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belinda Sep 2nd, 2002 05:43 AM

Belated Trip Report - London, Paris, Florence and Rome
 
Between May 24th and June 9th I visited London, Paris, Florence and Rome with three traveling companions who in this report will be knows and C (my partner), R (our best buddy) and D (R’s 74 year old mom who smokes and drinks and walked us into the ground.) On another thread I have posted my tips (such as they are) - “My Advice for Other First Time Europe Visitors”.<BR><BR>We left Houston on Continental at about 4pm on a Friday and arrived in London at 7am on Saturday. I was lucky enough to sleep the entire flight so when we arrived at Gatwick I was feeling pretty good. C’s cousins who live in London met us at the airport. ( We were very fortunate to know people in 3 of the 4 cities we visited. C’s family is from London and C has visited on a number of occasions. R spent three months traveling in Europe after college. For D and I it was our first visit.) After collecting our luggage, we took the train into Victoria station. We then hopped on the tube’s Central line to Lancaster Gate where we got off and walked the half block to our hotel.<BR><BR>We stayed at the London Elizabeth Hotel across from Hyde Park and just down from the Lancaster Gate tube station. The hotel is a little tattered but I really liked staying there. It is small and, to my mind, very British.<BR><BR>One of the criteria we had for picking hotels on this trip was that they not feel like Holiday Inn. Not that there is anything wrong with Holiday Inns, but we didn’t want to feel like we were in any city in the US. We wanted to feel like we were in Europe.<BR><BR>The London Elizabeth Hotel served us quite nicely. There is an attached restaurant where we had breakfast. There was room service. (When you order a pot of coffee for your room it comes with little slices of pound cake.) The smallest elevator (lift) I’ve ever seen (never did take the elevator). Friendly and helpful staff. And the cutest pub you’ve ever seen with a wonderful bartender who served us peanuts and olives swimming in olive oil.<BR><BR>We stayed in London Saturday night through Monday night. After arriving at the hotel we dropped off our luggage, checked in and walked through Hyde Park to the Marble Arch where we got on a Big Bus Tour. It’s very easy to buy your tickets from the bus driver (I used a credit card) and you can also buy tickets for St Paul’s, etc.<BR><BR>We took the Big Bus Tour to get an overall view of London without having to exert ourselves too much. Remember, we just got off the plane. The weather was drizzling one minute and sunny the next.<BR><BR>On the bus tour you can get off and on at will, so we got off at Piccadilly Circus and walked into Soho where we had lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant. Not our best meal of the trip. We walked back to the bus stop and grabbed some Starbucks coffee along the way. There are about a million Starbucks in London.<BR><BR>We got off the bus at the Tower of London and went in for a tour. Self-guided, we didn’t want to take the time for the beefeaters’ tour. The Tower of London is really cool and they have a good gift shop (important criteria of any stop along the way).<BR><BR>After the Tower we headed back to the hotel for short naps and long showers. <BR><BR>The cousins met us at the hotel about 7ish and off we went to dinner. We ate a truly wonderful meal at the Ladbroke Arms (I have no idea where it is other than in London). During our meal we also sampled several different ales of which I really liked two and cannot remember what they are so I’ll just have to do it all over again next time. For my meal I had grilled sea bass on a bed of risotto. It was terrific. One of the best meals on our trip. We then took the tube back to our hotel and passed out. The end of a long day.<BR>

