Claudia In London: 2007

Well, it's finally at an end, this adventure I've been in London. It seems forever and it doesn't. Didn't I just get here? lol

I spent my last day in London taking a final in my History class, for some reason I feel like I did OK, of course it could just be that I at this point I didn't care. Got out early (at 11am) headed to Buckingham Palace through Green Park (now i've walked all the royal parks in London, at lease the one's I wanted to get to.. lol) took some pictures of the park and Buckingham Palace. I wanted to get into the state rooms but it was a two hour wait! So I decided not to wait and headed off to Covent Gardens.

It was packed!!! Lots of street performers, the Apple Market and Jubilee market where booming, lots of people and I spent way to much time and money there. Then it was off to the National Gallery one more time, did another stop at the Arnolfini painting and went back to see the "Ambassors" with it's twisting skull at the bottom (also took some pics of Trafalga square with my film camera). Next up was Lecister square ( I know I spelled that wrong) I was in search for something for my nephew. After that I had enough of all the crowds and I came back to the dorm.

Cleaned my room, did the dishes and have packed my stuff but the last minute things I'll need tomorrow. And I'm actually thinking of just taking a shower now and getting that over with so I won't have to do that tomorrow. And I'm hungry, with no food in the house.

I know, a very sad way to end my stay in London, but I'm kind of sad and very tired and not in the mood for going out by myself. One of my flat mate's is on a several dates (4 today.. don't ask) and my other flat mate her sister is visiting. If we lived closer to the main part of the city I would probably walked down the street but it's a residential area with to many dark corners.. not idea for walking by myself.. not that it's not safe here.. but I just don't like being out there in by myself this time at night.

Well, I guess I'll pop in a movie and each my last peach, maybe go down and get a snickers from the vending machine, use up all my coins.. lol... i'll be on a sugar hi tomorrow.. my taxi picks me up at 7am! I've set my alarm for 530am, I want to go down and get something to eat before I get in the car.. hmm I wonder what time the grocery store opens? I need some food for the plane!

Tomorrow by 7pm pacific time i'll be back home :(
and without a job.. lol

oh well, life goes on. :)

My week of bad stuff followed me to Paris.. lol

Getting there was fine, got to Waterloo station in plenty of time.. the trip itself was fine until we got half way through the channel and the train had to stop... for 30 MINUTES!!! apparently there was an electric problem IN THE CHANNELL SURROUNDED BY WATER!!! we finally got moving but the train could only go 5 miles per hour because of the problem... and of course this is the first it's ever happened... on my trip... sure why not, i've had a crappy week, what's one more think?

Oh, but wait, the crap does not stop there... we get to the station, get on the bus and we get a bus guided tour of the city before checking into our hotel (see pics below). The bus guided tour was fine, no problems there, we get to the hotel..

My roomate turns out to be from Italy and male. Uh, I don't think so!!! And before you ask, no he was not hot but he was shorter than me. Of course he would be. When I signed up for the trip I had requested a female roomate, but no problem our tour guide (who was cute, hot and funny) resolved it. The Italian dude (who for some reason could not understand why I didn't want to room with him... mother of pearl) was placed with another guy who's roomate was not able to make it and I got my own room, yeah!

I go up to my room, and someone is already in there.. yes things are never so easy for me.. I go down stairs and get a new room and I am the only one! I wash up and head to the Louvre Museum. The metro is easy as pie, even requesting metro tickets wasn't that bad even though I didn't speak the language, the teller understood me when I said "dees carnet", a set of 10 metro tickets.

I get to the Louvre, walk around the jardin des Tuileries (see pics below) take some pics then go into the Museum. the place is packed and hot! But I did get to see the Mona Lisa, de Vinci's "Madonna on the Rocks" (love it!), Venus de Milo, and some other random paintings I had studied in Art History. Did some shopping (of course), then headed back to the Hotel to meet up with some of the tour people and guide (4 total) for a night out to a Caberet show... oh boy, major cheese, feathers, sequince and quite a bit of flesh (oh la la.. lol) yeah, wasn't really expecting that.. but hey, we got a glass of champagne to dull the shock.. lol. But it was a good show.. lol, it's Paris. :)

Back to the hotel, and I can't get into my room, the key doesn't work so I have to get a rekey, and then it's some TV time... it's been weeks since I've watched TV! Unfortunetely, all the channels are in French (two in spanish from Spain) and BBC news. I ended up watching BBC news and then falling asleep.

