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Our European Adventure 2018
  • DeanandLindasTravels
  • DeanandLindasTravels

Our European Adventure 2018

A 6 month trip on a shoestring Read more
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  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    Above the high bridge is path carved into the rock face. It is no longer is use.The path carved into the rock face ends above the rock that had fallen into the chasm.Eagle Falls (supposed to look like an eagle's wings)

    Gorges de la Diosaz

    September 25, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    A natural gorge with a suspended walkway inside led us along and over the beautiful cascades for about 1.6 miles round trip. The path, constructed in 1875, is well maintained, with signposts along the way explaining the history, geology, plants and animals.

    A dam controls the water flow, and right now it is quite low. The highest flow is in June and July when the snow is melting, and of course after a storm.    Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
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    Chamonix and Mont Blanc, France

    September 26, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F

    Chamonix is famous for its location at the foot of Mont Blanc (White Mountain), the highest mountain in Europe, at 4808 meters, or 15,777 feet. The first Winter Olympics was held here in 1924. River Lyret flows rapidly through town, and consists of meltwater from the glaciers. The church is pretty from all angles, since mountains surround the town.Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    The first two climbers of Mont Blanc, Dr Paccard and his guide
    Alpine MuseumCrystals found on Mont BlancA gemstone from Mont BlancFrom the Rhone area of France

    Climbing Mont Blanc

    September 26, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

    During non-skiing season, people flock here for hiking, paragliding (of which we saw many), and mountain climbing. We saw a great statue of the two first climbers, Paccard (a doctor) and his guide Balmot, 1786. One of the town's buildings has a mural of people who've been involved in climbing Mont Blanc, setting records along the way. The waitress in the top window of the mural was the first woman to climb Mont Blanc, in 1808. The second woman was in 1838.

    We went to the Alpine Museum to learn more, and got to see some beautiful gemstones and crystals too!    Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    View of Mont Blanc from Masie's front yard
    The mountain is pink; time to drink (wine)!

    Housesitting in Servoz

    September 28, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    We are caring for Maisie, a sweet black lab, this weekend. Servoz is a lovely little town with great views of Mont Blanc, and we can even see it from Maisie's front yard!

    Here are some views around the village, as well as Mont Blanc at sunset. We get to see this every evening--lucky us!Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    The Courtyard

    Avignon: Palace of the Popes

    October 2, 2018 in France ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

    In 1309 Pope Clement V moved to Avignon to escape the protests, riots, and violence after his election. The Palace was begun and added to by the 8 succeeding popes who lived there. It is the largest Gothic building of the middle ages and is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

    After the popes returned to Rome, the building remained under papal control for the next 350 years, but it deteriorated. During the French Revolution, a lot of the palace was damaged. Napoleon used it for a barracks and more damage occurred. It was vacated in 1906 and was finally opened to tourists. It's been in the process of reconstruction ever since.

    This place is huge! We could never get a picture that showed how big it was from any angle. So we took a couple of pictures of the model to get a better perspective. The next day as we left town we saw it from a distance.    Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    Dean sitting in the fireplace at one end of the dining hall, playing with the tablet
    The wall as it is today, and the tablet showing how it looked in the 1300sThe Grand Chapel, now displaying art from some of Avignon's museumsThe tablet's view of the altar.

    Palace of the Popes, Interior

    October 2, 2018 in France ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    We took a tour, which included the use of a tablet to explain what it was like. The inside is mostly empty now, but using the tablet, we could see how it had looked. There had been beautiful frescoes covering the walls. Many were covered over when the building was used for other purposes, but some have been restored. Pictures were not allowed of these but we managed to take a couple of pictures of the tablet showing the interior.Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler

    The Medieval City of Carcassonne

    October 4, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    Carcassonne is the largest intact walled city in Europe. The city was started by the Romans, and because of its strategic location as a trade route, it has become what it is today: a well-maintained double-walled city.

    This year is the 20th anniversary of the city being placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and to celebrate, the city contracted with Swiss artist, Felice Varini, who attached yellow concentric circles around one of the walls' gates. it is a temporary exhibit; the circles are made of aluminum tape that comes off without residue.    Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    Doros, a quartet from Moscow

    The Old City and its Basilica

    October 4, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    The old streets are fun to walk around. We discovered a beautiful basilica, named after two 1st century martyrs, Saint Nazaire and Saint Celse, built in 1066 (Roman) and later embellished in Gothic style. While we were in the basilica, we heard a Russian quartet singing sacred music a capella. Their voices seemed to fill the sanctuary and float to Heaven!Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler

    Biding Our Time in Foix

    October 5, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    We had an extra day we forgot to count before our next week's reservation, so we scrambled to find a room for the night. On our way south, we saw a town on a hilltop, so we investigated, and found a WWI memorial statue. The rooster became a symbol of France's resistance and bravery during the war.

