Down the Lehigh River

For the long weekend, Lex and I joined the SFC (Singles for Christ) group Whitewater Rafting at the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania. It would be the first time for me and the second for Lex as he had done this before while assigned in Michigan. We wanted to do something totally different for the weekend so we woke up at 5AM on a Saturday to hitch a ride with some members of the group. The river, incidentally, is just a short 2-hour drive from New York.

I admit I was a bit concerned about going on this adventure. It can get scary being on the rapids and with, as our guide calls them, the SFR "small friendly rocks" and the BFR "big friendly rocks" all coming towards you. But what the heck, I have to do this at least once or I'll forever live with Lex's teasing. And besides, I saw 10 year olds going on this ride so how bad can it be? I got my answer when we were made to sign a Waiver Form before we could start. It stated there that "The risk of injury from the activities involved in this program is significant, including potential for permanent paralysis and death." That's how bad it could be. The form continued on to say in bold capital letters that "I KNOWINGLY AND FREELY ASSUME ALL SUCH RISKS... and I assume full responsibility for my participation." This is going to be fun, I thought. Hehe.

There were six of us in the raft, 3 boys and 3 girls. One of the them is Lex's friend, J, from college/dorm and she was actually the one who invited us to join the trip. We were having a grand time navigating through the river and being splashed by the other rafts until we encountered this BFR. Believe me, there was nothing friendly about this particular rock. We were paddling our way through some rough waters when we saw another raft, full of shrieking teenage girls, stuck on this rock. We weren't able to maneuver out of the way so we slammed right into the rock and overlapped with the other raft. Our side was the side which overlapped so we were pushed right up. The other side of our raft, however, got completely submerged in the water. It happened so fast. One of our girls was holding on for dear life but we were having trouble lifting her up because of the strong current. But that was the least of our worries. J was missing. We couldn't find her anywhere! Images of her being stuck underwater, unconscious and under our raft came to mind. We were all scared for her. Some of the guides came to us and told us to first concentrate on trying to get both rafts out of the rock. To do so, Lex and I would have to transfer to the other raft to remove the weight on our raft so it can be lifted off. It worked and both rafts were free. However, one of the teenagers on the raft that we were now on was so scared that she hysterically said that we shouldn't be in their raft because they might sink. I never felt so unwanted in my life! I wanted to shove my paddle down her throat. But we somehow managed to get back on our own raft before I could do so. Sayang, hehe. We went on our way but we were still missing J! The guides assured us that she might have already been pulled up by another passing raft. And thank God they were right. We caught up with her some time later... she's a little bit bruised but otherwise okay.

A very bad picture of us rafting

So that was my first whitewater rafting experience. A bit too exciting for my taste but otherwise really fun. I wouldn't mind doing it again =).

Lehigh River Rapids during Spring are rated as Class II-III. Class I is the easiest and Class V is the most challenging.

Happy Birthday, Karlo!

Happy birthday to my little brother, Karlo! We miss you! And no... hindi kita ipagpapalit sa ibang lalaki. Hehe :D

Paris (Quatrième Jour)

Read Day 1 of our trip.
Read Day 2 of our trip.
Read Day 3 of our trip.

Oh no, it's our last day in Paris. Was it all just a dream?! If not for my blisters and aching calf muscles, I wouldn't believe that we have spent 3 days in Paris already. Time really flies when you're having fun.

We wanted to wake up early to make the most out of our few remaining hours in Paris. Our flight back to New York is 1PM so we just have 3-4 remaining hours to explore. We went back to Place de la Concorde since it was the only place that we can go to this early. On our way to the plaza, we were stopped by a Parisian girl speaking very fast French to us. We said sorry we can't understand but I wondered what she was asking about. It gave us a kick knowing a Parisian thought we were locals and not wide-eyed tourists. Hehe. The plaza has 2 magnificent and seemingly identical fountains at each side. In the middle, sitting proudly, is an obelisk that once belonged to the Luxor temple in Egypt. It had all sorts of hieroglyphics carved on it. We wondered how they brought such a thing over to France from Egypt and then we realized the whole transportation process was drawn on the pedestal. How convenient =). A guillotine once stood at the obelisk's location during the French Revolution. Marie-Antoinette's head rolled at where we were standing.

