I've noticed that obelisks aren't just in Egypt they are also in (top to bottom) Italy (2nd pic ) and France (3rd pic) the fist pic is in Egypt. The Italy one is stolen and the France one was a gift. By Jonah
Monday, May 31, 2010
Obelisks
I've noticed that obelisks aren't just in Egypt they are also in (top to bottom) Italy (2nd pic ) and France (3rd pic) the fist pic is in Egypt. The Italy one is stolen and the France one was a gift. By Jonah
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Stalactites, castles, and Paris
Normally, on an afternoon as lovely as this in Paris in May, we would all be out enjoying the sights and sounds of this great city. Sadly, however, both Sierra and I have been struck by a rather nasty cold and here we sit, in our cozy apartment on our computers. We did manage to rally this morning and climb up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower, then take the elevator to the top (and both of us were VERY thankful that the only way to the top is via that elevator), but an afternoon outing was a bit more than we could handle. Believe it or not, it is actually quite hot here today, so Tom and Jonah headed out to the science museum and we're sure they'll survive without us for a little while.
Before arriving in Paris on Saturday afternoon, we had a couple of fascinating experiences that I would highly recommend to any family traveling to France. The first one, last Thursday, was a visit to the Gouffre de Padirac, in Rocamadour. In contrast to the Lascaux-style cave-drawing caves, this is a stalactite/stalagmite cave--one of epic proportions. I have never been in a cave of this sort (the one we visited in the Sierras with our friends several years ago was nothing like this), and I must say it was breathtaking. We made our descent on stairs through the massive hole in the ground, to a depth of 103 meters, and onto the path running through the cave. After walking several hundred meters and enjoying the already amazing sights, we reached the spot where the cave river demands that visitors are ferried along, gondolier-style, to the other side. We enjoyed this part very much, although even a non-French speaker such as myself was able to interpret that our French speaking guide made the exact same jokes on the way in and out. Once on the shore at the other side, we followed our tour guide as we marveled at the vast open space, clear, beautiful river and ponds, water and lime-made natural dams and waterfalls, and stalactites of every shape and size. The only disappointment about this visit is that they do not allow photographs to be taken inside the cave. If they did, I imagine Sierra might still be in there. We had to get some photos off the web just to show a glimpse of the experience we had (it's not actually us in that photo, but you get the idea).
Our other unusual and very interesting experience before arriving in Paris, was our visit to Guedelon, a medieval-style castle being built right now almost entirely using 13th century building techniques. Begun in the late 90's by a dedicated team of enthusiasts, this castle will be completed over a 25-year time frame, providing jobs for 50 people, and an educational experience for thousands. It is fascinating to see the work being done and to try to imagine what life was like hundreds of years ago when the considerations that go into the construction were matters of life and death, not simply issues of historical accuracy. If you don't think you'll be able to make it there in person, I recommend checking out the website, which has lots of great photos and information: www.guedelon.org. Very cool place.
Despite our sickness, we have managed to hit the top three sites in Paris so far, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Luxembourg Gardens. We have strolled the streets and found our favorite local patisserie (very important). We have lots more on our list--too much, in fact, to complete in the few days we have left--and we hope that the weather and our bodies will cooperate so that we can enjoy the many opportunities this city has to offer.
Before arriving in Paris on Saturday afternoon, we had a couple of fascinating experiences that I would highly recommend to any family traveling to France. The first one, last Thursday, was a visit to the Gouffre de Padirac, in Rocamadour. In contrast to the Lascaux-style cave-drawing caves, this is a stalactite/stalagmite cave--one of epic proportions. I have never been in a cave of this sort (the one we visited in the Sierras with our friends several years ago was nothing like this), and I must say it was breathtaking. We made our descent on stairs through the massive hole in the ground, to a depth of 103 meters, and onto the path running through the cave. After walking several hundred meters and enjoying the already amazing sights, we reached the spot where the cave river demands that visitors are ferried along, gondolier-style, to the other side. We enjoyed this part very much, although even a non-French speaker such as myself was able to interpret that our French speaking guide made the exact same jokes on the way in and out. Once on the shore at the other side, we followed our tour guide as we marveled at the vast open space, clear, beautiful river and ponds, water and lime-made natural dams and waterfalls, and stalactites of every shape and size. The only disappointment about this visit is that they do not allow photographs to be taken inside the cave. If they did, I imagine Sierra might still be in there. We had to get some photos off the web just to show a glimpse of the experience we had (it's not actually us in that photo, but you get the idea).
Our other unusual and very interesting experience before arriving in Paris, was our visit to Guedelon, a medieval-style castle being built right now almost entirely using 13th century building techniques. Begun in the late 90's by a dedicated team of enthusiasts, this castle will be completed over a 25-year time frame, providing jobs for 50 people, and an educational experience for thousands. It is fascinating to see the work being done and to try to imagine what life was like hundreds of years ago when the considerations that go into the construction were matters of life and death, not simply issues of historical accuracy. If you don't think you'll be able to make it there in person, I recommend checking out the website, which has lots of great photos and information: www.guedelon.org. Very cool place.
