Paris, Day One!

I woke up super early and headed to the train station to take the Eurostar to Paris. The train was so comfy and nice, what a way to travel. I arrived in Paris around 10:15, and checked into my hotel which is only one subway stop away from the train station. After unloading my luggage, I headed out. First up was lunch at a little café. I enjoyed a quiche and it was divine! Next, I headed to the Louvre. It was crazy crowded, and I'd been told there's no way to see everything in a day, so I picked out my "must sees," and started exploring. I saw the Mona Lisa, which was much smaller than I expected. Next was Venus de Milo, followed by the apartments of Napoleon, and then I went to the section on the history of the Louvre. I passed lots of beautiful artwork along the path to each of those things, and saw a ton. I was there for four hours, and probably only saw one quarter of the museum. It is HUGE! Next I made my way through town in the pouring rain to the Eiffel Tower. What a site!! I stared at the tower for about an hour, and the boarded the Champagne Cruise on the Seine. It was fantastic, and I sampled some delicious champagne from Champagne. Afterwards, I made my way back to the Gare d'Lest neighborhood, where my hotel is, and now I am enjoying dinner at a French bistro!

London, Day 6

My last full day in London started early, with saying goodbye to Andrea, who'd been by roommate during the conference, and breakfast at Pax Lodge. Kristi, Louiza, and I then headed out for the day. Our first stop was the Olympic Village. What a site!! There's a whole mini city established around the village with a spectacular mall, and the stadium is amazing. The aquatic arena looks like a stingray. Curious to find out if that was the intention. There's still tons of work being done, and it's going to be quite a sight when it's finished. We followed our trip to the official London 2012 shop with lunch. I enjoyed the official dish of London, curry! It was delicious!! Abbey Road was our next stop. Turns out that even though the subway stop says "Abbey Road," and the street signs say "Abbey Road," it's not THE Abbey Road... Oh well, we tried! Our next adventure was a trip to Oxford to see Christ Church and the college. AMAZING! It was a one-hour train trip, and then we spent the afternoon exploring. The "Harry Potter" dining room scenes were filmed there, and it served as Lewis Carrol's inspiration for "Alice in Wonderland." I'm so glad we went, especially since that's where I'd wanted to go originally on my bus tour! I picked up dinner from a local market, M&S, a BLT, chips, and a millionaire shortbread. All items were made locally from farms in the area. It was delicious! Got back to Pax around 8pm, and after packing up my things, it was off to bed!

London, Days 3 through 5

The conference started on my third full day in London. 40 people in attendance, 12 countries represented!!
Our council will be twinned with Suriname. Have you heard of it? I hadn't. It's in South America, and is the smallest country there with 450k residents. Each country identifies 15 girl leaders to work together on an environmental issues, concluding with a trip to Suriname to execute the program!!
Days were packed with sessions, and then free time. First night we went to the Garden Gate pub, which was fun. Second night we had a scavenger hunt around Lindon, competing on teams. Also super fun!! Our final day ended at noon, and I went out with new work friends, Louiza, Kristi, and Andrea to explore. We went to the Prime Meridian, took a boat tour down the Thames, and enjoyed drinks at a pub looking out onto the Palace of Westminster. It was a great afternoon!!!

London, Day 2

Day two in London was my bus trip! Started off super early with a tube ride to meet the shuttle. Was greeted by a hilarious old man who shuttled a group of us around in an old Harrod's bus to the bus terminal. My tour ended up getting cancelled because only 5 of us signed up, so we were bumped to the tour of our choosing. I chose Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath. It was great, the only thing I wish was that we'd had more time at each location. I loved Windsor Castle, its the Queen's permanent residence and it is so beautiful. We got a tour of the apartments, grounds, and some of the collectables, including an awesome old dollhouse belonging to Queen Anne. Next stop was Stonehenge, which was definitely amazing and fascinating!! We had lunch in a small pub along the route near the house where Harry Potter's parents lived in Wharton, England. Our final stop was Bath, where we had time to just roam. I enjoyed a stop at the Jane Austen museum, the Roman Baths, and Bath Abbey. I met a nice mid-western couple who thought I was 18... Got home super late, around 10:30, which I was not expecting, so I was exhausted, but so glad I decided to do the tour.

