day!
Ok, I think that's it - we're home, we're not yet settled, we have a lot of things to do, and our vacation is over. A little sad about that, but also kind of happy to get the next phase of our life on the go. What will that be? Not a clue... maybe there'll be a blog for that too (but probably not).
Thanks for keeping up, from Kelly and myself!
BTW - we'll have photos online soon, but perhaps not on Blogger. Will advice..
Sure enough, we saw the Colosseum, and paid a chunk extra to get a tour / bypass the line / get a free photo with a "gladiator" package. Really wasn't all that much more, and as a bonus we also got admission and a tour of Palantine Hill. Now, while the Colosseum is a whisp of its former glory, it is still amazing to see it, walk around, and get some history. Some truly gruesome things occurred in that place! Palantine Hill and the Roman Forum was more of a history lesson than anything else, but we did see what is possibly the home of Romulus, dating back to about 800 B.C. Some increible ruins! The rest of the day was just wandering, heading into Trestevere (near the station), and relaxing.
Next was the Vatican - we had heard horror stories about the lineups, some being as long as 3+ hours! Several people we had met in our travels said they had themselves waited for a long time, or had talked to someone who had. What to do? So we decided this was all we were going to do that day, just in case. We get to the Vatican City, and have to go through security. There were a few people in front, but this didn't take very long - through the metal detector, scan our bags, and off you go. Next was purchasing tickets, which was another brief affair, with a mere 2 people to wait behind. So, the question now was - where were the infamous lineups? Guess we got lucky (although, we had heard a comment the day before from a tour guide about how this was a slow travel year, something about the US dollar being low, etc). So the Vatican itself? Huge, interesting collection, but a bit overwhelming! From there we sauntered into St. Peter's which also had a lacklustre lineup. However, this was breathtaking, and well worth the price of admission (which was, well, free!).
Chantelle (who is awesome, thank you!!) had given us a little walking tour, which we took the next day. Starting from the Vatican we wandered neighbourhoods - the east bank of the Tiber down from the Vatican; Trestevere for some awesome pizza, cute boutique shops, and a surprisingly dingy church on the outside with a remarkable mosaic filling (Santa Maria in Trestevere); into the Jewish quarter to look at some weird and whacky architecture (Roman column on your construction site? Incorporate it into your plans!); then on to the Piazza dei Fiori, the Piazza Novona, and The Pantheon. This last building alone was worth the trip to Rome - mind bogglingly beautiful, in wonderful condition (unlike many of the other Roman buildings which have had their marble removed for other projects), and with the sun shining through the hole in the ceiling, well... enough said.
The rest of Rome was just wandering around, seeing this and that, checking out neighbourhoods, eating gelato and going into kebab shops for falafel, and not eating Italian food (a month straight of pizza and pasta had us wanting something different). We had quite a bit of Indian food, as it turns out. We had a small scheduling fubar that had us staying in Rome for a day longer than we expected, which was fine, just another dingy hostel, and another day of beautiful sunshine before heading back to Belfast. When we learned of Zoom Airline's demise, we managed to easily find a return flight, although on the 4th instead of the 1st, and we had to fly out of Dublin instead of Belfast. Still, our travel agent was fantastic in finding us something incredibly cheap. And, if we're lucky, the credit card company will be able to get us some money back, for services not rendered from Zoom (or some such).
Belfast was quiet - they have had a record breaking summer for rainfall, and this trend continued when we got back. We didn't realize how good we had it weather wise until we got back to Ireland. All told, we were rained on twice in our whole trip throughout France, Spain, and Italy. In Belfast, it rained every single day!! We spent more time with Kelly's awesome, amazing, and wholly hospitable family, and even got a chance to meet some of her other cousins that we had not yet gotten a chance to see. We also had a fancy lunch at the Merchant Hotel, and when at Dundrum Castle saw some medieval historian types who let us shoot some arrows on real English longbows! I love Kelly's family, and pretty much every Northern Irish person we met - they're all so NICE!
Our trip home was uneventful, just a looooooooooooong day. We were up at 5:30am, picked up at 6:30am, caught a bus from Belfast to Dublin Airport at 7am, in Dublin Airport at 9:30, checked in and through security, flying by just after 12 noon, then after an hour layover in Montreal, we landed in Toronto at about 3:30pm (which was actually 8:30pm for us) before getting through the terminal and customs and baggage and meeting my mum for a lift home. We got back and settled at home by about 5:00pm (or 10:00pm in Belfast, if you're keeping track). A mere 15 or 16 hour day!
Ok, I think that's it - we're home, we're not yet settled, we have a lot of things to do, and our vacation is over. A little sad about that, but also kind of happy to get the next phase of our life on the go. What will that be? Not a clue... maybe there'll be a blog for that too (but probably not).
Thanks for keeping up, from Kelly and myself!
BTW - we'll have photos online soon, but perhaps not on Blogger. Will advice..
August 29, 2008
ZOOM-TASTIC!!
This isn't so much as an update than an FYI and gripe session. We'll post more about the remainder of our trip when it's more appropriate!
So, last night (quite late) we learned of the grounding of all Zoom Airline flights and their inevitable filing for bankruptcy. Guess who we were to fly back to Toronto with? No ideas?? Not even a clue??? Well then ....
Currently we're just packing up at our last hostel in Rome, and waiting for the business world in Toronto to wake up so we can call Travel Cuts (where we booked the flight initially), and see what our travel/cancellation insurance can do for us, and try to figure out when and how we are going to get home. It's a bit of a shock, and we're still staggered by the news, but - all things considered - there are worse places than Belfast to be stranded. Kelly's relatives will assuredly take golden care of us until things are all sorted!
That's all for now folks!
So, last night (quite late) we learned of the grounding of all Zoom Airline flights and their inevitable filing for bankruptcy. Guess who we were to fly back to Toronto with? No ideas?? Not even a clue??? Well then ....
Currently we're just packing up at our last hostel in Rome, and waiting for the business world in Toronto to wake up so we can call Travel Cuts (where we booked the flight initially), and see what our travel/cancellation insurance can do for us, and try to figure out when and how we are going to get home. It's a bit of a shock, and we're still staggered by the news, but - all things considered - there are worse places than Belfast to be stranded. Kelly's relatives will assuredly take golden care of us until things are all sorted!
That's all for now folks!
August 24, 2008
What? We're having fun!!
Ok, so maybe this wasn't the best idea. I mean, sure we have a blog, and of course there has been internet access, and I'm even keeping a little journal to remind us of little anecdotes and stories and places we've been. But ... well ... spending time on a computer to type up a posting just hasn't seemed to be all that important! Besides, we've been having far too much fun (seriously, where would you rather be - out in the beautiful sunny weather, or stuck on computer??)
