Paris: Day 6

Today, Andi and I decided to take a day trip outside of Paris to Rouen, which is the upper Normandy valley on the Seine River. Rouen is about 1:15 minutes outside of the city by train. We packed up our bags early this morning and hopped on the Metro, then switched trains at the St. Lazare station where we boarded a high-speed train out of the city. Train tickets cost us about 25 Euro/$30 each.

Before we left Paris this morning, Andi called and booked a night at a bed and breakfast in Rouen called Un Jardin en Ville for 70 Euro/$80. Agnes, the house owner, said she'd be expecting us around Noon and looked forward to our arrival.

The train into Rouen was a smooth and easy one, but Andi and I couldn't help but shrug as they announced the arrival into the city. Is this it? Do we get off here? Not sure, I guess we get off and see. Not speaking the language adds a bit of intrigue to this trip, but at times it'd be just a little easier if one if us knew what the heck people were saying around here!

We walked out of the Rouen train station and hopped into a taxi. The driver dropped us off at Un Jardin en Ville where we left our bags for the afternoon. Agnes gave us a key to our room, but told us our room wasn't ready yet so we could only leave our bags.

Un Jardin en Ville Bed and Breakfast

Our room

How cool is a b and b when this is your room key?

Agnes gave us a map and recommended a few restaurants for lunch. We walked back into the main city center and strolled around a bit. It was about 33 degrees and rained for most of the day. Luckily, we packed a travel umbrella, but after witnessing 2 seconds of my umbrella maneuvering skills, Andi told me I could keep it. Something about almost poking out his eye? I'm not sure ...

Anyway, we walked around the curvy Rouen streets looking for Le Ptit Bec, a restaurant Agnes recommended with good French food. I think we walked for 2 hours finding ourselves turned around on the cobblestone streets. Half of the streets aren't labeled here and the ones which are have placards on the buildings so you have to hunt to figure out where you are. With trusty map in hand, we half looked / half wandered until we were soaking wet, cold and hungry. I, at this point, suggested we just stop somewhere. Who really cares anyway, it's all foreign to us. But Andi was insistent we find Le Ptit Bec since we'd been searching for it so long. Finally, I looked up and said "there it is!" and we happily walked inside.

Right away, I liked Le Ptit Bec for a couple of reasons. First, the place was bustling and that's always a good sign of things to come. Second, we were greeted at the door by a little pooch. Not sure what kind of dog, but any establishment which allows a house dog is a friend of mine. Lastly, the waitress didn't treat us like dumb Americans. She greeted us with a "Bonjour" and allowed us to order in French (the best we could) and spoke back to us in her native language. I loved having the chance to be "us" in France.

We ordered 2 cappuccinos which were to die for! The menu was in all French and we had no idea what it said. I recognized pommes de terres (potatoes), salade (salad), confit (duck) and that was about it. So we took a shot in the dark. I ordered a Salad Normade with toast gratine au camembert, salade, pommes, lardons and noix for 11 Euro / $14 (which turned out to be salad with smoked salmon, some sort of white fish, roe (fish eggs), clumps of dill pickle dip, tomatoes and potatoes with a balsamic dressing). Andi ordered Le Gratin de Cabillaud with pommes de terre, cabillaud, champignons, creme fraiche and emmental rape for 10 Euro/$12 which turned out to be potato o' gratin casserole with mushrooms and white fish. Actually, both menu items had really good flavor. Andi loved his potato dish and I ate everything but the fish in mine (I don't particularly care for fish, so I tried to be brave when mine came with 3 different kinds). One thing we've found surprising while eating in France is the baguettes. First of all, they're absolutely delicious. Delicious! So soft and warm - the baguettes here make you realize how crappy they are in the U.S. comparatively and also how much we pay for them. They're about 1 Euro here (aka: dirt cheap). But here's the surprising part: we were warned restaurant bread baskets aren't free in France; restaurants charge you for every piece of bread you eat at the table. We haven't found this to be the case and therefore, we've indulged in a fair amount of warm, toasty, soft baguettes. Yum!

 Cappuccinos at Le Ptit Bec

Le Ptit Bec's little pooch

We sat in Le Ptit Bec for quite a while. It was raining pretty hard and my feet were soaked. I even wore 2 pairs of socks today and still the water soaked through. (Sadly, they were worse by the end of the day).

But, because this was our only day in Rouen, we decided to keep exploring. The city is really beautiful; I only wish the weather held out better for our visit. Rouen is about 2 hours from Normandy Beach (which we're contemplating visiting tomorrow) and also the city where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Andi and I made several comments about how beautiful this city must be in the summertime. The cobblestone streets and characteristic buildings are so unique (even under an umbrella).

Rouen's Cathedral

Do you find it strange all French door knobs are in the center of the door?

Rouen city street

Soaked to the bone, Andi and I decided to take it easy tonight. We stopped at a grocery store on the walk back to the b and b and bought a block of cheese, fresh baguette, Toberlone chocolates and a bottle of wine for 8 Euro/$10. We watched good ole' American t.v. from our new Slingbox on the computer and relaxed. It just may be our best night yet. Let's face it, our legs could use a little break!

Paris: Day 5

There was nothing on the agenda today except exploring the city of Paris. Andi and I started the day by sleeping in late. There's something fantastic about the morning you finally relax and adjust to vacation's slower pace of life. We got moving around 10am and stopped for coffee before heading out into the city. Everything I've read says you should make a conscious effort to speak the language, so we did the best we could and ordered an espresso and cappuccino.

With coffee in hand, we walked to the Metro station and hopped onto the train to Notre Dame Cathedral. Getting around on the Metro seemed fairly easy and we arrived at our stop a few minutes later. As we walked out of the station, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of Paris. The city felt exactly as it should, with cafes on every street corner and Parisian-style buildings. In my head, I literally heard the familiar sound of an accordion playing in the background (Lady and the Tramp style).

Notre Dame is tall and majestic. We snapped a few photos of the cathedral and rented an audio book inside the church to listen about the history and importance.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Most of you know, I have a pure hatred for birds and whenever we travel Andi loves to reveal in my anxiety. Birds don't bother me on a general basis, but whenever we travel dirty pigeons and seagulls always seem to dive-bomb my head. It just freaks me out. So I was mortified today when I witnessed this man become engulfed in birds outside the Notre Dame. I'm not sure what his story was, but it was enough to make me literally gag.

We hopped back onto the Metro and headed for Le Montmartre. This is one of the French Quarters in the Northern part of the city and famous for its cute shops and cobblestone streets. The way Paris used to be, they say. The Sacre Coeur Basilica is also there. We exited the train station and walked above ground. Again, we had the "where in the heck are we?" moment as we tried to acclimate ourselves to the area. We referred back to the map and upon second look, it looked like Sacre Coeur was closer to another stop. Andi wanted to walk around Montmartre first, but I suggested we hop back onto the Metro and see Sacre Coeur first, then come back to Montmartre for lunch. So we did. It wasn't the smartest move of the day. We arrived at the next station which we thought was closer to the Basilica, walked around for a bit and realized we were in the wrong spot. We got back on the Metro and exited at a third stop that looked right. We walked a few blocks and found ourselves in an African neighborhood (somewhere we clearly didn't belong). I was getting nervous by this point. I felt like we could be pick-pocketed at any moment and we were so turned around. I started hyperventilating. I hate being lost! Andi, on the other hand, seems completely unaffected and said to me "hey, can you slow down a bit. You're walking too fast." Are you freaking joking me? I thought. Holy freaking crap! We eventually found another Metro station after walking through that neighborhood for about 20 minutes. Back on the train to the original station. The lesson learned? Stay in the cutesy neighborhood where your first instinct told you to be. The Sacre Coeur is probably 2 blocks down the road - which it was.

