France: Montmartre, Sacrè Coeur, Notre Dame, Jardin du Luxembourg and more...

If I didn't know better, I'd say I'd walked the whole of Paris today. But I do know better. Paris is HUGE, people! I haven't even seen the Eiffel Tower yet. Or the Louvre or any museums really. I feel like after walking until my feet nearly fell off, I haven't scratched the surface of what Paris has to offer. 

Let me start by saying, Paris is gorgeous and full of surprises. Everywhere I turned was a cute lane way or amazing building with detail I never imagined or food that I couldn't eat because I was full from the last place (but desperately wanted to eat).

We started by taking the subway to Montmartre. And here is where I will tell you to go watch Amélie. (First of all, what's wrong with you for not having seen it yet. Secondly, watch it with someone you love). The café where Amélie worked is in Montmartre, the scene where he looks through a telescope and then runs down a bunch of stairs is at Sacrè Coeur, the adult shop in which he works in also nearby. I felt like I was on a tour of the movie, which is PERFECT for me. If there is anything I love more than Disneyland, it's movies!

Sacrè Coeur is on the top of a hill, which has a deceptively high number of stairs. I was puffed by the time I got to the top, but the views of the basilica, the stairs and lawn (where people were having their lunch) and of the city of Paris made the climb entirely worth while. There were (again) no photos allowed inside, but there was an impressive ceiling which I can't even describe. Check out the picture here.

We walked through Montmartre to Pigalle - the Red Light District, which is where we stopped for lunch of savory crĕpes (delicious). Also, this is the location of Moulin Rouge.

Sidenote: I've spent the last 6 months selling all my belongings, reducing my possessions as much as possible. I'm finding it REALLY difficult to flip the switch and purchase souvenirs. I did end up deciding to buy magnets (because I will always need a fridge, wherever I live). There's still time, but I hope I find something else that tickles my fancy. There is a part of me that believes the photos and memories are enough, but another part of me that wants to have physical items that I can see or wear to remind me of this amazing trip I'm on.

Oh, while at lunch the proprietress of the restaurant came to our table, looking out the window and said to herself (in French) "I know this man." Christelle turned her head and said that the man in the car was a very famous French Actor. Jean-Pierre Marielle. I looked him up. He's an institution! Been in something like 130 films. One of which is The Davinci Code. Fun!

After lunch, we head back to the trains and made our way to Notre Dame. From a distance it looked like just another beautiful European building, but the closer I got the more blown away I was. I can not overstate this. We walked to within the block of the phenomenal cathedral and I started to recognise the detail of sculpture. Thoughts like "Oh, look at the men sculpted in a line around front of the building." But then I got closer and realised there were those men, but then there were MORE smaller men above them, and closer still I found smaller and more intricate detailing. Fun fact for you, those animals sculpted into buildings are not "gargoyles", but they are "grotesques". Look it up. Notre Dame is unbelievable. My thoughts of "Oh look at that. And that! AND THAT!" Turned into utterances of "Wow" and swear words because I simply couldn't believe how magnificent it all was. We opted against going inside as the queue was VERY long, but we walked around the outside where I continued to drop my jaw and mutter in awe.

Next to Notre Dame was one of those bridges where couples place a lock to signify their everlasting love. I have to say, it isn't cute anymore. I think it once was, but now it's not special. And there are so many damned locks, it's not even cute. It looks cluttered. Still...kinda romantic. This also made me think of the movie Now You See Me and my father, who loves that movie.

That, in itself, was a big day, but we weren't done yet! Then we walked and walked and walked (about 2km) until we found ourselves at Christelle's favorite garden in Paris. The Jardin du Luxembourg. 

To be honest, when we walked in, all I saw was a park bench that was calling my name. I was pooped and needed to rest. After 10 minutes, I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a HUGE garden. There was a museum, a lake with fun little boats for the kids to push with sticks, lawns and chairs everywhere, ponies, tennis courts, sculptures and more. It was a gorgeous place, with plenty of places to hang out in the sun (or shade) with your friends. After walking around, I called it a day and we headed for home where I have spent the last hour reliving this amazing day, blog-style. 

Disneyland Paris!

