Europe--Day 4

We set two alarms, but neither went off, and we woke up in a panic on Wednesday morning. We were still able to see everything we wanted to, though, starting with Notre Dame.


One thing to note...on the right portal, the kings of Judah are pictured. During the French Revolution, the people thought they were the French kings, and they cut off all their heads. A woman hid them in her yard, and they were discovered in 1977.

The gargoyles were entertaining, but the stonework on the building was the most impressive. In the center portal, Christ sits on his throne of judgement. Below him (see the picture), an angel and demon weight souls. The demon is cheating by pressing them down. Funny.



The inside matched the outside in decor. The place is set up like a cross with the building, and the gothic architecture is easy to identify. I LOVE stained glass with the lighting and color.

We walked through Historic Paris, and this picture overlooks some of the priciest areas to live in Paris--the Ile St. Louis, and the Seine River.

This is the Place St. Michel--where intellectuals, revolutionaries, liberals, poets, hippies, etc. gathered. In fact, in 1830 and 1848, citizens put up barricades here to fight the government as part of revolutions. This is also where the French students were nailed with tear gas in 1968, when they declared France an independent state.

My absolute favorite part of the city was Sainte-Chapelle, a gothic church built in 1248 with incredible stained glass. The outside is not very impressive, but the inside was jaw-dropping. The glass show scenes from the Christian history of the world, starting in Genesis, and working through the end of the world.

We headed back to the Deporation Memorial. We actually viewed quite a bit of Holocaust history on our trip, but this carried the most impact. Their are 200,000 lighted crystals, one for every French person who died in WWII. At the end, you see the eternal flame of hope. "Forgive, but never forget."

We booked it to the Louvre, where we spent three hours gazing at famous paintings. The Mona Lisa did not disappoint, but I was glad I learned how small it was before I viewed it in person. My favorite painting was a Raphael--the La Belle Jardiniere (1507). It has Madonna, Child, and John the Baptist in a pyramid.

Winged Victory of Samothrace, 190 BC, used to be on a hilltop to commemorate naval victory. She is blowing in the wind, and used to have a "we're #1" finger, that is displayed in a separate case.

Venus--the perfect balance of opposites in a contrapposto pose, her weight on her right foot. 100 BC.

We spent the evening hanging out at Trocadero and viewing the Eiffle Tower. Brady caught a few great views with our new camera.

Europe--Day 3

We took an overnight train from Munich to Paris. Figuring out the Metro system didn't take long, but neither of us were really prepared for the size of Paris! 20 times more people live in Paris than in NYC, but Paris is only the size of a typical city. Getting onto the Metro with all of our luggage during rush hour showed us what a tight squeeze it is!

We headed to Versaille, the palace and gardens built by King Louis the XIV (the "Sun King"). This palace was built for France propaganda--showing the world just how powerful and wealthy they were. Much of it (including the famous Hall of Mirrors) was under renovation.

The Opera room was my favorite.

Ornate rooms like these filled the palace.

Famous paintings, such as the Mona Lisa were housed here.

Busts and statues lined the walls and the gardens.

We liked the gardens better than the castle. Even though it was the "off season," the place was packed with tourists. It was hot and crowded, plus we were going on NO sleep (or shower...eww) from a bumpy train ride. Getting away from the pack and walking the gardens gave us some air and a long walk. (Versaille covers 8 miles!)

This is the Latona Basin. On top of the fountain is Latona, an unwed mother, who was insulted by the local peasants. She called on Zeus to avenge, who then swept down and turned the peasants into frogs and lizards that spit out water. We were lucky to see it turn on!

This is Marie Antoinette's estate. She was the Austrian who married Louis the XVI as an alliance. This was in the time right before the French revolution. The French hated her, as they felt she was spending the wealth of the nation and did not care for them. (Although her "let them eat cake" comment has never been confirmed by historians. "Cake" is the crumbs that fall on the floor from a meal.)

Before she was beheaded, Marie Antoinette tried to establish a country retreat--including her own working farm and dairy. She wanted a simple life, and often dressed in a plain white dress and straw hat.

This is the Temple of Love, with 12 columns supporting a dome, and a statue of Cupid shooting arrows.

More views of the extravagant gardens.

After Versaille, we headed to our hotel. On the way, we cracked up over the European cars that are EVERYWHERE. They have to be tiny--the spaces wouldn't fit an American car. I'm sure it's better to drive these as far as the gasoline crisis goes, but they look like toys and I doubt they hold up in a crash (even if it's a crash with a pedestrian).

After a jog and a shower, we headed to our first French restaurant. We weren't terribly impressed, but the green bean salad was excellent. (My duck tasted like really chewy fried chicken.) Parisiians take a long time to eat and socialize, and the dinner lasted over 2 hours. We actually liked the slow pace, and it was nice not to feel rushed.

We headed to the Eiffle Tower next, and took a ride all the way to the top. It was a clear night, and we could see for miles. We were on the top when it started to sparkle (which it does ever hour for 10 minutes). More pics to come...

Europe--Day 2

On Monday, we woke up to clear, crisp skies. We decided that it would be a great time for a cable car ride up to the top of the Zugspitze, the tallest point in German at 9,700 feet. We packed into the car with an insane number of people, and swooped up to the top.



It was FREEZING...below zero degrees, plus wind chill. After a few pics, we headed inside for a delicious treat with fantastic views. (I made fun of Brady for the shot of the hot chocolate, but it's now one of my top 5 pics from the trip.)




This shot was taken on the way down. It's amazing how fast the cable car goes!

We had a few minutes before we were picked up to head back to the lake we checked out on Sunday. This is also one of my top favorite pictures.

Chrysta carted us over to Fussen, where the castles of King Ludwig II are located. We missed the tour of Hohenschwangau Castle--the one with the tan color--but arrived in time to take shots of this 12th century wonder.

We were able to tour Neuschwanstein Castle, though. This was the castle that King Ludwig spent 17 years building, and only actually lived in it for 172 days. (He was declared mentally unfit to rule Bulvaria, and found dead in a lake 2 days after his eviction from Neuschwanstein. Was it murder or suicide???) Incidentally, this is the same castle that the Disneyland castle is modeled after. Not that I would know...

These are views from Mary's Bridge--a hike marked with "No Trespassing" signs.

"Karen's Kitchen"--taken for our VEM family.

We had only a short time to view Wieskirche, a pilgrimage, Rococo-style church (meaning lots of curly cues and fancy decor), but it was definitely worth the stop. Supposedly, the statue of the scourged Christ actually wept in 1738. This was the first church we saw with paintings coating the ceilings, and it blew us away.

Next stop...Paris.

Europe 2007--Day 1

The flight to Munich was not bad as we anticipated. We had a few close-calls, such as meeting our connecting flight in Frankfurt. (We have NEVER run so fast in a public place, and I don't think I've ever been to a terminal so far away from security!). Munich is 9 hours ahead of us, and although we were jet-lagged, we were anxious get out and see a few things before catching up on the ZZZzzzs.

Karl took us around to see a lake next to the Alps (right outside their complex), some of the country-side, and then on a hike through the gorge. We loved the crystal-clear glacial waters.

All over Germany, the wood is stacked perfectly. Here is one example:

Chapels dot the landscape, many of them tiny areas with a few benches. They are quaint, and fit perfectly with the beautiful mountains.

We made it to the end of the gorge with just enough daylight, although we had to run to make it back. It was a good way to keep us awake.

This is the Olympic complex from the 1937 Olympics that Hitler organized.

Castaways....