Paris : Take 3!

It was meant to be a trip with the trois of us but due to Smee not having his passport it ended up being just the deux of us, namely moi and Fen-Fen. This being my third trip to Paris and not having Moo around to force her to speak French on my behalf, I began practising my "Excusez-moi, parlez vous Anglais?" early and I've now got it down pat.  Also given that I was playing host, I also made sure didn't forget my Paris Practique this time!

Despite this being my third time to Paris, I was still super-excited to go :D  The weather has always been superb (all the better to display the Parisian beauty) and I've never had a run in with a rude Frenchie.  I do believe that to be quite the myth.  The only people who would think they're rude are tourists who scream at them in English (Brits, Americans I'm looking at you) without even attempting to ask if they understood it!  I live in a majority English speaking country and if someone came up to me, screaming questions in non-English then I would think they're rude too!  Even if I was capable in answering, I wouldn't want to assist such a rude bastard!

Our day began at 5am *yawn* with a short bus trip to Kings Cross in order to arrive with ample time for the 6.22am choo-choo to Paris.  I must be somewhat grateful that buses run at such hours and if need be, we could have taken a 30 minute walk to Kings Cross, albeit in the dark.  We arrived at the Eurostar terminal to find only ONE out of numerous ticketing machines working - yay for inefficiency!




The train ride was fast as per usual and really... it's the only way I would travel to Paris via London.  You just save so much time!  It might seem to cost more but it's just the same as flying once you've taken into account the train fares to/from the London and Parisian airports.  Even better for us, our hotel was located near Les Halles, just a 10 minute direct-line metro ride away from Gare Du Nord.

We stayed at the Tonic Hotel and I must say, it is quite the little gem.  Our package was only £200 for 2 nights including the return Eurostar tickets which more importantly departed and returned at a reasonable time.  In the past I've paid close to that for just the hotel! 

I guess we were quite lucky to get such a bargain package especially given Paris' notoriety for old, cramped, expensive hotels.  Sure, the Tonic Hotel was most definitely not somewhere you stay for a honeymoon but it was comfortable and clean enough as a place to retire.  I'm not sure about other tourists, but I certainly wasn't going to be hanging out in the hotel.  It's enviable location - 300 metres from the Louvre!  300 metres from Forum De Halles shopping centre!  Walking distance to Sainte Chappelle and Notre Dame! - certainly compensated for any shortcomings.  As you can see, they even set up a little spare bed for us two.  It was meant to be Smee's bed! 



After dumping our stuff, we made our way to the RER-C station, St Michel to board our train to Versailles Rive-Gauche.  The last time Moo and I visited, we managed to purchase a combo ticket which included a return fare and queue jumping pass to the palace and gardens.  But this pass is no longer sold!  We had originally planned to go to Versailles tomorrow but with a rainy weather prediction, we opted to go today instead.  So after the 30 minute train ride, we joined the 30 minute queue for a ticket purchase.

Oh yeah, here's a modern sculpture of a horse-drawn carriage.  Cool.

We were pretty lucky that there was some sort of anniversary this weekend which meant that our entry to Le Petit Trianon would be free.  Yippee!

With last year's renovations completed, the gold gate just looks grand.

I won't bore you with photos of the palace (Fen-Fen took a few hundred) but here's a pretty green room and us in the Hall of Mirrors.

Oh no!  I gotta be careful of the sliding steps!

We were given the best of days to visit the palace, in fact it was kinda hot and I regret having brought my jacket and cardigan. Lugging that around all day gave me a shoulder ache.

It didn't matter how many photos I took, none them did the gardens justice in demonstrating how impressive they really were.  *sigh*

My favourite manicured hedges were back to greet me.

Our relatively late entrance into the palace gardens meant that we were there in time for the fountain show.  I was hoping for the pyrotechnics and water acrobatics of Barcelona's Fontana Magica but I was a little disappointed with this 'show'.  (I later found out that they're a few hundred years old so I should give them credit). 

Yes, yes, here we are at the Petit Trianon.

Oh you know, harpsichord-playing men are everywhere.

The gardens are massive and all that walking made us exhausted so we caved in and took the golf-cart train back to the palace. At €3 one way, it's a tourist rort!  With the sun beating down on us and our legs already tired, we were prepared to pay anything for the leisurely ride.

Feeling peckish after Versailles, we stopped by for a crepe with an apple and almond filling.  It was so-so - I've had better crepes!!

We caught the RER back to central Paris and got off a few stops early to see the......... ta-dah!! Le Tour Eiffel!

Here is the tower peeking out of the trees... oh hewo!

It was about 6.30pm by the time we reached the tower and hmmm yes, with the sun still shining, Paris was surely putting on a show. 

The view underneath the tower.

Nope, we didn't pre-purchase our tickets, so we joined the 40 minute queue.

After making the ascent (via elevator of course) we were treated to a view which slowly transformed as daytime moved into dusk. 

