Venice!!!

Our train station out to Paris from London!Harry Potter!

Big Ben!~!
Buckingham Palace
Christmas at Notre Dame
On top of the Eiffel Tower
!
Amazing/huge hotel in Venice with a great view..more pictures to come!
St.Marks Basilica I think!


December 11,2009
We boarded the train for Venice at the Paris Bercy station. We were in a sleeper car that held 6 people, but there were only 5 of us. We shared the coachette with a French couple that were going to Verona. We didn’t speak to them much, but we did try a little! Scott and I were on the top bunks and dad was on the bottom! Dad and I woke up about 7 am and just watched the sunrise over the countryside leading into Venice. There were beautiful vineyards, church steeples, and mountains in the background. We got to Venice about 10 am and got a water bus to our hotel, which turned out to be AMAZING!! The room was huge with a mural ceiling and windows opening onto the canal. It was located right off the Grand Canal, near the Rialto, so it was an easy walk to St Marco Square, with St Marks basilica and Doges palace, and the million of shops. We ate lunch at a sandwich shop on the Grand Canal – Dad had the best turkey salad sandwich he’d ever had and Scott and I had calazones. Dad and I had our first Italian Gelatto (dad had strawberry, I had strawberry and cherry, scott had pistachio and mint) We bought a little glass snowman and then walked back to the hotel for naps. We ate dinner at a spaghetti/lasagne place and then got another gelato on the way back to the hotel. We went to a grocery store for water, because Scott said we shouldn’t drink the tap water, and then came back to the hotel. Scott has been playing his guitar for us, too!

December 12,2009
As pathetic as it sounds, we are sitting in a McDonalds in Venice listening to Brittany Spears...but at least we have internet! Venice is beyond belief - I could never have imagined how great it is! The entire city is surrounded by water and unlike London and Paris, we can walk everywhere we go. It is so relaxed and peaceful - we could so live here! Last night we had spaghetti and lasagne at a little bistro kind of place near the grand canal. There are Christmas lights decorating all of the walkways and the store windows - of which there are thousands. It is pretty cold - at least from a southern California point of view - and we all have to wear mittens and scarves. Today we walked around St. Marco square. We stopped in a Vivaldi display of violins and how they were made, ranging from about 500 to 1850's. there were even violins with trumpets attached. We eventually ended up at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum where there were Picasso, Kandinsky, Pollack, Klee, Dali, Severini and a special display of Prendergast watercolors. It was great seeing the original artwork so close up. After walking around for about 4 hours we got some great sandwiches and went back to our hotel where Scott played guitar while we relaxed before our gelatto run! We're going to try to see the Vetruvian Man at the Accadamia tomorrow, after the service in the St. Marks basillica.


Song of the Day

LONDON-PARIS!!!!! All of it in a summary :)

We will post pictures when we have better internet, we are in KFC in Paris right now haha.

This is written by my Mom and I of the past few days :)


December 5, 2009
Dad and I arrived at Heathrow Airport in London about 6 pm and met Scott at the central bus station. We then took the underground to where we thought our hotel was, and then again when we found out where it really was! Our hotel had 2 bedrooms and a kitchen/living area. Scott and I went to a little grocery store and made little microwave pizzas at the hotel.

December 6, 2009
We left the hotel about 8 am and as we started walking through Hyde Park it started pouring rain! We followed some horse guards (watch for loose chippings) through Wellington Arch and ended up at Buckingham Palace. We then walked over toward Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. We ate a muffin and tea/coffee then went to the Sung Eucharist service at Westminster Abbey, where we sat in the actual choir throughout the service. After Westminster we walked over to the National Gallery and saw amazing art! We walked across the Jubilee Bridge and saw the London Eye, Thames River Parliament, and Christmas outdoor shops. We ate at the Silver Cross pub (Scott – fish and chips, Dad and Susan – meat pie) then went by underground to Paddington Station and back to our hotel.

December 7, 2009
We woke up about 7 and left the hotel. We went from Paddington Station (Paddington Bear!) and went to Kings Cross Station where Platform 9 ¾’s is located. After pushing the Harry Potter cart we ate breakfast at the Eurostar station St. Pancras and then went on the train to Paris. We got on, not realizing that we were beginning one of the best train rides ever! We were upgraded to first class, and we got really amazing service. We were first offered drinks, then our lunch menu came - fresh baby greens, rosemary rolls, rhubarb custard with honey butter, sausage or salmon quiche, coffee, wine and tea and chocolates! This for a 2 ½ hour trip! We got to Paris and immediately went to buy our tickets for the metro and found out mastercard had canceled dad’s account. We got the tickets anyway and headed for our hotel in the Bastille. After getting our room we went on the metro again to the Eiffel Tower. We spent 2 hours in line and about an hour at the top most level. It was amazing! It started to rain right after the 8 pm light show and we decided to leave.. We went by metro to St. Michels and saw Notre Dame and ate the most wonderful crepes in the world. We walked around the streets of St. Michel and then around notre Dame. We then came back to the hotel and Scott and Susan watched some Death Note anime!

December 8, 2009
We got a late start and left the hotel about 9 am. We had breakfast at a little pasterie shop in St. Michel then went to the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore. After browsing the bookstore we went into Notre Dame where a service (with a choir) was being held. We walked around the church admiring the amazing stained glass windows and architecture. Then we headed by metro to Versaille – or so we thought. We actually ended up at the end of the wrong line and had to figure out the right place to go when no one around us spoke English. Scott actually figured out all that we needed to do, and we arrived at Versailles palace. We saw the chapel, the hall of mirrors, Loius XIV bedroom, Marie Antoinettes bedroom/salon. We walked through the vast gardens and eventually, after many miles of walking, ended up at Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet hideaway. We took a little tram back to the main palace because we were all too tired to walk anymore. We ate at a little sandwich shop and then got on the train back to Paris. It started raining as soon as we got off on the Champs le Elysse which was completely decked out for Christmas with little shops and tons of lights on all the trees and stores. We walked all the way to the Arch de Triumphe,, were a veteran’s service seemed to be taking place. We took a bunch of pictures and then came back to the Bastille, where we ate fresh crepes as we walked back to the hotel.

