Reminiscing... 9 months late. What the heck! Sharing our Europe trip... including Disneyland Paris!

[Carrie_Cat]

Anyway, after gawking at the scenery we made it back to our room to settle in for the night. I took a peek out my window. This was my view. Not much to look at and sure didn't offer much privacy. Would this be considered typical Paris? Being a country girl who lives in the middle of 20 acres I am just not that used to having neighbors so close. It was interesting.

Yes that is a pretty standard rear view from an appartment - I had one like it for 22 years and I lived in 5 different areas of central Paris

 

[mariezp]

No problem! Waiting for more of your report....

It seems that getting tickets to the Eiffel Tower is nearly impossible through their website. We tried and failed for this trip, but there are a few tour companies (that I suspect are partnered with Eiffel Tower) that offer "skip the line" access for a premium. Our first trip in 2009, we decided to splurge and made dinner reservations at the 2nd floor restaurant, which was lovely.

There is a website dedicated to "slow travel" (at slowtrav.com), basically they believe that in order to really get to know a city, you have to spend at least a few days to soak it all in. They have some advertisements for apartment rentals, which is how I found our Rome apartment (rome-accommodation.com). There are message boards, and these people really know their Rome, and Paris, etc. Lots of great info!


I did something similar, but I like straight hair so I got a Keratin treatment that cut my drying time in half. Still, those hair dryers - you have to hold down the button to keep it on!

We're going to WDW in a few weeks, and we are SO looking forward to being in a place that we know so well, that requires NO planning (other than FP+!!)!!

Sometimes paying a little extra "premium" is worth it to get what you want on a vacation. I will have to keep that in mind if we ever head to the Eiffel Tower. Dinner upstairs sounds wonderful!

I will be sure to check out the slowtrav website when I get a little closer to being ready to plan an actual trip. I love travel sites that also have forums so you can get additional help if you have a question.

Hair is a touchy subject for me today. I just colored my hair here at home and it is NOT quite what I had in mind. My head looks like it is in flames! So..... it looks like I'll be making an emergency trip to the hairdresser tomorrow to see if my locks can be salvaged. I am heading to a family reunion on Saturday and really do not want to be hanging my head in shame. My smarty pants hubby said that with the family I have that I shouldn't worry because I would probably just fit right in. Anyway, I will have to remember Keratin treatments for hair when I am considering what hairdo to be sporting next time we head to Europe.

I hope you have a fantastic trip to WDW! We just went to DL in May so I know just what you mean about it being so nice to have such a little amount of planning. It took me over a year to plan our Europe trip but only about 30 minutes to plan for Disneyland. We have another week coming up at DL in November which is gonna be a breeze too. Airfare, hotel and tickets are already out of the way so all that is left is a handful of reservations. Easy Peasy! Truth be known I would still rather be planning a return trip to Europe but this will have to do for now.

 

[mariezp]

Yes that is a pretty standard rear view from an appartment - I had one like it for 22 years and I lived in 5 different areas of central Paris

I thought it might be. Although it would be fun to explore all the amazing sites Paris has to offer I'm not sure I would enjoy living there. I don't think I am meant to be a city girl. 22 years! The city must be right for you though.

 

[mariezp]

Alrighty, now let's see where was I? Ahhh, yes. Moving on....

Day 6, September 1, 2014
The next morning we walked a couple blocks to the Notre Dame Cathedral.The streets were much quieter early in the morning.

We walked across the Seine River.

The cathedral is magnificent as you would imagine! So much detail.

My husband is a private pilot so he really got a kick out of looking up and seeing an airplane overhead while we were walking around the grounds. Pretty cool up there among all those gargoyles.

There was a garden out behind the main building.

After we had checked out the outside we waited in the huge line to enter the interior. As you can guess since it is a church there are signs posted everywhere about being quiet. The mood is no doubt something that should be somber and given thought and reverence. Although you probably would not know I should have known that our experience would be sure to be a one of a kind. lol! We finally made it inside and were quietly making our way through the main hall when I kid you not someone in front of us passed gas... and I must add that it was NOT quietly. We are all looking at each other like it was not me and at the same time trying not to chuckle at the sheer absurdity of what just had to happen in front of us. Certainly something we will never forget. Anyway, after we recovered we were able to focus on all the beauty, historical religious significance and get into the feel for one of the most famous landmarks in Paris.

Emma said this one looked like it was her "model pose". I love the way it came out.

The Notre Dame cathedral is extraordinary. Everything inside was simply amazing. I have tons more photos but I figured I better stop somewhere.

 

[mariezp]

When we finished inside the cathedral we wandered down a few side streets and got a feel for Paris. Many of the buildings were beautiful but seemed dirty. There did not seem to be the dedication to maintaining the exterior architectural beauty of the buildings like we had seen in London where the majority seemed to be kept pristine. Still lovely details though.

