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July 25, 2006
Vacation, All I Ever Needed
Adam and I returned late on Saturday (technically, Sunday morning) and while I've been wanting to post about our trip since returning, various things I've had to catch up on as well as jet lag have meant not being able to post until today. Our trip was fantastic though--you tend to forget how fun travelling oversees is until you actually do it and then you wish you can do it all the time.
Since I posted about the first half of our trip already, I'll fill you in on the rest of the trip. The Basque region was nice--a lot of rolling hills, farms, small towns, and popular beaches. I was really hoping I'd be able to see this horse but, unfortunately, since it was hot they were up in the mountains.
Paris was great--there's tons to see, of course, and the food is sooo good. The only drawback was the combination of the heat and lack of air-conditioning. Save for local trips, Adam and I have never travelled during the summer since we've been together so summer vacationing was a new experience for us and, after this vacation, we decided we would do our best to avoid travelling to warmer countries during the summer. Our strategy during this trip can best be described as heat avoidance--leaving early and being spending more time outdoors during the evenings, walking on the shaded side of streets, ducking into air-conditioned stores, and trying to eat at air-conditioned restaurants. While the weather was pretty hot, at least in France, we were very lucky in the rain department--it rained for only half an hour our entire trip.
Eating in France has made me a little mad about the food we're stuck with even here in NYC--they put so much attention into so much of their food--even their sandwiches are a lot better than the ones we have here. I almost never eat salads at home but the French seem to have elevated salad-making into an art level. It sucks that French food costs so much here in the States.
One thing I don't envy in London or Paris, however, are their subways--they're small, crowded, and un-air-conditioned--not a very good combination in the summer. I realize they're probably old, but considering how hot it's been in Europe during the summers over the past decade, I think they should really consider upgrading their subway trains.
Subway and heat issues aside, it was a great trip and left me with memories that hopefully will last until our next big trip. Anyhow, onto the photos:
London
Hampton Court Palace:
Gherkin Building
Adam, the pioneer
Basque Region
Biarritz:
Bayonne:
St-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Unfortunately, the name of this town eludes me but the red, green, and white colors are typical of many buildings in the Basque region.
Paris
Seine
View from our hotel room
View of Paris from an observatory
Luxeumbourg Garden
Paris--this spot reminded me a little of Italy
Jardin des Tuileries
Sainte Chapelle:
Paris' famous icon
Unfortunately, my digital camera memory card ran out of room halfway through our stay in Paris but, luckily, I had a back-up (non-digital) camera.
Posted by Jennifer at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2006
London and Basque Country
Adam and I finished our London leg of our trip early yesterday morning (and I mean early--like 3 am). London was great--we stayed with my friend Karima who I haven't seen in close to two years so it was nice catching up with her. Unfortunately, we only had three full days in London so we tried to squeeze in as much as possible during that time. We saw some of the more touristy sites like Buckingham Palace, Portobello Market, and the museum that I'd been longing to go to ever since it opened, Tate Modern. But we also managed to go to this place. We had one of the best breakfasts we'd ever had in London and met up with one of Adam's friends from Canada who also happened to be in town travelling. It was a lot of fun.
We flew into the French side of the Basque country yesterday where my uncle and his family live and stopped off at this town and this town. It's nice strolling old European towns and, of course, also being fed good French food! And even though it's hot here, I'm glad I'm not home right now where it's even hotter!
Posted by Jennifer at 04:21 AM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2006
Bon voyage
While I'm definitely looking forward to our trip to London and France which we're embarking on tomorrow, I have to admit it's been taking a toll on my sleep because preparing for the trip has definitely cut into my sleep time these past few days. Sleep is something we'll also lack on Sunday, when we have to catch a 3 am bus to catch a 6:30 am flight from London to Bayonne (unfortunately, I didn't realize this is one of the drawbacks of booking tickets with RyanAir). I am, however, looking forward to seeing this show. Anyway, wish us luck on our trip!
Posted by Jennifer at 12:13 AM | Comments (0)