Au Revoir to Paris - Sept 13

After getting back to the hotel on Tuesday, we were so tired that all the energy we could muster was for packing. We were being picked up by our shuttle service at 7:15 am.  This morning while waiting for the van, Diane grabbed a Dannon yogurt from the hotel breakfast room and put it in her purse for later.  On the ride to the airport, Diane asked one man how much French he learned on his trip. His reply was "I am French" - we all got a good laugh out of that.  To her defense, his wife had commented earlier that they lived in New York so why would she think he was anything other than a New Yorker - turns out he's French Canadian.  So we arrive at the airport, get our luggage checked, get our boarding passes and head to the gate.  They have a couple security checkpoints - the first is just to check your boarding pass and passport.  The screening areas are at each set of gates rather than in a central area.  Our bags go thru x-ray and Diane is told to step aside and have her carry-on bag checked.  Aha.. the yogurt is forbidden.  She is told she must eat right there, right now - she did.  We are still laughing about that. Then we sat for 3 hours till it was time to board our flight - then sat for another 8 hours while we crossed the Atlantic.  The flight was smooth and we arrived in Philadelphia 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

Some things about Paris...
1) Lots of people ride motorscooters and some ride them on the sidewalks.  These motorscooters  are bigger than a Vespa - more like a motorcycle.
2) Lots of people in London smoke, but far more do so in Paris - something we in the States aren't used to seeing much of.
3) A lot of restaurant meals are based around ham and cheese.
4) Crossing the Seine to get to Notre Dame, there is a low chain link fence covered end-to-end with padlocks + assorted other things that people place there with names and dates. The oldest date I saw was in 2006 so the padlocks stay.  We even saw a bicycle lock that someone left.
5) We had more rain in Paris than we did in London.

I'm sure I'll think of other things and will post an update when I do.  All-in-all, we had a good trip but we were ready to come home - our legs and feet are worn out.  We both agreed that we would go back to London before we'd go back to Paris.  Both cities have very different vibes - we found London to be a lot more energetic and a cleaner city.  On Friday, I head back to California.

Day 3 - Paris - Sept 13

Our final day in Paris was very busy.  We thought we'd do less walking and take it a bit easier - not to be.  We wanted to visit The Louvre, but it's closed on Tuesdays - scratch that idea.  We ended up going to Montmarte which was a very good idea. We took the Metro and got there in about 20 minutes - from there it was uphill, literally.  We found the funicular which we rode to the top and visited Sacre Coeur church. As with all churches we visited, this was very beautiful.  Mass was going on when we arrived so we sat for that - Diane took communion.  Then we toured the church and as usual, no photos.  They were very strict about this and I saw one docent tell a woman who took a picture that she had to take it off her camera.  From the church we strolled a little farther and came to the area of the village where a lot of artists are.  There were quite a few of them wanting to do your portrait and can get quite insistent.  We wandered in/out of shops and a gallery, then started walking down the hill. We went thru a mostly residential area which was quite lovely.  On the way to the funicular, we passed a shoe store that I wanted to go back to - we did and I bought a pair of shoes there.  We also had lunch at a crepe restaurant - very cute place.  Crepes were large and okay taste-wise.  Then we got to a more commercial area where we found the Moulin Rouge and the Little Train of Montmarte - we took a ride around Montmarte and saw a couple areas we missed.

From Montmarte, we decided to go to the Arc d'Triomphe. We took the right Metro train and got off at the stop labeled 'La Grande Arche'.  It turns out that wasn't what we wanted and we saw the Arc in the opposite direction. After a lot of trial and error, we finally found someone who told us what Metro stop to get off - success!  The Arc d'Triomphe stands in the center of a very busy traffic circle and it took us a while to figure out how to get to it.  Once we did, there was a wreath laying ceremony going on, but we weren't sure what it was all about.  From there, we strolled along the Champs Elysees for a while before heading back to our hotel in Montparnasse.  On the walk back to the hotel from the Metro, we ate our last Parisian meal at a neighborhood restaurant.

Pictures to come - check back in a few days.

Days 1 & 2 - Paris

We arrived in Paris on Sunday via the Eurostar train - very pleasant trip.  We seemed to be following a 'what window?' trend on the train.  We were seated next to a post and had a glimpse out the window around the seats in front of us - those people had a great view.  Thankfully the people sitting behind us were very pleasant and helped us figure out which Metro line we needed to take to get to our hotel and which stop to alight.  There's a night and day difference between St. Pancras Station and Gare du Nord - London very clean, Paris full of graffiti - same goes for the subway systems.  Upon arrival at Vavin Metro station, we got topside then couldn't figure out where our hotel was.  We asked a lady at a restaturant and she pointed us in the right direction, however, I think I misunderstood which street she told us to turn on.  We ended up turning down a street 1/2 block sooner than we should.  We walked around a while and ended up with a very nice couple walking us to the street we needed.  Got settled into our room, rested a bit, then went out for a walk and dinner.  While we were having dinner, it rained fairly hard and by the time we were done, the rain was done also.  We started walking and ended up in Luxembourg Gardens - very lovely and a nice way to end the day.

Day 2 started out at the Eiffel Tower for our lunch at the Jules Verne Restaurant on the 2nd level of the Tower.  Our reservation was at noon and they opened right at noon.  The restaurant is small, simple but elegant.  This was the most expensive and luxurious lunch I've ever had.  There was no rush, the wait staff was attentive to every detail.  The restroom was interesting.  The hostess pushes a button and you enter a chamber - men's room on left, women's on right.  The sink area is open to the chamber and toilet area another room - check it out - you really have to be there to get the full effect.

