Darryl - swazies
TVWBB Platinum Member
Wow, pretty amazing stuff.
Where to, captain?
- Thread starter Brett-EDH
- Start date
Anthony Spitzer
TVWBB Pro
I believe we took the same tour 10 years ago. Very, very moving. Standing right on top of history. Brings back memories of our trip there. The bonus of Bastille Day celebrations on the same trip. Thanks for taking the great photos. Hope you enjoyed today.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
Been a busy few days so here’s the catchup.
On 14JUL, we enjoyed some Bastille day festivities. Wife and I walked the Champs
Elysee from Place de Concorde up to the Arc de Triumph.
Look, I’m not going to criticize or pass any judgment on the French people. They’re pretty fine, kind and nice people and truth be told, they helped fund the American Revolutionary War. It was the perfect opportunity for the French to stick it to the King of England. And so they did.
The Arc de Triumph celebrates the French achieving a representative government and the end of monarchy rule. So yeah, we have a lot in common right there.
Sitting at 168’ tall (iirc), this monument is pretty impressive in size and stature
The next day we took a guided tour of Le Marais district, the historical Jewish quarter in Paris.
The largest immigration happened during the late 1800’s up until WWI. Jews were feeling the Russian empire due to the constant pogroms and violence perpetrated against the Jews. Who would have thought of that?
The Jews settled in what is now known as the 4th Arrondissement. Originally this area was swamp land located outside the walls of Paris. You can see today that the land is still settling as many buildings have and continue to shift with time.
With the timing of the Jews arriving in Paris and the end of monarchy rule, many of the monarchy’s buildings were abandoned by their prior inhabitants as it was seen as living in those castles and compounds could cause the death of those inhabitants.
So over time, many in the Jewish community wound up buying the abandoned compounds as prices were very inexpensive. Hey, land is land and buildings are buildings. We all know, buy low and sell high.
Many of those buildings were subdivided and repurposed. Some were bought by the city government and turned into public works buildings. Think libraries, government offices, museums and so forth.
World War II brought about a lot of change to Paris. The Nazis basically walked into France and seized it with zero fight. Paris was occupied from 1940 through its liberation.
The Nazis used Paris as a showcase of how good they were to all citizens, Jews included. Up until 1942, when in the night, the Nazis we’re rounding up tens of thousands of Jews and shipping them off to the worst of the camps, and set them to die.
Paris lost about 50% of its Jewish population during the war. And after the war, those who survived, most of whom elected to move away from Europe, Paris in particular.
Here’s some photos from our tour. Take the time to read the large plaque naming the children who were rounded up and sent to die. One was only a few days old. By reading these children‘a names, you are giving them life when their life was taken away from them far too early. That is the beauty of memorials. We give life to those who cannot speak for themselves.
Yes, that is the same Saint Louis who lends his name to those ribs you like so much, from St. Louis, MO,
On 14JUL, we enjoyed some Bastille day festivities. Wife and I walked the Champs
Elysee from Place de Concorde up to the Arc de Triumph.
Look, I’m not going to criticize or pass any judgment on the French people. They’re pretty fine, kind and nice people and truth be told, they helped fund the American Revolutionary War. It was the perfect opportunity for the French to stick it to the King of England. And so they did.
The Arc de Triumph celebrates the French achieving a representative government and the end of monarchy rule. So yeah, we have a lot in common right there.
Sitting at 168’ tall (iirc), this monument is pretty impressive in size and stature
The next day we took a guided tour of Le Marais district, the historical Jewish quarter in Paris.
The largest immigration happened during the late 1800’s up until WWI. Jews were feeling the Russian empire due to the constant pogroms and violence perpetrated against the Jews. Who would have thought of that?
The Jews settled in what is now known as the 4th Arrondissement. Originally this area was swamp land located outside the walls of Paris. You can see today that the land is still settling as many buildings have and continue to shift with time.
With the timing of the Jews arriving in Paris and the end of monarchy rule, many of the monarchy’s buildings were abandoned by their prior inhabitants as it was seen as living in those castles and compounds could cause the death of those inhabitants.
