jray21 Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Our final night at the bar with Piers! Piers got completely trashed that night (I know, shocking), and we had a lot of fun. It was also really sad as some people had to leave really early the next day. Alfredo, Andrew, Amy, and I then went off to Paris for one cultural day and two days at Disneyland Paris (1 1/2 days too many). The Efteling video will be posted soon, and then the Paris days will be posted, but first it's off to the bar! Piers with his raffle wine prize! No one believed him but he swears there was a raffle for it. Piers with his smart 007 impression No more pictures, I'm too shy! Ahhhh, You F$#%ing flashed me in my eye! Cradling his wine like a precious baby. Holy Crap! SLEEVES!!!!!! Rob(b) is about to take a bite out of Piers' ear. But he went after something else instead. The prize was gone in just a few seconds. And this was the result! Piers is very talented. Robb is totally about to do something to Piers Look at how beautiful I am Robb Alvey. Piers was panicking because he only had one drink in his hands. Another glass of alcohol! I got a picture of me shooting a F&^#ing shotgun! Making Piers that much more 'fancy' He had no clue. Piers had a few 'favorites' on the trip Piers was showing us how to do smoke rings....without cigarettes. I love you Robb Alvey. I love you to Piers, and by the way, that's the hand I wipe with. Aaaaah! You are so fowl Robb Alvey. That is F^#*ing disgusting! Everyone hangs out for one last night. Alfredo thoroughly enjoyed his goodbye from Robb. This is not a drunk Amy look. She didn't drink anything the whole trip. This is the post TPR exhaustion smile. Videos to follow soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterComet Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Wow! Enjoy it!  I'm in 'recovery' and sad I won't be along for the TPR trips as I can't be around booze at all anymore. Just not a safe place for me. 2.5 years sober this Thursday  Have one, or a bottle for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powermage Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 ^^ Larry, I think that giant vending machine was just outside the exit of BOB. Â You're correct! They are direct near the exit of the BOB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Wow! Enjoy it! I'm in 'recovery' and sad I won't be along for the TPR trips as I can't be around booze at all anymore. Just not a safe place for me. 2.5 years sober this Thursday  Have one, or a bottle for me!   Amy and I don't drink at all and no one ever bothered us about it. There was a ton of alcohol around so it probably would be pretty tempting. However, if you told people you gave it up, I'm sure at least half would try to prevent the other half from getting you to give in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterComet Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 ^I hear ya, and appreciate the support  Pretty much, for a serious alcoholic like me, it would be like a crack addict trying to stay clean around people smoking alotta crack (yes I did that too, in order to drink more booze). Sure, booze is social and accepted (and should be enjoyed) but at the levels I see it being 'enjoyed' in the TPR events (and the stories I have heard) it wouldn't be comfortable for me.  It's ok, there is alot for me to do; the one day TPR visit to SFGAm this past summer was great! Everyone was very friendly.  Plus, I still love ACE and am happy with those events as well. So many make fun of ACE, but where would all these other newer clubs be, if there was never an ACE? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledgy Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Thanks for this great Trip Report!  It was fun, to read your experiences and see some well known people of my last Trip (UK-Trip). We might met at Thorpe Park, Phantasialand and Efteling, since I was there, too. Or with other words, I remember being in the near of you with some people, but we didn´t really talk that much  It´s always interesting to see other people´s view of your homepark - like for me it´s Phantasialand and at Efteling was another ClubTPR Event I joined and really loved to have ERT on Joris en Drak. Sadfully I had to leave the park early, after lunch, cause I were really bad tired and didn´t stay until the evening at the Hotel with some friends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share Posted February 26, 2011 (edited) Sorry for taking so long to start this up again. I've been job hunting and it's been taking all my time. Also, after having a fun video all put together, my movie program decided to crash and I lost half of my work so I will finish it later. Until then, here are some photos from our 'Culture Day' in Paris! I didn't really care for Paris too much. There was a lot of cool architecture, but it was extremely dirty. I've always heard how rude the French people can be, but I went in with a totally open mind. After three days in France, I can say that yes, they are extremely rude. Some people may say it's just because of cultural differences, but it's much different than, for example, people pushing to get on a train in Japan because that's what everyone does, but it isn't just cultural. Everyone has a 'Bryan' attitude, It's all about them ! At one restaurant it felt like we ruined the waiters night because we dared to show up and want to eat at his restaurant. Ok, enough of that. We didn't make reservations to go up the Eiffel tower (we should have), but the line for the stairs wasn't too long and gave us some nice exercise. The restaurant at the first level was incredibly good and much better than the French crap food we get in the states. The Arc de Triumphe was nice to sea, but we didn't go to the top because it didn't seem worth the price and time. The real surprise for us was the Louvre. We are not museum type people at all, but we easily could have spent two days at the Louvre. They had some incredible stuff there, and the pictures were enormous! I'm used to normal sized boring pictures at the museums here, but these were so massive and really impressive. Next we headed to Notre Dame, but we were too late to go inside, another thing we should have done. In all, it was fun day in Paris seeing all the tourist attractions. It was also nice to have a day to recover from all the concussions and brain damage I experienced on the TPR trip! After a very early train ride, we arrive in Paris, the city of awesome bakeries and rude people! This was the local boulangerie, and was incredible! If the French put just half of the awesomeness they put into baking into their personalities, France would be the greatest country in the world! Pretty much a chocolate croissant, and pretty much heaven. Bet no one in the world has this picture Proof we were