Cannes you believe we just finished day 7?

We had a little more travel time today as we rode from Arles to Cannes (pronounce like 

"can").  We are now at our hotel and the kids are in the pool!  

(Jose took a little siesta in the lavender fields!)

Our first stop today was in Avignon where the Popes once lived.  We took pictures in a beautiful field of lavender.  Avignon is known for its Lavender.  Some of us even tried the Lavender ice cream.  

We took a very technologically-advanced tour of the Palace of Popes in Avignon.  Seven different popes ruled in Avignon in the 1700's.   The Palace of Popes is the largest Gothic building in the world and was built in less than 30 years, which sounds like a long time to us, but that is short for these enormously detailed European structures!

The technology was amazing!  We each received a headset and a tablet was tracking us as we walked.  So, when we entered a new room, it began telling us the history of that particular room.  In each room was a "golden medallion" on a post.  When we got the golden medallion into the camera lens of our tablet, it "transported" us back to the 1300's when the building was first in use.  We were then able to scan the room with the tablet and see the room as it looked at that time!  It was a fun way to explore the old building, and a great way to make the history come alive!

We also took a walk along the Avignon Bridge, Le Pont d'Avignon, over the Rhone river.

 

After a little more driving, we stopped in Cannes for dinner before going to our hotel.  Cannes is famous for the annual Film Festival.  It is also a very popular hangout for celebrities.  We did not see any celebrities, but we did see several people taking advantage of the "tops optional" rule in the French Riviera!  😲😲😲  We went down to the very crowded beach and dipped our feet in the cool water which felt great on such a hot day!!

It was a fun day mixed with travel and touring.  We leave tomorrow for Italy!!  

Day 3...Madrid: Take two

We got a great night's sleep last night and woke up fresh and ready for a new day today!  The secondday is always the hardest!  I was proud of everyone for making it through without complaining!  Today, I we walked about 15,000 steps! We started our day with a wonderful breakfast at our hotel.  Then, we rode the bus over to the Royal Palace. 

The royals have not lived here since the 1930's, but the palace is still very functional.  One of our favorite rooms (if we had to pick one) was the dining room!  The dining table was set for 50 guests and is regularly used for dinners with heads of state!  It was truly magnificent!  We were not allowed to take pictures in that room.  So, I encouraged everyone to purchase a book in the gift shop so they could have visuals for later!

The couple in the center is JuanCarlos and his wife.  Juan Carlos was the King of Spain until he abdicated the throne to his son, Phillip the 6th, who is pictured on the right.  When this portrait was made, he was not married, but he is now married with two children.

I was most impressed by the silk walls in almost every room.  The silk is still replaced every 25 years!   The palace is 1 million square feet!!!  We were also very interested to learn how much the different European countries "intermarried" to form alliances.  I already knew that, but it was amazing to put some of the pieces together that tie France and Spain and Austria together.  For example, Kimg Phillip V was the grandson of France's beloved Sun King, Louis IV!  Marie Antoinette's sister, Marie Carolina marrie King Charles III who was the King of Naples.

From the palace, we took a bus tour of the city with our local guide, Bertha.  She pointed out several important statues and buildings along the way.  We drove past Kilometer Zero which is a famous spot because it is the beginning of the six main roads in Madrid.  From that spot, you can look up to see the clock tower where Madrid celebrates New Year's Eve each year.  This square is also the place where the tradition of "12 grapes" began in 1909. There was a surplus of grapes that year.  So, farmers brought all the grapes to the celebration and convinced people they would have good luck if they ate the grapes....and so the tradition began!

                           

                            

Next, we passed the Madrono statue which is the symbol of Madrid.  It is a bear eating from a tree.  So, we took time to take pictures with him...including some with our Texas symbol, an Armadillo which we have named Jose.

                               

Next, we passed through Puerta de Alcala.  This was one of the entrances to one of the 5 gates which once surounded the city. The center entrance was for the king.  The next two entrances were for carriages, and the outer entrances were for everyone else.  This gate still has markings (bullet holes) from Spain's civil war.

                              

Next, we visited the Plaza de Torros where bull fights are still held during the month of May and first week of June.  The "festival" reminded me of the way we celebrate rodeo.  However, the bulls are actually killed during the bull fights.  Some of us feel silly that we never realized that, but the whole idea is that either the bull or the fighter dies.  We were told that only one bull has been spared by a fighter since 1929, and that was because the fighter said he was a better fighter than himself.  So, the bull lived out a full life on a farm outside of Madrid.  Guess what the bull's name was,,,, Fernando...like Ferdinand, the Bull!  Now, we all want to watch the movie! 

                                (the bullfighter menina)

Yesterday, we learned about a few very famous artists in Spain...Velasquez and Goya.  Goya was famous for his "black paintings" which are very dark and grim because of the time he lived in during a war. 

Velasquez painted one of Madrid's most famous paintings...Las Meninas.  So, Madrid has been taken over with about 80 statues throughout the city of "las Meninas".  Each one is painted differently.  Some look like they are sponsored by companies while others look like an expression of the culture. 

                                         

                                             

After lunch we enjoyed a Flamenco show.  It was an incredible cultural experience...complete with Sangria for the adults and other fun drinks (or water) for the students!  Miriam even gave us a little Flamenco lesson before we went in....."pick the apple, eat the apple, throw the apple"!

