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Jill's Paris - 2004  

  Day One of Paris 2006 - Louvre

Day Two - Versailles

Day Three (Part One) - Île de la Cité

Day Three (Part Two) - Petit Palais and Napoleon's Tomb

Day Three (Part Three) - Arc de Triomphe

Days Four and Five - Normandy

Day Six - Paris - Montmartre, Eiffel Tower and more

Day Seven (Part One) - Musée d'Orsay

Day Seven (Part Two) - London Eye

Our first day in London began in Paris where we stocked up on snacks for the relatively short trip through the Chunnel.  (You could go to the dining car if you wanted to leave your bags with someone, but ...)

You won't see much during the actual train ride because before you know it the train tracks are in a ditch and then you're in the actual Chunnel.  In other words, the trip is boring, so take a book.

We were pretty sure we could walk to our hotel from Waterloo Station in London.  (I believe they're moving the London Chunnel train station - check it out when planning your trip.)  We couldn't even find a way to cross the bridge over the Thames River, so after an hour or so of aimless walking, we trudged back to Waterloo and took a short taxi (£8) to the London Waldorf Hilton Aldwyck, a hotel that doesn't have a street address because Aldwyck is so short - though nobody will tell you this.  Also, this is not a good hotel if you need a rollaway bed as the nice rooms are tiny, but I digress.

After getting situated, we set off for the river and walked past Cleopatra's Needle (photo link) to the London Eye, the giant ferris wheel operated by British Airways that was built to celebrate the millennium celebrations and kept because of its popularity.  This is a great way to get a first view of the city, but quite expensive.  Prices vary, and you can save 10% by booking tickets online.  

Warning - If you have just arrived in the UK from a non English speaking country, your spouse or other traveling companion may insist he doesn't speak the language and make you wait in line for tickets while he strolls around and enjoys the sights and sounds of the Thames at twilight.

surreal view of the Thames River in the rain

Only one other family occupied our car, so it was almost like a private trip to view London from the air.

view from London Eye

Parliament and Big Ben as seen from the London Eye

As we walked back to our hotel, we entered the theater district, which is crammed with restaurants.  We choose a small, busy and quite expensive Italian restaurant on a corner whose name is illegible in my notes.  Since the food was not too good, perhaps they are no longer with us. 

We were too tired to take in a show and missed our only opportunity to do so.  Shame on us.

to be continued

"Oh, who can be tired of Bath?"  Jane Austen,  Northanger Abbey