unBound and Pursuing Dreams

Where Endings Start

Paris, in winter, may seem like an odd dream to pursue.

However, we have been there in every season but winter, so why not? The images others have posted, show the “wow” of the lights and crowds along the Champs-Élysées as they ring out the old.  I can’t think of a better dream (this time round) than to celebrate the start of the new year, as the old ends, in the City of Lights – Paris. 

This journey began December 28, 2018 ………… with intrigue, subterfuge and a sprinkle of ‘white’ lies.

*It started in August, after we got back from our summer European holiday. For several years Brian has given Gerda a Christmas gift of a European summer travel vacation. This year he decided to float the idea of a winter trip …. we have never been to Europe from October to April. So he raised a “trial” balloon of New Years in Europe. Gerda didn’t grab on, so he became more specific – Barcelona? Rome? Amsterdam? Paris? Venice? Still no response other than, “… we won’t be able to do a summer vacation next year” . So the next question was, ” … how’s about New York? … New Orleans? … San Francisco? or Paris? This time the response was “I don’t know …. you decide” So the final question was Paris? ….. or ….. Moose Jaw? …… same response! “You decide. “

So, since Gerda was born in Moose Jaw …… Brian decided Paris was the correct response …. and so the plans began.

Central to New Years Eve celebrations appears to be the Champs Elysees – with a light show on the Arc de Triomphe and fireworks at midnight as the old year greets the new.

That determined, the next step was to find a reasonable hotel near by. A little harder than one would assume, although there were four months left before year end. Should we use our staple – the Derby Alma (which was 1 km away) – or someplace new. Probably new and closer ….. 1 km is a long way to walk at 1:00am New Years Eve day. After many reviews and comparisons, the final choice was the Belmont Champs Elysees, about 200m from the prime celebration points. That done, what to do next? Well we need to have places to explore during the rest of the trip (the other 6 days). Brian decided we’ll try the Paris Pass – not cheap but convenient (6 days of transit and access to over 50 museums & site for 2 people).

Next was the “gravy” …….. where to go for (1) New Years Eve and (2) New Years Day dinners. The first will be “Restaurant Firmine” to visit Rabar (our friendly waiter from summer 2018) …. the second will be “58 Tour Restaurant” ….. 9:30pm reservation for fine dining and view of Paris – from the 2nd floor of Eiffel Tower!

Plane, hotel, meals, vacation all booked and confirmed ……. everything ready. Now how to get Gerda to the airport and surprise her, without her finding out? Christa and the kids were informed just before Christmas; however, there was one wrinkle – we were leaving Dec 28 returning Jan 3, but the kids were leaving Dec 29 returning 4. So we decided to tell Gerda the kids were leaving Dec 28 and needed Gerda to drive them to the airport to fly to Phoenix.

The final activity was packing bags, which required another bit of subterfuge to get Gerda out of the house. The grandkids did a great job having her take them to breakfast, while Brian scurried around packing two bags.
Next task was to drop the bags off at Christa’s so she could pretend they were for their trip to Phoenix.  That’s when the grandkids (who didn’t know our destination yet) informed me that Gerda kept asking when “their” plane was taking off and she proceeded to look it up on her Flight App ….. nope, there were no flights to Phoenix at 9:30 on Friday. Also their grandmother confused Gerda when she called to chat and mentioned she was ready but would finish her laundry on Dec 28 to go to Phoenix (Gerda thought they were going Dec 29). Confused? …. so am I- and I was planning everything.)

Well, all the intrigue was worth it …… The kids now have stories, pictures and video (to follow) of how surprised Gerda was when they handed her the tickets ……

and we’re off! ………..

Disclaimers:

To be clear, this Blog does not receive any payment, in any form for the accolades we may give to a person, product, business or city.  Plain and simple, if we like something, we say so.  If we don’t like something, we either don’t add it, or it’s added as part of the dialogue of things to watch out for.

The Blog is purely for family and friends to follow our adventure, misadventures or boredom. If you like the Blog – great …. if you don’t that’s great also ….. regardless, we will continue to pursue our dreams and write it down.

Ratings:

Now …. back to the fun stuff …. the things that we dream of ….. the “Bests” so we can plan where to return and where to avoid:

Best city ….. Lucca, Lourmarin, Cucuron, Venice, Paris, Sorrento and Rome.

Best restaurant  …..  Lucca, Paris and Rome

Best hotel …. Venice, (Best VRBO – Lucca then Lourmarin)

Best site …. Blue Grotto on Capri, Colosseum in Rome and Cucuron pool

Best tour …. Blue Grotto on Capri and Restaurant 58 on the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Best new Friends …. Robah in Paris, Salvatore in Lucca and Michele in Rome

Best internet …. Lucca – we could get service on the street 3 floors below

Best TV …. It’s a toss-up …. we didn’t watch TV in any of the locations this time

Best weather …. Awesome in all locations although we had rain in Holland and sizzle in Italy

Best “catch & release” …. Lourmarin and Lucca

Best street act …. Lucca – Ringo Starr – “Yellow Submarine”

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Observations:

As mentioned in last years observations – “Train stations ….. remember they are generally open to the elements ….. in other words if it’s cold outside, the station will be cold.” ….. They can also be hot, very hot in summer.

Three years ago, when in Rome, we went to an amazing outdoor restaurant. Later in that year we read an article stating that the restaurant was laundering money for the Mafia.  Well, it’s still there …. but alas, it has no outdoor service, only indoor – it’s lost it’s charm for us!

 

 

 

 

 

Rome, Italy – July 14 (Day 1):

Three days left for this trip  ……. we arrived in Rome from Naples just before 2pm – after a short wait in the scorching sun, a taxi picks up and drops us at our final lodgings …. the “Tree Charme Spagna” boutique hotel.

 

A modern, comfortable little hotel on a quiet street, approximately 5 blocks south of the Spanish Steps, 6 blocks north of the Trevi fountain, 9 blocks east of the Pantheon (or 26 from the Vatican) and 16 blocks west of the train station ….. with so much in between and all around.

 

Lots to see, visit and do in this area.

The last time we were here, the Trevi fountain was under repair and reconstruction …. all fixed now, and boy is it impressive!

 

 

The first day in Rome and just like Sorrento, we are sweating buckets within the first 30 minutes ……. looks like another three-shower day with change of clothes each time. It also helps that some of the larger stores have very good air conditioning, so you can step in for some relief from the heat and humidity.

 

 

Thank goodness that we also picked a hotel with good air conditioning ….. can’t imagine trying to sleep in this heat ….. did I mention that the hotel room is quite nice with a terrace?

 

 

 

Our order of business is to orient ourselves …… and it becomes obvious within minutes that the desk staff incorrectly marked the map, putting the hotel location on the opposite side of the street from where it really is.   Once we get that straight it becomes so much easier to navigate ….. it also helps that we were here three years ago.

As in pretty much every location we have eaten dinner in Europe, we don’t sit down for a meal until after 8pm. Same here in Rome ….. easier to eat and people watch later in the evening …. generally only tourists try to keep their North American meal schedule …. and when you really think about it – that’s insane, because our internal clocks are at least 6 hours behind the local time. For us 8pm here is only 12pm noon back home.

Tonight it’s dinner at the “Piazza della Rotonda” beside the Pantheon, watching the water spray in the “Fontana del Pantheon” and the people pass by … the meal was interesting – grilled fish (everything) for Gerda and seafood spaghetti for Brian ….. we both have had better but it was the location and people around us that made the meal.

 

Afterwards a gelato (ice cream) and then a stroll back to the hotel ……. no blogging tonight, the application site is down and not available for the third time on this trip …. need to straighten this out with the service provider when we get back home.

 

Rome, Italy – July 15 (Day 2):

Breakfast is included with the room rental, so we make sure we are up, showered and there before the morning cut-off. Simple fare, but it takes the edge off the hunger, although with the heat and humidity, I find I’m never all that hungry …. counter-intuitive.

Today we decide to visit some of the impressive buildings and ruins in the area starting with “Piazza del Popolo” near the old city’s northern gate …. wide open space with Rome’s oldest obelisk  ….. 140 ft high and dating from 1500 BC in Egypt – very impressive (an overused word but deserved).

