More Parisian Fun - Then Londo - Then REALLY Dondo

The last few days we spent in Paris involved a lot of wandering and sightseeing, which is where we passed this creatively named bus. One other cool thing we saw was The Beaches, which is done every summer in Paris. Along the Seine they unload tons of sand and set up beach chairs and chaise lounges, and even have foosball and awesome water misters that were just what we needed on the hot summer days.

A big highlight of Paris was out last evening there. Someone recommended we check out the Fat Tire Bike Tours that take you around the city, so we decided to check it out. After we met a big group of tourists like ourselves under the Tour Eiffel, we headed to the office to get our bikes.

We took the beach cruisers all around the city, stopping occasionally to learn different facts about Paris, like where Marie Antoinette was held in jail before she was beheaded, how Notre Dame was cleaned after the French Revolution, and where Johnny Depp lives. We even rode all through the outside areas of the Louvre, around I.M. Pei's pyramid and through the Jardin de Toulliere.

At the end of the ride we ended up at the Seine where we boarded a boat that took us up and down the river. Our guides even provided wine for us to enjoy as we went along, and we got to see the Eiffel Tower lit up as it does every hour on the hour. It was a really great way to spend the last night of our visit.

The next day we got on the Eurostar and made our way back to London to stay with Lisa and Gavin for a few days before getting back to the states. While there we got to check out central London, have some beers at various pubs, and met up with the same friends we saw on our first pass through England.

2 days later we were on our way back to New York, and our journey was officially over. I'm sure there were plenty of details that I've left out in all of these blogs, but I have a feeling our days of travel aren't over. Something about seeing new things just makes you crave more new experiences, so check back one of these days to find out what we'll be up to next...

Gay Paris!

Paris has been a dream so far, and as I write this we’re only halfway through our time here. Our last drive in the old Peugeot was an easy one, and we made it to our hotel without much trouble. We’re staying in Montparnasse in the southern part of Paris, and we have a great little neighborhood that we’ve been getting to know well.

Our first big adventure here was returning the car to the airport, which sounds like a breeze, but was not. I now know Charles de Gaulle airport like the back of my hand. After dropping off the car we visited Notre Dame, then walked along the Seine, past the Louvre, by the Opera, and back around to the Arc de Triomphe. Lots of walking that day, so needless to say, we were pooped. We had a late dinner and called it a night.

Another of our days here we went in search of Jim Morrison’s grave. Just to set the record straight, neither of us were crazy desperate to see the grave like so many who’ve visited before, but we felt like wandering and it sounded like an interesting adventure. Turns out, not so interesting after all. As we wandered through the cemetery, it was pretty clear that a lot of people were headed to the same place we were (it was the most crowded cemetery I’ve ever visited - live people, that is). As you round the corner to his grave, the first thing you see is a security guard. The second thing you see is a metal barrier. The third is lots of people.

I had seen pictures of the grave before, and I knew there was a bust of Mr. Morisson and graffiti covering the whole thing, as well as headstones around it. Now the bust is gone, the headstones are clean, and there is nothing setting it apart from the rest of the graves (besides the crowd). Apparently just after he died people were camping out there, writing all over his and other headstones, and generally making a mockery of an otherwise somber and respectful place, so there is plenty of security now.

After that we headed into Montmarte, past the famous Moulin Rouge, and over to a movie theatre for a little American therapy in the form of Hancock, which turned out to be a pretty good movie.

Monday we spent having a picnic below the Eiffel Tower. It was just me, Bill, and hundreds of other people. It was a beautiful day after several overcast ones, and it was such a great setting for a picnic, so I didn’t even mind being overrun by other tourists.

Yesterday we ventured outside of Paris to EuroDisney! It was kind of on a whim, and it ended up being so fun. We went to the EuroUniversal Studios adjacent to the park for some rollercoasters and overpriced burgers, and then into EuroDisneyland for more rollercoasters and overpriced food. EuroDisney is set up just like the one in Anaheim, but all the rides are the slightest bit different. It’s just not the same to hear pirates speak french.

