Odds and Ends

We're finally starting to get settled in again after making it back to K.C. So with that in mind I thought I'd post some of the cooler things that I never got around to posting while living in Paris.

"Stop! Here is the empire of death"

This is at the entrance of the catacombs in Paris. It was pretty amazing. Kind of creapy walking through it by myself though.

A heart made out of skulls. They had people at the exit going through your pockets and bags to make sure nobody was trying to make off with a "souvenir".

More skulls and bones.

Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother by James Whistler.
This was at the Musée d'Orsay. I loved the Orsay Museum, especially the Van Gogh's and Monet's.

La Gioconda by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The main attraction at the Louvre. I was able to muscle my way to the front of the mass of humanity and get a pretty good picture.

Le Penseur (The Thinker) at the Musée Rodin. The Rodin museum was pretty cool. It is right across from Les Invalides (the Army museum). The Thinker got most of the attention, but the Gates of Hell and The Kiss were also pretty amazing.

This picture of the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower was taken at a bridge by the Javel metro stop. It's about a 5 minute walk from the apartment we were in.

Me at Versailles. I loved going to Versailles and hanging out on Saturday's to see the fountains.

Again at Versailles. Looking back at the Chateau.

This is behind Notre Dame. I promise this is not photoshopped. As part of the "Jake Tour" you would know this is where Jason Bourne wakes up in Paris after driving from the bank/American Embassy in Zurich.

Tip and I on one of my last trips to the Eiffel Tower. This is from Trocadero looking back towards the Champs des Mars.

Good Bye Paris! It's was a blast!

Rome

Just flew back from Rome and boy are my arms tired. Tippetts has been in Paris visiting and made the trip with me. Rome was great, saw lots of cool stuff. I am really glad that I was able to sneak it in before returning to the states next week.

In front of the Colisseum. We did the tour (good call Tip) and were able to skip the line. Aside from the Eiffel Tower, this was probably the most amazing thing I saw while living in Europe.

Inside of the Colisseum. Our tour guide had Tip and I face off as gladiators. Unfortunately I didn't represent very well.

Tip at the entrance of the Roman Forum.

The Spanish Steps. I guess these are a lot better to visit during the Spring when the flowers are blooming. Luckily I didn't have to stop too often before reaching the top.

My graceful attempt at tossing a coin into the Trevi fountain. It just made it, so I guess I had better start preparing for the return trip once the girls are done with college.

Dinner at the Pantheon. I went with the fettucini.

St. Peters Bassilica. Didn't see the Pope, but I can cross visiting the smallest country in the world off my to do list.

Apparently the hat I bought wasn't an original as the guy up ahead in the metro had the same one. So weird.

Probably won't post again until we are all moved back to K.C. So stay cool and have a cool summer.

Nuck

Aachen, Germany

So with my final remaining unplanned weekend remaining in Europe I decided to go to Aachen, Germany. It is the resting spot for Charlemagne. As Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor this city took on a more central role throughout his reign, going so far as to call it the "New Jerusalem". I learned a lot and would recommend it to those looking for a good day trip while in the area.

The is the Aachen Cathedral. It was the first site added to UNESCO's list of historical places in Germany. It is also the resting spot of Charlemagne.

The front of the Cathedral. The treasury that holds a lot of cool stuff is around the corner.

This is the Aachen Town Hall. During the holiday season they hold a world renowned Christmas Market. Today all there was in the courtyard was a group of Medivel knights and their wenches. You can see them in the bottom left corner.

Lunchtime! When in Germany got to go with the Bratwurst. This was Round 1 of 2.

The throne of the Holy Roman Emperor. It is very underwhelming. The tour guide said the throne is made of marble that Jesus had walked on and that is why they did not feel the need to "fancy it up".

This is one of two important caskets within the cathedral. This one is said to contain 4 important religious relics. They include John the Baptists shroud when he was beheaded and the swaddling clothes of Jesus' birth. Every seven years they taken them out and put them on display for those people making a pilgrimage to Aachen.

This is the second of the caskets within the cathedral. It contains the body of Charlemagne. All I could think of was Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Keep waiting for some crazy ghosts to come flying out and start melting people.

This is Printen. It is a shortbread type of food. Didn't quite top the brat from lunch.

Auf Wiedersehen
Nuck

Marseilles

Last month I was able to spend a couple days in Marseilles in the South of France. While not as glamorous as Nice, Cannes, or St. Tropez were all the wealthy go on holiday, Marseilles is pretty cool. My favorite part was the Chateau d'Ilf. This is France's version of Alcatraz. In the book the Count of Monte Cristo it is where Edmond Dantes (the Count) was sent.

The view from the hill looking down on Vieux-Port.

This is Notre Dame de la Garde. It is said to watch over sailors as they are coming and going from Marseilles.

This is looking out towards the Chateau d'Ilf from Notre Dame de la Garde.

Vieux Port. This is one of the main areas of the city. They had a huge fish market with some pretty interesting looking creatures that I would never dare try.

The cathedral de la mayor.

On the island Chateau d'Ilf.

Looking back at the city of Marseilles from the island.

Getting back into the Port after my trip to the islands.

I'm on a roll with these posts, so hopefully I'll be able to keep them going. I'm off to Germany in a couple hours. I'll be in Aachen, the resting place of Charlemage and where the Holy Roman Emperors were crowned from his time in the 700's to the 1400's. Should be fun.

Nuck

Bastille Day

Bastille Day fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. I didn't have the best spot to see everything, but it was still a blast. This video is dedicated to my lovely wife who lives and dies for firework shows.

Can anyone say Friday Night Fireworks at the K?

Nuck

Madrid

Madrid rocks! The capital of Spain is quite the town. Although I missed most of the celebrations following Spains victory in the Euro Championships, I still had a great time. The following are some of the highlights from my two days spent in this beautiful city.

The Palacio Real. It is the best preserved Palace in all of Europe or so says the Spanish. I am still kind of partial to Versailles.

Another look at the Palacio. The Madrid Opera is to my back.

The courtyard to the Palacio Real. I spent a lot of time here as there was plenty to see and learn about.

El Oso. This is the emblem of Madrid. This part of town was kind of crazy. It is called Sol and it had everything. Spent a lot of time here just kind of walking around.

Parque Juan Carlos I. This one is for JC. It was near my hotel.

Monument of Alfonso XII. This is at Parque del Retiro. The missionaries from the Madrid MTC had this place on lockdown. They even put on a concert. Good times.

The Puerta de Alcala, just outside the Parque del Retiro.

Not really sure why this was going on. I learned that there are some things us fat, hairy, naked guys should just not do. It was pretty funny though.

The Diosa Cibles statue that's in front of the Palacio de Communicaciones. It is one of the more famous landmarks in Madrid.

Nucky

London

I've finally gotten around to downloading pictures from some of my latest adventures to my computer, so hopefully in the coming days I will be posting more. Since neither Daisie or I have mentioned anything about London, I thought that would be as good a starting point as any. It was awesome! Some of the highlights were Daisie and I going to see The Sound of Music at a West End Theatre and also being able to see some of the preparations for the Queen's birthday. The girls as always were troopers! Here are the pics.

Daisie and I in front of Tower Bridge.

The eye of London.

Me in front of Westminster Abbey.

Buckingham Palace.

Daisie at the Tower of London. The building on the left is where the Queen's jewels are held. The building on the right is where the prisoners were kept, including Sir Thomas More.

So stay tuned as I hope to begin posting more frequently. I'm sure Daisie will also start up again now that things are slowing down for her (she does have lots of cool pictures from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.)

Nuck