Europe: Paris to Lucerne

Today, we left Paris to head to Lucerne (Switzerland). We totally scored and got the front row with panoramic view both ahead and to our side, thanks to the rotation system. We also experienced a blessing in disguise; a couple jacked the seats behind us from the talkative mother and her quiet daughter so we didn’t have to sit in front of that lady for the 4-5 hour drive! (Although I was pleased to sit behind a quiet couple, I did feel that it was wrong for the couple to purposely sit in the wrong place. The daughter passive-aggressively confronted them and the wife simply said, "Oh, it was too crowded back there so we decided to sit up here" -- okay! The bus is completely full so whether you sit in the front or back, it's the same. The only difference is that they were now sitting in the second row, rather than the rear of the bus.)

We passed by some vineyards and then headed into Besancon. We had been heading South and then started East. We had a quick lunch break at a pit stop (again). It was not good, and it was expensive. I chose ham and veggies, and it was 10 Euros. Hubby decided not to eat anything...but then went to the little shop and came back with Twix, Lays, and a Coke. I felt betrayed! I would have much rather indulged in a lunch of candy bars and chips than what I had! Since I was so disappointed with lunch, we went back to the shop and got me Sweet BBQ Doritos...since I love Doritos and BBQ flavored chips.
Afterward, we continued our drive and saw the Black Forest, German mountains, and so much greenery. In the late afternoon, we arrived in Lucerne and went to see the beautiful Lion Monument. I really liked it, but we only got a glimpse of it for a few minutes. The lion lays on top of a shield with the fleur de lis, which I have recently become obsessed with prior to our European vacation.


After that, we went to a nearby shopping area. I loved that around different corners, there were musicians. Not just amateur performers, but a harpist and several stringed quartets. We looked for Swiss Army knives but they were really expensive. I did see the cow bells that Ama once had and the cuckoo clock that Daddy bought me. The only things we got were milk chocolate and white chocolate Toblerone bars from Confiserie Bachmann. I really wanted a truffle but couldn’t figure out if I could only buy one vs. a whole box, so I ended up not getting any. I figured that even though Toblerones are sold in the U.S., these would still taste different since everything else tastes different (Lays, Coca-cola, Twix). They were extremely delicious; since they were actually produced in Switzerland, they tasted exquisitely creamy and all around yummy.


Before dinner, we checked into Grand Hotel Europe Lucerne. The entire place from outside-in is beautiful, quaint, and cozy. (Our rooms were a little bit plain…and warm; no A/C.) We had dinner with our group at the hotel restaurant. It consisted of a yummy spring salad and the main entrée was fish.

After dinner, we walked across the street to walk by Lake Lucerne. We didn’t walk too far since Hubby'’s thighs are really sore from yesterday’s climb down the Eiffel Tower. My calves are extremely sore, too. We sat by the lake for about 10 minutes or so before heading back to the hotel. On our way up, Hubby grabbed a beer from the cute bar.


I can see why people love Switzerland. Lucerne is so beautiful, quaint, and serene. The hotel we are staying at is so cute. It is also the oldest hotel in the city, but well kept. Everywhere you turn you see lush greenery. It’s wonderful here.

And here is another one of those shots that we took ourselves with Hubby "posing":

And here is one where I'm starting to get into the fake candid shots, too:

Europe: I [heart] Paris

I couldn’t sleep again so I got up around 3:30 AM, tossed and turned for more than an hour before dozing off, and then got up again for breakfast at 6:30 A.M. Our new "friends," Millie and Ray, asked to join us. (Millie and Ray are from North Carolina; they've been married 51.5 years!) Breakfast was light and delicious. We had the best croissants (ever!) and a nice big cup of coffee along with fruit cocktail (I guess Del Monte fruit cocktail is ubiquitous) and other European staples (i.e., ham and cheese).


Breakfast began at 6:30 AM so we were practically the first ones there. We were so early that I managed to go for seconds.


