Paris

Highlights:

Orangerie  - tick!

Eiffel Tower - tick! 

Unabridged: 

I arrived into Gare de Lyon and had a bit of a mission trying to buy tickets (machine broken) and find the correct lines (some stations closed). I hadn't really sussed out how to get to the hostel, but I had been there before, and it's more fun without a map right?!

Had a guy take pity on me on the metro - I was all good but I guess the fact that I was carrying my home on my back on a hot summers day was a bit fascinating for him?! I was a bit suspicious of someone being nice to me...  Been sucked in in Paris before! 

Anyway, found the hostel - Richard and Rohani - St Christopher's Inn - the memories....  Walked into reception to the sounds of The Offspring - 'why don't you get a job' blearing, which somehow made me feel young and oh so old all at the same time!  Anyway Uncle R and Aunty R, nothing has changed (expect perhaps me!!!) :-). 

Went for a walk in the rain...

and found this Geode thing - apparently an IMAX theatre. 

Went back near the hostel and found some food-

... before calling it a night.  

Had a lazy start the next morning and found some yoghurt, muesli and a friand - balanced breakfast? And found somewhere cool to eat it:

The mission for Paris was

1) to visit musuem de organerie - missed it last time because I was far too busy eating an ice cream by the big round pond in the Tuileries Garden!  Originally I just wanted to go there to see the building 'cause most Orangerys I have seen have been very cool!  However, just before I left a friend told me there was actually something pretty cool to see inside!  And she was right! Always cool seeing real art up real close! 

(Orangerie - tick!)

2) To go to the top of the Eiffel Tower - in 2007 I got the ticket but chickened out... And I had also decided that I wanted to walk the steps (from ground to second floor). I queued up for the south pillar and realised that I wasn't allowed to take my knife/fork/spoon set it.  The security guard helped me hide it outside and it was there when I got back down - bonus!  Anyway, walked to the second floor 

and straight into the queue for the lifts to the top - no chickening out this time Spooner!  

(Had a holy cr@p moment when I am saw the date - how could it be August already?!)

Chatted to a girl from Spain who lives in London, to pass the time. I may have had my eyes closed for the ride in the lift, but once I got up the top it was sweet. Yay! ;-) TICK!

Apart for that I just walked around, lots!  

And lots...! 

So, from Eiffel Tower to Arc de Triomphe down Champs de élysées (stopping to but some macaron and a real nice cup of tea on the way)!

Down to the Grand Palais and Petite Palais (love those two!) 

(Grand - face pressed against glass...)

(Petite)

then up to the Opera, 

and my street :-) 

(where I found a yummy ham and cheese crepe, because I needed to use the toilet!). 

Ate the crepe back in the Tuileries Garden while  watching the big red sun set behind the arc de trimuph along champ de élysées.  I then continued my mission along the Seine to Notre Dame.  It was probably almost too late to be walking along the Seine but there were people around so I was ok.  Oh, the funniest thing...  There were five or six British sitting on the side of the Siene.  A tour boat came past, and they decided to do a Mexican wave and yell out a French greeting. I may have joined in too - who can resist a Mexican wave right? The (other) tourists, the ones on the boat, loved it and replied.   I am sure they're telling there mates about the friendly French on the river bank in Paris ... He he he!

The were some performers outside Notre Dame and I hung round for twenty minutes or so.  I quite like just having a look at big buildings like that - even though I have been there before.  Still pretty darn impressive.  Next on the agenda (and perhaps I should mention it was about 10pm...) was to see if I could get to Sacre Cour - reckoned it would be pretty cool at night. 

I wasn't sure what time the metro closed - I remember running for the last train back in 2008 after I had been to see the Eiffel Tower with some guys from Busabout, but had no idea what time that was!  Anyway, quizzed some locals and found it was half twelve - sweet, plenty of time!  

Decided to get out at a station called Barbès-Rochechouart and after exiting the station, let's just say it would be an understatement to say I felt a wee but uncomfortable!  So, found the door to go back in and went to the next station - Anvers.  There were heaps of tourists around.  The streets to Sacre Cour were well lit and full of souvenir and food shops.  Sweet.  There is a funicular up to Sacre Cour but heck, why not top a 15km + walking day off with some more steps?  

There was lots going on, live music, people selling bottles of heiniekin out of a box, poeple trying to talk to me and sell me stuff.  I found myself a place on the steps and sat there for a bit and looked at the lights. Couldn't see the Eiffel Tower which is weird cause I could see the reciprocal view earlier that day - maybe it wasn't lit up? 

I sat outside an Irish pub for a while listening to this guy:

After I while I decided I should go home.  Was a bit concerned about getting from the metro station to the hostel by myself, however, I found a lost looking backpacker and asked if she was off to the hostel too.  I think her name was Lauren and she was in Paris to be an apprentice bespoke men's tailor - freaking cool!!! Anyway, we got a bit lost but then found our way home safe.  

Shared a room with a bunch of people, as you do in a hostel, but this night it included Mr Plastic Bag Man.  Hey Mr Plastic Bag Man play a song.... Actually no, wait, I am sure your mum told you it was a good idea to put everything in plastic bags, but if you check into a hostel at 2am, feel free to jingle jangle and rustle your plastic bags in the hall way!!! 

Next morning I got up and went to the local supermarket for food but it was closed.  Weird.  Back to the hostel for free breakfast of cocoa pops, apples juice and a (takeaway...;p) Jam baguette and decided to head for the bus and to find food for the trip there.  Couldn't find any but figured I'd be sweet until we got to the ferry. Except, it turns out the some of the £20 buses now take the train - dammit! So, I survived on what little food I had, and little water, and some rose flavoured cough lollies... Until we got to the boarder check just out of Calais where I spent the last of my Euros on some Peanut M&Ms and something from Haribo.  I got a real hard time from boarder control.  Thinking back I should have pulled out all the baby photos to prove why I was going to London, and my house photos and mortgage details to show why I will be going home!!! Lucky I have the AirNZ app so I could prove I had tickets home!  

Back on the bus I made a new friend - a chick who also got a hard time.  Turns out she was a singer/songwriter from Canada, so talking to her passed some time!  She invited me to a gig she was doing that week, but unfortunately I was tucked up in bed sick that night so couldn't go.  Gutted,as it was at a vintage dress shop that is converted into a bar at night. 

Anyway, we crossed the channel in a bus, in a train, in a tunnel.  

And yes. It was a bit weird. And stinking hot!!!  The rest of the bus trip was long, and luckily there was wifi to keep me entertained! 

(Memories of Busabout much?! ;p )

James and Marghi had car so picked  me up from Victoria Coach Station.  

And finally, I got to meet this little one.  

Yep.

(Um, who's this?!)

And,there have been more adventures since then, but they can wait for another installment.  Right now it's time for cuddles and changing nappies and Dad and Aunty Stacey trying to break the latest record for how much milk we can get into a bubba before bedtime.  

And super cute smiles and conversations.  

And reading Baxter Basics.  

And cuddles, did I mention the cuddles? :-) x

A little bit of London and the REAL France! :-)

Highlights:

Flying into Heathrow along the Thames 

An awesome evening in Balham

A walk in the gardens

Flying over Paris

And, the real France - the people, the food, the scenery - all of it!

Bulk photos....  Maybe later!

Unabridged version: 

We flew in over London (awesome views right from Greenwich to Hyde Park etc! So darn cool!!!) My Oyster Card still had 1 pound 10p on it - winning!  It was an awesome first 24hrs back in London - riding the tube, going for a walk down Holland Road, finding out cherries were still in season, and catching the train to Balham to meet a friend.

We went to the pub for a pint of cider 

and then hung out at another pub that used to be a bowling club,

before dinner at a Lebanese restaurant (that served pink lemonade and an amazingly yummy coconut and almond steamed milk drink, while drinking which I learnt a most valuable lesson about how not to go about drinking steamed milk through a straw!!!)

Thanks for helping me with my mission to not fall asleep as soon as I got off the plane Ben! :-)

Thursday morning went for a walk to Kensington Gardens before heading back to Heathrow to get my flight to Geneva.

We flew over Paris - man it is huge! Surprisingly I couldn't see the Eiffel Tower sticking up into the clouds! ;p

Before I get on to the next bit, I better explain who I was going to visit, for those who have not met Agnes and John.  

Back in 2004 we had a French surveyor work at RPC.  And was also part of the crazy group of chickies below known as the Tri Club Women's Group! :) 

She told me at the time to come visit one day.  When I lived here in London In 2007 Agnes and John were living near Kilkenny in Ireland.  They are now living in Annecy in France.  So finally I made good on my promise to visit the real France (Paris isn't counted)! 

I flew from London to Geneva (Switzerland).  John picked me up from the airport.  We picked up Agnes and headed home where they cooked a traditional dish for dinner. It contained onions, bacon, potatoes and cream, and the best bit - a whole round of cheese, cut in half, and put on the top.  It was amazing! 

Next morning we headed to a live show with eagles and vultures, and then had lunch.  The bread (which came free with my salad) was good! As was the macaron...!  

(French Fire Engine - extraspecially for you Dad!)

(Mum, an idea for the shop - the cashiers (or maybe we should call them 'card'iers) don't handle cash, to reduce the risk of robbery). 

After lunch we visited Santa Claus's house - someone with a very good imagination had created it!  Unfortunately Santa was sleeping (and snoring very loudly!) so I couldn't ask him for world peace and perhaps a new set of wheels.

(Trying out the sleigh)

We then went to this pool complex - Vitam:

So many swimming pools, slides and spas!!! I did a 2km swim - weird having to swim up the other side of the lane! The pool was awesome - stainless steal.  We then tried out the spas and saunas (48 degrees -phew!!!) before hitting the slides.  SO. MUCH. FUN!!!  

I also really enjoyed driving (correction - being driven, thanks John!) through the little villages and the farmland. Collections of houses around pretty church's.  Fields of sunflowers.  So pretty, and much better than being stuck on a bus on a highway. 

I was so worn out that night, I slept through what was apparently a massive thunder storm, during which Agnes came into the lounge where I was sleeping to bring the washing in.  Go the jet lag!!! 

The following day we went into Annecy, hired bikes and rode along the lake.  Had lunch out there (including a crepe) before returning. 

I went for a dip in the lake - it was beautiful even though my companions thought I was crazy... Hehe!  We then went up to a mountain pass to watch people paraponting, and look at the view.  It was pretty amazing!  

(Continuing Professional Development - boundary mark!)

Had dinner on the way back into the city - Agnes ordered frogs legs so I could try a couple - frogs legs tick!  Thank you!

(Sharing a Coke with my French sister!) 

There was supposed to be a massive fireworks display - instead there was a massive downpour, so we headed home. 

Sunday we went back into Annecy to have a look around the old town.  It is quite beautiful. 

There was a market on. Bulk cheese (I told Agnes one of the samples tasted like marmite (something she doesn't miss from NZ) and I think we almost had a punch-up in the street! ;p) bulk nougat, fruit, veggies, super sized meringues etc! I got some raspberries and cherries - yum!

On to Lyon in the afternoon where we had an adventure finding the train station :-) and headed into the old centre for a traditional lunch - yum! 

And traditional dessert....

It was then time to catch the fast train to Paris!  I had wanted to take the fast train in France for ages.  My allocated seat was rear facing, but,'unfortunately' someone was in it.  So I took the opportunity to grab a forward facing window seat and managed to keep it for the whole journey.   My mission was to try and stay awake.  At first it looked doubtful as there was a thunderstorm and rain but five or ten minutes up the track the sun was out, and me and Mumford and Sons sat and watched the pretty little villages and fields of sunflowers and areas of bush pass by. 

Thanks so much Agnes and John - you guys really are most awesome hosts.  I feel totally spoilt to have such awesome guides and I had a great time seeing the REAL France!  It was great to hang out with you both again.  :-)

And John Patterson, I am super grateful to you and John R for employing us a French surveyor back in 2004! :-)

That's all for now.  Stayed tuned

For the next edition - Paris! :-)