Europe: Venice to Florence

Last night was probably the best sleep I have had yet, but I still woke up at 3 AM and was up for maybe 40-45 minutes, including a half hour of drafting an email update to Guh on my iPhone. I got up at 5:30 AM and we were down for breakfast by 6:45 AM. Breakfast consisted of more ham and cheese, marmalade-filled croissants, canned peaches, and deliciously bold coffee. It was the best coffee we have had yet (the same as last night’s post-dinner cup).

This morning, we departed at 7:30 AM for our excursion. Around 8 AM, we rode the Ducale water taxi back to where we were yesterday in Venice. When we ported, we went to our glass blowing factory demonstration at Vecia Murano.

(The green horse is made completely out of glass and is the factory's most expensive piece of work. They didn't mention the price but we definitely weren't allowed to touch it.)

We crammed into the furnace room and watched an expert take a bulb of heated glass, shape it, blow into it a few times to shape a pitcher, and then “cut” hot glass to delicately form two unique handles. Afterward, he dipped it in water and then shattered it (all dramatically…enough to draw a gasp from the crowd) so that it could be melted again to re-shape (for the next demonstration). In the next room, our local guide described what makes Murano Venetian glass so unique. Every piece is hand-crafted and they are never exported. Hence, every piece is unique…and the ones sold outside in the piazza for a fraction of the price are wholesale manufactured, therefore not authentic Murano glass.

He also described how they create colored glass. In general, they melt specific mineral compounds and add it into the glass. Red glass (from melted copper) and cranberry glass (from gold) are the most expensive. Blue glass is made cobalt, etc. Shortly after, the factory guide explained how the millefiori technique (“mosaic”) is done. This, too, is an extremely expensive process because each small piece of glass ranging in sizes (from a pen cap to about a 1 cent franc) is individually cut from thin glass canes and then all of the pieces are melted together to form a unique mosaic.

We weren’t allowed to take any pictures for fear of what would be considered copyright infringement. Afterward, Hubby and I looked around the shop rooms for an hour. We had decided yesterday that if we saw a turtle, we would get one. He spotted a mosaic (millefiori) turtle so I held onto it the whole time. It was 59 Euros so we figured if we didn’t see anything else, we would at least get it. We looked around at all the beautiful pieces of glassware but we couldn’t bring ourselves to spend like $50 for one shot glass (or $500 for a set of wine goblets). All the while, about 3 store people approached me (or hustled me?) about having the turtle wrapped. Hubby really liked the mosaic shell for the pure craftsmanship and uniqueness. I started eyeing a beautiful necklace and Hubby must have sensed how much I adored it. By the time we were ready to leave, he decided to get it for me…and then asked for a matching bracelet and earrings! I insisted I didn’t need a whole set; however, one of Hubby’s pet peeves is having incomplete sets or unmatching things – jewelry, clothes, food. When we go out, he even makes sure that we match in our outfits.


In the end, we got the millefiori turtle. I was about to put it back when Hubby said, “I kind of like it…We have a jade turtle from China so we should get a Murano turtle from Europe to add to our collection.” Our growing collection of two now. Besides, this millefiori turtle is truly unique; one of the floor guys said it must be new because he hasn’t seen it before, and it was the only mosaic one on the shelf, alongside 6 other turtles. This is also when we agreed that we should collect turtles as our souvenirs for when we travel abroad.

On our way back, we shopped some more. We got 5 silk ties for 8 Euros each from Trevizan (no discount; I tried but when the cashier turned to the store owner who promptly said no. Humph.). Hubby chose a black and red one for himself and a purple and blue one for Bro and FBIL. I found a dark gray one that he really liked so we ended up getting it, too. Before our meeting point, we stopped by a cart vendor, and he got a Duff t-shirt for 12 Euros and the guy threw in the 2 post cards that I chose (40 Euro cents each). I think the guy ripped Hubby off b/c a sign said 8 Euros for t-shirts. I didn’t know that xtn paid 12 Euros until we were on the bus. Oh well, he really wanted it and was so excited when he got it. The funny thing is that we ended up seeing many people wearing it through Italy, but not on black. (We saw people wearing red t-shirts.)


We left via water taxi again, got on our bus, and stopped by a pit stop again for lunch. Nothing looked appetizing to us so we snacked on baguette chips (pizza flavored), caramel popcorn, and Coca-Cola, and juice. Mmm, the lunch of champions. Come to find out later that the Italian food actually was delicious.

