Breakfast today was quite good. Many of these hotel breakfasts have grapefruit juice and huge field mushrooms, so breakfast is usually quite good. Also, I didn't have to pack this morning because we are staying here for another night! Phew!
In the coach on the way to Stonehenge, a storyteller told us a few myths and legends and the like, and then she had us try to 'divine answers' to yes or no questions using pendulums. I didn't really participate; I like to watch my own future take place, thanks. *rolls eyes*
Stonehenge is really interesting and beautiful and all, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Harry Potter. There are so many Harry Potter related places here. We could have stayed in Oxford and seen the library! We didnt even get to see the library! Oh well. I got a Stonehenge postcard. I like sending postcards.
After Stonehenge we went to Avesbury (why?!) and then to Lacock. Lacock is one of the prettiest towns I have ever seen. It has doubled for both Budleigh Babberton and Godric's Hollow. We got to see the Potter's house and Dad and I had lunch in the restaurant that Harry and Dumbledore walk past when going to where Slughorn's staying. Also, during our walk around Lacock, I saw a little boy, no older than three, hanging out of his window, hitting the frame with a toy hammer. And there wasn't a thread of clothing to be seen on this child.
Knees weak with laughing at the kid, we made our way to the Abbey. Our group hit the gift shop first, where basically everyone bought the same thing: an extensive guide to Harry Potter locations. Dad got the last copy! :O It was close.
Lacock Abbey houses Snape's first classroom, Quirrell's classroom, another one of the courtyards that I love, and McGonagall's classroom/Mirror of Erised classroom. Also, our guide tried to tell us that room also had the flying keys in it, but it looks too small. I think that must have been a set.
After the tour of the abbey, Dad and I set off to find the house that Slughorn used, but we never could find it. But we did find a neast old graveyard with all sorts of wacky crumbling headstones.
Back in Oxford, we had free time to shop. I found some lovely boutiques, but they were closing almost as soon as we walked in so I didn't get anything. :( The stores here all close early.
25 July 2011
Day 8: First Filming Locations!
Americans really are lazy. Its really quite incredible. I've noticed that Parisians are very lean, because they walk everywhere, and Londoners are mostly too, but now that I'm surrounded by Americans I'm marvelling at how fat everybody is! These bigger people have bigger luggage, as well. I swear some people are packing around people in their bags. Didn't anyone tell these guys that the joke, "Let me come in your suitcase!" is just a joke? Anyway, back to the original thought: today we were told that if we wished so we could leav our luggage outisde our door for the porters to load onto the coach. Dad and I were like the only people that brought our luggage to the lobby ourselves.
Sigh. Whatever.
Eventually everyone boarded the tour coach and we began touring! XD First we visited the London film sites, of course. We went to the first Leaky Cauldron, which is pharmacy; Gringotts; the second Leaky Cauldron, a flower shop; and visited King's Cross and St. Pancras. Platforms 9 and 10 are under renovation right now, so we couldn't go in and take pictures of ourselves pushing the half-trolley at Platform 9 3/4. :( But we did see the platforms 4 and 5, which played 9 and 10 in the movie. St. Pancras's exterior doubles for King's Cross in the movie because, well, King's Cross is boring and St. Pancras looks amazing. We also walked on the Millenium Bridge and saw St Paul's Cathedral, although the tour group hadn't scheduled for us to go in.
Then we went to Oxford. There was much farmland to be seen on the way.
Yippee, we visited Christ Church! (and the others, that I can't remember their names...) Home to the staircase in which the first years wait to be Sorted, the Great Hall in PS, the courtyards, the outdoorish corridors (I got my picture sitting in a window!), the Hogwarts library, and the tree by which Draco was turned into a ferret by Moody Crouch Jr.
After walking around the colleges for several hours (we were the only tour group today that got to see everything!) we checked into our hotel, and then were turned loose into Oxford for dinner. In town, Dad bought a postcard. For dinner, we found an itty bitty place that sold pasties, so we had those and toffee cheesecake. It was very yummy.
You know, bus stops here have anti-homeless person benches. They are just wide enough for someone to sit on, but they are rounded so if you were to try to lay on one you would instantly roll right off!
Sigh. Whatever.
