Hi Everyone,
We finally uploaded the photos from our Europe trip. Click here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=19so7x5x.bsnvzpex&x=0&y=l6vljf. (Note that you can click on "Browse all 7 albums" at the bottom of the screen). Some of you may have seen these already, but if you want to order any prints, you can do so through the Kodak website. I separated the slideshows by country / city. Enjoy!
Jessica (and Tim)
Monday, October 8, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
The End
Well, unless Heathrow decides to delay our flight indefinitely tomorrow (definitely not out of the question...) tonight will be our last sleep on European soil during this trip. It has been, in a word, amazing. Edinburgh, Brussels, Interlaken, Gimmewald, Florence, Rome, Mannarola, Nice, Paris and London. It makes my head spin to think about it even now. Among the highest highlights were the kindness and community of old friends and new ones.
- Lisa--thank you very much for your hospitality and generosity in allowing us to crash at your flat for few days. Scotland wouldn't have been the same without ye.
- Roger and Nancy (and Ruth and Albert!)--thank you for putting up with us for a few extra days while we lamented the incompetence of British Airways and sought a temporary solution.
- Josh and Bernice--it was a delight to make your acquaintance in Gimmewald and to meet up again in Cinque Terre. Even though all Aussies are the direct descendents of criminals, you two are great.
- Curtis--we are indebted to your top-shelf skills as a (free) Roman tour guide. You're going to make a university history department very happy some day.
- Lia and David--you two are absolutely spectacular in every way (David, ditto the above comment about Aussies). You made our last couple days in Europe feel like the first few days all over again. Mmmm...Dim Sum.
So tomorrow we take off, or as the Brits say 'alight.' We will be sure to 'mind the gap' between London and America. Please pray for a safe journey until we return home at 2:30 (Central Standard) tomorrow in Chi-town - we'll be back in Minneapolis on Monday. Thanks again to all who have taken the time to keep up with us on this journey. We hope to see you very, very soon!
PS - We plan to post more photos when we return. Many of the pay as you go computers here in Europe don't allow USB access. Check back here for photos over the next few weeks!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
From Paris to London
Hey friends.
We made it to London safely and (finally) found our Hostel. Turns out that, though Montague Place and Montague STREET are very close to one another, you won't find the place you're looking for unless you choose the right one.
Who knew?
Anyway, we're down to two and a half days left. I can hardly believe it. So, I suppose we'll take in as much of London as is possible in that span of time.
Now, I know that the Football (and by that I mean 'American Football') season is starting today. But, don't forget that an even more impressively violent sport is in full swing: The Rugby World Cup. Jess and I had a chance to take in the France v. Argentina match while we were cooking dinner the other night. It was spectacular. If I were an NFL player, I'd be scared of these guys. So, all that to say, even though the NFL is getting underway, don't forget to watch a bit of the NFL's kissing cousin if you get a chance.
Oh, you're proabably wondering about Paris. It was good. Very good. How exactly do you describe 6 days in Paris? I could give a blow by blow account of what sights we saw, etc. But that's proably not very interesting to read...and proabably not worth the exorbitent internet fees to type--by the way, thank GOD that we're back in the land where keyboards make sense. I feel like I had to offer an animal sacrifice to our last keyboard every time I wanted to use the @ key. Ridiculous.
OK, Paris. Well, I'm gonna cop out again and say we'll chat about it with ya'll when we get back. A couple of random thoughts (as if this post weren't random enough already).
We made it to London safely and (finally) found our Hostel. Turns out that, though Montague Place and Montague STREET are very close to one another, you won't find the place you're looking for unless you choose the right one.
Who knew?
Anyway, we're down to two and a half days left. I can hardly believe it. So, I suppose we'll take in as much of London as is possible in that span of time.
Now, I know that the Football (and by that I mean 'American Football') season is starting today. But, don't forget that an even more impressively violent sport is in full swing: The Rugby World Cup. Jess and I had a chance to take in the France v. Argentina match while we were cooking dinner the other night. It was spectacular. If I were an NFL player, I'd be scared of these guys. So, all that to say, even though the NFL is getting underway, don't forget to watch a bit of the NFL's kissing cousin if you get a chance.
Oh, you're proabably wondering about Paris. It was good. Very good. How exactly do you describe 6 days in Paris? I could give a blow by blow account of what sights we saw, etc. But that's proably not very interesting to read...and proabably not worth the exorbitent internet fees to type--by the way, thank GOD that we're back in the land where keyboards make sense. I feel like I had to offer an animal sacrifice to our last keyboard every time I wanted to use the @ key. Ridiculous.
OK, Paris. Well, I'm gonna cop out again and say we'll chat about it with ya'll when we get back. A couple of random thoughts (as if this post weren't random enough already).
- First, any weight that I may have lost trekking around other parts of Europe was...er, redistributed by the spectacular pastries of Paris.