belinda Sep 2nd, 2002 06:19 AM

C and I got up Sunday morning,ordered room service coffee, had breakfast in the restaurant and then went in search of an internet cafe. R & D had gone to church.<BR><BR>We walked down Bayswater halfway to Queensway when we stopped to confirm directions. We were pointed back in the direction we came from so we dutifully turned around and walked back to the hotel, where we stopped and asked directions again, only to be told we were going in the right direction to begin with, so back we went only this time via the tube. We got on at Lancaster Gate and got off at Queensway.<BR><BR>On Queensway was a Starbucks with an Internet Exchange in the basement where we sent our first emails from abroad.<BR><BR>Unfortunately we had a little mishap that morning. Okay, I had a mishap that morning. I brought a bottle of Texas wine for C's uncle who is a wine afficcionado (no idea how to spell that). I managed to get the bottle to London only to drop it in the street in front of our hotel. When it crashed, all the people in the crosswalk with us let out a collective sigh. So instead of gracing the table, the Messina Hof double barrel aged Cab christened the street in front of our hotel.<BR><BR>On our way back to the hotel we ran into R and D returning from church. We hopped on the tube to Tottenham Road station where we met the cousins. C's cousins by the way are the nicest people on the planet. Lucky us.<BR><BR>We walked to the British Museum. Stunning. Among other things we saw the Rosetta Stone, winged Assyrian Beasts, ancient Greek and Roman art, and a bunch of cool stuff. The British Museum has a good gift shop where among other things, I bought a coffee mug. Very important.<BR><BR>Throughout the trip, when we visited any museum or cathedral, C first bought a guide book from the gift shop and then post cards depicting either works of art from the museum or photos of the cathedral. This turned out to be a very good idea. We now have quite a nice library of books from all the places we visited. And even though most museums and cathedrals do not allow flash photography we still have nice photos to remind us what we saw.<BR><BR>After the British Museum, we stopped for lunch at a pub. Then caught a black cab to the National Gallery where we saw works by Van Gogh, Seurat, Arnolfini, da Vinci and many others. It was awesome. C has an undergraduate degree in art history which was invaluable on this trip.<BR><BR>We then took the tube out to one of the cousin's flats (that's London talk), got into autos and drove to C's aunt and uncle's house for a lovely dinner. I got to meet C's 94 year old grandmother who is spectacular.<BR><BR>When we arrived at the aunt and uncle's (mom and dad of the cousins, obviously) we had afternoon tea, followed by afternoon champagne, followed by dinner (roast pork, Yorkshire pudding with gravy, leaks, broad beans, roasted potatoes), a cheese course, dessert of tiramisu and apricot meringue tarts, and lots of wine. It was really fun to be in a British home and get some idea of the life style. It was a lovely time and greatly appreciated by all.<BR><BR>After our after dinner drinks and chatting, we took a cab back to our hotel. The cab ride to the hotel was quite interesting. The sort of ride that makes you wish you had blinders on, but somehow the cab driver managed not to hit anything despite talking the whole time and looking at us rather than the road. Yikes!!

belinda Sep 2nd, 2002 06:24 AM

I just read my first post and that is supposed to say "known as". Jeez. Please forgive my typos, spelling errors and just general goofiness. Thanks.

belinda Sep 2nd, 2002 06:49 AM

Monday we got up, had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, and walked down to Lancaster Gate tube station. Unfortunately we arrived just behind a large group of Japanese tourists who were in line in front of us buying tickets. We tried to use the machine to buy tickets, but it was out of order (I think that's right). So we decided to walk. Our destination was the internet cafe where we sent off emails, then bought coffee at Starbucks and then rode the tube to St Paul's Cathedral. We wandered around the cathedral, saw the crypt, the nave, the transepts, the mosaics, walked up the 247 steps to the Whispering Gallery. When we left we passed a huge crowd waiting to get in and we were glad we had arrived early.<BR><BR>It was time for lunch so we walked down the street and found a place called Davy's Wine Bar and Restaurant at No. 10 Creed Lane. Great place!! R ordered a lovely, light and flaky vegetable tart. D ordered some kind of sandwich. C and I split a plate of hummus, pita bread, feta cheese and olives. We shared a bottle of wine and thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.<BR><BR>I was amazed at the number business men who were putting away a lot of alcohol at lunch. I mean a lot. Apparently Brits have a high tolerance for booze or at least these Brits did.<BR><BR>After lunch we took a cab to Harrod's and went through room after room of stuff we couldn't afford. We did buy some very yummy chocolates. I thought it was interesting that there was a restaurant in Harrod's called Mo's Diner that was reminiscent of 1950's Americana.<BR><BR>I forgot, before Harrod's we went to Buckingham Palace. (There is a very nice gift shop across the street.)<BR><BR>Maybe I should point out that I was charged with bringing back a LOT OF SOUVENIRS and thus my interest in gift shops. Whatever I bought I tried to keep it either small or flat for easy packing.<BR><BR>Okay, on to the palace. This was just before the Queen's jubilee and a lot of preparation was going on across from the palace. The gates to the palace are very pretty and we took some nice photos. Otherwise I found Buckingham Palace somewhat a disappointment. Maybe it's in part because we did not arrive for the changing of the guards.<BR><BR>After Harrod's we took the tube back to our hotel, or so we thought until we got on the wrong train and had to double back.<BR><BR>Upon arriving at the hotel we went into the cute little bar, had some refreshments and chatted about our time in London. We then went upstairs to our rooms, put on pjs and ordered room service for dinner. We had an early train to Paris the next morning.

