A little Lille, France

Alexander Calder sculpture outside Museum of Modern Art

So you've visited Paris; you've mastered a few French words; and, you think that you're ready for a real French adventure away from the tourist crowds? Then, you're in luck. You only need to travel about an hour outside of Paris to get away from the international crowds and helpful English speakers. Your adventure starts in Lille, France.

Delicious mussels marinier with house wine

My adventure in Lille started with a long, convoluted walk around a Lille park in order to find some late lunch. When we finally arrived at a restaurant (with people dining inside), through signs and halting French, we were told that dinner was over. "Cafe?" We walked on for better luck but eventually had to turn around to go back to a main road. We passed the restaurant again, attempted another question session with a different employee and learned that the restaurant doesn't serve food from 2 pm until 6 pm. We settled for coffee to fortify ourselves until we could find something more substantial. We continued our walk and arrived in a residential neighborhood. Two women were outside painting their shutters. We stopped and asked about a restaurant or super market and were met with blank stares. Finally, though, they understood we were looking for food and pointed us up the road. After a few hundred meters more, we came upon the most welcoming of all sights, a super market! From here, the day got better. We brought our food treasures to the sculpture garden just outside an art museum and picnicked in front of an Alexander Calder sculpture. After a long walk home, our evening became even better when our French speaker was home from work and could translate for dinner. Mussels and house wine hit the spot!

Plat du jour at L'Avenue, near the Lille Zoo

Day two in Lille, we braved the metro in order to visit a small, free zoo. But, by the time we finally made it there (~12:30 pm), I was already starving and didn't want to risk the previous day's lunch finding escapade. I stopped at the next cafe we walked past, sat down and asked for a menu. The server brought out their chalkboard with the "plat du jour" -- two salads, two entrees and two desserts. When your options are duck or fish, there's not much time needed for decision making. I choose the duck and enjoyed the lunch splurge (14 Euros).

Red panda at the Lille Zoo

After a satisfying lunch, I was ready to deal with groups of screaming kids in the small, free zoo. The enclosures were small for the birds, monkeys, rhinos and other animals. It was short walk through the zoo. Then, it was time for a crepe snack break.

Lille Cathedral

Afterwards, we wandered around old Lille. The cathedral in Lille is named "Notre Dame de la Treille". Begun in 1854, the latest renovations were completed in 2009. There is a jarring contrast between the modern and gothic portions of the cathedral. However, it is free to walk through; and, the mosaics and stained glass in the older portion are quite beautiful.

Caramel apple crepe with vanilla ice cream

Our day ended with another dinner eating, guess what? Crepes! We had both savory and sweet crepes tonight; and, we washed them all down with some delicious cider from the Breton region of France. It was a perfect way to end my stay in Lille!

Paris

Man-made beaches along the Seine in the summer

We spent three glorious days in Paris! However, it wasn't enough to enjoy this beautiful, historical city. However, being blessed with blue skies and sunshine everyday made the waits in the long lines not quite so terrible. Of course we had to visit during high season! But, I hope to return again during low season when there are fewer people.

My top five recommendations for Paris:

Assyrian sculptures at the Louvre

1. Visit the Louvre. Originally the fortress wall around the city of Paris in the 12th century, then a royal palace before becoming one of the world's largest museums. The Louvre is one of the must see items in Paris. If you don't plan (like I didn't), be prepared to wait over an hour to enter. Wiser visitors will buy advance tickets online.  I spent 5.5 hours in the museum with a 30 minute break to eat lunch on the terrace cafe. And, I didn't come close to seeing everything. The biggest crowds are in front of the famous pieces, such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and the Greek sculpture Venus de Milo. If you'd like to escape the crowds, there are several less visited but still impressive exhibits. I enjoyed walking through the area about Coptic Egyptians, which included artifacts from an excavation in Egypt. There was also a room of Rembrandts, which is not listed on the Louvre's visitor map. I didn't even make it to the Pharoanic Egyptian exhibit. However, I did get to see an amazing collection of Assyrian artifacts before I left. There were multiples room-high winged guardians.

Eiffel Tower from river cruise

2. Take a night time Seine river cruise. For only 10 Euro, we boarded a cruise along the Seine just before 10 pm. Based on reviews, we had decided to wait until after dark to enjoy the sights. We were not disappointed. All along the river, the buildings and monuments were lit up. We cruised all the way to the lit Eiffel Tower before returning to dock. The guide gave the tour in both French and English. She provide a bit of history lesson on the different monuments lining the Seine. Well worth it! http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

Crepe maker

3. Eat a crepe. Whether it be Nutella, fruit jam or simply butter and sugar, I enjoyed all sorts of sweet crepes in Paris. We usually purchased them from small stands without no or limited seating. However, you can also order them at sit down restaurants. There are also a variety of savory crepes. These places are open late! We passed by one place at 1 am after salsa dancing. It was the best crepe that I've ever had, simply with butter and sugar.

