Strudeling Across Slovenia

Welcome to the blog of Ashley, Ruth, George, Cheryl, and Frank Benedict as they traveled to Venice, Slovenia, and Paris. This blog is a summary of their eventful, amazing, awesome trip.


Schedule of Events
Sunday, September 4 - Tuesday, September 6
Venice, Italy

Tuesday, September 6 - Saturday, September 10
Visiting Krek Family in Dolenja Vas, Slovenia (connection to Luznar side of family)

    Key People

• Jože Krek - cousin to George and Frank (see chart 1)
• Ksenija - Jože's wife
• Daša - Jože and Ksenija's daughter
• Matjaž - Daša's son and Jože and Ksenija's grandson
• Mitja - Daša's boyfriend

• Jvan (Johnny) Rakovec - cousin to George and Frank (see chart 1)
• Majda - Johnny's wife

Chart 1: Luznar Family (Click on the image to enlarge)

Saturday, September 10 - Sunday, September 11
Traveled to Coast of Slovenia/Italy and then to Gorcia, Italy for one night

Sunday, September 11 - Wednesday, September 14
Visiting Benedetič Family in Kozana, Slovenia

Chart 2: Benedict Family (click on the image to enlarge)

    Key People

• Albin Benedetič - cousin (see chart 2)
• Majda - Albin's wife

• Sidonija Markovic - Albin's cousin (see chart 2)

• Lilijana Kastelic - Sidonija's daughter
• Zlatko Kastelic - Lilijana's husband
• Mija - Lilijana and Zlatko's younger daughter and awesome translator
• Maša - Lilijana and Zlatko's older daughter (we didn't meet her)

• Agnes Kozorog - Sidonija's daughter
• Zvonko Kozorog - Agnes's husband (only met him for a moment)
• Alja Kozorog - Agnes and Zvonko's daughter (we didn't meet her)
• Urban Kozorog - Agnes and Zvonko's son (only met him for a moment)

Wednesday, September 14 - Saturday, September 17
Paris, France

Venice

Photos from Venice can be found here. 


Sunday, September 4

Arriving to Venice

Ruth, George, Cheryl, and Frank flew a red eye from Orlando to Paris – Charles de Gaulle. Ashley flew a red eye from Boston to Paris – Charles de Gaulle. From Paris, we flew to Venice. After arriving in Venice and retrieving our luggage, we walked down to catch a water transit (Ashley called it the water bus) over to the island of Venice. The water bus costs about 15 € per person and took about 1 hour to get from the airport to Venice. On the water bus, there were many stops and it started to get dark which did not help the fact that we were all tired. However, it was neat to see the lights on the islands and the large cruise ships sailing by.

We got off at our stop (San Zaccaria) which was very close to San Marco. After a short walk (that included getting the luggage over a bridge and asking a local for directions), we arrived at the Venice Best Western which was called Hotel Bisanzio. It was a wonderful hotel that was in close proximity to most things, close to the water, yet in a quiet area. We asked the concierge to suggest a restaurant for dinner. He suggested a little place down a few alleys from our hotel.  Real Italian for dinner with rain was threatening (but ended in a very quick sprinkle). The exhaustion had set in and after dinner we were all quickly asleep.

Monday, September 5
The hotel supplied a breakfast. George and Frank were down first and Cheryl soon joined them. This was the day they met the Breakfast Nazi (a hotel employee) that would continue to be mean to George the entire time! She did not like that they added a chair to their table for Cheryl and then when Ruth and Ashley joined, George was sitting with them and she asked if he was there to eat again (haha!). Croissants were amazing and the breakfast was delicious.

Glass making in Murano

Ruth, Ashley, and Cheryl took a water taxi over to Murano to check out the glass blowing. We were worried because the weather forecast showed bad storms all day (especially in the afternoon). It was raining in Murano but we were too busy watching the glassblowers to notice. After purchasing a few nice jewelry pieces that were handmade in Murano, we caught a water bus back to the hotel to pick up George and Frank for lunch.

