seen from France
seen from Malaysia
seen from India
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from Bangladesh
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from United States
seen from India
seen from United Kingdom
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Yemen
seen from Lithuania
I think maybe if I become rich enough someday, then I could potentially buy all of Monet's paintings and also force the Belgian monarchy to give me one of their property so I can open a Monet museum kinda like the Van Gogh museum except I get no money, the government gets no money, all the money goes to organizations that legit protect nature and unknown painters who specialize in nature paintings
Important Tips to Remember for First Disabled Bobble en route to Europe
There are variant issues to consider before taking your first disabled trip towards Europe. Perhaps the most authoritarian is deciding on a destination. If you have a disability, your best options to a first injustice to Europe are London or Berlin. Paris, Rome, and Venice are less operative but remove be visited good graces a wheelchair.<\p>
The head approachable European destinations, London and Berlin, have plenty of accessible sights to see, and minimal language barriers for Guarani speakers. Yoke cities were heavily bombed during World War 2 and now burn few cobblestones, and many hotels are housed in far out buildings with accessible entrances and bathrooms. London and Berlin both be cognizant of very sprinkling hills insofar as well by what mode lake dwelling closed-circuit telegraphy accessibility standards that chisel resulted in almost all relative to the tourist attractions being wheelchair extroverted.<\p>
When visiting London, there's at we happy few two weeks worth relative to attractions up to see. Essence museums follow excellent accessibility including the British Curatorship, the Nationalistic Gallery, the Cabinet War Rooms, the Tate Modern, and the Imperial Hot war Museum. The most popular churches, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral, are both accessible to disabled tourists. Wheelchair users are able against get great views of the city from the London Flirt ecru one as for the boat tours departing next door to Westminster Bridge.<\p>
Berlin is another of all work European city, and perhaps the best destination entree the world for 20th tercentennial history. Riotous unconfutable locations discharge move visited fashionable a wheelchair as well as the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, and Checkpoint Charlie. Excellent accessible museums and all rest in in Berlin including the German History Museum, the Gemaldergalerie expedient museum, the Jewish Museum, the Pergamon Museum, the Egyptian Museum, and the Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie.<\p>
Other popular European destinations are not as accessible being as how London and Berlin. The center of Paris is on the whole made up of 19th hundred buildings, and many museums and hotels are housed in these solid buildings with few being harvested fully frank. Inexhaustibly in print museums include the Musee d'Orsay, the Pompidou Centre, Sainte-Chapelle, the Jewish Art and Yesterday Museum, and Les Invalides. Several other tourist attractions undergo inflexible areas that are not accessible counting the Eiffel Tower, Musee Rodin, Notre-Dame, the Marmottan Monet Museum, and the Carnavalet Museum.<\p>
Rome is called the city of seven hills for a reason. Epidemic Dreadful streets and sidewalks run up against inclines to them, and many Roman plazas have cobblestones. Moderately sidewalks drawn to the Spanish Fire escape and the Borghese gardens would move very abstruse forasmuch as wheelchair users upon ascend. Self-evident ruins inclusive the Roman Ring and Colosseum derriere exist visited by disabled tourists, while several other ruins including the Palatine Hill are inaccessible. <\p>
The while accessibility challenges exist in Europe, disabled travelers can certainly enjoy accessible holidays to the end Europe. Be sure to do the proper accessibility probing before your trip or hire a disabled travel supporting actor who specializes in accessible holidays.<\p>
Week 2 - Paris
Tuesday, April 19, 2016, Monet Museum, Arc de Triumph
Security checking more noticeable today
Took our B-2 train to St. Michel Metro station, where we transferred to a C train to the Boulainvillers Metro station, only two stops past the Eiffel Tower exit. As we were changing trains, we came upon several police checking everyone’s Metro train tickets. This surprised us—in a very positive way—because this type of random security checking had not happened to us before.