August 11th-14th: Cinque Terre is pretty simple to talk about. We were staying in Vernazza, which was an adorable little town, and did pretty much nothing the whole time. Sure, we took the train to Riomaggiore and walked the Via dell'Amore to Manorola and then skipped up to Corniglia to walk the 382 steps up to the village and then came home. But whatever - most of the time was beach, relaxing, reading, fantastic food, and watching all the silly tourists flood through "our village." Very romantic, we had an almost full moon as we were leaving, it was just fantastico!
August 15th-17th: So, on the way to Siena, we popped into Pisa. See, they have this tower, and well... you know, it's a little off. Someone ought to do something about it, instead of charging insane amounts to make people walk up to the top (we didn't, since it was a 5+ hour wait - but, really, we have our OWN tower, and it doesn't lean). We did go see the cathedral, cemetery, and baptistry, so it wasn't a complete waste of a trip! (I kid, the tower was amazing to see, but who wants to wait that long???). Off to Siena, where we learned that we were there for their annual race called "The Palio." This is a monumental event, the entire city comes out for it, and travellers from around the world come just for the race - whoops! But hey, we didn't care, since we were there to see the duomo (which looks like black and white licorice candy), a day trip to San Gimignano, and just waltz around this beautiful city. Yes, we watched the race, but we didn't crowd in with the other 40-50 thousand odd people into the main square where the race takes place - the television at the "hostel" was sufficient. Oh, we were staying in this villa outside of the city that was originally a 13th century fortress, and was converted into a villa in the 18th century. The family that owns the villa and runs the hostel have owned the land (230+ acres) and whatnot since the 18th century, and have been renting rooms and small cottages on their land since the late 1890s! A lot of 18th century furniture and art adorn the rooms and hallways, it was simply ideal - and the countryside was absolutely phenomenal, stunningly beautiful. And, for some reason, it was quite cool (comparatively speaking) - around 25 degrees or so, but wonderfully sunny (aside from the torrential downpour/thunderstorm we had arriving in the city).
August 18th-21st: Next on was Perugia, which is probably the most beautiful town we have visited thus far. There are many Etruscan remains, dating from around the 3rd or 4th century BC, including some old gates and still readily visible walls (some of which have medieval additions, others seem to have modern buildings just sprouting from them!) We went down into the old Etruscan well, which was just mindboggling - this supplied water for the town and area from about the 3rd century BC until the 13th century when an additional water source several kilometers away was connected via an aquaduct (which still remains, but it's been converted into a pedestrian walkway since the 18th century). The rest of the city was equally stunning, old, rich with history, and all perfectly walkable. The farmhouse we stayed out (another "outside of the city" experience) was over 200 years old, and it was so quiet, with a nice pool (required: it was 34-37 degrees during our stay), and baby goats, sheep, a goose, and several cats/kittens. Oh, and fresh eggs from the chickens for breakfast! We took a day trip to Assisi to soak up the Franciscan history, check out the basilica, see the cross that spoke to St. Francis, and just walk around one of the quaintest medieval towns we'd ever seen (flocks of tourists and pilgrims notwithstanding). A nice relaxing respite!
On the 22nd we came to Rome, where we are now. So far most of our time has been wandering around, seeing some important churches that Kelly studied and/or wrote research papers on (like Santa Pressede, or Santa Maria Maggiore). Our first evening here we went to see an English movie (The Dark Knight) since we were missing hearing English spoken, and wanted popcorn. Yesterday we went to the Villa Borghese and the museum therein to see some simply amazing Bernini sculptures - if you've never seen one, book a flight to Rome immediately, and come over. The realism and movement he gets out of marble defies description. Today our plan is to see the Colosseum, which we've already walked by at night (and it's ... well... in a word... colossal!).
Our sincerest apologies for taking so long to get back onto the Internet, but with all these sleepy quiet towns, we were rather enjoying our time not doing crazy running around (like Paris, Barcelona, Venice, and Florence), even if we did have some really long days. Who wants to blog?? This might be our last posting from Rome, and perhaps one more in Belfast before we head home - in a week!!!
August 11th-14th: Cinque Terre is pretty simple to talk about. We were staying in Vernazza, which was an adorable little town, and did pretty much nothing the whole time. Sure, we took the train to Riomaggiore and walked the Via dell'Amore to Manorola and then skipped up to Corniglia to walk the 382 steps up to the village and then came home. But whatever - most of the time was beach, relaxing, reading, fantastic food, and watching all the silly tourists flood through "our village." Very romantic, we had an almost full moon as we were leaving, it was just fantastico!
August 15th-17th: So, on the way to Siena, we popped into Pisa. See, they have this tower, and well... you know, it's a little off. Someone ought to do something about it, instead of charging insane amounts to make people walk up to the top (we didn't, since it was a 5+ hour wait - but, really, we have our OWN tower, and it doesn't lean). We did go see the cathedral, cemetery, and baptistry, so it wasn't a complete waste of a trip! (I kid, the tower was amazing to see, but who wants to wait that long???). Off to Siena, where we learned that we were there for their annual race called "The Palio." This is a monumental event, the entire city comes out for it, and travellers from around the world come just for the race - whoops! But hey, we didn't care, since we were there to see the duomo (which looks like black and white licorice candy), a day trip to San Gimignano, and just waltz around this beautiful city. Yes, we watched the race, but we didn't crowd in with the other 40-50 thousand odd people into the main square where the race takes place - the television at the "hostel" was sufficient. Oh, we were staying in this villa outside of the city that was originally a 13th century fortress, and was converted into a villa in the 18th century. The family that owns the villa and runs the hostel have owned the land (230+ acres) and whatnot since the 18th century, and have been renting rooms and small cottages on their land since the late 1890s! A lot of 18th century furniture and art adorn the rooms and hallways, it was simply ideal - and the countryside was absolutely phenomenal, stunningly beautiful. And, for some reason, it was quite cool (comparatively speaking) - around 25 degrees or so, but wonderfully sunny (aside from the torrential downpour/thunderstorm we had arriving in the city).
August 18th-21st: Next on was Perugia, which is probably the most beautiful town we have visited thus far. There are many Etruscan remains, dating from around the 3rd or 4th century BC, including some old gates and still readily visible walls (some of which have medieval additions, others seem to have modern buildings just sprouting from them!) We went down into the old Etruscan well, which was just mindboggling - this supplied water for the town and area from about the 3rd century BC until the 13th century when an additional water source several kilometers away was connected via an aquaduct (which still remains, but it's been converted into a pedestrian walkway since the 18th century). The rest of the city was equally stunning, old, rich with history, and all perfectly walkable. The farmhouse we stayed out (another "outside of the city" experience) was over 200 years old, and it was so quiet, with a nice pool (required: it was 34-37 degrees during our stay), and baby goats, sheep, a goose, and several cats/kittens. Oh, and fresh eggs from the chickens for breakfast! We took a day trip to Assisi to soak up the Franciscan history, check out the basilica, see the cross that spoke to St. Francis, and just walk around one of the quaintest medieval towns we'd ever seen (flocks of tourists and pilgrims notwithstanding). A nice relaxing respite!
