Where in the world are Allie and Jose: Paris and Dubrovnik

After spending two days in Disney, Jose and I were ready to explore a bit of Paris. Braving a cloudy sky, we rode the train into the center of town and visited all the most important sights before it began to rain in the afternoon. We even were able to do some of the things I didn't when I visited Paris with my sister Chrissie several years ago. We saw Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, Sacre Cour and more. We didn't have time to enter any museums but I do think that we took advantage of our day. We even ate crepes. Ooooh lala. My one complaint about Paris is that people smell. Horrible. Invest in deoderant.




The following day we spent traveling to Venice where we stayed the night before boarding our amazing cruise ship. Our first day we explored and visited the pool before having dinner and crashing. The following day we went to an art auction on board as we were traveling toward Dubrovnik. Jose and I ended up buying and winning several pieces of art which will look great in our new apartment. I can't believe how big the ship is or how much it offers. Thus far we have eaten in a bunch of restaurants and have tried to experience everything (since we all know how Spaniards feel about "free" things). In any case, we are really enjoying fully the immenities offered onboard and very much appreciate everyone who gifted us experiences and credits. We were even greeted with champagne and had cocktails with the ship's captain.



Our first port of call was Dubrovnik in Croatia. We rode a bus from the port to the city center which is surrounded by walls. We walked around and saw the most important buildings (with a lot of Italian influence since Venice is so close), had a beer and suffered through the heat. The city in itself is beautiful but I think more than a day would be too much time to visit it. It is right on the coast so there are some beautiful views. Afterwards we came back and spent some more time at the pool.

Today was another day at sea and tomorrow we arrive in Athens. I will be sure to update everyone. Thanks for reading!

Comments

  1. ChrissieJuly 10, 2012 at 3:42 AM

    Excuse me miss. We saw Notre Dame, Sacre Couer, and the Eiffel Tower. Thank you very much. And we were in zee greatest city in zee world. With the best pillows ever in our hotel room.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Simple Spanish recipe: Chipirones a la plancha

Image
Ok so I know this picture is a bit blurry and I apologize but it is the final result of my having cooked chipirones a la plancha for the first time. Let me explain, chipirones are small squid and a la plancha means grilled. They are served in an olive oil, parsley and garlic sauce. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of this recipe but believe me, it is pretty awesome and super healthy. It is a really typical tapa that you can order at almost any bar here in the south of Spain. Chipirones a la plancha is usually served on a bed of lettuce or with a small side salad. Yum! Here's the how: First you need the chipirones (small squid that come with the heads and tentacles attached). I can buy them at my local grocery store in the fresh seafood section. I bought a package of 400 grams though the good thing about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Allow me to also explain that here in Spain people tend to eat a lot more fish and seafood than
Read more

La mesa camilla

Image
The mesa camilla is a very Spanish invention (in fact I believe it to be a very southernly Spanish invention). It consists of a table, a heater and a heavy, long tablecloth-like fabric that drapes over the sides. The idea is that you put the heater under the table and when you sit down you put the fabric over you like a blanket. The truth is that it does keep you quite warm. The downside is that once you get up and move, you lose the heat. Since the houses and apartments here in the south of Spain are not created for the cold (no central heating) a mesa camilla can be found almost every where.  We didn't have one last year and survived with blankets, space heaters and flannel pajamas throughout the winter. This year Jose decided we needed to get a mesa camilla. I fought the good fight (since often times they look very similar to the option in the picture above) but we ended up ordering one not too long ago.  Typically the mesa camilla is made of wood and can be stored throu
Read more

Spanish names

Image
Maaaaaaaria, I just met a girl named Maria Hopefully you just read that and sang the song from West Side Story in your head. Let's just say that from what I have experienced here in Spain, people really, really like this name. In fact, there are times when it seems like EVERY woman or girl is named Maria (or Maria de/l something) and though they might go by the second part of their name, their given one is still Maria. People definitely opt for traditional names here, unlike the US where names go through trends.  Recently a friend on Facebook posted a link which contained a GIF  (originally from The Atlantic)  showing the different female names that had been popular in the US since 1960. It is interesting to see how a name like Jennifer would be popular in one region and then would sweep the nation. Such a map would not be as cool here in Spain since not a whole lot would change. Maria. Maria del Carmen. Miriam. Marian. Mirian. Variations on a theme. Religious names I
Read more