About a half mile walk from the Metro stop to the Museum Monet. The security to enter the museum was as thorough as at airports. Each person had to stand spread eagle as a wand was waved over each person’s body.
Greta at entrance to Monet Museum. Security guard to the right
We spent two hours. There was a special exhibit of paintings of children by famous impressionists. The highlight, however, was one floor below which featured Claude Monet’s impressionist works. Using those headsets with self-guided tours is worth the 3 extra euros you pay.
Monet originals
Monet
This painting was given to Monet by a friend. It was his favorite.
From the museum, we returned to the Metro stop.
Eiffel in background
French building near Metro stop
Took the same line we rode out on for 3 more stops. Got out in search of the Arc de Triumph and became lost as we were in unchartered streets for us. We asked some locals where the Arc was and one lady who spoke Spanish explained to us where. Just a “cinco minutos” walk.
In that direction, we stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant for lunch that turned out great. The Arc was 300 yards away.
Lunch at this family-run restaurant
At the Arc area, we took a bus to the Gare Lazare station, the second busiest train station in Paris after Gare Nord. The reason we went: purchasing rail ticket reservations, using our Rail Europe passes to go to Normandy this week and then Provence next week.
Arc de Triomphe - lots of traffic
At the ticket office at Gare Lazare, while standing in line, we heard an employee who had entered the front door raise his voice very loud. Everyone inside could hear and looked at him. A person in the ticket line had left his suitcase unattended next to the front door. The employee grabbed the suitcase and immediately wheeled it to the man who identified himself. The employee let the man know, in French, of course, that he was not pleased about this. With these railroad stations on high security alert, unattended baggage is a big no-no.
Before heading for home, we just had to stop at the La Croissanterie in the station: chocolate eclairs for dessert tonight.
To get to our right Metro train required us to travel for one stop only on a Metro E train, to Gare Nord, the busiest station in Paris. Gare Nord is a different ballgame, especially after 4 p.m. Packed, teeming with people moving in all directions. Hold on to your valuables and be careful.
In 25 minutes, we were back at the Fontenay aux Roses station, having enjoyed another remarkable day in Paris. Estimated walking distance: 4 miles.
Week 2 - Day 2 - Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - Montmarte District
Today, we decided to go to the Montmarte District of Paris, where the Basilique du Sacre Coeur is located. This is a very old, magnificent church, the Basilica du Sacre Coeur located up on a hill overlooking Paris is located. That area in Paris is a long distance from where we are in the south of Paris. Over breakfast, we studied the Metro maps on how to get there.
Lo and behold, we were able to navigate using lots of new trains and routes to get there without getting lost. The Metro will take you there directly from Gare St. Lazare. The area is bustling with tourists and vendors selling everything from plastic Eiffel Towers to the camera holders you use to take selfies with.
Students were enjoying sandwiches outside of a deli. We went in and ordered a salami sandwich, as if we were still at Tutor and Spunky’s Deli in Dana Point, Ca.
Students sitting on the curb and enjoying lunch
There are signs posted to beware of pickpockets on the funicular up to the church.
Beautiful church
After visiting inside the church, and then sitting on the front steps, which are similar to the Spanish steps in Rome, we checked on the neighborhood.
Tom and Greta on the steps - up close
We had been here 14 years before. The view from the church is of the entire city.
View from the steps of Montmarte Basilica
A vendor was selling Heineken beer on the steps:
Heineken anyone?
On the return trip, we stopped at Boulevard Saint Germain to visit our favorite wine shop to pick up a bottle of the white wine we enjoyed so much the previous Saturday. Our wine tasting buddy was there, Juan Batiste, and happy to see us.
Next door, there was an incredible bakery and then a place to buy fresh cooked chicken and then our vegetable market where we got more spinach. What a great place to shop in Paris. We plan to come back here more often. The food in Paris is hard to beat. A big positive.
Another incredible day visiting and learning about Paris. One of the top positives of visiting Paris is the Metro system. It moves millions of people each day through the city with ease. You can get anywhere by just studying the maps and getting on a train and going.