On the 22nd we came to Rome, where we are now. So far most of our time has been wandering around, seeing some important churches that Kelly studied and/or wrote research papers on (like Santa Pressede, or Santa Maria Maggiore). Our first evening here we went to see an English movie (The Dark Knight) since we were missing hearing English spoken, and wanted popcorn. Yesterday we went to the Villa Borghese and the museum therein to see some simply amazing Bernini sculptures - if you've never seen one, book a flight to Rome immediately, and come over. The realism and movement he gets out of marble defies description. Today our plan is to see the Colosseum, which we've already walked by at night (and it's ... well... in a word... colossal!).
Our sincerest apologies for taking so long to get back onto the Internet, but with all these sleepy quiet towns, we were rather enjoying our time not doing crazy running around (like Paris, Barcelona, Venice, and Florence), even if we did have some really long days. Who wants to blog?? This might be our last posting from Rome, and perhaps one more in Belfast before we head home - in a week!!!
August 10, 2008
Padua, Ravenna, and Florence
Who thought we'd post this soon? Eh?? Huh?? Eh??? With the smallness of the towns we've been through, we spent all our time waltzing around, seeing pretty much everything, and taking our time, relaxing, and not going on the internet. Sue us (after the trip, if you please!)
August 4th - We were in Padua, to see both the Scrovegni Chapel, and to celebrate our 2nd anniversary (yes, it really has been that long). The Chapel was simply indescribable - you have to sit in a climate controlled room for about 15 minutes or so, while they show a film, to allow them to cleanse the air and get the humidity and temperature all set straight. Then you go in, only for 15 minutes, and just look at ... well, Giotto's masterpiece. Kelly and I were lucky, as our reserved time had only ourselves in the group - so we got to see the whole thing on our own (and, of course, the ubiquitous museum guard). The rest of the day was just walking around and seeing a wonderfully beautiful city, being exposed to remarkable hospitality (and few English speakers), and having quite the respite from the tourist trap that was Venice. The dinner we had that evening was simply masterful, with crab and lobster pasta, and seared tuna done to perfection, a selection of smoked fish, and tiramisu and marscapone for dessert - decadent (but we deserve it, right???).
August 5th - More Padua, saw the Duomo, the old university (founded in 1222, their first wholly owned building dates back to the 15th century) - they boast graduating the first woman from a university, a feat that wasn't repeated for a century. We also saw a huge plaza, the Piazza Prato Della Valle, which was just beautiful, and then St. Anthony'sBasilica. That evening we packed up our stuff for the commute to Ravenna. Our arrival seemed odd - everyone seemed to know where the hostel was!! I think there's just the one...
August 6th-8th - Ravenna was likely one of the smaller towns we saw, but with such a history, I think we saw more there than we saw in Padua and Venice combined - and I've only shared the highlights!! (Giving you a laundry list would not only be boring, but pointless, no?) This was a cute city, very small, a little sleepy almost, but the mosaics in San Vitale and in the other monuments are worth the trip alone. Not much special to say here except it was quiet, relaxing, we slept tonnes, and we saw fabulous, wonderful, sparkling, remarkable mosaics (from about the 6th century) as well as some Roman ones like Galla Placidia. Oodles of them!! Then, off to Firenze in the evening.
August 8th-10th - While we came specifically to see the Accademia (housing Michaelangelo's David) and the Uffizzi (the best Renaissance gallery in the known universe), we didn't actually see them until today! We have been walking around, seeing the Duomo, Santa Croce, napping in parks, the view from the campsite (we're up by the Piazza Michaelangelo, which is up a hill overlooking the city across the river, STUNNING views), Pallazzo and Ponte Vecchio, the Baptistry of San Giovanni. The city is very touristy, everything costs money, but when we got into the Accademia this morning and I saw the 5+ meter tall marble statue that is Michaelangelo's David, it all seemed worth it... the thing is fricken HUGE. Beyond huge, it's ... it's ... gargantuan!!
Anyway, tomorrow we're off to Cinque Terre for a 4 day "do nothing" trek on the beach. So don't expect much in the way of updates (of course, there won't be much to say!!)
Thanks for keeping up, even if we've been intermittant. Oh, I have about 27 seconds left... eep!! Talk to you all later!!
Kelly and Chuck
August 4th - We were in Padua, to see both the Scrovegni Chapel, and to celebrate our 2nd anniversary (yes, it really has been that long). The Chapel was simply indescribable - you have to sit in a climate controlled room for about 15 minutes or so, while they show a film, to allow them to cleanse the air and get the humidity and temperature all set straight. Then you go in, only for 15 minutes, and just look at ... well, Giotto's masterpiece. Kelly and I were lucky, as our reserved time had only ourselves in the group - so we got to see the whole thing on our own (and, of course, the ubiquitous museum guard). The rest of the day was just walking around and seeing a wonderfully beautiful city, being exposed to remarkable hospitality (and few English speakers), and having quite the respite from the tourist trap that was Venice. The dinner we had that evening was simply masterful, with crab and lobster pasta, and seared tuna done to perfection, a selection of smoked fish, and tiramisu and marscapone for dessert - decadent (but we deserve it, right???).
August 5th - More Padua, saw the Duomo, the old university (founded in 1222, their first wholly owned building dates back to the 15th century) - they boast graduating the first woman from a university, a feat that wasn't repeated for a century. We also saw a huge plaza, the Piazza Prato Della Valle, which was just beautiful, and then St. Anthony'sBasilica. That evening we packed up our stuff for the commute to Ravenna. Our arrival seemed odd - everyone seemed to know where the hostel was!! I think there's just the one...
August 6th-8th - Ravenna was likely one of the smaller towns we saw, but with such a history, I think we saw more there than we saw in Padua and Venice combined - and I've only shared the highlights!! (Giving you a laundry list would not only be boring, but pointless, no?) This was a cute city, very small, a little sleepy almost, but the mosaics in San Vitale and in the other monuments are worth the trip alone. Not much special to say here except it was quiet, relaxing, we slept tonnes, and we saw fabulous, wonderful, sparkling, remarkable mosaics (from about the 6th century) as well as some Roman ones like Galla Placidia. Oodles of them!! Then, off to Firenze in the evening.
August 8th-10th - While we came specifically to see the Accademia (housing Michaelangelo's David) and the Uffizzi (the best Renaissance gallery in the known universe), we didn't actually see them until today! We have been walking around, seeing the Duomo, Santa Croce, napping in parks, the view from the campsite (we're up by the Piazza Michaelangelo, which is up a hill overlooking the city across the river, STUNNING views), Pallazzo and Ponte Vecchio, the Baptistry of San Giovanni. The city is very touristy, everything costs money, but when we got into the Accademia this morning and I saw the 5+ meter tall marble statue that is Michaelangelo's David, it all seemed worth it... the thing is fricken HUGE. Beyond huge, it's ... it's ... gargantuan!!