Eventually everyone boarded the tour coach and we began touring! XD First we visited the London film sites, of course. We went to the first Leaky Cauldron, which is pharmacy; Gringotts; the second Leaky Cauldron, a flower shop; and visited King's Cross and St. Pancras. Platforms 9 and 10 are under renovation right now, so we couldn't go in and take pictures of ourselves pushing the half-trolley at Platform 9 3/4. :( But we did see the platforms 4 and 5, which played 9 and 10 in the movie. St. Pancras's exterior doubles for King's Cross in the movie because, well, King's Cross is boring and St. Pancras looks amazing. We also walked on the Millenium Bridge and saw St Paul's Cathedral, although the tour group hadn't scheduled for us to go in.
Then we went to Oxford. There was much farmland to be seen on the way.
Yippee, we visited Christ Church! (and the others, that I can't remember their names...) Home to the staircase in which the first years wait to be Sorted, the Great Hall in PS, the courtyards, the outdoorish corridors (I got my picture sitting in a window!), the Hogwarts library, and the tree by which Draco was turned into a ferret by Moody Crouch Jr.
After walking around the colleges for several hours (we were the only tour group today that got to see everything!) we checked into our hotel, and then were turned loose into Oxford for dinner. In town, Dad bought a postcard. For dinner, we found an itty bitty place that sold pasties, so we had those and toffee cheesecake. It was very yummy.
You know, bus stops here have anti-homeless person benches. They are just wide enough for someone to sit on, but they are rounded so if you were to try to lay on one you would instantly roll right off!
Day 7: Little Old...Nerds?
Today we woke up promptly at 7 and packed to check out of the hotel. Today is the beginning of our Harry Potter tour!
After we had eaten and checked out we went to Earl's Court station, the station we left from every day, and there by the entrance I noticed something I had never seen my whole time here!
A big, old fashioned, blue police phone box!
Oh, my joy and ecstasy as I took off my backpack and began to take photographs of myself standing in front of it. I would have gone inside, but the door wouldn't open. But I still saw an actual TARDIS!!! :D
Anyway. Back to the real world. The real world is filled with large and confusing train stations, and it took us a very long time to figure out how to get to our hotel in east London. Once we got there, we hurriedly checked in and grabbed a cab to our street art tour. I took probably way too many pictures. This particular tour, I thought, started out fairly interesting. We saw, well, a lot of professional graffiti. After two hours though it all began to look the same. So I stopped paying attention to the guide and the graffiti and just wished it would end.
When it finally did, Dad and I returned to the hotel to meet up with our tour group. And guess what? My group is filled with little old ladies! I didn't even know little old ladies could be Harry Potter nerds! I thought most of them either thought it was witchcraft and devil worship or else just didn't really care. You learn something every day, I guess....
After we recieved our lanyards and itineraries, we were set free to go take naps. Geez, I was tired, and I've decided I miss my own pillow. It's the kind with a dent in the middle, and hotels always have like six enormous fluffy pillows that I am now sick of.
We woke up just in time to go eat dinner. Dad and I sat with Ellen and Judith, two little old ladies from Florida. They were wearing their house shirts that they got from the theme park. I quite like them (the ladies, not their shirts).
Our hotel is in the docklands, so its right by the Thames. Dad and I took a walk around the area after dinner, but didn't find anything more interesting than an old sandwich and a 'no fouling' sign, both of which we laughed hysterically at. We probably laughed more at the sign though. No Fouling...hehe.
After we had eaten and checked out we went to Earl's Court station, the station we left from every day, and there by the entrance I noticed something I had never seen my whole time here!
A big, old fashioned, blue police phone box!
Oh, my joy and ecstasy as I took off my backpack and began to take photographs of myself standing in front of it. I would have gone inside, but the door wouldn't open. But I still saw an actual TARDIS!!! :D
Anyway. Back to the real world. The real world is filled with large and confusing train stations, and it took us a very long time to figure out how to get to our hotel in east London. Once we got there, we hurriedly checked in and grabbed a cab to our street art tour. I took probably way too many pictures. This particular tour, I thought, started out fairly interesting. We saw, well, a lot of professional graffiti. After two hours though it all began to look the same. So I stopped paying attention to the guide and the graffiti and just wished it would end.
When it finally did, Dad and I returned to the hotel to meet up with our tour group. And guess what? My group is filled with little old ladies! I didn't even know little old ladies could be Harry Potter nerds! I thought most of them either thought it was witchcraft and devil worship or else just didn't really care. You learn something every day, I guess....
