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Sinking and Stinking but Ever Charming
I have never had a desire to go to Venice before. I never thought that it was worth a visit, until I was there. The first time that I looked out across the city from the top of its lone parking garage, I knew that I would never want to leave this magical Italian city. The sun shining on the warm red roofs hypnotized me and the countless towers disrupting the consistent skyline filled me with a strange sense of excitement.
I’m so thankful that we stopped in Venice on our way up to Austria from Rome, even if the only initial reason was because we had to stop somewhere for the night. My mother decided that we should spend one day in this famous city even though she, like me, lacked the desire to do so. But I can say now without a doubt, that we all fell in love with this sinking city and I hope desperately that I can go back one day to retrieve the part of my heart that I left behind.
We only spent one full day in Venice, which may have some part to play in my enchantment with the city, I feel like there is so much charm that I haven’t experienced, especially because our day was clouded by a cold rainstorm.
Wether or not it is raining, if you only have one day in Venice you have to spend the whole day seeing as much of the city as possible. Every other tourist of course knows this too, so you need not only slosh through tiny cobblestone alleys in the rain but you can do it while fighting a hundred other umbrellas. Any tight alley way (which is the entire city basically) becomes an arena for the game we fondly refer to as the dueling umbrellas. I was legitimately concerned that someone was going to lose an eye.
Because the city is made up of tiny alley ways intersecting with canals, it is a difficult city to navigate. We kept pulling out our map which eventually became so wet that it was shredded. Getting lost in Venice isn’t the worst thing in the world, every turn offers a beautiful new sight and secret little road lined with exciting shops.
We got lost several times and asked for directions many times but the language barrier made it so that the directions weren’t always completely helpful. After zigging and zagging down side streets ( every street in Venice feels like a side street) we came into the plaza by St. Mark’s Basilica. There were men in tuxedos playing on fantastic grand pianos, huddled under canopies and the entirety of the crowds now bottlenecked under the meager awnings.
From the awnings by the basilica you could see the bay which opens up like a tight rolled map that is all of a sudden laid out before you. Anna was awe struck by the view of the bay and the magnificent buildings clinging to its shores.
We didn’t feel particularly inclined to get lost in the maze of streets to return to our apartment so we caught the water bus in the bay which took us to the port near where we were staying, one of the great advantages of staying on the canals.
We were packed so tightly on the boat that we felt like sardines. At one point I leaned forward to get a better view of something and was then unable to lean back again because another passenger had occupied that newly vacant space.
The water bus actually turned out being an extremely advantageous means of transportation. The spray of the canals and the rain misted us as we stood on the deck but the sights of the city along the grand canal kept us completely distracted. You didn’t want to get too distracted though. The boat drivers would call out the name of each new port as we bumped up against the dock. They would leave the gate open for a few minutes as those hoping to exit would push and squeeze their way through the crowd. The entering passengers would only wait a moment for you to get off before shoving their way on. Anna and I were concerned that it would be all too easy for us to miss our stop especially with our parents sitting inside the boat and unable to hear the names of the upcoming stops. But fear not, we made it home.
Our family members were all too soggy and tired to go out for dinner so Anna and I went out just the two of us to find food and bring it back for our family. The truth is that while we did want to help our family out we mostly just wanted to get out of our lovely apartment and experience Venice one last time.
I think the things that made Venice so unique is the fact that it feels like its own little world. Being an island with no cars, and boats everywhere makes it feel like a game, movie or an island resort that isn’t very resort-ish. All the buildings hug the edges of the canals and stone steps lead down into the watery unknown constantly reminding you of the presence of water and the fact that the city is sinking. I always thought that Venice was just a tourist city but this city has a rich history and just happens to be filled with tourists.
Interesting facts about Venice
-Venice is literally sinking. Every year, 3-4 millimeters of the city sink below the surface. The original Venetians built the city on mud and sand, stabilized by ONCE water proof logs. ONCE waterproof meaning that the logs are now sinking as well.
-Venice was at one time the richest city in Europe reaching it’s peak anywhere from the 14th-15th century. This island city was very powerful in the trading industry.
-It is said that the sewers in Venice pour into the canals, and that the canals stink due to that fact. I thought the canals smelt bad, but just like dirty city water.
