Where I've Lived

So after visiting my parents tonight, and talking in general about travel, I started to feel really sentimental and think about the different homes I've lived in.  I posted a few pics of these places.

The first is a map shot of where I lived for nine months as a baby.  The little town of Tenakee Springs, population 105.  Somewhere, I have a pic of my actual home, but I'll have to dig it out and scan it.  A Philipino lady named Rosie still plays favorites at her diner, which is the only one in town.  There is also a hot spring (hence the name) which serves as the gossip center for it's citizens.  

The second was my childhood home on Rucker Hill in Everett, WA.  Built in 1915; it recently won the city's Monte Cristo Award for historic preservation.  From our deck, my dad and I would watch the U.S.S. Nimitz return to the Navy Base in Port Gardener (below) after its various duties during Desert Storm.  Apparently, the famous Gypsy Rose Hill danced on the hard wood floors in the basement.  

The third is where I lived for nine months in Seville, Spain.  It is in the very old historic core of the city, and my guess is it was built in the 17th or 18th century.  I am emailing my roommate to see if he remembers.  My home was on the right and it is actually two homes combined.  It was truly mansion-like with a separate wing for my roommate and I.  It had three beautiful courtyards inside.  

Change in Itinerary

Thanks to my dear friends on the Rick Steves Travelers Helpline, Vanessa and I decided to omit Prague from our itinerary in order to focus more on everything that France has to offer.  

If there's one thing I've learned about planning trips, it's the importance of discipline.  There always seems to be an urge to see everything possible, but in the end it's the quality of your experience, not how many cities you see.  

So here's our itinerary in a nutshell:

03/26 - Arrive in Nice 12:35pm, tour Chagall Museum, eat dinner in Old Nice (sleep in Nice 3 nights)

03/27 - Day trip to Antibes, Picasso Museum

03/28 - Day trip to Monaco, Eze by Car or Villefranche by train

03/29 - Morning in Nice, afternoon train to Arles

03/30 - Day in Arles, visit Roman Amphitheater, Ancient History Museum

03/31 - Morning train to Beaune, tour Hospital, wine tasting (sleep in Cote de Nuits 2 nights)

04/01 - Tour vineyards of nuits-st-george, eat at Levernois Hotel (michelin *)

04/02 - Morning train to Paris, historic Paris walk, Ile de la Cite, Notre-Dame, Latin Qtr, St-Chapelle, afternoon: Opera Garnier, late in night: Seine river. (sleep in Paris 6 nights)

04/03 - Morning: tour the Louvre, afternoon: Champs-Elysees walk, Tuileries Garden, evening: floodlit Notre-Dame

04/04 - Morning: tour Orsay Museum, Jacquemart-Andre Museum. Afternoon: Rue Cler Markets, evening: Sacre-Coure, Montemarte

04/05 - Day trip to Versailles, morning: tour interior, Hall of Mirrors, afternoon: tour Gardens, Fountain Show

04/06 - Day trip to Reims: morning tour of cathedral. afternoon touring Champagne caves.  Dinner back in Paris

04/07 - Morning: Marais walk, Carnavalet museum, Pompidou Center. Late: Tracadero Scene by Eiffel Tower

04/08 - Morning flight to Seattle

The Paris itinerary is set to change quite a bit.  This is simply a guide which could change at any minute.