There are other museums in Paris besides the Louvre! You’ve heard of some of them – and some perhaps not. With a month in Paris, we were fortunate enough to have plenty of time to explore a variety of museums, large and small. Some lived up to the “hidden gem” hype, and some didn’t. A couple amazed me. The [...]
Digs, Part II
December 7, 2012 by 1 Comment
The Paris apartment was the first accommodation I pinned down, way back in March or April. Partly because those accommodations go quickly, and secondly so I would have a greater incentive to stay in the game and not back out. I had never been to Paris before and studying the map still didn’t give me [...]
Digs, Part 1
December 5, 2012 by 1 Comment
So, where we did we stay, and how did I find these places, most of which turned out to be gems? Second part first, please. Researching vacation rentals gives (gave) me a weird sense of satisfaction and pleasure. Note the past tense. That’s because, not surprisingly, this trip pretty much satiated me on that [...]
All Righty Then
December 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Here’s our trip: (Click on it for a larger version) CRAZY. Forgive the non-interactive, Paint-produced map. I tried a couple of online map-making tools, and got extremely frustrated. The best one let me make the map and then demanded 10 bucks a month to preserve it. Google Maps wouldn’t cooperate. Couldn’t do lines [...]
7 Quick Takes
November 30, 2012 by 5 Comments
— 1 — As I said, we’re back, and here are some quick takes before I settle down to do more thoughtful blogging: We’ve been back three days now, and I’m finding that our body clocks are more challenged by re-entry into the US than they were by transitioning to European time three months [...]
Back from being Booked Solid
November 29, 2012 by 3 Comments
Well, we’re back. It’s all just very, very strange. We were gone for almost three months, had all kinds of adventures, saw some of the great sites of Europe, burrowed as deeply as we could into French and Italian life for the very short time we were there, it seemed as if it were going on forever… [...]
7 Quick Takes
November 16, 2012 by 1 Comment
Still here…. — 1 — As I’ve mentioned a few times, I really enjoyed Padua. After visiting Venice, I was glad we weren’t staying there, not just because of the Acqua Alta, but also because Padua was such a lively place, and lively, not with tourists, but with ordinary people. Perhaps too lively the morning [...]
Things you don’t expect…
November 14, 2012 by 1 Comment
…to be dropped off in the middle of an anti-austerity protest, when you really thought you were just going to the train station. All I can say is: thank goodness we left early. We didn’t have to, you know. It was a five-minute taxi ride from our apartment to the Padua train station, where we [...]
Back to Venice
November 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Today, we traveled back to Venice, but not as far as St. Mark’s Square this time. Right off the train, we headed for the water bus for the short trip to Murano. Murano was the center of the Venetian glass-making industry. The city moved the glassworks to the other set of nearby islands for fear [...]
What a difference a day makes!
November 11, 2012 by 1 Comment
It’s a good thing we headed to Venice yesterday. Because yesterday, we were able to walk around Piazza San Marco, and it looked like this: Today, it looked like this: Yes, it’s Acqua Alta time! That season of the year – that will last until early next spring – when winds can influence high [...]
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