Paris: Day Two

French Breakfast with Coffee, OJ and Hot Chocolate

Day two in Paris began with a quick walk around the corner to get breakfast.  I ordered the French breakfast and Shari ordered the “American” breakfast.  The French breakfast consisted of one piece of buttered French bread, one croissant, fruit cocktail, fruit spread, orange juice and coffee.  The American breakfast was the same as the French, but with eggs and ham; however, the waitress was gracious enough to substitute smoked salmon in place of ham since Shari doesn’t eat pork.  Since most eating establishments in Paris carry Wi-Fi, we were able to get online to check on some personal things as well as map out our day.

"American" Breakfast

First on the list was a visit to the Louvre.  Paris is fairly walkable, so we decided to forgo the metro ride and headed out for a nice walk.  Before we left Rue Cler, we had to stop off at one of the many fromageries to see what kinds of cheeses we could find.  We walked into a cheese shop right across from our hotel and ended up buying a mixed plate of blue cheese, Brie and some other mild cheese that turned out to be excellent.  It was a great way to stock up before our walk.

Awesome Cheese Stores

Our walk featured more stunning buildings as well as some great photo opportunities of the Seine River.  we also noticed multiple designated areas where you can rent bicycles.  Each area consisted of a kiosk to pay the fee for the bicycle rental and twenty or so bikes locked in the specially designed stands.  What a great idea for an alternative way to get around the city!

More Gorgeous Buildings

Bikes For Rent-What a Great Idea!

As we continued our walk, we passed by quite a few posh clothing and jewelry stores before landing in the Place de La Concorde where L’Obelisque can be found.  L’Obelisque was nice, but after seeing the Washington monument and the Obelisk in Buenos Aries, the Paris version was a little underwhelming.

L'Obelisque

After crossing a few busy streets, we took a bit of a stop at a large shallow pool with multiple fountains.  There were plenty of green chairs to sit around the pool, so Shari and I lounged for a bit while we eyed the gelato cart on the far side of the pool.

Relaxing By a Pool

It began to rain just when we made the decision to head over for a couple of scoops of gelato, so we grabbed our dessert and found a bench under some trees for protection.  Since it looked like a sunny day, I left our umbrella back at the hotel so Shari began fishing around her purse to find a suitable rain hat.  The cheese store bag was a perfect choice and we laughed as passers by all made comments in multiple languages about the unconventional hat.

Gelato...again!

Nice Hat!

As we drew closer to the Louvre, the magnitude of the museum hit us-it was enormous and very impressive.  While walking through the courtyard, we were approached by multiple street vendors selling cheap umbrellas for 5 Euros, but we resisted the temptation and found the line to get into the glass pyramid entrance.

Musee du Louvre

View to the Pyramid

The main lobby of the Louvre was packed with art enthusiasts and tourists, but it didn’t take long to get through the ticket line to purchase two 10 Euro entry tickets.

After grabbing a map of the museum, we made our way to the Denon wing to find the Mona Lisa.  Entering the fist viewing room was breathtaking as incredible painting after incredible painting lined the walls, most of them from the 14th, 15^th and 16^th centuries.  Heading down the main hallway, we rounded a corner and entered the room where the Mona Lisa is located.  In the Louvre, most walls are lined with multiple paintings, but the wall where the Mona Lisa hung was bare except for the masterpiece.  The painting looked very small hanging by itself on such a huge wall, but there were hundreds of people viewing it and holding cameras aloft in order to try to snap a photo or two.  I managed to get a fairly good shot-I especially like the reflections of the onlooker’s faces in my photo-kind of gives you an idea of just how many people were in that one room.

I can’t say that I “get” the Mona Lisa, especially in the presence of so many incredible paintings, but hey, that’s art I guess.

On the Way to See the Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa

Upon departing Mona Lisa’s chamber, we broke out the map and looked for the location of the Louvre’s second most famous work of art:  Venus de Milo.  This famous sculpture was at the intersection of the Denon wing and the Sully wing so we high tailed it down a few flights of stairs and into the ancient sculpture section of the museum.  Once again, we passed some incredible sculptures before finally arriving at the Venus.  There were not quite as many people around this masterpiece, but it was still awesome to be looking at the actual work of art in person.

