Back to London

Monday 9/24

Before leaving Munich Tonya and her mom made a trip to the Harley store and I opted to have a lazy morning of recovery from all our fun the night before. During this time the maid showed up earlier than planned and was trying to kick me out. I was in the middle of packing up and tried to explain but she only spoke Portuguese and German so there were lots of hand motions involved! Fortunately T's mom was all packed up so I wheeled her suitcase into the hallway, then grabbed all of T's clothes and attempted to pack them so the maid could get started on cleaning the bedroom and linens. T and her mom came back not too long after this madness started and we got things packed up and headed to the airport.

We had heard the subway ride was really easy and opted to save our $ (a 60 Euro cab ride). We made it there with plenty of time and grabbed lunch before checking in. We flew with German Wings and surprisingly we had a ton of legroom (yes, I know I already have more than average since I'm so short) and they had really good food! We had a plane change in Cologne, Germany and I almost didn't make it through the Passport Control station. Maybe I look like some International spy??? After a bit of delay we finally boarded the plan and landed in London around 10pm. We then had to take a train, to then take the tube, to then walk a mile home! Needless to say we were exhausted, and it was so nice to be back "home" for a few days!

Munich Day 3

Sunday 9/23

We took an early morning train to Fussen to visit the Nueschwanstein Castle built by King Ludwig in 1886, better known to us Americans as the Disney "Sleeping Beauty Castle". The two hour train ride passed quickly, and the landscape was beautiful, especially since we were heading into the foothills of the Alps.

A short walk from the train station brought us to the ticket office and we had a 2 hour wait until the next English tour was available. We walked back down into the town and visited a few shops before picking a restaurant for lunch. The weather was perfect so we sat outside on the patio and enjoyed some Bavarian wine (gotta mix it up a little) and again, more sausages/brats! Mine was served with a potato salad instead of sauerkraut and it was a pleasant surprise! It was no a mayo/mustard base like our American style, but instead had a sweet taste and chunks of cucumber. The patio gave us a great view of the nearby mountain and the castle we were about to visit. Sadly, (what the brochures and tour guides don't tell you!) is that there was scaffolding covering 75% of the exterior which makes for some really bad pictures!

I'd say the process of getting up to the castle could have been a little smoother. You can either hike (40 minutes up a mountain, no thanks!), take a bus, or ride a horse drawn carriage. In hindsight I'm wondering if the carriage would have been best, but we took the bus. The tourism office did nothing to stagger the people going up in regards to your tour time, and the bus was off schedule, and the other tourists not very considerate, but we made it on the bus and had just enough time to literally run almost a mile to the actual castle to make our tour time!

Pictures were not allowed inside but take it from me, it was gorgeous! The highlights included a bejeweled chandelier in the King's throne room, pretty spacious and elegant servants quarters, a "cave" hallway located on the 4th floor (now might be a good time to mention he had some mental problems), his bedroom which had the most intricate woodwork on his bedframe resembling the exterior of a gothic styled church, and the concert hall.

The views from the castle and almost mile walk to the bus stop were breathtaking as you saw a quaint and colorful town below surrounded by lush, green fields and then the Alps to the other side. We headed back into town and had just missed the train back to Munich so we waited about an hour for the next one.

We got home with enough time to stop by the house, change into our Oktoberfest T's, and try one last time to get into a beer tent. We started at Paulaners and easily found a spot in the outdoor beer garten. Beside us was a couple from Berlin and 2 men from Denmark. The Danish men were quite talkative, and had been drinking all day, so once they started to get unreasonable regarding American politics & religion we left.

We passed by Pschorr and didn't see any lines waiting to get in so we stopped in and I quickly spotted a table with enough room for us. It would probably be more appropriate to say that I spotted a bench, as at this point of the night everyone was standing on the benches singing, dancing, and cheering! We climbed on up, made friends with 2 young German guys, and joined in! If you ask me, a lot of the songs sounded more Russian than German, but it was fun and occasionally you'd catch on and join in on the singing...or at least the toasting! We stayed for a few rounds, then headed home. Suddenly the crazy/spinning fair ride lights weren't so pretty anymore, and being jostled by the crowd as Tonya (who had a spurt of energy) literally ran us home, with her mom between us, linking her arms through ours so we could all stay together! (Oh Momma G, thanks!) I won't go into details, but let's just say I was SO thankful to have a mom along with us as that night I didn't feel good at all and she was so kind to take care of me!

