JOURNAL NOTES
3/08 Flew from KC to Chicago to Madrid. Missed our Flight to Paris, so had to catch the next flight 3 hours later. Finally arrived - Our hotel was Hotel du Plat D'Etain. We ate crepes at La Drepe Dentelle and headed off to bed.
Tour of Paris:
6/4 Gloria was our guide. Our hotel was in the marsh area of Paris with roads dating back to 52 B.C. and Roman times.The old cathedral near our hotel was St Martins in the Fields and is now an engineering university. Apollo sits atop the Opera Garnier. In the 1860's Napoleon built the military hospital "Les Invalids", sort of like our VA hospital system today, near the Church of St. Vincent built in 547 A.D.We walked along the old bridge Le Pont Neuf to Notre Dame Cathedral. We spread out and had lunch on our own. We walked to the Louvre and then took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower and were there for 2 hours.We walked to our restaurant Le Garibaldi and had roast pork with peas and french fries and our choice of chocolate or lemon tort and then rode the metro back to the hotel.
6/5 Took tour bus to Palace of Versailles 45 minutes outside Paris. Every team had a different tape to hear and to tour the palace. Lunch on our own in the small town of Versailles. there was a small open air market for shopping.We boarded the bus for Chartres Cathedral in the small town of Chartres. It had two different bell towers due to a fire and rebuilding of one. Fabulous windows!!! Charming little village. We boarded the bus and drove to Orleans la Source and to the Novotel Hotel in the Loire River valley. We checked in and had guinea fowl in the hotel restaurant.6/6 to the Chateau areas. We were in two teams ... our activity was to act like realtors and talk the bus driver (Antonio) in to buying one or the other of the two. Bus ride to Chenonceau (the smaller and more inviting of the two).
Incredibly beautiful grounds and flowers in all rooms.
We then went to Chambord Chateau (large hunting chateau with the double helix staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Lunch in the little Chambord Village.
Bus back to Paris to Austerlitz Station to board the train to Madrid.We occupied 5 compartments on train car # 83. Was Crazy ! 14 hour ROCKING train trip.
6/7 arrived in Madrid in the a.m. at Chamartin Station.
Tour of Madrid:
Susanna was our guide. We stepped out to see the bullring and people were already lined up for the next bull fight. We also stepped out of the bus at Plaza D'Espange where the big monument to Cervantes stands (regarding the Man of La Mancha and Don Quixote). Hotel check in at NH Embajada and lunch.Antonia was our guide. We then went to the Reina Sofia museum to see the classic artwork of Spain such as Goya's, El Greco's, Velasquez, etc. To the Prado and Guernica, Dali, Murillo and more (modern art). Then went to cooking school and prepared dinner for ourselves.
6/8 Excursion to Segovia (the Alcazar and palace where Isabella and Ferdinand entertained C. Columbus in the courtyard asking for money to find the Indies...i.e. America). Saw the aqueduct and another huge gothic cathedral. Walked down long hilly stair way back to the bus.On to the Valley of the Fallen...Francisco Franco's memorial to the fallen in the revolution but more for himself really as he is buried there...spooky, sinister place.Then to lunch at Pedro's and to enter El Escorial (Philip II's home and cathedral with all the mausoleums to bury the kings and queens of Spain. Shopping at Pedro's gift shop in his hotel...he was a great guide!Bus drive back in to Madrid to eat at Io Madrid (could be spelled wrong).We had appetizers of croquettas and shrimp, spanish bread, sauteed pork, vegetables, and french fries, fruit compote or profitrolls with chocolate.Everyone split and either went out shopping for chorizo and chocolate, shopping in the Plaza Major or back to the hotel to pack.
6/9 Boarded the bus to leave Madrid and head to Toledo and Seville. Antonia was our guide. Sword factory after the overlook and bus pulled off to see Toledo up on the hill. Sword and jewelry Factory was called Artes Toledaras. Toledo Cathedral, Monastery of San Juan do los Reyes. Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca.Antonia left us and we headed on the 5 hour bus ride to Seville. Checked in to Hotel Becquer and to dinner at San Marco Restaurant for salad with tuna, fried fish, french fries, and profiterolls.
6/10 Sightseeing in Seville. The Plaza D'Espagne where there were two big towers (symbolizing Ferdinand and Isabella) and lots of mosaic tiles and we had our group photo taken. Alcazar Cathedral and the Giralda Tower (we walked up the ramps and this is the one J.C. Nichols copied on the Plaza here in KC). Free time all afternoon with lunch and shopping our our own. Found Classical Spanish Guitar for Greg. Then Flamenco dinner show with steak, vegetables, bread, salad, and wine poached pear for dessert.
6/10 3 a.m. wake up call....4 a.m. to the airport and on to Madrid, then to Chicago, and then FINALLY back to KC.
