3 Oct 2014
So, I'm a little late getting this post updated! After the 1st phase of Rod's treatment in Beijing, we took some time on vacation before I had to work on 3 continents in 3 weeks and composed a combination of vacation and work to complete my required 30 days out of China prior to my 5 year anniversary in China. I get tired again just reading that sentence! I thought about trying to do all of that in one post, but just couldn't limit myself well enough to make it readable...so I've split the trip into 3 posts...this one is all about Paris. As I get organized, I'll do additional ones!
if you don't want a vacation travel log, skip this post ..there is nothing in this post about China
Where do I begin? I guess it's easiest to take it in Chronological order, so I'll start on this with our week in Paris. I love Paris and this trip just confirmed my love for the city. We stayed at a nice hotel and had a wonderful relaxing time. We had a special deal where we ate breakfast and dinner at the hotel. You may be wondering that with all of the Michelin 3 star restaurants in the city, why would we limit ourselves to one restaurant...well, I wrote the hotel concierge ahead of time and explained Rod's dietary restrictions and they worked wonderfully with us to provide everything he needed, so it was one less headache to deal with!
I saw castles (while Rod rested), was able to run some beautiful runs along the Seine in early morning , took a bike tour, saw a lovely concert in an old Church and of course did more than my fair share of shopping (After all, the hotel was within walking distance of the 2 big departments stores in Paris!
Here are just a few pictures of our stay in Paris: (I admit I exercised great restraint in posting...I took alot of photos!)
Our hotel was one of those grand old hotels...not the Ritz mind you, but nice enough for us! As I said before, located by the 2 big department stores in Paris and easy access to the Metro stops. Also an easy walk/run to the Seine and therefore a nice location for running too! I would go back there!
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| Our hotel in Paris, the Intercontinental Le Grand |
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| dinner at the Cafe de la paix in the hotel |
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| inside the restaurant at the Grand Hotel |
We were able to have a nice dinner with our friends Monique and Bill...come to find out, they had their first date at this hotel 45 years ago! What a nice evening!
Almost right away, I got signed up for a day trip tour of 3 Loire Valley castles. Rod didn't want to do it (seen one castle seen them all idea...but I can attest it was not the case!), so I went with a small group tour. It was a very nice day outing! We went to 3 Castles: Amboise, Chenonceau and Chambord. All 3 very different and each having it's own style.
Amboise:
http://www.chateau-amboise.com/en/
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| From the side of the Castle |
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| From the rear of the Castle...imagine the horse drawn carriages on that path! |
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| A lovely place to take a rest at Amboise |
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| The entrance to Amboise..a beautiful curbside appeal! |
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| The exit ramp out of the castle..love the ceilings of the tower! |
Next Was Chenonceau:
http://www.chenonceau.com/
(My personal favorite!...this place is privately owned and has the feel of being lived in with cut flowers and furniture all around..not to mention the fact that it's built over a river!
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| The entrance to Chenonceau...How's that for an entrance | ? |
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| The Castle at Chenonceau |
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| A nice beginning to the castle..creating a nice entrance and more curb appeal! |
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| Chenonceau approach...literally right on the river! |
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| A room (a whole house actually!) with a view! |
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| The entry to Chenonceau...nice mote! |
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| A lovely luncheon at Chenonceau..and yes, these are real flowers in front of me! |
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| One of the kitchen tables at Chenonceau |
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| Just one example of the many cut flowers throughout Chenonceau castle |
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| Where we had lunch at Chenonceau...so nice! |
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| Outside the lunch place at Chenonceau |
The last one was Chambord:
http://chambord.org/
It's a monstrosity of a castle..only lived in for < 100 days...we can start to see why the revolution happened in France!
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| Standing in front of Chambord |
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| Chambord Castle from the back |
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| Chambord castle from the side |
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| The top of the Spiral staircase at Chambord |
The big claim to fame about Chambord, other than it's sheer size is a very unique double staircase designed by Leonardo Di Vinci. The design of this stair case reminds me of the DNA helix...there are 2 paths going up the top, but people never meet on the paths, yet they both end up at the top! There are windows and you can see either other passing, but never actually pass each other on the steps. Other than that, the building is pretty much empty. Not much soul.
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| The center of the double spiral staircase in Chambord looking down. |
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| A side view of the spiral stair case at Chambord |
We took a bike trip around Paris...this was a fun way to just roll around the familiar tourist sites and have a relaxing afternoon!
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| Rod and Sarah getting ready to bike Paris! |
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| Our group riding the streets of Paris |
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| The obligatory picture in front of the EifelTower |
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| Rod and Sarah doing the Fat Bike tour in Paris. |
One of the great things about Paris for me this trip was taking some
nice runs. I'm training for a 1/2 marathon, so I needed to keep up my
training schedule...and what a nice place to do it. I run in the early
morning, and that is a beautiful time to catch some nice photos in
Paris..no one is out yet, the city of lights is just starting to come to
life, yet the street lights are still shining and reflecting on the
rivers...the photos just don't do it justice, even though some of them
are nice!
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| Eifel tower at dawn |
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| Pont D'Alexandre at dawn |
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| Another view of the Pont d'Alexandre |
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| Along the Seine at Paris |
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| Along the Seine at dawn |
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| Notre Dame along the river in the morning |
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| Notre Dame in the morning |
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| Along the Seine at dawn |
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| Notre Dame..the only time to go without all the people! |
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| Along the Seine |
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| Just another building on the morning run in Paris! |
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| One of the beautiful bridges across the Seine at Dawn |
With the help of our concierge at the hotel, we were able to get some tickets to a concert at St. Chapelle. St Chapelle was a church a long time ago, but it is now a national monument in Paris. It is beautiful and again the pictures don't do it justice
http://sainte-chapelle.monuments-nationaux.fr/
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| looking up from my seat in St Chapelle...so many stained glass windows! |
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| Looking forward from my seat at St. Chapelle |
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| St Chapelle...the most beautiful stained glass windows in Paris...and great acoustics for a concert! |
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| Front row seats for the concert at St. Chapelle..can't get that grin off my face! |
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| The concert at St. Chapelle |
We ended up our week in Paris by going to Versailles. We saw some period artists and musicians performing in the Hall of Mirrors and then we saw some of the water show. It was too late for us to see it all, but what we saw was really nice...wondering around in the gardens with fountains timed to music and lights...ahh...that's entertainment!
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| Selfie at the entrance to Versailles |
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| One of the painted ceilings at Versailles... |
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| Some of the artists in the hall of mirrors at Versailles |
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| In the Gardens at Versailles just before the night water show |
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| Versailles castle |
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| The hall of mirrors at Versailles...good ole King Louis the 14th really knew how to decorate...obviously didn't have to worry about a budget! |
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| Some of the artists in the hall of mirrors before the water show at Versailles |
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| Rod and Sarah Selfie in front of Versailles |
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| Rod and Sarah in the garden at Versailles at dusk |
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| The main garden ailes at Versailles at dusk...how's that for a view from your bedroom window? |
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| One of the many fountains at dusk at Versailles water show |
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| Versailles at dusk |
After Paris, we went to Poland...see the next post for that one!
Most of all, I'm grateful that all through this trip, Rod was able to enjoy our trip together...this trip would not have been possible 6 months ago..now, thanks to his treatments in China and the US, along with his change in lifestyle, we were able to enjoy a lovely vacation in Paris! Thank you God!
Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers as we continue this journey!
Rod and Sarah
Great post Sarah! Someday David & I will see Paris :) So happy you & Rod had a wonderful vacation. We think and pray for you both often. Glad Rod's treatment is going well.
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