Travel Philosophy:

My personal philosophy on travel is simple; do as much as you can and don’t put it off. There is so much to see in the United States and around the world and first hand experience makes it very rewarding. Visiting other states or other countries is enlightening from an architectural, geographical and natural beauty perspective and provides a wonderful insight into cultures and attitudes. As commercial flight, the internet and the continued growth of global commerce make the world a smaller place, we can all learn to work better with one another by understanding how others think and feel; traveling can be a wonderful catalyst for that experience.   

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June/July 2008 Trip To France:
Jeanne and I had a wonderful time this summer traveling to France with our friends Mark, Lisa, their two sons Brian and Eric, Mark’s mom Betty, and her friend Frank.  Fortunately, Mark speaks French fluently, and through high school education and the influence of French Au pairs, his two sons have developed significant French language skills.  Thanks guys for all your help with the often challenging  job of translation!

Paris is truly a lovely city and we appreciated the reference to a city for lovers.  From the Seine, the parks, the beautiful architecture, to views from Montmartre and the Eiffel tower, the city is a wonderful place to experience.  In addition to visiting Paris we had the opportunity to travel on the TGV high speed (commercial usage average speed ~ 200 mph) train to Avignon and then drove cars throughout the south, into Monaco, and back into France.  What a gorgeous country side! The food was generally excellent, including some great duck and rabbit dishes, and oh the foie gras, just super!  We had some wonderful Adelscott beer, a variety of delicious wines and different drinks, “can you ever really have too many Kir Royales.”  I can’t begin to describe it all so some photos and minor descriptions will have to do.  

First stop the Louvre, a fantastic museum with incredible antiquities and many famous pieces of art. Perhaps two of the most famous are the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The Mona Lisa photo doesn’t do the painting justice but it was particularly exciting to see the real masterpiece given its world renowned notoriety, the reference to the painting in Dan Brown’s entertaining novel “The Da Vinci Code” and of course (come on its my website) the first track on the CD, the beloved “Mona Lisa.” 

Three photos show the gorgeous Notre Dame from a tour boat on the Seine.  This wonderful French Gothic Cathedral has many interesting features: the external flying buttresses, the beautiful Rose Stained glass window,  the much celebrated historical significance, and of course the great fiction of Victor Hugo’s bell ringer, Quasimodo.

To travel down to Avignon in the south we chose the TGV.  Wow, what a comfortable ride at 200 plus MPH. We traveled through some beautiful countryside, though if you don’t project your sight significantly away from the train, the countryside can flash by as a blur. A photo shows my long time friend Mark and myself at the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris waiting for our train. For all you “Project Runway” style buffs, I’ll dare to admit that I chose to wear Crocs throughout this trip.    I can tell you that although they my not be aesthetically pleasing to many, they’re, light, cool, sure-footed, comfortable and go in and out of water really well.  This comes in handy when you’re navigating the beautiful though rocky beaches of Nice.

In Avignon we visited the Palais des Papes, the incredible medieval Gothic palace that became the residence of the popes in 1309. It was here that Pope Clement V moved the Roman Curia (the administrative apparatus and the governing body of the Roman Catholic Church with the Pope) from Rome to Avignon to escape the violent chaos after his election. This began the period of the Avignon Papacy from 1309 to 1377 during which seven popes, all French, resided in Avignon.  A photo of Jeanne and I on the Saint Benezet’s Bridge shows the Palais des Papaes in the background.

Pont de Gare is the incredible bridge/aqueduct located in the south of France that was built in the middle of the first century A.D.  The aqueduct brought water over the Gardon River for more than 15 miles to the city that is now Nimes. A testament to the incredible engineering/architecture skills of the day is the fact that the bridge was constructed by cutting stones up to six tons in size so precisely that when placed together no mortar was required to hold the structure together.

In the city of Nimes we visited the Arena of Nîmes, a Roman amphitheater built around 100 A.D. during the time of Emperor Augustus. The Arena is considered the best preserved of all Roman amphitheatres. From the Roman Games, particularly the Venatio (animal hunts) and gladiator combats to modern day bull fighting, the arena represents some spectacular history.

We drove into Monaco and passed the Monte Carlo Casino on the way to visit the Grimaldi Palace, “the Prince's Palace of Monaco.” The palace, of course, was the home to Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace and is now occupied by their son, Albert II, Prince of Monaco.  We watched the changing of the guard and viewed the incredible scenery from the palace. Talk about lifestyles of the rich and famous, take a look at the incredible yachts as seen from the grounds of the palace. The scenery from the seaside roads of the French Riviera into Monaco is absolutely beautiful!

After Monaco and on our way back to Nice, we stopped at the La Réserve de la Mala restaurant and enjoyed lunch and a beautiful view of Mala beach.

Miscellaneous:

Finally a note of thanks to Camille, Marc, Guy, Rosine, Ed, Pedro, Christelle, Laura, Alex, Mireille and Nino for your generosity and wonderful hospitality; it made our trip extra special!

Crater Lake in the Cascade Range of Oregon:
The lake was formed after a series of volcanic eruptions blew of the top of what was Mt Mazam ~ 7,700 years ago. On the edge of the caldera is the glorious old Crater Lake Lodge originally built in 1915.

St. John, U.S.V.I.:
How does one begin to describe the natural beauty of St John in the US Virgin Islands. Glorious white sandy beaches, gorgeous shades of blue that make up the inviting water, two thirds of the Island made up of national park with hiking, old sugar cane mills and petroglyphs carved into rocks by indigenous people dating back possibly thousands of years. The Island is an exquisite place of beauty with much to offer the outdoor enthusiast. Charles J photographed in a residence over looking Cruz Bay with St Thomas in the background, the glorious Trunk Bay, and Charles and Jeanne waiting for the ferry at Cruz Bay.

Florence, Italy:
If you want to fall in love with Italy, take a trip to Florence, what a wonderful walking city! From the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge crossing the Arno river to the history of Il Duomo and the Basilica di Santa Croce, this is a city full of culture and life. The atmosphere is wonderful, the people are beautiful and friendly, the food is exquisite (Chocolate El Mente, Gnocchi in Gorgonzola source, deliciosa!) and if that's not enough, the works of Michelangelo, arguably the greatest sculptor of all time, are found in abundance. Even if you are a novice of art appreciation like myself, you'll find his works breathtaking and will appreciate his brilliance.

French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana:
New Orleans showcases a wonderful southern heritage. City life, great Cajun and Creole style foods, river front, the mighty Mississippi and wonderful New Orleans Jazz is certainly a recipe for an adventurous trip. Bourbon street in the French Quarter with its charm by day, quaint city homes with wrought iron railings, horse drawn carriages or should I say mule drawn carriages and picturesque scenes make for a great day out, but watch yourself, because when the sun goes down the raucous partying begins and there is bar after bar to take in the action. In the morning what a great way to kick start your day with a trip to Café Du Monde for some coffee and beignets, great preparation for a morning of sightseeing and a perfect segue into lunch; may I recommend a shrimp po’boy. At the end of a day you may want to bump it up a notch and take in Emeril's restaurant over in the Garden District for some exquisite dining. When in the French Quarter you can’t help but love the music, wonderful jazz bands and individual acts can be found on practically every street and of course Preservation Hall, opened in 1961 to protect and honor New Orleans Jazz, is bound to offer up a great musical act. If you want to slow the pace down and see some glorious old homes, take a trolley into the Garden District or grab a car and visit Oak Alley, an Antebellum Mississippi River Mansion that is spectacular.

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