So over time, many in the Jewish community wound up buying the abandoned compounds as prices were very inexpensive. Hey, land is land and buildings are buildings. We all know, buy low and sell high.
Many of those buildings were subdivided and repurposed. Some were bought by the city government and turned into public works buildings. Think libraries, government offices, museums and so forth.
World War II brought about a lot of change to Paris. The Nazis basically walked into France and seized it with zero fight. Paris was occupied from 1940 through its liberation.
The Nazis used Paris as a showcase of how good they were to all citizens, Jews included. Up until 1942, when in the night, the Nazis we’re rounding up tens of thousands of Jews and shipping them off to the worst of the camps, and set them to die.
Paris lost about 50% of its Jewish population during the war. And after the war, those who survived, most of whom elected to move away from Europe, Paris in particular.
Here’s some photos from our tour. Take the time to read the large plaque naming the children who were rounded up and sent to die. One was only a few days old. By reading these children‘a names, you are giving them life when their life was taken away from them far too early. That is the beauty of memorials. We give life to those who cannot speak for themselves.
Yes, that is the same Saint Louis who lends his name to those ribs you like so much, from St. Louis, MO,
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
Continued
McMansion - now a government building where Paris manages its public statues from
On the right is where the horse and carriage were parked.
The original Jewish temple circa around 1900. It’s still a functioning and in use synagogue.
Google Translated:
McMansion - now a government building where Paris manages its public statues from
On the right is where the horse and carriage were parked.
The original Jewish temple circa around 1900. It’s still a functioning and in use synagogue.
Google Translated:
Last edited:
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
Continued
27 jours is 27 days. Think about that.
For dinner, we went back to Laurent Dubois to get some stinky cheese and some
Fresh cherries from the produce market next door.
We bought cherries to enjoy with our cheese, baugette and champagne dinner. This market is amazing.
The assortment we enjoyed for dinner.
Cheap for a reason. No need to have this experience twice.
Today was that day.
So I’ll ask, where to, Captain?
The answer is somewhere within. Stay tuned.
27 jours is 27 days. Think about that.
For dinner, we went back to Laurent Dubois to get some stinky cheese and some
Fresh cherries from the produce market next door.
We bought cherries to enjoy with our cheese, baugette and champagne dinner. This market is amazing.
The assortment we enjoyed for dinner.
Cheap for a reason. No need to have this experience twice.
Today was that day.
So I’ll ask, where to, Captain?
The answer is somewhere within. Stay tuned.
Last edited:
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I love my country but, it’s not the only place on earth, we are part of global existence, perspective is only gained when you look from another point of view.
Brett, thanks for sharing your beautifully photographed tour! I’m so out of practice with a camera I’d have lots of pictures of my shoes!
My wife said the same thing when she got back from her last trip, “You get to the train (or airport) and there are SO many places I want to go!”
I have not been outside the border since I was 13, my perspective has changed that’s certain, I’m not against travel, I’ve just been held back by, apparently, not very good life choices!
Bon Voyage M. Brett!
Safe travels.
I believe my next stop would be Nice or Marseille!
Brett, thanks for sharing your beautifully photographed tour! I’m so out of practice with a camera I’d have lots of pictures of my shoes!
My wife said the same thing when she got back from her last trip, “You get to the train (or airport) and there are SO many places I want to go!”
I have not been outside the border since I was 13, my perspective has changed that’s certain, I’m not against travel, I’ve just been held back by, apparently, not very good life choices!
Bon Voyage M. Brett!
Safe travels.
I believe my next stop would be Nice or Marseille!
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
Exactly. Two different experiences and histories. We love traveling, seeing other places and meeting interesting people.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
We landed safely yesterday and made our way to our hotel.
One of the most interesting ceilings I’ve ever had in a hotel room. Truly felt like royalty. I could only imagine what the old monarchy people lived like. I’m still a working man and will remain so as long as I can.
On our walk to dinner, this street scape really caught my eye.