We left for our morning excursion around 8 AM. Today, we had a local tour guide. We drove by several sights: the Orsay Museum (museum of famous Impressionists' masterpieces), the Louvre, palaces, and monuments while cruising along the Seine River again.

Unfortunately, we sat in front of an extremely talkative lady. I consider myself a relatively easy-going person, but this lady was getting on both Hubby and my nerves. Hubby was actually good about not making any snide remarks, but I heard him sigh really loud. When we got off the bus, I couldn't resist saying quietly to him, "How about a cup of shut the h--- up!" He busted up laughing since he's usually the one making those comments...not me... We were concerned because today is when we chose our "permanent" seats (as in whomever is sitting in front of us and behind us would stay the same except that our rows would rotate every day; we would move three rows up so that we all fairly got to move around the bus).

Our first stop was to get a nice distant shot of the Eiffel Tower.


Next thing you know, we’re at the Eiffel Tower (after a 3 minutes bus ride).



We got there around 9:15 or so and it was already really crowded with loooooong lines. Since we ordered group tickets in advance, we didn't have to wait long. We just went through security and ascended to the second level by lift. I couldn't believe we were actually on the Eiffel Tower! We walked around a few circles, taking plenty of shots, and then ascended to the level directly above.

We also visited the souvenir shops inside. Hubby was so fascinated by the laser image thingy that he called me over. One other couple from our tour was there, and they thought Hubby was calling me over because the piece in the window display looked like me.


At first, I thought Hubby thought the same, too, because he was agreeing with them so I played along, "Yeah, it kind of does look like me." I mean, heck, he even took the picture above (I was in charge of photography for about 95% of the trip). After they walked away, he said what he really thought, "Do they really think all Asians look alike? That doesn't look like you!"

After about an hour, we had to leave. We ran into the nice couple from Arizona, Burt and Nancy, who also decided on descending via stairs. We climbed down together...and it took almost 15 minutes.

When we got outside, three gypsies approached us, asking if we speak English. We were instructed by our tour guide to say “no” and walk away (lest they pick-pocket us), but Hubby got all creative/silly and said in Chinese, “bu yao, tso kai.” (I don't want it, go away). They immediately left us alone.

(When we went to China in '07, I taught Hubby to say that so that the street vendors would leave him alone. Why he didn't just say something in Tagolog is beyond me. Oh yeah, it's because he swears he can speak Mandarin.)

After the Eiffel Tower, we passed by the Notre Dame Cathedral, saw a glimpse of the back of The Thinker (Hubby wouldn't let me take a pix b/c it would have just been The Thinker's back side including butt-crack), went by Napoleon’s Palace/Tomb, and arrived at the Louvre. I really wanted 20 post cards for one Euro from a street vendor, but Hubby wouldn’t let me haggle. Suddenly, I turned around, and he was trying to haggle for one euro! It was funny because 1) he was adamant about me not doing any transactions with the vendors; 2) he hates haggling; 3) I have never seen him bargain! That is love. Haha. Unfortunately, the guy said no but came back and Hubby tried again and then the guy left us alone.

Our first stop in the Louvre was the inverted pyramid, which was to be our universal meeting point.

We ate lunch in the food court area and then we used what was supposedly the most expensive bathroom in the world, Pointwc (it cost each person a euro). It was super fancy! I totally scored and got to use the handicapped bathroom. Ha!

Hubby didn't know whether to be impressed or embarrassed that I actually took pictures. (We later come to find out that for one euro, that was a really good deal. In Rome, we paid up to 1.50 Euros to use really raunchy public restrooms.)

After lunch, we started our two-hour guided tour. We saw many sculptures including one of Michelangelo’s. After, we went to see prints and drawings mainly by Delacoux. The rooms were so hot and after climbing the stairs, I thought I was going to faint and drinking room temperature water didn't seem to help. Fortunately, the next room was the Mona Lisa exhibit! Just rounding the corner and seeing the mass crowd was overwhelming. I asked Burt to take a picture for me since Hubby wouldn’t let me push a little closer to the front. (Burt is really tall.)


