All Caught Up!

So, the blog is completely caught up now! Whew! I guess rain storms while camping are good for something! 

Steve and I just want to say that we are having the most fabulous time and loving it all!...More than one of you has asked if we are about to kill each other yet. And I can happily and honestly say that we are the best team mates ever- we have adjusted to our new roles in traveling- I am the team photographer and lead navigator. Steve is the metro master, money handler, and the international charades master. We think about our family and friends a lot out here...We often have prolonged discussions regarding our future projects and endeavors...particularly dog or no dog? (We are constantly checking out other peoples dogs and debating size and fur texture.) Other hot topics: mountaineering or not? Piano in our house or guitars? Garden or grass? We even compare cars...there are many hours in transit and we end up discussing random things. Another future topic and much more urgent is India. The countdown to India is on...37 days. I’m going to need some chillers kb. STAT. Hahahaha! 

Florence

While in Cinque Terre we made room arrangements for Florence. We had our directions all laid out and finding the hotel was a smooth process. But why should things stay smooth? We arrive to the hotel only to be told the online booking company has overbooked them and we are redirected to another hotel. I was really upset because I thought this was a ploy and we would end up in some dingy dark hole. So, once again we are walking in the blistering heat with our packs on. Another new city with another new map. We locate the building and enter the hotel, again we are redirected- this time just up the stairs to the next hotel. Now I was really worried. The desk man gave us the lowdown and showed us to our room. It was a little tight for space but otherwise nice. We had luxury items- an air conditioner and a bathroom! Yes! But the first night we didn’t know how to use the AC and had to sleep with the window open and all the loud drunk people kept me awake. 

The markets in Florence were awesome! Leather vendors selling belts, cashmere lined gloves, fantastic jackets and of course purses! I decided I couldn’t leave Florence without a purse. The selection of styles and colors were endless. I fell in love with an oversized dark purple bag. Steve says you can fit a body in it. But I love it! I bargained with the vendor and got this work of art for 60 euro. I’ve named it “Pursis Maximus.” Steve bought himself a leather belt, but he hasn’t named it...One evening we were lured into a leather shop- Steve played along with the vendor and before we knew it he was trying on jackets. The first one they raved was “the latest Italian style” and I was desperately trying to make eye contact with Steve to warn him that he looked like a complete flamer in this shiny/tight/short leather jacket. I was laughing and imagined what shoes he would wear with that? What pants? It was FAR too Italian for my outdoorsy, unfashionable, laid back husband. The next jacket was amazing. It was a buffalo hide and it was casual yet perfect for my Steve! Oh how I wanted him to buy it! Then he said to the salesman “why don’t you find one for my wife” and the very first one he brought me was amazing! It was a dark brown fitted little bomber jacket with a cadet collar. It was so pretty. I felt like a sassy euro chick. The ensemble would have been complete with some high heels and a mo-ped. I even tried Pursis Maximus on with the jacket and they got along great. Steve suggested that I think about whether I really want a jacket and if I’d really wear it, so we left. Maybe he was right and my decision making skills were foggy from the fabulous smell and the soft feel of the leather. Then we went into another leather shop. Oh man. Once again I am overwhelmed and I am wearing “the one.” This time it had a little belt at the bottom and was just as sassy as the last. I needed to clear my head and sleep on it- sad to report I left another leather store without a jacket. However, I have had some time to consider the purchase and the logistics involved in sending one home (along with Maximus) and Steve and I will be shopping for my leather jacket in Rome.   

