Hi Everyone,
Over Thanksgiving break my sister and I took a trip to Europe to meet up with my oldest daughter who is studying abroad this semester. Lauren is studying in Germany but has been traveling all over Europe on the weekends, so we met her in Paris (a city she hadn't been to yet) for Thanksgiving.
My trip with my sister started in London. We had a direct flight from San Diego to London on British Airways. We flew business class so the 11 hour flight was pure joy. I had a little pod all to myself that aligned with her pod so we could visit. My seat reclined into a bed and had it's own little TV, blanket and pillow. Did I say it was pure heaven?
We landed in London and did all the touristy things. We ate in a pub, shopped on Oxford Street, took a bus tour of the city, saw the Queen, ate fish and chips, had high tea at Fortnum & Masons, visited the Tower of London, and saw the Horse Guard.
The Royal Life Guards
The Life Guards on their way to Buckingham Palace.
The Queen just drove past us!
Cozy afternoon tea.
You can see Big Ben through the London Eye.
Buckingham Palace
Dinner at the Barley Mow Pub.
The Court Building
The Tower Bridge
Fish and Chips
To get to Paris we took the EuroStar through the Chunnel! This was a first for my sister as she has always been on airplanes when she travels. It's not easy to do "firsts" with her as she has been all over the world and done so many things so this was a real treat for both of us.
At the train station.
We met my daughter Lauren in Paris and did all the touristy things there. We ate lunch on the Eiffel Tower, took a bus tour of the city, visited the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Musee de l'Orangerie, the Catacombs, Notre Dame, Sacre-Coeur, and ate Nutella/banana crepes. I was able to check off most of the things on my todo list. I wish we could have stayed a few more days.
Our hotel was right by the Arc de Triomphe so this is how we started each day in Paris.
It rained off and on so we always carried umbrellas.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Our Thanksgiving Dinner. Croque-Monsieur sandwiches.
Standing under the Arc de Triomphe.
Our first stop in the Louvre was to see the Mona Lisa.
Musee d'Orsay
Walking along the Seine.
On the Eiffel Tower.
Sitting on the steps on the way up to the Sacre-Coeur.
Montmartre's art square. We bought a few oil paintings here.
The Eiffel Tower at night. It actually sparkles for a few minutes each hour!
Nutella and banana crepes from a street vendor. YUM!
Diving into one of Monet's giant water lily paintings.
All wrapped up and ready for the outdoor christmas markets.
On the Eiffel Tower
Macaroons
Eating macaroons on the Eiffel Tower.
It was all so much fun and such a whirl wind. I loved both cities and am hard pressed to decide which I liked better. I would definitely love to go back to both cities- we'll see. There are so many other places that I would like to visit as well. Who knows where life will take me next.
