Conwy

Conwy, a photo by h.Lo on Flickr.

Today was a day of discovery. My nerdy tendencies have now expanded to loving castles. I visited two in this day alone, starting with Caenarfon Castle. We had an extensive tour that helped bring the place to life. I then climbed several of the towers to drink in the views.

Following our visit to the castle, we went to the national slate museum. A very funny quarryman demonstrated slate splitting, shaped a heart of slate, and told us about the poor working conditions they endured. The drive back to Conwy took us through the dramatic scenery of Snowdonia and its many peaks.

Back in Conwy, I visited my second castle of the day. It was much smaller than the one in Caenarfon, but still very interesting. You really feel like a kid exploring a castle, climbing towers, running around looking up and down, imaging what went where when it was in use. The towers offered great views of the town and surrounding water, too.

After exiting the castle, I took a long walk (in the sun!) along the waterfront and atop the city walls. Families were out crabbing or having a pint outdoors at the Liverpool Arms. Atop the highest point of the city walls, I added to my list of "best ever views". Conwy spilled out below my feet, other towns and water filled in the rest of the scene. On the opposite end of town, the castle stood in its glory. Conwy is magnificent.

I indulged in another Indian dish at dinner (chicken korma), but skipped the cheese plate for dessert this time. Definitely plotting how to get back to Conwy with Shawn in the very near future.

England begins.

Wells, a photo by h.Lo on Flickr.

This morning was a bit gloomy, sadly for more than one reason. I spent the afternoon yesterday on Skype with Shawn watching Lucy take her last breaths. Not a great way to start this tour, but I intend to keep moving forward. Shawn will do the same stateside.

I started off with a nice runny egg before we boarded the "coach" to Glastonbury. As soon as we entered the Glastonbury Abbey, the rain started. It was a gentle, Seattle-style rain, though, so we managed and continued with the tour. I did catch a lot of hell over my poncho, though. It is ugly, and was called a "kite". Ha!

An hour later, I was assisting in picking up a huge box of "Glastonbury Pasties". As all good anglophiles know, pasties come from Cornwall, not Glastonbury. Our guide asked the baker why they were called Glastonbury Pasties, and she replied, "Well, they've never been to Cornwall to start with". Our plan was to picnic with the entire group at the abbey, so the pasties were the main course. We also chose some traditional English cakes to accompany them, as well as cans of Scrumpy Jack (which I actually liked quite well).

The picnic was lovely. Glastonbury seems to be the Sedona of England...full of mystical shops selling crystals and so on. I spotted a hot pink pair of Hunter wellies that I wished I could fit in my luggage. They were apparently a special edition pair of wellies in honor of the recent Glastonbury festival. We passed the site of the festival on the way into town to find it was still covered in garbage several weeks later.

After leaving Glastonbury, we drove to Wells. On the way, our guide announced that this is where Hot Fuzz was filmed. Funzies! We first visited one of the most magical streets I've ever seen: Vicar's Close. It was *perfect*. So incredibly picturesque and complete with two sweet cats who rubbed legs as we stood in the middle of their street.

Leaving Vicar's Close, we toured the cathedral. We had a passionate volunteer show us around. He told us early on that the architect was named "Adam Lock". Hmmm. The Welsh/English side of my family may very well be from around these parts, so I'm going to have to do a bit of research, I think. That line of work would certainly fit in with the creative streak the Locke's have today.

The cathedral was actually filled with moments of humor that I quite enjoyed. This seemed very appropriate considering the town also inspired Hot Fuzz. The tops of columns featured funny faces pulling on their teeth, or showing their sore feet. Others showed scenes of what a farmer would do to anyone caught stealing grapes. There was also a great cuckoo-style clock that showed a man sitting on the toilet ringing the bell. Total eccentricities that I really enjoyed.

