Well this is it, my last post before I land back in Canada! Where to start, what to say! I have had almost a year of being authentic, playing and having fun. So I would say that my year away has been a success. I have tried very hard to make sure that I stayed true to my mantra. I probably could say that I lived my own version of the movie Eat, Pray, Love!
The journey was not always easy, and there were many times that I really wanted to throw in the towel and head home. But, I am now so thankful that I stuck it out! How does one commemorate such an experience? I decided along time ago that I would come home with a tattoo that somehow represents my journey. Sooooooo, I now have a tattoo in between my shoulder blades (I know mom, you are probably not impressed). I love it! The picture is two classic looking gerbera daisy flowers, why because the flower stands for innocence, purity and classic beauty. (Minus the innocence, I think the other two are Representative of me), I then got some words around the flowers that are written in the language of some of the countries I have travelled while here. The top two words say courage (Gaelic) and perseverance (Spanish). The bottom three words are authentic (Italian), beautiful (English), and Independent (French). All of the words are symbolic to me as I think they describe how I now feel about myself after this experience. I am proud of myself, I wouldn't say I am at total peace, but I feel better than I have ever before. There are certain things that I have come to terms with, and things that I have decided to continue to strive for. I now know I can face and be successful when adversity comes my way.
In total I have stepped foot in 8 different countries, and have been in 6 major cities in the UK. It is hard to say what has been my favourite, as I have seen so much. The big highlights for me are numerous, a few would be climbing both the Leaning tower of Pisa and the Eiffel tower, going to the Guinness factory in Ireland, touring through the Vatican, a wine trip through Tuscany, swimming in the Mediterranean sea. I appreciate each experience I have had. I am blessed that I have had family and friends visit me and help share in my experiences.
I can say that I have been to the horse races, a proper football match, and huge travelling amusement park (which I braved two of the scariest rides there). I have participated in a car boot sale (an experience all of its own). I participated in real Royal Wedding activities. I have tasted many new foods such as blood pudding and haggis. I am a big fan of the cadbury chocolate here (much better than the cadbury in Canada, trust me I have done the taste test). Even though, I didn't have a tv, I managed to watch and really enjoy some British humour on the Internet. Many people said I would hate the weather in England. I actually really enjoyed it. It is rainy, but I would take that over all of the snow and freezing temperatures. It doesn't get much better than seeing signs of spring in February. The greenery here is lush! It is fabulous to go for a walk and see the daffodils blooming everywhere you look, rose bushes and these trees that blossom the most amazing flowers.
I can't forget my teaching experience. Although, it wasn't what I had expected it to be. I still really enjoyed my time in the school. I learned a lot and I know I am a better teacher having had the challenges that I had. I also enjoyed the opportunity to sub teach around Oxford. I have a good taste of the English school system (and am now more appreciative of the school system at home).
It seems that I have not done the final blog justice. I can't really figure out why. Is it because I am not convinced that my time in England is not completely over? Potentially! I am looking forward to coming home and to seeing all of you, but I am already planning my return to England. (at some point).
I won't be continuing blogging when I am home as I can't be as open and heartfelt. It would be hard for me to spill my guts on the computer and then go to work the next day and see people. It is easy to poor out my emotions from a distance. One last night, a kiss and a cuddle with my special someone, a proper English breakfast in the morning and then on the plane and home tomorrow by 3 pm (Alberta time). Thank you for being a part of my journey by reading and commenting on my experience! See you Soon!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
One More Cheeky Holiday!
Antalya, Turkey; all inclusive, one week relaxation before I head home. Seems easy, but it didn't go this smooth at first.
