Monday, June 21, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Livin Large
I gotta say, Home Life is pretty good.In the past few weeks, we moved into our new home, got a dog (Charlie, pictured right), hosted a Thanksgiving Football Game, and even decorated a bit for Christmas.
I'm beginning to grasp the joys and trials of Home Improvement (e.g. I'd never trimmed an orange tree before, just did yesterday. Also cleaned some gutters, which I have to admit I'm already pretty good at).
In all, I'd say we're acclimating pretty well back to life in California.
Oh, and just to make it complete, here's a fun video on why you should Get a Dog.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Setting Up Shop
In case you missed it, we're back in the States. Andria and I hit the ground running in CA. In the past few weeks we've both been working hard, travelling a bit, and establishing our base back in the ol' U.S.
In particular, we've recently had an offer accepted on a home in Danville. That's right, we're moving from London to Danville. Quite the change, but a very welcome one.
It's not final yet ("touch" wood), but as soon as we've got the keys, we're sure to have a suburb-tastic BBQ. You're all invited (all 2 who read this).
In particular, we've recently had an offer accepted on a home in Danville. That's right, we're moving from London to Danville. Quite the change, but a very welcome one.
It's not final yet ("touch" wood), but as soon as we've got the keys, we're sure to have a suburb-tastic BBQ. You're all invited (all 2 who read this).
Monday, August 06, 2007
almost done.
almost done with London, that is.
T-minus 3 weeks to the Glorious Return.
1 of which will be taken in Greece :)
(sorry bout the lack of blogging. we suck)
T-minus 3 weeks to the Glorious Return.
1 of which will be taken in Greece :)
(sorry bout the lack of blogging. we suck)
Saturday, June 16, 2007
London: check.
That's it. We're done. Well, not totally done, but y'know.
We're heading back to the US. It's official. But before we head back, we're going to try to pull together a few more trips to such fabulous places as: Greece! Germany! Croatia! and Cornwall?
Yup, we'll be moving back to California somewhere around September 1st. So get those last-minute requests in while you can. You can still make it out to London and have a place to crash, just check our Calendar (see the link on the right).
That's it for now. Sure we've got about 4000 photos we haven't put online, but hey. Sorry, Interwebs.
We're heading back to the US. It's official. But before we head back, we're going to try to pull together a few more trips to such fabulous places as: Greece! Germany! Croatia! and Cornwall?
Yup, we'll be moving back to California somewhere around September 1st. So get those last-minute requests in while you can. You can still make it out to London and have a place to crash, just check our Calendar (see the link on the right).
That's it for now. Sure we've got about 4000 photos we haven't put online, but hey. Sorry, Interwebs.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Je adore Paris Trip 2
I still love Paris!
TRIP 2:
February 17, 2007
We take the same Eurostar train to Paris from London Waterloo station. This time we head towards the Latin Quarter, close to Notre Dame. Steve and I are glad to be back. The building are so beautiful and though it is a big city, it seems a relaxing place compared to London. We check into the hotel and take a nap. Steve takes a walk around.
We wake up to the sun dropping and walk around the latin quarter and find a place for dinner. Once again, it is awesome, though a little pricey. We did get a huge 2 person meat cut, fish, etc. A full meal including wine. Everything was amazing. I feel spoiled on such good food. I shall not eat again.
The Eiffel Tower is in our sights now. It is dark and it will be great to go up this time. We take a taxi. The taxis in Paris look at us like we are crazy for wanting ot fit 4 people in. He gads, who could ever imagine! So, they let us know that we have to be charged 2 euro more (the law) and we agree. I am spoiled on the taxis in London. "5 people? hop on in and you have head room to spare!" The tower is in rare form and lines to go up are long. We wait and grab a hot coco which is great. Like liquid chocolate. Dad and Terry go to the 1st platform and we have to go all the way up. It is scary at the 2nd platform and as we go in the elevator to the 3rd, the tower gets skinnier and you think that there is no way you could go any further. Steve holds my hand and we are on a platform the size of a pool or so. Freaky but cool! I put my head on the fence looking out on Paris and love that we are there. This is great. The light on the top spins out over the city and then the sparkle lights go off. The strobe lights suck when you are up there, but they stop after 15 minutes. That was fun.
