England Trip: Days 5 and 6

Day 5 was a big day; the trip to Paris. We got up at 3:30am and caught the bus (the only thing running that early) to St. Pancres Station. The Eurostar left at 5:25am. We ended up in Paris a bit after 9am. Bought a booklet of tickets and then took the RER train to Versialles.

Versailles was neat but not as big as we thought it would be. Only took a couple of hours to get through the palace. We walked around the garden a bit but it was (again) very cold and windy...there was ice in the ponds. So being outside wasn't at all pleasant. We snapped a couple of picks and then took the RER back to Paris.

We popped out at the Eiffle Tower, snapped some picks, and then took the Metro to Notre Dame. We ate in a nice cafe right across from Notre Dame. The French service at cafes was very good, even if we were all a little confused communicating. Lyle found out the Coca-cola is expensive in France and I found out the mulled wine is very yummy and cheap.

After lunch we went to Notre Dame. Notre Dame was awesome, we opted not to climb up this tower since our legs were hurting from the day before. Instead we walked along the river to the Lourve. The walk was nice, if chilly, Paris is a much prettier city than London. The buildings are more spaced apart and the scenery prettier. The Lourve was absolutely amazing. It is bigger than you could ever imagine. It was fabulous to see some works of art I had previously studied in my art classes. We got to see a number of amazing works including Mona Lisa, Victory of Samirath (sp?), some Michaelangelo pieces and many other amazing things. We only walked through two floors. My knee has decided enough was enough and was actually threatening to just collapse. So we ate a pain au chocolate and had some lemonade. Then left to see the Arch of Triumph. The Arc of Triumph was impressive.

Then we had dinner over at a pizza place and made our way back to Gard du Nord with a couple hours to spare. The train station was freezing so we went into a cafe and drank water and played cards for a while. Then we got back on the Eurostar and went home. We saw a lot of neat stuff in Paris, so it was well worth the trip.

Today, Day 6, we decided to chill. I was having trouble walking, so we slept in. Then we went to Westminster Abbey and took the full audio tour, taking our time and sitting and enjoying the amazing sites. No pictures allowed in here I am afraid. It was very nice. Then we went back to Oxford street so I could get shopping out of my system. We shopped for three hours, much to Lyle's dismay. I found some amazing clothing and Lyle even found a nice sweater. I will have to discuss my favorite shops later. We came back took a nap, ate at Pret again, and now we are fixing to go see Alice in Wonderland. So a much more relaxed day.

Anyway, I have to go catch a movie so more later. Maybe we will even get some pictures posted tonight!