-Venice is famous for it’s prominence in mask making and Venetian glass.
Our time in Venice was all too short but the mountains were calling so you know what that means.
*For those of you who did not catch this reference, the saying is ” the mountains are calling and I must go”.
When in Rome!
No excuses! I have slacked terribly in writing this blog since we’ve been home. I know all of you have been devastated by the absence of our posts. We left you in suspense with so many unanswered questions!
Did we ever make it through Italy? Did Mom enlarge her purse meat collection? Was Dad able to drive through Rome and Venice? Did we starve to death because of our inability to read Italian menus?
Well, don’t dismay, we have returned to finish the story! Actually, we’re only half way through our vacation as far as blog posts go, and we still have TONS of pictures to share with all of you! We are also super excited about a post focusing specifically on the differences between Europe and America, and tips for traveling abroad along with more food posts and fun surprise posts!
Only now do I feel completely recovered and readjusted after being home for a few weeks. Since we’ve been home life has been… well, life has been life. Lets just say that we are all glad things have been leveling out recently. We have been home long enough now that we have begun to forget the hardships of traveling and remember everything with fondness.
Looking back on our vacation I can remember pros and cons about our time in Rome. Pro number one: Air conditioning! We had been on vacation for three weeks by the time we made it to Rome and not a single air B&B or vacation rental had air conditioning up to that point. The worst was Sarlat, (see The Tradition of Entertainment post https://thetravelingtwins.travel.blog/2019/09/03/the-tradition-of-entertainment/?fbclid=IwAR3iXiucMMEz6xcibx01BJPvI8_hj3TsTzCGBLF9tTsmwB6vNnW_-WLdVM4) where we stayed in a three story stone building with no air flow. Emily and I slept on the third floor in the tower where we were sure we’d cook to a crisp.
Traveling throughout Europe in the end of summer without air conditioning is surprising, sticky and uncomfortable. We were all concerned as we headed south to Rome that we’d surely melt, but as soon as we walked into that apartment and felt the cool air on our skin… I thought someone might start crying from happiness. We all slept harder than rocks that night, even Emily who slept on the ground atop couch pillows because we couldn’t figure out how to unfold the foldout couch.
Con number one: Rome was actually relatively dirty. I was unsure if it seemed dirty only because we had already spent time in Paris which was surprisingly clean (at least the section we were in).
Once we returned home, I talked with a friend who had visited Rome shortly after we had and she confirmed my observation. Rome actually smelled bad. Not all of it smelled, and of course there were nice areas but there were streets filled with overflowing dumpsters and trash.
Pro number two: So many historic landmarks to see! So many buildings and monuments that you’ve always heard about are within miles of each other. While this was a pro this was also a con. I went to Rome with unrealistic expectations. I expected this vibrant historic city where old buildings and landmarks from the great Roman Empire lined the streets and the glory of what was once the capital of the known world could still be seen in part today. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Rome is more like some monuments wedged in-between buildings. Something that thoroughly surprised me was how young everything really was. The oldest thing we saw in Rome was the Coliseum which wasn’t even origanilly built until 70 AD!
Some of the most famous sights weren’t even built until much later like the Trevi fountain built in 1732, St Peters Basilica in 1506 and the Pantheon in 126 AD. Most of the historic city I had expected to see lay under our feet and had been built upon.
The only thing remaining from the glory of the Roman Empire was the Forum. The Forum was a collection of building and courtyards that was once the center of ancient Rome. The remains of the empirel palace on Palatine Hill and temples (some dating back to 497 BC), pillars and statues all reflected the glory of Rome but also the devastaion and abandonment it has experienced in its history.
Pro number three: The Sistine Chapel! The Sistine Chapel deserves a point all its own. All throughout Europe the ceilings will take your breath away with extravagant paintings and elaborate carvings. The Sistine Chapel left them all in the dust. Unfortunatly you were not allowed to take photos but I will always have the photo in my mind. Of course, just like everything else it didn’t look like I had expected but in this case I didn’t mind. The paintings were so vivid as they portrayed beloved Bible stories and heros of the faith and of course Adam reaching for the hand of God. We saw the Sistine Chapel at the end of the Vatican museum which was also amazing but all in all made for a very tiring day after driving into Rome that morning.