Afterwards, I walked onto the main street and Hot Fuzz came to life. Right on the square, just as it should be, the pub stands. I went in and ordered a Pimm's Cup in the hopes that the bar tenders would talk to me. I didn't stay long, but in the time I was there, the main bar tender showed me a photo of himself dressed like a cop alongside the cast and director Edgar Wright. They also have a framed, autographed police jacket on display. So, so cool. I love that it's possible to get excited about something so historical (the cathedral) and something so modern at the same time. I pretty much decided that Wells is a place I would like to revisit and actually stay in for a bit.

We drove back in the late afternoon and had a group dinner. The group is so, so wonderful. They have so much in common and are very respectful of one another. It's an absolute joy to be with them each day.

Leaving for the Cotswolds in the morning. I hope the rain holds off because I adore the Cotswolds and really want it to remain a good memory.

Bruges to London.

Bruges to London, a photo by h.Lo on Flickr.

Considering how much Shawn drank yesterday, it was surprising that I was the one to wake up with a headache. Fortunately, it passed quickly, so we packed up and checked out. The hotel staff complimented our beer selections at the hotel's bar, telling us that the rare Trappist beer Shawn ordered last night goes for approximately $600 for 24 beers on ebay. Wondering if that is true...

Walking through some back streets of Bruges before catching our train, we visited two old windmills (moulen). We climbed a steep set of stairs to get inside of one. These two windmills weren't large, but they were mighty.

We grabbed a quick lunch of plain waffles and frites with curry ketchup (Shawn's favorite) on Bruges' main square. You can't beat this kind of junky street food. It costs next to nothing and tastes really freaking good.

After eating, we took a train back to Brussels to catch the Eurostar to London. Because we had a couple of hours to spare, we took a brisk walk over to Brussels' comic book museum. The place seemed kind of grim considering the content of the museum. Still, there were large scale Tintin and Smurf statues to admire.

One Eurostar and a couple of hours later, we are now in London visiting with my old pal, Neil, and his family. Having our first real "curry", too. Yum!

No frites, no ice cream.

No frites, no ice cream, a photo by h.Lo on Flickr.

We woke up to sunshine in Bruges. Fortunately, however, the heat we experienced in Paris is now a thing of the past. Because we love the film, In Bruges, we decided climbing the bell tower was a top priority. So, 366 steps later, we were at the top. The bell tower offers pretty great views of the city, red rooftops and all.

Following our climb, we boarded a boat for a canal cruise. Our guide was funny and the scenery was lovely. At one point, we passed a park where dozens of swans were resting on shore. Absurd! Have I mentioned that swans make anything charming? Even if they are big jerks.

We lunched at Rock Fort. For 35 Euros, we were served 3 courses starting with spicy popcorn and a tuna spread. Our main course consisted of thinly sliced roast beef and lots of vegetables (something we were missing after Paris!). Rock Fort's creamy sweet potatoes were quite something. After a quick coffee, we got back on our feet.

The beer drinking portion of our day started next with a tour of the De Halve Moon Brewery. The building is historical, and the different brewing processes were interesting to hear about. The tour finished with a taste of their Zot beer.

Sampling chocolates was next on the day's agenda. We hit three shops, tasting too many chocolates judging by our stomachs afterwards. Leonidas, The Chocolate Line and Dumon did not disappoint. The creativity at The Chocolate Line overwhelmed us. We tried the Havana Cigar chocolate (dislike) and cola (complete with Pop Rocks) in addition to some more normal flavors. At Dumon, I noticed my boss' holiday cards on the wall, so I mentioned working there. Madame Dumon was so kind in her response and offered us several free chocolates. She showed us lots of recent publicity and promised a box of goodies if we return tomorrow. Their handmade chocolates were hands down our favorites too. So incredibly fresh.

For dinner, we decided to visit a pub offering 300 types of beer, Brugs Beertjes. For just 15 Euros, we scored 3 Belgian brews, a cheese/salami/pickle plate and a toasted ham and cheese. We met a couple from Cincinnati and sat at the bar for quite some time. Loved the cozy atmosphere there.

Rounding out this busy day in Bruges, we are now sitting in the hotel's bar (Cafe Red Rose) again. Shawn chose a rare trappist beer from their menu that apparently requires a call to the "beer phone" for availability. He says it tastes like freshly baked bread, I'll assume that is a good thing.