December 9, 2009
Today we woke up really late and left about 9:30 from the Bastille Station. We went to the Louvre, but there was a huge line, so we decided we’d eat breakfast at McDonalds first. The McDonalds was right next to the Louvre and we ordered a breakfast special which had a sort of egg mcMuffin, 3 croissant like pastries, yogurt, orange juice and hot chocolate or coffee. The line was much shorter, so we went in the pyramid entrance. The museum workers were on strike, and had blocked off the ticket booths, so we got in for free! We saw pieces from the Parthenon, Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, Jacque Louis David, and lots of others! We bought some postcards and had a drink at Starbucks to fill them out. We decided to go see the Oblelisk, and I told Scott I wanted to go to the Jardin De tullieries, and we happened to be right by the enterance. It was the coolest park! Lots of chairs, and thousands of trees! We happened to walk by a little museum so we just got in line and it was amazing! It was the Orangerie Museum and We saw the original Water Lilies by Monet, Picassos, Renoir, Derain, Cezanne and others! After the museum, we did go to the Obelisk and then we walked down the Champs Elyssee again and got roasted chestnuts! My feet hurt and I was really tired, so we got on the underground and went back to the Bastille by metro. Scott went to a grocery store and I fell asleep!

December 10, 2009
We woke up and packed everything up, then went by metro to Montmarte, which is a huge chapel located on a hill overlooking all of paris. We toured the amazing chapel and walked around the little village where many famous artists lived. We went to the eiffel tower, and then headed to Scott's teacher's place to pick up his guitar and suitcase. We got there early and are sitting in a KFC waiting! We get on the overnight train tonight for Venice, Italy.


Song of the Day

il est ne le divine enfant- we heard it on the way up the hill to Montmarte

Athens and now London.. and then Paris tomorrow!!!!

Big Ben (Old Ben, as Grandpa says hah) and Parliament
Three generations on the Metro
Three generations on the Metro
Buckinham Palace!
Big Ben and the London Eye
Temple of Posiedon in Sounion
Temple of Posiedon in Sounion
The famous/amazing restaurant with the best Moussaka in the Plaka

The Acropolis from the hill right next to it, great dark sky with the sun right on it. Posiedon/Zues sculpture in the Athens Archealogical Museum



Athens was a perfect way to end Euroterm and get me ready for my mini Euroterm with my Mom and Grandpa.

In Athens, Eugene and I went to the Parthenon, the new/amazing Acropolis Museum, the Athens Archaelogical Museum, went out to Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon on a hour long bus ride along the coast, and we ate at the same amazing restaurant three nights in a row!! The Acropolis was everything I was expecting and more, the first two days before we had gone up, it had been raining on and off, and when we decided to go up the hill (which was right next to our hotel) it turned out to be a perfect day. There were cloudy skies in the background but the sun decided to light up the Parthenon, Propylea and Erecthion just right. I have some pretty cool pictures. We also hiked up a hill next to the Acropolis that is basically at the same level and got great shots looking at it. There was also a rainbow going over the white city of Athens all day, it was a perfect day. Every night we ate dinner at this amazing place called Vaizantino's, where we got to get to know the waiters and try some of the best food in Greece. We had moussaka, souvlaki, spinakopita (probably wrong spelling), baklava, and the best greek salad. I will never forget the food they made there. Our trip to Sounion was great, we got a bus ride right to the Temple of Posiedon, and I can see why the ancient Greek's thought it was where the god of the sea lived because it was a amazing view of the Mediterrean, almost a full 360 panorama of it. We sat at the cafe on the hill looking at the Temple as the sun was descending drinking fresh orange juice and coke, it was a really good trip. We stayed in the Plaka area of Athens which is mostly restaurants and gift shops, but I think my favorite part. Every night Eugene and I got back to the hotel and there was a scary/funny movie on t.v. it was pretty funny, and entertaining. The week was great and then I headed off for London to meet my MOM in GRANDPA, that I haven't seen in sooo long.

I got on the plane for London, flew over Croatia and Switzerland and Paris, landed in Gatwick, took a hour bus ride to Heathrow, and finally met them! We got lost finding the hotel thanks to me, but we did make it, and when we got there, they upgraded us to this Huge room on the top floor with a kitchen, two beds, a bathroom and a living room with a t.v. and couch and table, all because Mom was nice to the front desk guy, so we had good luck from the start. We realized we only had one day in London really, so we planned it out, and packed it all in. We started by walking through Hyde Park (where it started pouring rain) but it was still nice, then we went to Buckingham Palace and saw the gaurds, we walked under the Wellington Arch, went to a cool church service at Westminister Abbey where we sat right next to the choir, and we went to the National Gallery and saw a ton of amazing art. We ate at a nice London pub and then came back to the hotel, because we were all exhausted. It is a great start to our trip and tomorrow morning we are going to see Harry Potter's thing in Kings Cross station and then we will head off to Paris at 11 in the morning!!!! It is really great that I get to be here with my Mom and Grandpa, both who really haven't experienced it yet, I can tell they are loving it already.

Song of the Day



French Word of the Day

excite- excited