Paris!

Mom arrived safely with no complications on Tuesday Nov. 21st. We had just enough time to go back to our flat, freshen up, and catch our breath before we were on our way to Paris! The journey consisted of MANY modes of transportation to get from point A (Harrogate) to B (Paris). You will be amazed...

First, we took a taxi from our flat to Harrogate's bus station. Then, we rode the bus to Leeds Airport where we flew into Paris. Next, we took a bus to get from one side of the airport to the other where we caught a train called the RER which we rode for 30 minutes. When we reached "Gare du Nord," we hopped off the train and got onto the underground Metro system where we made two connections before we got off at our stop. We proceeded to walk about 3 minutes and finally arrived at our hotel. What a journey! With the use of mom and my brilliant minds, a few maps, Brandon's pre-travel help and paperwork, and a nice Canadian girl that was going in a similar direction, we made it there problem free. There was only a minor hold up at the train station in Paris, but we figured it out eventually and overall it was a very smooth operation.

By the time we checked in, it was already 6:30 pm. Dinner was the first thing on the agenda. We went to a recommended restaurant called Chartier. Surprisingly, there was not an English menu, but our waiter did his best to translate a total of 3 meal choices. We both went with the "beef in sauce" option. :) It was pretty good. By the time dinner was over, all the attractions and stores were closed so we just did a little window shopping. We finished our evening with a visit to the Eiffel tower. At night, it's all lit up and a very different feel than in the daytime. I wanted Mom to experience it at both times.

The next morning we again headed to the E. Tower. This time, we went to the very top. What amazing views! We then hit up the Louvre where we saw the original Mona Lisa in addition to many other pieces of artwork. (Note: It's a given that shopping was sprinkled in between all of these activities. :) We would have it no other way.) We next went to the Arc de Triumph where the world's largest roundabout is located, and finally ended our time in Paris with shopping on the most famous stretch in the city.

At 7 pm we did the route in reverse order and got back to the Paris airport. This time, however, we flew into Luton, London instead of back to Harrogate. After an hour bus ride that took us into the heart of London, we found a handsome, familiar face that belonged to Brandon Rigg. We successfully pulled off the plan. Hooray for us!

Now, some people may have the impression that Paris is not a "friendly" place. That the people can be rude, mean, and possibly even somewhat anti-American. Well, as with any place, I am sure there is a percentage of such people. But I am here to tell you that Mom and I encountered so many nice people during our short stay in France! (One that was a bit too friendly.) I'll share a few stories that we experienced. A kind man carried mom's suitcase up a long flight of stairs. A random lady directed us to the escalators that we didn't know about because she noticed we were carrying luggage. A French lady complimented me on my purse. Our first waiter at Chartier was practically my best friend. And even though I had no clue what he was saying, his proximity and body language was telling me enough. (That is until I told him I didn't speak French. At which point he acted very disappointed, but couldn't do anything more but get the English speaking waiter.) BUT... the story that tops them all is about a French guy at the train station in Paris on our way out of the city. He saw us standing at a map and came over to ask if we needed directions. He proceeded to help us for the next 20 minutes! He led us all over the station, talked to people in French for us, helped us buy tickets, etc. We kept telling him he didn't need to do anymore and could be on his way, but he kept saying "Oh, it's no problem," and insisted on assisting us until we made it to our platform. Who gives 20 minutes of their precious time to help 2 American strangers you may ask? Apparently, the kind French do. Anyway, it made me happy to experience the opposite of the stereotypes we often here about.

Stay tuned to hear about the next part of our adventures. Two full and fun-packed days in London.

Byeee.

The amazing tower.

Giving credit, where credit is due.

Look at how little the people are! Helps you realize the scale of the tower.

Views from the Eiffel Tower.

Mom standing in front of one of the largest, oldest, and most famous museums in the world, the Louvre.

Some monument nearby the museum that has very important significance, I'm sure.

The main entrance into the Louvre.

Arc de Triumph, a 165 feet tall monument that sits in the middle of the world's largest roundabout.

Looking down 1 of the 12 connecting streets of the roundabout.

A funky looking motorcycle. (This picture was taken with Mike Martin in mind.)

The famous shopping street in Paris, Champs-Elysees. Mom and I, of course, had to spend some time there!

Brighton & Portsmouth

November 3rd through 5th we went to a town called Brighton about 5-6 hours south of us. It's located on the coast and in the summer time is a huge tourist attraction for the Brits. Brighton is often referred to as the "London-by-the-sea." Thankfully, we went during the off season and it was much more chill and relaxed. We only had the weekend to spend there so we tried to fit in as much as we could. On Sunday we traveled one hour west to the city of Portsmouth. We had enough time to just barely check the place out before we had to hit the road for home. Brandon had a dinner meeting back in Harrogate at 7 pm and we got back with 15 minutes to spare. :) The pictures will tell you what we did in these two great cities. Brighton was worthy enough for Brandon's famous words: "Man, we've GOT to come back here!" (He says that about 70% of the places we go, haha.) So maybe someday we will revisit the town that many people claim to be one of the greatest cities in England.

On a different note, visitor #2 is arriving here in Harrogate TOMORROW! I'm soooo excited; the next 16 hours can't go by fast enough! Visitor #2 just so happens to be my mama! :) We already have lots of fun plans in store for her as you can imagine. She'll be here from Tuesday the 21st through Tuesday the 28th. We hope to show her the best of England and more in only 7 days! (And have some down time for some rest and relaxation of course.) First thing we're going to do when she gets here is head straight to Paris. Just mother and daughter! (Thanks to the funding of the husband.) We're there for 2 days before we fly to London where we'll meet up with Brandon. Let the adventures begin!!!

