Paris

I did not know what to expect in Paris other than the Eiffel tower being pretty amazing. It did not disappoint. It is a site to see. The only downside is the wait time to go up in it. That and the 300 guys selling miniature Eiffel Towers saying "one euro, one euro" for two hours while you wait in line. There are also a lot of "gypsies" that ask you if you speak English and hand you a card asking for money. It really is heart breaking, there was so much begging across the city. By the end of the stay, you end up saying no before they even ask. That was the toughest part of being in Paris. But the city itself was magnificent. We took a river cruise after we went to the Eiffel Tower and that is where we really started to see the city. After the cruise we went to the Arc De Triumph. The Arc was impressive and HUGE inside. The first night Jeff and I went to the top right as it was getting dark to see the cityscape and the Eiffel Tower lit up. It was a great night, beautiful!

The following day we took a tour on a "hop on, hop off" bus. My favorite site on the tour was the Notre Dame Cathedral. Unlike other cathedrals I have visited, Notre Dame is not ornate with gold and bright colors. It is majestic with its stone work and pure mass. It is unbelievable, the interior and exterior. And unlike St. Paul's, you can take pictures. The Louve was also cool to see but we only were able to enter the lobby and not the galleries b/c they closed at 5:30 and we got there at 5:45. The gift shop was cool though! And the Louve has a shopping mall in it too, who knew? After the Louve, we saw more of the Champ Del Elysees near the Arc. I also saw the Moulin Rouge where the Cancan was invented and "women of less virtue" go to work, so said our guide. We walked up to the "Basilica" where monks used to live in the 1600s. All in all superb! The plan was to go back to the hotel for awhile and then have dinner at Hard Rock. We opted to skip dinner on account of being worn out. We almost ordered a pizza, but that too took too much effort. We did eat 1 french meal while we were there. I thought it was good but Jeff disagreed and so McDs became helped us out a few times. We left for London early the next morning. So long Paris!

Oxford

I decided to take a day and visit Oxford because I had read so much about it. I remember several years ago reading a historical fiction novel called "The Inklings." I don't remember much of the plot, big surprise I often re-read books b/c I forget I have already read them. What I do remember from the book was that the "Eagle and Child" was the pub that a literary group met at to discuss what they were working on, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien among them. They called themselves the "Inklings." I have always loved these two authors because their stories were some of the first ones that introduced me to the world of literature. Since college, reading has been a huge part of my life, thanks to a push from my mom too. I have always thought it would be great to write a book of fiction. To have a story and be inspired to put it to the page is a very romantic idea to me. I doubt I will ever actually do so, but if I was an actor, I would play a writer :). Anyway, I say all of this because Oxford is FULL of character that inspires. I think it would be tough not to let your imagination run wild being there, it oozes from the walls. How's that for literature! You have to keep your eyes open in Oxford because there is so much to see. It's like The Shire, Narnia, and Hogwarts all in one. The history and the great men and women that have studied at an Oxford University was fascinating to learn as well. I am fairly certain most of the day my jaw was to the floor and I said the phrase "you've got to be kidding" alot.

Getting Lost In London...

So it has been several weeks since I posted anything because I haven't really done anything extraordinary. But, I have had some amazing ordinary experiences. on Sunday, I went to Hillsong and it was amazing and I needed to just worship. it was incredible. After church, I went to lunch with some people from the church and ad a great time too! I was running a few minutes late to a Harry Potter walk that started at 2 but luckily, the tour had not yet left the station. I do realize that this lets the cat out of the bag that I am a big Harry Potter fan and I lose cool points but let's be honest, I hate math so whose counting!! I do have to say that I ruled at the HP trivia asked by the guide but there were some tweens that nailed some off the wall questions between the books and movies that left me in the dust. Always more to strive for muggles, don't fret!!

Monday and Tuesday were devoted to softball games with Jeff and friends. Wednesday I went to the show Avenue Q with a few friends from softball. That show was hilarious but SO inappropriate! Definitely not kid friendly although I did see a few kids, yikes! Today was amazing....(the following will be ridiculously cheesy but all true)

this morning I finished a good book, got ready and headed for the tube with no inkling as to where I was headed. I stopped and got coffee at a little cafe across the river and it was actually great (haven't had much coffee here b/c it is SO strong). At the tube, I grabbed 2 nectarines from my favorite fruit stand (80 pence). I had grabbed another book to stop on my way out of the flat and so I took a seat on the tube and started to read "Water for Elephants" (3 pounds, second hand bookshop) Still had no idea where I was headed. Decided to switch trains at Earls Court and go to High Street Kensington.