We also saw 5 of Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings, which is apparently a vast collection since he destroyed many of his works as he let his perfectionism get the best of him. My last shots were of the Venus de Milo before my camera battery died (again).

Our last visit was down to the Medieval Louvre, the lower ground that was “recently” discovered. We were standing in what used to be the moat of the castle before it became a palace and then a museum. Our tour ended around 2 PM but others went to see the Napoleon exhibit. I was the only one that hung back and Hubby actually went ahead and said I could go hang out at Sephora, which I did to freshen up. ;) (Hubby typically does not let me out of his sight; we are usually holding hands or linking arms everywhere we go because he is constantly worried that something will happen to me.) I stopped by one of the museum gift shops but didn’t see much. I guess I’m really not much of a souvenir shopper. It’s nice to just have photos...or memories when my camera fails me.

After the Louvre, we came back to the Pullman hotel and took a nap. Since we were on our own for dinner, we walked around the rear of the hotel and ended up in a piazza with several restaurants. We ate at an Italian restaurant, where we both had Margherita pizza (cheese only) and shared a coca-cola...since we didn't understand the French menu. (I wanted to order one with a topping and take my chances, but Hubby insisted on going with cheese only.) I almost finished all of mine. I probably could have if I wanted to, but Hubby had already finished his 15 minutes prior so I left about 1/6.

(From top left clockwise: my big pizza; our hotel in between 2 high rises; Arc de Defense; more high rises; a gigantic thumb; courtyard where we ate; McDonald's ad...with a couple kissing behind Darth Vader.)

We walked around a little more and snapped more photos. I especially liked walking up to the foot of the Arc de Defense. For whatever unknown reason, I realized that I'm really fascinated by arches. I must get it from my Dad, who is really fascinated by bridges.

We really enjoyed our time in Paris. Hubby was hoping that we could go to the Orsay Museum, but it was closed. The only thing I didn't like is that I couldn’t connect to wifi. Hubby loved Paris also because of all the unique typography. He is right though; everywhere you turn, each store has its own style with corresponding typography. It must be a designer’s dream to come to Paris and be so inspired.

Below is Hubby's favorite picture that I took. I was doing some more drive-by shooting...of the Eiffel Tower. Do you see it?

Hey, that takes talent to get such precision!

Europe: London through Dover to Paris

Today, we both woke up around 2 AM and couldn’t sleep for about an hour. I woke up around 4:15 AM to start getting ready. Next thing I know, the wake-up call at 4:50 came, and we got ready fast since our luggage had to be out by 5:20 AM. We were downstairs for breakfast by 5:30 AM. This time, I had a bit healthier of a breakfast. I had a few slices of Swiss cheese with tomatoes and cucumbers, some fruit, and a few bites of pastries. We boarded our pimp* tour bus at 6:15 AM and met our tour guide Richard and bus driver Gennaro. (*Our Mercedez-Benz tour bus is so luxurious!)


We headed through several parts of London, seeing some of the wealthiest parts as well as the dirty outskirts before driving through lots of fields and pastures. After about an hour, we got to Dover for our ferry crossing across the English Channel. While we were waiting, we got out and took some pictures with the white Dover cliffs in the background.


Our English Channel crossing was about an hour so we managed to get a hearty breakfast in and explore the ferry, too. On our way to Paris, we stopped by the Vimy Memorial, a French memorial to the Canadians for their alliance in WWI.

We arrived at the Pullman Hotel Paris La Defense in the late afternoon, where we were immediately greeted in a small café room with a welcome drink of sangria. Our hotel is located in the business district so we are surrounded by beautiful high rise buildings. I imagine it’s like staying at the Millenium Biltmore in downtown LA. The city is quiet because most Parisians are on vacation plus it is a Sunday so the area is very still.

