Coast to Coast: Travels Across the Pond :) Part 3

Hopefully this is the last post on my Europe adventures. So much has happened since that I really should be moving on from this adventure and describing the others that have occurred since.

We began the journey to Paris early Tuesday morning. After staying up late after Chicago and packing, we were lucky to get out of bed and down to breakfast on time. We loaded up in the coach and headed to Dover, England. Yes this is where the White Cliffs of Dover are as well as Dover castle, which are both quite pretty! We took a HUGE ferry boat across the English channel, leaving the white cliffs behind us. The ride was only about an hour long and Katie and I entertained ourselves, first by getting a snack and then by playing Uno the rest of the way. ( I had included Uno, Dutch Blitz, and a pack of playing cards in my on board pack just in case).

We arrived in France on the beaches of Normandy. After disembarking the ferry via coach we again set out towards Paris. After a quick stop at Vimmy ridge, a WWI memorial for the Canadians, and another pit stop to get some petrol we arrived at our hotel. Now I must say, European hotel rooms are nothing like American hotel rooms. They are extremely small, and the light systems are insanely screwy. However, after some maneuvering, Katie and I got settled in.

We had dinner at the hotel and then set out for the Eiffel Tower, my absolute dream! We got there a bit early and took pictures in front of the tower before heading up the elevator. Unfortunately by the time we got our tickets it had started to sprinkle. And this was a very COLD sprinkle! But I was way too excited to care so I headed up and made sure Katie accompanied me to the very tippiest top possible! We took pictures of the view and of each other and finally made the journey back to the ground. At 11 o'clock the tower began to sparkle as thousands of blinking lights turned on and off. It was a beautiful scene to behold!!!

Another late night resulted in missing breakfast, but we were not discouraged and headed out Wednesday morning with the bus. One of my most favorite activities was next, bike riding! Katie and I opted to take the optional bike tour of Paris. I have to say I loved it! Our tour guides name was Caroline and she was extremely sweet and informative! I really enjoyed myself during this dominating of Parisian roads and taking pictures while riding. Katie was a little less enthused, but thankfully she indulged me and I think she had a pretty good time as well.

After our bike tour, we headed off again to tour Napolean's tomb and the military museum. D.J. my brother, had requested a rock from the inside of the tomb as his souvenir so, with Katie's help, I found him one. The museum was pretty interesting aside from the fact that I was literally falling asleep on my feet. After trudging through the museum for a while, we finally made our way out and found some really yummy baguette sandwiches from a little kiosk right outside the Lourve.

We caught the bus back to our hotel and immediately collapsed into bed. Yes, we did sleep a little while on this trip though not nearly enough! After waking up at 11 p.m. we decided it was slightly late to head out for dinner so we took showers, read a little, got on Facebook to keep our families updated, and collapsed back into bed for a total of 12 hours of sleep. It was glorious!

Thursday included a tour of a Parisian perfumery as well as a tour of the Palace of Versailles. In the few spare hours between tours, Katie and I headed to Notre Dame. We were there during a Catholic holiday which included mass around 1 pm. We heard the choir singing and the priest while touring the church. The Rose windows are both beautiful and I was extremely glad we got to tour this amazing part of history.

The Palace of Versailles is something to behold! It is absolutely beautiful with unique paintings on each room's ceiling. The hall of mirrors is nothing short of breath-taking with the sun shining through the windows and lighting up the whole room. Again we had a tour guide, a little English lady who did a magnificent job of speaking above the dull roar that the crowded palace created.

A trip up the mountain to the Sacre Crour or sacred heart ended our time in Paris. This cathedral on the hill provides a breathtaking view of the city below. Quaint gift shops and artisans line the street on this hilltop outlier. We killed a couple hours browsing through the shops and watching a mime on the street.

After heading back to the hotel we packed our things, made a plan with another pair of girls for getting to the airport the next morning and headed to bed.

The last adventure began early with a search for the metro line, buying tickets and riding the metro, carrying our huge bags up and down stairs as we switched metro lines, and finally getting onto the train without tickets to get to the airport. Needless to say, without a train ticket we were stuck inside the train station when we got off at the airport terminal. A random lady let us through the gate just as we were starting to panic. I was extremely ready to get on the plane after that! The metro and train ride cost a total of a Euro 70. Amazing and yet slightly dicey.

The plane ride home was long without sleep for me and without a chair that leans back. However, I made it home safely and ready to sleep.

So sorry these are out of order, not really sure what happened during the upload process.