Euro Travel & More

Everyone asked me .. why it is called Courchevel 1850 and this is the reason .. i hear.. because 1850 is the center point of the resort.  With world class hotels and restaurants and shopping places.  But at the Courchevel it is not all about spending a lot of money, there are very nice places and where you can rent at the Courchevel in France… like those chalet that we were in. The Courchevel 1850 is an easy access to everyone who there on vacation .. and wanting to get into the other 3 valleys.

Beautiful, beautiful  Couchevel at La Saulire, it was definitely a panaroma view for me, right on top of Couchevel. Having some hot chocolate at the Le Panoramic was one of the best drink we had for that day.. i still remember .. the apple pie that was served .. it was yummy.. after our morning ski.

A cheese farm on the slopes.  I cannot remember the name of it.  We didn’t visit.. this time.. but i’ll remember to go do it .. the next time.. hopefully with my kid.

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This large glass and metal pyramid is the Louvre Pyramid .. the entrance to the museum.  There are a few more small ones in the courtyard as well and there is an urban legend to the Pyramid too.. i heard.  The 666 panes was the talking point of many .. when we visited it, associated with “Satan” because of it’s 666 number.. it was definitely a thrill to be here.  Most tourist would choose only to visit the Eiffel Tower.. but we are definitely blessed to have co-workers.. who were so willing to show us the real stuff in Paris.

This picture of sunset at the Pyramid is a magnificient isn’t it..?  I loved it.. and wished i had another camera for it .. to take a better picture.  But of course, the museum is the biggest part of our trip, it was such a huge museum.. we didn’t managed to finish touring it at all. It was a crowded little place.

This is the inside of the Louvre and this visit to the Louvre Museum which was the first time actually makes me feel how charming Paris can be especially for someone who loves photography.. and who can appreciate paintings that are masterpieces of the world.  Paris definitely has a lot to offer and having lived in Florence for 3 months.. i wished i had gotten a chance to do so in Paris too.  But I know I would have gotten lost here.. with all the tourists that I saw during 7 days in Paris.  And I kid you not.. there were TOURISTS everywhere.

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It’s funny how everyone only thinks about DisneyLand when they are on vacation in the United States, specifically California.  Many are not even aware of this hidden treasure in Gilroy, California, one of the many California theme parks you must not miss.  Truth be told I might not have known about it if not for a co-worker who told me that this was a family friendly park that not only has more than 40 rides but also a place where adults and kids can take walks and learn a lot about horticulture.  Fascinating eh?

This is really an awesome place to visit, it was formerly called Bonfante Gardens, a part of Paramount Parks management.  It was an educational trip not only for my kids but also for myself.  A lot of amazing and rather strange looking trees can be seen here, as you can see in the picture I posted up there.  My kids loved the Garlic mascot and it sure made them love garlic when they came home. Most rides weren’t a long wait unlike other amusement parks.  Don’t forget to visit the Bonfante Splash Gardens, we all loved it on a hot sunny day, so fun and refreshing. The kids had so much fun and found it so amusing they didn’t want to leave.  Gilroy Gardens is now one of the many California amusement parks that we always recommend as an alternative to the bigger amusement parks.  We were there from 10am right up to 4.30pm.

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Found some really old pictures of Lyon, France from a long time ago .. and thought i would share it with you.  We actually arrived in Lyon from New York, it was a unexpected trip for my boss had gotten a call from a customer.. and wanted a demostration to our products.  We took Delta Airlines if my memory didn’t fail me.. and it was only a 6 hours flight direct.  So i was quite pleased .. that it wasn’t another long haul.  Upon arriving in Lyon, it was already early evening.  A walk nearby the hotel that we were staying in . .actually pleased me a lot because of the many cafes, eateries and bakery shops there.  I was quite impressed.

It got dark really quick.. and this was only like 6.30pm.. if i remembered correctly.  As you can see from the picture.. it’s a feeling of old mixes with the new here.  Alot of bistros lined up .. along the streets.. and already some walk in customers to various restaurants there.  Lyon is well known for its food.. and here you can get authentic french food .. and some of the best chefs in the world here.   There were many art galleries .. including one that we went to.. for Contemporary Art .. that my boss liked best.

This clock was found in one of the churches.. I think it was the Cathedral of St Jean.  I hear it had 500 yrs of history.  Lyon’s night life is nothing spectacular like those in Paris.. but it was nice .. and it had a kind of quiet calm… during the nights. An olden days kinda feeling you get.. and to me.. it was like at anytime.. during those quiet moments.. one may just expect a white horse.. and a knight with shining armour appearing before you.  Lyon is a charming little place..and i wished i had more than just 3 days there.  I will write more about the hotel we stayed in next time.

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Andre Citroen Park is just a little park just a few minutes walk from Eiffel Tower .. located across the Seine River.  It wasn’t crowded at all.. when we were there.. for a look at the balloons that my co-worker had wanted to show me.  But i already saw it from afar.. when walking towards the 15th arrondissement.  I think the people who were in the park that day .. must be Parisian with their families.  I saw several children with their mothers.. playing there.

