Going to Paris is always great because it is one of our favorite cities. During the summer though some of the restaurants are closed it’s a big vacation time for Parisians. One positive thing about summers in Paris is that it is not as busy as the wintertime.
This trip to Paris was extraordinary because we were meeting our good friends Adrian and Irene. They live in London which is a hop skip and a jump away from France. They’ve been to Paris many times which was good because that meant we had excellent tour guides.
They took us for a ride on the Metro to see other parts of the city. The first place they took us to was the Centre Pompidou we didn’t go inside, but the outside was strange. There are hundreds of pipes lining the entire exterior of the building.
We visited some of our favorite sites for the second time which was great. We spent half the day at the Louvre Museum which was not enough time. It is a huge museum.
One thing interesting that we saw at nighttime was a lot of young couples and groups of friends meet on the Seine river and play music or just have a bottle of wine. They look happy and are freely having a good time.
Eiffel TowerMaria & JohnCool boat on the Seine RiverMaria & John at the Arc de TriompheOur good friends Adrian & Irene at the Arc de TriompheNotre-Dame de ParisCentre Georges PompidouCentre Georges PompidouThe Roue de ParisThe Roue de ParisEiffel TowerEiffel Tower at Night with a blue background
The mascarons, stone masks on the Pont Neuf BridgeThe mascarons, stone masks on the Pont Neuf BridgeThe mascarons, stone masks on the Pont Neuf BridgeThe mascarons, stone masks on the Pont Neuf Bridge
Today we left Florence and rode the train to Rome. Once again an enjoyable train ride full of beautiful scenery the only difference is that this time we got on the correct car thank goodness. We checked into our hotel The Excelsior was opened in 1906. The hotel is located in a great spot, and the building’s architecture is beautiful we were lucky enough to have a corner suite.
After settling in, we did what we usually do take a quick walk around the city to get familiar with it. After a few hours of walking around, we decided to get back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
The next day we were happy to walk around and get familiar with this great city. The first thing we did was walk to the Trevi Fountain. It truly is amazing. I can’t believe that the water just continuously runs and never ends. The fountain is breathtaking it’s a must see in person.
We visited Vatican City. From the outside to the inside it was fabulous. We even saw the window that the pope addresses the people in the square. Another cool thing that was there was the Swiss guards outside of the Vatican. Their outfits are cool mostly because I love anything with stripes.
The next stop on our walking tour was the Colosseum. Once again a jaw-dropping experience. This building was truly something spectacular we saw where they kept the animals and where the spectators sat.
We also love the Pantheon. The great thing is that there are a few restaurants in that square so every day we would have lunch with our relatives facing the Pantheon. It was the best view you could have while eating Italian food. There’s nothing like spending some time eating and catching up with family luckily we have relatives who live in Rome, and we ate lunch and dinner with them almost every day.
The Trevi FountainThe Trevi FountainExcelsior HotelOur suite in the Excelsior HotelMaria & John at The VaticanSwiss Guards outside of the VaticanMaria & John at The ColosseumThe inside of the ColosseumThe inside of the ColosseumThe inside of the ColosseumThe inside of the ColosseumThe PantheonThe PantheonMaria & John – with our aunt who lives in Rome GiovaninaJohn with our cousins who live in Rome Gloria, Laura & Alessandra
The train ride from Venice to Florence, Italy began on a bad foot. Remember all the luggage I told you we had well we didn’t realize that the tickets had assigned seats, so our seats were in car 6, and we got on car 1. John had to carry one bag at a time to get them to car 6 while I stayed with the luggage on car 1 . After a stressful beginning, we were looking forward to the scenery for the remaining six-hour ride. I loved riding the train; it reminded of being in Greece. When I was younger, that’s how we traveled from Athens to my mom’s town Kalo Nero, Kyparissia.
We checked into the Four Seasons Hotel, and after getting settled in, we decided to take a walk to get familiar with the city. We had dinner plans at Enoteca Pinchiorri which was a very impressive restaurant. We had a packed schedule for the next day, so we made it an early night.
The next morning we started on our walking tour of the city, and the first stop was the breathtaking Il Duomo di Firenze. Pictures do not do it justice! After taking a million pictures, we then moved onto The Ponte Vecchio which is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River.
We then decided to start the museum tours we visited the Uffizi Gallery which was nice and then we visited the Galleria dell Accademia to see Michelangelo sculptures, including the impressive statue of The David.
Maria & JohnPonte VecchioLocks by The Ponte Vecchio BridgeUffizi GalleryUffizi GalleryUffizi GalleryUffizi GalleryMichelangelo’s Statue The DavidVending machine that sells thong panties
Today we have to travel once again from Paris to Venice, Italy. I have to say flying from France to Italy was, of course, annoying because I pack like I’m never coming home and the extra weight is expensive, but it is what it is. We finally arrive in Venice, and this lovely wooden boat picked us up and took us to our beautiful hotel Luna Baglioni. This hotel was fantastic it’s very European. The room was decorated so beautifully, and the key had a tassel attached to it that you hand to the front desk coming in and out of the hotel it was something really cool which I had never experienced before.
To this day the shower in that hotel has been the best John, and I have ever experienced. It was unbelievable it was like a monsoon rain shower, and we both loved it.
