Paris by day, Eiffel Tower by night

So we rushed into the city, having overslept. We bought tickets on the city bus tour and hopped on until we arrived at the Opera house where we decided to get off.
We weren't sure what the inside was like, but we decided to shell out the 4 euros per person anyways and check it out.
No words could describe what we saw. It was so incredible! Definitely worth every euro cent. The careful detail and gold decoration just catch you off-guard. Chandeliers everywhere, paintings, statues, mirrors, it all comes together so well.
The grand staircase leads up to the boxes where royalty and nobility must have sat only centuries ago.
The actual stage room was undergoing renovation in places, but that did not take away from the design and luxury inside. The deep red of the seats, curtains and walls, the magnificent ceiling, it was almost inspiring.
Leslie and I read that Romeo and Juliet is starting there in October, and we are determined to get tickets. It was that amazing.
Then we headed farther north to visit Montmartre, a part of the city that Leslie loved the last time she was here.
It is this huge cathederal up on a hill. It was quite a climb, and some African men tried to tie braided bracelets onto our hand when we were walking up to make some extra cash. I got away by giving a stern NO as I walked quickly up the stairs, but Leslie practically had to football tackle the guy that approached her.
Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but the motions she had to make to avoid the man were somewhat characteristic of a dodgeball player in the heat of the game.
From the top of the hill, just below the cathedral, there is an excellent view of the city - we just sat down and watched for awhile, while people of all nationalities swarmed around us.
Then we did some tourist shopping just a few streets away.
After purchasing almost identical scarves (unintentional) and adding to our pin collection (we are collecting pins and postcards everywhere we go) we headed back into the center of the city to see the view from the Eiffel Tower by night.
Standing in line, we were able to watch the tower slowly light up as the sun set over Paris. So amazing.
I remember it was so windy and so cold. We did our best to bundle up in light rain jackets, our new scarves and the light sweaters we had.
We were the first two onto the elevator, which was amazing because then we got to pick prime spots to watch the city as we ascended.
Once you get to the second floor, you have to buy tickets to get to the top. So after some more standing in good old lines, we boarded the elevator to the top.
So windy and so cold! But worth it.
It was strange to think that we were so high up, because it did not feel that way. But the view was incredible - we could point out things we had seen, or things that Leslie knew from her last visit. The city lights were just beautiful.

Bonjour de Paris, Day 1

We arrived in Paris by train and got a cab at the train station to take us to our hotel so we could drop off all of our baggage (we still had all of our luggage for the semester with us).
Our hotel was pretty far from the city, but was nice. Our room was small, but we had our own beds for the first time! So great.
We left our stuff and headed out to explore the city and find some good food. We tried to find the train station which was supposedly nearby, and ended up stumbling across a small bakery that smelled delicious. Starving, we excitedly walked in to buy some bread. We got half a loaf of french bread, so fresh it was still warm, and thoroughly enjoyed it a few moments later.
We asked the cashier at the bakery where the station was, and he didn't know, so he asked some of the workers at the shop. One of them volunteered to walk us to the nearest bus stop, where we could take the bus to the metro into the city center.
And we thought it was going to be complicated - ha.
Well, speaking French with Leslie, we learn that he's only lived here for a couple of weeks, so he's probably not the best person to be showing us around. But we were hungry and ready to start taking in Paris!
We are the only white people on the bus toward the city - so definitely inconspicuous. We're really skilled at just blending in like that. =)
We start by walking toward the Eiffel Tower, stopping at a cafe to eat a late lunch. But finally we come to the incredible monument that so iconic of Paris and France.
It wasn't what I expected. It's beauty is much different from the ornate architecture that exists throughout Europe. But I still stopped in my tracks. The tower's size and design are so unique. You can admire the tower in its entirety, and you can also admire it's detail. Loved it.
So many people were gathered in lines at the legs of the structure. It was truly overwhelming. We wanted to wait to go up, as the weather that day was not the best and the visibility from the top was limited. So we continued onward.
We headed toward the Latin Quarter but never really made it there.
We took pictures at the Grand Palais, built for the universal exhibition in the 19th century, and on the bridge that leads to it, also built for the exhibition.
We got distracted at another cafe, drawn in by the excellent list of desserts and coffee. Yum.
Nearing 8 pm, we decided to head back because the bus service stops at 9 pm.
And then we slept! So well that we slept through the alarm the next day and didn't wake up until almost 10:30. We were really tired.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

This post goes out to my fish, who I named after the finest writer in English history.

So Tuesday was devoted to luggage, sleep, The Merchant of Venice, and sleep. We were on the phone for hours with baggage service people, being transfered every which way while our parents called US Airways in the US to try and make some progess.
When we weren't on the phone with baggage people, we were sleeping, like logs. We finally made some progress with the baggage issue by 5 pm, just in time for us to get ready and see Shakespeare's play at the Globe. So we went, still dreading what we would find when we got back. Luggage, or no luggage?
But the play was great! So incredible. Being a big fan of Shakespeare, I wanted to take in every moment carefully remember each detail.
I could not believe that I was sitting in the same theater where Shakespeare himself stood and where Queen Elizabeth saw plays. Wow.
The actors were amazing - their enthusiasm and vivid expression was so impressive! No microphones, pure lung to get their voice to carry through the audience.
Beats a movie any day. And the costumes were great.
We left the theatre excited and invigorated, praying that our luggage would be their when returned.
And it was!! It literally arrived the minute that we were turning the corner, walking back from our night at the Globe! Thank God!!!!
So then we had to re-pack. We packed, put out cushions on the floor, and....we get interrupted. A group of inebriated students gets back from their night out, turns on all the lights and yells for about an hour. They first were scared by the "mummies" in the kitchen, and then realized that it was only people sleeping, so they decided to be merry and have some food and drink.
So Leslie and I responded rationally, and single-handedly defenestrated all of them.

Or we just stayed their and pretended to sleep until they left. =)
Total hours of sleep last night: 2. YES!
Paris, here we come!

Windsor Castle

So, unfortunately, we did not make it out to Stonehenge. No time, lack of funds, and we really wanted to see Windsor Castle, the place that the Queen of England calls home.
But I did run through Hyde park in the morning and it was perfect. The weather was beautiful and other people were out their jogging and walking through the park. I really got to explore some of the nooks and crannies of the park. So cool.
We took a bus up to Windsor from London - no air conditioning! whoo hoo! fun ride =)
The castle was incredible, and the town around it was so quaint. We took an audio tour through the castle and it was really interesting. Of course, the rooms and artwork were incredible, and the tour taught so much about English tradition. It's amazing the way English culture values their royalty. The monarchy is truly an icon of tradition and history, even today. It's such an incredible feeling to imagine people of importance walking through those rooms just within the past couple of centuries.
We finished our tour, and got back on the bus to London, still no bags, but we've got more plans. =(
We get packed up for our day trip to Dublin and head out to King's Cross Station (from Harry Potter!) to catch a train to the airport in Luton.

Irish cheers

We spent Monday in Dublin, Ireland, and yes, we slept at the airport...or tried to.
Sunday night, we walked half the way to the King's Cross train station to save on cab fares, hailed a cab after grabbing some food, and barely made the next train to Luton, where we flew out early Tuesday.
The airport was quite entertaining actually. You would think that at midnight there would be almost no one around and that check-in would be almost deserted. Not the case.
People were drinking coffee, beer, eating pastries, using the internet, and sleeping on the floor.
When we finally finished planning our day in Dublin, we just joined a line of sleeping travelers on the tile floor and busted out our flimsy airline blankets. We could not check in until 2 1/2 hours before our flight, so no luck getting to some good, comfortable carpet.
People were using luggage as pillows and mattresses, and many had spread out blankets and towels on the floor. The floor was freezing!! Even dressed in a sweater and rain jacket I was not warm enough - not even by a long shot.
Neither of us got very much rest, dozing in and out of light sleep. We got up again just before 4 am and bought some hot chocolate from a cafe nearby to help us defrost.
After we checked in, we found our gate (with carpet!!) and crawled under some airport seats to sleep some more.
When we arrived in Dublin, we ran into a few, uhm, obstacles. First, we can't find a good, cheap map, so we don't really know where we are. Next, it's REALLY cold - raining off and on. Then we can't really see a good place to have breakfast. Then someone tells us that Monday is a holiday, and so most businesses won't open until 1 pm. We arrived in the city around 8 am. Ha, oh geez.
So we stand (inconspicuously, of course, ha) in the back of convenient store chowing down on some goodies from the deli and drinking straight out of an orange juice carton that we bought because cups cost .50 euros, and that's too expensive for our shallow pockets. We head over to a McDonald's to sit with some coffee until the city starts to awaken a bit. We use the men's restroom because the women's is closed for cleaning. You can imagine the awkwardness when an attractive European guy walks in, says "hi" and proceeds immediately into the stall. Apparently he couldn't wait? Well, when you gotta go...!
We pay for a bus tour/coastline trip to Malahide Castle and Howth. We love Ireland already because it is so much cheaper than London! The coastline trip leaves at about 10:15 and I see about 10% of the countryside because I can't even keep my eyes open - I blame the cold tile floor in Luton. =)
But we get out on the way and take some pictures and arrive at the castle soon enough. It was so interesting to see the differences from the Windsor castle, which is much larger and much more elaborate. Leslie and I were theorizing that this might be reflective of the difference in wealth, historically, between the two countries. The Malahide Castle is more than 800 years old and only left the hands of the original owner's family in the 1970's. The last descendant of the Talbots, who owned the property for centuries, actually lived there until she sold it.
We have lunch in the cafe in the castle and head back to town.
Next we get on the bus tour around the city. And stay on. For the whole way around. We were so tired we ended up dozing off in the back of the bus! What people must've thought...
It starts raining while we're cat napping on the city tour bus and we decide we are too exhausted to walk through anything. We need food! But then by the time we get off the bus and eat food, it is time to go back to the airport.
Bummed we didn't use our time very well in the city, but glad we got to see some rolling hills.
We get back to the building where we are staying and still no luggage. We worked on that until almost 3 am. And then we passed out in the community kitchen at the dorms. (We actually took apart the couches and made little beds on the floor).
And thus concluded our Irish journey.

More London

Still no luggage. Supposedly it will arrive today...we are crossing our fingers!
Yesterday we took a bus tour through the city - we covered so much ground in a matter of six hours!
The day started with breakfast from a sandwich shop around the corner and down the street. We also grabbed some fruit at a nearby market to snack on during the day. Everything is SO expensive in London! (2 dollars for every pound) So our goal was to skip lunch and just snack on cheap food until dinner.
We started on the bus in west London, and covered everything from Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral (where Lady Di was married), Trafalgar Square, the Globe Theater, London Bridge, London Tower and so much more! We also got a free cruise on the Thames River. One of the things that I found most interesting on that cruise was when they told us that it's against royal law to remove the stands on the sides of the river. (Stands are stairs that extend out to the river's end and were built centuries ago for people to flag down the boat to cross the river). But what was so interesting was, as we passed this old dilapidated set of stone stairs, they said Shakespeare would have stood right there to flag down the boat. So cool!
We didn't do any of the museums yet, we are saving the indoor activities for Tuesday when it is supposed to rain.
After we finished our tour, we made our way back to the dorms and slept some more. (yes!)
For dinner we went to Pizza Hut, but not like in the States. This was a sit-down restaurant with servers and other dishes and dessert and everything. They had cloth napkins - that pretty much says it all. And it was good - made on the spot and not as greasy as the pizza I've had in the States.
We were thinking about going out, but clubs are expensive (20 pounds to get in sometimes we were told), plus the tube costs 7 pounds for a day's ride, and we would have to take a taxi back. Plus we were super tired (still). And the girl we are staying with was planning on staying in, so we stayed.
I slept in the common room on a couch last night and this morning I woke up really early with the sunlight, right around 6 am. Then, just before 6:30, as someone was getting in from their night's activities, they wanted to know why I was awake and they insisted that I come and join their party. I had to politely decline about 5 times (he came back twice, the last time with one of his friends to try and convince me). Haha, it made for an interesting morning! =)
This morning we are planning on running in Hyde Park to start our day, and then we want to make it out to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle.
We actually might sleep in the airport tonight, because tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Dublin, Ireland, and our flight leaves around 6 am. Well, we found out you have to get to the airport 3 hours before your flight. Plus travel time.
So we figure it's better to head out around 8 or 9 tonight and then sleep until 5 or so in the airport since we won't have any luggage with us. (it's all staying here)
We really wanted to take a bike tour in Dublin and so we need some energy to do that tomorrow =)

Arrival in London - 8/3

We've arrived in London! Without our luggage...
Our connecting flight in Charlotte was delayed and our baggage didn't make it to our next airplane. At first, this seemed like it was going to be a problem, but then we found out that the airline actually delivers your luggage to the place where you are staying. And as the day went on, trying to find our way around the city to the place we are staying, it was actually really great that we didn't have our luggage to haul around with us. It's big and heavy!

Our first step after arrival was to find a way to get to Leslie's friend's dorm where we are staying. Her friend is a student at Boston and is out here doing an internship for the summer.
We ended up taking a taxi - driver on the right, car on the left side of the road - and dropped our bags off in her friend Diana's room. Then we went and got lunch at a pub/restaurant around the corner and it was expensive, but good.

After lunch we wanted to see the city and planned to walk the Millenium Mile, which begins near London Tower and ends at Westminister, but we only made it as far as Hyde Park on foot. (We were trying to avoid getting a $13 pass on the underground, which is the London city metro).

We got to Hyde park and thought that it would be a perfect place to sleep, since Leslie only slept a couple of hours on the plane and I didn't sleep at all.
I saw Central Park in NYC last summer, but that pales in comparison to Hyde Park. There were HUGE trees everywhere and the grass was so green! There were groups of people scattered throughout the lawns, reading or talking or just relaxing. Some were seated in lawn chair provided by the park (which actually cost 2 pounds (4 USD) to sit in, we found out after a couple of minutes of sitting in them - so we got up). On one end there were areas designated for sports, and groups of people were playing baseball and soccer over there.
Then there was a lake/river with canoes and pedal boats. Leslie and I rented a pedal boat for half an hour - it was great! The weather yesterday was perfect, sunny, not humid, with a cool breeze. So we took our pedal boat out into the middle and just floated there for 20 minutes while a solar-powered boat passed us, taking people on rides down the river.
Then we slept in the grass for awhile. Sleep has never felt so good.
We also stopped at Kensington Palace on our way back to the dorms from Hyde Park and that was pretty incredible.
We met Diana, who we are staying with, and she cooked us dinner - which was really great considering the money we had spent during the day and the fact that we were both basically dead tired.
And then we went to sleep. For more than 10 hours. It was great.

Today, we are planning to take a hop on, hop off bus tour through London. They give some history about the city as you go, and I think we also get a free boat ride on the Thames River.
We'll see!