Lay Over in Paris!!!

Eiffel Tower

Sometimes things not planned can be a good thing!  We left Rome early...our flight was 6am.  We were to catch another flight in Paris at 10am.  We checked our connection and found it was delayed until  12 noon.  Then 3pm, then  6pm.  By that time, my daughter was telling me...don't get on that plane!!!  We spent the whole day in the airport waiting for some sort of decompression problem to get resolved.  By that time, I was a little apprehensive as well. 

waiting for all clear to get on plane

still waiting for all clear

Finally, we are told we can board...that was around 6pm.  Once seated, we waited some more.  By 7:30pm, we were still in the plane.  My daughter was then say to me "DON'T GET ON THAT PLANE".

 

waiting almost 2 hours on the plane

 

Around 8pm, the pilot informed us that we would need to get off the plane and would be staying in Paris for the night.  Whew...made me feel better.  We were sent to a hotel and told that the next available flight would be the next day at 8pm.  So, we were stuck in Paris for the next day.  We decided to Uber into town and see a little bit of Paris.

 

We walked along the Seine River and along the Champs Elysees.  

 

Seine River

Beautiful canal boats

Arch de Triumphe

Champs-Elylsees is known for its theaters, cafes, and luxury shops.  Thought I might have to bring my granddaughters here one day. 😊

It was a cold so we stopped for something to eat and something warm to drink.

My lunch...shepherd's pie ... not French but warm and hearty

Everyone opted for dessert and this was my treat.  It was so good!  I shared a bite with everyone and thought, I need another.  So I ordered another one.  I think that's the only time in my life that I have ordered two desserts in one sitting!

 

Strawberry cream filled pastry...was divine!

Pastry shoppe next door to restaurant

 

Time to get back to the airport and hopefully get on the plane for home!

And the flight went without any issues.  Got home a day late, but what a unexpected treat!  We will have to make plans to return for a longer stay in Paris.

Until next time...

Enjoy!

Italy - Day 11 - Our Last Day - Rome

The Colosseum - HUGE!

Our last full day in this magical place.  After our usual breakfast of wonderful coffee, fruit, and pastries, we took off.  Today we wanted to visit the Colosseum, AKA the Flavian Amphitheatre.  As we approached the famous structure, we were struck by its massive size.  Although according to data, almost 2/3 of the amphitheatre has been destroyed, it is still one of the main attractions of Italy.  

Just one side of the Colosseum

another side

The Colosseum was commissioned around A.D. 70-72 by Emperor Vespasian as a gift to the people.  It opened in A.D. 80 with 100 days of "games"...gladiator combats and wild animal hunts, and executions.   I read somewhere that over 2000 gladiators were killed during the 100 opening days! The Colosseum remained active for over 500 years, but natural and man made disasters took its toll.  Earthquakes, floods and even bombings from WWII destroyed much of the amphitheatre.    Today it is visited by millions of people each year.

Arch of Constantine

Arch of Constantine

Arco di Constantino

Up close carvings on the Arch

While you could spend all day walking around the ruins, we had more to see and more to eat on this our last day.   We started off toward the district of Testaccio.  Once again, it was the food that sent us in that direction.  True Roman cuisine is the trademark of Testaccio.  

On our way, we stumbled into a small piazza, with this church in the square.  

 

San Pado Della Croce

By Rome standards, it looked unadorned from the outside.  But once inside....on my!

Inside San Pado della Croce

My sweetie keeps referring to this church as the church of chandeliers.  I think he stopped counting at 32.

 

Becky staring in amazement

Absolutely beautiful

The churches are amazing...the art, sculptures, marble tiles...can go on and on. Can't imagine the cost of this in its day.  Or now...priceless.

I did not get any more pictures after leaving the church.  We walked into Testaccio and absorbed the sights and sounds, had our last dinner in Italy in a wonderful Italian restaurants whose owner was a elderly Roman who spoke little with his mouth but volumes with his eyes.  He was proud of his heritage and the food he presented.  The food was amazing.

As we were heading back to our hotel, I was saddened by the fact that early the next day we would be leaving.  Our stay here was magical...my dream come true.  Each day in this country was beyond words.  I said when I started this adventure that I loved this country.  As our time here was ending...I can say that I truly love, love this place. Historical richness, majestic landscape, beautiful people, captivating language, and food...delizioso!!!

Arrivederci  Italy...I leave a little piece of my heart with you.

Until next time...

Enjoy!

Italy - Day 10 - Part 2, Da Vinci Museum

replica of the famous Mona Lisa

After our wonderful experience at St. Peter's Square, we strolled along the beautiful streets of Rome, just soaking in the wonder of this place.   After a short walk, we stumbled across Leonardi Da Vinci's Museum.  We opted to get a peek inside.  Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci - artist, inventor, sculptor, architect and scientific student.  

Madonna of the Carnation

 

Annunciation

The Baptism of Christ

Bacchus

Did da Vinci invent the bicycle?

The Last Supper

Of course, all the paintings in this museum are life size replicas, but still awesome to view.  The Last Supper is 15 feet by 29 feet!  Took da Vinci three years to complete.  Amazing.

We lingered in the museum taking in the paintings and inventions.  Then afterwards,  turned back to the streets of Rome.  Such a beautiful city.  I made up my mind...I must come back to stay longer.

Once again, we opted to walk back to the Trastevere district for dinner.  Our choice for this evening was the vegetable lasagna.   

Vino and lasagna

More walking after dinner, and then more vino from the Lazio region.  All of the wines here were remarkable.  And no headaches!

We wandered the streets a little longer this evening, then headed back to our hotel.  We tried to linger as long as we could, our days here coming to a close.  Only one more day..😢


Until next time...


Enjoy!