 

We leave the area down one of the major streets “Via del Corso”, which has been partially blocked for pedestrians, so we can enjoy the street musicians and artists …. and there were lots to listen to or watch.

 

 

We leave the area down one of the major streets “Via del Corso”, which has been partially blocked for pedestrians, so we can enjoy the street musicians and artists …. and there were lots of them to listen to or watch.

 

 

Our next stop on our walking tour was Piazza Navona, with several fountains (one with Zeus like figures) …. or so we thought. On the way, we made a catch and release stop at a unique jewellery and clothing store, where Gerda did major damage with her “fishing” program and even tried on a hat ……. looking cool.

 

 

 

From this distraction we headed south ….. yep – in the wrong direction and ended up at an ancient ruin we didn’t know about …. “Largo di Torre Argentina” …. a roman square, with four Rome Republic temples and a theater … all in ruin with just some pillars standing. Sad to see the disrepair …. but all empires crumble – some more spectacularly than others.

 

Gerda confirms with a local where we were on the map and got some directions to Piazza Navona (back north and west) and after 15 minutes walking, we find it. Fortunately it’s early afternoon and hot, so there isn’t a huge crowd and we can rest briefly and get some great pictures of the three fountains – featuring in the centre of the piazza, the 16th century Fiumi Fountain, topped by the second Egyptian style obelisk from 80AD. The Italians (and Romans) love their massive stone art ……..

Moving on from there, we head further north-east, across the Tiber river to the “Castel Sant’Angelo” where they have a ‘market’ in progress. The castle is another massive stone structure, built in the first century as a tomb for the Roman emperor Hadrian, now used as a museum.

That’s now 4.3km on our walk …… besides being hot, we are getting tired, so window shopping in the tree–shaded, tent market is refreshing, even though there are no real windows to shop in.

After that short break …. the Vatican is 10 blocks east. Our next stop is 5 blocks in at the “Leonardo Da Vinci Museum Experience” …… with great models of his many inventions …. Gerda buys a few t-shirts for relatives …. and we move on, heading into the Jewish quarter (originally called the Roman Ghetto). Late lunch time at Taverna della Scala …. refreshing Italian beer and bruschetta. Then, we wander through the vendor stalls near the Basillica di Santa Maria in Trastevere.

In relative time, after what seemed like a half hour (but was really only 30 minutes) we arrive at the Ponte Cestlo (bridge) to the only island in the Tiber river. Once across, we are not far from the backside of the main Roman ruins. Time to rest and perhaps catch a taxi – we have now gone close to 7.5 km – but the traffic is going too fast ….. so we push on slowly, trying to keep to the shade – it’s close to 40C. After wandering in circles for another half hour, we finally found our way to Via Monte Tarpeo, where we rested again and got some great pictures of the backside of the “Tempio di Saturno” (500BC), “Column of Phocas” (200AD) and “Basilica Julia” all a part of the original Roman Forum built in between 200BC and 12BC, now in ruins. Again majestic old structures and sad to see the decay.

Walking pass the backend of the “Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II” (a monument built in honor of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy) we catch a taxi, deciding it’s time to ride back to our lodgings ….. well, after walking 9 km in 40C weather wouldn’t you. Great cabbie, when he sees we are over heated, he closes the windows and turns up the air conditioning …. undoubtedly the best taxi ride of our trip!

We get back to the hotel just after 4:00pm and drag ourselves up to the room for a shower and nap … 3 hours later, feeling much refreshed, we head out for dinner. After wandering for an hour trying to find that unique restaurant experience, we settle on an indoor spot a few blocks north of the Trevi Fountain …. The “greeter” reminds me of Steven Segal. The meal is not exceptional, but we do end up with an interesting story. While Brian is finishing his meal he notices a screw on the plate. When the waiter picks up the plates, Brian points it out to him …… the staff goes into panic mode., scurrying around …. After 10 minutes Steven Segal comes over picks up the salt shaker and points to the bottom grinder where …. you got it, a screw is missing. Whew, what a relief …. Hate to think the meal was cooked with a screw.

Back to the hotel for a well-deserved sleep, ready to start the final full day ………

 

 

Rome, Italy – July 16 (Day 3):

Breakfast by mid-morning, and it’s out to sweat again ….. 10 minutes and we’re both fanning our selves to slow the wet. First stop this morning, check-out the souvenirs and finalize the gifts to take home. So many choices ……. afterwards, we stop at a shoe store right by the Trevi Fountain … there are several styles that Gerda likes. She decides we’ll pick them up later, since we decided on the spot to visit the Colosseum.

The tickets are readily available and we can get a bus ride to the site …. done. Only it turns out we have to wait 40 minutes for the bus (the electronic sign said 15 to 43 minute wait and of course it was the 40 minutes). When we get there we are told to go to an office on the other side of the highway to get them validated …… so much for “skip the line” tickets. We finally get them validated although it took 30 minutes and then we were shunted around the Colosseum several times.

In the end we did skip the line, but still had to go through security and their x-ray machine. They say only 3000 people can be on site at any one time ……. The crowds were large around certain parts of the Colosseum, but nowhere near capacity. This site has undergone and is continuing to have major reconstruction …… probably without it many areas of the site would be inaccessible. Kudos to all the people dedicated to providing safe access for the general public to view this marvel of the ancient Romans.

After wandering on site for an hour and a half, we leave and walk up the main road back towards our hotel. We get to see (again) the front side of the ruins that we saw yesterday from the rear …. just as impressive.

When we reach the main area of the old city, we decide it’s time for lunch (yea, 2:00pm lunch). We finally sit in an outdoor restaurant not far of the main drag. After ordering, we start to have second thoughts about our choice. The owner, starts arguing with some potential customers trying to decide if the menu was right for them ….. they move on and the owner starts arguing with his servers, clearly dressing them down. He then gets in his Porsche convertible and takes off …. not very inspiring. Did I say he reminded me of Michael Corleone from the “Godfather”? He’s gone and are drinks and food come so we stay. An okay meal …. again nothing inspiring. As we pay the bill, Gerda points out the thing we missed which was a dead give-away of the restaurant service …. Three wheels on the serving cart. We both burst out laughing …. Got to remember that for future encounters.

Moving forward, we go back to the shoe store where Gerda ….. finally decides on two pair …. and we head back to the hotel – yep, you guessed it, another shower, nap and a change of clothes. Final dinner … and we’re looking for the “experience” we’ve missed so far.

Well we stumble on it ….. a nice little restaurant called “Ristorante da Diego” – 61 Vicolo Sciarra . The outdoor portion is in the alley behind … quiet and secluded. Our Waiter Michele is both gracious and funny. He knows how to take care of the customers he is serving. It started off very well and ended exceptionally. The meal was the best we had in Rome. Next time we come, we’ll have to see if the restaurant and Michele are still there. The evening was capped by ….. thunder and a torrential downpour. Any other place and we would have gotten wet … they had us cover, literally – top and sides with roll down clear plastic. Sign of a good restaurant – being prepared. Thanks Michele!

Last stop for the night …. pickup another piece of luggage for the souvenirs. For 27€ we got the ideal bag …. just right for carry on …. now to go back to the hotel and repack. Half an hour after we start, we’re done and ready for tomorrow’s trip home.

 

Rome, Italy – July 17 (Travel Day):

Well the plane is currently scheduled to leave at 1:30, so we decide to head to the airport by 10:00am. Then we get a notice that the flight is delayed to 2:30 … so we reschedule our taxi and go for one last walk-about. And then it’s time to go.

The drive to the airport is uneventful. Upon arrival it takes us 10 minutes to find and get through check-in … we are directed to another area for security, which takes all of 15 minutes to go through and then customs passport, which takes another 15 minutes ………. that was fast, so now we have 2 hours to kill! The airport is one of the nicest we’ve been through – friendly and efficient …… and then Air Canada spoiled it by having such a dis-organized gating procedure! Oh well, can’t win at everything.

On a great note for Gerda, this is the first time in five years where she was not “randomly” chosen for the full security body search. Congratulations Gerda ….. great way to end a vacation trip!

