louis xiv
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Italy – Spanish Steps and Capuchin Crypt
Read More: Italy – Spanish Steps and Capuchin CryptThe last time we were in Rome, the Spanish Steps were closed due to renovations. We decided to return today to get to experience the site! People are no longer allowed to sit and lounge on the steps which actually makes photographs somewhat better. Politzi will make sure you don’t break the new rules! There…
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Italy – Baths of Caracalla
Read More: Italy – Baths of CaracallaThis morning we visited the Baths of Caracalla. Built between 212 – 216AD, the baths are now a well preserved ruin. Caracalla fell into disuse in 537 when the aqueducts that supplied water to the city were destroyed by ‘the barbarians’ (Ostrogoths). They were further damaged by an earthquake in 847. The huge bath house…
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Rome
Read More: RomeJet lag is real. We slept though our alarm this morning and barely made it downstairs before breakfast closed. Good thing we didn’t have any timed excursions planned for today! Once we got ourselves going, we did a quick pass-by of the outside of the Colosseum. We did a much longer visit inside the first…
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Italy Day 1
Read More: Italy Day 1We have landed in Rome! Kris bought tickets for the Leonardo Express train into town while Dave waited for the luggage. After a quick train ride into Termini station we had a short walk dragging our suitcases over the ancient cobblestones to our hotel. We are staying at the same hotel we stayed with our…
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We Are (finally!) off to Italy
Read More: We Are (finally!) off to ItalyI think everyone who knows us is aware that our planned trip to Italy in the spring of 2020 was cancelled due to CoVid. It has taken us a few years, but we are finally making up for lost time. We head out today, spend a quick couple of hours in Montreal, and will be…
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Costa Rica – Final Day
Read More: Costa Rica – Final DayOur tentative plans for one last wildlife tour were derailed this morning by the crazy tropical rain that lasted all day. We decided to hightail it back to San Jose, a drive that took about 4 hours with intermittent traffic. We stopped at a roadside restaurant and hotel. Lunch was a very very tasty fried…
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Costa Rica – Cahuita National Park
Read More: Costa Rica – Cahuita National ParkToday we took a lovely (but wet) hike in Cahuita National Park. Ocean on three sides of the forested peninsula creates a unique microclimate favoured by many types of wildlife. In the south end of the park, we meandered through wet swamp on an elevated boardwalk. The trail on the south side of the park…
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Costa Rica – Sloths
Read More: Costa Rica – SlothsThere are two types of sloths in Costa Rica; 2-toed and 3-toed. They are not just different species, but belong to different families – about as genetically similar as dogs and cats, despite their many common traits. The Santuario de Perezosos rehabilitates and releases many sloths who are able to fend for themselves in the…
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Costa Rica – Puerto Viejo
Read More: Costa Rica – Puerto ViejoReversing our adventurous trip to the Selva Reserve, we forded the Bananito River again several times this morning. The most challenging thing was getting the rusty padlock on the reserve gate open! The drive out to the Caribbean Coast was fairly quick and uneventful. We stopped for lunch at another soda where we chose various…
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Costa Rica – Selva Bananito Lodge
Read More: Costa Rica – Selva Bananito LodgeWe got up early this morning to set out on a nature hike, wandering through both old growth primary forest and newer secondary forest. According to our guide, Allen, despite the large amount of rain lately, we are not quite in the rainforest, but more like the humid forest. Later in the day, Allen led…
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Versailles
We took the train outside of Paris today to visit the Palace of Versailles. The palace was originally a modest hunting lodge built by King Louis XIII in 1623. Now it is a Baroque palace and a symbol of royal excess! Louis XIV, who called himself the Sun King, was the King of France from…
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We Have Arrived in Paris
After an overnight flight from Montreal, we have landed in Paris. We caught the train into town, switched to the metro for one stop and found our accommodation without too much hassle. Our Air B&B is in the 4th arrondissement, also called Marais/Hotel de Ville. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen and some hanging…
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We are off to France
Eric is doing his first semester of teacher training at the University of Tours, an hour south of Paris. We have decided to take a quick family trip in Paris, then take him to Tours to get settled. After that, Ryan will head north into Switzerland to visit a friend and Dave and Kris will…
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