After we recieved our lanyards and itineraries, we were set free to go take naps. Geez, I was tired, and I've decided I miss my own pillow. It's the kind with a dent in the middle, and hotels always have like six enormous fluffy pillows that I am now sick of.
We woke up just in time to go eat dinner. Dad and I sat with Ellen and Judith, two little old ladies from Florida. They were wearing their house shirts that they got from the theme park. I quite like them (the ladies, not their shirts).
Our hotel is in the docklands, so its right by the Thames. Dad and I took a walk around the area after dinner, but didn't find anything more interesting than an old sandwich and a 'no fouling' sign, both of which we laughed hysterically at. We probably laughed more at the sign though. No Fouling...hehe.
Day 6: Tate and Tennant
Today we didn't sleep in, but I was really slow getting out of bed. Oh, and then as I was getting ready for the day I realised I had left the purple tights at the restaurant yesterday! We were going back to Harrod's later anyway, so we decided to go back and look in the restaurant too.
Once we got out of our hotel, we made our way to the river for our boat ride! We got there early, so we ate breakfast at the building next to the Eye, and I feel really pathetic for not remembering what it was called.
After breakfast we went to our pier and our guide gave us rain jackets to wear under our life vests. They were really nice, because it was pretty cold. Then we hopped into the boat and went on a speedy adventure down the Thames! It was amazing. Our guide was really funny and had a Northern accent, so it made it all the better. ^_^ Except halfway through it started raining, and speeding down the river into the rain proved rather painful. By the end my hair was becoming dreadlocks.
We went back to the hotel to warm up and get our umbrellas, and then went to Harrod's! On the way of course we stopped at the Persian restaurant for lunch and they had found and saved my tights! :) And this time in Harrod's my feet were dry, and I got my first pair of platform heels. THey are epic.
We dropped off the shopping at our hotel room, and then took the underground to Wyndham's Theatre to see MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. I was rather looking forward to seeing David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Onstage, in person, from the second row.
We always get to our theatres early so we can walk around their neighbourhood and eat dinner before we see the play. I got a Union flag t-shirt, and we went to M&Ms World and got a bag of fancy M&Ms. They actually tasted creamier than ones you get at the store, probably because they were a lot fresher. This place, you know, is three levels of stuffed M&Ms, M&Ms magnets, toys, bags, shirts, and generally junk that you would throw out after a few years. It was amazing!
After we escaped the M&Ms, we ate dinner at a lovely Lebanese place which had the best service we had yet encountered; they actually came to check on us more than once every hour! It was incredible! It seems that over here its a sort of challenge to see how long you can make one glass of water last during your meal. They don't refill your glasses!
After we ate, we went back to the theatre. You know, they let you bring your own food into theatres here. I bet you could bring in a little folding table and a Christmas dinner and they wouldn't so much as look at you twice!
My favourite part of Much Ado was when Catherine tripped over one of her lines. Everybody was laughing at her-the other actors, the audience, and herself. She tried multiple times to say it, but it was a sort of tongue-twister. It was really quite unfortunate! She actually walked off stage to get a grip on herself she was laughing so hard! And then when she came back out she had an extremely serious face on and that only made everybody laugh harder! I wish I could have recorded the whole thing...oh it was funny.
Once we got out of our hotel, we made our way to the river for our boat ride! We got there early, so we ate breakfast at the building next to the Eye, and I feel really pathetic for not remembering what it was called.
After breakfast we went to our pier and our guide gave us rain jackets to wear under our life vests. They were really nice, because it was pretty cold. Then we hopped into the boat and went on a speedy adventure down the Thames! It was amazing. Our guide was really funny and had a Northern accent, so it made it all the better. ^_^ Except halfway through it started raining, and speeding down the river into the rain proved rather painful. By the end my hair was becoming dreadlocks.
We went back to the hotel to warm up and get our umbrellas, and then went to Harrod's! On the way of course we stopped at the Persian restaurant for lunch and they had found and saved my tights! :) And this time in Harrod's my feet were dry, and I got my first pair of platform heels. THey are epic.
We dropped off the shopping at our hotel room, and then took the underground to Wyndham's Theatre to see MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. I was rather looking forward to seeing David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Onstage, in person, from the second row.
We always get to our theatres early so we can walk around their neighbourhood and eat dinner before we see the play. I got a Union flag t-shirt, and we went to M&Ms World and got a bag of fancy M&Ms. They actually tasted creamier than ones you get at the store, probably because they were a lot fresher. This place, you know, is three levels of stuffed M&Ms, M&Ms magnets, toys, bags, shirts, and generally junk that you would throw out after a few years. It was amazing!
After we escaped the M&Ms, we ate dinner at a lovely Lebanese place which had the best service we had yet encountered; they actually came to check on us more than once every hour! It was incredible! It seems that over here its a sort of challenge to see how long you can make one glass of water last during your meal. They don't refill your glasses!
After we ate, we went back to the theatre. You know, they let you bring your own food into theatres here. I bet you could bring in a little folding table and a Christmas dinner and they wouldn't so much as look at you twice!
My favourite part of Much Ado was when Catherine tripped over one of her lines. Everybody was laughing at her-the other actors, the audience, and herself. She tried multiple times to say it, but it was a sort of tongue-twister. It was really quite unfortunate! She actually walked off stage to get a grip on herself she was laughing so hard! And then when she came back out she had an extremely serious face on and that only made everybody laugh harder! I wish I could have recorded the whole thing...oh it was funny.
07 July 2011
Day 5: The Premiere
We slept in again today, but this time I wasn't too happy about it. I decided to wear my white shirt, tie, and sweater. Just because. But I ended up regretting the sweater; it was really rainy, but I got super hot and ended up carrying it under my arm the whole day.
We tried going to the museum of Natural History, but the queue was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long we would have been waiting for hours and hours. So instead we went to Harrod's (all the stores are having huge sales), but all we got was a pair of purple tights to wear with the dress I got in Paris. I was going to try on some shoes and hopefully buy a pair, but my feet were soaked so I couldn't get them in or out.
I don't know why, but clothes shopping always makes feel very awkward, and when I'm with Dad its worse than usual. I can tell he isn't comfortable, and I barely am, so his awkwardness just amplifies mine. I love going shopping, but not really with him. :/
Just as we were heading out I spotted a Burberry sale rack (which is something I thought I would never see. ever.)but I didn't point it out; I think Dad was starving at that point. We found a cute little Persian restaurant and ate breakfast/lunch there, with baklava for pudding.
After lunch we headed for Trafalgar Square, hoping to be able to catch a glimpse of the goings-on in there, but it had been blockaded off. Only the people who had camped out in the night got to be in there, since they were in there before it got blocked off. :'(
Instead, we decided to seek out the big Apple Store. We walked the entire length of Regent Street, found it, got in, wondering why the heck we even bothered seeing as it was just like any other Apple Store, and left. I was pretty annoyed. Oh well.
The entire length of Regent Street, plus Piccadilly, plus half of Trafalgar Square, plus the entire length of Strand, is quite a long distance. The Apple store is at the head of Regent Street, and the theatre showing The Lion King is on the corner of Strand and Wellington. But we walked the whole way, like proper troopers. I actually find it rather fun to walk around large cities. It makes me feel cool :)
On our way back down Regent, we stopped at a Burberry store. I absolutely love Burberry. Dad knows this, so he insisted we take a look around (the dear) even though I asked what the point was, it wasn't as if we would buy anything. But I still like looking, so he went to the men's side and I admired all the pretty trench coats (This season they have this blueish one, it reminds me of the Starry Night by Van Gogh). When I felt like leaving, I walked up to Dad, who was examining a blue polo shirt, and told him how much it was (L295). Then we left.
Someday when I am quite rich, I will own quite a few coats by Burberry, I should think.
So we made our way to the Lyceum Theatre, occasionally poking our heads into shops along the way. We had dinner right next to the theatre, and got out just in time for our show to start. I loved it! Rafiki was my favourite character. In this production he was a she, and she was brilliant! The animals would occasionally run down the aisles; I got snarled at by a hyena! :)
Tomorrow we are seeing Much Ado About Nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD XD XD
We tried going to the museum of Natural History, but the queue was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long we would have been waiting for hours and hours. So instead we went to Harrod's (all the stores are having huge sales), but all we got was a pair of purple tights to wear with the dress I got in Paris. I was going to try on some shoes and hopefully buy a pair, but my feet were soaked so I couldn't get them in or out.