there! At least for Amy. I don't think I have ever seen such a long line! Luckily, the line for the stairs moved pretty quickly. Looking up Eiffel's skirt. To the left are the stairs we had to walk up, and in the center is the slanted elevator shaft for the people that plan ahead! They had these advertisement pictures on the stairs like some SF parks, and adding how high we were in the air they made me lose my balance a bunch of times and I almost bit it. Halfway up to the first level. Everything was secure, but see through. It was pretty creepy for me, but not nearly as scary and the City Museum wire cages! This is just one half of the line! This looked like some dead body wrapped up, maybe it's for the Da Vinci Code 3? Amy is at the center of the railing, but you can get a sense of how high just the first level is. Nice view of the city. Looks like the Eiffel Tower got a little 'Rocky Mountain' treatment. There is no way this could stay up with how out of alignment it is! Nice shot of Amy and the city. A rare picture of me with Amy proving that she does allow me to be near her every once in a while. The food was amazing! Who knew that even something disgusting like deviled eggs could become incredible. I guess the crab instead of 'devil' does help a little This sign saved my life! They have almost no public bathrooms in Paris so I was very lucky to find this one. It ended up being one of those pay toilets that washes itself after every use so you have to wait forever! The Arc de Triumphe, you can go to the top but we didn't have the time or the money. Wait a minute, what country are we in again? Nice shot of the Arc. Alfredo approves of the Arc! Here you can get a sense of it's size. This was probably the most screwed up intersection I have ever seen, even worse than ones in LA! No one moved even 1 car length for 10 minutes! What you saw in the movie. What you didn't see, The APPLE STORE! Haha! The throne of some dude named Bacchus. They had a lot of interesting old stuff like this that was around when Jeff Johnson was growing up! The hallways and rooms of the Louvre were works of art themselves. Most of the ceilings had incredible art work. More 'ceiling' art. Here you can see the incredible detail, and this is just for the ceilings! Heading towards Lisa. The Louvre is somewhat U-shaped. Here you can see the other side of the museum and how incredibly huge it is! The Mona Lisa was nothing special at all, and was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. I really liked these larger style pictures. The people who painted these, and so long ago without modern tools, were truly artists. There were many pictures that were even larger than this one! Alfredo, NOT Fernando, gets an up close look. This was shortly before he was tackled and tazed. The top of the Pyramid and the other side of the Louvre. I couldn't believe how much this painting looked like a picture. I have no clue who it is. Here is one of those larger pictures I mentioned. Props for the Raiders of the Lost Da Vinci Code movie coming out soon. A picture from an early TPR event. Kindle 1.0 I want this door when I am King. A Robb approved room. Another example of detailed rooms. Alfredo at the Louvre. We tried to find the statue of David, but go incredibly lost in the museum. Then they started closing and would just start shutting random doors and hallways so we got really lost. We never did find David, but that's another reason to go back! The Midget Arc. A favorite Hollywood location for car chases, murders, and running from danger. You would think that after WWI and WWII the French would have learned a little more about security than just having two guards and a little pole. Next we visited Quasimodo! In this area you are not allowed to hold your child's hand, but must let them run wherever you want. Does anyone have any clue what this sign is for? Amy at Notre Dame. Another nice shot that no one else in the world has! Too bad I ruined it with my stupid expression. Up close and personal with Notre Dame. I see Victor, Laverne, and Hugo, but no Quasimodo. *Newly Engaged!!!* Kristin and Andrew at dinner with the rudest waiter in the world! Edited March 3, 2011 by jray21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trumple Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Great report! Haha, I guess you didn't find the Statue of David in The Louvre, because it actually stands in Florence, Italy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 Yeah, I couldn't remember what the statue was so I just threw that one out there. I'm waiting for Alfredo to come by and remind me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vuurvogel Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Nice report, I live so close and never went to paris. Need to go there some day. Â The sign with the kid means no walkway or area not for walking only, so watch out other traffic can cross your path. It makes no sense but you find the same picture all over western europe so you get used to them. We have round once and the kid has no gender but furthermore it is the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursemelis374 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 We had a completely different experience in Paris! The people were great and we loved it! I think we would have felt the same though if we had gone after the Europe trip, where you are just so tired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggernel Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 You got to the spot where Linguini almost killed Remy. Awesome! Â Thanks for the Louvre pictures, it's always awesome to see some culture on the boards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 We also enjoyed the food in the Eiffel Tower. It was surprisingly good. Even though I share your sentiments about the French, this TR kind of makes me want to go back. The food in Paris was very, very good. And I didn't even seek out anything special. I'm sure I could eat far better if I went back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 We had a completely different experience in Paris! The people were great and we loved it! I think we would have felt the same though if we had gone after the Europe trip, where you are just so tired!  I really wanted to like it. Next time we will all go with you two and maybe your good vibes will rub off them  You got to the spot where Linguini almost killed Remy. Awesome! Thanks for the Louvre pictures, it's always awesome to see some culture on the boards!  How could I forget about that on a theme park board, especially since I love Disney!  We also enjoyed the food in the Eiffel Tower. It was surprisingly good. Even though I share your sentiments about the French, this TR kind of makes me want to go back. The food in Paris was very, very good. And I didn't even seek out anything special. I'm sure I could eat far better if I went back.  