Paris

From London, I got on the Chunnel train to Paris.  It was fast and convenient; it took a bit over two hours.  I sat in a comfortable chair and read my Kindle until we arrived.  I even got a drink and a snack from the food car.  From the station I got onto another train to my hotel in the Trocodero, right next to the Palais de Chaillot.  Thanks to Dianne for helping me book the room!  I was totally paralyzed in trying to figure out where to stay while I was there, and she recommended for me the perfect spot.  Tiny little room, and overpriced breakfast buffet, but right next to the Eiffel tower with a metro station almost right outside the door.  The Cafe Kleber was just next door, where I had excellent Croque Monsieur and ham and cheese omelette.

I was already pretty tired, so I tended to get up late.  This was unfortunate, since museums and parks and sightseeing-type stuff generally closes by 6pm, so I wasn't able to see as much as I hoped.  Still, I saw a lot!  I had a Rick Steves guide to Paris, which gave some very specific instructions on how to get places and what to look at when you got there.  I saw a lot of things that way that I would have missed on my own.  My first evening I went over to the Champs Elysees, but without my camera.  My first impression of Paris was that it was very crowded.  It didn't really change.

Seeing things in Paris is tricky, especially over Monday and Tuesday.  Several museums are closed on Mondays, and the others are closed on Tuesdays.  So it takes planning to see anything at all.  The first thing I went to see was the catacombs.

 Even in October, the lines were long for everything, but they move pretty quickly.  This history of the catacombs is fascinating, but no flash allowed in the actual ossuary.  It's a humbling experience.  That day I also went to Notre Dame and lit a little candle for my sweetie. 

This was the line, but it moved pretty fast.

From there I followed the guide to see most of the significant parts of Paris.  By the time I got through the walk, the museums were closed.  I got to the Jardins de Luxembourg just as they were closing the gates.  But I got to walk through the Left Bank and take some nice pictures.  I saw artists and the locks on the Pont des Arts bridge.  It was a lovely day.  Cold, though.  Colder than London.

The next day I went to the Musee National de Marine, because it was nearby, to get a two day museum pass.  Since it was Monday, I spent most of the day at the Louvre.  So much to see, I only hit the highlights.  I saw the Mona Lisa, of course, and Hammurabi's code, and lots of beautiful paintings and sculptures.

From the Louvre, I went through the Jardin de Tuileries.  If I lived in Paris, I would probably spend a lot of time there.  So pretty, so much to see.

Now here is where my trip got really interesting.  My last full day there I intended to spend at Versailles.  The price to see Versailles is what would have made the museum pass worth buying.  It just so happened that the retirement-age-strike began that day.  I got on a train that would take me there, but they stopped at the station just before the one closest to Versailles.  That was our first clue that something was wrong.  A small group of other Americans and I walked (following the crowd) to Versailles, which wasn't open yet.

They kept saying they would open soon, a few more minutes, whatever.  While waiting, I went down towards the Grand Trianon (also closed), walking through the gardens and looking for a geocache which I didn't find, and another which I did.  The Petit Trianon is apparently separate from the rest of Versailles, because it was open.  As the day wore on, it became obvious that it would be the only part of Versailles which would be open that day.  I was very disappointed, but the Petit Trianon, the village and grounds near it, and the gardens of Versailles were beautiful and very grand.  It's easy to see WHY the peasants revolted, and I can't blame them.  But I was majorly pissed off at the French that day, even though they did give me a good story to tell about their stupid strike.

The next day, I got back on the train to return to London for one last quick tour before home.

London

I don't have any of my notes, so I'm just telling what I remember.  We started with a tour of London with our fantastic blue badge guide, Peter Ffrench.  If you are ever in London and have a chance to go on one of Peter's tours, please do.  He was a delight from day one!  We saw the Tower of London, which I have always wanted to see.  We saw Westminster Abbey.  We saw so many wonderful things.  Counting the first day, we were three days in London, so I don't remember what we did on which days--it's a little jumbled up.  But I do remember a private tour (textile-specific) of the Victoria & Albert Museum.  We also visited a yarn shop called I Knit London.  Very cozy and welcoming, also served drinks.  (It's not always about the yarn!)  I went with another girl on the tour and we found a geocache nearby.  We walked as far as Kensington Gardens before we were too tired to go on.  We saw a performance of Oliver! at Drury Lane.  Wonderful performance--I can't even describe.

When we left London, we went to Bath.  Of Jane Austen's books--yes, that Bath.  Wife of Bath's tale--same Bath.  Also mentioned in Dickens more than once--that one.  As you can see, I've always been keen to see the things I've read about.  So off to Bath we go.  Whatever you've imagined, it's probably not that.  But it's fascinating to see the ancient history there!  Lots of museum-type information--you could spend all day just looking at the Roman Bath stuff and never see the Cathedral or the rest of the town.  But there's also the Jane Austen Centre and the Fashion Museum.  I made it to JA Center but not the FH Museum.  Then also were the shops and lunch.  Since the water has run through lead pipes for thousands of years, it is FULL of bacteria and they warn you not to touch it.  Interesting, since people went there for years for its healing powers.

