Traveller's guide

As I've had an abnormal amount of jetlag since I've been back. Life has been rather slow. I met with the founder of Dan's Fund for Burns and others who are trying to plan a black tie fundraising event for the organization (details can be found on website). Anyway, so I don't have much to say so I thought I would comment on how ever traveller needs a travelling companion...aka musical instrument. I have found the harmonica to fit the bill as it is so portable. Plus a music book for it can be quite compact as well. Also, for those who travel so much, don't hesitate to get a cleaning person to come clean for you right before or after you get back from your travels. The last thing you want to do with your precious time at home is spend it cleaning. That being said...anyone have a good cleaning person in London?

A bon voyage post

As usual, this time home was too rushed but still good to see everyone. I really just wanted to post this picture as it's been a while since I put a cloud picture up here. It was lovely to see everyone but I must say I didn't miss the Texas heat!! How much worse will in be in August?!! At least with a picture, you can imagine/remember it as being perfect!

Sky Lounge - Austin, TX

Friday night ended with with some dancing at the Sky Lounge. Although I wasn't initially in the mood for dancing that night, I ended up having an excellent time. I must say I didn't think Austin had it in it to pull off a proper dance club, more than just cheesy techno music. Maybe though with the sound system Sky Lounge had, any music could have been good to dance to. At times, your whole body vibrated with bass. The dj Friday night is DJ Shadow's producer...everyone was having a great time! I definitely recommend this place if you want a long night out dancing...the party doesn't get going until after 11pm.

Blue Hole near Austin

I did a surprise visit home to Austin, telling only 2 people who would have to help me get some others into town. Anyway, my family and I went to a swimming hole Blue Hole outside of Austin, TX in a town called Wimberley. It is named so because the water is typically crystal clear, able to see the bottom of the creek. However, due to a drought going on in the area, the water was murky brown, but still very cool and refreshing. As the creek is quite deep in some spots, they have 2 trees with rope swings and ladders to climb to limbs and jump from. One of the nice things about the Blue Hole was that it wasn't overrun with people. The Blue Hole is awaiting some development work on the grounds and facilities so bathrooms are a bit rundown (but who's there for the bathrooms). It cost $5/person as they are trying to build up funds to do the renovations. It's definitely a great place to beat the Texas heat!!

Paris - Chartier Brebant

Our final night we had dinner at an old restuarant Chartier. It was opened in the 1800s to provided the working class a place to go out to eat that a bit nicer for them. The food was nothing amazing, but it wasn't bad either. The waiters are professionals and do expect that you treat them as so. It's worth a visit for the architecture and wait-staff and the menu is interesting enough. Afterwards we went to Le Brebant for a , a cafe in the Brebant Hotel, for a drink. The cafe had an interesting decor and unfortunately, I can't comment on their drink selection as we stuck with wine. The bar staff were quite friendly and jovial. We had a good time and it was a good way to end our time in Paris.

Paris - Day of Relaxing and Specialty Shops

Saturday morning we visited a chocolate shop and a pastry shop that Carter had read about. He is the king of specialty food shops! I think it was about the 3rd chocolate shop Carter had been to since they arrived in Paris so if you need a Parisian chocolate expert, he's your man! For lunch we went to the only Vietnamese restaurant we had found (stumbled across really) that was on the same street at the restuarant we had dinner at the night before. I had a pork balls (meatballs that is) with rice paper...I got to do the wrapping myself :). It was quite tasty. Definitely recommend others checking it out.

After lunch while the rest of the gange went to the Musee D'Orsay, Carter and I went to yet another pastry shop which unfortunately for Carter didn't have the chocolates he was hunting so instead we got some fruit juices and baguette to help us prepare for our snack in the park. We checked out a nice olive oil shop nearby that had olive oils from a number of countries. It wasn't until on our way to purchase did we see that we could have sampled some to make our selection. The lady in the shop to demonstrate that a fruity taste was not good would do a coughing/gagging motion...it was quite amusing. So after Carter made his selection, we found a park where we enjoyed our pastries (from the shop that morning), juices, olive oil and bread.

It was a perfect day and the park was full of groups of young 20-somethings hanging out. It made me realize that such a social scene does not happen in most U.S. cities as everyone has their own backyards where they gather with their friends. And when they do go to parks, it is to do an activity, not just to lounge and socialize. I think it is a nice social interaction that most Americans are missing out on and it would be lovely if we could find a way to get them out.

So, I was really bad about noting names of places we visited, but I will update this post as I figure them out.

Paris - L'Orangerie and Eiffel

Well, the crew obliged me with my one sight-seeing request to visit the newly renovated and opened Musee de l'Orangerie, original and rightfully returned home of Monet's Water Lilies. The opening of the Museum was delayed by the discovery of a portion of an old wall under the museum during the renovations. A portion of the wall is now visible in the museum now. As for the Water Lilies, what an equisite display they have! A glass ceiling provides plenty of natural lighting. The first floor is dedicated the Water Lilies while the lower level has a surprisingly larger painting collection and where the old wall can be seen.

After a dinner at lovely little French cafe, Debbie got her fill of the Arc de Triomphe and we watched the Eiffel Tower go all sparkley from the Trocadero Gardens. I must say, I find the Eiffel Tower quite mesmerizing when it is lit up at night (but not when the sparkley lights are on). I highly recommend grabbing a bottle of wine and just letting your mind go free while you are hypnotized by the Eiffel Tower at night.

Lyon, France

A few weekends ago I visited my sister in Lyon. While Lyon isn't the largest of towns, it is old enough to have old French charm with some modern conveniences. We mostly walked around enjoying the beauty of the city, having plenty of Kir Royale's, and enjoying spending time together. You can take a 'tram' of sorts up to the old city at the top of a hill. It's full of picturesque cobble-stone streets. Unfortunately we arrived to late to go into the old cathedral there. On the modern conveniences front, they do have a subway/metro/tube/u-bahn (take your pick) system that gets you to all the major points. But even more interesting is the bike sharing system they have there. It's a system that provides bikes and bike locking stations all over the city. One might ask, what is the difference between someone buying their own bike and locking it up themselves? Well, I personally think this system encourages the usage of bicycles as a mode of transportation more than simply expecting people to have their own bike and the city providing bike racks to lock your bike to. Though we did have a bit of trouble getting a day card for me, I think it is a system worth exploring in other cities. An interesting fact is that Lyon has the headquarters for Interpol.