We went to PARIS
Nov. 21st, 2013 11:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ailbheThe children and I, and some more children and a friend, went to PARIS on the EUROSTAR and it was GREAT but oh my good god in gravy it was exhausting.
There's a little park with a playground near the Eurostar terminus in London, by the way, easy to get to with luggage and hugely useful to shake off the energy before sitting down for three hours.
The Metro is grimly awful with hip problems and a buggy. I managed, but by the end of the 3-night trip I was in constant grinding pain.
We went halfway up the Eiffel Tower! We saw an actual Van Gogh self-portrait in REAL LIFE! Linnea saw Monet's Waterlilies up close and far away! We could see the Sacre Coeur from the window of our sixth floor apartment which was full of arty booky what-hipsters-on-pinterest-aspire-to stuff AND had masses of literature on gender and sexuality and feminism which we didn't discover until it was almost too late.
We ate lunch at a pavement cafe in the medieval streets. We had late-night drinks near the Louvre. We had dinner in a bistro which belonged in a seedy film. We crossed bridges and collected autumn leaves.
We remembered to drink the booze on the FIRST night of the holiday not the LAST.
When we came back there was a delay to the building works which meant we had to stay in a hotel in London but it meant we had an extra night with our friends so that was actually GREAT.
And then it was my birthday, so although I spent it traveling with enormous amounts of luggage and dealing with delayed building work, I did get to wake up in a hotel and have an actual shower, so that was great too.
There's a little park with a playground near the Eurostar terminus in London, by the way, easy to get to with luggage and hugely useful to shake off the energy before sitting down for three hours.
The Metro is grimly awful with hip problems and a buggy. I managed, but by the end of the 3-night trip I was in constant grinding pain.
We went halfway up the Eiffel Tower! We saw an actual Van Gogh self-portrait in REAL LIFE! Linnea saw Monet's Waterlilies up close and far away! We could see the Sacre Coeur from the window of our sixth floor apartment which was full of arty booky what-hipsters-on-pinterest-aspire-to stuff AND had masses of literature on gender and sexuality and feminism which we didn't discover until it was almost too late.
We ate lunch at a pavement cafe in the medieval streets. We had late-night drinks near the Louvre. We had dinner in a bistro which belonged in a seedy film. We crossed bridges and collected autumn leaves.
We remembered to drink the booze on the FIRST night of the holiday not the LAST.
When we came back there was a delay to the building works which meant we had to stay in a hotel in London but it meant we had an extra night with our friends so that was actually GREAT.
And then it was my birthday, so although I spent it traveling with enormous amounts of luggage and dealing with delayed building work, I did get to wake up in a hotel and have an actual shower, so that was great too.
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(no subject)
Date: 2013-11-21 02:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-11-21 02:36 pm (UTC)When I go back in smaller numbers, or for longer, I will let EVERYONE know.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-11-21 04:07 pm (UTC)And thank you for the tip about the playground. Next time we travel through StP I shall make a point of finding it ...
(no subject)
Date: 2013-12-07 12:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-11-21 05:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-11-21 11:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-11-22 03:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-11-22 10:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-11-24 04:04 am (UTC)