Right. Craziness. I haven't been online in a week and a half or so. So I have a gazillion things to write about, and I had 53 new messages in my email. Good grief!!
I'm weeding out the ole inbox, and now I'll tell ya all about Paris (pics to come soon).
Tuesday 12 April: Getting There
I met Mom and Dad at Heathrow and we made our way to Waterloo to catch the Eurostar to Paris. It was lovely to see them again and, though they were tired (Seattle to London = 8 hours), we were all excited to get to Paris.
By the time we got to our hotel (a bit dodgy, and a teensy weensy little room), we were all ready for a rest. Mom and I scrounged up some food using hand gestures and limited French ("oui," "merci," and "parle vous anglais??") and then we spent the rest of the evening relaxing and catching up.
Wednesday 13 April: Bonjour, Paris!
We took a hop-on/hop-off bus tour of the City of Lights and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the famous sites. We hopped off at the Eiffel Tower and promptly found:
a. Baby ducks!
b. The toilets
Next we made the journey to the second level (about 400 feet up) and then to the third level (a whopping 900 feet up in the clouds--a nail-biting elevator journey). The views are fantastic but I could have done without that elevator ride. Talk about white knuckles! From my journal:
For someone who dislikes heights, I always find myself scaling them--the dome of St. Peter's in Rome, the London Eye, Empire State Building...
We spent the rest of the day riding the bus and taking loads of pictures. Had authentic French Onion soup for dinner (marvelous!) and went to bed exhausted.
Thursday 14 April: The Louvre
First off, I must say that the Mona Lisa did not disappoint me. I always read that people whine that she's smaller than expected, and darker. Not so for me! I loved her just as she is (to borrow a line from Mark Darcy).
I also loved the Venus di Milo, Cupid and Psyche, the Michaelangelo sculptures and the other 4 da Vinci's on display. Pictures coming soon to a computer screen near you.
The Louvre is fantastic--and huge. We spent a good 4-5 hours looking around, stopping for lunch at one of many cafes and shopping in the massive book shop.
We had dinner at a chain restaurant called Hippopotamus and the highlight there (besides the delicious soup and salad I had) was the adorable French waiter looking right at me and saying, "You come back tomorrow?" Just as I was about to tell him, "For you, darling, anything..." I remembered we already had dinner plans for Friday. Damn.
Friday 15 April: Raptures!
Let me start by saying that I LOVE and ADORE the works of Edgar Degas. Have since London Semester six years ago when I discovered him at the National Gallery. His ballets and bathers especially inspire me and move me.
Today we spent a few hours at the Musee d'Orsay, which picks up in art history where the Louvre leaves off. In other words, hello, Impressionists!
I've always enjoyed Monet and Degas, and some Van Gogh. I have a new appreciation for Renoir now, as well. I spent way too much on prints and postcards of all of my favorites (the Renoir painting of a girl and her cat, Degas' Blue Dancers...).
This evening we went on a mini-tour. The van picked us up at our hotel and took us to a lovely restaurant on the Champs Elyses (pronounced shamzayleeeezay). There was a mother and daughter pair on the tour with us, also American, and we had a lovely time chatting with them.
The highlight of the evening, however, was not dinner. It was the night cruise on the Seine. We started off at 9:00 under a twinkling Eiffel Tower. The cruise took an hour and we saw much of the City of Lights actually lit up. Gorgeous! Unfortunately, my digital camera doesn't take the best nighttime photos, and only 3 were worth keeping.
On a side note: The Paris Hotel Fire.
By now you all know that this was not our hotel (thank God, as we had similar poor escape routes). The ironic part is that we had a fire drill that very morning. While I was showering. A lady on the 3rd floor was smoking in her room (naughty) and set off the smoke alarm. Fortunately, I did not end up on the streets of Paris with pajamas and a towel around my soaking hair. But now that we were ALL awake (Mom and Dad had still been in bed), we turned on the TV to BBC World and there were reports all over about the hotel fire that was actually in the same general area as ours.
