Mission Accomplished

With all of our vacation objectives accomplished, we took yesterday off. We went to the hotel beach and crashed in our room most of the day. April read a book and Tom watched Tour de France coverage. April grabbed a Puka Dog for lunch- which is basically just a Polish sausage with a spicy sauce and a fruity relish. Tom was fascinated by a nearby street intersection and made April get out of the car and photograph it. You can figure out why from the picture.

Today, we headed back up to the north shore for one last snorkeling adventure. We first stopped for some shopping in Hanalei (Puff the Magic Dragon's real home town - Honalee). There was a crazy homeless guy muttering to himself outside the bathroom so we felt like we were back in Santa Monica. At Tunnels beach, we again saw a turtle, but this time we have proof! Then, as we were getting out of the water, we found a monster turtle that was about 3x the size of the other one only a couple of feet from shore. It was a great way to end our aquatic adventures.

On the way back home, we had lunch at a restaurant called Scotty's with a really nice view, then we stopped at Wailua Falls. You may recognize it from the beginning of Fantasy Island. Don't worry if you don't, neither did we. It was pretty powerful though, and neat to see up close.

Tonight, we went out for a romantic dinner at the Beach House in Koloa. At least that was April's plan. Unfortunately, she made the mistake of bringing Tom. As usual he ruined the mood and even put her on shout with the waiter for drinking his water. The dinner was actually fantastic and definitely our best meal of the vacation (except for the steaks Tom grilled.) Tomorrow we are heading home and we are bummed that this is our last night in paradise.

Surf 'n Turf

April's food woes continued this morning. She awoke to find her last remaining sealed bag of Honey Bunches of Oats gone. Instead, the tainted 'Gecko Flakes' were all that remained. Tom suggested she dust off the Gecko poos but she was not hearing it. Undaunted she began to make herself a PB&J sandwich, only to discover several mold colonies growing on the unopened loaf of bread. Poor April.

Once breakfast was figured out, we headed out for a hike on the north side of the island to a secluded beach only accessible by a treacherous 2 mile hike along a cliff. It actually wasn't all that treacherous, but it was muddy and wet which made the steep rocky path dangerous. It was so muddy that likely neither of our sneakers will survive our trip (much to Nathan's satisfaction). The hike to the beach took about 1.5 hrs. The water was a beautiful iridescent blue. We decided to picnic in the shade on some rocks, when this scraggly cat came by. This little guy didn't look like he was going to make it so April tossed him some ham. He wolfed it down but was too scared to stick around for anymore. If he was smart he start hunting some of those surplus chickens. We originally planned to hike further into the jungle a couple of miles to some waterfalls, but Tom was getting tired and fussy so we headed back to the car. It was a fun hike, but we were both happy we didn't extend the trip.

Muddied from our trip, we headed to a nearby beach to wash off and snorkel. It was our best venture yet. We saw a turtle floating along the reef and Tom actually went up to pet it. We also saw an octopus land on a rock and change colors! This was the same beach we were at a few days earlier when a fish got quite demanding looking for treats. Well, today, we saw whom we will assume was the same fish. But this time he brought back up. April dipped her head underwater when she realized they were circling around us. She tried to intimidate the fish but he called her bluff and swam right at her. He also came correct with his 4 or 5 buddies. When April looked for her backup, she saw Tom high-tailing it for the beach. She didn't know he could swim so fast. (Check out the picture in our first post to see the fish we are talking about). Unfortunately, we didn't bring the camera out snorkeling today and missed a lot of great shots.

Animal Farm

Today we set off to see Waimea Canyon (the Grand Canyon of the Pacific). It is on the west side of the island which isn't too far from where we are staying. We drove to the top of the canyon which was only about 4000 ft above sea level but had amazing views. Tom would have liked to try riding his bike up, but April was happy that our bikes are safe and sound back in Santa Monica. There were several lookout points along the way to the top. The first few looked out of Waimea Canyon towards the middle of the island and a beautiful waterfall, but the last stop was definitely the best. The view looked down a canyon on the most western part of the island that went down to the ocean. The sheer drop from the green canyon walls was unbelievable. We could also see clouds forming and then dissipating at the top of the ridge.

With all these great views, April's favorite part of the trip was much more simple - a family of goats and more chickens. As we looked out over Waimea Canyon, a family of goats walked by us along the cliff walls. They ended up coming over to the parking lot where April chased them around trying to feed them grass. These goats were pretty wary of her intentions and wouldn't let her get anywhere near them. Of course, this was after she spent about 10 minutes video taping an enormous brood of chickens. We're not sure what this one rooster had been eating but he's probably been using HGH and hitting the weights pretty hard.

