Laos! Wat a wonderful country : ) We went in with high hopes since we had heard amazing things about it from Sarah Grant, and it more than lived up to expectations. We arrived in Vientiane, the capital, and were immediately shocked the how calm and relaxed it felt, especially compared to the craziness that was Siem Reap. The country as a whole has a lot of French influence, which meant we could eat croissants, baugettes, and Lao food all in one meal. Amazing! The capital was right on the Mekong River and beautiful. We sadly missed the festival for Pha That Luang, aka the Great Stupa, the sight to see in Laos. We saw the aftermath though and it looked like a serious party.
We hung out there for a couple days and then bused it to Vang Vieng. Usually know for it's crazy parties and a backpacker hangout, it quite a bit calmer then we had heard. The town sits in the middle of giant gorgeous green mountains that shoot up out of now where. Pat said he felt like he was in Jurassic Park. There are bars all over the main strip and is a strange mix of very Western things (pizza, any food you want, cocktail "buckets", and re-runs of Friends, Family Guy, and South Park on big TVs), but at the same bar you can sit on a deck overlooking the Mekong, the mountains, drink a Beer Lao and be in instant paradise. We spent longer than we planned here, relaxing, floating down the river in tubes (used to be a huge party scene, but the gov shut all the river bars down a few months ago), visiting caves, and lagoons, and just soaking it all in. Again, relaxed is a way of life in Laos.
We finally left to visit our last city in Laos, Luang Prabang. Quickly became one of out most favorite places, and again, we stayed longer than anticipated : ) Tons of French influence here, so walking down the street felt like we were in Southern France and Asia all at once. Baguette sandwiches with Sweet Chili Sauce became a large part of our diet. We visited two beautiful waterfalls-one smaller that we could bike to, and one huge one a little out of town. Tad Thong, the smaller one, was beautiful and peacefull. It had just re-opened 2 months prior so we were some of the only people there while hiking up it. Kuang Si, the bigger one, was incredible, full of pools and ropeswings to play in. We hiked the straight up journey to the top, which reminded me how out of shape I am : ) But the pools were the best reward we could have asked for. It was a bittersweet goodbye to Luang Prabang. We met a lot of fun people and I could have easily spent the rest of our time there. But Thailand was calling!
We we got back on a bus at 7 pm last night and arrived weary but safe to Chiang Rai today at 10:00 am. As our bus was getting ready to leave, we were amazed at how many people kept getting on, even though the seats were quickly filling up. Easy fix though- the driver pulled out mini plastic chairs they put in the isle to pack as many people in as possible. The seats were small and cramped (Pat and I were thankfull we were short last night) and the road was bumpy and winding. But whenever I felt myself complaining inside, I would think...well, at least I'm not in a plastic mini chair in the isle...
In Chiang Rai just for the night, then off to Chiang Mai tomorrow. Excited to by in Northern Thailand and see what Chiang Mai is all about. One more week in Thailand and then it's off to Australia!! Have we really only been gone 2 months??? Still blows my mind...
It's about 6 here, and I can already tell it will be an early night : ) Thinking of you all as we sit in the internet cafe with Christmas Carols in the background. A little harder to get in the spirit when its 90 degrees out, but I'm sure it will come.
Lots of love, eat some Christmas cookies for me.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
Biking in Angkor Wat
Claire and I have been able to do some pretty incredible things the past two months, but I do not think any of them can top the day we recently spent biking through Angkor Wat.
For the hefty price of $1 per day, we were able to rent bicycles that were most likely built between 1975 and 1980. With no gears and questionable breaking abilities, we biked the roughly 4 miles from the town of Siem Reap to Angkor Wat Archeological Park. Luckily the road was totally flat and we had at this point become accustomed to the chaotic nature of roads in southeast Asia, so we arrived without incident.
As we arrived in the park we came across the moat for Angkor Wat and then the temple itself. We had seen the temple the day before, but seeing it in this capacity in the early morning light was truly stunning.
The day before we had taken a tuk tuk through the park and though it may have been a bit more comfortable and quicker, being able to move at your own pace in the park was very refreshing. We were able to spend more time searching and exploring parts of the park we may have just gone right by in a tuk tuk.
