Crepes, Eclairs, Croissants...Oh My!!!

And here it is finally.  Our quick, but gorgeous. trip to the French Riviera.  Kika and I packed up, yet again, and headed to the great country of France.  And contrary to EVERYTHING we had been told, all the people there were quite friendly and very helpful.  I kept trying to practice my French (from high school and college) and the people just kept responding to me in English.  Hey, at least I was trying.
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Anyway.  To start off...I kinda screwed up with our seats.  Okay, I big time screwed up with our seats.  In our original plan, our friend Sharity was coming on the trip as well.  So when I booked our seats on the bus I picked the back row so we could all three sit together.  Sharity ended up not able to go and I didn't remember to change our bus seats.  As we got to base I was hopeful that maybe Kika and I would be the only two in the back of the bus (seating 5) and we would get to stretch out for the overnight trip.  As we walked down the aisle to our seats I was sad to see two other guys sitting in the back seat as well...there were 4 of us.  And not only were there four of us back there...the seats had literally a third less room then the regular seats.  Kika, 5 foot 1ish Kika, had her knees touching the seat in front of us.  It was about to be a LONG overnight trip on the bus.
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Aside from sleeping (or rather attempting to sleep) like sardines on the way there we arrived in a little town called Eza.  This was a gorgeous, quaint little village in the side of the mountain overlooking the Mediterranean.  We took a (practically) one way, hair pin turning, road in our HUGE Greyhound bus down to a famous perfume factory, Fragonard's.  We got a tour of the factory and of course the opportunity to shop as well.  Did you know it takes 2 tons of rose petals to make 1 kilo (approx 2 pounds) of pure rose essential oil.  Rose is the most expensive scent because of the large amount of petals required to produce the pure oil.  Anyway, it was a very neat and quite informative little tour.
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Fragonard's Perfume Factory

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After the tour we took a quick climb up the hill to see a few of the views from the little town. 
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After our quick climb we loaded back on the bus and headed took a quick drive over to Cannes.  We arrived in Cannes with about 5 hours to roam and explore the little town.  We wandered for a little while finally making it to an Information center to ask where the famous red carpet was located for the Cannes film festival, only to find out it was on the other side of that same building.  We excitedly walked to the other side only to be greatly disappointed with the red carpet and the building.  It was so unattractive and the building looked like it was straight out of 1970 with quite ugly architecture.  So we quickly moved on from that attraction. 
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This was a mural painted on the side of one of the buildings.  It included characters from many major movies...so cool!

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We were trying to have someone take a picture and capture the gorgeous scenery behind us...but clearly he missed the point.  But the pic turned out cute anyway!

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So we found a piece of real estate we thought we might be able to afford on the Riviera with views of the water.  It was for sale.  We had big plans for it beginning with putting up some clean sheets/blankets...there was so much potential!

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Spent a little time sitting in the sand on the beach.

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It just so happens that there was a Yacht regatta going on in Cannes that weekend.  So along with all the local yachts that are parked in the harbor, there were the visitors for the regatta as well.  We walked through and picked out a few yachts we could see ourselves in for the future.  Don't worry Taylor and Greg, we took pictures so you'll know what we like!
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Don't I just have the best husband EVER...he had a yacht waiting for me in Cannes.  He's so good with surprises!

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Standing in the harbor admiring our options...

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But being the reasonable, level headed wives that we are; Kika and I decided our best bet would be this beauty.  It's kinda like buying the smallest house in a big house neighborhood...the value increases by association ;)

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We found a little cafe to eat lunch...a totally French lunch.  Crepe avec jambon et fromage...aaand french fries.  Hmm...not sure how authentic the pommes de frites (or something like that) were...but whatever.  And to top it all off there was some guy walking up and down the street playing music on an accordian!!  I mean seriously, we thought we might be on a movie set!
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Stopping along the way to eat an eclaire at a cute looking bakery.  I'm serious when I say we ate our way through France!

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Our next stop was Nice, France.  We got there around 5pm.  After over 24 hours without a shower, that was the first thing on our list to do.  We cleaned up for dinner.  I had to put my same outfit back on because I was determined to pack light...so I brought zero options.  You'd think on my 5th weekend trip in a row I could have it down...guess it's gonna take a few more to get it perfect ;)!!! 
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The coast line in Nice lit up at night.