London 2012, first full day!

Today was excellent! I'm writing from a pub, The Famous Euston Flyer, enjoying a club sandwich with bacon (slices of ham) and chips (French fries), and wine. There are approximately 20 beers on tap, but since I still haven't acquired the taste, I'm enjoying wine!
The day started with the Royal Bike Tour. We saw Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Trafalager Square, Big Ben, and much more!! We endured a combination of wind, rain, sun, and heat; classic London, our guide said. The group was small, only five of us, and I was the youngest by at least 20 years. During our ride, we stopped for lunch, and I chose the café inside the National Gallery. It turned out to be an excellent choice because the millionaire's shortbread was divine. It's a shortbread cookie topped with caramel and a disc of chocolate. Yum!!
After the bike tour I went to the daily church service at Westminster Abbey. Simply amazing!! It was pretty cool to think of everything that's happened there and everyone who's buried there. I happened upon Sir Isaac Newton's burial site which was cool.
I followed church with a ride on the London Eye. Very cool, though next time I'll definitely wait until dark because I bet the city is simply brilliant at night!!!
I'm headed home after I finish this glass of wine. Early start tomorrow as I'm headed to Oxford College, Windsor Castle, and Shakespeare's birthplace!

A year later. London 2012

I figured a trip to London was a good way to start up my blog again. Mainly because I want to remember everything on my first trip outside of north America!

Left 4.24.12 at 18:55, and after a mostly comfortable flight with free wine, decent food, and my own row, landed in London at 12:00 local time on 4.25.12. Brandi Carlile was on my plane, too! Do you know who she is? If not, look her up, she's rockin, literally -and figuratively!

The adventure of getting to Pax Lodge wasnt terrible, but I think it felt long because I was extremely tired and my bags felt heavier than I remembered them being when I packed them!

Made it to the lodge. It's in a cute little part of London with quiet streets and homes surrounding. After a nap I felt energized and ready to head out.

I had high tea at the Palm Court, Langham Hotel, and it was divine. I had their signature Langham Tea, finger sandwiches, awesome pastries, and of course, scones!!

I'm back at the lodge now, and ready for bed. Looking forward to a full day of adventuring tomorrow: Bike Tour, and a ride on the London Eye!!

Disclaimer: I've never blogged from my phone before, so I have no idea what kind of order these pictures from high tea will be in. :)

Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair

We're off to San Francisco in two days and I'm super excited!! Tomorrow is Marcy's last day of work at Girl Scouts, which we've both come to terms with. Her more than me, but I dwell and that's a story that would lead to a more negative post, so by the by.....

We're off to San Francisco! :) Marcy and I taking eight of our 5th Grade Girl Scouts to bridge to the next level of Girl Scouting by walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. Can't get more symbolic than that!! The girls have been working hard the last five months to fundraise and plan. On Sunday, we took a field trip to the airport so they could learn the ins and outs of security, travel, and proper packing. Some of the girls have only been on an airplane once and most haven't flown in 5 or 6 years, so this will be the first time they really remember.

We're meeting at the airport at 6:00 a.m., much to the dismay of some of the parents (haha!) on Friday morning. Every day is jam packed with exciting activities, including a haunted night tour of Alcatraz, the Academy of Sciences Museum, the Cable Car Museum (this is the thing the girls are MOST excited about - and so is our trip budget, since it's FREE!), and of course the Bridging Event. The Bridging Event draws in over 3000 Girl Scouts from across the country, so that should be really cool to see.

I'll post pictures when we're back. Have a fantastic weekend, and Happy Mother's Day to all my fabulous friends who are fabulous mothers :) And, of course, an extra special Happy Mother's Day to my mom!!