Europe 2019

June - July 2019
Starting in London & surrounds, next exploring Normandy, finally heading to Paris.
  • 24footprints
  • 2countries
  • 16days
  • 140photos
  • 0videos
  • 7.7kmiles
  • 5.0kmiles
  • Day 9

    D-Day - Part Deux

    June 29, 2019 in France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Last night, the US women played France in the soccer World Cup quarterfinal game. Ironically, USA played Spain in La Havre (not far from Normandy) while we were in London and played yesterday in Paris. We are somehow, just one step behind. The match didn't start until 9pm and the kids were trying to sleep, so I followed the match on Twitter. They won! Immediately went online to see how much tickets are for the semi-final match against England on Tuesday in Lyon (a 2-hr train ride from Paris). Four tickets were running $1,400-1,700...ouch! That isn't happening. However, a single ticket was only ~$200 after taxes and fees...not too bad. I decide to spring for it and stayed up until 2am figuring out train and accommodation. Could have done better if well rested, but I am going and excited!!

    Also, meant that I started the day tired. Meh. Already over 70 degrees at 8am. Unbelievably topped out at 97 in Bayeux today. Being closer to the coast with a small breeze helped some, but it was still bloody hot!

    Arrived at the American Cemetary before 9:30am to a virtually empty parking lot. Didn't stay that way for long. Like many places we've visited, there have been major improvements since over the past two decades. A small, but well done visitor center and a new overlook above Omaha have been added. We spent about two hours soaking in the solemnity and surprising peacefulness of the place. While still very moving, I recalled feeling an overwhelming sadness last time. Perhaps because I was more focused on curating my kids' understanding and experience. I am hopeful they will want to bring their own children here someday to appreciate the awesome sacrifices made by previous generations, destructiveness of war, and importance of pursuing peace and justice.

    Toward the end of our time at the gravesite, my flip flop strap popped! (Note to self - flip flops aren't proper sightseeing attire, even in almost 100 degree temps!) Did NOT want to waste 30 minutes driving back to the flat for different footwear so I dove into my first air kit to MacGyver a solution with dental floss...proud to say it held successfully the entire day!

    Headed down the road to Pointe du Hoc. A tiny visitor center and plaza looked virtually brand new. Jessica and I were only one day in Normandy and didn't get outside Bayeux, so it has been neat seeing new areas. We walked the hour loop to the point to see where US Army Rangers scaled 90 foot cliffs under withering German assault to capture gun emplacements and suffering massive casualties. The pillboxes, craters, sheer walls, and views over Utah and Omaha are impressive. By the time we returned to our vehicle, the heat was oppressive.

    Agreeing we've all seen enough batteries, we skipped a couple of spots. If it were just Tom and me, we'd have gone to another, but the kids are understandably museumed-out. Instead, we head to Sainte-Mére-Eglise toward Cherbourg, where US Paratroopers landed (two on top of and stuck on the church roof). Grab burgers at a place with shady outdoor seating on the church square, followed by some refreshing gelato, which we enjoyed on the delightfully cool grass under a tree. Rowan and I in tank tops have pink shoulders, despite sunscreen...

    The heat is really zapping us and we decide to head back to Bayeux around 3pm. At my insistence, we stopped at La Cambe, the German cemetary. Boys are full of righteous indignation as to why we would go to a cemetary "full of Nazis"...a great opportunity for some important conversations. The contrast is stark - small, flat headstones, most buried two to a grave, many anonymous "two German soldiers," close together, and few embellishments, despite twice the death toll. There's a small, old, unmanned visitor center, with a modest amount of information. As they say, "history belongs to the victors." The message around reconciliation is strong and I'm glad the kids have an image.

    With a 'real feel' of 99 degrees, we retreat to our closed up and concrete apartment, which has stayed reasonably cool. I'm ready for a siesta and take a 2-hour nap. Light dinner of leftovers, packing, and bedtime reading.
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  • Day 10

    Back to Paris

    June 30, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Woke up tired...having difficult time going to sleep every night. We have an hour to evacuate our flat in Bayeux - much smoother than the same exercise in London. Fuel up 'gazole' and return the rental. Train is a few minutes late - compartments of eight...only two others at first, but pick up the others at subsequent stops.

