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November 15, 2011
November 3, 2011
I wanna waffle!
I found plane tickets to Paris for super cheap a few months back, and luckily Mom came up with more vacation time and Maggie joined in for an (almost) Austin family vacay. The day before we left Billy headed up to Würzberg (what up, Dirk!) with a group of spouses for an explore Germany day. Some of the pictures he captured are below - very, very beautiful place.
Onto Paris....
So Maggie and Mom arrived early Thursday morning, and we had planned on meeting up with them at the hotel that evening. Originally we were going to go from there to a real Parisian "After Work", but we were too late. So instead we headed to the Latin Quarter for dinner and wine. We had a fabulous wine and organic pasta meal and turned in for the night. The next morning we were up early for a fabulous breakfast at the hotel and then onto the Louvre. Mom and I took a tour while Mags and Billy spent quality time wandering around outside in the gardens outside. While the tour took us to the highlights of the Louvre, I did want to remember my favorites:
My absolute favorite though was The Raft of the Medusa, an oil painting by Géricault. Completed when the he was 27, it depicts a moment from the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse, which ran aground off the coast of today's Mauritania in 1816. At least 147 people were set adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft; all but 15 died in the 13 days before their rescue, and those who survived endured starvation, dehydration, cannibalism and madness. The event and painting became an international scandal.
I also saw this female hunter as we were walking past. Did Greek women hunt? Awesome!
After the Lourve, we set out to wonder along the Seine...
We made a pit stop for champagne in a park...
Skipped passed the Notre Dame...
Stopped into Shakespeare & Co.
Made our way to Père Lachaise Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the city of Paris. It is here that Sarah Berndhardt, Chopin, Jacques-Louis David, Joseph Fourier (shout out to the electrical engineers), Molière, Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, and of course Jim Morrison are buried!!
Ate a fantastic meal with Foie Gras, Escargot, and Tartar...
And then took the party from the hotel room to the Eiffel Tower...
The second day we went through a few markets, parks, and took a train to Brussels, Belgium.
After some confusion, we arrived around midnight at our hotel in Brussels... the amazing Hotel Bloom! We had an amazing night's sleep, and popped up early to hit flea markets, waffle stands, and drink some beer!
On our last day, we headed out for the typical waffle, and then went out to Atomium.
We finished the day with a tour and tasting at Cantillon.
We had to return to Paris to fly out, so on our last night we enjoyed wine in Montmartre by the Sacre Coeur.
So Maggie and Mom arrived early Thursday morning, and we had planned on meeting up with them at the hotel that evening. Originally we were going to go from there to a real Parisian "After Work", but we were too late. So instead we headed to the Latin Quarter for dinner and wine. We had a fabulous wine and organic pasta meal and turned in for the night. The next morning we were up early for a fabulous breakfast at the hotel and then onto the Louvre. Mom and I took a tour while Mags and Billy spent quality time wandering around outside in the gardens outside. While the tour took us to the highlights of the Louvre, I did want to remember my favorites:
- The Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon I and the Crowning of the Empress Joséphine in Notre-Dame Cathedral on December 2, 1804. The tour guide pointed out the light and darkness, as well as while it depicted a true scene, several aspects were not true... such as Josephine was actually around 40, but the artist showed her in her 20s. Napoleon looks like a Greek God, when he was actually quite puny. Finally, the mother is shown above when she did not even attend.
- Crown of Louis XV & “Charlemagne” crown made for the coronation of Napoleon at Notre-Dame de Paris on December 2, 1804.
- Four Seasons (Arcimboldo)
- Aphrodite, known as the “Venus de Milo” and may represent the goddess of love, Aphrodite (Venus in Latin), or Amphitrite.
- July 28. Liberty Leading the People... "I’ve embarked on a modern subject—a barricade. And if I haven’t fought for my country at least I’ll paint for her," Delacroix wrote to his brother. A.K.A. Les Mis Painting... the artist was creating a modern allegory that was so powerful and original that it ended up becoming the image of Liberty on the move to most imaginations.
- The ancient Greeks had the delightful idea of representing Victory as a young woman with wings, an image given particularly awe-inspiring form in the “Winged Victory of Samothrace” behind Mom below.
My absolute favorite though was The Raft of the Medusa, an oil painting by Géricault. Completed when the he was 27, it depicts a moment from the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse, which ran aground off the coast of today's Mauritania in 1816. At least 147 people were set adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft; all but 15 died in the 13 days before their rescue, and those who survived endured starvation, dehydration, cannibalism and madness. The event and painting became an international scandal.
I also saw this female hunter as we were walking past. Did Greek women hunt? Awesome!
After the Lourve, we set out to wonder along the Seine...
We made a pit stop for champagne in a park...
Skipped passed the Notre Dame...
Stopped into Shakespeare & Co.
Made our way to Père Lachaise Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the city of Paris. It is here that Sarah Berndhardt, Chopin, Jacques-Louis David, Joseph Fourier (shout out to the electrical engineers), Molière, Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, and of course Jim Morrison are buried!!
Ate a fantastic meal with Foie Gras, Escargot, and Tartar...