Munich Day 2: Oktoberfest

Saturday 9/22

We woke up excited for the parade (I love a good parade, remember I was at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade at 5 am!) and contemplated each of us taking our umbrella because it was a bit cloudy, but we didn't...not even an hour later we realized that was a big mistake! We walked our 2 blocks to the fair and that's when it hit me, we were TOTALLY the tourists! Literally almost everyone was in costume and it was only 10 am! We explored the fairgrounds for awhile because we weren't quite sure which route the parade would take. We passed a lot of rides similar (and possibly even hand-me-downs from the US) to what we'd see, but then also a few fun ones unique to them such as "The Toboggan!". We passed lots of pretzel stands, and the souvenirs you mostly saw were either gingerbread hearts varying in size from 3 inches to almost 3 feet and scarves with a pattern of daisies, some adorned with pretzel charms.

We made our way closer to the more popular beer tents and soon found the parade route. This was definitely a fun parade as everyone was in traditional costume and the wagons and carriages carrying the families behind these popular breweries were decked out in beautiful flowers and gingerbread designs. The horses and their harnesses were beautiful as well! There were several different bands, all with unique costumes, and various sized wagons came by either loaded with one ginormous keg or multiple smaller ones usually spelling out the beer house name. Literally, they deliver the beer this way! The whole time it was sprinkling but it was really started to come down towards the end so we dashed into the nearest beer tent, Lowenbrau! We didn't know it at the time, but that is actually one of the most popular halls and we were able to be in there for the festivities surrounding the first keg tap! It was quite fun, and definitely more of a madhouse than the Hofbrauhaus had been the night before! We met some nice Aussies and the girls gave us a few pointers about where to go and how to get beer. Unfortunately you can only be served if you have a seat and those were impossible to come by! These girls had lined up at 7 am to get in and said they made a mad dash and had to stake claim on their territory until 12 when the beer was allowed to be served. After walking all around we decided we'd have to go back out in the downpour of rain and either go home or try another place. We walked past Pschorr and saw that their outdoor beer garten (yes, I know I replaced my d with a t, it's German) had lots of availability (big shock since it was RAINING!). We decided to suck it up and huddled close with our one little umbrella to enjoy our first official Oktoberfest beer! It was raining SO bad the workers came out with squeegees to try to wipe the rain off of the picnic tables! While standing in the rain, we made a new friend who explained a few things to us:
   -the color of your shirt depicts what part of Germany you are from
   -the gingerbread hearts are given to your sweetheart
   -the scarves tied around your neck signify your relationship status based on what side the knot faces

Honestly, we couldn't complain too much! We had amazing weather up until today, but the cold and rain was getting to us (me mostly, I think I was the wettest!) so we bought a few pretzels (which I stuffed into my shirt, literally giving me a "pregnant pretzel belly" and then grabbed a few brats and ran home! It felt so good to shower,put on dry clothes, and eat warm doughy pretzels with mustard and the brats were so good too! So good in fact that we all fell asleep for a few hours and had a long overdue nap! We had been on the go every day for almost 2 weeks!

When we woke up we walked to the train station to investigate booking tickets to Fussen to see the castle Matt had recommended, and then back over to the Marionplatz to grab some food.

Hello Germany!

Friday 9/21

It was an early morning start with the alarm going off at 5 am! We had a taxi coming at 6 (at least we hoped he'd show up!) to take us to the train station and begin our second leg of the trip to Munich.

The train ride wasn't quite as scenic as I was hoping it would be. Honestly, I felt like I was in Pennsylvania as we just rode through all the farmland, making an occasional stop in a fairly sized town. I did really enjoy seeing the small towns pass, especially as their churches and steeples are so quaint looking. We were barely even off the train when we saw our first boy in Leiderhosen!

We took a cab to our hotel, only to find out that they were overbooked and we would be staying elsewhere in town at an apartment that they had arranged. We also learned that we had to pay in cash!!! T had made all the arrangements and had booked it from one of those non-refundable travel sights and on the 3rd page of her receipt it said in really small letters "a charge will be held against your account until check in, then cash payment will be the only form of payment accepted". OOPS! Long story short the lady tried to explain a tragic story about credit card fraud from the previous year and we tried to explain that we had valid credit cards but our banks would not allow us to take out THAT much $ to pay her. After some persuasion and photocopies of all forms of ID we had our room...or apartment...and she paid for a taxi to take us to our new destination.

The apartment was actually pretty great! They had completely stuffed the fridge with all the OJ and yogurt we could want, as well as the buffet that was overflowing with muffins, breads, tea, and the cutest individual packets of Nutella! (I LOVE NUTELLA!) Oh, and the location, we were barely 2 blocks away from the Oktoberfest fairgrounds! We settled in quickly and then set about to explore downtown Munich. It was an easy walk (about 15 minutes) to the Marionplatz, a sort of town center. Along the way we browsed through a few boutiques, entertained the idea of buying Drindle's, and picked up a few souvenirs. I didn't know just how badly Tonya had wanted to go to Oktoberfest, and my practical side talked me out of spending the money on a drindle when it was supposed to be cold and rainy, and seriously, when else would I wear it? We ended up buying cute "baseball" type T's that say Oktoberfest Munchen 2012 instead. (Sorry T, I didn't know just HOW important it was to be in costume!).