For dinner, the wife had cod and I had veal.
Found this cathedral on our walk home from dinner.
And then we found this store! OMG! Thankfully they were closed or I’d be broke.
Now I’ve probably given away the city.
More to come. We’re on the move today, bigly.
One of the most interesting ceilings I’ve ever had in a hotel room. Truly felt like royalty. I could only imagine what the old monarchy people lived like. I’m still a working man and will remain so as long as I can.
On our walk to dinner, this street scape really caught my eye.
For dinner, the wife had cod and I had veal.
Found this cathedral on our walk home from dinner.
And then we found this store! OMG! Thankfully they were closed or I’d be broke.
Now I’ve probably given away the city.
More to come. We’re on the move today, bigly.
Last edited:
I've said to people in both England and Ireland that you've got paving material that's older than my country. It's a entirely different scale of history. Nor should we allow ourselves to forget it.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
We are them, they are us. The greatest part of our experiment is that we’re an aggregation of the world.
Darryl - swazies
TVWBB Platinum Member
I was hoping you were on your way to Brest on the 12:40 flight.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
Internet has been spotty and time has been limited in our trip. So a dump is coming and overdue.
Finding your ship can be a challenge when the port can host up to five at a time. So I tracked our ships via its GPS off a cruise tracking website. This way we avoid the driving around in our cab wasting time and money.
Nailed it.
70% humidity isn’t very fun when you’re used to 20%. Some days I feel like I’m dying in this weather.
Finding your ship can be a challenge when the port can host up to five at a time. So I tracked our ships via its GPS off a cruise tracking website. This way we avoid the driving around in our cab wasting time and money.
Nailed it.
70% humidity isn’t very fun when you’re used to 20%. Some days I feel like I’m dying in this weather.
Last edited:
Darryl - swazies
TVWBB Platinum Member
70% hahahaha
When my dehumidifier gets full and shuts off to me it reads 80%....indoors, yesterday and the humidity " comes back " tomorrow
It's fun....tomorrow is expected to be 86 but supposed to feel like 104.
Quite the trip you have going on there dude.....I appreciate the photography.
When my dehumidifier gets full and shuts off to me it reads 80%....indoors, yesterday and the humidity " comes back " tomorrow
It's fun....tomorrow is expected to be 86 but supposed to feel like 104.
Quite the trip you have going on there dude.....I appreciate the photography.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
I’m about 7 days behind in posting. Trying to do anything on LTE is like sticking fingers in your eyeballs.
DanHoo
TVWBB Olympian
@Brett-EDH Looking forward to your pics.
You are missing delightful spring weather here. Highs in the 80s, overnight low last night was 54.
You are missing delightful spring weather here. Highs in the 80s, overnight low last night was 54.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
I’m saltier than the Med Sea today. Likely sweat off 5 pounds. More to come when I post the pics. We should have better cell tomorrow and definitely come Saturday evening.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
So we boarded our cruise on July 17.
I don’t mind the heat but can easily live with lower humidity. And that’s one of the main reasons we live out west now. I hate humidity.
Leaving the port in Barcelona, we saw this fort atop the hill. Guessing it was used to protect the city from invaders hundreds of years ago.
Sail away party on Celebrity Equinox.
Next stop, Cartegena, Spain.
Pulling into port at Cartegena, Spain on 18JUL.
The inversion layer was quite visible.
Someone important at the Bridge as we were readying to dock.
The Pilot boarded our ship for port navigation.
One of the old forts standing guard in Cartegena. Cartegena is the Spanish Navy’s port of operations protecting the inland Mediterranean side of Spain. It’s a key strategic port for Spain.
Off the ship and ready for our day trip. Tapas, bebidas (drinks) and a walking tour of the town. It’s quite beautiful here. And fairly inexpensive compared to other parts of Europe.
Very classic old European streets and buildings. It’s a unique and pretty cool style. These roads were built for horse and carriage. It’s amazing that cars now navigate these same streets. There are no curbs in Cartegena. Just a dark stone strip delineating the road from the sidewalk.