- Second, the US has a national bird, a national seal, etc. France has a national smell. It is that delicated combination of sidwalk urine, cigarette smoke and body odor all of which is then mixed with delightful smells of baking pastries. I feel conflicted.
- Third...is it so hard to standardize keyboards? Seriously.
- Fourth--what happened to the Twins while I was gone??!!?? Seriously. I leave for five minutes and the whole central division goes to hell in a handbasket.
- Fifth--the US needs to figure out better public transportation. Paris' metro was spectacular.
- Sixth--why is everything so expensive in London? As if it weren't enough that the Pound is 2:1 over the dollar--everything actually costs twice as much...except Broadway-ish shows....which we'll be taking in later tomorrow or Tuesday.
OK, I guess that's all for now. Blessings, all--we love to hear your feedback!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
One Week To Go!
Hi friends.
I can't believe we only have a week left. The time has gone so fast! For those of you who have spent your time (read 'employer's time') following our journey around Europe, your company has been much appreciated. We love the feeling that others are here with us, if only in spirit.
When we last left our heroes (read 'rag-tag travellers'), there were a few stories and some pictures of the Cinque Terre. After that point, Jess and I took the train further north into the French Riviera for an evening in the city of Nice. Perhaps it was just the abbreviated time we spent there, but we didn't find it to be all that nice (pun incredibly intended). Nice was dirty and graffiti laden, as was our hostel. I wouldn't say it was unsafe--it's just not a town to which we would return. Though, I have heard that Monaco (just a five minute train ride away) is pristine and beautiful. The one morning we spent in Nice did involve a fun morning walk on the beach, however.
...and then on to Paris.
Jessica spoke so fondly of it as she reminisced about her time here in college that I wondered if it could be as great as she remembered it. Quite frankly, it has been better. Our accommodations are spectacular--a nice, small studio apartment to call our own for six nights. We even have a kitchen, which I consider a necessary evil in a city like Paris. The restaurant scene is arguably the world's best, but a person could go broke in a heartbeat by eating out every night.
For those of you who don't know, Paris is also home to the world's largest and best metro system. With dozens of lines going in all different directions, a person is never more than a two or three minute walk from the nearest metro. Yesterday we took advantage of this immediate proximity to everything by visiting Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle on Ile San Luis (forgive me if I'm spelling that wrong!).
It is no stretch to say that Saint Chapelle is my favorite European site thus far. The reasons for that are too varied and illogical to bear out an explanation. For those who don't know what it is, here is the brief version--it is a beautiful Gothic chapel, bearing the most impressive stained-glass work anywhere in the world, built to house some of France's most impressive religious relics including Christ's crown of thorns (check the wiki here for a more in-depth description).
Jess and I walked up the claustrophobia inducing spiral staircase into the chapel and stood there speechless. (Speaking of that--we found it incredibly ironic that a 'silence!' sign would be posted in a location that cannot fail to bring its viewers to dumbstruck awe. Crazy French folks...) We took a seat in and stared in amazement as the partly cloudy day illustrated the differences between light and dark in the stained glass in the chapel. It was remarkable. Each beam of sunshine would light up the glass like a thousand violins playing perfectly in tune. Then, as the sun went behind the cloud, the light would slowly fade in the room, like a pianissimo decrescendo at a symphony's conclusion.
The visual silence that followed was deafening.
There is so much more to say, but I suppose I should go make dinner. Suffice to say, I was very conflicted about a number of things--i.e., the crown of thorns is only shown to the general public four times per year, the ethics of a place of worship becoming nothing more than a tourist spectacle, Saint Chapelle's history of class distinction during worship (only the elite could worship in the beautiful top level of the chapel), etc.--all of which are better discussed conversationally.
I can't wait to get back and show photos to everyone. Jessica has done a masterful job of capturing our journey on film.
I can't believe we only have a week left. The time has gone so fast! For those of you who have spent your time (read 'employer's time') following our journey around Europe, your company has been much appreciated. We love the feeling that others are here with us, if only in spirit.
When we last left our heroes (read 'rag-tag travellers'), there were a few stories and some pictures of the Cinque Terre. After that point, Jess and I took the train further north into the French Riviera for an evening in the city of Nice. Perhaps it was just the abbreviated time we spent there, but we didn't find it to be all that nice (pun incredibly intended). Nice was dirty and graffiti laden, as was our hostel. I wouldn't say it was unsafe--it's just not a town to which we would return. Though, I have heard that Monaco (just a five minute train ride away) is pristine and beautiful. The one morning we spent in Nice did involve a fun morning walk on the beach, however.
...and then on to Paris.
Jessica spoke so fondly of it as she reminisced about her time here in college that I wondered if it could be as great as she remembered it. Quite frankly, it has been better. Our accommodations are spectacular--a nice, small studio apartment to call our own for six nights. We even have a kitchen, which I consider a necessary evil in a city like Paris. The restaurant scene is arguably the world's best, but a person could go broke in a heartbeat by eating out every night.