    Smooth trip into town, but unfortunately, we cannot check into our flat until 15:00...another two hours. Stop at a Yelp-approved creperie near the train station for lunch. The boys had sweet and I had savory - all quite good.

    Grab an Uber with all our gear, figuring to hang out in a nearby park and buying groceries until the gal could meet us with keys. She texts, saying it will be 16:00 instead...crud. I let her know we are heading toward the flat now, will be waiting nearby, and ask if we can meet her to pick up the keys. Suddenly, she says she can meet us there. Very confusing, but I'm grateful all the same.

    Fourth floor walk-up on a quiet courtyard in Le Marais. I knew it would be cozy, because we had several Airbnb reservations cancelled with big-city crackdowns on unlicensed rentals and I had to rebook us in March. Prioritized central location over size and amenities. However, this place is tiny! Rowan and me sleeping on pull-out sofa in living room, while Tom and Logan share a double bed. Worst equipped vacation rental I've ever seen too...no salt & pepper, oil, dish soap, or even extra pillows. Oh well! Hardly spend time at our place, except dinner-time through breakast (usually too exhausted to leave after a full-day of sight-seeing, so we've prioritized lunch.)

    After the train ride, we all want to stretch our legs, so we walk 15 minutes down to the Seine to check out Notre Dame. From the outside, one could hardly tell there had been a massive fire, except for the missing spire. Some scaffolding and wood, but more looks like a renovation. The immediate vicinity is blocked off though, so difficult to see ground level except for the construction entrance to one side (North, I think). So incredibly sad, although still very beautiful...I had been looking forward to showing the boys the gargoyles and chimeras. Told them they'll have to bring their kids!

    We circumnavigated the cathedral and enjoyed checking out the sights, sounds, and people around the river. The City of Love is all decked out for Pride month and starting to gear up for Bastille Day, only two weeks away! The city seems much grittier than I recall...as Tom said, "it's like the whole place needs a good pressure wash." Definitely more homeless people (in London too), as we also have at home. A shocking amount of graffiti, which is upsetting on such beautiful buildings.

    Stopped at the tourism office to purchase our Museum Passes (kids are free!) Next, we bought groceries from the corner store, cooked up cheese tortellini to eat with an amazing crusty baguette and pain au chocolate (ridiculous at $1/each and oh, so delicious!)

    It is so hot, despite the thermometer saying it's *only* in the high 70s, we all have a tough time falling asleep.
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  • Day 11

    First Full Day in Grand Paris

    July 1, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Another long, full day! Left the flat by 9am and walked over to the Louvre. Spent about two hours visiting, mostly in the Denon wing, enjoying sculpture (Greek, Roman & Egyptian) and Italian paintings, including Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa of course. They've made the latter harder to see with a bellied wood railing and then a roped off area, which I understand, but is too bad. The kids seemed to enjoy much of it and we opted to keep it short and sweet and hope to come back to see more in the coming days.

    Decided to trek out to the Arc de Triomphe via Metro, which I saw with Jess, but didn't climb. The rotary traffic is insane with 12 spokes and seeming free-for-all. The eternal flame and war memorials are quite poignant. Up the narrow, spiral staircase of the largest man-made arch in the world we went. A stunning sunny day meant we could see quite a ways. The kids were both very excited for their first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower - funny and cute because they wanted to make sure I saw it.

    We had a casual lunch at an Italian bistro nearby, before strolling down the length of the Champs Élysée (kind of sad to see how many US brands have joined the fray...Foot Locker?!?) to the L'Orangerie museum to check out Monet's water lillies and fellow Impressionists. Fortunately, it is a relatively small museum as we started petering out. Grabbed the Metro back to our neighborhood, a light dinner, and reading.

