With only this morning left in Paris we headed out early for a quick Parisian Breakfast and a spot of souvenir shopping on the local strip. We also had a chance to go to Place Vendôme, around the corner from our hotel, and see the Vendôme Column. The original Vendôme Column at the center of the square was erected by Napoleon I to commemorate the battle of Austerlitz; it was torn down on 16 May 1871, by decree of the Paris Commune, but subsequently re-erected...

What a beautiful rainy day in Paris! Rain is so welcome after the last 3 weeks of heat during our travels. Sweat has been our enemy and we're glad to have a dry moment! Today we had a lazy morning and ventured out for brunch around noon. We spent the afternoon shopping and enjoying the quieter Paris this time around, without the craziness of thousands of tourists during July coinciding with the Tour De France. After shopping we headed back to the hotel for R...

We arrived back in Paris today for our last few days in Europe of the trip. Paris now feels like an old friend to me and has an air of 'home' about it. I had fallen in love with the city back in early July and I now feel a connection with this glorious city. Having arrived in the late afternoon there was inly one thing to do...eat! On the way from Orly Airport I had spied a seafood restaurant near Montparnasses which took my fancy, so off we headed. Of cour...

This morning we met up with Ray, Sandra and Eric again to finish our locals guide to Barcelona. Today we focused our attention on Gaudi, one of the most famous architects in history (up there with Frank Lloyd Wright). His original and distinctive style made him a key figure in the Catalan 'Modernisme' movement from 1875 to 1926. We visited; Casa Batlló, a Barcelona house remodeled in 1904 by Gaudi, known locally as Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), as it has ...

The slow start this morning may have had something to do with the bucket sized glasses that the Spanish serve Sangria in! We had breakfast and visited the rooftop of the hotel to see the city. What a beautiful site it was full of churches and interesting architecture at every turn. We were looking forward to exploring some more. Ray, his lovely wife Sandra and their beautiful 10 month old Eric had offered to show us a Spanish Style sunday, an offer which we gr...