Up at 12:30 am to make it for a 7:25 flight. It feels weird to shower and get ready in the middle of the night. We headed to Gatwick airport which is over an hour drive from my home. Fortunately we only got lost while looking for the long stay car park for about 1/2 hour. We find our check in desk, and I am pretty sure the man behind the desk was 'special'. He first looked at my passport and noticed there was a sticker that said something about security. (This is something some places put on it to say that I have been checked and am okay.) So he starts looking around, then tries to ring someone. I asked what the problem is, and he just said he had to ask someone about the sticker. I think this is pretty funny, just because I hadn't taken it off he was going to have to get security. So the bloke, looks around then he gets up, sits back down. I ask again what the problem is, he then says because I am Canadian he didn't know if I needed a visa to get into Turkey. I explained that I had already looked into that and that yes, I would have to pay when I got there for a temporary visa. He still wasn't buying it. He then got up and went behind a closed door for maybe 30 seconds. He came back and all of a sudden was fine with the situation!???? Then we weighed our hand luggage and the one was too heavy and so we had to transfer some to the other hand luggage. Fine did that, but he saw that I put my hair dryer into one of the bags. He started looking at it, and then looking around as if to see if it was okay for me to bring it on board. He looked at a few of the other workers, but never said anything so I finally looked over and said to another lad "Can I bring a hair dryer in my carry on?" He just looked and shook his head, like really, did you just ask me such a daft question? which then made me look at the special guy and give him the really, are you going to waste anymore of my time. So finally after about 30 minutes with my special friend he gave us our boarding pass. I will remind you this is at 330 am! As soon as we turned the corner from the desk, we shifted all of the items back to the original suitcase and I took the sticker off of my passport. Seeings as we were on holidays (I know you are all saying, Tiana you have been on holiday for the last 4 months) (I am not going to argue with you either), anyway we had to have a beer. Sitting in the restaurant after security drinking a beer at 5 in the morning. Can't remember the last time I did that. Our flight was uneventful, which is always a good thing. We landed in Antalya and found the Thomas Cook rep, as we were waiting a mother was crying whilst talking to the rep. I overheard her mention that she was not happy that they were being moved, and it wasn't her fault that the hotel overbooked, the rep was apologetic but didn't have much else to say. So wouldn't you know what the rep had to tell us.... Yup, your hotel has been over-booked and they were moving us to a new resort. What!!!!! No, I didn't cry, I was screwing though. I started asking her questions about the new resort. The poor rep couldn't tell us any information about the hotel, she knew nothing about the resort. I asked questions to compare to what we were going to have to where we were going. No answer! On the coach we were both in a huff, not knowing where we were going only that it was a 50 minute drive instead of the original 20 minute. We arrived and were immediately impressed with the service, from the check-in, to the bell boys to the look of the lobby. Putting us more at ease we headed to our room. There I was impressed too, much nicer than the ones that I have stayed in Mexico. I wasn't convinced yet, but I was happier. We walked around the resort, a little disappointed that there was only one pool versus what we were going to have. But it still had 4 waterslides, and a pool bar. It was on the beach, the grounds were well kept and beautiful. We met the next day with another rep from Thomas Cook, I am assuming that they knew we would have concerns about the change. She assured us, having worked at both resorts that this one was better (easy to say), but they did give us £100 in cash right away. This was pretty good, since we only paid a few hundred quid for the holiday anyway. I am not going to go into details about each day, as it was an all-inclusive and many of you know what you do at an all-inclusive and this was no different. But, I will tell you various random things. The area of Turkey we ended up in was called Side (sounds like seedeh). Our hotel was beside two others in the same chain, ours was called the Alba Queen, which is suiting for a princess like me. A short distance walk were some shops that gave us a good taste of what the Turkish markets would be like. I did not know that Turkey is the knock off capital! I was in heaven, and the quality of the stuff was amazing. The beach for our hotel had golden sand and was clean, the Mediterranean was beautiful and warm. The traditional way to receive a cocktail at this resort, was with a fancy straw, an orange and a lit sparkler. The food in the buffet was surprisingly good. I had been warned not to expect much. But, it turned out to again be better than most of the Mexican resorts I have been to. The service was hit and miss, but if you smiled right and were female you had better odds. You could hear the call to prayer most times through the day, which I thought was neat. Not having been in a place like this before. I was the only Canadian at the resort! (it cost me €45 to get into the country, where as it costs £10 for a UK citizen). Just like Mexico, there are random cats that like to come out around the eating areas. I saw this cat though that had this fresh head wound, and I was a little revolted! A person gets sick of deciding what to drink after the second day, but always finds it in them to drink anyways.
The highlights for me:
I really enjoy laying in hammocks cuddling when the sun is setting, but it is just as good walking along the beach as the sunsets too.
Taking cheeky walks at night along various pathways to sneak into the trees.
Taking a boat cruise along the sea, stopping and jumping off in the middle of nowhere.
Bartering like I have never seen it, to come out with some great knock offs. (I will let you guess when I am home what is real or not).
