Wales

The way to Wales

After our quick stop in Bath, it was on to Wales for a few days to visit with Michelle, a friend of mine who put down roots there after our college days together. Because we stayed with her family and not in a hotel, this was perhaps our most authentic European experience. Michelle had many exciting plans for us, including a lively and engaging personal walking tour with Nigel of Cardiff on Foot and a trek through historic Cardiff Castle. 

The unbelievable view from Michelle's front door

The National Museum of Wales, and the starting point for our walking tour

The lovely, flower-filled Gorsedd Gardens around back

One of the many intriguing gargoyles on the walls surrounding Cardiff Castle

The flag-lined path through downtown Cardiff

The perfect amount of sugar encouraged us to eat more than our fill of these traditional cakes

The most classic sight of the day: the Norman shell keep

Paris

The majestic Montmartre

Oh, Paris, how I’ve waited for a visit! Even though we knew we’d be pushing our luck (and our feet), we dedicated an entire day to the City of Light. We had a rough idea of what we wanted to see, but we decided to play it by ear with some of the major attractions since we had no intention of spending the entire time in line waiting for tickets.

We took the earliest Chunnel ride over from London, and hit the ground running. We took in Montmartre, Notre Dame, the Louvre (believe it or not, no line!), “Love Lock” Bridge, the Tuileries Garden, the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, and finally the Eiffel Tower (again, no line!).

By the time we boarded the train to return back to London, we had walked nearly 15 miles, which removed any lingering guilt that I felt about the many chocolate croissants and macarons that we ate along the way. The guilt that I had from not being able to keep up with the language after having spent 5 years in French class was another story altogether.

Notre Dame's gorgeous rose window

Leaving our mark at the Love Bridge

No lines!!

Rows of ornate pastries at Laduree

A very busy Arc de Triomphe

In all of her purple flower-clad glory!

A final view of Paris before our ride back to London

London & Bath

A promising sign when I opened up my first magazine on the plane overseas

Upon our arrival, it became immediately clear to me that London is my foreign home away from home. The city is everything you expect, and more: hospitable, royals-obsessed, picturesque, steeped in tradition and history, easily navigable, and really, not so different from the U.S.

We began every day with “bacon and beans” and “loads of tea,” and then proceeded to make our way around town. The Tube wasn’t nearly as scary and confusing as I thought it would be, and it really helped us to cover a lot of ground. We each bought the London Pass, and because of the sheer volume of activities that we took on while there, it ended up being the way to go. Every night ended with a stop at the local corner store for jugs of water, Crunchie bars and stacks of British tabloids—certainly, my idea of a the perfect nightcap.

We reserved one whole day of our time in London for a Chunnel trip to Paris (covered in tomorrow’s post), and then we took the train to Wales via Bath. Bath was charming, and the town’s main sights can be seen in a 5-hour layover. It’s a stop that I’d recommend if you have the time and an appetite for Georgian architecture.

The first sight of London, after emerging from the Tube at Victoria Station

Believe it or not, we stumbled across the Houses of Parliament while wandering around the hotel

Another view from atop the Thames

The Horse Guards Parade

Vibrant flowers fit for a Queen, on the way to Buckingham Palace

Ta da! After all the walking, these taxis sure were tempting 

Perfectly sized cubbies so cute they almost seem fake

The Tower Bridge from within the famed Tower of London

Views from HIGH atop St. Paul's cathedral dome

End of day stop at Westminster Abbey

Blue skies and the Eye

View from the ferry on the way to Greenwich

Setting my watch at the Prime Meridian

Statue guards at the Roman Baths

Bath water...literally!

Georgian crescent, and a walk in the shoes of Rick Steves

Quaint bridge shops spanning the River Avon

Pack Your Bags

When you sit inside at a desk for the majority of the day, it’s easy to fall out of sync with the seasons. So much so, in fact, that it has become hard for me to grasp that we’re midway through the month and Labor Day looms near. This morning, we’ll fulfill our annual August tradition of heading up to the cabin in northern Wisconsin to enjoy a few uninterrupted late summer days.

For those of you in need of a mental vacation in my absence, I plan to (finally!) share memories of my early summer trip to Europe. Stop back here every day next week to follow me through England, Paris, Wales, Scotland and Ireland!

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