Blue Lagoon Traveler

We had so many interesting and delicious food and drink experiences during our European travels, I collected a few more examples for a second post on the topic. We had a great meal at Kelly's favorite Thai place in Haarlem.  Amsterdam : Taking any of these chocolates home on the plane might be a mistake Gelato! Obviously this is more common in the US now, but many years ago I had it for the first time in Italy, when my favorite flavor was Malaga (rum raisin). I couldn't find it in Italy this time, but strangely just found it back in the Netherlands, in Edam. Mango is my new favorite, but I'm on a quest to try as many different flavors as possible before this trip is over. Mary loves limonade (which is lemon, not lime). Boeuf bougignonne - the pride of the Burgundy region of France. I'm going to jazz up my beef stew with wine from now on. Escargots! From our tour farewell dinner, these were perfectly flavored wi...

I love sculpture in general, and unusual faces often catch my eye. Here are some of the notable examples of sculpture - freaky or otherwise - I've enjoyed on this summer's European adventure: Fountain in front of the Pantheon, Rome Although we think of them as all white marble, ancient Roman statues were usually painted to be more lifelike. Imagine this cherub attending the god of the Nile river without creepy eyes. What the eyes probably looked like in ancient statues - Vatican Museum We learned that many ancient Roman statues (dug up with most of their original paint worn off) were repurposed and displayed as more modern saints by churches through the years. This explains why Saint Peter is wearing a Roman senator's toga in one sculpture. The bust above was simply labeled in the Vatican Museum as "God." The she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus, Rome If I remember correctly, this priest was execute...

Mary had to fly home in the morning, but there was one more day for me to explore Paris. The first thing I did after 3 weeks of getting up early and rushing off to tour activities was to sleep in. Yes, I woke up long enough to mumble goodbye to Mary, but then slept until my body felt like waking up. What a feeling! After a leisurely breakfast with lots and lots of café and a mini croissant or two, I finally got moving. The walls of the Invalides Metro station are painted to reflect the very fancy Alexander III bridge nearby: In no particular hurry, I eventually made it to the Musée D'Orsay, which is housed in a former train station. All I can say is "wow." See if you agree: There were so many beautiful impressionist paintings and sculptures. Here are some of my favorites (my camera didn't capture the intensity of the colors - must be operator error):  Claude Monet - The Boat...