    We had a night in Foix, a small city in southern France with a castle on a hill. A market was going on. We were able to check in at 5, and although the room has a crooked floor and hot pink walls, Julie and her husband are so sweet, which made up for it. They have sons, dogs, cats, kittens, guinea pigs and rabbits, two of each. Julie speaks very good English; she translates written documents from English to French. We were glad to meet them!    Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    Our condo building
    View from our balconyThe neighboring ski areaThe ski area after the snow melted

    Ahhh! Andorra!

    October 9, 2018 in Andorra ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F

    We have a timeshare in the principality of Andorra. It is a very mountainous country, less than 1/6th the size of Rhode Island. Tourism is the biggest industry. People come here for skiing of course, as well as mountain climbing, hiking, bicycling, and motorcycling. The second industry is tobacco! On weekends, people come from France and Spain to buy tobacco and alcohol as it is cheaper--that is the time to stay off the roads!

    We don’t have easy access to WiFi so it isn’t easy to keep the blog up to date. The weather has been cool and rainy (snowy on the mountaintops the first few days). Mostly, we are hanging out, cooking, and reading.    Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    Village of OrdinoOld Roman BridgeSt Joan de Caselles Church, 11th-12th century constructionChurch of St Andrew, 17th century

    Exploring Andorra

    October 10, 2018 in Andorra ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    We drove up some beautiful valleys today. There are craggy mountains, streams, and waterfalls. The country also has lots of rocks! So most of the buildings, old bridges, and fences are made of them. There are many old rock churches which look very quaint and pretty against the mountain backdrops.Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    Main Street, Canillo. The grocery store is on the left side, with a blue awning.
    1Old Grist MillSee the observation platform on top of the mountain?

    Canillo, Andorra

    October 10, 2018 in Andorra ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    This is the town where we go for groceries. There is only one grocery store in the village, but they seem to have what we need. Sometimes we hang out at the indoor ice rink to use the WiFi but it's really slow! It's fun to watch the children learning to play hockey.

    Up on top of the mountain behind the village is a clear platform to walk out on for a look down. We didn't drive up there--looked like one of those narrow roads with lots of switchbacks!    Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    The path into the valley
    1Promises of views to comeTiny brooks flow down the mountainsides along the pathThe view up the Incles ValleyHeading back out of the valley, toward the condo and the ski areas

    Vall d'Incles Hike

    October 11, 2018 in Andorra ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    There are lots of hiking trails. I didn't have a map, so I just followed one near our condo. It is called Cami de l'Obac, which means Shady Road. It follows along the Incles creek into the valley for some pretty views. Since the sun came out yesterday, the crocus are blooming everywhere!Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    Lots of crocuses!The end of the valley--on the other side of the mountains is France.The cattle drive

    Rural Life, Andorra

    October 12, 2018 in Andorra ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    We are at the opening of a very rural valley, where people graze cows, sheep, and goats. While exploring the valley, we came upon a cattle drive, which was really fun to see, with all the neighbors helping. We had to follow the cows all the way down the valley to our condo. And we had just washed the car!Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler

    Barcelona: Homeward Bound!

    October 16, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    We have had 5 days in Barcelona. We had a lot to do to get ready for our cruise. There is so much to see in this vibrant city, so we went on a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour yesterday. Unfortunately, we are having some glitches with our computer and camera not communicating, so I have no pictures to post right now. I'm glad this didn't happen earlier on the trip!

    Note: We are on the cruise, and Internet is too expensive ($15-20 per day!) While in port, Dean looked up a You-Tube video on how to fix our technology problem. Hope to post later at another port.    Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    The older side, with nativity carvings2The newer sideA model showing what it will all look like when completed!

    Sagrada Familia (Holy Family)

    October 17, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Architecture by Antoni Gaudi is very unusual, and is found in many places of the city. His most famous work is this huge church, which was started in 1882, and is still under construction. When completed, it will have six towers and will be the tallest building in the city.Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
    Christopher Columbus
    Medical research buildingHeadquarters of Barcelona water company

    Barcelona Seafront Recovery

    October 17, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    The seafronts were neglected for years until the area was transformed for the Olympics in 1992. The Harbor is very busy with shipping and a cruise terminal. A statue of Christopher Columbus looks over the harbor, and there is a tramway over the harbor for sightseers.

    Here are also some photos of "New Town".    Read more

  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Traveler
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    Park Guell, Another Gaudi Masterpiece

    October 17, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Count Guell, a textiles entrepreneur, commissioned Gaudi to design this planned community. The urban project failed, so the city made it into a park. Gaudi designed many-layered walkways to deal with the hilly terrain. There are beautiful views of the city from the top.Read more

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