(no subject)
My last weekend in Europe, I went to Paris. It was something that I kept putting off, and I'm rather glad I did because the weather was perfect and it was a really nice way to end my time in Europe. By the time I got back to London, all I had time to do was pack, pack, and pack some more.
I had to be at the Great Portland Street tube stop by 10 am to catch my tour bus, and I got there two minutes late! Blah! So I had to call the tour office who had to call the driver and then I ended up having to catch a London taxi to a different tube station to get to the bus at its next stop to pick up people. Embarrassing! But eventually I got on the bus and we took a 30 minute or so trip to the ferry from Dover to Callais across the English Channel. I snapped a few quick pictures of the white cliffs of Dover. Apparently, they are white because they are made up of pure calcium carbonate.
The ferry ride was pretty boring, since I didn't know anyone or have anyone to talk to. It lasted about an hour and a half. then we had like a 2 hour drive to Paris, since it's quite far inland. We checked into our hotel first, and I met my roomate. She was from the US and traveling with two other girls. They were nice enough to let me hang out with them for the rest of the trip, which was cool. We bonded over a love for 1960s music. Then everyone got back on the bus for a tour of Paris. I took all these pictures but I only know what a few of the buildings and things are, so sorry if it just seems like a photo dump. It's really hard to keep track of what you took pictures of as you drove by something 6 months ago.
This is Hotel De'Ville, which means City Hall.
National Academy of Music
First Louis Vuitton store ever, right on the Champs-Elysees:
Arc de Triomf:
The traffic around the Arc. Twelve major arterial roads all connect at this round-about where there are no lane lines, or lanes from what I can tell. Check youtube for some videos of the insanity of the traffic there:
Ninja Turtle-esque Parisian cop:
Musee D'Orsay, famous art museum built in an old railway station right on the Seine.
After our bus tour was a boat tour on the Seine, which is when I took these pictures. It was really beautiful, and amazing how many outdoor areas Paris provides for sitting by the river and eating and whatnot. There were little places by the river with benches, there are grassy areas to sit and eat, there are restaurants built on modified houseboats on the river.
This is the underside of a bridge:
After our two tours, we were let loose at the Eiffel Tower. I hung out with the girls I met there--sadly I don't remember their names, but it was nice not to have to spend all my time alone. We got some baguettes and I discovered that people in France think "Je suis vegetarienne" means you eat chicken or tuna. I ended up finding a baguette with baby spinach leaves and hard boiled eggs. And the most amazing caramel eclair thing in the history of food. Must remember to take pictures of my food on my next vacations! We sat there in the grass of a little park and ate our dinner and it was pretty much ideal. Anyway, Eiffel Tower!
When it gets dark they light up the tower, and once every hour it *SPARKLES*.
After we spent an hour or two at the Eiffel (we didn't go up because of the heinously long lines), we had to make our way back to our hotel by the Metropolitan. We got a little lost and wandered around the wrong way for about 45 minutes, but that's okay, at least I wasn't alone in my wanderings. I had to buy tickets from a machine that had a broken 'English' button, so I'm rather proud of myself for being able to do that.
The next day was an early morning. We met our guide and walked together up to the top of the largest hill in Paris. Montmarte, the area we were in, was famous for being the artistic/bohemian hub of Paris back in the days of Van Gogh, etc. It was a long hilly walk.
We walked past the Moulin Rouge on the way, and a few other famous windmills:
And some other random sites. Either these people really love the Sims or this was an advert--this was about 5 days before the Sims 3 came out.
And a woman covered in foliage, playing an accordion. She had great turquoise shoes.
Once we had climbed the massive hill, we stopped at the Sacre-Coeur church, which was spectacularly beautiful.
The view from its steps wasn't bad either.
Highest hill in the city and you can't see the Eiffel Tower? Well...it wasn't built yet when the church went up, so it's understandable.
We got some time to wander around at this point. There was an amazing little artists market just around the corner from the church. There were some amazing, and some mediocre paintings, mostly tourists fodder. I would have bought some of them if I had an extra 200 dollars and room in my suitcase. But I didn't...so I just looked. There was also a little bistro cafe where there was a fat fat cat sitting on one of the tables, enjoying the sun.