We headed over to Hofbrauhaus, the original Beer Hall since 1589 and entered into a madhouse, a fun one, of very happy people who are fond of spontaneously bursting into song, dance, and cheers! It was a "fend for yourself" seating sort of place and we found a table occupied by several Americans and joined them for a Liter. Matt, who works for Audi and who grew up just 30 mins away from where Tonya is from, was quite a source of knowledge as he's been to Munich several times. He gave us a few pointers and suggested we visit the Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen (instead of the Dachau concentration camp). After finishing our beer we decided to check out Ratskeller, per our British friend Darren's suggestion. It was quite good and we dined on Pork Knuckle (I know, what a name! It was so tender inside and crunchy outside) and a Sausage Variety plate. We also happened to spot our new friend Matt here as well! We didn't stay out too late as we had plans to attend the Oktoberfest parade in the morning!

Paris Day 8

Thursday 9/20

Today is so bittersweet! It's our last full day in Paris before we head to Germany. We got off to a slow start, or maybe it was just oh-so-European of us to not be rushing off somewhere in a hurry, and went to a nearby bakery for our last baguettes and chocolate croissants (again, oh so buttery!) and then hopped next door to a cafe for some espresso. On our way to the metro we stopped at a local boutique and bought several pairs of shoes, so we trekked back home to drop those off, and then again headed for the metro! Our first official stop of the day was to the Harley Davidson store b/c Momma G's boyfriend is a biker! Interestingly enough, I think this was my first time ever in a Harley store. Shocking, I know. I'm constantly mistaken for a biker girl.

We then metro-ed over to Marais, one of the oldest areas and one of the first areas we explored. I really loved this neighborhood for so many reasons: the architecture, the boutiques, the cute cafes. It just felt SO Paris to me! I was on the search for souvenirs and still needed to get something for myself. After several strike outs, I walked away with 2 new scarves and my sister...well, she will just have to wait to see what I got for her!

Our guidebook suggested Tati for discount designer fashion. WHOA! That was so misleading. We got to the neighborhood and I'd say it's probably the seediest area we'd been in. Definitely should have just gotten back on the metro as the store was a big disappointment, bad selection and poor quality. This is not what I'd call discount designer! (I think I was expecting something like Marshall's and this was like Big Lots). Also per our guidebook's suggestion we headed to the exact opposite and found ourselves at Le Bon Marche, an all too expensive and designer only mall! I was in awe at some of the creations of Christian Dior, Alexandar McQueen, etc. but then outraged at the cost! Since we couldn't afford anything we went next door to their deluxe grocery store and picked up a few items for dinner.

T made us a delicious Italian dinner (yes, on our last night in France), we did a load of laundry, and finished our wine. Paris had come to an end and it truly couldn't have been better! It was exactly what I'd thought it would be since I had the perspective of coming as a tourist. I did so much and saw so much! If I never make it back I think I'll find a way to live! But if I do make it back I'll know all the good places to go shopping and dining and there are probably a few things I didn't get to see ;)

Paris Day 7

Wednesday 9/19

Tonya, ever the gracious hostess and best "big sister" got up early, returned the car and then left Momma G and I to navigate ourselves to the St.Michel's metro stop to meet her as we planned to take the train to Versailles. Originally we were going to drive to Versailles but we decided it would be much cheaper and easier to just take the train, only meeting with T at the station was a bit trickier. Unfortunately Momma G and I didn't have any wifi access so we couldn't get in touch with T to tell her where we were as there were several entrances to this station, and not all nearby. We waited for awhile at the top and then eventually decided to go in the station and look for her. T decided to look for us above ground so it took awhile to meet up, but we were all fine and reunited after not too long! We soon boarded the train and settled in for an easy 45 minute ride.

Once we arrived we headed straight for Starbucks to grab lattes and breakfast. (Have I mentioned yet that they don't have pumpkin spiced lattes over here---sadness!) Once our belly's were good and we had caffeine pick me up we walked about 10 minutes down the road to the Palace of Versailles. Oh it was so grand! It is just so amazing to me just how old these buildings are, and what history has taken place in them and here is little ole' me, just loving every minute of exploring them!

There is a really nice self guided audio tour included in the admission and we enjoyed walking around all the lavish rooms with period pieces. Unfortunately there were some very "unique" art designs that sadly obstructed your view of some of the REAL art but several of the pieces were quite interesting. I just didn't think they belonged at Versailles though! I came to see OLD ART, not your weird interpretations of pots and pans modeled as a shoe.

