We flew back to Washington, DC today. Dad's flight was delayed slightly. It's great to be back in the states. I'm spending time up north before I head back to TPA.

Posted by Justin Hall at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mom, particularly, has fallen in love with the Latin square neighborhood.

We spent the morning in Latin square of Paris. Later, we boarded an aircraft and traveled Paris to LHR.

Tonight dinner was had at a small pub/restaurant recommended by the hotel concierge. The place had excellent atmosphere! Food was great too.

Posted by Justin Hall at 10:00 PM | Permalink

Two architectural and monumental landmarks are on today's agenda. First, situated on a Seine river island is Place du Parvis Notre-Dame. The cathedral dates back to X. Inside you can confess in practically any language. Candle lighting is available for 2 euros. That all aside, the place is ornate and garnished with beautiful stained glass windows everywhere. The church has setup a nativity scene. It's the first we've seen on this trip!

Mom, dad and I stroll south towards the Latin quarter. Before lunch we stop and view the Pantheon. Lunch consists of real French crepes. Orange marmalade, crème and nuts, and apple filled crepes are ordered. Restaurants over in the Latin quarter seem to be more "French" then those around the hotel. This area is one of Paris's neighborhoods not to be missed.

St. Michael's cathedral is around the corner. I snap some photographs and we head to the Louvre.

As expected, the entrance line is long. Dad and I leave mom in the outside line - snaking around the famed glass triangle. The Louvre's courtyard sports a mechanical drummer boy. He is nested up along the roof and rhythmically beats his drum. You have to take a double glance because at first he seems lifelike. You know he can't be real but… Yesterday when we were at the Louvre we saw a museum entrance outside the RER train station. Dad and I head downstairs to see if the line is shorter. It is, but when I go back for mom she has already entered the museum. Problem is, you can't get down into the museum without waiting in the line! Bottom line: we reunite about an hour later. This bit of fact becomes relevant due to the timing.

Our tickets are purchased. The second floor of the Scully X building is our destination. Here the famed Feast of Cannon and Mona Lisa are displayed. [The museum says 6 million people visit the museum each year to view the Mona Lisa. The painting was taken off public display Monday but will be reopened Wednesday to the public in the Salle des Etats. The famous portrait, believed to be of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of an obscure Florentine merchant, was painted between 1503 and 1506 on a thin panel of wood. The artist brought the painting to France in 1517. It has been in the Louvre since 1804.] But as we reach the top step of the 2nd floor the lights go out. Every light, all around, is off. Emergency exit lighting is not working or is not installed. The place is totally dark with just a few green emergency exit signs lit. People are using their cell phones to display the path. Security's response was not expected: they did nothing. There was no immediate closure, there was no announcement made calming people. We (along with hundreds of others) were able to wander the dark Scully X building for an hour before security started to ask people to leave! It was almost like a James Bond movie. You fully expected a dark clad man to repel from the ceiling and start cutting away artwork. Unless security cameras were infrared I guarantee you they saw nothing. We passed at least one little shop and the poor cashier didn't know what to do. There was no security around her - anybody could have grabbed merchandise.

We wandered to the far end and found the Mona Lisa. This room was, thankfully, lit. Da Vinci's most famous painting is much smaller than I had imagined. Mona Lisa is framed behind an oversized glass enclosure and roped off. Photographs are "strictly" prohibited. But with security guards off doing God knows what in the darkness everybody was photographing the exhibit. Cell phone cameras, 35mm cameras, any and every digital type of camera were all shooting the artwork. And yes, most all were using a flash. Security didn't care - they were non existent! After a while I believe they stopped letting people into the Scully building. This made it great because at one point there was practically nobody viewing the Mona Lisa!

There were a few other famed pieces lit but most all were dark. Finally, security starts asking people to leave. We've had enough and want a refund - it seems like quite a few others do as well. The line at service is growing and is being headed up by an Indian looking lady who is speaking French and English to the attendant. Long story short is that we get to talk to a supervisor (speaking only French) and are gladly offered vouchers to come back tomorrow. (We have plans for tomorrow and they don't include the Lourve, therefore, that doesn't help us!) Admitting they are responsibly is good, however, they declare they just can't refund money. With three vouchers in hand we head off. For good measure (ok, pleasure) I take one of the vouchers and sell it (hey, we can get our money back some way).

