Paris Cabaret ooo lala

The Cabaret we went to last night was the Nevue Eve or something like that. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with a cabaret performance but it was really fun. I've never sat front row at a show and let me tell you, this was not the one to be sitting in the front seat! I had to cover my eyes at times, but all of the men left smiling ear to ear. It started out risqué with the dance performance being topless as we're the follow up performances. The best part were the comedian and acrobat performances in between the dance ones. The show started at 10:15pm and and we didn't get back to the hotel until 12:40 am and then back up at 7 to start my last day in Paris.

 Today began with a visit to Notre Dame cathedral followed by a city tour where we visited the Eiffel Tower and ended at the Opera House. I then got off the bus and walked around with a very nice Aussie couple, Carolyn and Dave. We walked and walked and walked and walked some more. We ended up walking about 6-7 miles over 5 hours. We went to the Louvre, a large park, the original city centre which is on an Island, and did a ton of other hot spot must see sights.

I apparently looked French today- must have been my wrap and the way I walked with confidence. ;) I had 3 people stop and ask me for directions, one was a person who spoke French and another was a different language. I was actually able to help the other and give directions to the Opera House. The third person I just gave my extra map to.

 Oh, being in Paris on a Sat. in the summer I saw 6 bride and grooms having their pictures taken at places like the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. It was a pretty sight. I'm now getting ready to pack up and head to a farewell dinner where for once we get to choose our own meal. Some others mentioned getting snails and frog legs. That won't be me! I think we're also going to go see the Eiffel Tower at night. We will all say goodbye after dinner as everyone has different plans after tomorrow. Some are staying in Paris, others heading back to London, others continue on traveling for a couple more months and then others will be heading to the airport home.

Oh, after I wrote that I wasn't sick I woke up the next day sick. I've had a wicked sore throat, cough in my chest, and swollen glands. Painful but I haven't let me slow it down. After tonight I'll be ready to head home and sleep in my quiet wonderful bed in silence in my beautiful home. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lovely.

The Cabaret- La Nouvelle Eve

Notre Dame Cathedral- Famous Gargoyle statues

My lucky 5 Euros I found.

Eiffel Tower

Part of the Louvre

Little flower girl.

One of many bridal couples that could be seen all over the city.

I've got the Eiffel Tower in the palm of my hand. ;)

French Riveria and French Men

Today was a long driving day. I forgot to mention that we are a bus full of sickies. A virus has been spreading since we started and now it is a bus full of people coughing and hacking. I believe my roommate was Patient 0. For once I've managed to stay away from the worst of it.

We traveled the Napolean route to Grenoble through the French Riveria area and stopped in a canyon village in the Verdon Gorges. It was in the valley of the Alps and was incredibly quaint and picturesque. I could have stayed there for a week. I wanted to white water raft there, but not enough time.  Finally houses were decorated with different colored shutters and shops were decorated so creatively.

Traveling through the winding country created stunning images and France is the nicest smelling country except for Switzerland. The wash rooms were free yet they were the grossest so far. One was a hole in the ground with no toilet paper or water to wash hands and it reeked of urine and had flies all over. Our mean tour director doesn't let us use the bus toilet. She and the bus driver are down to 5 euros each for tip because he's been a creepy Italian and she's been a beepppppp. Other than them most everyone else on the tour has been great. People from all over the world, all different ages, and all different careers and life styles. It's been swell getting to know them.

 On the men front I've been quite disappointed in the lack of attractive men in each country until we hit France. I've seen lots of cute men once we hit France. At our dinner tonight we had a group of 12 Men near us who were looking our way. Ooo la lah. The weather has held up and was warm and beautiful the past few days. A storm just kicked up with thunder and lighting now but it's like 80 degrees out still. Perhaps it will keep up all night and drown out my roommates snoring! One can only hope. Well tomorrow I head into the final leg of my journey. I head to Paris in the morning and will attend an original Paris Caberet tomorrow night. Should prove entertaining from what I've been told. Then Sat. there will be a guided city tour in Paris including the Eiffel Tower, I'll walk around during the afternoon taking in the sites (and hopefully find my way to the Louve as I'm opting out of the extra excursion to the Palace of Versailles) then we are celebrating our last night with a farewell dinner.