After the trip to the canyon, we went snorkeling again with less than stellar results, visited a local blow hole, watched turtles play in the surf, and walked on a quiet beach in front of some swanky hotel. Despite all these great activities, nothing could erase the disaster that was breakfast this morning (or highlight, depending on your perspective-This is obviously a Tom comment). Before we set out this morning, April decided to have a second bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats. As she poured bowl 2 she found the prize - A 4 inch long LIVE GECKO. It was definitely one of the loudest screams she's ever made. In the confusion that ensued, somehow the gecko got trapped under a measuring cup. Tom, who is none too fond of pests and lizards, was of no help in the Gecko removal process, so April had to set him free outside. Needless to say, she's done with Honey Bunches of Oats for a while.

Let's hope tomorrow gets off to a better start!

Aloha

As you already probably know, we are in Kauai for the week. We have a great condo right on the beach in Poipu, on the south side of the island. It has a full kitchen and there is a gas grill so Tom is in heaven. We already went to Kauai Costco so he could buy steaks and tuna. Perhaps the only thing he likes better than tuna out of the can is saving money on eating out.

Tom's other favorite food is also in abundance, chicken. A hurricane in the early 90's freed several chickens from captivity and they have thrived. You can't go anywhere without seeing roaming packs of chickens on the side of the roads and parking lots. They are like delicious packs of street toughs strutting around with impunity. One last food remark - apparently poor Hawaiians are stuck in the '50s when it comes to cuisine. Both McDonald's and Burger King are spending big bucks marketing the new food craze - SPAM! Spiced ham is apparently where it's at for breakfast. We don't think we'll be partaking in this island tradition.

As expected, the water is beautiful and the snorkeling is great. We've already seen several turtles playing in the surf and once while we were snorkeling. Today while up on the north shore, there was a fish that wouldn't stop following us. He probably thought we were going to feed him and he was quite insistent, he hung out with us for well over 30 mins, swimming all around us. We both are afraid of sharks so we have been pretty conservative and haven't gone out to far yet. We like to snorkel near other groups of 'healthier' tourists, hoping they would be more appetizing to any sharks that may happen by.

On Saturday, we took a helicopter tour of the island. We were concerned when the pilot did not know Raffi. We thought all helicopter pilots knew each other. We were actually more concerned when the helicopter was grounded before we got on. They OK'd it fly about 5 minutes later. They said it was a grease problem and they just used some WD-40. Is that the correct procedure, Raf? The tour was amazing. I'm embarrassed to say, but it actually felt just like seeing a movie on an OmniMax theater (IMAX for the less fortunate). The tour covered almost the entire island. The pilot even pointed out the Australian fern which covers much of the island. It was originally brought to Kauai has a house plant, but it ended up infesting the entire landscape. I didn't know that Australians had so much in common with their plants (not Matt)!

We've had a great time so far but we've got a bunch of stuff planned. As always, we'll keep you posted!

Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley-Sideways Land!

Friday afternoon we took a drive up the coast to Solvang and the Santa Ynez valley to do a little cycling and some Christmas shopping. They filmed the movie Sideways in the Santa Ynez valley so it's always fun to go up there and see all the wineries and restaurants where they filmed the movie.

We got there in decent time despite the holiday traffic. We took Pacific Coast Highway up past Pt. Mugu then drove over past the outlets and picked up the 101 the rest of the way up to our hotel in Buellton.

We checked in then drove over to the little town of Solvang to have a look around. Solvang is a little town probably no more than a few square blocks. Most of the buildings are all timbered and decorated to look exactly like a little Danish village. Actually parts of it really reminded us of Switzerland--the same types of shops and items. It's a little cheesey in places but there were a few shops that had some cute items. By the time we got there it was around 5pm and many of the shops were closing so after looking in about 5 shops or so we went to dinner.

The Hitching Post restaurant, one of the places where Sideways was filmed, was right along the route from Solvang to our hotel so we went there for dinner. It looked exactly as it did in the movie and despite the fact that it was packed and we didn't have a reservation they seated us immediately. We got steaks and had our waiter suggest a good wine. Both glasses he brought out were pretty good. Tom of course would rather just have a cup of grape juice but in wine country, you really should have at least one glass of wine.

After dinner we bought movie tickets for National Treasure-Book of Secrets which was horrible-- we should have checked the write up on Maxim's Movie Blog before going. After that we turned in early because we had a long bike ride planned for early the next morning.