Zipping down waterslides and crashing into the water, to come up laughing like I did when I was a kid.
Taking a local bus, hoping to get to the right destination.
Eating at a local restaurant on the sea, while the sun is shining and the waves are crashing.
Sharing the experience with someone special who makes me feel like I am the most beautiful girl in the world.
There are so many other things to tell you all, I am home in a few days and will be able to share more details. I am right now in Newcastle spending time with my someone special and his family. It has been an emotional last couple of days and I am assuming it will get worse. I plan on writing at least one more blog before my flight home on Friday. I am just trying to reflect about my time abroad and try to summarize it. Not an easy task! Make sure you check back in the next couple of days for a heart to heart, well okay just me spilling out my heart again!
Up at 12:30 am to make it for a 7:25 flight. It feels weird to shower and get ready in the middle of the night. We headed to Gatwick airport which is over an hour drive from my home. Fortunately we only got lost while looking for the long stay car park for about 1/2 hour. We find our check in desk, and I am pretty sure the man behind the desk was 'special'. He first looked at my passport and noticed there was a sticker that said something about security. (This is something some places put on it to say that I have been checked and am okay.) So he starts looking around, then tries to ring someone. I asked what the problem is, and he just said he had to ask someone about the sticker. I think this is pretty funny, just because I hadn't taken it off he was going to have to get security. So the bloke, looks around then he gets up, sits back down. I ask again what the problem is, he then says because I am Canadian he didn't know if I needed a visa to get into Turkey. I explained that I had already looked into that and that yes, I would have to pay when I got there for a temporary visa. He still wasn't buying it. He then got up and went behind a closed door for maybe 30 seconds. He came back and all of a sudden was fine with the situation!???? Then we weighed our hand luggage and the one was too heavy and so we had to transfer some to the other hand luggage. Fine did that, but he saw that I put my hair dryer into one of the bags. He started looking at it, and then looking around as if to see if it was okay for me to bring it on board. He looked at a few of the other workers, but never said anything so I finally looked over and said to another lad "Can I bring a hair dryer in my carry on?" He just looked and shook his head, like really, did you just ask me such a daft question? which then made me look at the special guy and give him the really, are you going to waste anymore of my time. So finally after about 30 minutes with my special friend he gave us our boarding pass. I will remind you this is at 330 am! As soon as we turned the corner from the desk, we shifted all of the items back to the original suitcase and I took the sticker off of my passport. Seeings as we were on holidays (I know you are all saying, Tiana you have been on holiday for the last 4 months) (I am not going to argue with you either), anyway we had to have a beer. Sitting in the restaurant after security drinking a beer at 5 in the morning. Can't remember the last time I did that. Our flight was uneventful, which is always a good thing. We landed in Antalya and found the Thomas Cook rep, as we were waiting a mother was crying whilst talking to the rep. I overheard her mention that she was not happy that they were being moved, and it wasn't her fault that the hotel overbooked, the rep was apologetic but didn't have much else to say. So wouldn't you know what the rep had to tell us.... Yup, your hotel has been over-booked and they were moving us to a new resort. What!!!!! No, I didn't cry, I was screwing though. I started asking her questions about the new resort. The poor rep couldn't tell us any information about the hotel, she knew nothing about the resort. I asked questions to compare to what we were going to have to where we were going. No answer! On the coach we were both in a huff, not knowing where we were going only that it was a 50 minute drive instead of the original 20 minute. We arrived and were immediately impressed with the service, from the check-in, to the bell boys to the look of the lobby. Putting us more at ease we headed to our room. There I was impressed too, much nicer than the ones that I have stayed in Mexico. I wasn't convinced yet, but I was happier. We walked around the resort, a little disappointed that there was only one pool versus what we were going to have. But it still had 4 waterslides, and a pool bar. It was on the beach, the grounds were well kept and beautiful. We met the next day with another rep from Thomas Cook, I am assuming that they knew we would have concerns about the change. She assured us, having worked at both resorts that this one was better (easy to say), but they did give us £100 in cash right away. This was pretty good, since we only paid a few hundred quid for the holiday anyway. I am not going to go into details about each day, as it was an all-inclusive and many of you know what you do at an all-inclusive and this was no different. But, I will tell you various random things. The area of Turkey we ended up in was called Side (sounds like seedeh). Our hotel was beside two others in the same chain, ours was called the Alba Queen, which is suiting for a princess like me. A short distance walk were some shops that gave us a good taste of what the Turkish markets would be like. I did not know that Turkey is the knock off capital! I was in heaven, and the quality of the stuff was amazing. The beach for our hotel had golden sand and was clean, the Mediterranean was beautiful and warm. The traditional way to receive a cocktail at this resort, was with a fancy straw, an orange and a lit sparkler. The food in the buffet was surprisingly good. I had been warned not to expect much. But, it turned out to again be better than most of the Mexican resorts I have been to. The service was hit and miss, but if you smiled right and were female you had better odds. You could hear the call to prayer most times through the day, which I thought was neat. Not having been in a place like this before. I was the only Canadian at the resort! (it cost me €45 to get into the country, where as it costs £10 for a UK citizen). Just like Mexico, there are random cats that like to come out around the eating areas. I saw this cat though that had this fresh head wound, and I was a little revolted! A person gets sick of deciding what to drink after the second day, but always finds it in them to drink anyways.