There are many museums in Florence. We decided to go to the Acadamia primarily to see Michaelango’s Statue of David. The room housing the statue was specifically built for it in the late 1800’s when it was relocated from the Piazza della Signora after being struck by lightening (a replica is in its place now). It was fabulous! Sometimes I wonder why things are called masterpieces- but not with this one! I remember my parents having a statue of David. I don’t know why they had it (a wedding gift?) I will have to ask about this...Strange how things in other parts of the world can stir up memories from your childhood in Elkford! Anyway, the Italians are mighty strict on enforcing a “no pictures, no video” policy in Museums and Galleries. We managed to get a little stealth footage of David anyway. We visited the Uffizi gallery as well. This one (like many others) claims to have the greatest collection of art in Europe. We saw works by Michaelangelo, Donatello, Bernini, and Bonachelli...They were all neat because we had seen them before- just not in real life. I liked them all more than the Mona Lisa :)

Finally, we went to the Galileo exhibits in the Science museum. This was my favorite. The displays showed tools and drawings early astronomers produced and used as they made discoveries about the solar system and the earth. It was unbelievable. There was a collection of tools used by Galileo himself. His telescope was on display. And his middle finger. Yup, Galileo’s middle finger was in a case. Apparently it was cut it off after his death. Its the same finger he wore that red ring on...

From Florence we had to make a big decision. Make a whirlwind trip to Venice or take our time getting to Rome? We decided on the latter and Venice will have to be seen another time. We are now in Siena and staying in a cabin type thing in a campground. There is a nice pool and a cafe. We enjoyed the pool on the hot day we got here and today it has been nothing but thunder and showers! We have met a friendly couple from Parksville who are brave enough to be RV’ing around Italy. They have offered us a ride to Rome and we will leave with them tomorrow morning. 

Pisa

We leave beautiful Cinque Terre and head south to Florence. We have to change trains in Pisa so we take this opportunity to go see the Leaning Tower. We stash our packs at the baggage storage service and leave the station. I’m thinking the tower will be neat but nothing super exciting. I was wrong! We came around the corner and suddenly there was a large cathedral and a white tower leaning. This Leaning Tower of Pisa is really leaning, not just a little bit, but a lot! It was captivating. Sometimes its the things you hear about, read about, or see in the movies that can grab your attention the most (this becomes very evident in the museums in Florence). There are hoards of tourists here. Steve joins the other tourists posing in the “I’m going to push the leaning tower up” stance. I can’t seem to get the alignment right and another tourist takes over for me. He does a decent job and Steve is happy to have this dorky photo (especially for you Tara!)

Cinque Terre

If anyone has ever been in a car with the temperature outside at least thirty degrees with no air conditioning and the windows rolled up for nearly two hours I know how you felt. We were more than relieved to get off this train and be in Monterosso. We went to the tourism office and the lady working there was very nice. We picked a hotel out of our travel book and she phoned them to see if they had room. We got a room and in the process met a couple of Americans from Seattle. We all set off for the hotel. I love how in Italy you ask for a “matrimonial” bed if you want a double bed...hahaha. Our room was large and had a big window that let in plenty of light. I think the sea-foam green decor was an au natural form of air conditioning because even without a fan or air conditioner the room actually felt cool. We wandered around the little town and peeked in some of the shops. I saw a dress that I had also seen in the market in Milan- however it was 25 more euros in Cinque Terre! We got some gelato and watched the sunset by the water. Later on we met up with the Americans for dinner. I really enjoyed strolling in the evenings- the air was so warm and the shops were so cute. We had some Limoncello samples at a shop selling liqueurs, wines, jams and honey. We then went for a drink at a local bar.

The next day Steve and I set out on the Cinque Terre trail. We should have left earlier because by 10am it was already hot out. The alloted time between the first two towns was 1h40mins. The terrain was up hill and up steps for sometime and then leveled off a little. Then all the elevation gain is lost when you enter the next town. The views were beautiful and we entered the next town of Vernazza hot and hungry. We went for a quick dip in the water and then had a piece of pizza. Looking at the map, we opted to take the train to the next town Corniglia as it was another long hike with elevation gain. From Corniglia we took the trail to Manarola- this is the Cinque Terre town that seems to represent the whole area- we walked around the corner and there it was in all its quaint, colorful, old world charm. The last leg of the trail took us through the famed tunnel of love and on to Riomaggiore. From here we took the train all the way back to Monterosso and went out for dinner and gelato with the Americans.

