Day 11
Well, our last day in France... Kinda sad, kinda not. There are aspects of home i miss.
We started our day off right with breakfast, of course, and then drove around for a while. First stop: a parfumerie (perfume factory), but Kat, Mrs. Royer, and I decided to hang outside because our respiratory systems reject the plethera of smells. Second stop of the day, no ladies and gentlemen, not Oz, but Eze. A small village (similar to Watercolor or Blue Mountain in Florida), it was disappointing though because we went early and none of the shops were open. We just had our workout for the day... SO MANY stairs and inclines.
Last stop, Monaco... Home of the infamous Grace Kelley and thousands of bajillionaires that don't know what to do with their money, but it was beautiful. We were supposed to watch the changing of the guard at the palace like in DC but to get a good view for us vertically challenged beings we were going to have to get there very early... and who wants to sit around for 45 minutes? So the usual 4 of us grabbed a cup of ice cream and sat and people watched.
Heading back to the hotel, we changed into our swimsuits, greased up with sunscreen, and headed to the BEACH. We got to spend the rest of the day there and it was wonderful, hot, but wonderful. Good news is, all of us got at least a shade darker WOOP. Emily and I decided that Katherine was no longer Caucasion hahhahahaaa. We love you Katherine.
After dinner, a few, including myself, went back to the hotel to pack and rest while the others headed off to a discotheque for some fun and listen to some French rap. hahaa
So when I arrive back home late tomorrow night, I shall be more cultured, more tan, and have some killer legs from all the stairs and walking. That I will miss, but I must say I do appreciate $2 dollar flip flops, free refills of sweet tea, and southern hospitality.
Now let's just hope tomorrow is not a repeat of the beginning of our travels...
See you at home!
Sincerely,
Natalie
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Go Italy!
Day 9
We woke up at 6am and had the usual French breakfast... croissants and coffee. Setting off for Paris at 745am, we expected traffic to be horrific due to the truck strike (because of gas prices... what else?); it turned out to be a disappointment... nothing much happened besides us missing our visit to St. Chapelle. Because of our early departure, we got to Paris WAY earlier than planned and had to shop and walk around the Latin Quater for 8 hours. Nick, our tour guide, led us to Shakespeare & Co., a famous bookstore known for its official stamp on the inside page. Here is where Mrs. Royer discovered The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime. A FABULOUS book if i do say so myself. The group then headed to see Musee d'Orsay (Mrs. Royer's absolute favorite) turned out, it was closed on Mondays... a 3 mile hike for nothing. boo.
Yet again, it's just another adventure. Backtracking down the street, Emily runs into a sheet music store where the store owner did not seem to like us. =( so we made a quick escape.
Lunchtime... Kat and Mrs. Rachel left to do their own thing and my mom, Em, Laura, and I headed off to shop and eat. We ate at a typical roadside cafe, people watched, and ate the best quiche ever! After lunch we discovered that there was nothing to do but shop and walk around. BORING. We didn't even buy anything due to extrememly high prices. By 4pm we were burnt out and found a fountain to sit out... and we did sit. for 2 hours and 15 minutes. We weren't very good at killing time.
The four of us met up with the rest of the group at an Italian restaurant, ate dinner, and you guessed it... got on the bus again. This time headed to the train station, but our train to Nice ended up being 45 minutes late because of a train strike. (That's all they do here. ha.) The overnight train wasn't as bad as some of us pictured. It was a 6x7 room with 2 sets of bunk beds... makes you appreciate your big bed at home. Because of the sketchy people on the train, we weren't allowed to leave our rooms, so I read two chapters of my book and it was lights out for me.
Day 10
I woke up around 7am on the train, packed up my belongings, and got off the train at 815am. While others struggled with their heavy bags up and down the stairs, the "fantasitic four" lifted them with ease ;)... Of course Laura had it easy because she has no bag, but she was generous and helped others. yay laura!
Went to breakfast on the coast... and yes, it was croissants and coffee. STRONG coffee. Like eyebrow raising STRONG coffee. We then had a bus tour around Nice and the French Riviera... Beautiful of course. All of us got to set our eyes on Russian and Roman style churches... oh and Sean Connery and Elton John and his beau's villas overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
After arriving at the hotel at noon, we got our rooming assignments as follows... Kat and Nat; Laura and Emily... That's all I can remember as of right now. As we all know, the French downsize everything and the elevator could fit 4 average sized people uncomfortably... that gives you an idea of how long the line was to get 43 people and their luggage up to their rooms. So the four of us (Em, Laura, Kat and I) being the hay barrel carrying Tennessee girls that we are, carried our bags up 5 flights of stairs! WOOP.
We got ready for the beach and walked to the pebble-y Mediterranean =)))
Laura and Amber were brave enough to get into the freezing water but no one else proved worthy... so the rest of us just soaked up the sun and the pretty view. And of course, all good things must come to an end... bad weather started to come our way so we left the beach and started back to the hotel. Being girls, we all stopped at a store and when we walked out it was raining. Luckily we only had a few blocks left to the hotel and just in time got inside. Ladies and gentlemen, the bottom fell out. for two minutes.
If you care to know, the keys here at this hotel are hard to work. It's a true skill and I was not blessed to have it. Laura came to hang out in my room while Kat and Em were taking showers and we decided to try and learn to work the key in the door... For you "Office" lovers. Oh so many "that's what she said"-s.
Dinner wasn't really exciting - It was at the hotel, and we drank a record amout of water... almost 5 Liters... Our waiter was impressed hahaa.
And of course, what is Europe without football?... soccer that is. The Euro 2008 games are going on and a huge game was tonight... Italy vs. France. Talk about rivals.... So Nick took us to a pub and we all watched the game. France blew it in the first 20 minutes. GO ITALY! bahahaa.... we rooted for France but all secretly wanted Italy to win. And apparently Mrs. Royer has to find the chess game in every sport and had yet to find it in soccer, excuse me, football. Well... she found it. Kinda. Kate did her best to explain.
We walked back to the hotel and here I am now typing, eating a banana, and watching CNN... the only thing in English here ha. It's nice to know what's going on back at home.
It's getting really late here so it's night night for me.
One day left to go...
Sincerely,
Natalie
We woke up at 6am and had the usual French breakfast... croissants and coffee. Setting off for Paris at 745am, we expected traffic to be horrific due to the truck strike (because of gas prices... what else?); it turned out to be a disappointment... nothing much happened besides us missing our visit to St. Chapelle. Because of our early departure, we got to Paris WAY earlier than planned and had to shop and walk around the Latin Quater for 8 hours. Nick, our tour guide, led us to Shakespeare & Co., a famous bookstore known for its official stamp on the inside page. Here is where Mrs. Royer discovered The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime. A FABULOUS book if i do say so myself. The group then headed to see Musee d'Orsay (Mrs. Royer's absolute favorite) turned out, it was closed on Mondays... a 3 mile hike for nothing. boo.
Yet again, it's just another adventure. Backtracking down the street, Emily runs into a sheet music store where the store owner did not seem to like us. =( so we made a quick escape.
Lunchtime... Kat and Mrs. Rachel left to do their own thing and my mom, Em, Laura, and I headed off to shop and eat. We ate at a typical roadside cafe, people watched, and ate the best quiche ever! After lunch we discovered that there was nothing to do but shop and walk around. BORING. We didn't even buy anything due to extrememly high prices. By 4pm we were burnt out and found a fountain to sit out... and we did sit. for 2 hours and 15 minutes. We weren't very good at killing time.
The four of us met up with the rest of the group at an Italian restaurant, ate dinner, and you guessed it... got on the bus again. This time headed to the train station, but our train to Nice ended up being 45 minutes late because of a train strike. (That's all they do here. ha.) The overnight train wasn't as bad as some of us pictured. It was a 6x7 room with 2 sets of bunk beds... makes you appreciate your big bed at home. Because of the sketchy people on the train, we weren't allowed to leave our rooms, so I read two chapters of my book and it was lights out for me.
Day 10
I woke up around 7am on the train, packed up my belongings, and got off the train at 815am. While others struggled with their heavy bags up and down the stairs, the "fantasitic four" lifted them with ease ;)... Of course Laura had it easy because she has no bag, but she was generous and helped others. yay laura!
Went to breakfast on the coast... and yes, it was croissants and coffee. STRONG coffee. Like eyebrow raising STRONG coffee. We then had a bus tour around Nice and the French Riviera... Beautiful of course. All of us got to set our eyes on Russian and Roman style churches... oh and Sean Connery and Elton John and his beau's villas overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
After arriving at the hotel at noon, we got our rooming assignments as follows... Kat and Nat; Laura and Emily... That's all I can remember as of right now. As we all know, the French downsize everything and the elevator could fit 4 average sized people uncomfortably... that gives you an idea of how long the line was to get 43 people and their luggage up to their rooms. So the four of us (Em, Laura, Kat and I) being the hay barrel carrying Tennessee girls that we are, carried our bags up 5 flights of stairs! WOOP.
We got ready for the beach and walked to the pebble-y Mediterranean =)))
Laura and Amber were brave enough to get into the freezing water but no one else proved worthy... so the rest of us just soaked up the sun and the pretty view. And of course, all good things must come to an end... bad weather started to come our way so we left the beach and started back to the hotel. Being girls, we all stopped at a store and when we walked out it was raining. Luckily we only had a few blocks left to the hotel and just in time got inside. Ladies and gentlemen, the bottom fell out. for two minutes.
If you care to know, the keys here at this hotel are hard to work. It's a true skill and I was not blessed to have it. Laura came to hang out in my room while Kat and Em were taking showers and we decided to try and learn to work the key in the door... For you "Office" lovers. Oh so many "that's what she said"-s.
Dinner wasn't really exciting - It was at the hotel, and we drank a record amout of water... almost 5 Liters... Our waiter was impressed hahaa.
And of course, what is Europe without football?... soccer that is. The Euro 2008 games are going on and a huge game was tonight... Italy vs. France. Talk about rivals.... So Nick took us to a pub and we all watched the game. France blew it in the first 20 minutes. GO ITALY! bahahaa.... we rooted for France but all secretly wanted Italy to win. And apparently Mrs. Royer has to find the chess game in every sport and had yet to find it in soccer, excuse me, football. Well... she found it. Kinda. Kate did her best to explain.
We walked back to the hotel and here I am now typing, eating a banana, and watching CNN... the only thing in English here ha. It's nice to know what's going on back at home.
It's getting really late here so it's night night for me.
One day left to go...
Sincerely,
Natalie
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Mission Accomplished
Day 7
Morning sunshines! As you read my long and tedious blog, I sit sipping cafe au lait and chewing on French croissants and looking outside at the beautiful English Channel in Dinard. Hopped on the bus, and headed to a photo op on the cliffs of the Emerald Coast. You know the story.... Senior picture... Fantastic Four picture... Family picture... etc. All in a days work.
Next stop on the scenic route... A field overlooking the gigantic Mont St. Michel, fully equipt with tourists and fluffy sheeps (or maybe those were the tourists). We then proceeded to climb the 100+ steps to the monastery at the top of the mountain. After touring through every single room we could find, including one with a giant human hamster wheel, we were given our freedom. We roamed, we shopped, we ate... we drank (nasty REAL cider). We ate lunch and Katherine and I enjoyed a banana, chocolate, and cream crepe. When we returned to the bus, Em, Laura, and I argued for a unnecessarily long time with Kat about her hair. hahaa straighteners don't work in Southern France. We made a quick stop for biscuits and trinkets, filled up the bus with diesel, headed to our next stop, the city of Orleans. Joan of Arc anyone?
Long drive... LONG, LONG, LONG drive. 5 hours LONG to be exact. While Kat took my only form of entertainment, ie my ipod, Laura and Emily frantically tried to control their laughter as they watched Dwight Shrut in "The Office." So I being the novelist I now am, wrote in my journal and filled out postcards.
OH WAIT! Hours of laughter were provided by a medical emergency aboard the autobus. Andy or... Agamemnon, as Jamie would refer to him, mangaged to get part of an earpiece lodged into his ear... We had to make a quick stop, but the procedure was quick and easy. (That's what she said.)
We arrived in Orleans and headed to our secluded dining room for dinner. Duck, yuck. We were told we were headed for a photo shoot in the square of Orleans, but the only thing that happened was that Katherine Burton was mistaken for a street performer - she made no money =( Came back to the hotel and as Kat and Laura played cards, Emily and I tucked in for an early night.
Day 8
You know it's sad when 9am sounds like sleeping late... Jamie forgot to wake us up, so Em and I had to rush to make a quick breakfast. We headed to Chambord, King Francis I hunting lodge. Quite cool, but all the chateau-s seem to blur together. Then we headed to Chenonceau, home of Henry I... maybe II... Heck maybe it was the XV... Not even our tourguide could keep it straight. Well it was someone's mistress. Walked through the world renound gardens and proceeded to take the usual group photos. We ate lunch in a cafe overlooking the chateau, which consisted of veggieburgers aka smushed broccoli. Laura overestimated her tolerance for dijon mustard, therefore will have clear sinuses until the year 987395834859. We loaded back onto the bus only to learn that the roads of France would be blocked by striking truck drivers. The entire continent of Europe is in rebellion over gas prices. Essentially that means our travel time back to Paris will double... Meaning we have to wake up at 1 billion o'clock am.... Which is crazy because Laura has never been awake at that time. We discussed our plans for the overnight train tomorrow at dinner over Emily's favorite - Salmon.
Headed back to the room to relax and chat about the day's cold and rainy weather and gave our roomate a bit of a scare when 5 girls surprisingly exited the bathroom... Hakuna matata, we were all clothed - the whole time.
As you know I have to be up at 1 billion o'clock tomorrow so I should probably hit the sack.
Can't wait to chat again mes amis.
Sincerely,
Natalie
Morning sunshines! As you read my long and tedious blog, I sit sipping cafe au lait and chewing on French croissants and looking outside at the beautiful English Channel in Dinard. Hopped on the bus, and headed to a photo op on the cliffs of the Emerald Coast. You know the story.... Senior picture... Fantastic Four picture... Family picture... etc. All in a days work.
Next stop on the scenic route... A field overlooking the gigantic Mont St. Michel, fully equipt with tourists and fluffy sheeps (or maybe those were the tourists). We then proceeded to climb the 100+ steps to the monastery at the top of the mountain. After touring through every single room we could find, including one with a giant human hamster wheel, we were given our freedom. We roamed, we shopped, we ate... we drank (nasty REAL cider). We ate lunch and Katherine and I enjoyed a banana, chocolate, and cream crepe. When we returned to the bus, Em, Laura, and I argued for a unnecessarily long time with Kat about her hair. hahaa straighteners don't work in Southern France. We made a quick stop for biscuits and trinkets, filled up the bus with diesel, headed to our next stop, the city of Orleans. Joan of Arc anyone?
Long drive... LONG, LONG, LONG drive. 5 hours LONG to be exact. While Kat took my only form of entertainment, ie my ipod, Laura and Emily frantically tried to control their laughter as they watched Dwight Shrut in "The Office." So I being the novelist I now am, wrote in my journal and filled out postcards.
OH WAIT! Hours of laughter were provided by a medical emergency aboard the autobus. Andy or... Agamemnon, as Jamie would refer to him, mangaged to get part of an earpiece lodged into his ear... We had to make a quick stop, but the procedure was quick and easy. (That's what she said.)
We arrived in Orleans and headed to our secluded dining room for dinner. Duck, yuck. We were told we were headed for a photo shoot in the square of Orleans, but the only thing that happened was that Katherine Burton was mistaken for a street performer - she made no money =( Came back to the hotel and as Kat and Laura played cards, Emily and I tucked in for an early night.
Day 8
You know it's sad when 9am sounds like sleeping late... Jamie forgot to wake us up, so Em and I had to rush to make a quick breakfast. We headed to Chambord, King Francis I hunting lodge. Quite cool, but all the chateau-s seem to blur together. Then we headed to Chenonceau, home of Henry I... maybe II... Heck maybe it was the XV... Not even our tourguide could keep it straight. Well it was someone's mistress. Walked through the world renound gardens and proceeded to take the usual group photos. We ate lunch in a cafe overlooking the chateau, which consisted of veggieburgers aka smushed broccoli. Laura overestimated her tolerance for dijon mustard, therefore will have clear sinuses until the year 987395834859. We loaded back onto the bus only to learn that the roads of France would be blocked by striking truck drivers. The entire continent of Europe is in rebellion over gas prices. Essentially that means our travel time back to Paris will double... Meaning we have to wake up at 1 billion o'clock am.... Which is crazy because Laura has never been awake at that time. We discussed our plans for the overnight train tomorrow at dinner over Emily's favorite - Salmon.
Headed back to the room to relax and chat about the day's cold and rainy weather and gave our roomate a bit of a scare when 5 girls surprisingly exited the bathroom... Hakuna matata, we were all clothed - the whole time.
As you know I have to be up at 1 billion o'clock tomorrow so I should probably hit the sack.
Can't wait to chat again mes amis.
Sincerely,
Natalie
Friday, June 13, 2008
It gets better....