Notre Dame

4. Walk around and inside Notre Dame. On our ride from the airport to our hotel, we saw Notre Dame towering while we crossed the Seine. We visited it the next museum. However, the line was over an hour long. On the advice of a docent at the Louvre, I passed by Notre Dame again around 6 pm during Mass. The line was shorter and quicker (only about 15 minutes). After walking through this amazing cathedral that took 200 years to build, I exited to saunter around the exterior. This amazing gothic edifice is still impressive today. Flying buttresses reach down like legs, supporting the interior arches. They are adorned by a variety of gargoyles. The rose window between the two front towers set the standard for rose windows. Plus, in the plaza outside of Notre Dame, there are often street artists. I watched a man dressed as a mime roller skate around cones to his stereo and a crowd of onlookers.

View from Sacre Coeur

5. Climb the dome of Sacre Coeur. For beautiful views of Paris, pay the 6 Euros to climb up the dome of Sacre Coeur. We could see the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe from the top of this dome. The line was short (apprx 15 minutes); and, there's always time afterward to walk inside the church (20-30 minute wait but free).

Edgar Degas's tomb

Those are just the top five. There were so many other things that we did that made Paris a great city: hunting for long forgotten Roman amphitheaters, salsa dancing, watching the end of the Tour de France, eating "dejeuner" (breakfast) at little street cafes, finding famous people in the cemetary, eating escargot, seeing the Moulin Rouge, visiting the Orsay Museum, listening to street performers, watching a bit of Shakespeare and eating gelato. Hopefully, I'll get to go back soon!

Hotel: found Hotel Tiquetonne in a Lonely Planet guidebook. Located in the heart of Paris, it is older but clean. Plus, the prices were very reasonable! Just make sure that you know a bit of French for check-in and check-out. https://www.hoteltiquetonne.fr/en/

Venice

Canals from Burano island near Venice

Venice, that most romantic of all cities, threaded with canals instead of streets. Bridges span the myriads of waterways. And, there are lots of dead ends into canals. But, that's all part of the draw of this unique island city. For the hard core walker, it is a dream, as even bicycles become impractical when every route crosses multiple bridges. Luggage also seems pretty impractical, so, pack light -- you will be carrying it up and down multiple bridges with accompanying stairs. Bring your comfy shoes to navigate the entirely cobblestone paved "streets". For those who get motion sickness on water, be forewarned that the public transportation system in Venice is water "busses".

Here were a few of my favorite things in Venice:

Gondolas on the canal

Gondola ride. If you're on a budget, you don't need to rent an entire gondola for 80-90 Euro for 40 minutes. They are not quite as romantic as the movies have made them out to be. I only heard one gondolier even singing! The alternative is to take the 2 Euro/person gondola ride across the Grand Canal at certain shopping locations. Only a minute ride but very worth it.

Riding along the sea barrier in Lido

Lido. One of my favorite mornings was spent taking the water bus to Lido, renting a bicycle, and cycling along the sea wall barrier. On one side of the pavement, the sea stretched into the horizon. And the other side was bordered by lush vegetation. Some locals even stopped to pick the raspberries along the barrier. About two thirds across the island, there is a tiny community called Malamacco. From the sea barrier, I rode a sloping gravel path down into Malamacco and around its streets.

St. Mark's Basilica

St. Mark's. There's a variety of sites to see in St. Mark's square. However, the Basilica is the pulling feature. It is free to enter; but, the lines are long. There are two ways to shorten the wait. The first is to bring a large enough backpack that they allow you to check it, which is a shorter entrance line. The second is to simply attend mass at apprx 6 pm. While you won't be able to walk through the church, you'll get to sit inside for a half hour during the service.

Mummy brought back by a Venetian explorer

Natural History Museum. Yet another museum that I could spend an entire day within! While the collection is a bit eclectic, its all intriguing. There are rooms dedicated to early Venetian explorers and the collections that they've brought back. There are rooms with fossils and rooms dedicated to animal flight. While the entire museum is captioned in Italian, upon purchasing a ticket, the staff immediately provides a translation guide of the major information into English.

Tiramisu

Food. In Venice, my favorite foods were cappuccino at a cappuccino bar (that means no seats -- standing at bar only), tiramisu, a Nutella crepe, and Alfredo's Pasta (ranked #1 in Venice on Trip Advisor). A word to the wise -- there are no free seats in Italy. If you sit down in any cafe/bar/restaurant, there is an automatic cover charge that is usually about 2 Euros. You don't even need to eat or drink anything. Just sitting incurs the cost.

Verona, Italy

Roman Arena

After the natural beauty of the Alps, I approached returning to a major city with a bit of a sour attitude. The clean, fresh air was replaced by the haze of auto fumes as cars jam packed into intersections at evening rush hour. The few but friendly people were replaced by hoards of unfriendly faces. And the scenic mountains, meadows and trees were replaced by buildings lining narrow streets. However, Verona, with all her quaint charm, persuaded me to begrudgingly enjoy myself.

Horse stew -- arugula, shredded horse meat and parmesan

Our first evening, we ventured into the old town to enjoy our first meal of pasta in Italy. However, I found something even more interesting on the menu -- horse stew. It wasn't quite what I imagined. But, the arugula, shredded horse meat and parmesan cheese were a simple but delicious combination.

Inside San Zeno church

Our next day, we returned to the old city in order to take in as many sites as possible. This included the Roman Arena, Roman theater, the castle and three of the churches on the four church pass. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take photos in most of the churches. Although, I did see a beautiful painting by Titian. At this point, I was a bit churched out. But, all the churches were impressive. We saw Zeno, Anastasia, and another church that I cannot remember the name of. If you purchase the 6 Euro pass at the first church, you can enter all four of these historical structures.

Igls (near Innsbruck, Austria)

View from our hotel

If you love the idea of being surrounded by green mountains on vacation, cooled by a gentle breeze and comfortable in 70 degree weather, Igls is the place for you. We arrived at 7:30 one evening after a twisting climb up from Innsbruck, Austria. The view from our hotel* was of the Alps!

Panorama while hiking

When we asked for dinner recommendations, the desk reception sent us on a five minute walk to "downtown" Igls where there was a plethora of restaurants. We choose a small pizzeria, named Pizzeria Venezia. A tiny taste of Italy in Austria. All the pizzas were under 10 Euro. The pizzas are thin crust and medium sized.

Top sign is for Jakobsweg with pale seashell against blue

In the morning, I explored some of the walking trails around Igls. There are so many options! For example, did you know that pilgrims came through Austria to get to Santiago de Compostela church in Galicia, Spain? That pilgrimage trail is called "Jakobsweg" here; and, it's marked with a seashell. I hiked along part of Jakobsweg as well as some nearby trails. The trails are well marked. Sometimes, they are nicely paved, sometimes they are just mowed stretches through meadows. It is quite the adventure! For those interested in hiking, check out this Tirol hiking link.

View while hiking around Igls

Unfortunately, rain clouds began to descend, obscuring our view of the mountains. As the rain started, we drove off to Bergelis, the Olympic ski jump. It's quite pricey to take the elevator up to see the view. (9.50 Euros). But, on a clear day, the views would be spectacular. While we were there, there were ski jumpers practicing on the green hill. We could see them from outside the gate. It was so amazing to watch them fly through the air and land on the turf!

Ski jump. Tiny specks up on right top of jump are a skier

*We stayed at Sonnenhof Hotel. It was the perfect location for a quiet evening, close proximity to walking trails as well as everything in the small town of Igls. Plus, it had great Alpine views from the rooms. (80 Euros/night)

Zurich

Panaromic of Zurich from Lindenhoff Park

Perhaps it is the fact that I've spent three entire days here. Or that friends from the States that I haven't seen since the beginning of April met me here. Or the beautiful, sunny, 90 degree days without humidity or mosquitoes. Or getting to see an amazing collection of art at the Kunsthaus. Or the amazing public transportation system where we've ridden trams, trains, busses, boats and even a gondola. Whatever the reason, Zurich has become my new favorite city in Europe.

View of the Alps from above Zurich

If you're visiting Zurich, I highly recommend getting a ZurichCard. There is either a 24 hour or 72 hour option. Either card will get you unlimited public transportation (trams, trains, busses, boats and gondola) as well as free entrance into several museums (Kunsthaus, Landesmuseum). 24 hour is 24 CHF; 72 hour is 48 CHF. In comparison, a one hour public transportation ticket is 6.60 CHF. We enjoyed hopping on and off public transportation all over downtown Zurich.

