Milan

Milan was nice, but I didn't realize that Italy is very quiet on Sundays and Mondays.  We arrived on Friday and left on Tuesday...we had to be a little creative with our time.  We visited Cremona for on day and Venice for another to keep ourselves busy.  I'll write separate blogs for those two cities.


Here are the highlights of Milan:


Duomo...up close

St Bartholomew who was skinned alive.  This sculpture by Marco d'Agrate (1562) shows him with his skin wrapped around like a robe.

A tradition says that if you put your right heel on this hole and turn on yourself three times, this will bring you good luck.

Teatro alla Scala.  We did see the inside but photos were not allowed.

Sforza Castle view of the moat. 

The Last Supper.  We did see the real fresco but photos were not allowed.  This is a large poster outside of the real thing.

Geneva to Milan: Train

We arrived in Milan by train from Geneva.  The 4 hour train ride was the most breathtaking ride I've every witnessed.  We left Geneva and went around the north side of the lake.  The through Montreux right past the Chateau de Chillon on the lake with lovely mountain views behind.  After that we were riding through some of the best mountain views I've seen.  Then towards the end of the ride we went past Lake Maggiore via Stresa.  I noted this area as a must stop for another trip.  Just lovely!!  Here are the photos from this ride...

Geneve: aka Pricey

Geneva...I will start off by saying that it is a very clean and generally friendly city.  However, after 4 days the price of eating got to be overwhelming!!  We had a hard time leaving a sit down meal of any kind for less than $100.  At least we saw some amazing things while there.  

The Jet d'Eau.  459 ft high...shooting 500 liters per second of lake water into the air.

The flower clock.

St Pierre Cathedral...built in the 12th Century.  We also climbed to the top of the towers and were able to see all of Geneva from there.  It was an amazing view.

CERN...birth place of the world wide web...and recently the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle.

The Palace of Nations...home of the League of Nations and now the United Nations at Geneva.

Finally, we took a boat tour on Lake Geneva. 

I would have enjoyed seeing more of Switzerland, but that will give me more to do in the future!

Tour de France: Stage 10

Today we woke up early to catch a train into the French Alps for the Tour de France.  It turned out that we didn't really have to wake up so early, however the early bird does get the worm because we were between the 25 meter marker and the finish line!!  It was a long sunny (sunburn to prove it) day of holding our amazing places and finally viewing the finish of the race. 

The real shenanigans started around 2 pm when the free stuff was being handed out up and down the finish line by the sponsors of the event.  We ended up with water, candy, lanyards, hats, bread, nestle cocoa powder, and so on.  By 4 pm the parade of sponsors started and by 5:10 the racers had started the final km.  It was all over by 5:30 pm!!  What and exciting day!

Here are the photos.

1 & 2. The staff is still working on setting up the festivities.  We arrived very early!!

3. Here we are around 4 pm as the sponsorship parade goes by.

4. A few racers riding past us.

5. The finish line!

Germany: with friends

John and I had a fabulous time visiting Nikki, Stephen and Zac in there home near Heidelberg.  We were able to see a few sights, drink some lovely beer and wine as well as relax as if we were at home. 

Here are some of our photos...

1. View of Heidelberg and the castle.

2. Dinner out at Lowenbrau.  

3. I had the schnitzel and spaetzle.

4. Not really sure what we were up to but it is a nice shot of us with the castle behind.

5. Nikki and I with the Heidelberg bridge behind us.

6. John working with Zac.

We really enjoyed Germany mostly because of the great company and fantastic accommodations.  We are hoping this won't be the only visit!!

Paris Part Two

Our second full day in Paris was full indeed.  We got a late start, but were at the Louvre by mid-day.  We saw many of the highlights...Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Victory of Samothrace, etc

Next we went to lunch and after that we visited the Eiffel Tour.  It was raining, but we still enjoyed walking around.

Next was the Ballet at the Paris Opera.  That was a treat.  Our seats were in the first row in our box of 7 seats.  I just wish we didn't have to rush in because of the Metro being slow.

Above is the chandelier at the Paris Opera and below is the exterior.

After the ballet we went to a fancy french restaurant called Astor Saint Honore.  The menu is below.  We did the tasters menu which included all that you see listed on the menu in half portions.  It was perfect.

To complete the dinner we each had coffee in tiny cups and caught the last metro train back to our hotel.  It was a great day.

First day in Paris

Arrived from London via Eurostar today.  That was very fast and easy.  Would recommend!!   We had some troubles in the Paris Metro station.  We were "guided" by a young man who...I think was only after a nice american tip.  He actually ended up not being at all helpful.  

Finally we figured out how to purchase 10 one way tickets on the Metro.  After that the Metro was a breeze.  We arrived at our hotel around 2 pm and were checked in and ready to explore the city by 3 pm.

Our first stop was Notre Dame.  We were thinking about walking to the top, but the line was very long and we are only in Paris for two days.

The Arc de Triomphe was a nice place to see most of the city from above.

We were looking for an authentic French restaurant but we ended up with a french/pub style place.  It was still very good at 18 euro each for entree, main and dessert.

Shown are our desserts. The Creme Brulee was very tasty.  

John at the restaurant.

Notes on Paris/Europe: 

1. It is light very late...even by Iowa standards.  It is still light in Paris at 9:45 pm!! 

2. London feels more like the US than Paris does.  

3. Dryers in the UK do not dry cloths.  I had this issue when I live here as well.

Last full day in London...

As we were leaving this morning I snapped a photo of our street.  Cartwright Gardens.

We were able to see but not enter the Olympic Park.  The guided tour was informative and interesting.  This photo was from the 3rd floor of the John Lewis department store inside the larges shopping mall in all of Europe.

Yummy pizza, take away, from a "fast food" stone fired pizza joint.  Best fast food pizza ever!

Westminster Abbey.

Piccadilly Circus...the Times Square of London.  On our way over there we walked past a large shouting crowd in Leicester Square...apparently it was the primer event for Katy Perry's new movie...we were annoyed when her car almost ran us over.  I still don't really even know who she is.

Tomorrow morning we are headed to Paris.  Farewell London!!  I enjoyed the return visit after 12 years away.