A Metro Station

Back in Montmartre, we walked a few blocks down toward Sacre Coeur. We were starving by this point and we chose to have lunch at Restaurante Le Saint Regis. I said "Bonjour" to the waiter and he seated us. The menu was in all French and we were digging it. We chose a 4 Frommange (cheese) Pizza to share, Coca Zero (Coke Zero) and Eaux Minerale (bottled water). Ok, so I mostly choose those items because I had some inkling of what they were. I ordered in my best French voice. The waiter sort of smiled and took our order. He brought us our food and it was amazing. My heart finally started to slow down after all of our Metro-capades. We topped off lunch with 2 cups of espresso and paid our bill (30 Euro / $40). As we left, the waiter said "See ya later." Damn, we weren't being authentic at all. He knew we were Americans.

After lunch, we walked a few blocks to Sacre Coeur. With all the trouble, this place better be magic I told Andi. It was pretty and had a spectacular view of Paris as its perched on a tall hill. We, somehow, didn't get a picture of the church however. All that and no photo! We did capture a shot of the view.

View of Paris from Sacre Coeur

Next, we strolled the Montmartre area. We browsed in a few shops and stopped for pistachio gelato at a cafe called Animore.

Montmartre

We left Montmartre and headed toward the Louvre. We had reservations for wine tasting at a place called O Chateau, just down the street from the famous museum. We found it fairly easily and were ushered in by the Sommeller (wine connoisseur). He warmly said "Hey there guys, are you here for the wine tasting?" and we were so relieved. He spoke English! Now I know we're in France and we should entertain the idea of speaking the language, but it was a nice feeling to have a conversation with someone. We walked down a few flights of stairs into a really cool wine cellar, with a wooden table and lots of wine. As we waited for the tasting to start, the girl across the table asked us, with a Texan accent, where we were from. She was from Houston. Another couple chimed in and said they were from Sonoma, CA. Then another man said he was from New York. I smiled; this tasting was going to be a lot of fun. Over the next 2 hours, we learned all about the various wine regions in France and drank Champagne, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Andi and I also chatted with the other couples and shared suggestions on what to do in the city. We absolutely loved O Chateau, and our Sommeller was fantastic. He was smart and funny and spoke English to the predominately American group while interjecting just enough French to make it interesting.

O Chateau

Afterwards, we stopped for dinner at a restaurant down the street called Coup de Eate. As soon as we walked in the waiter pegged us for Americans. We swiftly plopped down "English Version" laminated menu cards without even giving us the chance to try to order in French. Awe man, we felt kind of dumb! Even though our menu was in English, we still ordered a so-so dinner of Scallops, Beef Tartar and Creme Brulee for 28 Euros/$35. The Creme Brulee was definitely the highlight.

It was starting to rain so we hurried to the Metro station and came back to the hotel. We had a fun day in Paris! We saw many parts of the city and several historical landmarks. Tomorrow we're either going to visit Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre and Versace. Or, we might leave Paris and take a day trip to the beaches of Normandy. We'll see where the wind takes us tomorrow morning ...

London to Paris: Day 4

This morning, we woke up around 7am to catch the train from Bath to London. Our bed and breakfast in Bath - the Dorian House - was the nicest place we've stayed thus far and offered free breakfast as part of our room rate. We stopped down before leaving and were greeted by the house owner and another employee who took our orders. Andi opted for the buffet of yogurt, cheeses, granola and cereal. I selected a "traditional English breakfast," complete with free-range eggs, local bacon and sausage, button mushrooms, grilled tomato and toast. The butter here is very rich and creamy (one of my fav's -- you know how much I love butter!) and the eggs and mushrooms were tasty. The bacon, however, was a little too undercooked for my liking. It was okay, but tasted a lot like ham ... and ham is one of my least favorite foods. Although if you don't like your bacon extra crispy you would have liked it just fine.

Breakfast Buffet

Traditional English Breakfast

After breakfast, we walked about 10 minutes to the train station and hopped on for the 1 1/2 hour ride back to London. Traveling by train is such a convenient way to get around. Signs and terminals are clearly marked and easy to navigate. We arrived at Paddington Station and connected to King's Cross where we met the EuroStar, a high-speed train that travels beneath the English Channel to France. The train ride took about 2 hours and we arrived in Paris around 3:30pm. One thing we should have done differently is book the EuroStar tickets in advance. We scoped them out about a week before the trip and a ticket was $60/each. However, since we waited until the last minute, we ended up paying $150/each.