As you probably know, 24 people (last I heard) had lost their lives--half of them children. A tragedy, no doubt.
Saturday 16 April: Giverny and Versailles
This was a great day. We took another van tour that picked us up at our hotel and set off first for Giverny. For those who don't know, Giverny was home for 43 years to Claude Monet. And home to his famous water lily pond and Japanese bridge.
Gorgeous! The house and gardens are lovely. Of course there is now a photo of Meg on Bridge.
We had lunch at a beautiful old mill house, and then set off for Versailles.
From my journal:
Versailles was home to Louis XIV, XV and XVI, as well as the wife of the last Louis, the infamous "let them eat cake" Marie Antoinette. It is huge, opulent and a good illustration of why Louis XVI and his wife lost their heads. Marie Antoinette had an uninhabited village built for her own enjoyment!
Louis XIV was by far the worst--nicknamed the Sun King because he thought the world revolved around him. You can't take 3 steps in the chateaux without finding another sculpture, painting or other art work depicting his manliness and celebrating his life. Egomaniac!
Versailles was a bit too opulent and egomaniacal for me, though I'm glad I saw it. Must say, though, I much preferred lovely, modest Giverny and the genius who lived in it!
Sunday 17 April: To Bayeux
Sunday was mostly spent travelling. It takes a bit over 2 hours to get from Paris to Bayeux, and we wanted a bit of a rest once there.
The hotel was much nicer than the one in Paris, and roomier! I had my own semi-private little corner and we weren't in each other's pockets the whole time.
In the afternoon Mom and I explored a bit and window shopped. Being Sunday, everything was closed. I found that Bayeux is very friendly to English speakers--they are still very grateful for the liberation during the Normandy Invasion.
Bayeux was not damaged much during the Invasion, as a church employee had the foresight to call England ahead of time and let them know that there were no major German outfits hanging out. So Bayeux was spared the bombs and shellacking that nearby towns and villages took. About the only casualty was the German lookout in the little tiny house at the top of Bayeux Cathedral.
That night we found a small creperie and had GORGEOUS crepes for dinner. And dessert crepes.
I must just insert here that French food is lovely.
Monday 18 April: Enjoying Bayeux
We were unable to book a D-Day Sights tour for today so we ended up exploring Bayeux and going to the small museum that houses the famous Bayeux Tapestry. The Tapestry is 900 years old and tells the story of William (the Bastard), Duke of Normandy and how he defeated Harold for the throne of England and became William the Conqueror. It is in amazing condition and it is absolutely massive. It's only about a foot or two in height but it is extremely long.
The museum is very well-done, and explains very well the story depicted on the tapestry.
We poked around in some of the little shops (I found two Snoopy mugs!!!) in the afternoon and had another lovely authentic French dinner.
We also spent some time relaxing in the afternoon (the shops all close in the afternoon for an extended lunch, so we sat on our butts in the hotel eating baguettes and quiche and watching TV).
The one English-speaking channel was an international version of CNN. All it talked about was what we came to call Popegate 2005. I am aware that the selection of a Pope was historical and even politically important. But how many times do we need to watch the same 10-minute clip of a bunch of cardinals singing and praying before locking themselves in to the Sistine Chapel??
Anyway.
Tuesday 19 April: The Highlight of the Trip (for me, anyway)
This was our last full day in France and it was the part I had been most looking forward to--more than Degas, Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower, etc.
The D-Day Beaches.
We took a fantastic van tour through Normandy. The guide picked us up and then a Canadian couple. We set off for Juno Beach, the Canadian center of D-Day. There we saw the Canadian Cemetery (very moving) and the 2-year-old Canadian D-Day Centre, a wonderful interactive museum dedicated to the Canadian role in the liberation of France.
Next we hit Gold Beach (British) and Arromanches. Arromanches is a touristy little town that is famous for the artificial ports the Allied troops built to unload supplies onto the beaches after D-Day.
We lunched in Bayeux and picked up another couple before setting off to the places I have wanted to see for a long time.
