Carolina Beach

Well, we are in Carolina Beach for the weekend. This is the first time we have been here. We are staying at the Beacon House B&B, a converted 75 year old beach boardinghouse that is directly across from the beach. The proprietors seem really cool and it has a much better ambiance than any chain hotel. We arrived about noon and spent the afternoon on the beach. Very relaxing. Tonight we are going out to dinner and then maybe to a club to find some dancing. As I write this, I am sitting on the front porch enjoying a pleasant ocean breeze. I can even get a glimpse of the ocean between the buildings in front. Well, that’s all for now.

Getting Ready for Greece

I am testing whether I have figured out how to link this blog to Facebook. The reason is so that I can continue to use the blog as my travel diary while sharing the content with my friends on Facebook. The first step is to see whether this post makes it to Facebook.

Coming Home and Recap

Well, we made it home today. Charles de Gaulle airport was insane. The 45 minute drive to the airport took over an hour, and then we were in a security line for over two hours before finally getting to the gate area. Apparently, French Border Patrol started off woefully understaffed, and that's what caused the backup. Fortunately, we were able to make it to the gate on time and were able to get some pastries to take on the plane with us for breakfast. The plane ride itself was great and Global Entry is amazing -- we were through customs in less than five minutes. To recap, we were in France for 3 weeks. Over that three week time period, we walked a total of 618,279 steps, approximately 309 miles. For 21 days that averages almost 15 miles per day. No wonder we didn't gain any weight. All in all it was a great trip with a lot of great memories. Until next time, this is Wayne and Sue signing off.

Before Sunset Walk

Today I did my best to recreate the walk Jessie and Celine did in the movie Before Sunset. We started and Shakespeare and Company Bookstore,

walked to the Marais, then walked to the Bastille Market, which was amazing. Then we walked to the location where Celine's apartment was located and peeked through the bars.

Next we walked to Le Pure Cafe where we had lunch.

From there, it was a quick metro ride to the Promenade Plantee, and elevated walkway/garden in Paris.

After that we attempted to ride the Batobus but the ticket office where we went was closed. That resulted in us having to walk a bit more than we had anticipated. We then visited the Picasso Museum and then went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We took the Batobus to the Eiffel Tower area for dinner, and saw this from the boat.

Then we walked to dinner. It was the night of the Euro Cup Finals so there were a lot of people -- and a lot of police officers -- around. We ended up getting diverted a little bit because the police had shut down the area near the fan zone. The fan zone was a free area in the park next to the Eiffel Tower that was set up with a big screen TV for fans to watch the game. It could hold 90,000 people, but more than 90,000 people showed up and that caused some problems -- more on that later. We had dinner at La Fontaine de Mars, which is where Barack to Michelle for date night. The meal and the atmosphere were excellent, and it would have been a great ending point -- but!

Leaving the restaurant we headed for the nearest metro. Unfortunately, that was closed. Instead of turning right, away from the fan zone and walking to the next metro stop in that direction, we turned left and walked directly toward the fan zone. To say that was a mistake would be a gross understatement. By the time we got to the next metro station, we had walked through lots of broken glass and by burned motor scooters. It looked like a war zone. And to top things off, that metro station was closed too. So we walked to the next station, which was also closed and we actually saw and actively burning motor scooter. At this point, Sue was very upset and very worried, but we soldiered on to the next metro stop where we were able to get on a train. But since we had to transfer, the adventure wasn't over yet. Needless to say, getting back to the hotel was an experience we'll never forget. And while it was very scary at the time, it now makes for a good story.

Versailles

So today we did the Fat Tire Bike Tour of Versailles. We got to ride all through the outer gardens, ride around the Grand Canal and had a picnic lunch by the canal. Then we toured the palace and the formal gardens.

Once we got back from the bike tour, we went to an excellent dinner at Le Bistro Paul Bert and went dancing at Caveau de la Huchette.

Opera Garnier, the Orangerie, and the Louvre

Today (July 8, 2016), we started by touring the Paris Opera House. It was a beautiful building, very ornate. The tour guide was great, he told us the story of the Phantom of the Opera and we got to see the Phantom's private box. We also got inside the auditorium and saw the ceiling painted by Marc Chagall as well as the beautiful chandelier.

Then, after a shopping walk featuring more stores we couldn't afford, we headed to the Orangerie, which features Claude Monet's Water Lilies. We really like this museum because it was smaller and the art seemed more accessible. After the Orangerie, it was off to the Louvre for what turned out to be a four and a half hour private tour. Our tour guide was excellent -- he was an art history major whose goal was to teach us something about art and history. The tour was great, we got to see things we never would have even thought to look for on our own, and never had to worry about getting lost in that giant museum. I would recommend this tour to anyone going to the Louvre for the first time. I think its the only way to appreciate that museum without becoming overwhelmed. Since it was Friday, the Louvre was open late, so that by the time we left we were almost the only ones there.

Arc de Triomphe, Orsay Museum, and Montmarte

Today (July 7, 2016) we saw the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs-Elysees. The Arc was really cool and it was neat to see the view of the Champs-Elysees from above.

The Champs-Elysees itself was not all that impressive, just a bunch of stores we couldn't afford. But the macaroons at Laudaree were excellent. From there we had lunch and then went to the Orsay Museum. The art was really impressive, but Sue and I both felt like there was so much that it was almost overwhelming. In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have tried to see everything in one shot. From there it was on to a walking tour of Montmarte and a really great dinner at Hotel Particuliar, a spot so secluded that you would never no it was there if you didn't know it was there.