Europe: Day 5 Paris

This morning was an early one.  We had to wake up and be ready fairly early in order to catch the RER to get to Versailles.  The RER are the suburban train lines that connect to the metro.  The closest one for us was up the street about ten minutes.  We walked quickly (past the hotel I stayed at last time I was here) and didn't have to wait long for the train.  It was about a 45 minute trip to the city of Versailles, which is southwest of Paris.   The building with the clock is the train station we arrived at.  

It was down-pouring when we arrived.  We hustled up the street barely able to look around us.  Here is the view as you are walking towards Versailles Chateau.  Can you see the golden gate?  Don't forget to bow to King Louis the Fourteenth on his horse, he built this place you know.

We got a closer look at the gate as we waited in line for security.  We could bypass most of the line with our Museum pass, but not the security queue.   The cobblestones in the court yard are very uneven.  It's hard to imagine what it would be like in a horse-drawn carriage.

This is about where we entered the Palace.  We arrived as early as we could and it was already packed. We chose not to wait in line for an audio-guide and we didn't remember to get a map. That would have been helpful later.  You have to wander for a bit and go up lots of stairs before you actually get to the Royal Apartments.

The hoards of people made it very hard to see the rooms-- but what we did see was ornate opulence.  The palace is massive, but you don't see very much of it.  The rooms were very large (as they had to be for the King's wild parties) and full of mirrors, statues, chandeliers, and baroque ornamentation.

This is the Hall of Mirrors, which was stunning for its time because mirrors were very expensive and never seen in large quantities.

This was Marie Anointette's Bedroom, which she had redecorated.  There is a secret door from the King's Room into this room, so he could sneak in after his nightly, ahem, escapades.

After the tour of the Palace, we ventured outside to see the Gardens.  They were simply lovely.  It had stopped raining for the most part, but was still very cloudy. I, for one, was glad.  I am a girl who wilts in the sun and would much rather stroll outside in the cool air.  However, I am sure the gardens just sparkle in the sun and would I love to see them on a sunny day.

The gardens, damp from the morning rain, seemed lush.  Looking out toward the Gardens from up by the Chateau, you can see for miles.  These Gardens are extensive and we didn't even come close to exploring them all.

There are lots of little side avenues to take with fountains nestled in the centers.  Dusty loved finding them--he has a thing for water features.

You can walk or take the little train out to Marie Antoinette's private chateau.  We debated about seeing it, but we decided we wanted to see other things in Paris more.  We turned back to the Main Chateau and walked along the opposite side.

We loved the crunch of the gravel/sand underneath our feet on the paths.  It was neat to have a break from concrete or asphalt.  Europe has so many differences that are refreshing. Speaking of refreshing,
we found a little stand that was selling food and bought a panini to share.  Mozzarella, tomato and basil.

The train ride back to Paris was uneventful and seemed a bit quicker than the way out.  In fact, we almost missed our stop!  I just happened to look up as we were stopping and had to drag Dusty out of his nap to get off.

Our next destination?  The Louvre Museum.  We had quite a bit of the afternoon left over and tonight the museum was going to stay open late.  Using RS's tips, we got into the Louvre from the underground Mall entrance, and didn't have to wait in line long at all.

Following the signs, we first visited the Venus de Milo.  Why is she so special?  Because she is a Greek original, in very good condition, and obviously very pretty.  Most surviving ancient sculptures are Roman copies of Greek originals.  A real Greek one is rare.  In this area we also saw Michaelangelo's Slaves.

Also nearby is the Winged Victory of Samothrace from the Greek Hellenistic time period.  She was originally on the hilltop of Samothrace to celebrate a naval victory.

We followed more signs to see Da Vinci's two beauties.  La Belle Ferroniere

Mona is behind thick glass and the crowds are beyond crazy.

We really had to search to find the Stele of Hammurabi. A Babylonian code of law and also one of the first codes in recorded history.

The Egyptian areas of museums are always so amazing.  It's crazy to be walking around things that are at least over four thousand years old.

A look outside a window to Paris.

The Louvre is simply stunning; and simply exhausting.  We spent many many hours there winding our way through the different exhibits, getting lost several times, even with our map and helpful workers.  Everyone needs to visit at least once in their lives.  Other favorites:  the ginormous painting of The Coronation of Napoleon, the excavated medieval foundations of the building, Raphael's La Belle Jardiniere, and so many others.