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We went to dinner in a popular little place recommended by our hotel.  It was literally a whole street with tables down the middle and people out trying to sell you their restaurant.  I sorta felt like I was in a Jamaican market...but it was a perfect place to find a restaurant.  We had a delicious dinner...that lasted from 8pm until 1130 by the time we got all three courses.  But I had BY FAR, the most delicious creme brulee I have ever had...yummmm.  We were in heaven!!
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We had to meet on the bus at 9am the next morning to drive to Monaco.  We were disappointed we didn't have much time in Nice, so when Kika and I woke up early the next morning, we decided to take a walk down to the beach and explore a bit more of the city before we had to meet at 9am.  We fell in love with the city and it was just gorgeous.  There was a Sunday morning market with produce that looked like it was fake it was so beautiful and perfect.  We bought croissants and pastries for breakfast and browsed the town.  As we headed back to the hotel we noticed we were getting close to our meeting time so we literally began running back to the hotel.  We got back there right at 9am to find our guide at the front desk calling our room and asking us where we were.  She said, "go, hurry, get your stuff!!"  So we went to the elevator and she said, "NO, take the stairs!!"  So we literally run to the stairs, a little confused about why we were in such a hurry because we were right on time.  At our room we ran into another guy from our tour knocking on our door looking for us.  So we ran in and grabbed our bags (which we had already packed in the morning) and ran downstairs.  We got on the bus to find everyone sitting there waiting for us.  Yep, we were those girls.  As we were walking to our seats Kika said, "sorry everyone...".  Silence...no one responded.  Nice.
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I asked someone what time we were supposed to meet and we found out the bus was supposed to be departing at 9am...as we pulled away from the hotel with the guide giving us a lecture over the speakers about the importance of punctuality I checked my watch and it was 9:04...literally.  COME ON people!  But they were the ones who missed out...we had a gorgeous walk and are making plans to visit Nice again.  Loved it!!  Check out the pictures and tell me we weren't the smart ones!!
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At the market with the gorgeous produce.  Where we also found fresh croissants and pastries...

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Next we were off to Monaco...the country of the rich and famous.  You have to have 1 million in the bank before you can even be considered to buy property.  The area was gorgeous, as you can imagine.  Yachts galore and beautiful homes and scenery.  We watched the changing of the guard at the Monaco palace and then headed over to the famous Monte Carlo Casino.  Bentleys, Ferrari, Range Rovers, Rolls Royce...you name it, they were driving by or parked in front of the casino.  It was quite impressive.  We paid 10 euros to go inside the casino and try our luck.  I made it out up 20 euros...not too bad.  There was even a Rolex clock...probably at least 2 feet wide, pure gold, mounted on the wall in the entrance...crazy money!! 
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No big deal, just a yacht parking lot in front of our home...

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While doing a tour of Monaco the guide gave us an interesting tid bit of info.  As you may know, Monaco is technically it's own country.  It is the second smallest in the world behind Vatican City in Rome.  The country was ruled by a family (who I can't remember the name) and in 1295 a man named Francois Grimaldi dressed as a monk and asked the guards for a place to stay the night amid his travels.  As was common in that day the guards welcomed the "religious man" into the palace grounds to allow him to stay the night.  As soon as they welcomed him in the gates Grimaldi drew a sword he had hidden under his robes and surprised the guards and quickly overtook them.  He had an army waiting close by to storm the Palace and take over.  From that day forward the Grimaldi family has ruled the country of Monaco.  There have been many princes and princesses, but has never been, and will never be a King.  This is because one of the ruling family declared himself Prince of Monaco, but since there is no royal blood in the family line, they will never be able to be a King or Queen.  Okay, had enough of your history lesson?  Here is a picture of the Crest of Monaco, which includes the monks armed with swords representing this bit of local history.

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Pictures from the area of Monte Carlo Casino...

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Standing on the steps of the Casino looking out.  We got to park our Bentley and our Ferrari out there for easy access.  We get special service since we spend the big bucks at Monte Carlo.

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In front of the Casino.

. After the day in Monaco we loaded back in the bus for our (long) drive home.  Sadly our weekend of acting rich and famous was over.  What a nice way to live...maybe one day...one day!
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And this picture is totally unrelated, but I saw this at a shop in Monaco (I think) and had to stop to snap the picture.  It's for all my family who I know will appreciate it. 
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"Who don't know that?!?!?"

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Au revoir, mon ami!!!

Beauty...

Beautiful French Riviera!

Blog to come soon....

Weekend 4- Oktoberfest!!!!!!!!

Weekend 4




This weekend I was excited to stay home, sleep, clean, prepare for Mama's visit, work the Aviano marathon Sunday morning, and watch the UT/Florida game on TV. I got home from work on Friday, went for a run and came in to have my house phone ringing, missed calls from Taylor on Skype, and our friend Kika sending me messages over and over on Facebook to call her ASAP, HURRY, NOW!!! So I called her and she said, I have an extra ticket to Oktoberfest if you want to go, the bus is leaving in 2 hours. I couldn't decide what to do and I called Taylor. He thought that I was QUITE crazy to even think about NOT going. He said, "Kate, it's OKTOBERFEST...GO!!!!" So I agreed to go. I jumped in the shower, packed my backpack, and headed out the door to meet the bus.



This was another, sleep on the bus Friday night and arrive on Saturday morning. It was Kika, her husband, Greg, me, and a few other captains in the squadron (among a bus load of others). It was quite the experience! Saturday was opening weekend of the 200th annual 3 week festival. Oktoberfest is a HUGE festival in Munich, Germany. Think like a state fair times ten. There were tons of rides, carnival games, food stands, booths, and MASSIVE beer tents. The tents are all decorated and have long tables and benches in them. The tents each hold a few thousand people. We arrived there at 630am...nothing was open, but people were already starting lines to get into some of the beer tents.



And when I say nothing was open...I mean nothing. Including the bathrooms. By 8am Kika and I both had to use the restroom since we had been riding on a bus all night and when asked we were told that the women's restrooms opened at 10am. Are you serious? So we left in search of bathrooms elsewhere in the city. We left the festival and saw a building with public restrooms...we went around to check all the doors. The men's were wide open and ready to be used and if they weren't urinal troughs...we would have used them. But sure enough the women's was locked. How crazy is that? We eventually found a cafe and bought some pastries for breakfast and used their "WC" (as it is referred to all over Europe).



Anyway, back to the tents. I didn't understand the point or appeal of the tent until we entered. You have to have a table to be served but everyone stands on the benches and cheers and sings and chants. There is a band playing drinking songs and other popular songs everyone sings along to. It's just an overall fun, festive, and slightly crazy atmosphere! But the kicker was we got a table at 9am, and drinks weren't served until noon. Kika and I decided we didn't need to sit around that long, so we left the guys at the table and we went to see the festivities. There was an opening ceremony parade where each tent brings in the kegs and their wenches (the girls who are the servers), and the tent band comes in. So we watched the parade, went in all the other tents to take pictures, bought our magnets, tried some sweets, and walked through a part of Munich. And finally headed back to the tent around 1230 when the guys were just getting their beer and recovering from 3 hours of boredom sitting at a cramped table together!



Then all the fun began. Everyone was standing and singing and taking pictures and it was so much fun. I have to say that the German band even played Country Roads and the whole place was singing along to it! Granted, they weren't singing along to every verse like I was...just the chorus...but still! Who knew the song was so universal? I was thinking of all my camp friends and was temporarily back at treats singing in a circle! Anyway. I got a few people who liked my Tennessee shirt and we met other people from Italy and a big group from Australia next to us started the Aussie, Aussie, Aussi, Oi, Oi, Oi chant. Of course I thought of you, Ian!



After about three hours in the tent we moved out to the festival (before people started getting stupid). We wandered the festival, ate some delicious chicken, rode the ferris wheel, and wandered through the city until we found the Munich Hard Rock where we met up for dinner. After dinner we wandered back through the festival for awhile being fully entertained by a few out of control people (shocking I know) and finally settled in a beer restaurant just outside Oktoberfest for a few drinks before meeting the bus at 1045pm to drive back to Aviano. Such a fun trip and experience. We're already making plans for next year, except they won't include two nights on a bus. It will include a hotel room which we will have to book in the next few weeks in order to get one. But it should be a good time.



