Mind the Gap

LONDON

We got to know their "tube" system very well while we were in London. I never tired of hearing "Mind the Gap". I love too that they just warn you that the doors are closing. There are no safety measures in place, like slowly closing doors, or a motion sensor that will keep it from closing if something/someone is sticking out. They gave you their warning, and the rest is up to you. If you get a finger/arm caught in the door, it will be a painful lesson, but one you'll only have to learn one. 

DAY 1

We stayed in a cute little B&B wayyyy outside the downtown area. It was probably one of the nicer places we stayed. And it had a teal door. You know I loved that!

 

After checking in, we hit the ground running and saw all the big sites our first day. Our first experience in London was the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. There were SO many people!!!! And it was SO long!! Seriously, like an hour or more! We weren't expecting that. It was cool to experience - but only once. ever. 

 After that we headed through a park to the bank to visit Parliament, Big Ben, etc.That building is amazing! It's like a castle/cathedral in one. We love that is still being used and not just a museum. We actually went inside and listened to a debate in the House of Commons. 

Then we went to evensong at Westminster Abbey. It was amazing! It made the experience so much more meaningful than just walking around looking at another cathedral. And the boy's voices are so beautiful!! Definitely an experience I'd recommend. (Sorry no pictures inside were allowed). 

 

Then we took a turn in the London Eye. 

DAY 2

We started this glorious day at King's Cross station visiting Platform 9 3/4! So fun! I was so giddy, it was like Christmas morning!!! They also had a Harry Potter shop there with the most amazing things! They had wands, the entire first book on a poster! a Marauders Map, the hourglass necklace, etc. etc.

Here I am off for another semester! (I don't think I would be in Gryffindor, but I chose that scarf because it is the most recognizable.) 

After that magical experience we headed over to the British Library that had an amazing document exhibit with the Beowulf manuscript, a Gutenberg Bible, the Magna Carta, books of original compositions from musicians, maps, etc.  

 

Then we went to the British Museum. WOW. That's all I can say. They had sweet exhibits. And I liked the building too. 

 After that our feet needed a break, so we rode bikes through Hyde Park. Europe does parks right. Then it was off to dinner and our fist London show: Les Miserables!! It was amazing! 

DAY 3

We headed to Abbey Road for a little stroll across the infamous cross walk. It is actually a main and still busy street. I feel bad for the locals in that area. It's probably so annoying for them to stop for tourists to stop in the middle to take their pictures. But oh well! 

 

Next up we saw the Churchill War Rooms, which was a lot more interesting than I was expecting it to be. It was cool to see where everything actually happened, and see what it would have looked like then. Also it's crazy to imagine living there for so long! 

 Next we rode a ferry down the Thames to a British Music exhibit. It was a really cool idea, but fell a little flat on the execution. Oh well. Still a fun experience. Then we rushed over to dinner and were on to our next show at Shakespeare's Globe where we saw The Tempest. The Globe was amazing! And it was fun to visualize what it would have been like back in his day. 

DAY 4

We hit up the National Gallery and saw some more famous and beautiful paintings throughout the centuries (including several that i recognized thanks to a matching game my mom got us when we were little). Then it was off to the bustling Borough Market for some delicious lunch and snacks. 

We also went to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Tower of London is a misleading name. It should be called Tower Village. That place was HUGE!!! We got to see some really cool things, we saw an old armor reservoir and the changing designs of weapons and armor. We also got to see the crown jewels! That was crazy. Then we walked across the bridge itself. 

We ended the night with another show: Wicked!

DAY 5

Our last day in England we did a day trip to Oxford and Stonehenge. Oxford was a lot different than we thought it would be... there isn't so much of a designated campus, as buildings sprinkled throughout the small town. But eventually we found a few and even got to go in one or two. Also, they did some filming for Harry Potter here, and while we didn't see the exact building/spot, I swear I saw one courtyard/outer-hallway. 

Stonehenge was extremely windy and cold. But it was seriously amazing!! I don't know what it was about that place, but it just felt special and magical. I could have stayed there all day!! 

