Finally our last day in Paris had arrived. We explored the cobbled streets surrounding our hotel and discovered a fruit vendor showcasing his mangos, strawberries, bananas, etc. We purchased some of the fresh strawberries and few pastries from a nearby bakery--creating a delicious breakfast.
Mum had an inkling to sail the Seine River. Boarding a Cruise, we hit the water and sailed past such historical places as Notre Dame, the tunnel where Princess Diana tragically died, and the mansion where Marie Antoinette was held before being executed during the French Revolution. The trip was very peaceful, and as mom scurried from side to side, snapping pictures, I rest on the bench by the window, musing.
Interesting: A local baker immediately knew we were foreigners because we were smiling! In general, the French do not look happy--and wedding rings are a rarity. When we did see them, they usually belonged to tourists!
Well, evening came and so was the closing of our trip. The next morning we awoke early, took a ride on a shuttle, and checked in at the airport. Shortly after, we were ushered onto the plane and flown safely back to Seattle where my wonderful daddy was there to pick us up and drive us back to good ol' Salem, Oregon for a nice Mexican Food dinner (Mum and I were going through Mexican Food withdrawals--they had no mexican food overseas! lol).
Thanks so much for reading my blog. If you have any questions or would like to see more pictures, just let me know and I'll be glad to share!
Ta Ta!
Kaitlin
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Lessons Learned in the Big Cities of Paris and London
I thought I leaned more towards being a big city girl--like living in a flat, and working in a cute boutique and being surrounded by friends (you know how they glam it in the movies...)--but when I was in places like London and Paris, I longed for the simpleness...the country...for home. The biggest lessons I learned is that there is really no place like home and that I want a simple life--a nice little home with a nice backyard and garden for me to keep with the children God may give me one day...but alas, only God knows my future!
While at the Louvre, I kept thinking to myself how these things--these treasures--will mean nothing in the end. We can't take them with us to Heaven. It made me question my motives in life...am I storing up my treasures in Heaven or on Earth?
As you may have noted, by Paris, I was already homesick. I'll I could do was count down the days till we boarded the plane to take us back to our family--it seemed like forever since I last saw the familiar sights of a place I didn't realize was so close to my heart till being hundreds of miles and an ocean apart.
While at the Louvre, I kept thinking to myself how these things--these treasures--will mean nothing in the end. We can't take them with us to Heaven. It made me question my motives in life...am I storing up my treasures in Heaven or on Earth?
As you may have noted, by Paris, I was already homesick. I'll I could do was count down the days till we boarded the plane to take us back to our family--it seemed like forever since I last saw the familiar sights of a place I didn't realize was so close to my heart till being hundreds of miles and an ocean apart.
Polly Vu Frances? (spelled how it sounds!)
After checking into our hotel, Hotel Tourisme, mum and decided to take a look around. Our hotel was only a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, which was incredible to see. Afterwards though, I must admit I was homesick enough to say, "Okay, I've seen the Eiffel Tower, I'm ready to go home." Paris didn't steal my heart like the English countryside and Scotland. It was dirtier, and everyone looked unhappy as they sat in the outside cafes, smoking and drinking. Mum and I were also scared to really go to far from the touristy places. We had the idea of taking a train to the country, but it was really expensive--in fact, Paris was extremely expensive in general. A little magnet that is around 2 bucks back in the states, was anywhere between 6 to 8 euros, which comes to about 10 to 12 bucks. Outrageous. Mom and I did extremely well navigating through the Metro system (thanks to our training in London!) and had no hiccups getting from point A to point B. The language barrier made us feel very isolated in Paris, indeed, we only had each other for conversation now. France reminded me even more of New York than London--and the guys there scared me--they didn't seem like nice men...(After returning-because I am now home-my mom's friend said she had watched this movie called "Taken" and thought of us the whole time. My mom and I were curious and rented it. If we had seen this movie before going, I don't know if I would have gone. The movie was about human trafficking and violent, etc., but I would almost recommend women planning to travel abroad to see it. My friend said it would probably make them paranoid, but I think it would make them cautious!)
Anyways, we visited the Louvre and were able to see the famous Mona Lisa. It was behind 2 plates of glass--very protected. I also viewed the largest painting I have ever seen...wow. In Paris, they really love the naked human body, so I don't really remember seeing much more as my eyes were fixed to the marble/wood floors of the Louve. That type of stuff makes me uncomfortable. Thus, I enjoyed the British Museum much more.