We explored the multiple alleys to find a place to have lunch. We settled on a pizzeria. In addition to the pizzas, we had a Greek salad and on the salad there were fried cucumber skins that everyone enjoyed (Ashley thought they were a little salty!). After lunch, we walked to San Marco Square. We saw the gondolas cruising down the canals (a little too commercial/touristy for us, but it was neat to see).

View from the Rialto Bridge

After lunch, the guys went back to the hotel and the gals went to explore more of Venice. As we walked over to the Rialto Bridge (bridge over the Grand Canal), we did some shopping, got a little lost, and people watched. We jumped on a water bus that went through the Grand Canal and were able to take lots of pictures. Next, Ruth and Cheryl rested while Ashley went to the Dali Museum near San Marco Square. For dinner, the families split up. Tomorrow... off to Slovenia.


Tuesday, September 6 

St. Mark's Basilica

Today, Ashley headed to St. Mark’s Basilica (she made sure to wear long pants and a shirt with sleeves. Once she arrived back, it was time to catch a water taxi to go get the rental cars (The government employees were striking so there were very few public transportation boats in the water).

Oh the rental cars!!! So we decided to rent two cars (they of course were stick shift!).  Frank and Ruth were selected as the drivers with Ashley as the navigator.  When the cars were brought to us, we quickly packed and got in the car to head towards Slovenia.  Ruth, George, and Ashley were in one car and headed off.  Car 1 noticed that Car 2 containing Frank and Cheryl had not moved so Car 1 quickly pulled off on the side of the road.  Ashley jumped out of Car 1 and was talking to Car 2 (for some reason their car was not starting but it finally started).  Ashley noticed that all of George's maps were on top of the car - EVERY MAP WE HAD WAS ON THE ROOF OF THE CAR... George forgot that he placed them on top of the car and he just got in!  Thank goodness Car 2 didn't start and we had to pull off!!!

We traveled up to the interstate towards Slovenia.  For lunch, we stopped at a rest area and had a delicious lunch.  Rest stops were really nice in Italy!  Looking back, we should have reviewed the driving rules for both Italy and Slovenia before renting cars!!!

Slovenia - George and Frank's Mother's Family

Photos from Slovenia with the Luznar Family can be found here. 


Reminder of Key People

• Jože Krek - cousin to George and Frank (see chart 1)
• Ksenija - Jože's wife
• Daša - Jože and Ksenija's daughter
• Matjaž - Daša's son and Jože and Ksenija's grandson
• Mitja - Daša's boyfriend

• Jvan (Johnny) Rakovec - cousin to George and Frank (see chart 1)
• Majda - Johnny's wife

Tuesday, September 6 

Our home in Dolenja Vas

After turning around a couple times because of map/direction confusion, we made it to Dolenja Vas.  This is where George and Frank's Grandmother was born and raised.  We were staying in an amazing apartment (Gostisce Pri Zalogarju) above a restaurant / bar.  The owners were amazing and the accommodations were unbelievable.  We had a two bedroom apartment with a full kitchen and living room. The one downside was only one bathroom!  If you are ever in Dolenja Vas, make sure to stay here!

Dasa with wine dispenser

Jože's daughter, Daša came get us at our apartment and showed us the way to their house.  The party begins!  We were welcomed by the Kreks.  Beer, wine, Slovenian food, and desserts started flowing.

Two other Samsulans were in Slovenia at the same time as the Benedicts - Jeannette Humphrey and Pauline Lockwood.  Ashley and Daša went into Ljubljana's train station to pick them up from their travels to Vienna.  On their way back, they stopped at a grocery store.  Oh what fun!  There was a wine dispenser much like a water bottle dispenser in the grocery store.  Other interesting things about the grocery store include the fact that people weigh their own fruits and vegetables and add a sticker with the price.  We picked up some wine, beer, and snacks for the apartment.

The party was in full swing when the others returned.  It was great to enjoy the outdoors and spend time with family!

Enjoying our first night in Slovenia

On Tuesday night, Ruth had a misstep on the stairs and ended up falling down.  She hurt her knee and toe, but lucky was okay overall.


