Day 11-13 :: Jet Plane to Paris

Our vacation was so long that I had to take a little vacation from my recaps but it's back on.  Let's finish this up then shall we.  So, where were we....oh yes Day 11 and on our way to Paris.

Mj got this shot :: Can you see the Eiffel tower there just under the wing?

Sunday morning we were on the move again.  We had a 1:50pm flight on Easy Jet from Barcelona to Charles De Gaul Airport in Paris and we didn't know exactly how long everything would take so we left pretty early.  We walked to Placa Catalunya and were on the Aerobus to the airport by 10am for only  5,65 € each.   We were checked into our flight at the airport and grabbing a bite to eat by 11am.  Way early, but I guess it's better safe then missing a plane to Paris.  It was a 2 hour flight and we were happy to find that it wasn't raining yet when we arrived but we knew it was coming.

our hotel room was so cute and tiny :: to the right there was a little desk and chair

View from our hotel window :: Eiffel Tower

It took us what felt like forever to get to our hotel.  I wasn't even sure what was going on.  We bought our tickets at 9,25 € each from the kiosk then looked around for the train entrance but both sides were blocked.  We were told they were working on the tracks and that we had to take the airport tram train thingy to a different area.  Once we got off everyone made a beeline for this bus that was parked there.  I was like, why are we getting onto this bus?  What's going on?  We literally got the last spot in the bus and were crammed next to the door for the whole ride.  The bus took us to a train station.  I got stuck in the turnstiles because my luggage made it through ahead of me after I put my train ticket in but I didn't.  A French guy was kind enough to motion me towards the gate at the end of the row of turnstiles that I could just walk through.  From there we took a train that would connect to a different line where we would take the metro to get to the Dupleix station which was closest to our hotel.  If we were rich we would have just hired a town car and called it a day but on a budget you have to tough it out.  We got off the Metro and hauled our baggage though the streets of Paris to Hotel #3; Hotel Eiffel Saint Charles.  The elevators in Europe are all so small and this had to be the smallest one yet.  We barely fit inside with our two suitcases.  By 6pm we were in our room and as expected it was pretty tiny but oh so cute and charming.   What is it with European bathrooms and their half shower doors?  We soaked the bathroom floor in Barcelona because of it and while that didn't happen here their resistance to fully enclosed showers just doesn't make sense!  We could see the Eiffel Tower from our window.  We had a real key; old fashioned with a cute little tassel on it.  They make you leave it at the front desk when you come and go which was fine because it's heavy.

More wine for me! :: This croquette was delicious

After we checked in we went out to find dinner.  We split a bottle of white wine.  I ordered a Croquette and it was so good.  It's a ham sandwich on this thick french bread with cheese on the inside AND melted on top.  The bread was perfectly toasted and cheesy.   They serve just about everything here with Fries.  Mj went with boring Chicken again.  I don't know what he was thinking; I'm usually the boring one.

We were pretty tired from all of our traveling but we couldn't wait to see the Eiffel Tower.  It's so beautiful and so massive.   It does a light show at night too.  We stood there gazing up at it for a while and then we got back to our hotel at about 9:15pm and went to bed.

Visit to the Louvre

The next morning we got up and headed straight for the Louvre.  We looked out our window and saw a gray day with light rain which we expected.  We tourists are a hardy bunch and won't be stopped.  We didn't travel 6,000 miles for nothing so we got our umbrellas, I put on a knit hat to complete my Parisian look and we went out to explore Paris.  We took the metro and as soon as we got off at the Palais Royal Musee De Louvre station we were literally right inside the Louvre in a mini shopping mall area that leads up to the entrance.  There were so many people that we could hardly figure out where the line was, it was backed up that far.  We waited for about 45 minutes and then once we actually made it into the lobby area we had to wait in another line at an automated machine to buy the actual tickets which were 11 € each.  

The Spinx :: Mona Lisa, see the reflection of all the faces in the glass?

The mummy was my favorite piece, So cool.  Look at all that intricate wrapping

Outside the Louvre :: It's huge!

We enjoyed the Louvre much more then the Vatican Museum.  Neither one of us has that much interest in paintings and that's pretty much all they had at the Vatican but in the Louvre there was a much more diverse collection.  They had Medieval and Egyptian art and tons of sculptures.  There was just so much more to look at.  My favorite was the the mummy.  A real live dead mummy!!  There was a huge crowd around the Mona Lisa.  We had to fight our way through it just to get close enough to see it and take a picture.  Unlike most of the other paintings it was behind glass.   It was smaller then I thought it would be and I still don't know what all the fuss is about.  I didn't realize how huge the Louvre was until we got outside.  It's massive!  And really beautiful from outside as well as the inside.  Apparently it used to be a castle.

We relied on the metro to get around for most of the day.  We witnessed an almost mugging this time while waiting for the metro.  Mj saw more of it then I did.  It was really weird.  I was watching this girl standing there reading her book.  All of a sudden I see her with her phone like instantly in her hand and a guy rushing by.  She had this really confused look on her face looking down at her phone and then at the guy walking away.  I guess he reached into her bag and grabbed her cell phone but she got her hands on it as he was trying to pull it out of her bag.  That was a close one.  She went right back to reading her book.

Getting down to business :: Clearly we can't get enough of Pizza

After that we took the metro to the Champs Elysee area of Paris and got something to eat.  We couldn't resist ordering Pizza just one more time.  France does Pizza pretty good too.  This time we split a bottle of Red wine.  Too bad Mj spilled some on his shirt just as I was taking a picture of him and no I didn't get the shot.  I was kind of bummed that the rain just wouldn't quit but half a bottle of wine seriously helped me not to care!

Arc Di Triumph

Notre Dame Cathedral

Inside Notre Dame Cathedral.  Beautiful!!

Just down the street was the Arc Di Triumph.  Then we took the metro to the Notre Dame Cathedral. People just go inside and sit and stare.  It's feels so amazing just to be inside.

Latin Quarter

Thrilled to be in Paris

We strolled through the Latin Quarter of Paris which was right down the street.  There were tons of fashionably dressed French women.  I got such a kick out of checking out everyone's outfits.  They wear scarves with anything and everything.  I didn't see too many high heels and yet they look casual and put together without looking like they are trying too hard.  Maybe some day I'll figure out how to do that.

Eiffel Tower by day

Kiss by the Eiffel tower at night

We took the metro back to Dupleix so we could see the Eiffel Tower during the day.  It's walking distance from our hotel so we went back again after dark just to see it one last time and try to get some better pictures.  There isn't a whole lot of light in the surrounding area at all.  It was a bit chilly but I loved standing there and looking up at it with Mj.  I've seen it in TV and movies so many times but now I was there seeing it with my own eyes.  By this time I think I was actually starting to acclimate to our grueling schedule.  We didn't hit our usual 6pm crash and burn so we didn't take a nap and I still felt energetic enough for us to stop and grab a drink on the way back to the hotel.  We sat at an outdoor table with our drinks cozied up next to each other.  I loved Paris and I really didn't want our last night there to end.

Day 14-15:  Amsterdam, Netherlands

Day 10 :: Back to Beautiful Barcelona

There were tons of street side food and merchandise vendors

On our walking tour

The last day of our cruise was bitter sweet.  I had so much fun on the ship but was really looking forward to getting off and continuing onto the next part of our vacation.  It was so nice to have already had an 8 day cruise and know that we still had a 2nd vacation ahead of us.  We got off the ship around 9am Saturday morning after eating breakfast in the dining room.  From the port we took the Blue Bus to the Columbus Monument.  We had a pretty short walk to the Drassanes metro station and then once we got off the Metro another short walk to our hotel.  They say you better pack what you can carry and that's what I did...but just barely.  I had one large rolling luggage and a backpack for 15 days so I think I did pretty good but you never know what you are going to encounter at train stations.  You can't always find an elevator and very often we had to go down a set of stairs and then right back up another, sometimes twice.  It was rough but I did it.  I strategically planned for all of our hotels to be near metros so we could save money on cab fare and make it there with luggage.