Our first taste of Italy!

We arrive at the bus terminal in Milan, except it doesn’t feel like we are in a city at all. We are somewhere on the outside of the city center and once again without a map. We use the metro map to guesstimate where we should go and at the same time follow the crowds. We end up right smack in the heart of Milan. We climb the stairs from the metro and are greeted with the massive Duomo. There is a huge square and people and pigeons everywhere. We find tourist information and get a map. I had researched a place to stay but couldn’t figure out how to book online. We had the address and in the smoking hot heat started to walk there. It was very hot. I can’t decide if its worse to be walking with my pack on in the heat or in the rain. Along the way we pass many three and four star hotels- and in Italy they charge the room per person. Its not 60 euro for a room, its 60 euro per person. Yikes. We finally get to the little place I found online only to find out its full. I was surprised by this because the day before it had rooms- but tourism season is among us now... Luckily though, we found a place just a few minutes down the street. The manager was hilarious and really helped us out with information and directions.

We showered and set out for our only night in Milan. We walked back to the main square. It was even more busy now- more people, more pigeons, artists, music, a low-key photo shoot, a loud protest with riot police on stand-by. Steve tired to punt some pigeons by luring them in with crumbs from his gelato cone. I thought we were going to fined or something because he was laughing like a mad man as he tried to kick the birds. I tried it too, but I just tapped them and it was gross feeling the feathers on my foot. I had read about a street market and after a long and diligent effort we had no luck finding it. We chose a little place for dinner on a pedestrian only street and watched the people go by. I read that Milan is a financial and fashion center. I don’t know about the financial stuff but the fashion was definitely flashy! Men and women, old and young, were completely put together. High heels (I study how they walk on all this cobblestone and it still baffles me), hats, jewelry, mini dresses, nothing makes you feel more like a grubby traveler than being in Milan! I don’t think people here need a reason to dress so flamboyantly-they just do it. Or maybe they do it because everyone does it. We passed by many designer shops but my favorite was a high end home decor store showing off bath tubs shaped like high heels! I thought of my city mom enjoying some wine and a dip in the gigantic shoe...

Anyway, during our dinner, two men (a turk and an aussie) were seated beside us. Personal space once again pushed to the limits as our tables were touching. We started chatting and they turned out to be editors for reality tv shows (Big Brother, Survivor, and some european shows). I was excited- could I be cast for Survivor!? Should I tell them my awesome new twist for the show? I played it cool. I’m pretty sure they were legit- especially after seeing them alongside Pamela Anderson and a bunch of other bay watch playboy bunny types on their camera. The aussie owns a restaurant and hotel in southern Turkey and spends a lot of time there. He gave us some great tips, warnings, and ideas for our visit there. The turk was more interested in how we could be traveling for nine months and had many questions for us...

Before leaving for the bus station we thought we would grab a little breakfast. We stepped out of the hotel to find the street outside transformed into a market! Yay! We strolled through the market and then sat for a cappuccino and orange juice with a croissant. I didn’t buy anything at the market but had a good time looking...We went back for our packs, headed to the train station and bought tickets for Cinque Terre.

Chamonix!

Chamonix was amazing! We rented a little chalet located below Mont Blanc and its Bossons Glacier. The chalet was a 15 minute hike from the train station but the air was fresh and the views were awesome. We spent a week hiking in the valley and taking in the Alps. For Stevie’s birthday I made him a Chocolate Fondant cake (from a box of course) and it was delicious! We didn’t realize that fondant is that kind of cake that is supposed to be gooey in the middle so at first we thought I didn’t cook it enough. We got out the computer and googled a bit and found this cake is supposed to be like that- then we ate it - hahahah! I got him a bottle of wine and an ice axe pen, he also bought himself a Millet climbing shirt (thanks Grandma Oliver). We thought we would do a day trip to Switzerland for his big day...we did get there, but not very far. We took the French train into Switzerland and had to switch trains at a station that was closed. The Swiss conductor said “You have cash money?” and we said “yes!” and we got on. Just before the train took off he came to sell us our tickets and said “50 euro” and we said “What?! 50 Euro? No way!” And then we jumped off the train and ran back to our French one. We didn’t realize this half hour ride would cost that much! If we were going to see the Matterhorn or something really interesting it may have been a different result, but the town we were going to only had a St. Bernard museum...we spent the day in Chamonix.