Upon leaving, we were ravenous.  There is a nicer food court (not like America's crappy ones) in the underground Mall and we ate more Indian food--lots of couscous and curry.

We went back into the museum to visit the bookstore and buy our favorite postcards of art to keep as souvenirs.  This is something we did after every museum.  After we were feeling more up to it, we ventured out of the Pyramid.

We walked underneath Napoleon's Arch and on to the Jardin du Tuileries.  So many flowers in bloom! There is a large fountain in the park that we sat around for a minute, but it was getting chilly so we didn't dawdle long.

After the Jardin is the Place de la Concorde.  This obelisk of Luxor is 3,300 years old and unfortunately marks the place where the guillotine stood during the French Revolution.

Clear at the other end of the street (the Champs Elysees) you can see the massive Arc de Triomphe.

If you look to the left you get a little teaser of the Tour Eiffel.   It's not as close at it looks.  To the right is the American Embassy if you need it.  We stopped at a stand and bought crepes- sucre limone.  So yummy!

We talked about doing more walking but frankly we were tuckered out.  It had been a long day!  We finished our walk and took the metro by the Palais Royal to our hotel.

As you can see, our room is small, but comfortable.  We had a sink in the room and the WC was down the hall.  At first, the thought of sharing a bathroom freaked me out, but after realizing how much we could save by doing it, (over 30 euros less a night, or about $50) we took the plunge.  The bathrooms were always very clean and never occupied.  Not a big deal after all.  We face-timed with the family and checked on our boys.  So far so good!

Europe: Day 4 London/Paris

This morning we checked out from our London Hotel.  Dusty was ready to go early, and went down to the cooler lobby while I finished packing  my things.  We needed to get a few more pounds to spend and so we estimated how much we thought we might need to last us a half of the day (we ended up with only a few extra).

After stopping at the ATM, we bought a little breakfast at our grocery store and then got on the tube to King's Cross.  The train station would hold our luggage for us, but it was going to cost almost 20 pounds to do it, and if we walked around the block to the British Library, it would be exactly one pound for both of us to store them.  What can we say?  We like to save money.  Also, one of the perks of packing light is you get to store your bags in more interesting places.

 While dropping off our luggage we timed ourselves to know how long we would need to come and get our luggage again.  Then, with lighter backs, we took the tube back to Westminster Abbey.  This would be the third time we had attempted to see it.  Would it be open?  Yes,  it was.   (Yesterday it was closed unexpectedly because Parliament was just starting their session)

 

You enter the Abbey from this north side of the building, not the front.  We got in the cash line and used our Pass.  After getting audio guides, we toured through the structure.  Some churches are open, airy, light.  This one isn't.  It's packed.  It's full of sculptures, tombs, alters, candles, chandeliers, chapels, gates, you name it.  It was incredibly fascinating.    

Everywhere you turned, someone else was buried there.  As you are walking, you can see tombs underneath your feet and tombs in every recess of the walls.  Our favorites?  Sir Isaac Newton, GF Handel, and all the poets in the "poets corner".  There are many many queens and kings there, but I only remember being struck by the two Marys-- Bloody Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin Mary, Queen of England.  They are next to each other.  I'm sure they love that.  not.

An inscription on the outside of the Abbey.

We had about 45 minutes before we needed to leave to get our luggage and catch our train on time.  Dusty thought it would be fun to see the inside of the Parliament building and watch legislators in action.  I was hesitant, afraid we would be cutting it too close, but after a minute decided why not?

Getting into the building was like getting into our Capitol Building.  Layers and layers of security.  Printing out our photo to wear around our neck.  Having to wait in lobbies until the next guard came to get us.  I was getting more stressed by the minute.  That being said, it was a very neat building.  There is a huge open room where Parliament can assemble to hear speakers.  On the ground are plaques that say things like, "This the spot where Nelson Mandela addressed Parliament".  There are lots of paintings, and stained glass, and cushy chairs.  We asked an attendant what we should watch and he told us "the House of Commons has more action, but the House of Lords is prettier."

After waiting longer, and another security place to check our bags, we were led up to the "Strangers Gallery".  And we sat almost 10 minutes watching the House of Lords.  The head guy wore a white wig and everything.  Pretty cool.  I can't remember what they were discussing.  Sorry.

