Friday March 15th
On Friday evening, my parents and I headed to JFK Airport in New York City. Late that evening around ten, on Virgin Airlines which is what we flew, took off for Heathrow Airport in London, England. The flight to London was uncomfortable because the seats were close together. We had a lot of turbulence but that doesn't bother me. I got twenty minutes of sleep. Didn't watch any movies but I did play some games on the TV and listened to music on my Ipad. Three times I got up to stretch on the plane. Didn't care for the food except for the saltine crackers. They we very good. Drank lots of water and had some soda. Defiantly made the flight go faster than it really did.
Saturday March 16th
After five and a half hours we landed at one of London's International Airports. Once we got past security and got our bags, my parents and I took the Coach Bus to Victoria Station. From there we took the District Line train to Fulham Broadway where our airbnb apartment was located. The apartment was very cosy. After we got settled in, we took a two hour nap to shake off the jet lag. The bed was low but very comfortable. When we woke up from our nap, we took the train to Piccadily Circus (like Times Square in New York) and looked for a place have dinner. Finally found a place after looking for what seemed like forever. Ate at this fun place called Planet Hollywood. They played music on big TV screens and the place was very colorful. I loved their chips (french fries). After dinner, in the rain, we took the train to Westminster and stood on the bridge as we took a picture of the amazing view of the London Eye, Big Ben and House of Parliament. The three of us decided to head back to the apartment and just have a relaxing evening drinking Tea and watching TV. That night actually Mom and I stayed up to half passed midnight. We were really enjoying the British verison of Who Wants to be a Millionare.
Sunday March 17th
Happy St Patrick's Day!
The three of us took the train to St Pauls Cathedral. What a beautiful BIG church. I enjoyed listening to the church bells play music. We walked around to see other tourist attractions. Mom and I actually found this lovely park where they had this fun thing that you stand on and it wabbles side to side. While we were on it, it got windy and we started wabbling fast. Like we were doing the floss dance. Mom and I jumped off because we got scared. But that was really fun. In the rain, my parents and I took the train to Westminster and walked through St James Park to see Buckingham Palace. St James Park is one of my favorite parks because you get to see different types of birds that you never seen before. Like for example, Black Swans. You don't see them in New York City. Buckingham Palace is such a beautiful palace. This is actually my second time seeing it. They say Two times is a charm. The three of us walked to Abby Road and took a picture in front of the statue of Church Hill. The church in that area is actually where Kate and William got married. I actually took a tour of the church when I was there two years ago. We started to get hungry so after we took the train to Baker Street, and took a photo in front of Sherlock Holmes Apartment, we found this lovely restaurant that had delicious nuggets and chips. Later that evening we took the Bakerloo Train to Elephant and Castle and went to a Baptist Church to Worship our Great an awesome God. Without Him nothing in life would be possible. The people at the church were super friendly. I loved and always have loved hymns. We sang lots of those. It felt so worshipful.
Monday March 18th
My parents and I took the The Hop on Hop Off Tour. When we got on the bus, the bus driver gave us headphone. On the double decker bus, mom, dad and I sat on the rooftop so that would could take great pictures. We plugged our headphones in and listened to a fantastic audio of the history in London. Some of the places we got to see were South Kensington and Chelsea, Norfolk Square Gardens, Westminster, Lambeth and Fleet Street. In Kensington stood St Augustine's C of E Anglican Church. In Westminster, Paddington we saw St Mary's Hospital where Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte were born. I personally thought that was really cool to see. In other parts of Westminster, we got to see Trafalgar Square (my sister in law loves that area of London). The three of us got off at the the stop where the Tower Bridge was located. Inside the Tower Bridge we went upstairs and took a tour. On part of the floor, they had this glass covering part of the flooring so that people could take pictures of themselves laying or sitting down as traffic flew by down below. After the tour of the bridge, we had our first 99(soft served vanilla icecream on a cone with a chocolate cadbury flake on top) it was delicious. Something you can't get here. It's just not the same.
Tuesday March 19th
Mom, Dad and I took the District line to Tower Hill and bought our tickets and waiting in the crowd full of people for the the Menagerie to take us on a tour. He was a terrific tour guide. We then went into the Crown Jewels and got to see all the beautiful crowns Queen Elizabeth wore. Unfortuantly we weren't allowed to take any pictures but I defiantly learned lots of history about her crowns and Tower of London. I had another 99 and man oh man was it out of this world delicious!!!! The three of us took the City Cruise on the River Thames. Our first stop was at Greenwich Mean Time. The walk up is very steep! Also I'm not exactly in shape. But it was worth my legs feeling like jello. A beautiful view of London. I learned so much about where time came from and how it all works. We took the cruise to the London Eye. London Eye is one of my favorite things to do in London. The view never ceases to blow me away. It was my mom's first time and she actually enjoyed it.
