No Internet

We haven't had internet service since Friday, and I don't know if we will have it again before next Friday. There is a Starbucks nearby, so we are checking our email but the connection is slow. We are in Brighton, England now and will go to London on Friday.  We do have great TV service though, and the Olympics coverage is great!!

Paris!!!

Sorry for the delay posting about Paris, there were a few technical difficulties.

We spent 3 days in Paris and managed to see many sights!  Our tiny apartment was in a good location near the Louvre, so it was easy to walk or take the Metro.  It also was conveniently located next to a bakery....as Mike said, it was faster to walk to the bakery than it is to walk to the mailbox back home! 

Friday evening we went to the Louvre, and we spent most of the time looking at the sculptures. We all decided we like 3D art better than paintings.  We did push our way to the front of a 15-person deep wall of tourists to see the Mona Lisa.  We were underwhelmed. You can't really SEE it, as they hold you too far away and it is behind protective glass.  I wonder about the draw of some of these famous artworks.  I didn't find them particularly impressive, but was much more impressed by other works instead. I guess there is art that appeals to everyone.

On Saturday, we visited the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, and Jardin des Tuileries.  We had a Cheeseburger Royale for lunch and did lots of walking. The streets are busy with tourists, but they are much more tolerable than Amsterdam, probably because the tourists are older.  And, no, we did not go up the Eiffel Tower. While I am willing to wait for 30 minutes for fresh cotton candy, I am not willing to wait 2 hours to climb the tower. Maybe another trip...

On Sunday, we walked to Notre Dame along the Seine, had famous Berthillon ice cream cones and watched the finish of the Tour of France. It is amazing the number of people who come out for the finish. We had learned ahead of time that along the Champs-Elysees the crowds can be 5-10 people deep and you have to claim your spot up to 5 hours ahead of time!  We chose a spot that was still along the circle of the final laps, but not in sight of the finish line. If you watched you probably saw us at the 1 KM mark, but just didn't know it (we can only see ourselves on super slow motion - the riders go by sooooo fast!).  We headed home after 2 (of the 8) final laps to watch the finish on TV.  And we finished off the evening with a bowl of miso ramen from the Japanese restaurant down the street.

On Monday, we rented a car and drove around the largest traffic circle in the world before heading to the north coast of France.  More about that later...

Disneyland Paris

We have now been to every Disney Park in the world!!!!!  (At least until Disneyland opens in Shanghai...). By coincidence, we were at the original Disneyland for its 50th birthday, Tokyo for its 25th and Paris for its 20th.

In spite if the summer crowds, we managed to spend 5 days at Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios. The Paris parks defintely are not our favorite parks. They seemed understaffed, dirty, wih long lines at stores and restuarants, and in some cases poorly maintained.

But there were some highlights.  :)

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is by far the best of any of the parks!  And we got to see behind the scenes when the ride stopped and we were evacuated. Very cool!  The kids also loved Rockin' Rollercoaster! 

All in all, a day at Disney is still fun, even in the busy summer season!

Running Around France

When we arrived in Vincennes, I was able to take a run past a castle and around a lake. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, with lots of people out. I am so happy I brought my running shoes!

Peaceful France

We left Bruges, Belgium this morning. Three trains and two subway rides, and five hours later, we arrived at our latest apartment in Vincennes, France. It is the complete opposite of Amsterdam.  Peaceful.  I could stay here for a month, but I only have 6 days. Vincennes is a suburb of Paris with easy access to Disneyland Paris. We probably will go tomorrow.

The funny this about this apartment are a couple of similarities to our China apartment. The dishwasher is too small for the plates, and you have to put your phone on the windowsill to get cell service. 

The Best Museums

We have decided we are not an art museum-type family.....  We went to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam and were underwhelmed by seeing the paintings in real life.

However, we are the factory tour, how things work, food museum -type family. Today we went to the frite (french fry) and chocolate museums. We now know the history of potatoes and chocolate and how modern french fries and chocolate candies are made!   Fun!!!

Running Around Bruges

This morning was my first run of our vacation!  A beautiful morning run on a path along the canals of Bruges. The locals were quite friendly...either smiling to say hello or laughing at the crazy woman in red shoes...not sure which!  At one point I stopped to check the map, and chuckled when I said to myself "go past four windmills then turn left."

Land of Chocolate

I know I am in a country that I will love, when the first thing I see in the train station is a chocolate fountain with fresh strawberries.  Yes!  I think I will LOVE Belgium. We are in Bruges and we will be here for a few days. We arrived late, so we haven't seen much yet.

Out of Amsterdam!

Let it be known that Amsterdam is NOT my favorite city!  It has some good points, and I am happy we went, but I don't have a huge need to go back any time soon.  Well, except to fly home!

On Tuesday, we took a day trip to Leiden.  If I came back to Holland, I would stay here. What a charming little city.   We toured a windmill that still works - we even got to go out on the balcony area and into the uppermost area to see the mechanics of how it worked to mill the grain. Very cool! 

We also toured a historical science instrument museum (I know some of you think this would be so boring, but we thought it was fascinating).  Ancient medical instruments, microscopes, and such. And a lovely courtyard with a play area that was educational. 

This was a great day!

(I am still blogging from my phone, so the pictures will all show up at the end).

Rainy Day at the Zoo

It seems Amsterdam is a lot like Portland. Yesterday we spent a rainy day at the zoo with Mike's classmates and their families.  The zoo had a baby elephant, baby giraffe, and several baby gorillas!  We had fun in spite of the rain!

Amsterdam, First Impressions

Amsterdam is a big, busy city. 

Yes, it has cute houses.

Yes, it has beautiful canals.

But, the tourist area, and especially the shopping areas, seem way more chaotic than China or the other Asian cities we have visited.

Probably because the crowd is multi-national and therefore not used to moving together as a group. 

And the crowd seems generally younger.  Listening to the people passing by outside our window at 4:30am, I feel like I am back in downtown Chico.

Last night, Mike and I went on a boat tour through the canals with his graduate school classmates for their 20 year reunion. The sights were beautiful along the canals. Lots of people out cruising in their boats.  Lots of people in cafes and bars on shore.

Today we hope to go to a museum or two.   This is my first blog post using the mobile app, I am curious to see how it turns out.

Almost to Amsterdam

Because they have limited internet access, I have only getting sporadic reports from the travelers.  I do know that they are approaching Amsterdam and will be there when Kevin and I arrive tomorrow.


They have been alternating camping and staying in small hotel or B&B.  One of their favorite places was a small B&B farmhouse outside of Heeze.  They were the only ones there, and the farmer made them a terrific breakfast - bread, butter, sprinkles, jame, tea and eggs and bacon.  Yum!  He also told them about Bosschebollen - a chocolate covered cream puff.  

In spite of windy conditions, they are both enjoying the ride and adventure.  Here is what Mike said in an email about a recent leg:

We had a very good day. We pushed out by 11 am. After some light sightseeing and a stop for one of those bosschebollen, yum, we followed a long canal through a forest. This deviated from the bike route and we kinda got stuck in a dead end industrial park, twice. After lunch we were on track again. After a short ferry across a canal near Dussen, the riding was terrific through small villages and farms. It reminded me Sauvie Island but much more quaint. We were going to take the ferry across the Maas to Gorinchem but saw a campground in Woudrichem and decided to to stay. Tomorrow we will take the ferry and probably ride into Utrecht, then maybe to Amsterdam or a suburb on Wednesday.  Anyway, the winds were light and at our backs today. Endomondo lost satellites at lunch, but we probably did 30+ miles today and it felt quite easy. I think the best day yet. See you soon.