Sean Zarinegar goes to Burgundy

I simply had to come to Burgundy do to its fame, historically speaking of course. Burgundy is also known for its wines, but also for its historical battles. I decided to skip the winery this time around even though my tongue was craving for some fine French wine. Sean Zarinegar needs to be focused and after the last winery in Champagne I felt it the next morning. I’m not as young as I use to be.

Either way here was much to cover, there are so many fortresses and this place has been written down in history books for many centuries. I had to go and visit the old houses of the Dukes of Burgundy. They have tours there where you almost walk into the 15^th century, or at least that is how it feels.

Amongst that I had to try the several French cafes they had spread out all over the place. That is where I was able to write you fine folks back home. There were many spots to see and I obviously couldn’t see them all, since I’m thinking of getting out of France and moving onto my next destination. I simply had to come here though, I don’t think it would have been right for me to be in France and not come to Burgundy. That is precicely why I came here, to be able to leave Europe satisfied, even though at this moment I have enough memories to last me a lifetime.

But there is a little voice inside of me that is budging me along, so I think here in Burgundy I will spend my last days in France and then move on to Italy. Can you folks believe it, I am about to enter into my fourth country over a relatively short period of time, even though it feels like I spent ages within each country. There still is much to do and I will have to be going if I want to keep on track. If you folks back home want to hear more about Burgundy, just ask away and I’ll send you back some more stories. For now this is Sean Zarinegar saying goodbye to France, for now!

Sean Zarinegar and his Champagne

Well it really isn’t my Champagne, but rather a region in France where you guessed it; Champagne comes from. I decided that while in France it is absolutely essential to check out a winery, I mean it is only one of the world’s leading manufacturers of wine and champagne. Thus Sean Zarinegar decided to go to Reims.

I have been on several wineries before but let me tell you folks the one here in Champagne was something quite exceptional. I got to try a bunch of different wines but had to stop after a while because it started going to my head. One thing Sean Zarinegar is certain of is that you shouldn’t be losing your head when you are on a journey of such magnitude. Besides I wanted to be fresh to explore some other regions within Champagne.

From what I heard there was also a Gothic style Cathedral here in Champagne, so I decided to head over there. Let me tell you folks it was truly something impressive, the tower was kept in the same manner since the 12^th Century. There are so many historical artifacts all over the place that I almost felt like I was walking with the Goths.

There are a bunch of mansions from the 17^th and 18^th centuries. It almost felt like I was warped back in time and walked around in history. I could definitely write a book here, since your imagination is always on the go. The entire landscape looked like something out of a novel, I was completely stunned.

Now you folks know that it isn’t easy leave Sean Zarinegar speechless, but here in Champagne I was without a word. There were so many things that went through my mind that it completely blocked my mouth from uttering a single word. I must have been the only tourist walking with a gaping mouth, it was that beautiful.

Either way I decided to not stay in this picturesque place and was ready to go to a new place, not because there wasn’t anything to do, but because I am feeling the press of time on my journey and I know I still have lots to cover. Traveling is all fun in the beginning, but eventually you begin to miss your own comfortable bed. But I am still moving along strongly, and my mission isn’t over until it is over, so for now this is Sean Zarinegar signing off!

Sean Zarinegar’s last day in Brittany

My stay in Brittany would not have been complete if I did not visit the mammoth aquatic park called Oceanopolis. The sheer amount of species you can see in this place is quite astounding; I got to see a bunch of Giant crabs too. I imagined if Sean Zarinegar would eat some giant crab one day, but when I accidentally said that aloud many people turned and looked at me funny. I guess thinking on eating a giant crab is one thing, but actually doing it is a whole different ballgame. Sadly though there were many different movies I could watch, but they all were in French, which made it a bit difficult to understand.

The park itself is divided into three parts, and luckily I went early so there weren’t too many people around. I easily spent a good part of the day just admiring what happens beneath the oceans, and with a guided tour all the information is a lot more concise. In the end I found that my time here in Brittany was exceptional and I would definitely come back here some other time.

My time in Europe has taught me a lot so far, and Sean Zarinegar still has many stops to make. I mean I only have entered into three countries so far and there are a lot more on my list. I might even have to make my France trip a bit shorter than I initially expected but I still have time to go and see some other unique and wonderful spots here. This will be my last day here and tomorrow I will be traveling to a different area of France. I think I will only have time to do two more stops here in France before I head over to Germany. There is still so much to learn and do and I am still very enthusiastic about the entire ordeal. For now this is Sean Zarinegar, bidding farewell to Brittany.