In one day we saw Angkor Wat, most of Angkor Tom, Tom Prohm and Srah Srang. This may not seem like a lot but this park is big! The one temple, Angkor Wat, is just one small part of it. I did not really know this until we arrived and did not really understand until we explored it on bike.
The only downfall of the bikes, it was hot! Siem Reap is probably the hottest place we have been so far on our travels and being out in the sun is bad enough, but even worse when you are on a big expending energy in that same heat.
Though was it worth it? Absolutely! When we got back we estimated we rode about 20miles that day. We were sweaty, dehydrated (despite all efforts to remain hydrated), dirty and exhausted. Though I would do it all again in a heartbeat and would recommend that everyone go to Siem Reap and everyone do Angkor Wat via bike!
For the hefty price of $1 per day, we were able to rent bicycles that were most likely built between 1975 and 1980. With no gears and questionable breaking abilities, we biked the roughly 4 miles from the town of Siem Reap to Angkor Wat Archeological Park. Luckily the road was totally flat and we had at this point become accustomed to the chaotic nature of roads in southeast Asia, so we arrived without incident.
As we arrived in the park we came across the moat for Angkor Wat and then the temple itself. We had seen the temple the day before, but seeing it in this capacity in the early morning light was truly stunning.
The day before we had taken a tuk tuk through the park and though it may have been a bit more comfortable and quicker, being able to move at your own pace in the park was very refreshing. We were able to spend more time searching and exploring parts of the park we may have just gone right by in a tuk tuk.
In one day we saw Angkor Wat, most of Angkor Tom, Tom Prohm and Srah Srang. This may not seem like a lot but this park is big! The one temple, Angkor Wat, is just one small part of it. I did not really know this until we arrived and did not really understand until we explored it on bike.
The only downfall of the bikes, it was hot! Siem Reap is probably the hottest place we have been so far on our travels and being out in the sun is bad enough, but even worse when you are on a big expending energy in that same heat.
Though was it worth it? Absolutely! When we got back we estimated we rode about 20miles that day. We were sweaty, dehydrated (despite all efforts to remain hydrated), dirty and exhausted. Though I would do it all again in a heartbeat and would recommend that everyone go to Siem Reap and everyone do Angkor Wat via bike!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
The Land of Smiles
Hello All! It has been a while so I will do my best to fill you in :) I am sitting in our guesthouse called Two Dragons in Siem Reap,Cambodia drinking a 50 cent beer. Not a bad way to start the night.
We arrived in Bangkok on Nov. 14th, after a 20 hour journey from Budapest. Bangkok is an amazing city-loud, dirty, full of people, sky scrapers next to run down shacks-over stimulating to say the least. But Thailand is known as the "Land of Smiles" and it lived up to that title from the beginning. Our first interaction with a Thai person was the security guard at the skytrain. He asked us where we were going, gave us directions, maps,and then brought us to the ticket machine where he did the whole process for us. Amazing! We stayed in an area pretty far away from the touristy area in Bangkok, which was awesome. A large river runs through Bangkok,so the main way to get around is the water taxis. Fun and very efficiant to take you around the city. Our first night we walked from our lodgings to find the boat, and ended up going down a very busy market street, filled with food stalls EVERYWHERE, people, stray dogs, cars,motor bikes, regular bikes, and more people. But as I said, everyone is so friendly that while we stuck out, we were greeted with smiles and laughter.
It's funny being here as compared to Europe, where many people expect you to know their language and are a bit stuck up if you don't. While in Thailand the attitude is more "You don't know my language? That is hilarious, let's laugh about it as we try and communicate with each other". Much more fun...
So we spent 4 days in Bangkok, feasting on delicious food and cheap beer, seeing temples, and going to markets. The Flower Market was my favorite, 20 acres on streets filled with flowers literally everywhere. Every hotel, restaurant, and offering is bought there.
We then ditched the city and went to Ko Somet, an island about 4 hours from Bangkok. A nice compromise to the 18 hour bus to the far South. The first two night we were in a more touristy area (looking for a hotel with 30 lb backpacks at noon makes you settle a lot quicker than usual) but then went farther down to beach to find our tropical, jungle, paradise. Small bungalows with a bed on the floor and a mosquito net, beautiful beach with no motor boats, and to top it off three puppies that "belonged" to the owner ran around wanting to play the whole time.We relaxed to the extreme and joked about spending the next 3 weeks there.
