tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34869884231401408772023-11-15T09:36:18.181-08:00foods. drinks. travels....sharing my passions via photographyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-10570605281618761412014-11-24T03:34:00.001-08:002014-11-24T03:36:46.582-08:00FROM PARIS TO THE RIVIERA: FOOD EDITION<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris Food" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/13548673203_4bb2d0b1b6_z_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a> <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">I have received so much positive feedback from my trip report series "<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/09/france-from-paris-to-riviera.html">From Paris to the Riviera</a>"... That series was by far the most popular/visited blog entry to date. First off I would like to thank everyone for the kind words and encouragements of this infant blog... Since the publication of this trip report series one of the most common follow up question was regarding my culinary experience throughout France (hence this blog entry… Sorry it took so long but in my defense we just had a baby)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">French foods are world famous not only for its excellence but also in its diversity. Before we began on our journey through France my wife and I had vastly different intentions (my wife has a more conservative/picky palette whereas I am more adventurous)... All my wife wanted was France's legendary baked goods VS my constant pursuit of the weird-and-wonderfuls. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">So without further ados... I present "From Paris to the Riviera: Food Edition" filled with random thoughts and background stories. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">P.S. I am not affiliated, nor paid by any restaurants/products mentioned in this blog
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b>PARIS</b></u></span></span></span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Chicken Gizzard Salad" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3803/13548885164_187fb7c62d_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Local Bar" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2834/13548883904_7c715822f3_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Les Cocottes" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/13548580675_de5d3012eb_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Eiffel Tower Picnic" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/13548575705_cfc1a3fa33_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Dessert" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3703/13548574725_9452afe490_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a></div>
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Paris... this buzzing metropolitan is the culinary capital of France (to be honest Paris is probably the culinary capital of the world!) where one could find every faucet of the best French cuisine in one city. Similar to Starbucks and pharmacies in North America, restaurants of all varieties litter all over town in an astonishing density - and they are all packed! Since we only spent a total of 8 days in Paris I will not pretend to be an expert in Parisian food... instead I will only share our experiences on here (and hopefully some helpful tips). Tripadvisor ratings played a great influence on which eateries we visited... and we had mixed feelings regarding some of its recommendations.<br />
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<u><b>Tips/Thoughts/Comments: </b></u><br />
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All restaurants are required to display its menu at the door... check them out before you commit.<br />
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You pay for what you get... do not expect the world if the meal only cost 10 euros in a busy location.<br />
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If you really want to visit a particular restaurant, call ahead days/weeks in advance to make a reservation... we didn't and I still have regrets.<br />
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Try your French! I think you do get better service if you try speaking French... and that is perfectly understandable... I would be miffed too if someone came into my work and started speaking Punjabi to me in Canada.<br />
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Tipping is not expected in France... but a few euros tip for a fantastic meal/service is greatly appreciated.<br />
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Sometimes an outdoor picnic with simple deli sandwiches and cheap wines are enjoyable too... especially around a grassy area near the Eiffel Tower.<br />
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Boulangerie vs Patisserie: Boulangerie specializes in breads while patisserie specializes in pastries. Buy your baked goods at early morning or around the end of a work day (~3-5 PM) because baked goods taste heavenly when freshly baked.<br />
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Try a "Pain au chocolat": these chocolate filled square croissants were heavenly!<br />
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Try going to a local pub/bar. Not only will you get to experience happy hour like the locals they often serve delicious meals as well! Caution: French people love to smoke...<br />
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<u><b>Restaurants</b></u><br />
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<b>Les Cocottes de Christian Constant</b><br />
135 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris, France<br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Beef" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3814/13548675533_c3613e5517_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Les Cocottes de Christian Constant" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/13548891484_f0759d743d_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
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Our expectations of this restaurant was high due to its popularity on TripAdvisor, and various Paris "foodie blogs". We actually arrived too early as restaurants in Paris usually open around 6:30-7PM for dinner service. (We ended up buying a cold beer and an ice cream cone from the supermarket and chilled around the Eiffel Tower for an hour)<br />
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This moderately priced bistro (our bill came to be ~80 euros: 1 appetizer, 2 mains, a glass of wine, and 1 dessert) was manned with friendly/ knowledgeable staffs. From its name "Les Cocottes" this casual chic establishment specialized in French cuisine served/cooked in mini cast iron pots.<br />
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Overall the culinary experience at "Les Cocottes" was good. We enjoyed our experience and as a matter of fact it was a fine introduction to French cuisine... Our foods were delicious with great presentation, however we did not think Les Cocottes de Christian Constant should be considered as a "must go" since there are so many fine restaurants around town. If you happen to be around the area, Les Cocottes wouldn't be a bad option.<br />
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<b>Pottoka </b><br />
4, rue de l'Exposition, 75007 Paris, France<br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pottoka" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/13548579095_2bd6802aaa_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pottoka" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/13548673203_4bb2d0b1b6_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
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We stumbled upon this inconspicuous restaurant coming off the train from a long (but fun) excursion to the Palace of Versailles. We were tired and we were in no mood to venture out to a top-ranked TripAdvisor eatery... but before we settled for a typical tourist trap I powered on my phone and found Pottoka - the best ranked restaurant within a 5 minute radius.<br />
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Little did we know Pottoka would be the place where we lose our molecular-gastronomy virginity! The interior decoration of this small unassuming bistro reminded me of high-end Japanese restaurants: simple yet elegant. <br />
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The food that came out of Pottoka's kitchen however was FAR from simple. Wild combinations and presentations filled the menu of this unique establishment. Combinations that sounded so bizarre... until it touched my palette. I was taken on a culinary experience where I found new wonderful flavors with every bite... and simply put Pottoka was the tastiest meal during our 3 week trip through France. My wife on the other hand (being a conservative picky eater) barely touched her plate and we had to buy a deli sandwich from a corner store afterwards... If not for my wife's experience Pottoka would've been THE culinary highlight of the trip.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">AVIGNON</span></u></b></span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles Market" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7312/13548677903_20d19e67c9_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles Market hot food" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3690/13548683423_581e9d7d92_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Provence Eggplant sandwich" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2806/13548683723_dff19f02b7_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Foie Gras Salad" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/13548684113_53bab85cfe_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a></div>
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We only spent 2.5 days in Provence (Avignon + Arles) so my opinion regarding Provencal food is superficial at best. Geographically regions that define Provence are plentiful with various produces, herbs, olives... and vineyards are ubiquitous throughout Provence... so it is no surprise that Provencal foods are rich in herbs, garlic, and various produces found around the area.<br />
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<u><b>Tips/Thoughts/Comments: </b></u><br />
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Go visit markets on market days. Fresh local produce are plentiful for cheap, and most markets have hot foods for purchase as well.<br />
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When visiting Provence, slow down and smell the roses (or lavender in this case). Budget 2 hours for lunch and 3 hours for dinner... you will thank me later :P<br />
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<u><b>Restaurants</b></u><br />
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<b>La Fourchette</b><br />
17 rue Racine, 84000 Avignon, France<br />
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="La Fourchette Yumminess" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2894/13548684993_de42500c6a_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="La Fourchette escargo" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7315/13548592095_06a03fbf62_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
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Throughout
our trip I shamelessly massacred the beautiful French language with my
broken Grade 8 French laced with heavy English accent even though my
wife could speak French fluently. We arrived at the doors of La
Fourchette ("The Fork") which was minutes away from Palace of the Popes,
and of course the restaurant was packed with patrons.<br />
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Like at
home I approached the hostess with a smile and "comment ca va?" (How are
you)... we chatted for a brief period until I exhausted my French. The
elderly hostess asked us a question and my wife cleverly stepped in
because I simply had no idea what she was asking. We had no
reservations and unfortunately the restaurant was booked up for the
night. Per my wife because I was so pleasant and cute the nice lady
commanded the wait staff to open up a table for us. (she must be the
mother of the owner) <br />
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Most diners at the restaurants were
dressed in business causal attires and I was definitely under-dressed.
This large restaurant was classically decorated with ample of wood
furnishings. Once seated it was obvious why this restaurant ranked so
high on TripAdvisor: The professionalism of its wait staff, its
tastefully decorated quiet atmosphere, and of course... its food. <br />
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The
exceptional quality of local ingredients matched with La Fourchette's
skilled chef(s), resulted in culinary masterpieces that bombarded our
taste buds with rich Provencal flavors. From simple salads to Provencal
specialties like Daube (red wine based stew), every dish had a rich and
unique flavor profile... yet amazingly these dishes didn't feel rich on
the stomach.<br />
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By the time we left the restaurant 3 hours later,
we left with a large grin on our faces filled with satisfaction. It was
one of the few times in my life where I tipped because I actually
wanted to... it was one of the most romantic and memorable dining
experiences of my life.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">FRENCH RIVIERA (NICE)</span></u></b></span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Moule et frites" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3773/13548677043_f8f077cd54_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Mussels" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/13548894154_4016eb05ee_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seaside Meal" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5024/13548585415_4347fa305c_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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Being so close to the Italian border, cuisines around the Riviera are
very much influenced by Italy. Pastas, pizzas, gelatos could be found
everywhere and they all tasted delicious. <br />
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Similar to Paris,
restaurants are plentiful throughout the French Riviera and it is
extremely easy to end up dining in a tourist trap. There were many
occasions where we knowingly dined at a tourist traps because 1) we
loved the location, or 2) we were simply too tired to care. I love
mussels and fries personally (Moule et frites) and I had pleasant
experiences in most establishments.<br />
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<u><b>Restaurant</b></u><br />
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<b>La Route du Miam<u> </u></b><br />
1 rue Moliere, Nice, France<br />
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="La Route du Miam" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/13548587635_bda1e1c24f_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157643233684395/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="La Route du Miam" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/13548896144_3f8bd6eab9_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
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By the time we finished settling into our apartment in Nice it was past supper time (~8 PM). I fired up the TripAdvisor app and the #2 (at the time) rated restaurant in Nice was within walking distance!</div>
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This petite eatery has a very inconspicuous exterior since its store front could easily be mistaken for a boutique. Once inside we were welcomed by an extremely friendly hostess named Marie… and by sheer luck we were able to take advantage of a no-show reservation. Considering the fact that there were only 4 tables, we were SUPER LUCKY! The interior of La Route du Miam was simple: A one man kitchen at the back, and 4 tables (enough for maybe 12-15 diners) up front. I felt like I was visiting someone’s home instead of a restaurant and such unique atmosphere set the tone for the rest of our evening.</div>
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Like many good restaurants the menu was limited to a few items and Marie did a fantastic job guiding us through the menu. We watched Marie’s husband Jean-Michel cook up a storm in the kitchen, and the food that came out was MEMORABLE. As I write this blog entry I can still taste that duck dish as if I visited yesterday!!! Jean-Michel’s food was homey, rustic, and simply delicious. Please be warned that foie gras was ubiquitous throughout the menu... hence the deliciousness. The generous portion wasn’t plated with presentation in mind, but similar to the restaurant’s exterior and décor… Jean-Michel’s food spoke for itself without the need for meticulous presentation and an artistically-crafted atmosphere.</div>
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We had a bottle of wine and 2 mains… our bill came out to 100 euros which wasn’t cheap but we left with a huge grin on our faces (I should note that this is a cash-only establishment because we foolishly didn’t bring enough cash with us… Marie was so friendly she simply let us walk back to our apartment to grab cash without any collateral!!!). When we planned to visit France we had the stereotypical exquisite French dining in mind, little did we know one of our most enjoyable meal would be at a hole-in-a-wall type establishment!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-87092978589348236222014-04-01T19:03:00.000-07:002014-04-03T18:58:38.216-07:00BLACK AND WHITE HDR<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">
A collection of black and white photos (some are HDR composites) from the past 6 months. Sometimes I find HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos look over-processed, but when done in black and white these photos become more natural-looking while retaining a large amount of detail.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-79972177859181855842014-03-10T16:33:00.000-07:002014-03-10T16:33:48.359-07:00CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AT VANDUSEN GARDEN<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157642175952245/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Christmas Lights @ VanDusen Garden" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7415/13071018784_722be2ab37_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a> <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">VanDusen Botanical Garden is a very popular attraction amongst tourists, and in the 10 years I have called Vancouver my home I have never visited VanDusen... until now. (Well I am writing this post 3 months late as you can tell from the CHRISTMAS lights haha) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br />Starting around 2 weeks before Christmas and continuing for a couple weeks after Christmas, this annual tradition transforms VanDusen Botanical Garden into a dizzying explosion of lights. In my humble opinion the Christmas lights @ VanDusen Garden is VASTLY superior when compared to the lights at Stanley Park & Capilano Suspension Bridge combined! (plus it is 3-4x less expensive VS Capilano). We are definitely going to make VanDusen Christmas Lights an annual tradition for my household as well!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">A word of advice... it gets extremely busy so parking might be a little bit of a problem. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-42882041196303646382014-02-28T12:00:00.000-08:002014-02-28T12:00:03.219-08:00SUNNY GLITZY COTE D'AZUR (PART 2)<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Cote d'Azur, France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/9958195994_6fcf432c8c_z_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">This entry is part of "<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/09/france-from-paris-to-riviera.html" rel="" target="_blank">France: From Paris to the Riviera</a>" series...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We kicked off our honeymoon in the romance capital of the world (Paris), spent a few days in the relaxing Provence countryside... the last portion of our honeymoon was by the Mediterranean Sea: Côte d'Azur aka the French Riviera.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Detailed Itinerary: </b>(what ended up happening)</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"> </span></b><br />
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/10/paris-love-lights-luxuries-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAYS 1-7: Paris</span></b></a><br />
<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/12/provence-relaxing-countryside.html"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAYS 8-10: Provence (Avignon and surrounding areas)</span></b></a><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">...</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"> </span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 11: Nice</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 12: Cannes + Antibes</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 13: Nice + Èze Village</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 14: Monaco + Villefranche-sur-Mer</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 15: Nice TGV back to Paris</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunny-glitzy-cote-dazur-part-1.html" target="_blank"><- Days 10-12: Cote d'Azur (Part 1)</a> </span></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/09/france-from-paris-to-riviera.html"><span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Conclusion -></span></span></b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 13: Èze Village + Nice</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">September 10, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice on strike, France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3812/12785550355_35e08a0ba9_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice, France" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7311/12785654883_9aa3fbc131_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Eze Village, France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/12785653463_d8a883cb12_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="View from Eze of the French Riviera" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/12785651873_458d1f042c_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice Harbor, France" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/12785651323_e7c9968984_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Promenade des Anglais sunset, Nice France" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/12785970784_c2b6a0fb7e_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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Like any other day in Cote d'Azur it weather was predictably sunny, but unlike <span style="font-size: small;">its</span> weather our day was furthest from predictable. <br /><br />
First thing in the morning, the frequent and dependable tram was no where to be found. We waited for approximately 30 minutes and the platform was jam packed with locals/tourists... until a fellow Canadian traveler informed us that all public transportation was halted due to job action. We left the platform disappointed and confused because we relied on public transits exclusively for our travels. Nevertheless we pushed ahead and chose to walk toward the train station (Gare Thiers) since TGVs and coastal trains might still be operational (our plans were to visit Monaco that day).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The 30 minute walk down Avenue Alfred Borriglione was uneventful but enjoyable. Our sentiments changed drastically when we arrived at the train station as our fear became an reality - TGVs and regional trains were also shut down! The train station was filled with frustrated tourists and I overheard some travelers that they had missed their flights back home (even though it was a major inconvenience we were grateful that the strike didn't take place on our departure date). </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We had little choice but to wander around town on foot, and we ended up at a McDonald's (the slowest McDonald's in the world, but it was air conditioned lol) to do some last minute on-the-fly trip planning... and soon realized that we were attempting the near impossible. Since J had some work that needed done anyways <i>(she is very dedicated to her work... in fact she was working on her laptop until late the day before we got married lol)</i>, so we decided to head back to our apartment and have a lazy day instead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We cut through winding streets until we stumbled upon Avenue Alfred Borriglione once again, but unlike an hour ago the road was congested by pedestrian traffic instead! French slogans filled the air and brigades of angry citizens marched down the avenue in protest. I was initially upset by the protest for complicating our travels, but on reflection it was a blessing in disguise as the strike completed our genuine French experience! <i>(France is famous for its strikes after all lol)</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Later that afternoon (around 1-2pm) I stumbled across an English article online that suggested limited restoration of tram and bus service... since Èze was supposed to be only a 30 minute bus ride away, maybe our day could be salvaged after all! We arrived at "Garibaldi" stop via tram, walked through a short pedestrian tunnel 100 meters away, and there were only a few souls waiting for the #82 bus that would take us to the mountaintop village of Eze<i> (the tram ticket was valid for the bus ride as well, and make sure to take a photo of the bus schedule because #82 only comes every 1-2 hours)</i>. The bus ride offered a beautiful view of the coastline dotted with villages and towns, and some private yachts the size of small ferries could also be spotted out in the water. </span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Eze Village, Cote d'Azur France" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2834/12785970334_2490494390_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 25%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At Èze the sun was shining and the temperature was quite mild (18-20 Celcius?) aided by a cool sea breeze + elevation. Needless to say I was finally comfortable with the temperature for the first time in days! In front of us was an ancient medieval village that was constructed primarily of stone, and with its uniqueness & charm it wasn't difficult to understand why Èze was such a famous tourist attraction. Although Èze remained popular among tourists, we roamed freely at a leisure pace without having our personal space violated (even with small pedestrian pathways that zigzagged throughout the village). Such tranquil atmosphere was greatly appreciated by both my wife and I because it is rare for popular locations to retain its original "flavor". At the same time however, Èze was obviously geared toward tourists since most ex-residences (at least the ground floors) were converted into tourist establishments such as art galleries, small museums, souvenir shops, etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Èze's atmosphere and architecture allowed for some unique photography, however due to its enclosed nature there were limited opportunities to experience/photograph the immensely beautiful coastal view that </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Èze was surrounded in. In order to enjoy the coastal mountain views we reached "Le Jardin d'Eze" which classified itself as an "exotic gardin" but in reality it was just a nice relaxing space with a few cacti. Needless to say the content within the garden did not justify its admission, but the view from the garden was worth any admission price. An unobstructed, panoramic bird's-eye view of the Mediterranean at the top of a charming medieval village, combined for a one-of-a-kind postcard landscape.</span></span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice Harbor, Cote d'Azur France" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/12785650003_409fd9fecc_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We quickly hurried through </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Èze</span> as we realized that our #82 bus was due to arrive. By the time we reached the bus stop there was already a healthy gathering of tourists... an hour and fifteen minutes later the bus finally arrived (job action?), and there was NOTHING civilized about the degree of line cutting that went on. I was particularly angered by a group of middle aged Italian travelers (around 10-12 of them.. in their 40s) whom actually physically injured J's wrist. I was about to punch that Italian not-so-gentleman but J refrained me from doing so... so for the next 45 minutes we were tightly packed into an over-capacity bus next to a group of strangers that I had no respect for.</span></span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice Harbor, Cote d'Azur France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/12785972164_045266a0b0_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We hopped off the bus early at "Le Port" partly because the bus was too crowded. We emerged from the bus and were greeted by a barrage of color and a comforting sea breeze. Unfortunately we had no idea where we were but we proceeded to leisurely stroll along the harbor walk anyway. Similar to old Nice the harbor-side buildings were painted in a variety of eye catching colors, and those colors were further accentuated by an orange hue during golden hour (first and last hour of sunlight). We continued along the waterfront path for another 5-10 minutes until we reached a familiar sight: the base of Castle Hill! By that time the sun was about to set and the deep orange orb was near the horizon. J and I found an empty bench and spent the next 15-20 minutes enjoying the sunset until the sun disappeared completely from the horizon.</span></span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice Sunset, Cote d'Azur France" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2888/12785971124_84a660de32_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We continued down </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Promenade des Anglais and enjoyed a lovely Italian dinner at "La Voglia" (nothing fancy.. good location with decent food). We encountered a fabulous older couple from Germany and shared some travel stories. Nice was a lively city and it was evident as we strolled through old Nice at night with street performers and numerous events playing simultaneously, but we were too exhausted from the day's walk and decided to call it a night instead.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 28px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 14: MONACO + VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-MER</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">September 11th, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Fontvieille Harbor, Monaco" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/12790431273_4daf0b6d2e_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Prince's Palace of Monaco" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5504/12790330505_4020c6351c_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Monte Carlo Harbor, Monaco" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/9958195994_6fcf432c8c_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Houses in Old Monaco" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/12790764854_1cf14ef0b6_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Villefranche-sur-Mer" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/12790322855_337d8b064e_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Villefranche-sur-Mer" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7348/12790424333_870ccc5552_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Cap d'Ail to Monaco" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7386/12794571615_8d51fa84a7_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 35%;" /></a>