Venus de Milo

Once we saw Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, we decided it was time to head over to La Cathedral du Nortre Dame.  Heading along the Seine River, we passed over a really cool footbridge with thousands of locks locked against of the wire mesh of the barrier arms on either side of the bridge.  It appeared as though each lock had lover’s initials written or engraved on them so we assumed this was supposed to signify the key to one’s heart.

The Key to Your Heart?

The crowd and souvenir shops thickened as we drew closer to the famous church and we were again mesmerized by the size of the structure as we got closer to the building.  The spire and entry towers blocked out the sun as we stood across the street at a crepe stand and strained to get large sections of the building in our camera viewfinders.  Standing so close to those crepe stands had us once again Falling victim to temptation as we ordered yet another Nutella crepe and walked around the building with the massive lines of people waiting to get into the church stretched out in winding formations at the grand entry.

MMMM....Nutella Crepes!

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

Gargoyle

MMMM....Nutella Crepe!

After a few more shots, we decided we’d better start making our way back to the hotel since we were going to have to grab our bags and head out on the metro to catch our 9:21 PM train back to Kings Cross. 

We made the Ecole Militaire station faster than anticipated, so we grabbed some chairs at a café and had our last meal in Paris; Shari had a croquet madam and I had and baguette with jambon (ham) and formage (cheese) with a nice beer.  After our meal, we headed back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and a great little gift for our hosts back at Huntingdon and caught the metro back to Gare du Nord in order to catch our train.

Last Meal in Paris

Goodbye Rue Cler

Since the Eurostar was due to arrive in London very late and because the train ride back to Huntingdon was going to cost 44 pounds one way, we decided it may be wiser to book a hotel room for the evening.  We found a nice hotel on the Thames with a view of Big Ben and the House of Parliament and were elated when the front desk attendant agreed to grant us a free upgrade to a suite.

Boarding the Train to London

After a brief meal and a drink in the chic lobby club, we showered and fell into bed at 2:00 AM exhausted but ready to finally begin the London portion of our adventure!

Entry to Our Hotel in Lodon

To see all of the pictures from Paris Day Two, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39526836@N05/sets/
and click on Paris Day Two

Paris: Day One

Leaving the Huntingdon Station for Kings Cross 

 We awoke at 6:30 AM to pack a light bag and head off for the train station for a quick overnight trip to Paris.  Our international train on the Eurostar was scheduled to leave at 10:00 AM so we had to make sure we were made it to the Kings Cross station at least an hour before departure time so that we could check in and process through customs.  After a quick shower, we struck out on the 20-minute walk to the Huntingdon station and caught the 8:00 AM train into Kings Cross.  Upon arrival to Kings Cross, we took a short walk to the St Pancras International Terminal to check in.  Since we prepaid our tickets, check in was such a breeze and I had time to enjoy an espresso after getting our passports stamped.

International Terminal at Kings Cross

Gretting Ready for the 2012 Olympics

The train departed promptly at 10:00 AM (I’ve been amazed at how prompt and efficient the mass transit system is here) and rushed off to the dining car in order to beat the crowd for breakfast.  I ordered a traditional English breakfast and Shari bought a three cheese melt which we both enjoyed back at our seats.

English Breaky

We finished breakfast just in time to get some video of the train plunging into the Chunnel and emerged in France after the 20 minutes under the English Channel.  After about another hour, we arrived at Gare du Nord in Paris (In all, the Eurostar trip takes only 2.5 hours-it was a bit pricey, but at great way to get from England to France, especially if it’s your first time).

The fact that we were in a completely foreign country hit Shari when she saw that all of the signs and announcements in the station were in French.  I guess it doesn’t hit you that hard in England since the written and spoken language is the same as the States.

Metro Station at Gare du Nord

Eager to practice some of the French I studied in high school and college, we changed some pounds into Euros (do not recommend this-they give you crappy rates and charge high fees-much easier to withdraw the cash you need from an ATM), and tried to figure out the subway system (called the metro).  Since Gare du Nord is an international terminal, you will more than likely be approached by people trying to prey off of tourists-we certainly did.  Skip the “helpful” locals and go straight to the ticket booth to ask your questions.

