Day Nine: London, Afternoon Tea and Brass Rubbings

Day nine of Europe 2018 started early; we were out the door at 6am to catch the Metro for a return trip to London.

The queue for the train was ridiculous. We waited ninety-minutes for border control, making the train late by thirty minutes. That wasn't fun. But we settled in nicely for the two-and-a-half hour ride back to England (we spent our remaining cash on baguettes and chocolate croissants).

We landed in London and made our way to our apartment. It was raining so we hailed an Uber. My hands were so wet as I was navigating the app I accidentally canceled the ride as he drove up...nightmare. We ended up taking the bus.

We settled in our Airbnb apartment (7 Peacock St) and made our way to a restaurant in Covent Gardens called Crusting Pipe for Afternoon Tea. It was the perfect location with street artists performing in the garden. We had some great mother-daughter conversations. Have I mentioned yet I dig my traveling companions?

After that we did some shopping in Covent Gardens, and then went to St.-Martins-in-the-Fields to make brass rubbings. I just love this tradition; it is cheap and brings out a bit of our craftiness. The girls seemed to enjoy it as well.

 

We walked through Trafalgar Square, returned to Covent Gardens for some more shopping, back to our apartment to drop off our goodies, and then to the grocery store.

I must admit it was another long day. My feet are killing me, and the four hours of sleep I got last night was clearly not enough for the 7.7 miles we walked, and the 35 floors we climbed (several of them with my luggage). But it was a great day, and we had a lot of fun. 

Day Eight: A Lazy day in Paris

Day eight of Europe 2018 was slow. I stayed up until 4am, so when my alarm went off at 10am I just couldn't pull myself out of bed. Needless to say I was showering at 3pm. That is what happens while on vacation, in Paris, on a rainy day. 

I did go out in search of a baguette, in the rain, with no success. Note to self: This place shuts down on New Years.

Paradis and I ventured out to simply walk the streets, and do some shopping. We walked across Pont des Arts, the Love Lock Bridge overlooking the Seine. It was sweet to watch a few couples leaving their lock, and throwing the key in the Seine.

We walked around, stopping at a couple shops along the way. We ended up in Delices due Marengo, a small cafe where we enjoyed a couple crepes and macarons.

We ended the evening picking up that baguette, and returning to our flat to pack for our train back to London tomorrow morning. I spent a couple hours planning our time in London, while Paradis and Annelies sorted candy. When Annelies asked, "Why are we doing this?", Paradis answered "I need some intellectual stimulation."

It was a lovely few days in Paris.

Day Seven: Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Exciting New Year's Eve

Day seven of Europe 2018 began with me leaving the girls in bed while I queued up for the Eiffel Tower.

The blogger in the world's tiniest elevator.

We met at the Eiffel and took the elevator to the second floor (the top was closed due to high winds). The density of Paris just amazes me (see panoramic photo). I think the city is so beautiful because of the simplicity.

This is what I love about our travels.

From there we went to the Louvre...This. Thing. Is. Massive...I mean, massive. Whatever you are thinking, times it by one hundred. Crazy crazy big. We had tickets, so getting in was quick, but it took us nearly an hour to a) wait in line for the bathroom and b) get our bearings as to where we were. No lie.

Navigating the Louvre

Along the way we came across infamous pieces. Below is a photo of what viewing pieces of art at the Louvre looks like...hard to enjoy it with this much crazy. Of course we had to visit our friend Mona. I'm not going to post a photo of Mona herself because you can google that, but instead of the crowd...I felt we needed to see her, but I wish I could have rented out the Louvre for myself, and a few friends, so I could take the time to truly enjoy the pieces. 

We went back to our flat to rest for a few hours before the evening. The day was super windy. It was warm (nearly 60 °F), but windy, and thankfully no rain today. I picked up some champagne on the way home. 

The blogger with Paris-Blown hair.

Paradis and I napped for a few hours, and packed up for the evening. Annelies gets overwhelmed by crowds, and made the wise choice to stay back (oh how wise she was). We made our way to the Arc de Triomphe for a light show and fireworks. To say this was an adventure is an understatement.

We found a viewing spot near the barricade around 22:00, because when you are short you need to be up front. We spent a couple hours chatting with some lovely people (ok, we didn't chat but simply gestured because we do not speak French), and watched our friends the police. I hope it will continue to be shocking for me to see police with large guns, because I hope I never get used to it.

