Author Archive
Christmas eve
We decided to shop today as the museums close early – its hard to believe its Christmas eve today. We started at a glass shop recommended to us here – it opens at 2 today. The store that sells St. Maria Novella perfumes and soaps has closed or moved. We ate lunch at Boul’ Mich’ […]
December 23rd, 2001 by alephnaught
Montmartre
We took the subway to Montmartre, which is an old village that is now part of Paris. We did a walking tour – Iris was our guide; I would suggest this tour – you can go here to learn about it. he showed us where Van Gogh lived with his brother Theo for two years, […]
December 22nd, 2001 by alephnaught
Musée National du Moyen Age
I finished Tulipomania : The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused this morning – it was a fun read, especially the parts about the history of the tulip and the anecdotes surounding the start of the tulip craze in the United Provinces. I think I’ll work on South: […]
December 21st, 2001 by alephnaught
The Louvre
We got a late start friday – Aviva went to a Sennelier store (they make and sell excellent pastels – I bought a box of them when I went to Cannes) while I went to a local cybercafe to email Gary Silverman, one of my colleagues at work. We took the subway, with a transfer, […]
December 20th, 2001 by alephnaught
Paris, day 1
Our first full day started by purchasing a subway pass for three days – the one week pass runs Monday thru Sunday, so that wouldn’t do. It took a few minutes to work it all out – the cashier didn’t speak English. The subways are all numbered, and you pick direction by the end of […]
December 19th, 2001 by alephnaught
Arrival in Paris
The first leg was Chicago to Detroit. We arrived on the ground on time but taxied for a long time, so we just made our flight to France. Our flight was long – we were in a DC-10, which is really small and tight. But, we made it. Our room is on the fourth floor […]
April 16th, 2000 by alephnaught
The journey ends
We had to cross another marathon to get to the airport, and the cab driver cursed out another driver, which reminded us of home here in Chicago. Otherwise, the return flight was uneventful. However, the airline decided to deliver one of our bags the next day, which meant we had to wait around until all […]
April 15th, 2000 by alephnaught
Our last day (and a last supper)
Fittingly, on our last full day in Italia we saw the Last Supper. See it fast, its almost gone off the wall entirely. We went to the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, a large art gallery on two floors, with most of the paintings on the second floor. Here is a work by Carravagio. There are also really […]
April 14th, 2000 by alephnaught
Training to Milan
We almost missed out train because the signals for the trains are very confusing in the Venezia railstation. Luckily a conductor pointed us to the right track ten minutes before the train left. The hotel we stayed at, the Starhotel Ritz, is a four-star hotel, and it was very nice, including TV and internet in […]
April 13th, 2000 by alephnaught
The islands
For our last full day in Venezia, we took an afternoon cruise to three islands: Murano, Burano, and Torcello. Murano is famous for their glass works – we bought some nice gifts there (including one low priced vase for ourselves). Burano is famous for their lace making. Torcello is the oldest center of civil rule […]
December 24th, 2001 by alephnaught