Arriving in Paris

Our arrival in Paris was a success! Cassie and I survived the long plane rides and enjoyed the time in Iceland's airport. I'd love to visit that place.

We managed to get through the airport, navigate the trains, and even walk to Ella's without incident. Ella was very welcoming and sweet, and her place is quaint and full of character! Just a few pics I snapped of her unique style:

Cassie and I spent the rest of the evening napping and recuperating from our travels. I picked us up a few things from the supermarket too.

It's been chilly and rainy but the sun has managed to show itself a few times. We're enjoying ourselves anyway. Today we're taking it easy after a couple of really walk heavy days, slept in. My next few posts will have lots more photos, and probably will be a lot later. I'm sure many of you have already seen Cassie's album on Facebook. Too many silly pictures! ;-)

Anyway, more to come! 

Denise's Visit, Part IV: Coit Tower

Remember that photo I shot of Coit Tower after Denise and I went to Alcatraz? No? Here’s a reminder:

Well, one day Denise met up with me after work and we decided to walk up the hundreds of steps to the top.

It was really a nice walk up.

All the houses had gorgeous gardens.

There's a tiger in this garden!

Bee boxes!

There was a statue at the top. I thought it was one of the explorers who discovered the bay Gaspar de Portolà or Juan de Ayala.

But it wasn’t. It was Christopher Columbus. I have no idea why Columbus is up here. It makes no sense to me; the man never even saw this part of the Americas! Why is he up here at Coit Tower???

AND WHY DOES HE LOOKS SO BEEFY? And why is his tunic so sheer?? This whole thing disturbs me.

At least the views from there were amazing. We couldn’t go up the steps because it was closed, but it was at least an adventure getting there!

Denise's Visit, Part III: Muir Woods

Muir Woods is pretty much my most favorite place that I’ve seen so far in California. I realize I have a lot more to see and that there are a lot better places to go to, but this place has accommodations for every type of tourist or Cali resident: Tourist place, short hikes, long hikes, German beer gardens, beaches, camping, road trips. It really is the perfect place to take a visiting friend!

We had to park on the edge of a cliff…and decided to toy with luck and walk along the edge too. But the views were worth it!

We decided to start at the top and hike our way down.

I’ve been there so many times that I didn’t take too many photos. That means that’s all for this post, too! ON TO THE NEXT ONE!