French Immersion

I think I have found my favorite place in Paris...

...And I am sorry to report that it is a cemetery...but more on that later

Well we have now been in Paris for three whole days and have seen alot of what the city has to offer. In the last 2 days, we estimate that we have walked about 15 miles which is no small feat for someone like me whose feet are constantly a source of pain and aggravation (thank you Merrells).

Yesterday we hopped on an early morning train to Versailles, not early enough apparently because when we arrived, it was already a lot more crowded than we anticipated. Luckily we did not have to stand in line to buy tickets, only to go through "security" which was of course the bigger of the two lines but it did more fairly quickly and we were into the main palace in about 15 minutes. We started the day by taking a tour of the royal apartments. As you can imagine or for those of you that have been, the palace at Versailles is ENORMOUS. Louis the 14th who was responsible for building the palace was in no way short on ego or cash apparently because the place is huge. The royal apartments cover a very small part of this sprawling estate and with all due respect, were not impressive. Perhaps it was the fact that we were trapped between various loud and rowdy tour groups at all times or perhaps it was the fact that it was just rather boring walking from room to room and looking at chairs that were 400 years old. There were of course a few interesting pieces, the chandeliers were rather extravagant as were some of the statues but all in all I do not believe that it was worth the pain of squeezing between hoards of people all trying to take a photograph of an ottoman Marie Antoinette may or may not have sat on. I found the gardens to be far more impressive (although as the French would say "une grande rip off" because we were forced to pay 8 euro each to enter. Normally with our museum pass it would have been free however since it was Saturday and on Saturdays in May they have something they refer to as a "Festival" of musical fountains (I use the word "festival loosely) we were charged entry to see it. This festival basically consisted of them turning on the fountains, blaring music through the loudspeakers and....well that is pretty much it. Needless to say, we were less than thrilled to be charged but of course we were not going to miss the gardens. It is hard to describe the layout of the grounds. First of all, everything is immaculately maintained. There are groves that resemble hedge mazes. I was kind of hoping to run through the Shining style but it was not to be, they were fairly easy to get out off - I could definitely outrun crazy Jack Nicholson in one of those groves. I have included some photos to better show the grounds (unfortunately the camera died pretty early on)

Of view of the sprawling grounds from the back of the palace

A view of the grand palace from wayyyyyyyy off in the distance (via the zoom on my camera). We rented bikes to see as much as we could of the grounds and this photo was actually taken from one of the farthest points from the palace itself

Mr. and Mrs. Baughman in front of one the musical fountains (pre music) - rip off

The orangerie. The Sun King (aka Louis the 14th aka the guy to be when it comes to Versailles) was said to be so full of warmth that he could even make oranges grow in chilly France. Proof below.

Just some cool shrubs and a great example of the immaculate landscaping.

We spent about 5 hours at Versailles and then headed back into the city to see a one man show that I had booked before we left. This show was called "How to Become Parisien in One Hour" and it was hilarious. It was a one man show done be a man names Olivier Giraud (my new facebook friend) where he comments on the social differences between Parisien society and that of the rest of Europe and the states. It was exaggerated of course but at times, quite true.

After the show we returned to the Marais neighborhood where we had been the day before had possibly the BEST falafel ever!! The place suggested in our guide book was closed but the place we went to was equally incredible.

This morning we got a late start, didn't leave the hotel until just after noon, but boy did we make up for it. First up was the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, home to such famous souls as Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde and of course, the one and only, the one everyone goes there to see...Jim Morrison.

This place is magnificent. The moment we walked in, we left the noise of the city behind us. It was perfectly calm and perfectly pleasant throughout our entire journey through the cemetery. It was not morbid at all, in fact it was very uplifting in a way to know that so many people had been immortalized there in such a beautiful way. I hope that photos that I have posted below will provide some sense of what this peaceful sanctuary was like but I anticipate that short of seeing it for yourselves, it will be hard to convey its true beauty.

Many of the graves at Pere Lachaise are actually family plots with some sort of monument paying tribute to the entire family. These monuments along with many many graves are all jammed into Pere Lachais. One would almost think they were placed one on top of the other but under closer scrutiny you can see that everything is very carefully laid out with small walkways separating all of the stones.

A shot down one of the narrow walkways taking you deep into the rows of graves

Here lies Oscar Wilde, a pioneer of his time, and now the memorial which stands to commemorate him is kissed all over by women we wearing red lipstick

Here lies Edith Piaf, the "little sparrow" and singer of the famous French tune "La Vie En Rose"

Another picturesque view of Pere Lachaise

Here lies Moliere

The final resting place of one James Douglas Morrison.

