July 28, 2007 by Tiffany.

Today Jason and I took a day trip to go champagne tasting in Reims.

First, we took a bit of time to check out the Notre Dame Cathedral in Reims, which has an incredible history and was where the kings of France were crowned.

Afterwards, we walked through the town and saw the monument to the French resistance during World War II.

Also in the near vicinity were these Roman arches from waaaaay back in the second century when Reims was still a Roman town. Look close and you’ll see me in the center.

We experimented with some Latin cuisine again for lunch with some better results.  Afterwards, we visited the Piper-Heidsieck Winery and the limestone cave tour where they store the champagne until it is ready.

Apparently the champagne from this particular winery was presented to, and chosen by Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, and was later the official champagne of 14 French monarchies.

The best part was afterwards when we were able to taste three different types of champagne, all of which were quite good.

Jason bought a bottle for a later date.  Tonight we’re planning to have dinner in Paris.  Tomorrow we’ll have a movie-thon with Blake and Andrea to catch up on movies that Jason and Blake have been wanting to see, including Transformers and Die Hard 4.  Note that I said JASON and BLAKE.  Wish me luck.

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July 27, 2007 by Tiffany.

Other than delicious crepes for lunch and some shopping at the outlets at Val d’Europe, I didn’t accomplish too much today.

However, today was Andrea’s birthday, so to celebrate we went to The Steakhouse at Disney Village, which is very good, although pricey.  I enjoyed a sirloin steak and afterwards some Bailey’s creme brulee.

It was all very delicious.  Up tomorrow: a day trip to Reims in order to tour the Piper-Heidsieck champagne cellar and other miscellaneous activities.

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July 26, 2007 by Tiffany.

I saw just about all of Paris today… not up close mind you, but from far above the city.  Today I went to Montmartre to see the Moulin Rouge and the Sacre-Coeur basilica, which offers probably the most impressive views of Paris.  First the Moulin Rouge.

I really had high hopes for this place.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool and everything, but the neighborhood is chock full of sex shops and strip clubs.

Not really the kind of place I felt secure alone.  Needless to say, I took my souvenir pictures and high-tailed it out of there.  At one point last week Andrea and I ran into some Canadian tourists who mentioned the look-out view from the top of Sacre-Coeur.  They were saying it wasn’t nearly as touristy or expensive as the top of the Eiffel Tower and offered similar, if not superior views of Paris.  My first impression upon arriving in the area was that the girls must have been completely mistaken.  The area couldn’t be more touristy.

Identical shops left and right selling crap like Eiffel Tower replicas and bags that say “Paris,” along with the assorted cafes charging too much for the lunch specials in English.  The basilica itself sits atop a hill, one of the only, if not THE only hill in Paris.

If willing, one can climb the stairs up the hill to the basilica.  Most people make it to this point, and again, there were throngs of people, street performers and vendors trying to push their wares on unsuspecting tourists.  I noticed, however, another sign pointing to the side of the church that said “Dome/Crypt.”  Hmm, okay.  I went to the side and for 5 Euros I had access to the staircase to the top of the basilica.  What the girls said now made sense.  True, the whole area was packed, but hardly ANYONE was willing to climb to the top, unlike the Eiffel Tower with its slick elevators.  The climb is arduous, I may add.  The stairs are steep and narrow, and the higher you climb, the more intense the sound of the wind that howls through the staircase.  Much like the catacombs, I was physically freaked out.  I HATE heights so the higher I climbed and the louder the wind became, the sweatier my palms were.  When I finally reached the top the wind was INTENSE.  Scary actually.  But the view was absolutely worth it.

I’d say it’s a must do if you visit.  I stayed probably a half an hour, mostly because it was so cool, but also partly because I was completely terrified of getting down, which seemed as bad if not worse than climbing up.  I’m happy to say I survived, and here are some pictures to prove it.

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July 25, 2007 by Tiffany.

Andrea and I made our way back to Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios today to hit the rides we didn’t catch the last time we were there last week.  We weren’t able to get on everything we wanted, but fortunately we did enter the Studios park before all of the shows were closed, unlike last time.  This highlight was definitely the French version of the Haunted Mansion, Phantom Manor.

It’s a completely different ride with a theme around a jilted bride who never recovers from being stood up at the altar.  It’s creepier than the US version with more scary skeletons and dead things about.

