Category: Europe 2018

We had a fabulous time in Paris. The rain, snow and cold just made it more of an adventure. This was the view from our hotel this morning.

Today we took the train north through Belgium to Amsterdam.

Although it is cold and windy the sun is shining. That’s always nice. The temperature is around freezing.

We caught a tram to our hotel and then went out for a walk. It probably is obvious but there are lots of bikes and canals in Amsterdam!

For dinner we went to a restaurant with traditional Dutch food.

In Paris we woke up this morning to freezing temperatures but only occasional snow and rain. We took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe.

From there we walked to the Eiffel Tower. The tower was closed to visitors because of ice on the platforms so we couldn’t go up but we still got to appreciate it’s beauty and size.

Next we walked along the Seine to Ile de la Cité. We stood in line for about thirty minutes to get in to see Sainte-Chapelle. I’ve been to Paris a few times but these stunning windows were new to me. They were recommended by a woman at our hotel. The Chapel was originally built between 1242 and 1248 as a part of the Royal Palace.

Our last stop was Notre Dame. A mass was just ending so the organ was playing as we entered.

We woke up this morning to rain and cold. The papers call it the Moscow to Paris icy weather front.

I had originally wanted to explore Paris on foot today but because of the rain we changed the plan and headed to the Musée d’Orsay. We had to wait in line for an hour in the rain to get in but it was well worth it.

The museum is in an old Beaux-Arts railway station and houses the largest collection of impressionist masterpieces in the world. It’s open and bright and around every corner is a recognizable stunning work of art. The d’Orsay is perhaps my favorite art museum in the world!

While we were inside it started to snow! Walking back to the metro station was cold.

For dinner we walked to a neighborhood restaurant. Duke had pork and I had salmon. For desert I had an orange soufflé and Duke had an apple soufflé.

This morning we visited the Barcelona History Museum. After we entered the museum we went down an elevator to see the archaeological remains of Roman Barcino which was founded around 10BC. We walked through the ruins and up through remains of the thirteenth century. It was fascinating. There is so much history here.

We woke up this morning to a student demonstration in the street below the hotel. The street was closed all morning. Apparently the students were protesting the fact that their university fee was raised 30% the front desk clerk at our hotel said it is a pretty small fee. It seemed like a very civilized demonstration.

Linda and Ray left to go home today. We had a lot of fun touring Spain with them.

After we got back from the airport we walked down to the Christopher Columbus Monument at the beginning of the Rambla. We took the elevator to the viewing platform sixty meters above the ground. The elevator and viewing platform were surprisingly small. The views were wonderful.

At 6:10 we had free tickets to tour the Picasso Museum. The museum has a lot of Picasso’s early works and 57 works that are his personal interpretation of La Meninas a painting by Velázquez that we saw at the Prado in Madrid.

We ate dinner at another great restaurant, Eldiset. Every restaurant we have eaten at in Barcelona has felt like the staff own the restaurant and believe in the food.