Hasta luego! Au revoir!

My (Meghan's) return flight left from Paris today, but before I left I got to visit with a good friend from college who is getting her PhD in Paris. Rachel cooked a delicious dinner last night and it was great to catch up!

Rachel and Delilah (the cat) making dinner in their Paris apartment

I'd also like to say a special thank-you to my friend Adam, also a friend from college, who gave me a ride to and from the Dulles airport. 

Adam and Barley in front of their new Alexandria home

Mom and Dad were able to stay in Benidorm for a few more days. They'll leave for Madrid tomorrow, and will return the U.S. shortly after. I just got an email from them with the subject line "No fun. Nothing to do here." with this photo attached:  

What a fantastic trip! 

When in Spain.....

We're here and amazing. Benidorm is the Spanish version of the French Rivera and it draws from all over the world. There's all sorts of people on the beach speaking all languages. We've seen old, young, drunk, thin, fat, topless, tattooed, lots of older folks getting around in scooters And many others.

Yesterday we sat on the beach and then got ready for wedding. We looked maaaarvelous and we'll post photos when we can. It was certainly one of the best wedings we have been to. The ceremony was on the hilltop overlooking the Mediteranian and then we took a bus (aka motorcoach) to the reception and had an amazing we danced until four in the morning.

Congratulations Blanca and Neifor!

Party animals!

Mom is here!

We are in Benidorm now and Mom arrived today safe and sound. We had picture-perfect weather and had a nice time meeting Blanca and Neifor's friends and family at the rehearsal dinner. Wedding tomorrow!

Blanca, Gina, and Meg at the rehearsal dinner

Wine, crepes, and tapas - oh my!

Tuesday

Sorry, but connecting to the Internet over here is not very easy, so we have sporadic messages for you. We took the TGV train from Paris southwest through rolling hills and flat fields filled with assorted agriculture, including lots of vineyards .   (This area has the nickname, the "region that rains wine".) Sitting on the train was a nice change from all the busy streets we experienced.   We managed  to find a bus to take us into the town, found a map at the tourist info center and walked to our hotel.  Meg has a large backpack and I've been dragging a roll behind suit case---which has been a challenge on all the metro stairs we climbed.  Smart girl, that Meghan.

Our hotel room was so large that we did not have to step aside each time one of us had to make a step.  Aix en Provence a wonderfully small city built on a hill and as usual, we walked most of it.  The center streets are lined with huge sycamore trees and cafes which provided a break and a chance to try something yummy and experience the lifestyle.  We try not to stick out too much, but I have a feeling we are appear to be what we are.  Tourists.  But hopefully we are perceived as respectful  tourists, since the French have been very friendly and helpful to us. One of favorite things to do in each place is go to the small street stands that make crepes that can be filled with whatever we want (nutella, a chocolate-hazelnut spread, is usually our choice).   They fold them into a pie-shaped snack and we walk along, sharing it. Our standard day is to explore as much as possible which means we get back from dinner well after ten and the figure out what areas to explore the next day.

Yummy crepes filled with Nutella!

Our dinner in Aix

Wednesday

We hopped on the TGV again and toured the walled city Avignon. This area is known for their lavender and the city was built around the Papal palace which housed nine different popes, starting in the early 1300's and later moved to Rome. Our next stop was the city of Montpellier, which was a short train ride away.  This was a more modern city, and most interesting of all were newly (six weeks ago) installed light rail trains that were brightly painted and they seems to slither around the city and then out to various areas.  Since we were somewhat close to the border of Italy, we had a bottle of red wine and split a pizza. And a dessert. We find ways to fit in desserts.

The Papal Palace in Avignon

Early morning on the tram in Montpellier

Thursday

Back on the train. This time we went even further south to Barcelona.  The first thing we noticed while strolling through the station was a more relaxed mood.  People were wearing casual clothes and walked slower, laughing more.  We found a locker storage area and then started walking -- in the sun!  Our first stop was the amazing public park with whimsical designs up on the hill called Parc Guell.  This is significant for us because Gaudi deigned it for the Guell family which is Gina's moms maiden name.    

The best part of our city trip, besides our lunch of olives, a sandwich and beers, was to ride on the double decker tour bus that had audio statements on all the sites. Dinner of tapas and then retrieved our bags from the locker and made our way, with me dragging my suitcase up even more stairs and over textured tiles through several metro stops and a taxi ride to the hotel, out near the airport.  We got in at midnight and slept until ten.

Park Guell in Barcelona

Olympic Park in Barcelona

Here are a few scattered notes:  Barcelona is the largest Mediterranean port, because of the great weather, they have more scooters/motorcycles than any other European city, they have bike rentals all over and extensive commuter bike paths, very efficient and clean metro stations, MUCH less expensive than France, students learn Catalan as well as Spanish, they sell Ben & Jerry's ice cream here (and in France). Their population is less diverse than in Paris a and just about everyone here speaks some English.  

Friday

We're now on a short flight from Barcelona to Alicante, and will meet Gina there!!! I have to say that traveling with Meg has been great.  There have been a few times when we got on each others nerves, but in general it's been great and I've only had a few eye rolls or " oh daaaaad" ! responses.   And we only shopped a few times at  some great little shops.   Meg is the best.  This is Meghan now--as Dad would say, "ditto!".

Paris by foot, bike, and mass transit

At first it was a little overwhelming, but after a few days we have been finding Paris a very easy city to navigate. And despite what stereotype you (and we) had in mind about the French have been nothing but hospitable and friendly to us.

On Sunday we borrowed bikes from the hotel and visited Sacre Coeur and got a great view of the city. Then we visited Notre Dame. The sun came out when we climbed to the top and again, we got a great arial view of Paris. When we were in line, we met a couple from Florida who we have since run into in a number of other tourist locations. At night, we visited a jazz club in the Latin Quarter and watched some really great dancers.

Biking to Mont Martre

At Notre Dame

From the top of Notre Dame

We've had a few cloudy days, but the sun has come out for at least a little while every day...until...yesterday. It was pouring and windy all day, so it was perfect weather for spedmg all day in one of the world's largest museums. As Dad says, "the Louvre was boring, there was nothing to see there".  Only the Mona Lisa and a number of world-famous art pieces.

Rainy day at the Louvre

Please don't eat me!

We just finished a breakfast of coffee and croissants ( we have eaten so much bread!) and this afternoon we'll head to Aix en Provence in southern France. More updates to come soon! Au revior !

Bonjour, Paris!

Greetings from Paris!

We arrived safely and are having a great time. After a both taking a red-eye flight (Jim from Boston ad Meg from DC), we met up in the Paris airport. We only got scammed once (oops!) but the rest of our journey to the hotel was smooth. After some food and a much-needed nap, we took the Bateau Mouche and got a great overview of the city.

First night on the Bateau Mouche

Today we slept until 10 and are fully recovered from the jet lag.   We then had a typical breakfast of coffee/hot chocolate with breads - yum!! Then we started walking and never stopped.   We started by visiting the Eiffel Tower the walked to the Arch de Triumph.  Both were stunning.   Then we walked (see the pattern here) to the famous department store called Printempts.  Besides checking out all the latest fashions, we ate lunch on the ninth floor Terrance and took in a  360 view.   By that time it was almost 4:00 so we hoped on the Metro and toured the Musee D'Orsay.  They normally close at 6 pm but they are open until midnight for some reason.  So, we walked around there for several hours and then walked to the Latin Quarter for a late dinner.   I had a fondue and Meg had a chicken dish --- and we split a small bottle of red wine.    Because we were so full, we walked even further south to the Place D' Italy.    We took several Metro rides and just got in.   It's midnight here and we have the window open and we have a cool breeze floating in.   What a great day.

Meg trying to blend in at the Eiffel Tower

At Musee D'Orsay

Alicante, Here we come!
We are getting packed and very excited to see Blanca and Neifor walk down the aisle and to be in Spain near the Mediterranean! Stay tuned...

Eye K Linda!

"Hay que linda" -- pronounced "Eye k linda" in Spanish -- means "Oh how pretty" in Spanish. During out 10-day trip to Europe, we'll try to updated on all the "oh how pretty" things we see along the way.