We wandered out into the gardens and made the smart decision to purchase "train" tickets so we could ride out to the Grand Triannon (aka the summer home, quite lavish), the Garden more extensively (about 2 miles long), and the Marie Antoinette Estate which was my favorite as it was built in the English village/manor style and was so idyllic!

After such a wonderful visit to Versailles we thought we'd grab dinner at a local restaurant before heading back into Paris. Sadly, this was probably the worst meal we ate during our trip! So, when visiting Versailles, do not, I repeat, do not eat at the Italian restaurant near the gift shops, it's awful. Moving on, we made it back to the train station, got on the right train, and back into Paris by early evening. The Train, the RER, drops you off near the Eiffel Tower and since we'd been by to take pictures but not yet to visit we decided to scope out the line and see if this would be our night to go up to the top! Ideally I wanted to go around sunset so I could watch the sky change and see all the city lights come on. Well, since this is the trip where dreams come true, this one of mine did and there was hardly a line and we made it up to the top in 45 minutes (or less) just in time for sunset, and with champagne in hand we toasted to yet another lovely day in Paris! Seriously, I probably took 200 pictures from the top, but how can you not when the view is this great and with the ever changing lighting!

Paris Day 6: Roadtrip!

Tuesday 9/18

Today we broke out of our routine, even skipping our daily dose of America (a.k.a. Starbucks) and took the metro across town to pick up a rental car for our day trip to Normandy! The Budget/Avis rental people really personified that stereotypical French rudeness as they barely acknowledged your presence and were most unhelpful regarding maps and GPS assistance. After getting settled into our "Fancy Fiat" we made a quick stop at nearby train station where I dashed in to look for a road map. After 5 unsuccessful attempts I finally found a bookstore (Library in French) and bought one, then we were on our way! Almost $15 in tolls, and a stop at a gas station for more food (again, the gas station food in Europe is way better!--sorry Sheetz) we made our way to Omaha Beach, one of the strategic sites for the infamous D-Day battle.

The memorials that have been erected at Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, and Point de Huc are phenomenal! It was so overwhelming to see such a great tribute to our soldiers in a foreign country! My Granny had told me we had a relative involved in D-Day so I searched several monuments and found someone with her family name (still waiting for confirmation if we're related). It's really crazy to think of what bloody and ugly history happened here because today the land and monuments are just gorgeous!

We jumped back in our Fancy Fiat and drove over to Utah beach where they had an interesting sculpture along the coastline to commemorate the Naval reinforcements during the battle. And finally we made it to Point de Huc, one of the most crucial sites of the battle. This memorial is huge and also very well done! There is a cemetery there very similar to Arlington National Cemetery, multiple monuments to distinguish honor bestowed on various branches of the military, and several great depictions of the attack plans to give you a better understanding as to how intricate and involved this siege was. Another interesting point of interest is the actual Point de Huc battle site where you walk along a very uneven trail dodging craters made by bombs and you can get down and explore underground battle stations, trenches, and hideouts. This place is a little boys dream, and a grown man's nightmare.

As it was quite cold, and the sun was starting to set we made our way to the car for our 3 hour ride back to Paris. Fortunately we didn't run into too much traffic but we missed returning the car early by 10 minutes so we parked it at a nearby garage (parking in Paris is not easy!) and metro-ed home.

Paris Day 5

It's only Monday and I feel like I've seen Paris from top to bottom, literally! We've done a boat tour along the Seine and have successfully navigated our way throughout the Metropolitan (subway) and today we climbed the estimated 400 steps to the top of Notre Dame! So far we have had beautiful weather but this mornings started out cloudy and cool. We bundled up and made our way to ND and got in the queu (I'm trying to use my new British terms) aka line. The wait wasn't too bad and an hour later and one new British friend named Scott it was finally our turn!

The staircase was very narrow with slippery, well worn stairs and every once it gave you a sneak peek out skinny little windows of the view to come. Once we reached the top it was hard to catch your breath because the view was breathtaking! Your first view is through two gargoyles perfectly framing the Eiffel tower. It was still a bit cloudy but definitely starting to clear up. The gargoyles were so unique! The most perplexing was the elephant. There must be a story behind that. We took several silly gargoyle like photos and even got our stuffy new British friend to do it too! We met a few other Americans at the top and all took turns taking pictures. There was a very small door with even smaller stairs that led into the bell tower and Scott ( doing was boys do) smacked the bell! We climbed a little higher up onto another deck and the sun fully came out so I took a lot more pictures.

