Mark and Charlotte's Travel Blog

Germany, France, Switzerland, Christmas Markets (DRAFT)

2010-12-15T05:07:00.045-05:00

Nurnberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Koblenz, Rudesheim, Strasbourg, Bern, Interlaken, Luzern, Zurick

Peru (Draft)

2010-10-04T19:14:00.053-04:00

Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lima

Southern France

2009-11-03T12:53:00.094-05:00

Aix en Provence, Luberon (Lourmarin, Buoux, Bonnieux, La Coste, Pont Julien Bridge, Roussillon, Joucas, and Saignon), St Remy de Provence, Baux-de-Provence, Pont du Gard, Uzes, Nimes, Arles, Avignon, Viviers, Tournon, Tain L' Hermitage, Lyon, Chalon-sur-Saone, Dijon, Vougeot, Beaune, Cluny.

After a long flight we arrived in Marseille early in the morning, picked up a rental car and drove an easy 35 minutes to Aix en Provence. We really enjoyed the market (we arrived in Aix on a market day), and also followed the Paul Cezanne trail laid out by the city (Paul Cezanne was born in Aix on January 19, 1839).

Fountain in Aix

Market Day in Aix en Provence

Sausages!

Walking in the steps of Cezanne

From Aix we drove to Lourmarin, checked into our hotel and walked around this charming village. Details of our trip can be found in the “Southern France Trip at a Glance” link on the side bar, which include links to all our hotels.

Local children (and their dog) playing in front of the tourist information office

Lourmarin Castle (and another dog)

We woke up in Lourmarin on Market Day - and, yes we planned that!

After the morning market in Lourmarin we explored the villages of Luberon and visited Buoux, Bonnieux, Lacoste, Pont Julien Bridge, Roussillon, Joucas, and Saignon, before heading back to our hotel in Lourmarin.

What remains of the Marquis de Sade's (Mr. Sadism himself) castle -

now owned by designer Pierre Cardin

Roussillon is known for their red rock formations. The pigments below are made locally and sold in several shops.

The buildings are made from the red clay of the earth, basically the entire village is red/terra cotta.

Pont Julien

Self-portrait of the sweaty American couple after hiking up several blocks of beautiful cobblestoned streets

From Lourmarin we drove to Uzes via St Remy de Provence, Baux-de-Provence, and Pont du Gard.

St. Paul's Monastery where van Gogh was sent after he cut off his ear.

The monastery displays placards of Vincent's art work showing you where he stood and what he was looking at as he painted.

These are Roman ruins from the ancient city of Glanum just outside of St. Paul's Monastery in St. Remy-de-Provence

View from Baux

Pont du Gard Aqueduct built by the Romans in 19 BC.

From Uzes we drove to Nimes and after exploring the city center we dropped the rental car off at the Nimes train station (after driving around trying to FIND the train station for 45 minutes! And another 20 minutes trying to find a petrol station open on a Sunday). We then boarded a train to Arles to start our Uniworld cruise up the Rhone River to Chalon-sur-Saone (Beaune) via Avignon, Viviers, Tournon, Tain L' Hermitage, and Lyon.

Arena in Nimes - pretty impressive site!

Nimes city symbol - a crocodile (chained to the tree) representing Egypt and the palm tree representing Nimes.

Maison Carree - built in 16 BC

Uniworld's River Royale docked in Arles - Our "home" for five nights.

The dock in Arles where van Gogh painted "Starry Starry Night".

Town of Arles

Provencal fabrics.

Another one of Vincent's paintings - Courtyard at the Hospital of Arles

Like the Cezanne markers above, these ground markers of Vincent van Gogh guide you through the town of Arles and past the sites where van Gogh painted.

First night on the cruise enjoying the welcome champagne.

Mark "won" this bottle at a silent auction on board the cruise (yes, he was the only bidder).

Saint Benezet's Bridge - Avignon

Pope's Palace - Avignon

Another shot of Saint Benezet's bridge

Pope's Palace - Avignon

More Avignon

Village of Viviers

Viviers Welcoming Committee!

Tain L'Hermitage - World's First Suspension Bridge

Our boat, docked in Lyon. That's our suite! (the one with the curtains fully opened - and Charlotte enjoying an early afternoon glass of wine by the window).

