Keep Calm and Go To Paris, Part 5

This is the last part of my Keep Calm and Go To Paris series. And I'm kind of sad about it. I really loved visiting this beautiful city. The food, the art, the company… it was fantastic. I'll be going back again this winter with one of my other sisters, so I'll get a chance to see some of the things we couldn't get to on this trip. Naturally, I'll keep you updated!

In the meantime, you can catch up on this series by reading Part 1 (Montmartre and Moulin Rouge), Part 2 (walking tour and the Eiffel Tower), Part 3 (Versailles and Notre Dame), and Part 4 (Giverny and Monet's gardens).

For our last day, our only plans were to visit the Louvre, eat a nice lunch, and do a little shopping before catching the train home. If you're an art fan, the Louvre is an absolute must see. There is no way to see it all in a single visit, or even a dozen visits. I suppose you could run through each gallery and technically "see" everything, but if you want to appreciate what you're seeing it takes much more time.

Yes, we are "those" people,
outside the Louvre at the Invisible Pyramid entrance 

(Hint: To take pictures like the one above, it is a lot easier to move the camera versus the person! Have your subject place their hand in position, and then you move around them to get the picture lined up just right)

Of course, everyone wants to see the Mona Lisa. The largest crowds will be around this painting, and everyone will be pushing. Your best bet is to arrive as early as possible, make a beeline for the Mona Lisa, see her, and get the heck out of there.

That's what we did.

And yes… we totally selfied in front of her too. Don't judge me!

Our museum pass helped us skip the lines at the Louvre entrance, and we arrived just as they opened. This was perfect timing. Even in the few minutes it took us to see the Mona Lisa, crowds had started to form.

Since we knew we couldn't see everything, we each picked an area we wanted to walk through. Here's a look at some of the art we saw:

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Venus de Milo

After several hours, the Hubs and The Kid were really tired of art. If you're married or have kids, you know what I'm talking about. Their heads were down, feet were dragging, and the whining had begun.

Ugh.

We left around lunchtime, before anyone got too hangry (hungry + angry). We desperately wanted to eat at the Angelina's near the Louvre, but sadly it was under renovations. Next time! Instead, we found a great cafe, enjoyed a meal together, and wandered our way to the train station (shopping the whole way!)

The Kid made a new friend while waiting for the train, it was pretty funny. This gentleman was selling trinkets (candy, etc) to make money for his upcoming wedding. It was a great ending to a wonderful trip to Paris.

Until next time my friends, happy travels!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Keep Calm and Go To Paris, Part 4

Yep, this is a Part 4. Have you been keeping up on this Paris series? No?? That's ok. You can catch up if you want, with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. We've visited the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame, and Versailles, and so much more! With only two days left in Paris, we decided to leave the city for a bit and head out into the country to Giverny, home of Claude Monet.

Monet's gardens

This may not be of interest to you if you're not an art lover. I am, so off we went. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Hubs enjoyed this day trip as well. My mum loved it, of course, but The Kid could have taken it or left it. Every once in a while, I gotta push a little culture on her, ya know?

There are many ways to reach Giverny from Paris, if you don't have a car. We chose to take the train. It was quite confusing in the beginning, and there are only so many trains per day. The train doesn't actually go directly to Giverny. Rather, it stops in a small town called Vernon. You must take the train from Saint-Lazare Paris station. We purchased our tickets the morning of, and the price was about 30 euros each for the 45-minute round trip.

After the train stops in Vernon, you must then hop on a shuttle bus to Giverny. Seats on this are limited, and you must pay in cash at the door of the bus (4 euros each way). I know this sounds a bit complicated, but I promise it was a lot easier than it sounds!

The gardens were worth it to me. You'll have to decide for yourself if they hold the same value to you.

Water lily, in Monet's gardens

Seeing the spot where Water Lilies was painted literally made my heart flutter a bit. The same way I felt when I finally viewed Starry Night. We waited a while to take our pictures on the bridge in the water garden. People were crowded around, so it took quite a while. And then I waited to take a picture of the bridge with no one on it.

No photography was allowed inside the actual house, or I would post them here for you. It was a fairly ordinary home to me, except… one of the rooms was filled with paintings, all Monet's. I could have spent hours in there, it was fantastic. Tummies were rumbling, however. The Hubs doesn't do so hot without food, so we took a break for lunch before wandering the quaint town.

I gotta forewarn you about one thing. We took the next to last train back to Paris. We wanted to return early enough to visit the Arc di Triomphe before bedtime. Our train was so full, this is what happened:

The train was cramped, people everywhere. We sat on the stairs, and on the floor. We sat in each other's laps. And at every stop on the way, more people piled on. Just when you thought the car would surely burst at the seems… someone else slipped in.

You've been warned. We were so happy to get off that train.

