We left Paris yesterday. I was really sad to leave it, but it was time. The past couple days we decided to go at a slower pace. We were both exhausted from running around and Joe thought he was fighting a bug. However, we got to see a show at the Moulin Rouge and go to the Salvador Dali museum.
We decided to head on over to Caen in Lower Normandy, France for a little WW2 lesson. Today we went to a really impressive museum on the D-Day invasion. Tomorrow we plan on heading over to Bayeux and hope to see the Bayeux Tapestry and see first hand the beaches we lost so many troops at during WW2.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
May 25 Paris
Today was another important day for me. Joe and I went to the Palace of Versailles. 
I first studied it in Humanities in high school and have always wanted to go there. It started as King Louis XIII´s hunting lodge before being his son´s, Louise XIV, palace. In 1682, Louis XIV moved the palace from Paris to Versailles as a way to keep his court closer to him and further away from the French people. During this time, the French were struggling in poverty and the palace was built to the detriment of the people. It was extravagances such as this that eventually led to the French Revolution and caused the royalty to, quite literally, lose their heads.
The palace is the ultimate in opulence. The bedrooms of the king and queen are breathtaking
and the Hall of Mirrors is indescribable.
It´s one of those places that has to be experienced to be believed. It is truly beautiful, but I think, it should be viewed with a lesson in mind. It is so easy for each of us to ignore the pain of others. I have found myself, many a time, associating myself with a group of people, that I shouldn´t. It is so easy to forget about what is outside our social circle when the group we are around alienates others and only keeps to itself. I found myself getting sucked into a way of thinking or living that really isn´t me. I didn´t even realize it at the time, and I was totally blind to what was out there. That´s why I think it is so important to be careful who my friends are. If they are not interested in helping make this world a better place, I don´t want to be closely associated with them, because I don´t want to forget about the hurting people out there. I don´t know if this makes any sense to anyone else but me, but that is the lesson I took away from Versailles. 
Another lesson I learned is, when traveling, give yourself much more time than you think you need, not just because of the lines. I went to Versailles thinking I just wanted to see the Hall of Mirrors and gardens, but there was much more there that I didn´t know about that I actually enjoyed more. I´ve learned in the past couple days that once you go to the ¨must sees¨, if you go away from the crowd there may be jewels right around the corner that are even better.
I first studied it in Humanities in high school and have always wanted to go there. It started as King Louis XIII´s hunting lodge before being his son´s, Louise XIV, palace. In 1682, Louis XIV moved the palace from Paris to Versailles as a way to keep his court closer to him and further away from the French people. During this time, the French were struggling in poverty and the palace was built to the detriment of the people. It was extravagances such as this that eventually led to the French Revolution and caused the royalty to, quite literally, lose their heads.The palace is the ultimate in opulence. The bedrooms of the king and queen are breathtaking
and the Hall of Mirrors is indescribable. It´s one of those places that has to be experienced to be believed. It is truly beautiful, but I think, it should be viewed with a lesson in mind. It is so easy for each of us to ignore the pain of others. I have found myself, many a time, associating myself with a group of people, that I shouldn´t. It is so easy to forget about what is outside our social circle when the group we are around alienates others and only keeps to itself. I found myself getting sucked into a way of thinking or living that really isn´t me. I didn´t even realize it at the time, and I was totally blind to what was out there. That´s why I think it is so important to be careful who my friends are. If they are not interested in helping make this world a better place, I don´t want to be closely associated with them, because I don´t want to forget about the hurting people out there. I don´t know if this makes any sense to anyone else but me, but that is the lesson I took away from Versailles. Another lesson I learned is, when traveling, give yourself much more time than you think you need, not just because of the lines. I went to Versailles thinking I just wanted to see the Hall of Mirrors and gardens, but there was much more there that I didn´t know about that I actually enjoyed more. I´ve learned in the past couple days that once you go to the ¨must sees¨, if you go away from the crowd there may be jewels right around the corner that are even better.