Next day, saturday, I get up and head to Notre Dame, once again take the tube to Hotel de Ville ( a couple blocks away from Notre Dame and across the Seine) and get in line to get into the church. Again a lot of people (see pics below) girls begging, they ask you if you speak English and then show you a post card asking for money (I saw several of them) and men selling illegal souveniers. But I finally get in, there is a mass going on all in French, it's so huge, and dark and thank goodness somewhat cool! No pictures though, they aren't allowed. Once I make it around I head out and decided to walk along the Siene looking for things to buy (mom wants something pretty) on the way to Musee d'Orsay, a mile and a half later, no prettying thing for my mom but my feet are hurting and I am just praying for AC at the museum. No luck of AC and there are stairs!!!! (what is up with museums and stairs? so they not believe in escalators or elevators?) I sit for a bit, the place is amazing even with out any AC. It's a converted railroad station and the ceiling is all glazed window giving natural light to all the pieces. They not only have paintings but sculpture and furnishings. I saw van Gogh, Degas, Monet, Gaugin, Delacroix, Rodin and Klimt. They showed a little bit of everything, very impressive collection.

From there I headed once again to the nearest metro (Solferino) and headed to Gare Montparnasse. Huge 56 floor building where you can see all of Paris without having to wait for 5 hours to get to the top (good alternative to the Eiffel tower). I did take some pics (see below). By this time I was so tired that I headed to the movie theater I had past and ended up watching Harry Potter again, yes it was in English but with French subsititles. I need that two hour break with AC before heading back to the hotel.

On the way back I stopped off at the Champs Elysees, for food not for shopping since I couldn't really afford anything. then back to the hotel, this time my key worked and I rested for a bit before againg heading out to catch the River Boat ride on Le Seine.

But on the way there.. I got all turned around and it was two hours before I got on the boat (sigh). Once on the boat it was pretty awesome, we went up one end passing historical palace after palace, past Notre-Dame and then back down the river past the Louvre, Grand Palais and Petit Palaise and Eiffel tower and back again.. it took about an hour a half. (see pic of Eiffel at night). Once again I make it back to the hotel after midnight... and fall right to sleep.

After such an exhausting Saturday I decided my Sunday would be much more leisurly.. I slept in.. had my breakfast and check my baggage to be held and headed off to Sacre-Coeur. Sacre-Couer is located north of Paris and is on a hill. Once again the view was amazing, all of Paris before you. Unfortunetley the temprature was beyond scourching! I must have mid in the mid 80's to 90's. I literally felt 10 degrees hotter in the sun than in the shade. And because of this I ended up sitting in Sacre-Couer for about two and a half hours. It was dark and cooler than outside and I justed wanted be quite for a moment. I people watched, especially the attended as he shushed people for talking too loud, and if he saw you take a picture (no pictures allowed) he throw you out!!! No lie, he just said "out!" and would basically ban you from coming in, Sacre-Coure does not fool around on their rules.. lol. From there I made it back down and did some shopping for presents (got a whole bunch!) and them headed to the Eiffel since I hadn't officialy been to it just around it. Once again took my time, got there but only stayed a few minutes that whole hot enought to cook an egg on the sidewalk was a killer. Took some pictures (with my file camera) and then headed back to the metro, but on the way back I got me a chocolate and banana crepe (yummy) and then took the tube back to the hotel. I had a couple of hours too kill before we where to leave so I hung out at this open air pool / plaza above where the hotel is located out. (pictures to follow) Stuck my feet in the pool and people watched. there where children playing in the water along with some adults, people having lunch or just talking. It was a perfect way to end my trip to Paris.

On the way back to the Eurostar station at Gare de Nord as I was getting off the bus I trip and ended up brusing all of my right side from my hip to mid-thigh and spraining my left ankle, but it's not broken, just sprained and swollen. And I couldn't stop feeling like a hundred degrees... of course that may also be because I had a sunburn and my body temp was very high.. but at least this time the train ride was uneventful (no stopping in the tunnel) and I made it home safe and sound.

One more thing, I liked Paris, seeing all the historical stuff was awesome, but good gosh, the place SMELLS!!! and it was diry! Everywhere I went, graffitti, garbage and the smell of BO and urine.. ugh! and with it being as hot as it was. Maybe I'd like it better if I was there in the fall or winter.. there was still so much that I didn't get to see but the heat just made it not so enjoyable.. and quite frankly it left me not wanting to go back, i'm glad I did but I really have no desire to go back.

Anyway, I did take more pictures than the ones below, but with my film camera so you'll have to wait to see those.. I took 3 rolls or so. So enjoy what I took with my digital below.

Oh, and on my bad weeks continue... today I found out I will not be going back to work next week... i've been let go.. (sigh). Not shocked, I kind of figured that would happen with how things are going in the industry... I just hate starting a new job but the temp agency is looking for something for me.

cross your fingers I will have a job by next monday to go to.. lol

only two full days left!!!! *EEEEEEEEEEEEEE*

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Pictures from the bus...

La Seine