Rather than taking public transport again, we chose to walk to the Arc di Triomphe. This was included on our museum pass, and I wanted to make the most of them. The pass allowed us to skip the ticket lines, always a bonus. The Arc is in the middle of a traffic circle. So how do you get there?

Well, don't run out into traffic people!! You can access the Arc from the underground station. There are signs pointing the way, though it was a bit confusing at first.

You can climb to the top of the Arc if you'd like to see the beautiful panoramic views. My mum didn't quite feel up to the task though, after asking the guard how many flights the climb was… so he let her take the elevator!

I had no idea there was an elevator here (there isn't one at Notre Dame). Thanks to the nice attendant, my mum enjoyed the views too.

One of several views from the
Arc di Triomphe

After walking back down, we were all ready for a quiet meal at our apartment and a good night's sleep. The next day, we had a train to catch back to Germany. But we still had some time to visit the Louvre! Stay tuned, peeps.

Until next time, happy travels!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Keep Calm and Go To Paris, Part 3

After our adventure to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the Fam and I set off on Day 3 in Paris. We were excited to travel a bit out of the city. Beautiful Versailles awaited us!

Outside the Palace of Versailles

Because we had the Paris Museum Pass, we were able to "skip" the line… what they don't tell you is that everyone else was smart enough to buy this pass as well, so we still waited in a fairly long line to gain entrance (about 45 minutes). The line was shorter than it would have been for sure, but don't expect to just walk right in. This way, you won't be disappointed.

Of course, we found ways to entertain ourselves in line…

Pay no attention to those crazy people.

Upon clearing through security at the entrance, we made our way into the labyrinth of rooms in the palace. Be forewarned, Versailles was extremely crowded. As in nose-to-nose with the person next to you. This could vary based on when you visit, but at least you'll know the large crowds are possible. Because of this, we didn't enjoy this visit as much as we might have otherwise. We skipped quickly through most of the rooms. I did love the ceilings though! In fact, I waited several times just to get a picture of the magnificent artwork above us.

The gardens were much more relaxing than the inside tour. We wandered freely for an hour, enjoying the fresh air and magnificent flowers.

Versailles gardens

After the garden tour though, we were ready to eat lunch and head back to the city. Hopes were high that we would return in time to visit Notre Dame and climb to the top. There are several restaurants grouped together near the train station, so all you have to do is pick one. We chose a creperie, yum!

Lunch (and dessert!)

Even with a leisurely lunch and some shopping, we returned with plenty of time to climb the towers of Notre Dame. The hike up 387 stairs is not for everyone! Keep in mind that there is no elevator, so I don't suggest this for anyone not in good physical condition. If you're up for it though, the view at the top is 100% worth the wait and the climb.

We even heard the bells ring! It was pretty loud, but also way cool. I had a sudden, almost irresistible urge to watch Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame  (the video below is the bells ringing on the tower, it may take a moment to load).

We shopped our way back to the apartment… ok, we did that every night! But it's always fun to window shop, right? And maybe pick up a few souvenirs. And some treats to take back to our puppy, of course. And some croissants for breakfast the next morning.

This is important stuff, peeps.

A good night of rest was in order, because the next morning we were off to Giverny, home of Claude Monet. Stay tuned, my friends.

Until next time, happy travels!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Keep Calm and Go To Paris, Part 2

If you've been keeping up, then you've already read Part 1 of this series…

I'll just assume we're on the same page here, shall I?

Th next morning dawned bright and early. And rainy. The Fam and I enjoyed an easy breakfast in our apartment, fresh fruit and cheese and bread and jam. This is the good life, peeps! Our plans included a free walking tour of Paris, and (this is the best part) a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower! 

Waking up with a cappuccino 

We slowly made our way to the tour meeting point, window shopping along the way. The weather was dreary. Paris is well-known for it's drizzly rain. Rather than be sad, we rejoiced that we were getting a "real" Paris experience. And we stopped for a cappuccino to warm us up. That always helps. 

Here's a tip for cafes in Paris that you may not know: Often, the price of your espresso or cappuccino (or whatever) is based on where you order the item. For example, the price will be significantly cheaper if you order at the bar (standing) versus sitting and ordering from the cafe tables outside. If you're looking to save a bit of cash, this is handy! 

Waiting for walking tour 

I'd taken the free walking tour once before, during my 12 hour whirlwind trip, and I loved it! The tour includes a lot of the major sights like Notre Dame, the Louvre, the love lock bridge, and much more. Usually the guides are humorous and have plenty of local color that adds to the tour.

Sadly, my second go round with this tour was not nearly as good as the first. In fact, it was pretty boring. I was honestly surprised since I've taken many of the Sandemans tours in other cities and never had this problem. I'm hoping it was just a fluke (and I'm pretty sure it was). The Fam and I tagged along with the tour for a while, but eventually left and did our own wandering.