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I couldn't believe it when we saw the same group of inconsiderate/obnoxious tourist who injured J's wrist (from Eze) on the same train traveling to Monaco! Luckily there were ample standing room on the train and J didn't get hurt from them... Instead of getting off at the terminus station (Monaco), we actually hopped off the train early at "Cap D'Ail" <i>(translation: Cape Garlic hahaha)</i>. From Cap D'Ail station we embarked on a 40 minute seaside walk into the Principality of Monaco. The enjoyable walk took us through quiet residential neighborhoods while we hugged the Mediterranean coastline. The only downside to this journey was the scorching heat... which was quickly alleviated by soaking my T-shirt in cold water from public taps along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By the time we reached Monaco my T-shirt was bone dry. It was actually a stunning transformation when we crossed the "border" from France into Monaco (there were no fences or anything... just an inconspicuous sign). The contrast between the quiet unassuming village of Cap D'Ail and the thriving independent city-state of Monaco was jaw dropping. The first structure we encountered was Monaco's soccer stadium Stade Louis II (we didn't visit the stadium but apparently it was possible for 5 euros... <i>I learned this as I am writing this blog Googling for the name of the stadium</i>). We stopped next door for a quick bite to eat (and to rehydrate) and proceeded toward the first tourist attraction of the day: Prince's Palace. </span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Fontvieille Harbor" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3703/12790430183_2dacfa87db_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Prince's Palace of Monaco was situated on top of a hill (Rock of Monaco) that took about 5 to 10 minutes to hike up. At the bottom of the hill was a shopping center (consider buying refreshments at Carrefour), a miniature zoo, and an antique automobile museum... On the hike up we were treated to a marvelous view of the petite city-state: A glamorous thriving city situated against majestic mountains to one side, and deep blue waters (and mega-yachts) on the other. At the top a spacious square separated the Prince's Palace with "old town", and the famous Monte Carlo harbor can be seen in the distance. Interestingly, my favorite view wasn't of the over-the-top Monte Carlo Harbor but it was rather the more intimate Fontvieille Harbor/marina on the opposite side of the rock. <i>(Instead of fighting with other tourists for a photo spot of the Fontvieille Harbour at the top... consider going to the playground area below: same view minus ALL the tourists)</i>.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Prince's Palace of Monaco" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5504/12790330505_4020c6351c_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Prince's Palace was minuscule when compared to other palaces we've seen in France. Even though photography was prohibited within palace grounds, we felt the palace tour was well worth the admission price... it was both entertaining and educational considering I had trouble differentiating Monaco from Morocco before my visit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">From Prince's Palace we continued down a walking path that extended around the perimeter of the "Rock", and within 2-3 minutes we were in front of a meticulously maintained church (Saint Nicholas Cathedral). As we climbed the stairs toward the church's entrance guess who we ran into? (actually we heard them first)... the same group of irritating tourists from the train earlier today! (and on the way back from Eze Village!). Saint Nicholas Cathedral was where many of Monaco's royalties were buried but there were really nothing exciting about its architecture... except the gigantic modern organ above the church's entrance. Midway through our visit "that group of tourists" got kicked out of the church by a security guard for ignoring the nun's plea for silence. <i>(I know it is petty but it felt good :)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It always surprised me how little tourists were willing to venture away from a major tourist attraction because we were almost in complete isolation no more than 200 meters from the church. Monaco's old town was similar to old Nice and Le Suquet but it was perfectly maintained... as if Monaco's "old town" was constructed yesterday. We serendipitously stumbled upon the Canadian Consulate and it must've been the smallest embassy in the world haha. We spent another 30 minutes around "Old Monaco" and then headed back down the hill for some less expensive cafe options to rest our feet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Throughout our travels in France we noticed a green beverage being consumed by locals and we never knew what it was... and I regretted why I hadn't asked the question sooner. Diabolo (pronounced dia-bo-lo not diablo) aka Diabolo Menthe was a popular hot summer drink that combined mint syrup and either Sprite or Perrier, and to be honest it was better than air conditioners haha. Refreshed and energized we embarked on a 20 minute journey that took us half way across Monaco to the REAL Monte Carlo Casino (not the one in Las Vegas).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Throughout France there would be some graffiti even around the best areas of the wealthiest cities (Cannes) however there were zero graffiti around Monaco despite my best efforts to locate them. <i>(I did find graffiti in Monaco, but they were painted on a mobile graffiti canvas better known as the regional TER train...)</i>. We passed the Monte Carlo Harbor on the way to the casino, and some of the luxury yachts were beyond my wildest imagination. There were multiple yachts that were over 4 stories tall, and a couple of personal "ferries" that even had helicopters on its helipad!!! (I double checked they weren't coast guards).</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Monte Carlo Casino" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5494/12790425963_b82e76af73_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After we witnessed such excessive wealth we barely noticed the Ferraris or the Lamborghinis that littered around the parking lot outside of Monte Carlo Casino. Hilariously enough, it was the mini cooper and a couple of Toyota Priuses that stood out in the sea of mega supercars. In my opinion Monte Carlo Casino was a tiny and pretentious gambling den that we could've skipped because it simply was inferior in every way compared to casino resorts in Las Vegas. It was getting late (around 4-5 PM) by the time we came out of the casino, and it was time to say goodbye to Monaco for Villefranche-sur-Mer.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Villefranche-sur-Mer streets" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/12790323405_8f4c7b9e72_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Similar to Antibes, I immediately fell in love with Villefranche-sur-Mer. This quiet coastal village was filled with character and it was the perfect location to celebrate our last night in Cote d'Azur. We explored the winding streets of Villefranche-sur-Mer and outside of a few souvenir shops the village remained mostly residential. To celebrate our honeymoon we enjoyed a romantic candle lit dinner by the ocean. For the next 3 hours we reflected on our life journey, enjoyed the amazing cuisine, and admired the unobstructed beautiful seascape. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 28px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 15: NICE TO PARIS</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">September 12th, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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Our TGV for Paris was scheduled to depart in the late afternoon. After we returned to old Nice for some souvenir shopping/lunch/diabolo it was time to pack up and conclude our honeymoon :(</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The weather in the capital city turned significantly colder than we last visited (15 or so degrees). It was hilarious to see Parisians in heavy winter gear (we even spotted a couple of fur coats) when I was oh so comfortable in my long sleeved sweat shirt haha. </span>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunny-glitzy-cote-dazur-part-1.html" target="_blank"><- Days 10-12: Cote d'Azur (Part 1)</a></span></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/09/france-from-paris-to-riviera.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Conclusion -></span></span></a><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></u></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-86680225121109920252014-02-26T07:00:00.001-08:002014-03-11T14:05:00.747-07:00SUNNY GLITZY COTE D'AZUR (PART 1)<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Cannes, France" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/12785523294_ca1b6a850e_z_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">This entry is part of "<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/09/france-from-paris-to-riviera.html" rel="" target="_blank">France: From Paris to the Riviera</a>" series...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We kicked off our honeymoon in the romance capital of the world (Paris), spent a few days in the relaxing Provence countryside... the last portion of our honeymoon was by the Mediterranean Sea: Côte d'Azur aka the French Riviera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Due to the amount of pictures/words this entry is posted in 2 parts </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Detailed Itinerary: </b>(what ended up happening)</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"> </span></b><br />
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/10/paris-love-lights-luxuries-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAYS 1-7: Paris</span></b></a><br />
<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/12/provence-relaxing-countryside.html" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAYS 8-10: Provence (Avignon and surrounding areas)</span></b></a><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">...</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"> </span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 11: Nice</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 12: Cannes + Antibes</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 13: Nice + Èze Village</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 14: Monaco + Villefranche-sur-Mer</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 15: Nice TGV back to Paris</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/12/provence-relaxing-countryside.html" target="_blank"><- Days 8-10: Provence</a> </span></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunny-glitzy-cote-dazur-part-2.html"><span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Days 13-15: Cote d'Azur (Part 2) -></span></span></b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 10: AVIGNON TO NICE</span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">September 7th, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles local Train" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7420/12128274455_5b9035537d_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Avignon TGV station" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5540/12128552593_c105874d63_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We left Arles with our stomach full of goodies from its Saturday market (<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/12/provence-relaxing-countryside.html" target="_blank">click for details</a>) and we caught a regional train back toward Avignon. <i>Ironically there were also coach buses for Avignon operated by SNCF that left from the train station.</i> On the way from Avignon it only took us 15-20 minutes to get to Arles since it was a direct train. However, it took us almost 45 minutes for our return trip because there was a transfer required at Tarascon! (good thing I scheduled for some buffer time or else we would've missed our TGV train to Nice!).</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> We picked up our luggage from our hotel in Avignon, caught the shuttle bus to the TGV station, and headed for the French Riviera! Similar to our train ride between Paris and Avignon, our TGV was traveling at bullet speed until it reached Marseille.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">From Marseille and onwards the TGV was significantly slower due to the winding tracks along the Mediterranean coast. We actually welcomed the speed reduction because we were able to admire and appreciate our surroundings a lot more. From Provence's rolling hills and rustic architecture, Cote D'azur was littered with jagged cliffs and dominated by orange-clay rooftops (Roman?). As the TGV sped past minor villages/towns (some of which we planned to visit throughout the next few days) it served as a brief visual preview which just further fueled our anticipation for the days to come. <i>(J absolutely adored the city of Cannes as our TGV dropped off what seemed like half of its passengers)</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As our train arrived at its final destination of Nice, the city was far bigger than we had originally anticipated <i>("apparently" Nice is the 5th largest city in France). </i>We were pooped from all the traveling/early start (remember we actually went to Arles earlier in the day) and all we wanted to do was to get to our apartment and find a place to eat + sleep. Unfortunately in order to get to our accommodation (around Valrose Université) another transfer onto the local tramway was required. <i>(We had a ridiculously tough time figuring out the fare machine and the fare system. The machine looked like a touch screen but it wasn't... make sure you master that turn knob selector because it will come in handy since these machines are used in train stations as well).</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For supper we turned to the trusty Tripadvisor App once again and we struck gold... again. We arrived at this TINY restaurant called "La Route du Miam" and it was easily the top 3 restaurant experiences of all time. <i>(We couldn't believe our luck... we arrived at another top-rated restaurant with no reservation...)</i>. When it was time to settle our bill 3 hours later we realized that it was a cash only establishment (I thought cash-only was reserved for dingy Chinese takeout places), and the owners Marie/Jean-Michel were completely OK with us walking back to our apartment for cash with no collateral!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 28px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 11: NICE</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">September 8th, 2013 - Overcast, then sunny + intense heat</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice Harbor, France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3804/12784795943_db2f26758f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice, France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3822/12784656733_92e9e8be51_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice, France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/12784655943_313fea3128_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Old Nice, France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/12784547385_fcbca0a745_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Nice, France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3738/12784652383_8100e40000_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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For the first time on our trip the weather forecast predicted cloud cover with a 60% chance of rain, and more importantly... temperature in the mid-high teens!!! No need to bring a spare T-shirt!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We hopped onto the tram toward old Nice. These air-conditioned Bombardier trams (Canadian made by the way lol) were frequent and easy to navigate.<i> (For 1 euro per trip it was an inexpensive yet efficient method to travel around town. We bought the 10-trip pack so we didn't need to buy tickets on every trip. Just make sure you validate the ticket once on board)</i>. We passed the TGV station (called Gare Thiers) and within 10 minutes we were near the waterfront where Old Nice was situated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Nice was an extremely busy city packed with locals and tourists. Architectures around Nice were vastly different than other regions of France - a stark contrast between the conservative color schemes found throughout Paris and the bold eye-catching colors of the Riviera. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Our impression of Nice was that it was younger, more eclectic, and grittier than other French cities we had visited previously. We felt safe throughout our entire trip through France, but we noticed there was a significant increase of loitering in Nice (especially at night).</span></span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Promenade des Anglais, Nice France" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7386/12784552485_518fb7f4df_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Old Nice was absolute madness with pedestrian traffic and we quickly discovered the reason behind such craziness once we reached Nice's famous waterfront broadwalk aka Promenade des Anglais. Apparently from September 6-15 was the Francophones Game! <i>(Google taught us that the Francophones Game = Every 4 year event similar to the Commonwealth Games for French speaking nations)</i>. The cycling competition took place at the waterfront and it was extremely exciting to see the Canadian national team race... but for some reason there was a separate team for "Team Quebec"... WTF!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We walked down the waterfront promenade towards Castle Hill. On our left were busy shops of all sorts, and opposite of these shops were rows upon rows of beach chairs for rent on our right (crazy busy VS relaxation... separated by a road). In Cote d'Azur standard that day must've been a sub-par day for sunbathing because those beach chairs were mostly empty. (or maybe people finally woke up and realized that paying 30 euros to sit on a ROCKY beach was highway robbery!?).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By the time we reached the foot of Castle Hill the air was suffocatingly hot and muggy. Needless to say the weather forecast lied and it was impossible to have anything but sunny weather in the French Riviera. We had every intention of hiking up the Castle Hill to the top but since I was already uncomfortable with the heat we opted to cheat and utilized the elevator instead<i> (The elevator was small and extremely slow so expect a long wait... there were no fees for the elevator ride but numerous online sources suggested otherwise)</i>. Castle Hill was a misleading name because there were no castles to be found at the top. Even though Castle Hill was castle-less, our disappointments were quickly dwarfed by the magnificent view of the Nice Harbor on one side, and the curving beach/cityscape on the other.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Bold Colors, Nice France" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/12784978324_5e57311858_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">To be honest I was instantly drawn to Nice's bold colors on arrival. Bright yellow, orange, green, and all color permutations in between... such contrast in color was simply a photographer's heroin... But to see such variety of bold colors mesh together so harmoniously from afar was actually a little surprising. The relentless sun, in addition to our ill prepared outfits (remember it was supposed to rain so we dressed for rain) accelerated our departure from Castle Hill. On principles alone we took the stairs instead of elevators on our descent (can't be too lazy!). Once at the bottom we actually decided to head back to our apartment first to change and shower instead!</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Bold Colors, Nice France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3700/12784975684_e57a6b3150_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Refreshed and relatively sweat free (I swear to god it was so muggy I was sweating while showering lol), we returned to the streets of Old Nice. We wandered aimlessly for 3-4 hours within the winding streets of Old Nice, passed numerous gelato establishments each claiming to be the best, and basked in the bold colors of this intriguing city until night time.</span>
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<span style="font-size: 28px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 12: CANNES + ANTIBES</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">September 9th, 2013 - Sunny </span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Cannes Beach, Cote d'Azur" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/12785524964_39887d9622_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Rue d'Antibes, Cannes, Cote d'Azur France" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/12785523294_ca1b6a850e_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Le Suquet, Cannes, Cote d'Azur France" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/12785096065_d5baeb2831_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Cannes Harbor on top of Le Suquet, Cannes" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/12785520604_2a2324457d_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Antibes Ice Cream Shop, Antibes" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/12785090305_741664736c_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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We were never ones for the beach but since the French Riviera was famous for its beaches we thought we would spend half a day doing so. On principles, there were no way in hell we were going to pay any sum of money to have the right to lay on a beach, and we were still perplexed as to why Nice's pebbly beaches were so famous... we headed to Cannes for its public SANDY beaches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was unbelievably easy to travel by regional train (called TER) between towns along the riviera <i>(depending on distance and time of day, each trip usually cost ~5-9 euros)</i>. We arrived at the glamorous Cannes after a comfortable 30-minute train ride. Despite Cannes' proximity to Nice, Cannes was vastly different and it was clear that Cannes was much wealthier when compared to Nice. We reached the seaside promenade called "La Croisette" where its sandy beach were littered with sunbathers. The public portion was at the western end of La Croisette (right next to "Palais des Festivals de Cannes"), and surprisingly it wasn't crowded nor inferior to the private beaches next door! For the next 2 hours we baked under the sun and hopefully produced enough Vitamin Ds for our dark Canadian winters. We were approached by street vendors selling water and hats a couple of times while sunbathing, but in general we were undisturbed and it was an experience I don't mind repeating. Eventually we got bored and the scorching midday sun encouraged us to explore Cannes instead.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="La Croisette, Cannes France" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7415/12785204383_0c03830d1b_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On our walk down La Croisette we noticed numerous super cars that I have read about only in magazines, and helicopters transporting people to shore from their luxury yachts. After we stopped for a quick bite at a dumpy yet delicious pizza joint, we followed Rue d'Antibes westward. Rue d'Antibes was undoubtedly one of the premier shopping areas around Cote d'Azur as it was flanked by well maintained low-rise buildings with various immaculate high end boutiques at the street level. Unfortunately we neither had the funds nor the desire to linger around for too long, and instead we pressed forward to the "Le Suquet" district.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Le Suquet, Cannes France" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3703/12785521574_3555be8090_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Le Suquet was the old quarter of Cannes and it resembled old Nice in many different levels (architecture style, street layout, etc). Considering its proximity to the beach and other high traffic areas, it remained a surprise to me why Le Suquet received such little tourist traffic. Old cobblestone lanes made our climb a little more difficult (I was wearing flip flop sandals), but in my opinion the district's historic character was plenty to justify achy feet. At the top of the hill was an old church in a moderate state of disrepair, and a stunning view overlooking Cannes and its mega-yacht filled harbor (akin to Castle Hill in Nice). Le Suquet was my favorite memory of Cannes because it wasn't superficial like the rest of the city and it was even quiet enough for various portrait photography mini sessions! <i>(J is super camera shy and she wouldn't take artistic photos when strangers are present)</i>. Hesitantly we left Le Suquet and we worked our way back to the train station: next stop - Antibes.<i> </i> </span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930151083/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Antibes, Cote d'Azur France" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/12785091575_ec344dd80b_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 2% 3%; width: 22%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was late afternoon when we arrived at Antibes. The walk from the train station to the city wall only took ~10 minutes, and the majority of the journey was along Antibe's massive marina. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of marine vessels ranged from small rafts all the way to private luxury "ferries" (so large some had to be moored outside of the breakwater). Antibes was one of my favorite coastal towns along Cote d'Azur because it remained an intimate destination unlike much of Nice/Cannes. In fact, Antibes reminded me of Uzes in terms of its "countryside" character. One of the major attraction in Antibes was Musee Picasso but it was unfortunately closed for the day... we enjoyed the seaside hike nonetheless. Once again I put away my phone (Google Maps) and we explored aimlessly around this charismatic town... and stumbled upon a busy establishment "Gelateria del Porto" which served the most amazing mango sorbet I've had the honor of tasting (so far).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Regional trains were running infrequently at night and we caught the second last train of the night. J and I were waiting on the platform patiently and out of no where we heard a TER employee yelling across the platform at a group of drunk teens who ran across the tracks (instead of using the underground tunnel). The verbal exchange grew more aggressive until the train arrived... the same group of young adults went on to cause havoc in the train cabin (especially the bathrooms)... a fight almost broke out between a frustrated local in his sixties and one of the teens. As a tourist I was interested in the fantastic sightseeing, enjoyable cuisines, and rich histories that France had to offer, but I went to bed that night reflecting on some of France's social issues (especially with the complete disregard of public properties I witnessed). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/12/provence-relaxing-countryside.html" target="_blank"><- Days 5-7: Paris (Part 2)</a> </span></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunny-glitzy-cote-dazur-part-2.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Days 13-15: Cote d'Azur (Part 2)</span></span></b></span> -></span></span></a><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></u></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-69829035681818657142013-12-20T14:32:00.001-08:002014-02-26T07:13:47.005-08:00PROVENCE: THE RELAXING COUNTRYSIDE<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Provence - Pont du Gard" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3771/9957967174_ff5a95fc80_z_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">This entry is part of "<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/09/france-from-paris-to-riviera.html" rel="" target="_blank">France: From Paris to the Riviera</a>" series...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We kicked off our honeymoon in the romance capital of the world (Paris), we then traveled to the middle of France and found ourselves immersed in a completely different atmosphere...</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Detailed Itinerary: </b>(what ended up happening)</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"> </span></b><br />
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/10/paris-love-lights-luxuries-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAYS 1-7: Paris</span></b></a><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 8: Paris to Avignon, Palais des Papes<complete id="goog_1938222565"></complete></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 9: Avignon day trip to Pont du Gard + Uzès</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 10: Arles (+ Sunday Market), train to French Riviera</span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAYS 11-15: French Riviera</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/12/paris-love-lights-memories-part-2-of-2.html" target="_blank"><- Days 5-7: Paris (Part 2)</a> </span></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunny-glitzy-cote-dazur-part-1.html"><span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Days 10-12: Cote d'Azur -></span></span></b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 8: AVIGNON, PALAIS DES PAPES</span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">September 5th, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="SNCF high speed train - Gare de Lyon Paris" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3807/11334392004_73d9013c56_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Avignon cafes" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/11334366376_9b2e9c44a1_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Avignon through old stained glass" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3802/11334297855_5fededa69f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Palais Des Papes - Avignon" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7333/11334429543_2c2830b205_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Avignon River View" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/11334430083_c544625336_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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It was finally time to say goodbye to the city which captured our hearts from day 1 as we couldn't believe that 7 days had passed already. Once again we took our time in the morning to enjoy our breakfasts and finished up packing our luggage (aka threw everything into our suitcases in under 30 seconds). Next destination: Avignon, Provence!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Our high speed train departed at "Gare de Lyon" station, and it was connected to the metro system which simplified our transfer. It was so easy and efficient the whole process took less than 30 minutes... at J's insistence we left the apartment extra early so we had plenty of time to kill at the station. In fact we arrived at Gare de Lyon so early our train wasn't even assigned a departure platform yet lol! <i>(For some reason train departure boards in France often don't indicate the departing platform until minutes before the train arrives... unlike air travel... I don't know why)</i></span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Rolling Hills France" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/11334298925_56b1a66c44_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This was our virgin voyage traveling on high speed rail and we had no idea what to expect. We bought our train tickets online exactly 90 days in advance for the best deal <i>(feel free to ask me in the comments below for further details)</i> and it only cost 25 euros per person. Our economy seats were comparable to business class seats on plane travel <i>(I've never been on business class flights before but I would imagine that they were similar)</i>. The train departed on time and we knew we left Paris as the scenery drastically changed from the graffiti-infested inner city to gentle rolling hills.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The train cabin was surprisingly quiet considering we were traveling at 300 km/hr. I spent the next 2.5 hrs researching and booking our accommodation for the next 2 nights on my iPhone. Compared to <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/05/iceland-photos-and-experiences.html" target="_blank">Iceland</a> France's 3G coverage was inferior because mobile internet was intermittent at best (EDGE most of the way). We emerged from our TGV train refreshed <i>(again J slept like a baby the entire way)</i> and we had our "homelessness" situation rectified. Avignon TGV station was about a 10-minute bus ride from the city center <i>(Gare d'Avignon-Center is for regional trains DO NOT CONFUSE THE TWO)</i>. We followed the line of passengers to the appropriate bus stop and the bus ride was simple/inexpensive. The bus dropped us off shortly after entering the city wall at the post office (final stop) and our hotel was only 150 meters away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We wasted no time once we settled into our hotel room and found a local pub still opened for business for lunch (it was 3PM). As we walked down a main avenue toward Avignon's main tourist attraction "Palais des Papes" we immediately recognized some differences between Paris and Avignon: Avignon was much more casual in terms of both dress codes and culture... and it was a lot more French as very few locals spoke English lol. The 20 minute walk towards our destination took us through countless open-air cafes and patisseries on ancient cobble-stone streets... until we reached a spacious square and behind it stood an imposing structure "Palais des Papes".</span><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Inside Palais des Papes - Avignon" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2805/11334297175_060e178c0a_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For some odd reason we had a tough time locating the entrance to this UNESCO historic site. A one time fortress and palace, Palais des Papes served as the official residence of popes during the 14th century. Once inside we were self-guided through 2 or 3 pre-designed routes and we toured the basement treasury all the way up to the palace guard towers. Even though most rooms were vacant with very little furniture and/or relics, the audio guide did a fantastic job educating and recreating the palace's ancient glory. <i>(I highly recommend the audio guide for a few extra euros because without it the palace would be nothing but boring/giant empty rooms)</i>. Once near the top, this ancient catholic relic also provided a marvelous view of the old Avignon city as it basically dwarfed over this entire walled city. </span><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Avignon streets" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/11334388874_85da433e85_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Another 2.5 hours later we reemerged from the dim palace and the unrelentless sun had started to give way and transitioned to a warm loving glow. With only a couple hours of daylight left we hiked to the nearby "Rocher des Doms" suggested by other travelers on Tripadvisor". The ancient winding streets of Avignon did their best to prevent us from reaching our destination, but at last we found ourselves admiring the surrounding scenery after only a few minor setbacks <i>(damn you Avignon <strike>streets</strike> maze!)</i>. Rocher des Doms was a spacious park situated at the top of the cliffs above the river Rhone, where we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside of Rhone Valley. We basked in the warm setting sun of Provence until a couple of park officials notified us of park closure at 7PM. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Like a couple of well organized travelers we decided to stop for dinner at a highly rated restaurant called "La Fourchette" without a reservation. With our dumb luck and my limited charm I was able to secure a table at this packed establishment with a simple "comment ca va?". J later told me that the lovely elder hostess (owner? mother of the owner?) told the wait staff to make room because it was "simply too cute" how I asked about how she was doing... hahaha. We retired for the night after having one of the most romantic meals of the trip. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 28px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 9: PONT DU GARD, UZES</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">September 6th, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pont du Gard" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5544/11441380864_8ecc812955_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pont du Gard" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3771/9957967174_ff5a95fc80_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Uzes street" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2871/11441420566_ca2933daa7_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Uzes" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/11441375764_af6e5a1109_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Uzes streets" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/9957940265_240d5b72b8_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Provence Countryside" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7453/11441416466_5631a2d517_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Uzes Street Scenes" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3787/11441328025_239eca7a64_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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The most ideal method of travel around Provence was to drive. However, since I could not drive manual transmission we were not prepared to shell out triple cost for an automatic transmission vehicle. Instead we decided to attempt the "near impossible" by traveling by bus to Pont du Gard!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The central bus station was about 200 meters from Gare d'Avignon-Center tucked underneath a near empty building. The bus station itself was dim lit, relatively quiet, graffiti-filled, and downright scary in certain places <i>(a French ghetto?)</i>. <i>FYI: A bus station official told us that the station was being renovated/moved later that week</i>. There were about 20 or so people in queue for the A15 bus, and by their spoken language most of whom were tourists. Fares were only 1.50 euros for a 45 minute bus ride to Pont du Gard, and the yellow Edgard coach was more than comfortable for such journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Many school kids hopped on the bus along the way at small villages, and it was a treat to look outside to see the Provence countryside - some of which was neatly organized into countless rows of perfectly-aligned grapevines that extended beyond the horizon. We reached our destination at a big turnabout and 3/4 of the passengers vacated the bus for Pont du Gard. We promptly checked the bus schedule posted at the bus stop since buses ran extremely infrequent (~every 2 hrs). Luckily it was still early in the morning and the sun was still half-asleep (18-20 degrees?) which made the 15 minute walk from the bus stop tolerable.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Gardon River Pont du Gard" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/11441379944_6678538126_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The visitor center at Pont du Gard had just opened when we reached the ticket booth, and needless to say the facility was nearly empty since we were probably one of the first visitors of the day there. The door to the mini-museum was unlocked so we started our Pont du Gard adventure by learning about the engineering and history of not just Pont du Gard, but the surrounding Roman aqueduct system. By the time we returned to the visitor center it was significantly more populated than when we first arrived. A leisure 5-minute walk down the well paved path later, a majestic 3-tiered aqueduct dominated the entire landscape. It was particularly awe-inspiring that this ancient structure was built almost 2000 years ago! We crossed the Gardon River via the lower tier of Pont du Gard (which also served as a bridge) where I spent some time photographing this UNESCO monument from different perspectives along the river's edge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After a 2-3 hour stop over at Pont du Gard we found ourselves once again at the traffic circle waiting for our bus. Instead of returning to Avignon we decided to push forward to visit Uzès on the A15 (toward the Alès direction). To be honest I had no idea what to expect from Uzès because I didn't think we would have time to visit another town after Pont du Gard (but I remembered Uzès being recommended on a few travel forums). I was slightly worried upon reaching Uzès because the town was so tiny and the next bus weren't scheduled to depart for another 4 hours! </span><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Streets of Uzes" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7321/11441379464_c8a41ff8ab_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On first impression Uzès was small but a very picturesque town. Streets and buildings were well maintained yet its rustic countryside atmosphere was kept intact. We wondered aimlessly down streets and alleyways until we arrived at a giant square flanked by countless cafes and restaurants. How was it possible for such a small town to sustain so many food establishments?! We enjoyed a beautiful lunch along with a couple glasses of Provence wine. Refreshed and motivated (to work off the foie gras salad lol), we directed ourselves to the tourist information center (Thanks Google Maps!) where we were provided a map along with a suggested route for a self-guided walking tour. </span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Medieval castle in Uzes" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/11441420256_24e1e89328_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As we walked past the various attractions indicated on the walking tour map, we passed </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Uzès' city hall, a perfectly kept medieval castle, and a small church with a leaning tower similar to the one in Italy (just way smaller)... all within 1.5 hours by foot! It seemed like every corner we turned in this petite village of </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Uzès we were greeted with another unique photo opportunity. As I feasted on </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Uzès with my camera we were eventually led back to the giant square where we first began our walking tour. Surprisingly, the once packed restaurants that lined the square were still full of patrons long past lunchtime. We had no intentions of stopping by these restaurants until J spotted a colorful sign that read "Artisan Gelato"... since it was another boiling day she received little opposition from me when she proceeded to order a beautifully arranged dessert art. 15 euros later we slowly made our way back to the bus stop via winding alleyways.</span></span></span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Uzes streets" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/11441421056_2b36d2a0bf_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It felt like the entire town was trying to catch the bus because there were about a hundred other locals waiting at the bus stop... until J (being her usual observant self) noticed that most people at the bus stop were students. <i>(I would have to say I had a hard time judging the age of many French people... male or female... because they all dress so fashionably mature and everyone in France are so damn beautiful)</i>. I began to worry that we might miss our bus because it would fill up before we could hop on, but luckily most students seemed to take the bus toward Nimes instead. When the A15 (Avignon) bus arrived everyone was able to get on... however, the bus filled up as it traveled towards Avignon and there were a few stranded tourists at the Pont du Gard stop (eek... a 2 hour wait!).</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We were so exhausted from our fulfilling day trip that by the time we returned to Avignon all we wanted to do was... nothing. We quickly purchased a bottle of cheap wine at the supermarket Carrefour along with a couple of sandwiches at a random street-side cafe, and utilized our hotel bed as a giant dining table :) </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 10: ARLES</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">September 7, 2013 - Cloudy + Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles Colosseum" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/11458189064_f76c02fd72_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Empty streets of Arles" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/11458315243_5c7e84808f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles street" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2880/11458144835_4975e447f3_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2848/11458252076_b878aa58b3_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles Market" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7354/11470502763_127e727a69_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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As a fan of Vincent Van Gogh I had originally planned to stay in Arles instead of Avignon <i>(Starry Night)</i>. However, since we only had a limited amount of time in Provence it would've been a logistical nightmare if we had stayed in Arles. We were due to depart for the riviera later in the afternoon (~3 PM) so we had an opportunity to visit Arles in the morning. As an added bonus it was Arles' famous Saturday market that day. <br /><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles street" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3676/11458312503_298838383c_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
Unfortunately since it was the weekend regional trains were operating at a reduced schedule, and the only train that worked out for us was due to depart Gare d'Avignon at 6:30 AM... so for the first and only time on this trip we were forced to set our alarms and woke up early for a 15 minute train ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The train arrived on time and the streets were empty with most locals still asleep. Since we had some time to kill we decided to walk into town instead of waiting for the shuttle bus = a wise decision because it only took us 5 minutes haha (I guess the map wasn't to scale). Aside from a few city workers unloading crowd control metal barriers (for the market?) and an opened boulangerie, the town was completely silent. With a fresh warm baguette in our hands we embarked on another aimless journey on foot around the town of Arles. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Compared to the cities/towns/villages we had visited previously in France, Arles was slightly dirtier and not as well maintained compared to the rest; streets were often unevenly paved with minor potholes scattered throughout. Despite of minor cosmetic blemishes Arles struck me as a true blue collar city with its own unique flavor, not just another tourism-oriented town. We navigated through crammed streets and alleyways until we reached the center of town: a small Roman coliseum/amphitheatre! <br /><br />The miniature coliseum was definitely a scaled-down version when compared to the famous coliseum in Rome, but this well-maintained 2-tiered structure was still a behemoth compared to the surrounding residences/shops. Unlike Rome's Coliseum Arles' amphitheatre still served as the city's arena and it continued to host public events... in fact there were promotions for bull fights later that day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As the sun peaked through the clouds the town slowly awoke from its sleepy stupor and residents began pouring onto the streets. We walked past yet another ancient Roman relic - Arles Roman Theater but it was obvious that its glory days were well behind it as only a few stone columns remained in this open-air theater. Furthermore, these ancient columns were surrounded by modern audio-visual equipments (perhaps for an event in the evening?), and I saw little value of pursuing a decent perspective for photographing this monument. </span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles Market fruits" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3771/11458187054_a145c63232_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By about 9:30 AM the entire town was filled with pedestrians and the crowd grew thicker as we approached one of Arles' main avenue. I was aware that it was Arles' market day on Saturdays, but I did not expect the market to be of such great scale! (I thought it would be of similar size as the market we attended in Paris). The avenue was off-limits to automobiles and vendors were set up on both sides of the road! Vendors seemed to be organized into specific sections of the market depending on the goods sold... we began our market experience at the produce section filled with a multitude of fresh local fruits and vegetables. We continued down the market for a healthy amount of time (15 minutes?) and we passed various vendors selling produces, meats, cheeses, wines, hot foods, clothing, linens, cheap electronics, all the way to pots and pans. Since we had no intentions of purchasing 10 year old Ricky Martin CDs we decided to double back to the food section. <br /><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles Market spices" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/11470351425_912d59fa9b_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
Once back at the foods section we were dizzied by the vast array of aromas from pizza all the way to paella... which was convenient since it was close to lunch time haha. With our fresh pizza and paella in our hands, we went to a few fruit vendors for some figs and grapes <i>(prices varied quite a bit between vendors so it might be a wise idea to visit a few vendors before buying)</i>. We also saw a 5L <i>(which is a little bit over a gallon for you Yankees :)</i> plastic jug of wine for a grand total of..... 10 euros! <i>(you think boxed wines were classy? think again lol!)</i>. Needless to say logic (aka my wife) stopped me from purchasing such volume of alcohol. We also saw live rabbits and frogs available for purchase (probably not as pets) and it disturbed J a little bit. With our stomachs growling, we found an empty park bench near a merry-go-round and went to town on our food conquests and life was awesome.<br /><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635929691273/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arles streets" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5510/11458251066_0d719574b9_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
We wondered around town for another hour and encountered many friendly locals who directed us to a photography exhibit that was scattered around town (because I had a DSLR around my neck?). In order to get to one exhibit we had to walk through a local bookstore, and as we walked through a hallway J jumped in shock... apparently the same hallway also led to a spa/sauna and according to J there were a few oversized ladies in the nude! Our time in Arles had to be cut short as we rushed back to the train station for Avignon, and from there we embarked on the next chapter of our honeymoon - The French Riviera! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/12/paris-love-lights-memories-part-2-of-2.html" target="_blank"><- Days 5-7: Paris (Part 2)</a> </span></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunny-glitzy-cote-dazur-part-1.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Days 10-12: Cote d'Azur -></span></span></a><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></u></b></span>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-15898361202558928882013-12-06T05:30:00.001-08:002013-12-20T15:02:32.998-08:00PARIS: LOVE, LIGHTS, MEMORIES (PART 2)<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Arc de Triomphe" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/11129941733_5f59673b05_z_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">This entry is part of "<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/09/france-from-paris-to-riviera.html" rel="" target="_blank">France: From Paris to the Riviera</a>" series...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">Paris has long been considered the romance capital of the world... so what better place to kick off our honeymoon?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">Due to the amount of pictures/words this entry is posted in 2 parts </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Detailed Itinerary: </b>(what ended up happening)</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"> </span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY1: (fly in) Vancouver to Paris <complete id="goog_1938222565">+ Sacre Coeur </complete></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY2: Louvre area, Galeries Lafayette, Eiffel Tower</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY3: Musee D'Orsay, Louvre, Eiffel Tower</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY4: Versailles, Eiffel Tower</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY5: Ile de la cite area</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY6: Petit Palais, Musee Rodin, E.T., Arc de Triomphe</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY7: Pantheon & Latin Quarters area, Montmartre</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY8: Paris to Avignon</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/10/paris-love-lights-luxuries-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><b><- Days 1-4 in Paris</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/12/provence-relaxing-countryside.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Days 8-10 in Provence -></span></a> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 5: ILE DE LA CITE, PONT DES ARTS</span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">September 2, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Ile de la cite, Paris" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3673/10133805295_62e023b847_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Sainte-Chapelle, Paris" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5517/10133878146_f84ccea22d_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Notre Dame, Paris" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/10133809795_dca5aace31_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris Cityscape - From the top of Notre Dame" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3757/10133926933_62ba4a2b69_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris Cityscape - From the top of Notre Dame" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2848/10133722224_198d0ed531_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pont des Arts - Paris" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3721/10133809385_e4a5d59752_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Louvre - Paris" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/10133805965_f5c297bd19_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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Usually one of the first chapters in most Paris guidebooks, Ile de la cite was where Paris originated and thus it was full of historical must-visits. How did it take us so long to visit the heart of Paris? We simply fell in love with the Eiffel Tower (we just somehow kept on returning to those steel beams).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For some odd reason, even metro rides were fantastic experiences in Paris... every metro station seemed to have its own flavor and history. We arrived at metro station "</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cité" via metro line 1 and we began our historic tour with a leisure walk around the petite island for some river Seine breezes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As we walked counter-clock wise along the water we realized that we were in relative peace! For a buzzing metropolitan like Paris how were we so alone in the historic epicenter of Paris?... The tranquility lasted for approximately 10 minutes until we reached Pont Neuf (or "New Bridge", which ironically was the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine). We quickly vacated the area because to be honest the bridge didn't look that impressive up close <i>(Pont Neuf did look impressive from a distance, try viewing it from Pont des Arts)</i>. </span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Conciergerie - Paris" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5485/10867316836_1a157e5602_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We reached our first destination "Conciergerie" which was a former royal palace as well as a prison. Like many structures around Paris, each landmark had served multiple purposes simply because of Paris's rich history. The entrance to Conciergerie wasn't well advertised with a very short queue line, and initially we did not plan to visit there until we were at the entrance (it was included in our museum pass, so why not?). The interior of Conciergerie was dim (fitting as a prison), but the grand hall was majestic none-the-less with a beautiful array of stone arches. The short self guided tour then led us through a few sample jail cells, one of which housed Marie Antoinette before her execution some 200 years ago.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Sainte-Chapelle - Paris" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/10867282765_b5e38edea0_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A short distance down the street was Sainte-Chapelle and it came highly recommended by a co-worker as well as Tripadvisor. Entrance to the church was expedited by our Paris Museum Pass but the regular lineup was only ~50 visitors long. Upon entry we were directed into a tiny chapel dominated with a blue ceiling and petite stained glass windows. Needless to say we were extremely underwhelmed until we realized that we were only in the lower chapel! My less-than-ideal impression of Sainte-Chapelle quickly reversed as we ascended the narrow staircase which took us to the main chapel. The main chapel was surrounded by 12 gigantic stained glass windows and each window must've been 3-4 stories tall. Even though Sainte-Chapelle lacked the square footage in comparison to other famous chapels/churches found throughout France, it did not feel crammed because I was too busy admiring at the rainbow-colored artwork. I found the interior of most churches to be all-too-similar during our trip and I had a tough time differentiating one from another in my mind... except Sainte-Chapelle. The entire chapel basked in a surreal multi-colored cast from these stained glass "walls" and they created a truly unique experience. <i>(At the time of visit 5 out of 12 windows were boarded up for renovations, but the view was still unforgettable... imagine the light from all 12 windows!)</i>. </span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris Street" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7328/10867616123_7cec86f7dd_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By the time we emerged from Sainte-Chapelle it was well past lunch time. Our hunt for food took us off island to the opposite riverbank because most eateries on the island were either over-priced or blatant tourist traps. On the way back to Ile de la Cite a two-hour lunch later, we passed several curb-side kiosks iconic to Paris with Notre Dame as the backdrop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Notre Dame was arguably the second most famous landmark that represented Paris (The Eiffel Tower = #1), and the amount of tourists was absolutely insane. The queue to Notre Dame was intimidating but the lineup moved swiftly and we were inside the church within minutes. The interior of Notre Dame was dominated by grey stones with an impressive stained glass rose window similar to the churches we had visited previously. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I wasn't religious (no appreciation for religious paintings/artifacts), or maybe because we had just visited Sainte-Chapelle a couple hours before... Simply put, I did not think Notre Dame deserved its iconic status (but I shouldn't complain since admission was free). Despite the free admission, I found Notre Dame to be over-commercialized with gift kiosks and souvenir dispensers (inside the church!) = an overall negative experience unfortunately.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As we exited Notre Dame we quickly jumped into a second queue for the bell tower on the left side of the church. Unlike the main church, entry to the bell tower cost $$$ but it was included in our pass so it wasn't an issue <i>(either way it was inexpensive... less than 10 euros)</i>. The queue itself was only 50-60 people long but we waited for approximately 1 hour.<i> (FYI - The bell tower visit is NOT wheelchair friendly and may be difficult for elderly or obese visitors)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Upon admission we passed yet another gift shop (at least this one was empty since it was exclusive to the bell tower visit haha). We bypassed the gift shop and headed straight for the spiral staircase. The stairs probably took us 5 minutes to hike up and I heard several tourists struggling/complaining toward the latter portion of the trek. The view from the viewing "deck" was enjoyable (well worth the wait) as it offered a fantastic view of Paris flanked by the river on both sides. The viewing area was basically a one-person wide path along the edge of the bell tower and thus created a potential problem: I would be super frustrated if there were always visitors behind me pushing to get ahead. My solution? Stay behind everyone else (think like a photographer lol). The stone gargoyles along the roof-top were interesting, but the most intriguing part of the visit (aside from the view/photo ops) was to see the power of weather corrosion over hundreds of years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I thought our bell tower visit concluded when we circumvented the bell tower. To my surprise there was another viewing deck at the top of the bell tower = MORE STAIRS! The staircase became narrower and the steps became child-sized as we ascended to the very top of the tower. There were two major differences between the 1st and 2nd level: 1) Everything looked tinier, 2) The top was very spacious VS the 1st level... otherwise everything else was similar. The descend down the stairs took approximately 5 minutes and it was somewhat hard on my knees. As we exited Notre Dame half dazed from the spiral staircase we saw a bride & a groom taking wedding photos at the square in front of Notre Dame! I felt bad for the groom because I was already sweating in a thin T-shirt, let alone a 3-piece tuxedo! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We had planned to visit the tiny island "Ile Saint-Louis" directly adjacent to Ile de la Cite, and apparently my wife had been fueled by my promise of "best gelato/sorbet in Paris". We (by we I meant me) decided against sweet Italian treats in favor of thirst quenching golden bubbles so we postponed our gelato plans for a later date and instead we parked ourselves at a local pub... a few 1664s later we were off to our last destination of the day - Pont des Arts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As we approached Pont des Arts the bridge sparkled silver and gold as the setting sun reflected off a sea of locks left behind by lovers across the globe. A Parisian co-worker informed me of this tradition and I came prepared with a combination lock. <i>(the original tradition: Write your names on the lock; secure the lock on the bridge; and throw the key into the river... I didn't want to pollute the river so I decided to bring a combination lock instead. There were copious amount of street vendors selling pad locks so don't worry if you're not prepared)</i>. 100000 brownie points with this romantic gesture later the beers kicked in and we were off in search of washrooms.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Louvre with Stuart" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/10133880476_a734a59ca2_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">According to Google Maps we were near the back of Louvre and since we had museum passes we could use the washrooms at the Louvre! When we arrived we were shocked to see the main courtyard of the Louvre so empty... something was odd... Of course it was Tuesday which meant the Louvre was closed! <i>(however the lobby remained open = washrooms were available = happy wife)</i>. We took full advantage of the relatively empty square in front of the Louvre for some fantastic photos in the setting sun. We then metro-ed back to our apartment to rest our exhausted feet and turned in early.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><i>(Aside: It was hilarious how attractions and restaurants in France would close on random days... Usually some day between Saturday-Tuesday. Please do your research in advance because there were numerous occasions where we arrived at an attraction/restaurant only to find that they were not open for business that day. Going out for food/ supermarket on Sundays? If you are away from tourist areas don't even bother lol).</i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 28px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 6: PETIT PALAIS, </span></u></b></span><span style="font-size: 28px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">MUSÉE RODIN, E.T, ARC DE TRIOMPHE</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">September 3rd, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pont Alexandre III - Paris" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/10867671304_7c786af06d_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Musee Rodin - Paris" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/10867525075_5bf0613705_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Stained glass at Basillica of Sainte-Clotilde" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5486/10867858043_9aa707c16d_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Trocardero - Paris" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7348/10867555526_3f14242f47_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Traffic at Arc de Triomphe" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3802/10867521885_a21eb74e56_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris at Night - Arc de Triomphe" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3687/10867855073_e0f37c1115_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris at Night - Arc de Triomphe" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/10867520745_ac0ccd9fd9_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Eiffel Tower from Arc de Triomphe" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/9942728016_d725bc64e7_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="French Flag - Arc de Triomphe" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/11129941733_5f59673b05_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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Our time in Paris had gone by so fast!!! With only two full days left in the city we only visited 1/3 of the attractions on our list... but since my wife and I were having such a fantastic time we decided to maintain our pace knowing that we would miss out on a few attractions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Our agenda took us to the Grand Palais which was a highly-rated attraction on guide books and travel websites. Upon arrival we were greeted kindly with closed doors <i>(of course museums close in the middle of the work week - Wednesday!)</i>. Instead we traveled 100 meters across the busy avenue and found the Petit Palais - to our relief the lights were on.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Mosaic Petit Palais" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2815/10867671744_a5b23e3878_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Petit Palais was a quiet and marvelously maintained museum. Although we were completely museum-ed out at this point of our trip it was difficult not to admire at all of those priceless paintings and sculptures. We were able to enjoy each artifact and sometimes entire exhibits in absolute peace... which was a refreshing contrast to the frantic pace of the Louvre and Musee D'orsay. However it was the intricate interior of the museum itself that wowed me the most - especially the mosaic-tiled floor and those cast iron spiral staircases. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After Petit Palais we visited one of the most extravagant bridges in Paris: Pont Alexandre III which was only a stone's throw away. The white, black, and gold decorated bridge was lined with classic Parisian lamp posts on either side and it was extremely well maintained - minus some fresh graffiti on its railings. <i>(personally my favorite portion of the bridge were those steel support beams on the underside of the bridge).</i> After our brief stop at Pont Alexandre III we once again proceeded on foot toward our next destination: Musee Rodin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We had no idea who "Rodin" was and our decision to visit this museum was purely based on fantastic reviews from TripAdvisor. The leisure walk from Pont Alexandre III took us through a business-oriented neighborhood where we stuck out like a sore thumb in a sea of suits and business attires. Our walk also took us through countless packed restaurants which reminded us that it was indeed lunch time. As we walked into a "suitable" aka air conditioned restaurant we were severely under-dressed... until 3 construction workers walked through the door... whew lol. 2 hours later we emerged happy and refreshed, and I also found a new love for chicken gizzards. <i>(I ordered it accidentally since our free iPhone French dictionary wouldn't tell us what </i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><i>gésier meant unless we upgraded to the full version... lol.... hmmm.. salty goodness)</i> </span><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Musee Rodin - The Thinker" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2877/10867670134_af54510e4c_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Musée Rodin was a comparatively smaller museum that housed numerous sculptures by a supposably famous artist called "Auguste Rodin". Rodin's works were scattered throughout an immaculately manicured garden that was rivaled only by the Palace of Versailles. Groups of local artists could be seen translating their favorite iron/stone sculptures onto sketch pads. Impressed by its garden we headed into a mansion where smaller/less weather resistant/delicate masterpieces were stored. The contrast between the garden and the main building of Musée Rodin was shocking to say the least. Even though the artworks were undeniably inspiring, it was difficult to look past the squeaky & uneven floors and the general state of disrepair of the building. Upon our exit from the main building we headed down a narrow path where an unusually large amount of tourists congregated... then eureka! Instead of being a mystically famous sculptor named "Auguste Rodin", I finally gazed upon a piece of work of which I can identify with!<i> </i>I was staring at <i>The Thinker</i>!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As we departed </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Musée Rodin I was still proud of myself for being an art aficionado <i>(for knowing The Thinker... lol)</i>, we walked past a grand-ish looking church called Basilica of Sainte Clotilde. We were the only visitors at the time of visit <i>(it was a work day and I don't think this church was a tourist attraction)</i> and it was obvious that the basilica would benefit from some minor restorations. However, its hardened "demeanor" reasonated with me and I ended up appreciating this simple church much more than some of its more famous counterparts. An impromptu soccer game had erupted at the tiny square outside of the church and we were greeted by a flying soccer ball as we exited from the basilica.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Throughout the day... actually throughout our stay in Paris we noticed the popularity of the citywide bike sharing program called </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Vélib'. These grey-bronze cruiser bikes were everywhere in Paris and I <i>(not my wife)</i> wanted to try them out since day 1. A few minutes on the automated terminal and a minimal fee later, we were on our bikes! We cruised for approximately 20 meters until my wife got too scared to travel on the busy Paris roads/sidewalk... so we walked our 50 ton <strike>tanks</strike> bikes to the next nearest </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Vélib' station which was only a 5 minute walk away. From there we took the subway back home even though it was only around 4PM because we had a romantic evening planned!</span><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Trocadero" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5509/10867857593_f22861db64_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Picnic at Trocadero" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/11129825574_7a0d0da40d_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A bottle of cheap wine, a couple of plastic wine glasses, two sandwiches, and assorted desserts in my backpack later we were back on </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Vélib' bikes riding toward... that's right we were going back to the Eiffel Tower hahaha. <i>(Ironically the package of plastic wine glasses were more expensive than the wine, which was 1.80 euros LOL... it was important to J that we stayed classy with the cups)</i>. The bike ride on Blvd de Grenelle wasn't as scary as anticipated due to a dedicated bike path, but we were on high alert for those crazy French motorists anyways. Once we dropped off our bikes around Trocadero we found a shaded patch of grass, fanned out our tiny bamboo mat, and enjoyed an inexpensive yet romantic picnic dinner staring at the Eiffel Tower. By the time it was cool enough to wonder off again the sun was low enough on the horizon where everything was blanketed in a warm orange hue... giant water cannons also went off in an hourly interval at Trocadero <i>(worth seeing)</i>. We spent 2-3 hours at "</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Place du Trocadéro" chatting, photographing, and being silly until the sun was no more. From there we proceeded on foot for 25 minutes towards the Arc de Triomphe through quiet residential streets and by the time we reached our destination the sky was pitch black.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Arc de Triomphe Staircase" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/10867521725_fdc8c3f99c_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Arc de Trimophe was an EXTREMELY busy traffic circle where 12 main roads intersected. The arch trumped all other surrounding structures in terms of height and grandeur, and sometimes flashes of white strobe lights would sparkle at the roof - those lights turned out to be camera flashes from crazy tourists thinking they could illuminate the entirety of Paris using their camera flashes <i>(photo tip - most camera flashes have an effective radius of < 3 meters, so taking night landscape photos with them would essentially give you a completely black picture... so turn off your flash and use a tripod or have steady hands)</i>. To our relief there were underground tunnels to access the Arc de Triomphe, and similar to the Notre Dame bell tower we had to hike up a long spiral staircase in order to reach the top <i>(there was 1 elevator for the less physically abled)</i>. Due to the fact that it was late at night (an hour before closing) and it wasn't peak tourist hours, there were no lineups at the counter and it was quite enjoyable at the top with only a handful of other tourists. The view from the top was so spectacular I was grateful <i>(and still am) </i>to have had such dumb luck to visit during night time instead. The panoramic view of Paris was illuminated by golden lights with bone straight major avenues extending from the arch to the peripherals of Paris. I was able to look straight down the busy </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Champs-Élysées, then to my right was the imposing Eiffel Tower and its rotating beacon, and behind me lied La D</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">é</span>f</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">ense with its skyscrappers and the Grande Arche. In fact, I enjoyed the top of Arc de Triomphe much more than the Eiffel Tower strictly in terms of the view (just like why we went up the Rockefeller Center to marvel at New York rather than going up the Empire State Building). The eye-gasm presented to us at the top of Arc de Triomphe was further sweetened by the hourly Eiffel Tower light show (during the latter part of the show I snuck to the abandoned sides of the viewing deck to do some quick photography projects :P).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><i>P.S. Make sure to spend a few minutes looking down at the traffic circle and witness the chaos and horrors of French driving - there were no lines or anything on the road... it was simply cars weaving in and out at "inappropriately" high speeds... yet no accidents, just lots of horns.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We walked down </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Champs-Élysées and realized that it was nothing but a busy and glorified shopping district. Since we had zero intentions of buying thousand dollar handbags I was finally able to persuade J to give </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Vélib' another try <i>(we were also out of metro tickets haha)</i>. After we navigated away from </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Champs-Élysées the streets were fortunately quiet, and we slowly made our way back home zigzagging through Parisian neighborhoods. For some reason there was something magical and romantic about strolling through quiet Parisian streets on unpredictable beater bikes... the 45 minutes it took us to get home was my absolute favorite portion of our honeymoon. <i>(to avoid extra fees we changed bikes half-way through the trip because only the first 30 minutes were free... and we got lost a little bit haha).</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 7: WEDNESDAY MARKET, PANTHEON, LUXEMBOURG GARDENS</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">September 4th, 2013 - Sunny</span></span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Wednesday Market Blvd de Grenelle- Paris" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5509/11158811046_f3fd91fe6e_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Pantheon" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/11158967003_ab5314cfa6_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Luxembourg Gardens" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7391/11158816626_966d1e4966_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - I Love you wall" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/11158782585_bb7fa04af8_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Metro Station Concorde" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/11158961143_d6f9eff8ca_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Wednesday Market breakfast" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/11158788185_4738eee261_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
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For the second time this week a large market was underway underneath the elevated railroad on Boulevard de Grenelle and we were determined to participate this time around (the market was right outside our apartment). This busy market sold everything from fresh produce, seafood, cheese, all the way to baby clothing; and judged by the market population it was evident that many locals gathered their ingredients from these markets. We happily browsed through all the stands and we ended up acquiring both our brunches and some souvenirs. <i>(French melons = looks like cantaloupe but sweeter = heaven; don't buy baked goods from markets because they are likely not as fresh as store baked croissants).</i> <br /><br />
To top off our breakfasts/lunches we took the metro all the way to "Cit</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span dir="ltr" id="place-title">é"</span> station so we could enjoy the "best ice cream in Paris" on </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ile Saint-Louis at a shop called </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span dir="ltr" id="place-title">Berthillon</span></span> (and to make good on my promise). Once that sugary goodness touched our lips it made the 10 minute trek through the scorching heat worth it. <i>(Aside: a particularly disturbing scene occurred at the metro station where one "bum-looking" racist man screamed and spat at an oriental lady, then jumped the ticket turnstile... my fists were clenched and I was ready to lay a beat down if he made a move towards my wife and I... luckily for him he didn't)</i></span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Saint-Etienne-du-Mont" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3745/11158787705_9bb41b17bf_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We got off the tranquil residential island, crossed the river, and navigated through to the lively Latin Quarter. Latin Quarter was a youthful neighborhood being situated in proximity to academic institutions. The hike uphill to Pantheon was particularly unpleasant because it felt like I was being slowly roasted by the midday sun... alas... 1 bottle of warm water later we arrived at our intended destination. However, we ducked into yet another church called </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Saint-Etienne-du-Mont which was directly adjacent to Pantheon because: 1) it was close, 2) it was shaded. This church was extremely well maintained and quiet, but also quite typical in terms of its external/internal appearence.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Pantheon" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2816/11158847974_bf4faa33df_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Across the street the Pantheon stood alone in the middle of the square. We knew very little about this landmark but from its exterior it seemed like some sort of state or government building. The lobby/main foyer of Pantheon was decorated tastefully with impressive stone/marble columns and wide-open floor spaces (even during renovations). However, the true purpose of this building turned out to be hidden from the foyer... Pantheon functioned as a secular mausoleum for distinguished French citizens such as Victor Hugo and Pierre/Marie Curie! <i>(amongst numerous names unfamiliar to my wife and I)</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A 10-15 minute walk away was the famous Luxembourg Gardens. On our way to our next destination we had little choice but to retreat into a familiar but <u>air-conditioned</u> restaurant called McDonald's due to the overwhelming heat. <i>(Yes we went to McDonald's in Paris the culinary paradise)</i>. We then proceeded to the Luxembourg Gardens which was only a few steps away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In my opinion the Luxembourg Gardens was more like a park rather than a garden... granted there were a few well maintained flowerbeds but the majority of the space was dedicated as "leisure space". With much difficulty we finally found an empty park bench and quickly realized that those park benches were empty for a reason. About 10 meters away congregated a large group of ethnic individuals (~50 people?) whom were obviously from a less fortunate social-economic background (most of them didn't have shoes nor proper clothing... <i>I thought French had robust social program</i>s<i>?</i>). We later vacated that park bench because they were so obnoxiously loud... <i> </i><br /><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Montmartre" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/11158780835_4ca97c5ef1_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
We concluded our day back at Montmartre (where we began our Paris journey) because we were too jetlagged to enjoy this artsy district on our first day. We visited a small church close to the metro exit as well as the "I Love You" wall (le mur des je t'aime) which unfortunately were both disappointing. However, Montmartre offered an entire street full of shops where we were able to purchase some cheap souvenirs. On the metro back to our apartment we stopped at a couple interesting stations for some photo ops (see picture of the Concorde station on the left). We hit the local bar 1 block from our apartment for some happy hour booze amidst locals to conclude our fantastic week in Paris... <i>and who knew even random pubs would serve such good chicken gizzard + foie gras salads?!</i> </span><br />
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/10/paris-love-lights-luxuries-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><b><- Days 1-4 in Paris</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/12/provence-relaxing-countryside.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Days 8-10 in Provence -></span></a> </b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-55002887487827414682013-10-04T04:06:00.000-07:002013-12-06T06:19:50.480-08:00PARIS: LOVE, LIGHTS, MEMORIES (PART 1)<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Eiffel Tower" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/10015041393_f459e5ab50_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">This entry is part of "<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/09/france-from-paris-to-riviera.html" rel="" target="_blank">France: From Paris to the Riviera</a>" series...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">Paris has long been considered the romance capital of the world... so what better place to kick off our honeymoon?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">Due to the amount of pictures/words this entry is posted in 2 parts </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Detailed Itinerary: </b>(what ended up happening)</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"> </span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY1: (fly in) Vancouver to Paris <complete id="goog_1938222565">+ Sacre Coeur </complete></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY2: Louvre area, Galeries Lafayette, Eiffel Tower</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY3: Musee D'Orsay, Louvre, Eiffel Tower</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY4: Versailles, Eiffel Tower</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY5: Ile de la cite area</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY6: Petit Palais area, Musee Rodin, Arc de Triomphe</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY7: Pantheon & Latin Quarters area, Montmartre</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY8: Paris to Avignon</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 1: VANCOUVER to PARIS + SACRE COEUR</span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">August 29th, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Parisian Metro" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3776/9990292934_ec03139a27_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Sacre Coeur" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/9990339306_a35dccaf42_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Sacre Coeur" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3669/9990289525_4bfa38d866_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris Street" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/9990419373_39b062ec03_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a></div>
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After a surprisingly good long distance flight with Air Transat we arrived in Paris!!! (Air Transat was simply superior to Air Canada in every way + why didn’t I invest in noise cancelling headphones 5 years ago?? I was able to catch a few quick naps on a flight for the first time ever). I guess because Air Transat was a discount airline we weren’t taxied to the main terminal, and instead we were ushered to Terminal 3 by shuttle bus once we got off the plane. My body was immediately assaulted by a blast of hot and humid Parisian air as we stepped off the air-conditioned cocoon. (Us Canadians do not deal with heat too well… OK fine it’s just me). Terminal 3 of Charles-de-Guille airport was like Tyrion in Game of Thrones (Tiny and ugly, but functional). The mini-terminal was already congested when our shuttle bus arrived and we weren’t allowed off the shuttle for 10 minutes while we slowly baked… or shall I say sous-vided (We were in France afterall haha) in the bus cabin. Baggage delivery was probably amongst the slowest of all the major airports I’ve visited.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />Trains headed into the city depart from either Terminal 1 or 2. After a longer than expected walk we arrived in Terminal 2 (the main terminal?) which actually looked like a real international airport. We purchased a 6 day “Paris Museum Pass” for ~70 euros per person from the tourist information kiosk at gate 12. We also purchased RER B tickets from the same kiosk for the train to get into Paris (it was about ~7 euros per person if I remembered correctly). The RER station was easy to get to but then reality struck… the world did not revolve around me and I couldn’t find a word of English in any of the signage (honestly good for the French to stay French). Luckily this time around (unlike when we traveled to China lol) my wife was able to put her semi-fluent French to use. Even with my wife’s French abilities the directions were still not as informative as they should for first-time travelers to France like us. There were multiple platforms and there were minimal indications as to which train we should board. There were monitors with scrolling French words which we assumed were train stations, so we jumped on the next train since our transit station appeared on every monitor (later on we found out we were on the express train). <i>[Tip: In France there are “long” and “short” trains (short meaning fewer cars than usual). If you see the word “court” (meaning short) on the monitor, follow indicators on the platform to position yourself to where the “short train” will stop at.]</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />The Parisian train/metro system was gigantic and convenient with 15 metro lines + 6 RER lines that serviced the entirety of Paris and beyond. With our RER tickets we were able to transfer to our destination via metro line 8 without additional fare with relative ease. Slightly jetlagged we reached our apartment secured from AirBnB (first time ever) in the 7th arrondissement. The studio-apartment was not much bigger than a hotel room - small in North American standard but probably considered average-sized in a buzzing metropolitan like Paris. The apartment was extremely cozy and we will not hesitate to repeat our stay there upon our next visit. After we settled in we scouted around the neighborhood looking for bakeries (for my wife) and groceries stores. Hilariously enough we found 4 bakeries within a 200 m radius from our apartment and we sampled every one of them in the upcoming week. Determined not to waste our day we hopped onto the metro towards Abbesses for Sacre Coeur after purchasing a package of ten metro tickets called "le carnet" (slight discount compared to buying individual tickets). Parisian trains were not air conditioned and could get quite uncomfortable at times, however compared to New York the stations were very well ventilated (New York... probably the worst subway system I have encountered). <i>[Tip: Doors of French trains do not open automatically upon arrival… one must either pull a lever or press a button (from inside or outside) to open doors.]</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />The Montmarte area was full of life with artists and street-side cafes similar to the Kitsiloano neighborhood in Vancouver. In order to reach Sacre Coeur which was situated at the top of the hill one must either embark on an easy 3 minute climb via stairs or there was a tram service that would transport tourists up the mini-hill for a small fee (maybe a 30 second tram ride?). <i>There is a reason why Europeans have a longer lifespan/healthier when compared to North Americans in general, they walk everywhere! So unless there are truly some physical disabilities HIKE THOSE STAIRS! I passed a 70 year old local making the short climb, and yet I saw overweight middle-aged tourists pouring out of the tram… WTF.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> <br />The view from Sacre Coeur was amazing as it offered a panoramic view of the city. We arrived close to sunset on a beautiful sunny day so there was an amazing golden hue that blanketed the city… What a first day impression! (from the ghetto Paris airport terminal to a golden panoramic view of the city.. what a turnaround!). Having visited many cities considered world class (New York, Hong Kong, London, etc), Paris was strikingly different because the city’s architecture was so historic and well preserved. Instead of being screened by skyscrapers only to have taller skyscrapers lining the horizon, Paris’s cityscape was dominated by 6-7 story buildings that extended vast into the horizon.. LOVED IT! Behind the awe-inspiring cityscape lied Sacre Coeur which was a dominating marble white catholic church. Sacre Coeur, like many famous European churches, was awe-inspiring when we first stepped foot into its interior. Its sculptures, stained glass windows, marble columns and floors, along with its historic significance, made the visit unforgettable (possibily because we simply don't have the history nor these historic monuments in North America). Unfortunately we were losing our battle with jetlag and we headed to Snooze-ville at the conclusion of our Sacre Coeur visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 28px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 2: LOUVRE AREA, GALERIES LAFAYETTE, EIFFEL TOWER</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">August 30th, 2013 - Sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Louvre - Mona Lisa Crowd" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/10011906365_ea0baf2af1_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Louvre - Busy Lobby" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5536/10012922763_3a20a70b57_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris Streets" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/10011904635_0dab117238_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris Streets" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3682/10011863834_58bc1eb374_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Galeries Lafayette" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5445/10011992373_524bac1661_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris Cityscape - from Galeries Lafayette" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7460/10011900235_2d4ca08b38_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Eiffel Tower at Night" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/10011988253_a531437d85_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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After a solid 12 hours of sleep we woke up around 9 AM (we made it a rule to minimize alarm clock use while traveling... why do people join tours that start at 6:00 am anyways? That’s worse than a work day!). Today we had our first ever Croissant from Paris from a neighborhood Boulangerie (bakery). <i>[Tip: In France there are differences between Boulangeries and Patisseries (one which sell baked goods such as baguettes – Boulangeries, whereas patisseries specialize in pastries)]</i>. As per my wife that croissant was the best croissant she had ever had (a phrase which would be repeated almost at a daily interval haha). To accompany my croissant breakfast I headed to a supermarket around the corner for milk (a routine maintained since I was a child) only to find milk on a normal shelf and NOT stored in the fridge… <i>milk with a 3 month expiry?!?!?! that's CRAZY! It tasted delicious nonetheless.