We put off riding until as late as possible because it was basically freezing. We probably didn't start out this morning until about 10am. The ride was fantastic! As we got going the sun warmed us up a bit so we were actually pretty comfortable. We set out on a the very quiet Santa Rosa Road and rode over rolling hills past alternating farms, vineyards and orchards. We saw lots of cows and horses. They looked bored and showed no interest in us as we rode past.

We completed our loop by driving about 20 miles down Rt. 246 which, though much busier than the road, it had a really wide shoulder/bike lane so we could ride two across most of the way. Total ride was a little under 40 miles-- good enough to feel like a workout but not so much that we were drained for the rest of the day. After that we showered then headed off to get some lunch and do some shopping in Los Olivos, a cute little town we discovered when we did our 100 mile bike ride up there back in March.

Lunch in Los Olivos was nice and we found some great stuff in a little shop not too far down the street from the cafe which we picked up after lunch. After we finished our shopping, we were pretty much done with the Santa Ynez valley so we took off for home.

It was a great little getaway. If you're looking for a really nice mini vacation-- head up there. Really, spend a night-- we stayed at the Marriott in Buellton in a suite almost as big as our 2br apt for a really reasonable rate. If you're not into cycling, you can sub in some wine tastings since there are wine tasting rooms about every 3 feet in the towns. Anyway, we had a really good time.

Back Home Safe and Sound

It was sad leaving Amsterdam but we were ready to go. We were kinda running out of steam. The day before we left, we came home in the middle of the day to rest for a while and watch a little tour coverage. We were getting tired.

We went to bed late and woke up early the next day to catch our flight out of Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. We hopped a tram to the train station then caught a commuter train to the airport. Schiphol was your average run of the mill airport except for the straight out of SNL duo that was in charge of entertaining the crowds in line at the passport control. They had mics speakers and a little sound mixing board and prizes. They helped us pass the time by playing name that tune-- a blend of eighties power ballads and old Dutch folk favorites. We didn't win any prizes but the performance was really prize enough!

We made it home safe and sound if a few hours later than expected. Our flight out of Heathrow was delayed about 4 hours. So we got to spend some quality time getting acquainted with the high-end mall/duty-free store/foodcourt that was Heathrow. The place was absolutely mobbed with people. Somehow we found a quiet little corner of the terminal where we slept, read Harry Potter 7 and then we ate lunch at Fridays. Despite the less than comfortable situation, it was nice to be back in the land of the English speakers. It took me a while to adjust and I kept saying thank you to salespeople and waiters in Dutch.

The 10 hour flight home went by much quicker than we thought it would. Tom read HP7 and slept and I watched Bourne Identity and slept about half of it. Despite all the sleeping, we arrived in LA tired and were thrilled to finally get back home.

It's tough to sum up a great trip so I won't even try. What I will say is that we both had a really good time and we really enjoyed reading the comments and emails people sent us along the way.

Till the next big adventure.

July 24th & 25th - Two for the price of one

Well we've missed out on blogging the past couple of days due to spotty Internet access in Amsterdam. Here is the recap:

On the 24th, we flew from Switzerland to Amsterdam. The interesting part came when we tried to rent the car. We had to return it to the French airport and not the Swiss airport where we were flying out of. We were informed of this after returning the car to the Swiss airport. We ended up having to drive 20 minutes through a maze of industrial streets to get to the French Airport. Much to our surprise after entering the building, we were just on the other side of the exact same building. Basically, curbing turned a 30 second drive into a 20 minute drive!

The flight was pretty uneventful and we made it to Amsterdam safe and sound. We grabbed some dinner and strolled along the many canals, nothing too exciting.

Yesterday, we decided to rent bikes and ride out to the countryside. The bikes were classic 3 speed cruisers, so our plan was a little ambitious. We got lost more times than I can count, but every few miles we'd find some signs that would point us in the right direction. It ended up being probably over 40 km at a very slow pace, but it was nice to see the country side and some cows, sheep and goats. We did see a few windmills but cut the trip short before we hit the motherload. When we got back, I grabbed 2 pre-dinner roast beef sandwiches and then we headed out to eat. We set our record by finishing dinner in less than an hour. We took a pretty aggressive stance and requested the check as he was clearing the table. This gave us plenty of time to explore the city some more before bed time.

We also bought a copy of the new Harry Potter to keep us company on the flight. The flight is so long, we probably should have bought the entire series.