Anyway, tomorrow we're off to Cinque Terre for a 4 day "do nothing" trek on the beach. So don't expect much in the way of updates (of course, there won't be much to say!!)
Thanks for keeping up, even if we've been intermittant. Oh, I have about 27 seconds left... eep!! Talk to you all later!!
Kelly and Chuck
August 3, 2008
Barcelona, Nice, Brescia, and Venice ... um...
Holy crap, it's been a while eh? Barcelona and Nice we found it impossible to get onto the Internet - cafés were crammed solid, and the "free" Internet at the hostels always had lineups, and ridiculously short times that we were allowed to use the machines. Heck, we're paying for Internet in Venice, and I have less than 11 minutes to fit in well over a week of stuff. So um... maybe we'll just hit the highlights, and I can fill you in better later?
July 24-26th: Barcelona was fantastic - Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi. The man was a genius, and his works are well worth the entire trip alone. Simply amazing. We also saw the "Magic Fountain" which was quite lovely - and they have outdoor escalators to get to them!
July 27-29th: Nice was ... well, not so nice at first (the area where the hostel is, near the rail station, is a bit sleazy). However, we did walk around the old city (marvelous), take a day trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo (decadent), parasailing over the Mediterranean (fun!!), and partook in some delicious Nicoise and Tunisian cuisine (even if some of it had meat ... whoops! Kelly ate none of it, I only had a bit to taste).
July 30th-31st: Brescia was a huge surprise!! We weren't actually staying "in" the city - no, no, no ... we had to first take a commuter/regional train out several stops (after the first leg through suburbs, it was literally all corn fields for 20 minutes). Then the guy who ran the B&B with his wife picked us up from the station for a quick jaunt to their quaint little villa. The place is called B&B La Corte (look it up online), it was a slice of heaven!! HUGE rooms, wonderful people, quiet and peaceful setting, amazing breakfast, rented a cycle for a jaunt around the area to see an old castle, monastery, and the local lake, ate at a restaurant nearby (incredible food), just the best surprise of our entire trip. We're telling every single person we've seen about it!!
August 1st-3: Venice is just as you'd expect Venice to be at the beginning of August. Hot, crammed with tourists, but a beautiful and romantic city. Did the San Marco and Doge's Palace 'thing' and now we're about to hop on a water bus to the island of Murano to check out some stuff on the glass blowing they do there (assuming the museum isn't closed when we get there!).
We'll fill in the bits and tell you nice little anecdotes once we find cheaper/longer internet access. And still nowhere to plug in our stupid camera to upload photos!! Well... we "could" if someone would wire us a nice chunk of money so we can afford to sit in a cafe for a couple of hours ;)
Tomorrow is our 2 year anniversary, which we will be spending in Padua. Until next time!
Chuck and Kelly.
July 24-26th: Barcelona was fantastic - Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi. The man was a genius, and his works are well worth the entire trip alone. Simply amazing. We also saw the "Magic Fountain" which was quite lovely - and they have outdoor escalators to get to them!
July 27-29th: Nice was ... well, not so nice at first (the area where the hostel is, near the rail station, is a bit sleazy). However, we did walk around the old city (marvelous), take a day trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo (decadent), parasailing over the Mediterranean (fun!!), and partook in some delicious Nicoise and Tunisian cuisine (even if some of it had meat ... whoops! Kelly ate none of it, I only had a bit to taste).
July 30th-31st: Brescia was a huge surprise!! We weren't actually staying "in" the city - no, no, no ... we had to first take a commuter/regional train out several stops (after the first leg through suburbs, it was literally all corn fields for 20 minutes). Then the guy who ran the B&B with his wife picked us up from the station for a quick jaunt to their quaint little villa. The place is called B&B La Corte (look it up online), it was a slice of heaven!! HUGE rooms, wonderful people, quiet and peaceful setting, amazing breakfast, rented a cycle for a jaunt around the area to see an old castle, monastery, and the local lake, ate at a restaurant nearby (incredible food), just the best surprise of our entire trip. We're telling every single person we've seen about it!!
August 1st-3: Venice is just as you'd expect Venice to be at the beginning of August. Hot, crammed with tourists, but a beautiful and romantic city. Did the San Marco and Doge's Palace 'thing' and now we're about to hop on a water bus to the island of Murano to check out some stuff on the glass blowing they do there (assuming the museum isn't closed when we get there!).
We'll fill in the bits and tell you nice little anecdotes once we find cheaper/longer internet access. And still nowhere to plug in our stupid camera to upload photos!! Well... we "could" if someone would wire us a nice chunk of money so we can afford to sit in a cafe for a couple of hours ;)
Tomorrow is our 2 year anniversary, which we will be spending in Padua. Until next time!
Chuck and Kelly.
July 24, 2008
Beach, sun, and not much else...
Lately I've been trying to do a day by day précis of our trip, but for this leg of the trip, it really doesn't matter - every day was pretty much the same. Heck, we even lost track of the days!! This is for the 17th (travelling into Calpe) to the 23rd (travelling to Barcelona). Calpe is a bit bigger than we expected (thinking it was a "small fishing village") but it was still not nearly as large as the resort about 45 minutes up the coast called Benidorm. The sun was great, weather was awesome, beach was lovely, and everyone was very welcoming - and the food was so cheap! We ate out so often, since it was usually cheaper (and we were treated, or treating those that had treated us previously). Many people we met were British (through my relative Ken, who's studio apartment we were staying in), and retired, so it was a bit surreal. Can you believe we didn't meet a single Spanish fisherman??
On the Sunday (what was that... the 20th?) we went up into the mountains to this little village called Guadalest, that spills out around a castle that was originally built by the Moors. It is situated on a mountain top in the middle of a valley that is created by the meeting of three different mountain ranges - simply stunning scenery, and you can see the Mediterranean from the castle walls. Wikipedia has some nice info, but you have to see it to believe it!! The day before we left (um... the 22nd?) we went into Altea, which is a town just next to Calpe, to see the old church which has some seriously Moorish influenced architecture, and to eat at this fantastic Italian restaurant - everything was so quaint and romantic!
Now we're back on the road, much chagrined to lose the beach, but in some ways glad to be moving again. Both of us have come down with a bit of a cold, so while we got to Barcelona last night (after another fun filled transportation adventure courtesy of the Spanish rail system - we left Calpe at 9am, and didn't get into Barcelona until after 8pm), we've only thus far done a walking tour. But it's a nice city! Through the coughing and sniffling and wheezing and complaining...
Love you all, and we're STILL seeking some place that will let us plug in our camera so we can show some of our super fun pictures we've been collecting! What might really happen is a full web album once the trip is over (crappy way to do it if you ask me). Still, you can look up some of the places we've been to and sights we've seen on the Internet - the pictures you'll find might be pretty much the same as ours. Just pretend we're in them!!
Tomorrow we waltz around the city checking out all the Gaudi stuff (our reason for coming to Barcelona). Until next time!