Village of Castillin, France

Grossist toilet yet! Just picture how one uses it as a female...

Countryside of France

More countryside.

The Life of the Rich and Famous

Hmmm...where did I leave off. We went to Florance and visited the sites. There is this really neat bridge that is the oldest in the city and has arches and houses and shops built on it. It's hard to explain without a picture. I skipped the leather making demo and walked around for a few hours. I came across this huge old palazzo where all of these esentric artist were selling their paintings. I almost splurged and bought a painting from an old guy artist with an eye patch but it would have required me to find a bank and take more money out. I may regret it but I have a hard time making decisions quickly- I'm fickle.

 The included dinners have stunk... Choices veal or fish. Gross! Good thing I've had those 5 course meals to hold me over. Did I tell you my trick for saving money and not buying lunch? The ladies I met in London taught me... you make a sandwich and take some fruit from breakfast, wrap it in a napkin and throw it in your handbag. I've converted half of my tour group to this method. :) I'm a total tread setter!

 Yesterday we visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It really is leaning! It looks better in person meaning prettier. We headed up the Mediterian coast and went through 164.5 tunnels into France. About half of the time through while in a tunnel my friend Kelly from Canada who is on her honeymoon started shouting for help. We quickly discovered her husband was experiencing a grand mal seizure but he is healthy with no health problems so this came as a shock plus we were in a tunnel and couldn't pull over. Thank goodness for the 3 nurses we have in our tour group. We made it to an exit and the ambulance came right away. I can't imagine being Kelly who had to jump into an ambulance in a foreign country and head to a hospital to have her husband treated without knowing how to speak Italian. We later heard that Tom is doing okay but has to be in the hospital for a week. I'm sad for them but grateful that he is okay.

 We  moved on to Menton where we stayed last night though we spent most of the night in Monte Carlo with the rich and famous. My friend Debbie swears we were sitting across from Brian McNight at a cafe! Debbie and I joined our gambling money together- 2.50 euros each for the minimum 5 euro bet. We played the Sex and the City slot machine and won 12.90 euro so we stopped, cashed out, gave each other back our original money plus 1.50 each (so we were sure to come out on top) then went back with our remaining 5 euros and lost it all in 90 sec. on the Star Wars slot machine! We then took our winnings and went out in front the high roller Casino and made fun off the rich people and how horribly dressed they were but thought they were hot stuff. We had quite a few laughs.

 Of course I haven't mentioned much about the roommate but last night was a testament to my patience. I undoubtably get the aggressive alcoholic roommate who has no less then 5 drinks a night, is nasty and uncompromising when we get back to the hotel, then passes out, snores all night, and acts like nothing happened the next day which is most likely because she doesn't remember. She tries to hang out and follow me around when we are visiting cities but I've finally told her I need alone time and walk around on my own. I am not a babysitter or therapist on my vacation.  My patience is running thin though and she may soon feel the wrath of Casey!

 On to Nice and Grenoble today.

Island of Capri

Florence- one of the paintings I almost purchased-center one

One eyed artist-loved all of his work- was mixed media

Famous original bridge in Florence- it has shops and houses on it.

Me holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa- boy that's tough work!

Menton

Me next to the Prince of Monaco's palace.

The Principality of Monaco.

Famous Monte Carlo High Roller Casino.

What day is it?

The days are whipping by fast. After Venice we headed to Assisi which is a small city on the side of a high hill. It was built in the middle ages and still looks perfect. It's very quaint, lovely and romantic. Then we headed to Rome. Ah Roma as the people call it- this city is a mixture of old and new and is also a bit crowded, smelly and trash all over. However, once you look down and find yourself standing on two thousand year old cobblestone and roads you become speechless.