A ficus tree. Over 100 years old.
A truly beautiful church in town. I’ve been in more churches now than many of my Catholic friends.
The detail is on the insane level, IMHO.
One of the side chapels.
Another side chapel.
I don’t mind the heat but can easily live with lower humidity. And that’s one of the main reasons we live out west now. I hate humidity.
Leaving the port in Barcelona, we saw this fort atop the hill. Guessing it was used to protect the city from invaders hundreds of years ago.
Sail away party on Celebrity Equinox.
Next stop, Cartegena, Spain.
Pulling into port at Cartegena, Spain on 18JUL.
The inversion layer was quite visible.
Someone important at the Bridge as we were readying to dock.
The Pilot boarded our ship for port navigation.
One of the old forts standing guard in Cartegena. Cartegena is the Spanish Navy’s port of operations protecting the inland Mediterranean side of Spain. It’s a key strategic port for Spain.
Off the ship and ready for our day trip. Tapas, bebidas (drinks) and a walking tour of the town. It’s quite beautiful here. And fairly inexpensive compared to other parts of Europe.
Very classic old European streets and buildings. It’s a unique and pretty cool style. These roads were built for horse and carriage. It’s amazing that cars now navigate these same streets. There are no curbs in Cartegena. Just a dark stone strip delineating the road from the sidewalk.
A ficus tree. Over 100 years old.
A truly beautiful church in town. I’ve been in more churches now than many of my Catholic friends.
The detail is on the insane level, IMHO.
One of the side chapels.
Another side chapel.
Last edited:
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Olympian
And another side chapel. This prayer area was impressive for sure. The art. The workmanship. The detail. The dedication to believing.
Like a fool, I forgot to get pics of our tapas. They were good. Nothing to write home about. We were quite impressed with the city. It’s an older, smaller tucked away place right on the Med.
Check out Airbnb as the prices here for luxury places to stay with ocean views and pools are around 200+ a night USD. That’s very inexpensive to some major vacation areas that are just too busy in the summer anyways.
Our ship as we headed back for some rest and adult hydration.
19JUL, on our way to?
First time ever passing through the Strait of Gibraltar.
In transit in the North Atlantic Ocean. Nothing is better than a sea day IMO.
Early celebration of our pending 33rd anniversary. This is a good bottle if you can find it locally. Around $12-15 USD. Very reasonable for this sparkling cava. Better than many proseccos from Italy.
Then we docked in Porto, Portugal.
The local port area of Porto. Yup, this is where Port wine comes from. Not the bay, but the region.
Outside the cathedral near the top of Porto for our day tour (3 hours). A walking tour of the history of the Jews in Porto as the Jews arrived when Spain expelled them. This was a crazy time in the late 1490’s.
View across the top of the city.
The cathedral.
The top of the first Jewish quarter in the old city in Porto.
Like a fool, I forgot to get pics of our tapas. They were good. Nothing to write home about. We were quite impressed with the city. It’s an older, smaller tucked away place right on the Med.
Check out Airbnb as the prices here for luxury places to stay with ocean views and pools are around 200+ a night USD. That’s very inexpensive to some major vacation areas that are just too busy in the summer anyways.
Our ship as we headed back for some rest and adult hydration.
19JUL, on our way to?
First time ever passing through the Strait of Gibraltar.
In transit in the North Atlantic Ocean. Nothing is better than a sea day IMO.
Early celebration of our pending 33rd anniversary. This is a good bottle if you can find it locally. Around $12-15 USD. Very reasonable for this sparkling cava. Better than many proseccos from Italy.
Then we docked in Porto, Portugal.
The local port area of Porto. Yup, this is where Port wine comes from. Not the bay, but the region.
Outside the cathedral near the top of Porto for our day tour (3 hours). A walking tour of the history of the Jews in Porto as the Jews arrived when Spain expelled them. This was a crazy time in the late 1490’s.
View across the top of the city.
The cathedral.
The top of the first Jewish quarter in the old city in Porto.
Last edited: