{ chai mountains

actualizingly @ 2008-01-09T15:32:00

2008-01-09T20:34:59Z

The last day by day entry, I think. The rest should be clumps. Unless I am stupid and forget. Which is possible.

Day... uh 7.

took the underground to Euston! That's where my classes will be!

Saw Wicked! It's quite... uh. Hm. I have heard the OBCR so I was a bit :? but it was good.

actualizingly @ 2008-01-09T15:18:00

2008-01-09T20:31:39Z

Day 6

So, woke at 6am and went downstairs to breakfast, right. 'Cos we had a tour at 8:30 and I was all ): gosh why is it so early aaauuugh, right?
tour at 8:30
Our tour guide's name was Walter! Walter speaks 5 languages. Finnish, Swedish, German, English and French. We went on a drive-around-Paris tour with a German couple. It was really cool because Walter knew like. Everything ever about the history and just random stuff about the places we went. We drove across the Seine like 6 times but there was always something new to see or have explained.
The first get out and look stop was Notre Dame.

Notre Dame!

... uh. So this is where I get corny, right. But there really isn't any good way to describe Notre Dame. It kind of, for me, exceeds it. I love Cathedrals, there's something magnificent about them. You stand in the middle and it just feels. Not even in that religious sense for me, or age, or beauty. But it's moving.

A lot of my Notre Dame pictures are rushed. I dunno. It didn't quite feel right in a way. Like I should just stand there and be instead of flashing photos. But. Whatever. Enough cornyness from me!

After that was the Eiffel Tower, but we've seen that sooo moving on!

Montm--something. Something French was next. It's up on a hill in the 18th district. And you can see all of Paris (okay, a lot of it) from it. There's a white church on it too. It's beautiful. It's gorgeous. I wanted to stand there forever too.

Also, there's a little village-like area up there with an art market and food and lots of stuff like that. It's one of the stops I went: ... I would come back to this.

Then we had lunch! It was alright. But I maybe am not so fond of French food, as good as it is.

THEN THE louvre!

We walked around the Louvre for 4 hours, and Walter took us to all the exhibits and told us history and stuff. Like the Raft of Medusa, where it's... like... Donner Party meets Titanic! Quite literally. We saw the Mona Lisa, which was a bit underwhelming, but the story is kind of cool. She was stolen for 3 years and once had paint tossed on her. uh. OH and Venus of Milo and the Winged Nike! And really old Greek stuff. The old castle part of the Louvre too!

Then we went back to the hotel and I got the news my dog had died.

... he was an amazing dog you know. And died on the couch, where he probably would have wanted to. He was such a lazy, cross eyed, stupid, lazy, fat, lazy, naploving sort of dog.

actualizingly @ 2008-01-09T15:15:00

2008-01-09T20:15:57Z

Day 5

breakfast was roomservice, croissant, pain chocolat, coffee, baguette, scrambled egg
metro'd to champs-elysses near the arc of triumph
the metro is kind of neat, since I've only taken the metro in the states once and that was brooklyn. I was a little worried about not being able to find my way since it's all in French, but my French reading isn't that bad, it's the speaking I have trouble with.
Of course we went on Sunday and like, everything was closed. Like. Everything. It was kind of hilarious, because the champs-elysses (which always sounded like schanleezays to me) was supposed to be open and is a big shopping/'fun' area. Or so our tour guide had told us the other day. So we wandered for a bit, and saw the tower.

Arc of Triumph!
Near the Arc of Triumph there are a lot of cool things. Like the obelisk, a lot of Napoleon stuff (which is kind of cool too because when we were in England it was like THANK GOD WE STOPPED HIM and in France they were all like \o/ he's so cool.
So we walked for like hours (... literally) and were thoroughly lost!
We stopped by a neighborhood church for a bit, because it was pretty and there's something cool about how the churches are just nestled in between the buildings and you'd never think that they were there except then you see them and they're so OLD and impressive and just. Yeah.
Except we were lost and hungry.
So we stopped by this museum and were like. MMM FOOD AND TOILETS YAY
.... and behold.

The Thinker!
We ended up at the Rodin Museum. How cool? I got a change purse there that is black with the kiss on it. Rodin was kind of odd but I love all of his work. Uwaaa.
Oh right. Some other stuff we saw was the Gates of Hell, which is framed by Adam and Eve... and the Burghers of... Cassssssomething. I love his statues. I should get a book of his stuff not at the expensive gift shop right. Yeah. And in English. But it was super fun, I thought.
lunch was quiche and a blueberry tart with espresso the french lady was so confused when we got espresso with our lunch. Oh well, the quiche was SUPER good and so was the tart.
walked back
\o/

PICTURES FROM YESTERDAY

2008-01-06T14:41:28Z

actualizingly @ 2008-01-06T04:23:00

2008-01-06T09:23:43Z

Day 4

So. We were gonna wake up at 6 this morning. ... at quarter to 9 my mom is all WAKE UP we overslept! The waking up at 6am thing didn't really work so well. Read: At all. However, we had breakfast (same as the other day, sans cereal and sausage). OH I FORGOT. on the first day in London when we showed up at the Thistle the lady was like LOL O WAIT YOU'VE BEEN CANCELLED LET ME PUT YOU BACK IN THE SYSTEM. lol hotel lol ):

Then we caught a taxi (taxiiiii) to Saint Pancres (?) station to catch the Eurostar train to Paris. On the train mom was like WANT SOMETHING TO EAT OFF OF THIS SOMEWHAT OVERPRICED MENU and I was like OKAY I'LL HAVE THE MUFFIN and she was like LOL NO THAT'S ALL CARBS GET SOMETHING ELSE. and I replied THEN I'LL HAVE NOTHING. As you can tell I am v v mature. But I kind of wanted that damnable muffin. Anyway. She goes to get food and I listen to my itunes and when I come back... she has a salmon sandwich.

): no blueberry muffin for AJ. The sandwich was OKAY, but there was not enough salmon:bread so I took off the top and just ate the bottom.

Then! We get to Paris. And take another taxi to this little hotel, the Aviatic. Which is like... 6 rooms long and 6 floors high ad is so much nicer than the Thistle, actually. Luckily the front desk people speak English and were able to hook us up with our confirmation for our tour. Since we couldn't do it the other day since the entire confirmation line was in French. Which is funny since neither us nor the other people on the tour spoke French. Well, they might have, but they spoke Italian and some English.

Then we take a bit of a stroll around the neighborhood. We walk past like 800 cafes and restaurants and there is a huge Japanese restaurant population here. (Though I asked our tour guide about it later and he said that there were like a bajillion Chinese restaurants and then the Mayor (?) of Paris said that they can't have so many so many of them became Japanese restaurants. O well). Mom and I stopped for coffee at a place called something Marquise. There we had... uh. We think it was double espresso with steamed milk and crepes. Otherwise it was super strong latte. But we think it was the espresso.

Then we came back to the hotel and I got online a bit. Except then we got ready for our tour and OFF WE WENT /o

First our tourguide Benjamin drove us to get the other people. An Italian couple (they were all over each other all night, it was almost cute). Then we went to the Eiffel Tower -- where we had dinner. Up on the Eiffel Tower. It was. So. Cool. Seriously. Ahhhhh. Right. O I had. ... Duck and Froie Gras, Veal and a molten chocolate cake, red wine and... a ... thing. Mom had salmon, cod and the chocolate cake.

Then we went down and got on one of those little boat things that drives around and is like THIS IS NOTRE DAME... FROM THE RIVER SEINE. Which was. Okay. There was a bacherlorette party or something which was so friggin' noisy it was annoying. O well. Then we got back in the van and had a drive around Paris. We saw a whole bunch of sights, which I cannot spell because they are all in French and we drove by the Moulin Rouge and through the red light district. With a Sex Museum that was 7 floors tall. Uhhuh. And a place called Pussy's and like CINEMA X it was kind of funny. Thennn back to the hotel. Where I got online a bit more and then at 1:30am Paris time mom rolled over and was like lol get off.

Paris is an hour later than London!
Pictures to come, there hasn't been enough time to resize/choose the ones I want.

actualizingly @ 2008-01-04T17:41:00

2008-01-04T22:42:33Z

Day 3

Not for dialup. Wonder if this will even get posted the internet (which. I admit, I am ganking) is rather spotty.

So day 1 and 2 was like TRAVEL AUGH HERE SLEEP DEPRIVED FOOD FLOP.

day 3 started at 6am. (oh ho and you thought I was sleep deprived.)
At 7 we went down for breakfast at the Chez Gerebda. Or. Whatever it is spelled.
I had a slightly runny egg with a baked tomato (or broiled?) about the size of a plum tomato or a large cherry tomato and mushed it up over toast and it was really really good. And I tried the sausage but then remembered I am not really so big on sausage. And a bit of cereal with dried apricots and slivered almonds.

The mother is foolish and felt the need to snap pictures. Here I am! Hat and scarf are new.
Then we met with our Tour People Golden Tour or something.
And took a little bus ride! (like 30 minutes) and about 7 minutes outside of Oxford we took a break.

A happy sign! Or. Something.

The outside of our break place! Much nicer than our pitstops in MI and even on the Ohio turnpike.

And here is my mother. Hilariously she thinks the hat looks awful on her. I decline comment. She bought the hat at the welcome break place. Uhhuh. gas station hat!