We only had a day and a half in Rome so we saw everything at top speeds. Luckily at this point in our trip we were all pros at sightseeing with efficiency. We also saw St. Peters Basilica our first half day there along with the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon and Castle Sant’ Angelo (the last one only from our taxi window). Our second day in Rome we saw the Coloseum, the Forum (which included Palatine Hill) and visited the Trevi fountain for a second time. The only way I can think that we could have seen more would have been if we had had chariots to race about the streets in.
Overall Rome was a success and defiantly worth the visit but we were also relieved when we all piled in the van, headed back out to the Roman countryside and on to our next adventure. Keep an eye out for our next blog post coming soon as we float into Venice!
Under the Cortona Sun
Everyone in my family was exhausted after spending a few weeks in Europe. I know it sounds stupid saying that we were tired from vacationing, but it is tiring being away from the comforts of home and the predictability of every day life. The inability to communicate, a big car on small windy roads and even things as simple as not knowing if the waiter will seat us or if we should seat ourselves when we have a large party at a French cafe, begin to wear you down. You become more susceptible to falling asleep at the lunch table and closing your eyes and plugging your ears when your family members ask you to speak your extremely limited French.
We had all appreciated French cuisine (especially my mother. She has had so much cantaloupe and prochuto that I’m surprised that it isn’t coming out of her ears) but I think we were all burnt out on playing dinner roulette and ending up with liver or stinky cheese.
We were all super happy when we crossed over the border into Italy. Well, we weren’t initially happy. Josh had finally researched the French toll road system minuets before we were in Italy and everything looked different and was in Italian. Our drive to Italy was long and extremely eventful. The story of that day requires a blog post all its own and will probably have to wait to be told.
The menu guessing game in Italy was close to non existent. Not only were the endless pasta choices comforting but the names were familiar and easy to pronounce. If all else fails just tell the waiter lasagna. The lasagna in Italy was the best lasagna I have ever had, as I expected. The first Lasagna I had was at a small cafe in Cortona which is in Tuscany. The restaurant had been suggested to us by a kind pottery maker (who spoke flawless English).The pasta they served had been made by her cousin who lived in the next village.
Cortona is an adorable village. It was made famous by Frances Mayes, an American woman who wrote the book and inspired the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun. While Cortona is a touristy destination it was the least toristy destination that we visited in Italy. Through all of our destinations it remains one of my mother’s favorites.
Our rental house in Tuscany was a little country villa with a beautiful view of the valley. From our front door you could see a castle sitting on the opposite hill/mountain. We had to once again survive a few days in a hot arid climate without any AC. This vacation has helped me understand the usefulness of thick window shutters and a city-wide afternoon break during the hottest part of the day. When I say city wide afternoon break I don’t mean a half of an hour. All shops are closed between two and four in every French and Italian town that we’ve been in.
Another fun thing about our rental was that to get to it you had to drive down the most bumpy gravel road that I’ve ever been down in my life, and we had to do it in the big van that I mentioned earlier. Something that really was great was the fact that there were four black cats who lived near the house. Anna and I tried to commandeer them as we promised on our home page, but they were terribly antisocial, much to our dismay. They must not have always been that anti social because they had obviously stayed in the house at one time or another, evident from the strong smell of cat urine. The kind village strays helped fill the wounds that those stand-off-ish cats caused.
All in all, Tuscany was a success. Stay tuned for our next adventure in the Eternal City! ~ Emily
Fun Fact: Legend says that Cortona was founded by one of the descendants of Noah (like Noah from the Bible). Even if that isn’t true, it’s a really old city.
Can’t get enough of Europe? Don’t miss my mom’s European giveaway. Go to her blog – SUBSCRIBE and comment on any blog about our European adventure and you will be entered to win the book, “The Most Beautiful Villages of France.”
https://www.debbiespence.com
Is There a Pig in the Pool?
The sun seems to shine closer to the earth in Provence. I think it is so that it can smell the lavender fields. Southern France is envied for its soft sunlight that seems to shine warmer and creates specks of gold in the air in the late afternoon. Provence is also famous for its expansive lavender fields which unfortunately had already been harvested when we arrived in Bonnieux France last week.