If you're wondering why our faces look so red in photos, it's because it is freaking cold here. I think it's because we're outside most of the day or in train stations with no heat. I know it's probably not as bad as the winter freeze the Midwest is experiencing this week, but at home the walk from my house to car to office isn't far. Walking outside for hours on end definitely sends a shiver down my spine It's probably around 20-30 degrees here at the warmest part of the day and 10-15 degrees once sun sets around 4:30pm.

Finding your way in a new city is always a bit sketchy at first. We connected from the EuroStar terminal to another one close to our hotel. The Metro's underground so when you walk up the stairs to street level, there's always this strange "where the hell are we?" moment. (Although, there's always a Starbucks within eye sight so you never feel too bewildered). We jumped in a cab and arrived at the Marriott in the Latin Quarter of the city. We found another amazing hotel deal on Priceline.com. Sometimes we're paying less for a hotel night than we do for a mediocre breakfast. And since we've got no agenda for the trip, we are able to pick and choose a hotel depending on where we are or what we're doing.

Marriott Hotel

After freshening up a bit at the hotel, we hopped onto the Metro and rode the train to the Eiffel Tower stop. I got goosebumps as we walked up to it, all lit up in the night's sky. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Next we walked to a wine bar called Rife and ate dinner. We ordered a bottle of wine, a frommage plat (cheese plate), duck confit, roasted chicken and creme brulee for dessert for about 50 Euro ($65). The food was great and we even practiced a little French with the waitress as we told her bonsoir (good evening) and merci (thank you).

Frommage Plat

Creme Brulee

We're excited to see all the Paris sites tomorrow!

London: Day 3

Today's Andi's 30th birthday and we decided to take the train to Bath to celebrate somewhere new. We boarded the train at the famous Paddington Station, paid about $50 each and rode 1 1/2 hours to Bath.

Paddington Station

We're staying the night at the Dorian House Bed and Breakfast and it's absolute heaven. Our room's about 3 times the size of the one in London and includes breakfast, free Wi-Fi and character. We're in love. Booking travel as we go definitely has its advantages. We've found killer hotel deals, like the Dorian, for half price ($130/night vs. the regular $250/night).

Our room at Dorian House

The town of Bath Spa is exactly as you imagine England to be. The buildings are historic, the streets are made of cobblestone and the history exudes out of the buildings. Today we walked into the main city center which was bustling with townspeople and tourists, then stopped at the famous Roman Baths. This place was build by the Celts in 60AD. Although a bit touristy, it was pretty incredible to walk on the same steps as the Romans so many years ago. The steam naturally occurring from the baths were incredible and as dorky as we may be, we each listened to an audio guide so we could understand what truly made this place so special.

Roman Baths

Next, we visited the Royal Abbey. There was a school choir performing Christmas carols inside so we stopped to listen for a bit.

Royal Abbey of Bath

Andi was set on having afternoon tea while in London. We stopped at the Sally Lunn House - the oldest house in Bath for a cup of tea and a bite to eat. The house was tiny and historic and the service was perfect. We ordered the famous Lunn biscuits and butter, vegetable soup and sandwiches. It hit the spot on a cold, winter day.

The famous Sally Lunn's

We figured we couldn't visit a town called Bath Spa without a trip to the real thing, so we made appointments at Thermae Bath Spa, a natural thermal spa. We end up at the spa on every vacation we take and it's interesting to compare them all. We paid $150 each for 4 hours in use of the facilities and a 1 hour massage. The employee asked us if we brought our "swim costumes" which we did not, so she advised us to purchase some at the sporting goods store down the road. We headed for the clearance section as to not spend $100+ on swimming suits we'd never wear again and we each found something suitable. Mine an European version of a Speedo one-piece and Andi's an old-man boxer short variety. (He was looking for a Speedo bikini so thank goodness they didn't one!). We arrived back to the spa and were shown to the changing rooms. Everything's co-ed which was interesting, but a nice change of pace. There's nothing worse than being separated from Andi when I'm not sure what I'm suppose to be doing anyway. We changed, then headed up the "lift" (elevator) to the Rooftop Pool on the 3rd floor. When we walked off the elevator, I swear we were walking into an orgy - it was that strange - but of course, we weren't. It was just a rooftop pool, filled with tons of couples overlooking historic English buildings. No big thang.