Notre Dame

Love Lock Bridge (aka: Pont des Arts bridge)

Just before our visit, the "love lock" bridge actually lost a few sections of railing where the weight of the locks is causing decay and crumbling. Parisian officials are now encouraging people to take "selfies" versus the popular locks. In fact, there is a whole website now dedicated to Love Without Locks.

Crumbling railings 

There is no punishment for the continuation of the love lock tradition, but I suspect that someday soon this will no longer be allowed. 

In our wanderings we headed toward the Eiffel Tower, stopping for lunch at a great little cafe. Here's another tip for any of you visiting the city: Cafe tables and chairs must leave a certain amount of available space on the sidewalk. This often means that chairs are side by side, instead of facing each other across the table. Whatever you do, don't move the chairs around unless you want to be fussed at by an irate employee. 

Sitting side by side for lunch

Also, don't order "French" onion soup in Paris. Ahem… it's just onion soup there, peeps. 

No one is to talk about how I made this mistake, ok? Learn from me, my friends. It was pretty embarrassing when the waiter says to me (in perfect English), "You mean the onion soup?"

ANYWAY. 

After lunch, it was almost time for our tour to the top of the Eiffel Tower! 

Under the Eiffel Tower, about to go up! 

You can order tickets online in advance, but we chose to do a tour for this visit. We used Easy Pass Tours, and we weren't disappointed. The price is definitely higher than a regular ticket. I had several reasons for this purchase. First, there were no tickets left online when I tried to book in advance (biggest reason, ha!). Second, I thought The Kid would enjoy hearing the history of the tower, and a description of what you see from the top. Our guide was very friendly, and the tour included some great information. Best of all, he was willing to take pictures of us together at the top! 

Eiffel Tower

Despite the rain and the fog, we loved our visit to this iconic monument. The official tour was 2 hours long. But we stayed quite a bit longer. There were vendors and gift shops to explore, and even champagne available for purchase. I found the champagne to be highly overpriced, but we enjoyed a nice hot chocolate that went perfect with the cool weather. 

View from the Eiffel Tower 

The next morning we had a planned excursion to Versailles. After another lovely meal in Paris, it was back to bed for a bit of sleep before a new adventure. 

I'll be back soon with the next installment in this series. Until then, happy travels! 

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Back In The Swing…

It's been a long and wonderful summer! I know there are a few weeks left for most of you, but I'm getting back into the swing of life again after 6 weeks of family fun…

That isn't as easy as it sounds.

I'm really missing all the hustle and bustle of having visitors. We were on the go so much, flitting off to Paris, and Rome, and Venice, and so many exotic places. Now the house seems empty and boring. Part of me wants to breathe a big sigh of relief, and the other part of me is demanding more adventure.

Do you know what I mean? I really hope I'm not the only one who's felt this way. I miss cooking meals with The Kid. I miss going on long walks with the dog, and actually having company. I miss the train rides through the beautiful countryside. And snuggling on the couch. And giggling over silly jokes.

I miss this face.

Cute, isn't she?

Instead of all that fun stuff, I'm looking around my house and thinking, 'Man, I've been slacking'. There are acres of laundry, people. Seriously. It's going to take me a week just to wash all the sheets and towels that have piled up while I was gallivanting around.

Plus, my pantry is practically empty. The junk left in it is all the bits you forget about over the years… like random cans of pineapple rings (no idea how those even got there!).  I made one giant grocery trip yesterday, and I still didn't get everything we need. My cart was overflowing with toilet paper, a gigantic tower of it. Who knew that out of town guests would use twice as much toilet paper as normal human beings??

So I'm starting a new list. New goals. I gotta get back in the swing of my life, before I go crazy. Today, I am blogging. And thinking about what direction this blog will head in for the next month or so.

Then this week, I'm taking care of all those pesky household chore. Like laundry, ugh. I might take a break to hang with the Hubs and visit something beautiful if the weather is nice this weekend. Next week, I'm fulfilling all the appointments I've put off. Well, some of them anyway. And the week after that, I hope to sort the thousands of photos I took on vacation.

That probably won't all happen the way I expect, but I can hope.

How do you get back in the swing of life after a long vacation? All tips are appreciated, so comment below peeps! Until next time…

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Family Vacation: 6 Hours in Florence

After Pisa and Rome, there was Florence….

I gotta say, this is one of my favorite places I've visited, even though we only spent a short time there. I have a long list of things I'd like to do in the city, so I know the Hubs and I will (hopefully) be spending a four-day weekend there at some point.

Florence is the home of Michelangelo's David. Unfortunately, the line was too long for us to see this beautiful sculpture. Next time, though! Instead, we wandered the streets, shopping and eating our way through town.

The scenery is beautiful. The Fam and I really enjoyed a few relaxing hours here, with nothing particular we had to do. Sometimes this is the best way to visit, don't you think? The next time I visit Florence, I'll take lots of notes and see everything I possible can, I promise. But this time was a laid back event that we all appreciated.

