Ronda-Nerja

Ronda is my favorite city in Spain (I made it to Granada this afternoon, and just love it so far, so this impression may change). It is a tiny hill town in southern Spain, famed for its bullring, gorge-spanning bridge, and 13th century walls. Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway both frequented it (A Death in the Afternoon is based on experiences he had there). This quote from Hemingway sums up the experience well:

¨There is a place in Spain that is the ideal spot to watch a bullfight for the first time...I am referring to the town of Ronda...the perfect place to visit with a girlfriend or to spend a honeymoon.¨

It is quite romantic; it´s a perfect place to wander and feel like you´re really Spanish. We had lunch in the garden of a moorish palace, walked along the top of the wall on the north end of down, and hiked down into a ravine to view an incredibly dramatic bridge. We both sweated buckets on the trail (which is paved and not really all that long, but it´s in full sun and the weather was about 90 degrees). The path was created around 1200 for Spanish slaves to bring water up to the town--I can´t imagine how grueling that experience was in August.

Next stop: Nerja. Elese and I are both fans of Rick Steves, and are visiting the towns that he recommends. They often tend to be off the beaten tourist track, which was quite apparent in Nerja. We´ve found that the average Rick Steves reader is 50, part of a couple, and middle class--definitely not many young people. Rick finds most of the Costa del Sol unpleasant, and Nerja is the only place that he considers still relatively authentic. It is a lovely place to visit. We planned to spend several days sunning on the beach (or rather the multiple beaches--you can walk to several in either direction). Unfortunately, the weather immediately turned and started raining. We did get into our swimsuits, but it was way too cold to last long.

I would recommend Nerja as a destination, however. Despite the weather we enjoyed wandering and watching the scene (primarily couples or families from Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands, with a healthy sampling of aging British expats). The food is plentiful and decent, the drinks flowing. We´re planning to try to make it to another beach town (one on the Costa Blanca) in a few days, once the weather improves.

Elese would like to let her friends and family know that she´s nearly over her cold and having a very nice time. We´re both excited to be in Granada, and will be touring the Alhambra tomorrow.

Enjoying a drink in Sevilla, part 1

Elese doesn't like this picture, so it may not last. I think it's great, though--doesn't it look like she's having fun? We're near the cathedral. As you can tell, it stays hot well into the evening.

Enjoying a drink in Sevilla, part 2

The Alcazar, Sevilla

The gardens of the Alcazar are truly spectacular--just think about the labor and water involved in maintaining this degree of lushness.

Corpus Christi Day in Sevilla

We were lucky to arrive on Corpus Christi day. This parade was terrific--nearly the entire population of the city either marched or watched the proceedings. As you can see in the background, numerous holy relics were brought out for the parade. They're supported by teams of people under a sheet (all wearing white pants and sneakers), with a few "handlers" to make sure they walk in the right direction.

Barcelona-Sevilla

Spain at last! It´s really hot, the food is wonderful, and the people-watching is sublime. Barcelona in particular takes fashion to its extremes. Who knew that orange pants were so popular?

I´ve had a bit of a hard time adjusting to the pace of life (and timing) in Spain. It seems that the locals sleep until about 11, eat lunch around 3:00, take a nap from 7-9, eat dinner at 11, and stay out until 2 or 3 in the morning. I´m doing my best to get on this schedule. Waking at 9 and skipping the siesta makes the days drag on forever.

Barcelona was different than I expected. I was underwhelmed by the sights, but loved the city itself--getting to my various destinations was often the best part. The things I did like: the Picasso Museum (fascinating collection of his early work (really early; most of it is from his childhood) and the Las Meninas series from his later years), La Sagrada Familia (I´m not a huge Gaudi fan; I liked this more because it´s a work in progress. I´ve seen dozens of churches at this point, but to see one under construction is a really moving experience. Somehow it feels like you belong to it, and it belongs to you. I find it exciting to think that I´ll be alive when it´s completed), and the tapas crawl. Spain is designed for people who like to graze. It´s hard to dislike your surroundings when you get to eat every 30 minutes.

There are a few things that I found disappointing. In hopes of saving you time on your next trip, skip the Museo Nacional Dárte Catalunya (some decent works, but it´s too big and the overall experience is draining) and the Park Guell. I realize that many of you will disagree with this last one, but I think you can easily find better ways to spend your time in Barcelona.