The next morning we go to breakfast near Notre Dame. Dad and Terry go to Notre Dame and we check out Sainte Chapelle, a gothic church known for it's stained glass windows. It was small but powerful. A must see for anyone who digs stained glass. Each glass tells a story, of course, from the bible.
Dad and Terry check out the Louvre which they get in for free and get a wheel chair. Awesome. Steve and I take time at a cafe, meet some people from San Jose sitting right next to us. We walk through a park near a convention center which is the only area in the center of Paris to look new style. In the park is a beautiful church and we lay in the park. So relaxing! Another great time in Paris.
I think Dad and Terry had a good time. Dad tried his French from high school and did well. I would ask him how to pronounce things and he asked me the vocab.
*Important travel lesson in Paris: Try your best to speak French. Simple phrases when you are visiting from a phrase book are helpful. Don't just learn "parle vou angle?" It is polite to try and usually, they will ask you to speak in English if you are struggling. Sometimes they won't! But try and they will mostly be helpful.
TRIP 2:
February 17, 2007
We take the same Eurostar train to Paris from London Waterloo station. This time we head towards the Latin Quarter, close to Notre Dame. Steve and I are glad to be back. The building are so beautiful and though it is a big city, it seems a relaxing place compared to London. We check into the hotel and take a nap. Steve takes a walk around.
We wake up to the sun dropping and walk around the latin quarter and find a place for dinner. Once again, it is awesome, though a little pricey. We did get a huge 2 person meat cut, fish, etc. A full meal including wine. Everything was amazing. I feel spoiled on such good food. I shall not eat again.
The Eiffel Tower is in our sights now. It is dark and it will be great to go up this time. We take a taxi. The taxis in Paris look at us like we are crazy for wanting ot fit 4 people in. He gads, who could ever imagine! So, they let us know that we have to be charged 2 euro more (the law) and we agree. I am spoiled on the taxis in London. "5 people? hop on in and you have head room to spare!" The tower is in rare form and lines to go up are long. We wait and grab a hot coco which is great. Like liquid chocolate. Dad and Terry go to the 1st platform and we have to go all the way up. It is scary at the 2nd platform and as we go in the elevator to the 3rd, the tower gets skinnier and you think that there is no way you could go any further. Steve holds my hand and we are on a platform the size of a pool or so. Freaky but cool! I put my head on the fence looking out on Paris and love that we are there. This is great. The light on the top spins out over the city and then the sparkle lights go off. The strobe lights suck when you are up there, but they stop after 15 minutes. That was fun.
The next morning we go to breakfast near Notre Dame. Dad and Terry go to Notre Dame and we check out Sainte Chapelle, a gothic church known for it's stained glass windows. It was small but powerful. A must see for anyone who digs stained glass. Each glass tells a story, of course, from the bible.
Dad and Terry check out the Louvre which they get in for free and get a wheel chair. Awesome. Steve and I take time at a cafe, meet some people from San Jose sitting right next to us. We walk through a park near a convention center which is the only area in the center of Paris to look new style. In the park is a beautiful church and we lay in the park. So relaxing! Another great time in Paris.
I think Dad and Terry had a good time. Dad tried his French from high school and did well. I would ask him how to pronounce things and he asked me the vocab.
*Important travel lesson in Paris: Try your best to speak French. Simple phrases when you are visiting from a phrase book are helpful. Don't just learn "parle vou angle?" It is polite to try and usually, they will ask you to speak in English if you are struggling. Sometimes they won't! But try and they will mostly be helpful.
