Browse Day: September 13, 2010

EuroTrip: Paris, Sept 4

On Saturday morning, we said our goodbyes and rushed off to the Tube station to get to St. Pancras Station for our 2-hour train ride to Paris on Eurostar.

The train station itself was beautiful and they had free WiFi!  We bought economy seats and were pleasantly surprised at how comfy they were.  We originally got window seats but this older couple was already seated and settled into our seats.  I was a bit annoyed at first but realized that we were better off in the aisle so that we could go wander the train to find the buffet car without disturbing them.

In the buffet car, we got a bottle of wine and enjoyed the scenery whizzing by.

Once in Paris, it was a little bit of a frenzy trying to find an ATM for Euros, standing in line for Metro tickets, and finding our way to our hotel.  We arrived at our hotel in Montparnasse to find out that Expedia had a glitch at the time we booked it and by the time the hotel received our reservation, they were full.  Oh no!  I thought we’d be homeless until the nice man at the desk explained that they were sorry and made arrangements for us to stay at a more expensive hotel in the 9th arrondissement.  A taxi was called and they paid for the fare and told them exactly where to take us.  On the way, I got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the distance and we drove right past the entrance to the Louvre.  It was all very exciting.

We finally arrived at Pax Opera Hotel and check-in was super easy.  They didn’t even ask for ID or anything!  The room was very clean with modern fixtures and everything we needed.  Hotel also had free WiFi for us to look up restaurants and directions.

We were hungry so we headed back out in search of lunch and some sights.  We walked up towards Montmarte and found the red light district and Moulin Rouge.

Stopped at a Cafe de Luna and had a delicious ham and cheese crepe while checking our guidebooks.  Finally made it to Sacre Coeur where the lawn between the stairs was covered with people and there was a carousel at the bottom of the hill that had a bunch of old ladies riding it.

We climbed the stairs and got a good view of Paris.  It’s just too bad that while we were up there it was overcast.

Afterward we did a little wandering and got a little lost but found our way down to the River Seine in time to catch the sun setting behind the Eiffel Tower in the distance.  Had a quick dinner that wasn’t very good but it was a nice place to hang out and watch people.

Later we walked down towards Notre Dame and walked along the Seine where there were lots of young people hanging out by the water.  Notre Dame is beautiful at night.  Too bad we didn’t make it there in time to climb the tower.  I really wanted to see the gargoyles close-up.  Oh well.

After a little wine stop at a nearby cafe, we hopped back on Metro and made two stops.  First was the Arc du Triomphe at the end of the Champs Elysses. This photo was taken at a stop light in the middle of the crosswalk.

The next was the Eiffel Tower at midnight.  The lights were on and it also had a light display of sparkle lights every hour.

Here’s a video of it:

We happened to arrive as it was starting so we got to see it in all its glory.  If you can’t see the video above, click here.  Metro stops running at 1 am on Friday and Saturdays so we had just enough time to hang out and then hop back on to get back to the hotel.

Here are photos from this day.

EuroTrip: London, Sept 3

Once we washed up, it was time for lunch.  My cousin accompanied us to a local pub where we had fish and chips with mashed peas (the traditional English preparation).  I also got to taste Guinness, which supposedly gets better-tasting the closer you are to Ireland.  Well, when in England, have some Guiness!  And it WAS better!

After lunch, cousin went home to finish working while Jes and I hopped on the Tube, got off at Westminster and ta da!  We were greeted by Big Ben as soon as we emerged street level.

To the left was the River Thames and a gorgeous view of the river and the London Eye.  I guess we lucked out on weather that day because the sun was out with blue skies and comfortable temps outside.

We made frequent stops at different pubs along the way to enjoy a beer and take toilet breaks.  Buying a beer is a small price you have to pay to use their loo.

We walked past the House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey and noticed all the closed circuit television cameras everywhere on the streets.  The security around Parliament was ridiculous.