Such a sight to behold.  This one was massive!

In the Gothic Quarter

The buildings there are so beautiful

Another beautiful Cathedral

We had the hotel hold our baggage and then we went off to explore Barcelona.  I heard about the free Runner Bean walking tour from another blogger so we checked out a few shops and then met up for the 11:00am tour.  The tour was 2 1/2 hours through the sites of the Gothic Quarter.  Our guide told us some great stories about the history of Barcelona and the buildings.  At the end you donate whatever you think the tour is worth.  After that we were on our own so we backtracked and stopped at different places along the way that we didn't have time to stop in during the tour.  On the way to our hotel we'd passed a Top Shop, which is UK based and I knew immediately I had to go there.  I always here about Top Shop but had never actually seen one so I was really excited.  I found a cute top for 22 € Euro.

I loved our hotel room

Paella and the wine trend continues :: Chocolate Waffle

We got our luggage and checked into Hotel #2, Hotel Jazz.  It was really nice.  It had a bidet in the bathroom.  I tried to use it just to see what it was like but bidet's don't have an actual seat like toilets and I really think they should.  How am I supposed to hang in mid air and reach the faucet which is behind me? Maybe I was doing it wrong, but I just found it awkward!  We rested a bit then went back out for dinner.  I found us a restaurant with outdoor seating at a place called El Cafe D'En Victor.  The menu prices are about 10% higher if you sit outside but it was worth it to be outside amidst the energy of Barcelona.  We split a bottle of white wine.  I ordered Paella.  It was sooo good!!  It was this giant pan of delicious rice, chicken and Peas.  I don't even like Peas but it sure tasted good in Paella.  Mj got boring grilled chicken.  After that we walked the streets a bit more.  There was so much good shopping.  Every single town we'd been in so far had a Zara and an H & M and we saw two here.  I was pretty satisfied with the shopping I'd done so far so I held back.  There were so many people!  We bought a chocolate covered waffle which was really good and then headed back to our hotel around 6:30pm.  I really wanted to stay up and enjoy the city for longer but I was just too tired.  We'd been on our feet for 9 hours already and you can only be up and out for so long.  I was the most tired I had ever been so far if that was even possible.  We planned to take a nap and then go back out for a drink but that never happened.  By the time we woke up it was pretty late so we were in for the night.  I'm so glad we stayed an extra night after the cruise so that we could get a chance to see this beautiful city.

Day 11-13:  Paris, France

Day 9 :: Rock Climing at Sea

Yep....we're still on vacation!!

Suited up for rock climbing

There he goes!!

He made it to that bell at the top pretty fast

Day 7 of our cruise was a day at sea so we didn't have to set an alarm at all.  We got up, went to breakfast in the dining room and then had the day to ourselves.  It was our first chance to just spend some time enjoying she ship.  I suggested the rock climbing wall.  I've never tried it before but Mj had once before.  Mj went first and he shimmied up that wall pretty fast.  He was like spider man.  I couldn't believe how fast he was going up.  It made me nervous that I wouldn't be able to do it at all.  

Uh...I don't know what to do

Spidey woman

I made it!!!

When I looked up at this giant wall it felt like it was going to be really hard and as I started up the wall it started to feel even harder.  If Mj did it I wanted to do it too.  I never looked down.  Several times I froze not really knowing what rock to grab next.  I'd reach for a rock then realize it wasn't big enough for me to grip onto or that it was too high for me to reach without falling.  If I reached for a rock too directly in front of me I could feel that my arms would not hold me and that I would fall.  I tried to use my legs more like the guy told me.   I was sweating by the time I got to the top and when I rang that bell I was so excited.  Coming down was the easy part.