I actually started feeling the same way after I posted it. If I do go back, I will definitely find some 3 Michelin star restaurants and hit up the most popular bakeries! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 If I do go back, I will definitely find some 3 Michelin star restaurants and hit up the most popular bakeries! Â That might not even be necessary. Anthony Bourdain had a recent episode in Paris (I think it was his 100th episode) where he claimed that the current trend is to put high end food into more casual/less expensive places. Great news for people like me that aren't likely to spend $1,000 on a dinner for two. Or even half that amount really. Â We did seek out the well known sorbet place Berthillon and loved it. I hate to admit it, but I think I like that place more than all of the several dozen gelaterias I've tried in Italy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odene497 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Great pictures Joey! I'm really interested in seeing all this stuff as I might be going to Paris this summer. I've also heard some negative reviews, that it smells bad, people are rude, etc...I think my biggest fear is just not knowing more than like 3 french words, I've gotta read up! The Eiffel Tower looks insane from some of those perspectives, hopefully I'll get to experience it! Â -Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I've been to Paris many times (it's my second favorite city in the world - only London beats it), and have never had a problem with rudeness. Anywhere in France, really. Well, other than at theme parks filled with children. That's a different story. But it seems like when dealing with most people, the "you're polite to them, they'll be polite to you" thing usually works. Perhaps it's because I live in the country with the rudest people in the world, that the supposedly rude people in Paris don't even compare? I don't know. I just think the problem is way overstated. Likely by people that expect everything in another country to be just like it is in the US. Â As far as food goes, I have had incredible luck finding great yet inexpensive restaurants, just by walking down streets and reading menus. The best Italian meal I've ever had was in some random Paris restaurant, that we went in because the smells coming from the place as we walked past were almost intoxicating. Â Loved this report. The Louvre is something everyone should experience. I love how you can walk right up to those giant paintings and examine the brush strokes and see all the little details. And I've been there three times, and there's still so much to see. Now I want to go look at plane fares and take a trip... Â dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I was also surprised on my one trip to Paris that the natives were not as rude as expected. The only rude Parisians I encountered were working at McDonalds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nay Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 We had a completely different experience in Paris! The people were great and we loved it! I think we would have felt the same though if we had gone after the Europe trip, where you are just so tired! Â Same. When I first got there, the train that I was originally going to take wasn't making the stop at the station I wanted to go to, and people helped me out with directions. They also helped me drag my suitcase up the stairs. I found the people of Paris friendlier than the CMs at DLP. I definitely want to spend more time there, whenever I'm able to go back again. And I must visit The Louvre! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger01 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Are you allowed to take pictures in the Art Museum? Because in England they don't let you. And I totally agree with the first statement! The French are catastrophic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyzoo Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I would like to go back and visit Paris again sometime, and give it another chance. And since we didn't even get to see all of the Louvre, and all the other monuments we didn't have time to really visit and enjoy, I would want to see them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 Same. When I first got there, the train that I was originally going to take wasn't making the stop at the station I wanted to go to, and people helped me out with directions. They also helped me drag my suitcase up the stairs. I found the people of Paris friendlier than the CMs at DLP. I definitely want to spend more time there, whenever I'm able to go back again. And I must visit The Louvre! Â You know what, that could have been the problem. We spent three total days in the Paris area, one in the city, two at Disney. In the city we did have an incredibly rude waiter, and we were really nice and respectful. The other people we met weren't super rude, they just seemed like we were bothering them by buying stuff (like a simple croissant from the bakery). Overall, the city wasn't any more rude than any other big city, but Disney was a whole different story. They were by far the rudest theme park workers I have ever experienced! Out of two whole days at the resort we counted only TWO cast members who smiled to us, and both were workers from other countries! I will definitely give Paris another shot and just expect the rudeness at Disney. Â Are you allowed to take pictures in the Art Museum? Because in England they don't let you. Â In general, you are allowed to take as many pictures as you want. Their may have been some items that had no picture signs, but I don't remember any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) ^ The Mona Lisa has a no picture taking sign. Â The statue was probably the Venus De Milo Edited March 1, 2011 by gisco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 ^Oops, my bad! Â I wouldn't have taken the picture had I known, but there were a ton of others taking pictures as well. Next time they should just put a huge watermark over the picture! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 ^As I recall, the first time I was there they were very strict about not taking pictures of the painting. When I visited again, they had re-done the display, and were no longer concerned about picture taking, and the signs had been removed. Not sure what it's like now, but you're probably OK. And I don't remember anything else in the Louvre that you couldn't take pictures of. Other than the Mona Lisa, you can get right up next to almost everything on display. One of the many reasons why I love this place and want to visit again. Â dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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