We strolled through a really big park and ended up at the front of Buckingham Palace.  The queen wasn’t home and there was a little construction out front so we didn’t stay very long.

She’s gone only 2 months out of the year and that’s when they open the palace for tours.  We thought about going inside but they had JUST run out of tickets for the day.  So, we just went to another pub for another potty break.

Jes was starting to fade that afternoon so after a little walk through the shopping area, we took the Tube back to John’s flat so that he could take a nap.

In the meantime, I caught up on emails, hung out with my cousin, and played with his guinea pigs.  They were so cute and funny!

Dinner was at an Indian place called Imli.  It wasn’t the most traditional restaurant, which made for some interesting dishes and a huge dinner bill.  It was ok but I think we would have been better off at a whole-in-the-wall.  It was recommended by John’s wife’s co-workers who were all Indian but when we arrived, everyone was white.  Hm.

After dinner, we stopped for frozen yogurt at Snog where it was very Pinkberry-esque but with lots of rainbow lights inside.

We also walked through Picadilly Circus, which is like a miniature Times Square with flashy lights and engergy.   The next stop was at a local bar/pub where the bartenders were extra lively and friendly, which made it really loud and maybe a little too loud for 2 weary travelers on less than 3 hours of sleep.  After one drink, we were back on the Tube and we all went straight to bed.  That felt like the longest day ever.

Here are the photos.

EuroTrip: SFO-IAD-LHR, Sept 2-3

The first day was spent on a plane.  The first leg of the trip was from SFO to IAD (Washington DC).  We left from SFO around noon (PST) and the flight was on-time with an early arrival in DC (around 8:30 pm EST).  It’s a good thing since originally, we were scheduled for a quick 50-minute layover with a plane change.  The plane was one of the older ones so Jes watched a movie on his iPad and I studied French on my iPhone with the book that came with the program.

Once in DC, we had just enough time to grab a bite to eat before boarding.  Originally, Jes and I were going to be stuck in the middle of a 2-5-2 seating arrangement.  Fortunately for us, the flight had a change to the brand-new 777, which had a 3-3-3 configuration giving us an aisle seat!  Sweet.  I was still stuck in the middle but at least I could bother Jes to get out for a pee break.  Jes is smirking in this photo because he was stuck in the middle seat last year on our way to Italy.

The plane also had personal entertainment at each seat so I watched Iron Man 2 and Mary Poppins on my way to London.  They also fed us a meal and a snack and I managed to take a decent 3-hour nap too.

We arrived on Thursday morning (9/3) around 10 am and got through customs rather quickly.  My cousin, John, had sent me directions on how to get to his flat so we made the trek down to the Underground Station, purchased 1-day Oyster cards, and took the Tube all the way to the Barons Court stop.

The walk to my cousin’s flat was short and the neighborhood was really cute.  We made it to his place before noon and he was working from home so we were able to drop off our things and wash up before lunch.

Here’s a photo of the front of his flat.  He lives on the second floor with a balcony facing the street.  He and his wife just bought it and moved in about a month or so ago.

Spa Day

On Sunday, we drove up to Calistoga for Michelle’s Baby Shower.  We scored a spot on the balcony with two tables, plenty of chairs, and reclining chairs in the sun.  We had a feast of snacks including hummus, pita bread, cheese, olives, salad, salami, and fruit.  I got a 30-minute massage and the girls all got a treatment of some kind that afternoon.  The pools were all from hot springs and only a few went in the water.   This summer has been so cold and windy that it was just nice to be out in a warm, sunny area for a change.

Michelle also received a bunch of really cute girlie gifts for their October baby.  I had a fun time shopping at Target for her gift.  Kids clothing at Target is so cute AND affordable!  Congratulations, Michelle.  Hopefully Miss Labor and Miss Delivery will be kind to you.

Here are the rest of the photos.  I didn’t take as many as usual.  Sorry.