We hopped back on the bus and descended down the hill to the Notre-Dame area:
The lighting inside was quite dim, so some of these interior shots are a bit blurry.
After Notre Dame, we wandered past the famous Shakespeare & Co. bookstore. I couldn't let myself go in because of the suitcase space problem I was already anticipating having to deal with. We ate lunch at a little Italian place--French food is expensive and not particularly veggie friendly in my experience--and then caught the bus again for our afternoon tour of Versailles! Yay!
Quick run-down of Versailles: It was home to the more Revolution-inspiring kings, mostly the Louis..wtf is the plural of Louis? Louises? No, that can't be it. Anyway, the multiple kings named Louis. Most famously Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. After visiting the palace, I can see completely why they got a little bit off with their heads.
Inside it was a lot like the other royal palaces I've been to, especially Hampton Court Palace. Mostly because some of the English kings were quite french-ified, especially during the late 18th century. This palace was like the same old, but 130% of it. More gold, more mirrors, more art, more more more. Way over the top.
Famous Hall of Mirrors:
I actually liked the gardens much more than the inside of the house. It was beautiful and the sandy gravelly stuff on the walks made a gorgeous crunchy noise under our feet. There were citrus trees and all sorts of spices growing and it smelled great.
We headed back to the city and I wasn't feeling particularly well, so I ended up staying in the hotel room for the rest of the night while my 'friends' went up ro the top of the Eiffel Tower. In some ways I regret not going to the top while I was there, but I saw so much during my time in Europe that it takes away some of the manic sort of pressure of seeing everything. Anyway, I took a few shots out of my hotel window:
The Sacre-Coeur
The Eiffel Tower
The Montmartre cemetery, which holds Edgar Degas and Alexandre Dumas, among others:
You know, I didn't expect to like Paris. It's known as a city of romance, and I'm not romantic. It's also sort of the cliche destination for people that have no real interest in European culture, which irritates me. Also I'm much much more of an anglophile than a francophile. But I actually really liked it. I would love to go back. How sad am I that every city that I didn't really anticipate liking, I loved. And every city I anticipated loving I also really loved. Why can't I get that excited about cities in the US? Probably because there are less massive cathedrals and a lot more skyscrapers. Anyway! The next morning it was off for a short 2 hours at the Louvre. How limiting! I had to split from my group and make a list of things I wanted to see according to priority. I only saw about 3% of what's in there I think. But, pictures:
First off, the Mona Lisa. There was a huge line to take a picture of it, even though it was covered in bulletproof glass. I just sidled off to the side and got this picture to prove I saw it. It's smaller than I expected.
Interestingly enough, most of my pictures ended up being of the building/walls/ceilings, rather than the art on display. Hmm. I guess I never saw much point in taking pictures of a painting.
The Venus di Milo:
The massiveness of the galleries was the craziest part:
This is either Hercules, or the emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix from Gladiator) dressed as Hercules:
The famous glass pyramid. According to Dan Brown, the remains of Jesus or Mary or someone are buried under here (it's been a while since I saw the movie). Word has it the Parisians hate the pyramid because it is way too modern for their tastes.
And that was the end of my trip. We got back on the bus and headed back for Callais. I snapped one more picture on the way back:
In case you haven't seen National Treasure 2, the French sculptor who made the Statue of Liberty for us made one for them as well and it sits near the Seine, also near the place where Princess Diana died.
And that's it. That was my last feed trip. This is the last of my European pictures. I got back from Paris on a Monday afternoon and had to leave London on Wednesday morning. I spent hours trying to fit everything into my two suitcases, backpack and purse. I had a 50 lb each weight limit, which seems like a lot, but is not when you have 6 months worth of clothes and lots of souveniers to fit in. I ended up having to leave 2 coats, a whole bunch of pants and shirts, and my complete works of shakespeare! It was about 6 lbs and really huge and it just wouldn't fit. I was stressed. I also almost missed my flight! My driver I got was late picking me up and I had to check out of my room and whatnot. You have to, and I mean absolutely HAVE TO check in for international flights at least 1 hour before they take off. I checked in at 1 hour and 1 minute till. They were already boarding when I got to the gate! BLAH STRESS.