After lunch, we took a cruise on the Seine toward Notre Dame, then toured Notre Dame.  Very impressive church and I was allowed to take pictures without flash - surprisingly they turned out pretty good even in the low light.  After the church tour, we started walking toward an interesting building that turned out to be City Hall.  There was a peaceful demonstration going on nearby but we decided to go the other way, so don't know what it was about.  We wandered into the BHV department store, then headed back to Montparnasse.  It took a while to figure out which subway to take, but we made it back safely.  Rested a bit, then went out for a light dinner.  Check out our Paris album for more pictures.

 

Good Bye London - Sept 11

Today we said farewell to London and boarded the Eurostar train to Paris.  The following are some quirky things and things that made us laugh in London - feel free to laugh with us or at us :)

1.  Our room at The Regency was lovely and we had two windows looking out onto the street.  The problem was they were so high we had to stand on a chair to look out.  Felt like I was at work again - great sky view.
2.  I couldn't figure out how to flush the toilet so had to call the front desk for instructions.  The trick was to pump the handle really fast several times.  I finally got the hang of it by the last day. 
3.  We could turn on the TV but the remote wouldn't work so had to have someone check that out.
4.  I borrowed a multi plug converter and the first thing we plugged into it (a curling iron) blew out the converter, the curling iron, the wall socket and the hard-wired hair dryer.  The hotel got the socket and hair dryer working again - guess they're used to that happening.  We will be replacing the converter.  From then on, I had the concierge charge my camera battery and netbook when needed.
5.  We really struggled with the "wrong way traffic" - each of us came close to being run over more than once because we kept looking the opposite direction when crossing the streets.  We got lots of laughs out of those near misses - don't think the drivers did.
6.  Everytime we asked someone for directions, they were very helpful and told how to get where we wanted to go.  The quirk was they always told how long it would take to get there, not how far.
7.  Getting ourselves to the Eurostar station was very comical - watching two 'seniors' toting luggage to the Underground station.  Just as we about to go down a flight of steps, the night concierge from our hotel showed up and helped us to the toll area.
8.  Lots of people told us if we tipped, just to round up the bill.  Turns out that service charges are added to most bills so they get their tips automatically.9

There was much more that escapes me right now.  We had a fun time in London and already I want to go back.  If you haven't seen them yet, check out our pictures.

Day 3 - London - Sept 10

Had a great day.  Got an earlier start and headed to the Tower of London via the Underground.  We've gotten pretty good at figuring out how to get where we need to be.  We toured the Tower of London for about 1.5 hours and the two areas I would have liked to get pictures were off limits - the Chapel and the Crown Jewels exhibit. Weather started out overcast and breezy, then we were treated to a few hours of sunshine.  After the Tower of London, we got on the Big Bus tour again and headed to Buckingham Palace. From mid July to October 3, the State Rooms are open to the public + Kate's wedding dress + the Faberge Royal collection.  Of course, no photography allowed inside.  The State Rooms are truly magnificent and very ornate as you would expect.  Kate's dress was displayed on a large stage surrounded by a sheer black net in the Grand Ballroom.  Her dress is very elegant and has more detail than you saw on television.  The Royal Faberge Collection consisted of a variety of Faberge items dating back a few hundred years - cigarette cases, mirrors, desk clocks, animals, picture frames, eggs, etc.  While waiting for our entry time, we got rained on a bit but it didn't last long.  After BP, we took the Underground to Covent Garden which is filled with lots of shops and restaurants.  We ate at a small Italian restaurant across from Covent Garden, then walked around the area for a while.  Tomorrow morning we board the Eurostar train for Paris.  Our internet connection is slow so getting pictures takes a very long time.  I'll get pictures into the album as quickly as possible, so check back often. 

Day 2 - London - Sept 9

We started out a bit later than planned this morning - guess we really needed our sleep.  After a light breakfast, we headed out to the Big Bus Tours - hop on, hop off.  We got to see quite a bit of the city and it took two hours to get to Westminster - mostly because of heavy traffic.  Once on the street, we saw the Horse Guards, St James's Park, 10 Downing Street, Big Ben, Parliamentary building.  We toured Westminster Abbey - truly an amazing tour.  We weren't allowed to take pictures, otherwise we'd probably still be there.  The number of people buried there is astounding - especially in the Poet's Corner.  The Abbey is broken up into many small chapels - it's very different from most churches and there are no pews.  It was originally built as a monastery.  From there, we crossed the Thames River on the Westminster Bridge and got back on the Big Bus.  Our next stop was the Tower of London.  It was too late to tour it, so we'll do that tomorrow.  We did take a cruise on the Thames River back to Westminster.  Then took the Tube back to South Kensington.  We had dinner at a little Italian restaurant near our hotel.  So far we've had decent weather - overcast, comfortably cool but no rain. Remember to check out our London album to see our pictures.

Day 1 - London - Sept 8

Our flight from Philly got off the ground 40 minutes late but with a good tail wind, we landed in London 10 minutes early.  Lots of construction going on at Heathrow so many flights park away from the terminals and passengers are bussed to the Customs building.  Our drive to the hotel (Regency on Queens Gate) took about an hour but we got a good side tour of London. We spent the first 1.5 hours walking around South Kensington while waiting for our room to be ready.  Had a light and tasty lunch of soup and bread at Pret a Manger. It's very obvious that we are 'fish out of water' as we forget which way to look for cars and we both have come close to being hood ornaments. Once in our room, we took naps as neither of us slept on the plane.  About 5:00 pm we walked to Cromwell Road and hopped a bus to Harrod's to poke around there a bit.  Huge store and areas are broken up into different 'rooms'.  Ate dinner a local pub/restaurant called "The Bunch of Grapes" - very tasty.  Tomorrow we're doing a hop-on, hop-off bus tour to get the lay of the land and decide what to visit.  See our London album for more pictures.