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />Due to the excessive heat (30 degrees Celcius) we decided to start off our day in an air-conditioned environment so off to the world famous museum Louvre. This giant museum was world-renowned for having one of the largest collection of priceless treasures from around the globe. Amongst the treasures were paintings such as Mona Lisa by Da Vinci and sculptures such as Venus. Unfortunately all these artifacts/antiquities also attracted copious amount of art admirers to such an extent where Louvre’s long queue became almost as famous as the artifacts it housed. There was an underground entrance directly from the Palais Royale/Musee du Louvre station that rumored to be generally less busy, and when we arrived the queue was virtually non-existent. However, once we reached the lobby we experienced the hoards of tourists that were notoriously mentioned by all guide books/internet forums. The Louvre was so busy (especially the Denon wing which housed Renaissance paintings and the Mona Lisa) that it was nearly impossible to enjoy each display. After a couple hours of crowd surfing (and my wife was getting tired of translating art history since most signs were in French only) we decided to revisit the Louvre at a later date. <i>My impression of the Mona Lisa: the painting itself was way smaller than I anticipated and to be honest I didn’t like the painting at all… but the shift in artistic style that stemmed from Leonardo Da Vinci's work is undeniable... feel free to comment on my travesty.</i></span><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Place des Victories - Paris" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/10011903255_6865a298e0_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />It was way past lunchtime by the time we left Louvre and we were on the hunt for some food. We walked aimlessly down narrow streets past countless open-air cafes and restaurants while we marveled at unique French architectures. Even though we were on the lookout for food our eyes were constantly overwhelmed by the architectural details around every street corner. Near the end of lunch service we were able to find a local restaurant that was still open for lunch <i>(French restaurants are required by law to display their menu around the entrance)</i> where we enjoyed our 2 course meals. After lunch we went across the street and visited the famous patisserie “Stohrer” where we bought one of the most intricate pieces of cuisine art called “Puits D’Amour” that was just as delicious as its presentation. On our way to Palais Royal we stumbled upon a photogenic traffic circle which I later found out was called "Place des Victories". Once we reached Palais Royal we enjoyed our food art at "Jardin de Palais Royal" surrounded by local families soaking in the sunshine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />Somehow we found ourselves around the Louvre once again. More specifically, we were standing underneath the Arc du Triomph de Caroussel and we were stormed by illegal street vendors selling miniature Eiffel towers (it was hilarious how fast they flee from Police, and more humorous how fast they return after the policeman evacuated the area). As a Claude Monet fan we headed straight to the Musee de l’Orangerie which housed some of Monet's famous panoramic water lily paintings and it was only a 7 minute walk from the Louvre. The museum was quite petite with only 2 rooms displaying the panorama paintings, but I loved this miniature museum because the quieter atmosphere allowed me to enjoy the artwork in relative peace. After hours of walking (even with new runners!) our feet were protesting from our abuse and the Jardin des Tuileries adjacent to the Museum offered a perfect pit stop with green metal loungers freely available. In fact we ended up spending over 45 minutes conversing and people watching while an amateur trumpet player was practicing in the background.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />Since we did not reserve any restaurants in advance, many Tripadvisor's top-ranked restaurants were unavailable during our trip <i>(I was warned 1000s of times to make reservations but I was too lazy, and I didn’t want to commit to any restaurants since I didn’t know whether we would be in the area until the day before… Having a flexible schedule allows me to adapt our itinerary (mostly to weather/work closures, etc) and usually leads me to interesting travel stories that I am able to share on here)</i>. I remembered Lafayette Gourmet mentioned in one of the Parisian food blogs and it was only a 20 minute walk per Google Maps so we started our trek northwards. <i>The reason why we tried to walk everywhere instead of taking the metro was because Paris offered so many photography opportunities that would be otherwise wasted if we traveled underground – I encourage all visitors to do the same.</i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By the time we reached Galleries Lafayette (which were two large buildings… one dedicated to ladies and the other one for men) we went into the ladies building to do some window shopping, and window shopping we did because the prices were 2-3X more than what we would deem reasonable in North America! The interior architecture of Galleries Lafayette was jaw dropping (it was only a department store afterall!) with gold-painted walls matched with a multi-colored stain glass dome that would rival the grandest church <i>(I guess it was a shopaholic’s church haha)</i>. We kept on ascending the seemingly endless floors until we reached the rooftop lookout. It was sunset by the time we reached the top and since today’s weather was similar to yesterday’s, the entire city basked in a photogenic golden glow with Palais Garnier (Opera House) directly adjacent to us and the Eiffel Tower in the distance <i>(if you want a romantic spot to take your girlfriend/fiancée/wife for some brownie points… go there)</i>. We were politely encouraged to head back downstairs around 8 PM (closing time) and since Lafayette Gourmet closes an hour or so after the actual store, we crossed the street toward the men’s building (where the Gourmet food court was located on the 2nd floor). A bottle of wine, gourmet breads and pastries later we were on the metro heading back to our apartment. </span><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Eiffel Tower at night sparkling" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7342/10011988773_e41a83f714_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />As a romantic post meal walk around the neighborhood we visited the Eiffel Tower at night <i>(a major perk for staying in the 7th arrondissement… Eiffel Tower was only a 10-minute walk away)</i> and to top off the night there was an organized outdoor ballroom dancing party in Trocadero! </span>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 3: MUSEE D'ORSAY, LOUVRE, EIFFEL TOWER</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">August 31st, 2013 - Stormy & Overcast, then sunny</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Musee D'Orsay" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/10014971826_edc582057f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Inside Musee D'Orsay" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3754/10014908594_95ca4e0b51_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Louvre" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3754/10014969666_8e7d51ea39_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Tuileries Garden" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2858/10015042163_031b41997b_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Eiffel Tower Black and White" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/10015041393_f459e5ab50_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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I discovered "pain au chocolat" when buying croissants for breakfast today. Pain au chocolat was basically a square croissant with a little bit of chocolate stuffed inside = Heaven! I also had wine with breakfast for the first time in my life (leftover from last night's bottle I swear...) The weather forecast was less than optimal because rain was predicted to last the entire day. We were going to take the train to Versailles but we adjusted our plan to visit another museum that was highly recommended by guidebooks instead: Musee D'Orsay.<br /><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Musee D'Orsay Clock" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7394/10014948835_4c7b5e95c1_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
Musee D'Orsay (M.O.) was converted from an old train station located on the riverfront and it housed numerous impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces. M.O. was deceivingly large with numerous galleries and sub-floors - we originally anticipated a two-hour visit but we ended up spending more than 4 hours there and we only covered about half of the museum. By the time we reached the 2nd floor we were exhausted and luckily there were full sized sofas where it was comfortable enough for visitors to nap in! Right next to the sofas was a gigantic clock window left over from M.O.'s train station days which was quite photogenic in my opinion. Highlight of the museum included countless sculptures, paintings from Monet, Renoir, and of course Vincent Van Gogh (the reason why I wanted to visit and stay in the town of Arles was because of his painting "Starry Night"). Once we exited the museum we suddenly realized that it was 3PM and we neglected lunch again. There was a sandwich shop near the exit of the museum (an obvious tourist trap but we didn't care) where we purchased the last two sandwiches available + a 3 euros Orangina. The sandwiches were happily consumed on the steps of Musee D'Orsay while a local Jazz band filled the air with fantastic 50's music <i>(bad sandwiches don't exist in France)</i>.<br /><br />
After calming our hunger we visited Louvre across the river where I retook some photos that turned out to be out of focus from the previous day. One of the advantages of the Paris Museum Pass was that we could revisit any participating site we wanted repeatedly (highly recommended for Louvre and Musee D'Orsay). The weather seemed to be turning for the worse as wind grew stronger and light rain started to coat the dry ground. The changing weather also brought some much welcomed relief from the supra-30s heat; however, the dip in temperature was short-lived as the wind made short work of the rain clouds.<br /><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Eiffel Tower" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/10014974386_787c9fbcaf_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
As we slowly made our way back towards the 7th arrondissement on foot along the bank of River Seine (we wanted to visit a particular restaurant recommended by friends called "Les Cocottes de Christian Constant"... reviews to come at a later date), several rest stops were needed to rest our achy feet (I told my wife to wear comfortable shoes, but apparently looks > function still held true). The riverbank was quite lively with street vendors, street performers, wine/beer bars, tourists, and locals all enjoying the breezy riverfront. Bikes were also a common sight along the banks (and really they were all over Paris) and that was when I first took notice about the citywide bike rental program called Velib' (more on that in a separate post later).<br /><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Eiffel Tower at Dusk" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/10014972436_8fec611dd5_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" /></a>
It took about 40 minutes to walk from Louvre, along the riverbank, to our destination restaurant. Since the restaurant did not accept reservations our brilliant plan was to get there early to beat the dinner rush at ~5:30 PM. Our brilliant plan fell flat when we realized that most restaurants in France opened at 7 PM for dinner service... what should we do for the next hour and a half? With the Eiffel Tower in plain sight towering over the typical 4-5 story French buildings that surrounded us, we bought a cold beer along with some ice cream bars at a corner store and headed for the Paris landmark. We returned to the restaurant shortly before 7 PM where we enjoyed our first proper 3 course meal in France (first of many). We concluded our evening walking past the Eiffel Tower once again on our way back to our apartment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 4: VERSAILLES, EIFFEL TOWER</span></u></b></span>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Palace of Versailles" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/10031698364_c42397d0c9_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Inside Palace of Versailles" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5338/10031821073_b4445e6e62_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Inside Palace of Versailles" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3669/10031696004_9fb624ab48_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Versailles Garden" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2850/10031744055_19d37bdd61_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Versailles - Grand Trianon" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/10031818233_54ac0b7021_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Versailles - Marie Antoinette's Residence" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3813/10031742095_c5767501c9_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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Woke up today around the same time (9 AM) but the scenery outside our apartment changed drastically. Usually a quiet street, Boulevard de Grenelle had transformed into a buzzing open-air market selling everything from baby clothes to the freshest produce every Wednesday and Sunday. Unfortunately we did not have time to check out the market as we were already running behind for... Versailles!<br /><br />
We made our way to Champ de Mars/Tour Eiffel Station for our RER C connection to Versailles <i>[Tip: Buy a return ticket on your way to Versailles in order to avoid long lineups at the Versailles station on your way back. In addition, there are several destinations for RER C so make sure you board the correct train heading for Versailles Rive Gauche (or "Versailles" on the monitor)]</i>. It was only a 25 minute train ride from Paris to Versailles, but it was nice to catch a glimpse of the suburbs of Paris <i>(In France, graffiti were extremely common on the walls of train tracks, abandoned buildings, tunnels, and many public properties... more on that in a separate post)</i>.
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Versailles was one of the richest cities in France and it was evident from the 5 minute walk between the train station and the Palace of Versailles: well maintained buildings devoid of graffiti. We purchased sandwiches and refreshments on our way to the Palace because judging from the amount of tourists on the train it would simply be frustrating if we were limited to purchase food from the palace cafeteria. There were two long lineups when we arrived at the palace: one to purchase tickets and the other one to get in. We were able to bypass the tickets queue since admission was included in the Paris Museum Pass , but the queue for security check remained intimidating (there were probably 2-300 people in the lineup). Luckily, the security check was quite efficient (never thought I would say that about France lol) and we only had to wait for about 20 minutes.
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Versailles Interiors" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7307/10031746355_69b0fb066c_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 40%;" /></a>
With audio guides strapped around our neck (which were free by the way) we embarked on our journey through the Palace of Versailles along with several thousand visitors. Initially we were herded through a series of rooms taking us through the palace's history, after which visitors were free to roam through rooms and halls at their own pace. The palace was overwhelmingly luxurious with antiquities, crystal chandeliers, and ceiling paintings covering every inch of the palace. As we proceeded onward through different halls we would often find a bigger chandelier, or a more lavish decoration than the room before. This obvious flaunt of wealth culminated in the grandiose Hall of Mirrors where golden walls, countless chandeliers, and matching windows/mirrors combined together to inspire awe. After having visited the Hall of Mirrors the rest of the palace became ordinary and paled in comparison.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We were quietly laughing inside when we walked past the ground floor cafeteria because the line up was absolutely monsterous. Access to the palace gardens required a separate admission fee today because it was a "musical fountains show" day. In other words, for 8.50 euros per person one could enjoy the gardens with music playing in the background (fountains were operational only at specific times). For the first time at the palace we were able to find a relatively quiet spot away from other tourists where we consumed our delicious sandwiches in near isolation <i>(it was amazing how the most ordinary sandwich could taste so good... only in France).</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The gardens at Versailles can only be described using one word: Ginormous. There were several options available for visitors to tour the gardens with limited time: Bike/golf cart rentals, and mini-trains to transport tourists to popular attractions around the grounds... for a moderate fee of course. Since we had the entire day scheduled for Versailles we opted to casually stroll through the gardens instead. The music was a pleasant addition but it was hardly worth the admission fee. We gathered near the edge of "Basin d'Apollon" and by the time the fountain show was about to begin there were about 1-2000 people around us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The fountains started right on time to more up-beat music (not elevator background music like before) to everybody's excitement. However, after patiently waiting for 3 songs worth of music it was apparent that the water fountains were static and the "fountain show" was simply having the fountains turned on. Disappointed from our expectations we visited several other smaller fountains (one of which was a dancing fountain but quite small in scale). We then abandoned the fountain shows all together and headed toward the smaller royal palaces/private royal residences (Grand Trianon & Petit Trianon).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The walk from the main palace to Grand Trianon was about 30 minutes and the walk itself was lovely with manicured shrubberies/well-groomed trees along the paths. The further we walked away from the main palace the more locals we seemed to encounter... we soon figured out the reason why... the outer gardens were accessible by car! (there must be another entrance somewhere). The Grand and Petit Trianons were beautiful to look at from the outside, but to be honest the interiors were underwhelming. There was a significant difference in the state of upkeep between the exteriors and the interiors of the building; combined with the fact that we had just visited the Hall of Mirrors less than an hour ago, contributed to our lackluster attitude for the Grand and Petit Trianon. Our memorable Versailles day trip concluded with a casual stroll back towards the main entrance near sunset.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">An uneventful train ride later we were back in Paris once again. Our hunt for dinner took us to a posh eatery called "Pottoka" where we had one of the weirdest, most polarized meal ever (for me it was possibly the best meal I had in Paris, whereas it was the worst food in the entire trip for my wife... she was not into gastronomy at all). When we finished our meal it was only 10:00 PM and we didn't want to turn in quite yet, within seconds we were on our way walking toward our favorite location in Paris: The Eiffel Tower. <i>(We visited the Eiffel Tower almost every day we were in Paris)</i></span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Eiffel Tower at Night" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3726/10031741085_734fa4c51a_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 3% 4% 3%; width: 28%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We originally planned to go up the Eiffel Tower during daytime. Since we were at the site already and unlike during daytime there were no line ups nor 2 hour waits for the elevators to the viewing platforms, we arrived at the lower viewing platform within minutes. <i>(One could also hike the stairs for the lower platform, and since we walked the entire day at Versailles already = elevator!) </i>The lower platform was busy, but WOW the panoramic view was so spectacular that it simply made us forget about everyone around us. When we woke up from the mesmerizing Paris lights ten or so minutes later, we realized that people WERE actually disappearing around us and tourists were emptying from the viewing platform: It was getting close to closing time! We bought tickets to the upper viewing deck as well so we quickly queued up for the second elevator to the top. It turned out that we were one of the last visitors to the top deck that night because they closed the queue shortly after us. The view from the upper platform was similar to the lower deck but with a stronger breeze. The changing lights from Tour Montparnasse; red and white lights from street traffics; dim orange street lamps illuminating the bridges on River Seine as well as the city itself, created an unforgettable image that will be cherished for the years to come. The fact that we enjoyed such scenery in near isolation made our experience infinite times richer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We stayed at the top for as long as possible and we were ushered back down on the last elevator for the night. Our evening concluded with one final Eiffel Tower light show (where the entire tower sparkled) until the landmark went dark at 1 AM.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/12/paris-love-lights-memories-part-2-of-2.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Days 5-7 Paris Part 2 -></span></span></a><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></u></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-32671255461987838952013-09-26T16:32:00.000-07:002014-03-09T21:21:58.584-07:00FRANCE: FROM PARIS TO THE RIVIERA<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635930183714/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Paris - Eiffel Tower at Night" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/9942728016_d725bc64e7_z_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Introduction:</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">Two years after getting married my wife and I finally found time to go on a proper honeymoon! The decision to choose France as our honeymoon destination came naturally as France offered everything we would appreciate in an adventure: Legendary cuisine, excellent variety of photographic opportunities, and of course being the romance capital of the world (I know it’s a cliché, but why not go for the gold?).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">On our 16-day adventure we wanted to spend at least a week in Paris since this was our first time visiting France, and spend the rest of our time “sampling” different parts of France at a relatively leisure pace (we wanted to smell the roses too!). Cote d’Azur (French Riviera) emerged as an ideal second destination because it combined relaxation with an excellent public transport system. Upon departure our itinerary looked like this: Paris (7 days) -> Avignon area (2.5 days) -> Nice (5 days) -> return to Paris for our flight home (we did not have a daily itinerary because getting lost had led to many amazing surprises throughout our travels in the past). </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Unlike our trip to <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/ancient-china-in-modern-beijing.html" target="_blank">China</a>, my wife's semi-fluent French turned out to be an extremely important asset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span><br />
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AND… For the first time ever instead of staying at hotels we rented private apartments for both Paris and Nice… as for Provence… we opted to let fate decide our fortunes.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Itinerary: </b>(what ended up happening)</span><br />
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DAY 1: (fly in) Vancouver to Paris</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 2: Paris</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 3: Paris</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 4: Versailles</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 5: Paris</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 6: Paris</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 7: Paris</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 8: Paris -> Avignon</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 9: Avignon -> Pont du Gard -> Uz</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">ès -> Avignon</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY10: Avignon -> Arles -> Nice (via Avignon)</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY11: Nice</span></b></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY12: Nice -> Cannes -> Antibes -> Nice</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY13: Nice -> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">Eze Village -> Nice</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY14: Nice</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"> -> Monaco (via Cap D'ail) -> Villefranche -> Nice</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY15: Nice -> Paris</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY16: Paris -> Vancouver</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 1-7: PARIS: LOVE, LIGHTS, & MEMORIES</span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Aug 29-Sept 5, 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"></span>Paris has long been considered the romance capital of the world... so what better place to kick off our honeymoon?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Due to the amount of pictures/words this entry is posted in 2 parts<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/10/paris-love-lights-luxuries-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank">Part 1: </a></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/10/paris-love-lights-luxuries-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank">Day 1-4: Click here!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/12/paris-love-lights-memories-part-2-of-2.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b>Part 2: </b>Day 5-7: Click here!</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 8-10: PROVENCE: THE RELAXING COUNTRYSIDE</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">September 5-7, 2013</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/12/provence-relaxing-countryside.html" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Uzes street" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/9957940265_240d5b72b8_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid #62D2FF; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We kicked off our honeymoon in the
romance capital of the world (Paris), we then traveled to the middle of
France and found ourselves immersed in a completely different
atmosphere...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/12/provence-relaxing-countryside.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Day 8-10: Click here!</span></a></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 10-15: SUNNY GLITZY COTE D'AZUR</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">September 7-12, 2013</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunny-glitzy-cote-dazur-part-1.html" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Monaco - French Riviera" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/9958195994_6fcf432c8c_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid #62D2FF; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a> <a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After we spent a few days in the relaxing Provence countryside, our last portion of our honeymoon took us by the Mediterranean Sea: Côte d'Azur aka the French Riviera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Due to the amount of pictures/words this entry is posted in 2 parts</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/10/paris-love-lights-luxuries-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank">Part 1: </a></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunny-glitzy-cote-dazur-part-1.html" target="_blank">Day 10-12: Click here!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2014/02/sunny-glitzy-cote-dazur-part-2.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b>Part 2: </b>Day 13-15: Click here!</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 25px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Conclusion</span></u></b></span>