Today was another great day; after a long breakfast we made our way to the Catacombs, which are right near our hotel. The story of the catacombs is that people were mining underneath Paris for stone to build up the city, but around 1815 it was prohibited. A few years later people living around a particular cemetery were contracting fatal diseases from it (hate to think of what the cemeteries of old were like), so it was exhumed, and all the bones of the dead were placed in the mines.

As you can imagine, it’s pretty creepy, especially when you’re walking through the dark, underground hallways with a boyfriend that enjoys scaring the bejesus out of you. Anyway...after several meters of dugout hallways you come to the entrance of the ossuary, and inside are the bones of literally millions of people. The hallway width varies, but it’s about 5 feet across, and the walls are about 5 feet high, lined with femurs and skulls in interesting designs. Behind that you can see all the rest of the other types of bones piled up and held back by the aforementioned femurs and skulls. These hallways go on for probably a quarter of a mile, with a small altar every now and then where they said a mass for those whose final remains were being placed in certain areas.

On our way out a security guard asked to check my bag, since I guess people steal bones? Eew. Anyway, seeing all those bones makes you work up an appetite, so Bill and I went to lunch, and ordered a big pile of ribs. Just kidding.

The Chateau in Bordeaux

We left Pamplona in a hurry with no place to go in Bordeaux. We pulled into town and ended up staying in an airport hotel that was awful. By some stroke of luck Bill found on the internet a Chateau just outside the city that was available for the next few days so we moved on quickly.

We drove north of Bordeaux through Bourg into serious wine country and the small town of Plassac. Our first view of the Chateau was from down below, and all we saw was a beautiful white castle. We drove up a narrow road and pulled into the Chateau Bellevue, which was even more immaculate up close.

We met Petra, a German living in France, who has owned and renovated the Chateau for about 8 years. It only opened as a bed and breakfast in April, so we were one of the first visitors. Also staying there was Petra’s daughter Mirja, her boyfriend Sebastian, and Petra’s friends Sabina and Jorg, all of whom were helping take care of the B&B in the first few months of its operation.

After we settled in we drove to nearby Blaye, where there was a weird carnival/festival that was pretty much deserted. Further along is the citadel which was built by one of the Henrys (VIII? XVI? Who knows?) to protect the shores of France, but now serves various purposes, like serving wine and crepes, and providing a beautiful setting for horse-jumping competitions. As you can guess, we drank some wine, ate some crepes, and watched a bit of a horse-jumping competition.

The next day we got a bit more adventurous and drove to St. Emilion, a small town about an hour away. While there we wandered the streets, did a little wine tasting, and watched as the Tour de France raced along. We ended up getting caught in the rain, so we headed back to our little Chateau.

The following day was French Independence Day, and Petra recommended that we follow them to a dune on the beach just south of Cap Ferret. We drove through a redwood forest and made our way to a huge dune (I’ve now seen a total of 1 dune, so I can only guess it was huge). From the top you can see the forest on one side, then straight down the middle it could be the Sahara, and on the other side were the clear blue waters of the Atlantic.

That evening they invited us to join them for a barbecue, and by this point it was just the 7 of us staying at the Chateau and the adjoining house, where Petra lives year-round. We had a fantastic dinner under the stars, and around 11:00 we heard the fireworks begin. We all made our way to the tower, which is the highest point of the Chateau, and could see at least 6 sets of fireworks going off along the horizon. It was a great night, spending French Independence with our new German friends.

The following day we drove back into Bordeaux for a bit of window shopping. There are so many stores there and so much to see, it was a lot like being in a large outdoor mall. The city is beautiful though. Bill and I had thought Bordeaux would be a small village lined with wineries, but the actual city is quite large and has been under renovation for some time, so it’s almost as bustling as Paris.

Wednesday was our final day at the Chateau, so we spent the morning at an outdoor market in Blaye, picking up food for a final barbecue before we left. When we got back we had nothing to do, so we did a whole lot of nothing. Just a bit of reading, sipping gin and tonics, and chatting with the Germans. We had a fantastic last dinner, complete with wine from the Chateau’s vineyard, and stayed up late in the night talking and enjoying what would surely be our last calm night in the country before moving onto Paris...