Posted by Andy on Feb 22, 2006 in
Travel Up for today were the Eifel tower, Arc de Triumph, and a sewer tour.� When we woke up this morning it was raining.� Unfortunately we couldn’t reschedule a lot of our sightseeing due to closings and all, so we had to see the tower today rain or shine.� By the time we arrived at the Eifel tower we were a little damp, cold, and my feet were soaked.� It was a great thing to get in a warm elevator to ride to the top.� The first elevator takes you up two floors.� The First Stop is 57m or 187ft high and offers decent views of Paris.� The second stop is 115m or 377ft high and offers much better views of Paris; however the last level is the best at 276m or 955ft.� On a clear day visibility from the top of the Eifel Tower is 65km or 39 miles.� The ride to the top is a bit scary as the elevator is mostly glass and we were rising 578ft but we managed and it was quite cool.� The top level is all enclosed, thank goodness, and has maps all the way around that point out what the sights around Paris.� It also has countries listed and what the distance to those countries are that direction.� From the tower it was 5100km to New York and 9100km to LA.� Read the next listing for the rest of the trip.�
Posted by Andy on Feb 22, 2006 in
Travel We got up at 4:40am for our 6:25 flight to Paris, still sleeping and unaware of our surroundings or what we were doing, we got on the flight.� They have a cheap airline here called Easyjet.� It is truly a no frills flight, snacks and drinks are available for� a charge.� We arrived in Paris around 7:30am and made our way to the Gare De Lyon train station and finally to our Hostel.� Miriam’s parents weren’t coming in until 11:30am or so, so we bummed around and took in the culture of Paris.� We stopped at a couple of pastry shops and had a light breakfast.� Miriam’s Parents came in around noon at which time we dropped off our luggage and went to the Louvre.� What an amazing Museum.� Being the largest in the world, I really couldn’t expect much less but it was breathtaking.� We saw the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, and many others.� My mind was worn out after an hour and a half, there’s just so much to see.�
Posted by Andy on Feb 22, 2006 in
Travel The day started off easy and relaxing.� The Hockey event between Germany and Switzerland we� went to started at noon sharp and so we needed to get there in plenty of time to see the opening.� Just as we left the parking ramp it started to sprinkle a bit but we didn’t think anything of it.� We got to the event 30 mins early and found were amongst a sea of Swiss.� The game was pretty good.� Not as exciting as the speed skating but it was good.� The game ended with a tie which was disappointing because there was no closure but we couldn’t really complain as we were at the Olympics.� After the game it started to rain and of course we didn’t bring any umbrellas and we were off to buy souvenirs’ at the Olympic superstore.� The line to enter the store was half way around the outside of the building so we were ready to get wet.� After leaving the store we headed to the car and by the time we arrived, we were soaked head to toe.� The car never looked more appealing.� One of the highlights of the trip from Torino to Geneva was a tunnel through the tallest mountain in Europe, Mount Blanche.� I was given the opportunity to drive through the 11km tunnel which was exciting (thank you Stephen and Sarah).�
Posted by Andy on Feb 19, 2006 in
Travel After a pretty good nights sleep, Miriam, Sarah (Miriam’s Sister), Stephen (Sarah’s Husband) and I had a great breakfast at the hotel, which is located 1 hr north of Torino in a town called Aosta.� Our main event for the day was to go see all the sites, the medal plaza, the Shroud of Turin, and the Men’s 1000m Speed Skating Medal event.� The city is old and beautiful (pictures available soon) and very busy.� The shroud of Turin was very interesting and the rest was just cool.� As the Olympic event, we saw Shauni Davis win the gold and Joey Cheek win the silver for the USA.� There were tons of Dutch there; Speed Skating is their countries main event, which made the event more exciting.�
Posted by Andy on Feb 19, 2006 in
Travel Even-though we had made it this far, we now had to figure out how we were going to get from Frankfurt to Geneva.� We made some calls, searched for our tickets I lost on the plane somewhere, and 20 mins later, we had tickets to Geneva (or so we thought).� So as soon as we landed, we asked where the departure screens were and we sprinted.� We only had 40 mins before the Geneva flight was leaving and we had to find the gate and get through security.� With 10 mins to spare we arrived at the departure gate, only to find out, United never changed the ticket to this new flight and we had to get to a United ticket counter to get the ticket issued.� 20 mins and two ticket counters later, we had what we needed.� We ran back to the departure gate and due to weather, the flight was delayed and we made it with 10 mins to spare.� In the end, we made it to Geneva, with no baggage, and are in Torino.� What an adventure.�
Posted by Andy on Feb 19, 2006 in
Travel Miriam and I have decided that every time we travel internationally, we need to be prepared for an adventure.� So here is our story.� We arrived at the airport on time, exactly as planned.� At check in they said our flight would be delayed due to weather in Chicago.� Well 3 hours later, our flight was cancelled and we barely made the standby list for a flight that was supposed to leave at 10am.� Just as we get on the plane the pilot tells us we have less than 15 minutes to leave the gate or we won’t be leaving at all.� This wouldn’t be so bad but if we didn’t get out on this flight, we wouldn’t get into Geneva until late Saturday afternoon, in which we would miss the Olympic events we were supposed to go to.� After we pulled out from the gate, the pilot announced we pulled away from the gate with only 2 minutes to spare.� Due to the delays in SLC, we arrived into Chicago 30 mins after our flight to Munich had departed so we had to search for any flight that would get us across the Atlantic.� We found 1 flight leaving for Frankfurt that was departing in 30 minutes and was in another terminal.� We made it to the gate and on the plane just as they closed the doors.
Posted by Andy on Feb 16, 2006 in
Travel We have a busy trip planned so I thought I would give a brief overview for all that are interested� We leave for Chicago at 1pm then go to Munich, Germany, Then Geneva Switzerland.� Once we arrive there, Miriams Sister is picking us up and we are driving for 3 hours to Torino for the Olympics.� There we will see the Men’s Hockey game between Switzerland and Germany, and the medal event for the Mens Speed Skating.� After the olympics, we drive back to Geneva and then get on a plane to Paris for a couple of days where we will see Miriam’s Parents, Then back to Geneva.� What a busy trip, but it’s always this way with Miriam’s Family.
Posted by Andy on Feb 15, 2006 in
Travel Well, we have been running like crazy to get ready for this trip.� Poor Miriam has had to do all the work (packing, cleaning) while I was gone for a quick overnight business trip to California.� I rolled into the house around midnight and it looks like everything is done.� I will have to give mir some extra loving…what a great wife.� We are both excited for our trip.