The highlights for me:
I really enjoy laying in hammocks cuddling when the sun is setting, but it is just as good walking along the beach as the sunsets too.
Taking cheeky walks at night along various pathways to sneak into the trees.
Taking a boat cruise along the sea, stopping and jumping off in the middle of nowhere.
Bartering like I have never seen it, to come out with some great knock offs. (I will let you guess when I am home what is real or not).
Zipping down waterslides and crashing into the water, to come up laughing like I did when I was a kid.
Taking a local bus, hoping to get to the right destination.
Eating at a local restaurant on the sea, while the sun is shining and the waves are crashing.
Sharing the experience with someone special who makes me feel like I am the most beautiful girl in the world.
There are so many other things to tell you all, I am home in a few days and will be able to share more details. I am right now in Newcastle spending time with my someone special and his family. It has been an emotional last couple of days and I am assuming it will get worse. I plan on writing at least one more blog before my flight home on Friday. I am just trying to reflect about my time abroad and try to summarize it. Not an easy task! Make sure you check back in the next couple of days for a heart to heart, well okay just me spilling out my heart again!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Paris est Magique!
Another wonderful holiday with wonderful people. My godmothers arrived in London on the 21st of May. Many plans and itinerary's in hand, I knew I wouldn't have to do much planning for this holiday. The first week of their visit had me sticking around home incase I had to teach and them touring around England. But the second week was Paris!
What a fantastic, beautiful, magical, brilliant, lush place! To be able to see so many monumental sights in a day is surreal. We started our journey by train. It is a nicer more relaxing way to travel then flying. A short two and half hour journey gave us time to see some french country side and admire the beauty. Alright, I did sleep some of the way, but only when we were in the chunnel so there was nothing to see anyway. We found the exit to the train station to where the taxi stand was. What a line up, it took us an hour to get a taxi. It was a good thing that the sun was out and we had the entertainment of some drunks perched on the side of the road to keep us occupied. While in line we were approached by some younger girls with paper, all they did was motion to sign this paper, but said nothing. It was a scam, they were apparently deaf and wanting donations for some program. Funny thing is later seeing them walking with another member of their 'deaf club' talking away obviously fully able to hear. Finally getting into our taxi we were off to the hotel. My neck started hurting so much as I was trying to see everything. We crossed the Seine river towards the Eiffel tower and I'll tell you the first time I saw the Eiffel tower I was completely in awe! Like, really am I really seeing this in person! Our hotel happened to be just a hop, skip and a jump away from the tower so I could gaze at it many times. The hotel was called Tulipe, and it was this little yellow cute building down this narrow road. All the buildings on the street were grey except for our hotel. Our room was small but extremely quaint, and it had a bathtub! We settled in and then went for a walk towards the Seine River. I had to continue to tell myself that I was in Paris! I got to reflecting as I was walking, on all of the amazing places and things I have seen this year. (But that is another blog in itself, you know a touchy feely one). I do realize how fortunate I have been this year!
After walking and sightseeing for awhile it was time for a drink! Finding a cute little bar on another cute little street I ordered a mojito. Can I say expensive, 11 euros! No matter where we looked everything seemed to be that expensive. As I am on a limited budget, I knew that I wouldn't be doing too much expensive drinking. Especially since you could go to the grocery store and buy a bottle of wine for 5 euros. So this is what we did, bought wine, fresh baguettes, cheese and a few other odds and sods. We gladly enjoyed our first night in Paris in our hotel sipping wine and discussing our adventures to come. I also indulged in a bubble bath, my first one in months!