And then took the party from the hotel room to the Eiffel Tower...
The second day we went through a few markets, parks, and took a train to Brussels, Belgium.
After some confusion, we arrived around midnight at our hotel in Brussels... the amazing Hotel Bloom! We had an amazing night's sleep, and popped up early to hit flea markets, waffle stands, and drink some beer!
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| HOTEL BLOOM! |
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| Spinster |
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| Billy in a true Belgium beer store where he purchased his Pauwel Kwak |
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| Rock Paper Scissors in Delirium |
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| Delirium |
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| More RPS!!! |
On our last day, we headed out for the typical waffle, and then went out to Atomium.
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| ATOMIUM! |
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| ATOMIUM! |
We finished the day with a tour and tasting at Cantillon.
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| Brewery Tour Cantillon |
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| Beer tasting at Cantillon |
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| Billy's spot |
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| HOPS!!! |
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| Family |
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Da Bears!
A couple months ago, one of the couples we have met here - Ryan and Allison - invited us to London for an NFL football game. Each year the NFL plays one game at Wembley Stadium in London, and the this year the Bears and the Bucs were scheduled to play. Allison and Ryan happen to be big Bears fans, so they immediately entered and pool for tickets.
We left early, early Saturday morning. I found a decent place to stay - a bit out of the way, but we have decided that we prefer to be out a bit in order to see the unbeaten path.
We checked out the Tate Modern museum first, which is the national gallery of international modern art. It is rather new, and was created from a disused power station in the heart of London. My favorite was the collection on Energy and Process. These look at artists' interest in transformation and natural forces. My other favorite was in Poetry and Dream by Ai Weiwei titled Sunflower Seeds. It is made up of what appear to be millions of sunflower seed husks, apparently identical but actually unique. Although they look realistic, each seed has been intricately hand-crafted from porcelain. The display told us that for the artist, sunflower seeds - a common street snack - carry associations with China’s Cultural Revolution (1966-76). While individuals were denied personal freedom, propaganda images depicted Chairman Mao as the sun with the mass of people as sunflowers turning towards him. Yet Ai remembers the sharing of sunflower seeds as a gesture of human compassion, an opportunity for pleasure, friendship and kindness during a time of extreme poverty and uncertainty.
From there we were supposed to meet everyone at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, but Billy had on his Timberland boots, so he needed to change. Our detour took us through three AMAZING British food markets - Jubilee, Green, and Borough Markets. These are part of London's most renowned food market; a source of exceptional British and international produce. We got to taste amazing fruits, veggies, cheeses, preserves, and more. Some of our faves are below...
We headed over to the Portabello Market after that. Of course several of the main tube lines were down, so it took us over two hours to finally reach it (okay maybe we stopped for a couple pints too)... Billy grabbed an AMAZING chicken shish on the way. Compared to the Borough and Camden Markets, Portobello was a HUGE letdown. I have found MUCH better antiques at the Erlangen flea market. After we left the market we headed back into town to meet Kelley and Jesse for a night of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS. Kelley found an online ad for a rock, paper, scissors competition, so we had to go support her! I must also add that Kelley totally did the Talladega Nights "I don't know what to do with my hands" during her interview. AWESOME SAUCE!
The next morning we slept in and headed to a tailgating party for the game.
We left early, early Saturday morning. I found a decent place to stay - a bit out of the way, but we have decided that we prefer to be out a bit in order to see the unbeaten path.
We checked out the Tate Modern museum first, which is the national gallery of international modern art. It is rather new, and was created from a disused power station in the heart of London. My favorite was the collection on Energy and Process. These look at artists' interest in transformation and natural forces. My other favorite was in Poetry and Dream by Ai Weiwei titled Sunflower Seeds. It is made up of what appear to be millions of sunflower seed husks, apparently identical but actually unique. Although they look realistic, each seed has been intricately hand-crafted from porcelain. The display told us that for the artist, sunflower seeds - a common street snack - carry associations with China’s Cultural Revolution (1966-76). While individuals were denied personal freedom, propaganda images depicted Chairman Mao as the sun with the mass of people as sunflowers turning towards him. Yet Ai remembers the sharing of sunflower seeds as a gesture of human compassion, an opportunity for pleasure, friendship and kindness during a time of extreme poverty and uncertainty.
From there we were supposed to meet everyone at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, but Billy had on his Timberland boots, so he needed to change. Our detour took us through three AMAZING British food markets - Jubilee, Green, and Borough Markets. These are part of London's most renowned food market; a source of exceptional British and international produce. We got to taste amazing fruits, veggies, cheeses, preserves, and more. Some of our faves are below...
Kelley, Jesse, and a British couple we met
OFFICIAL R,P,S Rules
The next morning we slept in and headed to a tailgating party for the game.
THE GIRLS!
YOU GOT ICED!
Tailgating was SO cool - everyone had on NFL jerseys from all over. THe throwbacks were awesome!
FOOOOOOD!
Ryan's a Bears fan :)
British and American flags and National anthems!
ICED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And it was all downhill from here...
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