Ici c'est Paris!!!!!

Paris was amazing! We were both afraid we would be let down because the city has so much hype around it, and we kept hearing from people how rude the French would be and that the city is really dirty. But we didn't experience any of that!!! We stayed in a little studio outside the city and got to experience "real" Paris, where not everyone knew English, and we got our morning baguettes with other locals at the corner cafe, we rode the subway in each morning and got to see and experience the average business man, teenagers, etc. It felt so alive there to have everyone out and amongst each other,  but always with somewhere to go or something to do. Everyone dressed very classy and were just so friendly and helpful. I even got to use some of my HS French, and was surprised there was still some there to use! Well enough about that, you came here to see pictures, and pictures you will see!!! 

This is our cute little studio with a little balcony. Also, we got to sleep in a loft!!! I am probably a lot more excited about that then I should be, but that was my favorite part of the apartment. Well, actually it is a tie between the loft and the doorknob that is in the very middle of the door. :) Those things alone cancelled out the fact that we had to climb 6 floors of spiral stairs. 

DAY 1

Our first day we saw Notre Dame and got to climb to the top to pay the gargoyles a visit. The whole time all I could think of was The Hunchback of Notre Dame when they say "pour the wine and cut the cheese!!" and it reminded me of Alicia and Zoe, because they both LOVED that movie, and especially that part. So these next two pictures are dedicated to you two! 

I remember studying this building in college, and it was amazing to see it up close and in person. The detail is magnificent!

 After the Cathedral, we headed over to Musee d'Orsay, which like most museums was humungous!!! It is in an old train station, which gave it such an amazing atmosphere.

DAY 2

The next day we hit up the big sites. We started with sir Eiffel's tower. And it did NOT disappoint! We zoomed to the top for a cloudy but thrilling view of the city.

After enjoying a crepe and wandering across the street to oogle to Tower some more, we headed to the Arc de Triomphe! Where, guess what we did? Climbed to the top!! Apparently we really like to climb things. :) We also enjoyed a lovely lunch beneath the vast arches. 

 Below is a view of modern/business Paris from the top of the arc. 

We also got a great view all 7 lanes of this crazy round about that the arc is right in the middle of! Sometimes you would have cars completely perpendicular to each other! Glad we didn't rent a car here, yikes!

A few more views from the top:

We then hit up the Luxembourg Gardens, which were magic with their white gravel paths, potted urns, statues, ponds, statues, etc. There were also tennis and basketball courts, etc. and several chairs around the fountain for lounging, relaxing or socializing. 

Then it was off to the Louvre, where we were again, completely overwhelmed! Then dinner and a small Jazz club/dance hall. Amazing!

DAY 3

 We hit up the Pompidou Museum (which can I say, is probably the best name I have ever heard for a museum!!!). It was an amazing modern art museum that was so refreshing and fun! 

We then zoomed over to Versailles, and again, it was amazing to see this in real life after studying it in college. There is SO much gold!!!! I guess it makes sense if you want to be known as the "Sun King".  We also rented bikes and rode through the vast gardens.

Then we rushed back to Paris for the PSG game!!! Ici c'est Paris!!!!! It was an awesome game to attend, a 3-1 victory, full house, last game of the season, and Beckham's last game of his career. There was a huge victory show after the game as the players got their trophies, etc. 

DAY 4

Our last day in Paris we spent most of the day exploring the outskirts of the city. We saw the Sacre Coeur cathedral, visited the bustling market right next door, and saw a man juggling a soccer ball on top of a wall. Check it out. We were all mesmerized!!! We also visited the Saint Chapelle cathedral, and took a city tour. 

Then it was off on a night bus through the Chunnel to the next stop of our adventure. 

As a congratulations for making it through this ridiculously long post, I will leave you with these gems: 

 Above: an advertisement for the movie Hangover 3. Notice how the title is still in English, but they "translated" it to "Very Bad Trip 3". Haha, this cracked us up. And it was at almost every subway stop.

And me with a nutella/banana crepe. Yummy! 

Thank you Paris for being so good to us. Why could we not stay longer?!