And then we had to beat it out of there.  We timed it pretty well in getting our luggage, but lets' just say that we didn't have to wait very long (2 minutes) in the station before being allowed to get on the train.  Before going through check-in I hopped into Marks and Spencer to get some snacks for the ride-- grapes, biscuits, lemonade.

While planning this trip, we decided to take the Eurostar under the Chunnel to get to Paris.  The security was just like at an airport, except we could take any liquids we wanted.  We had to go through passport control, and screen our bags and everything.  And because we were so late, the waiting area was packed, but we didn't wait long.  We found our coach and got settled in for the almost three hour ride.   Say goodbye to St. Pancras Station and London.  :(

What I want to remember about LONDON:  

so many accents            so much walking             very expensive           modern + old
misty rain            dapper gentlemen everywhere            umbrellas         no garbage cans
congestion         no trucks             the Thames          American Music          Indian food
love for their Queen        red buses          Big Ben chiming          traditions        the tube
"mind the gap"             advertisements in the tube             so many stairs!   
friendly people


Say hello to the Eurostar and France!  We ate our snacks and watched a movie together.  I also caught up on my journal writing ( a common occurrence on our train rides).  We were underground about 20 minutes that I could tell, but also went in tunnels quite a bit.

And we saw the first bona fide sunny day so far on our trip, after about an hour into France.  Such a lovely countryside.  (someday we have to come back to Normandy and see more of this country)

When getting into the Gare du Nord station, I think we were both feeling a little more culture shock than when getting into London.  It was definitely more congested, and had a more wild feeling to it.  I didn't have any problems reading the signs or finding where to go, thanks to being here before and French classes in College.  What we did have a problem with was buying our "carnet" of tickets for the metro.  Our debit cards wouldn't work in the little billet machines (which we had been warned of) and would only take Euro coins (we only had paper).  But, we quickly found a Tourist Information booth which sold us some and we were on our way to our Hotel.

It didn't take us long to get to our hotel.  The metro in Paris is amazing and has stops everywhere.  Our hotel was only about 100 meters away, across a few streets.  We stayed at Hotel Port Royal (also recommended by RS) and had a very nice time.  It is family operated and they take great pride in their place.  We checked in and rested for a moment and then set out again for adventure.

The Musee D'Orsay was open late this night and we stopped there first.  We bought a Paris Museum Pass, which is an excellent value.  This museum features art from the early 1800s- early 1900s.  I love impressionist art.  Such beauty.  Dusty was wary about this time period at the beginning, but I think I have him converted.  :)  I love this museum so much.

Favorites?  All of the Monets, Manets, Renoirs..... and on. We didn't have enough time to suit me before it closed.

The museum used to be a train station in its previous life (note giant clocks) and is located right on the Seine, close to the Louvre as well.

We were getting tired, but chose to hit the Arc de Triomphe as well tonight.  It was supposed to be open until 11:45, but was closed for some reason, so we just wandered underneath it.

We sat underneath for quite awhile and rested our feet and watched hormonal teenagers flirt with each other.  It seemed very late for a tour group of youngsters to be out and about.  But whatever.  It's Paris.

After we were done admiring the first of many of Napoleon's monuments to himself, we crossed under the subway and strolled down the Champs Elysees for a little while.  Most things were closed, but the ambiance was still there.  Classy and romantic.  Love this city.

Metro-ed back to our hotel for some much needed sleep.  Bonne nuit!

Looking back:

I am very glad we had come prepared with some euros already in our pockets from the states.  Sure, the conversion rate wasn't fabulous, but we didn't have to search for an ATM in the crazy train station and could buy what we needed.

Again, am so glad I had the metro all mapped out and memorized the directions to our hotel.  It just makes traveling easier.

Riding the Eurostar can now be checked off the bucket-list, but next time I go, I want to take the boat.  It will take longer, but be more romantic.  

Europe: Day 3 London

This morning we awoke feeling groggy, perhaps fighting the last bits of jet lag.  We got online and checked on a few things.  On our way to the Underground, we stopped in at a Sainsbury Grocery for some milk, croissants, bananas, and a baguette for later.  We had some time to kill before it was 9:30 so we ate our food in a McDonalds (sad) with some orange juices we bought.

