2013

Europe 2013

A brief summary for future reference...

Dublin/Dalkey with Coral/Colin/Marie/Gareth.
Wicklow Way.
Glendalough with Keith/Lyndy/Joseph.
McDonough family gathering at Pam & Maurice's in Wicklow.
Chris & Holly to Oxford (via Birmingham), staying with Mike/Milly/Farrah. Andy stays on in Dublin for 2 more days.
Oxford exploration (in torrential rain, Holly in a fake raincoat), including the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Headington Shark.
Family reunited in London, staying with Lou & James in Greenwich. Andy & Lou see Depeche Mode at the O2.
Explore Greenwich day (with Lou/James/Suzanne), visiting the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, and the Royal Observatory. Joined for lunch by Mark in the Greenwich Market.
Gathered at Paul & Caroline's new apartment for preprandials before heading out to dinner at Canteen 📷.
Eurostar to Paris. 🌐Staying near the Eiffel Tower.
Musée d'Orsay to find the polar bear.
The Tuileries gardens and Carrousel.
Musée Français de la Carte à Jouer (Playing Card Museum).
Walked along Avenue des Champs-Élysées to Maxim’s Art Nouveau "Collection 1900" Museum. Recommendation for future visit: Musée Nissim de Camondo.
Andy & Holly visited Les Arts Décoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts).
Montmartre Cemetery to find grave of Leon Foucault.
Musée de la Magie (Museum of Magic). Met kiwi-phile magician who gave us a poster.
Picnic dinner under La Tour Eiffel.
Musée de la Franc-Maçonnerie (Museum of Freemasonry).
Musée des Arts et Métiers (Museum of Arts and Crafts).
Walked along Canal Saint-Martin from République to Cité des sciences (City of Science and Industry) and the Argonaute Submarine.
Whilst it's hard to beat the gear at Decathlon for shear value, my favourite shop for outdoor clothing would have to be Ken Claude (55 Rue de Turenne 75003).
Train to Amboise. Met by Bob. 🌐Staying in the shadow of the Château.
Villandry château and gardens in the rain. Lunched at L'Etape Gourmande.
Visited the town of Blois. Chris & Holly visited the Maison de la Magie (the House of Magic) whilst Andy & Bob visited Royal Château of Blois. We reunited for a picnic lunch and a stroll around the old town.
A fine diner at La Fourchette, tucked away in the back streets of Amboise.
Chris to Château du Clos Lucé, rest to Château du Rivau.
Train to Geneva, via Paris. Met by Dave. 🌐Staying to the west of the centre of town.
Chris & Dave walked along the banks of L'Arve, crossed into France and, after a few false starts, caught the cable-car up the Salève. Descended on foot and caught the bus back to Geneva. Meanwhile Andy & Holly caught up with Pete at his house in Commugny, halfway between Geneva and Nyon. Us & Dave dined at a nearby pizza restaurant.
Chris & Dave cycled (on free, electrically-assisted bikes) to the Jura Mountains. Gruelling hike, with too little water, up the Télécabine de Crozet, returning via a walking/cycle track that we'd missed spotting on the ascent. Mad-dash cycle back to Geneva in order to get bikes back before 7pm deadline. Andy & Holly's day centred around a traumatic - but ultimately successful - outing to find Gelateria Arlecchino.
DIY Lake Geneva boat cruise on the Mouettes Genevoises commuter boats. Picnic and ice-creams in Parc Moynier.
Chris gets personal tour of LHC/CERN courtesy of Ray, a friend of Pete's, and the head of the Mechanics and Logistics Section of the Beam Instrumentation Group at CERN.
Chris purchases Victorinox Swiss Army knife.
Train to Paris and 2-hour, last-minute-dash around shops before heading out to CDG.
Home in time to experience the tail end of the June 2013 storm.

Photos on Flickr: May, 2013 + June, 2013.