The World of Joel

Today was another travel day, and I have to say that both Jenn and I are ready for 12 days on a cruise with one room, so we can unpack and stay in one spot for a little bit. Today we were off to Rome from Paris on a flight at 6:05pm that landed exactly two hours later where we would meet up with Jenn’s parents at the Rome Hilton Airport. Before we left Paris for good, Jenn and I had one more stop we wanted to hit, and that was Roland Garros one of the more appealing stops in my book.

Having watched hundreds of matches on TV on the French Open at Roland Garros I have always wanted to go see all 4 major grand slam events in person. And although there was no French Open going on at the time Jenn and I arrived at Roland Garros there was plenty to see. The first stop we did was on a side court just checking out one of the many open courts to public viewing. We walked around the entire area and saw that center court was blocked off, that didn’t stop us though, I sneaked us into center court and it was there we got some great pictures and really took in all the sights. It was such an experience to stand there on center court, look where so many greats have stood and won the French Open. We went to the brand new “Tenniseum” which housed some great memorials to past champions. We rounded it off with a visit to the gift shop and were on our way.

My First Step on the Clay of Roland Garros

On Center Court of Roland Garros

Getting to and from Roland Garros was as easy as could be, that is thanks to the ultimate subway traveler Jenn who got us to and from without any hiccups. Jenn and I with each passing day in Paris became more and more comfortable with directing our way through the subway system as well as Paris itself. We got back from Roland Garros finished packing, checked out, had the hotel hold our luggage, and went off to lunch. We had another amazing meal, I got a three cheese pasta and Jenn a huge slab of lasagna. I asked for a glass of white wine, but they gave a half bottle, it was far to much, but still went really well with the meal.

On Center Court Pointing to the Roland Garros Logo

Next to the Statue of Lacoste

Jenn Overlooking the rest of Roland Garros

We took a Taxi (a Mercedes no less) from the Hotel to the Charles De Gaulle Airport which took about 45 minutes, and let us see outside of the main city of Paris. We got to the airport and smoothly got through all security and awaited our flight which got into Rome 10 minutes early. Everything was going smooth, we got our luggage right away, and followed the signs to the Rome Airport Hilton. We had to take an elevator to the third floor, we were on the first floor and we were in the elevator with an older Italian couple and all of a sudden we got stuck in between floors. Let me preface this by saying Rome is both hot and humid and this elevator probably was reaching a temperature of 100+ degrees. The Italian women lost it, and started screaming and hitting the side of the glass elevator, and the gentleman hit the emergency button. Well as Jenn and the Italian Women tried to gain other travelers attention by hitting on the glass window, the Italian lady screamed again and the elevator began to move again. We were probably stuck for 3-4 minutes, but it felt like forever and was one of those weird experiences you never want to go through again.

Jenn and I made it to the Rome Hilton and were surprised not to find Jenn’s parents already there, as there flight came in earlier then ours. An hour and a half after we arrived Jenn’s parents finally arrived one suitcase ligther as there bag is now lost. The big kicker is that it is the hanging suitcase with all four of our formal outfits for the cruise. I have an Italian Suit that I bought on my last trip to Europe, Jenn has three dresses, and Jenn’s parents formal items as well. We are still crossing our fingers that the luggage turns up, but we shall see. We are now trying to get rested so we can go into town tomorrow and hit some of the stops that we have planned to hit. It should be a good day, and I think we are all just ready to hit the cruise and have a nice long day at sea to get ready for some great ports and some great memories. Another day is in the books, but there are still plenty more to come.

Today was a big day for Jenn and I, we had a lot to finish up in Paris before we leave tomorrow, and not necessarily all the time we would want to do it. I was talking to with Jenn on our way home from the Dinner Cruise last night and one of the things that both Jenn and I agreed on was that we would love to come back and stay in Paris for a week or two and actually take our time touring the city. There is far to much to do in Paris to get a great appreciation of it all in 3 days, but I have to say that we have done a great job of trying nonetheless.