Hangin' out on deck

After that we hung out on the deck near the pools and relaxed.  This was the first night that I didn't need a nap but Mj did so he slept while I read my book and started packing up my stuff.  Later that night there was a farewell variety show in the theater.  I actually felt wide awake at the show for a change and not in a tired haze.  I also got to wear sandals.  After that  we went to the dining room for our last dinner.

Pretending I can sing

I absolutely cannot sing but I have a thing for Karaoke.  I convinced Mj to do it it with me one time years ago but he refused to ever do it again so I knew it would just be me.  I'm pretty shy so it's not easy for me to get up there but I love it so much that I force myself.  I did two songs and I promise, I was not the worst one there!  

Our last night on ship

We went back to our room, Mj finished packing and then and we went to bed.  The next day would be yet another new adventure.

Day 10 :: Back to Barcelona

Day 8 :: Underground in Naples

Attempting to read a map of Naples

 

Our next port of call was Naples and I was really looking forward to it.  1-because it's the birthplace of Pizza and 2-because it was the one port that we were just walking off the ship and going to without taking any trains.  We allowed ourselves to sleep a little later.  I did not really understand the concept of sleeping in anyways because I still had this weird morning person syndrome and was wide awake by 5:00am most days.  I'm thinking maybe I was born into the wrong time zone and I was actually meant to live in Europe!  Since there was no rush we went to the dining room for breakfast instead of the more crowded Windjammer.  They have a buffet of the same foods from Windjammer set up in the middle but there is also a menu that you can order from if you are too lazy to get up or want the two or three items that aren't in the buffet.  I discover that the french toast in the dining room was so much better.  It was super thick and super delicious and Mj loved the Eggs Benedict so that's where we ate breakfast for the rest of the trip.  

 

This giant area is all Underground and dark!

 

After breakfast we walked off the ship and straight into beautiful Naples.  The internal compass that Mj seems to have implanted in his body is what made it possible for us to get where we were going and make it back to the ship.  I don't know how he does it but he always knows where we are and how to get us where we need to go. He reads maps and GPS like it's nothing.  Me, not so much.  My sense of direction is terrible even in my hometown so I basically held his hand and let him lead the way.  Since there was no time crunch Mj thought it would be fun to see if I could actually read the map and get us to our first stop.  I refused at first but he made me.  As I started out I was excited because I was finding the streets that I needed based on the map.  It was all making sense but eventually I had to throw in the towel.  I had narrowed it down to a certain area where I knew it had to be but I could not pin it down.  It should have only been a 25 minute minute walk and I had us walking in circles through the sketchy part of Naples for an hour.  They put the street signs on buildings and not every street had one which made it even harder.  I handed over the map, he says "okay" and 2 minutes later we're going down the narrow street that I kept missing and we were  there.  

 

In the San Lorenzo Maggiore museum

 

During my research I stumbled across a place called Napoli Sotterranea (Naples Underground) and was really fascinated.  I couldn't even really figure out how much it cost or where it was located so I wasn't sure if we'd be able to find it.  When I did a google map search it appeared to be next to something called San Lorenzo Maggiore so I put that down for location and when I saw that on our map I knew that's where it had to be.  There are excursions according to the website but I couldn't get much information so we just showed up.  Without an excursion you go down on your own which was fine with me and it was only 7 €  each.  We had the whole place to ourselves.  It was cool and dark and quiet.  All the lights were run on motion detectors so as we moved through the caves lights came on lighting our path.  That is, until we got to one section where the lights did not go on at all.  It was awesome!  The only way we could actually keep going is because Mj had the flashlight app on his i Phone.  I felt like I was in a horror movie except I wasn't scared and I was pretty sure that nothing terrible was going to happen.  After we came out of there we walked around the rest of the museum.  There were some interesting things to look at.  I had so much fun underground that I wanted to go again before we left.  Mj just rolled his eyes at  me but he went along with it. 

