bucket list adventure!
celebrated the Fourth with some of my castmates from 1776 which we performed 5 years ago! how time flies....
this is the month when I will finally travel to Europe! but first, I had two concerts to attend the week before departure. Beach Blanket Babylon will close forever this coming New Years Eve, so I had to go see it, and the date I picked was Bastille Day. there were a couple of French references in the show, but they may have been a part of the show anyway.
capped it off with dinner and decadent dessert at OJ's.
and, the night before I flew to Europe I went to see Hugh Jackman at our local arena. he put on SUCH an amazing show - - he really is a great showman!!
Trip of a Lifetime!
then it was off to Spain, France and England! it didn't start well, as my flight to Chicago was canceled due weather and flooding. the airline's agent stayed on the phone with me for 45 minutes until we had all of my changes confirmed. I caught my shuttle at the same time but waited at the airport for the additional 4 hours until the new flight through Heathrow to Barcelona.
while waiting, I read my kindle book, napped, and tried a Blood, Sand and Fire.
I had a great seat on the plane, and the service and food was amazing! I felt like I'd stepped back in time to the more civilized days of air travel.
SPAIN
day one - Barcelona
Janet picked me up and we drove straight to the Sagrada Familia where her friends from church, our travel companions for part of the trip, were waiting. since I had told Janet I would be delayed, they went on the tour, and she was able to give me some highlights.
we had dinner at a sidewalk Cafe and I had paella, of course!
after dinner, we walked back to the car and took the three hour drive "home" arriving around 3am. we stayed in a quaint little apartment-share that had a great patio view!
day two - Zaragoza
we awoke early enough to have a quick coffee, then caught the bus into the old part of town. we saw ancient structures from long ago, beautiful statues, a theatro or theater, and a refreshing fountain. then we came upon the old ruins of the city and decided that was where Janet and I would like to tour.
besides being full of artifacts and historical information - which we both love - the museum was air conditioned, which was a bonus!
we would have stayed longer, but they were closing for afternoon siesta, so we continued on our walkabout around the old city. this beautiful church was next to the museum, but it was closed for a private event.
I can find flamingos anywhere!
we caught up with Nanda and Elizabeth and had a quick bite in an outdoor cafe under a cooling umbrella.
across the street was the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar an 18th century church with frescos by Goya. while we could tour inside, we could not take pictures. we were fortunate to be in attendance when a baby was being baptized.
we grabbed some cooling gelato before we headed to the next attraction.
we caught a city bus to the 11th century Moorish Aljaferia Palace that was later inhabited by the king and queen.
earlier in the day I bought a large hat for five pounds to protect me from the intense heat! it wasn't until this location that I took an opportunity for a festive selfie.
we strolled back to where we thought we could catch the bus back to our apartment. since we were hungry, we had a refreshing bite at a Spanish bistro.
instead of catching the bus, we caught a rideshare, and our driver was so funny, telling us about all the places we should have visited, and showing us a video that looked like a chamber of commerce commercial, all while trying to drive through the busy city streets! we made it safely home, and fell completely exhausted into our beds.
FRANCE
day three - Southern France, to Bordeaux
today we left Spain and headed up the highway to France. while the original plan was to go straight on to Paris, Janet determined that would be too long of a drive, and we changed the plan to stop in Bordeaux.
at the border crossing
stopping for a light lunch in the countryside near Bordeaux, and had duck pork, beef and salmon - yes, we tried everything! for dessert there was a berry with Chantilly cream parfait.
on the way to the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce we saw a quaint carousel in the center of town.
the line at the Chamber was too long, so we Googled local wineries and found one that looked open. we drove to it and found that the guide was between two tours, and happily let us do some wine-tasting.
just as we were finishing up, the next tour arrived, so we headed back on the road to our very American, very air conditioned Holiday Inn Express. some things just need to remind us of home.
day four - Chambord, and on to Paris
on the road, we had a discussion about what we might want to see on the way to Paris. Liz wanted to see an old castle, and I found that Chambord, on my bucket list, was not far off the highway. on the way we saw farms full of baled hay, sunflowers and wind turbines.
Chambord is celebrating 500 years.
we stopped for lunch in the castle's nearby village, where I enjoyed a veggie crepe, and we all had some of the local cider.
as we walked through the ticket line and past security, one of the guards complimented me on my joli chapeau. I surprised him when I responded back with merci beaucoup! as he could tell we were Americans.
The Louis kings, XIII through XVIII
our first view of la tour Eiffel
Le Louvre
we settled in to our very tiny old hotel, and then went out to take a walk in the City of Light! I'm finally here :-) we saw the beautiful Sainte Chappelle first.
we walked around part of Notre Dame, which is swaddled in scaffolding and barricades, since it suffered the horrible fire back in April.
we had a lovely dinner.
mozzarella, tomatoes and basil salad
duck with apricots and polenta
the river Seine at night
l'Hotel de Ville, a 19th century administrative building
day five - taking the Big Bus around Paris, and the Opera House
we checked out of the teeny tiny hotel, and moved the SUV to a real parking garage, and started our streets of Paris adventure. we had arranged tickets for the big red bus tour, and walked by these buildings to get to the pick-up spot.
once on the bus, we opted for the top deck so we could see everything. Paris has lots of churches. we even got a better view of the Cathedral Notre Dame under renovation.
