Day 25

Today...I survived...The Hollywood Tower Hotel. Or as you people might call it: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. MWAHAHAA! Ok, glad I got that out of my system. Today we went to Disneyland resort Paris. We started in Walt Disney Studios, the Frence equivlent of California adventure. The rides were...meh. I'll take The Titan anyday. But Space Mountain: Mission 2 was pretty cool. The Indiana Jones Temple of Doom was nothing like the one in California. Infact, the onlt ride I would personally reccomend was Space Mountain: Mission 2. It starts off inside a giant cannon, well, more like a rail gun. If you don't know what that is...look it up. Actually Space Mountain was in Disneyland Park. So was the haunted house, which was practially the exact same as the one in California. But a little more realistic...as far as the undead being real goes. Y'know, more dead things, decay, and just a general "scary level" above California. Given a choice between the three parks I know about, Paris, California, and Florida, I would go with FL, because I have never been. Other rides I rode included, but were not limited to, Rock n' Rollercoaster starring Aerosmith, Creativly titles, eh? Big Thunder Mountain, and The Pirates of the Caribbean. Sorry I couldn't put more pictures, but when we got to Disneylandpark, we split up, so I could do what I wanted to do, without having to stop every 30 seconds so Nana couldl catch up. I made it to 6 rides, they made it to 3. I rock.
Tomorrow we are going to the Louvre. Ugg, I hate Art!!
Until then,
This is Christian,
Signing off!

Day 24

Today we went to the Eiffel Tower. The view from the top was pretty cool, though had it been summer, it would have been cooler. Or hotter. Or whatever. We also went to the Arc de Triomphe, though we diddn't go up to its top. 257 steps doesn't appeal to Nana. We had lunch on the second level cafeteria. We took the bus to the Arc, but we couldn't get out on the arc side of the street. It was one of those circle streets where traffic never stops. Noone in their right mind would even try to cross. That's probably why they mad a tunnel under the street. For dinner Nana had escargot, and a salad. I tried some. Not saying snails are the absolute worst thing I have ever had...but I would not eat them again on a bet...unless it was for, like, fifty-kadillion dollars. (which is more than the nat'l debt) I had duck. It wasn't bad, but given some other choices, I would probably pass on it. Unless the other choice was escargot. Then...Bring on the duckie! We had chocolate fondue for dessert! Yum! Grandpa is kinda getting on my nerves. But I you diddn't hear that from me. Tomorrow we are going to Disneyland Paris, and Walt Disney Studios Park. I hope it is similar to California Adventure.

Until tomorrow,

This is Christian,

Signing off!

Moral Chaos

Alright, I am seriously sarting to question my core morals. At least as far as foods go. I am starting to like different kinds of fish, and I no longer have a hatred of Starbucks, Though I still hate coffee. We went there today, and their chocolate Frappuchino is delicious! But at least i don't have to turn down Starbucks gift cards anymore.

This is Christian,
Sighing off!

Day 23

Today we went to the Musee d'Orsey. It was origionally a train station, but fell into disuse after it became too short to accomodate longer modern trains. It was then used as an auction house until some guys boght it and turned it into an art museum. Yesterday I lied. We diddnt go to the Eiffel tower today, or the Arc de Triomphe. It started sleeting. Yes, you read correctly, Sleeting. Take that Al Gore. So much for global warming. In face it was quite pleasnt that morning. So anyway, The Muesum. We were allowed to take pictures, but not to use a flash. Fortunatly, It was not necessary. Here are some of the pictures that we took. Sorry some of them are sideways. Tomorrow we intend to try the Eiffle Tower again, Then go to the Louvre, the art museum where the famous Mona Lisa is.

Until tomorrow,

This is Christian,

Signing off!

Day 22

Today we went took a bus tour. We saw most of the stuff we wanted to go visit...from a bus. We saw the Louvre, The Arc de Trioumph, the Eiffel Tower, The Musee d'Orsey, and some other things. Late that night, we went to the Eiffel Tower not on a bus, and took a bunch of pictures. Did you know that every hour, on the hour, the Eiffel Tower starts to sparkle? At least after dark. Seriously...All these strobe lights start firing all over it. I thought it would be cool to launch a fireworks display off of it. Do you know what the largest radio arial in France is? It is the Eiffel Tower. In fact, if it wasn't, it might not be there today. Also, Only Dad will care about this, probably, but, I had authentic French Creme Brulee. Beat That! It's much better than that stuff you make at home. Tomorrow we will go to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc, and The Musee d'Orsey.

Until then,

This is Christian,

Signing off!