Wednesday March 20th
For our last day in London, we got up early and headed to Buckingham Palace. We got to see this amazing show that the guards put on called The Changing of the Guards. The Guards marched behind the gate as they played their instruments. I didnt get to see this the last time I was in London. I could tell Mom really enjoyed it because she had a big smile on her face. I learned something new, women serve in the London Military. Something I didn't know until that day. It was nice to just pause life and to enjoy the moment of that day. Afterwards we walked a short block to the Royal Mews Museum. This Museum was different then the others because it had both an outdoor and indoor exhibit. We got to see the different carriages that Queen Elizabeth rode in the past and in the present. The history of all her rides were pretty cool too.
Thursday March 21st
We got up early and finished packing. At noon we hopped onto the Chunnel train which travels at two hundred miles per hour. Three hours later we made it to Paris. After getting directions and our metro tickets to ride their trains, we arrived at our airbnb apartment. I was a little nervous because I was in a strangers house and a different country where english isn't their first language. But after we got settled in, I felt comfortable and ready to tour Paris. Paris at night was beautiful. Plenty of people out walkinig around. I kept seeing signs that said "Beware of pick pocketers." I kept my hand on my bag a lot. Didn't want to risk it. It was a beautiful evening. I really felt like I was on vacation putting reality behind me.
Friday March 22
The three of us road the train all the way to a dream come true. Believe me, I pinched myself three times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Turns out it wasn't a dream. This was really happening. I couldn't believe I was standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. The enormous beautiful tower stood there shinning bright in the sun. My face was in shock and very happy. Something that was on my bucket list since I was little. After living the dream, we got to see the famous Arch. That was cool. Cars drove under it. Finally after walking what seemed like forever, we made it to the Musee d'Orsay. A place filled with old statues (who have no clothes on 🙈) and old paintings too. Some of the paintings were very pretty. Others didn't impress me or make me say, "Ooh ahh." 😂) But it is cool to see.
Saturday March 23rd
Dad wasn't feeling well so Mom and I went on an adventure together. We went to a famous church in Notre Dame called Sainte Chapelle. The colorful stain class windows were out of this world AMAZING. Such a gorgeous clean place. I enjoyed that. We took the train and went to another Museum called the Pantheon. That place was really interesting. Full of tons of history. I felt mom and I learned a lot that day. Later that evening the three of us went to a restaurant called La Patio. It was walking distance from our apartment. The waiter was very friendly. We learned a lot about the different neighborhoods in Paris.
Sunday March 24
We took the long train ride to see another the famous Lourve. A museum apparently you have to see before you leave Paris. The Lourve was HUGE! So many stairs to climb. We climbed thirty flights of stairs that day. Got to see Napoleon's apartment which was very cool. Sparkly and shiny. After the Louvre we were tired from all the walking we did. We ended up going back to the apartment to relax from a long day. Later that evening we went to the same local restaurant. Despite it being late, He was happy to serve us. (I have a crush on him still. He's very cute. I can't help it!!!!!)
Monday March 25th
Very early in the morning, the three of us went to pick up our rental car. Once we got the car, we drove two long hours to Normandy. In Normandy we saw Omaha Beach. It looked so beautiful. Reminded me of Hawaii except it wasn't as warm. Very windy but the view was amazing. We then drove to an amazing place that I really loved. The American Military Cemetery. (My childhood best friend serves in the military) Which is one of the reasons why I enjoyed it. As we were walking, I whistled the tune of the Star Spangled Banner out loud. I thought to myself, "This is why we stand for the national anthem!" After the tour, we drove back "home" to Paris. That was a great day. The country side of France.
Tuesday March 26th
For our last day in Paris, we went to Versailles, France. A much shorter drive than Normandy. In Versailles, we saw and toured the Palace. Lots of old paintings and furniture that was used by the old historic people way back then. We walked down to the river and saw the ducks swim around. We were going to see another famous place but it closed early. We headed back home and decided to buy groceries and eat at the apartment. Our last day was great.
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| Changing of the Guards - Buckingham Palace |
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| Guards walking at Buckingham Palace |
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| Church at Notre Dame - Paris |
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| Eiffel Tower - Paris |
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| Patheon - Paris |
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| Sainte Chapelle - Paris |
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| Lourve - Paris |
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| Buckingham Palace - London |
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| Tower of London - London |
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| Our Tour Guide |
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| Tower of London - London |
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| View from the London Eye - London |
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| Omaha Beach - Normandy France |
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| American Miltitary Cemetery - Normandy France |
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| Trafalgar Square - London |
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| A view of the Eiffel Tower at Night - Paris |
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| The Arch - Paris |