A Day For Sydney

July 18, 2012 1 Comment

Once again we are in denial… We carve out a time in each trip so that Syd can have some fun and she requested Disneyland Paris. Again. And we said no. Again. We gave it some serious thought this time but decided that it was too far to go with our limited time. Our other choice and most likely place we would have knocked our self out for was Parc Astérix, an interesting theme park based on the stories of Asterix that is popular in France and Syd loves but the location makes it hard to get to and going via public transportation makes for a long day. Disney at least has a direct train… So Syd had to settle for Le Fete Foraine du Jardin des Tuileries… Again… Actually it is a fun setup in central Paris that we all enjoy, rides that you do not see in the United States any more. There are plenty of decorations over most rides that I am sure violate copyrights, no US lawyers taking vacations in Paris these days? Glad they are actually and please stay away law types!

After Le Fete Foraine Syd asked for the Eiffel Tower so off we went for a late night viewing. Unfortunately a technical issue had some of the lifts shut down so ride to the top was not possible. Oh well… Major crowds tonight, peak tourist season here IMHO but still fun. Steak tartar for dinner, C’est tres bon!

Filed under France, Jardin Des Tuileries Fete Foraine, Paris, Tour Eiffel Tagged with , , ,

Train à Grande Vitesse

July 17, 2012 1 Comment

Time to move on.. There is so much to see and do while in this part of France and we were sad to have to leave. We were even receiving further suggestions (Thanks Mark and Jean-Marie) up until the end but there is a natural pace to this place that may slow down if you let it. Pont-du-Gard is one example, we had a shorter stay planned but lingered to take in the… Oh come and find out. We are already talking of a return in a few years.

Paris is our final stop on this journey and since France has a rather excellent rail system we chose the TGV as the way to get there. The system was fast, convenient and much quieter than I expected. Can we get one of these at home? I would ride it. Come on California! A member of the Assemblée Nationale, the lower house of the French Parliament sat next to us and seemed slightly annoyed, may because he sat with tourists? Or that he could not spread out his docs?? Who knows but it was interesting to see a living cliche.

After checking in and relaxing a bit we walked over to Notre Dame then followed the Seine up to the Louvre just to take it in again. A Vespers Service began at Notre Dame with some singing during our visit and we sat and listened for a while. A nice start to our stay in Paris.

Filed under France, Paris, TGV Tagged with , ,

Un Après-Midi Au Pont-du-Gard

July 15, 2012

A bit slower today, after the activities of yesterday on top of the rest of the trip I promised Kim and Sydney a slower day that started with all sleeping in. We finally took off from the hotel about 1:00pm with two stops in mind but in reality we only made it to the first, the Pont-du-Gard. This structure is part of an aqueduct was constructed in the 1st century AD that runs from a spring near Uzès to the thirsty citizens of Nîmes. The only problem was the river Gardon lies in between the water source and the destination this the need for this structure. Held together by the weight of the structure itself alone, today it is a world heritage site and a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon. Many were there with a picnic and swimming, canoeing and we ended up lingering much longer than planned walking the cool water. We plan to return down the line for a full afternoon of relaxation (weather permitting, of course) and if you are planning to come to this part of France and want a slow afternoon, this is the place.

We did not completely neglect our second stop, the city of Nîmes but the only thing we did was to drive in to research our departure point tomorrow where we have to drop off ‘Jumpy’. And we are glad we did the station is not that clearly marked and the little bit of research today will make things easier tomorrow when we have to get up early and have our wits about us. TGV tomorrow and unfortunately the news today has some details of some stoppages due to idiots being on the tracks. We have had good luck so far and idiots tend to sleep in on Mondays…. Off to bed then… No drama tomorrow, ok?

Filed under Castillon-du-Gard, France, Pont-du-Gard Tagged with , ,

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