World's largest prairie dog

Beers, brats and a ballgame

View from our seats in Wrigley. An old classic ballpark. I Fenway better.



Milwaukee, WI.



The bus outside the Miller brewery. Miller High Life, the Champagne of Beers.

The old Miller brewery, which is now a tasting room and souvenir shop.

The old Miller beer cave. Before refrigeration,  they'd keep the beers cold by putting the barrels in these caves, then packing ice all around the caves.

Brats, pretzels, beer and cheese curds. Am I in Germany or Milwaukee?

South Haven and Saugatuck, MI

 

There are a number of lakeside towns all along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, with beautiful lakeside vistas. One day, maybe I'll make it further north to Mackinac Island.

The harbor in Saugatuck. Reminds me of towns in New England.

Oval Beach. It was a hot and humid day, perfect for a relaxing day at a lakeside beach. Water was a little chilly to swim in for long. 





 

Sunset on Lake Michigan

Raindrops are falling on my head

On I-80, west of Cleveland, OH. Sometimes the weather can be extreme and unpredictable. Glad I made it through safely.

 

Aux Champs-Élysées....Aux Champs-Élysées....



My second visit to Paris, this time with some close friends. Just like earlier on the trip in New Orleans, good times with good friends makes for lasting memories.

 

Aux Champs-Élysées
Aux Champs-Élysées
Au soleil, sous la pluie
À midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez
Aux Champs-Élysées

Les Champs-Élysées



 



 

Boat trip down the River Seine. Look at the clouds!

Notre Dame, on the Pont des Arts. Indeed, Paris is for lovers...




The front of Notre Dame.

Milord


Now, some obligatory shots of some very famous Paris landmarks. C'est magnifique!

Musée du Louvre. We did not go inside. Doesn't matter, I like Fat Mona Lisa better anyways...

 

Arc de Triomphe

La tour Eiffel (more clouds!)

Sacré-Cœur, on top of Montmartre.

Moulin Rouge. Oh-la-la, we did not go inside.



 

Les copains d'abord

FOOD! This is only a small sampling of the food.



Le Relais de l'Entrecote. All they serve is steake frites! Delicious and you can get seconds. Reminds me of the House of Prime Rib back home.



This restaurant on the Rue de Lappe (near the Bastille) was a great late night find. Delicious spread that came with a side of ratatouille...

Other unpictured highlights (ate it too fast, or forgot to take a picture):

• Dinner at the Master Chef winner Jean-Yves Vuong! The food was a not-that-unique fusion of French/Vietnamese cuisine. Still trying to find evidence that J-Y's resume...
• Doner! Just like almost every European city I've been to, doner is probably one of the best things I ate in Paris.
• QUICKBURGER!

La Chanson de Prévert



 

We stayed in an apartment on Rue des Chantiers, in Saint- Germain. A very comfortable, centrally-located place, with this peculiar keyboard (at least to me).

 

Parlez Moi d'Amour

 

Roland-Garros. A highlight of the trip was the day spent at the French Open. The vibe was splendidly refined and urbane. Allez Tsonga! Tsonga est majic!

 

Court Philippe Chatrier. Intimate setting, a great way to watch tennis. 

The greatest player of all time.



Even the Roland-Garros attendees looked snappy in their outifts.

The Swiss Miss Martina Hingis!

La Mer

 

 

The Lido is a famous cabaret and burlesque show in Paris, right on the Champs-Élysées. There were a couple of topless numbers during the show, done tastefully.

 

Outside the Lido.

The crowd. We got two bottles of champagne for the show. Santé!

One of the (non-topless) numbers.

La Vie en Rose




København



Left the car back in Washington DC and hopped across the Atlantic. Layover stop: Copenhagen.

Some pics from the walk around town. You can pretty easily walk the entire historic center of the city in one day. It's a short 25 min train ride from the airport into downtown Kongens Nytorv station.

Rosenborg Castle.




On the grounds of Rosenborg Castle.

 

Kastellet

The Little Mermaid. Inspiration for one of the best Disney cartoons of all time.

The Marble Church.

Bikes seem to be the main mode of transport, like most the other big (and flat) cities in Europe.

Amelienborg Castle. It's a huge square with about four or five large buildings. Maybe each Royal got their own building.

Tivoli Gardens. A amusement park/garden/fairgrounds. A nice place to spend a summer day.

Chinese pavilion in Tivoli.

The men's WC in Tivoli, complete with jungle sounds.

 

Nyhavn. A picturesque waterfront district. Kobenhavn, I will be back.