Paris: Part 2

Another long day is over. We started off at the Arc d'Triomphe, which is so amazing up close, and we even got to walk up to the top. From there, we walked down the Champs-Elysses again for more shopping. Towards the end of the street, both sides were full of street vendors that were selling many cute things and delicious smelling foods. Eventually made our way to the metro and went to see the Patheon. Trying to find it, we of course got lost, but I guess that's the fun of traveling. The Pantheon itself is another beautiful place, and Voltaire and Rousseau are buried there. From here, we made our way up to see Notre-Dame. This church was so magnificent, with the gorgeous stained glass and beautiful ceilings/arches.

Finally made it back to the hotel, where I stopped and bought another pastry. France is doing it's part to support my insatiable sweet tooth. I don't think I've ever had so many pastries over the course of a few days.

Paris: Part 1

Paris!! It's absolutely gorgeous, and the Champs-Elysses is amazing when it's all lit up at night! After that, we went to the Arc d'Triomphe, and it's so big! Absolutely lovely, and set in the middle of a roundabout. From there, we walked to the Eiffel Tower and were able to see it all lit up at night. It's one of the most beautiful things I have seen and it's so amazing up close. We finally made it back to the hotel, but stopped at the bakery for an eclair. The lady there told me that my French was very good! She thought we were from Spain! Ready for another lovely day tomorrow!

London Day 2!!

We finished up our time in London by heading out to the stadium where Chelsea FC plays. I was so excited since that's my favorite English soccer team. I got to see the stadium and we checked out the store where I found some really cool stuff! After that we headed up to the British Museum where we saw the most amazing things. We spent hours in this museum, and saw artifacts from so many cultures. The Egyptian, Assyrian and Greco-Artifacts were my favorites! They had the Rosetta Stone, winged lions from Assyria, and statues from Greece and Rome. Some of the things were from 2000BC! I also got to see mummies, and the Lindow Man, the mummified man from the peat bogs of England that I remember reading about when I was in 1st or 2nd grade. It was one of our favorite places in London! We went back to our hotel and I made sure to make a stop at M&S for some of their amazing shortbread, and then on to dinner at "our" restaurant down the street. We found out that one of our favorite waiters was from Latvia, and he made a sad face when he found out we were leaving the next day. I also said goodbye to my favorite Italian waiter, Modica (who, btw gave me his phone number), and we went home. We took the train to Paris this morning and just arrived. We're about to head out and see the city. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

London....

We arrived in London yesterday, excited and ready to go! Today after breakfast we took the underground and walked around Harrod's, which had some shoes that really tempted me.....love the styles here! We walked to Buckingham Palace and saw the guards out with the whole band getting ready because the President of Turkey was in town. The band was all decked out in their fancy uniforms and furry hats! Walked on to Trafalgar Square and I got a picture with my favorite lions that I saw last time! Was extremely happy about that, even though it took me 4 tries to climb up on its back since it was so tall! We went in to the National Gallery and saw quite a few paintings from Rembrandt, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Raphael, etc. it was so cool to see paintings that were hundreds of years old! Then we walked down to the Thames and crossed a huge bridge that gave us a great view of Westminster Bridge, Big Ben and houses of Parliament, the London Eye and the London Aquarium. After that we walked back up and across the Westminster Bridge to get a close up of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Lastly we went and saw the Tower of London and London Bridge. Such awesome pieces of history, and we learned that the Tower of London was first started around 1077! Finished up with dinner at a local restaurant, and got asked out by an Italian. Perfect ending! Tomorrow we hope to see the stadium where Chealsea FC plays (yay!), see St Paul's Cathedral (because I'm weird and that's where they fed the birds in Mary Poppins), and visit the British Museum! Gonns try and fit some shopping in too! :)