So needless to say, I didn't see the Tennessee game, I didn't catch up on sleep, and I didn't clean my house, but I went to Oktoberfest 2010! And I did make it back in time to work the marathon at 830am then go to volleyball at 1pm. What a busy weekend!



And Weekend 5 is next to be blogged.  Kika and I left the following Friday for Nice, Monaco, and Cannes in the French Riviera! 


Bonjour, Francais!!
 

 After arriving at 630 am, sleeping on the bus the night before, using a gas station bathroom to freshen up, we're looking GREAT :)

 Breakfast while waiting to go in the tent (seriously)...big, huge, pretzels!  And they were delicious!!!

 Inside our beer tent.  We were in the Haufbrau Haus.  Or something like that.  It was crazy and fun!!

 Another picture of our tent.  Those in the yellow shirts were all the Aussies...

 These guys flagged me down on the street because I was wearing my Tennesse shirt.  This was the day of the Florida/Tennessee game and they were recent Florida grads traveling Europe.  They got a kick out of the fact that they ran into a Tennessee fan in Germany...it's a small world :)

 My future German Dirndl with Tennessee influence...Kika is making our outfits for next year.  We'll be prepared next September!!!

 Inside one of the other tents.  There were tons of them maybe 20 or so...all decorated differently...just to give you an idea of what they looked like inside.

 Kika and I in front of our tent.

 Trying out some of the local sweets.  A marshmallow, chocolate, something or other...delicious!

 In front of one of the floats in the parade...along with our random model posing with us ;)

 Returning to the tent and receiving our first beer.  Most of you know I don't even like beer.  I still don't really like beer, but I was forced to drink part of it...about a third is as much as I could do.  And my arm was sore the next day from holding that massive mug.  It was so heavy!  The lady who was our server was this much older lady who would carry 6-8 of the full mugs at once...it was QUITE impressive!!

 Oh crazy boys.  Brett made it home with most of his clothing...Erik has an Oktoberfest mohawk...and Greg is real happy I'm taking his picture :)

 Just a taste of the traditional attire.  I love it!  Everyone was wearing the outfits...so much fun!!

True love and classy beer tattoos!!
 
Think we can get Taylor and Greg to wear the Lederhosen outfits next year??  It's a challenge!

Bled, Slovenia and Villach, Austria!

Weekend 2 and 3 of 5...


This weekend we headed up to Bled, Slovenia for a relaxing weekend for my friend, Kahea's, birthday. Lake Bled is about 2 1/2 hours away in the mountains, we went camping there back in April. Kahea and Matt planned a wonderful trip up there with no agenda except our massages booked at 4pm on Saturday. Besides that we were free to wander,shop, eat, hang out at the pool (indoor, because it was chilly in the mountains), but it had a water slide, water falls, jacuzzi, etc. It was quite nice. Sadly I didn't make it to our late dinner and casino that night because I ended up getting sick and throwing up. I'm thinking from something I ate...but I'm not positive. So I stayed at the hotel and went to bed, and luckily felt fine in the morning!!


We took a toboggan ride in the morning down the ski slopes. You can see the pictures below. It was so fun! And after that we headed back to Aviano, but it was such a nice get away!

We had a nice lunch outside and waited out the hurricane that literally blew through for about 10 minutes...

 Meredith and I at lunch

 The picture after the storm blew through...it was a whole new day!

 Please notice my Tennessee shirt...I may not be watching the game...but I was there in spirit!

 Matt was such a good sport and hung out with all the girls this weekend!!

 Lake Bled was listed in an article as one of the World's Top 10 Most Beautiful Lakes...I can't argue :)

 Taking the ski lift up to ride the toboggan down the slopes.

 Beautiful view from the top.  Matt, Kahea, Meredith, Sharity, and I

Kahea riding the toboggan cart down the hill!

Weekend 3

I went on a day trip to Villach, Austria with my friend Jennifer, her son Luke, and her dad. We drove up there on Saturday morning and spent the day wandering through the city. We ate a delicious lunch at a Biergarten (Beer Garden) in the city and eventually headed back to Aviano.

 My sweet buddy, Luke!!

 A cute picture of the downtown of Villach.

Jennifer and I with a pretty backdrop of the Alps.  Please notice my orange again.  Still cheering...clearly the Vols can use all the support possible this year.  Yikes!