London to Paris

It was the penultimate leg of travel!

Grace and I woke up at 2:30 am after very little sleep to get our taxi before the 6 am flight to Paris. Our bus was at 3:30 and I was getting worried that we wouldn't have enough time to get through security and get on the plane by the time the gate closed. Anyway, we woke up and woke up our hostel owner, David, so that we could check out. I had arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 3 so we pulled all our luggage out to the curb to wait for it. While on the corner I got a call that the taxi company didn't have an available taxi to lick Grace and I up. Wasn't that the point of a reservation? Anyway, I started to get even more worried when the taxi wasn't coming and the two of us were standing with all our possessions on the corner of a London street at 3 in the morning. Eventually two police officers walked by and asked us if everything was ok. Naturally, I started talking very quickly in a high-pitched voice and they knew I was distressed. As they were trying to find us a taxi our reserved taxi pulled up and we were on our way to the bus stop.

We pulled up to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up so I was relieved that we would at least make it to the airport. We got on the bus and were on our way.

As soon as we pulled into the airport I was on my feet ready to sprint down the length of the terminal. It didn't come to that because Grace and I got through bag check and security in twenty-five minutes. The gate wasn't even open by the time we were through. Talk about being a travel warrior.

When we got on the plane Grace and I immediately fell asleep as per usual but it was only an hour long flight so we didn't get too much rest. When we got to Charles de Gaulle I had to switch shoes because my boots were hurting my blisters and then we were off!

I asked someone at the airport the best way to get to our hostel and she suggested taking a bus to Paris and then taking a cab directly up to Montmarte where our place was so that is what we did. The only problem we encountered was getting on the bus with our massive luggage but we did get to our hostel and when we arrived our room wasn't ready so we invaded Paris!

London with Grace: Day 3 (23/5)

Grace and I had already been in London two days and not gone to Harrod's so I had to change that. After breakfast we too the Tube over to Harrod's. It was just opening as we arrived there and once we got inside the first thing we checked out were the food halls. The food halls are just so cool and have so many delicacies, including Krispy Kreme, which is a favorite of Grace's, so naturally we had to pick up a couple doughnuts. They did not disappoint and tasted just like Krispy Kreme does in the US.

After having some doughnuts we looked around the Toy Kingdom and the Pet Kingdom (apparently Harrod's likes monarchy's). I think Grace enjoyed seeing Harrod's and we each got a souvenir. I bought myself a bottle of Burberry London perfume for special occassions (I thought that it doesn't get more legitimate than buying Burberry London while at Harrod's in London) and Grace bought a Cuban cigar, something that she can't get in the US. My perfume was also somewhat special to me because it was a pre-flight ritual of mine to spray on Burberry London from the tester at a store in the airport (as I've mentioned, airports are like malls in Europe) before flying out of Dublin. And the men working the perfume section were so cute in a stereotypical British way.

After we had our stylish green bags from Harrod's we headed over to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Once we got there Grace could not resist her Cuban any longer and had to light it up. Here is photo evidence:

A video recap of Grace's London experience:

I had to see the sights that my guidebook suggested (as always) so we headed over to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain (not that great) and the Peter Pan statue. It was a cute statue and we got a cute sister picture in front of it.

Next stop: Baker Street. Yes, we did see 221b Baker Street from the outside but the reason that we traveled there was to go to a Beatles store. Grace got some socks for her friend Nancy that were purple with yellow submarines on them. We then got some coffee drinks and went back to the hostel to start re-packing for our trip to Paris. After getting back to the hostel we also called our mom to update her on our British adventures. Nothing too exciting.

Since it was so good the first time and we don't have a good Thai restaurant at home we couldn't resist going to the Thai restaurant we went to the first night before Les Miz. It was named Thai Square and it was just as good the second time as the first. Grace got a virgin pina colada and we also got a this great chicken dish that tastes just like Tommy's* Thai basil leaves. If you closed your eyes they tasted the same and Grace and I were just shocked. Too bad this place is all the way in London or we would go there all the time.

After dinner Grace and I walked over to Piccadilly Circus to look around and then headed back to the hostel to get ready for our 3:30 am bus to the airport. I had to finished packing and also arrange a taxi to pick us up to take us to the bus that would take us to the airport outside of London. I'm sure you won't be surprised by this, but I freaked out about getting to the airport on time to catch our flight and could barely sleep that night because I was so worried. I also had to call my mother and stress about it to her.

You'll have to tune in next time to see if the Fisher Sisters make it on the plane to Paris!

*Tommy was the owner of Bahn Thai, the Fisher's favorite Thai restaurant. He moved back to Thailand and is very greatly missed, especially his basil leaves and the pork dish #49.

London with Grace: Billy Elliot

Livin' the Dream

Billy Elliot was so amazing the first time that I saw it that Grace decided that she wanted to see it while in London and our neighbors were generous enough to buy us tickets. It was really a dream come true.

After napping we got ready in our hostel to hit the town that night. After getting ready we went to the general area of the theatre and found a restaurant which happened to be Italian. It was good food and we got in with plenty of time to get to the theatre.

Grace and I had tickets for the first row in the Grand Circle which were great seats, although sometimes the rail would get in the way. Also, here was a sign that was in the theatre:

I think it's pretty funny considering the whole show is about embracing dance but apparently Westminster doesn't want any of that happening  in their theatre. Another funny thing is that I've seen 3 different Billies after seeing the show only twice. That is because about halfway through this show one of the Billies went offstage and never came back. Instead the production manager came on stage and told us that he was unable to finish the show and a new Billy would take over. I had my concerns that this Billy would be subpar compared to the other one who I liked, but it was the opposite. This Billy was amazing! And you could tell that he was loving every minute on stage (you can always tell who is really having fun out there).

Here are some other points about the show:

• I had the same Michael and Mrs. Wilkinson (no complaints) but a different Dad and Debbie.
• I frequently shouted "Billy Elliot" during it because I loved it so much.
• Grace loved it too, so much so that she got a t-shirt that matches the one that I got in February.
• Grace and I waited outside the stage door and saw many of the little girls come out, as well as the actor who played the brother (which I thought did a great job!)

After a great show the two of us took the Tube to the hostel, talking about how fantastic it was all the way back.

London with Grace: Day 2 (22/5)

London is so magical

Our second day in London started off uneventful- we woke up at 9:30 and ate breakfast in our hostel before hitting the town. Our hostel was fairly close to Westminster so we started there. As many of you know, having photo shoots with my sister is one of my favorite things to do so we climbed on a lamppost on Westminster bridge and shot some pictures...

...actually I was kinda chicken so Grace climbed on the lamppost first.

And we posed while people stared at us.

Precious

And while we were shooting photos....

...we took the necessary London snapshot.

Grace on Millenium Bridge

After taking a bunch of pictures we began a stroll down the Thames, crossing it at Millennium Bridge. Grace saw Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on one of our maps (I usually carry around mulitple) and said she wanted to check it out so that was our destination.

Here are some facts we learned while on the Globe Theatre tour:

• Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was made with all the original materials, including a thatched roof. The original Globe's thatched roof lead to its downfall when a flaming ball of rags used as a cannonball during a performance of Henry VIII got lodged in it and set the roof on fire. Thatched roofs are banned in London (because they are a fire hazard)but this replica is allowed to have one.
• The Globe Theatre's season is from April to October. Shows are not longer performed in the winter because the actors and the audience are exposed to the elements, which brings me to my next point...
• The actors perform during the rain. The Globe is somewhat doughnut shaped and therefore the stage can get rained on, but the show must go on.
• Actors who perform in the Globe have to learn to "play the building." Because they do not use mics the thespians must learn where the dead spots are and how to make sure they are heard throughout the entire house.
• We also got to watch some actors rehearse (Henry VIII)

After the tour we got matching bags that say "All the World's a Stage" in the gift shop.

