WORLD TATTOO TRAVELER (Bill Passman)

FRANCE, Cannes, Nice

The 1st two pictures are of Cannes, home of the world famous Cannes Film Festival. The rest of the pictues were taken in Nice.

This morning I walked down Las Ramblas to the port. Street performers, sidewalk cafes, markets and flower and bird shops line this beautiful pedestrian street. At the very end of Las Ramblas is the iconic statue of Christopher Columbus next to the port. After watching the sailboats at the port, I continued walking to the beautiful beaches located in Barcelona. Later that evening I went to a sidewalk cafe for my 1st experience with Paella, similar to Louisiana Jambalaya, and ordered Sangria. As soon as I ordered it began to storm. I ran inside to eat and drink and 5 hours later the torrential downpour stopped. It was now 12:30 am but as luck would have it, the Tapas Bars were in full swing.

SPAIN, Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia, Port

September 13, 2006

I took the overnight train from Madrid to Barcelona. Barcelona is truly beautiful especially Los Ramblas and the port. La Sagrada Familia is one of the most famous sites in the city. The enormous incomplete, roofless mastepiece of the eccentric genius Antonio Gaudi. He was run over by a tram in 1926 before he could complete his most bizarre, controversial creation. The construction is still ongoing.

SPAIN, Madrid

I took the overnight train from Paris and arrived early Sunday morning. Madrid was beautiful and is supposedly the cleanest city in Europe. I believe it. Not as exciting as I had hoped but the fact that it rained both days and I was there on a Sunday and Monday may have been contributing factors. The Mayor Plaza was especially nice and there were sidewalk cafes everywhere. It rained too much to take many pictures.

FRANCE, Paris, Versailles

September 7, 2006

The Chateau De Versailles was home of one of the most flamboyant courts and opulent palaces since the fall of the Roman Empire. It was constructed mostly by Louis XIV between 1661 to his death in 1715. Its most memorable room is the 236 foot long Hall of Mirrors. The renovations of the 800 hectare Gardens began in 1661 and lasted over 40 years. After visiting Versailles I spent the day walking along the Seine River and had a glass of wine on a "barge restaurant". Later that evening I visited the Latin Quarter and listened to some great jazz. (Felt like I was in New Orleans)

FRANCE, Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral

September 6, 2006

Notre Dame Cathedral is the 3rd largest Gothic cathedral after Rome's St. Peter's and Canterbury Cathedreal and the first to use flying buttresses. It is known for its unrivaled stained-glass windows and sculptures. The beautiful stained glass windows were removed piece by piece during both world wars and put in a safe place. I paid the 7.50 euro to climb the 376 steps to the bell tower (No Quasimodo) for an amazing view of Paris and up close view of its famous gargoyles. Later that evening I took the METRO back to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up. The 1st 10 minutes every hour after 10 pm it blinks.

FRANCE, Paris, The Louvre

September 6, 2006

After visiting the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, I walked down the Champs-Elysees to the Louvre. Once the largest palace in the world and now the largest museum in the world, it is the home of the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. It contains over 400,000 works of art, 35,000 of which are on permanent display. I spent several hours in the Louvre and then it was only a 15 minute walk along the Seine River to Notre Dame Cathedral.