That night and the next day we just spent a lot of time walking around and shopping, and we went to St. Mark’s square and walked through Saint Mark’s Basilica.  Beautiful inside and out and the original Horses of Saint Mark were inside. There is one thing we learned, and that is that the best thing to do is get lost in Venice. We took a very entertaining gondola ride.
One day we took a boat ride to the Murano hand-blown glass factory and purchased a gorgeous chandelier.
All good things must come to an end after being in Venice for two days we took our water taxi back to the had to the train station to get to Florence which I heard is also amazing.
Rialto BridgeGondola parkingGondola trafficWindow shopping by gondolaJohn in the water taxiMaria in the water taxiSanta Maria della SaluteInside of Luna BaglioniLuna Baglioni hotel key on a tassel keychainSaint Mark’s BasilicaInside of Saint Mark’s BasilicaStaircase inside of Saint Mark’s BasilicaHorses of Saint MarkHand made mask we purchasedHand made mask we purchasedHand made mask we purchased held by the man who makes them
Today we arrived in Paris from an unbelievable trip to Cairo, Egypt. Click on the link to read the crazy trip. I was so happy to be in Paris for two reasons, the first being safety from the craziness that we were involved in the past 72 hours and the second reason is….I’m in Paris!!!!!! Need I say more. I love Paris I’ve always wanted to visit. It’s the city of love, and I fell in love the second my feet touched down.
Paris is something else the architecture, the food, the language it’s unique and special. We didn’t pack for a grand European vacation, but I will make do with what I have.
Today we decided to walk around and take in all the beautiful buildings and visit a few museums. There is no way you can ever say you’re bored while in Paris.
Tonight we had tickets to Moulin Rouge that included dinner, unfortunately, John and I both got deathly ill from either at lunch or the dinner at the show but either way, it wasn’t the way we wanted to spend two days, sick in bed!
Our next stop is Venice, Italy. I’ve heard a lot about Venice both good and bad, so I don’t know what to expect.
L’Hôtel national des InvalidesRoue de ParisNotre-Dame de ParisNotre-Dame de ParisInside of Notre-Dame de ParisInside of Notre-Dame de ParisInside of Notre-Dame de ParisInside of Notre-Dame de ParisLocal restaurantA cool building by the hotelMoulin RougeJohn having lunch on Champs ElyseesMaria having lunch on Champs ElyseesGiant Thumb
Flying to Greece to visit my godmother, Roula, and godbrother, Basili. It is exciting; I haven’t seen them since September 2000 I was looking forward to a great reunion.
Maria – with My God Brother Vasili & My God Mother Roula
John has heard so many stories about them but has never met them. Unfortunately, my lovely Godfather Evangelos passed away a few years ago he was an unbelievable person. He was Greek but was born in Egypt, and he spoke nine different languages. He had so many great stories enough to last a lifetime.
We flew into Athens two days before we were supposed to board the cruise ship for our 18-day voyage.  Our itinerary was from Athens, Greece to Dubai, UAE.  This was the first time I was going to be on a cruise which made me nervous and excited. I wasn’t sure how I would do with the rocking of the boat at night so wish me luck. The next day we had a private tour of the city.  I had seen all the monuments already, but I thought it would have been a good idea to hire a guide to explain things better especially dates and facts.
The first place we visited was the Acropolis sitting high above the city. You can’t miss this archeological site. It is truly spectacular to see it in person. I just can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to erect these structures. We primarily spent most of the time at the Acropolis and at the museum there is so much to see.  I have posted some pictures of the main monuments that we saw at the Acropolis such as The Parthenon, Temple of Hephaestus, the Erechtheion, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus & the Theatre of Dionysus.
When I was younger, you were able to walk up to the Parthenon and touch it, but over the years people were destroying the structures with graffiti, so they have all of the monuments roped off.
We also had a chance to visit Syntagma Square it was right by our hotel when we first arrived in Athens it was at night, so John didn’t get a chance to see the soldiers guarding the building, so we made sure he saw that. After the tour, we decided to meet my godmother and godbrother for dinner at one of the local restaurants that Roula loved.
The one disappointing thing was that we were staying at Hotel Bretagne and that is right next to the Parliament building, and at night there was a lot of protesting going on. Â The people were breaking off marble from the surrounding buildings and throwing them at the presidents home.
Temple of HephaestusErechtheionOdeon of Herodes AtticusTheatre of DionysusPhoto courtesy of Greek GatewayPhoto courtesy of Greek GatewayPhoto courtesy of Greek GatewayRiot Police
On our tour I think I was the only person who was Greek, so I was able to communicate with the tour guide in Greek which was pretty cool.
Our first stop was at Kourion where we had a chance to see the Greco-Roman theater formerly used to host gladiator tournaments and the House of Eustolios, with well-preserved mosaics and baths.
Our next stop on tour was the rock which is the birthplace of Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love, in Petra Tou Romiou and hear of ancient Greek legends. There is a picture of it below.
Next stop on the tour we visited the small harbor town of Pafos (Paphos) which is part of UNESCO. While in Pafos we visited the House of Dionysos which was from the 3rd century AD which is famous for the unique mosaic floors that look pristine. I found to be the most impressive stop throughout the entire day. The mosaics are considered to be the finest in all the Mediterranean.
