bon jour!

Paris is a beautiful city.  on our first day, we went to see Notre Dame, the Pantheon, Arch de Triomphe, the Jardin du Luxembourg,  and the Eiffel Tower.  The last two were my favorites. 

Notre Dame

Pantheon

 

Arc de triomphe

 

Jardin du Luxembourg

Eiffel Tower

at night

with the pretty lights on

 on our second day we went to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa.  tip:  buy your tickets in advance (while in the US) to avoid the loooooooooooooooooooooong line to get tickets and get into the museum.  we went early (soon after it opened) and went to see the mona lisa immediately because we knew this is going to be very crowded.  my cousin was in paris the week before we were and she went in the late afternoon and she had the mona lisa mostly to herself.  when we went, the crowd wasn't too bad but we didn't get a chance to really appreciate the painting because we wanted to see it, take a photo and get out of there before the madness sets in. 

the louvre is huge!  we knew we wouldn't be able to see all of it so we chose to see the mona lisa, the Egyptian and greek exhibit.  we spent about half the day at the louvre and then we went to Champs Elysees to buy a purse from Louis Vuitton.  unfortunately, the purse isn't mine but for a friend.  paul gave me the greenlight to buy a purse for myself but I just couldn't bring myself to buy one.  I don't know what's wrong with me!  he also said I could purchase a prada bag when we were in Italy two years ago and again I declined. i told him, i haven't found THE ONE purse that will make me go against reason and buy it despite the price tag.   i feel like I'd rather spend the money on a vacation (Jackson hole, Wyoming has been on my mind constantly lately) than on a purse. 

after purse shopping, we went to sacre couer and climb up it's many many steps.  we didn't take photos inside the church (probited)it was a beautiful church and it was over looking the city. 

on our last full day in paris we went to Versailles. this is the highlight of my trip to paris.  we bought tickets in advance for the Palace of Versailles but the line was still long to get in. it was so crowded inside the palace so we just skipped most of the rooms and made our way outside to one of the largest and most beautiful garden you'll ever see.  it was just breathtaking!  we walked around the garden for a little bit and decided that if we wanted to see most of it, we'll need to rent bicycles.  it was the loveliest bike ride and really one of the most memorable things I've experienced.  renting the bikes were a little bit expensive..i can't remember the exact price but it would be around 50 euro for 1 hour for 3 bikes.  one hour should be enough time if you don't plan on making many stops.  rent the bike the whole day if plan on riding for longer than an hour.  i wish we had stayed longer and rented a boat to ride on the canal.  there's a lot to see and do in Versailles so if you ever find yourself in paris, do not miss this!

 

were not able to go to the top of the Eiffel tower because they were already sold out weeks before our trip.  you can stand in line to buy tickets for the same day but as you have probably already surmised, i do not like standing in line when on vacation (except at Disneyland where you really have no choice!). 

here's a summary of my Paris tips:
buy your admission tickets in advance especially to the Eiffel tower and the Louvre
do not miss your chance to the Versailles.  absolutely beautiful!

notice i didn't mention anything about the food.  it's because it deserves an entry all its own!

crossing the English Channel

i was a little bit worried about traveling to france because i've never traveled to a non-english speaking country without a translator.  in my past trips to italy, my relatives were always there to translate for me.  on my trip to taiwan, we had a tour guide with us the whole time who translated everything for us.  so france without a translator and speaking no french at all other than "merci" and "au revoir" made me uneasy.  i downloaded the english-french translator on my phone so i can have it handy in case we needed it.

taking the train to paris was a great choice.  we were able to get our train tickets at 50% off because our friend's friend worked for Eurail (as they say, it's not what you know, but who you know!). plus taking the train was much more convenient and relaxing.  

waiting to board our train

we arrived at the St. Pancras station with enough time to eat some breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien.  the food was a little bit expensive but that's how it is at airports and train stations.  i enjoyed my croissant and paul and michelle each had their belgian waffles. going through security was a breeze and boarding the train was quick.  

i really enjoy riding the train.  you get a lot more leg room and you can get up and walk and stretch for a little bit.  it was just a little over 2 hours from london to paris so i just read from my kindle while michelle watched video on her tablet.  paul took a nap for most of the train ride.

we arrived at gar du nord and took the metro to our hotel which was only a few stops away.  when we got off the metro, we walked around and around the station for a little bit, trying to find the exit.  a older gentleman took pity on us and in his english spoken with a thick french accent, asked if we needed help and we asked for the exit.  he pointed at the huge sign that says, "sortie" and said, "sortie.  that means exit in english."  "merci!"  i exclaimed!  we climbed the stairs and to what was plaza republique and walked just a few feet to our hotel and we were "home".

we stayed at crowne plaza paris republique.  i picked this location because it was very close to the metro station (just a few steps away) about 15 minutes away from central paris, and 10 minutes away from the gar du nord eurostar train station.  there was also an abundance of restaurants around the hotel so it was not difficult to find a place to eat.

this is not my photo but our room had a view of the courtyard
this is what it looked like

kicking it in Paris

one of paul's best friends and his family was waiting for us at the hotel when we arrived. joel and his family now lives in austria and we had agreed to take a paris vacation at the same time.  we have not seen them in about 7 years and it was a real treat to spend some time with them. this was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to paris.  hopefully we can spend time with them again soon.  the 1 day we spent with them really wasn't enough to catch up.  