After 5 days in beach mode it was time togo back to Bangkok for the night. We went to Ko San Road this time, the backpackers haven, which had trippled in the number of people there. But we found a cheap guesthouse and celebrated Thanksgiving with Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, and chicken wings. And of course, more Change.
We left for our long journey to Cambodia the next day. Rode by mini bus which was long, sweaty, and full of scams. We read warnings of it online, but decided to go for it anyway since we already had tickets. At every turn people were trying to squeeze more money out of us. The final straw was the end of the night (3 hours after we were supposed to arrive) when the bus stopped in a random parking lot with tuck-tucks waiting for us, saying they would take us to our hotel now (they were "free" with the acception that you pay the same driver to drive you around the temples the next day). Tired of being scammed, everyone of our bus refused to get off the bus until we got more answers. We we finally got off, Pat and I demanded that our driver would take us to a hotel and, no we would NOT be using them the next day. All in all, we arrived safe, 12 hours later. We woke up late the next day, switched hotels after finding bugs, and then made our way to Angkor Wat to see temples so amazing it is hard to describe...
But I will describe them later, after we see more`! We got the 3 day pass since the area is so huge.
So, Thailand is incredible, I cannot wait to go back in a few weeks (going to see the North). The people are wonderful and there are so many amazing things to do and see. First impressions of Cambodia are also great. Definitely different than Thailand, much less developed, but the past two days have been great.
Off to dinner, love and miss you all. More on Cambodia later : )
We arrived in Bangkok on Nov. 14th, after a 20 hour journey from Budapest. Bangkok is an amazing city-loud, dirty, full of people, sky scrapers next to run down shacks-over stimulating to say the least. But Thailand is known as the "Land of Smiles" and it lived up to that title from the beginning. Our first interaction with a Thai person was the security guard at the skytrain. He asked us where we were going, gave us directions, maps,and then brought us to the ticket machine where he did the whole process for us. Amazing! We stayed in an area pretty far away from the touristy area in Bangkok, which was awesome. A large river runs through Bangkok,so the main way to get around is the water taxis. Fun and very efficiant to take you around the city. Our first night we walked from our lodgings to find the boat, and ended up going down a very busy market street, filled with food stalls EVERYWHERE, people, stray dogs, cars,motor bikes, regular bikes, and more people. But as I said, everyone is so friendly that while we stuck out, we were greeted with smiles and laughter.
It's funny being here as compared to Europe, where many people expect you to know their language and are a bit stuck up if you don't. While in Thailand the attitude is more "You don't know my language? That is hilarious, let's laugh about it as we try and communicate with each other". Much more fun...
So we spent 4 days in Bangkok, feasting on delicious food and cheap beer, seeing temples, and going to markets. The Flower Market was my favorite, 20 acres on streets filled with flowers literally everywhere. Every hotel, restaurant, and offering is bought there.
We then ditched the city and went to Ko Somet, an island about 4 hours from Bangkok. A nice compromise to the 18 hour bus to the far South. The first two night we were in a more touristy area (looking for a hotel with 30 lb backpacks at noon makes you settle a lot quicker than usual) but then went farther down to beach to find our tropical, jungle, paradise. Small bungalows with a bed on the floor and a mosquito net, beautiful beach with no motor boats, and to top it off three puppies that "belonged" to the owner ran around wanting to play the whole time.We relaxed to the extreme and joked about spending the next 3 weeks there.
After 5 days in beach mode it was time togo back to Bangkok for the night. We went to Ko San Road this time, the backpackers haven, which had trippled in the number of people there. But we found a cheap guesthouse and celebrated Thanksgiving with Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, and chicken wings. And of course, more Change.
We left for our long journey to Cambodia the next day. Rode by mini bus which was long, sweaty, and full of scams. We read warnings of it online, but decided to go for it anyway since we already had tickets. At every turn people were trying to squeeze more money out of us. The final straw was the end of the night (3 hours after we were supposed to arrive) when the bus stopped in a random parking lot with tuck-tucks waiting for us, saying they would take us to our hotel now (they were "free" with the acception that you pay the same driver to drive you around the temples the next day). Tired of being scammed, everyone of our bus refused to get off the bus until we got more answers. We we finally got off, Pat and I demanded that our driver would take us to a hotel and, no we would NOT be using them the next day. All in all, we arrived safe, 12 hours later. We woke up late the next day, switched hotels after finding bugs, and then made our way to Angkor Wat to see temples so amazing it is hard to describe...
But I will describe them later, after we see more`! We got the 3 day pass since the area is so huge.
So, Thailand is incredible, I cannot wait to go back in a few weeks (going to see the North). The people are wonderful and there are so many amazing things to do and see. First impressions of Cambodia are also great. Definitely different than Thailand, much less developed, but the past two days have been great.
Off to dinner, love and miss you all. More on Cambodia later : )
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Bunk beds, spritzs, and night trains
Hello from Vienna! Here us a summary of what we've been doing for the 10 days...
Cinque Terre, Italy:
-arrived here after Genoa to find closed hiking trails and some serious rain and wind. To top it off, our room was half the size of a dorm room and equipped with bunk beds and one small window looking into an alley! As the waves were furosiously crashing at the coast we explored the one block town and then quickly found the bar with free wifi and snacks, to which we became regulars on day one.
-on day two we took the train to the town over, trying to ignore the cold rain. We then decided we were cold and the town was eerily similar to our town, so we retreated back to our bar for some red wine and soccer.
-day three: SUN!! We woke up to find sun and a calm sea. Trails were still closed, but we town hopped by train and packed as much as possible into our last day.
Important lesson learned: get a room with somewhere to sit : )
Venice:
Beautiful, magical, unlike anywhere I have ever been. I will never forget stepping off the train and feeling like I just went back on time. I felt like I was visiting one of this colonial towns where they act out how it was back then...but it was real! Every 30 min one of us would comment on how old everything was. We arrived to rain here too, so we got to experience "agua alta" aka when Venice floods. But this is a typical thing there, so everyone just puts on their rain boots and goes about their day.
We spent the days wandering through the tiny winding streets, following signs pointing us in the direction to the important areas ( Rialto bridge, Sam Marcos square, etc). Anytime we felt lost we would just "follow the shwag", as every touristy area was filled with stall upon stall of crap to buy. But we were able to go off the beaten path, finding small cafes and bars where we drank "spritzs" (white wine, aperol, and seltzer) since Bellinis were 15 euro.
Saint marks basilica was one of the most amazing things I've seen as of yet. So giant, made of patterned marble, with mosaics covering the interior; awe inspiring at the least.
We journeyed on the 4th to Vienna by an 11 hour night train. We didn't get a sleeper car so it wasn't the most comfortable ride, but we survived. We decided its worth it to either spring for the sleeper car or find friends who want to make a giant bed out of the fold down seats with you-either would work great!
And now we are on day two in Vienna. Already loving it and thinking four days won't be nearly enough. It is a clean, beautiful, old but very modern city. I plan on eating sausage and cake for the next 3 days : ). Off to a Mozart concert tonight, will report more later.
Cinque Terre, Italy:
-arrived here after Genoa to find closed hiking trails and some serious rain and wind. To top it off, our room was half the size of a dorm room and equipped with bunk beds and one small window looking into an alley! As the waves were furosiously crashing at the coast we explored the one block town and then quickly found the bar with free wifi and snacks, to which we became regulars on day one.
-on day two we took the train to the town over, trying to ignore the cold rain. We then decided we were cold and the town was eerily similar to our town, so we retreated back to our bar for some red wine and soccer.
-day three: SUN!! We woke up to find sun and a calm sea. Trails were still closed, but we town hopped by train and packed as much as possible into our last day.
Important lesson learned: get a room with somewhere to sit : )
Venice:
Beautiful, magical, unlike anywhere I have ever been. I will never forget stepping off the train and feeling like I just went back on time. I felt like I was visiting one of this colonial towns where they act out how it was back then...but it was real! Every 30 min one of us would comment on how old everything was. We arrived to rain here too, so we got to experience "agua alta" aka when Venice floods. But this is a typical thing there, so everyone just puts on their rain boots and goes about their day.
We spent the days wandering through the tiny winding streets, following signs pointing us in the direction to the important areas ( Rialto bridge, Sam Marcos square, etc). Anytime we felt lost we would just "follow the shwag", as every touristy area was filled with stall upon stall of crap to buy. But we were able to go off the beaten path, finding small cafes and bars where we drank "spritzs" (white wine, aperol, and seltzer) since Bellinis were 15 euro.