Rainy Lyon

Trompe l'oeil painting on side of building- pretty cool - the building was all gray and various painters got together and painted 3D portaits of windows, balconies, flowers, and famous Lyonnais people

The raincoat definitely came in handy!

After disembarking from the Uniworld cruise in Chalon-sur-Saone (Beaune), the plan was to pick-up another rent-a-car in Dijon, and explore Burgundy and the towns of Vougeot, Beaune, and Cluny, (see Southern France Trip at a Glance), but we received some bad news from home while in Lyon and quickly make our way home.

Seattle, Vancouver, BC, & Victoria, BC

2009-08-28T19:19:00.048-04:00

Seattle was a business trip for me, (Mark here), and Charlotte decided to fly out at the last minuite to make this an unexpected getaway. I was staying downtown at the Warwick. http://www.warwickwa.com/ Not the best hotel in town, but very nice, in a good location, and within company per diem. I had a couple of nights to explore Seattle and also make a pilgrimage to Edmonds to see the Rick Steve's HQ. before Charlotte arrived.

One evening I walked from my hotel to pier 66 to the Clipper http://www.clippervacations.com/ Vacations office where I bought a package that included transportation from Seattlte to Vancouver BC to Victoria BC and then back to Seattle in time to make the red eye to be back at work Monday morning. It was a wirlwind trip but very fun with enought time for a good overview of all three locations. CV did a great job, the connections were easy and good and the hotels they selected for us were excellent.

Up in the Needle

Pike Place and first Starbucks
Pilgrimage
Seattle China Town
Charlotte is now addicted to Coffee!
Love the Market!

Took a ride to Decption Pass

Seattle at night

Vancouver

Olympic Symbol / View from Room / Ferry to Market

Ferry to Victoria
Victoria Harbor Front
Took a bus to to Gardens!

Fireworks at Gardens Sat at 9:15pm

Victoria's Sunday market 11-4 pm

Captian Charlotte's Habour Tour
High speed Ferry back to Seattle

Slovenia and Croatia

2009-01-18T12:42:00.002-05:00

Lake Bled – Julian Alps - Karst Region - Rovinj - Plitvice Lakes – Trogir - Split – Hvar - Dubrovnik

Lake Bled is referred to as the tourist gem of Slovenia. In the middle of Lake Bled, visitors can find a pilgrimage church on a small island, while Slovenia’s oldest castle, dating back to 1111, is located on top of the cliff that overlooks the lake. The town's lakefront is lined with cafes and resort hotels. While you're in Bled, be sure to enjoy the town's specialty, a vanilla-custard-and-cream cake called kremna rezina.

Lake Bled Island Church

Lake Bled Castle

Vanilla-custard-and-cream cake called Kremna Rezina

The Julian Alps were named for Julius Caesar. Drive up and over the Vrsic Pass, enjoying breathtaking views and 50 hairpin turns on a road built during WWI by Russian POWs to bring supplies to the front lines. Stop to see the chapel that was built as a memorial to these men.
As you descend the mountains on the other side of the pass (watch out for the sheep!), drive along the Soca River, where Hemingway drove an ambulance and enjoy the many vistas, gorges, and swinging bridges.

Stop in Kobarid and visit the great little WWI Museum to learn about the tragedy that occurred on the Soca Front in WWI.

Little Russian Church

Near the Vrsic Pass

WWI Graves

Soca River Valley Outside of Kobarid

From Kobarid, drive through the Karst region and see the Predjama Castle, built in the mouth of a cave, tour Skocjan Caves, and visit the Lipica Stud Farm where they breed the world-renowned Lipizzaner horses.

Predjama Castle

Lipica Stud Farm

From Karst head to the Istria region to the coastal town of Rovinj. Rovinj is a wonderful little Croatian walled town built on a small peninsula, surrounded by sea with its historic center modeled on Venice.

Rovinj

Rovinj Market

Rovinj Sunset

From Istria, drive to the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Croatia's most popular tourist attraction was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. Several well marked paths and boardwalks take you along its sixteen lakes, inter-connected by a series of waterfalls set in deep woodland.

Plitvice Lakes Boardwalk

Plitvice Lakes

From the lakes drive to Trogir and Split.

Trogir has 2,300 years of rich culture. Created under the influence of old Greeks, Romans, and Venetians Trogir has a concentration of palaces, churches, towers, and a fortress on a small pedestrian only island.

