Europe Trip: Paris and Chamonix

We took a ferry from Dover to France and then drove to Versailles (royal palace outside of Paris). We stayed in a charming little bed and breakfast outside of Paris (thankfully) and took the train into Paris. The French fulfilled every sterotype, except being rude. They carried baguettes everywhere...on their bikes, in their bike baskets, in their backpacks, in their hands and at all times of the day too. The French smoked a lot as well, even in that particular French way with their delicate fingers. I almost laughed out loud when I saw a guy smoking like that. They also wear striped shirts, scarfs and berets... no joke!! So, all of these stereotypes I had heard about were true except that the French were the kindest of the mainland Europeans. So, now for some pictures...

The White Cliffs of Dover in the early morning as we are leaving England

France:

Me, Tyler, Jessica and Mom outside of the Palace of Versailles, a very beautiful place if one could stand all the fluffery( I don't think that is a word, but it fits), grandeur, oppulence, marble and gold. I could never feel like this place was home.This is actually one of the less decorated rooms. I think the next-in-line king's wife would use a room like this.

Paris:

Just put a euro in the lock and use one of these rental bikes!
Mom in the Shakepeare book store, which was filled with books floor to ceiling. Mom and I in front of the Norte Dame Cathedral

Erik getting ready to enjoy a delicious crepe

Mom and Erik by the glass pyramids at the Louvre. The Louvre takes more than the few hours we gave it, so we will have to go back again someday. We did get to see the Mona Lisa fortunatly, although she was surrounded by an enormous crowd. Erik by a pyramid

The Inverted Pyramid at the Louvre (for those who have read the DaVinci Code)

A very nice window display.... I especially like the little rabbit.I had to stand in the middle of a very busy street to get this picture, but a lot of other people were doing the same thing.

Tyler, Erik, Jessica and I posing in a very cool little part of Paris. It was near the Notre Dame, which is on an island on the Seine River. It was a vibrant and lively little area that we all loved.
Do I need to say what this is?

Erik, Jessica, Mom and I on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower.

Jessica, me and Tyler on the second level of the Eiffel Tower. We decided to take the stairs up, because we were tired of lines. However, they failed to mention that the stairs only went up to the second level due to some construction or something that was going on. So, we only were able to go to the second level, but the view was still amazing.



Wow....

And now a very eloquent speech about the Eiffel Tower:


Looking up at the Eiffel Tower
This is the very lovely bed and breakfast were we stayed and I highly reccomend it.

Chamonix:

After Paris, we headed southeast towards Chamonix in the French Alps. It was very beautiful drive and we all loved Chamonix. Chamonix was exactly what someone would expect of a little town in the Alps. We need to come back someday in the winter to ski here!
Yummm...
Tyler and Mom in the town square, with the church behind them.

The church. Tyler and I eating a baguette

Erik looking at the glacial runoff river that runs through Chamonix.
These are some lovely pictures of the Alps

I really liked France. Paris and Chamonix were very different places connected only by their love of baguettes. Paris was huge and busy whereas Chamonix was quiet and small. I enjoyed these towns immensly and would love to go back and spend more time in both places.

Up next Vernazza, Italy!

Europe Trip: Bath and Canterbury

After London, we headed to Bath; made popular in Jane Austen novels and for its ancient Roman baths unearthed in the 1800s. First, we stopped off at a delightful little town called Castlecombe.

Doesen't this make you think of Hobbiton?

The local church was old enough to have a knight from the Crusades buried there...pretty cool.

The main street

Bath:

The Great Bath And again...

Tyler and I standing next to the Great Bath
Tyler thought this was so cool, so I had to put a picture up. The ancient Romans used these stacks of stones to hold the floor up, which also allowed them the heat the floor from below.
The Sacred Spring--I think it is where the hotspring actually is and this water heats the Great Bath.

Tyler and Erik both decided to get their hair cut in Bath, so these are picutures of them with their new British haircuts.From Bath, we headed east towards Ramsgate (to take a ferry to France). We stopped off at Stonehenge and Canterbury.

Canterbury

The famous Canterbury Cathedral Ancient archways near the Cathedral
Me leaning with a tilted house in Canterbury

The journey continues in France in the next blog post....

Europe Trip: London

We are back and had an amazing trip to Europe (thank you Mom!). I tried to do one blog of the whole trip and it took me forever to load all the pictures....and then somehow I deleted the entire thing!! It was very frustrating. So, I am going to be posting pictures each day starting in London, instead of trying to make one enormous post.

The Trip Begins...
Tyler and I had to wait in the airport for about 8 hours, because Jessica's flight left at 3pm and she had to be at the airport at 1 pm and our flight left at 8:45 pm. We had to arrive at the same time because we had to go up to D.C. to fly out (which is 3hrs from BV). This is a picture of us about 1/2 way through the wait.

Finally in London!!!
Tyler looking positively dashing here or very cute whatever suits you. Tyler and I with the London Eye behind us (biggest Ferris Wheel in the world). Mom, Tyler, me and Jessica with the Parliment buildings behind us.

A nice shot of the London Eye by Tyler.


Big Ben and a double decker bus.

Tyler and I

Erik standing outside of Westminster Abbey.
Mom in Westminster Abbey (well, more like an outdoor corridor-as you cannot take pictures inside Westminster)

Me standing in front of the Royal Ballet School--- I would love to take classes here!!We saw Oliver! in London and it was sooooo good! Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) played Fagin and he was hilarious. Buckingham Palace


Erik, the Photographer

A walk through Hyde Park Tyler and I sunbathing in Hyde Park Jessica and I walking along the Serpentine in Hyde Park.
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

Tyler and I at Piccadilly Circus (London's equivalent to Times Square)

Tyler pushing his luggage Trolley through the wall at Kings Cross Station to get to Platform 9 3/4....if only.... Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

St. Paul's Cathedral

London is my favorite city. There is so much to see and do. If you have not been there, take the time to go because it is one of the places that you should see before you die.

Thanks again Mom for taking us on this trip!

There will be more posts to follow, next up will be Bath and Canterbury!

Thats all for today, unless I feel like doing another post later this evening.