It's dinner time and we are getting tired.

Grocery shopping is always a neat way to compare prices. There was a fair sized store in the Latin quarter. We went in and perused their shelves. Tropicana Orange juice runs from 2.60 euros to 3.05 euros. They have almost all of the American cereals such as Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, etc. Prices are comparable to the US excluding the dollars exchange rate. We had found butter to be an expensive commodity. (At one restaurant we were charged 1 euro for 3 little squares of butter.) In the store it was fairly priced. They had all the meats one would expect from pork to beef to veal. Coke is sold in 2 liter bottles. The store was running a special whereby you got eight 2 liter bottles for about 8 euros. Not a bad price!

It is now back to the hotel and time for bed.

Posted by Justin Hall at 11:45 PM | Permalink

Best laid plans are not always fulfilled. We start out early to spend time at the Louvre. Today, however, is Tuesday and it is the one day of the week when the Louvre is closed. Versailles becomes our destination.

Versailles palace is just a thirty minute train ride and ten minute walk south west of Paris. Louis XVII did not want the downtown Palace so he had Versailles built. He considered it his hunting lodge. The palace is nothing short of a fabulous mansion - definitely not a hunting lodge.

Travel note: purchase your Versailles entrance tickets along with your train ticket. It saved us two long lines and added benefits such as audio headsets and parliament entry.

One of three Paris parliament buildings is located at Versailles. The theatre, per say, is within the parliament museum. We view the parliament building but breeze through the museum.

King's and Queen's chambers are the most famed rooms at Versailles. There is artwork galore - most of which we skip noting that we'll see better at the Louvre.

Shopping along Hausemann street was our nighttime activity. And it seemed that most all of Paris was there. Navigating the stores and sidewalks was a challenge. The Galleries Lafeyette is the cornerstone. Like Harrods of London, Macy's on New York's 5th avenue, and Marshall Fields in Chicago, this is a one-stop shop.

I stopped along Hausemann street to take some night shots and got separated from the parents. We met up a little later at the hotel and went to dinner.

Posted by Justin Hall at 10:00 PM | Permalink

Travelers relish Paris for the French people, the world renowned landmarks and French pastries! This morning we found our first (of many) French pastry shops and indulged. The shop was located on Rue de Washington. Pastries and sandwiches are this shop's specialties.

What is 324 meters tall and used 18,038 iron parts during construction? The one and only Paris landmark - Eiffel Tower. The tower, built in 1889, sits at Tour Eiffel Champ de Mars street. I must say, however, that it looks out of place, dull, and even lackluster during the day. Nighttime is when the the Eiffel Tower shines. We waited in about an hour line to board the trolley. For 10 euros you can be transported to the top. It would be unnecessary to write this, but, I'll say it anyway: the view from the top is splendid. It was partly overcast and nearing dusk by the time we make it all the way to the top deck. The 360 degree view allowed us to view the river Seine and all of downtown Paris.

Descending provided the killer views. Nighttime was approaching and the city was lighting up. Christmas lights along Champs des Elyess and the well lit river boats cruising the Seine brought Paris to life.

Across the river is a slew of pastry shops. Mom, dad and I select a few dinner and desert pastries. Then it's down river to catch the river boat cruise.

Our cruise takes us all the way up the Seine past the Louve then back around the Paris version of our Statue of Liberty.

Posted by Justin Hall at 10:00 PM | Permalink

Today Boxing Day is a holiday following Christmas and observed in England, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Its major significance at this time seems to be a setting for the post-Christmas sale. Here our English speaking cultures seem to meet, in the drunken ecstasy of consumerism, buying things with all the fury of past Dionysian Bacchanals.

But, before that, in England and those former colonies that most closely followed the mother ways, folk working in service; mail carriers, milk deliverers, paper carriers, would be given a gift of cash.

And before that, many think Boxing Day came out of Medieval England. There the gentry would give their servants who, of course, had to work on Christmas Day, on the next day after Christmas a box filled with goods, coins, cloth, tools, fruit.

But, before that, it would seem on this day the churches would open their poor boxes and distribute whatever was in them to the needy of the community. This, I think is important. Here, I believe, we begin a turning into something compelling. Now we are moving into the ancient and dark and mysterious where the light can be discerned and collected. Here we are at a point of serving the vast web of relationships. Here something holy is going on. Here that light dreamt by so many begins to gather.

