Paris and more London sightseeing!
Hi Everybody! So lots to update on. Mom, Dad, and I went to Paris on Friday morning. We took Eurostar, the train that goes under the English Channel and it was so easy and much better than flying. Our hotel was in the Saint Germain des Pres district which is really close to the Latin Quarter and the Louvre, great location. Our first stop was Notre Dame which was quite breathtaking, and very crowded as it was Good Friday. We couldn't climb to the top because the line was too long. After that we went to the Musee d'Orsay which has a fantastic Impressionist collection, which I love. Then we had dinner that night with Quillan, who is studying in Paris. It was really nice to see her and really nice to have her to speak for us at the restaurant. The next day we went to the Louvre, which was fantastic. We could never see it all but we saw a lot and I will definitely go back someday. Then we took a bus tour of the city and a cruise down the Seine, which was also great. We had such nice weather the whole time we were there. It was the warmest on Friday, but each day was sunny and beautiful. We did a bit of shopping in the afternoon at one of the big department stores, though not nearly as much as I would have liked! That night I really wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower and had heard that the lines were not as bad at night. This was not true. We waited forever and then had to wait to get up to the top floor, then wait to get back down and it was incredibly crowded. My parents were not too happy with me! I was still glad I got to do it though, despite the waiting and they were very nice to put up with it for my sake. The next day, Easter, we went to Versailles which I was very excited about. Despite it being a holiday it was still really crowded but we didn't have to wait in line for too long since we had gone on a group tour and already had tickets. The palace was fabulous, as were the grounds, even though the flowers weren't in bloom yet. That afternoon we went to Montmarte and saw the Moulin Rouge and climbed up to the Sacre Couer which is a gorgeous church on top of a hill overlooking Paris. It was extremely crowded as it was Easter so we couldn't stay inside long but the views were worth it. We had a great dinner that night for our last night in Paris. The next day we walked around the Luxembourg Gardens in the morning which were really pretty and then took the train back to London. It was a fantastic trip, we got to do pretty much everything I wanted to do but I would still love to go back at some point as there is just so much to see. I was happy to get back to London though and we spent the afternoon walking around Hyde Park and went to the Victoria and Albert Museum for a bit. At night we went out for Indian food with my friend Caitlin which was really fun. Today we went to Hampton Court Palace which was used by Henry VIII, among other royals. The inside was nice but the best part were the gardens. They were so beautiful and there were so many flowers in bloom. It wasn't too far from the city either, just a 35 minute commuter train ride away. After that I was able to navigate us via train, tube, and bus to Wimbledon where we toured the courts! I was very excited to see it and it did not disappoint. The tennis museum was excellent and we had a hour and a half tour of the facilities. The only sad part was that they are doing construction on Centre Court so we couldn't see that but we saw a lot of the other courts, including Number 1 court which is the second most important court. We also saw the press booths, and the Millennium building which has all the places the players hang out in while they are there. We even got to go in the press room and sit where the players sit which was very cool. A very fun day which was nice since it was mom and dad's last day in London. They leave tomorrow morning so I said goodbye to them tonight. It was a great visit but we did so much - I am so tired! Good night! -Katie