Just Kidding!!
Okay, so we did a flip-flop and went to Madrid first and then Toledo (where we are writing from now). Madrid was a much better city than Paris, and the city center was very beautiful with lots of parks and beautiful buildings. Our first day there we went to the modern art museum and saw Picasso´s Guernica. It blew me away, partially because we had info on all of the symbolism, but none the less it was amazing!
The next day we did a walking tour of the city and I had churros con chocolate. Eating that for breakfast everyday I´m surprised that the majority of Madrid hasn´t dropped dead from heart failure yet. It´s pretty much deep fried dough that they dip in a mug of hot liquid chocolate pudding. Tasty, but deadly!
After that we checked out the Naval Museum, which was cool except for it was all in Spanish. My favorite part of the day (or dia en español) was the great picnic lunch we had in the park. We picked up a tomato and a softball-sized avocado at a local produce store and then got this awesome seafood salad and some empanadas and a deli. We then just took a siesta, just like the Spanish do and it was very relaxing. We also walked by the royal palace, but couldn't enter since there was a state event being held there. We had a pretty good time laughing at the guards silly looking hats. Supposedly, they are supposed to allow you to lean against the wall while smoking. Side effects include: looking stupid.
After that we went to the Prado Musuem, and is was great until I was attacked by the curator bitch from hell. I wish I spoke Spanish now so I could tell her off, but the only thing I could think of would have probably gotten me kicked out. The musuem had some great work though, Jesse and I liked the one showing Zeus trying to get it on with a mortal, they were perverts back in the day! Jesse was also particularly fond of the scenes showing decapitated people and hell and all that stuff (twisted much?). For dinner we had paella at the place next to our room, it was pretty tasty stuff.
This morning we caught the train to Toledo just barely. Our hostel here is very cool. It is in an old Arab fortress/monastery and it is so nice, they just renovated it. It even has a pool! We headed into town, I guess I should say "hiked" since it´s a hill town. We took this dorky tourist train around the area and almost got whiplash. The combo of no shocks and cobblestone streets is pretty deadly. Then we had mazapan in the main square. It was kind of like raw cookie dough with chocolate and fruit jam in the middle, and tasty to boot! We decided to head back to the hostel after that and hop into the swimming pool. Talk about cold, but it was very refreshing- especially after our hike up the hill. We then went to the bar here and had a glass of wine for only 80 cents!!! I´ve decided I´m moving here.
Then Jesse and I got hungry so we headed down the hill to a local bar and tried some tapas. Most of it was anchovies and salmon in oil or something like that, but they did have these tasty croquettes that were filled with ham and other stuff. We also had this awesome potato pie which was like potatoes au gratin, mmmmmmm....gratin . The bar had only a couple of locals in it, so we were the only Americans there. The staff was very nice and one of them came up and started talking to us. He said his name was Enrique and he asked us where we were from. When he found out it was Texas he went throught the whole cowboy thing in his broken English. It was pretty funny, we were miming things back and forth. He was super nice. We then met another couple who were with their baby- very cute. Everyone was really nice and it was great to meet the locals and get to interact with them. That was my favorite part of the day. Our second favorite was that our 8 croquettes and potato pie only cost 2 euros!!!
Okay, that about wraps it up for this post. We are in Toledo until tomorrow (the 30th) then it is off to Barcelona. Hopefully we can find a better internet connection there and upload some more pictures for you guys. Miss you all tons!!
Love,
Meghan and JeSSe
Hola from España
Hey Guys!
Long time, no post. We had a good time in Paris, but are very glad to be out of the hussle and bussle of the city. The first day there we did a great walk of the historic city core. There was some kind of crazy music fesival going on, and bands of all kinds were setting up on corners all over the place. I never thought that I would hear moshing/headbanging music in Paris!
We did find a great little square called Place Dauphine on the Ile de la Cite. We ate gyros from the latin quarter and listened to a small symphony and another band that played cover songs. Very relaxing!
The next day we toured the Notre Dame Cathedral and climbed the tower. It is very awe-inspiring to think how people built something so massive so many centuries ago. The view (as well as the climb) was breathtaking at the top. You could see the whole city and I got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower! We even got to get up close and personal with some gargoyles. We wanted to go to the St. Chapelle Cathedral, but the workers were on strike, no surprise there! So we headed to the Cluny Museum (no, not the hot actor) and saw a lot of old stuff. We did, however, see some stained glass from St. Chapell so that was good.
Then we went on to the Pompidou Center. I´m not sure that modern art is Jesse and my forte, we just don´t understand a smashed piano on a wall I guess. After that we took a quick break at the hotel, and then headed onto the Louvre. All I can say is Wow! I didn´t think it was that big! Those French really know how to build a palace. We saw the Winged Victory, Mona, and Michelangelo´s Slaves. I think that we would need a week to see the whole thing.