We had already accomplished one "must" in London (taking pictures in a phonebooth) so up next was mastering riding the Tube. Grace and I bought a day pass for the Tube, got a map, and descended into the bowels of London. Our first destination...

Abbey Road

Our second destination...

Platform 9 3/4

We worked up an appetite visiting all these tourist attractions so Grace and I bought a ham and cheese sandwich to split at King's Cross. After that we were pretty tired so we decided to head back to the hostel so that we could nap before seeing Billy Elliot.

London: Les Miserables

(Written the night of the show, May 21, 2010, from my hostel in London)

Tonight Gracie and I went to go fulfill another lifelong dream of mine: seeing Les Miserables in the West End and it did not disappoint.

We had a long day getting to London and doing some sightseeing, so before going to the three hour long show Grace and I snuck in a little nap. After resting we got all dolled up to go to the theatre, Grace wearing her cute little coral coloured dress and me in my black Ann Taylor dress. After all, going to the theatre is all about the experience and dressing up is part of that.

Another part of that is getting dinner beforehand. While walking over to Piccadilly Circus we saw a Thai restaurant that had a deal for a three course "Pre-Theatre" meal for 15 GBP so we stopped in there. The food was very good (amazing Pad Thai) and we got a lot of it too. I, of course, was very stressed* that we would not get to the show in time but my fears proved to be unfounded.

We got to the theatre and I squealed a lot, as I do when I get excited. When people asked me what I wanted to do when I went abroad I told them that the only thing that I had to do was see Les Miz in the West End and here I was standing in front of the Queen's Theatre with my ticket in hand.

A very excited me

Fulfilling dreams is fun!

We got in a took our seats in the upper circle, row J, which was not necessarily close to the action but also not a bad view. And the the show started.

• I loved the set and how it rotated around and the way that it was used. Very cool. I'm sure it would have been even cooler seeing it from more of a ground level. Being up so high we did see a couple of characters that should have been dead come back to life, drink some water, fix their hair, and then die again.
• "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was a tearjerker, as was Fantine's death scene and the ending.
• The actors had amazing voices (I would expect no less). The actors playing Eponine, Jean Valjean, and Enjolras were especially talented.
• Little Cosette was adorable!
• I thought I would cry a lot more. Maybe it was because I was already familiar with the story.

Afterwards we took a black cab home which just added to the phenominal London experience. Seriously, my life could not get any better when I was riding in a black cab coming home from Les Miserables in the West End wearing a cocktail dress with my little sister.

*Throughout the entire trip I was stressed but luckily I had Grace there to calm me down and remind me that sometimes you just need to take it easy.

London with Grace: Day 1 (21/5)

Welcome to London!

(I don't feel like I'm in London until I see Big Ben)

Here is the last couple hours in Dublin and our first couple hours in London with a few bullets:

1. Left Roebuck Hall for the last time at 4:45 am after packing and cleaning that night.
2. Took cab to airport.
3. Tried desperately to rearrange things in order to avoid fees.
4. The flight was scheduled to leave at 7:55 am but was delayed but we didn't care because as soon as we sat down in the plane we fell asleep.
5. Took train to Victoria Station and took black cab to hostel.
6. Nice hostel worker named David at the Walrus Waterloo Hostel (I would recommend it).
7. Went out to explore London!
8. First went past Westminster to Trafalgar Square, stopping for lunch.
9. Went to see Buckingham Palace and took some pictures of it. A nice lady offered to give us directions.
10. Walked over to Piccadilly Circus.
11. Grace bought a purse made of candy wrappers near Piccadilly Circus.
12. Bought Billy Elliot tickets for tomorrow night (35 GBP each) which was a generous gift from the Wittenberg family who are our neighbors.
13. Headed back to hostel for short nap and to get ready to see Les Miserables (and fulfill a dream of mine).

