Chamonix

29-9-07. Finally the clouds cleared and....damn. There are some hot mountains here.

Took the first tram of the day to the top of d'Auigile de Midi, to catch some incredible views of Mt Blanc and the Drus. Tres froid! (That's COLD for you non-Frenchies.) Minus 10 degrees celcius. Spent some time on the observation decks -- snapping photos, dodging tourists, and watching the skiers and climbers depart.

Warmed up in the cafe (can you believe there's a cafe at the top of the world?). Then trammed back down to the mid-station, where we began a 3 hour traverse hike to the Glacier de Mer.

Took the detour to Point de Signal for an amazing view of the glacier, other super cool mountains, and down to Chamonix.

Took the train back down to save our legs (and Jeff's hip) for the next hike; and so we could have time to get a move on. Jumped in the car and took the tunnel to Italy. Dude - we're in a whole new country now. And it's surprisingly different for 10K by the crow flies.... Spending the night in Courmayeur (mini-Cham) and moving on to Lago di Como tomorrow.

Beaune to Chamonix

28-9-07. We left a rainy Beaune behind yesterday, and headed up towards the hills. What beautiful countryside. We think the cheese and meats are so good because the cows and goats are so dang happy.



We stopped over in Annecy for the afternoon. Quaint town with a beautiful lake, and yes, more canals. Despite the weather obscuring the views, Jeff unpacked the bike for the first time on the trip and had a nice ride along the western shore dodging raindrops. Melissa wandered the streets, checking out the architecture and shops for an hour until we regrouped for a late lunch of crepes.




It was then up-up-up to Chamonix, where we checked into the Hotel Albert. Hey, its our honeymoon, we had to spoil ourselves sooner or later :) We could just see the toe of the glacier coming off of Mont Blanc in between clouds, as we sipped our complimentary bottle of champagne and nibbled odd plums, dates, and strawberries. I guess it never hurts mentioning in your email resevation that you are on your honeymoon.


Dinner was in the rustic Maison Carrier next door, where we dined on pate de canard, wonderous pork medallions with a rhubarb sauce, potatoes gratinee, crayfish and avacado salad, and coq au vain. Mmmm. Actually too full for desert this time...

Unfortuantely, the weather continues to conspire against us, but we're making the best of it. This morning, Melissa had a hot stone massage, while Jeff darted out during a (short lived) rain break for a ride up the valley, passing a herd of goats each with its own bell. It was like being transported back in time a few centuries.

After, we toured the town, stopping to gawk at the cheese and meats. Lunch was pizza (not your Dominoes kind). Oh, the cheese, the cheese!



We're back at the hotel now, chilling in the salon by the fire. Hopefully the forcast will hold true and we'll do some walking tomorrow in the giant mountains that we hear surround us... :)

Paris to Beaune

26-9-07. We had our last day in Paris yesterday. A blast, with lots to see. But we're kind of happy to be in the countryside now.

Yesterday we started with croissants and cafe, of course, then on to the Place de la Concorde. Marrie Antoinette lost her head here.

We decided to skip the Louvre and its crowds, and opted instead for le Musee de Orsay. Basically, it picks up where the Louvre left off - with the impressionists. Cool stuff, lots of Monet, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Talouse Letrec, etc.


After, we made a quick stop on the Left Bank for some shoes (oh, so many shoes....), then hopped the metro to Monmartre. Sacre Ceoure, and a quick pass by the Moulin Rouge.

Then, back to Marais, our favorite area of Paris - narrow streets instead of wide boulevards, quaint cafes and bistros. We stumbled upon a tiny little restaurant called Page 35. Wow. Amazing meal - Jeff had Bouef Bourguignon, Melissa the Confit de Canard. Beet Salad, Chevre Salad, Creme Brule, Ahhhhh. Must go back...

We called it an early night (back to the hotel by midnight) so we could get up this morning for the Renault Scenic that we rented for the rest of the trip. Driving out of Paris was a little crazy, but after a few kilometers we were in the beautiful Burgundy region. We pushed through to the heart of the region, Beaune, snapping picture after picture of Chateaus that we passed.

Beaune is a beautiful little walled town, narrow streets with gourmet markets and soooooo much wine. We settled into the Hotel de Rampart. Ancient exposed wood beams and crumbling brickwork. First stop, the wine cellars of Marche de Vin, where we toured the old caves with our own tastevins (little silver wine tasting cups) and tried no fewer than sixteen wines.

The rains came again, but we soldered on, wandering the town and its shops, eating cheese and baguette. After a nice dinner we were done for the day, and happy to settle in to our hotel for the night. Tomorrow, on to Annecy and then Chamonix for the night.

Ah, Paris

24-9-07. The jetlag and nightlife conspired to give us a late start this morning. C'est la vie. A couple of croisants and rocket feul cafes quickly restored our energy.

The skies opened briefly, but with authority. Luckily, we were near Notre Dam and we had a great excuse to head in and dry off. We didn't think it'd be our cup of tea, but it turned out to be quite a beautiful and almost moving experience. The pictures just don't do the stained glass, vaulted ceilings, and sculptures justice. We did see a statue of Joan of Arc, but her burnt steak wasn't anywhere to be found (that was for you, nhdad :))

The clouds broke a little and so we wandered through the Latin Quarter admiring the shops and beautiful people. Aparently, in order to live in Paris you have to be happy, healthy, and beautiful. WTF! We decided to skip the crowds at the Eifel Tower and instead took a trip to the top of the Montparnesse tower to get a lay of the land. What a sight, quaint Parisian buildings in every direction.

After carefully locating all the sites, we headed back down to enjoy
the emerging sunlight in the Luxembourg Gardens. We watched some
boule, then found a bench to do our best kissy-face Parisian
impression.
After, we wandered back through Marais, getting a little lost along the way. Time to take the load off for a bit, and get ready to head back out for dinner - oh the choices. It's a bit overwhelming, but we're having a wonderful time!

On to Paris...

Damn. That was a fast train...

In Paris now, just absorbing the ambience. We'll be taking in the sites tomorrow. Photos from our hotel window, in the Marais district. Very Paris :)

Goodbye Amsterdam

It was fun. What an awesome town. Van Gogh museum, a self-guided bike tour (crazy), and the Saturday market.

Cheese and Mushrooms! On to Paris this morning by train.

First Day in Amsterdam

So the plane ride kind of sucked. Long and much delayed - but we arrived in Amsterdam with our bags (and, remakably, ourselves) intact.

From Schiphol airport it was a train ride into Amsterdam, then a tram to our B&B. Too bad we decided to be smarter than the written directions, and got off two stops too late. By the way, in case you're wondering -- cobblestones and rollerbags don't mix. :^) Glad we packed mostly in backpacks...

The B&B couldn't be cuter or in a better location. Totally great part of town - short walking distance to the day attractions and night happenings, but on a sleepy sidestreet. After grabbing a nap (we were le tired!) we headed out in search of some sites and some dinner.

Got both. Great dinner at a place recommended by our B&B hosts (and Rick Steves). Had a blast checkig out the craziness of the red light district, as well as the calm beauty of the canals at night. Now, sleep.

We're at the airport...

... and that's Melissa guiltily scarfing a bacon egg and cheese. Yes, we're on our honeymoon. See you in Amsterdam.

It's official...

... we're married.

Our wedding was filled with more fun and emotion than we could have ever imagined. Thanks to everyone for your support, love and energy. We're off to Europe tomorrow morning, first stop Amsterdam. Our goal is to post updates along the way as often as possible, so check back soon! Much love, Jeff and Melissa.