Our second day had us taking a tour through the Louvre! We sat outside at our hotel and had breakfast and coffee in the sunshine. So relaxing and beautiful. We had left plenty of time to take a taxi to where the tour was suppose or where we thought it was suppose to start. Only to discover that we were in the wrong place, so we were directed to another location, which we found with only some difficulties. But, it turned out to be the wrong place. So the tour was to start in 15 minutes and we are not at the check in point. Betty has limited mobility and can only walk for so long. So I left them at the Louvre and I started running to another location I was directed to. I arrived at the stand which was a few streets away from the Louvre and signed in (I must add this was the original place the taxi took us, but because it wasn't at the Louvre we figured he was wrong). I explained that there were two other members of my party waiting inside the Louvre, this originally didn't go over well as they were suppose to be at this location. I explained the situation and was told that I would have to recognize my family when we got closer (like I wouldn't), so they could join us. I waited with the group to start our tour. While waiting I recognized one of the ladies in the group. I approached her and wouldn't you know she is from Medicine Hat and works at my dental office. What a small world! Finally the tour began and I was reunited with Betty and Marie. They were starting to worry about me, thinking about bad things that could have happened to poor me in Paris. It is a good thing I am use to doing things on my own know. The tour was fantastic, I had to pinch myself as I was looking at the Mona Lisa. I saw the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory and the Slave sculptures by Michelangelo and Cupid's kiss. (Pictures will be on facebook). It was only noon and I had already seen more memorable things then I could have imagined. From the tour we walked to the Hop on Hop off bus stop. Along the way I saw some kids being chased by undercover cops, they were all lined up to be searched. Obviously they were suspected for pick pocketing as we were continuously warned about this. (That is two places now I have seen take downs, Barcelona and Paris). We boarded the bus took a seat at the top in the sunshine. The plan was to take it all the way around to see the sights, leaving the next day for when we would get off at specific places. I was overwhelmed at what I saw just on the bus. The Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Effiel Tower, Champs Elysees, and the Paris Opera House (where the Phantom is), just to name a few. When we finally got off the bus, we walked again along the Seine river discussing all that we had seen, we each chose one thing that we had to do the next day. Exhausted from the day we had a light supper, including red wine and chocolate! We then relaxed for the night. I am pretty sure I was asleep by 10.
Up again early so that I could climb the Eiffel tower! We got to the tower at 9 and there were already massive lines. It is a good thing that most people want to take the lifts all the way up, because the line to take the stairs was a lot shorter. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was out and I was climbing the stairs of the Eiffel tower! Really! It didn't take long to get to the 2nd floor where many people stop, but not me I was going to the top. Unfortunately, the only way to the top is by lift, so I was in line for what seemed forever. But was it ever worth it! The view from the top was breathtaking. Being able to look out and in the distance see the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre was fantastic. Although it was stupid busy up there, I was able to be still and reflect on the beauty of where I was. Once back at the ground floor I stood in the centre of the tower and admired the view looking up, realizing that I had just been to the top of one of the most recognizable places in the world. Our next stop was Marie's choice we went the Notre Dame. The line up was short and the admission was free. This is another beautiful cathedral, with mesmerizing stained glass. There was a mass going on at the time and it felt weird in a way to be in there listening to it in French, I am not sure why it felt weird, maybe because it has been so long since I have been to church. Although I describe the feeling as weird it was a peaceful weird. The cathedral is massive, on the inside you can't see how massive it is. We stayed and had a sandwich outside, I had a glass of pop that cost me 5.50 euros! Ouch! We then headed to Betty's choice, L'orangerie. This is the gallery where Monet's Water Lilly paintings are. Not that I have any sort of artistic eye, or knowledge of this it still was an honour to see something so famous in person. I had no idea that the paintings were as big as they are. It is easy to sit and get lost in the painting, daydreaming, being alone in one's own thoughts. Even though we had already had such a memorable day we weren't done. We headed to the Seine Rivere where we were taking a champagne tasting river cruise. How picturesque cruising down the river, champagne in hand watching the sights. Paris really is the city of love. Along the river there were people embracing, cuddling, dancing, drinking totally engulfed with their company. A peaceful, and romantic sight. It was neat to see some of the sights from a different angle including the Eiffel tower. I think I have about 30 if not more pictures just of the tower. I seemed to be taken into it each time I saw it, entranced in its beauty. The cruise was an hour long, where we tasted 3 different kinds of champagne, a perfect way to start the evening. When we disembarked we stopped at a bar along the river and shared our pictures over a mojito. We then travelled back under the Eiffel tower towards a small French restaurant. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and I ate some fantastic salmon. I was eagerly awaiting the lights of the Eiffel tower to come one. When they finally did, it was magical! I was moved by how beautiful it was. I can't really describe how I felt as I watched it sparkle. I know I just felt emotional. I couldn't really take my eyes off of it. If you have been there before I am sure you know what I am talking about. As we walked back to the hotel, I watched the tower the whole way there, even when we got lost and took another half hour to get back, I wasn't bothered because the scenery was worth it.