The day started with Jenn and I heading to the Louvre which we hoped on the Tour Bus which we purchased a two day pass for and went on our way. The bus in Paris is just as slow as it was in London and that can be frustrating at times, especially when you are used to going 75mph on the freeway. We did manage to make it to the Louvre after a good hour on the bus and when we did we were both pleasantly surprised to see the outside not as jam packed as we had seen it in the recent days, with our Paris Pass we got to enter right away and we were off to see among other things the Mona Lisa. We got to the Mona Lisa, we saw it and then moved on, not a big deal in my book, although it is neat to see paintings and sculptures that I had studied in college. We didn’t spend a ton of time at the pace many viewers were going it could take months to walk the entire place. For Jenn and I we took a little over an hour and a half and were on our way to the Notre Dame.

Jenn Next to one of the many statues

Me and the Mona Lisa

The Notre Dame was a neat stop and it was also here that Jenn and I realized how exhausted we really were. We got through walking the Notre Dame and Jenn asked if we wanted to walk up the Notre Dame to the top. We were told to go around the corner and wait in line, the line wasn’t moving and looked like it was going to take hours. Jenn asked me if I wanted to do it and I immediately said lets move on and get something to eat. We headed to Champs-Elysees which is right next to the Arc de Triumph. We stopped for lunch and I can honestly say we had our best French meal so far this trip. I ordered a cheese pizza and I can honestly say it was one of the best I have ever tasted. I told Jenn it was possibly the best I had ever had and I still hold to that comment, it was amazing.

Inside the Notre Dame

One of the best Cheese Pizza’s Ever

We had a lot of other things we wanted to do, climb the Arc De Triumph for example, but when we got done with lunch we both were exhausted and went back to the Hotel and slept for a good 3+ hours. Our final stop for the evening came by way of a ballet. Yes I said it a ballet. Not really something I would normally go out of my way to do, but when Jenn brought the idea up a few months ago when we booked Paris it sounded like a great idea. The ballet was at the world famous Palais Garnier situated in the heart of Paris. The ballet was titled La Dame aux Camelias and what that means in English I really don’t know.

Jenn on the stairs of the Palais Garnier

Our seats to me was probably the biggest excitement of the whole experience. If you have ever watched movies of some of the ritzy opera houses and how they have those private booths or areas with a few seats in the balcony for the elite, well that is what Jenn bought us, and boy was it an experience. Jenn had the front row seat from our balcony, and we were with only a few other people, two of them being American students. The room was such a treat to view the ballet from, we were dead center to the stage, and sound carried nicely. I am not one that would go out of there way to go see a ballet, I think I have seen 2-3 in my lifetime, but to see one in Paris was a treat. The show was really remarkable, at least the ending was when I started to figure out what was going on. Jenn was captivated from the opening of the curtains until the fifth curtain call. I have never seen such an ovation before, it got louder and louder, and the cast kept on coming out to bow, it was such a trip. The top of the experience for me was the orchestra, they were excellent, the sound was truly some of the best I have heard.

Inside the Palace Garnier

A View from Our Seats at the Stage

As you can see we went out of the gates gunning to do a lot today, but I think our bodies told us to do otherwise, and I can say now writing this post that the nap this afternoon was a huge help to get through the day. Tomorrow we are off to Roland Garros (site of the French Open) and then taking a flight to Rome to meet up with Jenn’s parents to head for the cruise. What an amazing start to the trip, both Paris and London have been truly memorable, and I can only anticipate what the rest of the trip holds, it should be truly remarkable.

Today was as big of a tour day as Jenn and I are going to have in Paris. In untypical Jenn and Joel fashion we hit the ground running early this morning in beautiful sunny weather with temperatures in the mid 70’s through the day. We stated the day bright and early, and when I say bright and early I am talking 9am out and about and for Jenn and I that is a real challenge. We headed to the subway/tube station which is less then a minute from our hotel and jumped on a train to Versailles. Jenn has never been, and I remember seeing ESPN advertise it during last year’s French Open coverage and was instantly sucked in. When we got to Versailles (only twenty minute subway ride) we immediately found a much cooler climate, at least 5 degrees cooler, a bit breazy, and the sun was no where to be found. Jenn and I dressed like it was a warm summer day, but had to grab Jenn a sweatshirt jacket at a local gift shop so she wouldn’t freeze to death.

Walking up to Versailles was truly remarkable, out of the few palaces I have seen Versailles runs laps around them in pure stature and beauty. It is hard to deny how amazing Versailles really is, and we literally could have stayed there all day. To start with our purchase of The Paris Pass let us skip the lines (or queues as they call them out here) and we jumped right through security and into the palace. The initial museum was actually one of the more interesting ones, and we got through it at a nice pace. The rest of our time was spent in the expansive gardens of Versailles which is truly where Jenn and I fell in love with at first glance. There were so many beautiful fountains and an area to row boats at the very bottom.

