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.