By this point I practically had learned Scott's life story (you know me and strangers, I should probably wear a sign that says "beware I like to talk") and he seemed like a nice chap so as we twisted our way down all the steps and he asked when I'd be back in London and if I'd like to meet up I agreed! Now will it actually happen? Who knows but c'mon, how fun is it to say that I met a guy in Paris while climbing Notre Dame and he wants to see me back in London before he goes back to work in Singapore (he's one of those rich banking guys!).

Our next stop of the day was to get the REAL BERTHILLON, only to get there and find that it's closed! We found a nearby cafe and dined on croque Madames then walked a few shops down to get some glaces (ice cream).  We then metroed over to the Arc de Triumph, which is surrounded by one of those crazy traffic circles and there seems to be no order at all. It really amazes me the people on motorcycles taking their life in their hands...and even worse the occasional bicyclist braving these crazy roads without helmets on! We walked all the way down the Champs Elysse and window shopped at the big names and popped in a few more affordable shops. My favorite stop along the champs Elysee was at Laduree, birthplace of the macaron. It was SO cute and the delicacies were delicious. We found a street cafe and had our first champagne. We were quite classy, mixing with the elite luxury shoppers.

Paris Day 4

Sunday 16th

Since it was the day of rest, we took it easy and slept in until 9 and took our sweet time getting ready, then heading to the grocery store to resupply our breakfast  stash and stopped by a nearby Starbucks (the only American chain I let myself visit) and surprisingly enough they spelled my name right...but T and her mom's were a bit interesting! Our agenda was pretty open so we strolled through a nearby neighborhood while on our way to the Louvre. I really feel that I had several magical moments in Paris, and this was one of them as this particular morning I said "I'd really love to find a market and buy a baguette to munch on as we walk around" and as we rounded the corner we ran into a thriving street market filled with freshly baked items and local produce! It was amazing!

After we split our baguette 3 ways we continued our walk to the Louvre. Surprisingly it wasn't as busy as I'd anticipated and T and her mom were so patient to help me take some silly photos before going in. We bee lined it for the Mona Lisa (is it bad if I say she isn't that impressive?) and then meandered through some French paintings dating back to the 1300's (cray-cray), then over to the Napoleon furniture collection. The Louvre is huge and we skipped a few sections because you could spend all day there and probably not see it all, and we were getting hungry so we headed a few blocks over to a cafe and ate ham 'n cheese sandwiches on the most buttery croissants...oh so buttery! Once our tummies were satisfied we headed over to the Musee D'Orsay. I really loved this museum as it was in the old train station so there was great character to the building! They also had an excellent display of Van Gogh, Renior, and Monet. On the very top floor there was a balcony with some great views of Montmartre but I personally liked the view of it best through the giant clock.

After we'd had our fill of art we walked over to the Invalides, where Napoleon's grave was, snapped a few pictures and continued our walk towards the Eiffel Tower. I think I took about 100 pictures here and several of them are of my very horrible attempts to jump in front of her! Yeah, not my most graceful or flattering moment! After our photoshoot we surveyed the line to to go to the top, decided it was too long, and began our search for a dinner spot. We ended up just a few blocks away at Les Cocettes by Christian Constant and it was DELICIOUS! During my trip here I'd really grown fond of the Rhone wines and their's was so good! We ordered a patee appetizer (my first!) and it was so yummy! Then I had my first veal stew, also quite good. I'm so glad we found this place! We had a truly delicious meal here and it was the perfect place to catch up on our wonderful time we were having in Paris. The atmosphere was very trendy, energetic, and it really seemed like this was "the place to be", I highly recommend if you're ever in the area!

Paris Day 3

Saturday 15th

This morning we got up early and made our way to the Musee D'Orsay to catch a tour bus for our Wine & Chateau tour. After 2 hours on the bus (and our first experience at a French gas station---can we talk about how amazing their gas station food is? oh, and those instant deluxe latte machines, lifesavers!) we escaped the hustle and bustle of city life and relaxed in the country life.

Our first stop was the Chateau de Chambord which was built as a "hunting lodge" by King Francois I was never actually completed, and proved to be quite unlivable to the French nobility so mostly it's a gorgeous castle that's been empty for years! The roof was architected to mimic the skyline of a town and inside there is a double helix staircase believed to be a work of DaVinci. This chateau is mostly known as being the inspiration for the castle portrayed in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

PICTURES

By now it's midday and our next stop was about an hour down the road to a smaller chateau that is a small, family owned winery. Our tour here began with a wine tasting, and the proprieter was quite a "jambon" (ham in French). He then led us into a small banquet room where we feasted on local cheese, bread, and a meal of rustic chicken, tomatoes, and potatoes. It was so simple but so delicious! And it was unlimited wine during the meal...and it was good! After our dinner, and dessert of Apple Pie (how American of them!) Jack, the owner's son (a.k.a. most beautiful French man, and my future husband) gave us a tour of the grounds. The chateau was simple but elegant, and the on-site chapel so pretty! We also learned all about the pigeon coupe and how back in the day the number of pigeons nesting there represented how many acres you owned. Sadly we had to leave and Jack couldn't come with us :(