Wednesday, September 7

Rowboat across Lake Bled

Jože stopped by this morning to see what our plans were for the day.  The ladies were heading to Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled.  After showing him the route we planned on taking, he suggested a more appropriate (read more appropriate to mean safer) route.  First on the agenda was Vogel Mountain for a nice view of the Slovenian Alps and lunch atop the mountain.  We had lunch of bean and pork soup and STRUDEL #1!  Then we headed to Lake Bled.  The water at Lake Bled is so clean and pure that all you need is a cup to scoop up the water. The only watercraft allowed is man powered so there is no slick film of gasoline or oil.  It was crystal clear.  After struggling to find parking, we got in a rowboat to go over to the church on the island in the middle.  It was very picturesque.  The castle on the side of the lake was neat to see, but we ran out of time to actually do a tour.

George and Frank drove their car around this Slovenian region and found the town of Sopotnica.  They did manage to find a biker bar nearby and stopped by for a drink.  After chatting with some bikers, they continued to drive around to view the farm land.

This night, Jože and Ksenija suggested that we enjoy a dinner on top of a local mountain.  We went to what is a ski lodge and enjoyed an amazing meal.  After driving up the mountain on a curvy hairpin turn road, we arrived and got a beautiful view of the Slovenian land.  For this meal, we were joined by Jeannette and Pauline.  Ashley got a chance to talk with Jože and Ksenija during dinner.  On the menu, there was a meal for two which really was a meal for 3 or 4 people!  However, it was delicious.  A favorite was grilled mushrooms in butter for an appetizer.  We enjoyed STRUDEL #2 tonight.  After enjoying the sunset and meal, we had to manage our way back down the hill!.

Dinner with Family on top of Mountain

Thursday, September 8

Train ride in Postojna Caves

On most mornings we are up early, however, on Thursday morning we slept until 9:15 am and almost missed the breakfast that Janez and his wife (apartment owners) prepared for us.  The owners were wonderful.  After a delicious breakfast, we got ready to go to the Postojna Caves (or Postojna Jama in Slovenian).  We took both cars and headed to Postojna.  Frank and Cheryl had gone before when they were in Slovenia.  Cheryl told George that it was a train ride and then a little walking.  Boy was she wrong!  First, it was freezing and everyone but Ashley was in shorts.  Second, it was a speeding train ride (they don't want people to stand up to take pictures so the train goes pretty fast).  Third, it was a hike up and down hills.  However, it was really neat to see the inside of the cave system.  They pointed out stalagmites and stalactites that looked like an ice cream cone, a rooster, and spaghetti - George had a humorous comment about what these formations looked like!  There were salamanders that live in the cave and are called blind fish.  Ashley was able to mail a postcard to Sophia from the inside of the caves.  They do request that no pictures are taken in the caves so we obeyed and have few photos but lots of memories.  

Predjama Castle

Next, we headed just down the road to the Predjama Castle.  We toured through the castle and took tons of pictures (I think to make up for the caves).  The castle was build in a cave mouth and was integrated nicely into the side of the landscape.  There was a lot of walking and stair climbing.  We headed back to the apartment in Dolenja Vas to get ready for time with the family.

This evening, we had dinner with Kreks, the Rakovecs, and the other Samsulans at the Gostisce Pri Zalogarju.  The service and food was beyond comparison.  We enjoyed great wines, dined on delicious soups and dinners, and finished the night with delicious desserts.  A few highlights of the night was when the Janez told Cheryl that horse was on the menu and another was when Jože shared his knowledge of the family line.  

Dinner last night with everyone
(Front row - Ksenija, Matjaz, Majda, Johnny, George;
Back row - Cheryl, Ashley, Dasa, Pauline, Mitja, Jeannette, Ruth, Joze, Frank)

Friday, September 9

Locks of Love on Bridge!

Today, the ladies went to Ljubljana for sightseeing and shopping, while the guys hung out with Jože and Johnny.  They guys went to Johnny's farm and then to a museum in Skofja Loka.  The ladies first went to a Slovenia mall!  Lunch was at Al Capone's in the mall and we shared a delicious pizza.  Then we headed to the center of Ljubljana.  First we went in shops and walked around the city.  We walked over the Locks of Love bridge and took pictures in front of the Dragon bridge.  There was a bike versus runner race happening in the main section of Ljubljana and there were lots of people milling about.  Ashley picked up some souvenirs.