I don't know why, but clothes shopping always makes feel very awkward, and when I'm with Dad its worse than usual. I can tell he isn't comfortable, and I barely am, so his awkwardness just amplifies mine. I love going shopping, but not really with him. :/
Just as we were heading out I spotted a Burberry sale rack (which is something I thought I would never see. ever.)but I didn't point it out; I think Dad was starving at that point. We found a cute little Persian restaurant and ate breakfast/lunch there, with baklava for pudding.
After lunch we headed for Trafalgar Square, hoping to be able to catch a glimpse of the goings-on in there, but it had been blockaded off. Only the people who had camped out in the night got to be in there, since they were in there before it got blocked off. :'(
Instead, we decided to seek out the big Apple Store. We walked the entire length of Regent Street, found it, got in, wondering why the heck we even bothered seeing as it was just like any other Apple Store, and left. I was pretty annoyed. Oh well.
The entire length of Regent Street, plus Piccadilly, plus half of Trafalgar Square, plus the entire length of Strand, is quite a long distance. The Apple store is at the head of Regent Street, and the theatre showing The Lion King is on the corner of Strand and Wellington. But we walked the whole way, like proper troopers. I actually find it rather fun to walk around large cities. It makes me feel cool :)
On our way back down Regent, we stopped at a Burberry store. I absolutely love Burberry. Dad knows this, so he insisted we take a look around (the dear) even though I asked what the point was, it wasn't as if we would buy anything. But I still like looking, so he went to the men's side and I admired all the pretty trench coats (This season they have this blueish one, it reminds me of the Starry Night by Van Gogh). When I felt like leaving, I walked up to Dad, who was examining a blue polo shirt, and told him how much it was (L295). Then we left.
Someday when I am quite rich, I will own quite a few coats by Burberry, I should think.
So we made our way to the Lyceum Theatre, occasionally poking our heads into shops along the way. We had dinner right next to the theatre, and got out just in time for our show to start. I loved it! Rafiki was my favourite character. In this production he was a she, and she was brilliant! The animals would occasionally run down the aisles; I got snarled at by a hyena! :)
Tomorrow we are seeing Much Ado About Nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD XD XD
06 July 2011
Day 4: The Underground and the nerd campground
This morning I slept in. It was niiiice. By the time I was all awake and ready to go, it was almost lunchtime, so Dad and I just walked over to Sainsbury's and bought some sandwiches, nectarines, granola bars (for the theatre; they let you bring in your own food!) and smoothies. They were pretty good; I had a egg-tomato sandwich with a carrot-orange-ginger smoothie.
After lunch, we set off to find Queen's Theatre, where we would be watching Les Miserables at 2:30. We took the underground for the first time to get there! Queen's is also right across the street from Her Majesty's Theatre, where we're seeing the Phantom of the Opera. How convenient, right?
Since we still had a few hours till the show started, and since we were by Regent Street, we decided to try to find the Regent Street Apple store. By the way, yesterday, while we were watching Wicked, the Malfoy family and Matt Lewis were there for a fan meet-and-greet. I wish we had gone, but it is too far away from the Apollo Victoria. :(
Regent Street is insanely long, so we never did find the Apple Store, but instead backtracked to make our show on time. Mom had told me a revolving stage was used for Les Mis in order to show more than one scene, but I couldn't even imagine how incredible it actually was. It reminded me of a movie, because the actors could actually walk around for some distance without actually moving, and the sets would move so as to create illusion of a panning camera. There were even scenes in slow motion!
Phantom wasn't until 7:30, so we had several hours to kill. We wandered around, and I saw that one theatre was showing Much Ado About Nothing. I explained to Dad how we just had to buy tickets, because David Tennant and Cathering Tate were starring, so we did!! Dad asked for close seats because he can't see well, and the lady cut our price in half because he's disabled; we ended up getting seats in the second row for L20 each!!! AAHH! My heart is fluttering...
We found a little pub that had 'traditional British food,' so we stopped there for dinner. I had fish and chips and Dad got a meat pie with mashed potatoes. It was so yummy!!!
After dinner we tried to get back to Her Majesty's, but got lost in Trafalgar Square. We saw where the Deathly Hallows Part II premiere is being held, and saw all the nerds camping there in robes and ties.* I noticed that there was a pretty even amount of people in all houses, which made me glad, because in America I always see like 80% Gryffindor, 9% Slytherin, 8% Ravenclaw, and 3% Hufflepuff, which makes me feel sorry for all the close minded people.