Told yer.. !! i can see the balloon from afar.  This gas balloons were for tourist who wanted an overall view of Paris.  I didn’t go up.. so i didn’t know how much it cost. I hear that this was where the former Citroen auto mobile plant was and as you can see there were lots of children playing here because of the waterfalls that keeps them entertained.  There are also 2 huge greenhouses that had some exotic Mediterranean Vegetation.

A closer look.. and on the other side is the garden .. where the moat was dry and there were kids playing there.. by running up and down it.  A third access point to the lawn was for the hot air balloon. Andre Citroen was a very large park. .and i didn’t really get to see everything of the park..  but the garden was also known as the garden of movement.. and it was a nice different from the usual.. touristy places. A contemporary park between nature and artifice.

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This is the famous T3 line of the tramway in Paris, it serves the south of Paris nearby the Ivy gate.  It is said that this tramway ferries as much as 100,000 people everyday. This tram line runs within the city areas and is definitely a plus for everyone living in the city… or even working around that area.  It is said that it was the aim of the City of Paris to bring health and well being to its people by introducing the Tram.. and diminishing both pollution and noise and reduce the space given to parking of your auto cars.  “Auto-bus” in french is the way to go.

PS :  Yes.. i did ride on the tram near Seine .. just because.. and it cost me like about a few euros.. i can’t remember right now.. i only know it was very cheap.. because a co-worker had mentiioned that it was run by diesel.  It was very clean and almost new.. and i was greeted by a very happy conductor .. who greeted me .. with “boujour” and since i know very limited French.. i didn’t wanna be too, too friendly.. if you know what i mean. I only wrote for a few stops.. and decided to Parc Montsouris with my co-workers.

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Lille, France is an old mini-city by itself.. and only an hour away from Paris, the city of love by the train.  We arrived on a not so sunny weekend.. and it was a super relaxing weekend for us.. as we walk the lil’ city .. and explore the many places and sat at cafes and watch the crowds go by.  There wasn’t must Wi-fi to leech on .. when i was there.. some 10 yrs ago.. it might have changed now.  But you could still sit down with you Vaio like i did.. and replied to some emails.. and try to look stylish.. muahaha!!

The above picture is of a boutique hotel called Couvent des Minimes. Opened in 1990, this hotel is not really centrally located .. and i heard it was a restorative historical building.   Unfortunately, we didn’t go in .. so i couldn’t tell you how the rooms looked like.  But since Lille is a small city, you can walk from the hotel to the train station (metro) within minutes.  Like all accommodation in France, I hear this was quite expensive too, but if you check them out during the off season period.. you can get a better deal.

Shopping is a huge thing in Lille, unfortunately, we were not there during Sundays where they have a huge flea market.  And my co-worker had said the Christmas Market itself was the like our fun-fair back home.  If you are ever in Lille, France, you can try and timed it so that you can get your shopping done in these flea markets.  They are an awesome experience .. as you get to see and buy work from talented artiste.

Honestly, for the life of me.. i can’t remember what building this is.. so if anyone can tell me.. please leave a comment. Although Lille is not anything like Paris .. i did like this place .. and if i had more time, i would definitely want to stay a day or two longer… to check out the Opera house at least.

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As an Asian it would be uncommon if you haven’t traveled to your nearby neighborhood destinations for a short getaway.   Some even just go across the border to Malaysia, Vietnam or especially Thailand, touted to be a man’s paradise, for the weekend.  In Asia, flights out of the country to places within Asia are relatively cheap and people just pack up and leave without a lot of planning.  Just grab a carry-on luggage and off they go to the airport.

If you are like myself and the spouse and love to go on spontaneous getaways, you will also know that getting a good set of luggage is important.   The  Hartmann Intensity makes use of materials that are used in military bulletproof vests, therefore it is a tough cookie and great for avid travelers like us.  No worries about knocking it around a little (or a lot).  But the spouse loves to bring along his Hartmann belting leather because of its ID window for his driver’s license.  My grandmother used to say you pay for what you get, so frequent travelers and flyers like ourselves make sure we get a good getaway luggage because you don’t want it to fall apart on you in the middle of a vacation.

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Besides the Eiffel Tower, I think no one gives the Arch of La Defense a missed .. when it comes to photo taking. This is a kinda monument to represent the business district of Paris.  So what is the Arche about..?? well … i hear it was build to represent not the military victories.. but for humanitarian reasons. You find the metro station and another kinda train station serving the suburbs there too. And two side of the Arches has got government offices as well.  An interesting structure.. i heard was more beautiful during the nights.

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Do not mistaken this cafe with the one in Quebec. Yes. there is a Cafe de la Paix in Quebec too. I recommend a visit to this special cafe for those who are around this area. Located opposite of the Paris Opera, you cannot missed it. It is kinda expensive.. but definitely worth the visit as this is quite famous in Paris. I also noticed alot of tourists here.. and it does have a fairly expensive menu. For coffee alone, you can expect to pay between 4 - 10 euros.

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