 

Sorrento, Italy – July 11 (Day 1):

After saying a tearful goodbye (Gerda & Christa) to the Grads at the Rome station, Harlow still not feeling well, we continue to Naples train station where we grab a taxi to the Harbour Port for the hydrofoil ferry to Sorrento. This taxi has to be the wildest ride we have ever taken …… it’s a wonder the driver didn’t hit any vehicles, buildings or people.  Brian had calculated 45 minutes to get a taxi and get to the port (based on other’s experience) ….. it took us 15 minutes! Gerda said she just closed her eyes a lot!

 

On another note the train station and area between the to the Port dock has to be one of the most littered and maybe one of the most dirty (lived in?) areas we have visited …… not sure if it’s always this way or if we just happened to catch the city with its pants down.

 

 

 

The port area is better ….. marginally, it seems to run smoothly. We had to wait an hour and a half because we got there so early …… the hydrofoil was on time; however, they didn’t mention we would need to pay extra for our luggage  ….. one guy says €3.1 another says €2.1 …… poorly run.

 

 

The boat was packed, so we ended up in the middle near the back. When it left the pier, it did a turn on a dime ….. amazing how such a big vessel could turn so quickly and with precision …… then moved slowly through the harbour to the entrance. As we moved through the entrance the boat was hit by two huge waves …. It was like a roller-coaster ride …. several women screamed and most people gasped. Not expected …… the rest of the trip was uneventful and fast …. 40 minutes pier to pier.

We arrived around 6:00pm, catching a taxi from just off the pier to take us to our hotel …. we had considered walking, but quickly realized that it was very difficult due to the steep, cobblestone roads. The ride in was on a narrow, “hair-pin” road ….. of the same cobblestones. As the crow flies it’s about 500 meters ….. unfortunately the taxi doesn’t fly so it was over 1 kilometer – not far but still expensive.
Once we’re pitted in to our room …. a quick shower and a nap to recoup from the high humidity and heat …… feels like 39°C – you’re always wet.

 

Then it’s off to dinner at one of the many restaurants. The food was good, the service was okay ……. so we moved on to souvenir hunting.

 

A quick check-in, and the manager gives Gerda a rose. He then accompanies us to our room to explain how everything works ….. it was a good thing in that we would have wondered about the air conditioning …… it shuts off if the window is open and that’s one of the first things we do in our rooms.

Be aware WiFi is free – only in the lobby – it’s €3 /day for your room. Also be aware there is a safe in the room …. you can use it for free but need to rent a key to lock it (yep … for real – only €2 per day).

Time for another shower and a rest to cool down … by 7pm we’re out wandering around and find a restaurant by 7:45. Gerda has the salmon while Brian has the braised duck …. white wine (why do they call it white when it clearly has no color?) to cap it off. All followed by a stroll up and down a few of the streets.

Gelato with homemade cones helps us find our way back to base camp.

This has to have been our most spartan room on our trip ….. but a room is a room … we generally spend as little time as possible in the rooms.

By the time we turn in for the night the room is very cool and refreshing.

 

Sorrento, Italy – July 12 (Day 2):

Up earlier than normal today ….. booked for the 9am ferry to Capri. Man is it muggy (hot and humid) out ….. we are sweating by the time we hit the pier.

The boat is full to the gills, however it only take 20 minutes to get there. After debating we wander for a half hour, then decided to do the “Blue Grotto” tour – 90 minutes at €15 ea. We buy the tickets  and just catch the next tour boat.

After 35 minutes on the small boat we arrive at the site, where the guide announces that we could be there another hour as there are too many boats trying to drop passengers.

However the trip ends up being well worth it …. Couple of the boats leave and we move up the line for access. At this point the boat operator informs us that if we want to go into the Grotto, we will have to cough up another 14€ each and give the small boat rower a tip also. We decided (like most of the people on the boat) to go into the Grotto … ka-ching another 30-35€ spent in a flash.

 

 

Once it’s our turn to go in to the grotto, the row boats pull alongside the tour boat and we stack 4 to 5 people in each. Then it’s over to the ticket boat to pay …… man it’s wild – their boat going up and ours down, hard to exchange cash for tickets …. but we get it done.

 

 

The row boat operator informs us we have to get as low as possible in the boat so we don’t wack our head on the low entrance. We wait as 10 boats come out and then we go in – one of another 10 boats. See they only allow 10 in at a time. When you are in it’s an amazingly beautiful blue reflection throughout the grotto. Our 10 minutes are up and then we move out so the next 10 can come in.

 

The row boat operator gets us back to our tour boat (reminding us to give him a tip – I guess a form of piracy) … then we are back on our boat. The tour boar operator starts to pull away, when one of the passengers insists that an American family has been left behind. The operator finally concedes and goes back … sure enough there was the row boat and the Americans. It’s a quick trip back to the harbor and we go for lunch at a restaurant over looking the harbor and beach with stunning views. From there it’s back to the ferry pickup and the ride to Sorrento.

Upon debarking from the ferry in Sorrento, we decided to look at the “beaches” to the west of the pier. They are a unique blend of rock islands supporting boardwalks on which the owners have placed umbrellas and loungers that can be rented – an inventive way to create the beach feel and make money! This “beach” area can be reached through a tunnel in the cliff and walkways that come down the cliff side from the tunnel … or …. an elevator through the same cliff structure.

 

Of course we walked up – each level giving a different view of the coast and the “beaches”. On the way back to the hotel we run across a wedding being setup ….. Gerda being the romantic wanted to stay so we could see the bride arrive … 45 minutes later she pulls up in an Alpha Romeo wearing a stunning dress. Gerda is jealous, not because the bride is young and beautiful …. but because she isn’t even breaking a sweat and we are ready for our second change of clothes! …. Time to shower and change.

Around 8:00pm we wander looking for a place to eat. We’ve walked the major promenade “Corso Italia” and wide pedestrian mall – time to look elsewhere, so we go down the narrow “Via S Cesareo” …. Full of booths and many hops, literally selling every thing. We eat in an outdoor restaurant with the motto ‘Friendly service with a smile’ – this is the first restaurant where there were few smiles and ‘friendly’ seemed forced. The food was good, it’s just the service seemed veiled. Whenever this happens, it’s usually because they think we are American; however this time when we subtly indicate that we are from Canadian, it doesn’t seem to matter. So time to move on …. A little more wandering and then back to the hotel. Tomorrow will bring more adventures ……….

 

 

Sorrento, Italy – July 13 (Day 3):

Today we wanted to go to Pompeii; however we were informed that there was a train strike, so a tour was not in the cards. Guess it’s on the bucket list for future trip …… we know Taylan also wants to see it.

 

 

The rest of the day is mostly catch and release, although Gerda did buy a gorgeous bathing suit and some souvenir trash we wander mostly back through the “Via S Cesareo” tourist traps. We found out truly how many amazing ways you can spend money ….. spices, clothes, souvenirs, food and …. beer.

 

Afterwards we did a number on the pool so Gerda could try her new suit and we could cool down.

 

 

 

Since we forgot that it was Friday, dinner was much later …. While waiting, we went back to the elevator in the cliff and saw one of the most gorgeous sunsets, with Napoli and Mount Vesuvius on the horizon. Then it was back to the restaurants to see if we could get in even though it was now 9:30. We ended up back at the same first day restaurant … the food was good and the service professional …. and yet you want more than just professional ….. it’s … boring. The restaurant in Lucca was 10 out of ten, this one would be 7. We prepare for average, but hope for the exceptional – not this time.

 

 

 

 

Back to the hotel …… did I tell you that the hotel has wot entrances? One from the cliff side road and one from the main thorough fare. Image our surprise when we return to that door and see the door next to it is …. a marijuana outlet! I guess like Holland it must be legal here.

 

 

 

 

 

Sorrento, Italy – July 14 (Travel Day):

We leave the hotel at 7:25 and go to the center lift, the elevator which takes us to the beach level. Again within 10 minutes of dragging our baggage, we are ready for a shower and change of clothes. Back in Napoli, the ride to the train station seems to take half the time it took to get to the ferry. Now we have a 2 hour wait …. Which we spend an hour in one of the cafes, where we meet an interesting couple – Sue and Clark. He’s a helicopter mechanic (Sikorsky) and she is an amateur photographer. We spent an interesting 45 minutes exchanging stories … it was a pleasure to meet them.