At the north tip of Hyde Park is Speaker's corner. Each Sunday anybody and everybody can come, get on their soapbox, and speak their mind. Topics range from politics to religion to mumblings. Dad and I walked up (it's just 2 blocks from the hotel) to see who was performing this morning. Only one black guy was there. He was surrounded by about eight individuals. Frankly, he had nothing to say but said many words. I believe he was rambling about religion, but don't quote me on it.

Dad had yet seen the changing of the guard. We walked down to Buckingham Palace and got a front row seat. The best seat is just to the left of the main gates and right up front. You have to arrive mighty early to gain a decent position. The guard changes at 11:30 am every other day during the winter months.

Today is our last day in downtown London. We pack and ride the metro LHR. Security to Paris is definitely more relaxed then in the US. Nobody has to remove coats or shoes; laptops do not have come out their bags; and the general impression is a more hassle-free atmosphere. Boarding passes are checked before you enter the gate area. Air France, our carrier, buses us out to the plane. Not all their gates have a jet-way. The flight is uneventful. Air France serves complimentary beverages to all cabin passengers - including alcohol. Way different from the US carriers!

Landing at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport finally makes me realize I'm no longer in the states. Traveling through Scotland and London was unique but at times you would think you had not left the States. No longer the case! We made our way to the Sorties (exits), found an ATM and retrieved 100 euros, then gingerly purchased train tickets to downtown. That was my first experience communicating with a French national. Fortunately, almost everyone we encountered spoke at least "a little" English. (I would say 70% of the people we spoke to in French knew "a little" English. That was the common answer to "do you speak English?")

Communicating and navigating CDG was such a new, overwhelming, and exhilarating time that we forgot about personal security. And it almost cost us (me). Let me setup the situation. Imagine my dad, my mom and myself sitting on a metro train traveling to downtown. We are trying to interrupt the map to find our transfer stop while confirming we are heading the right direction. Also remember everything is in French. We have two bags a piece. My day camera bag is snapped over one of our roller boards. Most of our luggage is in the booth of seats with me. Mom and dad are sitting the next booth back. I'm right next to the door, my back turned away from the door. About five stops into the trip somebody taps me on the shoulder. Of course, I turn around and look. The man (Hispanic decent, ~35ish) asks which endpoint the train is heading towards. I stand and point. He speaks French, I do not, so it takes a minute. He does not seem to be getting it so I turn back around. As I am turning I see a second man (black also ~30's) moving away from my camera bag. Dad is standing up coming towards the bags. It still doesn't click, until I look and see the camera bag half unzipped and unclipped from the roller board. Then it hits me like a bag of bricks - the textbook distract, grab and run scam. Thankfully, they failed! But what makes this story really interesting is that my camera was housed in my camera/laptop bag at my feet. Only apples were in my day camera bag. I almost wished they had taken it!

This incident was probably the best thing that happened. We all had become complacent. Never in London or Scotland did I ever feel threatened or insecure. After the failed distract, grab and run we were much more aware and protective. The bottom line is this: while in public watch your belongings like a hawk. Do not sit near a train's exit. And never leave an object easily distinguishable (eg. camera bag) in the open!

Wow. With that behind us we get off at Chatlet and transfer to the yellow line to George V. Navigating the French metro is not simple, at first. Arrows do not always point in the direction you should walk. We saw numerous examples where arrows point in opposite directions (side by side signs) to a location! Our final destination was Chatelle de Gualle. The Arc de Troumpe stares us in the face when we exit to street level. The arc unites about seven different roads. Its massive structure is a great Paris greeting.

The hotel is wonderful. It's the five star Starwood property, Prince de Galles, on George V avenue. George V intersects with Champs des Elyess - a main thoroughfare connecting the Arc de Troumpe and Concorde place. The staff is accommodating (English speaking, too) and the room is nicely furnished. Mom believes the bathroom here is the best we've had. She has fallen in love with the towel warmers.

Tonight we meander over a few streets and locate a French restaurant. They speak some English but we have to point and explain a lot. Smiling and talking very slow seems to help.

The day has been long and it is now bedtime.

Posted by Justin Hall at 10:00 PM | Permalink