Jenn at the Entrance of the Palace of Versailles

Giving the Thumbs Down to L’Hospital (Never Understood L’Hospital Rule in Calculus)

Jenn is always trying to think of the most romantic ideas, and that is one of the things I love about her, but I guess she hasn’t realized that I can’t row a boat. I don’t know if it is because I am left handed, or if the idea of rowing backwards doesn’t make sense to me, whatever the case I can’t row if my life depended on it. It took Jenn and I a good 10 minutes just to row out of the dock. We had so many people that spoke French telling us we were doing it wrong. Let’s just say I didn’t do a great job getting us around the pond and we got out of there as quick as we could. We spent a good 5+ hours in Versailles and headed back to Paris starving.

View of the Gardens.

Jenn and I in the Versailles Gardens

Rowing is not my forte.

We went to lunch at a local cafe, right around the corner from both the Eiffel Tower and our hotel. I got Duck and Jenn got a Filet both were really good, one thing I noticed about my first two french meals was that they were awfully greasy, which isn’t a bad thing but something to get used to. After lunch we headed back out on the road this time jumping on an Open Tour Bus similar to what you see in London with there big Red Tour Buses. We got to tour the majority of Paris today, we saw the Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph, and a lot of other amazing views. As I mentioned before, Paris is by far the most European country I have been to, and from what I can see has the most to do.

Picture of the Louvre from Tour Bus.

Beautiful Paris Skyline

The Arc de Triumph from Bus Tour

The evening was captivated by a Dinner Cruise down the Seine River passing by great shots of both The Eiffel Tower and The Statue of Liberty. Seeing both of these at night was truly amazing and the rest of Paris which is all lit up and was just beautiful this evening. What was even better was that we paid a little extra and got a window seat for just the two of us and had an amazing four course meal with Red Wine, Champagne, Coffee, and an after desert drink. The food was both amazing and awful, we started with a Lobster and Gazpacho appetizer, and Jenn’s Gazpacho was far better then my extremely fishy and awful lobster mixed in with an assortment of vegetables.

The second course Jenn and I both had a steak dinner which was served with friend potatoes. This was the highlight, the sauce that the steak was put in was perfect, and the steak was cooked perfectly. Our third course was a cheese and salad platter which wasn’t all that fantastic, and a nice desert as well. The best part was when they brought by the desert drinks and they had Whiskey, I have never had a drink of whiskey before but I told Jenn it was good and she tried a sip first. It reminded me of a cartoon, she looked ready to burst it burned so bad. I can’t say I loved the warm feeling either, but it was an interesting way for us to finish dinner.

Jenn On board the Dinner Cruise

Toasting to the Occasion

Statue of Liberty with the Eiffel Tower Looming in the Background

Our Steak Dinner (It Was Great)

Jenn at the end of the cruise. Looking gorgeous!

It is now midnight here in Paris and we are ready for our last full day. Tomorrow we are going to stop at all of the stops we marked off while going on the bus today. Things like the Louvre, the Arc de Triumph, and the Notre Dame. What an amazing time this trip has already been, and I expect it can only continue to get better. Faites attention! Merci!

Sometimes I cannot believe my good fortune, or how lucky I truly am. When this morning started I began by waking up to the beautiful sun and clouds of London and when the clock strikes 8pm I am in my hotel room at the Paris Hilton situated in walking distance of the Eiffel tower and in the heart of Paris. However let’s start at the beginning of the day which started with packing to get ready to leave for Paris. Jenn and I woke up rather late in the morning, where we gathered everything together and headed our way to lunch. We ate at a place called Garfunkles which was is similar to a Pannera Bread in the United States, nothing to write home about. We changed our Pounds to Euro’s and checked out of the Park City. I cannot say how much we loved The Park City Hotel in London, it was in a great spot in London, and the staff there could not have been more helpful.