At approximately 1:00 we catch our train and speed into Rome to start the last three days of this vacation …………

 

Lucca, Italy – July 7 (Day 1):

Note: I had trouble with the blog-manager service provider. We hope the website is now working correctly!

In Florence we had to change trains …. from a high speed, reserved coach to a bunny hopping, scramble-on, multi-stop, 3rd class coach …… and we only had 3 minutes to run from platform 12 to platform 3 …… we made it! Actually the air conditioning on this train was better than the train we just got off.

When we got to Lucca it was 33°C (felt like 39° with humidity), so it was taxi time again …… no dragging luggage on these streets in this heat ….. 20 minute wait for a 5 minute drive.

We have to see Franco at the Puccini Hotel to get the keys for the VRBO suite. He assists us up the 70 stairs into the two floors of suite …… boy is it hot in the suite. Franco comes up again and helps turn off the heat so the air conditioning works properly….. yes the heat was on!

 

We wandered and ended up at a little restaurant called Osteria da Rosolo. Great meal, absolutely fabulous service ….. Salvatore kept us in stitches throughout the meal, joking and making many great recommendations. He was a great foil for Brian, Taylan and Christa – quick and as sharp as a tack! We highly recommend them for a meal …..

 

 

After dinner, we walked pass the main square and took pictures of the concert posters  …….. major music festival going on with groups like Ringo Starr (and his “All Star” band), the Hollywood Vampires (Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper & Joe Perry), Lenny Kravitz, the Gorillaz, Roger Waters (from Pink Floyd), etc ….. quite amazing …… didn’t know it was on!  Unfortunately, the acts available while we are here were sold out ….. not fair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though it’s in the middle of the old city of Lucca, you can’t hear any of the concerts unless you are within 100 meters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To cap off the evening, we watched the Russian / Croatia world cup soccer game outside, at a restaurant in the same square we are occupying. The game was interesting but not as interesting watching the rabid fans ….. the expressions were priceless! The Croatians won …. good for them.

To finish the travel day, I blog what we have done ….. apparently not tonight – the website website is not accessible to add the write up for the day. I’ll check it out tomorrow…… maybe.

(Finally fixed four days later  …….)

 

Lucca, Italy – July 8 (Day 2):

 

Pisa day! …… not the food – the tower …… go there by local train – you have to admire the Italians resilience and ingenuity to travel this way day in and day out. It took us (Christa) a good twenty minutes to figure out the ticket machines – but we got there on time …… again it was extremely hot. We tried to stay in the shade as much as possible …… hard to do with so many open spaces.

 

The ingenuity comes with them knowing when and where they can jump the train without a ticket ……. so far, on all the local trains we have taken, no one has checked whether we had a valid ticket. It seems the only ones they check are the high-speed, inter-city trains, although the train to Cinque Terre appeared to have armed police when we took it a day later.

 

 

 

When we got to Pisa, we escaped at the San Rossore station …… pretty desolate – yet there were a lot of people getting on and off …… very hot again. The GPS said 770 meters, but it felt more like ¾ of a kilometer.

 

 

 

 

 

In front of the gate to the piazza, there were multiple vendors hawking all sorts of trinkets …. the usual trash, that tourists love. Once you (oops, just got interrupted by the ticket checker, wanting to validate our seats … pardon me for a minute) get through the gate – it’s dodge and weave through the numerous people taking their novelty photos (individual & group).

 

 

The tickets to book a time to climb to the top of the Leaning Tower can be purchased in the long brown building, at the second entrance on the right. Pretty straightforward …. pick a time, indicate the number in your party, pay and then wander until 10 minutes before your scheduled reservation.

 

 

At 10 minutes Line-up outside the tower entrance. Wait until called, go in climb the 251 steps to the top. Admire the view – take some pictures – return to earth. The price was very reasonable, 18€ to go up and 0€ to come down (I guess in case someone decides to come down the fast way without paying.) All money goes to the preservation of the monuments.

Our time was for 3:45 …… and we got the tickets at 2:20 so we calculated it was beer-o’clock ….. with munchies. The ladies did a spat of “catch and release”. The kids were more successful at “catch and land”. They got both large and small stuff for their buddies.

 

The view from the top is impressive and you don’t really notice the tilt (I’m inclined to believe). We got pictures of the town below from all angles and of course the six bells ….. the other tourists are very obliging to take your picture if asked, they’ll even use your camera if you loan it to them.

Note that they no longer ring the bells as the vibrations were causing structural damage. Don’t want it to topple it with people inside.

 

 

 

Legend has it that the gods were mad at the clergy and Zeus decided to teach them a lesson by pushing on the tower ……. to topple it, but then relented and let it stand.

 

 

 

 

 

From there it was back to the San Rossore station and try to figure our way back to Lucca ….. Christa managed it again with minutes to spare. The train was packed so we stood for a portion of the way.

Once back at home base, showers, freshen up and rest before dinner. We decided on a new place in what the locals call the coliseum (not) a circular opening surrounded by buildings with four arch ways for access. There must have been 15 open restaurants in the space ….. and to the delight of the kids, hundreds of geckos on the building walls.

 

 

Heading back by a circuitous route we come across a point where we can see and hear parts of the Ringo Star show just as they start playing “Yellow Submarine” …… again the kids are surprised  and happy. Christa and Harlow put on their own little dance show …. bravo.

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, while the kids watched a movie – Brian, Shayne and Christa had a few Canadian Club night caps …… and chatted it up with two couples from England – Loraine, Michelle, Nick and “Brat”.  Interesting stores (probably some woppers) were exchanged ….. a great time had bye all.

 

Lucca, Italy – July 9 (Day 3):

 

 

Third day started with a quick meal around the corner and then more train travel …. this time to Monterosso in the Cinque Terre. Three stop, two train changes and just over 2 hours time. Great sand on the northern beach. The kids loved it overall better than Venice’s Lido beach.

After a quick late lunch and some souvenir shopping, we jumped the boat to Vernazza …. just a short 20 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrive we get to see some amateurs cliff diving (it’s not a cliff and it’s more like jumping) …. bravo to them! The whole boat applauded, disembarked …..

 

 

…. and we are doing more souvenir hunting. You have to realize this is not window shopping, most shops don’t have windows,  just doors  …. and door shopping just doesn’t sound right. When we’re shopped out it’s head to the train station to check out the schedule & price.

 

 

Christa’s default job now ….. which she performs very well ….. bravo Christa. She manages to get tickets for the next train scheduled in an hour and then convinces us to hop the train  ….. we do have the tickets, even though it’s for an hour later …… besides it’s too crowded for the ticket agents to get through the train.

That was a full day ….. and they have the streets blocked for the festival, so we go back to the Coliseum area restaurants.

After the kids retire, the guys go for a beer … what else and to watch the semifinal World cup game (England & Croatia). Again interesting to watch the fans …… Croatia wins.

 

Lucca, Italy – July 10 (Day 4):

Last full day is relax and recoup day. The ladies want to shop …. Brian needs to fix the blog and Taylan & Harlow want books. So it’s divide and conquer  …..

Brian works with the service provider to fix the blog – they did a program update that invalidated admin privileges for some users …. Brian’s site was one impacted …. after 70 minutes they decided the easiest fix was to restore a backup to Sunday ….. when that didn’t work they restored to Friday.  Some of the blog and some picture were lost but could be re-added. Success! Now to catch up with the others and have some fun.

 

 

Late afternoon, while the ladies are still shopping Brian and Shayne take the kids to the old medieval tower (Torre Guinigi) with trees growing on top. It’s only 430 meters away and 241 steps to the top. Another hour spent, but well worth the effort.

 

 

 

 

 

After finishing catch and release we go to dinner …. and a band goes by dressed in traditional medieval costumes.

 

 

 

Medieval bands and flag bearers

More Medieval bands

It was as if they were preforming to give us a farewell sendoff. A nice way to end the night.

