Good-bye Europe....

Krista and I have safely made our jouney back to Wisconsin. We wanted to do one more blog posting of our last few days in Paris since they ended up being quite adventurous!

Krista and I enjoyed a free concert our second to last evening in Paris. It was located in a Place De La Bastille, which is surrounded by outdoor cafes. We enjoyed a cocktail at one of the cafes while listening to the music. We met a Finnish couple our age and enjoyed talking with them that evening!

An awesome dessert that Krista and I had at a Rick Steve's recommended restaraunt that was AWESOME!!! We almost ordered a second one! :)

Krista and I also spent an entire day exploring Versailles. Versailles was the residence of the king and the seat of government for 100 years. It was built 10 miles west of Paris by Louis XIV so that he could consolidate ministries and personally control policy. Versailles contained the Chateau, which was the palace itself. Gardens - which are beautifully landscaped containing statues and 300 fountains (back in the day it contained 1500 fountains).

A picture of the back of the palace and a portion of the gardens.

A picture of the beautiful fireworks that we enjoyed from the Eiffel tower that refuses to move down in this blog entry (not that I am bitter about this....).

Another picture of Krista and the gorgeous gardens!

A seashell stadium with waterfalls.

Here is a newer fountain that does a water show to music!

Krista walking through a pretty arch way in the gardens.

An overview of the gardens from right behind the palace.

Krista in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace.

The Chapel that was built within the Palace.

Renee in front of the gold gate outside of the front of the Palace.

Military Parade on Bastille Day.

Krista in front of Moulin Rouge in the Redlight District on a rainy afternoon!

An awesome experience was having front row seats in front of the Eiffel Tower for Bastille Day (July 14 - celebration of French Independence) fireworks. They were the best fireworks Krista and I have ever seen and were cooridinated with music! Riding the metro to our hotel afterwards turned out to be quite the adventure as thousands of people squeezed into the tiny cars! Krista gave a good analogy that it was like many people squeezing into a tiny clown car! At one point when the car was already full, I saw a woman in her 50's 'bulldoze' her and three of her friends into our car with her arms out in front of her! It was quite the experience of having absolutely no personal space with people you have just met.

Krista in front of the Eiffel Tower while we were waiting for the fireworks to start.

Krista and I enjoying the beautiful fireworks!

We arrived back to our hotel after braving the mob at about 1:30 a.m. and had our bags packed by 2:30. Unfortunately we slept through both alarms the next morning and were woken up by the receptionists second phone call to our room at 6:30 a.m. saying that our shuttle for the airport had arrived! Krista and I dressed and grabbed our belongings in record speed! Luckily we made it down to the shuttle before the driver left without us!

One of my favorite events was when I was in the lobby at our hotel and Krista ran up to our room on the third floor to quick use the bathroom before we headed out for the afternoon. After about 30 minutes of patiently waiting (for those who know me well, you know it was very difficult for me to wait this long), I decided to run up to our room to make sure Krista did not have food poisoning from the raw salmon that was in her salad the previous day. Upon knocking on the door for our room, I heard Krista yell out, "Renee, is that you? I am locked in the bathroom!" Needless to say I had to track down an employee at the hotel to let me into our room and to let Krista out of our bathroom!!!! We were both dieing laughing! I included a picture of the infamous bathroom and broken doorknob!!!

Eiffel Tower...Conquered!

Sound the horns! We conquered the Eiffel Tower today - that's right, we climbed (yes climbed!)all 720 steps to the second level before being required to take an elevator to the very tip top. Not only was it a great way to soak in the majestic views of the cityscape here in Paris, but it was also a great way to compensate for the crepes, croissants, baguettes, and other mouth watering baked goods we have indulged in over the last couple of days!

After the Eiffel Tower, we proceeded to the Invalides, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. Did I mention that we also walked to all of these? Yes, we have eaten MANY baked goods :) While these sites were fantastic, my highlight of the day may have been when Renee bartered with a street seller for a pair of sunglasses...he was trying to sell them for 25 Euros and when Renee walked away because it was too much, he packed up his little blanket and followed us asking how much she would spend. She sarcastically responded 5 Euros not thinking he woul accept, but he did! Either she was extremely convincing or the seller was nervous the police were on the way to get him ;)

Creme Brulee...one of many French desserts that is to die for.

