IntrepidFromDC

Musee d'Orsay and Eiffel Tower

Louvre

Walking from my hotel to Musee d'Orsay, in this pic you can see D'Orsay (left), Seine River, and Louvre (right).

My hotel. Pics of the room tomorrow. Too messy right now. It's not high end but it's right where I want to be for my plans... walking distance to Eiffel Tower, Musee D'Orsay, Louvre, HOHO busstop and Montmartre. Tomorrow morning I have tickets to a special Degas and Manet exhibit at D'Orsay. I love the four art periods from 1860 to 1900, and will see where Van Gogh cut off his ear and gave it to a prostitute before checking in to an asylum, just after painting his most beautiful works as post-impressionism mixed with expressionism in Arles.

Paris shop storefronts are more beautiful than DC, even when closed.

Start by doing extensive research on where you want to go. Great resources include Fodors, TripAdvisor and Rick Steves. Combine that research with rail research, you want to make an efficient travel plan but you have to weigh how much you want to visit non-train-station towns with the difficulty to reach them. For example, this time I really want to see St Paul de Vence but it doesn't have a train station. So I found a day excursion from Nice that includes St Paul de Vence with Cannes and Monte Carlo. If you enjoy trip planning, it doesn't feel like work. Take your time, hour by hour over months works wonders. Book your restaurants ahead of time if dinner is a big satisfying characteristic of travel to you. As far as booking the train tickets in advance, I like raileurope.com, both for the ticketbuying and digital tickets they send to your phone immediately at purchase. Their app is great. If you're not adverse to worksheets, Excel is a great way to record your tripbuilding, helping you stay organized as you progress. HAVE FUN.

Last set at the jazz club ended, I walked around a bit til I spied a bar that had a bartender I hoped would make an excellent xxxxxxx...guess the drink from the photo.

That part of the scallop we don't eat? Ate it tonight, when in Paris... I asked a Parisian if they eat it separately or combined with the part we eat. The answer was "combined and smaller bites than Americans." It stretches the scallop experience, it's a little gamey. I ate most with the eggs, etc. Don't Google it. You don't wanna know what the etc is. Foie Gras was amazing, scallops very good - definitely fresh.

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Jazz Club for first dinner.

Blankies and neck pillows, fancY.

It's my understanding this is a "different product" so the training may be more geared to fun Italian style than FUN we're used to. I'll find out in 19 days. Until then, we're boarding for Paris!

The prime rib, though hit or miss, is pretty darn yummy. Worth changing into long pants and a polo shirt? Iffy.

I've been thinking about the Titanic myself, and notice the similarity between the Venezia smokestack and the Titanic multiple smokestacks... enough about that! If you're in Barcelona the evening of 5/27 and want to meet for a couple drinks, it would be great to shake your hand and share a "Go Cowboys!"

I will post BOATLOADS of pics of the ship. Realizing that this is a departure in more ways than one (no whale's tail!), I am anxious and excited to experience and share pics. I really wonder about the staff - are they trained in the Carnival "fun" style? Or do they get different training.

Tomorrow I leave on a non-stop from IAD to CDG, the beginning of my second European cruise combined with training around Europe. In September I cruised on The Carnival Pride, then enjoyed training around Italy - Rome, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Parma, Bologna and Venice. It was a wonderful trip and I realized I wanted to do more travel like this, mixing cruise with Europe train-travel. May 29 I will be on the Carnival Venezia's maiden voyage, a TA from Barcelona to Manhattan, then I'll spend two nights in Manhattan before taking the 3-hour train trip from NYC's Penn Station to DC's Union Station, then the red line Metro (subway) home. The cruise will visit the following ports after embarkation in Barcelona: Malaga, Girbraltar, Lisbon, Azores and Halifax. I'm really excited because I haven't been to any of those places. All this will follow 19 days training around France, Monaco and Spain. I'll spend two or three days in each of the following: Paris, Dijon, Lyon, Avignon, Arles, Nice, Beziers, Carcassonne (largest intact medieval walled city). I'll visit Monte Carlo, St. Paul de Vence and Narbonne on day trips. I've been to Paris three times - all the other places will be new. I'll post about every day and have some great excursions planned. Typically when I visit a city for the first time, my first activity is the HOHO bus to get a quick immersion and further decide where I want to spend more time. For towns that are too small to have a HOHO bus I usually start with a walking tour promising a good overview. I am a foodie and have reservations at quite a few fine dining restaurants and I'll be sure to post lots of pics of food. One example is a Michelin restaurant in Beziers (owner/chef has two Michelin starred restaurants) featuring closed-loop dining. They grow their own vegetables and fish farm, the fish farm irrigates and fertilizes the vegetables... Our concept - THE ALTER NATIVE - Gilles GOUJON (lalternativegoujon.fr). I'm also looking forward to Arles, France where they have a perfectly intact Roman colosseum that is still used for man vs. beast battles to the death, as the Romans did. As far as finding hidden gems, the beautiful medieval architecture of St. Paul de Vence with its' view of the Mediterranean is the one I'm looking forward to the most. I'll begin the LIVE with the 19-day training around part of the trip and continue throughout the May 29 - June13 TA cruise on Carnival Venezia's maiden voyage. Looking forward to sharing pics and learnings, receiving comments and questions, and ridiculousness is always welcome. Pics: Arles, St. Paul de Vence, Carcassonne...

Reason # 327 to follow the Rick Steves method of packing for longer trips, carry-on and backpack only.

Sub Total $42.00 Gratuities $7.56 Tax TBD Delivery Fees $0.00 Have a Promo Code? Total $49.56

Both meat dishes look amazing!