The tourists (at least the hostel crowd) is different in Barcelona than in the other places I´ve been. It´s very young (17 or 18), English speaking, and completely uninterested in culture. Everyone in our hostel was in Barcelona just to go to the beach, which is odd--the water is too polluted to swim in. We have a new saying about hostel people: Always annoying, always under 22, occasionally Canadian. I´m looking forward to meeting some older people.

Elese and I have been in Sevilla for the last two days. It´s really, really hot. Elese is under the weather, so I spent several hours exploring the city on my own yesterday. We were fortunate to arrive on Corpus Christi day, which is a major holiday here. The entire town was either watching or in the parade, which lasted for several hours. The local priests carried numerous holy relics through the streets. It´s shocking--and oddly humerous--to see priests using crucifixes as walking sticks. It was a fun situation to be in.

After the parade, I walked from the river to the Macarena district (home of a spectacular church of weeping Esperanza, along with her various outfits) to our hotel in Barrio Santa Cruz--a huge triangle that covers most of the town. Many streets are only two or three feet wide. Sevilla has clearly been around for a very long time. We spent some time this morning exploring the main shopping street, which has functioned as such for over 500 years.

We spent several hours this afternoon at the Alcazar, a grand palace built in the Moorish style. The gardens are the best I´ve seen yet. We brought lunch and relaxed. It´s a must see destination here. Unfortunately, we´ve missed the cathedral, which was closed due to the holiday. I´ll catch it on the next trip, I guess.

Elese´s comments:
I am under the weather but still kicking (on the tail end - hopefully - of a cold). Alicia sums it all up well, especially about the hostelling scene, but here are a handful of thoughts:
- Barcelona was a joy to wander around. I´m lukewarm on Gaudi as well, but the Picasso Museum was definitely worthwhile. Picasso was cranking out major works of art at age 15 ... incredible.
- It was great to see all of the Sevillanos out yesterday in their Sunday-best parading through town.
- The gardens in Sevilla are beatiful -- great places to while away a lazy, hot afternoon. They remind me of California mission courtyards/gardens: heavy on handpainted tiles and bougenvilla (sp?).

We´re taking our first bus ride tomorrow up to Ronda, a hill town. We´re spending a night there before heading to the beach!

Gaudi Bench in Barcelona

Relaxing (or more accurately, melting) in the sun on Gaudi's famous bench in Barcelona.

Bern

We're leaving Bern in three hours for Barcelona. It's been a great place to relax. If I had to choose one word to describe Bern, it would be "civilized." The pace is fairly slow, everything is centrally located, and people seem determined to enjoy life (in a orderly, Swiss way). A large river runs through the center of town in a canyon, with the city rising up both banks. In the summer, you can float down the river, or swim in the pools scattered around the banks. The Swiss appreciate that it's nice to walk everywhere (there are hundreds of miles of paths in the area), and believe that anywhere worth walking to is also a good place to stop for a drink. Who can argue with that? I find it pretty remarkable to walk through the woods for an hour and then find a bar.

In addition to bars, there is also an open air zoo next to the river, numerous parks, and gorgeous gardens. We've spent most of our time here outside--the one bit of culture was a visit to Parliment (Bern is the capital of Switzerland). I wouldn't say that Bern is a great place to party, but it's certainly a great place to live and raise a family. The quality of life is quite high.

Zurich

This is right in the center of town, a 15 minute walk from the train station.

Innsbruck-Zurich-Bern-Grindelwald

Elese and I arrived in Innsbruck early on Thursday and spent the afternoon in the "Nordpark." I'm not sure the term park does the area justice; it's essentially the entire mountain range above the town. Innsbruck's main claim to fame is that it has hosted 2 winter Olympics, and it's easy to see why the area was selected. The town, divided by a river, is surrounded by towering peaks with extensive ski lifts, dozens of runs, and two cable car lines. The people there are cosmopolitan, friendly, and fit-looking. We explored the churches and main square, then walked along the river to the start of the cable car.

I wasn't entirely enthusiastic about taking the cable car (it was expensive--about $30), but we had an afternoon to kill and not much else to see. It was not at all what I expected. We took a car straight up the side of the mountain, then transferred (twice) to huge gondolas to make the rest of the ascent. Total travel time: about an hour. Total elevation change: 6000 feet. The last car dumps you directly on top of the mountain, overlooking Innsbruck on one side and dozens of mountains on the other. There was still serious snow--several feet--but the weather was warm enough for a bit of exploring. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Innsbruck to Bern (our next planned destination) is about 6 hours. I prefer 2-3 hour journeys between towns, or an overnight train--everything else feels like you're wasting a day. To break up the trip, Elese and I stopped for a little sightseeing in Zurich. We planned to visit the Kunsthaus Museum, but it's currently under construction and has only a portion of its collection on display. Instead, we wandered the both sides of the canal and walked down to the lake at the southern end of town.