Jenn In front of The Park City

The Front of the London Park City Hotel

So when we left The Park City hotel (with heavy hearts) at around 12:30pm in the afternoon we had 3 hours to get on the Tube, hit King Cross tube station and go to the train station. Well with Jenn’s excellent directions we managed to get there in less then an hour and were through rail security in less then an hour. So we had two hours to spend in the train station, and boy was it gorgeous. London does a nice job with all of it’s public places (parks, museums, subway) including the train station which was first class. Jenn and I booked first class rail tickets to go from London to Paris and the big thing was to go in the chunnel. To be honest we didn’t even realize we were under water, it just feels like a really long tunnel, nothing more then that. The train ride itself was a million times more relaxing then a flight, with decent food, a nice bottle of wine, and extremely comfy chairs.

Jenn and I on the Train from London to Paris

A Small Bottle of Chardonnay for the Train Ride

Food That Was Given on the Train

So we ended up getting to Paris at around 7pm, and took a Taxi to our hotel, driving from the train station to the hotel only took fifteen minutes but it was an experience like no other. To say that the people in Europe drive like maniacs is one thing but to say it in Paris couldn’t be closer to the truth. They have very little in terms of traffic rules, its pretty much everyone going different ways all at once and hoping that some courtesy helps to keep things moving. I feared for my life on multiple occasions while driving, and then feared for pedestrians as well.

Jenn in the Taxi

In the Taxi Going to the Hotel

We did manage to get to our hotel safely and in a short amount of time, while passing The Louve, The Eiffel Tower, and seeing a glimpse of the French Statue of Liberty. Jenn and I got in and immediatley left the hotel and went to the Eiffel tower. Although itmay not be as wimsical as many movies make it out to be I still was really impressed by it, and the surroundings was so open that it was a lot to take in. We left after only spending twenty minutes and planned out the rest of our Paris journey. We are going to the Palace of Versailles tomorrow followed by a River Cruise tomorrow night. We have so much to do in the next 2 1/2 days that I just hope we can get it all in. Out of all the cities I have been to in Europe, if I was going to describe one of them as a city that reminded me most of what I think Europe is, it would be Paris a bustling city full of excitement, architecture, crazy driving, and so far amazing food. Au revoir!

Jenn On Our Balcony at the Paris Hilton

Jenn at the Eiffel Tower

Standing in Front of the Eiffel Tower

Jenn and I Directly In Front of the Eiffel Tower

So we didn’t go to Stonehenge. If anyone wants to pay 200 pounds to either take a tour or 250 pounds to take a train down there be my guest, but we both decided against it, and instead went the much more relaxing route, The Original (Red) Tour Bus, or should I say The Original Slow Tour Bus. It was a great day don’t get me wrong, taking in the sights of London, the amazing bridges, the palaces, and parks.

We did make a few stops, one including Kensington Palace which was a quick little museum that held some interesting artifacts but nothing to necessarily write home about. Jenn with all of her wisdom got us to go to the restaurant associated with the Palace and although the setting was fantastic the food couldn’t have been less of Jenn’s cup of tea. Speaking of tea that was one of there staples and neither Jenn or I drink tea, so there was strike one. The second strike came in the fact that everything at this restaurant was served cold, including their soup, that was strike two. Strike three came when I had a rare beef salad and the rare beef seemed to be the add on and the leaves that looked like they came from one of the age old trees was the main dish. My meal was actually pretty good when it was said and done but Jenn’s chicken was not only cold but had a horrid taste. That is London’s food for you, nothing to write home about.

Jenn at Dinner

The best part of the day was dinner which we went to a local Italian restaurant called Capricciosa which is about a 1 minute walk from the Park City Hotel here in London. Jenn and I both love traditional Italian food, I had a nice glass of there red wine, and we split Calamari as our appetizer. Jenn had a huge plate of lasagna while I had a traditional Italian pasta which was stuffed with cheese. Desert was really a treat Jenn had a nice three scoop cup of gelato while I had this chocolate ice cream which was covered in a chocolate shavings and in the middle was vanilla ice cream. The meal was excellent, and in true Italian style it was a good 2 hour plus meal.

Joel Drinking Wine at Dinner

Dinner Menu

Capricciosa Restaurant Right Next to Park City Hotel

The day in a nutshell was fantastic and what Jenn and I needed to get our bearings for the remaining 2 1/2 weeks left of the trip. There is no denying that this will be our most relaxing day for at least a week and a half the next coming on our first at Sea day for the cruise. Tomorrow will be another big day, a relaxing morning and a ride on the chunnel to get to Paris. I will really miss London, I love the city, I love the Park City Hotel it is fantastic, and I just love how friendly and how clean this city really is. It was already a great visit, the most memorable a guy could ask for, I am now engaged to the most beautiful girl in the world, and it all happened in London. Does it get any better then that?