Our next goal was to ride Thunder Mountain Railroad.  It looks essentially like the same ride but it’s on an island in the middle of the water.  The riders load on the “land” side, the train travels under the water and then the ride as we know it (I suppose), is on the island.  We were excited to ride it, but after about 25 minutes in line, they announced that the ride was experiencing some mechanical difficulties, so that was a bust.  At Studios, we watched a couple of shows and then called it a day.

I was excited to see that they have loaded, although not installed, the letters for the sign “The Hollywood Tower Hotel.”  Pretty cool!

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July 24, 2007 by Tiffany.

Today was a bit of a bust, but I still was able to discover some new areas.  My original intention was to visit the Musee d’Orsay, but upon arrival I was quickly reminded of the visit to Versailles when I saw several lines jam packed with people queued to simply to purchase tickets.  No thanks!  Been there, done that.  I looked over and noticed another, MUCH shorter line for pre-purchased tickets.  From now on, that will be my plan of action.  I’ll likely do the same with the Louvre if I have that option.  So, having crossed the museum off my list for the time being, I set out for lunch and enjoyed a delicious quiche and my first real French eclair.  Yum!

I also would like to share my experience in my first French public toilet, which I had pretty much decided I would avoid at all costs unless absolutely necessary.  That absolutely necessary moment came today, and I must say it wasn’t horrible.  Well, yes, it was, but not when compared to other public restroom experiences I’ve had in my life.

For the record, these are the public toilets that supposedly completely sanitize themselves after each use.  No matter, I still would rather die than actually touch anything in there, but I can now say from experience that they do work.  I also came across this Shell station that was so bizarre because the cars actually pull into the belly of the building.  From the exterior, you can hardly tell there’s even a gas station, save the sign.

On the inside there are not only pumps but a car wash as well!  The things people think of when there’s virtually no space and the community was built long before the advent of cars or the need for gasoline.

I also came across a mall called the Forums des Halles.  To my surprise, the mall is almost entirely underground.  Three of its four levels are underground!  Strange place.  I wasn’t a big fan.  Tonight: frenchiladas once again!

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July 23, 2007 by Tiffany.

The rain didn’t stop me today from traveling into Paris to see the Hotel des Invalides, which is a hospital/home for disabled French war veterans, houses the Musee de l’Armee (Army Museum), and the Dome Church.

To be honest, I chose this place today because it was raining and I figured I could be inside most of the time, but I actually found the Army Museum fascinating and spent much more time there than I thought I would.  The first part of the museum shows weapons and armor from the Stone Age through the end of World War II.  My travel guide mentioned that this is one of the most comprehensive military museums in the world, and I dare not doubt that claim.  They have armor from around the world, infant armor, (I kid you not), horse armor, canons, swords, daggers, bayonets, guns,  you name it.

Here is one of my personal favorites.  Nothing speaks the love of Jesus Christ like a dagger housed inside a crucifix.

Even better however, was the section dedicated to the two World Wars.  Anyone who has even the slightest interest in either war should visit this exhibit given the chance.

It is informative and thorough with films, photographs, weapons, uniforms and maps.  I was there for probably two hours but easily could have spent another.

Finally, I visited the Dome Church, also at the Hotel des Invalides.  The church houses the tomb of Napolean Bonaparte, as well as other French military leaders of note.

It’s definitely the most elaborate tomb I’ve ever seen, but really lives up to the extravagance and pomp the man was known to represent.  You know what they say… huge tomb, small ???  Ha ha.  Only kidding.

Surprisingly, even though the hospital was opened in 1675, it holds the same purpose today, and elderly disabled French veterans still live there and wander about the property.  Talk about some history.

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July 22, 2007 by Tiffany.

Last night Jason and I had the Mexican food I mentioned in yesterday’s blog.  Let’s just say that there’s a reason France is not known for its Mexican cuisine.  I’ve been more satisfied by Taco Bell and that’s not saying a whole lot.

Even better was that it cost ninety dollars to have some less than mediocre food.  Jason ordered the “super nachos” and they came with a whopping six tortilla chips, carefully arranged in a star with various sauces and meats in the center. The place had ambiance for days, but food?  Not so much.

The area of Saint Michel on a Saturday night really is something to take in, however, with tons of restaurants and people milling about.  After dinner, we found a small bar with an excellent table outside and imbibed with a couple of sangrias each.  Good times indeed.

Today was a lazy Sunday for sure, but we did see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the Disney Village and later cooked some gnocchi with pesto sauce.  Not sure about tomorrow.  I may check out the Montmartre section of Paris, where the Moulin Rouge is, but only tomorrow will tell.

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July 21, 2007 by Tiffany.

Today Jason, Blake, Andrea and I drove about an hour out of town to Provins, a former medieval town that still retains much of its character with a fortress and cathedral that date back to the 12th and 13th centuries.  The town is charming, the views beautiful and the fortress, Cesar’s Tower, is fascinating.

Not for the weak of heart, the fortress has steep, narrow stairways and minuscule doorways, all which lead to the bell tower atop the edifice.  The bell still works, mind you.

It definitely was a nice day trip from Paris.  Tonight we’re going to eat at a Mexican food restaurant in the St. Michel area of Paris.  Mexican in Paris?  I guess it’s the California coming out in us.  Today we had some delicious crepes: a ham and cheese crepe for lunch and a nutella crepe for dessert.  Mmm!  Good stuff.  Hopefully the Mexican food will be as satisfying.

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July 20, 2007 by Tiffany.

Today was a slow day.  I was pretty wiped put from yesterday, and by the time Andrea and I returned from Auchan to do some grocery shopping, I was not motivated to do a lot.  One cool thing I accomplished today was booking a weekend trip August 4-5 to check out the Normandy beaches of D Day.  We’re looking forward to that.  Other than that, the biggest thing I did today was dinner at King Ludwig’s Castle at the Disney Village.  Disney Village is the equivalent to Downtown Disney with the given assortment of resort-ish, hyper-themed restaurants and Disney stores.

Tonight we arbitrarily picked the castle since Jason decided to venture into uncharted territory and savor some bratwurst and sauerkraut.

Despite the extreme kitch, the food was quite good, and Jason enjoyed his new culinary adventure.

We did lament periodically that instead of taking in the glory of Paris at a sidewalk cafe, we were sitting with King Ludwig.  Sadly, Paris is quite a haul for dinner especially after Jason has been at work all day.  Luckily, we managed to find a great pub close to home that we’ll likely visit more in the future.  It’s literally the only thing that’s open after eleven in the area, if you don’t count the nightclub Hurricanes at Disney Village.  For the time being, the pub seems like a better option.  No set plans for tomorrow.  Maybe Provins, a medieval town, or a tour of champagne country.  We’ll shall see.

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July 19, 2007 by Tiffany.

The size isn’t the only grandiose thing about the Palace of Versailles.  I’m quite glad that Andrea and I went today, but I have never been around that many tourists ANYWHERE!  It makes the worst day at Disneyland you can think of seem like a walk in the park.  Sadly, we got there at the absolute worst time.  Of course, we left out place at 9am, thinking this would afford us plenty of time to get there “before the crowds.”  HA!  As if!  For starters, it took two and a half hours to arrive on the train, not really because it’s so far away, (although it completely on the other side of Paris), but one of the transfer stations we were planning on taking was inexplicably closed, and all other trains seemed to stop every 200 feet for another station.  Needless to say, we arrived at Versailles at approximately the same time as 10,000 tour buses.  The line to get simply buy the tickets was incredible.

It took an hour and a half simply to BUY tickets!  Afterwards, the line to enter the palace was probably two blocks long.  It was the day of mind-boggling lines.  Bathrooms, trams, tickets, entrance, you name it, it had a killer line.  With that off of my chest, let me actually comment on Versailles.  It’s enormous.  In it’s heyday the palace housed 20,000 people!  The grounds are also spectacular.  Back in the day it occupied nearly 8,000 acres, but not it’s down to 700 or 800 acres.  No matter, it’s still gigantic.

The interior is somewhat disappointing because the rooms are not complete.  I have a feeling the palace was likely ransacked and seiged during the war, so little of how it actually was remains today.  It’s merely more of a gallery for various pieces of furniture and several paintings that have survived the years.  It’s also poorly maintained.  The furniture is gray with dust.  I know it is old and fragile but please, the Getty Museum manages to keep their 17th and 18th century furniture looking clean and fresh.  I’m sure they could too.  Basically, the place is abused to a certain degree: it’s exploited as a total tourist cash cow money maker, while the interior isn’t properly maintained.  There were definitely some highlights, however.  The Royal Chapel was gorgeous, as was the Hall of Mirrors, where the 1919 Treaty of Versailles was signed ending World War I.

The gardens were very beautiful, and the houses of Marie Antoinette, which were just opened to the public for the first time last year, were also very interesting.

I’m very glad I went since the rich history makes it all worthwhile.  I  simply would have enjoyed it more with less people and less standing in line for hours in the blazing midday sun.  Tomorrow’s plans?  At the moment I haven’t a clue, other than a much needed trip to the grocery store.

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