St. Peter's church (right steeple). Fraumunster (left church steeple)

Iconic churches:
St. Peter -- earliest church. Current version includes parts from rebuilding of 1230 AD.
Fraumunster -- nunnery originally started in the 9th century. Current building includes stained glass designed by Marc Chagall
Grossmunster -- a monastery and church started by Charlemagne. There is an old statue of Charlemagne in the Crypt area. In the church nave, there are faded paintings of Zurich's beheaded patron saints.

Sculptures by Giacometti at Kunsthaus

Must see museums:
Kunsthaus (15 CHF or free with ZurichCard) -- the Kunsthaus has an amazing collection of art. In addition to rooms of Giacometti sculptures and paintings, there are iconic paintings from most 20th century artists. Walking into a room, you might be stopped in your tracks looking at a famous Van Gogh or Piet Mondrian or Picasso. There are also works by Jasper Johns, Salvador Dali and Georges Segal.

12th century stained glass at Landesmuseum

Landesmuseum (10 CHF or free with ZurichCard) -- the Swiss National Museum has a variety of exhibits. There are pre-history, Bronze Age and Middle Ages exhibits on Switzerland. The stained glass display in the first exhibit hall is very nicely displayed at eye level, lighted to take in all the intricacies of the glass and design. There are also several period rooms as well as weapons, information on Swiss history (did you know that women didn't gain the right to vote until 1971?), and short term exhibitions (currently a Swiss film exhibition).

Panoramic from Uetliberg

Zurich lookouts:
Uetliberg (16 CHF to get there or free with ZurichCard) -- Uetliberg is a great look out over the city of Zurich. It also gives a great view of the Alps on a clear day. Take the stairs up the look out tower for even better views (apprx 179 steps).

Apple strudel at Felsenegg

Felsenegg -- an expensive restaurant with beautiful views of Zurich and the Alps. Be prepared to spend at least 25 CHF for food here. Also, unless you want to pay for water (even tap water), make sure to bring your own water. We were charged 5 CHF per 750 mL of tap water. The apple strudel (14 CHF) was delicious!

Helsinki

Helsinki, looking towards Helsinki Cathedral

Helsinki is a capital city on the Baltic Sea. It is a chilly city with a daily forecast of rain. Thankfully, while we were there, the rain simply threatened but never fell. Helsinki is an interesting city because it reflects the history of being part of Sweden as well as being part of Russia before gaining independence in 1917. Today, it hosts cruises and busses full of tourists visiting its churches, markets and Soumenlinna.

Uspenski Cathedral

Some of the strongest draws to Helsinki are a few very distinctive churches, all of which are free to enter:
Helsinki Cathedral -- a bright white building with green domes (1852)
Soumenlinna church -- originally completed in 1854 as a Russian Orthodox church. Onion dome removed in 1928.

Uspenski Cathedral -- a Russian Orthodox Church, complete with onion domes and interior ornamentation (1868)

Rock church -- built out of rock with a giant, copper roof (1969)

Waterfront market

However, the market along the waterfront is a pretty amazing, too. There, you can buy fresh farm produce -- I tried strawberries, the largest sugar snap peas that I've seen as well as both farmed and wild blueberries. Everything was delicious! The markets include several food stands that offer a variety of fish meals. Plus, there are the occasional reindeer food item, usually meatballs although I tried a reindeer kebab. For the serious shopper, there are souvenirs, clothing, handicrafts, etc.

Suomenlinna Island

A short ferry ride from the waterfront market brings you to Suomenlinna. This island fortress shows the influence of both the Swedes and the Russians. Originally constructed as a Swedish fortress in 1748, it was turned over to Russia in 1808 after Sweden lost the Russo-Swedish War. There are still cannons left from the Russians pointing west on the island. After Finland's independence, the island was returned in 1918. At that time, Finland used it to hold civil war prisoners. Throughout the years, the island has been inhabited, usually by military personnel and their families. However, since becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Center in 1991, the number of inhabitants on the island is strictly limited. There are several museums on the island describing its history. There is also a WWII submarine that you can walk through. While I was there, a group of actors in period costume performed outside of the Ehransvard Museum. The performance was in Finnish.

marimekko inspired art

Helsinki boasts several museums. However, I only had a chance to visit two of them, the Kiasma and the Ateneum. Both of these museums are located near Central Station. The Ateneum's current exhibition features Tove Jansson, a Finnish artist most well known for her Moomin characters. The exhibit has a lot of Moomins. However, it also showcases paintings that Jansson did in a variety of styles, including a couple wall murals. The Kiasma is currently featuring two shows -- one on the influence of Finnish design company marimekko and another on the works of Alfredo Jaar. Jaar's works are large installations that deal with sensitive political issues.