Once we figured out the closest metro stop to our hotel, we bought our metro pass (1.60 Euros for unlimited rides and transfers-the only time you have to pay is if you leave and return to the station-it was a great deal and much cheaper than the tube in London).  On the fist leg of our journey, our train experienced a door malfunction and everyone had to get off to wait for the next train.  The train was already pretty crowded, so it was going to be interesting to see how packed it could get when the next train arrived.  Sure enough, everyone crammed on the next train and we were off to the Ecole Militaire station close to Le Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower). 

Station Close to Our Hotel

 We arrived at Ecole Militaire and surfaced from the metro to view a great little intersection full of cafes.  There was a map board at the intersection for travelers, so we walked over to get our bearings.  After getting a bit turned around, we righted ourselves and walked a short distance to our hotel D’hôtel Cadran, on a fantastic street called Rue Cler.  After checking in, dropping our bags and making a quick Skype call to my mom, we headed out to check out the neighborhood and hit a few sights.

Cafes Outside of the Metro Stop

Rue Cler was extraordinary with cafes and shops lining a great little cobble stone street.  It was about dinnertime, so we grabbed a seat at a café after snapping a few shots of the different businesses on the street.

Our Hotel From the Street

Hotel Room-Small But Comfy!

Rue Cler-NICE!

Outdoor Market on Rue Cler

Dinner at the Central Cafe

Refreshed from our meal, we decided to walk to the Arc de Triomphe since it was a straight shot from our neighborhood to the Avenue des Champs Elysees.  Along the walk, we passed incredible building after incredible building-surely the entire city couldn’t be this gorgeous…..

One the Way to the Arc de Triomphe

Amazing Neighborhoods

…..then we turned down the Avenue des Champs Elysees….WOW!  Can’t really describe it any other way-it was spectacular with the Arc de Triomphe rising majestically in the distance.

First View of the Arc de Triomphe

We headed toward the Arc passing by cafes and upscale shops arriving at the incredibly busy traffic circle that encompasses the Arc.  Twelve different major streets converge at the Arc, and the traffic was, well….a free for all.  Luckily, the French government was wise enough to construct a tunnel under all of the madness for an easy walk to the Arc.

Traffic Circle Around the Arc

 Since it was later in the day, the line for tickets to the top of the Arc was not long, so we decided to head up.  After opening our bags for security personnel, we started the 284-step accent to the top.

284 Stairs!

 We were greeted with a panoramic view of Paris as we broke out to the top of the Arc.  Everything was visible and the view down the Avenue des Champs Elysees to the Louvre was breathtaking.  After taking multiple pictures and videos of our views, we headed back down to the bottom of the Arc, stopped off at a shop to buy some water, and started walking toward the Eiffel Tower.

Breathtaking!

View Down Avenue des Champs Elysees Toward the Louvre

After about a 40-minute walk, we turned down a boulevard paralleling the Seine River and walked over a bridge to the Eiffel Tower.  I was very impressed with the size and scope of the tower-it was huge and very crowded.  We took pictures and walked under the tower to see if we could take the elevator to the top.  The line was extremely long at the bottom of one of the four legs that supported the tower, but it looked like there was more than one way to get to one of the three platforms on the tower, so we walked over to a rather short line feeling rather lucky by our discovery.

Across the Bridge from the Eiffel Tower

HUGE!

It didn’t take us long to realize why our line was so short.  We were in the stairs only line!  No elevator here-just a nice jaunt up more stairs than I care to remember.  No matter, Shari and I were game, so we paid the 6.50 Euros per person fee and started our accent.

I was drenched in sweat as we stepped foot onto the first platform.  It was a bit muggy in the day, so I was definitely feeling it.  The walk was worth it though as the views were extraordinary.  We were in for a real treat too since it was getting on toward twilight, we were going to get daytime AND nighttime shots of Paris from the tower.

View From the First Platform

As day gave way to night, the tower came to life in a blanket of light.   Shari and I moved our way up the second set of stairs to the second platform.  The views from this location were even more stunning than those of the Arc de Triomphe.  All of the sudden, everyone on the tower began to OOH and AAH.  Shari and I looked up to see hundreds of smaller lights flickering on and off all over the tower.  It was beautiful to see from platform number two, but I bet it was spectacular to see from the ground-since the light show occurs on the hour, we were going to soon get our chance to see the show from ground level.

As we headed down to the bottom of the tower, we took a brief detour to a closed down market, then made our way to the grassy square in front of the tower called Le Parc du Champ de Mars to catch the light show.  At the stroke of 11:00 PM, the tower began to flicker everywhere.  Hundreds of picnickers and tourists stopped everything, pulled out cameras and began snapping away.  It was truly an incredible sight.

Second Platform View Toward Evening

    

Amazing At Night

After the show, it was time to make our way back to the hotel.  Thankfully, the tower was close to Rue Cler, so it didn’t take long to get back to our charming little area.  Most of the businesses were winding down since it was almost midnight, but there was a crepe stand and a gelato shop open, so Shari and I got a piping hot Nutella crepe and a couple of scoops of gelato before retiring to the our hotel for the evening exhausted but excited for another day of sightseeing in this wonderful city.

MMMMM....Nutella Crepes!

Gelato

To see all of the pictures from the first day of our visit to Paris, go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39526836@N05/sets/

and click on Paris Day One.

Cambridge

***See ALL of our Cambridge pictures at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/39526836@N05/sets/72157627380764240/

We started our day fairly early since neither of us could sleep due to jet lag.  After a nice breakfast, we shuffled out with Neshan to catch the number 55 train to Cambridge.  Neshan is a professor of geometry at Cambridge and also lived there a few years with Manisha, so we were bound to get some good insight into the town prior to venturing off on our own.

Bus Number 55 from Huntingdon to Cambridge

After about an hour ride, we turned into the Cambridge bus station as I took in all of the historic architecture of the town.  I must say that public transportation in England is great.  Our round trip fare to Cambridge was only a few pounds each and the bus had free WiFi so I was able to book Shari and I Eurostar tickets to Paris!

One of the Many Old Churches in Cambridge 

After debarking the bus, we followed Neshan through a modern mall (I was surprised to see) and into the main square where the local farmers market was in full swing.  We decided to grab some lunch after a brief stop at the local tourist information (TI) office.  Then it was off to lunch so Neshan could mark up the map we got from the TI in order to show us the must see spots.  Since Shari had already been to Cambridge, I was in good hands an assured of seeing the best of Cambridge.

Courtyard of Trinity College

After lunch, Neshan headed off to think up the next great geometry theorem while Shari and I headed off to check out some sights.  First on the list was Trinity college, home of the Wren Library and some of the oldest manuscripts in England including some of Sir Isaac Newton’s original notes and the actual manuscript to the first Whinny the Pooh book.  It was absolutely incredible to be in the presence of writings many centuries old.

The Wren Library

 After the Wren it was off to see the punting on the Cam River.  From the time we arrived in Cambridge, young men and women kept coming up to us asking if we would like to go punting.  It was a bit odd to hear at first, but after a brief explanation by Neshan, we found that punting was a flat bottom boat ride up and down the cam river.  You can either try to maneuver the boat yourself with a long metal pole or you can get one of the Cambridge undergrad students to give you a private narrated tour.  Although it looked like fun, it was a hot day so that river was packed with tourists and so Shari and I decided just to watch the fun from a footbridge.

Punting On the Cam River

 Feeling a bit hungry, we decided to catch a bite and headed into the Michaelhouse Café inside of the St. Michael’s Church.  St. Michael’s Church was originally built prior to 1200 and was redesigned in 1326.  It served as both a college chapel and parish church and the main chapel is still in immaculate condition.  It was definitely a bit surreal to eat our lunch inside of such and old house of worship….

St Michaels Church

Another View of St Michaels

View of the Inside of St Michaels 

Refreshed and ready to roll, we hit a few tourist locations, including an ice cream parlor and T-shirt shop, prior to visiting the next major sight; Kings College Chapel, built from 1446 to 1515.  This Chapel’s architecture was absolutely stunning with old flying buttresses and large arches and spires.  There was a six and a half pound charge (about $12 US) just to walk into the church and we had a few other places to go, so we decided to stay outside and snap some nice exterior photos.

Kings College Church 

After checking out Kings College, we took off for a cool architecture museum but found that it closed about 15 minutes prior to our arrival so we decided to take a nice nap on the grass of a local park.  We awoke to a few light raindrops and made our way into the center of town where we found Jamie Oliver’s new Italian restaurant called Jamie’s Italian.  Shari is an enormous Jamie Oliver fan so we had to come back to sample a few small plates-the place looked fantastic inside.

A Nap in the Grass

Shari Loves Jamie Oliver's Restaurants

We left Jamie’s Italian for later and found a bar that offered free WiFi, so we popped in for a bit to check e-mail, book our room for our Paris excursion and catch up on a few things.  We stayed at the bar using the WiFi for about an hour and no one hassled us to buy a drink!  

Kitchen at Jamie's Italian

Shari began to get really excited as we made our way back to Jamie’s Italian and I must say I was won over too after we sat down at the bar to wait for a table to open.  The bar tenders were cool and they made a great Royal Mojito!  Once seated, Shari and I had a hard time ordering since everything looked spectacular, but we ended up deciding on the crispy squid with garlicky butter, the wild truffle risotto and the bucatina carbonara.  The squid was the absolute best I have ever had.  Extremely lightly battered and cooked to perfection with some small serrano pepper slices and an incredible garlicky butter dipping paste.  The risotto and carbonara were also excellent, but it was really the ambiance and decor of the space that charmed us both.  The food was so good, we split a desert (the ultimate brownie consisting of chocolate, raspberry and amaretto with vanilla ice cream).  What a great cap to an awesome day.

View of Shari in Jamie's Italian 

After dinner, we had to find our way back home by ourselves.  It was pretty late, but the last bus wasn’t suppose to leave until 11:35 PM, so we had plenty of time to make the station, even if we missed the 10:35 PM bus.  The bus arrived right on schedule and dropped us close to the Huntingdon station where we ventured out into the misty night to see if we could find our way back to Neshan and Manisha’s.  We were home after about a twenty-minute walk and collapsed in bed exhausted from the day but eager to get up early to head off to Paris.

The next post should be a good one, so stay tuned and I will get it out as quickly as possible.

Departure And A Long Long Day....Or Two For That Matter!

The Crew at Cafe Del Rey Right Before Departure

 We spent the the morning before our flight with friends at Cafe Del Rey for brunch....It was fantastic and I highly recommend the prix fixe menu with the never ending mimosas!

One of the Best in the Business!

After a great brunch, we headed to the airport with Akki (Sri Lankan for older sister) and Leena.  It was smooth sailing as we hung in Starbucks until the last possible minute prior to going through security.

We were in for a pleasant surprise when boarding one of the best airline carriers out there (Virgin Atlantic) with upgraded seats at no extra charge.  Shari got some good rest, but I only slept an hour or so.

Control Tower at Heathrow

We landed in Heathrow airport the next day at noon London time.  Although the flight was only 10 and 1/2 hours, we picked up another 8 hours in time zone changes so we were pretty tired as we cleared customs because it felt like we flew right into the next day.

First Ride on the Tube....Piccadilly line to Kings Cross

Unfortunately, we still had a long journey ahead of us with an hour ride on the tube and another hour ride on a train up to Huntingdon where we were going to stay with Shari's grade school friend Manisha and her husband Neshan.  Luckily, we were able to catch the tube from Heathrow although it was a long walk (everything seems a long walk away in that airport for some reason).  After muscling our baggage on the tube we were off on the Piccadilly line to Kings Cross in order to catch our train.  Having arrived no worse for the wear, we grabbed some water, an English pastie (their version of an empanada) and a quick bathroom break before jumping on our train bound for Huntingdon.  

Train Station at Huntingdon

The train ride was quite pleasant with beautiful views of the English countryside, but when we got to the Huntindon station, we realized we had to lug our heavy baggage over an old style pedestrian bridge in order to get to the taxi stand.  We prevailed triumphant (with some help from a nice ol' English chap) and grabbed a cab to Neshan and Manisha's home.  I learned that tipping the cab driver is not necessary but certainly appreciated-as a matter of fact, tipping is not expected at restaurants either and one only needs to tip a pound or two rather than the 15 to 20% we are used to tipping in the states.

View Out of Our Window at Neshan and Manisha's Home

Our final destination was a nice townhouse Neshan and Manisha just moved into in order for Manisha to be closer to the hospital she will be practicing medicine in for the next six months.  After dropping our bags in our room, we had a nice chat with the Manisha and her mother who was there helping with Neshan and Manisha's nine month old boy.  I promptly crashed after the conversation, exhausted from the trip as the rest of the group enjoyed a fantastic Sri Lanka meal prepared by Manisha's mom.

Tomorrow our adventures will take us to Cambridge and we will also try to book an overnight trip to Paris so stay tuned!