 

Lucca, July – July 11 (Travel Day):

Packed and ready by 9:00 so we can catch the 10:30 train to Florence to transfer to the Rome/Naples train at 12:38. At 9:45 panic starts as the taxis have not arrived  …… the police have blocked all major roads for the Roger Waters concert. Finally one taxi arrives at 9:50. Just enough for the luggage and three people  ….. the ladies insist they can walk while the guys and Harlow take the taxi. Their logic is the guys can manage the luggage better at the station, while Harlow is not well and they can carry her if necessary.

 

 

So they start walking and the taxi heads for the town exit  ….. unfortunately with the major roads blocked, we end up going all the way around the old town walls – a taxi ride that should have be 8 minutes turns in to 30 minutes. The ladies arrive 2 minutes later, they were also blocked at every turn, having to take multiple detours.

 

 

Check the train schedule for platforms and hustle all the luggage and family through the underground to platform 4 …. with 5 minutes to spare. This leg of the train is unassigned seating, so we get as many together as possible  ….. poor Harlow still not well and the heat & rocking train don’t make it any better.

We make it to Florence on time, but have to wait for the connection as it is 10 minutes late. Harlow is still ill so we rest as much as possible in the heat.

 

 

Finally the platform is posted and we can load our luggage on coach 10. In one and a half hours we land in Rome where the Grads get off for two days before they head home on Friday. Brian and Gerda continue on to Naples to catch the Hydrofoil for Sorrento.

Venice, Italy – July 5 (Day 1)

We landed at Venice Marco Polo airport Thursday,  July 5th, 8 minutes early even though we left 5 minutes late – that must have been one strong tail-wind. The 6am flight was almost full with about 130 aboard …….. we gated at the north end of the airport and were bused to the far south end before boarding. The flight was typical for a no frills airline – one beverage (about 4 sips) pay for everything else.

Up – down no drama ….. no babies wailing ….. hardly any time to have a nap. That’s what I call a good flight.

Once we disembark, it’s get luggage and decide which form of transportation to take – bus, taxi or boat. We decided to try the water ferry …. ’cause it’s different. Turns out it’s not the fastest form of travel – 1hour 30 minutes  ……. still, it was a leisurely way to get to the islands and see a lot of sites we wouldn’t normally see.

 

 

 

We get to our hotel around 11, drop off our bags and go for a stroll (really more of a dodge people) to the fish market and other sites, returning at 1pm for a bite and a pint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Room is ready at 2:40 ……. shower, nap and a change of clothes before we try to find the Grads. During this time there was an intense thunder storm. By the time (6pm), we are ready to go out, you can’t tell there had been a storm. Now for the Grads, we have the address, general area and Gerda’s cell phone. It takes about 45 minutes to walk to the piazza near their place, the cell phone blue dot people help us incrementally get the rest of the way. How did our ancestors ever do it?

The Grads had a fabulous time in Barcelona,  spending a lot of time on the beaches …. Harlow even got her hair braided in cornrows – looks beautiful.

They do have a very nice Venice VBRO suite – we’re almost jealous. Rather than go back to the “Rialto” bridge, we try the restaurant down and around the corner.

After a good meal we grab a gelato nearby and decide to head home as another storm is brewing – lots of lightning. You can usually tell it’s time to head in doors when the winds pick-up, the temperature drops, the gondoliers start covering their boats and the waiters start moving their tables & chairs inside. The last two being the most important. So time to boogie when all four happen.

Regardless, on the way back we do stop to listen to a young opera singer.  She was very good ….. notice the added drama of the lightning in the background above the church.

Opera singer …... in a storm

 

About 10 minutes after we retire, it pours …… with winds getting heavier and more wild lightning …… I’m sure a lot of people got soaked.

 

Venice, Italy – July 6 (Day 2)

Today is “beach” day …… yes the grandkids want to visit Lido beach …… 5 kilometers of fine sand.

So we go for a tour of the fish market with the Grads, then it’s to the San Marco mall to get gelato. Afterwards we show them our hotel room while Brian & Shayne have a beer. Next stop, the vaporato (water bus) to go to Lido …… 10 minute wait, 20 minute ride and a 15 minute walk, we’re there. Fine sand everywhere. The kids can walk out for quite a distance before the water gets too high ….. they love it. Playing, swimming and digging while we have a beer on the beach – just perfect!

 

Time to head back after 3 hours (6:00pm), the kids are hungry. We land at San Marco pier and Gerda catches us a gondola ride right away. The kids are thrilled.

We go into the Grand Canal and then back into a smaller, side canal. Once we hit the side canal, surprisingly it is very quite.

 

Disembark, gingerly, so as to not tip the gondola ….. breath a sigh of relief, and move on to dinner by the Rialto bridge. The kids like it cause they can get burgers and fries, the adults like it cause the kids are happy.

That was a very fast two days ….. but the kids did love it – Taylan got a wireless model Ferrari and Harlow got a sleeping puppy doll (it’s so life like).

Venice, Italy – July 7 (Travel Day):

Up earlier today – we have to take the vaporato to the train station and it’s usually packed – so the earlier the better. By the time we go along the 15 stops, there is barely room to breath. Pack to the gills the boat expels the passengers with relief on the part of all.

Entering the train station is not like an airport. Yes, there is security but there are no segregated areas …. just a big mass of churning people – swirling in many directions. Great for people watching, not so good to carve your way from point A to point B. We do make it to our train on time and get seated ….. always fun trying to get the luggage stored where you can see.
…… And we’re off again – time to say bye to Venice …..

 

Aix-en-Province, France – Day 1 (June 30):

From the Marseille airport we skin over to the Hertz car rental. It’s 32°C and there are 18 people in line before me, all wanting vehicles.

 

It took over an hour before we got our car, a brand new Golf VW, with only 1400 km. After some help getting the nice french lady in the dashboard to speak english, we’re off to “Hotel de France” in Aix-en-Province.

 

The trip goes well until we are a few blocks from the hotel …… construction and roadblocks everywhere. Not the roadblocks you are use to back home, but actual,  locally imposed and controlled hydraulic metal pillars* at least 30cm (~12 inches) thick – you need a special card to gain entry. Guess what, we don’t have one, so we had to backup, turn around or go the wrong way down one way streets. Did I mention most of the streets are one way ….. usually in the wrong direction!

 

After going in circles for what seemed like hours, we finally saw a sign to the hotel ….. and ended at an intersection with a pillar in the left and forward roads.

The road back was too restricted to back up and the right one was free … but there directly in front of us, on the other side of the pillar was our goal! Hotel de France – executive decision – let Gerda go in to get instructions (and drop off the luggage), while I maneuver the car into a position so other vehicles can skin around us – extremely tight.

Gerda came back with a map and instructions to parking, which I proceeded to get wrong by turning left instead of going straight – backup ….. turn, crank the wheel ….. repeat and finally get back on track. Piece of cake after that ….. park in the 4th level underground stall 1119 easy (remember that). The hotel is considered a three star, but was quite comfortable – one of the better rooms (best washroom) to date.

* We saw a tourist try to follow a local vehicle into a restricted area. The metal pillar came up through her radiator ….. Everyone watched in horror ….. not something you want to happen or expect to see!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a rest, we did a tour of the area and were pleasantly surprised at the diversity of cafes, shops, people and architecture. Despite the problems getting here, great choice for location to Gerda.

We had a good dinner and then continued the walk-about, and realized that there were multiple gathering hot spots …. we counted at least 5 within an 8 square block area. Each one different ….. very interesting – but time to head back for sleep.

 

Lourmarin, France – Day 2 (July 1):

After a leisurely breakfast, we checked out of the hotel to head to Lourmarin our next stop. We are to meet the VRBO owner Mireille at 3:00 …. leaving at 11am should be plenty of time ….. so we thought. I head over to the car park, while Gerda watched the luggage. By taking a short cut, that the hotel clerk had pointed out, I quickly found the parkade and went back to help Gerda wheel the luggage over.

Four levels down and go to the stall number 1119 ….. except we can’t find 1119. Back and forth, from one end to the other ….. not there – and it is as hot in the underground parkade as outside! After 45 minutes, Gerda catches a young passerby who tries to help and finally takes us to the control center. They check their records and tell us no vehicle entered the parkade when we said we had. The manager rechecks and tells us we are in the wrong parkade …. there is another larger one to the north! Wow! Totally unexpected …. so we exit and go there blocks north, enter the other parkade and find our car within 5 minutes! Who would have thought that parkades could cause so much angst.