if we had time, it would have been fun to take a river cruise
the place de la Concorde
a view down the Champs Elysee
some of the world's biggest brands have stores on this thoroughfare
the famous l'Arc de Triomphe
lots of museums and statues
we'll get closer to this famous landmark eventually
I think we got views from all four sides
we grabbed salad, skewers and bubble tea for lunch, and then changed buses to get to the Opera House
a beautiful statue of Jean d'Arc from many angles
these thorny decorations look like they provide great security
we passed through the wedding district - many stores here cater to this industry
down the street from the opera house and where we'd have an early dinner
Garnier's masterpiece, the Paris Opera House
Chagal!
the main galleries where the patrons would gather
we share our birthday with Saint-Saens
downstairs are more exhibits about the behind the scenes aspects of the ballet and opera
a painting of when the opera house caught fire
an "opera ghost" for the entertainment of the tourists
it was so beautiful; I'm glad we squeezed this destination in.
we stopped at the Hard Rock and got cold bevs, and enjoyed their air conditioning. and yes, I got Californian nachos even though I'm in Paris
the bus dropped us near where we parked the SUV, and we drove to our larger hotel with newer amenities near the airport. it was a long, fun day of sightseeing in the City of Light!
day six - Versailles and the Musee d'Orsay
we took the Metro out to Versailles. it was really warm so we toured the gardens, then had a bite of lunch. the Metro back to the Musee had construction and a bus bridge, but we eventually got there.
our first view of Versailles as we walked from the train station
Le Musee d'Orsay
a unique view of the city
a cutaway of the Opera House
Paris in 1900
after our very full, very hot day touring two big destinations, we got a cool refreshing dinner. I had gazpacho, and melon and prosciutto salad. and wine, of course!
we were both exhausted and would be traveling the next day so we called it a good night!
ENGLAND
day seven - Paris to London
Thursday I took a quick flight to London. several people told me later I should have taken the train. next time. I hired a shuttle service for both trips, and it was only slightly more than an Uber. and I got to ride in an electric Jaguar!! on the drive I saw this beautiful memorial.
I hauled my heavy suitcase up the four flights of stairs, rested for a few minutes and got my bearings, then set off to find supper.
this pub was just two blocks away, and had excellent ale and fish&chips and mushy peas!
day eight - the V&A
Friday morning I woke and found I'd missed my opportunity to have the hotel's breakfast offering. no matter. I was off to the Victoria and Albert Museum where I grabbed a quick bite to tide me over. I was excited to see they had a Dior exhibit!
there was even a Chihuli sculpture!
walking around the inner courtyard.
the view all around the outer courtyard.
in my lifetime I never thought I would get this close to the exquisite creations of the brilliant Christian Dior!
Dior became instantly famous for his fresh "New Look" that was so different from the minimal styles of the hard times of depression and war.
this is the gown he designed for HRH Princess Margaret for her 21st birthday!
there were so many different styles of dresses that he designed in his short career before his death.
there were even designs representing other countries.
I really loved this selection of dresses, "les fleurs" or flowers.
these were some of the royal style dresses
in the Ateliers room the displays were of the dress designs created in plain fabrics until the design was perfected.
this grouping was called Diorama, and featured many clothing items that created the whole look that the house of Dior was famous for. I liked how it was arranged in color groupings.
the next grouping was called "The Dior Ball"
this museum is enormous! I couldn't see everything in a day if I tried. and I tried!
the regular exhibit of clothing through the centuries was up next, and it didn't disappoint.
a couple of sections were closed that I wanted to see - jewelry and theater - but I got to see this jade carving and several religious items.
soon it was time to make my way back out to the entrance, and then head home
having walked quite a bit through much of the museum, I treated myself to a rideshare ride back to the hotel.
day nine - Buck House and the Big Red Bus
on Saturday, I woke up to rain, but it didn't dampen my spirits. I had the hotel breakfast which was nothing to write home about, then I set off on a tour bus to see London and tour Buckingham Palace!
there was quite a crowd assembled, around the victory statue and all around the palace gates, seemingly to watch the changing of the guard. each time I would raise my phone to take a picture, the woman in front of me either raised her camera, or her umbrella, and totally cut off my view. she didn't give a fig about anyone but herself.
lots of the guards were on horseback, which was really neat! these horses were so gentle among the crowds, but I bet they're trained to lean in if they have to :-)
I purchased a timed ticket for a tour of the interior. the young man at the ticket counter asked if I was a pensioner - a senior - I'm sure because of my gray hair. I told him my age, which was 15 months shy of the minimum, but he gave me the two pound discount anyway - so sweet! no photography was allowed inside, so I bought a book instead. after the tour I took these pictures around the grounds and in the visitors area.
they had an area set up so that visitors could take a picture as if they were on the balcony with Her Majesty and the Royal Family. here I am with my joli chapeau and my Kentucky Derby shirt in front of and blocking Camilla.
back on the bus, inside this time, for a soggy view of the city.
I thought it would be fun to have a tour & tea! maybe the next time I'm in London Town.
the famous Harrod's. I didn't shop in the store, but I bought a couple items at their mini-store at the airport.
there was so much construction everywhere in the city. it was very hard to get a great picture of marvelous old buildings - including big ben - without scaffolding in the way.
lots of war memorials abound.
day ten - Kensington
on my last full day, Sunday, I had a traditional roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding dinner, and then walked off my delicious meal at Kensington Palace.
all too soon it was time to say goodbye to my 4th floor room in this lovely Kensington Gardens hotel.
my driver was a hoot, and we enjoyed the entire ride back to the airport. his car wasn't electric, but it was a very nice Mercedes. not even the 10 hour flight home stuck in a middle seat between two very rude seatmates could dampen the happiness I felt from taking this once in a lifetime trip!
cheerio!!