We both showered and got re-dressed to meet downstairs for our optional dinner excursion. We rode along Champs Elysees and caught our first real glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, but wouldn’t you know, my camera battery died! I was so upset! Hubby at first teased me and then said it’s okay, we’ll just have to enjoy it through our memories. That's easy for the husband with the photographic memory to say to his wife with short-term memory challenges. We made our way to the Latin Square to have dinner at Au Bistrot de la Montagne, a very festive and fun restaurant.


(The picture is from their website b/c remember? My camera battery was dead. :( We sat at the table in the bottom right corner of this pix.)

While we were being seated, musicians were already entertaining patrons. We were immediately given a tasty variant of mimosa upon being seated. We chose from a prix fixe menu so I ordered “lawyer” shrimp cocktail (bay shrimps, avocados, peas, carrots, in a sweet, creamy, orange sauce), “Gambas outbreaks cognac” (prawns in cognac sauce with rice and vegetable medley), and peaches melba. Hubby chose lox on a salad, beef in peppercorn sauce (with potatoes and mushrooms), and apple tart. Hubby requested a beer for a drink. He asked in Spanish since our waiter spoke both French and Spanish. I think the waiter got so excited about a Spanish-speaker b/c he brought out a huge bottle of French beer (with a German name) that was quite tasty. It was probably a 40 oz. After our main course, another waiter came around with a platter of cheeses to choose from. We sampled brie, pimento, and gouda. I especially liked the gouda. We were also served the traditional end-of-dinner shot of a black currant liqueur that was so strong. I only tasted it.

After dinner, we quickly rushed out to the bus to drive a few blocks to get on our River Seine Cruise. We took off around 9:30 PM and enjoyed the beautiful city lights, bridges, architecture, monuments, and landmarks. I saw the Eiffel Tower lit up at night, and it was magical. (When we got close, Hubby said, “It’s smaller than I thought,” but soon after, it was towering over us in its lit glory and he said, “Whoa, it is pretty big.”) On the way back, the tour guide said it is tradition to make a wish as we pass under Sully Bridge and kiss our neighbor to make the wish come true. :)

The hour long cruise was wonderful, definitely a highlight for me. It was serene, romantic, beautiful, and relaxing. We must have passed under close to 20 bridges, all that were so unique in architecture and history. I can see how people fall in love with Paris, move here, or want to live here. We got back on our bus around 10:30 PM and drove down Champs Elysees and circled by the Arc de Triomphe again.

We both rather enjoyed this evening.

Highlights for me:

• Arc de Triomphe
  
• Going up and down Champs Elysees during the day and night
• Dinner
• River Seine cruise

Regrets: Not charging my camera battery nor bringing an extra one!

Europe: Sight-seeing in London

Today, we woke up around 3 AM due to jet lag so we got up and had breakfast buffet right when it opened at 6:30 AM.

We began our tour with a local tour guide with a mixture of Trafalgar tour groups. We passed by so many palaces, parks, memorials, halls, bridges, etc. Jet-lagged or not, it was really hard to keep track of what was what but the architecture and history behind each site was very interesting. (I just wish I could recall it all.)

One thing that this city has a lot of is Prince Albert’s statues/memorials. Although he had many great achievements, he personally considered holding the first Exhibition as his greatest work. Since we had tons of photo ops with him, hubby took one of me (outside of the park).



Some other sites that we saw were:

• British Airways London Eye – the large ferris wheel by the River Thames
• Nightingale Nursing School in St. Thomas’ Hospital
• Winston Churchill Memorial
• Mayfair
• Piccadilly Arcade
• Buckingham Palace
• Trafalgar Square
• St. James’s Park
• Hyde Park
• Kensington Garden
  
• Big Ben
• Parliament
• Westminster Abbey

What was disappointing was that we did not get to see the changing of the guards. It was in our itinerary but since they only do it every other day now, we were visiting on an off-day so we missed it.

Our tour ended at 11:45 AM and that’s when the adventure really began. We got dropped off at a bus station to find our way back to the hotel -- I mean, we had the rest of the day to explore, as our itinerary said. Hubby and I wanted to head back so we first had to find a place to exchange our euros for pounds so that we could buy a bus pass through coin-operated ticket vending machines. We totally got jacked exchanging inside the bus station at a currency exchange booth. They charged a 2.50 processing fee. Our bus passes were about 2 GBP each. We got two different directions on how to find our bus stop so we got lost for a few minutes. Then we couldn’t agree which bus route to take (to get dropped off in front of the hotel). Well, the 148 double-decker came and passed. We must have waited at least 20 minutes for the C1 to finally come and when it did, we had to stand all the way in the back in the aisle. Our whole bus ride was about 50 minutes and consisted of being crammed in like sardines. A few times, I got to sit down and when hubby finally got to sit, he stood up to let some ladies sit and a dude stole the seat and wouldn’t move over. That was weird enough for even the ladies around to blatantly make a comment about it.

Hubby was actually quite a good sport about it, considering it was hot and cramped. We got dropped off at Westfield Mall so we walked back to our hotel to freshen up and decide what to eat. We really wanted fish and chips since it was our last evening in London so he asked the front desk where to go.


We ended up eating at Belushis. We both ordered fish and chips which came with peas. Hubby said that when he ordered at the bar, the girl totally gave him attitude. He gave her the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe she was just like that but then she saw her totally chummy and sweet with other customers. Service aside, the food was REALLY good. We sat in the back in a booth that was so high that when I stood up, it looked like I was sitting. Since there was free wifi, I e-mailed our family members.

We went back to the hotel and fell asleep soon after, since we had to wake up at 4:30 AM the next morning to begin our real tour through Europe.

Verdict: London is great for free wifi and fish and chips.

P.S. Hubby hates taking pixs, especially when we take it ourselves...this will become more apparent through the next few days.

Europe: Arriving in London

Our first day of true vacationing consisted of lots and lots of flying. I thought that we would be okay. After all, we brought a few things to keep us entertained: books, laptop with DVDs, crossword puzzles, pillow...But we there was no way we could prepare for the really uncomfortable seats on our long flight!

My brother and Maxwell Benjamin (bro's doggy) dropped us off at LAX for our 4-5 hour flight to DFW. Our flight took off late so we didn't have much of a layover. We rode the tram all the way around the airport and then speed-walked to our gate to catch our 9-hour flight to London. During our second drink run, hubby asked if he could have a cocktail. I said, of course! We're on vacation. :)

(This flight is when it was first established that hubby actually likes cranapple juice.)

By the time we landed, it was about 11 AM in London, but 3 AM PST. When we got outside, I told hubby, "Dang, I feel like we were just after-partying all night and just got out of the club at 6 AM closing time." Seriously felt cracked out. I'm sure having coffee didn't help our bodies at 3AM. We waited a little while until our scheduled shuttle picked us up and dropped us at Hilton Kensington Hotel London. We checked in and decided to venture out. I had read that there was a Westfield mall nearby so we walked a few minutes to get over there.

I was quite impressed with the Mall. It was huge! We laughed about some of the stores that might be considered old-fashioned according to our snobby American taste...like Esprit and Swatch. We walked around for maybe almost an hour to look at what stores there were. Hubby said that when I told the concierge my American nationality (to get a VIP pass), she cringed. I didn't catch it and thought he was maybe exaggerating.

As we kept walking, I saw a guy wearing a Hollister t-shirt that said Redondo Beach. For whatever lame reason, I thought it was funny to travel all the way to London and see a local wearing a shirt representing a beach just a few miles away from our home. That became a theme; as we continued our walk, we saw a few dudes wearing South Bay beach city t-shirts! When we walked by the Hollister store, there was actually a line waiting outside to get in. Apparently, Hollister is huge in London?

As we walked around, I connected to free wifi and e-mailed the family before going into Byron to eat. Hubby ordered a cheeseburger, “chips” (thicker fries), and a Coca-Cola that came in the old school glass bottle.
Me being the stereotypical tourist couldn't resist taking a picture of the bottle since it's such a rarity in the US of A. I had a chicken fillet burger (corn fed chicken fillet, baby spinach, red onion, tomato, mayo, and secret sauce).