The next day, June 23, we hiked the Eiffel Tower. That made me feel as if I were really in France. I never imagined it to be so huge (with all these giant structures, it makes you wonder if the French are compensating for something...) and massive. The view from the top was awesome. Afterwards, we tried to sit in a park on the grass (as everyone does in Paris) and got almost run over by a lawnmower and what must be the most rude gardener in France. Then we went to the Rodin Museum, and it was beautiful. It was partially inside an old mansion, but the best parts were the great gardens where we saw the Thinker. After that we tried to go to Napoleon´s tomb, but got caught in a helacious rain and ended up hiding out inside of a breezeway of an apartment. It was fun trying to dry off everything we own, psych! We then had our best meal in Paris- couscous at the neighborhood cafe. It was so good, I might just plan a trip back for more!
Our last day in Paris was spent in the wonderland of Versailles. I have never seen so much gold in my life. The crowds inside were horrific, but the gardens were magnificent. If you thought the palace was big, the gardends are even bigger. We loved the gardens, until I slipped in the mud. That wasn´t so hot, but it washed off OK. Jesse and I had ham sandwiches on the royal drive (with cheese) and enjoyed people watching.
For our last night in Paris, we had a picnic (very French and totally tasty) in a park near the Louvre and fed the birds and played frisbee. Then we started our 24 hour trek to Salamanca, Spain. It was only supposed to be 14, but the train we wanted was full. So, we had a layover in a mountain town called Irun, pretty boring and foggy. Unfortunately we lost a sightseeing day, but we did get to see the beautiful Spanish country side. We went from very green mountains to golden fields. We arrived in Salamanca last night around midnight and got to our pension (rooms in private homes). The place is great, very clean and comfy. I think we had the best night´s sleep last night.
Today we woke up late (so great!) and went to the bar across the street for some pastries. Then we headed out to see the sights. We saw the University of Salamanca museum, which was pretty cool, and then saw the Cathedrals Nuevo and Vieja. They were both magnificent and we got to see a Spanish Catholic wedding. It was great, lots of singing and clapping (like they do for flamenco dancing). At the end of the ceremony some of the guests danced with the bride and groom around the alter like they do in Greek weddings. Very cool! We had a great lunch at a place by our room with gazpacho (so good!) and wine. Afterwards we went to the the Convent of San Esteban. The altar was amazing, it literally took my breath away! Now we are here writing to you and trying to download all of our pics. So check the other posts for new pics.
We miss you all so much, and the comforts of home, but we are still having a great time. Tomorrow we head out for Toledo, Spain and then to Madrid. We will try to publish again as soon as we can.
Love,
Meghan and JeSSe
Waffel-mobile
They are very big into waffels here!!!
St. Michel Cathedral
This is a very beautiful cathedral in downtown Brussels.
To tide you over
Jesse and I in Brussels in front of Manequin Pis
Greetings from Paris
Bonjour!
We are writing to you from Paris. We arrived this morning and are on our way to do a walking tour of the city.
Our stay in Belgium was very nice, and we will miss the beautiful countryside. On Sunday we rented bikes and rode to the coastal cities of Heist and Knokke. Riding a bike there is such a joy, it is the way to travel in Bruges. Just be careful for biker gangs a la Tour de France. This is a picture of the one that ran me off of the road. The path we took was lined with trees and followed a pretty canal. The ride was about 20 miles and took us about 3 hours to get to the coast. The beaches had pretty white sand, but no one was in the water since it is the North Sea. It was funny to compare the way we use our beaches in the US vs how they are used in Belgium. There were little huts in rows up to 4 deep on the beach, and they had a family's name on it. There were doors on both sides and they would pull out their beach chairs and just sit by their hut. It did not matter if they could see the beach or not, just as long as they faced the sun. Jesse and I ate sandwiches on a square and then had some awesome sorbet on the beach. The ride back to our B&B was tough to say the least!
Yesterday we pretty much just ran errands in town. We did our laundry for the first time, and that was an adventure in itself. As a farewell dinner we ate frankfurtters in the main square, had frittes (fries) with mayo, and topped it off with a huge Belgian waffel topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Yummy!!!
Now we are in Paris, and trying to type on this crazy keyboard- none of the keys are in the right place! And once again, we are having trouble uploading photos, surprise, surprise! We have been here for 3 hours and we have already seen a strike! I just hope it is not to one of the sights we are supposed to be going to! We will update you in the days to come and we will continue to try and post the pictures. We miss you you all very much!!!
Love,
Meghan & JeSSe
Brussles, the City of Sprouts
Okay, so Brussels is awesome. Jesse and I have been super busy since we landed yesterday morning. The flight was long, especially since there was a crying baby on board and they wouldn't turn off the damn lights. The only saving grace is that our plane, fortunately, wasn't playing The Pacifier.