On anther occasion we went on hike to Lake Vert. The trails in Chamonix are well maintained and well marked. This one led up a green valley tightly squeezed between the mountains and the fields were dotted with houses that looked like coo coo clocks. It was a great hike with a fair amount of elevation gain, when we reached the lake we were shocked to see people walking around eating gelato, and then a large parking lot full of cars, motorbikes, and a tour bus! Turns out there is a paved road all the way up to the lake AND restaurant! It wasn’t a secluded little lake like we had imagined but more like Stanley Park- still enjoyed the adventure.

We were too early in the season for the chair lifts to be open for hikers and mountain bikers- there was still too much snow at 2000 meters. On our last day in Chamonix, we took the gondola up to the “Aguille de Midi” and reached 3842 meters!! The first half of the ride was speedy and every time we hit a pylon the cart would sway and rattle, as we approached the midway station at a speed I didn’t know gondola’s could even move at, we hit a pylon that was just too exciting and I let out a yelp- sometimes you just can’t contain the fear and excitement! We got off the cart and were at 2315 meters- 1.5 kms to go- vertically. Gulp. A load of ‘hell’s angles - holland’ got off the cart and I tried to get some stealth photo’s- I don’t know why...perhaps I was meant to be a spy :) Steve said the ones who wear the jackets are not the ones to worry about...but I figure its good spy practice anyways. The second gondola was much slower but much more vertical. As we approached the top it felt as though we had landed on another planet. It was icey, rocky and completely barren. The wind whistled like mad as we approached. We were struck by the cold as the doors slid open and the gondola swayed in the wind. We literally had to time our departure off the gondola due to the movement from the wind. We explored the many platforms to take in the extensive views of the alps. Some peaks were poking into the clouds and the Matterhorn was just out of site. The wind would occasionally die down and give us a reprieve, but when it was blowing it was so intense we were choking on our own words - same feeling as sticking your head out of a car window while cruising down the highway. And it was cold. Very cold. We kept ourselves tucked into our hoods and hands in pockets. We took an elevator through the rock to the final viewing platform. We could see mountaineers training on the glaciers, para-sailers below us in the valley, and the high risk skiers not willing to quit for the season. This is interesting too, skiing here is your own risk- there is no big news report when someone dies because they chose to take a risk. There are no investigations and there is zero threat to close lifts or restrict areas. Our host told us “50 people die every year here skiing.” Anyway, I got as many photo’s as I could but then the camera died! AGH!! I was really upset by this. The battery light had flashed at the bottom, but usually we have a good amount of time before it dies- I think the cold sped the process up. Steve tried to cheer me up and solve the problem by warming the battery in his armpit- but apparently there is no negotiating with lithium. Still an amazing day!