July 23rd - Tour de Suisse

Today we didn't have any set plans so we decided to rent some mountain bikes and take a tour of the Interlaken area. There are lots of great trails here along the 2 lakes so we took advantage of some great weather to get some exercise and enjoy the views. It wasn't very long, about 40 km, but there was an unexpected category 3 climb early on that got our heart rates going. The water in the lakes here is a really crazy light teal color, almost Caribbean sea color. It is really beautiful, but it just seems out of place. We also came across 12th century castle ruins. These were really cool and we could go all the way to the top of the tower. There was even a moat, but it was too shallow to bother throwing April in. On the way back we came across some sheep and April stopped to feed and pet them. They all had bells, and I felt bad for them because that clanging must get annoying.

After our ride, we did some laundry that had been piling up. While we were there, some younger Americans came in to do theirs and made us feel really old. To compensate, we talked with an even older 2 ladies from Australia. If you are familiar with Australian TV, these 2 sounded and acted just like Kath & Kim. They complained about everything. They went on and on about how everything is the best in Australia (normal Australian conversation). They also said how expensive everything is in Europe and how cheap it is in Australia, that is a departure from standard Australian dogma. Apparently, everyone they encountered in France was a jerk, but I bet it stems from the fact that they don't even try to speak French. We met a couple in Paris who were having bad experiences with the French, but they admitted that they just assumed everyone understands English. We found everyone very polite and willing to speak English, but probably because we tried to start with French. It was usually the French who opted for English.

Today we are heading to Amsterdam, but we are scared because neither of us speak Netherleese (sp?).

July 22nd - Die Jungfrau

Despite a forecast of rain, we decided to wake up early this morning and see if it was worth heading up to the top of the Jungfrau, a nearby alp with the highest train station and post office in Europe known for its views. When we woke up at 5:45 there were a few breaks in the clouds so we decided to give it a try as there is no guarantee the weather will be better on Monday.

The train leaves at 6:30 and after showers we didn't leave the hotel until 6:10. So we had to double time the 1.5 miles to the station. That was pretty tough early in the morning with backpacks. We made it with about 4 minutes to spare so we were proud of ourselves (and sweaty).

The train took about 2.5 hours to make it to the top. Most of the lower ride was through misty fog and clouds and the upper portion was actually through the mountain. We had to change trains a few times, but that went smoothly. At one station we had 10 minutes so we quickly grabbed some food, but we were scared to bring it on because everything is so clean here and we figured they didn't allow food on the train. When we asked the conductor she said it was fine because we looked neat, not like the Indians who get soup all over the floor. She seemed pretty upset by it. Let me say here, that all the Indians I know are very neat, with the exception of Mandira who is famously messy but I don't think that is an Indian-thing. On a related note, on our way down the mountain the same conductor was facilitating the train deboarding and reboarding. As we were getting off, there was a huge Indian tour group waiting to get on our train and a couple were trying to get on the train before everyone got off. The same conductor looked very stressed out trying to ask them politely to wait as she was holding back about 50 others. It was quite funny to see her so uncomfortable.

Back to the mountain. When we arrived at the top, we were pleased to find mostly sunny skies with some clouds nestled around the adjoining mountain tops. We went outside to a clear view of the glacier and shocking temperatures of about 1 degree Celsius. Luckily we planned ahead and brought some extra layers. We then headed to the Ice Palace, a system of tunnels cut into the glacier complete with ice sculptures and mini tunnels. I got wedged pretty good into a mini tunnel and April had to push me out. The floor was also ice, but it wasn't very slippery.

On the way down we stopped in Grindewald and the skies began to clear. There were dramatic views of the valley and the mountains that were pretty awesome. We probably saw more waterfalls today then our whole Maui trip. The views were some of the best we've ever seen. We bet that if the day had been perfectly clear that the majestic views would have been unbelievable.

This area in Switzerland is amazingly clean. The whole train trip we could see neatly piled stacks of wood in preparation for next winter. These are a very organized and prepared people. All the houses had neat yards with blooming flower boxes and flourishing gardens. Our whole stay we've been trying to find trash or generally less than perfectly kept buildings and yards and have largely been unsuccessful. April has been rubbing her fingers over every corner and nook and cranny in search of dust but has yet to find any!

Tomorrow we are going to rent some bikes and just go around the town and lakes. Hopefully the weather will be as nice as it ended up being today.

July 21st - Interlaken, Switzerland

Well we left France today and headed to Switzerland. It took us about 4 and a half hours by car, but it went by pretty quick. Highways here are a joy to drive on because there are so few cars by American standards, especially LA! It was cloudy most of the day but started to clear as we got into Interlaken. However, it didn't hold and now it is raining pretty hard. I just checked the forecast and it looks like it will continue for most of tomorrow. We were planning on taking a train up to the top of the nearby mountain, the Jungsfrau, but this may change our plans.

When we got in today, we were starved but we hit the lull between lunch and dinner when all the restaurants aren't serving food, so we had to resort to McDonald's. It was cool because they had a flat screen with the Tour de France on so we watched for a while as the rain got harder outside. They charge you for ketchup here, 10 cents a pack! The default value meal is also with small fries and drink.

We are excited to go out for dinner tonight and compare the experience with France. We were getting quite sick of terrible service at the restaurants there. Either the waiter took for ever to come over and take your order or forever to bring your check - and sometimes both. Last night we waited 45 minutes for the check after asking for it a couple of times. It actually made dinner a little bit of a chore everynight knowing it was a 2 hour affair. We heard conflicting reports of wheter tips were included in the meal, but let's just say if they weren't a lot of waiters were justifiably stiffed. We are guessing that the Swiss will be a little more efficeint.

July 20th - Welcome to Thunderdome

We didn't get a chance to mention this earlier, but France is absolutely insane. No one here follows any traffic laws. Pedestrians cross whenever they want, wherever they want. Usually right in front of the Police who don't care. To get where we were going, I drove down a bus only street. A cop was crossing the street and I stopped for her and she waved thanks. She didn't care for a second that I was breaking the law - she was just happy I stopped which no one else would.

Bikes and motorcycles can apparently go wherever they want. They regularly drive on sidewalks and through crowded markets. The only place I haven't seen them is in a store, but I'm holding out hope.

Parking is also another anything goes proposition. If your car fits there and it doesn't block traffic, by all means go ahead. They park in no parking zones, on the sidewalk, and anywhere else they can squeeze their car. And I have yet to see a parking ticket. This place was made for Gillis.

July 20 -- L'Alpe d'Huez

Yesterday we drove from Marseille to our hotel near the base of L'Alpe d'Huez and the usual hilarity ensued. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to drive around in an area that refuses to post street signs. We did about 3 hours on the highway and that was fine but then we had to take little windy roads up into the Alps. April got a little carsick-- actually I'm not sure if it was all carsickness or a combination of that and nervousness from what was awaiting me the next day.

Our hotel was in a place called Allemont about 6 miles from the base of L'Alpe d'Huez. Alpe d'Huez is one of the famous climbs the pros climb during the Tour de France. Our hotel was pretty nice, it had a waterfall out back. However, by 8:30 everything was closed and we were still hungry because dinner at the hotel wasn't enough (this may only apply to Tom).

We got up early today to go rent bikes and were starting the climb just before 10 AM. The climb was really tough-- especially considering the fact that the only exercise we did over the past two weeks was a lot of walking and the bike ride around the grounds of Versailles which wasn't much-- and Tom's knee was bothering him ever since because those bikes were kind of crappy.

The climb was 8 miles long and 3700 feet of elevation gain. There are 21 switchbacks which thank god are numbered so you can keep track of how much pain is left. Luckily the ride is shaded for a good portion and clouds did the rest so it wasn't too hot. It took Tom a little over an hour and a half and April about 10 minutes longer. Even though we rode apart, there were plenty of flies to keep us company. We were going so slow, I think they thought we were ready to die. I do remember seeing some vultures skulking about come to think of it.

At the top there was a cozy little village with a street market, We grabbed some drinks and rested before we heading back down the treacherous descent. We stopped every so often because our rims were heating up due to the constant braking to slow us down. At some point Tom got a flat and we had to put on a spare inner tube. It actually went pretty well, but the hand pump wasn't very effective. Not to mention, only 2 bikers out of at least a dozen asked if we needed help. Poor form!

We were happy to make it down safely and decided that we'd see if we could find a place to stay in town since we didn't have a hotel for tonight and didn't feel like sticking with the original plan and heading to Lyon or Grenoble. Luckily there was a hotel right downtown with an available room, so here we rest our heads tonight. Tomorrow it's off to Interlaken, Switzerland for 3 days.

