I’ve wanted to go to Paris since my ninth grade French class in high school. I finally made my first trip about ten years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve been twice since and am heading back to Paris and London this summer with my granddaughters. I can’t wait to show them the things I love about Paris.
Paris
My most recent trip was with some friends. We stayed in Paris for three days, then went to London by train. In Paris, we stayed in an apartment further away from the Champs-Elysees than I had before, but still very accessible to everything Paris has to offer. It was fairly easy to get around walking or by the Paris Metro. I tend to get turned around easily on underground transportation, but the Paris Metro worked well for us.
As always, I went to the museums while in Paris. I love the impressionists—Monet, Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh and so on. They have so many wonderful works in the Louvre and Orsay (Musee d’Orsay) Museums. Here are a few of my favorites.
I’ve been by the Eiffel tower each time I’ve been to Paris, but I never took the time to stand in line and go to the top. Definitely worth the wait. The views are incredible. I will never forget when I saw the Eiffel Tower on my first trip to Paris, I had just left my hotel to take a walk. Winding my way through the streets I finally reached the Seine, looked up, and there it was. It was magical, and a dream come true for me.
Don’t miss Notre Dame or Montmartre in Paris either. They are both just lovely.
We found a great little café near Montmartre where we sat for a while, had lunch, and people watched. So much fun!
My friends and I traveled to London by train. It was so much fun. Not nearly as crowded as a plane and a much more relaxed trip. I would definitely recommend the train. We will be using it again this summer with my granddaughters.
London
We were in London for three days. London was a new destination for me, with tons of new things to see. What an amazing trip, Paris and London in a week.
In London, we took the Hop On Hop Off bus tour the first day. The bus tour worked out great and gave us a good sense of our location in the city and what we really wanted to see. We also saw many things that we would not have seen had we only gone to the main sites.
While riding the bus, we saw this piece of work dedicated to the Women of World War II. It is beautiful. Glad we saw it.
Just a couple of blocks from our hotel was this wonderful little restaurant. I had the fish and chips of course. I was in heaven. Best I’ve had I think. Check it out if you’re in London some time.
Went by Westminster Abbey, it was undergoing a facelift, but beautiful just the same. The architecture is gorgeous.
Buckingham Palace looked just as I had imagined it would. Having seen so many pictures and news footage of the royal family on the balcony, it all seemed very familiar. I had to get a picture of the guard as well.
Our hotel was near Trafalgar Square. It was Easter weekend so things were pretty busy. We were very excited to see a performance of the Passion Play in Trafalgar Square.
Tower of London was a cool place particularly the Crown Jewels. Be prepared to wait in line if you make the trip to see the Crown Jewels, but they are worth the wait. Totally was into learning the history of the place too. Did you know that Anne Boleyn, the third wife of Henry VIII was executed at the Tower of London?
London Bridge from the Tower of London
We also took some time to go to Stonehenge, scientists believe Stonehenge was constructed about 5,000 years ago. All very mysterious with no one being absolutely certain how the stones all ended up in this place.
I can’t wait to go back to London again this summer with my granddaughters. Check us out in July for more about the next trip.
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