London-Day 4

We began our last day in London with a breakfast at the hostel at 8:30. After breakfast I was still worn out from the past two days so I took a nap until 10:30. After Brittany woke me up we bid farewell to the London Bridge Hostel and set off to see the London with all our luggage on our backs. Yes, we carried around our 15 lb backpacks for the rest of the day, but it wasn’t that bad.

First stop were some typical British phone booths by Westminster. We wanted to get pictures here so that Big Ben would be in the background. I think they turned out cute.

We walked in the general direction of Trafalgar Square and on the way saw 10 Downing Street with its armed guards stationed outside. I don’t know what I was expecting from Trafalgar Square but it was very impressive. I loved the fountains especially. I wanted to sit on one of the lions but it was slick due to the rain and I didn’t want to chip a tooth again.

10 Downing Street

National Gallery

Nelson's Column

It had begun to rain while we were admiring Trafalgar Square so we headed into some of the souvenir shops around that area to look for things to spend our last remaining British pounds on. You see, each of us only took out 100 pounds from the ATM when we got there and that was to cover our hostel and all our food, souvenirs, and city transportation. I have to say that we did an excellent job staying on budget. The whole trip cost only about 200 euro, including airfare but not including my Billy Elliot tickets because they were a gift. I think that is pretty darn good.

So we browsed around the souvenir shops because Brittany wanted to start a collection of shot glasses from all the places that we go throughout our stay in Europe and we had to find the perfect one to represent the UK. I want to start a collection of something but cannot decide what as shot glasses are not very me. I am considering tea cups or Christmas ornaments, although tea cups can be rather fragile and it is not a good season for Christmas ornaments (turns out Harrod’s sells everything except Christmas ornaments.) Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

Because this was our last day in London we decided to travel back to Harrod’s and explore it further. On our way there we stopped at the Spaghettihouse and got some lunch because we were both starving and we cannot afford food at Harrod’s. The pasta was just so-so but the bruscetta was very delicious.

When we got to Harrod’s we were more than happy to pay the three pounds to check our very heavy backpacks and began exploring. The first thing we saw was another Diana and Dodi Memorial. This was a statue of them grasping hand while releasing a bird above the words “Innocent Victims.” You see, Dodi Al Fayed’s father owns Harrod’s, hence the numerous memorials. We also signed the memorial book by the statue.

Egyptian Room

Food Hall

Chandelier in Food Hall

It took us another two hours to fully discover Harrod’s. We took a walk through the fossil gallery, containing all sorts of rare stones, the Pet Kingdom which offered the classiest things for your pet, the piano section, and even searched for the bulletproof clothing. Harrod’s offers quite a selection. We eventually made our way to the Harrod’s souvenir shop where Brittany bought some Harrod’s shot glasses and I got a nice leather bookmark. Successful shopping trip.

We walked over to Piccadilly Circus again, stopping at many souvenir shops on the way because it was raining heavier now. Our other hangouts for the trip were McDonald’s. You see, sometimes you just need somewhere to sit and look at a map or use the bathroom and McDonald’s is the perfect place. We have been in Mickey D’s all across London.

We made our way to Victoria Station to get the Gatwick Express back to the Gatwick Airport. We were supposed to meet Stevie there as well but her phone died and she ended up meeting us at the airport. By the time we got to Victoria Station I was damp, cold, and tired from the day and ready to get back to my own bed in Dublin.

I have noticed that the airports in Europe are like malls. Seriously, most of the airport, as far as I can tell, was dedicated to retail. There was even a Harrod’s there (with some good deals I might add.) We spent our time before the flight journaling and just resting. The real drama came when Stevie misread her boarding pass and told us we were at Gate 8. Well we get to the entrance to that section of gates and the guy working there tells us there is no Gate 8. We all thought he was joking but turns out that there is in fact no Gate 8 and Stevie was just the eighth person to check in. No worries, we did get to our real gate on time, but what kind of airport just doesn’t have a Gate 8.