    Funny note - Logan's blue hair is getting many more stares here than it did in London (where it recieved a ton of compliments)! We've only seen one other person with colorful hair. Tom gets a kick out of watching people's reactions (I hardly notice his hair anymore.)
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  • Day 12

    Tour Eiffel

    July 2, 2019 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Woke at 8am to a bright, clear day and on the road by 9am. Took Metro to the Eiffel Tower (after exchanging our tickets that I wiped being next to my credit card).

    All of us were pretty excited and loved seeing the structure in person. Sold out of pre-purchased tickets, so we waited in a relatively short queue and then started climbing stairs. I went more slowly than the others, focusing on how my physical therapist coached me, to not irritate my knee (especially after climbing Arc de Triomphe yesterday) and I'm in less good shape. Great work out, up 674 steps!

    The views were stunning! Perfect day with a nice breeze. We beat much of the crowds, but still busy. Walked 360 around the first level and then up to the top level. Tons of photos. About 1pm before we spiraled back down - much easier than up! ;-)

    R excitedly spotted koi fish in the pond at the bottom. Walked along the Champ du Mars, continuing to snap photos. A short ways away, we stopped at a bakery for chicken curry baguettes and pasteries.

    Wandered along with no real destination. Ended up at Invalides, where Tom and the kids decided to check out the military museum. I said my goodbyes and headed to Gare de Lyon to catch my train. Easy to get there once I found the Metro station and very nice trip - only two hours by TGV.

    Will update more once I know that the boys did...

    Don't know all the details yet, but apparently, when the guys got back to our building, Tom walked up while the boys took the tiny elevator. I gather R jumped up and down and the thing stopped (key to flat on L's pocket of course!). Tom texted me after they were unable to get it going again. I texted Airbnb. Airbnb called an elevator technician since no one was answering the number on the elevator that Tom tried numerous times. This is all going on while I'm on the train and trying to navigate to my Airbnb in Lyon. Finally, as I am walking up to the stadium, more than two hours into this whole ordeal, Tom texts that the kids are out of the elevator and they're going to eat. Serves the little one right, although I feel bad for L being stuck there with him...will see if they find it amusing by the time I get back to them tomorrow. Certainly memorable!
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  • Day 12

    Match Day

    July 2, 2019 in France ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Hot and humid in Lyon at 86 degrees and real feel closer to 90. Took a bit to figure out logistics for public transit - Google Maps was of zero help. Bought a 24-hour pass so as not to deal with tickets while bleary-eyed tomorrow AM. Eventually figured it out and found it easiest to follow the masses wearing red, white & blue. Gloriously, the SNCF was running special air conditioned buses non-stop to the stadium. Took that, then grabbed an Uber to the Airbnb.

    Easy enough to get settled. Very nice family. The dad, Jakob, speaks quite good English and showed me around. The mom, Nicole, spoke little
    They have two teen sons. Clean and tidy and will suit just fine. About 10 minutes later, I'm off to the stadium! Metro is right around the corner, so I don't need Google, which is good since it insists there's no way to use public transit to the match.

    I arrive at the correct station and follow along the crowd. Notice a place advertising hotdogs and beer with other American fans. Figure it will be cheaper and likely better food than inside the stadium, so I decide to stop. Good thing because no beer is sold inside! Apparently, FIFA failed to secure an alcohol sponsor. SMH. Funny looking dog in a baguette, with frites and a large beer. I eat and drink as I continue toward the stadium. Looking everywhere for gear, but I'm not seeing any. Figure there will be some inside and head on in, along with 53,512 of my closest friends. No gear, only generic FIFA stuff that's pretty boring, and I'm dressed head-to-toe in black (those who know me well realize I have a gear problem and tend to go overboard with 'flair')...oh, well! The fans are all fantastic and I have lovely conversations with several of them.

    Find my seat and it is fantastic! Right in front of the FIFA/VIP seats, where the lady in front of me recognizes Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, and several more ladies from the 1999 winning USWNT! French folks to be left who kept to themselves. A nice father/daughter who drove in from Geneva, who promised they were neutral. I quipped "Switzerland is always neutral" and they laughed (yet then cheered on England!) In front of me were a group of 30-something Americans from the Bay Area, one of whom is wearing a bald eagle costume and had to be roasting!

