Day One, July 25th:
Preparing to go to Great Britain for four weeks took a ton of effort. There was planning, packing, and of course all of the paperwork. Going to France from Great Britain was very much the same struggle: attempting to finish homework, do laundry, pack, and get a good nights sleep had me booked the night before. Nonetheless, I awoke at a cheery 3 am, scarfed down three whole eggs, two slices of toast, and half a pint of yogurt for the very long day ahead of me.
Grabbing my overstuffed backpack, I made my way to the reception area where we were slowly greeted by our fellow tour-mates. At exactly 5 am, we were greeted by our amazing tour guide, Yorick. Born an Englishman, Yorick has spent the last 20 years as a tour guide, leading hundreds of tours all over the world. He is fluent in three languages, and has a working vocabulary in another two. And for those of us who knew not an ounce of French, he was the ultimate lifesaver, but more on that in a bit.
We hopped onto the coach, and rode our way into King's Cross, where we went through airport style security and immigration, before boarding our Eurostar international rail service. We then took the train going to France, going underneath the English channel.
Along the way, I took in the beautiful European mainland, which looks exceptionally like I would imagine Spain looking like. I also enjoyed a bit of food, a tea and a tart, to be specific.
A little bit of peppermint tea and a few strawberry tarts. Mmmm, yes, quite indubitably.
Four hours later, we arrived in Paris. Our guide Yorick took every second as we departed the train to warn us about the danger of pickpocketers, and how we must have constant vigilance. Had one of our pack not been pickpocketed within an hour of his statement, we may have ignored it. All the same, we waked with our backpacks on our fronts and hands in our pockets.
But not all was bad, for we were in Paris, the city of love! After leaving La Chappel international train station, we boarded another coach and traveled, along the proper right side of the road, all around the city. The panoramic sights included the Mulan Rouge, the Arc de Triumphe, and of course, the Eiffel Tower.
The Mulan Rouge, or Red Windmill, is in the heart of the sex district in France. It is a hot spot for Burlesque, however.
The seat of the French Government, the National Assembly.
The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triumphe. Two very famous locations.
After our pit stop at Eiffel Tour, we finally checked into our rooms in Brochant, Paris. Given a little time, a large group of us broke off to scour the surrounding area for appetizing food. We eventually found a French fast food joint, and we went in. Originally 7 of us, the number quickly grew to 20. All the while, I felt terrible for the waiters and cooks, as they knew precious little English, and were visibly flustered in the realm of communication.
Double decker trains to be exact.
And from these trains, we arrive outside one of the largest, third largest to be exact, museums in the world: the Lourve. The entrance into this massive complex is in fact the glass pyramid you can make out in the pictures below. Each room was built beautifully to represent the pieces within. We saw the Mona Lisa, which at the current moment, is the same feeling of underwhelming-ness that perpetrated my seeing Stonehenge the first time. However, time will pass and make my seeing of her magnificent, lime all of this time. Enjoy a little photographic and video graphic journey of my time within the museum: The double decker trains, above.
Left: Silly Voldemort, what are you doing in France?
What is up with buildings being too large to shoot over here in Europe? Either way, here is all of the Lourve.
Above we have me in front of the glass entrance to the Lourve. To the right is the underground entrance, with the inverted pyramid.
Left: Silly Voldemort, what are you doing in France?
From a distance, we can just make out a little square.
Oh, wait, that's the Mona Lisa!
Paris is world renown for being the city of love, and there are plenty of famous spots to remind you of it. One such place is the world famous padlock bridge, where countless lovers have placed a lock upon this bridge as a symbol of their eternal love, tossing the key into the Seine below. So many locks have been placed on the bridge, that entire sections have fallen off due to sheer weight, and have had to be replaced. Also, more illegal street vendors were around selling padlocks and markers, but as we arrived police sirens went off and they all hastily grabbed their stuff and bolted away. It was rather amusing.
Following this last event, my and a few fellow adventurers braved the underground metro of Paris once again, and made it back home by a healthy 10:30pm.
The two pictures above are my favorite of the lock bridge. The first picture shows the new gate that had to be replaced.
Day Two, July 26th:
A bit of time to sleep in next to the beautiful outdoor scenery, a full sized bathroom (at last!), and of course, an all you can eat breakfast! Best wake up call in a month!
Lots of bread. French love bread.
After food, we again took to the tubes with Yorick our guide leading the pack. Our first stop of the day was outside the Musee D'Orsay, an interesting, Tim Burtonesque building full of modern Parisian art. Following that was a taste of the Parisian Latin Quarter.
A little bit of juxtaposition outside the Musee D'Orsay, (behind me in the picture), between the ancient architecture and the modern street art.
We then wandered our way to the Notre Dame. To me and a few other fellow adventures, the Notre Dame quickly became an in-joke throughout the day. Without fail, we managed to get lost to and from a number of our free-time locations of choice. Each time we got lost, no matter how linear a direction we took, we always ended back at the Norte Dame. Nevertheless, it was a magnificent sight, both inside and out.
After a few hours of exploring the general area around the Notre Dame and a few of the local shopping centers, me and my fellow adventures sought out a little bit of genuine French cuisine, and we eventually set upon a tiny little pub. Here, we were immediately greeted by an elderly french waiter, who fortunate had enough good humor to wait upon the three of us Americans. Although communication was a real obstacle, we eventually were able to order. For myself, I ordered lamb, and for dessert, a fruit salad.
To share, we got the traditional French dish: Escargot!