We stopped by the Metro for STRUDEL #3 (in this case we got a cheese strudel rather than apple but it was disappointing).  Then, we drove back to Dolenja Vas and spent our last night hanging out with the Kreks.  Ksenija was so sweet and made us an apple strudel so we enjoyed STRUDEL #4.  Her strudel was very good.  For dinner, we dined at the apartment.  We had a wonderful time with the Luznar side of the family and were sad to leave them, but more adventures were ahead.

Last night with Kreks; Enjoying Ksenija's strudel

Saturday, September 10

Johnny and Majda's place

This morning, we got up and enjoyed our last meal at the apartment.  Cheryl said that today was going to be a dry day for her (no alcohol).  After packing up the car, Ashley wanted to see Johnny and Majda's before heading out.  There was a wedding going on in town and there were two trees placed on the side of the road with a banner.  The wedding party makes the cars stop, but going the other directions (more to come about this).  Majda (who speaks no English) was home and we walked around their farm house.  Johnny was out working and actually drove up the road as we were leaving.  They have cows, chickens, and a pony.  We met Majda and Johnny's grandkids who live next door.  Majda gave Ruth and Cheryl a lovely lace gift that was made by her mother.

Farm Animals; family home, Majda and Johnny's grandkids

As we left the Rakovec's place, we head back by the wedding celebration.  Now for more of the story.  The party had been going on all night.  They stop all the traffic and collect donations.  In return, they give you a glass of wine or a shot of slivovitz.  They are playing music and having a wonderful time.  You can even see from the photos below that the bride and groom are there.  Remember how Cheryl said that it was going to be her dry day... well by 10 am she was enjoying a glass of wine (they gave us the glass to keep!) as we headed to Portorož.

Wedding festivities

Slovenia Coast

Photos from Slovenia and Italy Coasts can be found here. 


Saturday, September 10
After heading out from the wedding celebration, we navigated our way down to Portorož.  We were considering staying here for the night until it ended up being about 300 euro a night (we spent about 300 euro on the apartment for 5 days!) so we decided to just spend the afternoon and enjoy lunch here.  We had lunch at a place along the water called Prego.  Our waitress told us that she is planning on spending a year in Florida for college (Miami area).  We had STRUDEL #5 along with pizza and salad for lunch.

View in Portoroz

Miramare

We then headed to Trieste to check out the Maximillion Castle, Miramare.  When Ruth, George, Cheryl, and Frank came to Slovenia last time together, they toured the castle so Ashley was on her own exploring the castle.  The traffic getting to the castle was crazy - we had to pass buses on what seemed like one way streets.

We headed to Nova Gorica which is close to where the Benedict side of the family lives.  We found a gostilna (pub) for dinner.  Luckily, they had wi-fi and Ashley was able to find a hotel for us to stay in.  We stayed in a Best Western in Gorizia, Italy which is right across the border.  We were able to get ice through room service and were so excited!!!  Tomorrow, we head to Kozana to see the Benedetič.

Slovenia - George and Frank's Father's Family

Photos from Slovenia with the Benedetič Family can be found here. 

To understand the awesome power of fate, a story first has to be told of how Albin and Majda came into our lives or how we came into their lives.  In July 2007, Ruth, George, Cheryl, and Frank went on a tour of Slovenia and the surrounding area.  When they were in  Portorož, George and Frank rented a car to take to Kozana to see where their father was born.  They went to the church to see Joseph Benedetič's name in the records.  Someone mentioned to them that the Benedetič family was still in the area.  They went to Albin's place, but Albin couldn't speak English and George and Frank couldn't speak Slovenian or Italian.  After finding a translator, they figured out that they were family.  They share a great grandfather - Martin Benedetič.  At some point, Albin's father also was living in the United States but for unknown reasons his family returned to Slovenia and settled back in Kozana.  In 2008, Frank and Cheryl returned to Slovenia and spent a few days with Albin and Majda.  For this trip, Albin also introduced us to his cousin Sidonija who is the same distance in cousin as Albin is to George and Frank.  Again talk about fate!  We were so happy to spend time with this family and could feel the love they were offering to us.  We hope they realize how much we love them too!