Split is the second largest city in Croatia, with just under 200,000 inhabitants, and is the largest city on the Adriatic coast. Emerging from a Greek settlement founded between the 3rd and 4th centuries, the height of Split's history came in 295 AD when Roman emperor Diocletian ordered a residence to be built there for his retirement. The most interesting sight is Diocletian's palace. Get a locally published guide in English which describes this monument in great detail, and then sit down with a cup of coffee and people watch along the Riva, the main pedestrian only promenade.

Trogir

Split Palace

Split Lace Lady

Split Palace

From Split take a ferry to Hvar Island. Hvar’s waterfront promenade strip is bordered with a row of palm trees and seven centuries old walls and overlooking the town is the fortresses providing protection. In the center of town is the magnificent piazza, a square generally considered the most beautiful of its kind in Dalmatia, dominated by St. Stephen's Cathedral. Hvar is noted as the island of lavender, sage, wine, rosemary, and secluded coves.

Hvar Town

Hvar Plaza

Hvar M&M Dog

From Hvar take a ferry to Dubrovnik. George Bernard Shaw baptised Dubrovnik "the pearl of the Adriatic" because of its incomparable architectural heritage. The gleaming marble streets of Dubrovnik are lined with beautiful baroque buildings, sculpted fountains, and facades. Dubrovnik's walls are the most intact and impressive in the Adriatic and head the long list of Dubrovnik's sights. No wonder UNESCO named the whole of Dubrovnik a World Heritage Site!

Dubrovnik

From Dubrovnik take a side trip to the beautiful old town of Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Mostar was the most heavily bombed of any Bosnian city during the war. It was both shelled with artillery by the Serbs and then subsequently by the Croatians. It is most famous for its beautiful historic Ottoman-style bridge which spanned the Neretva River. The bridge was destroyed during the war, but since has been painstakingly rebuilt and the historical old town has in most ways returned to the beautiful riverside town it once was.

Mostar Ottoman Bridge

LittleMostar Bridge

Mostar Mosque

Paris New Years Getaway

2009-01-17T19:55:00.003-05:00

There are more famous landmarks here than any other city on earth; its museums contain some of the most priceless works of art. Paris is the one city everyone really should see before they die.

We recommend the Paris Museum Pass and Paris Metro Pass. Beside the must-see sights Paris is a great city to explore by getting lost. With these two passes you can hop on any mode of public transportation and walk into many sights you may come across.

The Paris Museum Pass saves money if you visit more than a couple of sights but more important to us it comes with priority admission, so you won’t waste your precious time waiting in line at The Louvre, Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, National du Chateau de Versailles, Musee National Picasso, Musee Rodin, and dozens of other must-sees. Local transportation is excellent and the Paris Metro Pass allows you to get around in complete freedom, no ticket lines, no counting out the coins, and use it as much as you desire for the period of purchase! Each metro pass is good for subway train, city buses, RER suburban trains, the funicular lift at Sacre Coeur, and night buses (Noctambus).

Eiffel Tower at Night

Architecture

Champs Elysees

Metro Stickers

Gertrude Stein's Grave - Pere Lachaise Cemetary
Sacre Coeur on a Rainy Day

Brrrr.... The Louvre at Night

Pere Lachaise Cemetary

Outside the Louvre

Chocolate Dipped Macaroons!!

Colorful Chocolates

Jim Morrison's Grave - Pere Lachaise Cemetary

Balls! Galeries Lafayette

More balls - Champs Elysees

Pere Lachaise Cemetary

Grand Hall - Paris Opera House

Paris Opera House Chandelier - Delacroix Painting

Musee de l'Orangerie

Art for Sale

Bauteaux

Spices - Galleries Lafayette

The Thinker - The Rodin Museum

Musee de Cluny

Louvre at Night

Northern Spain and Portugal / Barcelona - Lisbon

2008-08-02T00:26:00.001-04:00

Barcelona – San Sebastian - Roja - Leon – Santiago – Porto – Sedtra - Lisbon

Following this itinerary you will experience Gaudi architecture, early Picasso, and walk one of the Europe’s greatest boulevards in Barcelona.