Graffiti even up on the rooftops.

She was so happy we found a Dr Pepper! They were pretty scarce.

For some reason I just love this picture. I can always look at it and think about how we actually really were there walking on the streets of Paris.

Really cool old building. If you look closely you might be able to see bullet holes in the walls.

 

[annegirl]

Notre Dame is so stunning inside and out. I can't wait to go there! Your photos are great.
I love the pictures as you walk around the city. The architecture is just beautiful.

 

[mariezp]

After we had looked around a bit we returned to the hotel to pickup our luggage, grab a taxi and head to the Paris Nord train station so we could head to Bonn, Germany. This portion of our trip was not exactly scenic but we did enjoy the opportunity to kick back and relax... which we did every time we traveled by train. We did not have a car for 2 weeks so we did spend a lot of time traveling by rail. The trains are so nice and get you where you want to go in no time. The Europeans really have an exceptional train system.

After we had checked into our hotel for the night I informed everyone of our plans for the evening and that we needed to go eat but for some reason no one seemed to realize the need for expediency. I had made arrangements specifically for my son for an after hours tour and a private piano concert so we had to be at the Beethoven House Museum at a specific time. By the time we finally did get around to going to eat it took so long to get our food that we had to leave after each of us were only able to take a couple bites. While Germans are laid back when it comes to dining and known for slow service, at the same time, they are also real sticklers for being on time. I was in a panic thinking that they would lock the doors on us before we could make it for our appointment. I think we arrived without a minute to spare! It was a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, my camera battery expired at the beginning of the tour so I was not able to take many pictures.

Beethoven was born up there in that room.

When we had finished we went in search of something to eat but since it was past business hours for most places we came up empty handed which left me with a few grumpy and hungry people. Called it a night and I had a few extra minutes to work out the details of some changes I'd decided to make to our plans for the next day.

 

[mariezp]

Notre Dame is so stunning inside and out. I can't wait to go there! Your photos are great.
I love the pictures as you walk around the city. The architecture is just beautiful.

Thank you! The cathedral really was lovely. Everything I had imagined. I am amazed that people were able to build such elaborate places way before the use of modern machinery.
Only wish we'd had more time to walk through the cities more.... and take even more pictures.

 

[annegirl]

I just noticed the new update! Wow. What a cool experience to have that private tour and concert. So cool! The house looks lovely.

 

[mariezp]

I just noticed the new update! Wow. What a cool experience to have that private tour and concert. So cool! The house looks lovely.

The private event was one of those once in a life time things I had planned for us that was available for an additional "premium" like CarolynK's Eiffel Tower splurge that was mentioned a while back. We had so many sites to see and so little time! It was such a welcome offering I ran across on the Beethoven Museum website that I just couldn't resist. It cost a bit extra but it just so happened to work into our schedule so that it actually made some of my other planning fall into place easier.

Aside from how it fit better into our schedule we also enjoyed having a tour guide all to ourselves. She was very attentive and able to answer our questions on an individual basis since it was just the four of us. The house was very old and charming. I loved all the displays, old furniture and even the uneven floors! After she took us on a tour of the house we went into a room for a musical visual presentation set to Beethoven music. Very hard to describe. It had lights moving around in time with the music and certainly was unique but I would not say it was our favorite part of the tour. I would actually have preferred to have had the musician play an extra song if that had been an option. lol! The pianist was wonderful. He told us even more about Beethoven and must have played at least a dozen songs for us. Very enjoyable indeed.

 

[CarolynK]

I was surprised to see your picture of graffiti; there's a lot of it in Rome, but we didn't see any in Paris.

Notre Dame is so much prettier from the inside, with light streaming through the stained glass. Your photos are lovely!

 

[mariezp]

Yeah, graffiti was not something I was necessarily expecting to see in Paris. Maybe we just happened upon a few bad places. They had to work hard at it to get up there on top of that roof though. lol!

Notre Dame was spectacular. I am a huge fan of architectural elements so it was hard not to love seeing it both inside and out. The stained glass does entice me to want to go back and go in search of even more churches to explore.

 

[mariezp]

So, moving right along we are finally getting to the most memorable and probably the best day of our trip. Lots of pictures coming up because this part was just so beautiful that I did not want to come home and leave any details behind.


Day 7, September 2, 2014
From Bonn we took a train ride along the Rhine River. So awesome! Beautiful scenery, vineyards galore and castles dotting the hillside around every bend!

Even the train stations are so cute!

Catching a first glimpse of the Rhine River.

Castle spotting!

There's another one!

Beautiful little villages with vineyards dotting the hillsides.

Another castle.

And, one more!