On the Sunday (what was that... the 20th?) we went up into the mountains to this little village called Guadalest, that spills out around a castle that was originally built by the Moors. It is situated on a mountain top in the middle of a valley that is created by the meeting of three different mountain ranges - simply stunning scenery, and you can see the Mediterranean from the castle walls. Wikipedia has some nice info, but you have to see it to believe it!! The day before we left (um... the 22nd?) we went into Altea, which is a town just next to Calpe, to see the old church which has some seriously Moorish influenced architecture, and to eat at this fantastic Italian restaurant - everything was so quaint and romantic!
Now we're back on the road, much chagrined to lose the beach, but in some ways glad to be moving again. Both of us have come down with a bit of a cold, so while we got to Barcelona last night (after another fun filled transportation adventure courtesy of the Spanish rail system - we left Calpe at 9am, and didn't get into Barcelona until after 8pm), we've only thus far done a walking tour. But it's a nice city! Through the coughing and sniffling and wheezing and complaining...
Love you all, and we're STILL seeking some place that will let us plug in our camera so we can show some of our super fun pictures we've been collecting! What might really happen is a full web album once the trip is over (crappy way to do it if you ask me). Still, you can look up some of the places we've been to and sights we've seen on the Internet - the pictures you'll find might be pretty much the same as ours. Just pretend we're in them!!
Tomorrow we waltz around the city checking out all the Gaudi stuff (our reason for coming to Barcelona). Until next time!
July 17, 2008
Holy Cow - it´s been quite a while, hasn't it?!
Hello everyone. Today, I will be your guide through the wonderful adventures of Kelly and Chuck en Europe. The last we spoke (or you spoke with Charles), we had visited Sainte-Chappelle and the Musée d'Orsay. The former was incredible! My heart was beating a mile a minute. My breath was taken away. It was absolutely stunning! Pictures do not do the place justice. It is an experience that has to be lived. That evening, Charles and I visited the Eiffel Tower and walked along the Seine. Charles impressed me with his excellent translation skills (renard=duck, mouche=mouth) and I was faced with one of the most important questions of my young life when a bus full of French firefighters piled out before us as we watched the Eiffel Tower glittering before us - as the French seem to only hire the hottest guys for professional type jobs, should I reevaluate my life path to join their ranks and bask in the beauty that is the male French firefighter for the rest of my life? Given that I'm not much of a fan of strenuous exercise of any sort, I thought better of it. But, wow!
Anyway, back to the important stuff. The following day, we visited the best museum EVER! We went to the Medieval Cluny museum which is held in a medieval monastery which was built over 1st century Roman baths! It was pretty amazing. We encountered a lot of works that I had studied, and Charles and I interpreted the works as best we could. It was lots of fun. That evening, as we had moved to our new home in Monmartre, we decided to walk around the neighbourhood and find ourselves our first full French meal. We ate escargots and boulliabase and creme brulée and smoked fish in bernaise sauce and a chocolate and pear dessert - it was decadent! Chuck even had some red wine with his meal. Magnifique! Oh, I forgot - we also went to see Sacre Coeur at the top of the hill, which has a fabulous view of Paris. Inside the church, there were nuns singing which added to the ambience of the already impressive structure and decor. It's a huge fricken church!
The following day we made our way to Toulouse by train. Nothing much to say about that, except that I beat Charles in a game of chess on the bus. Oh yes... The train we wanted to take was full and the guy at the desk said our only options were a midnight train or travelling the next day. But we prodded and prodded and he found us a route in which we took an intercity train then a bus then another train! An adventure!!! It was quite fun, But we were exhausted when we got Toulouse and went to bed right away.
My hands hurt from typing, so Charles is going to type now while I dictate...
In Toulouse we had an awesome place to stay (The President, and they gave us a really awesome breakfast). The next morning we first visited Les Jacobins, which was like a convent/abby, made in the gothic style with beautiful "palm tree" pillars (we'll put up pictures eventually so you can all see it - facilities are limited at the moment). Charles was very excited for two reasons - first there was displayed the remains of St. Thomas Aquinas. Also, there was an exhibit on the Golden Age of Arabic Science - Charles had a blast explaining all the science stuff to me. I had fun too, and I learned! After that it was my turn, and we went to see Saint-Sernin, which is a beautiful Romanesque cathedral - that was the most exciting experience, which would take a lot of discussion, but we don't have much time... so on to Madrid!
We had a disastrous trip... I mean, a new adventure from Toulouse to Madrid. We had to take three trains, the second of which was late, so we missed our third train. One argument and an hour in line later, plus another 2 hour wait, we finally hopped a high speed train and made our way from Barcelona to Madrid. Our first (and only day) in Madrid was fabulous - we went on a walking tour with an Australian named Deb, had tapas at a little restaurant on some back street, marvelled at the art of the Northern Renaissance in the Museo del Prado. The highlight of this visit was, of course, Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" - mindblowing, and defying description. It was fricken HUGE! We also saw a lot of other art that really blew us away - Charles even enjoyed it. Then we met up with a friend of mine who lives in Madrid, had oodles of fun with her (lovely lady), and came home and chatted with our roommates (who are rather interesting in themselves). Mendy (from Toronto) and Aaron (from LA) had just finished their rabbinical studies in Venice and were medieval geeks like me!
Today we are leaving, sadly, I really like Madrid - it's chill, and it's hot (thank god, finally a place that's hot), and oh my god I completely forgot! When we were in Toulouse, it was Bastille day, and we went and saw the fireworks on a bridge over the river - it was beautiful. There was this sweet little girl who was maybe one or so years old, and she kept saying "oooh, oooh, oooh" at the fireworks - so cute!!! And Charles was very proud of himself for making a French joke (it was hilarious). The little girl was curious because he was taking out a map to try to figure out what a particular building was in the distance, so Charles showed her the map, pointed, and said ¨Vous êtes ici!" - to which everyone tittered. You know, being French and all. So back to Madrid...
We're leaving today, so sad! But we're off to Calpe, sandy white beaches, torrents of vacationing Spaniards, and we're hoping some respite from the big city. Although, Madrid was rather laid back, and certainly a very different experience from Paris. Goodbye, and goodnight - I love you all! As soon as we can put up pictures, we will!
P.S. But wait! That's not all!!! I've decided to save the best news for last. Our last night night in Paris, we got a phone call from my family letting us know that my little baby nephew, Connor Lawrence, finally arrived safe and sound (8lb 60z) - which of course means he'll be super smart. I can't wait to meet him, I'll post pictures on Facebook as soon as I get the chance. Now we have to pack and check out, so I really really really gotta go. I love my little nephew, and we're having a great time, and we'll talk soon! Bye bye bye!