I'll tell you ALLLL about it in a week or so.

Au revoir!

P.S.- Did anyone become a fan of Sufjan that had never heard of him before because of my last post? Or did anyone listen to the clips and enjoy new music they hadn't heard before? Just wondering.

Me and B in front of the Royal Pavillion where King George IV lived.

We arrived at the pier and are about to head to the carnival.

Check out that crazy ride!

Out on the pier looking across the city of Brighton.

This actually doesn't look a whole lot different than California!

Looking across the "beach" at the Brighton pier. Notice how they use rocks instead of sand.

We traveled to Portsmouth where they have a ton of big, cool ships.

Brandon standing in front of HMS Victory, a 104-gun ship of the Royal Navy, built between 1759 and 1765. She is the oldest naval ship still in commission and the only remaining ship of the line.

What kind of name is Sufjan, anyways?

Some of you may know that on Nov. 2nd, 2006, Brandon and I had the privilege of seeing Sufjan Stevens in concert. We bought our tickets on Ebay, drove 2 hours to the location of the show, Manchester, and had a great time. I enjoyed myself so much, that I wanted to share the experience with you. If you haven't heard of Sufjan before, prepare to be enlightened. His music has been described as folk, rock, and blues. One of my favorite things about his music is how people of all ages are embracing it AND how it includes many atypical instruments such as the trumpet, trombone, banjo, violin, and saxaphone. When's the last time you could get people from age 12 to 60 to appreciate the same type of music?

Listen to the music provided below and see what you think. If you're an existing fan, enjoy the clips.

(P.S.- We actually forgot our camera the night of the show, so I found the videos provided below online.)

Here's a review on one of Sufjan's albums, Come on Feel the Illinoise.
"Sufjan Stevens, the singer-songwriter behind the endeavor, is an earnest and whimsical young man who aims to record an album based on every state in the union, though this is just his second attempt since 2003's Michigan. Lavish praise has been heaped upon this precocious twenty-something, who weaves personal recollections, historical narratives, and strange facts together to create lush portraits of Midwestern life."

"Casimir Pulaski Day"

It seems as though the 3 awesome video clips of Sufjan that I recently added to my blog for you to view are now unavailable. My source has failed me. So, you'll just have to go to this website below and check it out yourself! It's just one click away, give it a try.

http://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/artists/SufjanStevensSong.html

Also, you can find a 7 minute, 40 second interview of Sufjan on that site.

I provided you with some different clips below, but they're not as quality. So if you're only going to watch one video, go to the site above! :)

"The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts"

"The Dress Looks Nice on You"

Last but not least, part three.

Brandon got Friday (Oct. 20th) off work and we didn't waste time heading out on our 4 hour journey to London. The whole weekend was full of exciting, action packed events as you will soon discover.

Friday night was our big night in town. We went to the most amazing restaurant called Gaucho. It won the best steak restaurant award in 2006 and steak is precisely what all 3 of us ordered and devoured! We all agreed that it was the best steak we've ever eaten in our lives. After our delicious dinner, we went to the much anticipated event, The Blue Man Group. The show was wonderful and we were thoroughly entertained! If anyone gets a chance, definitely go see it.

Saturday we went to the Tower of London where the Crown Jewels are displayed. We took a tour and had a beefeater, a ceremonial guardian that lives in the Tower of London, as our guide. All 36 of the beefeaters are retired from the British armed forces and must have at least 22 years of service with good conduct, at the rank of, or equivalent to, Sergeant Major or above.

Another highlight of the trip included the London Eye, the largest observation "ferris wheel" in the world. The ride is for soaking in London's skyline. It goes nice and slow, taking a total of 30 minutes to make a complete circle. It is 443 feet high and originally was only going to be around for five years, but was then made a permanent attraction . Here's a picture of it lit up at night.

On Sunday we went to Buckingham Palace, where the queen of England lives, to watch the changing of the guard. It is a must-see activity and was fun, as always. Our time in London concluded with a stop at the British museum. It contains over seven million objects from all over the world and although we did it in 2 hours or so, it certainly can be an all day event! We headed home Sunday evening.

That was our London trip in a nutshell. On Monday Brandon had a 1/2 day of work and in the afternoon we went to the Black Sheep Brewery where we were enlightened and educated.

Before we knew it, 12 days had passed, and Bret had to leave for home Tuesday morning. Although, of course, we had to fit in one more fish and chips dinner before his departure. So that occurred on Monday night.

If you couldn't tell from the last 3 entries, we all had a blast and were so happy for Bret's visit. Many great memories were made and I know Bret had fun seeing where we've been living for a total of 8 out of the last 18 months. He learned a lot of new phrases like "hiya" and "mind the gap" that he's taken back to the U.S. and did a handful of "firsts" in his life. Thanks again Bret for coming to see us; we had a great time. 3 cheers for visitors. Hip, hip, hip hooray.

That's a wrap for this entry. Take care.
Love, L'n'B

We went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard.

The London Eye.
 

Rainbow in sight.
Looking at our neighbor capsule.
West.
 

The Blue Man Group!
With our ponchos on to protect our clothes, we're ready for the show to begin.
They kindly posed after the show for their fans to get photos.
I've been blue-manned! (One of the guys "made his mark" on me.)
 

The British museum.
Looking at pieces of the Parthenon that somehow ended up in England. Abd although Greece is demanding to have the precious artifacts back, the museum refuses to give them up!
They're coming for you!
Bret and the "Beefeater" at the tower of London.