Taking the pis.

photo by h.Lo on Flickr.

This morning, we walked around the 6th stopping at yummy shop after shop. We had a fast food style breakfast that consisted of a still tasty pain au chocolate with hot chocolate and coffee. In and out in under 5 Euros.

Next, we hit Piccadis for handmade marshmallows (orange, coffee, coconut, whatever you like). Chocolatiers came next: A La Mere de la Famille and XX. XX displayed chocolate sculptures in the shape of abs, small animals, babies, crocodiles, letters, numbers and so on. We dropped in on Poilane next to pick up four slices of French peasant bread for our lunch on the train. A final pop-in to Pierre Herme added four macarons to said lunch, including a mandarin-olive oil combination. Finally, we stopped into a fromagerie at the St. Germain market where we procured a large chunk of Brie de Mieux for less than $4.

Leaving Gare du Nord for Brussels on the fast Thalys train, we made up our simple lunch of bread with cheese...followed by macarons and chocolates. Mmm. The arrival into Brussels was a quick one, lasting just over an hour.

Our first stop on our whirlwind tour of Brussels was the Magritte Museum. We toured the museum for about an hour and a half, checking out his lesser known works. My personal favorite was "Black Magic", showing Magritte's wife, Georgette, fading into a blue color and disappearing into the sky. Shawn liked "The Traveler" which depicted a "ball of space junk" that included a lion, a couch and other miscellaneous objects.

Heading to the oldest part of town, we discovered waffle shop after chocolate shop after brewery after frite stand. Incredible. We are so excited to eat in Belgium.

We next toured the Grand Place, amazed at its gothic, highly detailed look. The whole sight was overwhelming, complete with adorable costumed locals in the square's center. A nice square usually has a standout building or two, but the Grand Place is an architectural marvel.

Just down the street a bit, we came across Brussels' famous Mannekin-Pis. Holy cow, what a sight. It's tiny and mimicked in every shop. There are copies peeing while holding waffles, versions made out of chocolate, and painted renditions used as eye catching displays. All for a little fella who is a mere two foot tall. I think the version at Seattle's Brouwer's Belgian beer bar is twice the size of the real thing.

Before jumping our train to Bruges, we stopped for our first taste of genuine Belgian frites. We opted for the magical combination of frites covered in mayonnaise, ketchup and onions. Filling and delicious.

An hour later on the same train ticket, we arrived in Bruges. It is so cute that it's almost a caricature of itself. The same adorable shops we just saw in Brussels and another gorgeous main square. Belgium is already very impressive and we are wondering if two nights will be enough.

We took a walking tour of Bruges after checking in to our hotel. There are a lot of cute sidewalk cafes here, something we both wish we had more of in Seattle. Seattle, by the way, is not a well-known place over here. Every time someone asks us where we are from, we get blank stares in response.

After getting oriented, we dropped in on a waffle maker. My stomach is kind of aching with all this junk food, but it's all so tasty, I can't quit it. Mine was covered in strawberries and cream, Shawn chose chocolate and bananas. We were also lucky enough to hear the bells ringing in the main square, so we sat for a bit and enjoyed it. We decided to end the evening for our first Belgian beer in Belgium. It turns out that it's hard to find a place that will only serve you a beer (and no food) on a Wednesday here. One place was closed, another was shut for holiday. We settled in to our hotel's adjoining bar (which is also adorable) for a Liefman's.

All this excitement in one day... our feet are killing us.

Grandiose Versailles.

photo by h.Lo on Flickr.

We woke up early to take the RER to Versailles. Our book warned of the crowds, but there is no way we could have prepared for the madness that lie ahead. Versailles is beyond crowded, and even worse, giant in a way that makes it nearly impossible to tour properly.

Costing around $70 for two of us, the Le Passport combo ticket got us into the chateau, gardens and Trianon palaces. Spendy! The chateau was so intensely crowded with tour groups that we rushed through as quickly as possible. Those kind of crowds just kill it for me. The Hall of Mirrors was quite a sight, though, so I suppose the experience was worth it.