Back on the road and finally moving forward to the next adventure.

 

We arrive at Lourmarin about 2:30 so lots of time. Actually we’re now on “beer time” until Mireille shows up. Wait, drink and people watch – cause we don’t know what she looks like.

Around 3:20, as I enter the condo block, she comes out. We get instructions on the whole suite and surrounding area ….. very happy with the accommodations. This will be the first time we can clean some of our clothes ….. they seem to always be damp from sweat.

 

Once she leaves, nap time again before doing a village tour. Just on the edge of the village is a castle – everything larger than two stories and with no attached buildings is called a castle, where we would call it a chateau or larger house. Interesting structure, with a well groomed landscape ….. but not opened to the public at this time of day.

Dinner at 7:45, is late for us but early for local, who don’t dine until after 8pm. So we get a good table location. The meal is good, simple and cheap. When we finish we wander …. but most everything except the cafes & restaurants, are closed …. so back to the suite for a goodnight rest.

 

Lourmarin, France – Day 3 (July 2):

Up late – 8am is late for us – shower, shave, a change of clothes, breakfast and we’re off again. Gerda wants to find fields of lavender. We head to Sault, Gordes and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. Lots of forests, very hilly, with twisty, narrow winding roads – up, down and hair-pin turns. Not a lot of traffic, but the road never seems wide enough ….. and the locals drive these roads between 80 & 90 kmph or faster. Gerda tried to take a video, but gave it up cause she was getting motion sickness. After driving for 45 minutes we saw a field of lavender beside a vineyard. We deeked right to a dirt road and Gerda got out to take pictures. I decided to turn the car around.. what an experience! The car has collision sensors all around. The road had high weeds all around. Everytime the sensors detected the weeds, it would beeped and then engage the brakes. Unfortunately I couldn’t figure out how to turn it off ….. so slowly back n forth, until the car was finally pointed in the right direction. Now we could get our pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there we continue on to Gordes where there is supposedly more lavendar. Again I proceeded to get lost in one of the small villages. You say how ….. well most of these villages are on rough, rocky hills and built when transportation was by horse and cart ….. so everything is narrow and one way …. and there is no routine update when they do construction or block a road. I am surprised we made it out. The GPS lady was pretty good but also annoying – continually tell us to backup or do a u-turn when none was possible. What an experience but we made, although taking twice the time a local would!

On the way up to Sault, we came across a field of poppies where two ladies were posing and taking pictures of each other. We offered to take their picture together and they did ours.

They highly recommended we go to Gordes to the “Abbaye de Senanyue”. So we turned around, punched in the destination and let the nice GPS lady tell us where to go. On the way we came across an unusual landmark – a windmill.

It was hard to get a good picture and in the process Brian got other pictures of the town, church and ancient castle (a real one).

 

 

The view from the other side of the windmill was stunning – the church and castle on top of the hill, were joined by massive walls. We weren’t sure how you would access these structures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there we moved on through the twisty roads, with hundreds of meters of shear cliffs to the Abbaye de Senanque. Extremely old and beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop Fontaine-de-Vaucluse …. an oasis of water. We have a meal by the water and admire the plants and waterwheels.

 

One of the sites we visited in Fontaine is the “Moulin a Papier Vallis Clausa” that produces handmade paper with the methods developed in the 15th century.

 

The area is a magnet for people wanting to escape the 32°C weather.

 

 

 

 

 

The following video shows part of the ancient method of making paper.

 

Time to return to home base ….. to shower and eat …. and maybe watch football (soccer).

So it’s down to the piazza. Pick a good table to view of the large screen TV – every restaurant seems to have one outside their doors. With World Cup games on, the tables fill quickly – it’s  a communal social event. There obviously are delays in the signal received at each restaurant – you can hear the shouts of joy or frustration as a favorite team scored or conceded a goal! Some come sooner or later than others. Kinda-like Rider games, except they happen every day from late afternoon to late evening – sometimes as late as 12 midnight.

Finally the game is over and so we can retire (you become a part of the community by staying to watch-participate).

 

Lourmarin, France – Day 4 (July 3):

 

With a late start to the morning, we went to Cucuron before noon to see their open market. They have everything that can be made locally by hand … and more.

We were tempted to buy so many things but realized we had no way to take them with us.

 

 

Afterwards we go to Bonnieu to have a light lunch, it’s 3:00pm and then drive to “Chateau la Canorgue” to take pictures  and buy some wine. Gerda loved the movie “A Good Year”, with Russel Crow.

 

 

 

 

The chateau was one of the main sites featured in the movie. Unfortunately the owners are tired of inquisitive fans invading their property to request tours ….. so we’re content to take pictures and buy a red & a white wine to drink with the Grads in Italy.

 

 

 

 

 

Gerda reviewing and selecting the wines to sample or purchase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to base to freshen up and rest before going to dinner in Cucoran. Yes the same place we had visited for the open market.

We ordered a vegetarian and a fish dinner. The food was probably the best meal of the trip so far!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the meal we chatted up 3 retired British gentlemen, who were doing a cycling tour through southern France.  It was entertaining to hear their stories. They still had three more days of cycling before they take the train back to London. We quite enjoyed the banter.

Back to our base and pack so we are ready to go back to “Aix en Province”. Our flight leaves from Marseille airport at 6:00am, so we decided not to drive during the early morning, through territory we don’t know well – to many risks driving at 3:00am.

 

Lourmarin / Aix-en-Province, France – Day 5 (July 4):

Last day in Lourmarin ….. time to do one more tour of the village. Each day we seem to find more interesting shops. Gerda hasn’t even been in a “catch and release” mode for the first two weeks, so I expect there will be a few trial “catches” and then her & Christa will do some major “deep sea trolling” in Venice …. we’ll need a new suitcase to bring it all home!

 

 

I was right – Gerda did manage two major & one minor catch on her third shop. So more to pack, as we prepare to leave.

We finished packing and head back to “Aix en Province” …. much fast trip this time as we are now use to the car and local roads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we get to Aix en Province we head for the main centre. This time when we park we make sure we have the location down pat. After wandering for an hour we suddenly realize that our original hotel, “Hotel de France”, was only two blocks away from the center. How ironic that we didn’t know.

After a quick refreshment, we head to the airport hotel to get rest before our 4:30am check-in with Volotea airline to go to Venice. The flight leaves at 6:00am with us landing at 7:20am. Any other mode of transport gets us there much later – trains 10 hours, taxi/limousine 7 hours, major airline 6 hours (cause you have to fly to Paris or Lyon before going to Venice).

Regardless next stop …… Venice!

 

Travel day (July 5): Marseille to Venice

We had a taxi scheduled to take us from the IBIS airport hotel to the airport at 4:15am ….. not cheap – one kilometer 25€ ….. they know they have you ’cause you can’t walk across the highway. Oh well, we are on holidays ……………. and we don’t need to sweat at 4am!

Check in for Volotea was straight forward, however everyone in front of us who walked into the entrance for the gates and security came walking back out. We finally got it straightened out, only to have the security personnel tell Brian to go back three, because he forgot to remove his tablet from the backpack.

Once we were through check in, check up and checkout ….. it’s an hour wait to board ….. and then smooth sailing so to speak.

 

Paris, France – Day 1 (June 27):

A slow relaxing start to the day and then it’s on to the train station – platform 15 … for 11:17am. The coach fills very fast, good thing we have pre-assigned seats. Scheduled arrival 2:35 ….. just over a 3 hour trip, hitting top speeds of 296 kmph …. 4 stops in between. Roughly 431.4km from Amsterdam to Paris. We drop in Gard du Nord (the north train station in Paris) ….. what a busy, chaotic place.

…. and of course there was a Metro strike going on for the route we would take, so we decided to cab-it. Well that was interesting to say the least, an approximate wait of 30 minutes. Taylan counted 107 taxis before we got one. We were in a cattle coral 4x 100ft, guess it was better than walking since the temperature was over 30°C …. quite the change from cold, wet Amsterdam.

