Ruth and I had a nice journey to the Neuschwanstein Castle.
It is a very pretty castle, although it seemed a little strange because it is so (relatively) new. It also was dedicated to Wagner, so it was complete with a cave/grotto on the inside, which is something you don't see every day. Overall, it was a very successful trip. The scenery surrounding the castle is beautiful- similar to the Swiss Alps, but more tame (and German). You can see why someone would choose to build a castle there.We had a ten hour night train to Paris, in which we sat up all night in a hot and stuffy and smelly and squishy compartment with four other people. It was slightly a nightmare, but we made it to Paris at last. It was nice to go on a night train, because it would have been a shame spending a whole day traveling on a train between the two places.
We had some difficulty checking in to our hotel- the place doesn't have internet, so they had no record of our reservation, since we made it only two days ago. Once we proved that we had a reservation, they were happy to let us in, but until then we had a very heated conversation in English on our side and Chinese/French/English on their side. Our hotel is in the Paris version of Chinatown, so we have our pick of Chinese restaurants- not something I was expecting in Paris.
Our first day in Paris was spent exploring little neighborhoods and local markets, visiting the Museum of Jewish History in Europe, and having a delightful picnic on the Place Voges. The Jewish museum provided an interesting look at how the Jewish culture evolved around Europe, and how it has been persecuted and belittled. Definitely provided some food for thought.
On Tuesday we decided to go on a day trip to Brussels, Belgium, just because we could. There's a fast train that runs there, so it only took an hour and a half to get there. We enjoyed the French fries and the Belgian waffles, and decided that the waffles are definitely better in Belgium. We saw the Grand Place, which is a beautiful square. We also went to the building that is modeled after the atom- hooray for chemistry!
We enjoyed wandering around Belgium and seeing what was to be seen.Yesterday we plunged in to Paris. We had breakfast at the Eiffel Tower, ducked into Napolean's Tomb, where we lost our guide book, and then spent the morning finding an English bookstore to get another guidebook. Once we had secured one, we had crepes across the river from the Notre Dame before touring the it. We wandered around the historic core of Paris, seeing a memorial of the deportation, which remembers the French who were deported from Paris to concentration and work camps and never returned. We also saw the Concierge, where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned, and the St. Chapelle Church, which is a beautiful chapel with amazing stained glass. We finished our day in Paris by picnicking by the Eiffel Tower and watching it light up in the evening, which was a beautiful sight. It's pretty chilly here, with highs in the low 60s, which makes sitting outside for long periods of time a little challenging, but the tower at night was worth it.
Today we did an art museum blitz, seeing the Orsay Museum and its Impressionistic paintings (which I loved) in the morning, and then going to the Louvre during lunch when it is a little less crowded. We were more selective as to what we saw at the Louvre because it is just so huge and overwhelming, but we did see the Mona Lisa. I rather wonder why it is so famous, but it was good to see it in person. We wandered through the Tuilleries and then down the Champs Elysees to the Arc du Triomphe. Whew! It's been a busy day!
We have two more days in Paris- we're hoping to do Versailles one of them. Saturday is Bastille Day, so there will be fireworks and parades, which would be cool to see. We're paying an arm and a leg for internet here in Paris, so I'm not sure when we'll be checking in next. Hope you're all doing well!