Even though there was no lavender in the fields, the scent of it floated about on the air and filled the region with a sweet relaxing scent. Our backyard was filled with lavender that was slightly past its prime, but not past its peak of fragrance. That, along with the fresh rosemary and thyme from our garden filled our house with a scent so provincial that it made you weak at the knees. Our landlord told us that in the garden there were fresh herbs that we could use. I’m sure she regretted her decision when she came home to an empty garden. Ok, so we didn’t use all of her herbs, but we did put them on everything we ate. Josh looked so European in the kitchen vigorously chopping herbs, drizzling olive oil, and quite consistently running into Emily who was also cooking.
One of the main joys of our time in Bonnieux was our ability to cook our own food in a spacious, well stocked kitchen and eating the food in our backyard. Our yard was also supplied with a refreshing pool, which was a life saver. The heat and lack of AC here in Europe has been quite unexpected and has made each of us melt in our own time. Whereas the witch in The Wizard of Oz melted with water, it has quite the opposite effect on us.
We weren’t the only ones who enjoyed or pool. Our landlord warned us to always close the pool in the evening because otherwise we would have visitors. They say that wild boars will fall into the swimming pools in the night while they’re trying to get a drink! I wanted to leave the cover off just so that I could see the piggies doing the backstroke. Josh pointed out that if they warn you against such an occurrence that it means it must have happened before. Can you imagine the surprise when they came out for a lovely morning swim?
Our main purpose for visiting Bonnieux was to visit the vineyard where the movie A Good Year was filmed. We also visited a roman road built in the year 3 AD and did some shopping in the small hillside village.
We tried to enjoy the area but the heat of the sun and the dryness of the air always sent us running back to our pool. In the two days we were there I went swimming five times. I know that’s not much but I’ll take what I can get.
Bonniuex was not only relaxing but our house was also very well equipped for American tourists. None of us felt quite rested and ready to leave but as always, a new adventure was just around the bend! ~Anna
Sorry these blog posts are coming late! WiFi is spotty and our time doesn’t always allow for writing. We promise to post at least one blog about each location no matter how long it takes us to get them posted!
The Tradition of Entertainment.
As we have traveled and shared pictures we have received a few requests from our friends back home for certain pictures or things from Europe. One of those requests was a desire for pictures of street performers. After only seeing one true street performer in Paris and just one pair of sisters in the whole Loire Valley, I didn’t think that there would be a lot of photographing opportunities in the area of street performers. I had always heard about people putting out their hats on the cobblestone and trying to beguile the public enough that they can pay their bills, but after a few weeks of my holiday, I thought that they were very few and far between. Man was I wrong.
Recently we spent three full days in the medieval town of Sarlat. Our apartment was a block from the town center area. There were several cafes and tons of side roads that led among the tall stone buildings. Nestled between a double pronged sloping staircase and the mighty doors of the indoor market (an old church like building) was an unofficial amphitheater where you could find a street performer jumping about and shouting throughout most of the day.
When we first arrived in Sarlat, we thought that the large crowds enjoying the night life and the constant performers popping up around the plaza were due to it be Saturday night, but every evening, week day or not there were adults and little children sitting on the stone floor or leaning over stone walls in hoards. I’m not even sure what time the party would finally stop. When we would finally head to our own beds around midnight, there would still be little ones clumped at the performers feet.
One thing is for sure, I defiantly know how to count to three in French now. All the way from our apartment you could hear the collective un, deux, trois as someone prepared to eat fire or balance a 20 foot pole on their head. The cheering and laughter bounced off of the walls of the historical buildings, filling the night and the village.
The natural amphitheater had a statue of a man sitting on the towering staircase wall, watching. We concluded that that very spot has probably been enchanted by performers for hundreds of year, enthralling all those in the vicinity for ages.
Some of the entertainment that we enjoyed was first class and some was just silly, but they were all unique from one another. I’m sure that each person was an increasingly enjoyable entertainer, just through the commentary that they gave their acts, but unfortunately every show was in French. Everyone around me thought that they were pretty funny and I almost wanted to laugh along to.
The performers inability to speak English was not a problem when you were hanging out with the mimes
This Neanderthal would not be a surprising human statue to find in Sarlat, for the region is famous for its local caves that are filled with art work from prehistoric man. brightly colored bison and mammoth etchings are now carefully preserved for the public. The Vezere valley is filled with signs of ancient human history, boasting an impressive 15 UNESCO world heritage sites (The whole United States only has 23).