Saint marks basilica was one of the most amazing things I've seen as of yet. So giant, made of patterned marble, with mosaics covering the interior; awe inspiring at the least.
We journeyed on the 4th to Vienna by an 11 hour night train. We didn't get a sleeper car so it wasn't the most comfortable ride, but we survived. We decided its worth it to either spring for the sleeper car or find friends who want to make a giant bed out of the fold down seats with you-either would work great!
And now we are on day two in Vienna. Already loving it and thinking four days won't be nearly enough. It is a clean, beautiful, old but very modern city. I plan on eating sausage and cake for the next 3 days : ). Off to a Mozart concert tonight, will report more later.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Genoa, Italy
Ciao! We are currently in Genoa Italy. We arrived here on Monday after a long, but easy train ride from Avignon. The travel Gods were looking down on us that day as we had very tight connections combined with late trains, but some how we made all of them! We were greeted by our host Guiseppe at the train station and brought us to his beautiful home, right off the harbor. He is a wonderful, friendly man who is 65, retired, and has lived in Genoa all is life (reminds me of an Italian version of Dad : ). Him and his wife have been incredible, giving us recommendations on where to go, what to do, even making us breakfast every morning! Pat and I have our own little "apartment" within the house, with a bed in a lofted area and our own sitting area below, with a computer to use. It was a wonderful way to be greeted to Italy.
Genoa has been awesome so far. I had no idea what to expect going into it. It is a smaller city, walkable but still has a city feel to it. It is a beautiful city on the Western coast of Italy. It is an old port town and is know for its pesto (they say it was created here) and its foccacia. It is also the birth place of good ol Chris Colombus. There are tiny little streets everywhere that you can easily get lost in. Laundry hangs out to dry on clotheslines outside windows. It has a very old world, mixed with new world feel.
Pat and I started our first night going to a place with pizza and home brew which was awesome after the long train journey. The next day we started by taking an extremely touristy "train" ride through the city (imagine a train car pulling mini open air cars through a very busy city, while blasting the history of places we passed and stereotypical Italian music) It was hilarious until we both felt sick after 30 min of the ride. BUT it did give us a good overview of the city. The rest of the day was spent wandering around. I found an incredible vintage store where Pat had to leave me for a bit to do some damage : ) As Elizabeth called it, my "Shwag". For dinner we had one of the best meals I think I have ever had. Simple pesto pasta and Tirimisu, but seriously...no words can explain...heavenly really.
Today we took the advise of Guiseppe and went here for the day...http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.italy-travel.net/camogli.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.italy-travel.net/liguria_tour.htm&h=507&w=676&sz=172&tbnid=IJib1UfMNlbL1M:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&zoom=1&usg=__HTcBvZWXYC8QK04eE_b5FBVYFJ8=&docid=x1f85Rgs9k3U0M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Fk6IUPT6HvLR4QSnnIGYBw&ved=0CEEQ9QEwBg&dur=3137
70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, crystal clear water...I could not have asked for anything more : ) A rock beach brought me back to Maine, and I could hear, as Mom says, the rocks "talking" all day long as the calm waves rolled in and out. I could have spent weeks in the town, on that beach.
So, am I liking Italy? An overwhelming YES. On Friday we leave for Cinque Terra (five towns), known for its trail that you can hike on from town to town. We will be without internet there, so there may be some radio silence until Venice. Until then, I will spend tomorrow eating as much pesto and focaccia as my body will allow.
xo : )
Genoa has been awesome so far. I had no idea what to expect going into it. It is a smaller city, walkable but still has a city feel to it. It is a beautiful city on the Western coast of Italy. It is an old port town and is know for its pesto (they say it was created here) and its foccacia. It is also the birth place of good ol Chris Colombus. There are tiny little streets everywhere that you can easily get lost in. Laundry hangs out to dry on clotheslines outside windows. It has a very old world, mixed with new world feel.
Pat and I started our first night going to a place with pizza and home brew which was awesome after the long train journey. The next day we started by taking an extremely touristy "train" ride through the city (imagine a train car pulling mini open air cars through a very busy city, while blasting the history of places we passed and stereotypical Italian music) It was hilarious until we both felt sick after 30 min of the ride. BUT it did give us a good overview of the city. The rest of the day was spent wandering around. I found an incredible vintage store where Pat had to leave me for a bit to do some damage : ) As Elizabeth called it, my "Shwag". For dinner we had one of the best meals I think I have ever had. Simple pesto pasta and Tirimisu, but seriously...no words can explain...heavenly really.