Trocadero on one side and the Champ de Mars gardens on the other.  *thumbs up*

As dusk changed to night, we decided we were due for sleepies but not until after posing with the Eiffel Tower one more time... tee hee!

Oxford

I've been to Cambridge and now Smee, Fen-Fen and I set off to visit it's arch rival Oxford.  Both schools have been around for aeons and have the cobbled stones and old buildings to prove it.  The drive was only about 90 minutes from home and it was very close to Bicester Village too!  (There's a new section including Gucci, Jimmy Choo but we didn't have time to detour :( )

While browsing for Oxford hoodies, I found the Snowman!  Fen-Fen was lucky enough to have friends who were still studying at Oxford and of course were more than happy to give us a guided tour. *thumbs up for friends*

The rows and rows of bikes parked on street.  It's really the best way to get around the narrow alleys and lanes.

A bridge connecting two buildings - can't remember what it's called.






The Sheldonian Theatre, designed by Christopher Wren who practically redesigned London's buildings after the fire of 1666.  Hmmm *ponder* yes, yes, I do see the similarity to St. Pauls.







Oxford University has an extensive alumini list, including many who are well... pretty darn famous - Lewis Carroll being one of them.  As homage to him, they have got a little Alice in Wonderland shop!

The store is full of knick knacks (read: crap) and I just wanted to buy it all!  Especially the Cheshire Cat teapot cosy.... even though I errr I can't recall when I last used my very own teapot.

Across the road from the shop are some gardens leading to Christ Church, one of the filming locations for Harry Potter!  It makes me so happy to see the filming locations :D *clap clap* and *happy dance*

Smee and I with Christ Church behind us.

Yes, the grass is a prized feature for many of the college/church grounds and you aren't allowed to walk on it!  Well not the plebs, only certain members of academia can do so.

Oooh I'm on the staircase that the little witches and wizards walked on to get to the dining hall!

Smee in Hogwarts Dining Hall!  He's riveted as you can see.

Lewis Carroll was also a tutor at Christ Church and in the dining hall are some stained glass windows with the Alice in Wonderland characters.. How cute.

Oxford - done and dusted!

Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Bath - Yep, all in one day

Smee's Cuz who I will blog-christen as Fen-Fen bunked at our place for her first ever Europe trip.  After a 13 hour flight in to Heathrow, Smee and I played the Hardcore Host and began the drive out west to Windsor Castle. Fen-Fen insisted she was fine and was more than happy to not nap before our day out. For those not in the know, it's yet another one of the Queen's hang-outs and located on London's outskirts, near Heathrow.

Windsor is just far out enough to have it's own little village-like community and it seemed a pleasant place to live.  The weather was on our side which made the castle look more prettier than I guess it normally would.

The road leading to the castle grounds entrance.

We were starving and had a snack at a nearby roast store.  That's my pork roll with stuffing and applesauce.  The ones available at Borough taste better.

The entrance was a decidedly expensive £15 (wtf!) but hey, that's the price you gotta pay as a hick walking around the Queen's home.  It wasn't so much of a rip off once we realised that the ticket is actually an annual pass.  But really, am I going to come back anytime soon?

Fen-Fen and I giving each other the guided tour.

Time not being on our side, we ran through the state apartments and slowed somewhat for Queen Mary's Dollhouse (miniature stuffs - I do rikey!).  We saw a guard and posed next to him.

I kept my distance because I didn't want to end up like this guy:

We thanked the guard for letting us be cheesy tourists and even though they're not allowed to move and be distracted, he gave us an ever so slight 'you're welcome' nod :D

Smee and Fen-Fen at the ground's exit with the castle and abbey in the background.

What did we see on the way back to the car?  A bus to Legoland!  So much to do, so little time.

Next on the to-do was Stonehenge, a 80 minute drive away. 

I've already been to Stonehenge and yep... they're a bunch of stones.  It was already quite late in the afternoon and given my blunt review - "a rope keeps you at least 20 or so metres from the stones, so you can't touch 'em and the audio tour is appreciated by history buffs" - both Smee, Fen-Fen along with a few other tourists doing it on the cheap, were happy to admire the stones from the fence. 

Fen-Fen and Smee taking their pics.  One of the pics from the fence - you don't get any better a view if you do pay the entrance fee.  Me, the little brown monkey trying to climb the fence.

The town of Bath was just another hour from Stonehenge but it was just wasn't our day with road detours in place.  We ended up taking and extra 30 minutes to get to reach our destination.  The sun was beginning to set and we had missed our chance to go inside to see the baths.  Oh well.

The view of Pulteney Bridge.... purdy!

We returned to London in time for a late dinner and gave Fen-Fen a taste of English food - curry!

I'm a slob

You know you've reached the height of slobbery when a day out means a braless visit to the local M&S in your grey track pants which drag on the ground, a red hoodie and thongs (the shoe kind).  Keep in mind that the M&S is swarming with tourists due to it's proximity to a major London landmark.  Disgraceful.