Yesterday morning was an adventure in its self, as it took us about 2 hours to get out of the airport (all three of the ATMs in the airport were broken). Once we got on the train into the city center everything was great. That was, until we got lost looking for our hostel. Luckily we met another lost American, who was going to the same place. So we trekked off...in the wrong direction for about 10 minutes. We finally made our way there and checked in. Once we got settled in we set off again with our new travel buddy and saw the town. Brussels is so cool. There is a lot to see and do, and anywhere that covers its buildings in gold and you can see business men walking down the street eating waffles is OK with me!
Since Jesse and I had enough money left over last night we deceided to treat ourselfs to a nice dinner. We found these two great streets with great sidwalk cafes and wonderful ambiance. That was until we got ambushed by the waitstaff. It was crazy, each place had a special of the day and they were fighting for our business. It was like shopping in Mexico, but they had much sexier accents!
Anyways, today was really great too. We had this interesting breakfast at the hostel (we will post pics when we can get them on here) and headed off into the city again. We used the metro and didn't die, so that's already a good day in my book. We went to this flea market on the south side of town and walked our way back up to the center where we vistited the country's museum of comic strip art. That was pretty cool. After that we had a great lunch at this little corner restaurant (good pick Jesse!!) where my beer was cheaper than his coke. I think I might just stay!
Now we are here writing to our blog and missing our comfy beds at home (the hostel sleeping situation was a little rough). We hope you all are doing well. Keep emailing us, it's so great to hear from all of you! We will also try and get some pics up soon, this computer has a USB port, but our drive is to fat to fit in next to the other pugs. Oh, well!
Love,
Meghan & JeSSe
Weee're Heeerrreee
Hey Everyone!
Just a quick note to let you all know that we have arrived in one piece and have had a great first day in Brussels. We will be updating our blog shortly (internet is in short supply at the hostel) and let you know all about our great day and not so great flight. Anywho, we miss you all very much and hope all is well with you.
Love and Happy Travels,
Meghan & JeSSe
Bon Voyage Party 2005
Thanks to our awesome friends, Leanne ("I'm a little Piggy, here's my snout, oink, oink, oink...") and Jody, Jesse and I had a great going-away party on Friday night. We started the night off with insane amounts of junk food an pizza (Jody had finger sandwiches- emphasis on the "had"- but we won't get into that), and maybe a couple of drinks courtesy of Jesse, and it was all topped off with some great French decorations. I don't know where Leanne gets this stuff! Of course, it being Jesse's house and us having sophomoric humor, we ended up watching South Park (drinking every time they said "pubes"- you don't really realize how much they say it until you have brainfreeze from chugging daiquiris). That is until everyone was toasted enough to play Truth or Dare Jenga. Let's just say that I'll be nice and not post the pics from that event! As the evening ended, we decided to wrap up the evening with a foreign film. I'll leave it at that.
The next day we put the jetski in and did the usual beach house thing. Shane had his first colonoscopy on the wake board. My guess is that he will be back for seconds. Other than that we just floated around the dock and made fun of fake boobs on passing boats. Later that afternoon Toby and Meredith stopped by with their baby Riley. She is so cute!
We want to thank everyone who made it out this past weekend. It was so great to see all of you and we are going to miss you all so much!!! Thanks again to Jody and Leanne for throwing us this great party, we love you guys!!!
~Meghan and JeSSe
Mi Scusi, Mi Scusi!
So, here is our final (maybe) itinerary. Don't pee your pants, I know you are excited.
June 15: Depart Houston to Brussels, Belgium
June 16: Arrive in Brussels
June 16-17: Brussels, Belgium
June 18-20: Bruges/Ostend, Belgium
June 21-24: Paris, France
June 25-26: Salamanca, Spain
June 27-28: Toledo, Spain
June 29-30: Madrid, Spain
July 1- 2: Barcelona, Spain
July 3- 4: Avignon, France
July 5- 6: Nice, France
July 7: Interlaken, Switzerland
July 8-10: Gimmelwald, Switzerland
July 11-12: Southern Germany
July 13-14: Cinque Terre, Italy
July 15-18: Rome, Italy
July 19-20: Florence, Italy
July 21-22: Venice,Italy
July 23: Salzburg, Austria
July 24: Hallstatt, Austria
July 25-26: Vienna, Austria
July 27-28: Berlin, Germany
July 29-2: Copenhagen/Roskilde, Denmark; Sweden
August 3: Koln, Germany
August 4-6: Rhine/Mosel Valleys, Germany
August 7: Koln, Germany
August 8-11: Amsterdam/The Hague/Haarlem/Edam/Delft, Netherlands
August 12: Depart Amsterdam for Houston and arrive home, YAY!!
So, we have one week and a day, and have only planed through Rome. Anyone know a good travel agent???
Jesse sez: "Don't forget to bring a towel"
Happy (if un-organized) Travels!
~Meghan & JeSSe