Ahhh High Street Kinsington. First of all, the weather was perfect today. Blue skies and in the sixties. after leaving the station there I started to window shop a a little. My favorite store was "Kew". It was a store of linen sundresses, tops and shirts but also had cute tops and bags. Even the sale items were out of my price range but it was one of those stores that if you could pick what you would like to dress like if you had funds and were petite and lived in a climate where linen made sense and not the humidity capitol of the world. Ahhhh linen and flannel...have I told you about my dream of wearing linen and flannel? I mean dream as in something to aspire to not like a dream I had last night. Needless to say, I love linen and flannel! But, I hate to iron, go figure. Anyways, so after Kew, I just started walking. The great thing about London, to me, is that everywhere you go and anywhere you look there is always something worth seeing. The architecture is beautiful , the trees are mature, and the people fascinating. Once you are off of high street, the city noise is gone and every house/neighborhood unique. Still lost, I kept walking and ended up in Notting Hill and found Portabello Road Market. more window shopping to do but now I have the song Portabello Rd in my head. I didn't treck to find the travel book shop b/c I found it last time and I knew I would buy a book I don't need. I had lunch at Nandos, yeah mash potatoes and crunchy ice!! From Notting Hill I went to Kensington Gardens and did the Princess Diana memorial walk. I love that there are so many parks in London. So many great spots for picnics and walks and dogs everywhere, it's awesome! I feel like I am living in my imagination here, it's silly but it is so beutiful here. it's the kind of place you would go to get inspired to write a novel or something. I certainly felt inspired today. Too bad I am not channeling my inspiration into anything at the time, ha!

Greenwich

I took a ferry boat to Greenwich today. It was a beautiful day on the Thames and I love the lively commentary that the ship's crew offers voluntarily while you cruise. each time you get differing stories but they are always entertaining. greenwich is very nice and there are many things to see there. the Royal Naval Academy, University of Greenwich, The Painted Chapel, Maritime Museum, Planetarium etc. It was a full day, lots of historical reading. Give me a movie with said actor acting out said history with Hollywood flare anyway! Just kidding...not reallly. I had a picnic lunch on the lawns of the Maritime Museum overlooking the Queens House. It was really something. There was a graduation there today so I could not go into the Painted Chapel but there was plenty of other things to occupy the afternoon. I started with the Maritime museum and tried really hard to learn something. Not that I am already very knowledgable in this subject, but I just am not that interested. But, I stuck it out for the off chance that around the next bend would be something amazing. Nope, just more reading...

After the Museum, I made the hike up the hill to the Meridian Line and Planetarium. I had never been to a Planetarium before so I decided to see a quick film called Violent Universe narrated by Patrick Stewart from Star Trek. Perfection!!! after the show, there was an astronomy museum that was very interactive and interesting. I learned a lot about the Big Bang Theory...rubbish! but still enjoyed looking at the star charts and planet factoids. On to the Maritime side of the hill now where there is once again much to see. The Atomic Clock, the Meridian Line, and original time pieces from old ships that helped to navigate. Once again, lots of reading :). I walked back down the hill into Greenwich Park.

I headed back towards the ferry boat for the return voyage home. I learned that wharf stands for "warehouse at river front.". I also got to see the Tower Bridge's drawbridge open! After making it back to Putney, grabbed a quick bite in the pub "Whistle and Flute" and headed home.

Helsinki

Helsinki

I decided not to do a tour in Helsinki and to explore on my own.  Helsinki was magnificent!  There was a free shuttle from the ship that drops you near the city center and from there most of the sights are within walking distance.  I really did not know quite where I was going but, I just followed the locals and ended up at market square.  There was a street market going on and I spent a few hours walking through the aisles of fresh fruits and vegetables and hand made goods.  It was a good opportunity to talk to some locals.  A popular item were reindeer furs and goods made of antlers.  From the market, I visited a few churches and ended up taking a river cruise of the surrounding islands.  I had a fresh apple pastry at the market on my way back to the ship and it was the best pastry I have ever had!!  I have a feeling I missed quite a bit of the sites in Helsinki but, had a great time just taking it easy and enjoying the atmosphere of the city.        


