Some thoughts about our trip to England and France

We're home now and have begun planning part 2 of our Europe trip (to Italy) this fall. While we loved our visit to England and France, it wasn't without it's surprises and a few small bumps in the road, (mostly delays that prevented us from seeing everything on our lists).  

Quirky things we noticed along the way:
The British and French are not perpetually on their phones (like Americans)
No one wears hats or sunglasses
When at a pub, you order and pay the bartender and then be seated on your own
The speed limits are too high on country roads, but it's easier than we thought to drive on the left
You'll have to pay for most public toilets
Most of the Brits love Trump! haha! We did not expect to discuss Trump on our vacation ;)
There is smoking allowed in restaurants - we knew this, but it still felt strange!
Pick pockets really are a problem
The French are not rude to Americans - we found them to be friendly and helpful!
Parisians really do buy a lot of baguettes and croissants - this isn't a stereotype!
Everyone seemed to be wearing scarves, even children
French girls really are stylish - you better believe I was taking notes :)
Food was so cheap. We couldn't believe how inexpensively we could grab a quick lunch or dinner
No free bags in stores - and no paper towels anywhere
You will be laughed at by the French when you pull out your clear plastic ponchos, lol!

Days 8 & 9 More Paris and a bit more London

We started our day with a visit to the Paris Catacombes. The Catacombes date back to the late 1700s when public health problems related to the city's cemeteries led to the decision to transfer their contents to an underground site. Over 6 million bodies were moved here over the course of 12 years. The oldest bones dating back 1200 years, and the newest from the 1860s. We spiraled down 60 feet before walking a one mile route through the tunnels.  The caverns were the result of all of the Limestone mining that had been done while Paris was expanding during the 17th-19th centuries.  

After the Catacombes we walked through the rain to the famous Rue Cler and enjoyed this very French shopping area.  It was brimming with cafes, boulangeries, and specialty shops.  I saw my first Saint James (!!!), we shopped for a few things at a gourmet market and eventually stopped in to Au Petit Tonneau for a three course lunch. (on Henry's list of things to do :) This was a wonderful, leisurely pause in our schedule and we must've stayed for almost two hours.

Next we walked straight to the Eiffel Tower!  We knew this would probably eat up the rest of the day, and I'm so glad we had told ourselves that.  Because of my foot I took the elevator this time and J, H, H took the stairs! Henry basically ran right up, but Jon and Havalah took their time and enjoyed the process.  We spent some time on the second level, and then went all the way to the top as well. It was a lot of fun!

Dinner was a quick grab at the metro station, and back to the flat to pack up to leave for London in the morning.

Day 7 - Paris

We awoke refreshed and ready for our first full day of sightseeing in Paris.  We've been on such an intense schedule it felt indulgent to sleep in till 8:30 and make it out the door by 9:30.  We caught the metro and got off where we could pop up at one of the famous art Nouveau stops dating back to late 1800s, early 1900s. These avant-garde entryways symbolized the city's Golden Age of Art for over a century. I believe there used to over 20 of them, but now only two.

From here we walked to Sainte Chapelle built by King Louis IX.  We wandered through the lower chapel first, built for the common people to worship. There were fleur-de-lis painted on the ceiling to remind the people that there is a king.  Then we took the long spiral staircase up to the famous stained-glass clad cathedral built to house the Crown of Thorns. It was breathtaking - it felt like we had stepped inside of a life sized kaleidoscope. The stained glass tells stories from the Bible as well as how the holy relic made its way to Paris.

Next door was the French Court of Cassation (like the Supreme Court) as well as the Conciergerie. The Conciergerie, a prison during the French Revolution in the late 1700s, is now mostly used for present day law.  A brief history, because this is such a fascinating place:

"The Conciergerie prison became the main penitentiary of a network of prisons throughout Paris, and was the last place of housing for more than 2,700 people who were executed by guillotine throughout the city. The dank dungeons were a stark contrast to the beautiful architecture of the palace above.  The quality of life of the prisoners was based mainly on their personal wealth and the whims of the jailers. The most famous prisoner was Marie-Antoinette, the last Queen of France before the Revolution.  She was executed in 1793."

After these tours, we walked along the Seine on the left bank, past the art and book stalls to get as close as we could to Notre Dame.  Along the way we stopped into the Deportation Memorial.  Over 2000 Jews were lost in the Holocaust, something that I didn't know before touring this museum.  Next we toured the famous Latin Quarter, which was the University District in the Middle Ages.   It gets its name from the Latin language, which was primarily spoken in and around the University at the time.  We crossed over Pont Neuf, Paris' oldest bridge, ironically called "New Bridge" and headed toward the Louve.

By this time it was raining full force, but we continued on our route down the Champs-Elysees toward the Arc de Triumph. This was a LONG walk, it was raining, and we were tired, and we were tired of the rain (that's no surprise, right?) Along the way we stopped in to many stores, mostly just as a reprieve from the weather, my favorite being to eat our favorite French classic sandwich at Pomme et Pain, where we also enjoyed a Nutella Crepe.  Once we got to the Arc I would like to say we went to the top, but at this point my tendinosis wouldn't let me take another step.  Such a bummer! So, we ended our day here, with a quick stop to see a cafe where one of our antique Paris scenes was painted (we had seen the other location this morning) and then picking up dinner from a cafe along the way, headed back to our flat for some much needed rest, and macarons :)

One of the famous art Nouveau Metropolitain stops

Day 6 - Disneyland Paris

This day was pretty special for us, and long awaited. After a quick breakfast at our Air BandB we were out the door by 7:30.  A 45 minute metro ride later and we arrived at Disneyland Paris almost an hour before opening. We were overjoyed (!!!) to find it was already open.  Knowing we only had a single day to spend here Havalah had made us a detailed schedule of what to see and when :)  Last time we visited, Disney Studios wasn't yet built, so there were definitely new things to see. Off we go!

a chilly, but obligatory castle pic

Day 5 - Travel day from London to Paris

Awoke in London at The Cherry Court and taking the train to Paris today! Out the door right on time to catch the 10:45 Eurostar.  So interesting to take the tube during commute time - the crowds getting to work were unbelievable heavy.  We took the tube to King's Cross and from there caught the Eurostar.  Got through customs quickly and boarded the train. It was scheduled to take around 2 1/2 hours to get to Paris, but midway had a 45 minute delay because of animals on the track.  Too funny!  When we arrived in Paris it was absolutely pouring.  I'm talking torrential. We were feeling a little bit frantic at this point because we were supposed to meet our Air B&B host to get the key and were already running an hour late due to the train, with no way to contact her.  Fingers crossed, we headed out into the rain for the two mile walk to our B and B.  The host's 13 year old son, Baptiste was waiting for us.  He was the cutest French kid, who spoke almost no English.  With the help of the google translate app we were able to communicate with him just fine, and got all the instructions we needed, including how to care for their cat.  Ha ha! We felt right at home :)

After unwinding (and drying off) we headed out to the city to explore a bit.  We walked to Lidl (the local grocery) and purchased some staple items to have on hand for a few days: muesli, milk, croissants and macarons (so inexpensive here!). After that we walked to dinner at Louisa's Café across the street from our flat.  Even though our French was limited, the wait staff was patient and very friendly.  I had the best pizza I can remember ever having, and I wish desperately I'd taken a pic of the menu so that I could recreate it. (At least there's a photo of the pizza itself!)

After dinner we walked around the neighborhood a bit and then headed back to the flat to watch a bit of TV and get rested up for Disneyland Paris.  Whoo hoo!

