25 August 2011- Paris

Today we woke up intending to visit Notre Dame, climb up the Eiffel Tower and go shopping until our wallets couldn’t handle it any more. Instead, as we exited St Michel station, we came upon a “free walking tour” led by a New Yorkan named Amanda. She’s a law graduate turned tour guide and she was super impressive, especially given that it was only her second day on the job.

We walked past Notre Dame, Pont Neuf (it smells strongly of pee as you walk under it, because it’s a popular picnic spot, and there are no loos to be seen for miles and miles), along the Seine (so romantic), through the Louvre (don’t sign any papers that are thrust into your face by people standing at the Louvre entrance—they’re rorting you for money! Meanwhile, have you seen a more beautiful, awe inspiring building??), through Catherine’s gardens, up Concordia, and past the Grand Palace. We were heaped with so much history- it made us appreciate what Paris has been through, from Napoleon, to the Henrys (royalty) to World War I and II and the understanding you gain as to why Parisians are so proud of their country.

The distance we covered was phenomenal and by the end of it, our feet were whimpering. Still, we forged on- catching up with Miss Ebae and joining Miss Boulangerie for a bit of shopping in the Latin and Jewish quarters.

I know it's expected, but I'm loving this holiday. Every day is such an adventure-- excitement, newness, language barriers, but a happy sense of satisfaction because I'm not sitting at my desk day in, day out-- I'm seeing different things, drinking up a different culture (albeit probably very superficially given how little time we have), and living life how it's meant to be lived.

Travel is such a gift and I'm so glad for this trip!!

[Free walking tour!]

[This building housed the Nazis but France ousted them-bullet holes evidence the battle:]

[The Seine:]

[Horse statues are everywhere around Paris. Front and back leg up means the person in the saddle was murdered. Two front legs up means that the person in the saddle died in battle. All feet on the ground means that the person in the saddle died an ordinary death:]

[The bridge that showcases locks for the romantic. You secure a lock to the bridge, throw the key away and it's meant show your undying love for your significant other:]

[The Louvre courtyard:]

[These orange stickers are important. It means that if there's a fire, paintings aren't unnecessarily damaged because they tell firemen that this window is safe to break and won't put any artworks at risk:]

[The three corners of Lourve don't match up because additions were made to the existing foundation as time went by:]

[The famous pyramid- it was meant to be invisible, but the structure wasn't strong enough when it was made solely from glass. Consequently, they had to add an inner frame:]

[In Paris, it's all about symmetry. Keeping these lolly pop trees round takes a full day of maintenance and a lot of precision:]

[The Eiffel Tower from the Louvre:]

[The base of the Champs Elysees:]

[The Army Museum:]

[The best crepes in Paris- with Miss Boulangerie:]

24 August 2011- Paris!

Bonjour ma cherie!

This morning, we left London and caught the train to St Pancras station, before hopping on the Eurostar for a speedy ride to Paris. As we were figuring how to get through customs, we happened upon Miss Neurologist who was catching the 11 am to Brussels. We were super glad to see her and took some photos to mark the occasion.

The train ride there was incredibly fast. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been on such a fast train before. It took just two hours, and we bought some train food (watery cheeseburger and salt and vinegar chips), just so we could say “we bought Eurostar food and ate it”. When we got off the train, Miss EBae called me from a payphone because her credit had run out and surprised us with her announcement that she had come to greet us. Lo and behold, there, at the end of platforms 3 and 4, stood Miss Ebae all decked out in her denim mini, giant new SLR camera and pink top. She had bought some macarons for me as a belated birthday gift and after we returned to our hotel room, we ate four of them. So yummy!

[Reunited!]

Afterwards, we took a stroll down Montmartre to the Opera House- what a beautiful, opulent building, with incredible architecture. You don’t see buildings like these in Sydney that’s for sure. While Miss EBae dropped into an Apple store to check her emails (hey, when you’re travelling, you sap every free wifi resource you can), Man from Mars and I bought some parfum at Fragonard. We also passed a police car being towed away. Can police men book themselves for an illegal park??

[Police car gets towed- slam!]

Our walking tour then took on a foodie slant, as we visited macaroon stores, a mustard and condiments store (Maille) and Fauchon, a famous foodie’s heaven complete with a bikini clad mannequin in the front window to attract suitably hungry passersby.