It was still early and we haven't had any breakfast yet so we decided to go to our favorite part of the city, the Île de la Cité (Cité Island). It is an island surrounded by the Seine River and one of the bridges that connects it to the rest of the city is the oldest of Paris' 38 bridges, the Pont-Neuf. We love the area because we can imagine ourselves living in these parts... surrounded by the river and the lovely parks. Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle are also in the vicinity. We then had breakfast in one of the little cafes and I must say I love how they make their coffee here! I'm not a coffee addict but here in Paris I could easily become one.

On Pont-Neuf and the River Seine

Nearby is the Conciergerie. The Conciergerie is a former prison turned tourist attraction. It housed thousands of prisoners during the French Revolution that eventually got their heads cut off by the guillotine. And guess who their most famous prisoner was? Yep, Marie-Antoinette. We suddenly developed a fascination towards the former French queen. Her life was like a soap opera that ended very badly. I can't help but feel sorry for her. Anyway, going through the rooms of the prison left us feeling spooked. Lex and I both agreed that there are souls wandering around the building's rooms and halls. I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand up more than once. And when we came to Marie-Antoinette's cell, all I can say was "Creepy!". Needless to say, we didn't stay long here. What a bunch of scaredy cats, hehe.

The Conciergerie's Medieval Men-at-Arms Hall

Boo! Marie-Antoinette on her cell

With just less than an hour to spare, we made our way back to Champs Elysee for some shopping. We intended to buy souvenirs, cheese, mustard and French treats. But, as expected, we got side-tracked by the clothing and accessories stores. Suprisingly I didn't get to buy anything. Yes, NOTHING from the fashion capital of the world!! I guess I was ever so conscious of the time and didn't get to "concentrate" on shopping. A woman needs to focus on the merchandise at hand, you know?? Lex, however, was lucky enough to bring home nice dress shoes for himself. I NEED to make up for this injustice =P.

Alas, it was time to go home. Paris has been good to us... giving us great weather when it's been predicted to rain non-stop all weekend. There's nothing but superlatives (amazing, beautiful, breathtaking, gorgeous.. you get the drift?) to describe this city. We sincerely hope that there would be a next time.

With Honey, the bear. Au revoir Paris!

Oh, and we were able to buy our cheese, mustard and Fauchon treats from the CDG duty free shops =).

More pictures of Paris here.

Paris (Troisième Jour)

Read Day 1 of our trip.
Read Day 2 of our trip.

Coming back to the hotel late last night due to our mishap, we found it impossible to wake up early the following day. Besides, we needed our energy for another action-packed day. So we dragged our sleepy asses to the nearest train station and headed towards Versailles. This is where French monarchy (think Marie-Antoinette) in the 1600s lived. It was the symbol of opulence and obscene grandeur which drove the hungry French people to revolt and overthrow monarchy. It is also where the Treaty of Versailles (WW1) was signed. Upon arriving at the Chateau de Versailles, we can definitely understand what ticked the French off. It is like the Malacanang on steroids.

Chateau de Versailles facade

One of the "less" ornate rooms at the Chateau

We just saw little of what's inside the chateau because we took a wrong turn and exited the building already. By the time we realized our mistake, the line getting back in is sooo long it would have taken us a precious hour to get in. Given our limited time and there's still so much of Paris to discover, we just couldn't afford it. So we decided to explore the gardens instead. We were not disappointed. It's just so beautiful. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Back in Paris, we trekked our way to the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart). By trek, I do mean climbing up hundreds of steps to the highest point of the city. The effort was well worth it as the view of the city is breathtaking.

View of Paris from Sacre Coeur

The basilica is also a sight in itself. First word that came to me when I saw it is WOW. It reminded us of Moslem mosques due to the domes but it is very much a Roman Catholic church. We attended mass and bought our souvenirs inside.

From one magnificent church to another, we then visited the 13th century Sainte-Chapelle (Holy Chapel) due to its world famous stained glass and rose windows. Each stained glass panel tells a story. The full biblical story of humanity is recounted, from the Creation to redemption through Christ. Everything is just so colorful and vibrant.

Rose window of Sainte-Chapelle

All the walking that we did made us work quite an appetite. It was our last night in Paris so we intended to have a nice French dinner. Finding ourselves in the heart of Saint-Germain des Près, we chanced upon a quaint restaurant called Brasserie Lipp. We decided to have coffee there and contemplate on where to eat our nice dinner. While sipping my cafe au lait (coffee with steamed milk), I looked over our trusty travel guide and searched for recommended restaurants in the area. And what do you know, Brasserie Lipp is one of those recommended serving French Cuisine. It is famous in Paris, boasting famous artists/writers and polical clientele such as Hemingway, Camus, Proust, even the former French leader Jacques Chirac. So much history since it has been founded in the 1870s. It's also a bit pricey but what the heck this is a special occassion. I ordered Confit de Cuisse de Canard (crystallized duck thigh) and Lex had their Pied de Porc (pork feet) with white wine. The food was excellent and very tasty. The French serve their food in smaller portions as compared to Americans so it's just right for us -- we finished everything off! We were so hungry that we started eating immediately and forgot to take pictures of the food =(. I'd love to go back to this restaurant again someday.