Along with the artistic cave masterpieces, there are also multiple cliff dwellings and museums. While we got to see some of the cliff dwellings along the Dordogne river while we went canoeing, we only got to actually visit one prehistoric sight, Grotte de Rouffignac.
The tour of Grotte de Roufignac takes you on a little open train down into the mouth of a six mile deep cave. Along the way you will see impressive engravings of mammoths and large drawings of wholly rhinos and more mammoths. At the end of the cave you are greeted by the great ceiling which is covered in large paintings of horses, ibex, and yes more mammoths. Grotte de Rouffignac (also known as the cave of the hundred mammoths) is the largest collection of Mammoth cave art in the world.
While this cave is awe inspiring and I would totally recommend visiting It, it is not the most impressive cave in the area. Lascaux is the largest and most famous cave in the Dordogne, but due to conservation needs, it is no longer open to the public. They have two different replicas that you can visit, Lascaux ll and Lascaux llll. The second largest cave, which is still open for public access, is Grotto de Fonte-de-Gaume. This cave is extremely difficult to get into for it is extremely popular and only allows 78 visiter a day in the summer due to conservation purposes. So, Grotte de Rouffignac is a superb choice if you are in the area. *Knowing which cave to visit an when can be very confusing. If you are trying to plan a trip to see the caves I would recommend getting a travel guide book. I used one by Rick Steves and It was wonderful!
So between the prehistoric cave art and the superb street performers, Sarlat was a successful stop on our trip around France. Three stops down, eight more to go! ~Emily
The Valley of Chateaux
If home is where your heart is then the castle is where the big head is.
Anna Spence original
Bonjour my dear friends it has been too long since I have written to you! I would say that I am sorry for my delay in getting this blog to you but that would be false. I was greatly enjoying the laidback lifestyle of the French countryside where we stayed for four days. Our charming Airbnb was in Monthou-Sur-cher in the Loire valley, AKA Chateau country*!
According to my mother our informed travel guide, the Loire Valley is filled with hundreds of Chateaux. When she originally made this statement I was sure that was an exaggeration, but after visiting the valley and seeing signs for literally hundreds of Chateaus I realize my mother did indeed do her research.
During our time in the Loire Valley we only visited three chateaux. (that’s is besides the countless ones we saw from the road). In having three full days in that region you would think we’d visit one a day right? Never! That would be too simple and what is vacation with out a little challenge? We decided to visit two in one day. Well if we must visit two in one day at least take the whole day. Not in this family! In the course of four hours we visited two majestic chateaus an hour apart from one another and managed to get some shopping done in the quaint villages. But don’t worry we only got lost while driving, like three times. Once again, being calm, not our forte. May I just say, Emily and I have now speed walked through the Louvre, Chateau de Chenonceau, and different chateau gardens (the last we took at a nice jog).
While we do some things with great speed and “compact planning” we also excel at relaxing hardcore. We kind of have two speeds in the Spence family, fast paced intense or major leisure. There’s not much in between. For example, the day after our run through Chateau visits, Emily and I, along with Josh and Melissa, had a day of rest, relaxing in our old country house and doing some much overdo laundry. We even got to enjoy the park near our house which had a pond overlooking the village and a tennis court. Emily and I discovered we love tennis and might come home as world renowned tennis stars.
Be watching on the news for our names (just kidding, we’re horrible at it). The park was also intact with a large creek that twisted and turned through the park so much that I questioned whether or not it was man made. While on a dusk otter expedition, we found eleven muskrats of all sizes living in the creek! It was the most successful otter hunt we’ve ever had!
The greatest highlight of our time in Monthou-Sur-Cher was for sure our French patio dinner parties. Our house was equipped with a perfect patio with a table and lights for long lingering dinners to the sound of French music, laughter, and the beautiful silence of the countryside. I do have to say though that one night the cafe across the park had a band playing American music from the 80’s until after eleven, which we all found quite amusing since no one in that town spoke English.
None of us were ready to leave the country but onwards to adventure! What lies ahead?
*A chateau is a really big French country home, often looking like a castle. They usually belong to the French nobility along with mistresses, and yes the royal family.