The next day was our day trip out of Paris. The weather was not very friendly; cloudy, windy and cool. On the tour bus we headed to a small village called Giverny. This was the home of Monet and his gardens that inspired his Water Lily paintings. We walked through his gardens getting a glimpse of the sights Monet saw so many years ago. It was very picturesque, I could see the Willow tree that is in his painting and the blooming water lilies in the pond. A neat experience since, I had only been the day before admiring the original paintings. Part of our tour was to have lunch at a traditional french restaurant. The bus pulled off the main road onto what seemed like a beaten up path. Since we were in what seemed to be tht middle of no where I wasn't expecting too much from the restaurant. Out of nowhere the path opened up to this stunning house, with a fantastic waterfall. It was like out of a movie set. The meal was great, the wine was tasty and the company was wonderful. Our next stop was the Palace of Versailles. A very rich historic sight, beautiful for the time it was built. Listening to the history while going through the rooms was interesting, but I was turned off as it was so busy. You weren't given enough time to appreciate all that was there. You were rushed from room to room, being pushed and shoved. So the overall experience at the palace was rather disappointing. I would have like to do more sightseeing in Versailles itself, but the tour didn't have that scheduled. Oh well, means I need to go back again. After the tour ended the three of us shared our pictures and discussed our day over a glass of wine. We then went to a Thai restaurant for supper. The food was fantastic and the presentation was fabulous. The best meal we had had while in Paris. We ended our Paris adventure on a high note, feeling totally satisfied with what we had seen. Only wishing that we could take the scenery with us and hoping that our memories wouldn't fail us when remembering what we saw.
Up and to the train station, heading back to London for a night at the theatre. Very excited to be going to see Dirty Dancing as it happens to be one of my all time favourite movies. How could you go wrong with the happy music and the seductive dancing! The energy in the theatre was great, (even though the age of many of the attendees was way to young to have been around when the movie originally came out), was buzzing. The clapping, hooting and hollering during the infamous parts made the experience much more exciting. I would say that it was not as good as Billy Elliott, but it was still worth going to see.
And that is the end of another chapter of my year. Thank you to Betty and Marie for making my time in Paris even better as I was able to share it with you! I appreciate that you came all this way to see me and I am grateful for everything you have done for me.
Next a last minute vacation to Antalya, Turkey. An all-inclusive vacation to relax and reflect on what an amazing year I have had.
What a fantastic, beautiful, magical, brilliant, lush place! To be able to see so many monumental sights in a day is surreal. We started our journey by train. It is a nicer more relaxing way to travel then flying. A short two and half hour journey gave us time to see some french country side and admire the beauty. Alright, I did sleep some of the way, but only when we were in the chunnel so there was nothing to see anyway. We found the exit to the train station to where the taxi stand was. What a line up, it took us an hour to get a taxi. It was a good thing that the sun was out and we had the entertainment of some drunks perched on the side of the road to keep us occupied. While in line we were approached by some younger girls with paper, all they did was motion to sign this paper, but said nothing. It was a scam, they were apparently deaf and wanting donations for some program. Funny thing is later seeing them walking with another member of their 'deaf club' talking away obviously fully able to hear. Finally getting into our taxi we were off to the hotel. My neck started hurting so much as I was trying to see everything. We crossed the Seine river towards the Eiffel tower and I'll tell you the first time I saw the Eiffel tower I was completely in awe! Like, really am I really seeing this in person! Our hotel happened to be just a hop, skip and a jump away from the tower so I could gaze at it many times. The hotel was called Tulipe, and it was this little yellow cute building down this narrow road. All the buildings on the street were grey except for our hotel. Our room was small but extremely quaint, and it had a bathtub! We settled in and then went for a walk towards the Seine River. I had to continue to tell myself that I was in Paris! I got to reflecting as I was walking, on all of the amazing places and things I have seen this year. (But that is another blog in itself, you know a touchy feely one). I do realize how fortunate I have been this year!