Reminder of Key People

• Albin Benedetič - cousin (see chart 2)
• Majda - Albin's wife
• Sidonija Markovic - Albin's cousin (see chart 2)
• Lilijana Kastelic - Sidonija's daughter
• Zlatko Kastelic - Lilijana's husband
• Mija - Lilijana and Zlatko's younger daughter and awesome translator
• Maša - Lilijana and Zlatko's older daughter (we didn't meet her)
• Agnes Kozorog - Sidonija's daughter
• Zvonko Kozorog - Agnes's husband (only met him for a moment)
• Alja Kozorog - Agnes and Zvonko's daughter (we didn't meet her)
• Urban Kozorog - Agnes and Zvonko's son (only met him for a moment)

Sunday, September 11

View from Albin and Majda's back porch

Today, we had breakfast and then packed for Kozana.  After driving through town a couple times, we stopped to ask people at a hotel where the place we were looking for was.  The person in the hotel was able to tell us how to get to Albin and Majda's.  We surprised Albin and Majda as we arrived and they were confused at who we were.  However, once it sunk in, they were so happy to have us.  They had just finished picking grapes with friends who were helping them.  Down in the basement, we enjoyed wine fresh from the wine tank (see bottom left picture) and fresh sliced prosciutto (see Majda slicing on the bottom right).  Then, a homemade meal (see bottom right) was pulled together - fried chicken, pork, salad, potatoes, and other yummy dishes.  Such a welcome that allowed us to meet Albin and Majda's friends.  One of their friend's daughter (Christina) who could speak English joined us for lunch so she could translate for us since Majda is pretty proficient in English and Albin is more limited.  We spent some time on the back porch enjoying the wonderful weather.

Wonderful Welcome at Albin and Majda's Place

George, Ruth, Frank, and Cheryl in front of Belica

After spending the afternoon with them, we headed to check-in at our hotel (Belica) and then take a quick nap.  This area of Slovenia is just like California - vineyards, rolling hills, and amazing homes and buildings.  We walked around the hotel and the pool for the sunset.  Since we enjoyed such a lovely lunch, we were not hungry for dinner so we had STRUDEL #6 with a glass of wine.  There was church in the town (well there is a church in every little town in Slovenia) and the church bells were ringing all night long!!!!!!!!!!

Panoramic from hotel

Monday, September 12

Albin and Majda decided to take us sightseeing around the Brda region of Slovenia.  We went to a sightseeing tower that gave us a great view of the region.  Frank climbed the tower first and as he got to the top there was a swarm of bees.  The rest of us stopped climbing and he was okay and started climbing down.

Sightseeing Tower

Street in Smartno

Next, we headed to Smartno for a tour of a church (Church of St. Martin) and old house (the Brda House). This city is in the center of the Brda region.  The church is the largest in the redion and the house is one of the oldest in the region.

After Smartno, we went to Dobrovo for a tour of the Dobrovo Castle.  We then had lunch with Albin and Majda at a local diner.  It was a delicious family style meal of the most amazing pork, chicken, salad, baked beans, bread, and Coke with ICE!!!  So happy to have ice in our drinks!!! We probably had a gallon of ice cubes for our drinks.  After lunch, we headed to the local grocery store to pick up a few items, then back to the hotel for a short nap.

Castle and Lunch in Dobrovo

Enjoying a drink at Kromberk Castle

Albin and Majda picked us up at 4 pm and we head to Sveta Gora (Holy Mountain), which is a church on top of a mountain.  After walking around, we drove to Kromberk Castle and toured the castle along with a lovely art exhibit.  We enjoyed a glass of wine and a tasty snack at the restaurant within the castle.  There were two black Scottish terriers that were running around the restaurant.  Cheryl was really missing her dog, Maggie at this point!  Then, we headed back to Dobrovo where we were meeting Sidonija and her family.