Go Ape

Smee and I had initially planned to join JT, G and some others for some primate climbing action.  But... Smee had to dawdle off to the Antipodes and miss out on some super super fun!  Rumours are rife owing to his incessant fear of heights that he did not in fact head to the southern hemisphere but rather he was serving self-imposed witness protection to avoid any form of height-related activities.  Hmm I do wonder....

There are several Go Ape courses around the UK and we opted for one at the Bedgebury Park.  The drive was a pleasant one hour or so out of London into the English countryside and I am happy to report that nothing eventuated from the close encounter involving Sweemo nearly colliding with a mother duck and her ducklings.

We were pretty lucky with today's sparkling weather and it made more for enjoying our lakeside picnic amongst the ducks.

Here's a friendly duck asking me for food.  *quack quack*

After fueling up, we headed to the course ready for some ropes and flying fox action. 

I shook hands with Mr. Ape and it's also good to know that I qualify for the course.

Being a girl and gym-bunnie in my previous life, I brought along my gym gloves to ensure that I wouldn't get callouses on my hands.  Everyone bagged me!  But a-ha!  I shall have the last laugh!

After being assisted into our harnesses, we were then taken through a safety demonstration of how to ensure that we don't plunge down 10 metres and hurt ourselves.  I could barely contain my excitement!  *clap clap clap*

 This little baby is all that exists between me and me going splat on the ground.

For anyone who is scared of heights, this is really a good way to help get over the fear.  After the demonstration, it is your own responsibility to ensure you are correctly attached to the zipwires.  The guides are available from the ground but they are not physically up there to monitor and strap you on.  Just try not to think of that  infamous opening scene from the movie Cliffhanger :P

The swinging walkbridge and the wooden tunnel.... which was very painful to crawl through on your knees.  I got bruises!  

The rope bridge.... miss that rope and fall to your death!  Ok, ok you only fall as far as the safety harness will go... which is about 30cms.  But still, that'll give you a jolt!

This picture doesn't really demonstrate the height between the rope bridge and the ground, but trust me, it is pretty far up and you don't really want to fall from there.

Making my way across another wooden/rope bridge....  ever so gracefully.

The entire course took about 3 hours to complete but I swear I could have kept going.  It partly takes so long because you're waiting for the slow pokes in front of you to hurry the f*&^k up!  The highlights of the course were the tarzan swings onto a rope cargo ladder (my smashing into them gave me more bruising!) and the flying foxes *thumbs up*. 

Here's a vid of JT making her way down the flying fox and not sticking her landing.

If you don't happen to land on your feet, then it can be pretty messy with all the tanbark flying around and into your shoes, socks, pockets and undies.  I had tanbark go where tanbark has never gone before!  (Not a nice feeling but hey, you gotta put up with it).

Here's a video of my view while going down the flying fox. 

I was doing pretty well until about the 11 second mark when my body began turning left.  The camera wavers as I start kicking my legs around in a desperate bid to remain forward-facing but alas, I scare away a dog as I land backwards.  My silent trip down the flying fox is broken with a delayed yelp. 

Yay!  We finished the course!

Hungry from all the energy expenditure, we stopped by the first pub we saw which as it turns out, serves really good food!  I'm not usually one for the typical pub food fare, but the menu at the Green Cross Inn and the food we saw coming out of the kitchen was very tempting indeed.

Outside the Green Cross Inn.  It's like a gingerbread house!



One of the dishes we saw being ordered by many of the other patrons was the avocado and crab bake.  We'll have 6 of those thanks waiter.  It was a bit heavy for a starter and I could feel that my arteries were now clogged with cheddar but it was delish!  I ordered the fish pie as my main and while it was nice and such a generous portion that I was unable to finish it, I felt envious for not ordering the baby back ribs, pork roast or crab!  Mmmm num nums. 

If I'm ever out that way again, I'll be sure to pop in for a meal here.  So yes, if you're after a different kind of day out, do the Go Ape course.  I can't wait to go again!  (And yes, unlike some others, I did not have any callouses on my hands *nyah!!*)

Hmmmm...

Having to upload photos one by one in Blogger is a bit of a drag.  I tried to flirt with Flock but the photo 'drag and drop' function didn't work like how I thought it would.  On top of that, it seems that I'm dwindling down my allocated photo allowance on Blogger so I'm looking for alternative ways to upload photos.

I always wondered 'how come that blog's photos look so much better than the ones on my blog'?  Then I (duh) realised that many people embed their photos using their photosharing websites, hence they're able to retain original picture quality and resolution.  I dunno, I'm not a computer nerd, I'm just assuming that's why theirs looks better than mine.  My compression of the photos is great for faster uploading, but certainly does nothing for the picture quality.

Hmmm it's something I should look into but just a bit too lazy for the time being.  Also, who should I should as my photo-host?  Picasa?  Flickr?  Shutterfly?  Snapfish?  Photobucket?  How does embedding affect the ease of changing the 'float' of the photo?  Unlike teaching myself the basics of HTML, I'm not determined (or geeky) enough to research so I won't bother investigating just yet (unless someone else can be bothered enough to do the research for me!)