Don’t worry!! A blog all about the differences and similarities of the French is still coming. Stay tuned for more exciting travel updates! ~Anna
Dinner Roulette
Anna and I know very limited French. We can say things like “I would like” or “the check please”, but when it comes to deciphering a French menu, we’re completely useless. Our inability to understand the menus here has been the source of much confusion and has helped us to create a fun new game.
Dinner Roulette. How you play: Look at a completely French menu, point at something random and hope that you don’t get liver. When the food comes out, take whatever the waiter gives you and then try to figure which dish is the one you actually ordered, once everyone has been served. The hard part is making sure that your family members don’t take your meal because it looks the best. When all you know is that you should be eating chicken there’s a lot of room to convince yourself that its not the chicken with stinky cheese.
Rules: no crying when you end up with something gross and you have to clean off your plate. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to eat everything on your plate. There are plenty of ways to hide unwanted food; my mother is great at it (see blog post “So-long for Now Paris”). The pawning off of unwanted food has continued (see “Don’t feed the rats and don’t eat the fish). Last night my father very kindly offered me some of his food. I thought he was just being giving like he always is, but then I realized that he wanted me to take all of it. I saw the look of chagrin in my daddy’s eyes as my brother told me that my dad was in-fact eating duck gizzards ( or maybe even organs).
We have tried using our google translate app to decode these dinner-time mysteries, but when there is no English translation you just have to guess. There have been a few recognizable signature French dishes that we have enjoyed including but not limited to Coq au vin, creme brûlée, and of course foie gras. Saying that we enjoyed the Foie gras is a bit generous.
Dinner rouletted hasn’t turned out all bad, sometimes it’s a happy surprise. The other day Josh ordered two coffees and we got three instead. We have Come to the conclusion that Josh is just bad at pointing to things on the menu. Once when served a deep red wine we asked him what it was called. He replied “I don’t know, I thought I was ordering a white wine.”
As long as you’re not a too picky eater, dinner roulette adds excitement to a normally mundane task. I suppose it adds excitement whether or not you’re a picky eater, it’s just if you’re a picky eater you may end up giving your food to your family members and starving yourself.
Right now we are in the lovely little town of Sarlat. I told my sister in law today that I think Sarlat means Goose-ville in English because every market and restaurant around are centered around geese (I don’t think Sarlat actually has an English translation). Wether they serve goose meat, sell canned foie gras, sell goose figurines or have brass statues of geese in the square, geese are everywhere. So long story short, you have to beware of ending up being served goose liver while playing dinner roulette in Sarlat.
So to all my friends with wonderfully comprehendible English menus back home, happy eating!
~Emily
So-long for Now Paris
“Rain’s very important. That’s when Paris smells its sweetest.”
Audrey Hepburn
I was unaware that Paris in the rain is actually a very iconic occurrence. Many people believe that Paris is the most beautiful in the rain and while I can’t necessarily say I agree I must say it is quite enchanting; it’s so picturesque and magical. Parts of Paris almost feel like they were made to be experienced in the rain.
One thing is for sure, the rain in Paris stops no one from daily life activities. I have never seen so many umbrellas in use as I did the day it rained during our time in Paris. We spent that evening in the Latin Quarter and visiting the area around Notre Dame and there were just as many people out and about as there would have been had it been the most pleasant day ever. I suppose everyone else had heard of the beauty of Paris in the rain and they were all eager to experience it.
While there were crowds present at every location we visited, they were most apparent to me at Sacre Cœur Basilica. It is very possible that they just stood out to me there because I had already had my fill of crowds by that point in our journey. We visited the Basilica on our second to last day in Paris and while Paris is by far the best city I have been to, it is still a large city. Large cities and I can enjoy one another for a time but it doesn’t take long for us to wish to be parted from one another. City night life is especially vibrant but but its pleasures are short lived. Those of you who are well acquainted with me know that there is no place I’d rather be than in nature. Paris has many things but it does lack in the area of nature.
Our last day in Paris was not even spent in Paris. Our plan was to take the 8:45 train from Paris to Vernon where we would visit Giverny, the home of impressionist painter Claude Monet *(1840-1926). Our plan was slightly derailed (HA) when we missed our train which had been rescheduled for twenty minutes earlier than its original departure time. I was pleasantly surprised at how calm everyone remained. Being calm hasn’t necessarily been our strong suit for the first half of this vacation. Much to our relief, we were able to purchase tickets for a slightly later train to Vernon, cutting our time at Giverny down by two hours. It would have been nice to spend more time at the artist’s delightful home but every moment was breath taking.
