Paris- the Journal excerpts #4

Day 4


Went downstairs and checked with a Nate-Dogg to make sure we would still have a room when we got in late that night. He smirked and said, "Yes, yes, for tonight at least." Jackass!

At the train station we had to go through customs and get stamped out of Paris and into the UK. We nearly missed the train so Wendy could pee. The guy actually fussed at us.

Caught the Eurostar to London for the day! This was a complete surprise, Wendy told me she had a surprise day planned in the months leading up to the trip but managed to keep it a secret even after we arrived in Paris. I finally begged her to tell me two days before the actual day. We researched what we wanted to do in the city the night before with the free wi-fi at the hotel. We made a list and away we went!

I have never ridden on a train before. Unfortunately it wasn't that different than riding on the Metro (the seats were a little more comfy) and there weren't people standing in the aisle. Maybe it's different on a long train ride with a food car, etc. Or maybe I am just a dreamer. My ears popped painfully over and over again, that wasn't fun. It was worse than an airplane!

We got into the train station and I felt kinda sick, probably sucking down a huge bottle of water to help my ears pop 57 times didn't help. We meandered into the main area that looked kinda like a mall, there were shops and cafes. We were extremely amused by the Scotts in kilts drinking and singing at 9:00 am. I mean singing at the top of their lungs! We moved out of the train station and into the underground where we found we were walking with a group of 5 Scotts, mostly kilted, who were feeling no pain. We laughed at their antics, singing, laughing, screaming...This may have been really obnoxious in the US but it was hilarious here!

I got a video of them on the sly, singing Do-Ri-Me. I am sad to report that I missed the chance to video one of them who simulated humping a sheep on a poster hanging on the wall of the subway. It was priceless!

We entered Trafalgar Square and were greeted by hundreds more Scotts! It was a great introduction to London! We wandered around looking for a place to buy a hop- on-hop-off bus pass (with only 12 hours there we needed to do some speed sightseeing).

After we got our pass we hightailed to see the changing of the guard. It was packed, Wendy said she had never seen the crowd this big. I actually lost here in the crowd! She had my train tickets and I had no idea what to do! I didn't panic, Just stayed on the edge of the crowd scanning for her. Thankfully she is tall and has light blond hair. I spotted her and we met back up. Disaster averted. We watched the guard through a fence over a 4 people deep crowd. Wendy fought her way tot he front and got some good pics. She got one of a very cute guard, yowza!

The hop-on-hop-off bus was a good idea for me, I was exhausted and feeling sick to my stomach but trying to buck-up since I was in London for one day. We got to see Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster (where the lady tour guide continuously gushed about the wedding! The Wedding!!!), London Bridge, London Tower, the Ferris Wheel thing, and a lot of other stuff. We got off to eat lunch- fish and chips!

And we went in the British Museum. There was so much to see...a lot os Egyptian stuff, as you can see Brigette posing beside this feller. And Parthenon pieces. It was overwhelming.






Then we went to Camden Town. This was my favorite. Full of freaky people, crazy shops, and a market. There were so many cool things in this market! Go if you get the chance! We each got a handmade (very well made, I must say) skirt from one lady. And there is all kinds of food being cooked in the market, in a food court kinda area...the smells were divine: Indian, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese....

We left there exhausted and happy. We went back to the train station and grabbed a bite to eat and waited for our train. The train was packed and we got less comfy seats that our ride to London. I slept some.

We got back to the hotel and were reassured that everything with the room was straightened out. We fell into bed exhausted!

seats at food court were mopeds

food court

smelled so yummy!