Je adore Paris Trip 1
I love Paris!
TRIP 1:
October 7, 2006
My brother decides to buy tickets when he hears that Steve and I are moving to London and plans to go to Paris for 2 days and then to Dublin for 2 days. This boy is crazy. Thank goodness, though, because it was worth seeing, if only for a couple days.
We didn't miss a thing when arriving to Paris. We figured out the transportation system (the first thing to do in any big city) and trained to the Pont du Gaurd, which is this place outside of the city center that has huge conventions. It is like new world Paris, if that is possible. The rooms were cheap (no conventions that weekend maybe) and brand new with no smoking! The have the Grand Arch there which is a brand new, enormous arch that you can see from the historical Arch du Triumph in the city center. I recommend getting the bundle of 10 tickets if you are touring for 2 or 3 days.
We went to the center of Paris to the Orsay Museum which was one of my favourite museums. It is an old train station so it is a wide open space with many little rooms to go into and see artwork organized by time periods and artists. We almost left without looking upstairs (museums get tiring after an hour or 2) but found original Monet, Van Gogh, Degas. My favourite was the ballet dancer bronze who has a fabric netting for her tutu. Steve's was the guys palning a wood floor which looks just like a picture but is an oil painting.
All of us hopped on a train from there to Versailles to see the huge estate there that is in the movie Marie Antoinette. It was better than Buckingham Palace! It should be because enough money went into the place to bring famine to France, I take it. That's how the movie puts it, anyway. Beautiful rooms. Always with the paintings of the people who lived there, a drawing room (short for withdrawing), and a succession of rooms that people could only go into during parties if they were exclusive enough, leading to the king's bedroom and the queen's bedroom. The gardens are the coolest because you could walk for days and still find a new pond of boats, a special retreat house, fancy maintained and groomed trees. It is amazing. I was taken aback by the massiveness of the gardens which reminded me of the vastness of the ocean. I loved it.
Back to Paris, we saw the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle like a diamond. I guess the Parisians don't like it (there has to be some kind of complaint or it wouldn't be Paris) but it is spectacular to see. We looked around for a place to eat and went with one that good old Rick Steve suggested. Aww man. Food is best when in Paris. I tried liver pate which wasn't as bad as I thought but not a favorite. Steak, chicken, creme brulle, were all fantastic. I have not found food in Paris that is not bad. The McDonald's serves magnificent pain au chocolate and croissant. The only place that I found disappointing was the crepe stand at the end of the garden in front of the Louvre.
The next day we headed for the Arch de Triumph and climbed the stairs to see a beautiful city. It was a great view of the entire city. Cars stopped while we were up there for a parade of people to commemorate the unknown soldier buried under the arch. Built by orders of Nepolion it was to be the largest arch, until the grand arch showed up. It has a cool statue on the front of it as a symbol for the people of France to speak out and protest if they are wronged. What an idea! I love it! The passion!
We walked from the Arch down the Champs-Elysees. Julie and I drooled in the window of the flagship Louis Vuitton store and had to go in. We shopped up and down the street but since it was Sunday, there weren't many stores open.
We visited the Louvre. The garden in front of the Louvre is so large and beautiful. People just hanging out, a man letting birds land on his hand. Inside is an enormous task to be taken on one wing per visit. We chose to see Venus. The marble statues were as smooth as a human figure. The feet looked real. Amazing. By this point we are pooped and museumed out. It's too bad b/c these pieces are the best in the world.
Off to the Notre Dame. I had to see it before we left. Great gothic style cathedral. Cease the fear in Catholicism! :) The gorgoyles hanging on the outside pillars. The stories of the bible carved in the stone of the chain gang of those who didn't follow gods way being pulled by the devil on one side, and those happily looking up to God on the other. Stained glass everywhere. The groin vault arched gothic ceilings, the flying buttresses holding up the walls. So dark. Nothing happy go lucky about this place. And we take a short 2 hour train back to London.
