Bryce Canyon National Park

After a month in Europe and almost a week on the Smith River, why not head to Bryce Canyon National Park?  We are on summer vacation!

Bryce is basically the half way point between Idaho and home, it is just an hour or so detour.

The park is fairly small, two nights in a hotel and one whole day in the park is plenty of time, especially since we were visiting on a weekday so it was a little less crowded.  

Bryce is like no other National Park.  Pictures just don't do it justice.

Hoodoos are limestone pillars, shaped by rain and snow.

You can find hoodoos in other locations, but not in the same quantity you find in Bryce.

We parked at Sunset Point and then walked into the canyon, on Navajo Loop Trail.

I love this picture.

This was probably a magnificent hoodoo at one time, and has since retired.

From there we hiked to Queen Garden's trail, including a short walk to Queen Victoria.

Love this picture too!

Our loop ended at Sunrise Point, connected to where we parked at Sunset Point by the Rim Trail.

Here comes the rain again... ♫

We walked the Rim Trail in the rain, surrounded by rolling thunder and lightening strikes. 

We are so happy/lucky we took a chance to find parking and drove in, instead of relying on the shuttle.  Some of these people waited in the rain for thirty minutes!  All of the shuttles were almost full by the time they arrived (since this is fairly close to the visitor center).  Parking was almost non-existent but people are constantly moving on to the next viewpoint, so it is not impossible.  The trick is to not be fazed by the parking volunteers who are constantly yelling at drivers not to stop to wait for a parking a spot.  They are angry, like a once magnificent eroding hoodoo.

Bryce Amphitheater.  

Natural Bridge.

Inspiration Point.

So beautiful.  

Honeymoon- Day 27- Paris to LAX

One person's adventure is another's honeymoon.  

We were pretty busy, I admit, but it was amazing!

We walked about 145 miles in total, and I don't even know how many trains and subways we took.  A lot.  

I know Eric is ready for a pubtrans break.  

Until next time!

The nice thing about coming home is that you can do it all in just one day.

Oh, and you get to see family.

And have a little rest and relaxation.  

Honeymoon- Day 26- Quimper to Paris

Tour de France excitement lingers into the next day.  

Even though the cyclists and their teams are on their way to another city for the next segment of the race, they have a presence in the city until the late morning.

Our train leaves in the early afternoon, which gave us a little more time to explore Quimper.

This art installation was recommended by the hotel employee.  

From April until this month only, 95 wolf statues by Chinese artist Liu Ruo Wang will be displayed.

Did I do that?

Today is our last morning in Europe with cappuccinos and pastries (for awhile). 

Au revoir Quimper!

Back in Paris, we are so ready to see Moulin Rouge!  

We ate at an Italian owned lasagneria, just a few minutes from the theatre.  

Our tickets (like many others) included a bottle of champagne.

Moulin Rouge has been including champagne with their ticket prices for over a hundred years, and so is the world's largest consumer of champagne, serving 240,000 bottles to its 600,000 customers each year.

The cabaret show opened its doors in 1899. 

There are topless women dancing, doing the can-can and swimming with snakes.  There are well-trained miniature horses, contortionists, and daredevil roller skaters.  

A typical show will have 80 artists, 20 of those being men.

It wasn't until more recently that the employees had to worry about sneaky cell phones capturing videos and pictures.  They have a strict policy in place, and you are monitored the entire time.  If you want to relive it later, you have to pay.  I think it is better just to enjoy it in the moment anyway.

This is the second time I have seen it, and a first for Eric, and we were both enthralled and engrossed for the entire one and a half hours.  It is so well done.  

(And for the record, it is nothing like that terrible film with Nicole Kidman.)

Ahhh, the last full day of our honeymoon!

Not a bad ending with such iconic entertainment. 

Honeymoon- Day 25- Quimper

This morning, Eric and I took the train to Quimper.  

It was a four hour train ride, but totally worth it.  

In just a few hours from now, cyclists will be completing stage five of the Tour de France.

Not every city in France is able to host the Tour.  They need to have sufficient hotels to accommodate riding teams and spectators, be along a cyclable road and, I assume, be somewhere desirable to visit.  The last time Quimper hosted was 2004.

I didn't know too much about Quimper before arriving.  I chose it because it looked nice, and worked out with our tight itinerary.  We now know that Quimper is famous for its spin on crepes.  They have a semi crispy texture (like they are lightly fried), and are folded differently.  

There is a lot of history here; it was first settled during Roman times.

Quimper (and the whole region of Brittany) is also famous for its spectacular, vibrant hydrangea.   

We arrived at the finish line over an hour before the expected arrival time so we could shop, get free stuff, and enjoy the festivities.  

I feel like we staked out the perfect viewing spot- next to a tree, so late arriving spectators couldn't muscle in next to us, and in front of a jumbotron, so we had appropriate entertainment while waiting for the peloton.  

It is pretty exciting to witness the arrival of the cyclists, maybe even more so than the departure.  A benefit to the departure is that you get to see the bikes and gigantic team buses on display.  

Unfortunately, not everyone can be a winner, but the fact that they ride about 2,200 miles in 21 segments (23 days) is an amazing accomplishment in and of itself.

World Champion Peter Sagan was the first to arrive, his second winning stage so far.

An all-female band wearing bike helmets gave a concert in front of the cathedral.  

Quimper is interesting, and even more so during the Tour de France!

It was a long train ride, but totally worth it.