We arrived in Florence around 4 PM and our local tour guide, Louisa, took us through Saint Marcos’ Square. We did a walking tour of Florence that lasted for about 1.5 hours. We started at Santa Croce Cathedral. Since I was wearing shorts and a wifebeater, they gave me a blue gauze robe to cover up.

(Left corner: Michelangelo's memorial
Middle: Santa Croce Cathedral

Right top corner: Galileo's memorial
Bottom right corner: Galileo's Tomb)

Inside, there were memorials for Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo, and Dante (which was covered up). On Galileo's memorial, there were two ladies beneath them. It is said that they represent Science and Math. On Michelangelo’s memorial, the three ladies represent sculpture, architecture, and painting. In a piazza (square), there was also a replica of da Vinci’s David. In the cathedral were also many tombs. It was truly an amazing place. Santa Croce was another one of my favorite visits.


We walked through many squares and heard lots of history behind buildings, famous family homes, sculptures, and churches. One of the most impressive sites was what used to be the largest church with the unfinished dome, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. We heard about the amazing history behind Brunelleschi and his bold statement of finishing the dome. When the Basilica was completed, the only thing remaining was the dome. It was to be the largest dome in history at that time, even larger than the Pantheon's. However, no dome had ever been created at such a large scale and all the architects had no idea how to do it without glaring supports (which was a prerequisite). Brunelleschi boldly stated that he could build the dome without any supports. As an architect and brilliant mathematician, he calculated precise measurements and formulas and was the first to use the "fish-bone" structure so that no supports were needed. It is said that before he passed away, he burned all of his papers with the mathematical calculations so to this day, mathematicians and architects are still baffled by how he completed his dome.

(Brunelleschi's Dome)

This Basilica is still considered the third largest church, after the Vatican and St. Paul’s Basilica. We heard lots of history that was so interesting, but it was so hot! We walked by a lot more interesting and famous statues.

(Perseus with Medusa's head by Cellini)

("Rape of the Sabine Women" by Giambologna. Giambologna was one of Michelangelo's apprentices. This work is considered a Florentine masterpiece because of the composition of intertwining three bodies; nothing like that had been done at that time and with such emotion and action. No one thought he could do it so he bought the huge slab of marble with his own commission and went about creating this piece.)

We also saw some scary beggar gypsies. They were dressed completely in white with white paint on their faces and holding red roses that looked so crimson next to their whiteness. They didn't say anything (like, "do you speak English?") but made loud kissing sounds and got right up in men’s faces. So creepy that I couldn't bear to look at them...and neither could the men in our group!

We got to Hotel Raffaello around dinnertime. We started with delicious tortellini but the main course was disappointing, despite it being veal. One thing we noticed is that potatoes are really popular in Italy, but at every meal, they are way too salty. Dessert was a frozen ice-cream cup with black cherry sauce. The hardest part about eating these meals at the hotel dining establishments is that I never know how much of my antipasta to eat. If it's really yummy, I risk eating it all and being too full for what could be a delicious entree. I usually took the risk, let my unfinished antipasta be taken away, and was rather disappointed with the main course. The funny thing about this meal is that I sat next to Rich, an Italian who said the tortellini wasn't very good...but then he later admitted that when he was growing up, his family didn't eat tortellini very often. (Rich and his wife Christina are from Canada. They were such a funny couple. Rich often left his wife behind...like once or twice, our bus started taking off and Richard would start counting heads to make sure everyone was on board. He'd get to Rich and the empty seat next to him and be like, "um, where's your wife?" Gennaro would quickly stop the bus and soon after, we'd see Christina running for us.)

Afterward, xtn and I hung out on the patio of the hotel for a few minutes. As he had his after-dinner nicotine fix, I sat on the swing (not pictured). We went for a walk down the street in search of any open clothing store and cigarettes but didn’t find anything (open). (Our tour guide didn't tell us until yesterday that we would need to cover up for two days, instead of one...and I already ran through my t-shirts!)

Despite everyone's forewarnings of overpacking, I regret underpacking instead of overpacking!

Europe: Lucerne to Venice

Breakfast today was a real treat. I had yogurt like Yoplait and the most delicious mini-baguette rolls!

By 7:30 AM, we were on the bus for our optional excursion to see the Swiss Alps. After about half an hour, we arrived at Mount Stanserhorn. We rode two different cable cars up. The first one was made out of wood.

Our ride was about 20 minutes and we passed by so many cows, each one wearing cow bells ranging in size. One cow wore one that looked like the size of a baby's head. It was huge and loud!


For the second cable ride, 30-40 of us crammed into it and had to stand for about 7 minutes. I held onto Hubby since there were no rails for me to hold onto.

When we got out, it was really cold and cloudy so we couldn’t see anything…like the Alps.


