Fam comes to Paris!

Just as Marisa left, Mom, Ted and T arrived. Despite eyes weary with jetlag, we headed over to the Marche Aligre to buy some fruits, veggies and lunch items for the week. After eating some of these items back at Aunt Sue's apartment, we headed out for a walk. We walked down towards the River Seine and walked along the left bank until we got to Notre Dame. On the way back, we stopped for some gelato on Ile St Louis. While Sue and the men waited on line, mom and I drooled in front of the window of my favorite scarf store, Bayram. Though dissatisfied with not buying anything at the scarf store, the gelato was able to distract us.

Throughout the rest of the week, we hit some fun tourist destinations:
1) The top of the Sacre Coeur












Un petit cafe:












The Opera House (Garnier):

Aaaammmmsterdaaam (red lights, coffee shops and beer, oh my!)

I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning and hopped a flight to Amsterdam. I met Marisa and her friend Sharon at the airport there. We took the train to our hotel then went out to meet Sharon's friend Jemma (who is studying abroad in Amsterdam) for a pancake lunch (think: salty or sweet crepes - only bigger!). Jemma showed us around a bit, then we went out on our own to explore. We took a boat tour that took us through the canals and gave us a bit of history (they explained that the large hooks on the gables of the buildings are there so people can move in and out, since their stairways are so narrow). That night, we had dinner at a bar near the red light district (believe it or not, it's difficult NOT to go out around there - it's huge!)

The next day, we started out at the Anne Frank House. This is where she and her family hid out during WWII. I think I was too young when I read her book to understand what an amazing writer she was - she was only 13 years old!

That afternoon, we headed over to the Heineken Factory to see how the famous beer gets made. We got to see how the beer was processed and what goes into it. If anyone goes on the tour, DO NOT eat the hops... I wish I had gotten a picture of Marisa's face as she munched on a large pinch of that green stuff...



I left Amsterdam early the next morning to go back to Paris. Sharon and Marisa stayed an extra day then headed to Paris as well. Marisa stayed with me and went to do her sightseeing thing while I worked during the day. Tuesday night was St. Patrick's Day and I found an Expat Party in Pigalle (oddly enough, right next to the Moulin Rouge). Naturally, we made Marisa a t-shirt
<---------------------- Then we drank and danced the night away:









(note to reader: I've obviously left parts out this entry... I'll leave it up to your imagination to guess what happened...)

More pics:
http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=397298016/a=145697016_145697016/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish

I <3 Madrid

I completely heart Spain. I don't know if it was the wonderful weather, the beautiful sights, or the tapas and beer, but whatever it was, I fell in love.

Saturday was the picture perfect day - it started out with breakfast and a trip to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, which is the 2nd largest private art collection after the British Royal Collection. While I knew that there were two other museums that I should go to, I just couldn't see spending the day indoors.

I headed towards Puerta del Sol and the shopping area and of course I bought something (picture to the right). Then, I continued on to the Opera House (Teatro Real), which has a beautiful garden in front of it called Plaza de Oriente that leads up to the Museo Palacio Real. Past the Museo is the magnificent La catedral de Santa María La Real de La Almudena (picture on the left) the plan for this cathedral started back in the 1600s, but wasn't completed until the 1950s. It was worth the wait-- the colors on the inside were absolutely amazing.


After visiting the cathedral, I headed over towards the Plaza Mayor. Though the name of the Plaza has changed about a dozen times over the years, the original construction was completed in 1790. It's been used for various purposes, including markets, bullfights, and executions, but now it's mainly a tourist trap.

On Sunday, I knew I had to hit a few museums, but I admit that I rushed through them just so I could get back outside. I went to see Picasso's Guernica (a reminder below - it's 11.5 feet tall and 25.5 feet wide!) at Centro de Arte Reina Sophia, then headed over to the Museo del Prado to check out the classics by Velazquez, Titian, Goya and El Greco.


After hitting the museums, I "retired" in Parque del Retiro. After soaking up some rays, I took a walk through the park to see the Palacio de Velazquez and the Palacio de Cristal. Here are some pictures that I took in the park: