On Saturday the 26th of October I headed out to London for one day and a night, before heading out to Paris the following morning. I found a great place near an eclectic part of London called Paddington Square Hostel, in the Paddington neighborhood. After finding the location, I was able to drop off my bag before check-in, and then go be a tourist by myself. I decided earlier that I wanted to go see the National Gallery of London. One of my cooperative art teachers gave me the recommendation & they couldn't have been any more correct in this being a must-see!
The National Gallery, London: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
The National Gallery, London: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
I saw masterpieces from the following artists: Van Gogh, Monet, Leonardo da'Vinci, Manet, Egon Schiele, Pablo Picasso, Guercino, and many more. Unfortunately, they did not allow any photographs within this gallery. So there are no pics of the artwork this time around.
That evening, I went back to the hostel & enjoyed some great food in the Paddington Pub & after I began to write in my Wonder Woman journal while drinking a Strongbow cider. A few minutes later, a group of three women asked me if they could join my table, since there were none left. I offered them seats & we began a great conversation. They were a Swedish family of a mother, a daughter, and an aunt on a vacation trip to visit London for a week. It was wonderful to hear their life stories and share mine.
The night spent at the hostel was overall a great one. It was clean, quiet, and the other females who were in the 4 person dorm, were respectful. I headed out as quietly as I could early the next morning to go catch the Eurostar train to Paris. It was only one underground away & easy to find. On the 2 hour train ride, I had time to think and write in my journal in the business class seating that I was freely bumped up to. All of this was a very nice way to travel in the fastest trains in Europe & going under the water in a tunnel to another country.
Once I arrived, I found that it was indeed a challenge to figure out where to go to get to the Paris Metro transit station & find my hotel. I managed to find a machine to purchase tickets fairly easy, but to try and find the right Metro car was a whole other matter. I knew it would be a challenge since I don't speak French, but to understand their maps is not nearly as easy as London's Underground system. After a while, I found the right one, but once I got above ground, I had to find the right address amidst small narrow old streets. I had no problem asking a lady who was walking by, and she was kind enough to show me in broken English, where to go to find the hotel.
The Hotel Annexe was quaint and I was greeted by several nice representatives, who were able to hold my belongings and give directions back to the Metro station. From there, I decided to go find a cafe fr some lunch and then onto Notre Dame. I found I was in the neighborhood of Republique & there was a Cafe named after it. There, I had the best shrimp & bacon Ceasar salad, French Baguette, cafe o'le, and a glass of wine. Next, Notre Dame...
That evening, I went back to the hostel & enjoyed some great food in the Paddington Pub & after I began to write in my Wonder Woman journal while drinking a Strongbow cider. A few minutes later, a group of three women asked me if they could join my table, since there were none left. I offered them seats & we began a great conversation. They were a Swedish family of a mother, a daughter, and an aunt on a vacation trip to visit London for a week. It was wonderful to hear their life stories and share mine.
The night spent at the hostel was overall a great one. It was clean, quiet, and the other females who were in the 4 person dorm, were respectful. I headed out as quietly as I could early the next morning to go catch the Eurostar train to Paris. It was only one underground away & easy to find. On the 2 hour train ride, I had time to think and write in my journal in the business class seating that I was freely bumped up to. All of this was a very nice way to travel in the fastest trains in Europe & going under the water in a tunnel to another country.
Once I arrived, I found that it was indeed a challenge to figure out where to go to get to the Paris Metro transit station & find my hotel. I managed to find a machine to purchase tickets fairly easy, but to try and find the right Metro car was a whole other matter. I knew it would be a challenge since I don't speak French, but to understand their maps is not nearly as easy as London's Underground system. After a while, I found the right one, but once I got above ground, I had to find the right address amidst small narrow old streets. I had no problem asking a lady who was walking by, and she was kind enough to show me in broken English, where to go to find the hotel.
The Hotel Annexe was quaint and I was greeted by several nice representatives, who were able to hold my belongings and give directions back to the Metro station. From there, I decided to go find a cafe fr some lunch and then onto Notre Dame. I found I was in the neighborhood of Republique & there was a Cafe named after it. There, I had the best shrimp & bacon Ceasar salad, French Baguette, cafe o'le, and a glass of wine. Next, Notre Dame...
While I was at Notre Dame, I wondered around the river Seine, crossed a few of the old bridges, and decided to be a little romantic.
That was the "Love Lock Bridge" the Pont de l'Archevêché is a stone arch bridge facing teh Notre Dame & it is covered with pad locks & even bike locks. All with initials or names written or carved into them to wish for their hearts to belong to another forever locked, and the keys are thrown into the river - symbolizing their eternal love. Here is a recent article about it: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323511804578297832498983360
On the following day, I awoke right before dawn & took some shots out of my romm window, then went downstairs for a lovely French buffet breakfast. I loved their cafe' o'le, breads, pastries, waffles, fruits, yogurt, & cheeses. After, I went to go see the infamous Louvre Museum & in it many masterpieces like the Mona Lisa...
I spent about 5 hours inside the Louvre & got lost trying to get out from it & into the open air. By this time, I was just so tired of walking, climbing stairs, and needed a break off of my feet. So I decided to take a double decker coach bus tour of the city. This gave me the time I needed to recover in so many ways, while seeing more of the highlights, & it allowed me to get off & back on the bus again at any place I wanted. Of course, I had to stop at The Eiffel Tower!
On the last day in Paris, I chose to go see one more museum called Muse d'Orsay, which is almost exclusively about Expressionism. Since a few of my favorite artists fall into this genre, as well as I am currently teaching a class about Monet, I just had to go. This was probably my favorite place in Paris. I didn't get lost within the museum, but rather felt at home. I wanted to soak up as much as I could. I found myself in tears when I saw Monet in person. It was a surreal moment for myself. I loved it.
After spending about four hours in the Muse d'Orsay, I had to quickly go get my things from the Hotel & head back to the Eurostar station to catch the train at 5pm. I gave myself what I thought to be enough time - 2.5 hours, but as things are confusing in this conjested big city, I barely got there with only 5 minutes to spare.
The rest of my evening consisted of travels back from London to Dorking, laundry, and sleep. The next day was to be the day I meet Jeffrey at the London Heathrow airport to start our holiday together!
The rest of my evening consisted of travels back from London to Dorking, laundry, and sleep. The next day was to be the day I meet Jeffrey at the London Heathrow airport to start our holiday together!
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