It was really a nice change to stay in the chalet and cook for ourselves. I loved strolling through the grocery store and buying local stuff. Not like I’m big into cooking or great in the kitchen (Something I want to change) but being on the road this long and not cooking or creating is getting to me. Steve is the opposite- he loves going out and hasn’t become tired of it. One night we went to a restaurant which from the outside appeared to be something like a burger stand. I ordered a skewer of meat that came with some rice and couscous salad. Steve wanted salmon. When the chef (who was also the waiter) took Steve’s order he rambled off a quick sentence filled with excitement and Steve just beamed and replied “Oui!!” The chef hurried off. I looked at my husband who was grinning away- “did he just say ‘Salmon Tar-tar...as in tar tar raw?”...Steve’s grin faded and he said “ all I heard was salmon.” He decided to go with it, be adventurous and not run after the waiter. I began to think that maybe I heard wrong- but when our orders came to the table Steve was served a raw hunk of salmon on salad- with caviar on top. Oh, and little piles of red and black caviar all around the plate. Steve describes the meal as “a good french experience, but I wouldn’t order it again.” The caviars were like fish flavored salt bombs. I felt bad for him for not getting any warm food for dinner and gave him most of my meat and half my delicious rice.

There is an 11km long highway tunneled through Mount Blanc connecting France to Italy. We took a bus through this tunnel and made our way to Milan.

La Rochelle to Lyon

We went to a giite in the West of France for our second “helping” project. We were in an isolated hamlet, population: 4. There were many projects to work on but we focused most of our energy on tearing down an old outhouse that was half concrete and paving a path in its place, clearing a space of land and planting a vegetable garden, and general weeding/clearing land. Steve spent some time working on mechanical things too. Our hosts were kind and shared plenty of wine and cheese and good meals with us. We took a train to the west coast for a weekend, staying in a town called La Rochelle. It was a long weekend and there was a redbull cliff diving competition taking place so finding a room took some time and effort. We went to one hotel only to find that they too were full, Steve asked to use the washroom and the service lady was reluctant but gave in (must have been his charm) as he was in the washroom, the lady found a room that had been reserved but the party hadn’t shown up- so we got the room! I was relieved! Good Karma strikes again. Steve discovered a new sandwich in La Rochelle- the “Super American” and from french we translated it to be a steak sandwich with sauce and fries. We were right, but the set up was unexpected as the fries were literally stuffed into the sandwich! Steve loved it. We finished up at the giite and caught a train to Lyon. We arrived at Lyon at 8pm, every hotel we went to in a two and a half hour time frame was ‘complet’- FULL!! It wasn’t a long weekend, but a week of spring break! Agh! I was secretly scoping out places to take cover for the night (under trees, stairwells, parking lots) and later Steve told me he was doing the same thing. Luckily, we struck gold! We got a room that was a bit pricey, but it came with a little kitchenette, so we were able to save money by not eating out much. We didn’t find a whole lot of things to see or do in Lyon (although just wandering the streets was interesting) so we followed the guide book and it recommended we see a famous antique coo coo clock in a local cathedral. We walked across the city to find the cathedral and found a small gathering of eager tourists around the clock in one of the chapels. The clock was massive and intricately designed with astrological signs and pagan symbols on the sides and front. At the top were figurines like Mary, Angels and probably Saints. We took a seat and waited. Four o’clock finally struck and the chapel went quiet as the clock started to coo coo. I wasn’t expecting fireworks or anything but it turned out to be a twenty second event with noisy untuned bells and barely any movement. At the end everyone sort of sat there as if that was just the warm up and the real show was about to begin. But nothing happened. Someone started clapping, so we all joined in with clapping and laughter.

Next stop: Chamonix!

New photos

We did not realize that all our photo albums were not public... Now they are!!!

Here is the web addy again, so grab an other drink and take a look at all the photos-there's a lot!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/steveandbjoliver

Rouen

We decide to travel to Northern France where we visit Rouen and Dieppe. Rouen is a small city primarily known for its associations with Joan of Arc. An elderly French gentleman chats with Steve on the train ride to Rouen (I can’t talk because that would require me to look sideways which makes me too nauseated) and says “Now you will see why the French hate the English!” Referring to Joan of Arc being burnt at the stake for heresy. Today the French claim her to be a Saint- so in a nutshell, they have a six hundred year old grudge against the English for burning their patron saint. 