Enjoying Cafe in a streetside Cafe

 

After that we sat outside at a sidewalk cafe and drank coffee.  It was so nice to just be sitting there.  We had time to let me get us lost, sit down, relax and really enjoy the beauty around us.  I wandered into this tiny little shop and found a really cute top for only 7 €.  

Special Delivery by bucket

They do this thing there where they have stuff in a bucket delivered from the shops below directly up to their home through the window.  If you look close you can see a lady pulling up a blue bucket on a string.  We saw this happen twice.  We also saw all these men walking around holding serving trays with plastic cups on it.  We couldn't figure out where they were coming from, where they were going or what they were doing at first.  I don't know how it works but they are delivering coffee to people, probably from different cafes all over the place because we saw these guys everywhere.  

 

Such a charming little town

Castle Nuovo.  A real castle! 

Royal family jewels

At the top floor of the castle

 

After that we headed to Castel Nuovo.  It's this giant castle that we saw as soon as we walked off the ship.  It was 6 € each to go in.  It was so beautiful to look at on the outside and inside there was artwork, all kinds of interesting things to look at and a nice view on the top floor.  It even had a moat around it.  It's a parking lot now but still.

 

More Pizza and wine please!!

After that it was time for food and you already know it had to be Pizza.  We went to a place called La Piazzetta.  We ordered a bottle of wine to share and this time we each had our own Pizza.  Delicious.  I noticed they don't pre-cut your Pizza in Europe.  Like the others we had to cut it ourselves.  I was also surprised that Pepperoni on Pizza doesn't seem to be all that popular.  Maybe it's an American thing as there was no Pepperoni to be found on this menu or the place we ate at in Rome.  In US you can always get tap water for free but  in Europe if you ask for water they offer you still or sparkling and it's always in a bottle.  This restaurant charged 2,50 € each as a service charge whether you use the restroom or not.   After we were stuffed with Pizza and wine we headed back to the ship.  It was the slowest paced day we'd had yet and it was nice.  I really loved Naples!  After the hustle and bustle of Rome it was just the kind of slow and relaxing day that we needed.  We had spa appointments at 5:30pm.  Our aching feet needed some TLC so we each got a back massage, foot/ankle massage and facial.  It was just what we needed after all those days of speed walking. Then it was time for our obligatory nap.  Later that night we went to Windjammer just because there was food to be had.  We weren't even all that hungry. 

We juuuussst missed the Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake wedding extravaganza.  Too bad; it might have been fun.

Day 9 :: Day at Sea

Day 7 :: When in Rome...

In packed St. Peter's Square

For day 5 of our cruise the port city was Civitavecchia, Italy.  Don't worry if you can't say it.  It took me a while to get it.  According to my research this cruise port terminal is super long.  We also had a 60 minute train ride to Rome so we set our alarms for 6:30am.  This might be a vacation but we really didn't have time to sleep in.  Our cruise newsletter said there was a free shuttle from the ship to the end of the port but there is so much going on that we couldn't find it.  We asked, but still couldn't really find it so we just kept walking. I was moving pretty fast because I was anxious about getting there and Mj isn't ready for all of that so early in the morning so he trailed behind me.  This port is huge and it took a good 35 minutes just to get out and about another 10 minutes to the train station and we were there by 8:15am.  We bought B.I.G. tickets, short for Biglietterie,  for 12 € Euro each which would cover our round trip train and the metro while we were in Rome.  There were so many people on the deck all waiting for the same train.  When it came and the doors opened up there was a crush of bodies surging towards the doors to get in.  I wasn't even sure we'd make it.  We did but there were no seats so we stood the whole 60 minute ride to Rome.  We got off at Roma Termini then headed for the metro which would take us to a station close to St. Peter's Square.  Roma Termini is huge!  We walked forever and ever just to get to the metro area and when we did we found ourselves once again mashed among a sea of people and packed into the train.  We didn't make the first one but the next one came just a few minutes later and was almost as packed.  It was crazy!  It was a fairly short ride from there but in all it took us about 2 1/2 hours to get to our final destination and actually start exploring the city. 