Despite our sickness, we have managed to hit the top three sites in Paris so far, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Luxembourg Gardens. We have strolled the streets and found our favorite local patisserie (very important). We have lots more on our list--too much, in fact, to complete in the few days we have left--and we hope that the weather and our bodies will cooperate so that we can enjoy the many opportunities this city has to offer.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Provence, Toulouse, and the Dordogne
Hmmm. Can I really fit all three of these regions into a single blog post? I think I will need to be concise, as I have obviously fallen behind in the last two weeks. The schedule is so packed, it's hard to keep up!
For those of you following our weather woes, I am sorry to say that they continued relentlessly until about two days ago. Rain, hail, thunder, lightning, wind, and cold weather. Many, many dark threatening clouds on a daily basis. NOT what we were expecting from the first 17 days of May. However, I am happy to say that things seem to be improving! Today, it is actually warm and sunny, as it was yesterday. Monday wasn't so bad either. Not particularly warm, but it didn't rain. Perhaps there is hope for May yet. Of course, once the warm spring weather is here to stay, we'll be on our way to the rain and cold of Ireland. Sigh.
In the last 11 days, we have visited all of the following places: Mougins, St. Paul de Vence, Gourdon, Grand Canyon du Verdon, Augines, Rustrel, Rousillon, Buoux, St. Remy, Arles, Les Baux, Nimes, Escalquens (small suburb of Toulouse where we spent a wonderful weekend with our friends the Alberts), La Roque Gageac, and Les Eyzies, plus the town where we are currently staying, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Would you like to hear a little bit about each of those places? I didn't think so. Suffice it to say that we have seen: tons of fabulous scenery, many castles (both free standing and built into hillsides), old forts, quaint old walled cities, ocre cliffs, the monastery where Van Gogh painted many of his finest works, many ancient Roman ruins, good friends who we don't get to see nearly often enough, a park with life-sized scenes from prehistoric life, and prehistoric caves (both real and extremely well reproduced).
We have hiked a lot, gone canoeing twice, shopped, played petanque and volleyball, taken many pictures, run through several rain storms, seen a falconry show, launched a trebuchet (Jonah), had lunch in a creperie populated entirely by Rick readers, visited museums, and, well, you get the idea . . ..
That "super short" slide show I've been trying to create of our whole trip just gets longer and longer. Maybe I shouldn't mention that. I don't want to deter anyone from wanting to spend time with us when we return home. Here are a very few of the hundreds of photos of the last 11 days.
Just a couple of the many beautiful sights in the Grand Canyon du Verdon.
On Saturday, we head to Paris, where we will spend one week. Then, we have one more week in France before we leave for two weeks in Ireland and five days in London. Our adventure is going to be over before we know it!
For those of you following our weather woes, I am sorry to say that they continued relentlessly until about two days ago. Rain, hail, thunder, lightning, wind, and cold weather. Many, many dark threatening clouds on a daily basis. NOT what we were expecting from the first 17 days of May. However, I am happy to say that things seem to be improving! Today, it is actually warm and sunny, as it was yesterday. Monday wasn't so bad either. Not particularly warm, but it didn't rain. Perhaps there is hope for May yet. Of course, once the warm spring weather is here to stay, we'll be on our way to the rain and cold of Ireland. Sigh.
In the last 11 days, we have visited all of the following places: Mougins, St. Paul de Vence, Gourdon, Grand Canyon du Verdon, Augines, Rustrel, Rousillon, Buoux, St. Remy, Arles, Les Baux, Nimes, Escalquens (small suburb of Toulouse where we spent a wonderful weekend with our friends the Alberts), La Roque Gageac, and Les Eyzies, plus the town where we are currently staying, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Would you like to hear a little bit about each of those places? I didn't think so. Suffice it to say that we have seen: tons of fabulous scenery, many castles (both free standing and built into hillsides), old forts, quaint old walled cities, ocre cliffs, the monastery where Van Gogh painted many of his finest works, many ancient Roman ruins, good friends who we don't get to see nearly often enough, a park with life-sized scenes from prehistoric life, and prehistoric caves (both real and extremely well reproduced).
We have hiked a lot, gone canoeing twice, shopped, played petanque and volleyball, taken many pictures, run through several rain storms, seen a falconry show, launched a trebuchet (Jonah), had lunch in a creperie populated entirely by Rick readers, visited museums, and, well, you get the idea . . ..
That "super short" slide show I've been trying to create of our whole trip just gets longer and longer. Maybe I shouldn't mention that. I don't want to deter anyone from wanting to spend time with us when we return home. Here are a very few of the hundreds of photos of the last 11 days.
Paddling our way from the crystal clear lake to the Verdun River
The remains of the chapel at Fort de Boux
Jonah prepares to launch the trebuchet
Roman ruins in Nimes
Our wonderful friends, the Alberts
The Pont de Gard
On Saturday, we head to Paris, where we will spend one week. Then, we have one more week in France before we leave for two weeks in Ireland and five days in London. Our adventure is going to be over before we know it!
