The Pompidou Centre is Still the Ugliest Building in Paris

When the Pompidou Centre opened in 1977, it created a stir for its... uh, creative architecture.  Built in the high-tech style, the building's guts - elevators, pipes, steel frame, etc. - are on the outside, clashing violently with the surrounding Gothic and Renaissance buildings.  It houses a modern art museum and a library, and fans of the building says that the design allows for open and unencumbered exhibition space.  They also say that as a piece of art, it's supposed to challenge our sensibilities.  I don't care what the spin is - the Pompidou Centre is, just as it was when it opened 33 years ago, the ugliest building in Paris.

Obviously not a fan

Blends well with surroundings

Stained Glass

Church fatigue is a common ailment when spending any significant amount of time in Europe.  After the tenth or so church, they begin to blend together, and it takes something extraordinary to impress the jaded traveler.  This was the boat we were in when we visited Sainte-Chapelle two days ago.  We were actually supposed to go on a tour of the more famous Notre-Dame Cathedral, but we arrived late and decided to head to this smaller chapel instead.  It was completed in 1248 for King Louis the IX, who wanted to build a reliquary to house the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross that he had purchased from the Byzantine emperor.  The King actually paid three times more for these relics than for the construction of the chapel.

We entered through the lower chapel, which was used by the royal staff and is quaint but not spectacular.  When we climbed the stairs and entered the upper chapel, we were both blown away, even though restoration work obscured part of the view.  Over 6,000 square feet of stained glass, mostly over 700 years old, wrap nearly completely around the structure.  We haven't seen anything like it, and of all the pictures we've taken on this trip that don't do the subject matter justice, the ones we took that day do the least amount of justice.  If you go to Paris, don't stop at Notre-Dame; make sure you make the five minute walk down the Ile-de-la-Cite to Sainte-Chapelle.

The understated lower chapel, leading to the...

... incredible upper chapel

More pictures in the full post.

The French Don't Have French's Mustard

I try to embrace, or at least sample, the local food culture as much as I can.  I think eating guinea pig, sheep testicle and salted animal fat soup on this trip attest to that.  However, there are times when I need yellow mustard on my sandwiches, and that time is most lunches.  Over here, though, they call yellow mustard 'American mustard' and the grocery stores don't carry it.  Apparently, there is nothing French about French's mustard, a fact that the company wanted to make abundantly clear in 2003 when they feared a boycott of their products.

Where do you go in a foreign city to get that food product from home you are craving?  If you're lucky, an American specialty food store.  We found one in Paris called The Real McCoy, which sells American staples such as Double Stuff Oreos, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper and, yes, French's Yellow Mustard.  The prices are steep (€9 for Double Stuff Oreos!), but the American expat community here must really appreciate them, because they have two locations within a block of each other.

Almost all the processed American foodstuffs you'd ever want, plus the processed Australian/New Zealand foodstuffs (Marmite and Vegemite) you'd never want

The Real McCoy - Epicerie Americaine

One Month in Paris

It can be difficult to resist the temptation to see as much as you can when you're traveling.  There is so much to see, and you feel like you're cheating yourself if you don't see it all.  However, it often pays to slow down and experience a place instead of seeing the sights.  Although Magge and I had felt that we were doing a good job of mixing the two approaches, we wanted to pick a city where we could plant roots for a while and lean more towards experiencing.

Paris seemed the ideal place for this, so we rented an apartment for a month.  For roughly the same price as getting two dorm beds in a hostel (and much cheaper than getting a private room in a hostel), we were able to rent a small room in a great neighborhood.  We're staying in a quiet residential area of Montmartre, away from the waves of tourists that pack the Sacre Coeur Basilica and Place du Tertre.  It's a tree lined neighborhood that reminds us a lot of the West Village area where we lived in NYC, except without the 4am cross dressers.

So what are we going to do for a month?  We'll still take in the sights, of course, but we'll also to do things Parisians do: shop at local food markets, hang out in cafes, eat lunch in the park, hopefully get to know our local baker and butcher.  Maybe we'll even participate in a strike.  We won't be working, but the French don't do much of that anyway.

Our art deco apartment building below.

More apartment and neighborhood pictures in the full post.

Italy Wrap-Up

Facts and Figures

Length of Stay: 19 Days

Miles Traveled to Enter: 300 by plane from Dubrovnik

Miles Traveled: 900 by train + 300 bus = 1,200 total (38,690 since landing in Quito)

Places Visited: Rome, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Pompeii, Parma, Roccabianca, Venice

Trains Taken: 6
Tour Buses Taken: 2

Times We Were the Only Non-Italians at a Polka Festival: 2

Rankings in the full post.

A Couple Quiet Days in the Italian Countryside

On the suggestion of our friend Elizabeth (aka E-Beth), who had spent a month in Europe with her boyfriend Miles last Spring, we decided to spend a few days at a bed and breakfast outside Parma after we said goodbye to the Bells in Rome.  Run down from constantly being on the move, I developed a nasty head cold, so a few days in the quiet countryside sounded perfect to me.   Dalla Nonna Maria ended up being just what the doctor ordered. Jeff and I spent our first two days at the bed and breakfast just taking it easy. We only left the B&B to take some short strolls around the area and to get dinner.

Pictures from Venice

There isn't much to write about our time in Venice.  We didn't visit any museums, only stepped into one church and ate simply.  What we did do, when we weren't ducking the persistent rain, was a lot of walking.  Venice is a great city for exploring, and it's pretty easy to escape the crowds (and the crowds can be very bad in spots, like the Piazza San Marco) just by taking a random turn onto a narrow alley.  Since we didn't actually do that much, I'll just share some pictures.

Rome II

Our second stint in Rome was packed with tours.  This city gets mixed reviews from travelers, with many giving it poor marks because it's too dirty, too busy, or lacks the charm of many of Italy's smaller cities.  However, it may be my favorite Italian city, and the tours we did gave us a great a varied experience during our time there.  While many guidebooks say you only need to spend three or four days in Rome, Magge and I left feeling like we had just scratched the surface.

A Day in Kiersten's Italy Journal: Pompeii

I've already posted an entry from my youngest brother's Italy journal.  Here is a day from my sister's journal covering our day trip to Pompeii.  The pictures in this post are a mix of those taken by Kiersten and Magge.

The first time I ever read, or even heard about, Pompeii was when I was in second grade off a standard reading test. I just thought it was a made up little story about some small village in Italy.  As I found out more and more, I realized this place is not fictional, it’s real!  Pompeii soon made it on my list of Places I Want to Visit When I’m Older.  When I said “Older”, I was referring to when I was an adult, not a few years later. When I found out that I was actually going to Pompeii when visiting Magge and Jeffrey, I nearly wet myself.  I couldn’t wait to see this famous city.

Day Trips From Florence

As you all know, there is a great deal of logistical planning in our daily traveling lives.  While Jeff does the lion's share of the work (I'm generally busy conquering the world on my iPod - or so Jeff says), I do pitch in from time to time.  When we needed to plan our stay in Italy with the Bells, I decided I would look into the tour options available.  Though the Bells are far from difficult to please, I have to admit that I was quite nervous in trying to pick the right tours to fit everyone's tastes (I just wanted everyone to be happy!).  I struck gold when I found the Walkabout tours while planning our Florence leg of the trip.

One site we knew we wanted to visit during our time together was the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  I was worried, however, that making the two hour journey to Pisa just to see the tower might not be worth the hassle.  So I was pleased when I found the Best of Tuscany Tour, which included a stop in Pisa along with tours of Siena, San Gimignano, and lunch at a wine farm.  After reading all the glowing reviews on Tripadvisor.com, Jeff and I agreed that it would be a good choice.  We were thrilled we had found such a great way to fit in Pisa.  The company had another tour of Cinque Terre that had received rave reviews as well that I really wanted to also book.  Sadly, Jeff vetoed that tour because he had read that Cinque Terre was unpleasantly crowded in August.

Florence with the Family

When I was sixteen, I went on a whirlwind tour through Europe with a group from my high school.  We visited eight cities in five countries over seventeen days.  Of those cities, Florence was the least memorable.  (I think) we were there for two days, but all I remember was fighting through crowds to see Michelangelo's David and hopping the fence with my track team and coach to practice on a private local track.  For whatever reasons, the city just didn't stick in my mind.  Regardless, with my family meeting us in Italy, I was giving Florence a chance to prove my teenage sensibilities wrong.

A Day in Liam's Italy Journal: Rome

We have just capped ten days with my family in Rome and Florence.  My two youngest siblings are keeping journals to document their first trip in Europe.  Here is our first day in Rome as described in my nine year old brother's journal.  It follows the day that the family was supposed to leave for Rome, but their flight was canceled out of Charlotte and they had to spend a night in the Queen City.  I have edited it for spelling, but they are completely his own words.  All pictures were taken by him on his Nintendo DSi, unless stated otherwise.

Wednesday, July 25, 2010 - Fly in the Sky
In the second day in the airport we did the exact same thing as yesterday, except we rode the plane! The plane was humongous! There were about 45 rows! There was a movie/T.V. player but it cost money, though. I slept, read, ate and played DS the whole way. It was soooooooooo long! But we got there!