Where Hubby is standing, we were supposed to see each Swiss mountain. Clearly the fog was so dense and it was completely overcast. That was a real bummer.

We lounged around outside for a little bit and then we went into the gift shop so we missed Richard’s guide up to see the marmonts. Hubby saw this and insisted that I get it since he is really into getting me stuffed animals when we/he travels and also because I love dogs. (It's a small St. Bernard.)


Afterward, we ventured out on the trails on our own. I was so disgusted by these slugs…yet so fascinated by how long they were.

When we got back to the common area, we actually saw a real St. Bernard! I got to take a pix with the dog’s butt (he was camera shy). See how small my St. Bernard is compared to the real one? The dog is huge! I was excited because it was my first time seeing one in real life.

We met up again at 9:30 AM and descended down. While we waited to go down, we goofed off a little bit.

Down at street-level was a fountain where we filled up our water bottles with the freshest cold water.

We eventually arrived in Venice in the late afternoon. We stopped before our destination to use the restroom for one euro; definitely wasn't even close to the pointwc in the Louvre. At 5 PM, we arrived at Venice port (or beach?) and went on our gondola ride. We had to break up into groups so we got lucky and sat with Burt and Nancy, the couple from Arizona. We also got lucky because our group was broken up into 2 fleets of 6 gondolas and our gondola was the only one with musicians on board! The other gondolas around us had to get near enough for the live entertainment. We opened up a delicious bottle of champagne and celebrated health, wealth, and happiness as we rode through the Grand Canal, listening to songs in Italian accompanied by an accordion.

After our half hour ride, we did our walking tour of Saint Marcus’ Square (San Marco Piazza). On the way, we saw the St. Mark’s Basilica, monuments, and shops. Prior to our walking tour, Richard told us about Venice and how he believes that Venice won’t be around forever. The salt water is naturally eroding the sand-base that these beautiful buildings are built on. Some of the many bell towers are already leaning from the erosion (like the one below).


There are many cathedrals because each parish had their own and when the Black Plague hit, all of these churches were built to thank God for those that survived. Currently, no one has the money to maintain these ancient buildings any more, though. When the government can afford it, they will restore it, but they have to prioritize. They try to get corporations to sponsor the restorations. It’s weird to think that this city may not be around any more in our lifetime. To say that we were once here is amazing.

(If you look closely, the bottom half of this building is a facade/billboard to cover up the renovation taking place behind.)

For an hour, Hubby and I window shopped. We both had to use the wash room so we spent 1.50 Euro each! The hour passed by so quickly so we didn’t get anything. We passed many high-end stores: Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, etc. The only thing I got was tiramisu ice-cream for 1.50 Euro. It was delicious! Richard recommended us having fresh bellini (fresh peaches with champagne). It sounded delicious but I knew I couldn’t handle it, especially after the gondola champagne. We eventually met the group and got on a private water taxi...where we subsequently saw this:


When we got on the bus, we realized that the couple that sits behind us (that jacked the mother-daughter's seats) were missing. Richard had us leave for the Antony Hotel first and go straight to dinner. At dinner, we sat with the couple from Anaheim, Nancy and Burt, and Pat and Mary, the two ladies from Maryland. Bread was passed around and then we had a pasta dish. We wolfed it down so fast, but when the waiters came to pick up the dishes, they had us keep our knives. Next thing we know, we’re being served the real entrée! We were laughing so hard; some were admitting they eat 2 huge rolls to fill up. That’s when I realized that the rigatoni with red sauce…was our “antipasta.” Our entrée was two slices of veal, green beans, and potatoes. I only ate half since I was already full. Dessert was tiramisu (finally!) and I had a sip of very bold coffee. Best coffee we had on our entire trip. I was expecting nothing less considering Italy is known for their espresso consumption and aficionados.

The couple made it back on their own after our antipasta…but we didn’t know that they hadn’t contacted Richard so when Richard got back, he was not the happiest camper. I overheard him saying he was checking with the police, hospitals, etc. That especially sucked for Richard since everyday, he reminds us to keep his cell phone number on us just in case.

After, we finally checked into our room. We are staying at Antony Hotel, the biggest room yet and with A/C. (Maybe it's big b/c they gave us a room with two doubles.)


Our day was amazing, going from Stanserhorn to Venice Canal (20 degree weather to 90 degrees). Two beautiful cities so rich with culture and history yet so different. If we come back to Venice, I definitely want to do the gondola ride again, have a fresh bellini, and indulge in a gourmet cup of coffee at a cafe overlooking the Venice Canal.

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!