Sights and Sounds Eighty-Eight

So i am in a bit of a rush this morning to post about the yesterday as we are trying to get to Notre Dame early to go up in the towers. Sunday night we did in fact go bar hopping around our neighborhood. Our favourite spot was Cafe Charlot. Dusti even dared to eat the escargot. Below are the remnanats.

We had a couple of beers and glasses of wine but still found ourselves in bed by 10. The next morning we took the Metro to Montmartre. We wandered the streets and walked up to the Sacred Heart Basilica. The weather was fantastic in the morning so we really lucked out.

We sat and had a drink in the Place de Tetre and chatted with a man from Australia who was about to go on a river tour. We enjoyed sitting watching countless people and and the art that the locals were creating and showing.

After our refreshing beverges we walked back down the twisting streets the photo ops were abundant. Here's just a couple.

I'll post more pictures later today including the ones we took last night at the Louvre and Notre Dame.

Sights and Sounds Eighty-Seven

We made it to Paris. It's Sunday afternoon and we just got back from walking around for about 6 hours so i thought i would update the blog real quick before we head out again.

The train from York to London was a breeze and the Eurostar to Paris was incredible. It really was like sitting on a cloud. It was so smooth and fast. The service was awesome and the whole experience was simply fantastic. I was amazed how easy the whole process was from printing out out tickets at the station. to checking in, passport control and boarding. I highly recommend this as a mode of transportation if you are thinking about heading over the channel to France or Belgium.

We arrived on time at 5:30 and were at our apartment in 15 minutes after a pretty short taxi ride. Our contact was a little late meeting us but we were all settled and ready to wander around our neighborhood by 7pm. We are staying in the 3rd Arrondissment on a street called Rue de Saintonge.
 It's an awesome location (special thanks to my friend Kee for recommending this area). We took a quick walk around and to our delight the area is full of small bistros, shops, bakeries, cheese shops etc. Dusti is in heaven. There is even a market called Marche des Enfants Rouges which specializes in ethnic foods from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The smell of the food is delightful.
We ate at a restaurant, Chez Jenny, that specialized in food from the Alsace Lorraine region of France, but we ended up ordering steak and fries (steak frites)! 

After picking up some milk from the supermarche we headed back to the flat and to go to bed. We were woken up by quite a noisy party/night club (not sure which) which carried on until 3am. They were having a great time but it kind of sucked for us.

This morning we decided just to walk as far as we could to get our bearings. We will go back to most of these places to see them in more detail later this week. Here's a few shots from the day so far.

Place Igor Stravinsky

                                            Hotel de Ville, which is, essentially, City Hall

In the square in front of the Hotel de Ville

Notre Dame Cathedral, the "heart" of Paris. Our guidebook says that Paris landmark distances are measured from the cathedral.

Looking across the Seine at Notre Dame

Statues in the Jardin des Tuileries

One of the Louvre facades, one bookend of the Jardin des Tuileries

Jarden des Tuileries, looking back at the Louvre

The Seine

Jonathan under a tree in the Jardin des Tuileries. You can see the black chalkboard over J's shoulder that announced the menu of one of the Tuileries cafes. The trees made a wide avenue for walking.

View of the Eiffel tower from one of the roads leading down that way. Along the way, we stopped and bought single meringue swaddle in cream rolled in chocolate shavings. Jonathan nearly died.

Our first view of the Eiffel tower from the gardens.

These pictures make the weather seem nice and warm. It wasn't. Low 50s, and the blue sky you see in some pics lasted only for about an hour!

So we saw all that on our a 5.5 mile walk and that was just our first few hours exploring. Tonight we are going to bar hop and eat in our hood. Possible pictures to follow...

Sights and Sounds Eighty-Six

So after a couple of pretty quiet days we decided we would get out again today and see some more of the Yorkshire Dales. One of the most visited sites in the area is called Brimham Rocks. They are a number of rock formations that dot across an area of the Dales near Pateley Bridge. The weather was pretty cold but with the sun out it didn't feel to bad.

After exploring the area for an hour or so we decided to head for some lunch. We ended up at the Cow and Calf pub above Ilkley. We ate here before a couple of years ago when the whole area was covered in snow. It looked a good bit different today. I enjoyed the best pie i have had on this trip so far. Along with pint of Black Sheep ale it was simply delicious.

After lunch we headed towards Skipton and to Bolton Abbey. It was built around 1154. It sat by the River Wharf. It was a beautiful area.

As you can see it was a pretty awesome place. Part of the church was still being used.

After our visit to Bolton Abbey we drove home as the weather started getting pretty dodgy. It was the coldest its been since we have been here and it even snowed not far away from here.
We're off to Paris tomorrow so n doubt the next post will be about our train journey south to London and the Eurostar under  the English Channel.

Sights and Sounds Eighty-Five

It's Friday morning and the week has flown by as it always does. We took time on Wednesday to relax a little and get some rest. It was market day in Knaresborough so we wandered in to town and had some lunch and took in the culture of a small market town in full swing. Dusti easily located the local cheese merchant and was spoiled for choice.
We had fish and chips for dinner from a place called Drakes. They were so good and so bad att he same time. Apparently they fry the fish and chips in beef drippings! Needless to say it's a guilty pleasure one should only partake in once a year.
Thursday we took the train to Leeds. Over the past several years city has undergone several transformations with the most recent the Trinity Center (shopping center) opening just a couple of weeks ago. Now a large portion of the city shopping area is covered with a roof. It's pretty spectacular. You can see in the picture below the contrast in modern architecture with the old church steeple in the background.

We also visited one of my favorites, the Queens Arcade. It has amazing detail and some very posh shops!

The Corn Exchange has been renovated too. Last time we were in Leeds they were working on it and there were only one or two shops in now it is rather spectacular.

We also went by to see my cousin Rosey at Laynes Expresso. She made Dusti a Cappuccino and Dusti also had some mushroom, pearl barley and leak stew! 
The weather started to turn a little and we experienced our first rainfall but luckily it only lasted a short while. We made our way through the busy streets stopping off at some of our favorite shops. Eventually we made our way back to the train station as we got tired and we headed back to my parents.
We plan on getting out today as the weather is beautiful. Although cold the sun is shinning brightly.
Perhaps a trip out in the Dales and then it's off to Paris tomorrow.

Sights and Sounds Eighty-Four

On Tuesday we took a day trip to Pateley Bridge. My parents took us to Harrogate, my birthplace, and we caught a bus to Pateley Bridge. It was about an hour long ride into the Yorkshire Dales and the weather was looking pretty good. Dusti hadn't been on an English bus yet so we thought we better take a picture.

The route took us through countless fields of cows, sheep and the cutest lambs you have ever seen. I said to Dusti i'm not sure i can make another shepherds pie after seeing those little lambs. The country roads were extremely narrow but the bus driver navigated his way with expertise. After several stops we arrived in Pateley Bridge. The first thing we wanted to do was eat some lunch. We found a sandwich shop right by the side of the river. Dusti had a cheese and onion sandwich with a scone, fresh cream and strawberry jam. I had a sausage sandwich with grilled onions drizzled with gravy. It was absolutely delicious. Topped off with a cup of tea and a large slice of chocolate cake. The large lunch was necessary for the hike we were about to endure. We went to the tourist information shop and got directions for the panorama walk which would take us up above the town and offer us some spectacular views.

The walk started at the bottom of the high street and took us up by a cemetery and a derelict church (Old St. Marys) that dated back to 13th century.

After exploring the church grounds we found the trail that led us back to the panorama walk. We walked by a beautiful field. Dusti took this awesome photo.

We walked by a few horses and a couple of Shetland Ponies and made our way up the hill. The views were pretty awesome.

We walked down back into the valley and after getting directions from a local farmer through a field of horses by some chicken coups and sheep with their lambs...

see what i mean about the shepherd's pie? We then walked down along the River Nidd back to Pateley Bridge and ended up where we had had our lunch several hours earlier.
After a pint of Black Sheep Ale at a local pub we walked back to the bus station and waited for the bus. W e headed back into Harrogate and arrived about 5:30. We went to Hales pub, one of the town's oldest and had a pint and figured out where to eat dinner. There was a lively bunch of people in there celebrating St. Georges Day complete with rather amusing costumes. I think they had been at the sauce for several hours. We saw Sherlock and Holmes, a couple of dragons although one was actually a crocodile costume. Several Knights complete with blow up horses swords and lances. I think i saw Lady Guinevere too. It was rather funny.
We left Hales went to to eat some Chinese at the Imperial Palace then finally caught the train back to Knaresborough. It was just getting dark when we arrived back at my parents house at 8:30. Although it was rather a tiring day it was a good day out with very good weather.

Sights and Sounds Eighty-Three

After a relatively short drive through the Peak District we arrived in Sheffield to meet up with my niece Victoria and her boyfriend Tom. They live in a very cool apartment in the middle of the city. We went to a pub called The Old House for lunch.  Dusti had fish and chips and i had the Beef, Bacon, and Black Treacle pie with chips and mushy peas. After lunch we (the boys) went to watch the football and the girls went to do a little shopping and had coffee. Before we knew it was time to go meet dad and head to Knaresborough.  Although we only had a short time with Julian, Sarah and the kids it was great to see them.
We got to mum and dad's house about 6:00 and had a little bite to eat with some tea. I set up  camera in the spare room to shoot a time lapse looking over the park behind my parents house.

We went to bed early and slept well. This morning we decided to take our annual walk into to town around the castle and along the river Nidd. The weather wasn't too bad a little breezy with sunny spells.

 Perhaps the boat shot is my favourite of the day.

 This is perhaps the most famous view in Knaresborough and we always take a couple of shots from here.

 The image above is an HDR photo of the castle grounds.

 A couple of panoramic shots.