meg Sep 2nd, 2002 07:48 AM

Am loving your report!! You are covering a lot of territory in a short time, and having fun doing it.

topper Sep 2nd, 2002 09:43 AM

topping

belinda Sep 2nd, 2002 09:47 AM

On to Paris. <BR><BR>Tuesday we all got up very early and headed downstairs to catch a cab to the Eurostar train station. No problem catching a ubiquitous black cab in front of our hotel. In short order we arrived at the train station where we found seats, snacks and coffee. The station was very clean and efficient looking. The train platform is “hidden” behind large sliding doors so the station has the feel of an airport. I of course hit the gift shop. I bought a Eurostar keychain for a friend of mine who is a train freak.<BR><BR>Once aboard the train, we stowed our luggage and found our seats. We rode standard class as opposed to first class when traveling on the Eurostar between London and Paris. There was a nice little snack bar car with soft drinks, coffee, wine, sandwiches and chips (I mean crisps). Our seats were very comfortable and the trip passed in no time (okay it was 3 hours). The ride was smooth and the scenery beautiful.<BR><BR>We arrived in Paris about noon, showed our passports to the Paris police and got in line for a taxi. The taxi deposited us at Hotel Millesime on Rue Jacob in the St Germaine area. Great hotel. We took turns using the very small lift to get our luggage (which was getting heavier by the city) up to our rooms. Only one room was ready so we stashed our luggage in there and went out in search of lunch.<BR><BR>For lunch we stumbled upon a little place called La Palette which had roast beef as the daily special. R & C at the roast beef. I had a french grilled ham and cheese (I won’t attempt the french name for it) and C had an omelet. <BR><BR>After lunch we made it to a Metro station where we bought 3-day metro passes and 3-day museum passes. Our first stop was Sainte Chapelle on Ile de la Cite. Absolutely breathtaking. There are two levels, you think the bottom floor is gorgeous and then you take these dark, winding little steps up to the second floor which has floor to ceiling stained glass that will make you cry.<BR><BR>Then on to Notre Dame which isn’t far from St Chapelle. The relief work on the front of the cathedral is outstanding. Beautiful rose windows inside. A carving behind the choir area showing scenes from Jesus’ life and a pieta at the top of the church. We went into the sacristy and saw beautiful vestments and impossibly ornate chalices and reliquaries.<BR><BR>On our way back to the hotel we came across a shop which sold batik scarves with beaded tassels. Very pretty. C bought three. I can’t remember the name of the shop, but it was just down the street from our hotel on Rue Jacob.<BR><BR>We then walked back to the hotel and used the hotel’s laptop to check and send email. The hotel has a laptop in the lobby which guests can use. It was interesting to find that the keyboard was different. Some letters are in a different place than we are used to and it took us about 5 minutes to figure out how to get an “@” symbol. One reason for all this emailing is that C has her own business and had to keep in touch.<BR>

belinda Sep 2nd, 2002 09:48 AM

R’s Parisian friend, Sandrine called us at the hotel and we arranged to go to dinner with her. Sandrine met us at the hotel and we traveled to a terrific restaurant called La Fresque where we joined seven of Sandrine’s friends for a lively dinner and service with a Parisian attitude. It was great. The owner/chef/waiter (not sure which) was a big guy with a beard and apron. He was dishing attitude in a major fashion until one of the French girls gave him hell at which point he laughed and lightened up. Seemed to really improve his mood. The food was delicious (I had roast pork with red fruit sauce).<BR><BR>The dinner company was really cool even though I don’t speak French, most of the people spoke some English. R speaks more French than the rest of us combined. (Do I keep switching between present tense and past tense? Oh well.) Two of Sandrine’s friends were an Italian newlywed couple. I practiced my limited Italian on them. They seemed to understand what I was saying. Either that or they were very polite.<BR><BR>After a long dinner it was back to the hotel for some slumber.<BR>