But I made it back and had no problems at security and customs and whatnot. Well, other than not being able to fit in all the names of the countries I had been to on the little form you're supposed to fill out, and the customs guy asking me if I really went to all of them. And now it's all over.
I had to be at the Great Portland Street tube stop by 10 am to catch my tour bus, and I got there two minutes late! Blah! So I had to call the tour office who had to call the driver and then I ended up having to catch a London taxi to a different tube station to get to the bus at its next stop to pick up people. Embarrassing! But eventually I got on the bus and we took a 30 minute or so trip to the ferry from Dover to Callais across the English Channel. I snapped a few quick pictures of the white cliffs of Dover. Apparently, they are white because they are made up of pure calcium carbonate.
The ferry ride was pretty boring, since I didn't know anyone or have anyone to talk to. It lasted about an hour and a half. then we had like a 2 hour drive to Paris, since it's quite far inland. We checked into our hotel first, and I met my roomate. She was from the US and traveling with two other girls. They were nice enough to let me hang out with them for the rest of the trip, which was cool. We bonded over a love for 1960s music. Then everyone got back on the bus for a tour of Paris. I took all these pictures but I only know what a few of the buildings and things are, so sorry if it just seems like a photo dump. It's really hard to keep track of what you took pictures of as you drove by something 6 months ago.
This is Hotel De'Ville, which means City Hall.
National Academy of Music
First Louis Vuitton store ever, right on the Champs-Elysees:
Arc de Triomf:
The traffic around the Arc. Twelve major arterial roads all connect at this round-about where there are no lane lines, or lanes from what I can tell. Check youtube for some videos of the insanity of the traffic there:
Ninja Turtle-esque Parisian cop:
Musee D'Orsay, famous art museum built in an old railway station right on the Seine.
After our bus tour was a boat tour on the Seine, which is when I took these pictures. It was really beautiful, and amazing how many outdoor areas Paris provides for sitting by the river and eating and whatnot. There were little places by the river with benches, there are grassy areas to sit and eat, there are restaurants built on modified houseboats on the river.
This is the underside of a bridge:
After our two tours, we were let loose at the Eiffel Tower. I hung out with the girls I met there--sadly I don't remember their names, but it was nice not to have to spend all my time alone. We got some baguettes and I discovered that people in France think "Je suis vegetarienne" means you eat chicken or tuna. I ended up finding a baguette with baby spinach leaves and hard boiled eggs. And the most amazing caramel eclair thing in the history of food. Must remember to take pictures of my food on my next vacations! We sat there in the grass of a little park and ate our dinner and it was pretty much ideal. Anyway, Eiffel Tower!
When it gets dark they light up the tower, and once every hour it *SPARKLES*.
Click to viewAfter we spent an hour or two at the Eiffel (we didn't go up because of the heinously long lines), we had to make our way back to our hotel by the Metropolitan. We got a little lost and wandered around the wrong way for about 45 minutes, but that's okay, at least I wasn't alone in my wanderings. I had to buy tickets from a machine that had a broken 'English' button, so I'm rather proud of myself for being able to do that.
The next day was an early morning. We met our guide and walked together up to the top of the largest hill in Paris. Montmarte, the area we were in, was famous for being the artistic/bohemian hub of Paris back in the days of Van Gogh, etc. It was a long hilly walk.
We walked past the Moulin Rouge on the way, and a few other famous windmills:
And some other random sites. Either these people really love the Sims or this was an advert--this was about 5 days before the Sims 3 came out.
And a woman covered in foliage, playing an accordion. She had great turquoise shoes.
Once we had climbed the massive hill, we stopped at the Sacre-Coeur church, which was spectacularly beautiful.
The view from its steps wasn't bad either.
Highest hill in the city and you can't see the Eiffel Tower? Well...it wasn't built yet when the church went up, so it's understandable.
We got some time to wander around at this point. There was an amazing little artists market just around the corner from the church. There were some amazing, and some mediocre paintings, mostly tourists fodder. I would have bought some of them if I had an extra 200 dollars and room in my suitcase. But I didn't...so I just looked. There was also a little bistro cafe where there was a fat fat cat sitting on one of the tables, enjoying the sun.
We hopped back on the bus and descended down the hill to the Notre-Dame area:
The lighting inside was quite dim, so some of these interior shots are a bit blurry.