The first stop after lunch was to the American Cemetery, which sits on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach.
There are thousands of white crosses in perfectly straight, beautifully maintained rows. There is no distinction of rank: officers are buried among the privates. There are American flags flying and it is so peaceful and lovely. Truly an appropriate place for the men of World War II to rest with their comrades.
At one end of the cemetery, the Spirit of Youth looks out over the crosses and Stars of David.
Both the Canadian and American Cemeteries are immaculate. No litter, no weeds, no graffiti. They belong to their respective countries, but the French are hired to take care of them--and they do so with great pride.
When the clock struck at 1:00, the bells played "America the Beautiful," and even though it was starting to rain, I stopped to listen.
After this incredibly moving sight, we shuttled off to Point du Hoc. Here a group of 225 Army Rangers scaled a large cliff to attack a German battery. Ninety (yes, 90) of them survived, but they got the job done.
Next we drove along Omaha Beach, the longest of the 5 code-named beaches. Today it is peaceful and calm--I can hardly imagine that one of the largest military invasions in the history of the world took place there.
Finally we arrived at Utah Beach to look around and see the church at St. Mere Eglise, a small town. When the paratroopers jumped over this part of France, one of them, a John Steele, got caught on the church, and dangled there for a while. Now there is a mannequin hanging from the spire. Inside there is a beautiful stained glass window commemorating the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions of the US Army.
The 101st, Company E, are the subject of the HBO series Band of Brothers that I love so well. So it was cool for me to see some of the places they might have seen.
By this time it was the end of our day and the guide drove us back to Bayeux. We ate dinner at a small restaurant and upon entering found two long tables filled with men. These men had funny haircuts and American accents. Of course, the Cooper family knew right off the bat that they were military, and Dad enjoyed talking to them for a few minutes.
Wednesday 20 April: Back to England
All I need to say is 6 hours on 4 different trains. Three different taxis in three different cities. And many of what Dad calls "bag drags."
Thursday 21 April: The Burnham Highlights Tour
Fortunately, the sun was out. Burnham looks her best in the sun. I showed Mom and Dad all the highlights: the school (most specifically, the music room), home and the Lidbury menagerie, the River Crouch, lunch at the Cabin Dairy Tea Rooms, the High Street, the Co-op, and the Chemist/Photographics/Post Office.
That evening we went to dinner at the Polash (Indian food) with Kathy and Derek and all four of them, my parents and my surrogate English parents, were really pleased to finally meet. We had a lovely dinner and then went back to Kathy and Derek's for coffee.
Lucifer the cat did not let me down but warmed up to my parents very quickly. The rest of the cats were either wary or downright unfriendly. The dogs raised hell for a few minutes and then became fast friends.
The tortoises did not care one way or the other.
Friday 22 April: The Send-Off
I must say, I'm really proud of myself. I did not cry until 5 minutes before the train pulled up!
I met Mom and Dad at their hotel for breakfast, then helped them get their bags to the station. We waited and chatted for about 20 minutes. Just before the train came, the waterworks started. I didn't care that the platform was crowded. I didn't see any students, and even if I had, let them see my cry. I'm only human!
I hugged them and saw them onto the train. Mom stuck her tongue out at me, which made me laugh. I watched until the train disappeared behind a bend in the tracks and then I left. As I left, the lady that runs the little snack shop saw me and said, "Are you alright, hon?" I explained that my parents had been visiting and just left, etc. She smiled and said, "Oh...I completely understand."
So I walked to the school, couldn't get on the network, cursed a little, and then set off for the co-op for a massive shop. That afternoon I sat on a lounge chair in Kathy's garden, reading and doing crosswords, occasionally sniffling. Now I know how Mom and Dad feel when they see me off on my grand adventures!
I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and eating healthy foods (big salads and homemade French Onion soup!).
Now it is back to the Grind. The Summer Term has officially begun and I have some decisions to make...we'll see how it all turns out.
And that's that.
Cheers (and pics up soon!),
Meg
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