Dinner was fantastic!  We went back to the same place we had lunch.  We enjoyed amazing food, tasty wine, and extraordinary company.  In addition to Albin and Majda, we were joined by Albin's cousin Sidonija and her family (daughter - LIlijana, son-in-law - Zlatko, and granddaughter - Mija).  An amazing translator and friend to the family, Viola, joined us during the dinner and provided great communication between all in attendance.  We spent many hours together during this dinner getting to know each other.  During lunch, we had asked if they served strudel and they said they didn't.  Well during the day, the cooks at the restaurant made us strudel for dinner and we enjoyed STRUDEL #6.  We drank, ate, laughed, talked, and had an amazing night.

Dinner Highlights

Dinner
Front row - Ashley, Mija, Majda
Back row - Zlatko, Lilijana, Albin, Ruth, George, Sidonija, Frank, Cheryl, and Viola

Cousins with Viola

However, the night wasn't over.  We all headed over to Sidonija's house to enjoy some Jagermeister and walnut liqueur.  She had a lovely house and we sat out on the patio with grape vines growing all around us.  Someone in our party didn't know how strong jager and walnut liqueur were, may have done a few too many shots in a short period of time, and may have had a little too much to drink!



Tuesday, September 13

Today was our last full day in Slovenia.  We drove to Albin and Majda's house to meet them along with Sidonija and her granddaughter, Mija (she skipped school to serve as our translator!).  The agenda for today was to become vineyard employees, go to the source of the Soča River, and meet Sidonija's other daughter.

George and Frank
picking grapes

First, we went to a vineyard owned by Albin and Majda's friends.  We all became workers for about 45 minutes.  It was fun (since we only had to do it for such a short time and got to leave).  George and Frank enjoyed it the  most since they are the natural farmers of the group.  It is lovely that it is still a manual process and you capture the love and care that goes into making wine in this region.

Next, we drove through the amazing countryside of Western Slovenia.  We stopped to drink water from the Soča River.  Once arriving at the source, we had to hike up to the actual source - let's just say the two youngest (Ashley and Mija) and Sidonija made it there.  To get there, it was like scaling the side of a mountain with no safety gear!

Left side - hiking to the Soca River source
Right side - picture of our drive out to the Soca River source

We then had a lovely picnic with fresh bread, prosciutto, cheese, and wine poured out of a liter plastic bottle!  Sidonija surprised us with STRUDEL #7, which was delicious.

Picnic Lunch

Sidonija, Agnes, Mija, Majda

After lunch, we headed to a World War I museum - Kobariški Muzej - located in Gregorčičeva.  After walking through and watching a video on the role of the region in the war, we headed to an ice cream shop for a treat.  Then, we headed to see Agnes, Sidonija's other daughter, her family, and her home.  We relaxed on her back porch (which was covered by kiwis growing as the roof!).  We were able to meet her husband very quickly and then her son, but her daughter was at work and we did not get to meet her.  Next, we traveled back to Albin and Mijda's home before finishing the busy day.  Albin and Majda packaged up a bottle of white and red wines (they call it white and black because the grape color isn't really red but a dark purple) for each of us.  They also gave us a CD of the group Albin played in.  We had such a lovely time with them and are so thankful that fate brought us together.  

Departing gifts from Albin and Majda - Homemade Wine
Last photos in front of this year's harvest

Wednesday, September 14

Last picture from Belica

On this morning, we had to get up early to get to the airport down in Venice so we could return the cars.  However, Cheryl's clock was set incorrectly, which resulted on her knocking on our door with panic as to why weren't ready yet.  However, her clock was a hour fast and we had plenty of time!  Albin and Majda met us so they could show us the easy way to the autostrade (interstate).  We passed an Ikea along the way!  The trip back was uneventful and next we head to Paris - the city of Lights!

Paris - The City of Lights!

Photos from Paris can be found here. 


Wednesday, September 14

Invalides Park

When we arrived in Paris, we went down to catch a taxi.  Since there were five of us, it was a tight squeeze getting all of us in the taxi along with our luggage.  Ashley had to sit in the back with the luggage in a tiny little seat!  We were staying at the Hotel du Palais Bourbon near Invalides.  After checking in, we walked around the area and then had dinner in a restaurant with outside seating.  Frank and George ordered a raw steak dinner with french fries!  Frank, Cheryl, and George headed back to the hotel, while Ruth and Ashley went to see the Eiffel Tower.  On the hour, the Eiffel Tower twinkles and does a light show.