We managed to steal a shot before the food came

Our stomach and hearts full, we went on a 1 hour guided tour aboard one of Bateaux Parisiens trimarans. Our purpose was to see most of Paris' major sights from a different perspective and to catch the sunset. It was great to just sit down, hear about interesting stories behind each sight and drink in the view. It was all so romantic too. Definitely one of the highlights of our Paris vacation.

Look to the left

Lex, ofcourse, was busy taking pictures for his "portfolio", hehe. Here are some of them.

Old and new

Sunset at the River Seine

City of love

The sun has set on our 3rd day in Paris. Our river cruise ended at the foot of the Eiffel Tower so we paid one last homage to the Parisian icon. When can we see you again? We hope it would be quite soon!

Our last stop for the day was the Arc de Triomphe. Since it is open until 11PM, we still have time to go up the arch for a view of the Champs Elysee. Champs Elysee at night is what made Paris known as the City of Lights. The wind was chilly but the view awesome. What a way to end the night.

Paris (Deuxième Jour)

Read Day 1 of our trip.

First on our day's list was the Louvre Museum. After hearing so much about the famous museum from friends and from the movies, it was definitely a must-see. We decided to visit it 9AM, as soon as the museum opened, to avoid any lines and all the crowds. We bought a Museum Pass from the airport and it allowed us to visit all the major Paris museums for just 40 euros. It's a good buy because it saved us time from lining up to buy the tickets and money too when all the ticket fees are added up. Upon arriving, we were sidetracked from entering the museum because we went crazy snapping pictures outside -- on the glass pyramid and the museum's facade. It was a sight to behold. From seeing it so many times on pictures and movies, we can't believe we're actually seeing it in person now.

The Louvre Museum is HUGE. You can easily spend 2 whole days going through their entire collection. What a pity that we just alloted 2 hours given our limited time. We intended to just visit the famous works which included the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci -- probably the most famous painting in the world. It was small as compared to the other paintings in the museum. It was protected by guards, railings and a thick glass case. Photography is also prohibited. Well, it just felt good standing within a few feet of such a masterpiece. But personally, I think the Louvre has other equally, if not more, outstanding pieces than the Mona Lisa.

Glass Pyramid of the Louvre Museum

Fromage (cheese)!

Sneaking a photo with the paintings

As much as we'd like to stay a little longer at the museum, we have a schedule to follow. Next was to visit Victor Hugo's Quasimodo at the Notre Dame. The Latin Quarter Cathedral has a lot to offer to the eager tourist. The gothic architecture, the rose window, the 422 spiraling steps which I didn't expect to make, Emmanuel - Quasimodo's historical bell, the funny gargoyles and the view of Paris from the tower. So much history and beauty.

At the steps of the Notre Dame

My favorite gargoyle sticking out his tongue

The beautiful rose window

After Notre Dame, we then boarded a guided tour bus which would take us around the city. A recorded commentary can be heard on the headphones provided as we passed each Parisian sight. I was glad to be able to sit after all the walking that we did but we wished that we took the Open Bus tour instead -- just because of the view provided by the lack of bus ceiling/top. Nevertheless, the bus tour was a good way of seeing all the major spots in order to note which ones we have to come back to. We got to learn some history too.

The bus tour ended at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Yes, the Eiffel Tower -- Paris' most famous monument. Tickets to the 2nd floor of the tower is included in our bus tour. We have avoided the long snaking line to buy the ticket which was great. However, there was another line just to get in. We spent a good hour just waiting for our chance to take the lift up the tower. But it is nothing compared to the 4 hrs I've heard other people had to wait in line. Our Paris vacation would not be complete without it so this is all part of the experience =).

Look at the number of people waiting to get in the tower

The tower at night

The view is amazing. You can see the whole of Paris from all angles at the tower. We paid an extra 3 euros to go to the top and it's worth it. Check out the views.