Yes, Renee, these are the gargoyles at Notre Dame.

Inisde of Notre Dame. A mass is occurring in the background as tourists swarm...an interesting mix.

Outside of Notre Dame.

The inverted Louvre (upside down part of the pyramid)

Outside of the Louvre. Please note that the sun was out for about 5 minutes when Renee decided she needed sunglasses and bartered for this sexy pair!

Arc de Tromphe du Carrousel in the courtyard of the Louvre (yep, we had to look that name up... they all blend together after awhile!)

Fruit crepe (talk about a sugar rush!)

Army museum and Napoleon's tomb aka Les Invalides Complex.

Ham, egg, and cheese crepe.

Crepe restaurant for lunch...yes, Rick Steves wins again!

Tilt your head; One of many flights of stairs hiked upon to the top of the Eiffel Tower!

In case you weren't aware...sign posted in elevator of Eiffel Tower where people are herded like cattle into an elevator. Very difficult to create much space between you and your neighbor to avoid pick pocketing, but thanks.

Stairs. Yes, the beginning of our 720 stairs we climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Surprisingly, this line was much shorter than the line for the elevator....

Our first viewing of the Eiffel Tower. Quite a glorious sight!

Paris ~ we love you!!!

Krista and I spent the day beginning to explore Paris! We have found it to be quite a refreshing change from Rome. We enjoyed our time in Rome, but are liking Paris even more.


This is the first Starbucks I have seen since flying out of the States! Obviously I had to get a picture in front of it!!!

Alaina ~this picture is for you!!! Out here they serve their wine with chips, I am thinking this is likely right up your alley!!!!

This is the crazy street Krista and I darted across as quickly as possible over to the Arch. Once next to the Arch, we realized there was a safe walkway under the bridge to assist in more easily crossing the street!

This is Krista in front of the beautiful Arch de Triumph in central Paris! Here is a close up of the inticrate carving inside the top of the Arch. It is quite beautiful!

Okay, this picture is actually from Rome, but I still had to post it. This was the final, healthy assortment of desserts that we enjoyed!

Unwanted excitement our last day in Rome....

Traveling together with a person for an extended period of time brings a friendship to a whole new level. At day 17, Krista and I blazed a whole new trail... After multiple days of 90+ degree weather and braving the crowds, we thought we would spend some time relaxing and exploring a park in Rome described as being similar to Central Park. We attempted to take the metro across town only to discover that it was not running due to workers being on strike. According to one of our fellow REI travel companions, workers going on strike is something that frequently occurs in Italy. The park we were hoping to explore was too far for us to walk to from our hotel, so we settled for the next best thing, a lonely piece of shaded grass in front of a university. After innocently reading there for a little over an hour, I looked up and noticed five angry Italians directing their speech at us. I responded that I only spoke English. To address the language barrier, a different person proceeded to yell at us in Italian even louder! Krista and I quickly gathered our belongings and left the property as our new found friends supervised our actions. Upon returning to our hotel room later that day, we discovered that our sole bathroom light was burned out. The worker at the front desk informed us that he would be able to change it 'tomorrow.' As a result, all privacy in showering or using the toilet were completely gone!!! Needless to say I think our last day in Rome was quite a memborable one! Krista and I took the Euro rail overnight and have safely arrived in Paris! We are excited to begin exploring this beautiful city!!!!

Gladiator, Where Art Thou?

For those of you who are unaware, there are many people who pose as characters from the historic Roman days throughout the city. They want you to pay for a picture with them. Outside of the Colosseum, there are numerous 'gladiators' awaiting your money. One of these gladiators saw Renee and I walking past him and declared, 'Stop for a photo, I'll make your day. Give me an opportunity, I'll make your life!' We busted out laughing and proceeded to sprint by!! (Please note: If this gladiator were worth the money, we would have stopped and posed ;) )



Renee in front of the Colosseum.
Me in front of some ruins on Palatine Hill.
Renee and I in the Forum.
A distant view of me in front of the Colosseum. This was taken from Palatine Hill.
If counseling falls through, this is Renee's next gig. She would love to dress as a gladiator and pose with the tourists. Our tour guide, Rick Steves. We would highly recommend his books. He has been quite helpful in declining offers from multiple tour guides when entering different sites. After responding that Rick Steves was our tour guide, one Aussie laughed and told us, 'Worst answer ever!' He had good humor about the whole thing.