In Italy
Wow, in a whole different country. During the car ride, the driver was really nice. The drive was like a tour. I saw pyramids, bridges, lakes. Our REAL hotel was really nice. But it was exactly like our other hotel EXCEPT it had 3 big beds, a BIGGER T.V., and a great view. And a better thing than all those things, Jeffrey and Magge!!!!!!

Jordan and the Balkans Wrap-Up

Facts and Figures
Length of Stay: 23 Days
Miles Traveled to Enter: 4,240 by plane from Bangkok
Miles Traveled: 800 by plane + 620 by bus + 300 by train + 160 by boat + 160 by car  = 2,040 total (37,190 since landing in Quito - yes, I realize the website's logo is now wrong)
Places Visited: Amman, Wadi Musa (Petra), Athens, Skopje, Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar.  Also drove through Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro.
Intercity Buses Taken: 3
Trains Taken: 2
Ferries Taken: 1
Flights Taken: 1
Times a Croatian map failed us: 5

Rankings in the full post.

Croatian Walls

Most of our time in Croatia has been spent in old, walled cities and towns.  While with Marcia and Lee, we visited the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Dubrovnik, Split and Trogir, along with the Walls of Ston.  After they returned to North Carolina, we stayed in Hvar for four days.  No pictures of half naked men here, just alleys, squares, forts and churches.

Go Take a Hike

First of all, let me apologize for the errant "Zs" and "Ys" you will undoubtedly see in this post.  Apparently they are switched on the Croatian keyboard. Silly Croatians.

Anyway!  For the past several days, to console ourselves after my mom and Lee's departure, we have been in repose on the beautiful island of Hvar about an hour off the coast of Split.  With five dazs to kill between leaving my mom and Lee, and before we meet the Bells in Italy, we decided taking it easy and recouping a bit would be a good idea.  (Those of you who have met our fabulous mothers know that one needs a lot of energy reserves to handle such forces of nature.)

Admittedly, Hvar, currently the hottest tourist destination for the rich and trashy, is admittedly not our usual scene.  We have, however, been able to look past the huge yachts and skimpy (or nonexistent) clothing, and have found a jewel of a historic little town set amongst some of the most incredible natural scenery to be found in Croatia.

Krka National Park: How to Ruin a Beautiful Place

1.  Make it overly accessible.
2.  Build large pavilions where restaurants serve overpriced food.
3.  Invite people to swim in the water.

These are the steps Krka National Park has taken to transform itself into a water park.  When I read about the park and its waterfalls and looked at the pictures, they sounded and looked pristine.  Yes, the descriptions stated that people swam at the bottom of the lowest waterfall, but I envisioned something similar to what we saw in Australia: a handful of people but by no means crowded.  Excited by the pictures, Marcia (on her birthday), Lee, Magge and I changed our plans to accommodate the hour and half trip north of Split.  When we arrived, we were very surprised at what we saw.  The park was beyond crowded, with the waterfalls and its surroundings packed with people doing their best to make Krka National Park look like the neighborhood pee-filled pool.  We had planned on taking a swim, but I don't know if we could have found any spare room in the water.  Besides, the bathrooms there charged five Croatian kuna (almost a dollar) entry fee, so the aforementioned pool is probably cleaner.

Guys Gone Wild: Dubrovnik

For many European men, Durbovnik is the Panama City Beach of the Adriatic.  It's a place where they can freely take off the shirts and flaunt what they've got, even if it's not much (or too much).

I tried to get a picture of Magge on one of Dubrovnik's narrow streets, and a sneaky bare-chested European found his way into the frame

A rare occasion of a shirtless specimen accompanied by a female

A slight variation on the no-shirt look, but nearly as popular

This scene at Onofrio's fountain makes me think of the following image:

Happy Birthday, Dad

It's my father's birthday today, rounding out my family's birthdays for the year (Magge can now put down her color pencils for a few months).  Following our post-Communist adventure in Skopje, we're in Dubrovnik, which makes for a much better birthday sign location.  Sorry again, Colin.  See you in ten days, Dad.

Happy Birthday in Croatian on the drawbridge at Pile Gate, on the west wall looking down the street Stradun in old Dubrovnik, and just outside the west wall

Finally Got My Mamma

After spending a couple luxurious months in Southeast Asia, where almost anything can be had for a fraction of the price it costs in the States, the past week in Greece and now Croatia has been a very rude awakening. An hour of internet time in S.E.A. cost us less than a dollar (usually nothing at all because it was free wherever we were staying).  Here we are forced to pay over six dollars an hour.  So, at risk of being killed by husband, I must make my entry very short and sweet - not something that is easy for me.

