Roy Dirnbeck, reality TV star from
Storage Wars: Canada, vacationed in Paris and Vienna this past summer.
Three things did not happen:
1. He did not get arrested.
2. He did not bid on any storage auction units.
3. He did not get drunk.
Make that two things.
Arduous filming schedule past two years prevented Roy from his annual European summer retreats. Second season of SWC wrapped with twenty-four episodes set to air this fall. No official word if series is canceled or renewed.
I asked Roy if he wouldn`t mind taking a few photos that I might write a blog about his trip to Paris and Vienna. This is what I got.
Thanks, Roy. Street curb in Vienna. Yeah. I can do a LOT with that for a blog. Roy was amused and then sent me a few good photos.
Let`s chat about Paris.
Mona Lisa – The Louvre Museum
Roy stated,
“Why can`t I ever find nice things like this?” Because you don`t live in France! Though, to be fair, the Mona Lisa was painted by an
Italian artist, Leonardo da Vinci. Painting according to Wikepedia - “The best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world". Who was Mona? Lisa del Giocondo who married in her teens, had five kids and lived an ordinary middle-class life. Her portrait however, extraordinary in that six million people visit the painting each year.
WWII Film Production
Near the back entrance of the Louvre was a filming production. Appeared to be staged for WWII. There were tanks, trucks, and celebrity trailers. One production assistant or director recognized Roy and shouted “Instigator!” He came over and shook Roy`s hand. Production assistant spoke broken English and Roy butchered French. Not much dialogue between the two. Just lots of handshakes and smiles.
Café at Champs-Élysées
Boulevard stretches 1.9 kilometres (over a mile) long and 70 meters (230 feet) wide. Famous for eateries, theater and luxury shops. You can also see the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the street, but did Roy take a photo of that? Nooo. Take a look over at
Storage Wars: New York star
Candy Olsen`s trip to Paris for a snap shot of the Arc.
Roy said that beer cost $14 a bottle. Hey, it`s Paris. Though he visited this city of romance in his teens and during his university years; it`s not been until now that he could afford to wine and dine in Paris. Still, that`s a lot for beer.
Street Musicians
It`s Pah-ree. Romance and music in the air.
Palais du Luxembourg
The Luxembourg Palace is the seat of the French Senate. Looks more like a castle, eh? That`s because it was once the royal resident of regent Marie de Médicis. She was the mother of Louis XIII of France. You know, the King of France. That`s Roy`s lovely wife, Grace, in the foreground. While the grounds were open to the general public, the palace itself was not.
"Heavily guarded and tight with security, even more than the Louvre. Took a walk around and had a picnic with some wine." - Roy
Enough about Paris, let`s chat about Vienna.
Storage Wars: Canada star Roy Dirnbeck grew up in Vienna. Well, for the first few years in his youth. He has citizenship in Austria. He visited cousins and went to a few places he thought he and his wife would enjoy.
Antique Shops
Roy can take this Roman Centurion! That`s because it`s a statue. Dirnbeck could not remember the name of the street, but shops were near downtown Vienna. He said these were high-end antiques. Like old. Like really old and very expensive. Not a chance to find an item to buy low and sell for a profit there.
Schönbrunn Gardens
“Palace is not extravagant. You can see the French influence, but compared to the Grand Palace in Paris, it was a let down. The gardens are so extravagant that most of the people spend most of the time outside.”- Roy
Imperial summer residence, however it is the gardens that is Vienna`s most popular tourist destination which attracts 2,600,000 visitors a year.
Spanish Riding School
Lipizzaner Horse Performance train their stallions and show off their skills to an international audience during the public performances. Roy and his wife attended the daily training session.
Storage Wars: Texas Meets Storage Wars: Canada
What were the odds that Roy would see Morris `Moe` Prigoff in Vienna?
"I first noticed the shoes and then looked up at that face. Then it hit me. I went over to introduce myself. Moe didn`t know about the Canadian Storage Wars spin-off. I decided to take a photo because no one would believe I met a Storage Wars star from America." - Roy
You were right, Roy. Without the photo, we would not have believed you.
It is a small world, after all, isn`t it.
Roy`s final thoughts about the two cities:
Paris –
Never disappoints. It was amazing and a true melting pot of the world and everybody gets along there, eats and drinks, just beautiful.
Vienna –
I loved it. It was liking going back home. First time my cousins met my wife and we did a lot of traditional stuff. It was nice to show my wife where I grew up as a kid. Feels like home.
I`d like to thank Roy for chatting with me about his trip and thanks to his lovely wife Grace for the photos.
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About the Author...
Chuck G. is a freelance blogger and celebrity interviewer based in Southern California. She`s quite the geek who likes to play arcade games and writes/produces short films. You may follow her on Twitter @chuckgwriter.