Day 4 - More London

Today we awoke with a very detailed and scheduled plan of attack.  We were out the door by 8:30 and caught the hop-on-hop-off double decker bus.  We rode listening to the tour guide, all the way across the city to The Tower of London, the oldest fortress and palace in Europe.  Along the way we saw St. Paul's Cathedral (in Mary Poppins :), St. Thomas, where Florence Nightingale trained, The Ritz and Athenia (where we had tea last time we visited and sat next to Charlton Heston and his wife), Hyde Park and the famous City Hall building.

Once we arrived at ToL we mostly focused on The White Tower, build by William the Conqueror in 1066.  We also saw the famous Tower Ravens that have been "protecting" the monarchy for hundreds of years.  The legend says that if the Ravens leave the empire will fall.

Let's do this!!

Day 3 - London

We awoke bright and early and were headed out the door first thing toward Westminster Abbey.
On our way (aboard a double decker) we saw much of the Kensington area including Buckingham Palace.  (We later learned that Royal baby Archie was born and announced when we were nearby.) So cool!

First stop was Westminster Abbey and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  Jon and I have been to Westminster before, so I was slightly hesitant to visit again, but I'm so glad we did.  No photos were allowed inside, so I can't illustrate it here, but the centuries of British history of The Crown and of England's most elite, are entrenched throughout.  I think I could tour it again and again and not take it all in. We spent so long at W.A. that we were way behind on our sightseeing schedule when we finished around 2:30.  We left and walked to Trafalgar Square and bought sandwiches, crisps, and bottled water for lunch.  A picnic was high on Henry's must-do list, so this checked that box :)

Day 2 Cotswolds, including Upper and Lower Slaughter, and Oxford

We woke up on day two in Stow on the Wold, in The Cotswolds, at The Pound.
Our host, Deighton had a beautiful breakfast ready for us.  Sausage, bacon, toast, cereal, fried tomatoes, eggs and waffle potatoes.  PLUS TEA!!! I had forgotten how much I love English Tea.  I LOVE ENGLISH TEA. Our whole experience at The Pound was so special, and we haven't stopped talking about it.

We checked out of The Pound, and following our tour book did a walking tour of Stow on the Wold, with a stop into Evergreen Livres (the boys both bought vintage Tin Tin books), and a charity shop (this was on my list of course). Also walked through Fleece Alley and saw the door at St. Edward's Church that supposedly inspired Tokien's Doors of Durin (Tolkien loved Stow on the Wold, and took many walks and hikes here). We also went to a local church's craft fair, where all the locals were selling their homemade goodies, like felted pins and handmade soap.  For lunch we purchased sandwiches and English candy (this is a theme that you'll see throughout our trip).  The sandwiches flavors were all so interesting, and I resolved to try a different one each day, if possible.  This time I had the cheese and red onion, Havah the cucumber and tuna, Henry the ham and cheese, and Jon the chicken and stuffing.

Europe day 1: Avebury and Bath

Our long awaited trip to England and France has arrived!  

After flying all night from Houston, our plane landed at Heathrow around 7:30 a.m. After waiting in a long line for customs (almost 2 hours), and picking up our car rental from Avis, we got out cash (it was recommended to do this upon arrival), and headed out of London toward the countryside. (Jon took right to driving on the left side of the road :) Our first stop is Avebury. We traveled on the expressway for about an hour, which was kind of like our freeways, except they're were very few exits, and almost no restaurants or gas stations along the way. So, if you miss an exit and have to backtrack, you'll most likely delay your route by at least an hour.

Soon we were routed off the expressway and on to backroads, which is what we were really looking forward to.  We drove through the cutest, quintessential towns, exactly what you think of when picturing the English countryside, and after about an hour arrived in Avebury.  Avebury is a little village that has ancient stones, a lot like Stonehenge, but on a much smaller scale. We walked the loop and marveled at the ancient stone circles and gorgeous landscape, with sheep and dogs and flowers.  We stopped into a local place called Circle Cafe and purchased fresh, steaming hot steak pastys.  We ate with the locals and their dogs (we noticed Englishmen seem to bring their dogs everywhere), and then hiked to see a 6000 year old tomb from the late Neolithic period.