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Cote d'Azur
This week on the French Riviera has been full of amazing sights and scenery. So many sights and so much scenery, in fact, that I already have trouble keeping it all straight as I flip through the photos of our adventures (quite an old-fashioned image that conjures up, huh?). Over the past week, we have visited Nice, Ile Sainte Marguerite, Antibes, Cap d'Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cap Ferrat, Eze, and La Turbie. Thanks to Tom and Rick, we've enjoyed many beautiful hikes, charming towns, crashing waves, awesome museums, and late, late lunches (OK, we didn't exactly plan it that way, but with all the sights and scenery, lunch usually didn't happen before 3:00).
We saw two of our favorite museums of the entire trip this week, the Picasso Museum in Antibes, and the Chagall Museum in Nice. The visits to these museums inspired artistic musings in all of us. It remains to be seen if those inspirations will ever translate to canvas, but it's nice to dream. As Chagall said, "In art as well as in life, anything is possible, provided there is love." Luckily, we have a lot of love, because some of us (Lauren and Tom in particular) will really need it if we're going to create some art.
This morning, we leave for the Grand Canyon du Verdun, where we will enjoy some hiking and green space. Hopefully, we won't be enjoying any snow, but with the weather as it's been, it is hard to predict. Our next two weeks will find us moving around quite a bit, seeing many sights, visiting some old friends in Toulouse, making our way to Paris. Internet availability will be spotty, but we will post when we can! In the meantime, here are some photos of our adventures over the last week.
We saw two of our favorite museums of the entire trip this week, the Picasso Museum in Antibes, and the Chagall Museum in Nice. The visits to these museums inspired artistic musings in all of us. It remains to be seen if those inspirations will ever translate to canvas, but it's nice to dream. As Chagall said, "In art as well as in life, anything is possible, provided there is love." Luckily, we have a lot of love, because some of us (Lauren and Tom in particular) will really need it if we're going to create some art.
This morning, we leave for the Grand Canyon du Verdun, where we will enjoy some hiking and green space. Hopefully, we won't be enjoying any snow, but with the weather as it's been, it is hard to predict. Our next two weeks will find us moving around quite a bit, seeing many sights, visiting some old friends in Toulouse, making our way to Paris. Internet availability will be spotty, but we will post when we can! In the meantime, here are some photos of our adventures over the last week.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
This is a post by JONAH
A Tale of Two Cities
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the preparations for the film festival. It was the recovery from the tempest of 2010.
Both Cannes and Nice are in utter states of disrepair right now. Walk along either the Croisette in Cannes or the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, and all you see are construction vehicles, cranes, piles of wood, dirt and sand, and swarms of people furiously working. In Cannes, the frenzy is driven by the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, which starts in less than a week. Stages and platforms and tents are going up on every possible inch of real estate to accommodate the movie stars, producers, directors, fans, and paparazzi. Movie posters are being hoisted onto the facades of luxury hotels. Fancy cars line the streets. Every person with blonde hair, expensive clothes, high heels, and sunglasses could be a movie star. OK, so that's every person here, but still . . .
In Nice, on the rocky shore of the Mediterranean just 34 km to the east, the workers are in recovery mode. The storm earlier this week left a path of destruction all the way up the beach, over the railing, and onto the Promenade and the street, decimating the many restaurants housed along the shore beneath the Promenade. The people cleaning up from the storm are literally tossing chairs, tables, awnings, and heavy equipment into huge piles of rubbish destined to be carted away by cranes and dump trucks. The national guard is out, entire sections of railing have been removed, and the mood is quite somber. The shore of this city stands as a stark reminder of the power of the ocean and the havoc it can wreak.
Both Cannes and Nice are in utter states of disrepair right now. Walk along either the Croisette in Cannes or the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, and all you see are construction vehicles, cranes, piles of wood, dirt and sand, and swarms of people furiously working. In Cannes, the frenzy is driven by the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, which starts in less than a week. Stages and platforms and tents are going up on every possible inch of real estate to accommodate the movie stars, producers, directors, fans, and paparazzi. Movie posters are being hoisted onto the facades of luxury hotels. Fancy cars line the streets. Every person with blonde hair, expensive clothes, high heels, and sunglasses could be a movie star. OK, so that's every person here, but still . . .
In Nice, on the rocky shore of the Mediterranean just 34 km to the east, the workers are in recovery mode. The storm earlier this week left a path of destruction all the way up the beach, over the railing, and onto the Promenade and the street, decimating the many restaurants housed along the shore beneath the Promenade. The people cleaning up from the storm are literally tossing chairs, tables, awnings, and heavy equipment into huge piles of rubbish destined to be carted away by cranes and dump trucks. The national guard is out, entire sections of railing have been removed, and the mood is quite somber. The shore of this city stands as a stark reminder of the power of the ocean and the havoc it can wreak.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)