Have you visited Florence yourself? What are your recommendations on places to see and things to do?

I'll be back soon, with tales of our adventures in Paris. Until next time my friends, happy travels!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Family Vacation: Two Hours in Pisa

Hi friends! I hope you've been keeping up on the Army Life Facebook page for the last few weeks, because you know I haven't been posting much here. Don't worry, I still love you! I've just been jetting around Europe with The Fam. My mum and kid sis are visiting from the States, and I couldn't wait to show them Europe.

We started off slow, visiting a few places nearby in Germany like the Dachau concentration camp. From there, we booked a trip with a local company to Pisa, Rome, and Florence. My review of the company will be coming later this week, but needless to say… the company was awful. I'm hoping to have a response from them soon, and then I'll have a complete review.

Despite the issues on the trip, we didn't let that get us down! I wanted to share some of the fun we had with you…

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Our bus stopped first in Pisa, home of the Leaning Tower. We only had two hours in this quaint town, so no time to hike the top of the tower. Next time, maybe! We wandered, took our photos, and snagged a quick lunch from a panini truck. On the walk back, we stumbled across the coolest little produce stand where we purchased the best grapes I've ever eaten, seriously.

Igor Mitoraj, Angels exhibition

Proof, we were there! 

Enjoying each other's company

The awesome grape stand, best I have ever
tasted. And such a cool set-up too! 

I'll be back soon with some pictures and tales from the next leg of our trip, Rome! Until then my friends, happy travels…

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Cooking with The Kid

I love having someone to share the kitchen with when The Kid visits. She's a total natural… though she does complain about touching raw chicken. Apparently, this is icky.

The Kid in my chef hat

We're traveling a lot whilst she's visiting, but there is downtime in between. We fill that time with food and games, and other fun stuff. So far, The Kid has learned to make an amazing grilled cheese (ham and gouda on brioche bread), how to fry an egg, and last night we tackled my BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe. 

Raw chicken is icky

We even made a family breakfast one morning (with some help from the Hubs), that included a blueberry compote for our pancakes! The Kid kicks some serious butt in the kitchen. 

I know this might seem like a weird kind of happy to some, especially for those who hate cooking. But for me, the kitchen is the heart of the home. I always helped my dad in the kitchen, and it was so much fun. Meals (and the time it took to prepare them) were family time. Food brought everyone together at the same time and the same place, for at least an hour. We talked, we laughed…. we were involved in each other's lives. The rest of the day we might be working or running errands or whatever. But at dinner, we were together. 

I love carrying on this tradition with The Kid. She picks the music, I pick the food. We joke. We laugh. We occasionally throw food. It's fantastic.

We also take bizarre kitchen selfies as a form of entertainment.

The Kid

Me and The Fam are leaving for Rome in a few days, so keep up with our adventures on the Army Life Facebook page! I'll keep posting here as well, when I can. In the meantime, enjoy your own summer holiday, and maybe cook a meal together….

Until next time my friends, happy cooking!  

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Dachau Concentration Camp

The Fam and I visited Dachau Concentration Camp today. Our original plans were a drive to Karlovy Vary, but the rainy weather changed our minds. I'm so glad it did, because we had quite an experience on our new adventure.

Today we immersed ourselves in history, led by an amazing guide who actually had family that served during WWII. Dachau is well known for being the first concentration camp formed in Germany. It was the basis for all the other camps that spread across Europe during WWII. Ironically, though it was open for 12 years, the camp had one of the best survival rates and was not known as an extermination camp (unlike the infamous Auschwitz in Poland). Still, nearly 42,000 perished here.

The prisoners at Dachau were widely varied and included not just a Jewish population, but also Russians, Italians, German politicians and "traitors", Catholic priests, Jehovah's witnesses, and many, many more.

We were very impressed with our guided tour (at a cost of only 3 euros each), and I highly recommend it if you visit yourself.  An audio guide was also offered, but the human experience couldn't be topped. I liked being able to ask questions and engage in lively discussion.

Here are some of my cell phone images from today. I captured many more with my DSLR, which I plan to sort through soon. Feel free to comment below and share your experience at this memorial, or any of the other camps you may have visited around Europe.

Main gate entrance to the camp

The main yard

Sculpture by Nandor Glid. It symbolizes and
commemorates those prisoners which commmited
suicide by throwing themselves against the electric fence

"Never Again"

Marking system for prisoners. Different groups were
color-coded with different triangles

Ovens in the crematorium

Jewish memorial, "Grave of Thousands Unknown"

"May the example of those who were exterminated here
between 1933-1945 because they resisted Nazism, help to unite
the living for the defense of peace and freedom and respect for their fellow men"

Until next time, my friends.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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