It was finally time to go home. But no adventure on a foreign country is complete without getting lost. Ours was when we boarded the wrong train going home and it took us to the suburbs (near Versailles) instead of our hotel. We didn't realize it until we were a couple of stops out of the city. To top it off, it was already past 1AM and we missed the last train on the line that goes back to the city! A good samaritan told us that there's another train line (15 mins walk away) that was still open. Walking to the train station was a bit scary coz the streets were very dark. But it was all good. We got home safely... feet aching and tired but satisfied of our first full day in Paris. Thank God we were granted good weather too.

Paris (Premier Jour)

Lex and I went to Paris for Part 1 of our much delayed honeymoon. So from May 11 to May 14, we left everything New York to experience everything that is Paris. And what an experience it was! So here's my humble attempt to chronicle these 4 days....

We booked the Thursday 10PM Continental red-eye flight that was scheduled to arrive in Paris CDG by noon Friday. It would have given us an opportunity to sleep on the plane and spend half the day of Friday to explore the city. But as our luck would have it, our flight was delayed by 3 hours. I slept almost the entire duration of the flight though so I didn't really notice the travel time. Poor Lex wasn't as lucky... he was plagued by his Spring allergies and it kept him awake most of the time =(.

We arrived at 2:30PM at the CDG airport and took the Air France city shuttle to Porte Maillot. The bus stop was just across the street from our hotel so it was really convenient to get to and from the airport. We stayed at the Le Meridien Etoile. The good thing about the hotel is that its location is very ideal. Aside from the airport shuttle stop is just across the street, major sight-seeing locations are within walking distance. The Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee and Louvre Museum are just a stone throw away. The extensive Metro subway and RER trains have stations there too. However, our room leaves much to be desired. It was advertised as a 4-star hotel but I think it is just a 3-star at best. Oh well, you win some and you lose some.

After freshening up and changing out of our soiled clothes, we are eager to start our Parisian adventure. First thing on our itinerary was to eat at a local cafe. We were famished! I had the Croque Monsieur (nothing fancy, just ham and cheese sandwich) and Lex had Saucisse (sausage) and the ever famous french fries. We then headed towards the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysee. Arc de Triomphe was majestic and we spent a good time having our pictures taken at the landmark. We decided on going up the monument at a later time.

Walking down the Champs Elysee reminded me of the 5th Avenue in New York. High-end boutiques and cafes lined up the famous avenue. It has a different feel to it coz you'll know that you are in a European country just by the architecture of the buildings. It has more character, personality and history to it as most are centuries old. In New York, most buildings are relatively new and modern.

By the time we reached Place de la Concorde, it was already drizzling. We decided to explore the plaza another time and instead take the metro to Galeries Vivienne and Colbert. There's nothing much to see there since the shops were already closed. It had beautiful mosaic floors though that we couldn't resist taking our pictures with it.

Nearby is the Palais Royal gardens. The Columns of Buren and the Fountains of Bury are very picturesque.

Playing on the Columns of Buren

Metal spheres of the Fountains of Bury

It was raining in earnest so we decided to call it a night. We were hoping and praying for beautiful weather tomorrow. We were happy that we were able to see as much as we did today given our delayed flight and uncooperative weather. Not bad for a first day.

Paris, je t'aime!

Last Friday, we watched Paris, je t'aime to immense ourselves with a little bit of French culture. And what better place to watch it than the legendary Paris Theater? This theater has been Manhattan's premier foreign-film house and is also the longest operating art cinema in the US. It has also been featured in Sex and the City when SJP saw a flick there in an episode that focused on her rediscovering the joys of the city. So Lex and I were already feeling "cultured" just stepping into the Paris Theater lobby. It was also a break from the regular AMC or Leows movie house that we frequent.

The movie Paris, je t'aime is a collection of 18 short (5min) love stories directed and starred by some of the best directors and actors in the industry -- directors: Alfonso Cuaron, Coen Brothers, Wes Craven, etc and actors: Steve Buscemi (love him!), Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gena Rowlands, Nick Nolte, etc. It was also from the producers of Amelie -- which is also a favorite. Each short clip is set on a different Parisian neighborhood... thereby providing the viewer with the look and feel of the much celebrated city. This was precisely why we watched the movie... coz we're going to Paris next weekend (more on this on later posts)!

I really enjoyed watching the film. I laughed and "almost" shed a tear on some of the shorts. It's definitely something I would want to watch again. Another film added to my must buy DVD list.

Oh, and this film is the first part of a planned trilogy. The next films will be set in New York and China! Can't wait to see what the New York film would be!