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<img alt="Made in France ultrasound" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5484/12819011753_b702d4ec1c_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 30%;" />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Our honeymoon took us from the French capital all the way south to the French Riviera. Despite my frequent complaints about France's scorching heat it was only a minor nuisance during an otherwise perfect honeymoon. From Paris' hypnotizing night lights and Provence's rustic country allure, to Cote d'Azur's lively atmosphere... combined together to form an once in a lifetime experience. In addition, the legendary cuisine and limitless photography opportunities helped strengthen my favorable impression of France.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">From our travel we brought home several souvenirs including wine and Pastis, but little did we know we returned to Canada with the most precious souvenir anyone can imagine: I am going to be a daddy!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-43250795019606579222013-09-01T12:00:00.000-07:002013-09-01T16:27:31.155-07:00SEATTLE: SPARKLING NORTHWEST GEM<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Minion in Seattle" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3787/9593305311_6ee1169f8d_z_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1 day whirlwind visit in August</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">I have always considered Seattle as Vancouver's twin because these two cities are so close geographically from each other (~2 hours by car excluding the border wait). In typical northwest fashion Seattleites are polite, laid-back, and generally fit (who can blame them? Northwest's natural beauty = outdoor activities).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">I have been to/through Seattle many times before but I have never "toured" around the city (like many Vancouverites, Seattle's existence was purely for cross-border shopping... until now). With the entire northwest enjoying a history-setting fantastic summer, and the Toronto Blue Jays coming to Seattle... Seattle here I come!</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Itinerary: </b>(I might have lied a little bit because we actually spent 2 nights/3 days in Seattle but since we spent 1.5 days shopping at my wife's insistence... I will not be doing a trip report on that lol)</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br />DAY 1: (driving) Vancouver -> Seattle (shopped at Seattle Premium Outlets) </span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 2: Kerry Park -> Seattle Center/Space Needle -> Downtown -> Safeco Field -> Kerry Park</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY 3: Hiram M. Chittenden Locks ->(more shopping at Northgate Mall) -> Vancouver</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">One Day Whirlwind Tour Around Seattle</span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">August 6th, 2013</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/9593305081_78418be289_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pike Place Market" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/9593310015_bd8692a65a_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Colors at Pike Place Market" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3802/9596105706_7834659e4f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Public Library" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9593308173_2a846c07d4_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Inside Seattle Public Library" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/9596101556_65439fd8e6_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Eye" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/9596100776_6a0d454d3f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Blue Jays at Safeco Field" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2861/9596098500_3b424084cb_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Skyline at night from Kerry Park" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2818/9593304193_be6fcb9cb0_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After I dropped my wife off for some official business stuff I was off to tour Seattle with Stuart the Minion! We stayed slightly outside the city (closer to where my wife had to be for the day) per Google Maps (~20 minutes) and I had one goal in mind upon departure... Get to the 7th Ave parkade by 10:00AM to avoid being slaughtered with downtown parking charges. Knowing Seattle's notorious reputation for traffic jams, I left our B&B at 9:20AM for a 20 minute drive (non rush-hour)... Even with my self-proclaimed fantastic foresight I arrived at the parkade at 10:10AM (so much to the early bird special!) and it would be ~$30-40 for the day. My 20 year old car was probably worth ~$500 (way more in terms of emotional attachment though)... "Do I really want to pay 10% of what my car is worth to park for a few hours?"... "Fuck no!" replied my cheap inner Asian and off to Kerry Park I went. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The traffic god in Seattle must've laughed his/her ass off because there were literally no traffic out of downtown Seattle as I journeyed to Kerry Park. Luckily enough I caught a glimpse of cheap parking around Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is located... outside of the downtown core) as I drove past. My trusty old Civic struggled to climb up the steep hill leading to Kerry Park but at last I arrived in one piece and there were ample street parking available!</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Space Needle reflection off of Seattle Center" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3712/9593314821_b0f8d293d3_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 0% 4% 4%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This little patch of grass called "Kerry Park" was by far the best place to enjoy the Seattle skyline. Since it was very tiny viewpoint in the middle of a residential area it was probably off-limits to large tour buses, and it remained relatively quiet (I was able to take a few photos of Stuart the Minion without looking too ridiculous lol). From the viewpoint I could see the multicolored Seattle Center and the iconic Space Needle with downtown Seattle as a backdrop. Furthermore, Mount Rainier was easily visible in the distance because of the fantastic weather! I knew it was unfair for my wife to miss this marvelous view because of "business", therefore I decided I would return to this park with her after the baseball game that night to enjoy the night lights of Seattle.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Space Needle" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/9596108886_af05fe2f0c_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 0% 4% 4%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Seattle Center & the Space Needle was only 5 minutes away by car and there were ample of parking available (by around 10:45AM)... $18 for the day only! The main building housed the Experience Music Project (EMP) which was basically a music museum. The most interesting aspect of this site was not of the content or the music museum inside, but of the architecture of the building itself. I had visited Seattle Center numerous times before, and to be honest I still have no idea what the building was supposed to represent. However this curvy, multicolored, reflective structure provided many interesting perspective for photographs (oh yeah, the monorail also passed through the structure). Adjacent to EMP was the iconic Space Needle which offered a fantastic unobstructed view of the city as well as of the Puget Sound. Due to the long queue line I decided against going up to the top (I have already been on previous visits - the night view was far more spectacular in my opinion). Toronto Blue Jays memorabilia (jerseys, hats, etc) could be found on many visitors during the visit (including myself). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />The monorail station was located within a</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> 30 second walk </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">opposite to the Space Needle (however it can be a little tricky to locate). There were only 2 stations for the monorail: Space Needle (Alweg Station) and downtown Seattle (Westlake Center) and it only costed $2.50 one way. An uneventful 5-minute ride later I arrived at the downtown core surrounded by modern buildings. Following tourist signs and a short stroll later I arrived at another Seattle icon: Pike Place Market.</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pike Place Market Traffic" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5323/9596106738_d12d682079_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 0% 4% 4%; width: 40%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pike Place Market was beyond packed with tourists and like Seattle Center, there were copious Blue Jays supporters among the crowd. Pike Place Market was an old and damp building buzzing with activity with various vendors selling the freshest local seafood, produce, or flowers money can buy. Once in a while there would be actual customers but those freshest ingredients certainly demanded a premium price! As an amateur photographer I was overwhelmed by the colors and arrangements of various items, and it was difficult to take time to compose photographs without interrupting the constant foot traffic. <i>[if you feel overwhelmed by the amount of people at the Market... which you likely will on a prolonged stay... consider going down a level where numerous art studios/stores are located... the difference in traffic between the main floor and the floor below is insane]</i>. Immediately opposite the Pike Place Market was the original Starbucks (often mentioned in guide books)... However the only difference between the original shop and the 100 different Starbucks in the proximity was the logo... the original Starbucks logo was brown while other Starbucks' were green.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">From Pike Market I walked to University and 4th Ave for lunch (I will write about that in a separate post) because my stomach was revolting from my neglect for nutrition. The Seattle Public Library was only 5 minutes away from the restaurant and it was highly recommended by photographers on Flickr, and I was glad I listened to their advice because I spent more than an hour in that beautiful, modern, asymmetrical piece of art. The last time I spent more than 10 seconds in a library I was cramming for my licensing exam during university (I can't believe I willingly stayed in another library for so long!) The entire structure was encased in diamond shaped glasses with a minimalist interior. I was mesmerized by the diamond patterns casted from the windows and I stopped on every floor looking for inspirations in this 10-story architectural masterpiece and I was rewarded with a few keepers. </span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Westlake Center" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3767/9593306003_37ab1376e3_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 0% 4% 4%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After another hour of casual street photography I found myself near the waterfront again walking towards one of the newest waterfront attraction: The Seattle Great Wheel. It was basically a big ferris wheel almost identical to the London Eye. Again I did not queue up for the ride because I didn't think I would get a better vantage point of the Seattle skyline from the ride (it was dwarfed by the first row of downtown Seattle buildings). I made my way back to Westlake Center (adjacent to Nordstrom's) for my monorail return trip to Seattle Center to pick up my vehicle since it was already past 4:00PM (wifey needed a pickup lol). In typical Seattle fashion it took me 40 minutes to cover a 15 minute distance (ARRGGHH!).</span><br />
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Safeco Field" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/9593304453_a467104b8c_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 0% 4% 4%; width: 30%;" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was around 5-6PM and we were in the peak of rush hour traffic attempting to reach Safeco Field where the Seattle Mariners played host to the Toronto Blue Jays. I had never been to a professional baseball game before and I had no idea what to expect... the only thing I knew was the amount of Blue Jays fans roaming around Seattle. We were stuck in traffic for over an hour and by the time we reached the venue the game was already underway (3rd inning)... we missed the national anthems and Jose Reyes' home-run (ARRRGGG!). Safeco Field was way grander than I imagined and the atmosphere was fantastic with a near-full stadium... funny enough, the stadium was filled with Toronto fans and we easily outnumbered the home team fans by about 3:1 = Blue Jays took over Seattle's home field hahahaha <i>(see all the blue in the crowd?)</i>. After a rare and pleasing Blue Jays victory we ended our night at Kerry Park marveling at the sparkling night lights of Seattle... fulfilling day indeed!</span>
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<span style="font-size: 25px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Additional photos</span></u></b></span>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3828/9596108444_625aaf5796_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7335/9593314393_f17a9f84c7_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5508/9593313651_0ee8b37977_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/9593310973_cf52cba9e0_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pike Market Seafood" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7342/9596104324_1ff9f4a41e_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Building" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3697/9596103368_e5014c7de9_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle building reflection" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/9596103042_87d38bf76c_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Neon escalator in Seattle Public Library" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7425/9593307545_10e0dc5476_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Great Wheel" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3761/9596100518_2f16f68ecf_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Great Wheel" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/9596100214_58f497d935_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 20%;" /></a></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Monorail" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/9593314067_93eeab1c50_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 28%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pike Place Market Seattle" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7431/9596107072_d7f6210be4_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 28%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pike Place Traffic" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7451/9596106526_9367a6eed7_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 28%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pike Place Fruit Vendor" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7335/9593312311_6585a9a8bf_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 28%;" /></a>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pike Place Colors" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/9596105090_8ebf6f4719_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 28%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Pike Place Windows" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/9596104022_637663de30_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 28%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635236055626/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Seattle Public Library" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/9596101056_5e1ca7ba6b_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 28%;" /></a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-48626901016980265722013-08-26T12:00:00.000-07:002013-08-26T19:46:29.533-07:00PERSIED'S METEOR SHOWER<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">
The annual Persied's Meteor shower was all over the news and since I didn't have to work the next day I decided to try photographing the meteors! To be completely honest I have never been a fan of night photography because 1) I don't get to sleep, 2) A dark piece of sky is required (need to go somewhere far away?), 3) It requires a lot of post-processing...<br />
<br />
It turns out there is a nice piece of real estate called Porteau Cove (only 45 minutes from Vancouver) that is popular amongst night photographers. When I arrived there were SO many photographers... It was tough getting a spot! <br />
<br />
The light pollution at the bottom right is from the town of Squamish (<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/07/conquering-stawamus-chief.html">near the Stawamus Chief</a>!), and the Sea-to-Sky highway traffic could be seen from the bottom right as well.</span>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635198068908/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank style="><img alt="Persied's Meteor from Porteau Cove" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3704/9573350769_50e3983415_z_d.jpg" style="border: 6px solid white; float: center; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px;" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-2774727992968379262013-08-22T21:15:00.001-07:002013-08-22T21:16:43.765-07:00HOT DOG: ICELAND'S NATIONAL FOOD<div id="left pictures" style="float: left; width: 45%;">
<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Icelandic Hot Dog + Skyr" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/8957032504_dd9891279f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Most popular hot dog stand in Iceland" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/9574307820_62bfdf6890_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">
There are no ifs, ands, or buts when it comes to dining out in Iceland... it is bank breaking expensive (unintentional pun alert lol!). One of the reason to why dining out is so costly (aside from key ingredients being imported) around Iceland is because Icelanders take their food seriously... dining out = fine dining experience.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ironically when I asked for food recommendations in Reykjavik I was referred to this inconspicuous "dumpy" hot dog stand close to the waterfront (near the conference center). Each hot dog costed ~ $3 CAD and I would've paid triple that price because it was simply the best hot dog I've ever tasted (Japadog in Vancouver comes second).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Hot dogs (or "pylsur" in Icelandic) can be found everywhere... in gas stations, convenience stores, etc... and they seem to be loved by locals and tourists alike. This particular hot dog stand (</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur) in Reykjavik is undoubtedly the most frequented eatery in Iceland, and was selected as the best hot dog stand in Europe by the Guardian. Unlike regular hot dogs in North America, these delicious gems are made with a blend of beef, pork, and lamb... and tasted like actual meat. The meat itself is good, but it is the combination of unique condiments that elevates this hot dog to its king status. A stripe of ketchup, followed by a stripe of mayonnaise-based remoulade, and finally... a stripe of sweet spiced brown mustard (onions are suggested but optional... I don't eat raw onions so I skipped it).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Due to its sheer deliciousness I would recommend ordering two hotdogs from the get go so you don't have to wait in the queue for a second serving (the queue does move fast however)... because your taste buds WILL crave this orgasmic flavors again. You may decide to pair the hotdog with Coca-Cola (you can get it at the stand) or you may decide to enjoy it with Skyr (Icelandic yogurt) from a nearby convenience store. Aside: Skyr = best yogurt I've ever tasted and I have been trying to find them in Canada ever since (apparently it is considered as un-pasturized cheese thus importing is next to impossible... yes I liked it so much I actually tried to import it myself haha)... PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW IF YOU KNOW HOW TO GET SKYR IN CANADA!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Did I just write a post about hot dogs??? Yes it was this delicious. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-18803877058675315192013-08-16T17:07:00.001-07:002014-12-01T14:02:29.132-08:00Bucket List<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5340/8971621485_199d06e161_z_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5340/8971621485_199d06e161_z_d.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">TO SEE:</span></b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">1. See a wombat in the wild</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">2. See a porcupine in the wild</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">3. See (and hopefully touch) a
penguin in the wild (Antarctica)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">4. See a polar bear from a safe
distance</span></div>
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/05/iceland-photos-and-experiences.html" target="_blank"><s><span style="font-family: Arial;">5. Experience the northernlights </span></s></a><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;">(completed Sept 17,
2012)</span></div>
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<s><span style="font-family: Arial;">6. Attend a “Cirque du
Soleil” performance</span></s><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: red;">(completed Aug 4, 2010 Kooza)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">7. Be surrounded by fireflies
in the wild</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">8. Tondabayashi firework (Aug –
largest fireworks show in the world) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Jul
10)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">TO VISIT:</span></b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">9. Visit all 7 continents
(Asia, <s>Europe</s> <span style="color: red;">[Sept 12, 2012]</span>, N & S
America, Australia, Antarctica,
Africa)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/favorite-photos.html" target="_blank"><s><span style="font-family: Arial;">10. Travel around New York and visit theStatue of Liberty</span></s></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: red;">(completed July 2, 2011)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/10/paris-love-lights-luxuries-part-1-of-2.html" target="_blank"><strike><span style="font-family: Arial;">11. See</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Effiel Tower</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> with my love one (day and night) </span></strike><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: red;">(completed August 30, 2013)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/07/jinshanling-great-wall-of-china.html" target="_blank"><s><span style="font-family: Arial;">12. Hike the Great Wall of China (wild wall)</span></s></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/p/favorite-photos.html"> </a><span style="color: red;">(completed Feb 8, 2012)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">13. Scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">14. Explore the Safari and
experience various animal encounters</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">15. See the pyramids and sphinx</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">16. Visit Antarctica</span></div>
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/05/iceland-photos-and-experiences.html" target="_blank"><s><span style="font-family: Arial;">17. Explore Iceland (fire and ice!)</span></s></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: red;">(completed
Sept 11, 2012)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">18. Drive across Canada
and visit all 10 provinces</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">19. Visit all 50 states</span></div>
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<s><span style="font-family: Arial;">20. Visit</span></s><s><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Banff National Park</span></s><s><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></s><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;">(completed Aug 30, 2009)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">21. Visit</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Yosemite National Park</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">22. Visit</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Yellowstone National Park</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">23. See</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Niagra Falls</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> (and night light show)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">24. Hike the Alps and visit Switzerland</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">25. Experience Tibet (via railway) </span></div>
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/favorite-photos.html" target="_blank"><s><span style="font-family: Arial;">26. Visit Grand Canyon</span></s></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: red;">(completed Dec 14, 2010)</span></span></div>
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<s><span style="font-family: Arial;">27. Visit Las Vegas</span></s><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: red;">(completed Feb 18, 2008)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">28. Visit Alaska via cruise</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">29. Explore Islands of Hawaii</span></div>
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/favorite-photos.html" target="_blank"><s><span style="font-family: Arial;">30. Visit and photograph“Thor’s Well” (Jan 10)</span></s></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></i><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;">(completed April 27, 2010)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">TO DO:</span></b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">31. Drive a motorcycle</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">32. Watch a romantic sunset with
my love one in isolation</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">33. Learn to drive manual
transmission</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">34. Ride in a Ferrari</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">35. Try snowboarding</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">36. Perform a stunt in a
half-pipe course (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Feb 10</i>)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Arial;">37. Go skydiving</span></s><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: red;">(completed Sept 14, 2008)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">38. Experience zip-lining in the
treetops (Mount Verde - Costa Rica)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">39. Win a photography contest</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">40. Eat a kiwi in New Zealand</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">41. Pick a mango fresh off a tree
and eat it</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">42. Be able to run 10km in one
go</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">43. Complete Grouse Grind in 45
minutes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">44. Take a hot air balloon ride</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">45. Fly business/first class on
a flight > 5 hours</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">46. Go Sailing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">47. Go on a spontaneous trip</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">48. Fly a plane (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">March 22,10</i>)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">49. Fly in a helicopter</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">50. Fly in a jet plane at Mach
speed (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mar 22,10</i>)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Arial;">51. Fire a gun (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">March 22,10</i>)</span></s><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: red;">(completed Dec 16, 2010)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">52. Go Kite-surfing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">TO BECOME:</span></b></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">53. <strike>A parent</strike> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: red;">(completed May 20, 2014)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Arial;">54. A husband</span></s><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: red;">(completed Nov 11, 2011)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Arial;">55. Financially independent</span></s><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: red;">(completed June 21, 2010)</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">TO PHOTOGRAPH:</span></b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">56. Horseshoe Bend, Page Arizona USA</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">57. Antelope Canyon, Page Arizona USA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">58. Salt flats (Utah or South America)</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-26110749948183868172013-08-16T17:01:00.003-07:002013-08-18T15:18:20.541-07:00Favorite Photos<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This page houses my favorite pictures through my camera lens. Even though these pictures will most likely not win any awards, they are my favorite memories (usually because they are on my Bucket List). Most of these pictures are displayed on my wall in my own home.</span><br />
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<td><a href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/8967460596/" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/8967460596_7748f50554_z_d.jpg" /></a></td>
<td valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Oregon Coast - Thor's Well</b></span>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/bucket-list.html" target="_blank">Bucket list item #30!</a><br />
I stumbled upon a picture of this place on Flickr while planning my Oregon Coast road trip, and I quickly realized that I must visit this place. This was taken along the Oregon Coast at a place near Cape Perpetua. "Thor's Well" is actually a geographic "blow hole" where it is under water most of the time when the tide is high, and it is only visible when the tide is low with waves coming on-shore. When the wave comes in through the underground channel it jets out "Thor's well" like a geyser... be careful because if you are pulled into this cave you'll be coming back out in pieces with the next wave!<br />
<br />
I actually visited this place the day before this picture was taken but the weather was so windy/rainy that it was a little bit too dangerous for my taste (actually since I was traveling with my girlfriend at the time (wife now) I didn't want her to worry. Even when I took this picture the conditions were a little dicey...
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<td valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>New York City - Time's Square - Midnight Madness</b></span>
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<br />
(part of) <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/bucket-list.html" target="_blank">Bucket list item #10!</a><br />
This picture was taken around midnight at the core of the city that never sleeps - Time's Square. Earlier that day I had visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) and in their photography section there was a set of purposely de-focused photographs (I forgot who the photographer was) which I thought was interesting. So I decided to do my own set of de-focused photographs in NYC to convey the extreme pace and adrenaline that defines the city of New York.<br />
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This is actually part of a 3 set series I had taken but this is the best one in my opinion because even though it is blurry most people will still recognize it as Time's Square. The other two were taken at the Brooklyn Bridge and on top of the Rockefeller Center (of the Empire State Building) - Maybe I'll find time and post a trip report of NYC sometime...