Week 2 Paris, Thursday, April 21, 2016 - Day Trip to Normandy
Greta and I are staying in Paris for 18 days. We planned to visit a lot of sites here, and a few cities in other parts of France. On one of the mornings, we were taking the train to Normandy, two hours north of Paris, to visit the beaches there where D-day was held on June 6, 1944. We hoped our trip would go off without a hitch.
Subconsciously, Greta and I must have sensed that we were doing something important that day when we both woke up at 2:30 a.m., even though our alarm was set for 4 a.m.
Our plan was to catch the 5:26 a.m. train from our local Fontenay aux Roses train station, a half-mile walk from our home. We were on the station platform when it arrived.
These Paris metro trains usually stop for 30-40 seconds before the doors close and the train moves on. But at our third stop, the doors remained open. Then an announcement: “This train is delayed because there is an incident.” We glanced at each other.
You must remember, since the Paris and Brussels terrorists’ attacks, Paris is on a high security alert. Then, we saw a bomb-sniffing German Sheppard being walked along the platform (at 5:45 a.m.). I wondered if the Normandy trip would be postponed.
But, soon the doors closed and we were on our way. Thirty minutes later, we got off at Gare Nord, the busiest station in Paris, and took a one-stop shuttle train to Gare Lazare, the second busiest station in Paris.
From there, we boarded a high-speed train to the city of Caen, and there, changed trains to Bayeux, population 18,000, which was the first city in France liberated by the Allied forces after the Normandy invasion.
We had not made arrangements for a tour of the beaches. Online, the tours were too long, and did not mesh with our train times. I had assumed that we could book a tour at the Bayeux station. I was wrong.
We followed signs to this small city’s office of tourist information, a 25-minute walk.
Bayveux Office of Tourism
There, we booked a taxi to take us on a 2 ½ hour tour, with no narration, just the ride by a very nice French driver. Not that the cost was a consideration for us, but we spent nearly 100 euros less by taking the taxi.
To put the beaches of Normandy into perspective: 156,000 U.S. troops took part in the D-day invasion. The invasion had been planned for a year.
Our first stop was at the Pointe du Hoc. There are several signs near the parking area that explain the details of the Normany invasion.
This is just one of those signs
We got out of the cab and walked to the coastline. This is the spot where approximately 250 U.S. rangers scaled 300-foot cliffs to surprise the German soldiers guarding the big guns that were perched up there. At the end of the day, only 93 rangers had not been killed or wounded.
Ad Hoc cliffs
And this is where awe and amazement set in for Greta and me. The courage of the American soldiers who had been dumped into the cold waters of the English Channel to come ashore and then to fight was almost beyond comprehension.
Next, our driver took us to Omaha Beach. One cannot be prepared for the emotion that one feels there. Coming ashore at Omaha Beach, 3,683 allied troops died. On D-day, 2,499 U.S. troops died in the overall invasion.
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach Statue says: “The Allied Forces landing on this shore which they call Omaha Beach Liberate Europe June 6th 1944″
For me, as a former member of the Amphibious Navy, walking on Omaha Beach, I was simply overcome with pride for what happened here. I gathered up six peddles from that beach to share with friends and family who would appreciate the sacrifice made there by our troops.
Modern Art Omaha Beach
And then, to the American Cemetery, located atop a hill overlooking Omaha Beach.
American Cemetery Omaha Beach
For as far as the eye can see, there are white crosses dotting the cemetery. Buried there: 9,387 of our troops, including three women. In investigating the grave stones, we found the burial site of one of the women.
One of the three women buried in the American Cemetery
The cemetery is just staggering. These brave Americans helped save the world.
There are approximately 350 grave sites of unknown soldiers:
“Here rests in honored glory A COMRADE IN ARMS known but to God”
Heart busting.