Day 3
FINALLY landing in Paris, we arrived at the Novotel (4*s yaay).... and FINALLY got a shower. thank god. Squeaky clean we wandered the streets of the "city of lights/love." Enjoyed dinner and a scrumptious waiter with a group that found our southern twangs slightly less than endearing, but we can the same thing about them.
And what's Paris without the metro?... First stop, Trocadero, the best view of the Eiffel Tower. Strolled between scary, insistent street vendors and the Asian tourists only to approach the bateaux-mouches (double decker ferry boat touring the Seine).... Between the monuments and the oh so in love Parisians we happened to sit in front of the most ignorant teenagers we could hope to find in Paris. Not only did we get to hear their incredibly dispicable taste in movies, but their narrow-mindedness of different cultures... But I must say, the lights of Paris are truly enchanting.
We ended the night with a final twinkle of the Eiffel Tower. Our Parisian adventure had just begun.
Day 4
Ever woken up to the smell of hot French croissants?... I can truly say now i have. We hopped on a bus at 9am and toured all the sights you could hope to see in Paris. Traffic was CRAZY (no lanes) but the sights of the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee, and l'Hotel d'Invalides made up for the horrible driving. Next to THE Notre Dame... Fully equipted, with scary men in gargoyle masks attacking Mrs. Rachel and Frances in the streets, Mrs. Royer breakdancing, cheap souvenir shopping. If nothing else, I have officially learned how to correctly wrap a French scarf.
For lunch... a croque monsieur and a chocolat crepe, Emily serving as my lunch splitting buddy. Bon appetit.
Can't stop yet... off to Versailles, the Neverland Ranch of Louis XIV. Though scorching hot and crowded, the body to body contact proved worth it to view the famous Hall of Mirrors. Off to the gardens of Versailles... A chilly breeze blew the the perfectly symmetrical "Garden of Eden," and as for the unsatisfied group we were joining, our first integration began. Indian Head Poker anyone?!?!
Headed back to the hotel and changed, then the entire group set off to a cafe deep in the heart of Paris. While Laura and Emily headed off to the Champs Elysee, Katherine and I followed the rest of the group to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was crowded and cold, but it was more than worth it. We went up the elevator... ground level.... 1st floor (gift shop and cafe)... 2nd floor (restaurant)... and as the doors dinged on the 3rd floor, the entire skyline of Paris appeared before us. As the sun went down and the lights began to sparkle, we made our way DOWN THE STAIRS to the ground level.
Day 5
Bright and early... What is Paris without museums?
First the Louvre and the "big three" (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo)
Discovered Laura and Kat sitting in a cafe and that is where Em and I spent the next hour.
Second stop the Orangerie, home to Monet and his famous "Water Lilies." Other artists included Pablo Picasso, Paul Guillame, and Marie Laurencin.
Hopped on the metro and headed to the modern Pompidou Centre. Emily, Laura, Katherine, and I enjoyed a Parisian lunch beside the Stravenski Fountain. Laura and her pigeon calls attracted more birds than one would hope. To escape the madness, we stepped into a creperie for some yummy cafe au lait.
The tour groups split up and we were given the right to roam. Can you say shopping?? On the way to the Lafayette shopping centre, Kat was almost mugged, but her mother, superwoman that she is, protected her as a lion would a cub. We entered the centre only to find the dress of Emily's dreams... After trying it on, and falling in love, she quickly realized it was unrealistic. She sadly replaced its designer tags on the hanger and walked away devastated. What she doesn't know is that Laura, Kat, and I will be recreating it for her birthday.
On the way home, Kate kicked some metro booty, single handedly navigating us back to Novo. PS we witnessed the art of a succesful pickpocket, even if it was only 5 dollars.
Planned to head to Sacre Coeur with our tourguide, but he left us. So instead we made a plan to head via metro. John gave up his taxi seat for Mrs. Royer and recieved a freebie for US History (that can come in handy...) so he joined us on the metro.
John, Dad, Emily, and I hiked up 267 steps to the beautiful Sacre Coeur. You've never heard music until you've heard the choir of the "Sacred Heart."
Met up with Mrs. Royer and Ms. King for dinner. While at SC, Mrs. Rachel and Kat were scheming to plan Laura a surprise 17th birthday bash. Upon returning to the hotel, we less than discretely ditched Laura to finish the birthday plans.
SURPRISE!!!!! We attacked Laura with balloons and cupcakes, almost giving her an epilepsy.
Spent the night reading Cosmo with the girls, returning to the room around 1am to pack for Dinard.
