Versailles, France, south of Paris
Got up early again and tackled the metro to go to Versailles. It took two trains, the second of which was a rural RER above ground train. It was nice to see a little more of Paris. I was beginning to wonder, but there are indeed industrial sections and business districts with real sky scrapers and everything.
On the journey I met Bill and Kim, Jerry and Betty, and Mum Hazel who was 87 years old. They’re from Toronto and were also going to Versailles. I hope I get around as well as Hazel when I’m 87. Aw, who am I kidding, I’ll never make it that far. We had a nice chat during the 35 minute ride.
After arriving and getting my bearings, I walked down a couple of neighborhood tree lined streets and upon turning the corner, there it was. My immediate thought was, while impressive, I can’t help but be amazed at the blatant opulence and indulgence of such people in such a time. And some Europeans see us Americans in the same way, even though the United States was the first (new) nation to decline monarchy and royalty and its baggage of opulence and entitlement.
But, kind of like a train wreck Read Full Article & Comments…
Paris, France
After breakfast, I bid Hannah adieu and I wished her well. After nursing my blisters last night, I was raring to go. I walked to the Notre Dame and explored a bit. It was still cool and not many people were out and about yet. I followed a couple of people through a door, because they looked like they knew what they were doing and I wanted to look that way too. I was stunned at the magnificence. I took a seat and just pondered where I was, the artistry and craftsmanship and its purpose. It was a humbling and reverent experience. Janis, you were right. I walked around for a while inspecting all the private chapels, paintings, carvings, stained Read Full Article & Comments…
Lynden, Washington, USA to Paris, France
I left my home at 5:45am and hiked a bit to the WTA transit station where an airporter shuttle bus picked me up for the four hour ride to the Seattle airport. My flight to Amsterdam, Nederland was about 10 hours but went by surprisingly fast. After going through customs & immigration, I caught my connecting flight to Paris.
I still believe in packing everything in one carry on size bag, but it has its drawbacks. After lugging that thing for miles and miles in three big airports, I sure wish it had wheels.
It took me a while to figure out the Paris public transport system, a couple of hours actually. The system includes the inter city train system, the RER which is above and below ground and serves the greater Paris area and mixes with the Metro which is all underground and serves inner city Paris, and there’s the bus system as well. Then throw in an unfamiliar language and realize that you can’t read anything either and have fun.
I could have taken a Read Full Article & Comments…
Hi everyone, welcome to my travel blog. Quite a number of you asked me to send postcards. No offense, but no way; it’d just take too much time. So, I hope this blog will be OK and I think I’d enjoy keeping you all up to date via this medium. I’ll try to update it every couple of days or so.
General proposed route
Not all of you are up to date with me. I recently quit my job and am taking the rest of the year off for a much needed break. I’ve taken four weeks vacation in the last seven years and there’s something inherently wrong with that. I need to explore beautiful places, I need grandeur, I need to rejuvenate the soul and get in shape and so I’m kicking it off with a two month road trip in Europe. I fly to Paris on July 28 and then I’m off to the coast of France (Brittany and Normandy), north to Belgium, then to Germany’s Rhineland and Bavaria, Austria (Salzburg and the Salzkamergut Lakes District), the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland, the south of France, the French Riviera, Northern Italy, Southern Italy and the Amalfi Coast, Greece (if I have time), Rome, and finally back to Paris to fly Read Full Article & Comments…
http://www.skype.com
Awesome, awesome product. I love it. Skype is a voice over IP service that lets you talk to others with your computer over the internet. The quality is fine and best of all, it’s free from computer to computer. You can also place calls from your computer to land lines and mobile phones. If you’re in the US or Canada, you can buy service for about $24 for a year that lets you make unlimited calls to land lines or mobile phones in Read Full Article & Comments…
I just love these:
What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
If you are driving at the speed of light, what happens when you turn your headlights on?
What is the speed of dark?
Since she won’t live forever, why give her a diamond?
What do you do after you step on a tetanus needle?
How do they get teflon to stick to the pan?
How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?
If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
If you tied buttered toast to the back of a cat and dropped it from a height, what would happen?
Why are they called “stands” when they are made for sitting?
Why does sour cream have an expiration date? Read Full Article & Comments…