By 23:00 we realized we weren't in America. There were four incidents of men pushing, and I mean seriously pushing, their way to the front near us. I was amazed at how these men could make their way to us. No one stopped them. It was as if they were scared. Paradis and I attempted to hold our own, but we were no match for the drunkin' idiots. Two of then were arrested right in front of us for crawling over the barrier, which included them being hog-tied with zip ties and beaten with a batton. One women held my hand so tight when things were seriously scary, and we kissed when the clock struck midnight...you do not need to share the same language to feel the same fear. I found myself talking Paradis through survival techniques including "if it gets crazy just stay standing up, don't fall...move forward...don't let go of my hand". Texting with my boyfriend during the adventure oddly enough calmed my nerves (thank you!), and I kept thinking "if we don't make it, at least it will be an exciting way to go".

The light show started around 23:30 and that seemed to calm down the crowd. Thankfully. At midnight we celebrated the arrival of 2018 among thousands of French counting down in a language we do not speak. But I was with my oldest, in Paris. We were alive...hell, MORE than alive, happy and healthy. It was an adventurous way to ring in the new year.

There was no way I could have opened that bottle of champagne in the tight space we were in at midnight, so as the crowd dispersed we made our way to a more open space and opened our champagne with the Eiffel Tower in the background. It was amazing.

I did a video chat with my boyfriend on the walk back to our flat to calm his nerves, and ended laughing uncontrollably playing with the filters as if we were two old people discovering a new thing. Ok, we were two old people discovering a new thing, as Paradis so often likes to point out.

Happy new year my friends! I am so grateful for all of you. 

Day Six: Four Hour Queue, Notre Dame & Baguettes

Day six started our tour of Paris. We stood in line for four hours to get in the catacombes. I’m going to write that again to make sure you do not miss it...FOUR hours. Yes, crazy. It was one of those “how long do you think it will take?” events. “Four freakin’ hours” would have been the answer had I been holding a crystal ball. 

While waiting for the catacombes, we queued up for Notre-Dame via an app (Out of the Line). Love that concept, but you’ll learn later that didn’t work so well for us. 

Despite the long wait, the catacombes were cool. I wouldn’t wait four hours again, and I wouldn’t need to see it again, but it was cool. Those are all bones my friends...bones.

All bones...at the catacombes

 Catacombe Inscription

We exited the catacombs and made our way to Notre-Dame. Our “in line” app was telling us we were right on time. As we approached Notre Dame I was singing “...the bells of Notre-Dame...” the girls loved it. Not.

The queue we were in was moving quickly, so I ignored the app and kept walking. As we entered the church I released my turn in line on the app, as I thought we were wouldn't need it. Big mistake. 

Notre Dame

We walked inside and quickly learned there was another queue to enter the top (which is what the app was queuing you up for). Oops...no full Notre-Dame tour today. Paradis wasn’t feeling well, so she went back to the flat. Anna and I picked up a Nutella crepe and took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower. 

Anna and I checked out the Eiffel Tower from afar, and made our way back to the flat. Anna bought two more baguettes (we had one for lunch). Is three too many in one day? Not while in Paris. 

It was a great day. 

Day Five: Paris

Day five started with rain, so we hailed our first Uber in England. We picked up sandwiches at the St Pancras station and boarded a train to Paris around 11:30. 

I love the train. I chose my current home in Minneapolis because it is on the Blue Line - one of the few trains we have in the city. When I’m on the train I feel a sense of calm. I love the noise. I love the people. I love knowing it can bring me anywhere in the world (although I know the Blue Line can only bring me to TCF Stadium). Riding the train to Paris brought back so many memories of previous visits to Europe. It was surreal to be sitting next to my girls. 

We landed in Paris where a rainbow greeted us. The weather has been so much warmer than back home, but we have had rain almost every day. 

We settled into our flat (40 Rue Laugier - Airbnb), and unpacked our bags. We have a unit to ourselves, which will be nice for the next few days. We ventured out to get groceries, which is always an adventure...Annelies is a picky eater and super cautious about trying new things. Paradis and I have to hold back on buying too much. 

The elevator in our building is so freaking small. It says a max of four, but I can’t imagine fitting that many. I have a bit of claustrophobia, so I have to take deep breaths and go to my happy place the entire ride. 

We ended the evening making dinner. I should have taken a photo because we rarely do that at home. 

I did some planning for the next few days, and the girls watched TV. Favorite quote from Paradis “I have no idea what they are saying, but it sounds so beautiful I want to cry!”