We stopped for a bite to eat at an outdoor cafe overlooking the Rhine in St Goar, Germany.

My original plan for the day was to visit some castle ruins but when I gave everyone an option they chose to go ahead and make our way to our hotel early for some rest and leisure time exploring the castle. Yep. That's right we stayed in a castle and it was amazing!

It's a little hike uphill from the parking area. The castle sits high on a hill above the Rhine River. Our anticipation grew as we drew nearer to the imposing castle, crossing over a wooden bridge......

A bit of the garden looking down from the bridge.

and meandering along cobblestone paths....

leading into the inner courtyard....

to where we could check in! We made it!

As it turned out Schonburg Castle in Oberwesel, Germany ended up unanimously being our favorite place of the whole trip. Glad we came early so we had more time to explore. The castle itself is beautiful and amazingly preserved but is also well equipped with all the modern conveniences.


Stay tuned for more....

 

[annegirl]

Wow! That's awesome!! What a cool thing to be able to stay the night in a castle!
The scenery along the Rheine on your journey is stunning. Sounds like such a lovely day!

 

[CarolynK]

Very pretty scenery! I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures.

 

[mariezp]

Wow! That's awesome!! What a cool thing to be able to stay the night in a castle!
The scenery along the Rheine on your journey is stunning. Sounds like such a lovely day!

The castle stay was the best splurge of the trip! Definitely needed more time though. Good thing is that it is on the return list for a future trip. You can bet that we spend more than one night during the next stay. Even better news is that I have the rest of the family already thinking about a return trip too. Looking hopefully to maybe Aug/Sept of 2016. If not, surely, we can make it happen by 2017.

Pretty as the Rhine is in pictures it is so much better in person! We've got so much more exploring to do in the area that we just have to make a return trip there too. I could spend days just looking at castles and be happy but I would also really love to spend some leisurely time in the little villages.

Very pretty scenery! I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures.

Glad you are enjoying! I love sharing them! I am working on getting more pics posted and would have already had some up if we had not had a power surge! Between that and Photobucket being uncooperative it's taking a little longer than I was planning but there will be more just as soon as I finish editing and linking photos.

 

[mariezp]

So far everything looked fantastic! Our rooms were just what you would expect... full of heavy antique furniture, a posh bathroom and a tiny little balcony. On the table we were even greeted with a fine chocolate candy and a "welcome Brandy". We were quite pleased!

I have got to start remembering to take more photos of the places we stay! Unfortunately, I did not get too many pictures of our room but maybe you can sorta get the idea. Please excuse our mess.

Views from our rooms.

We didn't stick around too long. After a brief rest we just had to get out and look around. We wanted to see the gardens before our dinner reservation so we headed back downstairs.

Passing through the castle library on the way to the gardens.

You are free to explore all you want which is so much fun. The interior is full of narrow corridors, and all sorts of nooks and crannies.

As you can see I just did not take enough photos inside. I NEED to go back so I can be sure to get more pictures! I also NEED to go back so I can eat outside on this cozy little terrace. Nice view, huh?

I am so glad my baby girl does not mind us taking pictures of her. This is one of my many favorites.

 

[mariezp]

Outside there is a private gate allowing access for guests only that leads to the most wonderful gardens. The path starts out steep....

then winds under arbors...

across bridges...

by ponds, through woods and up and down stairs where you just keep discovering all sorts of intimate little goodies.

There was a giant chess set...

a treehouse library...

a deck for lounging...

and amazing photo opportunities and views at every corner. This is my favorite photo of my son!

Even the train tunnels look like castles!

 

[mariezp]

There was also a bocce ball course...

a gazebo with a fire pit...

an outdoor pool table...

and so many other surprises including even their own vineyard, fruit trees and garden.

Benches are strategically placed overlooking scenic views of the river or to just sit and take in the beauty surrounding you in their garden. It was simply heavenly!

Our dinner reservations were calling us so we made our way to the restaurant which is also located at the castle. While the menu escapes my memory, I can still say that our 4-course-dinner was delicious. My wine glass was being continuously refilled with the best Riesling wine I have ever tasted. The service was impeccable. The attentive, and oh so proper, waitress left me with one of my fondest memories when she ever so eloquently stifled a giggle that was audible only because she was standing right beside me. While we do not often do fine dining this was absolutely one of the meals of our trip we will never forget.

Perfect meal to end a perfect day at a perfect castle.

 

[CarolynK]

To be honest, visiting Germany is not at the top of my list (DH has been, and said it's boring!), but your pictures make me want to go! The scenery is so beautiful, your pictures probably don't do it justice, I don't say that as an insult, just from experience! Our Bath pictures of the hilly countryside do not compare to being there!

I especially like the picture from above the village, the one with the yellow rose next to the gate.