belinda Sep 2nd, 2002 12:46 PM

Wednesday morning we were up early and had breakfast in the hotel’s basement breakfast room. Beautiful room. The French really know how to do pastries. Yummy. However, the price for breakfast was 15E apiece. A little pricey for coffee (even really good coffee) and croissants.<BR><BR>Then we were off to the Louvre. We walked to the Seine and crossed over on a pedestrian bridge. With our museum passes we entered at the Richelieu entrance off Rue de Rivoli. We had no delay entering the museum. We picked up a book and plan at the information booth and away we went.<BR><BR>One thing that impressed me about the Louvre is the beautiful architecture. Even without the works of art it would be worth just going to see the building. We spent about half a day in the Louvre and saw a bunch of cool stuff. (How’s that for detail?)<BR><BR>After the Louvre we went in search of lunch. Unlike London, flagging down a taxi in Paris is impossible. You have to go to where the taxis are or call one to come to you. We found a spot across from the Louvre where taxis were picking folks up and we flagged down a taxi only to have him pitch a fit when he discovered there were four of us and he had to clean the passenger seat. I think he would have just driven off, but three of us were already in the backseat. We tipped him well for his trouble.<BR><BR>We went to Le Caf&eacute; du Marche on Rue Cler for lunch. We had a good meal and even better dessert. We sat next to (and almost on top of) two nice Italian guys who were very busy flirting with our waitress. I managed to practice my Italian again.<BR><BR>Then we were off for the Eiffel Tower. We approached the Tower via a long park. I probably should know what it is called but don’t. We got to the Eiffel Tower and got in line for tickets. This was the longest wait of our entire trip, but it wasn’t more than 45 minutes or so. We took the first leg of the elevator trip up the Tower to the level where there are restaurants and a gift shop (imagine that).<BR><BR>After making the requisite stop in the gift shop we got in line for the central elevator going to the top of the Tower. We had to wait in line about half an hour. It was worth it when we arrived at the top. Great views. I’m not fond of heights, but there was no way I was going all the way to Paris and not get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Just wouldn’t be right.<BR><BR>We got back down to earth safely via the elevators ;o) and went in search of a taxi. We made it back to the hotel and decided to go out for drinks before dinner. We sat outside a caf&eacute; in the St Germaine area and had refreshments before going to dinner at a restaurant recommended by our hotel staff, La Petite Cour on Rue Mabillon. <BR><BR>The restaurant was really lovely and service was very good, however the food was decidedly average. Maybe we ordered the wrong thing. All in all it was a pleasant experience.<BR><BR>After dinner we returned to the hotel where I spent an exciting evening doing laundry in our bathroom.

ttt Sep 2nd, 2002 02:44 PM

ttt

Robdaddy Sep 2nd, 2002 05:00 PM

Sheesh, girl, don't stop now! This is great fun, please tell us more.

belinda Sep 2nd, 2002 05:28 PM

Okay Robdaddy, so like, I can't tell if you're seriously interested or if you're trying to tell me I'm dull as dirt. Guess it doesn't matter as I'll press on anyway. But not until tomorrow. Next installment - Versailles and the night walk that wouldn't end.

belinda Sep 3rd, 2002 02:59 AM

Thursday we got up at 6am to get an early start for Versailles. We stopped at a nice little cafe on the corner of Rue Jacob and Rue Bonaparte (I think) called Le Pre Aux Clercs to have pastries and cappuccinos. Then on to the Musee d'Orsay RER station where we relied on the kindness of strangers to get us on the right train. It was about a 30 minute trip to the Versailles - Rive Gauche station.<BR><BR>From the station to the palace was a quick walk and along the way we passed one of the several Tex Mex Restaurants we saw on our trip. If I had the time to waste, I would have eaten at one just for grins. This particular place was called El Rancho - Le Restaurant Tex Mex.<BR><BR>Okay, on to the palace. Because we had museum passes we consulted our guide book and went in via the special entrance for passes where there was no wait although we later saw a line. <BR><BR>The palace was beautiful. It was opulant. After a while it was crowded. After we left the palace we used some pay toilets (.40 Euro seems to be the "going" price in France). To get to the women's room we had to pass the men's room which had the door wide open. Strange.<BR><BR>We then hopped on a tram to tour the Versailles grounds (gardens, Petite Trianon and Grand Trianon). We got off at the Petite Trianon and walked around. Very pretty and very peaceful until we caught up to a large group of school children. It was fun watching them run around and shout in French (I was impressed that all those kids could speak French.) Okay, that was a joke.<BR><BR>After Versailles, we broke into two groups. R and D went on to the Rodin Museum and Napoleon's tomb. C and I opted for lunch in Versailles and a nap at the hotel. I had a cold when we left Houston and C caught it somewhere in London so we both needed a little extra rest. By the way, what are the odds that I get a cold right before we leave? I hadn't had a cold in a year or two. It was probably all the pre-trip excitement.