Zurich--and Switzerland in general--is incredibly clean. The buildings shine, the streets glisten, and someone clearly puts a lot of work into the landscaping. The water in both the lake and canal was pristine. When was the last time you could see the bottom of an urban waterway? You can in Zurich. There were swans and ducks playing at the shore, along with lots of locals. Zurich looks like a very civilized and pleasant place to live. (As a side note, I've felt a sense of kinship with the Swiss the last few days. They like things neat and orderly; there's a place and a rule for everything.)

Bern is a quick 50 minute commuter rail ride from Zurich. Elese's friend and former roommate Sun-Hee has lived in the town for the last two years with her husband Martin (who is Swiss). We planned for a day here, but no trains leave for Spain until Monday night. I'm happy to have the chance to relax for a few days. I'll save my observations on Bern for the next post.

Sun-Hee and Martin drove us around the Thunsee to Grindelwald, in the Jungfrau region of the Berner Oberland. I've pulled all of those names out of my guidebook; basically Grindelwald is up on the Jungfrau mountain in what is arguably the most scenic part of Switzerland (the entire Swiss population vowed to fight to the death to save the Berner Oberland in WWII). The Jungfrau area has the highest glaciers in Europe, and you can hike right onto them from Grindelwald. We didn't do that. I feel rather inadequate in the Alps; hiking here is a serious business. The town is definitely a bit touristy, but it's cute and surrounded by extremely dramatic scenery. I wouldn't recommend it as a primary destination, but it's a great day trip.

Elese's comments:
My stomach is growling for the raclette that Sun and Martin are cooking up for us right now so my comments will be brief. [Raclette is a fondue-like meal: everyone has a personal raclette cheese-heating pan that's placed under a shared grill. Once the portion of cheese is melted it's poured over boiled potatos or steamed veggies. Yum.] P.S. from Alicia: we just finished the meal; it's delicious. It's a very traditional meal in Switzerland, over 500 years old. We added in pickles and onions, and spiced the cheese with paprika, which is the most popular spice in Switzerland, according to Martin,

Highlights:
- The Swiss: I also share Alicia's kinship with the orderliness of Swiss life. Lots of rules but they all seem to have logical reasons supporting them. Sun & Martin have a good thing going on here in Bern.

- The Alps: Alicia & I had a great time in the Nordpark in Innsbruck running around in the snow & drinking a beer & enjoying the views. The train ride from Innsbruck to Zurich was breathtaking as was today's visit to Grindelwald.

- The beer: Every city has their own local beer, and it's all light & tasty.

- The cheese: Austrian cheese was so-so but it's really starting to pick up in Switzerland. I have four kinds of lcoal cheese from the supermarket's cheese counter waiting in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.

- Traveling with Alicia: It's great having a chance to spend so much time together. We are both rather nerdy about being sure we see the sights in each town, so we're a good pair.

I can't wait for some warm weather (and a tan) in Spain.

Elese

On the way to Hallstatt

This is the ferry dock to Hallstatt, which you can see directly across the lake. The train station is directly up the hill, behind where I'm standing to take this picture. As you can tell, Hallstatt is very small and perched right on the side of the alps.

Hallstatt-Salzberg

Hallstatt has definitely made my top ten list for the trip. It´s 1500 feet up in the Alps, southeast of Salzberg. The tiny town (over 1000 years old) has been a vacation spot for Austria royalty for the last 500 years. It´s nestled at the edge of the Hallstatter See, surrounded by mountains, and is reached by ferry. Elese and I spent the first day climbing up to the salt mines above the town, strolling the main (and only) street, and enjoying the local beer at a small bar under a large umbrella (aptly named the umbrella bar). Tourism appears to pick up in June--the town was nearly empty, with only a handful of foreigners.

We rented bikes on Tuesday (or rather were given a set for free at a local hotel) and pedalled around the lake to Obertraun, a slightly larger town known for its snow caves. The scenery is breathtaking--snowcapped mountains, fields of wildflowers, lush greenery everywhere you look. We detoured through the mountains on a hiking trail that overlooked the entire valley. I can´t wait to see how the pictures turn out.