PICTURES

Our final stop of the day was at Chateau de Chenonceau located in the Loire Valley of France. This was a beautiful area full of history, mostly related to the King's wife and his mistress' rivalry of power. King Henry II's wife and mistress fought over the Chateau and eventually the wife won out and created a rival garden to outshine Diane's former influence there. All this to say, both Catherine and Diane's gardens are beautiful! In more recent French history the chateau served as a hospital during WWI and a refuge from Nazi's during WW2

The ride home took a bit longer because of traffic, but the bus dropped us off near the Louvre and we walked through the illuminated pyramids then made our way to an Irish bar for dinner. By the time we got home it was quite late, only to find that the cafes on our street carried the echoed conversations throughout the neighborhood and cars raced down the narrow streets late into the night...leaving our apartment very noisy at night! We turned on the stove's vent as a makeshift "white noise" and went to bed. 

Paris Day 2

Friday 9/14

We slept in, ate some yogurt then headed for the closest Starbucks (yes, we had one just 2 just blocks away) where I made the sad discovery that a) there is NO Pumpkin Space Latte outside of the US and b) it's harder to order a coffee (an American kind) than you'd think! After finally getting some caffeine we hit the metro and started our day off exploring the area known as Marais. Tonya had bought a fun set of walking tours called City Walks and there are 3x5 cards that you can carry with you that have a 1-2 mile journey on them and point out a restaurant to try, or a shop to visit, or some sort of sightseeing thing. They are quite fun and we enjoyed walking around this neighborhood, dodging in and out of it's cute boutiques. Paris was filled with lots of bow accents (you know me, I'm quite the girly girl and I love a good bow accent) so I rushed into a store, tried on several sweaters with sweet bow accents, only to walk away empty handed while Tonya and her mom got some great deals! Oh well...I quickly got over my disappointment when we found a Patisserie that served the most divine chocolate eclairs! We kept walking and found this fun little courtyard on our way to a sculpture garden...which wasn't really a sculpture garden but it did lead us to the small island that was filled with touristy shops and lots of Berthillon!

A lady at UVA had recommended this place "Berthillon" to me and told me how to get there and that the ice cream there would change my life and here we had stumbled upon it, not meaning to! I was SO happy! We had walked right to a shop that had ice cream stained glass windows and an ice cream cart outside proudly displaying "Berthillon". We secured a small table (You pick your own here, no hostess to escort you) ordered ham 'n cheese crepes and some French Cider and THEN we ate wonderful ice cream! I had the coconut, but Tonya's Caramel and Chocolate with nuts was just as good! I couldn't believe our good fortune...and then we walked just steps down the street and around the corner and I realized, that wasn't "the ONE". We had eaten at the wrong one! We laughed, it was still good, and decided we'd come back again for the "real one". Turns out Berthillon was advertised everywhere!
MARAIS PICS, BERTHILLON, CREPE

We headed north on the island to the bridge connecting it with a larger island that houses Notre Dame. We walked around taking lots of pictures and marveling at it's great architecture. I got caught up taking pictures for other tourists out front (surprise, surprise!) and lost sight of Tonya and her mom. After scanning the crowds out front, and with the beginning rain I raced inside to look for them. The church is just beautiful! It's so hard to understand just how old it is and how they were able to complete such detail without our modern day advancements. I did a quick loop around, not spotting them, so I did a more leisurely loop around to take some pics and just marvel at this historic monument. I was here, in Paris, in a building that is HUNDREDS of years old! Eventually Tonya and I ran into each other, we met up with her mom and went outside to check the line to climb the 400+ steps to the top. The bell tower was closed so we headed across yet another bridge and walked through the Latin quarter where we picked up a few more souvenirs and stopped for wine at a cafe, Saint Severin, and then back home for an early morning bus trip.
NOTRE DAME, WINE

Watch out Paris because here I come!