Anyway, we asked for directions from a postcard salesman, and found our way back to the theatre, literally just in time. I won't even spend any time trying to say how amazing Phantom was. I was simply in awe of the set; absolutely incredible.
We took the underground back to the hotel and watched some weird science show on BBC.
Tomorrow we shall be going to Harrod's. Hopefully I can find some white leggings so I can wear the dress I got in France.
*Also, tomorrow is the red carpet premiere! Actors start arriving at 4:00, but we haven't yet decided what time we want to be there. I'll be in my Ravenclaw sweater!
After lunch, we set off to find Queen's Theatre, where we would be watching Les Miserables at 2:30. We took the underground for the first time to get there! Queen's is also right across the street from Her Majesty's Theatre, where we're seeing the Phantom of the Opera. How convenient, right?
Since we still had a few hours till the show started, and since we were by Regent Street, we decided to try to find the Regent Street Apple store. By the way, yesterday, while we were watching Wicked, the Malfoy family and Matt Lewis were there for a fan meet-and-greet. I wish we had gone, but it is too far away from the Apollo Victoria. :(
Regent Street is insanely long, so we never did find the Apple Store, but instead backtracked to make our show on time. Mom had told me a revolving stage was used for Les Mis in order to show more than one scene, but I couldn't even imagine how incredible it actually was. It reminded me of a movie, because the actors could actually walk around for some distance without actually moving, and the sets would move so as to create illusion of a panning camera. There were even scenes in slow motion!
Phantom wasn't until 7:30, so we had several hours to kill. We wandered around, and I saw that one theatre was showing Much Ado About Nothing. I explained to Dad how we just had to buy tickets, because David Tennant and Cathering Tate were starring, so we did!! Dad asked for close seats because he can't see well, and the lady cut our price in half because he's disabled; we ended up getting seats in the second row for L20 each!!! AAHH! My heart is fluttering...
We found a little pub that had 'traditional British food,' so we stopped there for dinner. I had fish and chips and Dad got a meat pie with mashed potatoes. It was so yummy!!!
After dinner we tried to get back to Her Majesty's, but got lost in Trafalgar Square. We saw where the Deathly Hallows Part II premiere is being held, and saw all the nerds camping there in robes and ties.* I noticed that there was a pretty even amount of people in all houses, which made me glad, because in America I always see like 80% Gryffindor, 9% Slytherin, 8% Ravenclaw, and 3% Hufflepuff, which makes me feel sorry for all the close minded people.
Anyway, we asked for directions from a postcard salesman, and found our way back to the theatre, literally just in time. I won't even spend any time trying to say how amazing Phantom was. I was simply in awe of the set; absolutely incredible.
We took the underground back to the hotel and watched some weird science show on BBC.
Tomorrow we shall be going to Harrod's. Hopefully I can find some white leggings so I can wear the dress I got in France.
*Also, tomorrow is the red carpet premiere! Actors start arriving at 4:00, but we haven't yet decided what time we want to be there. I'll be in my Ravenclaw sweater!
05 July 2011
London: Day 3.5: A Wicked View
Guess what? I'm writing this on my own computer! Ha! So hopefully no more weird characters?
After we pulled into St Pancras station (I wonder if he is the patron saint of pancreases or something :P) we caught a cab and were off to our hotel! Our cabbie stayed parked for us while we checked in and then took us straight to the Eye. I was so used to the cabbies having French accents that I couldn't understand him!
The Eye was dizzying, mostly due to the fact that my eyes were having a hard time focusing on what was outside the windows, rather than the windows itself. London is so beautiful. I like it a lot better than Paris already. I bet its because the blocks are square instead of triangular and everyobdy speaks English and people occasionally put their garbage in the bins...
I think my favourite buildings so far are the Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. They have such intricate carvings and are really spiderweblike.
Once we got off the Eye we immediately began our trek to the Apollo Victoria Theatre. We didn't go inside right away, because we still had a load of time until Wicked started, but we jsut wanted to make sure we knew where it was. At this point we were starving, so we ate this Italian place near Victoria Station. It was delicious; I had a calzone with chicken, meatballs, mushrooms, and chillies, and a cheesecake with chocolate coated honeycomb sprinkled on top. That was possibly the yummiest thing I've ever heard of on a cheesecake.