Hallstatt has a small, 12-century chapel that holds the leg bones and skulls of roughly 1200 local inhabitants. The skulls are beautifully painted with flowers and leaves, and each labeled with the date of death and person´s name. It sounds a bit macabre, but really wasn´t--the overall feeling is one of realism about death, respect, and even love for the people that were placed there. As Elese put it, it was the best euro we´ve spent yet.

I´m not seeing Salzberg under the best of conditions. It has poured today, and the temperature is down around 40 degrees. I can definitely tell that this would be a fine place to visit in the summer, but there are few indoor activities. Everything our guidebook recommends involves being outdoors. We did tour the fortress on the top of the hill to get our daily dose of culture (a decidedly ho-hum experience), and endured a few hours in the rain to stroll the town and some gardens. I´m looking forward to a rousing game of uno and more local beer tonight. We´re off to Innsbrook tomorrow, which thankfully does have a few things to see indoors.

Kunsthaus, Vienna

This is the Kunsthaus in Vienna (or possibly the Hundertwasser Haus; I saw both and didn't makes notes as to which was which. Both are designed by the same person and are fairly similar in appearance.) Looking back, I realize I never mentioned seeing this in the blog. I was one of the most interesting structures I've seen, almost at the level of Gaudi in terms of innovative design.

It was also a nightmare to get to. Vienna is much bigger than the tourist maps lead you to believe--distances get distinctly longer at the edges of town. If you make it to Vienna, this is worth a visit, but take a bus.

Munich-Vienna

I arrived in Munich around nine a.m. on Friday morning. In some ways, Munich reminded me a bit of Budapest--quite modern, lots of shopping, a high degree of integration between old and new architecture. I had three hours to kill before Elese arrived, so I spent the morning wandering the streets, riding the elevator to the top of the Frauenkirche to see the view, and visiting the treasury. Munich´s treasury is modeled after the one in Vienna, and is actually a bit better in my opinion. Vienna has a lot of extremely valuable and important pieces (a large piece of the original cross and the spear that pierced Christ´s side, for example), but Munich has a ton of glitzy, shiny, dazzling jewelry. On the bling scale, I´d give it a 10.

Elese arrived safely, if a bit groggy. She´s been a real trooper the past few days. I gave myself three days to sit around and get over the jet lag; she hit the ground running. She reports that she turned the corner on Sunday evening and is starting to feel more adjusted. We spent the afternoon in the Alte Pinakothek, one of the world´s great museums. I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of heavy hitters--the quality of art is so high, it´s a bit hard to process. On my next visit I hope to visit the other 2 Pinakotheks, both of which are supposed to be great.

I need to keep reminding myself to not go to a town with too many preconceptions about it. I expected to love Vienna, and had very mixed feelings about it. It´s very expensive, not particularly friendly, and has a very strange way of organizing its art. From what we saw, the art collection in the area is massive. It´s spread through the city in dozens of museums, not necessarily by subject, artist, or era. I was really interested in seeing Klimt, but wasn´t up to the challenge of going to 3 different museums in different parts of town that all charge ten euros.

What I did see: The Kunsthistorisches Museum. It was awesome. In addition to having a central hall decorated by Klimt, it has over 200 wonderful paintings by a wide variety of artists. It´s worth going to Vienna just to see this museum. Some of my favorites:
Raffael´s Madonna in the Meadow (this was one of Elese´s favorites too)

















Caravaggio´s David and Goliath










Guido Cagnacci´s Death of Cleopatra

We both also loved the Leopold Museum, which I think is devoted to Austrian art of the last 150 years (we focused on the temporary exhibit, and just got a quick look at the permanent collection). Elese raised a good point about my dislike about "modern art"--I really need to define the term better. I generally just take issue with post-WWII art, not works prior to that period. We saw a large exhibit of pre-WWII modern art (well over 100 pieces) on the various representations of nudity and sexuality by Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Kokoschka, which was fascinating, as I´m sure you can imagine. The museum was well designed and the lighting was awesome (lighting is a major problem in European museums, the majority of which were designed before the invention of electric lights). I actually think the Leopold salvaged Vienna for me--I was leaning towards not liking it at all.

Traveling with someone is definitely a change, but it´s a good one. I enjoy having someone to share my experiences with. We´ve done a good job so far of taking breaks from each other and recognizing when we have differenty priorities (I visited the Vienna treasury while Elese went to one of the modern art museums, for example). We´re now in Hallstatt, which is a major change of pace from the big cities. More on that soon...

For a new perspective, here are some of Elese´s comments. She´ll be adding to future posts.

