(Where applicable and unless otherwise stated, numbers shown represent totals for the two of us combined)
GENERAL
Days: 146
Duct tape used: 125 inches
Cheeks kissed: 32
Average photos per day: 8.2
Ed's facial hair growth: 2.75 inches
TRANSPORTATION
Train stations: 24
Airports: 15
Bus terminals: 14
Subway systems: 4
Horse rides: 4
Boats: 3
Funiculars: 1
Taxis: 1
Days with access to a car: 19 (4 cars)
Riding in cars driven by other people: 9 hours (10 rides)
ACCOMODATION
Houses: 4 (66 nights)
Hostels: 6 (20 nights)
Apartments: 3 (13 nights)
Condos: 2 (12 nights)
Hotels: 4 (11 nights)
B&B's/rooms: 4 (11 nights)
Boat cabins: 2 (8 nights)
Campgrounds: 1 (5 nights)
TOURISM
Guidebooks consulted: 9
Use of wrong language (ie "grazie" in France or "bonjour" in Greece): 2 per week
Cities and towns visited: 75
Museums: 32
Churches: 21
Castles: 18
Archaeological sites: 16
Parks: 9
Greek/Roman amphitheaters: 8
Mountain ranges hiked: 5
Olympic sites: 4
Zoos: 1 (not counting Paris airport)
FOOD AND DRINK
Beers: 132
Cappuccinos: 120
Drinks in piazzas: 47
Bottles of wine: 26
Ouzos: 6
Limoncellos: 4
Bottles of champagne: 3
ENTERTAINMENT
Books read: 38
Average book rating on 5-point scale: 3.23
Movies watched: 20
Average movie rating on 5-point scale: 3.0
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09 February 2008
The time has come...
It seems very difficult to write a farewell type blog entry, now that we are in the Paris airport awaiting our flight home. There doesn't seem to be anything we could say now that wouldn't be cliche, considering the volume and value of experience to be summed up, and the real substance will come from the lifetime of conversations and shared memories this trip has given us. Hopefully it will suffice to say that we have had a magnificent five months that have changed us both in innumerable and often immeasurable ways, and that will have many impacts on our lives, from the mundane - how we do our grocery shopping - to the more profound - our priorities, future plans, and relationship with each other. Thank you all for coming along for the ride, it's been so much fun to share with everyone and we look forward to seeing you all soon!
So: bis spater, a piu tardi, hasta luego, a bientot, ciao. No goodbyes to Europe from us, just "until-the-next-time"s.
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So: bis spater, a piu tardi, hasta luego, a bientot, ciao. No goodbyes to Europe from us, just "until-the-next-time"s.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
07 February 2008
Quelles belles jours!
What beautiful days we have had so far this week. Tuesday we drove west to Avignon, to see the Palais des Papes - the Pope's Palace that was the home of the Popes in the 14th century. Very interesting history lesson on that period in the Roman Catholic Church (come to think of it, a great deal of travelling around Europe has involved learning about the RCC). Avignon the town is just beautiful, maybe one of the prettiest towns we've seen. It's all cobblestones and balconies, narrow streets and sidewalk cafes. We saw the Pont St-Benezet, a bridge over the Rhone built in 1177, and meandered the streets until our parking meter ran out. Then it was off to Aix-en-Provence, another lovely town that unfortunately we had to just drive through since it was getting late, the traffic was heavy, and we couldn't find a parking space. But it was a great day exploring Provence.
Yesterday we walked up to the old town of Mougins in the morning. It's perched up on a hill and had spectacular views of Provence, the Alps, and the Mediterranean. In the afternoon we went to Monaco, the one-square-mile sovereign state between Nice and Italy. Monaco is beautiful!!! The most over-the-top glamorous place we've ever seen, a must-see! We saw the guards patrolling in front of the Palais du Prince (Prince's Palace) and took a picture in front of Monte Carlo Casino. Very fancy. How people actually afford to eat and sleep in Monaco is a mystery, but it's well worth a trip just to experience how gorgeous everything is.
Today we drove along the Route Napolean, a road through the mountains that retraces Napolean's journey north to Paris after his escape from Elba, into the Alps to hike. We found one trail head but only walked five minutes before we came to a hand-painted sign that said: "Attention! Danger! Un fou habite plus haut! Meurtre!" (A crazy person lives up here! Murder!) So we left there and hiked Montaigne de Thiey instead. It was a bright, sunny day and we had a great time. Tomorrow we may head back that way to see a canyon that is supposed to be beautiful and maybe do some more hiking. And that will be our last day... Not thinking about it...
Yesterday we walked up to the old town of Mougins in the morning. It's perched up on a hill and had spectacular views of Provence, the Alps, and the Mediterranean. In the afternoon we went to Monaco, the one-square-mile sovereign state between Nice and Italy. Monaco is beautiful!!! The most over-the-top glamorous place we've ever seen, a must-see! We saw the guards patrolling in front of the Palais du Prince (Prince's Palace) and took a picture in front of Monte Carlo Casino. Very fancy. How people actually afford to eat and sleep in Monaco is a mystery, but it's well worth a trip just to experience how gorgeous everything is.
Today we drove along the Route Napolean, a road through the mountains that retraces Napolean's journey north to Paris after his escape from Elba, into the Alps to hike. We found one trail head but only walked five minutes before we came to a hand-painted sign that said: "Attention! Danger! Un fou habite plus haut! Meurtre!" (A crazy person lives up here! Murder!) So we left there and hiked Montaigne de Thiey instead. It was a bright, sunny day and we had a great time. Tomorrow we may head back that way to see a canyon that is supposed to be beautiful and maybe do some more hiking. And that will be our last day... Not thinking about it...
04 February 2008
Bienvenue au Cote d'Azur
Welcome to the Cote d'Azur, aka French Riviera!
We had a pretty long travel day yesterday that began with a 6am Large Marge car ride in Taormina and ended when we pulled into the condo in Mougins around 6pm. In between, a train, a bus, and two planes with stops in Catania, Rome, and Toulon. It all went smoothly and was well worth it!
Mougins is about 15 miles north of Cannes and the condo is great. Today was overcast and drizzly so we decided to take a ride along the spectacular coast, through Cannes to Antibes and then on to Nice. The vistas are gorgeous and everything is so luxurious! Our only disappointment is that it will be impossible to capture it all on film. Towering palm trees, belles hotels complete with wrought iron balconies on every room, water of the bluest blue, picturesque hill towns nearby and the Alps in the distance. Everyone here must feel like a starlet. It will be so fun to just drive around and soak it all in for the next few days!
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We had a pretty long travel day yesterday that began with a 6am Large Marge car ride in Taormina and ended when we pulled into the condo in Mougins around 6pm. In between, a train, a bus, and two planes with stops in Catania, Rome, and Toulon. It all went smoothly and was well worth it!
Mougins is about 15 miles north of Cannes and the condo is great. Today was overcast and drizzly so we decided to take a ride along the spectacular coast, through Cannes to Antibes and then on to Nice. The vistas are gorgeous and everything is so luxurious! Our only disappointment is that it will be impossible to capture it all on film. Towering palm trees, belles hotels complete with wrought iron balconies on every room, water of the bluest blue, picturesque hill towns nearby and the Alps in the distance. Everyone here must feel like a starlet. It will be so fun to just drive around and soak it all in for the next few days!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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