Today we took the advise of Guiseppe and went here for the day...http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.italy-travel.net/camogli.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.italy-travel.net/liguria_tour.htm&h=507&w=676&sz=172&tbnid=IJib1UfMNlbL1M:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&zoom=1&usg=__HTcBvZWXYC8QK04eE_b5FBVYFJ8=&docid=x1f85Rgs9k3U0M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Fk6IUPT6HvLR4QSnnIGYBw&ved=0CEEQ9QEwBg&dur=3137
70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, crystal clear water...I could not have asked for anything more : ) A rock beach brought me back to Maine, and I could hear, as Mom says, the rocks "talking" all day long as the calm waves rolled in and out. I could have spent weeks in the town, on that beach.
So, am I liking Italy? An overwhelming YES. On Friday we leave for Cinque Terra (five towns), known for its trail that you can hike on from town to town. We will be without internet there, so there may be some radio silence until Venice. Until then, I will spend tomorrow eating as much pesto and focaccia as my body will allow.
xo : )
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Au Revoir France!
Last night in France! We have spent the last five days in Avignon, which is in Provence. And it has been a magical, relaxing 5 days. I fell in love with Avignon on day one as we walked around the Palais de Papes and the giant garden/park surrounding it. After being in busy Paris, it was wonderful to walk every where and be in a small city.
We spent the first few days with our books, on a bench in the garden enjoying the 70 and sunny weather. The view is amazing here, the city is right on the Rhone and is surrounded by a giant wall. We finally made it into the palace today and onto the "bridge to nowhere" aka the Pont d'Avignon.
Yesterday we went to Nimes to visit Julianna, a friend of ours teaching English there for the year. As with everywhere, Nimes is full of history including many incredible Roman buildings. Patrick, our little history nerd was loving life. And I thought they were pretty cool too : ) it is amazing to be around something built 2000 years ago, couldn't help but imagine Romans wandering about eating grapes, drinking wine and talking about philosophy.
The food has contined to be amazing. I had a pear and chocolate sauce crepe that blew me away. We also discovered the market here, which, ive decided, is really the only way to shop. Being in a giant hall filled with fruit/veggie venders, cheese stands, butchers, backers (candlestick makers?) it was too much! And the price of it all was so cheap! We made feast one night of pasta with a sausage, red pepper tomato sauce, salad, and baugette with blue cheese(oh my GOD the blue cheese) and honey in VT Farmhouse style.
So tomorrow we say goodbye to France and move on to Italy. We have a long/hectic travel day tomorrow but I'm confident we will make it through. We head to Genoa where we will meet out new host Guiseppe! I am looking forward to pesto (created in Genoa), focaccia, pizza, tiramisu, and of course more wine.
France has been amazing, I will be back some day to wander through Provence for an extended amount of time. On to part 2!
We spent the first few days with our books, on a bench in the garden enjoying the 70 and sunny weather. The view is amazing here, the city is right on the Rhone and is surrounded by a giant wall. We finally made it into the palace today and onto the "bridge to nowhere" aka the Pont d'Avignon.
Yesterday we went to Nimes to visit Julianna, a friend of ours teaching English there for the year. As with everywhere, Nimes is full of history including many incredible Roman buildings. Patrick, our little history nerd was loving life. And I thought they were pretty cool too : ) it is amazing to be around something built 2000 years ago, couldn't help but imagine Romans wandering about eating grapes, drinking wine and talking about philosophy.
The food has contined to be amazing. I had a pear and chocolate sauce crepe that blew me away. We also discovered the market here, which, ive decided, is really the only way to shop. Being in a giant hall filled with fruit/veggie venders, cheese stands, butchers, backers (candlestick makers?) it was too much! And the price of it all was so cheap! We made feast one night of pasta with a sausage, red pepper tomato sauce, salad, and baugette with blue cheese(oh my GOD the blue cheese) and honey in VT Farmhouse style.
So tomorrow we say goodbye to France and move on to Italy. We have a long/hectic travel day tomorrow but I'm confident we will make it through. We head to Genoa where we will meet out new host Guiseppe! I am looking forward to pesto (created in Genoa), focaccia, pizza, tiramisu, and of course more wine.