Right after we finished eating (the waiters took like 20 minutes getting our check) we ran in the rain to the theatre and settled into our seats. Dad used his blindness to get us really good seats ;) (We also got into the Louvre for free and the Eye at a discount with this) And then it began...
...and there really are no words to describe it. The costumes and the set was absolutely incredible. I wish I cold have gone backstage and gotten detailed photos of each munchkin and emerald citizen dress. They were so intricate!
After we pulled into St Pancras station (I wonder if he is the patron saint of pancreases or something :P) we caught a cab and were off to our hotel! Our cabbie stayed parked for us while we checked in and then took us straight to the Eye. I was so used to the cabbies having French accents that I couldn't understand him!
The Eye was dizzying, mostly due to the fact that my eyes were having a hard time focusing on what was outside the windows, rather than the windows itself. London is so beautiful. I like it a lot better than Paris already. I bet its because the blocks are square instead of triangular and everyobdy speaks English and people occasionally put their garbage in the bins...
I think my favourite buildings so far are the Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. They have such intricate carvings and are really spiderweblike.
Once we got off the Eye we immediately began our trek to the Apollo Victoria Theatre. We didn't go inside right away, because we still had a load of time until Wicked started, but we jsut wanted to make sure we knew where it was. At this point we were starving, so we ate this Italian place near Victoria Station. It was delicious; I had a calzone with chicken, meatballs, mushrooms, and chillies, and a cheesecake with chocolate coated honeycomb sprinkled on top. That was possibly the yummiest thing I've ever heard of on a cheesecake.
Right after we finished eating (the waiters took like 20 minutes getting our check) we ran in the rain to the theatre and settled into our seats. Dad used his blindness to get us really good seats ;) (We also got into the Louvre for free and the Eye at a discount with this) And then it began...
...and there really are no words to describe it. The costumes and the set was absolutely incredible. I wish I cold have gone backstage and gotten detailed photos of each munchkin and emerald citizen dress. They were so intricate!
Paris: Day 3: The EuroStar
This morning we ate breakfast once again in the restaurant next door to our hotel. I had a crepe this time, with nutella in it. Nutella is a really big thing here, I think. I see it everywhere.
We took a farewell walk of sorts around the city, and bought some 'abricot et pommes' croissants for our train ride into England. We sent off our postcards and rested (we had been getting to bed late and waking up early) and packed and made sure we weren't leaving anything behind.
At around 11:30, we called our cab and checked out of the hotel. We were now on our way to train station! Once we got there, it was so confusing and it took us forever to figure out where we needed to go. Also, we were confronted with sooo many people begging for money. It's incredibly annoying. :/ Anyway, we found our queue and got through it at a decent time. We didn't have to sit on the train for very long before it left the station.
I think it only took about two hours to get from Paris to London on the train. I had a window seat and so got to observe all the cute little houses and farms. The tunnell under the Channel didn't last nearly as long as I thought it would. It sure made one's ear pressure funky, though. ;)
We took a farewell walk of sorts around the city, and bought some 'abricot et pommes' croissants for our train ride into England. We sent off our postcards and rested (we had been getting to bed late and waking up early) and packed and made sure we weren't leaving anything behind.
At around 11:30, we called our cab and checked out of the hotel. We were now on our way to train station! Once we got there, it was so confusing and it took us forever to figure out where we needed to go. Also, we were confronted with sooo many people begging for money. It's incredibly annoying. :/ Anyway, we found our queue and got through it at a decent time. We didn't have to sit on the train for very long before it left the station.
I think it only took about two hours to get from Paris to London on the train. I had a window seat and so got to observe all the cute little houses and farms. The tunnell under the Channel didn't last nearly as long as I thought it would. It sure made one's ear pressure funky, though. ;)
Day 2: Lost in the Louvre
This morning Dad and I ate breakfast at the restaurant next door to our hotel. We ordered omelettes, and they were enormous! I al,ost couldnùt finish. I think the breakfast portions here are bigger than in the States...
After breakfast we walked to the Louvre. It is basically a beeline from our hotel, so we didn't get lost. =) Once there; ze got free ad,ission since dad is disabled and I a, his 'accompanist.' We explored the Sully wing of the Louvre (there are three zings, all of which are absolutely enor,ous) because the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo are there. We got to see both of them, but ze coulnd't get very close to the Mona lisa, since it is protected by glass, a wooden barrier, security guards, a rope barrier, and a gigantor throng of people. We snuck around the crowd and ,ade it like 20 feet away, i think. The Venus de Milo is a very pretty statue. She has a nice face, i think.