Thursday, September 15

Ashley along the Champs-Elysées

Rather than taking public transportation and taxis, we decided to get a two-day pass for L'Open Tour.  It was a great bus system that went to all the major locations within Paris.  First, we got french pastries from a nearby shop - chocolate croissants... yummy!  We took the green line by Le Louvre and then to Notre Dame.  We got off at Notre Dame to walk through the cathedral.  This church is almost 850 years old!  It was awesome walking around and seeing all the stain glass, art, and the amazing history.  We then strolled through some souvenir shops and grabbed lunch down an alley.  Next, we caught another bus loop (blue line) that went along the Seine River towards the Bibliothèque Nationale.  Next, we got back on the green line towards the Champs-Elysées.  We walked part of the Champs-Elysées to the Arc du Triomphe.

After the Arc, we headed to the Eiffel Tower for our 5:30 reservations.  The elevator ride was not a highlight of the trip for Ruth.  She did not like the height!  However, once at the top, it was perfect.  The weather allowed for a clear view of Paris. We walked around the very top (last time Ashley went to Paris she didn't get to make it to the top so this was a thrill).  We took tons of pictures and there were tons of people up there.  After riding back down, we caught the green line back to Invalides so we could return to our hotel.  Dinner was simple that night for Ashley, Ruth, and George from a local cafe - lasagna and paninis, while Frank and Cheryl went out to dinner.

Friday, September 16
Today was our last full day in Paris.  We started early by catching the green line so we could head to Le Louvre.  But to no avail, there was lots of rush hour traffic and the road was crazy.  There was lots of honking of slow moving cars.  This was the worst weather so far for us... it was overcast and colder than expected.  We finally made it to Le Louvre.

First on the agenda, Mona Lisa of course!  Frank said it was small, George said he can check it off his bucket list.  We saw a ton of other sculptures - Venus de Milo, Nike, Sphinx, (I would list them all but I am tired of writing this blog and you probably don't really care).  We then took the green line again and stopped for lunch in the same alley as the day before.  We then caught the orange line and made our way back to the hotel.  Everyone but George went to the Musee d'Orsay for some Monet, van Gogh, Whistler's Mother, etc.  We had to speed seeing in the museum... the museum was closing and there was no chance to appreciate.  One of the most amazing parts of the museum was the ceiling.  It was so pretty!

Dinner on last night

After we got back to the hotel, we got ready for our last dinner abroad.  We went to a lovely sidewalk cafe to enjoy wine and amazing service. George enjoyed Quiche, Ruth and Frank had ravioli, and Cheryl and Ashley had lasagna. We finished the meal with a delicious crème brûlée. Next, we walked over to the Seine for a night river cruise. We picked Bateaux Mouches as our cruise boat.  We had perfect timing because the Eiffel Tower light show was starting right as we boarded the boat. The cruise was an hour long and we got to go by Notre Dame and all the other sites along the Seine.  Since it was a Friday night, romantic couples along the banks of the Seine enjoying wine and each other's company. Similar to Ljubljana, there were locks on many of the bridges going over the Seine.  Paris as the "City of Lights" was confirmed during this night cruise.  We lucked out and saw the Eiffel Tower show at the end of the cruise tour.  It was an awesome last night in Paris!!! 

Saturday, September 17

Ashley with the luggage
in the back of the taxi

Oh what a trip.  The weather was perfect, the travel companions stayed on speaking terms, lots of memories were made, and much laughter was heard.  After almost two weeks of travel, we were all worn out!  Ashley had to pack the taxi so that all the people and the luggage would fit.  It was easy getting to the airport and getting through security.  We were all in the same terminal, but Ashley's flight left a little before the others.  Back to reality.

If you made it this far in the blog, thanks for reading.  we hope you enjoyed our travel blog of the Benedicts Strudeling through Slovenia and Paris!

Have an awesome holiday season along with a healthy and happy new year!