Time to freshen up at our respective hotels. Big surprise at the le Derby Alma hotel …. we walk in and are given a choice of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage! Next big surprise, both rooms have cell phones with unlimited Wi-Fi, special apps for touring and unlimited local / international phone calls! Final gift was a welcoming note and macarons.

 

 

Well, after our rest we met at a half way point for dinner.

Italian, strangely enough, sounded right for Paris food. Restaurant Firmine provided ga great meal, entertaining service and great company. It was a hit (although not the Mafia).

 

Robah was the ultimate server, knowing just when we needed something and being there.

 

 

 

After our food break …… next stop ….. the Eiffel Tower – Brad and the grandkids have only seen ones in captivity – never one live, in the wild. They thought it was awesome!

The kids proceeded to haggle with the street vendors to get good deals on Eiffel souvenirs. Both got great deals …. and then back to the Paris digs, for sleep and to re-energize for day 2.

 

 

Gerda, Brad and Brian did a tour across the Seine river from the tower. Interesting entertainment on the steps …. they liked some, but not others (not necessarily the same ones).

Brad continued his own private tour, while Brian and Gerda went back to their room for much needed rest and to plan the attack on the tour schedule for tomorrow.

 

 

Paris, France – Day 2 (June 28):

Breakfast started on rue Cler in Brian and Gerda’ s favorite cafe …. going there at least once during each trip to Paris. Brad tagged along and got to practice his french.

We met with the Grads around 11:30 to take the “hop-on hop-off” bus tour. We started from the Eiffel Tower location.  We stopped at site #4 to get paper copies (yes paper copies are still needed if you don’t have a cell phone). We also changed bus routes to go on the “blue line” cause it was going to ‘Sacre du Coure’. We got off early to feed Harlow & Taylan and then proceeded uphill to the church. After toùring the site we walked around the back and looked at the artist displays. Time for refreshments! While we waited, the ladies discussed having a picture done. Our waiter – Steven made arrangements.

The three ladies moved to sit together so Miro (our artist) could group them together.

 

 

Three beer and part way into the session, the police interrupted us, indicating Miro couldn’t seat outside the restaurant to do the picture.

 

The waiter moved everyone inside and let Milo and the ladies continue.

 

 

 

 

When he finished, they were excited by what he had created.

 

 

 

 

 

Since the tour buses would be closing soon, we decided to get a taxi or take the Metro (subway) back to our lodgings. In the end we decided to use the Metro, figuring it would be faster, during rush hour, then a taxi.

 

 

Another first for the grandkids – riding the Metro …. a great way to get from point A to point B, but it seems to always be crowded.

 

 

 

 

After arriving at our stop, we split again – everyone to their rooms to rest while Brian checked out the availability of going to the top of the Eiffel tower before our 9pm dinner. The quick answer was no – 30 minutes to get tickets, 30 to get the lift (no one was up to walking the 1700 steps) and that was being optimistic since it was already 7:30. We weren’t going to miss the 9:00pm dinner on the Eiffel tower ’58 Restaurant’.

 

 

At 8:10, freshener up we walked to the tower only to realize half way there we had forgotten the tickets – so Brian booted it back to the room … adding another 20 minutes to our already later arrival.

 

 

Not to worry, we slid right in and started the four course meal with two bottles of champagne.

Not shabby at all ……..

Appetizer …….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second course … fois gras

 

 

 

 

 

Third course …. shallots

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fourth course ….. lamb

 

 

 

Dessert ….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All followed by a fantastic light show  ……

 

 

 

Paris, France – Day 3 (June 29):

Review, repeat and recycle.

 

After taking the Metro to the Louvre, we did an external tour of the site.

Christa thought the kids weren’t into touring art & statues. So we did the next best thing and visited the Lego store nearby. Afterwards, we had lunch in a nearby market place and split up to reconvene at Notre-Dame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brian and Gerda walked through the Marais district and found the “Vin, Pain, Fromage” restaurant- unfortunately it doesn’t open until 7:00pm. Such a shame, it seemed like a very interesting place, especially after the virtual tour.

 

Moving on to Notre-Dame, we cross one of the many bridges and checkout several of the street vendors, who sell books and assorted other fine junk. Brian bought the grandkids an old version of a hardcover French comic. Something they can show in their class next term.

 

 

 

The Grads wanted a picture of Notre-Dame for Marilyn. Hi Marilyn!

From there, we jumped the “Hop-on, Hop-off” bus to go back to the Eiffel Tower, where the Seine riverboat cruises start. There the kids wanted pictures in the fountain water, while Brad mulled taking a ride in a Lamborghini.

 

In the end, neither happened, so we went on to join the river cruise.

 

 

 

 

After the cruise, we wandered for almost an hour trying to decide where to eat, only to finally end up in at Restaurant Firmine, where Robah bent over backwards to seat us!

Great meal and once again great service.

Tomorrow is the final morning in Paris, so we haggled with Brad as to what he could take home for us. I think each of us dumped 10 pounds into the Grads old luggage and exchanged it for Brad’s smaller bag. (He arrived home safely with an extra thirty pounds and 90$ lighter due to the overweight luggage!) So now, both Gerda and Christa can shop and bring back more – and still pay overweight,  maybe just a little less.

 

Paris, France – Day 4 (June 30):

Earliest packing so far on this trip – ready and loaded in to the taxis by 8:45 ….. Brad you “Charles de Gaulle” airport for his trip home at 1:30 PM, while Brian and Gerda head to “Orly” airport to go south to Marseille airport for their next leg. Orly is 4 times the size of Regina’s airport and Marseille is twice the size of Regina airport.

 

Grads have a little more time to prepare, as their train for Barcelona doesn’t leave until 2:00 PM (apparently it was late leaving and delayed on the way – details to follow)

The interesting things about Orly is you do everything …… self-service includes scanning your passport, printing your tickets and luggage tags (note: luggage is not free – you pay)….. then you take your luggage to another area to scan the tags, the luggage is weighted (you pay again if they are overweight) …… once it has all been processed and set through for loading, you can go through the entry gate by scanning your boarding pass ….. to the final step of security check. Now to wait for boarding and take off.

After all that, wouldn’t you know it, a delay …… apparently the flight was scheduled for 154 passengers, so several were not allowed on and the crew had to locate their luggage to remove it from the plane. Piece of cake after all that.

 

 

Amsterdam, Holland – Day 1:

Two stops, two train changes and 1 hour 30 minutes later, we’re in Amsterdam. A quick stop at at the “Information booth” and we split …. Gerda, Brian and Brad to the hotel, Shayne, Christa, Taylan and Harlow off to their VRBO. Roughly a kilometer apart.

 

After a break to cleanup, we meet up near “Ripley’s – Believe It or Not” museum and go for dinner (believe it or not).

Afterwards we take the canal cruise to see some of the city sights from the water. The kids loved it …. next we wandered through some of the store side streets …. unfortunately a lot were closing or had already closed, so we went back to one of the pastry shops for sweet treats.

 

 

Back to the hotel for Brian and Gerda; Christa took the kids back to their rooms and Brad & Shayne did a stroll about the “Red Light” district ….. we have pictures for most of the sights except for that one!

 

 

Amsterdam,  Holland – Day 2:

The Grad family (Christa, Shayne, Taylan & Harlow) and Brad went to view the “Ann Franck” house.

Taylan has planned this part of the trip, for months now, to help him with a 2018-9 school project. He loved it … the site is now much bigger than when we went their in 2005. It now occupies three building and has a museum.

We were supposed to have a coffee before meeting them near the house, but Brian got us lost. As usual Gerda finally figured it out.

When they were finished the tour, the whole clan gathered at the “The Pancake Crew” restaurant for …… you guessed it – pancakes. So many sweat and savory choices.

 

Next stop the Amsterdam “Flea Market”, a block-long eclectic mix of homemade and commercial stalls, selling everything from food to jewellery to clothing and so much more.

On the way there, we stopped to listen to a small baroque string quartet (with an accordion player), playing Vivaldi’s the “Four Seasons” ….. actually quite entertaining!