Sagrada Familia – (A giant temple, probably Gaudi's greatest work and is the No.1 most visited attraction in Barcelona)

Sagrada Familia

Casa Batlló – (One of the most interesting and unusual houses in Barcelona)

Cassa Batllo

Cassa Batllo

Boqueria Market off the Rambles'

Boqueria Market

In San Sebastian's (“Donostia” in Basque) old town, eat the world’s best tapas and walk them off on a two mile promenade that lines a perfect shell shaped beach once used by the royal family, then go eat more tapas!

Hotel Santa Cristina Maria, San Sebastian

Mom and Pop tapa shop Beach promenade leads to a some great medal artwork

Take the funicular to Monte Igueldo for commanding city views San Sebastian during Halloween! Side trip to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim Museum Charlotte and nice Basque man

Where we found the nice Basque man

Top the tapas off in the small Tuscan-like medieval hill towns of the Rioja region, with arguably Spain’s best wine.

Walled town of Laguardia, Rioja

Mayor de Migueloa Inn Mayor de Migueloa Inn wine cellar

Another wine cellar in Laguardia Bodegas Ysios

Bodegas Ysios

Drive through Rioja

The wine museum near Logrono is well worth the visit

The Way of St. James or St. James' Way is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, where legend has it that the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, are buried. On your way is Leon, home to one of Spain's most magnificent cathedrals in its own right. The stately Castilian city of Leon has a compact historical center, making it a magical place to explore. Today as in centuries past, Leon is one of the main stops along the legendary pilgrim route.

León Cathedral

Leon Cathedral

Hostel de San Marcos

Pilgrim route

Pilgrims Bar food. Not sure what it was, but it was good! Churros and Chocolate

Follow the shells from Leon to Santiago de Compostela, a World Heritage city, pilgrimage destination, cultural and historical capital.

Saint James Way
Santiago de Compostella Cathedral

(Hit Play) Mass at Santiago de Compostella Cathedral

Plaza at Santiago de Compostella Cathedral Hotel Rua Villar

From Santiago de Compostela depart for Porto, Portugal and re-tune your ears for the fourth language of this itinerary (Catalan, Basque, Spanish, and Portuguese). In Porto start another kind of pilgrimage to port lodges across the Douro River where the best Port wine in the world is blended and aged.

View from room at Hotel Pestana Porto

View from room of Port Lodges across Douro River

Douro River in Porto

Tiles, Tiles everywhere! The Majestic Cafe Porto

Continue south to Sintra, where Portugal’s aristocracy escaped to fantasy castles set amidst exotic tropical gardens on craggy hilltops with views of the Atlantic.

The landmark of Sintra is the National Palace Pena Palace
Pena Palace

Pena Palace and the Moorish castle B&B

End your trip in Lisbon "the town of the seven hills" and the city of the explorers, once the launch pad for many of the voyages of discovery. Lisbon was the first true world city and retains World Heritage architectural marvels, such as Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower, with their intricate carvings showcasing all the glory and excitement of the age. Vasco da Gama and his crew spent their last night in Portugal in prayer at the Monastery before leaving for India and are entombed there now. Don’t miss the world-class Calouste Gulbenkian Museum. Lisbon is also Fado country; wander the Alfama or the Barrio Alto for a taste of the Portuguese version of the blues.

Funicular

Age of Discovery in Lisbon

Vasco da Gama Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Lisbon roofsHills of Lisbon

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Mark and Charlotte's Travel Blog

Germany, France, Switzerland, Christmas Markets (DRAFT)

Peru (Draft)

Southern France

Seattle, Vancouver, BC, & Victoria, BC

Slovenia and Croatia

Paris New Years Getaway

Northern Spain and Portugal / Barcelona - Lisbon

Dominican Republic

Bahamas, Old Bahama Bay

Aiken, SC

New York City

Colorado & Santa Fe, NM

Sedona and Grand Cayon

Costa Rica

Montreal

St. Petersburg to Cedar Key, FL

St. Augustine, FL

San Francisco and Napa, CA

Barbados, Union Island, and Petite Saint Vincent

South Korea

Bermuda

Bahrain

Jamaica

Southern Spain

Northern Italy / Venice - Rome

Southern Italy / Palermo - Naples

Warsaw – Prague

Amsterdam to Paris

About Us

Cherry Log, Georgia (DRAFT)