A better view of his grave. There are gates up blocking access to the grave itself but apparently that did not stop one lady from throwing her bra in there

A few people sitting and drinking champagne near Jim's grave - pretty cool if you ask me

Here lies Frederic Chopin. I really wanted to get a shot of the man who seemed to be conducting a symphony in front of his memorial (after which he proceeded to plant a big wet kiss on the stone) but it just didn't feel right.

The majority of the day after Pere Lachaise was spent walking around. We started at Notre Dame...

And proceeded down around Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis...

We then walked over to the Left Bank (la rive gauche) and proceeded to walk...and walk...and walk...

sorry, no anchors allowed

Al the way until we reached...

La Tour Eiffel!!!! Even though it was almost 7 o'clock in the evening by the time we reached it, it was MOBBED. There was absolutely no chance of us going up given how long we had been walking in the sun so we decided to take a pass for the time being and instead ate dinner in a charming cafe close to nearby Rue Cler.

Tomorrow is a new day and it is off to Montmatre and then back to Rue Cler for dinner. Hope you are all enjoying reading this blog as much as I have been enjoying writing it.

Bienvenue a Paris!

Ahh Paris! The moment we stepped out of the Gare du Nord (after our trip through the chunnel from London) I felt that "vibe" that Paris gives off. For one thing, it felt damn good to see people on the right side of the road again, but more than that - Paris is so unique and for me, I felt it instantly. We arrived at our hotel, the lovely Hotel Wilson Opera and checked into our delightful room. Our hotel is very boutiquey, small lobby with very personable and friendly staff - great place to stay so far! Last night we mostly got acquainted with the neighborhood, went to the neighborhood supermarket to pick up some breakfast items so as not to always be buying breakfast in the city and had dinner at a cafe where I had the steak tartare - I have been waiting soooooo long to dine on steak tartare in Paris that I actually had some for dinner tonight as well.

This morning we set off on day #1 of our Paris adventure by making our way over to the Arc De Triomphe.

At this point you are all going to have to bear with me while I work in quotes from one of my favorite movies, French Kiss (highly recommend it if you have not seen it). In this scene, Kate (the protagonist) is on the phone with the mother of her now ex-fiance (he left for for a leggy Brunette named Juliette) and she says the following... " I will triumph! She says it while in a phone booth in front of the same site that you see below

I must say... the arc...much bigger in real life

I turned around while gazing at the arc and got my first glimpse of....

La Tour Eiffel! Now alot of locals think that this tower is an eye sore and perhaps if I was a local I would agree with them but I'm not so I don't - I think that part of its magnificence is that sometimes, without even realizing it, it pops up within your view. It kind of sneaks up on you, you turn around and there it is! Because of it's size, it can be seen from many locations throughout the city, we happen to be relatively close to it where we were so it wasn't too hard.

Next we started off down the famous Champs Elysee. Many things caught my eye, expensive restaurants, Cartier, fashionable women walking with old men and little dogs - but the photo below was definitely one of the coolest. The Louis Vuitton store on the Champs Elysee displays in their window, A WHEEL OF HANDBAGS. Now I'm actually not a huge fan of Vuitton but the wheel I was a fan of.

We popped into the Nike store to see what was going on in there. Mostly the same stuff as back home, except I did like this quote they had displayed along the stairs. I guess that means I'm an athlete.

Next we walked past the cinema, and saw a poster for a new movie coming out. I like how the French get right to the point when translating American movie titles. I suppose in the end, it was a very bad trip.

Another view of the tower as we got closer to the Louvre. As I my photography, I have discovered that I have a talent for photographing lamp posts (and also signs - I love photographing signs) so here we have a lamp post (you all should see how many pictures of lamp posts I have that I have not included in this blog - it's alot, lamp posts love me)

Here is Chris in front of the Louvre. The pyramids in front of the Louvre (designed by I.M. Pei) are another "eye sore" according to many of the locals but I think their modern look interacts so well with the old fashioned design of the former royal palace, the two really strike a balance - it all works in my mind.

Thanks to our Paris museum passes we were able to skip the long lane snaking around the big pyramid and walked right into the museum via the super secret side entrance. The photo below is one that I took from inside the Louvre. I love the look of the bars over the window. It kind of makes you feel like you are in a very well decorated prison.

The next photo shows my favorite statue in the musuem - The Winged Victory. She stands at the top of a staircase at the end of a long hallway and looking at her from afar is almost eery. It might be because she is missing her head, or it might be because she has wings or a combination of the two but whatever it is, it really is chilling and invigorating at the same time. More on her in a bit.