We saw the Magdelenae Cathedral, before wandering down to Place de la Concorde to admire the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, an ornate fountain and an Egyptian monument ( I can’t remember its name!).

[Magdelene Cathedral:]

[Eiffel Tower:]

[Just hanging out in Paris:]

[Man from Mars and Miss Ebae, the master navigators:]

[Beautiful fountains- Anne Hathaway chucks her mobile into this fountain in The Devil Wears Prada:]

[The Egyptian statue that Napoleon stole from the Egyptians:]

[Arc de Triomphe taken with my 15x zoom camera from really far away:]

It was an idyllic afternoon- there are so many things to see around Paris. The weather was perfect, the stores are beautiful. The people are proud of their city while the subway is a mixed experience. Parisians are a little pushy, but they smile when you smile and are kind, although not inherently “laid back” in the same way that Aussies come across. Times like today make me wish I could speak fluent French, because I’d love to know what the lady on the train was reading- a novel full of French and pictures. Probably some raunchy Mills and Boon translated- it is the city of love, after all.

By night, we caught up with Miss Boulangerie, and we had a real deal French meal with an emphasis on fromage, tripe and roast duck. Mon dieu, what a full day- and more to come tomorrow. Gros bisous til then mon amies!

[Miss Boulangerie and Man from Mars!]

23 August 2011

Today, the weather did a supreme 360 and went from being stinking hot, to cold and rainy. Temps topped out at 19C and we shivered in the rain as we walked to the station.

First stop was the Borough Markets, Monmouth Cafe, where we met up with Man from Mars’ mate from Exchange—Miss Neurologist. She’s from Amsterdam and was in Man from Mars’ group when were we studying in Canada. Her boyfriend is finding a job here in London and they’re making the long distance relationship thing happen with the help of fortnightly train trips and skype. It makes Man from Mars’ and my efforts seem like child’s play.

After a speedy coffee and a creepy man who always seemed to be looking straight down the barrel of my camera whenever we took a photo (see below), we indulged in some literature and history, visiting the Shakespeare Globe and getting the chance to sit in the stands of the outdoor theatre. It’s a replica of the original and an incredible structure. We got to see the rehearsals for a play that’s going to be performed in a couple of weeks, costumes that honour the materials and intricate requirements of the 17^th Century, and inspected original manuscripts and costume lists that were drafted in Shakespeare’s time.

[Catching up with Miss Neurosurgeon. Creepy Man Pic #1:]

[Catching up with Miss Neurosurgeon- Creepy Man Pic #2:]

[The Globe Theatre:]

[The outdoor stage:]

[Shakespeare- who signed the pages of his will differently each time- as Shackspeare, Shakespeare and Shakspere:]

Afterwards, we had a quick lunch at EAT which specialises in fresh, easy food (a chain, but a really good one at that) before heading to the Brunel Tunnel. It was engineered by Marcus Brunel and was the first underground tunnel to be built under a navigable body of water (the Thames). We popped into a cute little museum, run by a 70 something year old man, with kind eyes and a passion to all things Thames tunnel related- “It’s the eighth wonder of the world!” he declared, kind eyes all sparkling, and the 2 pound entry fee eagerly being accepted. We were encouraged to watch a 50 minute long video in the downstairs room that had been arranged with 6 fold out chairs and an old school television and even though it was a purely informative video (the kind you could get from the ABC store), we obliged because frankly, he was lovely and his passion was infectious. What was there not to love about this tiny, homely museum lovingly constructed in the suburb of Rotherhithe?

[The tiny video room on the Marcus Brunel:]

[The Brunel Museum in the middle of suburbia:]

Finally, we headed out to Westminster where we indulged in the usual tourist hotspots (the Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey) before meeting up again with Miss Kindergarten Cop and her Man, for some authentic British food.

[Man from Mars and I and the London Eye:]

[Man from Mars being the Best Tourist Ever:]

[Big Ben:]

[Bagpipers- I told them to smile as hard as they possibly could:]

[Big Ben and Me:]

[Miss Kindergarten Cop and her man:]

[At dinner:]

Tomorrow, the Eurostar and Paris!