Next we posed and postured for “I amsterdam” opportunity pics. Brad was the only one to climb the “I”, and did a lateral posture on the “t”, bravo!

 

 

The flea market was interesting. Afterwards we wandered back to the hotel along the canal beside the Casino. A stop for a wirbeer and frits outside …. a rest in ou room and then find the Grads (we lost them in the flea market).

 

When we finally found them, they were going to visit the “Ripley’s” museum.  We went shopping, cause they would be at least an hour. There are way too many places to shop! When we got back to the meeting place, they were still enjoying the museum, so we wandered looking for a place to have dinner (by now it was 8:30) ….. again way too places to eat. We finally picked a quaint little Chinese restaurant – the service was good and the food excellent. The Grads happened bye, but didn’t want Chinese food, and continued on their way.

By the time we finished it was close to 10pm and time to head back to the hotel. Amazing how fast the time flies when you walk everywhere. Earlier to bed since we would need to be up and packed early so we could eat and get to the train station on time.

 

 

Well, that was a quick visit through Holland! Even though it was only 7 days, it felt more like a full week.

 

 

We move to the French leg of our journey. Paris next stop!

 

 

 

Den Ham – Day 1:

Now that it’s daylight we get to see what the rental house really looks like …. not too shabby. The owner advertised the rental as “Jeanette” …… curious to say the least.

It has 4 bedrooms (plus extra sleeping areas if required), 2 washrooms with showers, a fully stocked kitchen and a large common living area.

 

 

All the rooms (except washrooms) have flat screen TV’s. There is a patio with benches and table out front, and room for two parked cars. Perfect for the 7 of us!

 

 

Observation: It’s true, 12 -13 hours sleep does make a difference. We finally were all awake around 10:30am.

 

 

After we all had showers, we loaded into the two cars and headed to Ommen. A quick tour of some shops and then onto the restaurant “Flater (Eten en Drinken)” – very good local Dutch food and drink.

After the meal, it was back to shopping …… such interesting items – the kids loved the toy store. Gerda had to get her raisin bread, then it was onto touring the windmill museum (which ironically) includes a real, operational windmill.

 

 

Very interesting to see the many things in the museum from 19th century schools, to WWll spitfire memorabilia, to old scientific demo models, to old dutch clothing.

 

After the museum tour, we went into the windmill for a tour of how it operates. Unfortunately, they turn the mill on and run every it only on Wednesday’s …… and we were there Thursday! When we got to the second level, to walk around the outside of the windmill, it started to pour. Reluctantly we left to visit the Tollhouse next door ….. and the rain stopped. Amazingly, rainbows are the same no matter where you travel, but some places seem to get more than their share.

 

 

Next stop we visited a castle, now used as an international school. Afterwards we invaded the relatives patio for more beverages. My how time flies when you have all the time in the world to drink.

 

Final stop of the day – “de Beuk” restaurant for fine food and amazing desserts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Den Ham – Day 2:

A slow, late start to the day as we aclimitize to the time and weather changes. Cool, wet and very windy. The weather seems to also be cool, wet and windy – Saskatchewan climate – and just like the weather back home, it’s forecasted to warm up on Monday when we leave.

As for the kids, Taylan is much better, he is laughing and engaged in conversations and Harlow is, well Harlow ever smiling.

First stop of the day, the ancient German castle at “Bad Bentheim”. It took us almost twice the time to get there. We were operating from screen shots of Google map, until we suddenly realized the second rental car had a GPS unit. Without it we probably would have been 3x as long.

Bad Bentheim was quite the sight for the kids, who til now were use to the oldest structure they see in Canada being Government buildings (maybe 150 years old).

 

Bad Bentheim is almost a thousand years old, first mentioned in registries around 1116. In fact the Romanesque stone cross in the chapel (called “The Lord God of Bentheim”), is one of the earliest represenations of Christ in central Europe, well over 1000 years old.

 

 

There is at least one window in the castle claimed to be from the original construction, much of the rest has been repaired or restored over the years …. quite impressive to prairie kids.

 

 

Next stop, one of the few family owned and run wooden shoe makers left in Holland.

 

Although it was late in the day, the owner was happy to give a demonstration of how a pair are made. The process is similar to making a copy of a key, except he makes both the right and left shoe at the same time.

 

He takes two blocks of wood and shapes the outside. Then he hollows out the inside, followed by more shaping and refining to smooth both the outer and inner surfaces.

 

 

 

The ends are removed and final shaping done by sanding the surfaces. The finished pair are then dried at 30°C for days. Each pair is finally hand painted. After the demo, he showed us finished product in all sized, shapes and colors. They can make approximately 25 pair a day, but can’t keep up with demand. Alas, he figures all business like his will be gone within 5 years …… a shame.

 

 

 

 

 

The shop owner is in the Guiness World Book of Records for the largest wooden shoe from one solid piece of wood.

 

 

 

 

The one shown below, with the kids in it, is an exact size fiberglass replica.

 

 

As an heirloom, we bought both grandkids a pair of wooden shoes each, for them to remember the trip to Holland and all the Dutch relatives they have met.

 

 

 

We end the day with another invasion of the relatives farmhouse.

 

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Den Ham – Day 3:

Up earlier today as we finally get into a routine ….. sleep, wake-up, more sleep, wake-up again, shower, eat, decide where to go and go ….. come back for the things we forgot and go again. Easy rhythm to get into.

Today it’s market day in Vroomshoop. Not what we thought it would be ….. not so much on “crafts”, but a lot of store “sidewalk” sales. Still it was interesting and we got some real Oliebollen. The kids got to pickup and pet several different types of rabbits.

 

 

 

Interesting they have to go Holland to see real ones.

 

Next stop, to drop Brad off in Balkbrug, for a motorbike tour – something he hasn’t done in a long time. Cousin Eddie (a professional driver instructor) broke out his motorcycles so they could tour the country side. The tour was approximately 170 km so quite a ride!

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent in Ommen visiting Gerda’s Tante Dien, who is 98. Lots of reminiscing, with new ones created:

 

Christa, Harlow, tante Dien van Dorland, Gerda (and Taylan)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Den Ham – Day 4:

The final full day in Den Ham was spent searching a restaurant for breakfast ….. starting with the  “Pannenkoeken” restaurant in a place called Marle. It took some time but Shayne located and we piled out of the cars. They were open, however after we were seated we were informed the kitchen didn’t open til 1:00pm …. it was 11:30am. On to the next location … a hotel restaurant in Ommen, where we found out the kitchen didn’t open til 12:00, an improvement until we saw the prices! On to the 3rd restaurant …. which looked expensive, but they had a dining area in a sunroom. Best coffee so far and the food portions were very large and tasty.

From there we tagged up with the relatives and drove to a city called Assen, where we met the remaining cousins for their annual reunion. Too bad it had to rain, but we still talked in the two outdoor shelters. Great to see so many familiar faces again …. it’s been over 13 years for most of us. Yes, a little bit older, but still recognizable!

Another group of 4th generations this time on Gerda’s mothers side.

 

Tante Dein Rosman, Gerda, Tante Dein Nevenzal, Harlow, Christa, Dante Bertha

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final night in our great accomodations …… cleanup and pack for tomorrow. We will definitely keep this place on our radar for the next time we return.

 

 

 

Tomorrow we return the cars, say our goodbyes and catch the train for Amsterdam. A new page of our family journey will flip to start our European adventure. More places the kids have never been but dreamed of seeing.

 

Den Ham – Day 5:

Pack up, cleanup, pickup and go …… time to move on. First stop, return the borrowed towels – thanks to the aunts and cousins. Next stop, Ommen to have a quick breakfast …… not really quick and not really breakfast. On Monday, restaurants don’t open til 12 noon …. so it’s an early lunch, then onto the train station to unload the luggage before returning the cars to the rental location.

One interesting thing you should understand about small Dutch town railway stations is they have small parking lots and large bicycle stands. The bicycle stands are at the entry way to the station …. so you can’t see the traffic coming. This leads to lots of surprise visits …. from those wanting to say good-bye …. and almost everyone showed up!

 

 

 

Then it was fairwell to Ommenn and the relatives.

 

 

 

 

Next stop in Amsterdammmmmmmm …….