We arrived at the Dublin airport, the guy in immigration applauded me for skipping class to go to London, and boarded the AirCoach to go back to UCD ending our English adventure. What a great weekend (although I think I am still recovering)!

London-Day 3: Photoshoot and French Fries

After seeing Billy Elliot and Wicked Brittany and I took the tube to Westminster to gt some pictures of Big Ben and Parliament lit up at night. These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip (and I was still riding my Billy Elliot high) and whenever I saw Big Ben lit up I began to sing "You Can Fly" from Peter Pan. Enjoy!

We took the tube the rest of the way back to the hostel and I was famished so I asked the guy working the front desk if there wee any food places open this late. He pointed us in the direction of Micky D's and I booked it there. The last meal we ate was a snadwich around 3 pm and we did about 8 miles of walking (plus stairs) so you can imagine my need for food.

Adventures continue in London-Day 4 

London-Day 3: Billy Elliot

Best Valentine’s Day present ever!

Outside the Victoria Palace Theatre. I am beaming.

After resting at the hostel for about 40 minutes Brittany and I hopped on the tube to Victoria Station to see our prospective shows; I was going to see Billy Elliot, a gift from my parents for V-Day, and Brittany was going to see Wicked. It just turned out that the theatres that were right next to each other so it worked out perfectly.

It is every theatre lovers’ dream to see a West End show and I chose my first to be Billy Elliot because I heard it was amazing and I knew that it won the Tony. It did not disappoint. I always worry that I build the show so much in my head that it can never meet my expectations but it went far above them.

I got a great seat in the Victoria Palace Theatre (seat L31 in the stalls) and the theatre was pretty small and intimate. The show started and I laughed, I cried, I cheered. Here are some of the good memories.

• The dancing was so great and the actor who played Billy (Fox Jackson-Keen) used to be a gymnast and there were a lot of gymnastics in it which I enjoyed. He was just an adorable Billy.
• The little boy in the beginning looked at lot like Rodger Combs because he had a mop of white blond hair and was small.
• The audience was phenomenal. When the fake snow started falling everyone went “oooh.” They were really receptive. And the lady next to me was also crying, as well as much of the audience judging by the sniffles I heard.
• I loved the Michael I had (Jake Pratt) because he was kinda chubby and had glasses, and when he dressed up in drag it was so adorable. I loved the tap dancing with those silver shoes! Can you ever beat tap dancing? No.
• The little girls were also adorable. The girl who played Debbie (Emily Smith) did a great job. I love when the little girls dance with the grown men.
• Just the quality of the show was spectacular and I expected nothing less from the West End.
• The actress who played Mrs. Wilkinson was Joanna Riley and she was great as well. Everyone was great! I could watch it again right now.
• I did have a little problem understanding the dialects sometimes but no big deal.
• The music was so great and powerful. I love when they had different groups of people layered on top of each other. In the words of Liza at the Tonys, “Yay Elton!”
• At intermission “my parents bought me a t-shirt” as part of my Valentine’s Day present. I had a hard time deciding which one I wanted so I asked both the guy working the stand and the lady in line after me. I made a good choice and wear my “Billy Elliot London” shirt all the time with pride.

Inside the theatre. Sorry it's dark but I couldn't use a flash.

It was such a great experience and I just never want to forget it (hence the detailed blog entry.) It was everything I hoped it would be and I watched the story unfold in front of my like a kid at Disneyland, jaw dropping and eyes shining.

Adventures continue with London-Day 3: Photoshoot and French Fries 

London-Day 3: A Workout

View of me and Big Ben from the Thames

(Reminder that you can blow-up any of the pictures by clicking on them.)