Days 20-21

Today, I am combining 2 days into one post. Trust me, It's just eaiser that way. This morning, we hung around at Mrs' Henny's house, Got packed, all that stuff. We went to the train station at 14:00, even though the train didn't leave until 16:00. Europe is on the 24 hour time, by the way. Though we couldn't get my knife through customs. Oh, well. The train left for Barcelona. When we arrived, we switched onto a commuter train to take us to Barcelona-Franco Station. We got there with about an hour before the train even started loading. When it finally did, we got on, went to our compartment, took pictures, got situated, and went to dinner, about 45 minutes after we got underway. Dinner was quite good. I had salted pork, Grandpa had a salmin filet, and Nana had a sword-fish steak. I tried a bite of both, and am begining to question my "undying hatred" of fish. The sword-fish tasted like, I kid you not, chicken! Afterward, we went to the compartment, and the beds were made up while we were gone. I found it is VERY difficult to sleep on a train. I had to sleep on my right side because I had a sore on my left cheek.There was barely enough room. I kept waking up because I felt myself slipping out of bed. We awoke the next morning, got dressed, and went to a light breakfast. The train arrived at 9:00. we left the station, and got a taxi to the hotel.

When we arrived, the people that had our room before us hadn't checked out yet. In fact they weren't supposed to check out for another 2 hours. Luckily they checked out an hour and a half early, though the room still needed to be cleaned. When we finally got in, we went to the hotel resturant, and had lunch. I had a entire pizza, though I couldn't eat the last three sliced, so I had them with dinner. After Dinner we went to the Notre Dame cathedral, for a concert. The accoustics were amazing, though they made the vocals a little hard to understand. By the way, the guy on the statue in Charlamange, who, by the way, am related to, though I'm not sure how...Note to self: call Kevin Scantlin. Afterward we went back to the hotel, and I typed this update.

Until Next Time,

This Is Christian,

Signing Off!

Day 19

Today we went to the l´Oceanigraphico (Aquarium to us). It was in the same complex as the science muesm. We arrived at about 11:00, and stayed until 3:15. Then we went back to the Hemispheric IMAX, and watched a movie on the alps. Then we returned to l´Oceanigraphico for the rest of the day. They had habitats from the Red Sea, The Mediteranian Sea, and the Open Ocean. They also had a dolphin show. We took video of it. Actually, we took several, but none of them would fit on the flash drive. Also, we took some pictures of the complex.

Until later,

This is Christian,

Signing off!

Day 15

Today we went to the Prince somebody Science Muesm and the Hemispheria, the largest IMAX theater in the world. Pictures were non-existant. Even so, We had a blast. We watched 2 IMAX movies, The Deep Sea, and The Mystery of the Nile. I liked the Mystery better, although there wasn´t much real mystery. The Musem was awesome. Almost all of the exhibits were hands on. There was even an exhibit on Marvel Super Heroes.
Not much else happened today, but some more people are coming tomorrow.
Until next time,
This is Christian,
Signing off!

Day 14

Today we got up at 8:00. The earliest on this entire trip. We wandered down town Valencia, trying to find a bank that did currency exchange. Eventually we got that out of the way...Then We Went To The BEACH!!!!!
When we got there, Nana and I took of our shoes and jackets, and walked down to the shore. The sand felt sooo good! The water was almost freezing. At least 10 degrees celsius. But we got pictures. Afterward, we went to lunch, and came home. I took a shower, washed my jacket, and diddn´t do much else for the rest of the day.

Until next time,
This is Christian,
Signing off.

Day 13

Today we went out to lunch. There was this nice little place near Mrs. Henny´s house. We went with two of her friends. ¡The food was really good! ¡Muy Deliceoso! (I can say it, but can´t spell it.) I had Pialla(that dish everyone said I had to try[Which I also don´t know how th spell]. And by the way, it is a rice dish, not a seafood dish.) for the first course, this delicious pork loin for 2nd course, a pudding of some kind with whipped cream, caramelized sugar, amd a delicious berry syrup, and instead of café (Coffee) I had chocolate milk. Afterward there was this shot of something (¡Non-alchoholic!) that reminded me of cough syrup, though not as nasty. Then we went to another friend of Mrs. Henny´s, and stayed for at least an hour, just talking. They spoke some english, though the accent is kind of hard to understand. Then we went to a Falla tent, where the people that work on it have meals, and had hot chocolaté and some kind of sweet bead. Then we went back to Mrs. Hennys friend´s house, and hade these fried things, the name for which escapes me at the moment, that reminded me of Ebeskiver, though coverd with azucar (Sugar). I had about twelve. Tomorrow, if it doesn´t rain, we are going to the beach!!!
Until tomorrow,
This is Christian,
Signing off!