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St. Petersburg 

We are closing out on our second day in st. Petersburg, Russia.  They are experiencing their hottest climate in history according to our guide.  For me, it pretty much feels like fl.  St. Petersburg was the Capitol of Russia until 1918 when it was moved to Moscow.  It has also formally held the name Leningrad under Lenin's rule but now continues under the name St. Petersburg after Peter the Great or Peter the 1st.  My first day here was on a tour called "introduction to St. Petersburg."  It was basically a bus tour with a few photo stops but it gave me the opportunity to see a lot.  There was a lot of traffic being a Monday and several weddings too.  I guess they don't wait for weekends here!  St. Petersburg is not a pretty city.  In many areas it appears rundown and there are not the vibrant colors I have seen in the other capitols.  However, the palaces are a sight to see and there are several in the city.  

Today I toured Catherine's Palace.  It is located in Pushkin, on the outskirts of the city.  Catharine's Palace was built by Catherine's daughter, Elizabeth, in honor of her mother.  It was basically built as a tourist attraction to help the city.  Elizabeth was actually responsible for the many Palaces' restructuring throughout the city after WWII.  She spent almost all of the country's money at the time (She left 3 rubles in the bank at the end of her reign) but over the years, it has saved the city because it has attracted tourists.    

In order to go into St. Petersburg, you have to have a Russian visa or be on a tour.  Our guide today was Alexandra and she dreams of visiting an English speaking country.  Once again I was reminded of how blessed I am and how blessed we are as a country.  After 2 days in Russia, I was ready for Helsinki!                


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Berlin

Berlin

We docked at Warnemunde Germany and it was a 3 hour train ride into Berlin.  I had met a couple from Ohio at dinner and they said they were going to Berlin on their own and I would be welcome to join them, so I did.  It was a very hot day, or in German "hysa" and no AC anywhere.  The train ride was hot but it was not unbearable and the scenery was great.  Between Warnemunde and Berlin is farmland.  I did get a few good pictures of sunflower fields!  once we reached Berlin, we were given a "survival kit" which was a sheet of paper that had a phrase in German saying we were from Disney Cruise and the phone number for the American Embassy.  I was feeling great!!  

We decided to get a ticket for a "hop on, hop off" bus.  This is a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time.  We had about 4 1/2 hours in Berlin b/f we had to be back to the train.  Berlin was by far the most fascinating port as of yet.  The history is overwhelming.  Our first stop was the Berliner Dome.  This is a church that charges to get in and you have to pay to use the loo.  Isn't it ironic, don't you think...Anyhoo, you can go all the way up to the dome of the church to get a panoramic view of the city that used to be divided into 2.  There is construction everywhere b/c of the wall and the city is working tirelessly to rebuild where it once stood.  there are only a few small places where the wall remains as a reminder of it's turbulent history.  After the dome, we stopped at the Brandenburg Gate.  The Gate represents the changing of the City the not.  From Napoleon, to the Prussians, to the Nazis, all have stood at the Gate to announce their control of Berlin.  As I was taking pictures of the Gate, a tourist ask me to take a picture of him and his friend and so I said sure.  I counted 1,2,3 and they held up their hands like they were nazis.  I wanted to delete the picture but I guess it's there right.  
  
The American Embassy is right next to the Gate and around the corner is the holocaust memorial.  I wish we would have had time to visit it but we continued on the tour.  The next impressive site was the Kaisar Wilhelm Cathedral.  It was destroyed in the Second World War and instead of repairing it, it stays exactly as it was and serves as a remainder.  Next to it is the new church.  After the church we went to "Checkpoint Charlie".  Checkpoint Charlie was operated by the US while the Berlin Wall was in existence.  At the checkpoint is a guardhouse and the American flag.  After Checkpoint Charlie, it was nearly time to head back to, the train so we headed back to the Hilton to meet with our group.  At the Hilton, there was some short of beauty pageant going on b/c about 20 girls in bikinis walked across the street for pictures.  I got some photos for my brothers and then Miss Netherlands walk across the street to.  All she wants is world peace!  We boarded the bus to head to the train station and our host informed up that our trains engine was broken and they were working it our as quickly as possible.  we were dropped off at a public park to wait until we could head back Tom, the ship.  there were about 400 of us total.  About 1 1/2 hrs later, the train was fixed and we were on our way, once agin no AC :), very hot day, sweaty tourists...I stood with at the window to get air on the way back.  We got back to the ship at about 9:30 and so we were all beat.  Luckily today we are at sea so I rested and watched movies all day!!  Basically, my perfect day!                     


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