We took morning train to Paris (fairly uneventful, except for the super slow service at Au bon Pain that almost made us late...yet I still love you for your delicious butter, and we got there around 1. Originally T (Tonya) wanted to take a cab to our apt but after looking at the metro map it didn't seem that hard to get there so we opted for the cheaper route. OOPS! Paris has no escalators or elevators in their stations so here we were, 3 ignorant Americans who had overpacked, lugging our suitcases up and down stairs, breathless and overheating! We navigated the way to our apt quite easily, met up with Franck who gave us a quick intro about using the door's lock pad system, laundry, wifi, and what direction to find food and then we were on our own in Paris, staying in a quaint apartment downtown!
INSERT PIC OF STUCK SUITCASE, TRAIN RIDE, AFTER METRO

Our first stop was to the grocery store to pick up some basics (juice, WINE, yogurt, snacks). After dropping our groceries back at home (climbing narrow, worn out, slick steps up 2 flights), we explored the neighborhood around us. We found a cafe to have our first French wine at and toasted to people watching and lots of adventures!
INSERT LOCAL PICS, FLOWER GIRL

We continued walking and came upon an old church, lots of great architecture, corner cafes, and some really massive building (a.k.a. The Louvre!). Walking a little further towards the water led us to the "Love Lock Bridge" which glistened so pretty in the afternoon sunshine! I'm not sure what the actual name of the bridge is, but people but their names/initials and date on a lock hence the nickname. How Romantic!!!
RANDOM PLACES, LOVE LOCK PICS

We found a cute cafe and had our first official French meal. This place wasn't anything that would blow you away but it was warm and had food, enough said at this point in our day. We then made our way across the bridge to Pont Neuff  to catch a boat for a night light cruise. The boat wasn't scheduled to depart for another 5 minutes yet there we stood on the dock waving our tickets and yelling for them to come back! This was our first taste of the characteristic "rude French" experiences you hear of. They did come back, we got on, then they again pulled away from the docks when even more people had come to get on as well! It was so odd, the boat had plenty of seats and it still wasn't time to leave. Do you not need the business?! Oh well, we were on, freezing but ready to experience this "City of Lights". I highly recommend doing a night time cruise because it's one of the best ways to see the city as everything is illuminated! It gave us a really good feel for the layout of the city as well. We passed by so many important sights like Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and more! I think I took 100 pictures alone just during this 1 hour ride! I'd consider our first day a success!
INSERT FIRST DINNER PIC, GIRL ON BIKE, EIFFEL TOWER, BOAT PICS

I'm in London!

Tuesday 9/11

I arrived in London around 8 in the morning. I had an overnight flight and maybe got 3-4 hours of sleep. The other time was spent chatting with the person beside me or watching movies. I don't sleep well on any form of public transportation :(

I made it through customs, picked up my bag, and quite quickly spotted Tonya and her mom (insert big sigh of relief). We hugged, rearranged a few things, exchanged some money, pumped me full of caffeine, and got on the tube. We made it back to her place fairly easily (although these brick roads and sidewalks are not easy to pull a suitcase across!), I ate, showered, and we hit the ground running! No rest for the weary. They say that staying awake is best to help with jet lag and I'd have to agree. This day might have been a bit of a blur but I slept like a baby that night!

Our first London adventure was to the Tower Bridge, for those who watched the Olympics this is the drawbridge that the big rings were hanging from. Once we crossed the bridge we were at the London Tower which is an old castle/village and gave us a really great intro to the British history. We did a tour with a real Beefeater (free, only offered at certain times) and it was amazing! Ken, our Beefeater guide was quite a ham and so full of humor and facts! A few highlights here included seeing some Crown Jewels and a torture chamber!
INSERT TOWER BRIDGE PICS, CROWN JEWELS, TORTURE CHAMBER, KEN

My metabolism was highly thrown off so I demanded we stop for a snack and I tried Coronation Chicken. It's basically a light curry sauce with raisins and it's so yummy! After the food I was feeling more refreshed and we took the tube to Westminister Abby. Unfortunately it was closed for the evening but we still got to walk around, and snapped some fun photos of Big Ben and the iconic red telephone booths!
INSERT PIC OF WESTMINSTER, BIG BEN, RED PHONE BOOTH

Just a short walk across the bridge took us to Tonya's hospital and the London Eye. We walked along the waterway admiring the views and Big Ben now just across the river. We came upon a Cantina where I tried Pimm's for the first time. Pimm's is hard to describe. It's a liquor that you mix with cucumber, oranges and mint. It's like a really weird, but yummy sangria (minus the wine!). We were trying to wait out the lights coming on but we were getting really cold and hungry so we headed back home. We picked up some Chinese take out and had a quiet evening just catching up with one another. And then FINALLY I was allowed to go to bed, and it was wonderful!
INSTERT PIC OF LONDON EYE, BIG BEN, PIMM'S, CHINESE

The Journey Begins

Monday 9/10/12

I woke up early, did a last minute run through on my suitcase and carry on bag, cleaned my room (who wants to come home to a dirty room?), said goodbye to my roommate, made a stop at Sbux for a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and hit the road right on time, leaving Charlottesville in the rear view. Today was the day! I'm crossing the big pond to have an even bigger adventure!