Following that we had a nice lunch at a cafe. Dehydrated, a milkshake sounded wonderful and we ordered a raspberry flavored delicacy--costing us 5.90 Euros. A few minutes later, the drink was brought to us--it was like a small in size and was literarly a milk shake. It was just milk with blended raspberries. What a letdown! After experiencing such disappointment (jk!) we decided to take a little rest in our hotel room. Mum read her book, and I read more of North and South. I had a hard time putting that thing down! I finished it just a 2 days after returning.
Anyways, we visited the Louvre and were able to see the famous Mona Lisa. It was behind 2 plates of glass--very protected. I also viewed the largest painting I have ever seen...wow. In Paris, they really love the naked human body, so I don't really remember seeing much more as my eyes were fixed to the marble/wood floors of the Louve. That type of stuff makes me uncomfortable. Thus, I enjoyed the British Museum much more.
Following that we had a nice lunch at a cafe. Dehydrated, a milkshake sounded wonderful and we ordered a raspberry flavored delicacy--costing us 5.90 Euros. A few minutes later, the drink was brought to us--it was like a small in size and was literarly a milk shake. It was just milk with blended raspberries. What a letdown! After experiencing such disappointment (jk!) we decided to take a little rest in our hotel room. Mum read her book, and I read more of North and South. I had a hard time putting that thing down! I finished it just a 2 days after returning.
Last Day in London
Our last day in London we didn't really have any specific plans, just kept things simple. We did a bit of window shopping while just walking and walking...and walking around London, had a nice lunch at Pret a Manger (a ploughman's sandwich which was amazing!), and walked to Kensington Palace to check out where some members of the royal family live. Afterwards we went to our favorite Marks and Spencer to get some food for that evening and tomorrow's breakfast before heading to the airport. I was craving Vi's mandarin trifle and found something that looked similiar, but it wasn't half as good...bummer.
Our alarm clock went off at 5am the next morning and up we got, dressed we soon were, and awaiting our taxi downstairs with our packed luggage were we within a hour (that sentence is just awkward! lol) The taxi took us to the Earl's court station where we caught the Piccadilly line to Heathrow Airport. To be safe, mom got us there hours early, so during the wait I started Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South (sooooo wonderful and now a favorite--I liked it better than the BBC movie which is saying something!). Air France airlines got us into France around 2 in the afternoon. Oh Pairee!!!
Our alarm clock went off at 5am the next morning and up we got, dressed we soon were, and awaiting our taxi downstairs with our packed luggage were we within a hour (that sentence is just awkward! lol) The taxi took us to the Earl's court station where we caught the Piccadilly line to Heathrow Airport. To be safe, mom got us there hours early, so during the wait I started Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South (sooooo wonderful and now a favorite--I liked it better than the BBC movie which is saying something!). Air France airlines got us into France around 2 in the afternoon. Oh Pairee!!!
Back in London
Once leaving Scotland, we drove to Woking where we caught a 40-minute train to London. Getting into the city later that evening, mum and I decided we didn't want to hassle with tubes and called a taxi (imagine mum flagging a taxi like in the movies...I wish! It was just waiting outside the station). For our final 3 days in London, our accommodations were the Youth Hostel at Holland House in Holland Park. Imagine my fright when the taxi cab dropped us off outside the darkened park telling us we had to drag our luggage through the shady looking alley's to make it to our beds for the night. I was frightened. Mum called the Hostel's reception desk and got a hold of the man, but he wouldn't come out to make sure we would make it safe (not a gentleman in my opinion!)--although he did assure us that the walk was not far. Puffing ourselves up with acting courage, mum and I walked assertively through a gated walkway and indeed, the Hostel's door was not far (thank goodness). We checked in and pulled our luggage up 2 flights of stairs to a room shared with 10 other beds. Ah-ha how unrestful! lol
Waking up the next morning we met some of our roomies--women from places like Germany, New Zealand, Spain, etc. This Youth Hostel offers a free breakfast (very unusual) so we took them up on it and had an okay breakfast (Vi and Carol--and even Mrs. Galloway really spoiled us! lol). Today's goal was to see the British Museum. Guiding ourselves on 3 different tube lines, we located the museum and got to work at seeing the ancient artifacts of Egypt, China, and our European ancestors. I felt like Evelyn Carnahan in the movie "Mummy" as I examined the remnant's of the Pharaoh's. It was quite fascinating! Did you know they even mummified their cats! Cats were considered precious and even like gods! (I love my cats, but they are certainly far from godhood! haha)
After we had seen as much as we could possibly take in, we were exhausted and wanted an excuse to sit down without having to return to our hostel. What about seeing a movie? Star Trek it was! Something interesting: You actually pick your seats like when going to a play--and they check your ticket stub and direct you to your seat! So we sat in row K, and our seats were in the middle. Besides the usual unnecessary things common in today's movies, the picture was very exciting and since I'm a Star Trek fan, I enjoyed the movie a lot. I had to tell Kevin right away cause I felt bad seeing it without him cause he's like the biggest fan ever! (but it was the only movie playing at that particular hour that was decent!) At the end of the movie, I was ready to see it again, or better yet, have it just go on and on with a new adventure for the crew. But alas, it was time to return to the hostel for another nights somewhat restful sleep.
Waking up the next morning we met some of our roomies--women from places like Germany, New Zealand, Spain, etc. This Youth Hostel offers a free breakfast (very unusual) so we took them up on it and had an okay breakfast (Vi and Carol--and even Mrs. Galloway really spoiled us! lol). Today's goal was to see the British Museum. Guiding ourselves on 3 different tube lines, we located the museum and got to work at seeing the ancient artifacts of Egypt, China, and our European ancestors. I felt like Evelyn Carnahan in the movie "Mummy" as I examined the remnant's of the Pharaoh's. It was quite fascinating! Did you know they even mummified their cats! Cats were considered precious and even like gods! (I love my cats, but they are certainly far from godhood! haha)
After we had seen as much as we could possibly take in, we were exhausted and wanted an excuse to sit down without having to return to our hostel. What about seeing a movie? Star Trek it was! Something interesting: You actually pick your seats like when going to a play--and they check your ticket stub and direct you to your seat! So we sat in row K, and our seats were in the middle. Besides the usual unnecessary things common in today's movies, the picture was very exciting and since I'm a Star Trek fan, I enjoyed the movie a lot. I had to tell Kevin right away cause I felt bad seeing it without him cause he's like the biggest fan ever! (but it was the only movie playing at that particular hour that was decent!) At the end of the movie, I was ready to see it again, or better yet, have it just go on and on with a new adventure for the crew. But alas, it was time to return to the hostel for another nights somewhat restful sleep.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
A Sad Day: Our Last Day in Scotland
Packing up our bags and having our last Scottish breakfast, mum and I hit the road early--leaving Denny behind and setting our sights on Edinburgh Castle before leaving Scotland for England again.
Edinburgh Castle was having some repairs/etc. done to the most exciting parts of the Castle, so we didn't really enjoy it as we should have. The view from the top was amazing though. The war museums were also very interesting--sorry you couldn't have been there dad. Mum kept commenting on how great Scottish men were (she's married to one!). In one of the buildings of the Castle, a man of staff took a shining to mum and was trying to impress her with information about Scottish History. He asked mum a question and she rattled off all she knew about what we had learned during our visit--and the next thing I know, he reached for his walkie talkie and said "Security--get this lady a uniform, we need to start her immediately. She's about 5'9, 5'8, petite build..." Mum and I both giggled and got a kick out of it, especially mum. Inside that same building were books of Scottish men and women who have served in Scottish Forces--from the army, to airforce, to navy, etc. The only force we saw Saunders in was the Airforce--neat considering that both my dad and uncle were in the US Airforce!!
Once we left Edinburgh, we drove and drove to Jedburgh which is on the border of Scotland. The staff at the tourist office were so nice. They gave us these certificates showing we had visited Scotland for our keepsake.
Leaving Edinburgh, we planned next to go to NewCastle. We didn't realize how big Newcastle was--it's like a huge college city. Mum drove in and then wanted to drive out--traffic was crazy and everyone was in a hurry. We were glad to leave although we didn't get to hear the unique accents. :( When in Jedburgh I had purchased a Sound of the Music cd for 10pence at a little store--so mum and I sang the Hills are Alive! to get us to York where we checked into our Youth Hostel.
The York Hostel officially made me not the biggest fans of hostels. The girls in our room were so wordly I didn't feel safe. We took to the streets to see the city and went to Whackers to taste their famous Fish and Chips. Mum didn't care so much for her's because there was no tartar sauce, but mine weren't too bad. That night we probably got a few hours of sleep--but when we discovered that we worth both awake around 4:40ish and not sleepy, we left the room and went for a drive. We came back to the Hostel around 7ish to pack up and get out of there lol then went back downtown to explore some more. We went to Betty's Tea Room which is quite popular. I ordered the full tea for mum and I to share and mum also got the hot chocolate which was a little too rich for my taste but she loved it. The full tea came with a roasted chix sandwich, a smoked sandwhich (although good, it didn't look cooked!), a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam (delicious) and some yummy house tea. Half way through our late breakfast, a pianist came in and started playing "All I Ask of You" from the Phantom of the Opera. It just made my morning. :) Oh, the full tea also came with a mini coffee chocolate coffee cupcake which was delicious!!! a lemon macaroon filled with yorkshire lemon curd, and a fruity custard cake. The service was extremely slow and our waitress never checked on us--we had to wait forever to get the bill until I finally flagged down one of the young ladies clearing tables around us. I think our waitress could tell we weren't VIP customers' and was busy...? Although the tea and select items were good, the service was disappointing.
From there we drove through Nottingham (Robin Hood) and Derby (Mr. Darcy from P&P) but they were just big cities which mum was scared to drive and I don't blame her. We were able to see reminents of Sherwood Forest during our drive to locate the iconic place--but no sight of Sir Guy!! hahaha (Kevin just contested my spelling of Sir Guy, thinking it was Gai (what?), but after some online research, well...as you noticed, my spelling hasn't changed! lol).
I'll continue the rest of our journey later....later alligator~!
Edinburgh Castle was having some repairs/etc. done to the most exciting parts of the Castle, so we didn't really enjoy it as we should have. The view from the top was amazing though. The war museums were also very interesting--sorry you couldn't have been there dad. Mum kept commenting on how great Scottish men were (she's married to one!). In one of the buildings of the Castle, a man of staff took a shining to mum and was trying to impress her with information about Scottish History. He asked mum a question and she rattled off all she knew about what we had learned during our visit--and the next thing I know, he reached for his walkie talkie and said "Security--get this lady a uniform, we need to start her immediately. She's about 5'9, 5'8, petite build..." Mum and I both giggled and got a kick out of it, especially mum. Inside that same building were books of Scottish men and women who have served in Scottish Forces--from the army, to airforce, to navy, etc. The only force we saw Saunders in was the Airforce--neat considering that both my dad and uncle were in the US Airforce!!
Once we left Edinburgh, we drove and drove to Jedburgh which is on the border of Scotland. The staff at the tourist office were so nice. They gave us these certificates showing we had visited Scotland for our keepsake.
Leaving Edinburgh, we planned next to go to NewCastle. We didn't realize how big Newcastle was--it's like a huge college city. Mum drove in and then wanted to drive out--traffic was crazy and everyone was in a hurry. We were glad to leave although we didn't get to hear the unique accents. :( When in Jedburgh I had purchased a Sound of the Music cd for 10pence at a little store--so mum and I sang the Hills are Alive! to get us to York where we checked into our Youth Hostel.
The York Hostel officially made me not the biggest fans of hostels. The girls in our room were so wordly I didn't feel safe. We took to the streets to see the city and went to Whackers to taste their famous Fish and Chips. Mum didn't care so much for her's because there was no tartar sauce, but mine weren't too bad. That night we probably got a few hours of sleep--but when we discovered that we worth both awake around 4:40ish and not sleepy, we left the room and went for a drive. We came back to the Hostel around 7ish to pack up and get out of there lol then went back downtown to explore some more. We went to Betty's Tea Room which is quite popular. I ordered the full tea for mum and I to share and mum also got the hot chocolate which was a little too rich for my taste but she loved it. The full tea came with a roasted chix sandwich, a smoked sandwhich (although good, it didn't look cooked!), a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam (delicious) and some yummy house tea. Half way through our late breakfast, a pianist came in and started playing "All I Ask of You" from the Phantom of the Opera. It just made my morning. :) Oh, the full tea also came with a mini coffee chocolate coffee cupcake which was delicious!!! a lemon macaroon filled with yorkshire lemon curd, and a fruity custard cake. The service was extremely slow and our waitress never checked on us--we had to wait forever to get the bill until I finally flagged down one of the young ladies clearing tables around us. I think our waitress could tell we weren't VIP customers' and was busy...? Although the tea and select items were good, the service was disappointing.
From there we drove through Nottingham (Robin Hood) and Derby (Mr. Darcy from P&P) but they were just big cities which mum was scared to drive and I don't blame her. We were able to see reminents of Sherwood Forest during our drive to locate the iconic place--but no sight of Sir Guy!! hahaha (Kevin just contested my spelling of Sir Guy, thinking it was Gai (what?), but after some online research, well...as you noticed, my spelling hasn't changed! lol).
I'll continue the rest of our journey later....later alligator~!
Second Day in Scotland
Friday, after another filling breakfast which included Haggis (like peppery sausage, but when you know what it's made of, it is hard to eat!), we drove to Perth where Scone Palace is. On the way, Mum and I broke out in a "Irish Lullaby"...too bad there isn't a "Scottish" lullaby so that we could have been geographically correct. Mum and I were trying to guess how they pronounced 'Scone'--was it like the scone you eat? According to the staff, it's pronounced 'Scoone'. This was mum's and mine's favorite Palace/Castle. The family, Murray's, still live in the Palace in the upper floors and their are pictures of them throughout the grand rooms. The Scone Palace once claimed ownership of the Stone of Destiny (make me think of King Arthur for some reason). Kings and Queens are crowned on the Stone of Destiny which is now located at Edinburgh Castle. England borrows the Stone for ceremonial functions, and will do so whenever either Prince Charles or Prince William will be crowned in the future. Scone Palace was opened up to the public in 1966 (probably because the family needed the financial boost). The Palace hosts a large star-like shaped maze. Mum and I went inside, thinking our minds could get us to the exit--but all we got was lost! I started joking that we were never going to get home in tribute to mum haha.
Mum and I loved Perth. In fact, everyone is Scotland, even just random people walking by, are sooo friendly. For instance, we'd be in line at a grocery store and ask the cashier advice on how to get to our next destination, and they would leave their post, walk us outside, and give us directions. Overhearing customers would even wait to help as well. Perth had great shops and a lovely little bakery where mum and I tried several delicious pastries! Yum!
After we left Perth, we figured we had just enough time to drive to Edinburgh and see the much anticipated castle located in the popular city. In case you're looking for a new term to describe how a car can be affected by the wind on the motorway, we have just the one for you thanks to mum--it's called "Fish Knife". By combining the two phrases "Fish Tail" and "Jack Knife" we now have a term to describe the occurance of both. :)
On the way to Edinburgh, we drove through Corosterphine (spelling?) and saw a few shops lining the street that we just had to check out. According to mum's calculation, we had enough time to get a bit of shopping in and still see the castle. We parked in a residential area (with permission from the homeowner) and walked over to our intended destination. In one of the shops I found a Doris Day cd!! Doris Day of all artists--so I bought it being a fan and mum and I listened to it later on the road.
When we came back to our car a little later, we discovered that someone had hit the driver's side mirror and left it dangling with no information, etc. It was very upsetting. Not only did we think we'd have to get a new car, but this pretty much ruined the rest of our plans for the day. After making some calls and checking out the mirror, mum discovered that she was able to put it back together herself, and when driving it to a local agency, the agent was even able to electronically move the window (you know, like the up, down, left, right function on the door panel). So, we were relieved to find we could keep the car and get on with the rest of our day. Now that we didn't have enough time to do Edinbugth Castle justice, we opted to drive by the ruins of the Linlithgow Castle not too far away. We got there just in time to snap a few pictures and then went back to our comfortable B&B.
Mum and I loved Perth. In fact, everyone is Scotland, even just random people walking by, are sooo friendly. For instance, we'd be in line at a grocery store and ask the cashier advice on how to get to our next destination, and they would leave their post, walk us outside, and give us directions. Overhearing customers would even wait to help as well. Perth had great shops and a lovely little bakery where mum and I tried several delicious pastries! Yum!
After we left Perth, we figured we had just enough time to drive to Edinburgh and see the much anticipated castle located in the popular city. In case you're looking for a new term to describe how a car can be affected by the wind on the motorway, we have just the one for you thanks to mum--it's called "Fish Knife". By combining the two phrases "Fish Tail" and "Jack Knife" we now have a term to describe the occurance of both. :)
On the way to Edinburgh, we drove through Corosterphine (spelling?) and saw a few shops lining the street that we just had to check out. According to mum's calculation, we had enough time to get a bit of shopping in and still see the castle. We parked in a residential area (with permission from the homeowner) and walked over to our intended destination. In one of the shops I found a Doris Day cd!! Doris Day of all artists--so I bought it being a fan and mum and I listened to it later on the road.
When we came back to our car a little later, we discovered that someone had hit the driver's side mirror and left it dangling with no information, etc. It was very upsetting. Not only did we think we'd have to get a new car, but this pretty much ruined the rest of our plans for the day. After making some calls and checking out the mirror, mum discovered that she was able to put it back together herself, and when driving it to a local agency, the agent was even able to electronically move the window (you know, like the up, down, left, right function on the door panel). So, we were relieved to find we could keep the car and get on with the rest of our day. Now that we didn't have enough time to do Edinbugth Castle justice, we opted to drive by the ruins of the Linlithgow Castle not too far away. We got there just in time to snap a few pictures and then went back to our comfortable B&B.
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