Day 6
Laura's Birthday
As Laura and Emily slept in from the late night girl talk, Kat and I headed down to breakfast a 6am. Hopped on the bus and headed for Giverny at 745am.
At Giverny, we toured Claude Monet's inspiration for his "Water Lilies," a home and garden more impressive than I've ever viewed before. Lots of pictures... thank you mothers.
Alright, back on the bus. This time, for a couple of hours.... Where should we go? The beaches of Normandy.
Imagine standing on the beach where children play, knowing that hundreds of thousands of young lives, just like mine had been lost upon the sand... After taking in the scenery, I joined the girls for a cup of coffee, protected from the rain under a small pavillion.
Back on the bus, a bit of European license plate trivia. GB? Yep, Great Britain. CZ? That's the Czech Republic. Let's just say, it's not as easy as it sounds. Oh and... Ms. King did a little shopping. Can you say secret society... well kinda. You know those little dog clickers they used to make them sit? Well Ms. King bought us each one. Somehow, they're supposed to bind us together.
Headed to the American Cemetery to witness hundreds of thousands of white crosses and stars of David bearing the names of dead soldiers... Facing home (America) of course.
After 3 more hours of driving, we finally arrived at our small boutique hotel. Dinner was encroyable and conversation was never ending. Thomas Head fed an invisible baby, and Ms. King laughed her head off. Shocker.
We then joined Mrs. Royer for a voyage up to the cliffs. Beautiful to say the least.
Laura and I now sit in a cafe overlooking the English Channel at 1am explaining to you exactly why France is so amazing.
a tout a l'heure
Sincerely,
Natalie
FINALLY landing in Paris, we arrived at the Novotel (4*s yaay).... and FINALLY got a shower. thank god. Squeaky clean we wandered the streets of the "city of lights/love." Enjoyed dinner and a scrumptious waiter with a group that found our southern twangs slightly less than endearing, but we can the same thing about them.
And what's Paris without the metro?... First stop, Trocadero, the best view of the Eiffel Tower. Strolled between scary, insistent street vendors and the Asian tourists only to approach the bateaux-mouches (double decker ferry boat touring the Seine).... Between the monuments and the oh so in love Parisians we happened to sit in front of the most ignorant teenagers we could hope to find in Paris. Not only did we get to hear their incredibly dispicable taste in movies, but their narrow-mindedness of different cultures... But I must say, the lights of Paris are truly enchanting.
We ended the night with a final twinkle of the Eiffel Tower. Our Parisian adventure had just begun.
Day 4
Ever woken up to the smell of hot French croissants?... I can truly say now i have. We hopped on a bus at 9am and toured all the sights you could hope to see in Paris. Traffic was CRAZY (no lanes) but the sights of the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee, and l'Hotel d'Invalides made up for the horrible driving. Next to THE Notre Dame... Fully equipted, with scary men in gargoyle masks attacking Mrs. Rachel and Frances in the streets, Mrs. Royer breakdancing, cheap souvenir shopping. If nothing else, I have officially learned how to correctly wrap a French scarf.
For lunch... a croque monsieur and a chocolat crepe, Emily serving as my lunch splitting buddy. Bon appetit.
Can't stop yet... off to Versailles, the Neverland Ranch of Louis XIV. Though scorching hot and crowded, the body to body contact proved worth it to view the famous Hall of Mirrors. Off to the gardens of Versailles... A chilly breeze blew the the perfectly symmetrical "Garden of Eden," and as for the unsatisfied group we were joining, our first integration began. Indian Head Poker anyone?!?!
Headed back to the hotel and changed, then the entire group set off to a cafe deep in the heart of Paris. While Laura and Emily headed off to the Champs Elysee, Katherine and I followed the rest of the group to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was crowded and cold, but it was more than worth it. We went up the elevator... ground level.... 1st floor (gift shop and cafe)... 2nd floor (restaurant)... and as the doors dinged on the 3rd floor, the entire skyline of Paris appeared before us. As the sun went down and the lights began to sparkle, we made our way DOWN THE STAIRS to the ground level.
Day 5
Bright and early... What is Paris without museums?
First the Louvre and the "big three" (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo)
Discovered Laura and Kat sitting in a cafe and that is where Em and I spent the next hour.
Second stop the Orangerie, home to Monet and his famous "Water Lilies." Other artists included Pablo Picasso, Paul Guillame, and Marie Laurencin.
