Ravinj

Day 21 - Four days ago we were in Lake Bled and it felt like late autumn. Yesterday we were in Ljubljana and it felt like spring.  Today we are in Rovinj, Croatia and it feels like summer.  We are on the coast of the Adriatic with old town views and crystal clear blue water.  We just wandered the town, had pizza and wine for lunch (less than $9.00) and enjoyed the sights.  Sue had to put her feet in the water.  She was in heaven.  Tomorrow we will take a boat tour around the area and visit wineries as well.

We keep climbing those towers

A view down one of the streets in the old town.

This one does not need any caption.

View of the harbor and the old town.

A view from the top.

Julian Alps and Ljubljana

Viewing the Soca River and the surrounding mountains.

Day 19 & 20 - We left Lake Bled and the weather was just turning nice.  We headed north toward the Austrian border and just before entering we turned south to go through the Julian Alps.  Magnificent mountains that just seem to come almost straight up.  As we headed into the mountains the weather went from sunny to cloudy to rainy to cloudy to sunny, over and over again.  The views from the top were not great but we had a good time doing 50 hairpin turns.  After leaving the mountains we stopped at a small village (they are all small villages) called Bovec.  The town was cute and the scenery was beautiful.  The food here is good and very inexpensive.  Sue and I like it better than French food.  (I know some of you think we are nuts.)
We spent yesterday afternoon and today strolling through Ljubljana.  The old town is really nice.  It has some really expensive shops (Cartier, Rolex watches, etc.) but lots of small local shops as well.  This could be the next Prague.  All of the people speak wonderful English and are extremely polite and helpful.  We took a 2 1/5 hour walking tour of the city with a trip to the castle at the top of the mountain.  The views were great.

Sure, the day we leave Lake Bled the sky starts to clear up.

Up in the Julian Alps and in the clouds.

Had to try using one of the suspension bridges to cross the Soca River.

The city and river during the day.

The city and river at night.

The view from the castle.  Yup, we climbed the steps again.

Enjoying a little lunch and wine along the river.

The little village of Bovec where we had lunch on the way to Ljubljana.

Strolling along the river in Ljubljana

Tomorrow we leave for Rovinj, Croatia.  Hopefully the weather will continue to be sunny and warm. 

Lake Bled

Day 18 - Unfortunately the weather has not changed very much.  It rained a little this morning so we drove around the area and up to the castle that we can see from our room.  We got back late morning and while it was still very overcast the rain had stopped.  So we decided to take the 3.5 mile walk around Lake Bled.  It was just wonderful.  While the pictures do not do the scenery justice it is really beautiful and clean.  The lake is crystal clear and the people are warm and friendly.  We stopped for a bite halfway around the lake and had a cup of soup and a glass of wine at a little inn and restaurant.  The owner asked us where we were from.  We told him we were from New Jersey and asked him if had heard of it.  He said "Yes, of course.  That is where Bruce Springsteen comes from."

This is a church on a tiny island in the middle of the lake.

Off in the distance is where we started our walk.

Just so picturesque, just a shame it is so very cloudy.

Tomorrow we leave for Ljubljana (Lu bee ana) but first we are heading north to the Italian border (not crossing it) and driving south through the Julian Alps to get to Ljubljana.  With stops this should take about 5 to 6 hours.  Hopefully the weather will clear up and we will get to see good vistas.

Leaving Paris Arriving Slovenia

Days 16 & 17 - On Saturday we were still in Paris.  The weather really cooled down.  It was very overcast and rainy on and off all day.  We did laundry in the morning (got to get the clothes cleaned sometime) and went off exploring again in the afternoon.  We strolled over to the Champs Elysees and had onion soup for lunch with a glass of wine.  We took the metro to the Museum of Deportation. A commemorative to the Jews, Gypsies and anyone else the Nazi's did not approve of and who were shipped to the concentration camps.  After that we went to the Musee Orangerie.  This museum had works by Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, etc.  We met an Australian couple at the Musee Orangerie.  They said that they were at the Louvre the other day and were there from 9:00 to 9:30.  At first we thought they were like us and only spent a half hour but quickly learned they were there from morning to night.  The only way I could spend that much time there is if I died there.

We climbed the Arc de Triomphe

Our hotel in Paris

The view from our room in Lake Bled

Our hotel in Lake Bled

The view on our way to dinner.

Our view from our dinner table in Lake Bled

Today we left for Slovenia.  We landed at Ljubljana Airport and drove approx. 45 minutes to Lake Bled.  We are in love.  If it were up to Sue, we would cancel the rest of the vacation and stay here.  While it is overcast the scenery is just magnificent.  I have included just a few pictures but will update tomorrow.

Versailles

King Louis XIV retreat from Paris - Versailles

Arriving at the Palace (along with all of the other people)

The chapel in the Palace.

The hall of mirrors (makes it seem like there are double the people).

Day 15 (I think.  I'm starting to lose track) -  Today was very overcast and cool.  We took a train to Versailles.  There was a general strike yesterday and the metro was just beginning to get up to speed.  The first train was so packed we could not even get on.  Fifteen minutes later I was determined to get on board, so having the good New York training, I shoved our way on the next train.  What a zoo.  It cleared out after a couple of stops and it was comfortable the rest of the trip.
We arrived at Versailles and was in the middle of another zoo.  I think it was a "light" day since Versailles had been on strike the past week and most people thought it may have been still closed.  Still extremely interesting to see.  King Louis XIV knew how to live.  He must have been the one to coin the phrase "It's good to be the King".
We started to stroll the gardens but the rain came so we decided to go back to Paris.  As we were crossing the Seine River going back to our hotel the skies opened up.  I had purchased a crappy little umbrella and it was no match for the gusty winds and heavy rain.  We got soaked.  Hopefully tomorrow the weather will be better.

