Dresden - fall pictures - Nov 1

Some pictures from Halloween weekend in Dresden; Noah missed trick or treating but spent some quality time online with his freinds, talking on skype and playing Wizard 101. Here are some pictures from Halloween in Dresden:

Melissa going into the lab:


I walked her into the lab and watched a Luft Balloon launch:

It was a bit rocky getting it up, fell on the on lookers a few times:

Finally enough air:

Off it went:

Waterfront skyline for AltStadt (those towers are about 2 blocks from our apartment:

From one of the towers, this is the Semperopera, we are going to try to go to Nutcracker this winter, the location is great (4 blocks from our house) but the tickets are a bit steep.

The FrauenKirche at dusk from the tower:

To the east, the Elbe river:

Next day some different type of geese, same size as our Candian Geese:

Took the kids to the beer garden for some lunch. This is trailer is where they make the gulasch, it is filled with cooking gulasch. The sign reads "Fresh from the gulasch cannon, homemade kettle gulasch", they cook it in the field kitchen (affectionately called a Gulasch cannon); this was pipen hot and full of Gulasch. And yes i had some, btw gulash in Germany is way better the Gulasch i have had back home, better tasting and better quality of meat (usually the quality of meat is not as good here, but in gulasch this seems to be and exception). I have yet to be disappointed when i have eaten.

The GulaschKanone also servered as a great handwarmer after a chilly lunch:


Our four castles along the Elbe in fall colors:

Paris - Last day, Luxembourg Gardens

Our Last day (or half day) we decided to walk around the Latin Quarter and relax at the Luxembourg Gardens:



Vendor selling seafood of all kinds, some pretty exotic stuff sold here, couldn't even image how to cook, yet alone eat some of this items:




Relaxing:


Enjoying coffee and the sun:

Luxembourg gardens:

Kids would push these sailboats with sticks and they would sail across the pond:

Fountain of the Observatory; four nude women supporting the globe, representing the Four Continents of classical iconography. If you look closely you can see the African woman has chains around her leg and the Amerian woman is standing on the chains. Also the horses are Marine horses; that is their back two leg are actually like a mermaids.

Different angle:

Here is the one from the Musee d Orsay, you can really see the chains here:

The flowers are the Gardens:

Paris - Chateau de Vincennes - and back to the Tuileries

The Chateau de Vincennes is a castle/protected city on the outskirts of Paris that was first built in the 14th Century. We took the subway to the Chateau metro stop then on our way back we stopped at the Touleries to relax.
If you want to find out more about the Chateau de Vincennes and it history here is the Wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Vincennes

One of the front gates to the outer castle:

Checkout the drawbridge:

Another inner wall with the old castle in the back ground:

The outer walls moat:

Cathedral inside the outer walls:

Gargoyles on the Cathedral:

The inner castle moat. The inner castle dates back to the 14th Century, this was a really deep moat:

The 14th Century Chateau, we really enjoyed looking around this Castle and had a real gothic feel, you could get a real feel for what it might have been like living in this Castle back in the 14th Century. It looked like right out of a story book. Me in front: "King of the Castle":

Different lighting; can you find Noah defending the castle?

Drawings in the old Castle in the prison, from prisoners (they must have given them paints for good behavior, kinda like we give them internet and cable today):

Noah at a guard point:

Noah "the Archer" defending the Castle :

Mom "the Attacker" storming the Castle:

Inside the old castle:

Inner walls of the old castle, can you see Noah?

The Archer:

Back to the Toileries for some relaxing:

The Louvre:

The Eiffel tower in its blinking light Mode:

Another shot:

Paris - Walking around and boat tour

Spent another day walking around starting at the Louvre/Tuileries and walked up to the Champs Elysees and took a dusk boat ride down the Seine River. We really enjoyed the Tuileries area, and since this was a vacation we decide to take a day with no plans and walk around (except a boat tour at dusk).

Pyramid at the Louvre (we liked the cafeteria, so we ate there a few times):

The inner Pyramid, feel the power.

A street musical out our apartment window in the Latin Quarter:

At the Tuileries main reflecting pond, we saw them putting in cymbals throughout the pond earlier in the week, perhaps a type of art work, this turned into a musical instrument cause people would throw rocks and you could hear he occasional clang/crashing of the cymbals when they were hit. This was great fun and we joined in also, although it took a bit of effort to find good rocks.

Interesting statue to say the least; gave Noah a bit Halloween flavor, which is one of the things that we are missing from back home, they don’t celebrate Halloween in Dresden, although customes and Halloween parties are on the rise.

Dusk boat tour:

Eiffel tower at Dusk:

National Assembly:

Notre Dame Cathedral:

Eiffel tower:

Eiffel Tower.

Different lighting scheme: