Paris at Night!!

After a too brief rest we were off to see Paris at night.  I think you will recognize all the pictures!

The Arc de Triumphe.....

 

Sacre Coeur (note all the lights around it.  It was a very dark night with no stars yet this picture and the one of Notre Dame were the only ones with all these twinkling lights.  I think they are angels!)

 

Moulin Rouge.....

The Louvre with that ugly pyramid made uglier with a red stripe through it!

Notre Dame with the angels....

 

And the Eiffel Tower during its hourly flashing light show.

Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace then off to Paris!

Both Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace do not allow pictures plus it was pouring rain so nothing to share.  I will say that I love Westminster Abbey, loaded with history, a very special place.

Buckingham Palace was interesting, grand as expected, and one of the few places I have not seen in London.

So bright and early the next morning we were off to Paris.

We took the 2.5 hour ride to the city and our tour company graciously picked us up at Gare du Nord for an afternoon tour.

First stop was Sacre Coeur and a fabulous view over the city.

 

including this view of the Eiffel Tower.

I managed to take this one picture of the interior of the church before I got into trouble, not realizing photos were forbidden....

The streets around the church are very much what you would expect to see and it was here that Midnight in Paris was filmed.

And this is the only vineyard found within the city.  Our driver told us the wine wasn't very good though.

 

Then it was on through the streets of this beautiful city.....

 

 

Then we arrived at the beautiful Notre Dame...

 

 

Known for thier stunning windows, my pictures do not so them justice, especially the rose window.

 

I love this view of the cathedral!

 

Then on we went.....

 

The Invalides......

 

The Eiffel Tower....

 

And the Arc de Triumphe.

 

 

After dinner at Cafe Du Marche on Rue Cler we prepared for our Paris by night tour.

 

Day Tour to Stonehenge, Highclere, Windsor and Cliveden

I have been to Stonehenge several times but my cousins had never been.  The place has changed entirely (not the Stones but the Visitor Center)....you enter from a different road, take a tram to the site and they have a small exhition area.

This is how the stones were transported....

 

And this is how the people lived.......

 

After Stonehenge we drove to my high point of the day, Highclere.....

 

 

And this is all you will see, no photos allowed inside.  However we did see where all the filming takes place and the grand staircase where George Clooney's bride will make her entrance next week!

 

Then it was on to Windsor Castle.  Once again I have already been there so my cousins went there while I went to Clivden.  Once again no pictures.  However it was owned by the Astors, given as a wedding present to the son.  I had always wanted to tkae a tour but was disappointed in it.  They only show you two rooms, the main salon and dining room.  Granted they were spectacular but I don't think I would make a special trip again.

 

Kew Gardens...Nice but I don't get It...

My cousins and friend left on a tour of the city so I decided to go somewhere I have never been, Kew Gardens.

I really do not mean to be rude but I don't get it.  It's a nice park but I have seen more beautiful in other parts of England.  I took the Explorer train around the park so I could see the entire place.

It has a few special greenhouses including the Prince of Wales, Palm and Aquatic ones as well as some pretty flowers.......

 

 

But other than that the only thing of interest to me was Kew Palace and the Palace Kitchens.

It is not an ostentatious place and rather small but King George III spent his early years here.

The royal toilet.....

The kitchens were separate from the house and set up to accommodate huge feasts.

Other than that Kew was pretty but not what I expected, so been there, done that, don't think I will ever do again.  I will say this, the place was packed so maybe it was just me.  Or maybe I have spent so much time in the Cotswolds that everything else pales by comparison.

Here We Go...Lots of European Capitals!

I'm not real sure how it happened but this time I am going to a lot of European capitals.  I started out with a trip to Ireland and a cruise to Iceland but somehow I ended up with an 8 week trip and a lot of major cities.

My cousin, friend and I drove to Orlando and caught a Virgin flight from MCO to Gatwick.  This was my first upper class experience (first class) and there is no way I'm going back to premium economy, I am spoiled now.

Big, comfortable seats, an ottoman foot rest, huge dining table, a great menu and lie flat seats for sleeping.  When I changed into a sweatshirt to sleep, the stewardess made up my bed complete with pillow and duvet.  I watched a movie in bed and would have slept the night away had the flight not encountered a lot of turbulence.

Upon arrival in Gatwick we transferred to a house in Richmond which I had exchanged for my beach house.  Although not as convenient as a central London location, we just used car to transfer us around which was far less expensive than hotel rooms since there were four of us traveling together on this first leg of my journey.

Having been to London several times there will not be too much content on the city other than some idea of how we spent our days.

So here we go......

Norwegian Dawn.....Western Caribbean

Well I came home for a week and left again.....this time it was the western Caribbean on the Norwegian Dawn with my cousin.

This 7 day cruise from Tampa included stops in Honduras, Belize and Mexico.  First up was Roatan, Honduras on a miserable rainy day. 

 

 

This is the kind of stop that the beachgoers enjoy on a pretty day and there is not much else to do.  We did a little shopping, (I bought a carved box I love), and got back on the ship.

Next stop was Belize City. 

What a nightmare!  We messed up and bought a tour from a local outside the port.  Let me tell you, never, ever do that!!  We were very happy that we were not the only people in the van.  Our supposed 90 minute tour was 45 minutes which was fine by me. 

We knew we were in trouble when he stopped and bought one gallon of gas!

We drove over the worst roads, in the worst neighborhoods and literally flew through the streets which is why most of my pictures are off kilter.

I was shocked when we ended up in the 'hood and our driver stopped the car and got out leaving us in the middle of the road!!! After a couple minutes he came back and off we went then a few minutes later, same drill.  Apparently he was making some kind of pick up and delivery while he was taking us on our supposed tour!  Never again!

Next stop was Costa Maya which is just a small fishing village in Mexico with a big pier,  The weather was awful so we passed on this stop.

Our final stop was Cozumel which was my favorite. 

 

 

We booked a tour to Tulum which is by far my favorite Mayan ruin. 

It takes a while to get there.  First there is the 45 minute ferry ride followed by an hour on the bus but it was worth it.  The setting is absolutely stunning, nestled by the sea, and we had an excellent tour guide.

 

 

 

It was a nice cruise but frankly I like the 14 day and longer ones.  They are more relaxing and usually have more exciting stops.  My next one will be Norway and Iceland so stay tuned!!