After a decent rest in the Journey’s London Bridge Hostel and their lovely complimentary breakfast we started out for the day.

Honest Abe, the second American president I have seen while being in Europe.

Brittany and I were determined to see everything we could in London so that meant that we could not let the elements detain us. Every day I wore a sweater, my fleece jacket over that(actually it was Grace’s Northface that she let me borrow), and my black trench over that. Many days I could take off the fleece and just stow it in my backpack. I also wore long underwear every day and when we went to our shows I wore two pairs of nylons to keep my legs warm. Long story short, I did not want to be cold and have that detract from my London experience.

Another obstacle we had in London was the lack of crosswalks. This may sounds like a small issue but we walked about thirty miles in total throughout the four days there and every time we jaywalked I feared for my life. I did not want to get smashed by a double-decker bus.

Finally, we kept meeting people who wanted to be our friends, from the nice Aussie at the hostel, to the very intoxicated Turkish girl at the Icebar, to the genuine creepers that were all over the place. I don’t think we formed any long lasting friendships.

And back to our day on Monday. The day started with a trip to the Billy Elliot box office to pick up my ticket for that night’s performance that my parents gave me for Valentine’s Day (and I am very thankful but more on Billy Elliot later.) After getting the ticket at 10 am we headed over to Buckingham to get situated for the Changing of the Guard that was supposed to happen at 11. We got front row viewing which was a positive but the Changing of the Guard itself was kinda bland. Not a lot happened, just some music and some synchronized movement. The most entertaining part was the hats that the guards were wearing. Where they walked in a straight line back and forth I could not stop thinking of the Winkies in Wizard of Oz.

After the Changing of the Guard we headed over to catch a cruise down the River Thames that was starting at Westminster. The cruise was nice and meant less walking. It had commentary which I always appreciate and we departed the boat at the Tower Bridge.

HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge

Tower of London

First up was the Tower of London. We did not spend a long time here because it was something that seemed to require a lot of time, especially seeing the crown jewels which had an extremely long line. We had a lot to see that day so we just went through and saw the carvings on the cells left by prisoners and the memorial to all those executed there.

Traitor's Gate

For a place of torture and execution, the exhibit at the Tower of London had a strangely juvenile feel. There were people in costume and well as a lot of interactive sort of exhibits for children. I was already getting a bad vibe from the place where so many met their end but then to see how kid friendly it was bizarre.

And then we were off the St. Paul’s. St. Paul’s was quite a hike away but I think it was worth it although Brittany was dubious to begin with. We waited in line to get in free with our London Pass and unfortunately we couldn’t take picture inside, although it was breathtaking. We then began the 528 stairs up to the top of the dome.

The first stop was the Whispering Gallery at the base of the domed ceiling (second largest in the world) but we could not hear each other whisper due to the organ music in the background. Next we got to the Stone Gallery, and here are some pictures from there.

After the 528 we reached the Golden Gallery which had beautiful panoramic views of London. It was worth the jello feeling that remained in my legs for an hour.

We were feeling quite hungry after scaling the dome of St. Paul’s so we headed over to Marks & Spencer for some sandwiches which we ate on our way to the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

The Tower Bridge and its views paled in comparison to St. Paul’s but the exhibit itself was interesting. It took them nine years just to decide on a design for the bridge! And once a double-decker bus actually had to jump the gap in the bridge as it was raising, just like in Spice World. The worst part about the Tower Bridge was that we had to climb more stairs.

After browsing through the Tower Bridge exhibit we hightailed it back to the dock just in time to see the boat pulling away. No worries, a cruises comes every 30 minutes so we just journaled a little while waiting. It had gotten very cold while we waiting and as we were queuing it started to snow. We piled onto the boat and promptly fell asleep. We had planned on walking back to our hostel from the dock at Westminster but we were too tired from the day and opted to take the tube. It was a good decision. We didn’t want to be tired for seeing our shows that night in the West End.