The next stop on our tour was the world famous (and rightfully so) Venus De Milo. There she stands in all her glory, beautiful and graceful as ever. Her sculptor is unknown, in fact not a lot is known about her and the mystery surrounding her past is part of what makes her magical. I will also say that I am particularly drawn to her because she is a favorite of my mom (shout out to Rita!)

Also, I have to say, and I hate that I even have to say this but it's my blog so I will say what I want - people that get their photos taken WITH priceless works of art make me mad, really mad. The piece of art is not your friend, it does not want to be photographed with you - nor do you deserve to be photographed with it. Ok I am done now and I apologize to those friends of mine that enjoy taking pictures with art, to each his own

Ahh back to the beautiful Winged Victory. I'm not sure if you can see from this photo, but she is actually standing on the bow of a ship (which makes it EVEN eerier). Imagine her gliding along the water on the front of a majestic vessel, her wings extended. To me, she is a great symbol of power.

Next, the obligatory shot of La Jaconde (aka the Mona Lisa). Most of our time in this gallery was spent waiting for people to move their heads so I could get one decent shot to put up on the blog. For those of you who have never seen her, Lisa is relatively small compared to her enormous reputation. To be honest, I don't know the history behind the painting and the detail with which this painted was created is certainly impressive but she really isn't any more impressive than any other painting in the joint besides her obvious stigma.

Next is a photo of your truly, underneath one of the upside down pyramids on the sides of the Louvre. If you believe the Da Vinci code (please tell me you don't) Mary Magdalene is buried below this pyramid.

Next a beautiful flower in the Marais neighborhood where we decided to take a walk after we toured the Louvre.

Me on a see saw near Victor Hugo's house. SOMEONE (and I'm not naming any names) refused to play on the see saw with me - that's what I get for marrying a party pooper

A lock on a gate that looks like a face to me

A shot of several amateur artists sketching the fountain in front of them. One of the many amazing things about Paris is that you can always find people relaxing in the small parks throughout the city. Whether they are there to have a picnic and drink some wine, sunbathe or practice their art, the interaction between the city and its people is truly something to be envied.

Here is Skittle posing - I made him turn his head in a dramatic fashion to once again practice my photographic skills

One of my favorite places in Paris - LE CENTRE GEORGES POMPIDOU!! (now imagine me saying that in an obnoxious exaggerated french accent and you will begin to understand what Chris has been putting up with all day). This very industrial museum is the home of modern art in Paris. We didn't get a chance to go in today but there is a lot to see in there - hopefully we will get the chance to go back before we leave

Well that's it for this blog folks. After Pompidou, we headed to the hotel to relax for a bit and then popped out for a bite at one of the local restaurants. It is 11 o'clock at night here right now and I gotta go to bed for tomorrow it is off to Versailles! Stay tuned for the next blog to see our day as honorary French royals (minus the beheadings of course)

Bon nuit mes amis!

All's Well that Ends Well

Ahhh London....

Well our 5 days in London are coming to an end and I know I speak for the both of us when I say that we are sad to be leaving tomorrow...but definitely looking forward to the next step of the journey. The last 2 days have been very busy - lots going on and lots of photos to document our adventures.

We started out on Tuesday morning with every intention of going to see the changing of the guard. We got a late start because I slept until 9 AM but by the time we got to the palace, over an hour before the guard change was to go down, it was PACKED with onlookers waiting to see the Obamas and Prince Charles and Camilla drive into the palace. The place was a zoo - there were spotters on the roof of the palace (my theory is that wherever there is a spotter, there can't be a sniper far away) and people went nuts every time a vehicle drove in (even if it was a delivery van).

Here are some photos of our time at the palace standing on the monument to Queen Victoria:

OMG it's a bus filled with no one special - every scream!!!!

The hubs and the palace

The monument to Victoria...pretty impressive

The mall leading up to the palace was lined with alternating union jacks and American flags - a symbol of the respect between the two nations - it felt good to see our flag hanging in London

The aforementioned spotter - way to go zoom on my camera - I could have a future as a member of the paparazzi I think

So needless to say we didn't end up seeing the changing of the guard because the whole waiting for Obama debacle was so annoying - note to self: even on the other side of the pond, there are no shortage of unpleasant (and unfortunately primarily American) tourists who have no problem standing unbelievably close behind you and constantly nagging that the ceremony hasn't started yet. So we left, but it's ok because we went and did something much funner.

This next segment is something I like to call "Chris and Karina play in traffic"

We were hardly the only ones though...

Look familiar??