The Rooftop Pool

The spa's steam room was also very Euro with steam vestibules and co-ed showers in the center of the room. It felt very scandalous and cool with clean lines and modern design.

Steam Room

The massage itself was very similar to the U.S. Well, except for when the masseuse rang a bell to signify the end - that was a little strange.

We cabbed back to the hotel, mostly because we felt like jelly after spending 5 hours at the spa. We freshened up a bit, then walked up the street to find a place for dinner. We stopped at Richley's Wine Bar, a small restaurant with an awesome local menu and only 5 tables inside. Quaint. Local. Perfect. We sat at the bar and ordered a bottle of wine as we waited for a table and started to chat with an older couple who live down the street. They were so cute and we had a great time sharing travel stories with one another. I hope that's what Andi and I are like one day: lots of memories and still so in love.

We have the best dinner at Richley's. Andi ordered Salmon and I had a Spinach Mushroom Pasta. The best meal we've had here so far. Now we're going to celebrate the last few hours of Andi's birthday. So happy we decided to visit Bath. It gave us a great perspective of England outside of the big city. The people are friendly. The history is breathtaking.

Tomorrow we'll take the train back to London's Paddington Station, then connect the EuroStar and make our way to France. Another venture awaits ...

London: Day 2

Today we decided to hire a driver to show us sites around the city. We shopped around for recommendations online but internet’s been so hard to come by (that is, without paying 50 million dollars for it) we didn’t have as much opportunity to decide. Instead, we went old school and Andi asked the concierge at the hotel to provide a recommended service. We paid 95 Pounds (about $150) and made an appointment for 9am today.

Our driver showed up at the hotel on time and drove a nice, representative vehicle but we quickly figured out he wasn’t a guide in any sense of the word. He was a glorified taxi driver originally from Albania. He did a great job driving around the crazy streets of London but he knew nothing about any of the sites themselves. Our whirlwind tour around the city gave us a better sense of how the city was laid out and where we wanted to spend more concentrated time for the rest of our afternoon.

Buckingham Palace

After a few hours, we asked the driver to leave us at Tower of London and we spent an hour or so wandering the grounds of the historic castle/museum. You could feel the past of London as we walked the cobblestone paths from tower to tower. We also learned by traveling earlier, we beat the crowds as well so we were able to take time and look around at all the royal memorabilia.

Tower of London

From the Tower of London, you could also see the London Bridge. Of which, Fergie's "London, London, London" and the childhood "London Bridge is Falling Down" kept floating through my head.

London Bridge

Afterwards, we walked down the street to a pub for some lunch. Sadly, our food choices are heavily swayed by free Wi-Fi. We found a nice little restaurant called Liberty Bound and ate Chicken Vegetable Pot Pie and a Baked Potato. The food was warm and comforting; perfect after being outside.

Check out those mushy peas

Our next stop was Westminster so we hopped on the Tube to get us there. As we exited the train, we walked out to the big, beautiful Big Ben clock tower. When I think London, I picture Big Ben in all its glory and I loved seeing it in the middle of it all. We wandered over to Westminster Abbey next and decided to stay for the Choral Evensong Mass. This was, by far, one of the most moving experiences of our trip. The service was filled with an all-boys choir that sounded like angels echoing against the church walls. I, of course, couldn’t help but think of the Royal wedding that’ll take place in this exact spot in just a few months. Unfortunately, there was no heat in the church. It was so cold our teeth were chattering.

Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

After Westminster Abbey, we walked around for a bit then hopped in a cab toward Tafalgar Square. T-Square as I started calling it because I could never remember how to pronounce it, is a urban gathering spot and the site of the National Museum. There’s also water fountains and performing artists. The Square was all decorated for Christmas complete with a choir belting out carols. We first went in the National Museum to cross “museums” off our to-do list. That’s what everyone recommends to do in London but truthfully, Andi and I aren’t much for museums in general. We did warm up a bit and now we can officially say we visited one.