P.S. I am trying to use as much Spanish as I can.
P.P.S. Sorry no pics today, though go ckeck out Day 6

Day 12

Today we went to a bull fight. It was kind of cool. Though I couldn´t stay the whole time, too much cigar smoke. Blegh!! There are three groups. The Matadors, the people that actually kill the bull, The Matador´s helpers (Name unknown), who help wear down the bull, with big pink and magenta capes, and the horsey guys(Also unknown), who injure the bull to keep it from raising its head. The Matadoer´s helpers start off by making the bull chase them then darting behind a wall. Then the horsey guys ride in with armored blindfolded horses (To keep them from bolting)and long lances with a cross bar. They stab the bull in the spot between its shoulderblades to keep it from raising its head. Then the Matador´s helpers (I think they are called bandilleros) come in with these wierd spear things. They are about 3 ft. long, and have a barbed end. The wait for the bull to charge, then stab it in the same spot as the horsey guys, while leaping out of the way. Once one of the Bandilleros was knocked to the ground because he diddn´t get out of the way fast enough. Three others ran in to help him, two to distract the bull, and the other one helped the field crew get him out. His leg had been injured, but he will be fine. After about 6 spear things get into the bull(each of the Bandilleros has 2), they all leave and the Matador enters with the red cape and a rapier. He does the sterotypical bull fight stuff, letting the bull get close then dodging to the side and letting the bull dash harmlessly by. After about 15 passes, he gets the sword ready. when the bull passes this time, he dodges and tries to stab it in the heart. If he fails,and his sword doesn´t go in, he continus harassing the bull for a few more times, then tries again. If his sword goes in, but misses, the Bandilleros come and help harass the bull, while the Matador gets another sword. Eventually the bull will bleed out, and fall over. at this point, one of the Bandilleros comes and mixes up its brains with a knife to kill it. If the Matador strikes true, the bull will stagger a moment, then just fall over and die. They still mix up its brains though, just in case. Then two horses, all hitched up to a tow bar, come in and drag the bull out. And the whole process repeats itself, with each Matador getting two bulls. That´s pretty much all that we did today...Oh, wait! we also had dinner with the mayor of Manesis, the city where Mrs. Henny lives.
Until next time,
This is Christian,
Signing out!

Day 11

Today, Mrs. Henny took us to what used to be someone´s house. It´s now a Musem of old china and pottery. It´s was very informative... to people who speak Spanish! Arrrrg!! Oh well... We also wandered around town, looking at the Fallas(Pronounced fIas). People take a year to build these things, then on the 19th, they are going to burn them! At home we call that a waste of a year of work, In Valencia, they call it Culture. Tomorrow we are going to a bull fight! should be fun. Today we also met a very nice young woman, a friend of Mrs. Henny. We have her picture too.

See you later,

Christian,

Signing off!

Day 7

Today we went to the Mueso Naval (Naval Musem), The Museo Bibliographica (Bibliographical Musem) and the Mueso Templaria Armory(Templar Armor Musem, or something like that).
The Naval Musem was the history of the Spanish navy. The exhibits were quite interesting, though almost all were in Spanish. We met a kind gentleman that used to live in California, and he explained some of the exhibits, mainly on the U.S.S. Maine, sister of the U.S.S. Texas, the first ships in the U.S. Navy! Don´t ask me why they were there, I couldn´t tell you.
The Bibliographical Musem Was almost a complete mistake due to poor translation. Instead of bieng somthing on the Bible,as Nana assumed, It was mostly about the history of some books and stuff, Though the basement level was kind of cool. It had several small screens showing some procedures for making and repairing books.
The other place was a store for reenactors and fanatics of medieval history. The room looked like the armory of a castle!Normally, people can´t take pictures, but the manager saw how interested i wes, so he gave us special permission! I will upload the pictures as soon as I can, They are not on Mrs. Henny´s computer, or still in the camera.
Until next time,
This is Christian,
Signing off!

Sorry

Sorry I haven´t been posting. Internet hasn´t been working. I´m going to post 2 a day until I´m caught up, that day´s, and the earliest late one. So without further ado, Day 6...

Day 5

This is to make up for yesterday: Today we went to the Real Jardin Botanico (Royal Botanical Garden). The scenery was pretty good, though it would have been better in June. I think it was on a poor location. Right next to a major intersection and two major streets. The sound of cars was very obnoxious. We got some pretty good pics though. Back to today, we got my major Madrid item. But you'll find out what it is tomorrow.

This is Christian,

Signing off!

Day 6

Sorry for not posting yesterday, We got in late. Today, we went to a zoo and aquarium! I actually had a good time. My favorite animal was the Bull Shark, which, by the way, has the highest fatal attack rate for humans. Here are some cool pics and a video.

I also got to swim with some Sharks!!

Not!!

This is Christian,

Signing off!

Day 4

Today we went to The Prado Art Muesem. I diddn't enjoy my self very much.Pictures werent allowed inside, so I don't have anything to put up. I guess i'll put up some more from yesterday.

Tomorrow is Sunday. We don't have anything planned.

Christian,

Signing off!

Day 3

Here are todays pictures. All from the Royal Palace. Actually, they're pictures of pictures. you cant use cameras inside. We weren't able to go to the Cathedral, not because they were closed, but because we slept until 11:00. Oops! The room is so darkwhen the curtains are closed, the sun doesn't wake you up. Tomorrow we go to The Prada. I would have added more pics, but Blogger

only lets me put up 5.

This is Christian,

Signing off