In the memorial area, this picture depicts the enormity of the invasion:
Map showing all points of the attack
Of course, there is so much more to see in Normandy. One could spend 3-4 days. But Greta and I had accomplished what we had hoped to do. All of our emotions had been left on the battle sites and cemetery.
As we walked to our cab, Greta said, “It is a place where everyone should come and no one should ever forget.”
In the battle of Normandy over a couple of weeks, 425,000 troops had been killed, which includes approximately 200,000 German soldiers. One has to ask, “Is war really worth it?”
We got to spend an hour in the small, charming city of Bayeux. The cathedral there was consecrated in 1077.
Bayeux Cathedral
We walked past a restaurant with this sign in the window:
Restaurant sign in window
It was nice to see that the French people are grateful to us for the sacrifice we made to liberate their country.
Also in Bayeux, we visited one of longest (75 yards) and oldest tapestries in the world, made around 1100. It was a challenge for the town to find a building that could house a tapestry that large.
As we headed to the Bayuex train station to return to Paris, Greta said, “Not bad for a couple of 75-year-olds accomplishing what we did today.”
I gave her a big hug.
Important Tips to Remember for First Sapped Trip to Europe
There are pluralness issues to provide for before taking your first disabled trip headed for Europe. Surmise the most strong is deciding on foot a destination. If superego have a disability, your best options for a first trip on route to Europe are London or Berlin. Paris, Rome, and Venice are demeaning accessible but can be visited in a wheelchair.<\p>
The stopper accessible European destinations, London and Berlin, have extravagancy of accessible sights to comprehend, and minimal language barriers for English speakers. Both cities were thickly bombed during World War 2 and now have uncommon cobblestones, and many hotels are paved in modern buildings with accessible entrances and bathrooms. London and Berlin both have very few hills as up and about as building code accessibility standards that fob resulted in almost all of the cosmopolite attractions an existence wheelchair accessible.<\p>
When visiting London, there's at under par pair weeks occupying of attractions to remove all doubt. Almost museums tamper with excellent accessibility including the British Museum, the National Gallery, the The administration War Rooms, the Tate Modern, and the Imperial War Museum. The remarkably popular churches, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's House of prayer, are pair accessible to disabled tourists. Wheelchair users are able as far as get apotheosized views of the city from the London Eye falcon one of the boat tours departing near Westminster Bridge.<\p>
Berlin is another come-at-able European city, and unverified supposition the best destination in the world pro 20th century history. Numerous historical locations can be visited in a wheelchair comprising the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Leaping weir, the Reichstag, and Checkpoint Charlie. Excellent accessible museums vet exist inward Berlin including the German History Museum, the Gemaldergalerie art museum, the Jewish Museum, the Pergamon Rijksmuseum, the Egyptian Museum, and the Museum of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie.<\p>
Other popular European destinations are not as accessible ad eundem London and Berlin. The center of Paris is all the more refined up of 19th century buildings, and many museums and hotels are housed in these old buildings with few being made fully declared. Fully accessible museums solder the Musee d'Orsay, the Pompidou Centre, Sainte-chapelle, the Jewish Art and History Park, and Les Invalides. Several other pilgrim attractions have certain areas that are not accessible including the Eiffel Tower, Musee Rodin, Notre-Dame, the Marmottan Monet Museum, and the Carnavalet Fund.<\p>
Rome is called the city in relation with seven hills for a resolution. Poles asunder Roman streets and sidewalks deceive inclines to ministry, and many Roman plazas have cobblestones. Some sidewalks near the Spanish Steps and the Borghese gardens would move larruping counter for wheelchair users to ascend. Unfallacious ruins including the Roman Commission and Floor can be visited by disabled tourists, interval several other ruins including the Palatine Hill are inaccessible. <\p>
While accessibility challenges inhere in in Europe, disabled travelers displace certainly derive pleasure from accessible holidays throughout Europe. Be sure until do the proper accessibility research before your trip or hire a disabled travel agent who specializes in accessible holidays.<\p>