I'm jealous of Alicia's blog so I'm going to post short comments to her posts. Quick thoughts while sitting in the Umbrella Bar in Hallstatt (Salzkammergut):

- Where are all the tourists? There are no Americans anywhere. I can't decide if that's good or bad: It's pleasantly uncrowded but there aren't many options for meeting fun people & hearing their traveling adventures.

- I am unable to digest large quantities of religious art.

- Alicia is the most organized person I've ever traveled with.

- I love the Alps.

Elese

Amsterdam-Paris

There are a few things that I really miss about the U.S. Milk is one of them--I'm a really big milk drinker at home, but the stuff in Europe is a different beast altogether. Most of it isn't even refrigerated. It's decent when it's warm (like in a cafe au lait), but at room temperature it's just plain gross. I've also had a major mexican food craving--real mexican food, spicy and with lots of cheese. I spent yesterday gathering ingredients for enchiladas. I was particularly worried about getting jalapenos (spicy food isn't popular in France), but they were easy--tortillas were not. Just in case you're in a similar pinch in Paris, try the Galleries Lafayette. It's a huge department store with a massive grocery section. They have just about everything--mexican, asian, indian, you name it. They only carry flour tortillas, but it was a definite improvement over the pita bread I was considering using. There is also a great view from the roof of the opera house and the eiffel tower.

Amsterdam was very cold, almost too cold to walk around outside. Physically it reminds me a lot of lower Manhattan. I didn't love it, though it was definitely worth the trip to the Anne Frank House. There's very little in it (the furnishings were removed at the end of the war), but there are short video clips throughout that illustrate the rooms and what life was like in them. Being there is very upsetting, but positive too--I'm glad that it exists to remind people of what happened.

If you're planning a trip to Amsterdam, do two things: go in mid to late April (I missed the tulip season by two weeks, which is supposed to be spectacular) and wait until 2008. The Rijksmuseum, which is one of the best in Europe, in under renovation for the next several years. They have a few small rooms open, but it's really not worthwhile to pay 9 euros for 20 minutes of art. Yes, it's good art, but still. Wait until the rest of the collection is open. The Van Gogh museum, right down the street, is very interesting. I had no idea of the range of Van Gogh's art. He went through a brief "Japanese" phase and copied numerous Japanese prints, including one by Hiroshege that I really liked. The museum does a great job of explaining what his life was like and who he was.

A view of Brugge.

Brugge

Brugge is perfect--quaint and picturesque are words that keep coming to mind. I arrived around noon and wandered slowly through the town to the hostel that I'm staying in. Many people refer to Brugge as the Venice of the north--there are canals running throughout the city. The architecture is ancient and well-maintained, built on a small scale--nothing over three stories. Today is Monday; the museums were closed but the churches and shops were open. The Church of the Holy Blood was particularly impressive; quite small but richly decorated. Every surface was stenciled or painted.

The highlight of my day was a brewery tour. The guide was animated and well-versed in the subject. I met two Canadians on the tour, Alex and Sandra, who had gotten engaged about an hour before and were slightly dazed but in high spirits. He had traveled extensively throughout Northern Europe, and she knew Italy quite well. They were wonderful to talk to--we ended up having several drinks.

I've made a point of eating the regional food in all of the places I've traveled. In a few cases this has really paid off (gnocchi in Italy is nothing like the gnocchi at home), but I wasn't wowed here. Brugge is known for mussels and french fries. The fries were just okay (I tried them twice, at different recommended locations), the mussels unremarkable. I don't actually like mussels, and the ones here are quite similar to those I've had before. I do give major points for quantity, however--I was served a 2-quart pot of them.

I'm thinking about trying to make it back here in June. It's in the low 40s today, almost too cold for wandering the streets. Alex mentioned that Brugge doesn't really ever get warm--it is the northern edge of Europe, after all. Cross your fingers for a heat wave.

London 1

"I'm with the band"

These are Hayden's french friends. From the left: Manu, Clement, Eric, and Matt. I really like this picture, and it is quite representative of how much of our time in London was spent--on the tube. Just how far under the city is the tube? The escalator rides went on forever.

Traveling with friends was a big change from the past few weeks. I loved having the company, and at the same time was a bit overwhelmed by the level of coordination needed to move six people. Hayden and I stayed in Knightsbridge (a fancy shopping/residential district) with friends Russ and Karin. Karin used to be Hayden's sister's boss, and was transferred to London a few years ago. Russ and Karin are both interesting, kind people with impeccable taste. It was a great change from the hostels I've been staying in!

The boys stayed in Blackfriar, right near the Tate Modern. We spent the first day (which was sunny and warm) outside, wandering through numerous shopping districts (avoid Oxford Street at all costs--the crowds are awful), markets, and Hyde Park. I ate fish and chips for lunch--an entire fish, fried whole. Delicious.

London

Clement, Eric, and Alicia in front of the Tate Modern.

Have I mentioned that I'm not a big fan of modern art? I keep trying, but it's just not getting any better. I don't like to have to work to "get" art--I want to see it and appreciate it, ideally learn something, but not have to solve a puzzle. So the Tate doesn't get a thumbs up (although it's certainly worth visiting to see and walk across the millennium Bridge).

London's other museums? Fabulous. I kept my list small and managed to make it through most of the British Museum and all of the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. It's hard to choose the best one from the group--I think each are worthwhile for different reasons. The British Museum has some of the best artifacts I've ever seen. Mummies? Dozens. Most of Athen's Acropolis? It's in London. The Rosetta Stone? Yes, that too. Clearly the British know how to get their hands on stuff. There were signs throughout about this fact that I enjoyed quite a bit, most of which said something like "if this was in [fill in name of original country] it would be damaged by pollution/strife/civil unrest/exposure to the elements, so it's better that it lives in England."

As a side note, it's wonderful to be in a country that speaks your language! Even if I couldn't understand many of the speakers (really thick accents), I could read all of the signs.

I used audio guides in the National Gallery and Portrait Gallery, both excellently done and invaluable. The National Gallery is almost overwhelming in size, scope, and quality, though doable in 3-4 hours. Important pictures are marked ("featured painting") for dummies like me that have a little trouble focusing. A painting I hadn't seen before but really liked is "A Coastal Scene" by Theo Van Rysselberghe:


Of the two, I think I preferred the Portrait Gallery. The quality of the art isn't as high, but the audioguide gives you the life story of nearly every person portrayed. In some cases, it even gives you an excerpt of the person him/herself speaking. It's a wonderful introduction to British history. I spent a lot of time in the writers section--Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen, Mary Shelley.

The London Eye

Big Ben, the London Eye, a cloudy gray sky...doesn't this say it all? Actually, the weather was remarkably dry and balmy.

Paris Ville 2012

Paris is in the running for the 2012 Olympics, and getting an early start on the cleaning process. You can really see the difference on this building; the right side is clean, the left untouched. Notre Dame is almost unrecognizable; who knew that it was made of white stone?

Paris

I've spent the last 5 days relaxing in Paris. Hayden's apartment is in the 2nd, near Les Halles in a charming pedistrian-only district. There are shops right outside--cheese, wine, fruit, fish, and pastries. Getting to the apartment is a bit exhausting--it's on the 6th floor, with no elevator. Once inside, however, it's great. There's a small bedroom, a large kitchen/living room, and a great terrace on the roof that overlooks Paris. The Eiffel Tower and the Pompidou are both visible. I'm working on getting a picture of the sunset behind the tower. Saturday-Monday were gorgeous, and I lived up on the terrace. I actually managed to get a bit of a tan. I tried to escape for a few hours each day, and took a nice walk through the left bank with Kurt, the pilot I had met a few days earlier in Prague. I've been cooking quite a bit, which I have really missed. Just in case you're curious, you can't buy jack cheese here, but "tomme" works pretty well in its place.

On Tuesday, the rain set in. California definitely spoils you--I'm used to nice little sprinkles in the winter. The rain here is torrential, complete with gale force winds. I took the train to the Cathedral in Chartes, which has spectacular stained glass, was at one point destroyed by vikings, and holds Mary's veil. I was caught in a downpour for about 30 seconds on the way back to the train station, and had to ride home soaked. I might have well have jumped in a swimming pool.

I was a little more lucky today--I managed to fit in three churches, 2 museums, and the Parc Monceau between the showers. I've now spent around a total of 5 weeks in Paris, and am down towards the bottom of my list of museums to see. While some have been fairly weak (the doll museum), today's selection were great. In particular, the Musee Gustave-Moreau was excellent--a house packed with the artist's personal belongings, and then two large galleries of his work. While I'm not a huge fan, I loved this one:

The scan doesn't do the original much justice, unfortunately. It has a painted background with incredibly detailed line art over the top.

Tomorrow night Hayden, several of his friends, and I are off to London for a few days of eating fried food and visiting museums.