                                                

We had plenty of free time to roam around Plaza de Sol in the afternoon, and then we went to a dinner of Tapas with Tuna.  (Tuna means music....not fish!)  Our meal was in an old dungeon that was once the waiting area for prisoners waiting for their execution in the nearby square/plaza.  The tapas were a five-course meal.  The musicians were similar to a mariachi band but with different costumes and instruments!  The Spanish version of a Mariachi Band?  Marina, our hostess, loved us and had a wonderful time dancing with the boys, whom she gave no choice but to dance...the entire song! They were great!  As we left, she insisted we must have a lollipop!

We came straight to the hotel after dinner, and I think I may be the only still up because the hallways are silent!  We have a 5:30 wake up call in the morning because our train to Barcelona leaves at 8:00.  We are having a wonderful time!  Thank you to everyone who made it possible for each of us to come on this trip.  I promise you made an investment that will last a lifetime! 

Until tomorrow...

Day 10

It was difficult to get up this morning, but everyone was on the bus before 4:45 ready for Paris.  Many of you were worried about the news of the apartment fire in London which was really tragic, but it did not affect us.  However, we did see the smoke in the distance.


We took a bus to the Eurostar station and climbed aboard our second train in a week!  The ride was a very smooth two hours or so under the English Channel, through the Chunnel, and across western France.  When we arrived, we discovered that the truck that was to pick up our bags was late.  So, we were a little frustrated about having to wait a few minutes for them.  However, we soon found toilets (not restrooms, we've been told) and something to eat which made us all a little happier!

After a quick lunch at some local patisserie's near the train station, we had our first experience with the Paris Metro!  It is not much like the Tube!  It was very crowded, and everyone was nervous about getting on and off together.  We managed to do that, but everyone was a little shaken afterward!  We found our next bus/motorcoach and hopped on for a three-hour tour with a local guide.  Noah told us all about the history of her beautiful city.  

We started near the Louvre which we will be visiting tomorrow.  It was once the palace for the kings and queens until Louis XIV, the Sun King, moved into the Palace at Versailles.  Now, it is a huge art gallery.

We passed the Tuileries Garden and people shopping on Rivoli Street.  We drove through Place Vendome where we saw the former Republic of Texas Embassy, Louis Vitton (aka: the mother ship), countless famous jewelry stores and more.  Noah told us that the jewelry stores were all just around the corner from the Opera House which was built by Napoleon.  She said the point of going to the Opera at that time was not so much for the performance but to show off your wealth and position in society!

Next, we drove past the Place de la Concorde which was once the site of many beheadings including that of Marie Antoinette!


We passed an Egyptian Obelisk which was a present from the king of Egypt to the King of France and is the oldest monument in France!

We saw Madelaine Church which Noah said is known for being the worship site of many well known jet setters who come to Paris.  We also saw the American Embassy.  


Next, we turned on the Champs-Elysees, a very famous road with shopping for everyone!  About half way down the road is the Elysees Palace - the President's home.  At the end is the Arc de Triomphe which was built by Napoleon in 1806 as a military building for the soldiers to march under on return to the city.  Unfortunately, it was never used for that purpose, but it is a memorial for France's heroes today.  It includes flowers and an eternal flame for the unknown soldier...very similar to our own tribute in Washington, D.C.

Next, we saw what everyone had been waiting for....the Eiffel Tower!  It was built for the World's Fair as a temporary statue for 20 years, but it's still here...making money for the city!  

We got out for about 20 minutes to take pictures from one of the best places in the city to see the Eiffel Tower.  Tomorrow we will actually go to the tower and attempt to get tickets to climb up!

Next on our guided tour was the Place des Invalides.  Napoleon obviously cared about his military because this was another thing built for them.  It was like a hospital/living space for those who had been hurt in the military.  He even built an amazing chapel inside which is visible as the dome on top.  We took a few minutes to take pictures of the church and have a toilet break.  The last few days, we've been having to pay to use the toilets.  So, we are buying more coffee than we were.    Public toilets are scarce in Paris.  So, the shops will let you use theirs ONLY if you purchase something.  They actually guard the entrance to the toilets!  It's serious business!! :)

We rode through the Latin Quarter where mostly students and young people live and which contains many schools and universities.  We saw the remains of the Roman Bath on Boulevard Saint Germaine, and we passed the Pantheon which was built as a church but turned into a mausoleum after the Great Revolution.  Some of the famous people buried here are Victor Hugo (author of the Hunchback of Notre Dame), Pierre and Marie Curie, Voltaire and Rousseau.

Before ending our tour, we also passed the gorgeous Gardens of Luxembourg which were built by Mary de Medici in 1600 after her husband, Henry IV died.  She didn't really like living in the Louvre Palace and wanted a more Italian Castle to remind her of home!  I hope we may have some time to sit in the gardens tomorrow!


And that was all in 3 hours!!  Our bus dropped us off just across the Seine River from Notre Dame Cathedral.  We crossed the beautiful river on a bridge and waited in line for about 15 minutes before entering Notre Dame.  Everyone walked around at their own pace enjoying the architecture of the cathedral which was opened in 1345.

After Notre Dame, we had dinner and then had another adventure on the Metro before arriving at our hotel!  We are all in for the night and looking forward to a great night's sleep as we have until 7:30 to arrive downstairs for breakfast!

Tomorrow will be a full day, and I may not be able to send our email until the following morning, but I will continue to keep you updated. In the mean time, please remember that we are coming home on Friday, and we are ready to be there!  This is fun, but we are tired and ready for our own beds!  Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 4:25 p.m. on Friday, the 16th, at Bush.  Please watch Delta flight #930 to be sure there are no delays.  Please plan to meet us at baggage claim! 

Have a wonderful evening!

Jacqueline Hughes