Eventually we got to the Tower of London.  It was an old, impressive, thick thing.  The signs and entrance seem new with lots of languages-  getting ready for the Olympics I imagine.  It was a drizzly day-- already my hair was a frizz disaster.  And it wasn't going to get better soon since I was taking a break from my hair products. :)

Our London Pass let us right in and we (following "Ricky's " advice) made a beeline for the Crown Jewels.  We didn't have to wait in any lines at all, although from the path they make you follow in the building, the lines must be outrageous normally.  The crown jewels.... were... shiny.  To be honest, it was a little bit sickening, but they are steeped in their tradition here, and the diamonds are amazingly huge.

We toured through the White Tower Museum which was laden with swords, armors, battle-axes, you name it.  It was interesting, but I wish we would have spent more time poking around the grounds.  The museum took us a long time.  We ended up choosing not to do the Beefeaters tour, which I regret.  I hear they are pretty funny.

If you exit the Tower on the Thames, the Tower Bridge is right there.  Many people call this bridge the "London Bridge", which is actually a boring little crossing up the river.   Our Pass included this as well, and we took the claustrophobically full elevator to the top.  Seriously, they should have a sign saying they are going to pack you in like sardines. . . not that I have a problem, I'm just sayin'.

The exhibit was a little underwhelming, but the video on how they built the bridge is cool.

Since we had crossed the river, we were on the "Bankside" ready to do the Queen's Jubilee walk.  It's a nice, smooth journey on the bank with lights and restaurants.  I bet it's very festive in the evening.

Dusty is really interested in contemporary architecture and loved the way these buildings came together.

Here's a nice view of the Parliament building upstream from us.

We stumbled upon a.. Pirate Ship?  That was unexpected.

The Globe Theatre is on this side of the river as well.  Since we have been lucky to see many of Shakespeare's plays in a similar theater, we didn't feel the need to go in and take the tour.  I forgot to mention it, but quite a few of W.S's original plays are in the British Library as well.

Our walk ended with the London Eye.  Since we had seen incredible view just the morning before, we chose to forgo the *ahem* pricey ticket and pass by.  I'm sure there's lots to observe on this "observation wheel".   To be clear, the London Eye is miles down from the Tower Bridge.  The Queen's walk technically ends way before this.  But we continued walking and saw lots of neat parts of the city we wouldn't have otherwise.  From the Eye, you can cross the bridge and be at Big Ben.

And no, this day isn't over.  Up next?  The incredible British Museum of course!  This place was very crowded.  We had to fight to see almost everything.  But I hope that doesn't make it sound horrible.  It wasn't.  Just lots of cute school groups with matching hats and others hoping to enrich their minds.

Excuse the blurry photo-- we probably got bumped.  :)  Here's the wondrous Rosetta Stone.  It's amazing to me that someone could read even one of these languages, let alone two, so they could decipher and learn the third.

My favorites from this place?  The friezes "salvaged" from the Greek Parthenon, (which you see some of below), Egyptian statues, the "Peat Bog Man", Greek ceramics and statues, lots of Roman gold jewelry.  They had good taste.

Dusty liked the Assyrian war bas reliefs, the Easter Island Head, the mummies, and all things Egyptian as well.  There also lots of paintings, namely, a few Van Goghs we liked.

At the end of this visit, our poor feet were threatening to give out.  We found a charming/bohemian little pub just a block down called Munchkins complete with Wizard of Oz murals in the restrooms.  We treated ourselves to some fish and chips and some much needed down time.

Believe it or not, we still had a few hours to find something to do.  Alas, no West End Musical for us, we settled for Kensington Gardens, which were near our hotel.  Those who know me can see the slight panic in my eyes as Dusty finally talked me into renting bikes.  I am a country biking sort of girl.  Not a London, crazy people who drive on the wrong side of the road, going to hit me, sort of girl. But for the most part we stayed in the gardens.

After our biking adventure, in which we crossed far to many street lights for my taste, we walked through the Kensington area.  We passed lots of embassies and even stumbled upon an LDS church!  We walked into the lobby and it is sort of a visitor's center as well.  Very cool.  Our walk took us past the Victoria and Albert Museum and Natural History Museum, which I desperately wished we had time for.  Unfortunately, everything seems to close at six.

Completely tuckered out, we hobbled back to our hotel.  We face-timed my parents and talked to the boys.  (7 hours behind us) They seemed to be doing well.  Lots of smiles and good sleeping happening.  Such a relief to us. While I took a cool shower, Dusty did some laundry at the place a block away.  And finally, sleep.