Belgium - Day 1

We said goodbye to Paris this morning and started our journey to Belgium!

Our first stop was Ypres - the site of a museum called In Flanders Field...which is in remembrance to WWI and also to the promotion of peace.
The restaurant is on the far left...grayish stone...
Before the museum, we had what was probably the best lunch in a great restaurant on the main place (square) of Ypres. There was also a stage race going on. It was definitely a happening place! We watched the racers preparing...then visited the museum, which was excellent! Ill write more when Im on my own computer with a normal keyboard.

We visited a chocolate factory...yum!!! and also a place that makes Belgium waffles. Oh my gosh... mine was topped with half dark chocolate and half nutella...
My Belgium Waffle...half covered in dark chocolate and the other half in Nutella...it was so good...so rich...and I ate the entire thing!


The Menin Gate memorial didnt happen because construction put us about an hour behind schedule...

so we were off to Brugge...

In the town square...the old town square...

on the carriage ride...
so off we went to Brugge....such an old, quaint city. We saw part of it by horse and buggy...I wish we had several days here...but tomorrow we leave for Holland...and we need to be at the hotel in time for the World Cup!!! More bikes!!!

This guy was playing on the square...some of our girls were a bit timid at first...at first...but then...

Steve stole a license plate...(just kidding...he found it!)
Thats it for now since finding keys on this keyboard takes me a ridiculously long time!

Can you even believe we left last Friday and here it is Friday again?

Paris - Our 3rd day in France

STRIKE! We had heard there might be one...and sure enough, France is striking, and especially Paris! I want you to all know we're safe...the only part of the strike we saw was the many police wagons driving down the freeway going to keep order. The strike is over raising the retirement age. In France, the retirement age is 60 and the govt wants to raise it to either 62 or 64...and the French are mad! Jeannette told us that the French don't mind striking at all...the last big strike lasted ONE MONTH! Oh my! Public transportation was basically shut down today, the post office...and for us, the Palace of Versailles:( We didn't know if we would be able to get to our guide in time for our city tour. Because the public transit (metro) was shut down...and busses...the traffic was unbelievable. What normally takes 10 minutes to travel, was taking an hour. Fortunately, our guide was having just as much trouble as us, so we both ended up arriving at the same time. We had our tour...always keeping in safe areas. Our first big stop was Notre Dame. Our guide, Annalisa, talked to us about how it was built...both the actual construction to the functions of each part. As beautiful as it is, each part of the Cathedral has a purpose..except for one small statue of the Hunchback! We toured all around the city...ending up at Sacre Coeur, a white basilica that sits on top of a hill. We ate lunch in and toured the artists district Montmartre, which was a haven for artists and writers even before WWI. We had also told the delegates about the gypsys, about the people who are so persistent trying to sell you their wares...I'm not sure if they had believed us, but they certainly did after today! It was definitely a cultural experience for them! The area directly below Sacre Coeur is full of shops...souvenir shops...so a bit of time was spent there. If you're reading this, you may be the recipient of something from that area.

As I said, the Palace of Versailles was closed because of the strike, but we drove out there anyway so they could at least see it from the outside. Fortunately, the gardens were open so we had plenty of time to roam through there. They are extensive! Jeannette told us that one time she spent 8 hours roaming the gardens and didn't see it all.

Walking to dinner from the palace, we saw a fire truck...well, our restaurant had caught on fire, so we were transferred to another restaurant close by. Fortunately, our food had already been prepared, so they just transferred it to the new location.

Now, here we are back at the hotel...in our last night in Paris. I decided to buy some internet time (if you saw the blog yesterday, I wrote that I wasn't going to do this here...)but because of the strike, I wanted to let you all know we were OK...safe and sound...and ready to take off in the morning for Belgium!

Paris .... Our 2nd day in France

Today, June 23rd, was a great day...probably one of the favorites for many of the delegates. We started at the Louvre...the Musee de Louvre...
There is no way to see everything here...it's massive...it's beyond massive! The group was divided...and some went with a guide to see some of the more famous parts of the museum...and the other half was on a quest to find answers to questions involving paintings and/or sculptures. The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo....Wow! Because the Louvre is so famous...and so popular of a destination, it is PACKED! People are packed in like sardines to see the Mona Lisa...and others. Lunch!!!
Visions of Paris...
After the Louvre...the Eiffel Tower...you should have heard the sounds coming from the bus...or the occupants of the bus...as we had our first views of it. OOOOHHHHHsss and AAAHHHs... I think most were in shock at how massive it is, especially at the base. It's 899 feet tall...and most of us went all the way to the top!

To get to the top, you take two elevators. The first elevator takes you to the main platform...then you get off, get in another long line, and hop on the second elevator. The view from the top is amazing...you really get the sense of how the city is laid out from 899 feet above the ground. The delegates could see how the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysses, the Tulieres Gardens, and the Louvre are all in a straight line...plus, 12 boulevards all come together at a round-a-bout at the Arc de Triomphe...a driver's nightmare!

For the trip DOWN the tower, many of us walked...you cannot walk from the very top, but you can take the elevator down to the level below, and then walk the rest of the way. It's fun...and you get a bit (a lot?) of exercise...someone told me it was about 600 steps, but I don't know if that's a fact. Dinner!!! and so...it was the end of the day...and we were all happy and exhausted!

The Eiffel Tower as seen from my hotel window!