After walking and sightseeing for awhile it was time for a drink! Finding a cute little bar on another cute little street I ordered a mojito. Can I say expensive, 11 euros! No matter where we looked everything seemed to be that expensive. As I am on a limited budget, I knew that I wouldn't be doing too much expensive drinking. Especially since you could go to the grocery store and buy a bottle of wine for 5 euros. So this is what we did, bought wine, fresh baguettes, cheese and a few other odds and sods. We gladly enjoyed our first night in Paris in our hotel sipping wine and discussing our adventures to come. I also indulged in a bubble bath, my first one in months!
Our second day had us taking a tour through the Louvre! We sat outside at our hotel and had breakfast and coffee in the sunshine. So relaxing and beautiful. We had left plenty of time to take a taxi to where the tour was suppose or where we thought it was suppose to start. Only to discover that we were in the wrong place, so we were directed to another location, which we found with only some difficulties. But, it turned out to be the wrong place. So the tour was to start in 15 minutes and we are not at the check in point. Betty has limited mobility and can only walk for so long. So I left them at the Louvre and I started running to another location I was directed to. I arrived at the stand which was a few streets away from the Louvre and signed in (I must add this was the original place the taxi took us, but because it wasn't at the Louvre we figured he was wrong). I explained that there were two other members of my party waiting inside the Louvre, this originally didn't go over well as they were suppose to be at this location. I explained the situation and was told that I would have to recognize my family when we got closer (like I wouldn't), so they could join us. I waited with the group to start our tour. While waiting I recognized one of the ladies in the group. I approached her and wouldn't you know she is from Medicine Hat and works at my dental office. What a small world! Finally the tour began and I was reunited with Betty and Marie. They were starting to worry about me, thinking about bad things that could have happened to poor me in Paris. It is a good thing I am use to doing things on my own know. The tour was fantastic, I had to pinch myself as I was looking at the Mona Lisa. I saw the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory and the Slave sculptures by Michelangelo and Cupid's kiss. (Pictures will be on facebook). It was only noon and I had already seen more memorable things then I could have imagined. From the tour we walked to the Hop on Hop off bus stop. Along the way I saw some kids being chased by undercover cops, they were all lined up to be searched. Obviously they were suspected for pick pocketing as we were continuously warned about this. (That is two places now I have seen take downs, Barcelona and Paris). We boarded the bus took a seat at the top in the sunshine. The plan was to take it all the way around to see the sights, leaving the next day for when we would get off at specific places. I was overwhelmed at what I saw just on the bus. The Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Effiel Tower, Champs Elysees, and the Paris Opera House (where the Phantom is), just to name a few. When we finally got off the bus, we walked again along the Seine river discussing all that we had seen, we each chose one thing that we had to do the next day. Exhausted from the day we had a light supper, including red wine and chocolate! We then relaxed for the night. I am pretty sure I was asleep by 10.