May 24 Paris
Today we went to the Louvre. YAY! To an art lover like me, nothing can beat it. I started my college studies as an Art History major. I loved it!!! Circumstances in my life forced me to move and change colleges. The new college I attended did not have an art history degree, so I started taking studio art classes instead, while taking as many of the art history courses I could. A few years later I had my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics. I graduated with way more elective art history courses than I actually needed. Art has been a huge part of my life since I took my first Humanities course in high school over 13 years ago.
The Louvre is the largest art museum in the world. I had been there before, many years ago, but didn´t have more than a couple of hours there. This time, I took my time and I still didn´t see everything. Joe and I were still tired from the day before, so after a few hours, he went back to the hotel and I limped (by this time I counted 4 blisters on my feet) my way through the rest of what I wanted to see. I saw so many works I had studied many years ago and many I have forgotten about. As lame as this sounds, it was like meeting old friends. I have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours with these friends. It was a very emotional experience for me.
There were the ¨must sees¨ such as the Mona Lisa,
The Louvre is the largest art museum in the world. I had been there before, many years ago, but didn´t have more than a couple of hours there. This time, I took my time and I still didn´t see everything. Joe and I were still tired from the day before, so after a few hours, he went back to the hotel and I limped (by this time I counted 4 blisters on my feet) my way through the rest of what I wanted to see. I saw so many works I had studied many years ago and many I have forgotten about. As lame as this sounds, it was like meeting old friends. I have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours with these friends. It was a very emotional experience for me.
There were the ¨must sees¨ such as the Mona Lisa,
Winged Victory of Samothrace,
and Venice de Milo. There were also antiquities made thousands of years before Christ by the Greeks, Romans, etc. There were Egyptian sarcophagi and Greek red and black figure vases. Famous paintings during the French Revolution. 
The list goes on and on. My favorite was the Decorative Art area, also called Applied Art or Functional Art. This is my specialty. These are works not hung on a wall to be looked at, but used. You can hold them. These are items such as jewelry, pottery, etc. Items that are beautiful and serve a purpose.
What was interesting to me was, though this was my favorite area, it was strangely quiet. In other areas of the museum, it was crowded and noisy. People were fighting the crowds to get close enough to the Mona Lisa to snap a picture to say they´ve seen it in person. The Mona Lisa can´t truly be enjoyed. I´ve tried twice and both times I was shoved out of the way to make room for people who just wanted to say they´ve been there.
That´s ok, because I just retreated to the quieter areas of the museum. Many times, I found myself alone with the works, with no one in sight. It was truly wonderful and intimate.
The list goes on and on. My favorite was the Decorative Art area, also called Applied Art or Functional Art. This is my specialty. These are works not hung on a wall to be looked at, but used. You can hold them. These are items such as jewelry, pottery, etc. Items that are beautiful and serve a purpose.What was interesting to me was, though this was my favorite area, it was strangely quiet. In other areas of the museum, it was crowded and noisy. People were fighting the crowds to get close enough to the Mona Lisa to snap a picture to say they´ve seen it in person. The Mona Lisa can´t truly be enjoyed. I´ve tried twice and both times I was shoved out of the way to make room for people who just wanted to say they´ve been there.
That´s ok, because I just retreated to the quieter areas of the museum. Many times, I found myself alone with the works, with no one in sight. It was truly wonderful and intimate.
May 23, Our Anniversary
As of today, Joe and I have been married for one year. It´s been a wonderful year! It´s also been challenging. I married someone who is like me in so many ways, but so different as well. He´s a neat freak, I´m a slob. He´s rational, I´m emotional. My weakenesses are his strengths and vice versa. We are still learning about each other, and not everything goes smoothly, but I am so glad we challenge each other. My perspective on life is changing because of him. Marriage is forcing me to look at things through another person´s eyes and not be so selfish. Since I am so stubborn and want to get my way, sometimes it´s very difficult. However, I married someone who is so perfect for me. Joe has constantly surprised me, especially on this vacation. This trip is bringing out a different side of him than I´ve seen before. It´s hard to explain, but he is more openminded and willing to try new things than I´ve thought (which says alot since he has always been like that). In short, he is the most flexible person I have ever known. He also has a thirst for knowledge about art and history that is wonderful.
Anyway, today we started out by walking the Tuileries Garden, a gorgeous garden near the Louvre, with many flowers and sculptures.
We walked up to the Place de Concorde where many people lost their heads during the French Revolution, including Queen Marie Antoinette, and along the Champs-Elysees to Arch de Triumph.
It was commissioned in 1806 after the battle of Austerlitz by Emporer Napoleon. It now houses the tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WW1.
We then hung a left and walked up to the Trocadero. The view of the Eiffel Tower here was amazing!
There is a big lawn with families sprawled on it and children splashing in the fountains. We walked on up to the Eiffel Tower and got in line for the tickets.
Another word of warning, since this is another tourist trap, if you didn´t get tickets ahead of time, the wait could be very long. We waited well over an hour to get the tickets and had to get into another line to wait for the elevator. The timing for us was perfect! We got to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower just as the sun was setting. Absolutely breathtaking!!
After soaking in the view for about half an hour we got into another long line to the elevator to the top. By this time, it was dark and Paris was starting to light up. It was, once again, beautiful! Another long line and we were at the bottom at about 11:30 pm. From the time we got in line to get tickets, to when we got back down, the process took over 4 hours. Depending on the time of year and time of day, seeing Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower can be a very long process. There can be so many people. However, we got to see Paris from a bird´s eye view during the day, and at night. The key, I think, is having patience and flexibility. If one could accept that travel is not always convenient and comfortable, but well worth it, the experience becomes much more enjoyable.
Anyway, today we started out by walking the Tuileries Garden, a gorgeous garden near the Louvre, with many flowers and sculptures.
We walked up to the Place de Concorde where many people lost their heads during the French Revolution, including Queen Marie Antoinette, and along the Champs-Elysees to Arch de Triumph. It was commissioned in 1806 after the battle of Austerlitz by Emporer Napoleon. It now houses the tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WW1.We then hung a left and walked up to the Trocadero. The view of the Eiffel Tower here was amazing!
There is a big lawn with families sprawled on it and children splashing in the fountains. We walked on up to the Eiffel Tower and got in line for the tickets.Another word of warning, since this is another tourist trap, if you didn´t get tickets ahead of time, the wait could be very long. We waited well over an hour to get the tickets and had to get into another line to wait for the elevator. The timing for us was perfect! We got to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower just as the sun was setting. Absolutely breathtaking!!
After soaking in the view for about half an hour we got into another long line to the elevator to the top. By this time, it was dark and Paris was starting to light up. It was, once again, beautiful! Another long line and we were at the bottom at about 11:30 pm. From the time we got in line to get tickets, to when we got back down, the process took over 4 hours. Depending on the time of year and time of day, seeing Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower can be a very long process. There can be so many people. However, we got to see Paris from a bird´s eye view during the day, and at night. The key, I think, is having patience and flexibility. If one could accept that travel is not always convenient and comfortable, but well worth it, the experience becomes much more enjoyable.May 22 Paris
We got off the train at 8:30 this morning. Last night was a pretty sleepless night. There was a misunderstanding at the train station. I wanted a sleeper for Joe and I. These have actual beds and some have private rooms for two people. What I got was two reclining seats, much like in an airplane. I´m not sure if there weren´t any available or if it was because of the language barrier (I don´t speak Spanish and the guy at the desk doesn´t speak English), however, we made to Paris just fine. Then we had to find a room. We went to about 6 hotels and hostels before finding a room. The hotel left much to be desired (by far the worst we had stayed at), but we were exhausted and, as we are winging it, we can expect some unhappy surprises. We laid down to take a long nap.