Hopped on the metro and headed to the modern Pompidou Centre. Emily, Laura, Katherine, and I enjoyed a Parisian lunch beside the Stravenski Fountain. Laura and her pigeon calls attracted more birds than one would hope. To escape the madness, we stepped into a creperie for some yummy cafe au lait.
The tour groups split up and we were given the right to roam. Can you say shopping?? On the way to the Lafayette shopping centre, Kat was almost mugged, but her mother, superwoman that she is, protected her as a lion would a cub. We entered the centre only to find the dress of Emily's dreams... After trying it on, and falling in love, she quickly realized it was unrealistic. She sadly replaced its designer tags on the hanger and walked away devastated. What she doesn't know is that Laura, Kat, and I will be recreating it for her birthday.
On the way home, Kate kicked some metro booty, single handedly navigating us back to Novo. PS we witnessed the art of a succesful pickpocket, even if it was only 5 dollars.
Planned to head to Sacre Coeur with our tourguide, but he left us. So instead we made a plan to head via metro. John gave up his taxi seat for Mrs. Royer and recieved a freebie for US History (that can come in handy...) so he joined us on the metro.
John, Dad, Emily, and I hiked up 267 steps to the beautiful Sacre Coeur. You've never heard music until you've heard the choir of the "Sacred Heart."
Met up with Mrs. Royer and Ms. King for dinner. While at SC, Mrs. Rachel and Kat were scheming to plan Laura a surprise 17th birthday bash. Upon returning to the hotel, we less than discretely ditched Laura to finish the birthday plans.
SURPRISE!!!!! We attacked Laura with balloons and cupcakes, almost giving her an epilepsy.
Spent the night reading Cosmo with the girls, returning to the room around 1am to pack for Dinard.
Day 6
Laura's Birthday
As Laura and Emily slept in from the late night girl talk, Kat and I headed down to breakfast a 6am. Hopped on the bus and headed for Giverny at 745am.
At Giverny, we toured Claude Monet's inspiration for his "Water Lilies," a home and garden more impressive than I've ever viewed before. Lots of pictures... thank you mothers.
Alright, back on the bus. This time, for a couple of hours.... Where should we go? The beaches of Normandy.
Imagine standing on the beach where children play, knowing that hundreds of thousands of young lives, just like mine had been lost upon the sand... After taking in the scenery, I joined the girls for a cup of coffee, protected from the rain under a small pavillion.
Back on the bus, a bit of European license plate trivia. GB? Yep, Great Britain. CZ? That's the Czech Republic. Let's just say, it's not as easy as it sounds. Oh and... Ms. King did a little shopping. Can you say secret society... well kinda. You know those little dog clickers they used to make them sit? Well Ms. King bought us each one. Somehow, they're supposed to bind us together.
Headed to the American Cemetery to witness hundreds of thousands of white crosses and stars of David bearing the names of dead soldiers... Facing home (America) of course.
After 3 more hours of driving, we finally arrived at our small boutique hotel. Dinner was encroyable and conversation was never ending. Thomas Head fed an invisible baby, and Ms. King laughed her head off. Shocker.
We then joined Mrs. Royer for a voyage up to the cliffs. Beautiful to say the least.
Laura and I now sit in a cafe overlooking the English Channel at 1am explaining to you exactly why France is so amazing.
a tout a l'heure
Sincerely,
Natalie
Monday, June 9, 2008
Stuck in the airport.
Day 1
After arriving at the Memphis Airport at 9:20am we, of course, checked in, went through security, and chilled out at our gate (C12) to Chicago. We ate bagels and played cards... My personal favorite is Indian Head Poker - explanation - you are dealt a single card and when said you stick the card up on your forehead ha! Getting bored, we watched CNN and learned of the tragic world destruction. Not fun.
2:00pm... delayed and depressed we are 2 hours behind schedule due to bad weather up north.
We are finally told we will be boarding the plane shortly so Ms. King begins inflating her pillow.. hahhaa. Her and Mrs. Royer goofed around and tried to see how many things you could make out of it. ie a headband, a lapdesk, oh we had fun.
Once we finally made it to the Chicago Airport, we realized that we had missed our connecting flight to Charles de Gaulle. Our group, minus Ms. King, Mrs. Royer, and my parents, grabbed a bite to eat and listened to French-esque music on the floor, while the adults handled rebooking our flights (6:30pm-12:00am... LONG TIME).
Fingers crossed.