Outside in the gardens, the sun was heating the place up. The fountains were dancing and the crowds swarming. Still, the gardens are undeniably beautiful. If only they were still surrounded by grass...

We took the 45 minute (!) walk to Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon and hamlet. This is where it's at. If we ever revisit this place, we will skip the chateau and just spend time here. It is magical beyond words, truly like a theme park of sorts. I experienced a Stendahl moment admiring the Hamlet's picture perfect mill. The crowds here were basically nonexistent, as well. Might be too much to ask people to walk that far.

After visiting Marie Antoinette's former home, our feet were throbbing, backs hurting and heat exhausted. We returned to Paris for a nice nap before going to the Eiffel Tower at 7:30. While the views are indeed lovely, the time spent in line at the tower is not. Our reservations got us to the second level quickly, but ascending and descending the summit took over an hour because of the lines involved. Considering the view was not even that spectacular from the top, we learned a lesson here. Stay on the second level at the Eiffel Tower! The sun began to set on the way down and rain came in, so we took off for dinner as soon as we were on the ground again.

A couple of short blocks away from the tower is Cafe Constant. We were able to secure a table within a few minutes. I had the roast chicken and potatoes, Shawn had the steak with mashed potatoes. We also took the artichoke heart and button mushroom salad I tasted with Susie just last year. Everything was so tasty, this place is solid.

Back in Paris.

After I came back from Paris last year, I spun tales of the city's sweets to Shawn in a way that made his eyes pop out of his head... and the need for our own trip to go. Because I don't begin working over here until early July, we decided to tack on a handful of vacation time to the beginning for a little Parisian fun plus a trip to Bruges and London.

So, we are in Paris.

Yesterday, Shawn saw his first boulangerie. It did not disappoint. We got off the plane and went straight to a street market along Rue Mouffetard. We jumped in the first long line at a bakery we could find (it didn't take long). We sniffed out a few cheese shops and nibbled on some hazlenut chocolates, too.

We next wandered over to Notre Dame which Shawn found to be overwhelmingly beautiful, inside and out.

Jetlag hit us shortly afterwards, so we popped back to our hotel to check in. Our room is microscopic, but the view is well worth the squeeze. See photo in this post for proof.

Did I mention it's hot? Oh yeah, it's hot. Thankfully our room has A/C.

After a nap, we walked across the street to the Luxembourg Gardens. People were everywhere... mostly hiding in the shade. That is one magical park, so full of life and so well manicured.

On our way to dinner, we came across a man just off a major street with his pants down, proceeding to poop in a water bottle. Now, if that doesn't stir your appetite, I don't know what will.

That brings me to today. We woke up after 9 solid hours of sleep to head north to Montmartre. The Espace Dali sculpture museum was surprisingly delightful. There was a group of young children on a tour that seemed really into it. We were impressed.

Shawn spent a couple of hours in the Louvre this afternoon. I'll be there in a few short weeks, so I waited it out. He loved the giant French Neoclassical paintings and found Mona Lisa to be, well, Mona Lisa. Outside in the courtyard, people were jumping in the fountains to escape the 98 degree heat. Yikes!

We rounded out the day with a jaunt around Place Madeleine, home to many a wonderful food shop. Mustards, honeys, teas, jams, whatever you please, it is there to be found.

Two random funnies:
1) The Hangover 2 is being called "Very Bad Trip 2" over here. Seems appropriate.
2) The "Quality Burger Restaurant" near our hotel sells a Happy Meal equivalent called the "Magic Box". Comes with a toy and everything!

June-July 2011.

In a few short days, the next big adventure begins. Five weeks in Europe. Although I know it will go by fast once I'm there, it seems like a long time to be away right now. Here's the itinerary:

Paris
Bruges
London ...followed by 2 weeks in England
Rome, Florence, Venice
Neuschwanstein Castle
Berner Oberland, Switzerland
Burgundy
Paris (and back to Seattle!)

I plan to blog along the way, so keep an eye on this space. Or, better yet, subscribe via the link on the right side of the page. Thanks!