 My favorite spots were the Coloseum, the Roman Forum, and the Catacombs. The Catacombs are a cemetery built underground as the land above was needed for the living. The catacombs are 100 ft deep, 10 miles long, and 4 levels. They even created maps back them so family members could visit their loved ones graves underground.

 I had a traditional Roman meal which was 5 courses and yes I mean 5! We even received roses. :) I also threw coins in the Trevi fountain. You can throw 3 coins, the first is a wish that you will come back to Rome, the second is a personal wish and the third is optional and is that you will meet a significant other and get married or you will get a divorce. Guess how many coins I threw? Sorry but I'm not going to tell you!

 Following Rome we went on to Pompeii where we visited the excavated city that was demolished in 79AD due to a volcanic eruption that decimated the city while preserving everything with it's 25ft. of volcanic ash. We saw temples, wine shops, chariot tracks, roads, the theater, houses, colorful frescos on the walls, mosaic floors, and preserved bodies. It's amazing to realize that people thought and developed the same way as us today. They even had a "red light district" represented by symbols of penises carved in the walls. There was even a penis carved into the road and we were told it brings good luck if you step on it. So of course I stepped in it! Im racking in the good luck.

 In Pompeii I also witnessed the gypsies at work. They tend to get people's attention and crowds gather while other gypsies are around and steal/pick pocket during this time.

 We then move on to Sorrento a small 20,000 person seaside city that is known for it's lemons and everything made with lemons. We had a 5 course Italian meal last night with free flowing drinks. Our group got pretty rowdy. Man Aussie's and New Zealanders know how to drink!

Then today we spent the day in Capri. It was dissappointing in that it was our first bad weather day in what was suppose to be the warmest place. Capri is an Island with a city built on the side cliffs. It's known for its famous blue grotto. We became familiar with the buses and the tram. The roads were big enough for one vehicle but they fit two and on one side you didn't want to look down- we were about
2 ft from going off the cliff. Even the local old ladies were doing the sign of the cross on the bends in the road! It was quite fun. Well I'm off to dinner and then sightseeing. The shops here close at noon and reopen at 5pm until late late. Tomorrow is an early day which will bring us to Florence.

The Mighty Colosseum.

From this picture you can see the all of the tunnels were gladiators, slaves, and animals were kept until the games started. At the far end you can see a restoration of the wood floor that was built over the tunnels that the performance would be on.

Did you know that most of these old historic buildings did not fall down due to weather over the years (some of it is because of that) but the Pope would take the marble and materials off of these buildings and use them to build glorious churches. hmmmm....think of that that next time you are in one of the amazing beautiful churches in Europe.

The Forum.

These were just laying around the Forum and people would be sitting on them. I just couldn't do that. Seemed sacrilegious or something.

My feet standing on stone roads built over 2,000 years ago.

My only picture of the Catacombe because you couldn't take pictures inside.

Pompeii- can you see what I'm standing on?

Pompeii- roads built before 79AD. See the chariot tracks and the large stones in the road at intersections were for pedestrians to cross the roads on.

The preserved body of a 13-14 year old Roman girl who was pregnant. Preserved by the volcanic ash which hardens into like a cement over the body.

Check out the size of these lemons! Southern Italy is known for it's large lemons and anything made with lemons. Lemon cake, lemonade, lemon liquor, lemon gelato and so on.

Sorrento, the city by the Sea.

Part of my 5 course Italian meal. Cheese pizza with basil.

Two different kinds of pasta.

Other Stories from Europe

So in our hotel room in Venice I came across my first bidet. It looks like a seperate toilet/sink. It's quite interesting to try and figure out how it works since they give you soap but no washcloth. Then next to the sink is this weird vacuum hose thing which my roommate and I originally thought was a strange foreign hair dryer but quickly came to the conclusion that it was a bum dryer after you use the bidet! No one else on our tour realized this and kept saying they had hair dryers in their room so we told them what it really was- those of them who had attempted to use it to blow dry their hair that morning held steadfast that it wasn't a bum dryer because the thought that they had used it to dry their hair was to much! :). I used the bidet to wash my feet one day and it worked quit nicely because it was low to the ground.

 Oh, I forgot to mention something very important- my hair LOVES Europe. For once in my life it's been behaving wonderfully. Not sure why but who am I to question the hair Gods. I also can't remember if I mentioned it before but on my tour I met a very nice couple that is from Rochester- Victor to be exact. Isn't it a small world? People on my tour are from all over and yet on my specific tour is a couple from Rochester. Crazy!

This one looked more like a foot washer.

This one was for sure a bidet.

Just wanted to show you how they work. :)

See does that look like a blow dryer to you. No way. It's a bum dryer!

"Madam Please I'm Not a Dog"

You'll find out why I titled this blog like I did if you read the entire blog. :)

 So the last few times I've written I realized I forgot to mention some things- mostly because we are all sleep deprived. We've had really long days, up at 5:30am and to bed around midnight. The hotel accommodations have varied from nice to ewww. This hotel is pretty good. So on to things you should know:
1. If you come to Europe be prepared to pay to use any public toilet whatsoever including gas stations or rest stops. Anywhere from .30-1.50 euros which is about .50-2.00 American. It's ridiculous! oh, and the toilets are gross!
2. Hotels don't have washcloths- you have to supply your own.
3. Hotels don't provide you with Kleenex or conditioner and sometimes you don't get a hair dryer.
4. I was excited for Swiss chocolate in Lucerne the day before last. Out of all of the tons of chocolate choices I thought I picked a milk chocolate bar with peanuts and was extremely disappointed to find out that it was dark chocolate, no peanuts and more of the dry cocoa taste. Again 2nd error caused by language barrier!
5. More new words from my travel buddies from New England, Aussie, England, and Canada: I've got the shits- which means your annoyed and angry, cop a squat which means I've got to take a pee right now, losing my marbles, posh and bloody.
6. Everyone is trying to hook me up with a man because they can't believe I'm single. In London the two ladies I hung out with- one of them wanted to hook me up with her son who is 30 and lives in Michigan. Apparently in Amsterdam a creeping weirdo was following me and I was oblivious so at least Kelly noticed and saved me. Then I got hit on in Lucerne in the hotel elevator by a 50 year old Italian man who called me Bella and wanted to know where I was from. My creeper beeper went off on that one.

There was a big thunderstorm that swept through and shook the hotel early morning bringing rain. However we continue on our lucky streak of sunny and warm weather. I'm getting quite the tan! Today was the eagerly anticipated Gondola ride in the canals of Venice. We were seranaded by an accordion player and a fat Italian opera male singer. What they don't portray correctly in the movies is that in a city built over/in a swamp where does all of the sewer go? We still aren't completely sure but we know some goes into the canal water hence spots strongly smelling of fecal matter. Not quite as romantic as one would expect but still a very cool experience. Plus the movies show hot Gondola drivers when in fact we only saw two out of hundreds that was handsome and it wasn't ours. Hence we come to the story behind the title of this post. Emma and I saw a cute gondola driver steering people around, she whistled at him but had food in her hands so when he looked over I was the one that waved. He then proceeded to holler out to me "Madam please I'm not a dog!" Next time a man whistles at me I'm using that line except inserting "sir".  :)

Following the Gondola ride I spent the day wandering around Venice getting lost because that is apparently what you do in Venice! And yes I got lost but not for long. I also had yet another gelato. It's becoming a daily habit... Tomorrow we head out very early for Assisi and then on to Rome by late evening where we will all be having a dinner and a tour of the treasures of Rome by night which includes the throwing of three coins over your left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain. Stay tuned for more adventures!

Gondola ride in Venice.

Beautiful Assisi!

Famous Trevi fountain. Romantic Comedy "When in Rome" was based off of the Trevi fountain.

One of my wishes.

This photo was taken in a palazzo at night. A lot of these performers can be found all over and this was a really wonderful moment where this little boy couldn't tell if this was a real person or not. He kept inches closing like he wanted to find the courage to touch the man to see if he really was real.

Dinner in Rome. All of the women received roses at the end of dinner.