To be honest, I did not have much time to get excited about seeing my mom and Lee, whom I have missed very much, because Croatia seemed so far away just two weeks ago when I was in Thailand and I knew I still had four countries to go before seeing them.  I could not contain my excitement, however, once we finally arrived in Dubrovnik, exhausted from a terrible night of traveling by bus from Macedonia.  Who would have ever thought transport in South America would seem so luxurious?

Happy Birthday, Colin Redux

My friend Mike, a famous graphic designer, added a little color to my brother Colin's birthday picture and I thought it was worth posting. Colin, now that you got two birthday posts, don't expect anything for Christmas.

Happy Birthday, Colin

The second oldest sibling in my family turns 24 today.  My sister got pictures from an active geyser field in Chile and my youngest brother got pictures from gigantic boulders in New Zealand, but Colin gets pictures from the gray, concrete, formerly Communist city of Skopje.  Sorry, Colin.  It's nothing personal, just bad timing.

Happy Birthday in Macedonian

Train from Greece to Macedonia

We were originally supposed to stay in Greece for nearly a month, but we decided to extend our time in Asia instead and reduced our time in the country to a mere three days.  From there, we were to go to Croatia to meet Magge's mother and stepfather.  On a map, that looks easy.  I figured at worst we could take a ferry.  You can take a ferry from Greece to Italy, and from Italy to Croatia, so the shorter Greece to Croatia distance must have a ferry route?  No.  The easiest way to get from Athens to Dubrovnik is to take a six hour train ride to Thessaloniki, then a three hour train ride that's actually a five hour train ride to Skopje, Macedonia, and then a twelve hour overnight bus to Dubrovnik.  I confess that I hadn't heard of Skopje two weeks ago, and my geography is usually pretty good.  Magge confesses that two weeks ago she didn't know Macedonia was still a country, but I told her to stop admitting that.

The train segment from Thessaloniki to Skopje actually was really nice, despite the lingering smell of smoke (the Balkan peninsula is Europe's ashtray) and no airconditioning.  Here are a handful of pictures from the ride.

We had a good time in Athens, but I don't know if we'll get around to posting anything on our stay there.  At most, we'll post some pictures, but there won't be much that everyone hasn't already seen many times elsewhere.

Petra

I've never had a burning desire to visit the Middle East.  I don't think I can be blamed given the standard treatment the region gets in the mainstream media in the U.S.  However, when we were looking at potential destinations, I was drawn to Petra in Jordan, thanks to Indian Jones and the Last Crusade.  Some research comforted us that Jordan was more than safe for travel, and we slotted one week there between our time in Asia and Europe.  It is one of the best planning decisions we have made.  It can be easy to get jaded after eight months of travel, but no level of road weariness could take away from this ancient city.

Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand Wrap-Up

We had an incredible two months in Southeast Asia (including our two weeks in Malaysia and Singapore), but it was bittersweet because we felt like we didn't do the region justice. Time constraints and our getting sick held us back from digging too much past the typical tourist trails. We'd love to come back to this region again and spend more time. In fact, I think Magge is already scouring job websites, trying to find me employment in Singapore or Bangkok.

Facts and Figures
Length of Stay: 43 Days
Miles Traveled to Enter: 720 by plane from Kuala Lumpur
Miles Traveled: 1,560 by train + 615 by plane + 285 by bus + 100 by boat  = 2,560 total (30,910 since landing in Quito)
Places Visited: Siem Reap (Angkor), Battambang, Phnom Penh, Chau Doc, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Hanoi, Halong Bay, Bangkok, Koh Tao
Intercity Buses Taken: 2
River Ferries Taken: 1
Night Trains Taken: 3
Flights Taken: 1
Rounds Fired from the "Rambo Gun": 10
Mummified Communists Seen: 1

Rankings in the full post.

Beach Time on Koh Tao

Thailand was supposed to be the centerpiece of our time in Southeast Asia, but the Red Shirts changed that.  Even though we were told by other travelers coming from Thailand that the areas outside of Bangkok were safe, we just did not want to take the risk that the demonstrations and fighting would erupt into a more widespread problem.  Thus, Thailand was taken off the itinerary and we decided to focus on Cambodia and Vietnam.  However, three weeks, two countries and two bouts of dengue fever later, we both decided that we needed some time on a beach, and Thailand had calmed down enough that we opted to get our sand fix there instead of in Vietnam.