TRIP 1:
October 7, 2006
My brother decides to buy tickets when he hears that Steve and I are moving to London and plans to go to Paris for 2 days and then to Dublin for 2 days. This boy is crazy. Thank goodness, though, because it was worth seeing, if only for a couple days.
We didn't miss a thing when arriving to Paris. We figured out the transportation system (the first thing to do in any big city) and trained to the Pont du Gaurd, which is this place outside of the city center that has huge conventions. It is like new world Paris, if that is possible. The rooms were cheap (no conventions that weekend maybe) and brand new with no smoking! The have the Grand Arch there which is a brand new, enormous arch that you can see from the historical Arch du Triumph in the city center. I recommend getting the bundle of 10 tickets if you are touring for 2 or 3 days.
We went to the center of Paris to the Orsay Museum which was one of my favourite museums. It is an old train station so it is a wide open space with many little rooms to go into and see artwork organized by time periods and artists. We almost left without looking upstairs (museums get tiring after an hour or 2) but found original Monet, Van Gogh, Degas. My favourite was the ballet dancer bronze who has a fabric netting for her tutu. Steve's was the guys palning a wood floor which looks just like a picture but is an oil painting.
All of us hopped on a train from there to Versailles to see the huge estate there that is in the movie Marie Antoinette. It was better than Buckingham Palace! It should be because enough money went into the place to bring famine to France, I take it. That's how the movie puts it, anyway. Beautiful rooms. Always with the paintings of the people who lived there, a drawing room (short for withdrawing), and a succession of rooms that people could only go into during parties if they were exclusive enough, leading to the king's bedroom and the queen's bedroom. The gardens are the coolest because you could walk for days and still find a new pond of boats, a special retreat house, fancy maintained and groomed trees. It is amazing. I was taken aback by the massiveness of the gardens which reminded me of the vastness of the ocean. I loved it.
Back to Paris, we saw the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle like a diamond. I guess the Parisians don't like it (there has to be some kind of complaint or it wouldn't be Paris) but it is spectacular to see. We looked around for a place to eat and went with one that good old Rick Steve suggested. Aww man. Food is best when in Paris. I tried liver pate which wasn't as bad as I thought but not a favorite. Steak, chicken, creme brulle, were all fantastic. I have not found food in Paris that is not bad. The McDonald's serves magnificent pain au chocolate and croissant. The only place that I found disappointing was the crepe stand at the end of the garden in front of the Louvre.
The next day we headed for the Arch de Triumph and climbed the stairs to see a beautiful city. It was a great view of the entire city. Cars stopped while we were up there for a parade of people to commemorate the unknown soldier buried under the arch. Built by orders of Nepolion it was to be the largest arch, until the grand arch showed up. It has a cool statue on the front of it as a symbol for the people of France to speak out and protest if they are wronged. What an idea! I love it! The passion!
We walked from the Arch down the Champs-Elysees. Julie and I drooled in the window of the flagship Louis Vuitton store and had to go in. We shopped up and down the street but since it was Sunday, there weren't many stores open.
We visited the Louvre. The garden in front of the Louvre is so large and beautiful. People just hanging out, a man letting birds land on his hand. Inside is an enormous task to be taken on one wing per visit. We chose to see Venus. The marble statues were as smooth as a human figure. The feet looked real. Amazing. By this point we are pooped and museumed out. It's too bad b/c these pieces are the best in the world.
Off to the Notre Dame. I had to see it before we left. Great gothic style cathedral. Cease the fear in Catholicism! :) The gorgoyles hanging on the outside pillars. The stories of the bible carved in the stone of the chain gang of those who didn't follow gods way being pulled by the devil on one side, and those happily looking up to God on the other. Stained glass everywhere. The groin vault arched gothic ceilings, the flying buttresses holding up the walls. So dark. Nothing happy go lucky about this place. And we take a short 2 hour train back to London.
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