Then on to Cardiff.  We had dinner and entertainment after our tour of Cardiff Castle.  No flash allowed, so my pictures aren't very good.  But can you imagine living in a town where there's a huge castle right there?  The tour was very interesting, the dinner was excellent, and the entertainment superb.  Beautiful singing by the staff.  One of our group was chosen for the audience participation part of the evening.  Wonderful, wonderful time.

The next day we saw Tintern Abbey.  This beautiful, majestic monastery has been the subject of poetry and art, founded in 1131.  It rained while we were there, which seemed appropriate, and the sky was such a beautiful blue afterwards.  I got a little water under the filter on my camera so my pictures aren't as good as I would have liked, but it was a gorgeous place.

We went to Hay-on-Wye, which is a village full of bookstores.  Overwhelming.  I could spend the rest of my life in a place like this!  My favorite was the Honesty Bookshop, just below the castle, which had a box to pay for the books that sat on shelves all around.  I worried about what happened to the books when it really rained!  It was so fun just to wander around the little village and see all there was to see.

We stopped at the Penderyn Distillery for a whiskey tasting.  I'm not a big whiskey drinker, but it was really cool to see how they make it.  We had the option for tasting or taking little bottles away, and since I didn't want to cart them all over Europe, I opted for the tasting and bought a shirt.

We went to the boathouse where Dylan Thomas wrote.  Next to a ruined castle, it was lovely, and I wish I had a place half so beautiful for writing.  The boathouse itself wasn't so much, but the scenery was breathtaking!  I took a lot of pictures.  I sat with Brenda Dayne (of Cast On fame) and discussed graduate school.  She was very encouraging!

We went to Tenby, a walled village in Pembrokeshire with literary history.  There were little blue history signs all over, saying Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) stayed here before she wrote her novel, or Admiral Nelson stayed here.  We had a nice tour of this pretty little seaside spot.

We toured the Welsh Wool Museum and saw the old looms that used to create our fabric.  There were many beautiful blankets, and I would have bought at least one if I hadn't been concerned about the weight and available space of my luggage.  Since I was about to go to Paris, I didn't want to be overloaded.  I do wish now that I had at least gotten the lapblanket.

The last thing we saw before returning to London was St. Fagan's National History Museum. There was so much to see that I only saw half of it.  It covered British history from Celtic days to more recent "modern" history.  It's an interactive museum, for the most part.  I saw a blacksmith making tools.  I fed blackberries to turkeys.  On the other side, the side I didn't get to, was the castle and gardens.

So much more I could say, but this post is overlong as it is.  One thing I loved in London was the tea tray.  In every hotel room you could find a little tea tray, with an electric teapot that heated up the water in about two minutes.  Tea, milk, and cookies.  I missed it once I got to Paris.  I never really tried milk in my tea before I went to London, and now I prefer it that way.  I had such a lovely time, and someday I will go back.

One disappointment:  I was at King's Cross Station three times, and not once did I have enough time to find Platform 9 3/4.  There was always one more hallway to walk down to get there, and I just didn't have time.  I would have liked to take a picture.  Maybe next time!

What?

OK I'm a little bit horrified.  Turns out Cindy's Weekend is also an online game, and a rather silly vapid game at that.  Sorry for that.

Annnnnyway, it's no secret that I knit.  Not as often as I would like, but certainly more than most ordinary people.  I am currently working on a pair of socks for a friend.  I have finished one and barely started the second.  I will post a picture once they have been finished and sent to the recipient.  Since she's not likely to see this blog anytime soon, it's not a big deal, but what's life without a little suspense?

So, I went to Europe.  Got off the plane exhausted and onto a train that took me to Paddington Station.  Naturally, the first thing I did at Paddington Station was find the Paddington Bear booth and buy a small traveling companion. 

That's him at I Knit London.











I also looked around until I found the statue nearby.  Since it was a literary tour, it was the natural thing to do.

So whatever else I do from now on, Paddington may very likely be going with me.  So from there I got on another train, then staggered to the hotel across the street from the Victoria & Albert museum.  Beautiful place, very convenient.  Once my hotel room was ready I took a long nap.  When I woke up, I went down the street towards Harrod's and took some night pictures until it was time to have dinner with the other fabulous knitters.  Wonderful people, every one.  And that was the first day of our tour.

So here I'd like to say a word about the train systems in Europe.  For the most part, it was fantastic.  You can get anywhere you need to go quickly and conveniently.  All you need to know is the name of the station closest to your destination and the line.  Then just get on the right line and wait until you get there.  Easy-peasy.  The only problem I had in London was a station closure the day I left.  The elevator wasn't working, so I dragged my bags down 178 steps only to find that the train was not running.  All those people who passed me coming up could have said something! But they didn't.  In Paris, the trains were more expensive and the system slightly more complicated, but once you figured it out, you were good to get anywhere, and fast!  Very crowded in Paris though, trains and the city itself.  But more about that later.  I also took the Chunnel between London and Paris.  While the whole idea of a tunnel beneath all that water kind of freaks me out, the Chunnel Train was fast and pleasant.