    The ladies come onto the field to AC/DCs Thunderstruck and I estimate the fan base is 2/3 US (or else 50% louder, which is entirely possible!) Match begins and USA goes up 1-0 five minutes in. UK events it up pretty quickly. Finally, the US get a goal at the 32' mark and despite a nail biter of a game, with a PK and a UK goal nullified for offsides on review, 2-1 remained the final score. They women looked good and I look forward to watching the final when we return home!

    After the match, a (mostly) ebullient crowd and I mosey out toward the tram station. Temp is still 81! Realize that my Airbnb farther out of the city is a good thing because everyone is heading into town and fewer are going my direction. I feel fine on my own, although the block and a half walk to my place was slightly nerve-wracking as I believe I was being followed down a dark, empty pathway by some teens who were part of a raucous group. Fortunately, I'm only three houses up, so I douse my light and quietly slip inside before they see where I went.

    Back at my flat right at midnight, a nice cool shower was refreshing. It's finally starting to cool off a little and there's thunder and lighting in the distance, so here's hoping for a nice cooling rain!
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  • Day 13

    Au Revoir, Lyon

    July 3, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Alarm went off too early...difficult time unwinding after an exciting match. Quickly got ready, had a few brief minutes with my gracious hosts, and off I went back to the tram station. A light rain fell last night and the air is blissfully dry and a pleasant 73 degrees.

    A direct shot to the train station (except that I mistakenly got off early and waited for a different jam packed tram), no thanks to Google, who seems to think there's no public transit options in Lyon...

    Met several teen girls from DC on the tram who had convinced their families to take them to the quarterfinals through finals matches.

    Wish I had an opportunity to explore Lyon a bit. Honestly, nothing remarkable that I was able to see during my brief stint here. The architecture I saw is almost entirely modern. Tried to at least find a postcard at the train station, to no avail.

    With the heat, I have struggled to stay hydrated, and I forgot to fill my water bottle before I left. (Hate buying bottled water, if avoidable!)

    Uneventful train ride. Chatted with a family of five from Minnesota who traveled to the match. Mostly relaxed and researched tips for making the most of our Disney experience on Friday! ;-)

    Enjoyed a leisurely 30-minute stroll in perfect weather along the Seine, past the Sorbonne, to the Pantheon, to meet my family!

    More photos from the match, since I have none from Lyon itself...
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  • Day 13

    Busy Day!

    July 3, 2019 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After a late evening (not done with dinner of burgers until 9:45pm), boys were up and at the Catacombs early. Good things too because the lines built quickly - only 200 people allowed at a time. They got in on the first wave and enjoyed it. R wasn't sure about the 'creepy' factor, but liked the bones. L 'doesn't know', which is a pretty typical answer for our teen. Tom liked the designs people made with the bones.

    I met up with the three of them at the Pantheon, having stopped into a cute little patisserie and bought some beignet-type of egg pastry with sugar on top. I shared these with them to rave reviews. Must find more!

    We toured the Pantheon in about an hour (could have spent longer, but everyone was hungry). Walked to a yummy Lebanese place for shawarma wraps, falafel, and baklava. Small, take-away spot, so we walked five minutes across Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris) and ate on a bench in a park on the tip of the island containing Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle. It was lovely watching the activity on the river, where it divided around the island.

    After lunch, we walked to the O'rsay Museum. About a 10-minute Fast Track queue and we were inside. It wasn't as stellar as I recall. The Impressionists were more broken up and many of the best Van Gogh and a bunch of the Monet money to be on loan or is storage. Still nice. I particularly liked the Rodin and other sculptures.

    After O'rsay, we treated to gelato (I had a refreshing lemon granita). Then we started heading back to our flat. I peeled off to go look for artwork and R joined me. I found a copper etched print of the backside of Notre Dame - my favorite view. Then back to our flat for a light dinner, relaxation, and an earlier bedtime.

    So. Much. Walking. My Fitbit apparently died Monday, so I've been relying on L's. We haven't had a day below 20K since! Feet, ankles, knees, and hips are all tired and sore.
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