Anyway, back to the important stuff. The following day, we visited the best museum EVER! We went to the Medieval Cluny museum which is held in a medieval monastery which was built over 1st century Roman baths! It was pretty amazing. We encountered a lot of works that I had studied, and Charles and I interpreted the works as best we could. It was lots of fun. That evening, as we had moved to our new home in Monmartre, we decided to walk around the neighbourhood and find ourselves our first full French meal. We ate escargots and boulliabase and creme brulée and smoked fish in bernaise sauce and a chocolate and pear dessert - it was decadent! Chuck even had some red wine with his meal. Magnifique! Oh, I forgot - we also went to see Sacre Coeur at the top of the hill, which has a fabulous view of Paris. Inside the church, there were nuns singing which added to the ambience of the already impressive structure and decor. It's a huge fricken church!
The following day we made our way to Toulouse by train. Nothing much to say about that, except that I beat Charles in a game of chess on the bus. Oh yes... The train we wanted to take was full and the guy at the desk said our only options were a midnight train or travelling the next day. But we prodded and prodded and he found us a route in which we took an intercity train then a bus then another train! An adventure!!! It was quite fun, But we were exhausted when we got Toulouse and went to bed right away.
My hands hurt from typing, so Charles is going to type now while I dictate...
In Toulouse we had an awesome place to stay (The President, and they gave us a really awesome breakfast). The next morning we first visited Les Jacobins, which was like a convent/abby, made in the gothic style with beautiful "palm tree" pillars (we'll put up pictures eventually so you can all see it - facilities are limited at the moment). Charles was very excited for two reasons - first there was displayed the remains of St. Thomas Aquinas. Also, there was an exhibit on the Golden Age of Arabic Science - Charles had a blast explaining all the science stuff to me. I had fun too, and I learned! After that it was my turn, and we went to see Saint-Sernin, which is a beautiful Romanesque cathedral - that was the most exciting experience, which would take a lot of discussion, but we don't have much time... so on to Madrid!
We had a disastrous trip... I mean, a new adventure from Toulouse to Madrid. We had to take three trains, the second of which was late, so we missed our third train. One argument and an hour in line later, plus another 2 hour wait, we finally hopped a high speed train and made our way from Barcelona to Madrid. Our first (and only day) in Madrid was fabulous - we went on a walking tour with an Australian named Deb, had tapas at a little restaurant on some back street, marvelled at the art of the Northern Renaissance in the Museo del Prado. The highlight of this visit was, of course, Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" - mindblowing, and defying description. It was fricken HUGE! We also saw a lot of other art that really blew us away - Charles even enjoyed it. Then we met up with a friend of mine who lives in Madrid, had oodles of fun with her (lovely lady), and came home and chatted with our roommates (who are rather interesting in themselves). Mendy (from Toronto) and Aaron (from LA) had just finished their rabbinical studies in Venice and were medieval geeks like me!
Today we are leaving, sadly, I really like Madrid - it's chill, and it's hot (thank god, finally a place that's hot), and oh my god I completely forgot! When we were in Toulouse, it was Bastille day, and we went and saw the fireworks on a bridge over the river - it was beautiful. There was this sweet little girl who was maybe one or so years old, and she kept saying "oooh, oooh, oooh" at the fireworks - so cute!!! And Charles was very proud of himself for making a French joke (it was hilarious). The little girl was curious because he was taking out a map to try to figure out what a particular building was in the distance, so Charles showed her the map, pointed, and said ¨Vous êtes ici!" - to which everyone tittered. You know, being French and all. So back to Madrid...
We're leaving today, so sad! But we're off to Calpe, sandy white beaches, torrents of vacationing Spaniards, and we're hoping some respite from the big city. Although, Madrid was rather laid back, and certainly a very different experience from Paris. Goodbye, and goodnight - I love you all! As soon as we can put up pictures, we will!
P.S. But wait! That's not all!!! I've decided to save the best news for last. Our last night night in Paris, we got a phone call from my family letting us know that my little baby nephew, Connor Lawrence, finally arrived safe and sound (8lb 60z) - which of course means he'll be super smart. I can't wait to meet him, I'll post pictures on Facebook as soon as I get the chance. Now we have to pack and check out, so I really really really gotta go. I love my little nephew, and we're having a great time, and we'll talk soon! Bye bye bye!
July 11, 2008
Paris continued...
I'm really enjoying this city, even if it is just humongous (it would take weeks to have the time to see much of it, without breaks).
July 9th - Versailles... what can I say, this was just spectacular. It's easy to see how the ostentatiousness of the place was in part the reason for revolution - while the vast majority of the populace lived in squalor, the Royal family lived like ... well, kings! On the train out to Versailles some buskers came on board with a guitar and an accordian to play some traditional French songs - very Paris!
July 10th - This was probably our longest day yet - a full 10+ hour day on our feet, seeing the Louvre, the Jardin de Tuileries, walking up the Champs-Élysées, under the Eiffel Tower (the lineups were way too long to see it), and then over to the Mouffetard Marché on the Metro to get some fresh food for dinner. Insane!! The funniest part of our day happened at the beginning when we were seeking a particular road near the hostel to use as our main route to the Louvre (a mere 45 min walk). We asked a police officer sitting in a police van for directions but she could not speak English, so she was yelling to get her partner's attention (he was nearby on his cell phone). After a few failed attempts, she decided to turn on the siren to get him over!! Hysterical!
July 11th - today we hit the Musée D'Orsay (which I liked better than the Louvre) and Saint Chapelle. Ironically, the longest wait by far (for the whole trip to date) was to get in to see Saint Chapelle, mostly because you have to also enter the Palais du Justice and the army is there in force checking everyone thoroughly. Saint Chapelle was completely overwhelming - another "stopped in our tracks" moment. Tonight we are going back to the Eiffel Tower to perhaps go up, but at least see it lit by night.
Tomorrow we move hostels to live in Montmartre for a day, then Toulouse on Sunday... Still not homesick (yet).
July 9th - Versailles... what can I say, this was just spectacular. It's easy to see how the ostentatiousness of the place was in part the reason for revolution - while the vast majority of the populace lived in squalor, the Royal family lived like ... well, kings! On the train out to Versailles some buskers came on board with a guitar and an accordian to play some traditional French songs - very Paris!
July 10th - This was probably our longest day yet - a full 10+ hour day on our feet, seeing the Louvre, the Jardin de Tuileries, walking up the Champs-Élysées, under the Eiffel Tower (the lineups were way too long to see it), and then over to the Mouffetard Marché on the Metro to get some fresh food for dinner. Insane!! The funniest part of our day happened at the beginning when we were seeking a particular road near the hostel to use as our main route to the Louvre (a mere 45 min walk). We asked a police officer sitting in a police van for directions but she could not speak English, so she was yelling to get her partner's attention (he was nearby on his cell phone). After a few failed attempts, she decided to turn on the siren to get him over!! Hysterical!
July 11th - today we hit the Musée D'Orsay (which I liked better than the Louvre) and Saint Chapelle. Ironically, the longest wait by far (for the whole trip to date) was to get in to see Saint Chapelle, mostly because you have to also enter the Palais du Justice and the army is there in force checking everyone thoroughly. Saint Chapelle was completely overwhelming - another "stopped in our tracks" moment. Tonight we are going back to the Eiffel Tower to perhaps go up, but at least see it lit by night.