For those of you who don't know, Paris is also home to the world's largest and best metro system. With dozens of lines going in all different directions, a person is never more than a two or three minute walk from the nearest metro. Yesterday we took advantage of this immediate proximity to everything by visiting Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle on Ile San Luis (forgive me if I'm spelling that wrong!).
It is no stretch to say that Saint Chapelle is my favorite European site thus far. The reasons for that are too varied and illogical to bear out an explanation. For those who don't know what it is, here is the brief version--it is a beautiful Gothic chapel, bearing the most impressive stained-glass work anywhere in the world, built to house some of France's most impressive religious relics including Christ's crown of thorns (check the wiki here for a more in-depth description).
Jess and I walked up the claustrophobia inducing spiral staircase into the chapel and stood there speechless. (Speaking of that--we found it incredibly ironic that a 'silence!' sign would be posted in a location that cannot fail to bring its viewers to dumbstruck awe. Crazy French folks...) We took a seat in and stared in amazement as the partly cloudy day illustrated the differences between light and dark in the stained glass in the chapel. It was remarkable. Each beam of sunshine would light up the glass like a thousand violins playing perfectly in tune. Then, as the sun went behind the cloud, the light would slowly fade in the room, like a pianissimo decrescendo at a symphony's conclusion.
The visual silence that followed was deafening.
There is so much more to say, but I suppose I should go make dinner. Suffice to say, I was very conflicted about a number of things--i.e., the crown of thorns is only shown to the general public four times per year, the ethics of a place of worship becoming nothing more than a tourist spectacle, Saint Chapelle's history of class distinction during worship (only the elite could worship in the beautiful top level of the chapel), etc.--all of which are better discussed conversationally.
I can't wait to get back and show photos to everyone. Jessica has done a masterful job of capturing our journey on film.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
The Forbidden Photos!
Here we are in pixel form....and don't worry mom, we are using plenty of sunscreen (at least Jessica is)!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Cinque Terre
The northwest coast of Italy is a beautiful haven for the city-weary traveler. We spent the day yesterday wandering by train through five small (no motorized traffic allowed) towns overlooking the ocean. The rooster crows early in the morning outside our window, and the church bells ring every morning at 7 am to wake the town - I don't think anyone wants to miss a moment here. Tim is eating lots of fresh seafood and I'm enjoying the pesto and foccacia bread, both of which originated here. The beaches are warm with people and sun, and the gelato shops wait for us to come in from the beach to cool off. I wish I could post some of our picutres of this paradise, but it is "strictly forbidden" on this computer!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
When in Rome...
Rome. We are finishing our second day of exploring this grand city and we are hot, tired, and our feet really hurt! We walked almost everywhere. This place is hard to describe, because it is many places combined into one. It as though a baker created a fine marble layer cake over time, and the finishing touches (our modern era) are now the many shops and restaurants stuffed in around the edges and on top for decoration. Each layer of the cake represents an entire civilization or religious movement here. There are almost too many parties involved in this baking project to mention - Romulus, the Greeks, Ceasar, the Romans, Constantine and the Christians, and modern Italians as Tim and I know them.
We started on Tuesday with the Vatican Museum (4 miles of art, sculpture, and other religious and pagan artifacts - everything from mummies to modern paintings (1950's onward). We viewed the Sistine Chapel and Michaelangelo's amazing frescos, toured St. Paul's Cathedral, and walked several miles around the city to view other churches and fountains. We met a great friend in our hostel named Curtis. He is a history major from Canada who took a class here and toured every site over the past month. Last night we went to dinner and Curtis then took us to the Colosseum after dark. (see photos below, if I can figure out how to post them on this very foreign computer - or maybe I'm the foreigner!) Today we walked around the Colosseum again, Palatine hill, the Roman Forum, the Mamertine prision (where Peter and Paul were held) and St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, where Peter's chains are kept on display. Ann, if you're reading this, we didn't have time or energy to find the foot!
We started on Tuesday with the Vatican Museum (4 miles of art, sculpture, and other religious and pagan artifacts - everything from mummies to modern paintings (1950's onward). We viewed the Sistine Chapel and Michaelangelo's amazing frescos, toured St. Paul's Cathedral, and walked several miles around the city to view other churches and fountains. We met a great friend in our hostel named Curtis. He is a history major from Canada who took a class here and toured every site over the past month. Last night we went to dinner and Curtis then took us to the Colosseum after dark. (see photos below, if I can figure out how to post them on this very foreign computer - or maybe I'm the foreigner!) Today we walked around the Colosseum again, Palatine hill, the Roman Forum, the Mamertine prision (where Peter and Paul were held) and St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, where Peter's chains are kept on display. Ann, if you're reading this, we didn't have time or energy to find the foot!
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