Whew,... I'm going to need a vacation after this vacation! :) Dad and Donna arrived on Saturday afternoon, and we hit the ground running!!!!
Sunday, September 6th:
Neil's football (soccer) team had a match, so we went down to the grounds to watch for a bit. After the game, we wasted no time, off to the center of London towne... with me driving!!! AHH! I had never driven in the center of the city, so this would prove a true test of my driving skills. Turns out, I'm a very stressed driver under pressure! Whew! Half of the roads in London were closed off due to a 'Bike around the city' scheme... so as a result, traffic was insane! People ducking in and out of lanes, crazy round-abouts again... I struggled BIG time! But, no worries, we are still alive and well. We did a rough drive-by overview of the city, and walked around Tower Bridge and the Tower of London for awhile.
Monday, September 7th:
Proper trip to the 'big smoke' (big city).... via the tube! Straight to Harrods! My favorite :)!
We walked around Leicester Square, SOHO, China town, Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus in the rain! Typical English summers day!
Tuesday, September 8th:
Rainy day in England, so instead of heading into town on the tube (train), we hopped into the car and headed for Windsor Castle. One of the Queen's homes. Very impressive and very elaborate decor.
I booked us dinner at Babylon, Roof top gardens... WOW... views of the city are fantastic! And a very swanky atmosphere! Later that night we swung our wine glasses in the air, singing along to the piano man at the High Street Kensington Piano Bar. Good night ;)
Wednesday, September 9th:
Back into London for a closer look at Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London!
Thursday, September 9th-11th:
Oui, Oui, Paris!
Ahhhh, LOVE Paris!!! We were off on the Eurostar to Paris for a short 2 day trip. We spent the first night watching the sunset at the top of the Tour Montparnasse!!! Amazing views of the city, and then dinner at a cute French cafe!
Up early on Friday, and off to the top of the Tour Eiffel! Wahooo! Stunning views, and unbelievable architecture! After we climbed the tour, we went on a guided bike tour around the city! Amazing way to see the city and get a bit of history! 'Fat Tire', the bike tour company, is American owned and run... all the guides speak English, which comes in handy in Paris, and they are actually from the US. Would for sure recommend it for anyone going to Paris!! The way the city is laid out is gorgeous. It looks like a huge manicured garden. All the shrubs are neatly cut, and the trees are planted in straight lines along the streets. The significance of this design is to show man's taming or dominance over nature.
Love, Love, Love Paris! Must go back soon!!!