Up again early so that I could climb the Eiffel tower! We got to the tower at 9 and there were already massive lines. It is a good thing that most people want to take the lifts all the way up, because the line to take the stairs was a lot shorter. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was out and I was climbing the stairs of the Eiffel tower! Really! It didn't take long to get to the 2nd floor where many people stop, but not me I was going to the top. Unfortunately, the only way to the top is by lift, so I was in line for what seemed forever. But was it ever worth it! The view from the top was breathtaking. Being able to look out and in the distance see the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre was fantastic. Although it was stupid busy up there, I was able to be still and reflect on the beauty of where I was. Once back at the ground floor I stood in the centre of the tower and admired the view looking up, realizing that I had just been to the top of one of the most recognizable places in the world. Our next stop was Marie's choice we went the Notre Dame. The line up was short and the admission was free. This is another beautiful cathedral, with mesmerizing stained glass. There was a mass going on at the time and it felt weird in a way to be in there listening to it in French, I am not sure why it felt weird, maybe because it has been so long since I have been to church. Although I describe the feeling as weird it was a peaceful weird. The cathedral is massive, on the inside you can't see how massive it is. We stayed and had a sandwich outside, I had a glass of pop that cost me 5.50 euros! Ouch! We then headed to Betty's choice, L'orangerie. This is the gallery where Monet's Water Lilly paintings are. Not that I have any sort of artistic eye, or knowledge of this it still was an honour to see something so famous in person. I had no idea that the paintings were as big as they are. It is easy to sit and get lost in the painting, daydreaming, being alone in one's own thoughts. Even though we had already had such a memorable day we weren't done. We headed to the Seine Rivere where we were taking a champagne tasting river cruise. How picturesque cruising down the river, champagne in hand watching the sights. Paris really is the city of love. Along the river there were people embracing, cuddling, dancing, drinking totally engulfed with their company. A peaceful, and romantic sight. It was neat to see some of the sights from a different angle including the Eiffel tower. I think I have about 30 if not more pictures just of the tower. I seemed to be taken into it each time I saw it, entranced in its beauty. The cruise was an hour long, where we tasted 3 different kinds of champagne, a perfect way to start the evening. When we disembarked we stopped at a bar along the river and shared our pictures over a mojito. We then travelled back under the Eiffel tower towards a small French restaurant. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and I ate some fantastic salmon. I was eagerly awaiting the lights of the Eiffel tower to come one. When they finally did, it was magical! I was moved by how beautiful it was. I can't really describe how I felt as I watched it sparkle. I know I just felt emotional. I couldn't really take my eyes off of it. If you have been there before I am sure you know what I am talking about. As we walked back to the hotel, I watched the tower the whole way there, even when we got lost and took another half hour to get back, I wasn't bothered because the scenery was worth it.
The next day was our day trip out of Paris. The weather was not very friendly; cloudy, windy and cool. On the tour bus we headed to a small village called Giverny. This was the home of Monet and his gardens that inspired his Water Lily paintings. We walked through his gardens getting a glimpse of the sights Monet saw so many years ago. It was very picturesque, I could see the Willow tree that is in his painting and the blooming water lilies in the pond. A neat experience since, I had only been the day before admiring the original paintings. Part of our tour was to have lunch at a traditional french restaurant. The bus pulled off the main road onto what seemed like a beaten up path. Since we were in what seemed to be tht middle of no where I wasn't expecting too much from the restaurant. Out of nowhere the path opened up to this stunning house, with a fantastic waterfall. It was like out of a movie set. The meal was great, the wine was tasty and the company was wonderful. Our next stop was the Palace of Versailles. A very rich historic sight, beautiful for the time it was built. Listening to the history while going through the rooms was interesting, but I was turned off as it was so busy. You weren't given enough time to appreciate all that was there. You were rushed from room to room, being pushed and shoved. So the overall experience at the palace was rather disappointing. I would have like to do more sightseeing in Versailles itself, but the tour didn't have that scheduled. Oh well, means I need to go back again. After the tour ended the three of us shared our pictures and discussed our day over a glass of wine. We then went to a Thai restaurant for supper. The food was fantastic and the presentation was fabulous. The best meal we had had while in Paris. We ended our Paris adventure on a high note, feeling totally satisfied with what we had seen. Only wishing that we could take the scenery with us and hoping that our memories wouldn't fail us when remembering what we saw.
Up and to the train station, heading back to London for a night at the theatre. Very excited to be going to see Dirty Dancing as it happens to be one of my all time favourite movies. How could you go wrong with the happy music and the seductive dancing! The energy in the theatre was great, (even though the age of many of the attendees was way to young to have been around when the movie originally came out), was buzzing. The clapping, hooting and hollering during the infamous parts made the experience much more exciting. I would say that it was not as good as Billy Elliott, but it was still worth going to see.
And that is the end of another chapter of my year. Thank you to Betty and Marie for making my time in Paris even better as I was able to share it with you! I appreciate that you came all this way to see me and I am grateful for everything you have done for me.
Next a last minute vacation to Antalya, Turkey. An all-inclusive vacation to relax and reflect on what an amazing year I have had.
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