France has been amazing, I will be back some day to wander through Provence for an extended amount of time. On to part 2!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Reflections on Paris
As Claire said in a prior post, Paris seemed to be full of important things at every turn. From art, to architecture, to mouth watering food, everything seemed to strive for your full and unwavering attention. While this at times this made Paris tiring, it also made it incredible. For me however, there were a number of things that held my attention more that others.
1. Art: I have always said that I'm the musician and my sister is the artist. A quick glance at our childhood art still on display in the basement of my childhood home would cement the claim for any skeptics. Due to this, I have never really taken time to enjoy art or appreciate it. However spending time at the Louvre, Musee L'orangerie and Centre Pompidou has given me a new appreciation. Strolling through these places gave me time to both enjoy visual art and learn what type of art and artists I prefer. Leaving Paris with an Notes list on my phone of art and artist I want to spend my time looking into was not something I expected.
2. Bread and Chesse: Any of those who know me understand my allegance to these carb and dairy products. I knew Paris and France were known for these items but I was still floored and continue to be while in Avignon. The croissants Claire and I had from a small bakery in Alfortville outside Paris were one of the best things I have ever eaten. I did not think this could be topped until I ran across the blue cheese here. If nothing else, I will return to Paris again just to eat bread and cheese.
3. Trains: Long distance high speed trains are something I have always yearned to go on and cursed the USA for not have any to fulfill this dream. Needless to say I was giddy as a school boy waiting for our train to leave from Paris to Avignon. As we gently rode through the French country side with ample leg room and comfortable seats, I felt like Peeta traveling with Katniss into the capital on the lighting fast train in Hunger Games. The experience was incredible and we traveled roughly 359 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes! We need to get these in America so I, and everyone else, can ride them regularly.
Avignon has been great as well and we will post more about that soon.
1. Art: I have always said that I'm the musician and my sister is the artist. A quick glance at our childhood art still on display in the basement of my childhood home would cement the claim for any skeptics. Due to this, I have never really taken time to enjoy art or appreciate it. However spending time at the Louvre, Musee L'orangerie and Centre Pompidou has given me a new appreciation. Strolling through these places gave me time to both enjoy visual art and learn what type of art and artists I prefer. Leaving Paris with an Notes list on my phone of art and artist I want to spend my time looking into was not something I expected.
2. Bread and Chesse: Any of those who know me understand my allegance to these carb and dairy products. I knew Paris and France were known for these items but I was still floored and continue to be while in Avignon. The croissants Claire and I had from a small bakery in Alfortville outside Paris were one of the best things I have ever eaten. I did not think this could be topped until I ran across the blue cheese here. If nothing else, I will return to Paris again just to eat bread and cheese.
3. Trains: Long distance high speed trains are something I have always yearned to go on and cursed the USA for not have any to fulfill this dream. Needless to say I was giddy as a school boy waiting for our train to leave from Paris to Avignon. As we gently rode through the French country side with ample leg room and comfortable seats, I felt like Peeta traveling with Katniss into the capital on the lighting fast train in Hunger Games. The experience was incredible and we traveled roughly 359 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes! We need to get these in America so I, and everyone else, can ride them regularly.
Avignon has been great as well and we will post more about that soon.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Last night in Paris! Been an amazing week, the last few days included stumbling upon Monet's Waterlillies in a museum, discovering the best croissants ever created, feeling like serious tourists in the crowds at Versailles ( totally worth it to see the hall of mirrors), and all together loving Paris.
On to Avignon tomorrow! Bright and early on the train going three hours South.
Here's to new bakeries and more markets.
: )
On to Avignon tomorrow! Bright and early on the train going three hours South.
Here's to new bakeries and more markets.
: )
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Paris!
Ahhhh Paris. Day 4 of our adventure and learning more every day! Being the lazy bones you all know and love we have been sleeping in and getting used over jet lag. We have figured out the RER aka commuter metro so getting to and from Paris isn't so bad (a little harder we learned last night after a few drinks). We have spent our days touring the city and seeing the sites! As Pat said, it's like everything in Paris is important. So far we can cross off the effiel tower, the Louvre, the canal saint-Martian ( a favorite of mine), Norte dame, Bastille, champs élysées, arc de triomphe...did I get it all?? I have loved just walking around, seeing everything that is so French to me. Example: cafes with way too many tables squished together, filled with wine glasses, plates, ash trays, etc. We have been eating a silly amount of bread and cheese and today decided we need to up our pastry intake. You only live once right?