Tomorrow we move hostels to live in Montmartre for a day, then Toulouse on Sunday... Still not homesick (yet).
July 8, 2008
Dublin then Paris
Phew - getting online has been a chore, and being able to upload photos even more problematic. Except one spot (Kelly's cousin's in Belfast), we've not been able to plugin the camera, so everyone will have to be patient with our photo uploading - personally, I'm not a fan of how this handles photos inline with posts anyway, it's a pain!
So... July 6th - Kelly's Great Aunt Betty made us a traditional fry for breakfast, then we hopped on the rather uneventful bus to Dublin. When there, we just got into the hostel, and wandered around the city seeing nothing in particular (but it's a nice city!). We had a relatively early night, I think the flurry of activities in Belfast wore us out. Little did we know that we'd seen NOTHING yet!
July 7th - we went to Trinity College, and while wandering around campus we asked some guy what a particular building was used for (it had a greek pantheon look to it). Turns out it housed a Gutenberg style printing press, but more importantly, it turned out the guy was there for the past while from Toronto, studying his PhD. He offered to get us into the library and to see the Book of Kells for free (since he's a student), so off we went. The library was absolutely amazing, it stopped me in my tracks (coincidentally, images of it were "stolen" by Lucas for use in the 2nd Star Wars as the Jedi Archives - look it up!). Anyway, we then took Jon (our benevolent guide) for a coffee, since he had to discard his to enter the library building. After we hit the Chester Beatty Library which houses one of the largest book collections, in terms of rare prints. It's like the Bata Shoe Museum for the history of printed material! Very neat stuff (some papyrus pieces on display dated to circa 150 AD!!)
After that, we hit the General Post Office for the history, and (of course) to mail a postcard. A quick photo opp with the James Joyce monument led us onto the bus to the airport to get to Paris. What an adventure this turned out to be - the flight was delayed a bit in departing. Then, upon landing at Beauvais airport, we were held on the tarmac due to a security lockdown. Some idiot had left unattended baggage in the terminal, which was subsequently evacuated. After an extra hour+ on the plane (it got kinda warm), and another 30 minute wait to even get into the terminal (they let us just stand in line outside the terminal on the tarmac), we finally got through customs, our baggage, and only a 1:15 bus shuttle to Porte Maillot - quite a ways in the west end, far from République where we were headed. Oh, and due to the delays, the metro was no longer running. A 20 minute cab ride later, and we finally got to our hostel rather tired at 2am.
July 8th - But we're in Paris! Today was just walking around, seeing the Panthéon and a bunch of famous dead people, Notre Dame, and more wandering around. Tonight might see us wander towards the Eiffel Tower, weather permitting (stupid rain!! We left Ireland because of that, don'tcha know?).
Cheerio, more to come - we're in Paris until Sunday morning.
So... July 6th - Kelly's Great Aunt Betty made us a traditional fry for breakfast, then we hopped on the rather uneventful bus to Dublin. When there, we just got into the hostel, and wandered around the city seeing nothing in particular (but it's a nice city!). We had a relatively early night, I think the flurry of activities in Belfast wore us out. Little did we know that we'd seen NOTHING yet!
July 7th - we went to Trinity College, and while wandering around campus we asked some guy what a particular building was used for (it had a greek pantheon look to it). Turns out it housed a Gutenberg style printing press, but more importantly, it turned out the guy was there for the past while from Toronto, studying his PhD. He offered to get us into the library and to see the Book of Kells for free (since he's a student), so off we went. The library was absolutely amazing, it stopped me in my tracks (coincidentally, images of it were "stolen" by Lucas for use in the 2nd Star Wars as the Jedi Archives - look it up!). Anyway, we then took Jon (our benevolent guide) for a coffee, since he had to discard his to enter the library building. After we hit the Chester Beatty Library which houses one of the largest book collections, in terms of rare prints. It's like the Bata Shoe Museum for the history of printed material! Very neat stuff (some papyrus pieces on display dated to circa 150 AD!!)
After that, we hit the General Post Office for the history, and (of course) to mail a postcard. A quick photo opp with the James Joyce monument led us onto the bus to the airport to get to Paris. What an adventure this turned out to be - the flight was delayed a bit in departing. Then, upon landing at Beauvais airport, we were held on the tarmac due to a security lockdown. Some idiot had left unattended baggage in the terminal, which was subsequently evacuated. After an extra hour+ on the plane (it got kinda warm), and another 30 minute wait to even get into the terminal (they let us just stand in line outside the terminal on the tarmac), we finally got through customs, our baggage, and only a 1:15 bus shuttle to Porte Maillot - quite a ways in the west end, far from République where we were headed. Oh, and due to the delays, the metro was no longer running. A 20 minute cab ride later, and we finally got to our hostel rather tired at 2am.
July 8th - But we're in Paris! Today was just walking around, seeing the Panthéon and a bunch of famous dead people, Notre Dame, and more wandering around. Tonight might see us wander towards the Eiffel Tower, weather permitting (stupid rain!! We left Ireland because of that, don'tcha know?).
Cheerio, more to come - we're in Paris until Sunday morning.
July 5, 2008
Belfast and Northern Ireland
Ok, so it's been a few days since we managed to make a post - not only are things kind of busy, but we've had little chance to get on to the 'net. Also, we were hoping to get onto a computer that allows us to plug in the camera, so that we can put the odd photo up... so this is going to be quite the extensive update (I'll try to keep it brief, but we're trying to cover a whole week!!)
July 1st - Happy Canada Day!!! We did a walking tour of the city (self-guided), following a popular bus tour route. Mostly saw murals, but walked through Shankill Road and Falls Road, as well as a quick jaunt up Sandy Row (amongst other places). Here's an example of one of the murals we saw. We also checked out St. Anne's Cathedral, Belfast Castle, and had a traditional "fry" at a small place at the top of Shankill Road with Great Aunt Betty (soda bread, pancakes, eggs, and potato bread ... mmmmmm).
July 2nd - Let me see... Carrick-a-rede (you can see Kelly here crossing the rope bridge, this was the return trip), Giant's Causeway (it rained too much, dulled the excitement), Dunluce Castle (here we have Kelly, her cousin Pamela, and Betty again), tea at Morelli's in Portstewart, drove the Antrim Coastal route back between Torr Head and Ballyvoy (Google Map it!), and it was all simply INCREDIBLE!! Kelly's cousin was awesome, driving us everywhere we wanted to go - all told we were out for about 12 hours!!