belinda Sep 3rd, 2002 03:19 AM

We walked into what looked to us like the center of town (Versailles) and looked for an appealing restaurant. We settled on a restaurant called Le Tire Bouchon. Good choice. We settled down at our table and the waiter walked up and said something to C in very fast French. She blinked at him. He said "Understand?" She said no. He wheeled around without another word and sent the owner to our table. It was really quite funny. The owner was a very nice lady who spoke fluent English (and Spanish) and she helped us with the menu.<BR><BR>Even with her help I managed to order the country pork plate (my translation) which turned out to be ham, bacon, sausage, pepperoni and cheese. Only it wasn't cooked or smoked. Just cold and raw. I got by on my delicious onion soup, cheese, bread and a wonderful (best of the trip) creme brulee.<BR><BR>Then back to the train and to the hotel. I napped while C read. While she was reading she heard an engine revving outside the open window. We were on the third floor and our window opened onto Rue Jacob. She looked out the window to see a van parking by bumping the car in front and the car behind it to make room, eventually resorting to shoving the car behind it back a little bit.<BR><BR>The Hotel Millesime was for us an excellent choice. As much for the location as anything else.<BR><BR>Around 6pm we met R and D downstairs. We made arrangements to meet R's friend Sandrine for dinner after we went to the Musee d'Orsay.<BR><BR>The Musee d'Orsay is open late on Thursday nights. We went right in and enjoyed the beautiful sculpture and paintings by Manet, Monet, Degas, Gauguin and Seurat. The building itself is a refurbished railway station that is mixed with new, sleek modern stone partitions. The contrast between the two styles was somewhat jarring. Not nearly as nice as some other museums we visited.<BR><BR>We left the museum and went in search of a public telephone which was a fiasco. I wrote about that in my other post. Suffice it to say we once again relied on the kindness of strangers and we managed to call Sandrine on her cell phone. She arrived right away.<BR><BR>It was now about 9pm so we made a quick choice of Le St Germain Cafe Brasserie. It wasn't very good. After dinner, Sandrine offered to walk with us to get ice cream. She said it was a long walk. No problem, by now we were used to walking.<BR><BR>Well we walked, and we walked, and we walked. In circles, loops and squares. Did I mention Sandrine lives in Paris? It was fun to see Paris at night, but at some point we got a little tired of being lost. When we finally got to the ice cream shops, they were closed (it was well after midnight). We did manage to find a very nice restaurant still open and still serving ice cream.<BR><BR>

belinda Sep 3rd, 2002 03:29 AM

By the time we got back to the hotel that night it was about 1:30am. We had been walking non-stop (except for the 15 minute ice cream break) for about 3 1/2 hours. This was the only time on our trip that my feet hurt and they were screaming at me. But we did get a great view of Notre Dame at night.<BR><BR>We bid Sandrine fairwell when we finally got to the hotel.<BR><BR>R asked me to get his mother some Ibuprofen to help her sleep comfortably after all that walking. When I brought them to her she said "Can I put em on my feet? I'm so glad we're going to be on a train tomorrow night cause we can't walk anywhere." It was welcome comic relief.<BR><BR>The next day Sandrine sent a nice note and a box of chocolates to our hotel.<BR>

Laura Sep 3rd, 2002 03:59 AM

Belinda, I am enjoying this sooo much! I can't wait to read more. You are an excellent writer and you are making London and Paris come alive for me!

belinda Sep 3rd, 2002 05:25 AM

Thanks for the kind words. It's fun reliving the trip. I'll post again during my lunch hour today. It's amazing how much time it actually takes to write a trip report. I'm consulting our photos, notes and C's journal to try and get the details right.

topping Sep 3rd, 2002 06:52 AM

topping

g Sep 3rd, 2002 07:39 AM

Belinda,<BR>This is great. Looking forward to reading more. Hope you keep a copy for yourself when you are all done so you have your own journal (as well as C's) of what sounds like a fun trip.

Jennie Sep 3rd, 2002 07:43 AM

Belinda:<BR><BR>Thanks so much for your report! I will be a first-time visitor to Europe next year and our itinerary almost exactly mirrors yours (we're going to Venice in addition to London, Paris, Florence and Rome)! Also like you, I am a big "planner." Thanks to your postings (this one and your "Advice for First Timers") I have put several things on my "to do" list! Thanks for taking the time to post your observations!<BR><BR>Jennie


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