Spain!

Last night we got our sleeper train from Paris to Barcelona. It was pretty cool, but we had reclining chairs instead of a bed. They slept ok, but we woke up every time our feet slid off the chair! We still have to pay revervation fees for really nice trains and popular routes if we want a seat (we can just stand the whole way on some trains that require reservations). Most of the trains we can hop on and off anywhere we want with just our passes.The Paris to Barcelona train cost us 1.50 euro each for the reclining seats. It took us through the Pyrenees mountains and into Spain while we slept and we got some awesome views once we woke up. We spent the day today in Barcelona walking around in the blazing sun of Spain! Our bags are heavy, but we packed light compared to everyone else we see backpacking. I put the waist bag on and strapped the other bag to it...finding out just now that the netbook has a white line of dead pixels running up the screen! Barcelona was hot and we didn't really want to stay there, so we got a night train to Geneva. Pretty awesome! We planned on going to Italy, but there is a train worker strike!! We thought we were going to be stuck in Spain! This train is sweet, we have beds and a locking room, guys and girls are separated though. It train was completely booked except the beds...which cost us 75 euro each! But, its better than the full fare of the Barcelona to Switzerland route which is almost 300 each! We will hopefully find some internet and get caught back up with pictures! We will wake up in Swiss country!

Well, funny story...we went to Paris the day before yesterday (July 5). It was pretty awesome, we saw the Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame cathedral, walked down the Champs-Elysees and even went to the Louvre! We walked EVERYWHERE in Paris! Hayley has a blister that is taking over her pinky toe (and she said she needs her mommy). On our way back to the station to catch the train back to Caen, we decided to take the last train back at 12:24am (after midnight) since it only runs one day a week on Monday. Well, we realized on our way to the Gare St. Lazare (1 of 4 train stations in Paris) that it would technically be Tuesday morning and NOT Monday anymore when that train ran...so it was only the night before! Then, we got on CouchSurfing and posted in the Paris group that we needed a place to stay ASAP! A guy named Paul messaged us back and said come on over, even though it was 1AM. So, we called him from a pay phone and got directions to his apartment on the 7th floor looking out towards the Eiffel Tower. He was a really nice guy and we slept good! Patrice (back in Caen) was glad we found a place and didn't have to sleep in the street too! We walked back to the station and headed back to Caen for dinner with Patrice, which was awesome! Now we are on a train to Paris and we have a night (sleeper) train to Barcelona tonight at 10pm. This Eurail pass is awesome!

Slow internet here, so check the pictures at this public link...more to come!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2314216&id=38420372&l=76980f3eb7

Caen, Normandy, France Day 3/4

Yesterday, we went to a car show in Caen with lots of European cars, Opel, Alfa Romeo, Renault, Ferrari, and a bunch of American ones that they thing are so awesome...like a 5.0 Mustang and an I-ROC :) We walked the town yesterday and took lots of pictures. We spent the 4th of July at the beaches and battle sites in Normandy! It was awesome! We took a Peugeot 307 convertible and another car because some of Patrice's friends went too. We had a picnic lunch on Omaha beach the site of the landing on D-Day June 6, 1944. We swam in the water and checked out the leftover German batteries and barricades. Then we went to the American cemetery it was super nice and Patrice knows more about WWII than anybody in the world! He gave us the grand tour! We saw the busted up guns, bunkers, and pillboxes at Pont du Hoc and Longues sur Mer and checked out the cliffs at Arromanches and the leftovers of the temporary harbor used for the invasion of Normandy which was the largest harbor in the world when it was used during WWII. We had a ton of fun then ate at Patrice's house! Because of weather, we didn't go Paris the other day, but we are taking the 7:03am train in the morning. So, pictures tomorrow of Normandy and Paris!!

Day 3 Caen, France

We left Bayeux this morning with Cecile and Vincent. They were heading out of town and passing Caen, France on their way, so we rode in their car (a Peugeot brand hatchback like a Element or Scion xB). The bedroom for us had a memory foam mattress (the blue bed in the picture) and a cool view. We are in Caen, France now! We are staying Patrice Renard and he and his two friends came over this morning and brought a real french breakfast for us "Americanos" and it was really good, croissants, sweet apple fritter things and "Jus du Orange". Everyone is gone now and they gave us a key to the house which is right in downtown Caen and has a cool back yard. They are going to try to get a "cabriolet" (convertible car) and take us to the D-Day beaches with their girlfriends tomorrow. Today we are just recovering, resting, charging batteries, and walking in Caen. The next day we will see Paris.

Day 2 England and France

We made it to London! The flight was not that great because they had pasta and I had a "special" vegetarian meal because they said it was going to be chicken...and we couldn't sleep because the seats leaned back about 2 degrees and that's all! Hayley sat behind me and played "Bejeweled" on her touch screen and I watched a show like planet earth. Anyway, we got to London and tried to figure out what day/time/world we were in because of the time change and no sleep. Caught the Underground (the "Tube") to downtown and walked around a while, saw Westminster, Parliament House, Big Ben etc., then got the train to Portsmouth.  Got our ferry and were bloodshot-eyed by the time the ferry let us board at about 11pm! Woke up in Caen, France, bot some Euro cash (England uses the British Pound) and tried to activate our Eurail passes... the people speak no English here and had so clue what a Eurail Pass was or how to activate it! We had the girl stamp it and we just got on the train. As far as we know, that's all you have to do because it works! We went to Cherbourg, France just because we can go anywhere we want and that was the first train that pulled up to the station, so we took it!Saw some cool stuff like WWII bunkers. Came back to Bayeux on a nice train! Saw the sights there. Hayley donated a Euro to light a candle on a box inside this huge cathedral that said "Tronc Releve Journellement". It was in front of a stained glass wall with lots of flags in the design. We thought it meant something about helping you on a journey...turns out, Vincent said it means "Don't try to steal this box!" Oh well, Cecile and Vincent are two people from Bayeux we are staying with tonight. They have a nice place and cooked us crepes and eggs, let us try cheese from all of Normandy, and gave us our own room with a memory foam mattress in the floor! Next Day = Paris! Au Revoir!

We are finally in New York, NY! Finally found WiFi and are sitting next to a window with a double decker 747 parked outside. We have to be back at our gate in a few, but then we are on our way to London, England for the first stop of our trip! Check back here every day and we'll have something cool on here! We aren't the only idiots with huge backpacks here either. Thanks to Candace for taking us to the airport! We are looking forward to sleeping on the next 13 hour non stop flight over the pond more than anything! Feel free to comment on here too! See ya

DIY Studio Set-Up

Large Size Here
Here is a shot of Hayley in the studio we set up in the room. I used my SB600 triggered by v4s camera right shooting half of it through my diffusion panel (5 in 1 reflector) and half of it blasted onto the background to make it white. The silver cover of the reflector was held above the camera along with two panels of styrofoam sitting on the bed camera right. Here is a setup shot...

Large Size Here
I caught her while she was singing :) The high-tech mounting system is made up of our ceiling fan, a coat hanger, my fly rod, the power cable from my Nikon battery charger and a usb cable, with some masking tape.