We get off the train in Rouen and it starts raining. We scurry around looking for a room and find one that is listed in our travel book (I should clarify, its no longer a travel book- for the sake of space and weight, its a bunch of papers carefully extracted out of the travel book with an exacto knife.) The hotel is old but warm and comfortable- we even get our own bathroom complete with a hair dryer! We have started to appreciate such comforts and refer to them as “luxury items”- sometimes its an extra pillow, sometimes its hangers in the closet. We walk through the old streets of Rouen which are now home to trendy boutiques and cafes. We buy an umbrella which proves to be invaluable as we get poured on daily- needless to say, we’ve mastered the two-man/one umbrella position. Joan of Arc memorabilia is everywhere! I find it interesting that a Saint appears to have achieved celebrity status- you can buy anything with Joan of Arc plastered on it. There were also streets, churches, cafes, and even bars named after her. To get out of one of the rain storms, we visited the Joan of Arc wax museum- it was cheap and dorky but probably high tech in the ’70’s, but we had a good time anyway. We also went to the tower where Joan was held prisoner during her trial and then to the site where she was burnt at the stake.  

Traces of WW2 can be seen in Rouen- older buildings and the Cathedral have bullet and shrapnel damage to the stone. To prevent the Cathedral from collapsing, scaffolding and braces were erected and sand bags replaced the stained glass windows in the church. It worked, and only part of the building had to be replaced.

Because of all the train rides causing my stomach to spin, Steve suggested I go to the pharmacy and get something to help that wouldn’t make me tired. I went in, and to my complete surprise, they had anti-nausea pressure point bracelets. I wasn’t sure if they would work but Steve said is was worth trying. Turns out, they do work for me!! Since getting them, train rides have been much more enjoyable! I can read and even look out the windows!

Euro Disney

Since planning our trip, Steve has been adamant that we visit Euro Disney and after spending so much time at monuments and in museums it sounded like a good idea to do something lighthearted. The park is outside the city, to get there we took the train. Little did we know, you have to buy a different kind of ticket to get through the gates at the train stop at Disneyland. We just got on with our normal metro tickets and when we arrived at the other end, we couldn’t get through the gates! We were stuck, until Steve suddenly took off and flung himself between two gates after a woman went through. He yelled “BEEJ! BEEJ!” and I went running in too- it was funny how the gates were squishing him. At first I was paranoid that we had broken into Disney land- but really we had just unknowingly scammed the metro.

We had a blast at the park! In all our ten years of bliss we had yet to visit a theme park! I don’t handle rides very well and I found out after the first roller coaster that neither does Steve! We managed three big rides and then hung out on the non-spinning kiddy rides. Since leaving home Steve has gone through hot dog withdrawals- he got his fix with a foot long Dijon laden weenie- boiled- just how he likes it!! We never ran into Mickey or any princesses or any characters in the park- I was a little disappointed! We only saw them when we watched the daily Disney parade and I have to say it was strange to see Mickey Mouse speaking and singing in French! 

J'adore Paris!