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<td valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Grand Canyon</b></span>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/bucket-list.html" target="_blank">Bucket list item #26!</a><br />
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My wife and I booked a 5 day trip to Las Vegas to finalize some wedding stuff, so it is only logical that I sneak away for a couple of days... I mean... it is only logical for me to give some freedom for my wife-to-be and her maid of honor to do their thing. The 4 hour drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon was uneventful aka super boring with tumbleweeds blowing across the highway from time to time.<br />
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The road leading to the Grand Canyon (South Rim) was on an incline so all I saw was more road until I hit the apex of the ascend... then BAM the Grand Canyon appeared in front of my eyes all at once. It was so majestic unlike anything I've ever seen/imagined. This canyon is so ginormous my mind was literally shocked. I tried taking my wife there in a separate trip but it was so foggy/snowy we couldn't see anything...</td>
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<td valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Great Wall of China - Wild Wall</b></span>
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/bucket-list.html" target="_blank">Bucket list item #12!</a><br />
There is a Chinese proverb suggesting that "a real man must've endured the Great Wall" so there I was being a real manly man haha<br />
<br />
Like many popular tourist attractions the portion that most tourists frequent is overcrowded and heavily commercialized. Instead we hired a cab to take us to the untouched portion of the Great Wall which was about 2-3 hours away from Beijing in the adjacent province. This portion of the Great Wall was called JinShanLing and when we were there we hiked for 6 hours and we only saw less than 10 people. It was a wonderful feeling to have the Great Wall all to yourself... we also had a taste of the hardship the soldiers must've had to endure because those northern China winds were bone chilling - worst than anything I've encountered in Canada so far!</td>
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<td valign="top"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Iceland - Jokulsarlon sunset</b></span>
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(part of) <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/bucket-list.html" target="_blank">Bucket list item #5 & #17!</a><br />
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This picture was taken at Jokulsarlon in Iceland<br />
<br />
The reason why this picture resonated with me is because this picture represented my travels in Iceland (which was magical by the way). I had gone through heavy wind and rain storms for 2 days prior to this picture was taken and the sun finally peaked through the rain clouds near sunset for the first time. I spent the night right beside this glacial lake and the next morning was even better. (see my trip report under Iceland)
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-91866958369450568572013-08-10T22:06:00.000-07:002013-08-16T15:41:18.846-07:00CELEBRATION OF LIGHT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a 1em="" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635019297218/" imageanchor="1" margin-left:="" margin-right:="" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank style="><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3725/9480486979_922ce6534c_c_d.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The annual fireworks competition was upon Vancouver again! This annual multi-day Vancouver festival takes place around late July-early August and this year we were blessed with fantastic weather (a historic record of no rain for the entire month of July!). For best views of the fireworks one may want to consider heading to English Bay (I have only been there once for fireworks... but go there a few hours early!), but there are many alternative locations to enjoy the fireworks around town as well (I have personally been to Jericho beach, Kitsilano beach, Vanier Point, and on the bridges connecting downtown to the rest of Vancouver).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a 1em="" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635019297218/" imageanchor="1" margin-left:="" margin-right:="" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank style="><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/9480487459_ce953eb742_d.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At 9:15 PM (looking at North Shore)</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a 1em="" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635019297218/" imageanchor="1" margin-left:="" margin-right:="" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank style="><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/9483278714_a5873d380a_d.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At 9:30 (left corner... people walking toward Vanier Point)</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reason why I rarely travel to English Bay to watch the show is: 1) Laziness (waiting for hours to secure a spot on the beach), 2) Traffic (parking downtown is prohibitively expensive + leaving downtown after the show is a nightmare), 3) Not that interesting for photography (no background!). I am only able to attend 1 show this year due to work and other commitments, and since I promised I would try to visit all of the bridges connecting Vancouver to downtown <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/08/vancouver-skyline.html" target="_blank">from an earlier post</a>... these fireworks pictures were taken from the Burrard St. Bridge! (I have now completed my promise!). I arrived with my trusty tripod at around 9:20 PM (fireworks started at 10 PM) and there were still plenty of room for me to setup along the bridge (of course the "prime" bridge locations were already taken by other photographers). Plenty of free parking could be had along residential streets (7th to 15th ave) if you don't mind walking for 10-15 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Without further ado... </span><br />
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<tr><td><a 1em="" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635019297218/" imageanchor="1" margin-left:="" margin-right:="" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank style="><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/9480486805_8eb2672ca9_d.jpg" width="500" /></a> </td><td><a 1em="" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635019297218/" imageanchor="1" margin-left:="" margin-right:="" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank style="><img border="0" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/9483277972_881b4f2d5c_d.jpg" width="500" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td><a 1em="" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635019297218/" imageanchor="1" margin-left:="" margin-right:="" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank style="><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/9480486359_e034f1d008_d.jpg" width="500" /></a> </td><td><a 1em="" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157635019297218/" imageanchor="1" margin-left:="" margin-right:="" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank style="><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/9483277522_b068e427cf_d.jpg" width="500" /></a> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And a bonus panorama! (Comments or questions? Leave a message below!)</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-60829384832026898242013-08-05T00:47:00.000-07:002013-09-30T17:39:21.382-07:00ANCIENT CHINA IN MODERN BEIJING<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Beijing - Temple of the Heavenly" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/9330656007_0c2c1c1b26_c_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; width: 500px;" width="494px" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Adventures of two bananas in the Capital</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">Last time I visited Beijing
I was 4 years old and I ran off in Tiananmen Square
looking for bullet holes (which led to homemade personal locating devices
attached to me for the reminder of the trip... aka little bells around my wrist).
Oh yeah, I also "spoke" Chinese back then.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">From my recollection Beijing
was a sterile and oppressive city (possibly because my parents and I visited
not too long after the infamous Tiananmen Square
incident).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My memories of Beijing
consisted of endless bicycle traffic with occasional motorbikes (cars and buses
were few and far between); ice-sledding/tobogganing on a frozen lake (courtesy
of nice Beijing locals); climbing the Badaling great wall in tears but got a
“Great Wall conqueror” certificate; and my first encounter with snow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br />
Fast forward 20ish years my Chinese language skills remained atrocious
(shameful would be another word that would describe my Mandarin), and this time
I took my wife with me to hike the Great Wall of China.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My wife, a third-generation Chinese-Canadian
who is fluent in English and French, turned out to be less useful in
communicating with the locals than I had hoped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So during our 5-day trip to the Capital we were essentially two bananas
traveling in Beijing
where everybody expected us to converse in Chinese – which led to some
memorable experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(banana: yellow
outside, white inside)</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Itinerary: </b>(Beijing
was a side-trip… we were not crazy enough to fly to Asia from Canada for a
3.5 day trip)</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br />
DAY1: (fly in) Vancouver to Beijing</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY2:
Temple of the Heavenly, Tiananmen
Square</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY3:
Summer Palace,
Jingshan Park</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY4:
The Great Wall of China (JinShanling)</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">DAY5:
Flag raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square (fly
out)</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 1: VANCOUVER to BEIJING</span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">February
5th, 2012</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Beijing street food vendors" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/9330656953_b0e7b96786_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Near Wangfujiang" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/9330656745_90d1653c16_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a></div>
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After a tiring long distance flight we arrived at Beijing international airport. Our flight with Air China was uneventful but unlike my wife I can never get any sleep on the plane. We rushed through customs and met up with my mother who insisted that she would serve as our guide around Beijing <i>(Since she had been to the capital multiple times and spoke Mandarin adequately… a trait somewhat helpful because it relieved limitations and pressures surrounding our language incompetence. However her insight was minimally utilized because our travel preferences were different – i.e. I ended up being the tour guide)</i>. Thanks to numerous travel websites we were able to plan and book our trip only one week in advance.<br /><br />
We hailed a taxi to usher us straight to our hotel from the airport. We were able to negotiate a fixed price with the taxi driver in order to deter any possibilities of fare-gauging. The domestically-built taxi then raced through tolled expressways like a German-built sports car (without the comfort, style, or safety features). As we frantically search for our seat belts we were joined by countless Fords, Volkswagens, and Audis just like any highways back home. As we approach Beijing I realized that all the bicycles I saw 20 years ago had been replaced by automobiles, and modern commercial buildings stand in places where hutong residences dominated 20 years ago.<br /><br />
We arrived at our reasonably priced hotel (Hotel Kapok) with above average reviews at the heart of the capital. The hotel staffs were courteous and they escorted us to our hotel rooms after check-in (they photocopied and registered our passports – I later learned that there are different classes of hotels in China: For foreign visitors, for Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan guests, and domestic travelers. Needless to say the ones for domestic travelers were the least desired). Hotel Kapok was ultra modern with all the basic amenities any travelers would expect, plus glass walls for the bathroom (with curtains if one wished for privacy) – my privacy-loving wife did not appreciate such added “luxury” haha. <br /><br />
After settling in it was near dinner time and we ventured out on foot to explore the streets around our hotel and we wandered toward Wangfujing street (or Wangfujingdajie). <i> [I found the inconsistencies in English translation all over China (not just Beijing) confusing because one thing could have 3-4 different translations… i.e. Wangfujing Street VS Wangfujingdajie. At least I could make out dajie = big street, but what about those poor non-Chinese visitors?]</i>. We passed a busy street full of food vendors selling all sorts of “exotic delicacies” to locals and tourists – for under $5 CAD anyone could enjoy the taste of bee cocoons, beetles, scorpions, starfish, snakes, or sheep’s penises. Unfortunately I didn’t know I would start travel blogging at the time, or I would’ve totally whore my stomach out for some extra page views/comments. We ended up stopping by a seemingly famous dumpling restaurant (food staple of the northern Chinese). At the restaurant my wife experienced her first Chinese culture shock: Squat toilets. As a dude it really doesn’t matter whether it was a bush, a bottle, or any permutations of a toilet because I pee the same way… but I guess females are different... In fact my wife refused squat toilets throughout the entire trip and she purposely dehydrated herself on longer day trips.</span>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 2: TEMPLE OF THE HEAVENLY + TIANANMEN SQUARE</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">February
6th, 2012</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Corridor down Temple of Heavenly" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3812/9330656085_6796cf4f57_z_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Temple of Heavenly" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/9330655845_0fb102799f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Temple of Heavenly" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2821/9330655683_ff28e7c38c_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Soldiers Tiananmen Square" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/9333449598_030d6e8e00_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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We had a late start since we were exhausted from our flights. On this chilly breezy day we began our adventure to Wangfujing by foot and it was our first run-in with the infamous Beijing smog. It actually wasn’t bad at all because only distant buildings were obscured by a slight hint of brown and visibility was only minimally impacted (but for a Canadian who is spoiled by unlimited visibility the smog was noticeable). We went to Wangfujing in search of food but the only restaurant opened was McDonald’s <i>(of all places!)</i> and there we were delighted to find $2 CAD breakfasts… (OK I lied, there were limited restaurants open, but $30 RMB for a bun = blatant tourist trap. Due to the simplicity of typical Chinese breakfast – usually congee or noodles… local Chinese usually stay home for breakfast hence limited restaurant options). <br /><br />
Our first attraction of the day was Temple of the Heavenly <i>(also known as Temple of the Heaven, or Tiantan which means sky altar… see what I mean by translation inconsistencies?)</i>. On our way to the subway station we were surprised at how well-dressed and stylish some Beijing locals were (i.e. Well fitted suits, nice tasteful dresses, etc). At the same time we were also surprised at how locals were always battling with phlegm because throat clearing/spitting seemed to be widely accepted even when performed in public (must be the bad air quality). Beijing’s metro system was modern, clean, and most importantly simple. During our stay we were able to navigate on public transits to most destinations relatively inexpensively.<br /><br />
The metro exit led us close to the east gate of the park. The entrance fee to the park was modest, and we were able to use our Canadian university ID for a slight discount. Once inside we were treated to a harmonious balance of red, green, and blue that defined this UNESCO heritage site built in the Ming dynasty (600 years ago!). The park was extremely popular for the local population and it seemed to be the epicenter for community get-togethers. As we passed through the long corridor that led to the altar we found the park buzzing with activity even in the middle of winter. We were surrounded by laughter and chants from locals playing traditional games such as Jianzi (Chinese hacky sack) and Chinese chess.<br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Locals playing Jianzi at Temple of Heavenly" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2815/9330656665_3be14f029d_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 43%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Locals playing Chinese Chess at Temple of Heavenly" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3676/9333450398_c62cfcc8f3_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 43%;" /></a>
The composition of park visitors favored tourists the further we continued down the corridor and we were finally treated to a familiar yet impressive view: The Hall of Prayers for Good Harvests (aka the altar). To my disappointment the altar was blocked off this time around (I remember there were no restrictions last time I was there two decades ago). At the same time we were fortunate because we visited during winter months and there were relatively fewer tourists to compete for a glimpse of the interior through opened doors. The wind seemed to have picked up and I had my first encounter with the ridiculous Beijing chill. Armed with 3M Thinsulate gloves and a proper winter coat I still felt as if I jumped into Arctic waters wearing only my birthday suit. With semi frozen tears and snot continually running down my face, I decided to press on to see the other portions of the park… 15 minutes later I conceded to the wind and was forced to seek shelter (and purchased heat packs from the park store).<br /><br />
We left our itinerary open intentionally for the rest of the afternoon because I didn’t know if we would be excited enough to visit the Forbidden City <i>(I know it is supposed to be a must-see… being another UNESCO heritage site that defines China)</i>. I had already visited the imperial palace when I was little and I actually had a chance to go inside the main hall as there were no visitor restrictions when I last went (similar to Temple of the Heavenly). <i> The last time I visited I also met the last living eunuch from the Qing dynasty (he was 102 years old 20 years ago… I don’t know why I remembered since it was uneventful)</i>. Since my wife had never been to the palace we took the subway back to Tiananmen Square (the Forbidden City was in its vicinity) so she could visit this Chinese symbol. However, the amount of visitors who lined up for tickets probably made the queue at the Louvre laughable so we quickly abandoned the idea. Instead, we casually strolled around possibly the most monitored piece of real estate in the world – Tiananmen Square. There was a strong visible presence of armed soldiers and policemen; furthermore, there were numerous CCTVs mounted to each light post. On a lighter note, there were also Canadian flags on every single light post! (I guess I am kind of a big deal hahaha, Stephen Harper’s visit had NOTHING to do with it).</span>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 3: THE SUMMER PALACE + JINGSHAN PARK</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">February
7th, 2012</span></div>
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<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Summer Palace overlooking Kunming Lake" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2881/9330654977_5496327fc4_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Tower of Buddhist Incense" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7296/9333449274_ae75a8e7bc_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Tower of Buddhist Incense" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3726/9330654825_418b7fa462_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Summer Palace color scheme" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/9333448538_c017dab3bd_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Summer Palace" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/9330653849_156bca3a49_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Summer Palace Long Corridor" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2868/9333447696_0bf98daaff_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jingshan Park overlooking Beijing" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9333446956_6b828b318f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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We jumped on the metro for the Summer Palace. After a quick transfer (Subway Line 1 to Line 4) and a 40 minute journey, we learned that personal space was not recognized in Beijing because our standing room neighbors had no problems grinding against us (the number of bodies that fit inside each subway car was also astounding… as a result of numerous counts of personal space violations). Luckily most passengers had no intentions of traveling to our destination and there were ample seats/space midway through our metro ride. Once we arrived at Beigongmen station, the north gate of Summer Palace (aka Beigongmen) was only a few minutes walk from the metro exit. Day 3 of our trip landed on the day of the Lantern Festival, which was also the last day of the 15-day lunar New Year celebration. The majority of the city was decorated with bright red paper lanterns which added another layer of cultural excitement to our already fulfilling experience.<br /><br />
Upon entry to the Summer Palace we were greeted by hundreds of lanterns overhead. The imperial summer retreat/garden was gigantic and since we didn’t want to spend an entire day there, we decided to limit our visit to the northern and eastern portion of the palace where most structures were concentrated (yet still a healthy distance to cover). We were visiting a summer retreat in the middle of winter, the central Kunming Lake was frozen solid and the temperature was a few degrees below anyone’s comfort (we supplemented our attire with thick winter jackets and face-warmers).<br /><br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Lanterns at the Summer Palace" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/9333449430_77b6872323_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 26%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Longevity Hill" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/9330654281_61fa490107_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 26%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Descending Longevity Hill" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/9330654051_a6f158383b_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0% 3% 4% 3%; width: 26%;" /></a>
One of the main attractions in the summer palace was the Tower of Buddhist Incense (aka Foxiangge) located at the top of Longevity Hill. At the top we were treated to a wonderful panoramic view of the entire Kunming Lake and the surrounding structures. The view was further enhanced when I realized that Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill were entirely man-made centuries ago without the aid of machineries. The architecture style of the summer palace was similar to Temple of the Heavenly where the wooden structures were painted in a mix of harmonious red, blue, and green. The Tower of Buddhist Incense was an engineering marvel considering the height of the structure and the material used to reach such height (wood). In addition, the entire complex also doubled as an art exhibit because there were unique paintings on each overhead beam. The meticulous artwork, the ingenious engineering, and the grand landscaping propelled this ancient imperial retreat onto the UNESCO heritage list. However, this structure also represented a painful chapter in Chinese history because this extravagant palace was built from diversion of military funds which eventually led to successful occupation of China by foreign militaries.<br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Summer Palace - Panorama Kunming Lake" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2812/9333448692_27de08937f_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Marble Boat" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2811/9330653387_4b6b96b278_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
As we descend from Longevity Hill we reached Long Corridor by the lake (aka Changlang/ Long Gallery). Continuing the architecture style of the summer palace, Long Corridor also featured countless colored paintings on overhead cross-beams. We continued down the corridor and there were only a handful of other tourists (a perk when visiting during winter months I suppose) until we reached another symbol of frivolous spending: A marble two-story boat. We were getting hungry by that point so we exited out of the closest gate (east gate). To our surprise it was a 15-20 minute walk from the east gate to the closest metro station (Xiyuan station), and unfortunately there were no restaurants along the way. By the time we traveled back into the city center and had our empty stomach filled, there were only a couple hours of daylight remaining.<br /><br />
Instead of visiting the Forbidden City, I had done some research the night before and I came across a park right behind the Forbidden City which offered a fantastic 360 degree view of Beijing including the imperial palace. Once again we traveled by public transit and we found that not only were Beijing buses efficient, navigating on the bus was easy as well (there was a display in both Chinese and English indicating the next stop). Once we arrived at Jingshan Park (and of course after another small entrance fee… nothing is free in Beijing) it was clear where we should go… up the hill.<br />
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jinghsan Park overlooking Forbidden City" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/9333447274_4b4dac7b82_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jinghsan Park overlooking Forbidden City" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/9330653069_16a66ec729_n_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 44%;" /></a>
Jingshan Park was originally an imperial garden (and part of the Forbidden City), we saw a group of locals practicing taichi and line dancing. It seemed synchronized activities such as line dancing/morning stretches are popular in Beijing because during our brief visit we encountered countless such activities. As we walked up the hill there was a gazebo 3/4 up the hill with an amazing view of the modern Beijing with its skyscrapers, and a short distance from the gazebo was the main lookout. By the time we reached the lookout the sun casted a golden orange hue over the entire city, and the entire Forbidden City was in front of our eyes unobstructed. (I will let the pictures do the talking). We concluded our day with fireworks as locals celebrated the lunar new year and festivities radiated throughout the city.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 4: THE GREAT WILD WALL OF CHINA (JINSHANLING)</span></u></b></span>
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<a 1em="" href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/07/jinshanling-great-wall-of-china.html" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jinshangling" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8399/8973306330_99923d8b13_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/07/jinshanling-great-wall-of-china.html" target="_blank">Visiting the Great Wild Wall of China (Jinshanling)… Because it was so epic I decided to document my day in a separate entry! </a><br /><br />
<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/07/jinshanling-additional-photos.html" target="_blank">Additional photos can be found here as well!</a> <br /><br />
As we return from our mini road trip our driver Joe was kind enough to detour to the Olympic grounds so we could have a glimpse of the “birds nest” National Stadium before he dropped us off at the trendy Houhai district for dinner. Houhai district was filled with restaurants, bars, and karaoke shops. We were going to chill-lax at a pub after dinner, but since my wife refused to use squat toilets her dehydration tactic was only successful for about 12 hours… we hailed a taxi (with great difficulty) and headed back to our hotel.
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<span style="font-size: 30px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">DAY 5: FLAG RAISING CEREMONY -> AIRPORT</span></u></b></span>
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<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Canada China Tiananmen Square" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Flag Raising Ceremony March" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7371/9333446676_7526d5e916_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Beijing morning - bicylcles" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/9333446520_8437b700ca_m_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: right; margin: 0% 0% 4% 4%; width: 30%;" /></a>
Our flight was scheduled in the early afternoon so we did not have much time to sightsee that day. In fact even if we went sightseeing we wouldn’t see much because the smog was terrible. We were lucky that the majority of our trip was under beautiful blue skies (at least we could see the sky lol) because I would be quite bummed if all I could see were my immediate surroundings.<br /><br />
My mom and I woke up extra early (before sunrise early) so we could see the flag raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square. A small platoon of soldiers marched in unison carrying the Chinese flag to its destination (honestly it must be a communism thing because they take their marches seriously… they made changing of the guards at Buckingham palace look amateur). The Chinese national anthem resonated throughout the square as the flag climbed to the top of the flag pole and the entire flag raising experience was great. (IN MY OPINION… Out of all the national anthems I have heard, only the American, Russian, and Chinese anthem conveyed a strong sense of national pride behind powerful melodies…). The flag-raising experience would’ve been perfect if I didn’t have to look at Chairman Mao’s gigantic smug portrait above the Gate of Heavenly Peace.<br /><br />
On our taxi ride to the airport we were greeted by an ultra talkative local Beijing driver. He was a loud, honest, and warm personality that I had associated Beijing with. He was proud of his heritage and he made sure that we knew he was local (he lived in a hutong just a couple blocks from our hotel and he could easily sell the property for millions, but because he wanted Beijing to maintain its heritage he refused to sell out to another condo developer. Apparently Beijing was also flooded with “uncivilized foreign migrant workers” which he deemed unfortunate). The taxi driver insisted that I try speaking Chinese to him (he deemed my wife a lost cause haha). After about 30 minutes in gridlock traffic it turned out the police had shut down traffic for a mid level government official… seriously!? Because of the traffic jam we were running late for our flight and our local driver was determined to deliver us to the airport on time (alive or not). It seemed like he turned on the “Chinese driving” switch and we found ourselves traveling at high speeds on every part of the pavement (median, in between lanes, curb-side, etc). By the end of the taxi ride we were actually conversing in Mandarin (Me = extremely broken Chinese but at least he understood, or pretended to understand) and my wife was suffering from motion sickness. Needless to say because of our taxi driver’s determination we managed to catch our flight.
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<span style="font-size: 25px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Conclusion</span></u></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px;">Beijing had graced us with a mix of western familiarity along with its deep-rooted eastern culture. We had seen and experienced the variety of Beijing’s food culture, from the world famous Peking duck to local dumplings (but we were too scared to try scorpions and starfish). It was abundantly clear that the Beijing I visited two decades ago had transformed into a world class cosmopolitan. The evidence of such rapid development could be seen at every corner of Beijing as old traditional hutongs struggle to survive in a sea of new concrete developments. Beijing is now a modernized city by most western standards, and in my opinion it is equally important to embrace its rich ancient heritage going forward. However despite all the cosmetic changes throughout Beijing, one thing did remain constant: the welcoming and warm personalities of the Beijing people.<br /></span>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-36039697092103907542013-08-01T07:00:00.000-07:002013-08-10T22:20:34.225-07:00VANCOUVER SKYLINE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/9394678321/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" margin-left:="" margin-right:="" target="_blank style="><img border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/9394678321_3478aa7c4a_c_d.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vancouver has been enjoying fantastic sunny weather of late, and it would be a crime to leave my camera in its case. There are plenty of pictures online depicting Vancouver's downtown skyline (the commercial district), however we must also appreciate the city's residential beauties as well! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/9394678321/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" margin-left:="" margin-right:="" target="_blank style="><img border="0" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/9394676893_23b91f2d8d_o_d.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Walking on the Cambie St Bridge, towards downtown</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">View from the Bridge</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are three bridges that connect the city of Vancouver with the mini-peninsula where Vancouver's downtown is situated: <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/08/celebration-of-light.html" target="_blank">The Burrard St Bridge</a>, <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/06/granville-island-sunset.html" target="_blank">the Granville St Bridge</a>, and the Cambie St Bridge. Each bridge offers an unique view of Vancouver and hopefully I will get a chance to document all three of them.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-36344314954026595232013-07-27T22:18:00.000-07:002013-07-29T16:28:12.831-07:00CONQUERING THE STAWAMUS CHIEF<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/9379374015/" imageanchor="1" target="_blank style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/9379374015_892ab066a9_c_d.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Stawamus Chief is an imposing mountain that cannot be missed on the Sea to Sky Highway located about halfway between Whistler and Vancouver (near a town called Squamish). The Stawamus Chief (more commonly referred to as "The Chief") is famous for its near-vertical granite cliffs and the breathtaking scenery from the top that attracts thousands of rock-climbers/hikers around the world to this site. Personally having done the Grouse Grind the day before and coming off of my second graveyard shift, I foolishly agreed to go on this adventure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Directions (from Vancouver):</i> (~1 hour with no traffic)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take Highway #1 westbound towards Horseshoe Bay (follow signs toward Whistler) and exit onto Highway #99 (Sea to Sky Highway). Continue for ~40 minutes and watch for signs indicating "Shannon Falls". Park in the Shannon Falls parking lot. (It could get busy during summer weekends, so go during the week if possible... if the parking lot is full don't worry, continue on the highway for ~1 km and use the Stawamus Chief parking lot instead.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From the parking lot, we casually strolled through the paved trail towards Shannon Falls. From there we took a left turn onto a wide gravel trail (Lower Falls trail) that eventually led to a small wooden bridge. After crossing the creek, Lower Falls trail becomes the Chief Peaks Trail. For the next 30 minutes we found ourselves ascending large rocks/wooden stairs up a fairly steep gradient (in the shade.. under the protection of beautiful west coast foliage). About halfway up there was a large boulder and granite lookout (where we stopped for a couple pictures + water break). We continued our ascent towards the first peak and, shortly after the boulder, the trail divided in two (one for 1st/2nd peak and the other path towards the 3rd peak). This middle portion of the hike was much gentler than the beginning, until the foliage gave way to the gigantic granite dome that defines the Stawamus Chief. In order to reach the top of the first peak we had to climb a couple metal ladders and continue our ascent with the aid of metal chains bolted into the rock. After an hour of sweat and burning muscles, we finally conquered the Chief and realized why this hike is widely believed to be one of the best hikes in beautiful British Columbia.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Top of the peak: Emerald green water... killer view!</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
<td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/9382157880/" imageanchor="1" target="_blank style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5535/9382157880_2dfefcf090_d.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We made it!</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">P.S. Bring lots of water, and prepare for sore knees the day after (the descend down the mountain was quite hard on the knees).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy Travels!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-18533716274315669872013-07-17T18:11:00.001-07:002013-08-22T15:32:53.741-07:00JINSHANLING: ADDITIONAL PHOTOS<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Additional photos of Jinshanling as promised <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/07/jinshanling-great-wall-of-china.html" target="_blank">(see the original article here!)</a>... possibly the most beautiful portion of the Great Wall of China! If you are visiting Beijing, why would you choose elsewhere?!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Without further ado, the rest of the pictures as promised...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hiking east to west (~8-10 km), from the wild wall to the renovated portions (near the end)..<br /><br/>
If you want even more photos, see them all on my <a href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634499472309/" target="_blank">Flickr</a> page!
If you like what you saw above, let me know in the comments below!</span>
<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jinshanling - Additional Photos" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/9220048176_5994ca9e5c_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 4% 4% 4% 0px; width: 46%;" /></a>
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<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jinshanling - Additional Photos" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2888/9217261425_9136b82ab9_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 46%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jinshanling - Additional Photos"
src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/9220030058_e4e801567e_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 0% 4% 0px; width: 46%;" /></a>
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<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jinshanling - Additional Photos" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9220005254_e22b36f6ef_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 0% 4% 0px; width: 30%;" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-51158445490525649232013-07-16T02:14:00.001-07:002013-07-29T16:51:30.181-07:00ABOVE THE CLOUDS<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all know having clouds in the sky add another dimension to photographs... so what happens if the clouds are beneath you?!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just returned from a inter-continental flight and I decided to do some photography that I rarely am able to do - Photograph from above! These pictures were taken from the window of the airplane...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CAN YOU GUESS WHICH CITY I JUST RETURNED FROM? (Leave a message below!)</span><br />
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-89483871139796085082013-07-06T05:58:00.001-07:002013-08-22T15:02:19.335-07:00JINSHANLING: THE GREAT WILD WALL OF CHINA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a 1em="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/sets/72157634729837962/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jinshanling" font-family:="" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8399/8973306330_99923d8b13_z_d.jpg" style="border: 10px solid white; float: center; margin: 0px 0px 20px 0px;" verdana="" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/08/ancient-china-in-modern-beijing.html" target="_blank">This entry is part of "Ancient China in Modern Beijing" series...</a> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Woke up to a beautiful clear morning with
cloudless blue sky (BOO YA no smog!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first order of business: Go to McD’s and grab our lunches for the
day - $2 CAD breakfast meals (we got 2 each haha).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not big fans of fast-food especially
when traveling abroad, but with minimal choices we had to buy from the world
famous golden arches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Combining McD’s
with some light snacks/drinks, we were ready for the Great
Wall of China!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our driver
met us at the hotel lobby and off we went to Jinshanling!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For RMB $900 we hired our driver Joe for
the entire day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having a fantastic
guide/driver really made our great wall experience that much more
immersive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drive to Jinshanling was
approximately 2.5 hours from where we stayed (close to the Forbidden
City).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course my wife slept
through the entire car ride (there and back), but I was conversing with Joe the
entire time in English and some broken Chinese about topics that would’ve put
her to sleep anyways haha (like politics).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact I was pleasantly surprised at Joe’s willingness to speak his
mind about more “sensitive” subjects like government and politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From our conversation I learned a few fun
facts about Beijing and China:</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The “one child
policy” in China
is not applicable to rural communities (farmers).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always wondered why any country would
want to half their population every generation…</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">There are a lot
of changes in the past couple decades and there are hiccups here and
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, many Chinese citizens
are content and they enjoy a lot of day-to-day freedoms similar to the rest of
the world (Thanks CNN for conditioning me to think that most Chinese people in China are
suffering daily)</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">To control the
amount of cars roaming around central Beijing,
only certain license plates are permitted to enter the city each day (ie.
Monday = cars with license plate starting with odd numbers, etc).</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Beijing</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> is constructed like a spider web with various ring
roads surrounding the city (separated into 1<sup>st</sup> ring, 2<sup>nd</sup>
ring, and so on).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But unlike most cities
in the world where the center is filled with skyscrapers, Beijing
is the opposite with the Forbidden City at its
center and the tallest buildings are found in the 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup>
ring.</span></div>
<div style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The scenery on the drive out to Jinshanling
was a lot like the drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon – barren and uneventful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally, sections of the wall could be
seen on some distant mountaintops (I think... it could also be excitement
manifesting random rock formations into the Great Wall).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had originally planned to hike Jinshanling
for 5-6 hours (~2.5 hours one way then backtrack to the starting point),
however our driver suggested a new route where he would drop us off at a newly
built entrance closer to the Simatai end (east) and we would hike <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/9220048996/" target="_blank">one-way</a>
towards the main Jinshanling entrance. (I couldn’t find such information
anywhere on travel sites, so hopefully I am contributing something new to the
public haha).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This new alternate entrance (East gate
entrance?) to Jinshanling Great Wall was similar to a lot of new architectures
in China.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the property itself looked amazing,
it did not blend in with the surrounding landscape and thereby it stuck out
like a sore thumb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We realized that we made
a correct call to visit Jinshanling instead of the more “famous” sections like Badaling
or Mutianyu because we were the only visitors at the entrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After paying the entrance fee of ~$50 RMB per
person, we embarked on a 30 minute hike uphill on a well maintained trail until
we reached our starting point. </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a 1="" href="http://www.blogger.com/null" https:="" photos="" secure.flickr.com="" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank imageanchor="><img border="0" height="260" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5469/9220002822_7e43d97bce_d.jpg" width="389" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The view on the trail to the Great Wall</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a 1="" href="http://www.blogger.com/null" https:="" photos="" secure.flickr.com="" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank imageanchor="><img border="0" height="260" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5523/9217210729_8cfba37d4d_d.jpg" width="389" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trail up to the Great Wall</i></td></tr>
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</td>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a 1="" href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/9219979338/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank imageanchor="><img border="0" height="260" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/9219979338_a405307ec4_d.jpg" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Well maintained stairs</i></td></tr>
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<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Jinshanling Towers" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/9217272349_0bce6603da_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Wild Great Wall Jinshanling" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/9220036684_dd39983462_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Wild Great Wall Jinshanling" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/9217253517_e218229ec2_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Wild Great Wall Jinshanling" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2838/9217246809_1fa3814df8_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
<a 1em="" href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9333446808_8686cfc080_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank style="><img alt="Meandering Jinshanling Great Wall" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5486/9220010346_48c5785c2f_d.jpg" style="border: 3px solid white; float: left; margin: 0px 4% 4% 0px; width: 96%;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">
After having Beijing’s bone chilling wind kick my butt a couple days before, I made sure I was dressed appropriately even though it was 3 degrees Celsius outside (dressed in layers, just like any good Canadian would because cold + sweat = trouble). Once we were on the wall the view overcame my desire for warmth, and the majesty of this ancient monument trumped my senses. The weather-battered great wall meandered endlessly like a stone serpent resting over hills and valleys, and at that moment I felt small and powerless. The vastness of the great wall against the barren landscape, in combination with the shivering wind created a harsh and lonely atmosphere. It was impossible to not relate to what it was like 450 years ago for a sentry posted here to defend against barbarians from the north. 450 years ago the protective barrier walls were probably intact and the bricks weren’t loose, but I am sure the wind was just as harsh. In fact those gusts woke me up from the epic views because my face screamed in pain (thank god for face warmers and heat packs).<br /><br />
Our hike started at Dongwuyanlou (or Dongwuyan tower/East Five Eyes Tower/東五眼樓) and we could only proceed in one direction westward towards the Jinshanling main entrance because the path towards Simatai was off limits. This section of the great wall is considered as the "wild wall" because this section has not been touched since its conception from the Ming Dynasty era (AD 1570). We walked casually westward as we were in no rush, sometimes stopping at the watch towers (or what was left of it) for refreshments and sometimes even doubled back to savor the astonishing views. (Jinshanling has the highest density of watch towers as well as various strategic wall improvements that are unique to this stretch of the Great Wall).<br /><br />
The first third of the hike was definitely more challenging as loose bricks, crumbling walls, wobbly steps, and numerous potholes welcomed us at every turn. We hiked this section rather cautiously but the hike itself was easily manageable and we didn’t feel at any point in danger. We had the Great Wall all to ourselves as we did not encounter another soul for the first 1.5 hour. Our driver said most visitors who visit Jinshanling are foreigners as most Asians (except Japanese tourists) usually stick with Badaling or Mutianyu. In fact throughout our entire hike we saw two other couples, one local elder, and four local kids playing tag. Looking back at my Great Wall experiences I would rather experience 30 minutes of Jinshanling than hours at Badaling. There is something truly special about experiencing the Great Wall at its original state with minimal disturbances from other visitors, over commercialization, and traffic. (Did you know the Badaling section is basically a complete rebuilt on ancient foundations?)<br /><br />
<i>(Aside: I visited Badaling when I was a kid before China was open to the western world and domestic Chinese citizens were too poor to travel… and Badaling was already packed then! Badaling wasn’t as commercially developed then and the “washroom” had crawlies everywhere – I imagine its hygiene status should be improved now. Anyways I digress…)</i><br /><br />
As we proceeded westward the wind felt gentler and our hike felt less rugged as well. We encountered an abruptly repaved section half way into our journey, but just as abruptly the renovation ceased 200 meters down the path.. WTF? By the time we reached the Big Jinshan Tower our journey through the wild great wall was over and we were walking on “solid stones” once again. This stretch of Jinshanling was renovated in the 1980-1990s and it was beautifully renovated (non-intrusive). There were even cable cars to traffic less physically-able visitors to/from the great wall! It was closed when we visited during the winter months, and in fact the entire main entrance seemed deserted when we hiked through the little Jinshanling resort village (aka main entrance). Joe was waiting for us at the parking lot as promised and our hike through Jinshanling was about 4.5 hours all together (with numerous photo/snack breaks in between… so probably 3 hours with no interruptions).<br /><br />
</span></div>
<div id="conclusion" style="float: left; width: 100%;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>UPDATE: July 17, 2013 - Additional Photos Added! <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/2013/07/jinshanling-additional-photos.html" target="_blank">click here!</a></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Have you been to Jinshanling? Or are you intrigued by the wild wall? If you enjoyed this post, or have any questions about the trip. Let me know in the comments below! Happy travels! <br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-66198900180697984642013-06-16T22:47:00.000-07:002013-08-22T17:53:03.137-07:0010 TIPS FOR ICELAND TRAVEL<span style="font-family: inherit;">From view counts to this blog I know that there are a lot of people interested in traveling to Iceland (It is so beautiful and the temperature is actually milder than New York City during the summer/fall.. who knew?), but yet there are very few websites that provide practical information about this tiny rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Combining <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/05/iceland-photos-and-experiences.html" target="_blank">my own Iceland experiences</a> with what is most often asked on travel forums</span>... Here are my "10 tips for visiting Iceland":<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7412/8725311228_7261af34f2_z_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7412/8725311228_7261af34f2_z_d.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br />
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Credit card is king –
Credit cards are accepted everywhere (even for small purchases)</b></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="1" type="1"><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l9 level2 lfo11; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Make sure the card is
chip activated and uses a <u>4 digit</u> pin number because there are a
lot of self-help gas stations outside of Reykjavik</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l9 level2 lfo11; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">If you still prefer
to carry some Iceland
kronas with you, convert your money at the airport (right after exiting
the customs gate, to your left). I converted $100 USD and I barely
touched them on my trip.</li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="2" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Car rental – what should I
rent and who should I rent with?</b></span> </li>
</ol>
<ol start="2" type="1"><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l15 level2 lfo12; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">The Ring Road is a
very well maintained road – if you are going to be on the ring road, any
car would be suitable (of course the weather will have to be considered
as well)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l15 level2 lfo12; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Secondary roads are
often unpaved and are often doable with a regular sedan (you will be
going at a snail pace due to gravel/pot holes. To experience Iceland
to the fullest (mountain roads/F-roads), I would recommend a 4x4.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l15 level2 lfo12; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Remember, fording
rivers are NEVER covered under your rental insurance... so do it at your
own risk. It is super fun and rewarding though.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l15 level2 lfo12; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Car rental can be
expensive in Iceland,
and there are some cheap options out there for older + under-maintained
vehicles for hire. You will have to weigh out what is more valuable
to you (a peace of mind VS money). One thing is for certain... you
get what you pay for.</li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="3" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Telecommunication is
fantastic in Iceland
- I was on 3G surfing the web at night in the middle of nowhere.</b></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="3" type="1"><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level2 lfo13; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Bring an unlocked
phone – SIM cards from Siminn and Vodafone is widely available for a
reasonable price</li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="4" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Waterproof everything –
from camera gears to waterproofed pants.</b></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="4" type="1"><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l17 level2 lfo14; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Weather can change
on a dime in Iceland.
Don't be discouraged if the weather turn sour, because the sun will probably come
out 5 minutes later.</li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="5" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You CAN drive around the
ring road in 3-4 days.</b></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="5" type="1"><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l11 level2 lfo15; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">But why would you
want to? Isn’t the point of going to Iceland...
is to enjoy the view and the tranquility Iceland has to offer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just because you can doesn’t mean you
should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my opinion 7 days would
be the minimum amount of time to complete a ring road journey.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l11 level2 lfo15; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">There are ample
photo opportunities close to the ring road (<a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.com/2013/06/iceland-additional-photos.html" target="_blank">like these</a>) </li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="6" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Iceland is not for budget
travel, but here are some things you could consider doing…</b></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="6" type="1"><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level2 lfo16; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Eating at gas
stations (fish and chips or burgers) for ~$15 USD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or buy 2 yogurts (Skyr) which are tasty
beyond belief as a meal substitute (<$5 USD). I would suggest
going to a restaurant every couple of days to experience local Iceland
cuisine (delicious seafood and lamb).</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level2 lfo16; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Don’t buy water in Iceland: bottled water = tap water =
delicious Iceland
water</li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="7" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“On the official website
it is indicated that road X or site X is closed. We are smart people and experienced
hikers, do you think we will be OK if we brave it?”</b></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="7" type="1"><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level2 lfo17; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Sometimes the weather
in Iceland
may not cooperate with you the way you would want it to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But do you really want to risk your
life doing it? In Iceland
the one thing I learned to do is to respect the weather… closed = do not
go.</li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="8" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Grab a GPS or a detailed
map if driving away from the ring road.</b></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="8" type="1"><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l6 level2 lfo18; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">There are no way you
can ask for directions when all you’ve seen are sheeps for the last 2
hours</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l6 level2 lfo18; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Some road names are
so ridiculously long and unpronounceable.. you’ll be confused even if the
road sign is in front of you.</li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="9" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Stock up on booze at the
duty free store before exiting the customs gate - Alcohol is prohibitively
expensive in Iceland (a beer could cost ~$10-15 USD)</b></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="10" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Everyone speaks perfect
English in Iceland
- just like other Scandinavian countries. </b></span></li>
</ol>
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">... and of course... HAPPY TRAVELS and ENJOY ICELAND!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Do you have any questions? Do you have other tips that you would like to share with fellow travelers? Leave a message below!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-69557515272426046962013-06-12T13:33:00.000-07:002013-08-16T14:58:16.428-07:00BRENNIVíN: ICELAND'S NATIONAL LIQUOR<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/9025852855_9d95560521_d.jpg" /></td>
<td>Before leaving <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/p/i.html" target="_blank">Iceland</a> I decided to buy an alcoholic souvenir from the airport duty free shop. The gentleman quickly recommended Brennivín as it is widely accepted as Iceland's national drink (It was quite cheap too... about $20 USD). On the bottle label it is branded as "The Original Icelandic Schnapps" containing 37.5% alcohol. The only 'Schnapps' I have tasted before Brennivín was Peach Schnapps... and they are not even remotely similar.<br />
<br />
Per Wikipedia, Brennivín is often referred to as "Black Death" due to its potency and its unique taste. It is made from from fermented grain or potato mash and flavored with caraway, cumin<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumin" title="Cumin"></a>, angelica, and other botanical ingredients.<br />
<br />
<b><u>First impression:</u> </b><br />
Brennivín smelled like rubbing alcohol mixed with various spices. When I took the first shot I felt my taste buds being overwhelmed by an intense flavor similar to black licorice. Brennivín was amongst the worst alcoholic beverage I have tasted to date. <br />
<br />
After speaking to an Icelandic friend I found out that Brennivín is supposed to be served chilled. I gave it another try and although the experience was better than my first impression (resembled vodka at first, but the after taste was just as potent). I could only sip 1/2 shot...<br />
<br />
<u><b>Conclusion:</b></u><br />
Brennivín is the worst alcohol I have had to date (a sentiment shared by my friends as well). How do you like Brennivín? and do Icelanders actually drink Brennivín for real? (please let me know in the comments below)</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-41655106907385877812013-06-06T19:49:00.002-07:002013-07-27T19:02:54.356-07:00GRANVILLE ISLAND SUNSET<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have always wanted to take photos of this beautiful bridge during golden hours... instead of the industrial grey that dominates the steel beams the sunlight paints a fantastic golden hue onto the bridge. I waited and waited until I saw some clouds in the sky, and off I went! I will go back for some nice night shots sometime. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Granville Island Sunset:</span><br />
<br />
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<td><a href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/8832933818/in/set-72157633695751336/" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8127/8832933818_6aa6a52a3e_d.jpg" /></a></td>
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<td><a href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/8973577569/in/set-72157633695751336/" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/8973577569_a84981076e_d.jpg" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/64682541@N07/8832936186/in/set-72157633695751336/" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/8832936186_e2f28f836d_d.jpg" /></a></td>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01263409274786551504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3486988423140140877.post-20406148760728526252013-06-05T01:08:00.003-07:002013-07-15T17:03:54.544-07:00ICELAND: ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow I cannot believe the amount of support I have received from everybody since I uploaded the <a href="http://foods-drinks-travels.blogspot.ca/p/i.html">Iceland trip report</a>. Over 2000 page views in 2.5 weeks... So I have decided to upload more pictures for your viewing pleasure! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of these pictures are taken from the side of the road randomly! (Feel free to click on the picture to get a bigger version)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<br />
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