St Peter's Square

Excuse me Mr. Pope; could you scootch over just a bit so we can get into the Basilica?

And that was only the beginning.  I feel like Rome basically chewed us up and spit us out.  We went to St Peters Square around 11am and it turns out the Pope was in the middle of it speaking which was cool.  But what was not so cool is that because he was there and standing right in front of it we couldn't get into St Peter's Basilica.   We headed towards the Vatican Museum.  There were people outside trying to sell front of the line passes with tour for 30 € Euro each but there wasn't much of a line at all so I'm really glad we didn't do it especially since it was only 15 € Euro each for tickets.  Inside it was very crowded.  The Vatican Museum is like Ikea on crack.  Once you get in it's very difficult to find your way out.  It's like a maze.  You are funneled from one area to the next without really knowing where you are headed next or where you came from.  Maybe there was a brochure or a map but we missed it.  We were funneled through several different rooms full of walls lined with painting after painting and then finally we found ourselves in the Sistine Chapel where we were not allowed to take pictures.  There were guards at the door.  Like all the other cathedrals we were required to cover our shoulders and you can't show too much leg.  It was cool and dimly lit inside.  It was pretty crowded but there was still a general hush about the room. It really was beautiful. 

Inside the Vatican Museum

By this time we just wanted out of this place!  We'd seen the Sistine Chapel so we were ready to go.  We were hungry and just didn't really have a whole lot of patience for the rest of the paintings.   We were in there for about 1 1/2 hours I think.  We finally get to the exit and then there is this huge downward spiral staircase to get out that keeps going on forever and ever.  Seriously!  I thought we'd never make it out.  By the time we got out half of our day had passed and traffic in Rome is really bad.  We waited forever for a bus to take us towards the Colosseum and then when it finally came we were barely moving because of all the terrible traffic.  There are motorcycles and mopeds darting in and out of lanes everywhere you go.  You really have to be aware of your surroundings because there is just so much going on.  While we were on the bus Mj spotted the Coliseum so we got off and walked.  The Coliseum is magnificent.  It's huge and it looks just like you imagine it would when you see it in movies.  It was 2pm by now so we didn't have time for the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon, Roman Forum or Trastevere so we called it quits and headed for a place to eat.  We needed food and wine!

Just chillin' at the Coliseum

I wanted to try Lasagna but I couldn't miss a day of Pizza eating in Italy so we ordered both along with a bottle of wine and split it.  It was so good.   We also had limonchello's.  It tastes like candy...but with a major kick!  Very deceptive.  We were positively exhausted by this point.  We took the metro from the Colosseo station back to Roma Termini.  The train was crowded and I almost didn't make it in behind Mj slamming my arm a little bit in the door as it shut.   Giddy from wine, I just had to laugh.  We made the long walk through Roma Termini back to the train station area and then it was an hour back to Civitavecchia in a train without AC.  At least we had seats.  Our train must have left late or something because we were back later then anticipated.  If we had caught the next train and it took that long I don't think we would have made it back to the ship in time.  My feet were killing me by the time we got back.  Thank goodness as soon as we got to the end of the port there was a shuttle waiting and we were able to get right in and get back to the ship.  I made sure we got our shows on the first three days of the cruise because I figured we would get more tired as the days went on.   It was nice not to have anything to do that night. 

We napped hard after that and I never really got up.  I was done for the rest of the night.  Mj woke up and went to the Windjammer to grab some food but he was so late that everything was shut down except dessert.  Rome wore us out.  You could probably spend three days there and not see everything it's that big.  The metro is fast but stays on the perimeter and does not go to a lot of tourist sites that are in the center.  Then there is lots of traffic in the city center making it hard to get around.  A Hop on Hop of bus may have helped a lot.  Another hunch that I didn't act on.  I had big plans but Rome wasn't built in a day so I could hardly expect to see it in one either!

Next Stop:  Naples, Italy