Day 2
FINALLY getting a flight booked, we spent the night in the Chicago Airport. We had to split into 2 groups; one leaving at 7:30am and the other at 9:40am to Montreal. Good news was that we would all fly transatlantic together at 10:30pm.... a nasty overlay but we were grateful. Unfortunately, we did not sleep a wink and were running off of airport food - yuck.
WOOO HOOO we landed in Montreal on time but the earlier group went all the way through customs so weren't where they were supposed to be.... So our group found a comfy, vacant area... ate some junk food and SLEPT for the first time in 48 hours. 3 hours of sleep and loving it.
We discovered that not all of our luggage went to Charles de Gaulle and ended up here in Montreal. Problem. Now we are praying that our luggage will be in Paris. great... I guess it'll just make for another adventure. We are bonding and I am learning several new card games, despite the fact that we lost a day and a half in Paris.
We board our flight at 10:00pm and it is now 9:20pm now. We will land around 11:45am Paris time (add 7 hours to current Jackson, TN time)... I'll be writing back to you in Paris =) Au revoir!
Sincerely,
Natalie
After arriving at the Memphis Airport at 9:20am we, of course, checked in, went through security, and chilled out at our gate (C12) to Chicago. We ate bagels and played cards... My personal favorite is Indian Head Poker - explanation - you are dealt a single card and when said you stick the card up on your forehead ha! Getting bored, we watched CNN and learned of the tragic world destruction. Not fun.
2:00pm... delayed and depressed we are 2 hours behind schedule due to bad weather up north.
We are finally told we will be boarding the plane shortly so Ms. King begins inflating her pillow.. hahhaa. Her and Mrs. Royer goofed around and tried to see how many things you could make out of it. ie a headband, a lapdesk, oh we had fun.
Once we finally made it to the Chicago Airport, we realized that we had missed our connecting flight to Charles de Gaulle. Our group, minus Ms. King, Mrs. Royer, and my parents, grabbed a bite to eat and listened to French-esque music on the floor, while the adults handled rebooking our flights (6:30pm-12:00am... LONG TIME).
Fingers crossed.
Day 2
FINALLY getting a flight booked, we spent the night in the Chicago Airport. We had to split into 2 groups; one leaving at 7:30am and the other at 9:40am to Montreal. Good news was that we would all fly transatlantic together at 10:30pm.... a nasty overlay but we were grateful. Unfortunately, we did not sleep a wink and were running off of airport food - yuck.
WOOO HOOO we landed in Montreal on time but the earlier group went all the way through customs so weren't where they were supposed to be.... So our group found a comfy, vacant area... ate some junk food and SLEPT for the first time in 48 hours. 3 hours of sleep and loving it.
We discovered that not all of our luggage went to Charles de Gaulle and ended up here in Montreal. Problem. Now we are praying that our luggage will be in Paris. great... I guess it'll just make for another adventure. We are bonding and I am learning several new card games, despite the fact that we lost a day and a half in Paris.
We board our flight at 10:00pm and it is now 9:20pm now. We will land around 11:45am Paris time (add 7 hours to current Jackson, TN time)... I'll be writing back to you in Paris =) Au revoir!
Sincerely,
Natalie
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The countdown nears its end.
Well ladies and gentlemen before we embark on our journey I have decided to share the two week story with you. As our friends, family, and teachers pack for France, others are curious as to what will be going on. This one is for you Mrs. Kim ;).
Hopefully internet will be available where we are staying but if not, I will try my hardest to keep you posted.
We leave from the Memphis Airport Sunday, June 8 around noon and will arrive in Chicago. Our connecting flight will depart at 5:30 pm, landing us in Paris at 8 am.
Here's a run down of the trip...
Sincerely,
Natalie
Hopefully internet will be available where we are staying but if not, I will try my hardest to keep you posted.
We leave from the Memphis Airport Sunday, June 8 around noon and will arrive in Chicago. Our connecting flight will depart at 5:30 pm, landing us in Paris at 8 am.
Here's a run down of the trip...
- June 8 (Sunday) depart for France
- June 9-12 (Monday-Thursday) Paris
- June 13 (Friday) Giverny and Caen en route to Dinard
- June 14-15 (Saturday-Sunday) Loire Valley
- June 16 (Monday) Chartres > Paris > Nice
- June 17-18 (Tuesday-Wednesday) Nice
- June 19 (Thursday) depart for the USA
Sincerely,
Natalie
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