The last two stops...

We arrived in Paris late afternoon so we didn't have too much time the first day. We drove around the city and were given a tour by our Contiki manager, Ken. During the course of the drive, we began approaching the largest roundabout in the world. As we were heading in its direction, Ken was telling us that no insurance company will insure any vehicle in this roundabout or even anywhere around it because it is so crazy and dangerous. He said "On average an accident occurs every 12 minutes in this roundabout and it is far too risky and dangerous for a coach full of 40 people to go into it." He is saying all this as we are getting closer and closer... "Sorry guys, we're just going to have to skip this one... you know, with having no insurance and all, we just can't do it" ... When suddenly "Highway to the Danger Zone" song comes on as our driver, Howie, drives us straight into it. Everyone was screaming, clapping, and taking pictures. It was so wild... there are no lanes whatsoever and cars and just going everywhere. You can refer to the picture below for how unorganized and psychotic it is. We went around the whole thing twice before we escaped accident-free. If you've ever seen the movie European Vacation with Chevy Chase... this is the roundabout that they get stuck in and can't get out of, haha!

Anyways, the other big event of the night was going to the Eiffel Tower, designed by Gustav Eiffel, a genius. It was built in 1889 for the World Fair held in Paris commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. It took 300 steel workers 2 years to construct it. It's 985 feet tall, has 1,652 steps to the top (also 4 elevators available), used 40 tons of paint and 2.5 million rivets. At the time, everyone despised the tower and thought it was the ugliest thing they'd ever seen. There were 100s of people that protested its existence. The tower was meant to be temporary and was supposed to be torn down in 1909. However, it was spared only because they discovered it proved to be an ideal platform for the transmitting antennas needed for the new science of radiotelegraphy. Over time, however, it became widely accepted and loved and is now a huge tourist attraction and a symbol of Paris. Can you even imagine the Eiffel tower being torn down?!

The next day we could do whatever we wanted. We started by going to a perfumery with our group. Then Brandon and I headed to the Louvre Museum, where the Mona Lisa painting is located. You could literally spend an entire day in there becasue there's so much to see, but since we had such limited time we only stayed for a short while. We also went to the Musee d' Orsay, another art museum with works dating between 1848 and 1914. We loved this museum and spent several hours enjoying the Impressionist, Post-impressionist, and Art Nouveau artwork. I never knew Brandon was such a fan! :) We made it to Notre Dame's entrance, but unfortunately, they weren't letting people in because of some big conference that day. Oh well... Another main site we visited was the Arc de Triomphe, the largest triumphal arch in the world. It was commissioned by Napoleon for his imperial victories. Lastly, we walked the Champs Elysees, a very famous street. It was once the most fashionable place to live in Paris. It now has lots of shops, cinemas, cafes, restaurants, etc. This street was also the scene of many triumphal marches including the Germans in the beginning of WWII and the allies after the liberation of Paris. At the end of the day we went to a lovely French restaurant for dinner with a bunch of friends. The food was divine!

The next morning we made the long haul from Paris to London and arrived at our destination in the afternoon. The Contiki tour had officially ended. We got our hotel room and took a good, long nap. It was much needed. Later that night, we all organized a dinner at a nearby pub at 7. It was a lot of fun, we said our final goodbyes, and went to bed.

Other interesting things about France/Paris before we move on... They are famous for Napoleon Bonaparte, fabulous food, world-class wine, cheese, and bad plumbing. (Also for not discovering deoderant yet... smelly.) However, fragrance and all, Paris remains the benchmark for beauty, culture, and class.

So the following day was devoted to London. And of course, we did more sightseeing... We rode the London Eye, the world's largest ferris wheel that goes really high for great sights of the city. It takes 30 minutes to rotate completely so it's not a very fast ride; it's more about soaking in the views. We also toured Westminster Abbey, one of the most visited churches in Christendom. I found it to be alright. It held a lot of tombs, memorials, and monuments of royalty and other famous, people. Charles Dickens was buried there and then William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, and Winston Churchill all had a memorial/monument for them. Those are the main big name people from the Abbey. We saw a few more important sites like Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, the Science museum, and the British museum. Brandon wanted to make sure that I pointed out that the Rosetta Stone is in the British Museum... and we saw it. Well, that ends our time in London. This concludes our long, but wonderful 18 day vacation as we next headed back to our small town of residence, Harrogate. Thank you, Contiki... you were good to us.