July 18th - Le Tour

Today we made our first drive of any length, from Nice to Marseille. We missed the first entrance on to the highway and were driving in circles somewhere near Cannes. We ended up driving into a flea market in a parking lot and feared we'd be trapped there because the road in was so narrow. We made it out and found our way to the highway, but not before I tried to turn down a walkway. A nice looking couple almost had to dive for cover - imagine Bourne Identity when he drove the mini down the stairs. I was surprised to see our car could make it up to 130 but it certainly took a while. I decided that the problem is its automatic transmission isn't very good. (Stop worrying mom, it was KPH not MPH)

It was a 2.5 hour drive total, with some hefty toll prices - 15 Euros! The country side actually looked like some parts of California, dry bushes with jagged rocks. We got in to Marseille and got completely lost trying to find the hotel. We think we figured out the problem: Google directions give insane detail and roads here don't have signs. Also, I think the directions stink. But we found the hotel just before they closed the road for the Tour, so that worked out really well.

The hotel is pretty sweet, it's actually a long term residence hotel so we have a living room, separate bedroom, mini kitchen and huge balcony. Alas, no bidet :( After grabbing the usual cafe lunch, we went down to the finish line to check out the race. It was really crowded, but it was great seeing all the huge team buses and fancy road bikes. The crowds were so big that we focused on setting up near a big screen so we could watch the race and still catch a glimpse of the bunch sprint at the end.

There was a 12 man break away that was whittled down to 5 with about 30 km left and it came down to them speeding past us at 55kph+ at the 150m to go mark. A Frenchman won, so everyone was happy. Our boy Jens Voigt of team CSC finished last of the 5, but we still like him. Unfortunately, when I tried to snap a picture of the peloton when they zoomed by 10 minutes later, I pressed the off button instead of the picture button. By the time I turned it back on, the peloton had already passed so I just got shots of a few stragglers.

We went to check out the team buses again, but they had pretty much packed up with only a few menacing Russians outside the Discovery bus. Not Maxim the silent killer menacing, more a beat you up menacing. We ogled some bikes and then headed back to the hotel.

Tonight we headed to downtown Marseille (the harbor area), but I don't have anything nice to say so I won't say anything at all. Tomorrow we head up to the French Alps to get ready for our ride up the famous l'Alpe D'Huez on Friday.

July 17th - Au Revior Paris, Bonjour Nice

We weren't sure if we were going to wake up in time to make our plane today as we were out so late last night we missed the last train and had to walk home. We spent about a half hour chatting with a nice couple from Atlanta on the Pont Neuf. At one point they told us that they tried to rent bikes but were unsuccessful. That made us feel a little better about our failure, but not much because they seemed pretty clueless. Thankfully, we woke up and made it to the airport (Orly) in plenty of time for the cattle rush that is Europe's version of Southwest Airlines, Easyjet. April was able to wedge in and race to the exit row so we had nice roomy seats for the short flight.

When we got to Nice, it was hot! We had to walk about a mile to the car rental station (why is National always the furthest away?). We rented a Citroen C3. It kind of looks like an egg, which April approves of. It's not the fastest car, I'm not sure if I'm working it properly as it feels like I'm riding with the parking brake on (I'm not). After about 20 minutes of driving around in circles of 1 way unmarked streets with crazy pedestrians, other drivers, and motorcyclists trying to get hit we made it to the hotel which is very nice and not too far from the beach, and the have a bidet!

We immediately went out to grab some food and head down to the beach to swim. The water is crystal clear and not too cold (probably low 70's if your body is tuned to tell the exact temp - Nathan). The beach is actually pebbles and small rocks - no sand. It looks really cool and is probably great fun if you aren't barefoot. OUCH. We usually take a while to get used to the water, but the pain of cold water was nothing compared to the pain of those damn rocks, so we jumped right in. It's very salty, so you can float really well.

Nice is a beautiful city with a much different feel than Paris. The same types of apartment buildings with elaborate iron railings in front of the windows but several of the buildings are painted in pastel colors. It really gives the area a tropical feel. We are here just until tomorrow when we head to Marseilles to check out the Tour de France.

July 16th - It's Liptonic!

On our way home last night, we stopped off for something to drink. We decided on some good old lipton iced-tea. However, nothing is ever that simple in France. When we got home we realized the horrible truth, it was carbonated. Either we didn't notice or didn't understand the "Liptonic" in bold writing on the label. Or it could be that we would never in our wildest dreams imagine someone would carbonate iced-tea. I think I thought it was just some horrible marketing campaign word like "crumbelievable" or "schweppevesence". Apparently, it actually meant tonic.