I drove up to Baltimore w/o any traffic problems, met up with my friend Alicia (she was so kind to babysit my car for me during my trip so I didn't pay an arm & leg to airport parking lots), drove to Dulles airport again w/o any traffic issues and had a nice leisurely dinner and dessert together (Chipotle and Sweet Frog).

It wasn't until we were pulling into the airport that the butterflies in my stomach started and it was all sinking in, "I am leaving the COUNTRY! I'LL BE GONE ALMOST A MONTH!" I know that lots of other people do this and some for way longer (shout out to Missionaries & Military peeps) but not me! I'm just 5'1" Lindsey Kraft, travel nurse within America! Who am I to go on this fabulous European adventure?!

I checked in, my bag was actually 10 lbs under weight,  and made my last minute calls to the family. This is it! It's happening!

I'm going to Europe!!!

It's always been a dream of mine to travel throughout Europe and I can officially say that the dream is about to be a reality! On Monday I leave for almost a month of touring throughout London, Paris, Munich, and Ireland!

How did all of this come about? Well, my friend Tonya is travel nursing in London and has been in England since last January. I promised that I would come visit and finally the timing has worked for both of us! We will have a few days in London together before traveling to Paris for a WEEK! We'll be making 2 day trips while in town, one to Normandy for the D-Day memorial and another to Versailles and the Monet Gardens, and then spend the rest of our time wandering around Paris! We'll then take the train to Munich, Germany for the first wkd of Oktoberfest which will be filled with lots of fun parades, costumes, beer, and tons of people! Next we go back to London and Tonya will work a few shifts so I'll play tourist on my own (thank goodness it's English speaking!) and then we'll go to Ireland with some of Tonya's friends.

It's been a challenge trying to pack mix'n'matching outfits for a whole month! Hopefully my suitcase weighs in ok! I'll try to post pictures throughout my travels to keep everyone updated and reassured that I'm still alive...just busy having lots of fun!!!

Life in C'ville

I can't believe I'm writing a post that should have been started in June, but here goes. After leaving NYC I went to NC, then to WV for a family wedding, then to my parents house in OH to pack for my move to Denver. I had finally secured a Denver contract with the Children's Hospital in Aurora (what I thought was going to be my dream job, maybe even the end of travel nursing). I repacked all my clothes, did tons of laundry and sorting, packed up my car and headed down to Louisville to spend the wkd with my sister and then we were going to drive out West together. We even had friends plan a BBQ to honor the Kraftsingles arrival to Denver! Sadly my contract was cancelled and a wkd with my sister turned into a week and a half on her couch waiting out for news on my next job. I was looking at San Diego, Milwaukee, and Charlottesville, the last being where I ended up. UVA was fast about responding to my profile, the interview went great, the unit sounded more critical than NYU and a summer in VA couldn't be the worst option out there!

I moved to Charlottesville in late June after taking a trip out to Michigan and Chicago for a wedding/NC friend reunion/birthday trip. A former Duke Resident that I remained friends with via facebook saw my post about going to UVA, we got reconnected, and I ended up moving into her townhouse just 2 miles from the hospital. I was worried about living with someone as I've been on my own for several years now, but learning to share my life and be more flexible to my personal tastes/needs/wants v. someone else's on a daily basis was something that I've been thinking about lately and thought this would be a good experience. It's been SO nice to live in a fully furnished house with real dishes and kitchen gadgets and have a bedroom that was almost the size of my NYC studio! Alaina has been a great roomate and we've enjoyed some neighborhood walks, dinners with friends, adopting and domesticating a street cat named Cupcake, and spending our rare evenings off together catching up on her DVR. (Can you believe I've never had DVR before? I'm now a fan of "The Good Wife" and "White Collar" thanks to her DVR selections!)

UVA's PICU is really nice. It's fairly new with good equipment, all private rooms, lots of computer work stations, an actual employee break room/kitchen and locker room that multiple ppl can fit in at the same time (way different than the tiny closet of a kitchen lunchroom at NYU that 3 ppl "comfortably" could fit in at one time!) The staff is a mix of experienced nurses >5 years and new grads/Clin I's. There are several other travelers here, two of which I know from when I was in DC so that's nice. The night shift crew is pretty awesome, but day shift isn't quite as "fun". However, I do enjoy how my body feels on days, even if it's not as entertaining/encouraging.

Sadly I've worked a ton of wkd shifts and have only made it to church once this summer. Thank goodness for podcasts! I've hung out a few times with coworkers, mostly visiting some area wineries. I've gone down to Lynchburg several times to visit some old college friends, and then had the chance to meet up with my family for a few days in Myrtle Beach, met up with Em in KY, and went home to my parent's for a wkd as well. It's so hard to believe that my 13 weeks are up. Time really does pass faster the older you get. I'm not quite sure what is next for me, but Denver is still the dream! I'll let you know, when I know!