For our last night in Paris we visited a lovely Paresian cafe once more. Emily and I shared a delicious meet and cheese board which was very French but not necessarily very tasty. We couldn’t leave any of our food on our plate because that is seen as an insult to your chef. Desperate not to offend, we pawned off all our left over foods to our reluctant family members. Our mother gladly received our salami, but she didn’t want it just now so she wrapped it in a napkin and placed it in her purse. The next day when she was complaining about her purse smelling like stinky feet she realized it was because she forgot about the salami. First the ham fat in her pocket, then the salami in her purse. Oh mother, what will it be next.
Tuesday morning we all piled into our rental van and waved good bye to lovely Paris. It was sad to see the first part of our journey finished but we are all excited about the next leg. Onward to the countryside. The Loire valley is up next. Goodbye For now Paris.
Give us feedback!
What do you want to hear more about? Are you desperate to hear more about the history and facts of the places we’re visiting or are you dying to know more about the culture and the people we’re meeting? Want to hear more about our family members and our traveling mishaps and victories, just let us know! I’m seriously considering a post focused entirely around the food we’ve been eating. That one may be inevitable whether or not someone requests to hear more about it because I’m quite impressed with French cuisine. Leave a comment below about what you wish to hear about from our adventures in France!
travel tips: If you are planning on traveling to Giverny, the train is a great way to go. there are several forms of transportation you can take to Giverny from the train station. they also have sufficient parking if you have your own car.
We traveled to Giverny on a weekday so the line to get in was not very bad, so we might suggest buying your tickets at the door and not in advance, you may be able to save a good amount of money as long as you have a little extra time to wait in line.
If you are going to the the Sacre Cœur Basilica, going up into the dome is a great option. It is 8 euros for an adult. You buy the tickets at the stairwell. If you don’t get along with climbing stairs or small inclosed spaces, I would not recommend it. As long as you are moderately fit the stairs shouldn’t be an issue. We did not go up into the Eiffel Tower but we overheard other tourists saying that the view from the Basilica was much better. it is also ten times cheaper, literally!
I will be posting photos from Giverny on social media as soon as I finish editing them. keep an eye on my instagram page @annaspencephotography!
Au revoir my friends! ~Anna
*Claud Monet birthed the impressionism movement. impressionism leaves room for the imagination with no definite lines, only blobs of color.
Don’t Feed the Rats and Don’t Eat the Fish!
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” ~Robert Louis Stevenson.
This is a true quote. My mother and I will discuss how aside from the language barrier, we do not feel like we are in a different country, only a big city that we have not visited before. However there are always those small things that remind us that we are foreigners here, not necessarily in a bad way, and defiantly not in big ways, but just enough that you remember you are an American in France.
Wanting to not stick out or offend, Anna and I had been researching French etiquette that is not observed in America. After realizing the importance of our observation of these manners, we shared them with the members of our family. They have all been being very polite, even to their own detriment. For example, when Josh and Melissa ordered fried cheese at a cafe, our kind waiter did not understand exactly what Josh had said and had miss-seen Josh’s pointing finger on the menu. When what was supposed to have been fried cheese arrived and was defiantly NOT fried cheese, Josh was determined not to offend and decided he must clean off his plate.
I will never forget the determined and very disgusted face of my brother as he ate every last tiny dry fish on his despised plate.
Anna and I ate a few to try and lighten the load, but they were nasty.
For the most part, our trips to the local cafes have been a great success! Anna and I have been able to use our limited French to speak to our waiters and have shared our French knowledge with our family members so that they too have been able to try out a bit of French. More so then our waiters, Anna and I are able to converse with our cab drivers in French. It is apparently a sure sign of an American to want to dialogue with a stranger, so we have been keeping our cab conversations to the general, “What is that?” and “Where is this?” and so on, but all in French. I always feel very accomplished after a Parisian understands me and responds with a comprehendible answer. I aim to maintain a cool exterior but I have a mini party inside.