Apparently a large cog in the Parisian economy is the accordion grinder on trains. On the way in from the airport, a couple of kids jumped on the train and began playing a song to try and get some money. One kid played the accordion and the other "played" the tambourine. The whole time I was thinking, boy I hope tambourine boy isn't getting a very big cut, he's not bringing much to the table. Then on our epic train ride to Versailles we encountered another duo. This time a father/son (Tom thinks it was probably uncle/nephew) team boarded. The father had an accordion and the son had a guitar. They played a little ditty that sounded oddly out of tune. At first I wasn't sure what was going on, but then I realized, the kid could not play the guitar. He was simply strumming the open strings to the beat. And I thought tambourine boy was bad. This being a double decker train, I shudder to think how much money these guys made as I saw a few dumb tourists reaching for their pockets. I wonder if these guys can make a living?

Another huge money maker is the trinket selling business. At all the major tourist hot spots there are a gang of people selling miniature Tour Eiffels. These guys are pretty funny. They come up to you about once every 15 seconds. It's like, "you just saw me say no to the last guy selling the same thing." They even go back and pester the same people they just sold to. The old adage is true: "don't feed them, they'll just come back for more." At Versailles, a different bunch of guys selling the same miniature Tour Eiffels had lined up across the exit road completely blocking people from leaving without running through their gauntlet. I admire their persistence, but wouldn't miniature Versailles palaces have made more sense? I did almost buy an umbrella hat though because it was pretty hot!

Today we went back to Notre Dame for a tour. We did a walk by last time because the line to get in was insanely long. After a few days in Paris, we've figured out how to get around lines though, just say you need to get in for the lost and found. Or just walk right in through the exit. They never seem to be paying attention as a huge mass of people is simultaneously leaving. April does not advocate this line cutting method-- this is all Tom.

Well it rained today on and off but it wasn't too bad. We did some more walking around the city. For those of you familiar with the Boston area, today we stumbled upon Paris' version of Downtown Crossing, complete with grime and high schoolers. We tried to go to the catacombs but they are closed on Mondays. So now I guess we have something to see if we come back. We also tried to rent one of those bikes we mentioned the other day. Boy they look fun. But alas, we still can't figure the machine out so no soup for us.

We are flying down to Nice tomorrow morning and then heading to Marseilles on Wednesday. Hopefully we'll still have access to the Internet to bore you with our rantings. At least now we will have an answer when asked "how was your trip?" -- Read the blog!

July 15th - A Tale of Two Cities

Today was truly the "best of times" and the "worst of times". We went to Versailles today, but we had trouble getting on the right train and wound up heading in the wrong direction. We had to take a train back in the other direction to the right station to make a switch, but almost got right back on another wrong train. Alas, we made it to Versailles but the line to get in the palace was incredibly long so we decided to just go out to the gardens (how many ornate mansions can you see anyway?).

The gardens were pretty amazing. Huge manicured lawns and fountains. There were also tons of wooded trails with pave (cobble stones). We were able to rent bikes and ride along them. We came across a baby goat and April got off to feed him. Later, a small puppy launched an attack, but luckily we were just a little to quick for him. It was really hot out, but the breeze on the bike was great. This was by far the most fun we had so far in Paris. (Best of Times) However, by the time we made it to Marie Antoinette's house, we realized April lost her phone somewhere along the way. (Worst of times). Tom retraced the route while April headed back to the start but predictably we came up empty. We initially thought Monsieur Le Goat had taken the phone as he was no longer around and was eating up everything in sight earlier, but we didn't have any proof. Needless to say the ride home was pretty sad.

When we got home, Tom cancelled the service on my phone and activated the service on his phone, we watched a little live Tour de France coverage then took a nap. At around seven we decided to go out for the evening. As we were getting ready to head out the door Tom's cell rang and it was a french number. I answered and it was an American on the other line asking if I knew someone who had lost a cell phone. I was ecstatic. It turns out someone was riding the same bike path saw the phone in the grass and decided instead of turning it in to just try to contact the owner. I got their location and we went out to pick up the phone with thank you pastries and a bottle of wine.

We decided to walk because they were staying in the Latin Quarter not far from us. We met them at their hotel - a really nice lady named Franny from Massachusetts and her daughter. We talked for a while and even took pictures. They were really friendly and sweet.

After that we headed out to dinner at a nice cafe and April had a great salad. Tom's steak wasn't that great, but he was happy to have a large coke, even if it cost almost 8 euros (over half of what the steak cost). As usual, it was really late even though it felt like 8:30 so we decided to turn in and plan our Monday, our last day in Paris.

July 14th - Vive la France (Bastille Day)

Today we visited the Eiffel Tower. It was amazing,but the lines were pretty long so we were kinda drained by the time we got up to the observation area. We were ambitious at first and paid for a ticket to the top level but really only made it up to the second level. The second level was cool enough though. You could see pretty far from where we were so we were happy with that. They had those little viewfinder things you could use to get a close up view of different parts of the city.

