One Eclectic Guy

A while back, I was reading through some travel-related emails and came across a discounted three-day cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver. It was one of those wild hair kind of ideas and we decided to make it into a long weekend getaway. So, here’s the story of taking as many modes of transportation as possible in four days.

First off, we had to get to Los Angeles to start the cruise. To my pleasant surprise, Alaska Airlines has $125 fares from Seattle to LA.

I couldn’t resist a photo of Mt Rainier as we take off and head south.

As for the automobile part of the trip, a taxi from LAX to the cruise ship pier.

We were on the Grand Princess, capacity: 3,100 passengers. I never got a good photo of the entire ship from a distance but here are some interior pictures.

The cruise ship terminal is part of the Port of Los Angeles, a major west coast cargo operation. Here’s the view from our balcony.

We set sail (I suppose that is an archaic nautical term since we really didn’t have any sails) about 5:00 PM. So as to not mess with tradition we went topside for the sail away party.

With no stops between LA and Vancouver, our focus turned to what was available on board the Grand Princess. We quickly discovered that there were numerous bars and multiple dining options.

It seemed like every time we left our cabin, George, our attendant, would freshen up the place. Sweet Pea, the traveling bear, became part of the evening turn down service.

One of the onboard activities was a cooking demonstration by the ship’s maître d’hôtel, the head chef and the head pastry chef followed by a tour of one of the kitchens.

By day, the Crown Grill was turned into an English Pub.

When we booked the cruise, we didn’t know that Canada’s schools would be on break. The indoor pool seemed to be a magnet for the younger set.

Princess Cruises features Movies Under the Stars with a big screen on the top deck by one of the outside pools. Movies are shown throughout the day. This might be a cool feature if the ship were in in a tropical zone but not so much when it happens to be cruising up the west coast in March with a temperature of 55 degrees. Nevertheless, it was free and some passengers couldn’t resist.

The sun sets on our first full day at sea…

After some serious research, we determined that the best bar on the Grand Princess was the Wheelhouse, located amidship. It scored top honors for the friendliness of the bar stewards and the nautical ambiance.

The other specialty restaurant on the Grand Princess is Sabatini, an Italian eatery. We tried it the second night and liked it so much we made reservations for the last night as well. A big reason, in addition to the food, was our waiter, Vitaly, from Ukraine.

Saturday sunrise.

The of the ship’s TV channels monitored our progress. Here we are passing Florence, Oregon. Sam, we waved as we sailed by but you must not have seen us!

Lorette took her flute along and managed to get in a few practices. I took my gym stuff along and managed to get in one workout in the ship’s fitness center. Here’s a photo of Lorette practicing in the Princess Theater. There are no photos of me working out in the fitness center.

And now for some random shots from around the ship…

Alas, all good things must end.

And to round out the travel theme of this post, the final modes of transportation to get back home…

Last but not least, we picked up Lewey at his kennel for the drive home.

 

The End!

The last leg of our journey took us to Paris for four days. We returned our rental car in St Malo and boarded the high-speed TGV train which can travel up to 200 miles per hour.

Lorette used the time to catch up on her journal.

The trouble with posting travel photos on Facebook for clever friends to see is that you get reposts like this:

Our hotel in Paris was the Luxembourg Parc, you guessed it, right across the street from Luxembourg Park.

There were quite a few neighborhood restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. Cuisine de Philippe was right across the alley.

Most of the rain during our trip occurred while we were on the train. Looks like some other folks weren’t so lucky.

One of my favorite things about Paris is just taking time to get lost while walking around. Here are some random street scenes…

I think it is possible to buy anything in Paris. A couple of shop windows…

The Orsay Museum used to be a railroad station.

 

OK, time to play tourist. Here we are at the Arc de Triomphe, built by Napoleon to commemorate the French victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805.

A closer view of the Eiffel Tower from underneath.

On to the Louvre.

Remember that Facebook friend with Photoshop and too much time on his hands?

The Louvre is probably the most famous museum in the world and, as such, it gets thousands of visitors every day. The day we were there was no exception.

Tired of the crowds, we asked this guy for some restaurant tips.

So many bistros, so little time.

Literally right across the street from our hotel was the Luxembourg Museum. Turns out the current exhibition was titled: Paul Durand-Ruel, The Impressionist Gamble- Manet, Monet Renoir…. Durand-Rule was a Parisian art dealer who was one of the first to embrace the Impressionist Movement in the late 1800s. This exhibition was gathered from museums around the world and displayed works that had passed through Durand-Ruel’s gallery. The crowds were all at the Louvre and the Orsay. This spectacular collection we had virtually all to ourselves.

Right behind the museum is Luxembourg Park, a wonderful public space and a nice place to feel more like a local.

On the way out to explore one day we stumbled upon this little hole-in-the wall place which had eight tables fit into a space no larger than our kitchen. I ordered blood sausage and apparently chose the wrong wine to go with it. The waitress tactfully suggested a more suitable pairing. That’s how memories are made!

We had a four-day Metro pass and got pretty good at finding our way around Paris.

Construction of Notre-Dame Cathedral began in 1163 and was among the first buildings in the world to use flying buttress (arched exterior supports) none of which are shown in this photo.

A visit to Sacré-Cœur Basilica located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city.

A Metro ticket also works for the funicular which saves walking up 300 steps.

What’s a Basilica without a few gargoyles to ward off the evil spirits?

And to end this rather lengthy post, a question. Why would someone leave their bra and slip beside a tree?

 

Before moving on to our next base, we spent a day in Bayeux, home to the Bayeux Tapestry and the Bayeux Cathedral. Bayeux is only six miles from the D-Day beaches and was liberated by the British on D-plus 1, June 7, 1944. Unlike a number of other towns in Normandy, it was virtually untouched by allied bombing so many of the historical buildings remain.

The most famous tourist attraction in Bayeux is the Bayeux Tapestry.

The tapestry is thought to have been commissioned by William the Conqueror’s brother, Bishop Odo,  for the Bayeux Cathedral’s dedication in 1077. It depicts events leading up to the Norman conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy, during the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The tapestry is an embroidered cloth 20 inches wide and and 230 feet long. Photos weren’t allowed so here are a couple of scenes snagged from the Internet.

 

Next stop was the Cathedral where the tapestry originally hung. Since most people couldn’t read in 1077, it was a way of telling the story of the Norman defeat of the English to the common folk. For small town Bayeux, the cathedral is as large as Notre Dame in Paris.

 

Since Bayeux was part of the British sector during the Normandy invasion, there is still a strong bond between the French and the British (despite that little episode with William the Conqueror).

After a while one cathedral starts looking like any other. We have started calling them ABC’s, another bloody cathedral. However this one had some unique features. Throughout the interior were large photos of conflict in various parts of the world. I couldn’t find an explanation but I believe that they were placed there to bring attention to the futility of war and the hope that mankind may someday learn to live in peace. Here are a couple of examples.

It was a beautiful fall day so we found a little creekside cafe for lunch.

And one food photo for the post. Galettes are made with buckwheat and have savory fillings as opposed to crepes which tend to be sweet.

Next stop: Cancale and Mont Saint Michel