And suddenly we were in Rome, stumbling through the ancient ruins like the subjects of some awful experiment on sleep deprivation. After two days staying up wayyyyy too late at my college reunion pretending I was 21 again, followed by a long day of walking in New York capped by a trans-Atlantic redeye, I was …
After months of planning, weeks of second-guessing, and days of eager anticipation, it’s finally time to go! I head to Philly tomorrow morning for my college reunion, our house-sitters show up on Saturday, and Maureen flies out Sunday morning to meet me in New York. Then, on Monday, it’s off to Europe for 2 months. …
I honestly don’t think anyone has had a bigger impact how we travel than Rick Steves. His guidebooks are our main resource for researching where to go, what to do, and how to save precious time on vacation. We also watch his TV shows, listen to his podcast, use his iPhone app, and read the …
First Venice is sinking, now this: Michelangelo’s David has weak ankles and could collapse. Italy, this is why you can’t have nice stuff anymore.
As excited as I am about the opportunity to take an extended break for the next few months, there are many things I will miss about being at Financial Engines. At the very top of that list is the amazing group of people I worked with there. Last week, my old team came out to …
In a little over a month, we leave for our 2014 Midlife Crisis Tour (T-shirts for sale at the lobby merch table). We’ll be spending two full months exploring Italy, Switzerland, France, and the US East Coast. If you know me and how I travel, you’ve probably guessed (correctly) that by now I have every …
Continue reading ‘What am I going to do for the next month?’ »
After 10+ hours on one flight, nothing beats jumping right on another plane. I’m headed to SFO, Maureen is on her way (I hope!) to DSM. I was hoping her original seat next to me would still be empty, but no such look. I just need to remember not to fall asleep on the shoulder …
Well, I guess that’s it. We’re in our seats for Air France 694 to Minneapolis, scheduled to depart in 30 minutes (unless they kick us off the plane again like they did on our flight out). Then I head back to San Francisco while Maureen is off to Des Moines for a day, then to …
Mon dieu! Our 3-week vacation is almost over. We’ve had an amazing time, including the last two days in and around St-Remy de Provence, and then today outside of Nice in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Time for a quick recap of the highlights and lowlights of our trip, as voted on by us: Category Mike’s vote Maureen’s vote …
A quick update: we left Monpazier on Thursday morning, and learned the hard way that the GPS in our car has a few glitches. At one point, it showed us traveling across an empty swath of green pixels (which I definitely would have noticed, instead of the highway we were actually on). When it did …
After what seemed like an endless stretch of cool, cloudy days, we finally have a day of warm sunshine, offering Mike a chance to use the pool here at the villa before we depart for Provence tomorrow. Despite the gloomy weather, we’ve had a great time in and around Monpazier. Maureen successfully fought off an …
More photos from our time in Paris… [AFG_gallery id=”9″]
Man, it feels like a long time ago that we explored the Marais neighborhood in Paris! I guess I have been a slacker about posting photos. Click any thumbnail image for a slideshow. [AFG_gallery id=”8″]
We continue to have pretty flaky internet at our hotels, so photos are going to have to wait at least until we get to the villa on Saturday (assuming the connection is better there). But here’s a quick update on the last couple days: Wednesday we were up and out early, for a full day …
I think Maureen has found her favorite place on earth. (Outside of Iowa, of course!) Honfleur is an astonishingly lovely town where the Seine River flows into the English Channel. Impressionist painters flocked to this area for the unique light, and there honestly does seem to be something special in the air here. The “Vieux …
Woke up to le tonnerre (thunder) in Paris. The storm lasted most of the morning, with some of the blackest skies I’ve ever seen—quite literally as dark as night (which ain’t saying all that much, since it’s been staying light until well after 10 p.m. We hid down in the hotel’s breakfast room for a …
Maureen has been inspired by all the great art in Paris. Check out her own masterpieces here.
On Friday morning we got up early, grabbed a couple pastries to go from the boulangerie around the corner, and caught the train to Versailles—home to a bunch of guys named Louis during the 17th and 18th centuries. (Helpful tip in case you ever visit: although the monarchs who lived here were known as the …
Thursday was cool and drizzly, but we had a full day in Paris: monuments, museums, meals, and Montparnasse. Spent the morning exploring the oldest part of the city, Île St. Louis, including Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame. Fled to the Musée D’Orsay to escape the rain and for Maureen to sketch. Then met Mike’s parents–also …
While we enjoy the tail end of our first day in Paris, you can enjoy our photos from our trek across the city last night. Click any photo for the slide show. [AFG_gallery id=”5″]