Sean Zarinegar and his Castle obsession!

WOW! I cannot tell you guys how impressed I was with this sight, not only does Brest have one of the best natural ports in all of Europe, the castle is amazing. I think it will a difficult procedure to list which is my favorite castle in Europe, but this one surely will make it to the top three. This castle has so much history that I don’t think I’ll be able to explain it all. It took me several hours to explore the rocky fortress and I even walked around the exterior. This place screams battles from every era known to man, it is even said that there were occupants of this place since way before the Roman Empire even existed. Although; the Romans did make their way to this natural harbor because of its defensive stance. I was completely taken away by the sight and definitely recommend this to you folks.

I can just imagine how marvelous this thing must have been back in the day, when people from all over came to visit. I can almost smell the battle in the air on how many people wanted to sack this place, but here it still stands in all its glory. This truly was the highlight of my trip to Brittany, but I think there is still so much to see. I know that my obsession for castles has taken the best of me, but seriously folks, if you come to stand in front of such a magnificent structure you too will be mesmerized. Just take a walk down the dungeons and you’ll see that our modern prison system looks like a vacation compared to those conditions.

My entire day was spent in the Castle and I got back to my hotel room tired and needing some serious rest. There is so much to see and do when you are in Europe that it boggles the mind. For now I’m going to get some shuteye because tomorrow will be my last day here in Brittany. For now this is Sean Zarinegar, signing off!

Sean Zarinegar in Brittany

Many people have told me that I should absolutely go to Brittany, due to its rich historic background. Sean Zarinegar always heeds the voice of his followers so that’s what I did. Brittany reminded me of Asterix and Obelix those two cartoon characters. This place has been populated since before 600 BC by the Gauls and has counts of stone statues, altars and menhirs all over the place. As history would tell you that both the Romans and the Celts came and claimed this place to be theirs.

I decided to take a bus tour, which luckily was translated into English and I had a chance to bask in the wonderful scenery of the Atlantic Coastlines. I could see that this place is a fishermen’s paradise, but I was also told that this part of the ocean is quite something and it requires a master fisherman to be able to deal with the tide and currents.

I could see that the culture here is very influenced by the Celtics, and that even their music still reflects that of ancient times, obviously there are more modern stuff to look at, but I think it is in Sean Zarinegar’s best interest to check out the roots. Either way I decided to go to the several surrounding villages and move away from the beachfront. I travel to a country to see the locals not the tourists from all over the world!

I was told that there is also a castle here dating back since the 13^th Century, but I think that I will take on that beast tomorrow. The entire day today I have been soaking up rich culture dating back for thousands of years, and I think that a good night’s rest will do me well. Tomorrow I will be venturing towards the castle to see if it will make the Sean Zarinegar Castle list. People, I can only tell you that this trip has been amazing so far, and that I hope to come back and explore more of these sights with more time on my hands. For right now this is Sean Zarinegar signing off!

Sean Zarinegar in Nice PT2

Well folks, yesterday was one full day in Nice, but there was so much more to do today! Like you guys already should know Sean Zarinegar absolutely loves history and therefore had to make a trip down to the Archeological Museum and Roman Ruins. This was something spectacular, truthfully it was a very historic experience for myself. I could see such an array of ancient Roman bathhouses and walk around in the ruins of the Roman Arena. Can you imagine how it must have been back in the ancient Roman Empire? I got a glimpse of it and it was something quite amazing. It is a very unique feeling to be standing on such ancient ruins that it absolutely takes ones breath away. More importantly it makes you understand that how much of human history there truly is, and that in future generations we will be considered as the Romans were so many years ago.

That wasn’t the only thing that I enjoyed this past day, there were so many other sights that were all packed together. Several museums are in this area so I decided to go to them all! I went to the Russian Cathedral as well, and boy can you see the difference in Architecture. It is kind of interesting to see the Russian style Cathedral standing in between palm trees, but it definitely is something to admire. There are so much more I want to do in the fine City of Nice but the sad truth is that I must continue on in my journey, there is still a bunch to do and Sean Zarinegar is on a mission. I have so much more to write about this city but in reality I can begin to feel the weight of my Euro Trip, and even though I am really excited to continue to my next location, I feel tired at the moment. So for now this is Sean Zarinegar logging off!