RIGHT. So. First stop! OXFORD. Which is funny since the tour guide kept going on and on about the Harry Potter film (and I had completely forgotten about it and was very much thinking about Lyra's Oxford from Golden Compass though I haven't read that book in ages so I couldn't remember if it was Oxford Oxford or whatever. BUT. OXFORD was stop one.)

THE THING ABOUT TOURS is that there are lots of people I do not know in my pictures. O WELL.

First stop in Oxford was the Christ Church/Christ Church garden.

Oh, right, before I forget. On the way to Oxford our tour guide gave us this bizarre story about how waaay back when Oxford had monks and all there was a tavern lady who watered down the ale and then was lynched by the students and the king ordered students out after a whole bunch of rioting and the like and then Cambridge was formed. Something like that.

Look at the pretty gate! The red symbols are nifty and this is where you go in.

Look, a sign.

And here is a view of the garden-ness itself. Very nice. We had a bit of a drizzly day though. I liked it, but mom kept talking about how it was Sooo cold and sooo damp. Whatever it was nice brisk weather.

More garden, now with mom!

Me in the garden... right in front of the Christ Church.

The church! ... and some guy.

Harry Potter steps! Yah.

Buttery! Right next to the Great Hall

Great Hall |D

Me in front of the head table thing.

The place where Oxford students live. I think. Something like that.

On our way out of Oxford I saw this tree. It's pretty.

Me in front of a place called cafe loco. I have no idea why we took this picture.

And then we all got on the bus for about an hour ride out to Stratford. We were going to pass by the Royal Shakespeare Company place but it's under reconstruction/rennovation right now, so we didn't.

This is where we ate! Marlowe's. Apparently it's super old.

My table set. It's kinda cute .-.

I had a Cottage pie to eat. Which is like a shepherd's pie only made with COWwww instead of lamb. My mother had the pasta and you could have fish and chips. But. I wasn't in the mood.

Also, I've found out that coffee here so far is super weak. It's like... if coffee was tea! Not strong and can be tempered with skim milk -- we usually use half and half at my house so it was weird for me. I've decided to drink moar tea and less coffee while here since the tea is better.

We went to the place where Shakespeare was born after that.

In case you didn't know where you were.

The outside of the house where Shakespeare was born.

The garden behind the house where Shakespeare was born.

Me ready to go into the house where Shakespeare was born.

They had a lot of documents and sketchies and other such inside.

There was also some recreation furniture in the actual birthplace area itself and such. But we weren't allowed to take pictures.

And then we got back on the bus to go to Warwick castle! Huzzah! The Earl was so famous he was Kingmaker. I love the way that sounds, really.

Outside of Warwick Castle.

We climbed the tower there! It has these super steep and narrow spiral staircases (530 stairs!) with very little lighting. I couldn't believe that people climbed them in armor, seriously.

The view from the top. Wao~.

After Warwick Castle we headed back to London. About 2.5 hours in the bus. Then me and mom ate at the little lounge in the bottom of the hotel. Grosvenor's Lounge it is. Or something. It's got a funky spelling like that. I had a sandwich ... plate thing. They cut off the crusts and made those fancy little funny sandwiches you imagine at funny parties. And I had a Stella. Mom had soup and wine and brushcetta.

Tomorrow we're off to Paris to three days. It's unfortunate I don't speak any French at all and that the place we were supposed to call wanted mom to speak in French and she doesn't speak very much either. H-hah! Adventures!

DAY 1...ish

2008-01-03T18:18:08Z

Jan 2/3, 2008

-packed like a maniac
-met dad and kylie @ cafe japon, ate
-met melanie downtown w.remi
-hung about @home
-packed like mad again
left the loft @ 5:30
ate @ internet c@fe in detroit
flight @ 9:35
had to deice the plane
sat on the runway since 9 to 10:30
finally got off the ground
watched fantastic four on the way and tried to sleep on the plane.
epic fail.
landed @ 10:30am British time
went through customs
caught the gatwick express to victoria station
hotel is! actually attached to the station (hurrah)
Hotel: Victoria Thistle

Mom in front of the place we're going to eat breakfast at tomorrow! It's part of the hotel. Czes Gereearded something or other.
flopped for about 2 hours

Mom is flopping!
went out to eat at 3pm
ate @ balls brothers

Picture taken at night it's really horrible looking isn't it?
had a poached egg on english muffin w. smoked salmon, was good.
walked around a bit on that street (victoria?)
went around the station a bit

Look, station!
bought a hat and scarf (mum made me actually!)
got some little pies (the size of a half dollar!)
went to a bookstore.

I THINK I MAY BE A NERD but this amused me too much not to.
hanging out in the hotel room!