It was all very yummy. It came out to 19.90 GBP. I caved under pressure for tipping more since the guy was standing there waiting. The guy was so appreciative. He must have said thank you at least 5 times and bid us well 3 times in a minute. Come to find out after that 1) he was only standing there b/c they utilize a fancy new hand-held device that lets them print your receipt as they stand by your table and 2) we totally over-tipped b/c we messed up on the conversion rate. Oh well; we chocked it up to over-tipping for good karma; a Vegas thing that hubby does.

All in all, my first few hours in a different country was filled with mixed emotions. I couldn’t help but be hypersensitive to the fact that we were considered foreigners. When we got back to the hotel, Hubby asked one of the employees, “Are you Filipino?” He said, “No, I’m too handsome to be Filipino…” Uh, okay. That was really awkward, especially since 10 seconds later, he asked Hubby if he is Filipino.

Teenage BFFs

Despite my meeting my social quota for the year, there was no way that I was going to miss my intimate reunion with my two childhood best friends!

Christine, Euri, and I have known each other since junior high...those awkward tweenage years (for me). Tonight, we started off trying to figure out when was the last time I had seen the both of them. I was fortunate to reconnect with Euri a few months before our wedding (through the wonders of Facebook)...and honored to have her floral design business, Fleuretica, create our beautiful arrangements.

We first met up at a bridal show that Fleuretica was showcasing at, and then we met once before the wedding to catch up briefly and discuss floral details. I was really touched that she (and her crew) came out to Wayfarer's to personally deliver the arrangements on our wedding day.
I knew that that wasn't the last that I wanted to see of her...especially since I had let too much time pass by. So I resorted to Facebook again and crashed she and Christine's date. =P

Tonight, our reunion was just as sweet because the three of us met up! We met at Susina's Bakery, a cozy shoppe with endless yummy desserts. For a few fun and sentimental hours, we caught up over coffee, apple pie, tiramisu, and Americano cake. We talked and laughed about all the silly things we used to do. All the crazy letter writing (pre-text messaging, cell phone, and Facebook days). Sadly, they pointed out that some things never change. I had to call Gramma part way through and was on the phone for a while. After the call, the girls said, "I remember when you were in HS. You were always in trouble. You didn't even do anything and you were in trouble!" Seriously...


It must have been at least a decade since the three of us were last hanging out...and so much has happened. I couldn't be more happy for them and their accomplishments. Christine is now a proud mommy of a 15 month old, wife of a pastor, and an attorney. Euri, who has always had that ridiculously awesome creative streak, is now a successful floral designer. (And I guess I should say it again for Christine, I am a Speech-Language Pathologist. ;)

It was so good to see them and to pick up without skipping a beat after all this time. I can't wait to see them again next month.

Going Away Party for BSILF

For the past four years that BSILF and I have known each other, I never imagined that this day would really come. She is leaving me!!

I am deeply saddened for selfish reasons. I will miss her so much. I will miss her hugs. I will miss hanging out with her and laughing nonstop. I will miss seeing her contagious smile. I will miss her husband, the one that my husband genuinely enjoys hanging out with (this is a very huge deal!). I will miss their sweet baby boy who exudes all the love and well-being that their parents share with all those that are lucky enough to know them.

On the other hand, I am happy for them for their move back home to New York. This opportunity could not have come at a better time and for a wonderful reason. BSILF's husband accepted a teaching position at an private university well-known for several programs directly related to his specialties. They will be closer to family and living in a house at a price that us Angelenos cannot even fathom.

Today, we met up at Kim's house to send them off properly. We chatted, laughed, and ate for several hours, reminiscing about the grad school days...before many of us were married and any of us had a baby and/or was pregnant...all the way to honeymoon updates. It's crazy to think that four years has already passed since they first moved out here to take both of their careers to the next level. We were blessed to have them with us the past few years, but New York is even luckier to have them back. ;)

May God bless them on their journey back home and the new adventures ahead.