After Notre Dame, we wandered past the famous Shakespeare & Co. bookstore. I couldn't let myself go in because of the suitcase space problem I was already anticipating having to deal with. We ate lunch at a little Italian place--French food is expensive and not particularly veggie friendly in my experience--and then caught the bus again for our afternoon tour of Versailles! Yay!
Quick run-down of Versailles: It was home to the more Revolution-inspiring kings, mostly the Louis..wtf is the plural of Louis? Louises? No, that can't be it. Anyway, the multiple kings named Louis. Most famously Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. After visiting the palace, I can see completely why they got a little bit off with their heads.
Inside it was a lot like the other royal palaces I've been to, especially Hampton Court Palace. Mostly because some of the English kings were quite french-ified, especially during the late 18th century. This palace was like the same old, but 130% of it. More gold, more mirrors, more art, more more more. Way over the top.
Famous Hall of Mirrors:
I actually liked the gardens much more than the inside of the house. It was beautiful and the sandy gravelly stuff on the walks made a gorgeous crunchy noise under our feet. There were citrus trees and all sorts of spices growing and it smelled great.
We headed back to the city and I wasn't feeling particularly well, so I ended up staying in the hotel room for the rest of the night while my 'friends' went up ro the top of the Eiffel Tower. In some ways I regret not going to the top while I was there, but I saw so much during my time in Europe that it takes away some of the manic sort of pressure of seeing everything. Anyway, I took a few shots out of my hotel window:
The Sacre-Coeur
The Eiffel Tower
The Montmartre cemetery, which holds Edgar Degas and Alexandre Dumas, among others:
You know, I didn't expect to like Paris. It's known as a city of romance, and I'm not romantic. It's also sort of the cliche destination for people that have no real interest in European culture, which irritates me. Also I'm much much more of an anglophile than a francophile. But I actually really liked it. I would love to go back. How sad am I that every city that I didn't really anticipate liking, I loved. And every city I anticipated loving I also really loved. Why can't I get that excited about cities in the US? Probably because there are less massive cathedrals and a lot more skyscrapers. Anyway! The next morning it was off for a short 2 hours at the Louvre. How limiting! I had to split from my group and make a list of things I wanted to see according to priority. I only saw about 3% of what's in there I think. But, pictures:
First off, the Mona Lisa. There was a huge line to take a picture of it, even though it was covered in bulletproof glass. I just sidled off to the side and got this picture to prove I saw it. It's smaller than I expected.
Interestingly enough, most of my pictures ended up being of the building/walls/ceilings, rather than the art on display. Hmm. I guess I never saw much point in taking pictures of a painting.
The Venus di Milo:
The massiveness of the galleries was the craziest part:
This is either Hercules, or the emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix from Gladiator) dressed as Hercules:
The famous glass pyramid. According to Dan Brown, the remains of Jesus or Mary or someone are buried under here (it's been a while since I saw the movie). Word has it the Parisians hate the pyramid because it is way too modern for their tastes.
And that was the end of my trip. We got back on the bus and headed back for Callais. I snapped one more picture on the way back:
In case you haven't seen National Treasure 2, the French sculptor who made the Statue of Liberty for us made one for them as well and it sits near the Seine, also near the place where Princess Diana died.
And that's it. That was my last feed trip. This is the last of my European pictures. I got back from Paris on a Monday afternoon and had to leave London on Wednesday morning. I spent hours trying to fit everything into my two suitcases, backpack and purse. I had a 50 lb each weight limit, which seems like a lot, but is not when you have 6 months worth of clothes and lots of souveniers to fit in. I ended up having to leave 2 coats, a whole bunch of pants and shirts, and my complete works of shakespeare! It was about 6 lbs and really huge and it just wouldn't fit. I was stressed. I also almost missed my flight! My driver I got was late picking me up and I had to check out of my room and whatnot. You have to, and I mean absolutely HAVE TO check in for international flights at least 1 hour before they take off. I checked in at 1 hour and 1 minute till. They were already boarding when I got to the gate! BLAH STRESS.
But I made it back and had no problems at security and customs and whatnot. Well, other than not being able to fit in all the names of the countries I had been to on the little form you're supposed to fill out, and the customs guy asking me if I really went to all of them. And now it's all over.