Riding in cabs has been a new experience for us. the road that encircles the Arch de triumph is absolutely crazy. I don’t know if there are rules or if it’s just that nobody follows them, but cars plunge into traffic from one of the the six converging roads, and poke and speed about without any lanes. I find it terribly entertaining but I think others in my party more frightened than amused.
The arch is less than a block to from our house, so anytime we ride in a cab anywhere, we pass through the circle. About half the time we have been able to walk to our destinations which has been positively delightful. Wether we search for a breakfast cafe or place to relax and have some late night drinks, or even walking to the Eiffel Tower, there is always so much to see (and photograph)!
WARNING: this next section of our blog will be filled with photos of amazing artifacts and naked Greek woman statues.
#photobomingtourguide
They know that this is a statue of the goddess Athena because of the garland of snakes around her neck and the face of Medusa on her chest. Anna and I said that we wonder if they got the idea of creepy clowns from the face of madoosa.
I was fascinated by this statue. it is a Marine Centaur, a half man half horse with an aquatic tail. He is carrying a Silenus.
My favorite part of the museum was the ancient eqyptian artifacts. They were unmoved by my affections.
if you are ever planning a trip to a country that doesn’t speak your language, you must get the Google translate app. When reading French signs, I just had to hold my phone over them and it translated it to English.
The Louvre is filled with history, but it is a piece of history in itself. When it was built in the 1200’s, it was meant as a fortress to protect growing France. In the 1500’s Charles III converted it to a residence for the monarchy until king Louis the 14th changed the government seat to Versailles. Now the Louvre is just home to some of the most iconic historical artifacts in human history. The museum is so large that we spent four and a half hours looking around and only saw maybe a third of the exhibits and we didn’t see the gardens at all.
The Louvre is probably most well known for housing the Mona Lisa, but unfortunately we did not get to meet Miss Lisa. Due to renovation, she had been moved to her own small exhibit which you had to wait in a long line to see, and when I say long I mean like at least three hours long so we decided to save our introduction with the famous lady for next time.
So, until next time my friends. Au Revoir from Paris! ~Emily
Post script- favorite quotes
Mom at the Eiffel Tower. “Aww what a cute little…… that was weird, that chipmunk looked like a rat!” Emily- “Considering there is a sign that says don’t feed rats, I’m going to guess that that chipmunk was a rat.”
Mom after coming home from the market this morning “Oh I forgot I had ham fat in my pocket.”
What funny quotes have you heard while in new places doing new things? Share with all of us in the comments
We Are Here!
Twenty-three hours, three countries, one midnight-snack and we’re finally here! After months of planning and weeks of prayers, we’ve finally arrived on the vacation my family has dreamt of my whole life.
What a crazy adventure it was getting here! Of course we got lost a few times but that was nothing compared to the fiasco of checking into our apartment here in Paris. Language barriers with our host and faulty key codes made it feel like a real life escape room. More than one of us thought we’d be spending the night in the street. I’m so thankful that even though we may get frazzled in some of those moments (what can you expect from six adults who haven’t slept in twenty-three hours) we ultimately all view them as adventures and just one more thing to laugh about in days to come. We prefaced our trip with, “it’s not a matter of “if” we get lost, but rather when.” Now when getting lost pops up I can welcome it as an old friend instead of an unexpected dinner guest.
Since we left kokomo we have experienced three time changes, one of which was very significant. We flew out of Chicago at five PM and landed in Dublin at four AM with a flight that was supposed to be only seven and a half hours long. I feel like I’m living in a sci-fi movie where time travel is possible and reality is allusive. Did I shower this morning or was that yesterday? When I ate at six o’clock AM Dublin time, which is one AM Kokomo time, was it breakfast or a midnight snack?
our midnight snack/breakfast!
In order to compensate for the time change we all had planned to stay awake for the remainder of the day today after arriving in Paris. That lasted just long enough to visit the Arch de Le Triomphe, which is about a block from our apartment, eat linner (lunch/dinner) and pick up a few things from the market. It wasn’t long after we arrived home that I was the Lone Ranger awake by myself. Not too shabby to spend some time alone, jet lagged in Paris, even if I am just admiring the city from my balcony. Tomorrow we’ll tour the city and we’ll get lost at least once, I’m sure, but I know the day will be full of surprises!
The Traveling Twins 