Later, we woke up and walked around the city. We walked along the river and went to Notre Dame cathedral. Notre Dame means ¨Our Lady¨. This cathedral was one of the first gothic cathedrals ever built. It is famous for it´s flying buttresses (arched exterior supports) and was immortalized by Victor Hugo´s ¨Hunchback of Notre Dame¨, later made into a Disney movie, and it´s free to tour. Be warned though, it is a tourist trap, so there are many many people who also want to see it, but it was an honor to be a part of something so important throughout history, so it was easy for us to overlook the lines.
After Notre Dame, we took a river tour. This was such a beautiful and romantic way to tour Paris. Though the commentary was in English, we still had a hard time understanding the guide. The view was beautiful and the tour was a decent price, €12 pp, which in Paris is very reasonable. It was a great way to start our time in Paris!
Later, we woke up and walked around the city. We walked along the river and went to Notre Dame cathedral. Notre Dame means ¨Our Lady¨. This cathedral was one of the first gothic cathedrals ever built. It is famous for it´s flying buttresses (arched exterior supports) and was immortalized by Victor Hugo´s ¨Hunchback of Notre Dame¨, later made into a Disney movie, and it´s free to tour. Be warned though, it is a tourist trap, so there are many many people who also want to see it, but it was an honor to be a part of something so important throughout history, so it was easy for us to overlook the lines.
After Notre Dame, we took a river tour. This was such a beautiful and romantic way to tour Paris. Though the commentary was in English, we still had a hard time understanding the guide. The view was beautiful and the tour was a decent price, €12 pp, which in Paris is very reasonable. It was a great way to start our time in Paris!
May 21
Today we hopped on the train to Madrid. From there, we took the overnight train to Paris. A few days ago, I asked Joe what he wanted to do for our one year anniversary. He told me he wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. Paris, here we come!!!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Sevilla May 20th
Today we started our day by going to the Sevilla Cathedral. It was gorgeous! It is also the third largest cathedral in the world. St. Peter´s in Rome is the largest with the second largest being St. Paul´s in London. The one here in Sevilla is huge! The height inside the church reaches over 120 feet. It is 378 feet long and 249 feet wide. It also has 80 side chapels. It was amazing, with lots of sculpture and paintings. It was an art historian´s dream. The cathedral was built on the site of an old mosque, which can still be seen in it´s belltower, called the Giralda.
The Giralda is very interesting itself. There are no steps leading up to the tower, like most churches. Instead it has ramps. Islams are called to prayer 5 times a day. Since in those days, someone stood at the top of the church and called people to prayer each time, ramps were installed for horses to carry him up each time. The Giralda has a great view overlooking Sevilla, so of course, we had to check it out.
Later that day, we visited the Alcazar, which is a royal palace that used to be a Moorish fort. There are beautiful gardens that we wandered through and accidently fell asleep in. It was a wonderful day!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sevilla, Spain
Well after the last post, the computer died. I mean really crashed! It has been an interesting week. We have replaced the computer twice. On top of that I have been sick with a really nasty sinus infection. Yuck! I am feeling much better now and we bought a new computer, so we are up and running again. We bought the computer in Madrid, so the keyboard is different. It will take a little getting used to, but when we get home it´ll be a nice reminder of the trip.
Part of the wall the Romans built 
The Cathedral (the largest gothic cathedral in the world)
We took the train from Madrid to Sevilla today. We are staying at a hostel modeled after a traditional riad (the rooms are centered around a courtyard). The best part is, staying there comes with a free tour of the city and events scheduled nightly. Tonight, at a sister hostel, there is a BBQ and later on, a Fleminco show. I think we will be attending both.
Here are a fewpictures of today´s tour:
Plaza de España
The tour guide talking to us in the Plaza de España
Part of the wall the Romans built The Cathedral (the largest gothic cathedral in the world)Monday, May 10, 2010
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