Basically, loving Paris and trying to explore as much as possible. Three more days u til we head to Avignon! Oh, also found my new favorite thing today, Orgina gummys!! Finally, two of the greatest things together at last.
Off to bed, more museums and a market or two tomorrow, followed by dinner with friends of the Love's.
Love you all! Thinking of you as we go about our days : )
Xo Claire
( more from Patrick later)
Basically, loving Paris and trying to explore as much as possible. Three more days u til we head to Avignon! Oh, also found my new favorite thing today, Orgina gummys!! Finally, two of the greatest things together at last.
Off to bed, more museums and a market or two tomorrow, followed by dinner with friends of the Love's.
Love you all! Thinking of you as we go about our days : )
Xo Claire
( more from Patrick later)
Thursday, October 11, 2012
We made it!
We are here in Alfortville where our host Julie lives, just a short train ride to Paris. After a long day of travel we walked around and found some dinner of cheese, baugette, and wine. We then forced ourselves to stay awake till eight. And now after sleeping far too late today are going to wander into Paris to see some sights. I am trying to learn some French while Pat gets us by on his 8th grade French : )
Monday, October 8, 2012
It Begins!
Here we go! We are officially one day away until the journey begins! Patrick and I leave tomorrow, Tuesday October 9th at 9:30 p.m. from Boston. We will arrive in Paris on 10/10 at 1:00 p.m. We have said goodbye to home, family, and best friends in Burlington VT, Rochester NY, Minneapolis MN, Boston MA, and Robbinston ME, packed and unpacked a million times, gone through hundreds of lists, and are (we hope) ready to go!
It still seems unreal that we are really going, but I couldn't be more excited. For those of you who don't know, our itinerary (as of now) is this...
France (Paris, Avignon) 10/9-10/21
Italy ( Genoa, Florence, TBD) 10/21-31 ish
Austria (Vienna) 11/1-
Hungary (Budapest) 11/13
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos 11/13-12/20 ish
Australia (Brisbane, Sydney) 12/20 ish-1/20 ish
We will post when we can to keep everyone updated on our adventures, so keep an eye out!
So goodbye to all, we love you and will be thinking of you as we travel the globe!In the words of The Muppets, who always know best,.... we will be "Movin' Right Along": )
"Movin' right along in search of good times and good news,
With good friends you can't lose,
This could become a habit!
Opportunity knocks once let's reach out and grab it (yeah!),
Together we'll nab it,
We'll hitchhike, bus or yellow cab it!
(Cab it?)"
"Movin' right along.
Footloose and fancy-free.
Getting there is half the fun; come share it with me.
Moving right along (doog-a-doon doog-a-doon).
We'll learn to share the load.
We don't need a map to keep this show on the road."
(You get to decide which one of us is Kermit and which one is Fozzy Bear...)
It still seems unreal that we are really going, but I couldn't be more excited. For those of you who don't know, our itinerary (as of now) is this...
France (Paris, Avignon) 10/9-10/21
Italy ( Genoa, Florence, TBD) 10/21-31 ish
Austria (Vienna) 11/1-
Hungary (Budapest) 11/13
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos 11/13-12/20 ish
Australia (Brisbane, Sydney) 12/20 ish-1/20 ish
We will post when we can to keep everyone updated on our adventures, so keep an eye out!
So goodbye to all, we love you and will be thinking of you as we travel the globe!In the words of The Muppets, who always know best,.... we will be "Movin' Right Along": )
"Movin' right along in search of good times and good news,
With good friends you can't lose,
This could become a habit!
Opportunity knocks once let's reach out and grab it (yeah!),
Together we'll nab it,
We'll hitchhike, bus or yellow cab it!
(Cab it?)"
"Movin' right along.
Footloose and fancy-free.
Getting there is half the fun; come share it with me.
Moving right along (doog-a-doon doog-a-doon).
We'll learn to share the load.
We don't need a map to keep this show on the road."
(You get to decide which one of us is Kermit and which one is Fozzy Bear...)
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