July 1st - Happy Canada Day!!! We did a walking tour of the city (self-guided), following a popular bus tour route. Mostly saw murals, but walked through Shankill Road and Falls Road, as well as a quick jaunt up Sandy Row (amongst other places). Here's an example of one of the murals we saw. We also checked out St. Anne's Cathedral, Belfast Castle, and had a traditional "fry" at a small place at the top of Shankill Road with Great Aunt Betty (soda bread, pancakes, eggs, and potato bread ... mmmmmm).July 2nd - Let me see... Carrick-a-rede (you can see Kelly here crossing the rope bridge, this was the return trip), Giant's Causeway (it rained too much, dulled the excitement), Dunluce Castle (here we have Kelly, her cousin Pamela, and Betty again), tea at Morelli's in Portstewart, drove the Antrim Coastal route back between Torr Head and Ballyvoy (Google Map it!), and it was all simply INCREDIBLE!! Kelly's cousin was awesome, driving us everywhere we wanted to go - all told we were out for about 12 hours!!
July 3rd - The next day Kelly's cousins Elaine and Gary took us for a tour of the areas to the south east of Belfast. Here we saw some pretty cool things - Carrickfergus castle (what, I'm not quite away in this picture, ok??),
Scrabo Tower (my future ancestral home - it was small, but quite heavy), Grey Abbey (one of the most peaceful places I've ever been to), along the coast of Strangford Loagh, took a ferry from Portaferry to Strangford, then saw Inch Abbey, the St. Patrick monument near Downpatrick, a quick look at Killyleagh Castle (which is still inhabited), and then we had dinner at the Shields' family farm near Saintfield. There are buildings on the farm that date back to the 1600s, including the old family house which was occupied until about 1998 (I think), which itself was built around 1750.
Scrabo Tower (my future ancestral home - it was small, but quite heavy), Grey Abbey (one of the most peaceful places I've ever been to), along the coast of Strangford Loagh, took a ferry from Portaferry to Strangford, then saw Inch Abbey, the St. Patrick monument near Downpatrick, a quick look at Killyleagh Castle (which is still inhabited), and then we had dinner at the Shields' family farm near Saintfield. There are buildings on the farm that date back to the 1600s, including the old family house which was occupied until about 1998 (I think), which itself was built around 1750.One thing that has completely blown me away on this trip is the 
hospitality of Kelly's family. They have done virtually everything for us! All of them are wonderful, warm, and welcoming. I am definitely coming back just to see them, and spend time here!! And while it has rained here and there, for the most part, it's been quite nice and even almost warm (high teens most of the time).
hospitality of Kelly's family. They have done virtually everything for us! All of them are wonderful, warm, and welcoming. I am definitely coming back just to see them, and spend time here!! And while it has rained here and there, for the most part, it's been quite nice and even almost warm (high teens most of the time).Aside: On the left here you'll see Scrabo Tower. It's not quite as small as it appears... we have a video which we'll try to post sometime that has a panoramic shot of the hill just beside where the tower sits. I've decided I'm going to move in here some day, perhaps get a dragon for protection. Good idea? I think so!!
July 4th - This was our first day out on our own. We took a bus out to Londonderry, the famous walled city - it was somewhat reminiscent of Quebec, but without any French signs :D We wandered around the city, took in the cathedral in the town, learned much of its history and involvement in the "Glorious Revolution" in 1690 - the town survived a 105 day siege from King James II!! The city outside the walls was also the site of Bloody Sunday (Jan 30th, 1972). The highlight of our trip was a happenstance tour of the Apprentice Boys of Derry building, wherein not only did we get an excellent walk and guide of the place for free, but the tourguide (nice gentleman by the name of Philip) took us up to the very top of the building for an off-the-beaten-path tour, 
where we got quite the view of the city and its surroundings. Philip told us quite a bit about both the historical city, and how it has changed since The Troubles.
where we got quite the view of the city and its surroundings. Philip told us quite a bit about both the historical city, and how it has changed since The Troubles.July 5th - today was a much quieter day, after several very long days of travel, walking, sight-seeing, and delicious food and fun. We actually slept in (shock, eh?), then a little later Elaine picked us up to just drive around the city to see some of the other places where murals are, aside from the more touristy ones. Tonight we're going to hit the Crown Pub for a taste of Guinness, where I will finally (hopefully) learn what people mean when they say "it doesn't travel well"
Next stop: Dublin, Ireland
July 1, 2008
First few days in Belfast
Hello!!! We've arrived in Belfast ! The flight was nothing special, although they served us chana masala which made us happy. My cousin Elaine picked us up from the airport - she is wonderful - and took us to my Great Aunt Betty's (who is just the sweetest woman on the planet).
Yesterday we went for a walk in the city after a 5 hour 'nap' to explore the shopping district. Today, although raining, we are doing a walking tour to check out the architecture and murals. Apparently this evening there will be marching bands preparing for the 12th of July celebrations. That is all for now - no pictures yet, but we'll get some up as soon as we're capable.
p.s. I love my family!!
Yesterday we went for a walk in the city after a 5 hour 'nap' to explore the shopping district. Today, although raining, we are doing a walking tour to check out the architecture and murals. Apparently this evening there will be marching bands preparing for the 12th of July celebrations. That is all for now - no pictures yet, but we'll get some up as soon as we're capable.
p.s. I love my family!!
June 29, 2008
Finally departing (and finally got some sleep).
This past week has been absolutely insane, bonkers, jabberwocky, and bananas. I finished school (rah rah yay), and Kelly and I packed up and gave away, stored, and moved the entirety of our life. Ok, so Kelly did most of the packing, but I had this exam thing, alright?
First, I want to thank Megan, Erol, Adrian, Joan, Stephen, Karen and Mike, and last (but definitely not least), Selena. Each of you helpfully permitted us to store some of our books, furniture, and whatnot at your places (listed in the order that we crammed your empty spaces with our crap). And Selena was a godsend by helping us move the couch at the very last minute, when all other attempts to sell the damn thing (stupid craigslist no-shows) had failed. Thank you all, you certainly have given us peace of mind!
What's left? Just a spot of repacking, wash a couple of things that we messed up moving, and there's some flight or something we have to catch tonight. Or something...
Next stop: Belfast, UK
First, I want to thank Megan, Erol, Adrian, Joan, Stephen, Karen and Mike, and last (but definitely not least), Selena. Each of you helpfully permitted us to store some of our books, furniture, and whatnot at your places (listed in the order that we crammed your empty spaces with our crap). And Selena was a godsend by helping us move the couch at the very last minute, when all other attempts to sell the damn thing (stupid craigslist no-shows) had failed. Thank you all, you certainly have given us peace of mind!
What's left? Just a spot of repacking, wash a couple of things that we messed up moving, and there's some flight or something we have to catch tonight. Or something...
Next stop: Belfast, UK
June 20, 2008
And it begins...
Ok, not quite - we fly out June 29th, but many [many many many] things have to happen between now and then. Primarily, finishing school (exam on the 25th), and packing up our worldly possessions, putting them in storage, and doing all those "bits" that need to be done.
But this has to start somewhere, right?
But this has to start somewhere, right?
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