Today, we started off for Disneyland Paris at 8:30am. After a stop at the local grocery store (for some sunblock and water), and a local bakery (hello, awesome croissant et chouquette!), we took the subway/train system all the way to the front gates.

The lines to baggage check weren't lines at all, but a MASH of hundreds of (well behaved) people. We were probably in the baggage line for 10-15 minutes tops and then to the ticket line. Thanks to having purchased our tickets the night before, we entered the second mash of folks and were in the park within another 5 minutes or so. 

Even though the park was full of people (on a Tuesday!), we managed to get on (and enjoy) a lot of rides. Unfortunately, Space Mountain was closed for repairs, but we still managed to go on: Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Snow White and the Sept Nains, The Castle (you can go upstairs in the castle, where there are fairy tales in stained glass), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, Phantom Manor (The Haunted Mansion) and Captain EO. Most rides were 15-20 minutes, a couple were 45 minutes. The rides were very similar to Disneyland California. Actually, the park was laid out so similarly I didn't even need a map (which is probably why we managed to go on so much). Indiana Jones was a 20 second roller coaster with a few drops, a 360 degree loop (as the signs said) and was horrible on my neck and ears (my head was pretty seriously bounced between the "head rest" - p.s. I'm fine). The Haunted Mansion is also more creepy and dark. The house looks like an actual haunted house...like an old house. The ride is similar to California, but the skeletons are more gruesome and the bride is more tragic. There was even one skeleton of a dog, which was...meaty. I really enjoyed the Haunted Mansion and Pirates very much, as well as all the other rides. It was a great day out at a Disney park. 

My only complaints were with the people, and honestly this is just a personal space preference. No one was rude, really, but I got bumped into A LOT! Not only when making my way through the massive crowds, but when standing in line. Personal space is non-existent for the other patrons of the park. 

Also, no other Disney Cast Members (staff) compare to Anaheim's. At Disneyland Paris, the cast are like employees you'd find anywhere else. They don't have the permanent smile, the chipper Disney Love that you find in California. 

Having said all that, I hope you understand that I really enjoyed myself, enjoyed the rides, etc. I am a huge Disney nerd and picky about my Disney Parks. Disneyland Paris pulled all the punches with regards to the sceneary, cleanliness, rides (and lines to those rides) and food options. The only let downs were the crowds (I can't imagine it on a weekend or during school holidays) and shopping. To be honest, I didn't want to buy anything, which sucked because I wanted to buy lot today. Usually, I'm a sucker for everything Disney, but nothing jumped out at me. Most things seemed to be aimed at the kids (stuffed animals, etc) or for visitors who really wanted to wear a shirt or hat that said Paris on it.

I had a Crěpe au Nutella, which is the French equivalent of the Churro (I say in jest). It was DELICIOUS. Seriously, such a good crěpe!

A couple quick things: Cotton Candy in Australia is called Fairy Floss, in Paris it is called Barbe à Papa - Dad's Beard. I LOVE THAT! Ratatouille is big here. In every shop there were always a few cute options for Un Vrai Petit Chef.

And finally, I took at least a hundred pictures, which speaks highly for the place. I was all smiles, all day. Super impressed. Check out some of the fantastic stuff I saw. =)

I took a picture with this butler because I always took my pic with the "indian" on Main St in Disney Califoria, this is the French equivlent

France: From Glasgow to Paris

To get from Glasgow to Paris, I flew through Heathrow and had a 4 hour layover. That was fine by me as I got to nap on the fight and at Heathrow. 

My friend Christelle and her cousin's husband picked me up from the ORLY airport in Paris. I was immediately thrilled that I did not rent a car in Paris. Traffic is nothing like Scotland. The closest thing I can compare it to is Saigon/Ho Chi Min city, except with cars instead of scooters. People weave in and out of the lanes quickly and immediately behind another car. Tailgating is an understatement. I was happy to be a passenger and happier still to be in the back seat where I couldn't really see all the action.

After settling into Christelle's Auntie's house and having a homemade meal (Togo cuisine) of rice and spinach sauce (with beef and shrimp - it was AMAZING), we took the subway to the Champs-Élysées. We met up with Christelle's sister, Clairé, for a short walk around the shops and had Hāagen-Dazs (I had afogatto). 

Now, we're settling in for the evening - where I'm listening to Christelle and her Auntie speak French, while French TV is on in the background. I am surprised at how comfortable I am with being surrounded by a language I do not speak or understand at all. The hiccup comes when I need to speak. So far, I've managed to say Merci (thank you), Ça va (literal translation is "it goes", like How's it going? It goes - but I think the gist is 'I'm fine'), sil vous plait (please) and afoggato (ice cream with espresso poured over it). I also said désolé (sorry), which I might lean on if I find myself without my own personal translator at any point. It is frustrating not to be able to say what's on my mind, but also how quickly I become mute. Christelle's sister can speak English, but I find myself unable to start a conversation. Hopefully, I'll settle into it. Day 1 and all.

Tomorrow, we're going to the Happiest (French) Place on Earth - Disneyland Paris. We had to go to a local internet cafe to print out the tickets, which is where I learned that the French keyboards are not QWERTY - this I do not approve of. It's one thing to drive on one side of the road or another, but to not have a QWERTY keyboard...how could I survive? Anyway, I am very excited to see how Disneyland Paris compares to D-land in California. I am giving myself permission to buy ridiculous souveniers. It will give me an excuse to go to the post office and mail some stuff home. The only problem I find with packing light/small is that the 22" suitcase I packed is FULL...no room for souveniers. That's ok, I'll ship some stuff to my folks and get rid of some other stuff, like a MASSIVE travel book I purchased that I don't think I'll ever look at. The internet is easily accessible, making the 3lb travel guide redundant.

Scotland: From Haddington to Stirling to Glasgow (Alternate Post Title: Braveheart day)

I checked out of my hotel this morning (Easter) and walked across the street to a cemetery/church. At 11am, the bells of the church started ringing and it seemed like the whole of the little town came to church. All the sudden, the roads were full of parked cars and people were passing me (the girl taking pictures of old headstones), wishing me a Happy Easter. 

It was a gorgeous, sunny day and warm. I didn't need a jacket at any point.

Last night, I decided that I wasn't going to drive to Glasgow in the morning, but rather I'd go to a city called Sterling. So, off I went with the National Wallace Monument in mind. On the way, I saw a street sign pointing to the Battle of Bannockburn. It is at this time that you should go watch Braveheart if you haven't seen it, because that's basically what I spent my day learning about. Also, it's a great movie. 

Then it was off to Stirling Castle, which I did not enter but took pictures of the outside. And then finally to the Wallace Monument. There were two awesome things about this monument. Firstly, there were two actors who dressed up and told the story of the Battle of Stirling Bridge. It was a simple story, told in a simple yet entertaining way. No over-the-top bullcrap like you'd get in the states. I feel like I really have a grip on the story of William Wallace, Andrew de Moray and Robert the Bruce, amongst others. The second awesome part was climbing the 246 steps to the top of the monument. 

I will now talk about the stairs - if you bore easily, skip this paragraph. The stairs are in a narrow spiral staircase. You couldn't fit two people shoulder to shoulder and you wouldn't want to because the stair itself is basically shaped like a triangle with the point in the middle. But this narrow passage was the only way up or down, so you would HAVE TO fit two people in there, one going up and one going down. And this is Easter. Every Scotsman and his wife brought their kids to the monument today (and the Battle of Bannockburn and Sterling Castle). Every 50 steps or so was a gallery. You could hop out of the stairwell to catch your breath and learn something new. For instance, William Wallace was studying to be a priest (strange, as he was always getting in trouble for his quick and violent temper) when the English burned his house down with his wife inside it. He fought the English residing throughout the country, in the hopes of having a Free (independent) Scotland. He became the "Guardian of Scotland". I'll refrain from more history lessons, but I had a great time today.

I enjoyed Scotland WAY more than I thought I would, and I really did think I'd enjoy it quite a bit. Two thumbs up to Scotland!

I've filled the car with fuel, re-packed my bags and am all settled in the Ramada (Glasgow Airport). I fly to Paris (through London) tomorrow morning at 6:55am. Looking forward to more adventures.