Paris - Day 6 - Last Day of Our Sightseeing Extravagnaza!

Our last full day was spent in Paris. We took one of the earliest trains to Paris, and the last train back. We did the whirlwind trip of "Paris in a Day" visiting 5 major sights in less than 10 hours. It was hectic (we took the wrong local train out of the Paris train station right off the bat, and ended up in the wrong part of town...), exhilarating, fun, and exhausting - we never stopped to eat or relax...until we were back on the train heading back to London. Great exercise though - we walked nearly 10 miles that day!

These first two pictures are from the Hotel de Invalides - also known as Napoleon's Tomb

The beautiful Eiffel Tower
This it the view from directly under the middle of the Eiffel Tower. I thought it was pretty cool.
Looking down from the top of the Eiffel Tower - just after a burst of rain had doused us.
Looking back towards Napoleon's Tomb
Gazing down on the Arc de Triomphe
Looking down at the Louvre

The Louvre up close
The Arc near the entrance to the Louvre
Notre Dame

London Day 5

Day 5 was spent in and around central London. We stopped by Buckingham Palace, saw a lot of war memorials, walked through Hyde Park, and went on to the British Museum. I won't post pictures of most of those places, since they aren't really recognizable landmarks...but here is one for you....Buckingham Palace.

London Landmarks - Day 2

Our second day in London was actually the first full day of sightseeing we had. We were up and out of our hotel rooms by 8am for a full day of seeing the London Tower, Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Trafalgar Square, to name a few...

London Landmarks - Day 1

I thought it would be fun to share a couple of my favorite pictures from some of the historic and famous landmarks in and around London we had the opportunity to visit. These are a few from the first day we arrived. We got into London late in the afternoon, and didn't have a chance to see too many things before the light, and our energy, dwindled...

This is a picture of the London Eye from across the Thames River.

Big Ben and part of the Parliment Building.

London in bloom

I am not, by any means, a botanist. But that doesn't go to say that I don't love flowers. I LOVE flowers - every size, shape and color of them. On my trip to London I enjoyed seeing the huge variety of flowers in the public gardens. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy. Please don't ask me what kind of flowers they are...I only know the obvious ones...you know....tulips...roses, etc.

I know...this isn't a picture of flowers, but I loved the colors of the leaves of this tree...and thought it was a really cool setting with Windsor Castle in the background.

Norm's excellent adventure - Day 5

Ah, it's a lovely day to visit Buckingham Palace!

Next, we are off to visit the British Museum. Here Norm visits with a standing dyad of "King and Divinity" from about 1350 B.C.

Then it's off to see a painted limestone statue of Kaitep and his wife, Hetepheres from about 2300 B.C. (Don't ask me...I got the info off the sign...)
After exploring the museum, Norm heads off to Herrods for a little afternoon snack. (Two cups of coffee and a hazelnut muffin was 28 GBP, which equates to about $56.00! Ouch! Needless to say, the British economy is doing quite nicely!)
After window shopping at Herrods and more sightseeing, we went to a little Italian restaurant called Belle Italia, where Norm made friends with our waiter, Mario.
Is it getting a little warm in here, or is it just me? Maybe it's just the beer...
At last, on the "Tube" --the London underground transit system -- back to the hotel.

Norm's excellent adventure - Day 4

Norm spent the day at Winsor Castle. The Queen was there that day, but she didn't make a showing.

Norm participates in a parade welcoming 600 British troups home from Afganistan.
Winsor is a spectacular castle!
Lots to walk around and see...Norms little legs were getting tired.
Norm meets more of his British cousins.
After Winsor, Norm took a flight on the London Eye. The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, soaring over the city at 443 ft. It's visited by over 3 million people (and gnomes) a year.
The view from up here is incredible!
After putting in a long day of sightseeing, there's nothing like a relaxing meal at a little neighborhood pub, where everyone knows your name...
Not sure if you can see it in the picture, but the menu reads "Norm's Knock-outs"....seriously...I couldn't make this stuff up!