Paris - Day 13 & 14

Well this is our second day in Paris.  We arrived by train from Avignon in 2 hours and 40 minutes.  Took the subway system to our hotel and checked in.  Nice room with a king size bed.  This is a first king bed we have had since we have been here.  Last night we took a evening cruise on the Seine.  The weather was warm and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.  Paris is really beautiful at night.

Musee D'Orsay - Used to be a train station

The Louvre - You can't believe how gigantic this place is.

I think I just saw Tom Hanks.

Starting out on our walk for the day.

Just relaxing on the evening cruise

Do I really need a caption for this one?

Today we covered a lot of ground.  Even though there was a general strike today we were still able to take public transportation and get into the Louvre and Musee D'Orsay.  We took the subway to Notre Dame then walked through the Latin Quarter, over to the Louvre then to the Musee D'Orsay, through Tuileries Gardens.  We are really exhausted.  Right now we are relaxing and tonight we will go to a local bistro for dinner.  Tomorrow Versailles.

The coast of Provence

The tour buses are in, in Les Baux

The beach in Stes-Maries De-La Mer

In Aigues-Mortes

Day 12 - Today we traveled south to the Mediterranean Sea.  We visited Aigues-Mortes, a small walled city on the coast.  Nice shops and restaurants.  We "conversed" with a shopkeeper in Aigues-Mortes who told us to visit Stes-Maries De-La Mer.  This is a seashore town with shops and restaurants.  The beach looked nice and the town was not very crowded.  I guess that in summer this place would be packed.  We had a nice lunch and then went to Les Baux.  This town is just 15 minutes south of Saint Remy.  It is built on a mountain top and has lots of shops.  Nice but touristy.  The weather has been great.  We've been having French breakfasts (juice, coffee, bread, croissants, butter and jams) at each of our lodgings.  We have had dinner in Saint Remy a couple of nights and one of which we dined on Bull stew.  If you did not know it, you would have thought is was regular beef.  It was very good.  The last several days we have opted for lunch as the bigger meal and for dinner we dined in our B & B's backyard on baguettes, cheese, wine and pastry.  Not exactly our usual low carb diet, but when in France, you do as the French do.  Tomorrow we leave for Paris.

Cote du Rhone

Little streets in Lacoste.

On our way to Suzette for lunch.

Our villa in Saint Remy.  Built in 1660.

Day 11- Today we toured the villages of Cote du Rhone wine region.  The day could not have been more perfect.  The weather was full sunshine with comfortable temperatures.  We drove for for about an hour into the mountains.  Tiny little villages that date back to 500 A.D.  The views were amazing along with the wines.  We got a little education about French wine and why they are named by region rather than by the grape. We are finding the people very warm and charming although language is a bit of a problem.  We had a wonderful lunch today in Suzette.  The waiter did not speak any English, but a man at the next table came over and helped us interpret.

Provence continued

Our first room in Saint Remy.  That's our car.

This is the Pont du Gard.  One of the largest Roman aqueduct in the world.

View from the top of the Palace of the Popes in Avignon.

Enjoying the view in Roussillon.

Another view at Roussillon

The view we had having lunch in Lacoste.  You are looking at Bonnieux.

Days 8 - 10  We left Arles on Friday for Saint Remy.  Arles was nice, an old city with character but larger than we like.  It was fairly easy to get around and we saw the ancient Roman Theater as well as the Amphitheater.  The first place we stayed in Saint Remy was in a house owned by an older couple.  We had the upstairs to ourselves but the bed was on the hard side.  The couple could not have been nicer but communication was a challenge.  We are now at another house in Saint Remy and again have the entire upstairs to ourselves.  This place is huge.  It is an extremely old house that has been fixed up.  The grounds are amazing.  Today we went to Roussillon, Lacoste and Bonnieux.  Scenery was just lovely.  The people could not be more friendly or helpful.  I am on a wired connection in the house and not sure when I can use it again.  I will update the blog as soon as I can.

Provence

A little side street in Saint Remy

Day 7 - Well it has been an  interesting couple of days.  We left Bruge Wed. morning and it was a full traveling day.  Took a taxi from the hotel to the train station.  Took two trains to get to Charleroi Sud train station.  We then boarded a bus from the train station to the airport.  The plane was an hour late in taking off.  We were supposed to land in Marseilles around 4:30pm but got in around 530pm.  By the time we got our car and drove the hour to Arles we got to our hotel at 7:30.  Since I did not see any parking Sue went in to check in.  After a while she came out and told me that because we were late and our credit card no. had changed since we made the reservation they did not hold the room.  They made a reservation for us at another hotel just on the outskirts of the city.  I think this works out for the best since we went to Saint Remy today and made reservations at two different places there.  Tomorrow and Saturday we will be in the town and Sunday thru Wed we will be in the countryside of Saint Remy. 

Our picnic bench view in Saint Remy

The Theatre Antique in Arles

Part of the Amphitheatre

Just another little street in Arles.

Today, after we had a picnic lunch in Saint Remy we drove back to Arles and visited the Theatre Antique  and Amphitheatre.  The Theatre Antique date back to the first century BC and the amphitheatre is approx 2000 years old.  It is still in use today.  It hosts Bullgames - they don't kill the bull.

Two antiques standing together.