Day 60 (June 1): Durham to Oban

Our second Scotland sojourn began again at the Durham rail station -- this time we were to take the train all the way to Argyll and the Isles, to the coastal town of Oban.  Our train ride involved a change in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, and took us through mile after mile of beautiful mountains and Scottish lochs.

on the waterfront

part of the little town of Oban

the "Seafood Capital of Scotland"

the sun does not go down up here until close to 11 pm and is up by 4 am

We had a yummy seafood dinner in a pub and watched some "Jubilee Weekend" TV in our room.

Day 59 (May 31): Durham

The girls and I got somewhat itchy this afternoon, on this our third "quiet day" at home...  so we did go out for a walk at one point.

pretty public footpath nearby

cute little house down our street

Getting ready for our big Scotland-by-train trip, leaving in the morning!

Day 58 (May 30): Durham

Another recovery day. 

I walked into town to do some errands.  Afterwards the girls took a walk through the University's Botanic Garden which is nearby.  Unfortunately they chose the one hour in the day when it rained...  but they said it was pretty anyway.

Getting ready for another trip this weekend.

Day 57 (May 29): Durham

In-between day, not much doin'.

Day 56 (May 28): Paris... and then back to Durham

To the Tower this morning.  We had perfect weather and a very minimal wait for the stairs.

  I can't understand why people wait hours for the lift when walking up the stairs just isn't that hard.

view across the River

Nutella crepe is what one needs when one has conquered the Tower

blue sky and airplane trail

We still had energy and a few hours left in the city, so after buying some food in a small grocery and eating our lunch in our hotel's breakfast room, we walked a few blocks to the Pantheon -- a quite impressive and beautiful memorial to dead and famous French people.  (Lots of 'em are buried in the crypt.)

inside of the Pantheon

we went up to the top of that dome and enjoyed more city views

In the late afternoon we made our way to the train station and caught our Eurostar train across the French countryside, under the Channel, and into London's Kings Cross station.  Dinner was enjoyed there and then we got on our train back to Durham, arriving just after midnight.

Good trip overall, glad to have gone and glad to be back home again.

Day 55 (May 27): Paris

Sunday morning in Paris, so we attended Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral.

International Mass (in French and English) was very well attended

lots of people and lots of languages heard -- on Pentecost Sunday

We chose to walk over to the Musee d'Orsay after Mass, which probably wasn't too smart as it was hot and by the time we got there, stood in line to enter and buy our tickets, and finally got into the exhibit halls, we were pretty wiped out!  It required a cafe visit and some ice cream & a very large and perfectly delicious chocolate eclair to perk us up.

me standing on the balcony of the Musee d'Orsay, overlooking the Seine with the Louvre on the other side

Of course no photos inside so you'll just have to imagine with me all the Impressionist paintings and marvelous statues and the incredible interior of the museum itself...  it was an awful lot to take in, but worth doing.

After our visit we headed back to the hotel for a rest and then a quick pasta dinner, before getting back on the Metro to the Arc d' Triomphe.

it's very big and very triumphant

After gawking for a bit we began the requisite stroll down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, ending on the Place de la Concorde.  We still wanted to see the Louvre (exterior only) but were fairly exhausted so we decided to spring for a ride in a bicycle taxi.  Best 10 Euro spent all day.

it's very grand

Day 54 (May 26): Durham to Paris

Lots of transportation today -- walking to the Durham rail station, train to Newcastle, subway from the rail station to the airport, airplane over the Channel to France, metro from Charles de Gaulle airport to the center of Paris!

We just made the last boat ride of the day, getting a glimpse of the city and enjoying the beautiful sights.

and then a river boat tour in the evening

 

Paris is crowded and warm this weekend

We had dinner sitting outside Parisian-style, watching the passersby and enjoying a lovely meal.

Day 53 (May 25): Durham

In-between day --  getting ready for a weekend in Paris!

Day 52 (May 24): Durham and Beamish Museum, Pt. 2

Afternoon out to Beamish Open Air Museum today -- Chris rode with Grandad in his rental car (eek!) to help him get used to it, and the girls and I rode the Park & Ride to the bus station and took the bus from there.  This was our second visit to the Museum.

under the arbor at the Georgian house

It was another gorgeous day and we enjoyed our afternoon wander through the Georgian house, the Town, the Home Farm, and the Pit Village school and houses.

at the Georgian farm

front of the Home Farm

the Pit Village

the Coal Mine

early 20th century Town

Riding the bus back to town was fairly simple.  Dinner, a bit of TV (American Idol), and bed.

Day 51 (May 23): Durham

This morning the girls (plural, yay!) and I met Grandad outside the Cathedral in the late morning and together we four took a walking tour of Durham.   We are on Day 2 of Weather Perfection here in Durham City.!  (Today was even a bit too warm, and I even sweated!)

Indoor Market...  from indoors

love this place...  what Walmart should be 

 

requisite stop for a photo...  the sky was much bluer than this photo looks

After lunch back at the flat, Grandad and Erin joined Chris for an official Cathedral tour and Castle tour while I did some errands (finally bought a watch!) and Caroline and I stayed home and took care of business, rested, etc.

This evening included finalizing some travel plans (Scotland again!) as well as dinner, a walk, etc.