A sleepless ride on the overnight train to Paris and I have my first fumble. The train first. We board and have seats that face two other passengers. Turns out there are a lot of North American travelers in this cabin and we spend the evening chatting. I venture off to find the food cabin- hunger is setting in and I know it will be a long night with no food. The train is moving fast, I am struggling to keep my balance as I make my way through each cabin. The cabins are sleeper cabins so at least I’m not falling on to strangers laps :) Sixteen cabins later and I find food! Woohoo! Now I have to make my way back to report to Steve that there is food, take his order, and get some money. I trek the sixteen cabins back. Steve doesn’t want food so I get my money and one of the girls from the cabin joins me. We get some food and return to the cabin-  total of 64 cabins for me...I’m wobbly but its pitch black out and I think that helps lessen the queasiness. I settle back to my seat and end up sharing my grilled cheese with Steve who suddenly gets hungry when he smells food. We settle in for the night but I barely sleep- its just not that comfortable. We finally roll into Paris at 9am. Here is where I fumble. Most people know how good I am at losing my phone (still missing by the way if any of you find one with a butterfly on it) or misplacing my keys...so we are entering the station and I realize I have no purse- which more importantly means no passports! EEEEK! Steve takes my pack and I sprint (well, my version of sprinting) back to the cabin. Sure enough my purse is tucked in between the seat and the train wall- out of sight out of mind. Thankfully it was the end of the line and the train was still there-Phew! We have no map, no hotel, and no idea where to go. A man approaches us to help us find a hotel- we decline- its a beautiful morning and we have all day. We get a map from the train station and decide to cross the Seine and look for a room. It all goes smoothly... we find a hotel and discuss prices en francais and check out a room (we save money by having only a shower and no toilet). We are eager and excited and go up with our packs- not knowing it is seven stories up- no elevator. The Room is sorta dingy, but we are anxious to go see the city and decide to take it. We go back downstairs to pay- with our packs on- then up again with our packs- great training for the mountains! We shower and head out. We stop at a cafe and this is where we meet a pastry chef named Vincent. He gives us a metro map, advice, and tips for visiting France. We buy some baguette sandwiches and yogurts and drinks. We are all giddy and excited to be in Paris!! We walk along the Seine, stop for lunch and pass many sites (Notre Dame, The Louvre) but we are going straight to the Eiffel tower. Turns out you can see the Eiffel tower for a long ways before you actually get to it! Our walk was approximately 5kms. The tower is super fantastic! Its huge and interesting and just plain iconic! We buy tickets to take the stairs to the second platform- only 40 stories up! The views are amazing! The city spreads out as far as we can see. We had a wonderful time up there! Next we take the metro to the Arc de Triumph which is also very cool! Every street in Paris seems to have something interesting on it. Before setting out each morning we would visit Vincent in his cafe. He made the most delicious quiches and tarts...I was flattered when Vincent offered me his quiche recipe! The louvre was neat too- we went to see Mona Lisa, and must admit I felt there was some unnecessary hype over it. She was in a large room and we had to push our way through a crowd just to catch a glimpse and take a photo. The remainder of the Louvre was packed with paintings, statues, and ancient artifacts from all over the world- after five hours in there we were exhausted. 

Trying to find authentic french food was somewhat of a challenge! I saw people eating crepes from street vendors so I thought I should try one out. I ordered a nutella one (like most of the french customers) and watched the crepe man go to work. He spread out the batter and when it was cooked he scooped maybe 1/4 of a cup of nutella on it and spread it out. He wrapped it up, handed it to me and said “voila!” It was good at first, but the bottom of the crepe felt like a water balloon about to burst with nutella! We tried to ring it out a little, but it was in the folds of the crepe...anyways, I haven’t had nutella since but I have tried other types of crepes which are yummy!

It was in Paris that I realized Steve either didn’t pay attention in French class or has forgotten most of what was taught. He thinks both. He was peeved at our second hotel when the owner accused him of “not liking the french, you hate the french, I can see it in your face- you hate the french!” because Steve couldn’t speak french...hmmm....

One afternoon Steve took me to a designer boutique where french movie stars shop. The clothes were mostly runway samples. We went in the little boutique- Steve read a magazine while I fondled the most expensive articles of clothing I’ve ever seen. Fur coats priced at 5000 euro, blouses for 500 euro, and crazy looking couture articles that I don’t know if any would actually ever wear! The owner was a nice lady- I’m sure she saw tourists like us on a regular basis and knew we were there just for the experience. The only thing I bought in Paris was Yves Rocher hand lotion and a tiny Eiffel tower for the Christmas tree! 

I loved the eiffel tower at night, wandering around Notre Dame, seeing where Marie Antoinette was beheaded, and riding bikes in the gardens at Versailles. We enjoyed Paris immensely! It is a beautiful city full of history, baguettes, berets and french fashionista’s.  I hope we can go back someday! 