That's right - Abbey Road!! A pilgrimage for the hubs if you will - for those of you that don't know, Chris is a HUGE Beatles fan so this was pretty special for him

Here we are jumping out in front of cars to get the perfect shot...

Abbey Road Studios which is right next to this intersection is actually surprisingly small - it is totally under construction right now but there is this really cool half wall in front of the place that is covered in graffiti - below is one of the cooler doodles

After the Baughman Beatles Experience - we headed over to Baker Street to visit one of my favorite Londoners - Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective.

We toured the rooms that he shared with Dr. Watson - it could use a good cleaning I will tell you that - that Sherlock needs to hire a better maid. Here are some of the highlights...

Me and the man...

Sherlock's unique mail storage system

The sitting room, where Holmes and Watson would spend hours discussing their cases

Last night, we went to the theater once again, this time to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - definitely an amazing and unique experience - highly recommended for anyone visiting London. To get over to the Globe, we crossed the Millennium Bridge, and what do you know, incredible view of St. Paul's - here are is some photographic proof

The hubs and I on the bridge with St. Paul's in the background

The lovely and grand St. Paul's

Here I am on the bank of the Thames before the show started

Frame worthy fo sho!

Inside the global. There are three levels with wooden benches (you can rent a cushion so as not to hurt your bottom while watching the show) and then a "yard" where for 5 pounds, you can stand and watch the performance. I love that the Globe gives people the opportunity to do this - definitely a great way to see some real great performances for a low price

The stage - you can see the people standing in the yard in front of it

If you think this blog ends here, you would be wrong. I know you are probably wondering how I have enough time to blog so extensively but rest assured, I am a terrific multi tasker and have actually been packing while I blog

Today felt like a whirlwind, we saw alot. Due to the president's visit, Westminster Abbey was closed yesterday so we were ready and waiting in line when the abbey opened this morning. Unfortunately we were not able to photograph inside but it was stunning! Apparently never having gone to church due to my Jewish religious beliefs has really hurt me in the sense that I never realized how beautiful churches could be. I was also overjoyed to be in the abbey because as we all know - I am a BIG fan of the royal wedding. We stood at the altar where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge exchanged vows, I sat a few chairs over from where the Queen and Prince Phillip sat and watched the ceremony, we walked through the Nave and I pictured it filled with the green trees that were brought in for the occasion and what it must have been like to be present for such a momentous event. The abbey was also kind enough to set up a whole display of enlarged photos from the big day - they were beautiful! Chris was especially enamored by Pippa whom he took a liking to when we watched it on tv (shout out to my fellow royal wedding watched Stef!)

After the abbey, we hopped the tube to the Tower of London where we took some time to walk around and take in the old fortress. Here are some photographic highlights...

One of the cool houses inside the walls of the Tower of London - interesting contrast between the house and the door

The hubs and I after we left the building that houses the crown jewels - man are those things sparkly! Some very impressive pieces from the queen's coronation are housed there - Chris and I both had the same question...who the heck do they transport those things?

View out of one of the small windows in the towers

Skittle about to enter the Broad Arrow Tower

Yours truly on one of the wall walks that connects the towers - view of the London Bridge in the background

Another window - cross shaped - these small windows can be seen around the perimeter of the fortress

Entry to the Lanthorn Tower

Yet another skinny little window - hard to get some air in this place - guess that makes a good prison even better

View of London Bridge from tiny little window - i stuck my hand out of it and took a chance - it worked out well

Mr. and Mrs. Baughman in front of the entrance - we are sporting our "serious" faces because we don't want to get arrested and thrown into the tower

After the tower, we did a whole buncha stuff, we went to Harrod's , we had lunch, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, we went to Kensington Gardens, we saw Kensington Palace (just the outside, the inside is under construction), we walked through Hyde Park and back to our hotel. Below I have include a few photos (and a video!!!!) of the second half of our day

A cute little street in Kensington, right off the main road - completely and totally quiet with dainty little pub at the end - idyllic

Nothing special about this street sign - I just like the photo

Here I am under a tree in Kensington Gardens!

Please clock below if you would like to watch a brief video of Kensington Gardens (it may or may not work - I'm kind of new at this video in blog thing)

In Massachusetts, we have a law against texting while driving. Here in London, they have another problem...texting while cycling. Yes, this man is riding a bicycle and simultaneously reading and replying to a text message - a true master cyclist that man is! And wearing a fancy suit while doing it - now THAT is classy!!

And last but not least, the Goring Hotel!! Where Princess Cathering (nee Middleton) stayed the night before her wedding!!

Well this blog is long enough - time to finish packing and go to sleep

Next blog will be from Paris!!

Aurevoir!!