The day has finally come, at around 6:30pm London time, Jenn and I became officially engaged. I managed to smuggle the ring through Airport security and managed to hide it from her for the past three months. At St. James Park right across from Buckingham Palace and in sight of the London Eye on a beautiful park bench (pictured below) I asked Jenn for her hand in marriage. :-)! And surprise, surprise, she said yes! It was easily the best moment of my life, and to just witness her eyes light up, her facial expressions turn from shock to pure glee was priceless. We have pictures of where it took place which are below, as well as a video that we shot that I will try to post later. Bottom line, I am officially the luckiest man in the world!

Picture of St. James Park

The Ring

Jenn In Front of Pond at St. James Park in London

Standing in Front of the Pond

Sitting at the Bench where I asked Jenn to Marry Me

Update: As promised, I have the video what was taken with my Digital Camera ready for everyone’s viewing pleasure. This was taken about ten minutes after I popped the question and show’s Jenn’s ring and the area of the park we got engaged, enjoy!

How time just flies by when you look forward to something. Thus is the case with this upcoming Europe trip which this time tomorrow I will be boarding a plane headed to Europe. I wouldn’t imagine our first day in London posting anything but plan on every other day updates from there on out. I will do my best with pictures as well, it just depends on time. As of right now I am 92% packed and Jenn is 99.9% packed so we are good to go in that regards. I have all my gadgets ready to go, Nintendo DS, PSP, Mac Book, a Book (yes a book), iPhone, and a pack of DVD’s. What more could you really ask for?

Plus there are actually some pretty decent movies on the plane, Semi-Pro, 21, Be Kind Rewind, Definitley Maybe, and The Bank Job all movies I have not seen before and should keep me occupied. The big hopeful is that I sleep on the plane to get adjusted to London/Europe time as quick as possible. Well there may be a pre-flight post, but if not the next time I post I will be in London! See you when I am over the pond!

Jenn is officially packed. I cannot believe that she managed to fit all that she managed to fit but she did it. Jenn is bringing a rather small suitcase, especially for this legnth of trip, however she is packed and ready to go as you can see below us.

I on the other hand just got my packing rolled, and now awaiting Jenn’s approval. I am not one to dress myself, I have 0 style, and really 0 desire to figure out what matches, which is why I have Jenn who does a much better job on that end then I could ever do.

Can you believe it is only 2 days away from departure at LAX? This time in two days we will be at LAX eating dinner awaiting our flight. Ten hours later in London. How crazy is that? Check back tomorrow for a deeper look into the packing and preparation for our big Europe 2008 Trip.

As many of you know next Wednesday, July 2nd I am leaving for London. So many of you may be wondering what sort of updates you can expect from next week and for the three weeks I am gone. Well my goal is to at least do posts every other day and then post at all the At Sea days on the cruise. That is of course just a goal and could change quite quickly depending on how the trip goes and how much it is costing to get online. Next week I will be showing some of the things that Jenn and I have done to get prepared for this trip, and boy has it been plentiful. By the way I should mention that this coming Sunday, Jenn and I along with my brother Jake and sister Amy are going to Raging Waters. I have never been before, so I am actually really looking forward to it. Anyways not much else to post on yet, next week begins a very big 3-4 weeks!

For those with a keen eye, you may have noticed that my link to my Europe Trip page has changed from Europe Trip 2006 to Europe Trip 2008. That is because Jenn and I are heading back over the pond, this time for three weeks going through London and Europe and enjoying every minute of it. The trip started as a 12 day cruise through the Mediterranean, but Jenn and I decided that if we are making a trip over there we better get the most out of it, and thus added the first 7 days of London and Paris. Jenn and I have both been to London and love it, so we are spending a day seeing anything we may have missed, and then heading to Paris where Jenn has been once and this will be my first time. From Paris we head to Rome for a day their and our Cruise departs and concludes in Rome. For the full itinerary you can head over to the Europe Trip 2008 page, right now it is a pretty brief itinerary, however as we get closer we will have more details and updates on the trip and our plans. It really should be the trip to remember.