Then, as we att,ped to get to the Egyptian stuff, ze got horribly lost and ended up staying for like 2 hours. After that ze zere no longer appreciating the art and just trying desperately to get out of there. It is sooo hot in there...
Once ze escaped we tried to get to Champs Elysees, but we were ,iserable by the ti,e ze got there (we had to walk through what I believe to be miles of park) and so decided to go back too the hotel and took a well-needed nap.
(scrambled, will rewrite later)
I bought a white dress and almost bought a black dress to zear to the theatre, but decided to wait till ze zere in England. It was a very expensive (but extre,mely cute!) dress, but I ,ight find something I like better.
After another break and dinner, a Citroen car picked us up for a tour around the city at night. I had no idea hoz large the Eiffel tozer actually is, or, for lack of a better zord, spiderweblike. Really, it re,inded ,e of intricate lace or a spiderzeb. So beautiful!
And today is ,y native countryùs independance day. I hope you all had fun!
After breakfast we walked to the Louvre. It is basically a beeline from our hotel, so we didn't get lost. =) Once there; ze got free ad,ission since dad is disabled and I a, his 'accompanist.' We explored the Sully wing of the Louvre (there are three zings, all of which are absolutely enor,ous) because the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo are there. We got to see both of them, but ze coulnd't get very close to the Mona lisa, since it is protected by glass, a wooden barrier, security guards, a rope barrier, and a gigantor throng of people. We snuck around the crowd and ,ade it like 20 feet away, i think. The Venus de Milo is a very pretty statue. She has a nice face, i think.
Then, as we att,ped to get to the Egyptian stuff, ze got horribly lost and ended up staying for like 2 hours. After that ze zere no longer appreciating the art and just trying desperately to get out of there. It is sooo hot in there...
Once ze escaped we tried to get to Champs Elysees, but we were ,iserable by the ti,e ze got there (we had to walk through what I believe to be miles of park) and so decided to go back too the hotel and took a well-needed nap.
(scrambled, will rewrite later)
I bought a white dress and almost bought a black dress to zear to the theatre, but decided to wait till ze zere in England. It was a very expensive (but extre,mely cute!) dress, but I ,ight find something I like better.
After another break and dinner, a Citroen car picked us up for a tour around the city at night. I had no idea hoz large the Eiffel tozer actually is, or, for lack of a better zord, spiderweblike. Really, it re,inded ,e of intricate lace or a spiderzeb. So beautiful!
And today is ,y native countryùs independance day. I hope you all had fun!
03 July 2011
Day 1: AZERTY keyboard layout
So, here I am; sitting here in my hotel, blogging on an AZERTY keyboard (which I'll have you know, is quite hqrd to remember where evything is; so I zill just type hoz I qm used to and fix everything zhen I get bqck! So don't judge! Sigh; this mqy tqke q zhile...Why do I have to press the shift button for a period? And qlso there is this kid from South Africa zho thinks Europeans are deprived little cavemen zho have never heard of an iPhone (he is explaining Apple to my very patient hostess as I zrite this, meanzhile I a, laughing silently at him).
I have been awake since 8:00 July 2nd US Mountain Time, and right noz it is 7:00 in Paris. So I think I have been up for around two days...it feels crazy.
The cab drivers here are awesome. Every ride is a thrilling adventure. Lots of people here can speak English; zhich is a relief. The wife of the ozner of the bistro I qte dinner at today didn, even have much of an accent. She gave us some pointers on tipping. Apparently you don,t tip waiters here; but you do cqb drivers. Also, the hotel hostess is sooooo nice! She is incredibly patient with the dumb A,erican tourists:
µ§£ look at those crazy characters! sweet...perhaps i will take a picture of this wacky keyboard...
After we checked into our hotel, Dad and i went to the catacombs! They were really exciting, and I shall be adding my pictures I took after i get home. The pathways were really muddy fro, all the water dripping, but all those skulls and femurs were amazing to look at.
After our dinner we bought to,orrow,s breakfast: cherries; pastries; and sodas.
Good night, all!
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