The National Museum

We stayed outside in T-Square for a little while after and listened to the Christmas caroling and then jumped on the Tube toward Paddington Station. Paddington’s the closest stop to our hotel and we’d planned to grab a bite to eat near there. Since it was Sunday night, most of the restaurants were closed so we chose another pub for dinner and a drink.

Classic London telephone booth

(this one's for you Lindsay!)

The London Eye

Tomorrow we’re leaving London and taking the train to Bath Spa. It’s about 1 ½ hours out of the city. We booked a night at a bed and breakfast and we’re hoping to get lost in a new town as we celebrate Andi’s big 3-0.

London: Day 1

While our Minneapolis friends and family were bracing for Snowmegaden 2010, Andi and I squeaked out of the Twin Cities just in time.

We arrived in London around Noon Friday, hopped on the Heathrow Express Train (which was super slick, by the way) and arrived at our hotel in central London by 2:00pm. The 8 hour flight wasn't too bad, especially since I was passed out before our plane even left the ground. Andi and I each took a sleeping pill and a B12 vitamin to help us some zzz's on the plane and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I put down the tray, laid my pillow on it and woke up 8 hours later. Not my best beauty moment, I'm sure. I do have a faint recollection of the flight attendant asking me "pasta or chicken." I must have said pasta because I woke up to a tray of food in front of me. Dozed off again and woke up to a breakfast sandwich. Not completely sure what happened but I never did have anything to eat ...

Anyway, after we arrived at our hotel in London, we showered up and hit the town. We were both a little groggy from the flight/time change but didn't want to waste any of the day. Our hotel's within walking distance to most of the tourist sites so we set out to get lost in it all. What we noticed immediately it how freaking busy it is! If this is the "slow" season, I can't imagine what it's like here in the summertime. That said, everyone's pretty friendly and helpful which surprises me a bit.

Our London Hotel

First stop was Hyde Park. By now, it was about 4ish and getting dark. There was a really neat Winter Wonderland carnival going on with rides and a ferris wheel lit up in the night sky. As we walked closer, we saw a massive crowd of people and that should've been our first clue. But it wasn't. We walked into the carnival area and were completely swarmed with people. With a second thought, Andi and both looked at each other and we walked back out. We trolled through more of Hyde Park and found another less-busy entrance to the Winter Wonderland - score, we thought. We went in again and tried to find the restrooms (or toilets as everyone says here). After fighting more crowds, we finally found them and waited in line (or que as Brit's say) for over 20 minutes. Ridiculous! Andi and I both gave each other the "let's get the heck out of here" sign and we fought the same agonizing crowd of people to the exit again. Two things came to mind as we pulled our hair out from closterphobia: 1) are there no safety laws here because if something bad went down, NOBODY was getting out of there alive and 2) a drink was in order.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

We left Hyde Park and walked toward Piccadilly Circus. This area of the city is very reminiscent of New York's Times Square and just as crazy busy. We walked around for a while taking it all in, then ducked into a cool, old-school pub for a beer. Pubs look exactly the way I envisioned London in my head. Lots of old wood and walls that could tell stories from hundreds of years of patrons. We were lucky enough to snag a table in a corner of the bar and it felt like heaven to decompress over a pint of London Ale.

Picadilly Circus

London Pub

After Piccadilly Circus, we decided to grab dinner and head back to the hotel. It was only about 7pm, but we were both beat and a little crabby from all the crowds. We looked into a store window and saw a case of samosas and pizza slices and desserts. Good enough, we said. Although after making our selections, we quickly realized we'd made a purchase at the equivalent of a 7 Eleven. I don't think either of us cared. We jumped into a cab and took our Carrot & Pea Vegetable Pizza and Chicken Samosa back to the hotel with a bottle of wine. Cheap dates maybe, but it was perfectly fine for us.

Internet's hit or miss here - meaning, it's everywhere but you have to pay $30+ to connect so I'll try to write more when we find free Wi-Fi.

Until then ...