Catching up

France Day 1: We found our way to the motel in the Latin Quarter. Our room held one double bed, one single bed and one couche longe bed. All of us sleeping in one room....ooooolala! Snug but we only sleep there. I got out my night mask and ear plugs in preparation for an interesting night of slumber. We headed out for some food and then ait was time to go check out Notre Dame Cathedral. It was about 5 blocks from our hotel. Then we spent about an hour there taking pictures and seeing the grounds. It was getting late so we headed back to the hotel only to discover we had headed off in the opposite direction from our hotel. Brenda and her mom decided to catch a taxi back, while Wayne and I had a romantic walk through the streets of Paris in the rain.

France Day 2: Today we took the Batobus on the Seine river. It took us past the major sites and we could hop on hop off any time we wanted.  We stopped at the Louvre museum which was humongous!  It was so crowded that we decided to come back in the evening.  We walked around the Tuillery gardens and then paid for the privilege to use their bathrooms.  Haven't had to pay to go potty since my childhood---as you know--decades ago.  So I made sure I stayed for a good long time and enjoyed the ambiance and cleared my bowels:) After all the walking we hopped back on the batobus and snapped pictures of the buildings along the river. Betty decided she needed a rest at that point so the rest of us were off to the Arc de triomphe and a long walk up the Champs Ellysee.  We finished the evening with the Eiffel Tower.  As night does not darken the skies until 10:30 pm, there was no way we were going to be able to stay awake to see the city buildings all lit up--sucks to get old!

As an aside, remind me to walk at least 10 miles each day when we get home, cause that is what these Europeans walk by the end of their days! No wussy 10,000 steps for them!  Wayne is wasting away with all the walking-- I of course am not.  He's looking for pastry shops, eating chocolate desserts etc. And I'm looking at baguettes and gaining weight, I'm sure!  Sigh.....

Paris day 3 Our goal today is to take the metro to Sacred Coeur church, the highest point in Paris.  Of course it is still overcast so the views won't be at their prime.  When we got there we had to ride a funniculare to the top (translation: tram).  Upon arrival we were greeted by a very interesting "angel". It was a guy dressed in a white robe with wings--face covered in white paint like a mime.  So I, of course, handed him Laura's gnome and took a picture.  There were all kinds of people standing around, playing instruments etc, all trying to make money from all the tourists.  Enjoyed the music but only the angel got my money:) The things I'm willing to do for Laura!! On to the museum d'orsey--only to find it also packed with people. Note to self: buy and download tickets to Paris museums before you get to Paris!  The lines were too long and all of us too footweary to deal with it.  We'll have to save the art museums till our next visit. Brenda and Betty caught a cab back to the hotel only to discover the driver was the same man who drove them the first night we were in Paris.  What are the odds of that???? Brenda has her own personal driver while in Paris! Wayne and I sauntered our way back to the hotel,enjoying the sites and sounds.  We met back up with Brenda and Betty for a good Greek gyro sandwich. We've enjoyed baguettes and croissants with butter and jam each morning along with hot chocolate and tea.  I've also enjoyed the quiche here.

Observations about Europe so far... People in big cities walk alot, metros are not handicapped-accessible, the bread in Paris is formidable-yum yum, the side streets are small and crowded-with walkers, bikers, cars, buses, motor bikes and tons of sidewalk cafes.  And people here in Europe enjoy being outside no matter the weather.  Loved seeing the mom's out with strollers in the rain.  Should have snapped a picture of the plastic cover over the whole stroller contraption-loved it-and it didn't smother the baby! People sat at outdoor restaurants even on the cold, dreary and wet days! Everything in Europe is small and cramped-restaurants, stores, toilets, elevators etc.  Stores only carry a few brands and people seem to shop daily for what they need. Perhaps life is different in the burbs--more like the US? Access to computers was a challenge-had to find an internet cafe in London. Found one in the basement of a small convenience store--kind of creepy.  Don't know where the public libraries are and if they have computers.  I'm not a card carrying member so that wouldn't help me anyway.  Wifi is available in some restaurants--yeh, McDonald's!

Vienna here we come: We hopped a plane for a quick 2 hour flight to Vienna. We left early because we weren't sure how long the metro took to get to the airport. Then the flight was delayed by about two hours. So we spent most of the morning in the airport. Brenda decided to donate her neck pillow along with her watch to the airport.  So it is Betty or Wayne's turn to leave something behind in upcoming countries. It was great to be met in Vienna by Lucas, Brenda's foreign exchange student. He gave Wayne and me a ride to our hotel.  Brenda and Betty were staying with him in his small condo. That means Wayne and I have a room to ourselves for 3 whole days.... We all met later that evening for a walk around the city center followed by a traditional meal of wiener Schnitzel with bird salad (yummy pumpkin oil dressing) and wine for me:)  We strolled through the city center and stopped at a clock that was supposed to chime on the hour, while historical figures march across the clock face.  Lucas warned us that it might not work--and it did not, disappointing.

Day 2 in Vienna included a bus tour of the city followed by a Vienna sausage lunch from a local stand.  The tour included stopping at the Imperial Palace.  It is a smaller version of Versailles, which we didn't get to see in France.  Beautiful grounds!!!    After the tour, we went to check out a Baroque national library. It wasn't as impressive as it looked on the internet.  I thought it would be much more extensive. We ended the afternoon with coffee and dessert at a traditional coffee house.  Throughout Vienna you see people enjoying themselves at outdoor cafes.  There are small cafes and restaurants everywhere! I don't know how they afford all the libations and desserts--it's pricey! The weather has been perfect here in Vienna.

Day 3 entailed a river cruise down the Danube.  We drove about an hour out of town and stopped at a beautiful Benedictine monastery.  We took a guided tour of all the buildings and then enjoyed walking the gardens.  The river cruise followed with beautiful scenery of castles, villages dominated by churches, and vineyards.  The area is known for it's vineyards and apricot orchards.  We stopped for lunch in a vineyard and sampled the local fare:  bread, cheeses, meats, pates, and wine. Delish!  I stopped to buy some apricot soap which will bring back pleasant memories everytime l use it. Lucas's dad, Helmuth, joined us for the day so we enjoyed good company and enjoyable stories. Liked the man because he kept refilling my wineglass.  You'll never believe this, but I had more than one glass of wine, Laura! Got a bit silly and very sleepy on the ride home. Wayne and I collapsed in the hotel after a great day in Vienna. On the way to Budapest.....