Identify the name of the movie this quote came from: 'I am Michelangelo. You're the Sistine Chapel.'

That's right ladies and gentlemen...Vatican City! We have also figured out the public transportation system here - that deserves a big ole 'hallelujah'!!! While we still walk miles each day, we can now glisten less in this 85-90 degree heat :) Please note our trademark ponytail hairdos and glowing faces in almost every picture - it's the new European fashion, didn't you know?
This was the gorgeous view after climbing the cupola (dome) in St. Peter's Basilica. See later picture to get a sense of our hike to the top.

St. Peter's Basilica - this church covers approximately 6 acres on the inside! There are many smaller chapels within this main church. It has a capacity of 60,000 standing worshippers. Multiple masses are held throughout the day.

This is from inside the Sistine Chapel. Not a very clear photo, but these are contraband! The colors and detail were incredible, and we learned that Michelangelo was essentially forced to spend 4 years painting this. It is also the location where 115 Cardinals gather and cannot leave until they all agree on who should be the next pope. White smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel's chimney signals this agreement - many Italians and pilgrims flock to St. Peter's Square when this happens.

View from the cupola. This is St. Peter's Square.

We hiked 323 steps to the top of the cupola (fancy name for the dome of St. Peter's Basilica). It was a winding staircase that was very narrow and hot. However, the views were well worth it!

Anyone Up for a Game of Frogger?

Ahhh, yes...the transition from coastal life to big city life. Our adventure in Rome began while riding in the shuttle van from the airport to our hotel. We were with 8 other people in a van of sorts. With neither of us ever being in Rome before, we buckled up and were hanging on for dear life as our driver wove in and out of traffic, merging in lanes we did not realize existed, dodged motorcycles (who are not required by law to obey traffic signals - they simply go as they see fit, which proves perilous for pedestrians!), and finally transported us to our hotel 2 hours later.

This is our 2nd full day here in Rome. We spent the first day getting acclimated to our surroundings. Acclimated did we get....or perhaps a better word would be 'lost'! It took us a few circles to finally figure out that right in the middle of intersections, streets change their names. We spent from about 9 AM to 7 PM roaming the city. We were quite pleased with all of the sights we saw by foot - Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Campo de Fiori, Victor Emmanuel Monument (Tomb for Unknown Soldiers), Piazza Navona, and many little stores.

Spanish Steps - a hangout for many romantics over the years. It offers a gorgeous cityscape.

Known as the World's Most Elegant McDonald's - in our opinion, we would definitely agree! Nothing like eating a classy treat of 2 McFlurrys inside of here!

In front of the Trevi Fountain. Everyone under the sun was here...literally. The weather is mid to upper 80s. Anywhere there is water, there are people!

The Pantheon. Half of the outside was under restoration. This structure is huge! The pillars were transported in one piece from Egypt. The intricate detail on the inside is incredible. All of the lighting is provided by a hole in the dome at the top. The inside of the Pantheon can house a ball with a diameter of 142 feet. If you look closely, you can see Krista in a white shirt standing next to one of the columns. Talk about a contrast in size!

Piazza Navona - This was a gathering place for local artists during the day and central party zone at night. In the center is the most famous fountain by Bernini. The intricacies of the architecture throughout the city are astounding.

We feel like we are in the movie 'Elf.' Everywhere we hear that there is the world's greatest gelatto, we have no choice but to check it out for ourselves! This place definitely ranks right up there!

Victor Emmanuel Monument - This monument is found in the heart of the city. It is a dedication to the tomb of the unnamed soldier as well as a monument to Italy's first king. It is guarded 24 hours a day by members of the military.

St. Peter's Square - this is where the Pope normally speaks to the crowds. The ring of columns symbolizes the arms of the church welcoming everyone including believers and non-believers. It has 284 columns 56 ft. high with Bernini's 140 favorite saints, each 10 ft tall, on top of the columns. However, due to the heat, this speech was moved inside (unfortunately, we did not have tickets :( )