Barcelona

 With no tickets left for second class we bought first class from Seville to Barcelona but when we boarded the train we realized our seats weren’t beside each other- in fact we weren’t even in the same cabin! ai-eeee! Occasionally Steve would bring me snacks from our bag and come to check on me. Our train ride from took two hours longer than expected...this worked out in our favor when we were credited 50% of the ticket cost for the delay! Steve credits his good karma for this refund as we wouldn’t have got it if the women he traded seats with wouldn’t have told him. It was a very long ride though.  

Our Catalan friends (Joel & Nuria) hooked us up with some of their Catalan friends (Xavi & Sonia) and they were soooo awesome to let us stay with them in their flat. The flat was in a nice part of the city with lots of shops and places to eat, it was also close to the metro and to the touristic area’s of BCN.

Barcelona is a lively and interesting city. We didn’t see all of Gaudi’s work but what we did see was simply spectacular! We visited the Sacred Family church (still a work in progress) where there was an interactive museum- this explained how Gaudi was inspired by nature and how he incorporated it into his architecture. The columns in the cathedral looked like giant trees with the ceiling as a canopy. If I’m still alive when the cathedral is complete I would loooove to go back and check it out! 

We also went to Montserrat, a monastery just outside of BCN. We sat beside an incredibly arrogant, loud, and weird American woman on the train ride there. I’m pretty sure she was poppin some pills that were making her more wacky. She went on and on about Obama, politics, healthcare, etc...ugh. Anyways, I got nauseated on this train ride because I had a sideways sitting seat. We came to our stop and jumped on a cable car to take us to the top. The monastery was located at the top of this massive rock formation. We found cover in a doorway from the pouring rain and had a little picnic. From the monastery we took a funicular up the rock even higher- the weather was nasty but we still had great views and had fun exploring- the thunder was a little too close for comfort! We went to the cathedral to see the black Madonna and the little black baby Jesus on her lap. We had seen replicas of this statue before, but now we were at the real deal. We went to the gift shop to have our little history lesson in the tourist books and learned the statue is black due to the varnish used and hundreds of years of being exposed to black smoke from candles. Believers make pilgrimages to see her. When you get to her you put your hand on one part (it looks like a pine cone) and kiss a sphere she is holding. I imagine you also say a prayer while you do this. So we got in line and went to see her- she is kept in an ornate little room that overlooks the entire cathedral, the statue is kept in a glass container except for the parts you are allowed to touch. I got a stealth picture of her -I wasn’t sure it was appropriate or permitted to take photos and there was a priest behind me in the line- I touched the pine cone and said a prayer, but under all this pressure I hesitated and didn’t kiss the sphere. Steve didn’t kiss the sphere either- he grabbed it with his bare hand. I suggested we both get back in line and go do it properly, but we were on a mission for cheese. Sonia asked us to pick up some “Mato” cheese- she explained its the best when its from Montserrat. We went to the information counter and Steve asked the employee where we get the Mato. The lady smiled and replied “Mato?”- as if she was asking how we knew of their fabulous cheese- she directed us to go down the street to the left. We went and sure enough there were a dozen cheese vendors lined up. The mato looked something similar to cottage cheese- only firmer and drier. Sonia showed us that they eat the mato with honey on it- and it tasted pretty darn good! She also made us a typical Catalan soup made with vegetables, sausage, noodles and a pig foot for flavor. Delicious! Xavi introduced Steve to nutella and I’m sure we will be buying it when we get home! He also took us to an amazing kebab place...we love kebab. I thought the food in BCN was great- lots of variety and it was everywhere! Each time we walked by the market on the Ramblas I bought fresh fruit salad (I was overjoyed) and Steve got fresh fruit smoothies- but we passed on buying the saran wrapped sheep heads... 

This being our last city in Spain and our only time in Catalan, we had to make Joel proud so we bought some Manchego cheese as he suggested (it was super) and a very typical and special Catalan Christmas decoration.