European Vacation

Friday Stop in Iceland Calling flat Shuttle to train Train to Victoria Tube to Gloucester Walk to flat Arghhh Dinner with David & Jane Boys to pub Saturday Tube to Picadilly Walk to Trafalgar square Walk to Eye Boat cruise Walk to pub for lunch Walk to Shakespeare Globe Theater Walk to London Eye Walk Walk - Feathers pub...then to tube to Hereford Arms for dinner Sunday Tube to Hyde Park corner Walk to Marble Arch Bus ride to Oxford Tour of Christ Church Big rain Walk about - bought CCD t-shirt bought fudge looked through Oxford castle bus back MCD & I got dinner at Earl's Court pub boys ordered pizza Monday slept in for boys tube to Tower of London tour boys took off MCD and I walked to St. Pauls walked to Picadilly Circus for Spaghetti House dinner - boys met us there. Saw Book of Mormon Tuesday Met Pernille - Barry Thomas' wife at the Westminster Palace, where she's a tour guide. She gave us a very in depth tour of the rooms and the history of the building and the Houses of Parliament. We wandered about in the neighborhood and found a pub to have lunch in. We let the boys off on their own and we wandered down to Buckingham Palace and then on around St. James Park to the Churchill War Rooms. It had rained while we were inside and had cleared up enough there was now a bright late afternoon glare though some spots We had dinner plans with Barry and Pernille and needed to get back to the flat and freshen up. From the tube stop, I met an old friend, Sue (Green) Colwell for a drink at Earl's Court Tavern. Martha and I then went to Victoria station and found Queen's Arms Tavern and our dinner partners. Barry was in good form - if not a little grayer and we had very nice visit, covering books, politics, memories and cultural American-Brit quirks. Sad to say, we left with an impression that things have not gone well for Barry and he's a bit strapped. Really felt quite bad for him. Wednesday Our transition to Paris. We had to get up quickly enough to pack, clean up the flat, get connected with the manager - for keys and, hopefully, some part of the deposit. And since we were leaving from Kings Cross/St. Pancreas station we also needed to give ourselves enough time to see the Harry Potter 9 3/4 train track and gratis pianos in the foyers for Patrick to play. A gleaming station - though the Potter track turned out to be an overcrowded tourist attraction and the pianos we're beat-up, out-of-tune uprights. It was a very fast two hours going through the British countryside, through the Chunnel and across the French landscape. There really was quite a difference in the look and feel of the French villages and development from the Brits. The English side seemed a bit more industrial, while the French, from what we could see, was mostly small towns. Both though seemed to share the U.S. and universal habit of piling their refuse and grimy industrial backdoors along rail routes. Landing at Gare de Nord we fumbled our way to the metro station and figured out buying five day metro/bus passes. Faced with a completely different language we had to now navigate through a new map system as well. We were all somewhat dependent on Martha's guidance from earlier visits and her bits of French. We'd hoped Nathan might be able to help with some translation - but that didn't happen. Whereas the London tube lines were a bit like New York, a bit gritty with serpentine tunnels and connections, the Paris Metro was dirtier and with surlier characters. Martha advised we stay on the buses. We found our way to the Rambuteau stop and our Paris flat overlooking the George Pampidou museum and square. A bit busy and noisy- but so is just about everywhere - and it turned out to be a great location. We were greeted by Ireana who went over all the features of the flat - which included a dishwasher and dryer! (vs. our London flat) When we were a bit settled Martha and I found the neighborhood grocery store - G20 - for some supplies. A small and really packed little store and clearly wasn't about buying in bulk. The largest milk was only a liter. For dinner we wandered about in the streets nearby a bit indecisive and finally just landed on something that seemed like something Americans would typically patronize. Thursday We slept in and never really got completely on Europe time. By late morning we decided to split up. The boys walked all the way to the Eiffel Tower. Martha and I walked to the islands and crossed over to through St. Germain and wandered through some darling side streets. We stopped at a cafe - that seemed like a French diner - and had eggs and a 'milkshake' which was more like whipped chocolate milk. Our the Champ Elysses and walked over to the Louvre. Then went over to the Bastille area to see Cathy's old apartment - sat in the Sully Cafe for some wine and ran into a couple other Americans. Then walked though Place des Vosges and back through the Marais district. Boys and I went to the store and picked up odds & ends for dinner; mostly cheese, sausage, sweets and wine. Then figured out where we were going the next day. Sunday - traveled to Provin by train - Chris stayed in Paris. Sunny but cold. Took at train to the end of the line and crowded on to a shuttle to that took us to the Medeival village - it was a French version of a Renaissance festival and a bit touristy -- and pretty crowded. We tried to find some place for lunch and ended up walking through the old town to find a cafe. It was a cute little place, the waiter didn't really speak English and Patrick ended up without his food -- and had to pay cash. We walked back into the old section and got some chocolate and meandered down to a 'show' of knights and ladies on horseback fighting evil trolls; like the 'Medieval Times' but more quaint and certainly more authentic since it actually was in the shadow of real medieval castle. A bit cheesy and hard to follow, since the dialogue and narration was in French, but we generally got the idea and appreciated the spirit. We caught a bus back to the train station, then back to Paris. Patrick and Nathan didn't want to go out for dinner, so they grabbed some sandwiches near our flat while Martha and I went to Le Cavalier Bleu on the corner. Monday - Last day so we decided to go brave the lines at Notre Dame, which was a short walk from our flat. The day was bright and cloudless and though the line was long it moved along quickly enough that we inside in fifteen minutes. The boys joined the line afterwards and then took off for another attempt at climbing the Eiffel Tower. Martha and I wandered through Isle St. Louis, listened to a band on the bridge, ate a sandwich, sat by Siene, admired the lock bridge, strolled back to our neighborhood, where she bought a necklace and some earrings, then picked up a couple things for evening nibbles and lounged back at the flat until the boys came back. They'd only made it up to the second floor; but that was some 600 steps. Nate had also gotten tricked by some street vendor. Martha went out again to the Pompidou museum. Tuesday - return home.