on my next post, i will write more about this lovely trip to paris!

london food

one of my favorite things about traveling is trying the different kinds of food.  Nando's has been on my list since i heard about it several years ago and it did not disappoint.  think of it as a spicy version of chicken inasal (a type of bbq chicken from Bacolod, Philippines).   it was delicious! 

no photos of the food because we were so hungry and we just ate it all!  

wagamama is also winner in my book. I had the curry with shrimp over rice.  paul wasn't too impressed with his ramen and wished he ordered the same dish as mine. 

shrimp with curry

fried calamari

my favorite out of the food/restaurants we tried in London was shake shack.   when we were in new York city last year, we missed out on trying the food at shake shack.  well, we missed out a lot on that trip to NYC.  it was unbelievably hot so we always had to wait until it gets a little cooler before we stepped out of the hotel.  we finally got our shake shack opportunity while in London and my goodness was that burger good!  some of my girl friends are in new York this week and before they left, they asked me what I wanted from new York, I said, 'well, if you're arriving early enough, I want a burger from shake shack.' unfortunately, their flight lands at 11:30 pm Pacific so no shake shack for me. =(

i still dream about this burger

of course we had our fill of fish and chips.  we tried the fish and chips at Jamie Oliver's Union Jacks and at the Wellington Pub.  I liked wellington's fish and chips more than Jamie's.  it was cheaper, too.  I also enjoyed the mushy peas with a hint of mint.  it doesn't look very good but to me it went well with the fish and chips.   

pizza, she always gets pizza

the mussels were alright

pork belly, he can't say no to pork belly

fish and chips...i actually enjoy the mushy peas

fish and chips at the wellington; better than jamie oliver's

if there is no pizza, mac n cheese is michelle's next choice

so in summary, my top 3 London restaurants are:
1. shake shack
2. nando's
3. wagamama

the Waldorf Hilton London

the Waldorf Hilton London was home the whole time we were in London.  it took me a loooong time to decide on the hotel because I was looking at rates (in our case, how many points it would cost), location, and amenities.  i finally decided on the Waldorf because of it's central location, proximity to restaurants and sights, access to the executive lounge and the indoor swimming pool. 

front of the hotel. (taken from the hotel's website, not my photo)

hotel lobby. pretty small by american standards but the front desk staff were efficient and friendly.
photo from the hotel website

before making the reservation, i sent them an email via facebook and checked with them if they store bags for returning guests and they promptly respond to my question.  they stored a couple of our bags free of charge while we spent several days in paris and they delivered it back to our room after we returned. 

our stay at the hotel included access to the lounge where breakfast, tea, and appetizers/drinks are served in the morning, afternoon, and evening - respectively  (all the food and drinks were included in our rate).  we enjoyed our hot breakfast at the lounge every day.  there was scrambled eggs, English bacon, sausages, pastries, and fruits.  it is the same breakfast every single morning but we weren't there for too long so we didn't mind the lack of day to day variety. 

latte!

the tea service in the afternoon had a beautiful assortment of little sandwiches, scones (i love scones!), and cakes and teas!  i didn't have to pay extra for the English tea experience! 

i wish we took more advantage of the drinks and appetizers in the evening.  beer and wine was free along with a few hot appetizers.  the evenings are also more crowded in the lounge which only seats about 35 to 40 people.  the treats from the lounge must be consumed in the lounge but on our last night in London, there was no room for us to sit so i asked the staff if i can take a couple of glasses of wine to our room instead and she gave me the thumbs up. 

the service at the hotel was great!  the door man always had a smile and a friendly greeting for us.  the concierge and the bellmen were all very helpful and the housekeeping staff kept our room clean.  we left a tip for housekeeping when we left for paris and also when we left to head back home.  we tipped the bellman a couple of pounds for delivering our luggage to the room.  you are not required nor are you expected to tip in Europe but since we are so used to it, we just decided to tip a little bit as appreciation for their hard work. 

the bedroom was spacious and the beds were comfortable

michelle enjoyed hopping from her bed to ours. she can only jump on hotel beds.
bed-jumping not allowed at home.

we used the hotel pool only a couple of times because we were too exhausted from all the walking we did during the day.  the pool also closed early (around 6:30 or 7 pm) which was around the time we got back to the hotel each night after having dinner.  on my first visit to London with a couple of my friends, our hotel also had an indoor pool which was open until 11 pm so each night before bed, we would take a plunge in the pool and relax in the warm water...that was a nice treat.  i hope the waldorf would do the same.  =D

we were not able to take pictures while in the pool
this photo is more beautiful than it actually looks. it was pretty dark in the pool.
photo from the hotel website

over all, i would highly recommend the Waldorf Hilton London.  if you only need to add a few extra dollars for access to the lounge, go for it.  the hearty breakfast we had every morning provided the fuel for our walks and sight seeing throughout the day.  we usually had a late and light lunch while in London.  the tea service was a wonderful treat and the free wine and beer at night will help you relax and sleep well.  

this is bedroom number 2, we spent our last night in london here after we got back from paris.  

this is a little smaller than the first room we used.