Sean Zarinegar’s Nice encounter

The city of Nice is incredibly, yesterday I arrived at night time and wasn’t able to see the city in all its splendor. And thankfully in the morning there was a bunch of suggestions in the Sean Zarinegar mail, so I went about my business and found a bunch of hot spots.

The first place I hit up here in Nice is called the Cours Seleya Flower Market. This place is packed with little shops and a bunch of flowers, you could smell it miles away. Many people told me that this is one of the best attractions of the city, but I also heard a lot of buzz coming from the ancient roman ruins, so I decided to spend only a few hours in the market, I could easily have spent much more, but like I told you folks, Sean Zarinegar is on a mission.

I strolled around Old Nice as well for a while, I could see that the night life over here must get out of control, in the good way! There are so many places to sit down and enjoy a glass of French wine while roaming the stores all around. I am impressed, but what caught my attention was that Nice in fact has a castle! So I decided to make that my next point to go to. There were two options for me when I get there, pay for an elevator or climb the stairs for free. Obviously trying to save a few Euro’s I decided to climb the stairs, BAD IDEA! I didn’t actually realize how out of shape I was, but when I got to the top it all faded to nothing. There isn’t much of the Castle left to see, but the view of the city was something that was incredible. I decided to take the elevator back down because if not I was going to die before ending my Euro Trip.

I still had several more spots to hit but I think I will leave that for tomorrow. I mean even though I cannot spend all my time here observing every single sight there is to see, I must make the most of it and also not push myself into an early grave. Nobody would like to see Sean Zarinegar collapse from exhaustion on one of his trips. So after a long day in Nice, I will continue in the morning before I set my sights to a new location. Thank you guys so much for your emails, I really am enjoying them a great deal. Sean Zarinegar…OUT!

Sean Zarinegar in Nice

OK folks you might think that I’m just making up names as I’m traveling but Nice is an actual place in France. And let me tell you folks, that Nice is nice! Sean Zarinegar has learnt so much in regards to his travels that he will remember these moments well into his old age. What did I do in Nice? Well at the moment I just arrived here and found a nice lodging to keep me safe and sound while I am in Nice. I still haven’t gone about the city to find what mischief Sean Zarinegar can get into, and I will update you guys on what I find once I do. If you guys have ever been to Nice then please tell me where I should go, traveling has made my brain go wild and all this French has made my mind all fuzzy. I have a slightly sketched out idea of what I’m going to be doing here in Nice, but its written on a napkin because I found another traveling buddy who told me about the sights. I am waiting for my fellow readers to give me some more pointers so I can report back on what you guys suggest.

For now this is Sean Zarinegar going upstairs to his room, it’s time to take a nice French bath! Sean Zarinegar out!

Sean Zarinegar in Paris Pt 2

Ok folks this is sort of annoying, there are so many things to see here in Paris that it completely drives me mad. I won’t be able to see everything and I think that Paris will have to be visited on several occasions in order to get the entire picture. Sean Zarinegar loves Paris, but will have to draw the line and move on soon. Before I go there still are some other sights I want to see. Today I think will be my last day out in Paris before I go to my next location. I am so ignorant on the French sights that I would love to hear what you guys have to say about where I should go to next. For now I am on the verge of leaving and I’ll update you guys on my findings when I stop to grab something to eat. For now I will be off, keep on reading in a couple of hours for my second part of my journey in Paris.

AT THE CAFÉ:

So I went about my business and Sean Zarinegar decided to get hungry. I found this neat little café here in Paris right next to the Arc de Triomphe, which is a massive monument, erected in honor of Napoleon. This Arc was created in the time when many military leaders erected monuments in their honor, and in regards to their egos. Either way this was the last thing I saw before coming to the café.

Before the Arc I went to a couple more museums and I went to the Latin Quarters of Paris as well. There truly are many things you can do when you find yourself in Paris but I think that it is time for Sean Zarinegar to move along. There still is much of Europe to see and if I spend more time here in Paris I don’t think I’ll ever be able to leave France. So for now I bid thee a good evening where ever you are and I’ll be packing my bags to leave. I do want to thank you folks back home for sending me French sights to go and see, I’ll be writing from the next spot on the map. For now this is Sean Zarinegar signing off!