I was psyched because right in the same area they were having an outdoor concert for Bastille Day and Nelly Furtado was performing. She sang a couple of songs with Timbaland, but Tom thinks it was a voice track. He's probably right (Tom wrote this).

Today we noticed that they have these automated bike stations all over the city with bike rentals. We think the first half hour is free and then you can drop them off at any other station. We are excited to try these before we leave.

After a late lunch, we headed back the Champs Elysee and caught the latest Harry Potter flick. It was pretty good considering the story in Book 5 was kind of annoying, but I'll leave the movie reviews to Maxim.

July 13th - How much for that Pepsi?

Standard tourist stuff today. We hit the louvre first and then Notre Dame. Let me say, what you've heard about the smell is right. It is kindy of stinky here. Especially on the "orange" line of the metro which is like 100 degrees. Other than the heat and smell it gets us where we need to go so its not that bad. The only bad thing so far has been the outrageous prices. It costs about 5 euros for a coke at a restaurant!! We discovered to our absolute dismay that the best deal in town for a meal is chez McDo-- McDonald's where you can get a combo "Best Of" meal for about 5 Euros. The same 5 Euros that will get you a teeny tiny coke at a cafe.

As for the sightseeing we did today, the Louvre was pretty neat. We saw the standard stuff like the Mona Lisa but we also saw some cool stuff in the other wings like Egyptian artifacts and some medieval building stuff on the lower floor of the Sully wing. Although truth be told, we saw this as Tom was trying to find the exit and was mistakenly following the emergency exit signs all over the building!

After the louvre we happened across the pet district with tons of bunnies and guinea pigs. They were pretty cute, but they spoke mostly french so we couldn't really understand them. I must say, there's nothing cuter than a plump guinea pig trying to speak english with a french accent!!

The best part so far has been just walking around the city. It is really beautiful and great fun to just walk around and get lost, which we have done several times. In fact, we've been lost more than we've been found. Despite Tom's usual great sense of direction, every direction he has chosen has been the exact opposite. The streets are pretty narrow with slight bends and you can't get a point of reference. Regardless, it has actually been quite fun to just walk around. We eventually get to where we are headed.

July 12th - Bonjour Paris

We arrived at CDG at 11 AM in pretty good shape considering we didn't get much sleep. Luckily we had a DVD of Blue Planet to put us down for at least awhile. We made it through customs and took a train into the city where who we think were Russians attempted to solicit our help in figuring out how the train system worked. I guess they figured they were better off with english than french, but really the only thing they could do was smile and point at a map. We tried to help them as much as we could then we just got on our train and took off. They made it to the right station to change trains, but we didn't see them again.

We arrived at our apartment located in the Latin Quarter section of the city about 30 minutes later. The location is fantastic. There are a couple of cool cafes on the corner which we have yet to try and a bunch of shops lining the streets. We're actually down the street from a Whole Foods like grocery store--it's actually a little fancier than our whole foods but it has similar types of foods and products. Tom was psyched to see they had cans of tuna and Kettle Chips, of which he purchased plenty. He was also very excited about the strawberry flavored fluff. I was disappointed at the severe lack of Nutella.

Anyway, the location is great, the apartment itself is nice one bedroom with a kitchen. The bathroom's a bit on the small side. Tom was sad because there was no bidet. Also, it is impossible for Tom to fit on the toilet as it is wedged between the wall and tub. Speaking of the tub, that's all there is, a tub with a hose. This makes shower very difficult and I'm sure the people below are getting rained on with every attempt as Tom regularly floods the bathroom.

After we grabbed some food supplies we crashed for awhile and then headed out on a long walk around the city ending up on the Champs Elysee. It's really wierd because it gets dark so late (after 10 PM) that you think it is much earlier than it really is. By the time we got home, we pretty much just went right to sleep but we still had a tough time waking up the next day thanks to the less than heavenly bed. So we didn't get out until about 11AM the next day.

July 11th - Leaving LA

We left LA on Wednesday morning and a pretty good flight to NY. However, bad weather had us doing loops over western PA so we were getting pretty anxious that we would miss our connection. However we landed in time to realize that our connecting plane never made it to NY. Luckily they brought a new plane in and we were only delayed a few hours. The wierdest thing happened, there was this strange moisture coming out of the sky. Being from SoCal, we weren't sure what this was, but it was very scary!