After making light of the experience, and the bill, we all set out for the crowning jewel of Paris: the Eiffel Tower. Waiting in line for only about 20 minutes, we climbed our way up the first to sections of the tower, and then took the final elevator to the very top. Arriving at the peak at around 8:30, we enjoyed the view for the next hour and a half, allowing the sun to set and the cities lights to come alive.
Beautiful architecture. Gargoyles, stained glass, manicured gardens, the works.
Following this, we made our way to a boat tour of the river Seine, and then we each were given free time. This is when me and a few other explores found the Notre Dame. In addition to the magnificent cathedral, we noticed a number of peculiar street performers, most notably the whistling clowns. Whistling beautifully pitched tunes, these technicolor clad performers would dive upon anyone who looked them in the eyes and smiled. They would then approach you and attempt to get a few euros from you, all the while charming you with a clownish smile. Kinda cool, but also rather off putting.
After a few hours of exploring the general area around the Notre Dame and a few of the local shopping centers, me and my fellow adventures sought out a little bit of genuine French cuisine, and we eventually set upon a tiny little pub. Here, we were immediately greeted by an elderly french waiter, who fortunate had enough good humor to wait upon the three of us Americans. Although communication was a real obstacle, we eventually were able to order. For myself, I ordered lamb, and for dessert, a fruit salad.
To share, we got the traditional French dish: Escargot!
Above we have, in no particular order: Extremely expensive water - that's right, that isn't French wine. Then my lamb, and finally my deliscious dessert.
And then the reason for eating in France: Escargot! Watch below for my reaction!
After making light of the experience, and the bill, we all set out for the crowning jewel of Paris: the Eiffel Tower. Waiting in line for only about 20 minutes, we climbed our way up the first to sections of the tower, and then took the final elevator to the very top. Arriving at the peak at around 8:30, we enjoyed the view for the next hour and a half, allowing the sun to set and the cities lights to come alive.
Again, after the sun had set, we navigated our way home via one of the splendid double decker trains.
Day Three, July 27th:
After another relaxing morning, we began our day on-board the by now infamous double decker trains. Our destination for the day? Versailles.
Upon arriving, we were severely disheartened by the blazing sun and the atrociously long line. However, intrepid tourists as we were, we set about entertaining ourselves with that party favorite: parlor games.
After our long wait, we were finally allowed inside the beautiful building and the much more amazing surrounding gardens.
After another relaxing morning, we began our day on-board the by now infamous double decker trains. Our destination for the day? Versailles.
Upon arriving, we were severely disheartened by the blazing sun and the atrociously long line. However, intrepid tourists as we were, we set about entertaining ourselves with that party favorite: parlor games.
After our long wait, we were finally allowed inside the beautiful building and the much more amazing surrounding gardens.
The gardens of Versailles stretch out for over a mile square. Above you can see the hedge mazes and their 30-40 foot height.
A bit of goofing around as we walk through the maze.
Ethereal music came from nowhere. It was impossible to find the speakers.
The best part about the gardens was that every fountain and water spout was set to go off with music sometime during the day.
To cap off our day, we made our way back into the city for a colossal event. We had seen the start of it in England almost a month earlier, and it just so happened to be ending the last day our our tour in France. That's right, it was the Tour de France!
Although the video makes it seem very anti-climatic, we spent the remaining hour of the Tour sitting in a cozy little pub watching the cyclers go by on their last laps of the Tour. Our French delicacy for the night? The absolutely deliciousness that are frog legs. And a bit of cheese cake on the side as well.
Although the video makes it seem very anti-climatic, we spent the remaining hour of the Tour sitting in a cozy little pub watching the cyclers go by on their last laps of the Tour. Our French delicacy for the night? The absolutely deliciousness that are frog legs. And a bit of cheese cake on the side as well.
They tasted, no joke, like a mix between chicken and really good fish. Makes sense for an amphibian, no?
You can make out the pub's name on the napkin and plate. It translates out to "The Frog"
Day Four, July 29th:
Our time in Paris was drawing to an end. Making our way back to the La Chappel international train service was a little bit of a sad moment.
But honestly, it was mostly a massive feeling of relief. Upon arriving back into London, I had an immense and overwhelming feeling of joy. It was the feeling of coming home. A world that I could once again understand and digest. That I could communicate in, and not be looked down upon. A place where I did not have to rely on primitive hand gestures, or rotate through my limited knowledge of Spanish or German in order to better communicate. A world where I knew every line of the London Underground, and would abuse that knowledge as I raced my way home from King's Cross, not even stopping to look at the signs because the route was so familiar. First the Piccadilly Line, then the Jubilee, then the National Rail Service.
And then a walk to my dorm.
Where I laid down.
And was satisfied.
- The Cultured Tyler
Our time in Paris was drawing to an end. Making our way back to the La Chappel international train service was a little bit of a sad moment.
Goodbye France :`(
But honestly, it was mostly a massive feeling of relief. Upon arriving back into London, I had an immense and overwhelming feeling of joy. It was the feeling of coming home. A world that I could once again understand and digest. That I could communicate in, and not be looked down upon. A place where I did not have to rely on primitive hand gestures, or rotate through my limited knowledge of Spanish or German in order to better communicate. A world where I knew every line of the London Underground, and would abuse that knowledge as I raced my way home from King's Cross, not even stopping to look at the signs because the route was so familiar. First the Piccadilly Line, then the Jubilee, then the National Rail Service.
And then a walk to my dorm.
Where I laid down.
And was satisfied.
- The Cultured Tyler
